Game Notes: Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears Preseason Game 4

Below are my game notes complete with misspellings, abbreviations, and grammatical errors. Blog Style.

Story line of the game: Neither Brady Quinn nor Anderson to play today. What does that mean? Obviously, Mangini has made a decision on who his starter is. I’m guessing Quinn.

Does it mean he doesn’t want Anderson to do anything special and cause people to second guess his decision if its Quinn? Is he contemplating trading one of these guys and he wants to see what he’s got in Ratliff and Bartell…can they handle the 2nd and 3rd string roles?

Maybe he’s already made up his mind on the depth chart and we are all reading too much into this. Maybe he just wants to keep the Vikings guessing…because it is clear the two QBs pose different looks.

After watching Brett Ratliff’s first pass, does anyone still want to trade the loser of the DA/Quinn battle?

Gerard Lawson out to 32 on return.

Drive 1. Ratliff’s first pass of the game was picked off, which is now his third interception against zero touchdown passes.

NT Rubin active with 2 tackles on first defensive series. Alex Hall makes a great play stringing out a running play to get a tackle for a loss and forcing a field goal after Chicago gets the ball with a short field. 3-0 chi.

Drive 2. Ratliff comes back, stands tall in the pocket and hits a wide open TE Aaron Walker for a gain of 17. Rookie RB James Davis continues to look impressive blasting through a very small hole for a big gainer 21 yards. He follows that up with a nice sweep for 9 yards, showing excellent patience.

Davis kicks out and finds a hole outside for 5. Davis dropped for 1 yard gain. Ratliff throws to the wrong side of Rucker incomplete. Browns set up another nice screen play. Alex Mack throws a fantastic lead block to spring Herron 12 yards. Davis dropped for no gain. Massaquoi hit for 7 yrd TD on a slant – wide open. 7-3 Browns.

Rookie CB Coye Francies jumped a screen play to the WR to force a loss of 3. and Browns force another punt.

Drive 3: There was a David Patton and Brian Robiskie sighting both catching short passes. This time C. Jennings is the beneficiary of a well-executed screen pass for 10.

Recently cut Rod Hood had to feel good about breaking up a 3rd down pass against his old team, forcing a punt.

False start ruins a perfectly placed punt which would have pinned the Bears on the 1. One of the few mistakes the special teams has made under new coordinator  Brad Sealey.

Leon Williams gets a much-needed sack with Brian Schaefering, as both are on the bubble. Safety Mike Adams is really having himself a great preseason. He picks off a pass.

Brodney Pool is really going to have a difficult time winning back his starting safety spot when he comes back from injury.

Richard Bartel gets an early opportunity in drive 4. Robiskie is wide open over the middle on a pass from Bartell for 26. Chris Jennings showing good speed as he turns the corner for 5.

David Patton picks up a first down on a quick slant on a nice pitch and catch from Bartel. Nice cut-back for 5 for Jennings.

Lance Leggett, who has been quiet all preseason, catches a 7-yard quick hitter to the 5 yard line. Incomplete to Leggett on 3rd and 2, who looked like he cut the route short, while Bartel threw to the open spot. Short Field Goal for Dawson. Nice 11 play 58 yard drive engineered by Bartel. Browns 10-3

Alex Hall makes something happen again with a 10 yard sack. 3 plays and out for Chicago.

Drive 5. Nice return by Lawson for 13 yards when it looked like he was initially stuffed. Chris Jennings continues to run well on a toss sweep for 13.

Follows that up with the same play to the other side. Ali with a great block on both plays springing him for 12. Run forward Jennings…loss of  5. Browns drove stalls. 51 yard attempt good for Dawson. 13-3 Browns.

Lawson earning his keep on special teams with a tackle on the kickoff. Garrett Wolf breaks through several missed tackles for 11. Wide open, great move from Johnnie Knox for 43 yards on run after the catch …poor play by Corey Ivey and  soon to be cut Brett Lockett.

Got to keep the play in front of you with such little time on the clock. Sloppy play puts chi in fg range. Coverage sack by  newly signed Schaefering. He got a ½ sack earlier in the game. 40 yard field goal from Gould. 13-6 Cleveland

Wow, Lawson looks good returning kicks. Takes it out to 37 from the goal line. Nice block from rookie RB James Davis. Another impressive run after catch from Jennings to get out of bounce and stop the clock near midfield. Sack of Bartell. He has to get rid of ball quicker.

Rucker fights hard to get a first down as well as a roster spot on gain of 10. Jennings takes a pass in flat and fights through several defenders to get out of bounce again. But makes a stupid rookie mistake by flipping the ball at a Bear to pick up an unsportsmanlike penalty. Drive and half ends with a sack.

Good half except for first play and the last defensive series.

Second half

Alex Hall chases a play down from behind on pass in the flats. He has really surprised me in pass coverage this preseason. Whose this QB Caleb Hanie? Colorado State…never heard of him. Jesus, somebody stop him…9 scramble, 8 to Davis, 4 to Davis, 18 to Wolfe, 25 to Gaines. TOUCHDOWN CHI! That was brutal! 13-13.

Gerard Lawson 55 yard return! Go ahead Cribbs…sit out…who needs ya.

Bartel 4 yard pass to Patton. Jennings run of 3. Bartel scrambles for 5. Rucker catches another pass for  on a nice read from both players for 10. Beautiful pass and catch as Patton beats man coverage on lob for 29 yards. Now we know why Rod Hood was cut.

Hood beat again on a slant to Brian Robiskie for TD. Replay shows Robiskie’s knee was down just short of goal line. Bartel punches it in on a QB sneak. Bartel again manages a nice TD drive. Looks a heck of a lot better than Mangini’s boy Ratliff. 20-13 cleve.

Another break down on special teams giving up a 50 yard kickoff return.

Pass too high from new rookie QB Brett Basanez. Thank God that Hanie guy is done. Stuffed run by Blake Costanzo. Well thrown ball between coverage to pick up first down…Basanez to Petermen for 19. Bootleg fails. Missed tackle from CB Francies on slant causes 18 yd TD to Rideau. 20-20.

Lawson again takes it across the 30 on KO return. Patten nearly killed getting undercut out of bounce on end around. Rucker from Bartell again for 17. Rucker is really helping is cause today.

Ali with a nice kickout block on short gain for Jennings. No where to go as Bartel takes a sack for loss of 5. Short of 1st down on pass to Jennings. This Jennings kid has some explosion and nice hands.

I just mentioned how good the special teams looked last week and they look terrible today. Punt return for Bears of 38 yards. Tack on 5 for penalty.

It’s scrub time now with a minute to play in the 3rd quarter. Francies pass interference. The kid is having a rough night after a solid camp. Was that Beau Bell I saw make a tackle? Chasing the play. He’s as good as cut.

Very good defensive series from Schaefering. 3 tackles and add another sack.  He was a real long-shot heading into this game, but he opened some eyes today. FG for the Bears to make it 23-20 Chicago.

Lawson has been fantastic returning kicks today. Takes it out to the 35.

Brett Ratliff back into the game for Bartell at QB. Ratliff looks erratic throwing the ball. Takes a sack.

1st three and out of the game. 53 yard punt from Zastudil and crazy-looking return for 11.

Bears QB Basanez looks sharp. Throws strike for 21 to Iglesias. Hits Iglesias on another deep hook…dropped. Hits Knox on 19 yard curl…Iglesias again for 11. There are some DBs on the field for the Browns who should just pack their backs and go home straight from Chicago. Chicago stalls. FG puts chi up 26-20.

Lawson stopped short of the 30 for the first time today on kickoff return. Jennings burst for 6. Ratcliff is REALLY struggling, almost picked again. Muff punt return…Cleve ball. Oops, somebody missed a block, loss of 4. All Jennings on this drive. But Ratliff is terrible-3 straight incompletions. Drop pass from Norwood didn’t help – Cut! 33 yd fg for Dawson. 26-23 Chi.

Basanez and Iglesias are eating the 3rd teamers up… 9 yrs, 26 yrds. 1 more 1st down and it’s Victory Formation Time for chi. There it is…game over. Bears 26—Browns 23.

Plenty of work to do for the coaching staff tonight. It’s final cut time.