Derek & Goliath Postgame Wrap

A Tuesday morning update to the previous predictions.

What Derek Must Do For the Browns to Win: First and foremost, limit the turnovers. It is going to be hard to win with no turnovers, but if he is responsible for more than one, game over.

Second, make SMART decisions. Go through a read or two, maybe even three (offensive line permitting), and make a good throw. If nothing is there, get rid of it or check down, quickly.

Third, be the leader. Anderson's teammates voted him a captain for a reason, and in times like these, his presence in the huddle is a must. Derek needs to look his guys in the eyes and demand more of them. If he can do this effectively, anything can happen. 

Fourth (although not entirely in DA's hands) offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski needs to call good plays. Chud needs to call quick three-step drops and some easy out routes to give Derek some confidence, then let him stretch the field (the return of Stallworth could be huge).

No turnovers, smart decisions, solid reads, leadership in the huddle (we can only assume), good playcalling, and the return of Stallworth, all lead to a Browns romp! 

Derek Anderson gained confidence early and did not disappoint. He made great reads and never forced the ball into tight spaces with covered receivers (I wonder how much of that have to do with Kellen not being in the game???). 

I think about a play in the first half when Anderson was looking left, looking left, and was about to force something until he looked right, to dump off to another wide-open receiver. That decision proved to me that he just may be back.

Another huge factor for this game, and for Derek, was that zeros on the stat sheet.  Zero sacks (for the No. 3 ranked defense), zero punts (Sorry Zastudil), zero turnovers!  If you do those things, you win, pretty much all the time. Anderson had amazing pass protection and took advantage of it!

Three Giant Defenders to Watch (and Derek should be!): 

DT - Fred Robbins. While most of the attention goes to names like Tuck, Kiwanuka, and Umenyiora, Robbins is a beast in the middle of the line. He should always be accounted for and can get in the backfield quickly. Leading the team with four sacks, he will give Eric Steinbach everything he can handle.

LB - Antonio Pierce. Pierce is the heart and soul of the defense and seems to be in on every tackle. The silver-lining here is that Pierce did not practice for much of the week and is questionable for the game with a quadricep injury.

CB - Aaron Ross. Ross is the leading tackler on this defense, which says a lot about his skills. But this ex-Texas Longhorn is hard-nosed, gritty, and FAST. Look for him to shadow Braylon Edwards for much of the night. That will be a fun matchup to watch.

These three players were neutralized, which played a big role in the outcome. A quick recap: Robbins was ineffective (as was the entire D-line) at getting to Anderson. He accounted for only two tackles and was more or less shut down. Pierce didn't start the game with his quad injury, but played most of the game after it was apparent the Browns were there to play.

Pierce only mustered three tackles and was burnt several times over the middle by Cleveland's tight ends. He is still reeling from the Dinkins touchdown right over his head.

Ross played much of the game on Braylon Edwards as expected, and Braylon destroyed him. Ross, who led the team in tackles coming into the game, only had two. In addition, Ross did not have a pass deflection and left the game with an apparent ankle injury after Braylon shook him for his fourth quarter touchdown catch.

Ross also bit hard on a fake by Edwards, which lead to the 70-yard reception in the second quarter. (On a side note: If Derek doesn't under-throw that ball, Braylon waltzes into the end zone, but all was well, as Jamal Lewis punched it in a few plays later.)

The game was surreal; No Browns fans, players, or coaches could have even scripted it this good. The stadium was rocking, full of deafening electricity. The Browns made a statement that their season is not over, and Derek Anderson's season was just beginning, and they did it on national TV! 

As always, we keep the faith.

GO BROWNS!