Real Cleveland Football For A Change

To borrow a line from the late Harry Caray, “Holy cow!!”

Did I just watch a real professional football game in Cleveland?!

Not since the days of Minnifield and Dixon have I seen defensive backs sticking to receivers like what I witnessed against the Pittsburgh Steelers last night.

Was that Chip Banks, Clay Matthews, and Eddie Johnson dressed up as Marcus Benard, Matt Roth, and David Bowens?

Was that Corey Williams or Michael Dean Perry collapsing the pocket like that?

A Whole Lot of Hitting Going on Out There

It wasn’t just that the under-manned Browns beat the reigning Super Bowl Champions, but it was how they went about doing it.

Cleveland simply punched the Steelers in the mouth on both sides of the ball.

Sure, the Browns had to use some trickery with the Wildcat to move the football. They also resorted to some unique defensive looks to keep the Steelers’ offense confused,but the Browns dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

They beat the Steelers at what was once their own game. They bloodied their noses and held them down until they cried “Uncle!”

I have not seen that from a Browns team since the late 1980s,even when they did win a game.

Game Ball

It is pretty obvious to anyone who was watching that Joshua Cribbs is a special player.

He completely took the game over on special teams and on offense, when very few of the skill players were making plays.

There are a lot of amazing things you can point to when referring to Cribbs: his speed, his power, and his sheer will all come to mind.

But what I find most amazing, is his ability to get it done when everyone in the stadium, including the opposing team, knows he is getting the ball.

I understand the organization’s stance when it comes to his contract situation. Why pay a guy who we just renegotiated with, especially when our goal is to create as much cap space as possible under a rebuilding regime?

But week in and week out, this guy has earned it.

He has been a good soldier and has refrained from ripping the team when he could have just as easily gone the other way. He has done everything that has been asked of him and more.

Pay the man!

Game Balls II

There is plenty to go around, because this was truly a “team effort” by its very definition.

There are a few players who deserve mention simply because they have taken such a beating from the fans during the year.

Specifically, I am pointing to the following players who fit that category: Brandon McDonald, Hank Poteat, Corey Williams, and John St. Clair.

If you want to beat them when their down, then you should pat them on the back for their effort when they have earned it; they earned it last night.

Game Balls III

I tried to stop, but I need Spalding to send over a few more.

Fullbacks are the Inglorious Bastards of the NFL. They hardly get a mention unless their quarterback is lying on the field in agony because they just missed their assignment.

But Steeler defenders are recuperating today after taking some absolutely viscous shots from Lawrence Vickers yesterday.

Vickers was pumped up from the start and his attitude helped set the tone from the beginning of the game.

Eric Wright was in Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes pockets so often, it looked as if someone sowed him onto their jerseys.

His play, as well as the play of the rest of the defensive backfield, allowed Coach Ryan to send the house at Ben Roethlisberger on virtually every play.

Marcus Benard...alright...forget it...I give up. Pass one out to the whole front seven on defense and the whole offensive line on offense.

Evan Moore is the Real Deal

I have to admit that I was not willing to jump on the bandwagon after last week’s six catch, 80-yard performance against the Chargers.

I heard all the talk about how this converted wide receiver from Stanford was making plays all year in practice.

Fans were coming out of the woodwork proclaiming him as the next Jason Whitten.

One bleeping game for crying out loud! Give me a break!

I’m still not ready to hang his number next to the great Ozzie Newsome. But maybe the Browns are on to something here.

That 24-yard pass he hauled in early in the game was a thing of beauty.

Evan Moore, welcome to Brownstown.

The Coaching Staff

Just like some of the aforementioned players for whom I passed out accolades (who have been getting roasted by the local fan base), the coaching staff deserves a little credit today as well.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan pushed all the right buttons in thoroughly confusing the Steelers’ offense.

Ironically, Ryan actually simplified things according to some of his players and it paid dividends.

Simply put, he played man-coverage for a good portion of the game and attacked particular areas of the Pittsburgh offense with three where they had two (or four where they had three).

In 3rd-and-long situations, Ryan had defenders walking all over the place so Roethlisberger and crew could not figure out who was in coverage and who was rushing the passer.

It was just what the doctor ordered for a team that has to pass out name tags at practice just to determine who is the teammate that is playing next to him.

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll should get some kudos as well.

Some games it is maddening how conservative the Browns’ offense can be. But when your defense is dominating the game and the weather is bad, protecting the lead, running out the clock, and not making any mistakes against an opponent with more talent is the right move.

On a day when the Browns were not getting much help out of their passing game, he stuck to his guns.

His use of Josh Cribbs was just enough to be effective, but not so much as to be redundant.

It helped that his blockers actually executed the game plan.

Cleveland’s favorite whipping boy, Eric Mangini, deserves big “ups” for this game.

Let’s be real honest here, after all the injuries, personnel changes, and losses —as well as the fact that there was not a lot of talent to begin with—this team could have easily folded the tent and just packed it in for the year.

They didn’t; they played inspired and beat a superior, albeit slumping, football team.

Anyone out their going to bite the bullet and say it?

[Long Pause]

Ok, I will anyway. Great job Eric Mangini!

Six Points and Leroy Watson

I have been writing on B/R for less than one year and have been a Featured Writer for only a few months.

In that short time, I have had an opportunity to read quite a few writers whom I think very highly of who work for this site. There are an awful lot of writers on this site that I would rather spend my time reading than some of the high-profile sports journalists at some magazines, newspapers, and web sites.

Therefore, it is somewhat unfair of me to pick out just a couple when there are so many gifted people who contribute to this site.

That said, I want to recommend to anyone who reads this to check out two in particular who I personally cannot wait to read on a regular basis.

Leroy Watson is currently a Featured Writer in the Memphis Tigers NCAA basketball section.

Although Leroy is a fantastic source for your college basketball jones, it is his feature stories on historical figures that he does on occasion that I find most compelling.

My wife, who has absolutely no interest in sports, actually cried twice while reading his pieces.

Do yourself a favor and take a peek if you have not already.

Secondly, I want to recognize Christopher Maher , who frequently contributes what he calls his "Six Points" piece in this very Browns section.

Christopher does not get nearly the traffic that he deserves.

He is not a Featured Writer, so he does not get a prime piece of real estate.

He does not necessarily share the “popular” mass’s opinion, so Browns’ readers may not find his work appealing.

Perhaps it’s because he does not write articles headlined “Why I Love (or Hate) Brady Quinn” or “Eric Mangini Should Be Fired” that keeps him from getting more reads.

But Christopher’s sarcastic sense of humor, realistic point-of-view, and brilliant writing style are something I look forward to taking in.

Maybe it’s just the smartaleck in me that finds his work so darn good.