DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns fans no longer feeling blue....article NBCSports.com

Browns fans no longer feeling blue after strong start
Updated: Oct03, 2007, 11:56 AM EDT By Jeff Mroz
Special to NBCSports.com

For the past few years, the Cleveland Browns have been the a laughingstock. They have not won more than six games since 2002 , and did not win a single AFC North contest in 2006. Naturally, expectations in Cleveland were not high for this year, especially after the Browns were trounced by Pittsburgh in their home opener, prompting many fans to call for the firing of head coach Romeo Crennel.

However, Cleveland's 27-13 win against the Ravens on Sunday gives it two division victories, and more importantly, the confidence needed to continue winning. For most of the decade, the Ravens have been the enforcer, imposing their will on opponents. Sunday, just the opposite occurred, as the Browns ran roughshod over the Ravens.

"They're supposed to be the physical bullies or whatever," veteran linebacker Willie McGinest said, "but when you hit back and you keep hitting back and you don't let up ... When we start feeling that and that starts going through everybody's veins, hey..."

This is just the kind of leader the Browns need, because losing teams often times lack strong leadership. Turning around a perennial loser requires a change of attitude. The talent to win sometimes can be there, but the know-how and attitude can be absent; McGinest brings both.

The other major reasons for the Browns success:

• First year Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski: Last year, the Browns scored 24 or more points a total of three times, something they have already done in each of their last three games. They are leading the league in rushing yards per attempt, a major point of emphasis this off-season. (Hence the signing of Jamal Lewis) Chudzinksi's offense is unpredictable, effectively mixing runs and passes, constantly changing formations and employing a no-huddle attack at any time. This makes the offense not only more difficult to defend on game day, but also more challenging to prepare for during the week .

And how about that call Chudzinski made on the first play following Leigh Bodden's interception Sunday against the Ravens? With the Ravens up 7-0 in the first quarter, Chudzinski got the matchup he wanted, with Braylon Edwards going against an aggressive Chris McAlister. Edwards faked like he was going inside, McAlister bit, and Edwards streaked right by him, catching a 78-yard touchdown.

This was something Chudzinski most likely saw on film during the week, and he took advantage of it at the perfect time, completely taking the wind out of the Ravens' sails. Knowing that Edwards can score from anywhere on the field gives the offense much-needed confidence that they will succeed, and in a game of mental strength, this is invaluable. As Chudzinski continues to get more comfortable with his players and their abilities, and the players in him, look for the Browns' offense to continue to impress.

• Joshua Cribbs: Cribbs is Cleveland 's best and most exciting playmaker. His primary duty since joining the Browns has been as a kickoff return man and his impact has been immense. At his current pace, Cribbs will most likely be the Browns' career leader in kickoff return yards before the season concludes. In week 3, Cribbs returned his third career kickoff for a touchdown, and has had two other breakaways that nearly resulted in touchdowns. He returned the opening kickoff against the Ravens 41 yards, setting up a touchdown drive, the first opening drive TD scored against the Ravens in 16 games. Having an effective offense and scoring points are a lot easier when you don't have as far to go, and Cribbs shortens the field seemingly every time he touches the ball. After seeing his explosion the Browns felt the need to get the ball into Cribbs' hands more frequently, so Chudzinski has created a package that lines Cribbs up at quarterback. In a continued effort to feature Cribbs, look for this package to expand.

• QB Derek Anderson and TE Kellen Winslow: The fans in Cleveland wanted Brady Quinn to be the starter at the beginning of the season, and especially after their first game, but they wound up with Derek Anderson, instead. Anderson is inexperienced but has progressed under Chudzinski. Against the high-pressure Ravens defense, Chudzinski called a lot of three- and five-step drops to get the ball out of Anderson's hands quickly and he responded by making good decisions and accurate throws. At times, Anderson still forces the ball deep into coverage instead of checking down to the back or throwing the ball away, but this is occurring less frequently.

Winslow is finally healthy enough to play at a high level, and is a huge asset. He runs routes like a wide receiver and blocks like a lineman, doing both as well as any tight end in the league. His ability to occupy the middle of the field is aiding the Browns in a couple of significant ways: It keeps the safeties honest so they can't double-team Edwards. This frees Edwards and gives him a lot of man-to-man situations.

Winslow also makes the linebackers account for him, not allowing them to play near the line of scrimmage, thus opening up more running room for Lewis. Winslow also seems to be Anderson 's favorite target. A young QB needs to have a place to go with the ball and somebody he that feels confident will be open and catch the ball every time, especially when things aren't going well. Winslow has been just that.

Crennel has assembled the right pieces and unlike the past few years, this Browns team looks promising and will continue to get better. They will be tested this weekend against New England. The Patriots are the most solid, well-rounded team in the league and will expose every weakness they find in Cleveland. Don't expect the Browns to win against New England but expect them to be competitive, and expect them to continue to improve throughout this season and years to come.

Jeff Mroz is a quarterback from Greensburg, PA who was the football captain at Yale in 2005. Following graduation, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys, where he stayed until August, 2006. He was on the Philadelphia Eagles roster from January-May, 2007.
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if we lose this sunday, the articles will go from positive to "LAUGHING STOCK"....

We might not 'feel blue' or as blue right now, but we are still not there yet.

Our D looks terrible and should, SHOULD get better. It has to or we will not win games. It is a beautiful thing that we are focusing on the D after so many terrible years from the O.

It's nice to have a little positive press. Hopefully it can continue.

Sorry about the typo in the header....Corrected it now.

I'm not feeling blue because we won on Sunday. If we lose this Sunday, I'll go back to feeling blue.

It's really that simple to me. Just because we're 2-2 doesn't mean we're playoff bound. There's a lot of football to be played.

.. " constantly changing formations and employing a no-huddle attack at any time. "

.....Did I miss something ???

It isnt a no huddle but it is pretty close, the Browns dont wait till the final tick to snap the ball and anytime that there is a questionable reception, they do go pure no huddle rushing everyone to the line to force the opposition to make the challege before reviewing the replay. The play comes in they spend about 3 seonds in the huddle and they are snapping the ball pretty damn quick once they get to the line.

Now the one part of the article that was true unlike positive comment about winslow's blocking lol was changing up the formations. winslow at TE, winslow in the slot winslow at WR. This has given teams a lot of trouble.

I understand on the hurry up part to get a play off....I am sure they have a set 3-4 stock plays for a situation like that.

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They are leading the league in rushing yards per attempt

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I did not know this. After 4 games, we're leading the leage in a rushing stat? Wow. I have six things to say about that:

Thomas, Steinbach, Fraley, McKinney, Shaffer, Lewis.

Quote:

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He runs routes like a wide receiver and blocks like a lineman, doing both as well as any tight end in the league.

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Umm...

Cribbs will most likely be the teams' career leader in kickoff return yards by the conclusion of the season.

I say by next week.
I don't want to pick this guy apart who wrote this, but I had to mention this.

The Browns are 6th in rushing average.

Don't put too much into that right now... that will likely continue to slide downward.

The Cinci game is the anomaly and it is skewing the truth a fair bit right now.
As we play more games, if we continue on as we have in the other 3 games, that number should come back down to earth.


p.s. that's gotta be avg. per play or something, because we're currently 15th in Avg. per Game.

If somone told me our Browns would get through the first 5 games with a 2-3 record, í would have to say, "i'll take it!"
We have a very good shot at being a .500 ball club, and this year . . . i'll take that too.

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Even if we lose, I want to see us get our heads on straight and let the Pats know they were in a football game.

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So here we are- 3 days later, and I'd say that it actually came to pass. The Pats may have won, but they got more from the Browns than any other team has handed them, so far.

BillB said that although the Pats didn't play their best game Sunday, neither did the Browns, and we gave them a tough fight for 60 full minutes. Considering our recent past, that's progress in itself.

I should add this: There is enough tape on us now (and enough highlights showing up on the SportsShows) that we can't simply slide by as "sleepers" during this season. Teams will be getting ready for a different Browns team than we've shown in the last few years, and will be taking us seriously. Depantsing a team like the Ravens will do that... but I wouldn't have it any other way. If the Browns wanna be considered "legit," they have to actually win the games- not have them handed to them.

The Pats are a superior team, and the results bear that out. The Ravens are not- and those results speak for themselves, as well. When we stop "playing down" to teams like Oakland, that's when we'll be considered solid.

Being a realist, I'd be content to see us finish the season in the middle of the NFL pack. Anything over .500 is icing. I wanna see this cake get baked the right way- one improvement at a time.

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