"Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has elected to have surgery on his right index finger. The surgery will be performed tomorrow in Alabama by hand specialist, Dr. Thomas Hunt. Quinn is expected to make a full recovery in the next six to 10 weeks."

I suppose the best news about this is that the surgery will not be performed at the Cleveland Clinic. Clearly, Quinn knows what he's doing.

At the moment, the only quarterback on the Browns' 53-man roster is Ken Dorsey. You can claim that we have Joshua Cribbs too, but I'm sure there is a reason he wasn't drafted as a quarterback. Odds are, as a passer, he would have a horrible game unless he is only used in the "flash" package as a passer (i.e. only here and there).

According to James Walker of ESPN.com, the Browns brought in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski for a workout today in Berea. His career statistics are not great, but I remember him getting off to a hot start during the 2006 season, much like Kyle Orton did in his rookie year. After that, Gradkowski was shelved due to Jon Gruden's obsession with having five-six quarterbacks on his roster.

Gradkowski might be the type of player you keep for next season as an additional backup to Brady Quinn.

UPDATE (3:29 PM): The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting that we have indeed signed Gradkowski.

Doesn't it always seem like that when a once-potent team is out of contention, some of the critical position players suffer injuries (i.e. when it rains, it pours)? If you weren't interested in watching Derek Anderson quarterback the Browns the rest of the season, then I doubt you're suddenly going to turn on the tube with Ken Dorsey playing.

Heading into the season, we considered our quarterback situation a luxury. Ultimately, it turned out to be a disaster.

Like it or not, Dorsey is going to start the rest of the season, barring an injury. Anderson's MRI today revealed a tear in his left MCL that will not require surgery. However, it will take him 4-6 weeks to recover, meaning he will be placed on the injured reserve soon. We might sign a low-key free agent quarterback with some backup experience this week, but bringing a high-caliber name just wouldn't make any sense at this point.

Tight end Kellen Winslow had his MRI too, and reports indicate that he has a "high ankle sprain". Uh-oh. I do not want Winslow to become the next Leigh Bodden when it comes to ankle injuries. What does that mean? Shut him down -- at least for the next three weeks. If that is considered plenty of time to have recovered, it might be worthwhile to get him back on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nonetheless, Winslow is guaranteed to be out for this week's contest against the Titans. Steve Heiden will get the start, but with a short-game passer in Dorsey under center, I expect Martin Rucker to finally start seeing significant action (although history says that he'll still sit, as most of us have had fits with Crennel's and Chudzinski's decisions all year). He had his first catch of the season this past Sunday against the Colts in the fourth quarter.

Both players -- Rucker and Dorsey -- have waited a long time for an opportunity like this. Dorsey has not started an NFL game since November 27, 2005. His opponent that day? The Tennessee Titans. On the road.

Ironic, eh?

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-4)		WEEK 13		CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-7)
		VS.

Date:	November 30, 2008	Location:	Cleveland, OH
Time:	1:00 p.m. ET	Stadium:	Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Colts by 4½
Radio:	WMMS, 100.7 FM	Over/Under:	43½
SBN Coverage:	Stampede Blue	Announcers	Dick Enberg & Randy Cross

The Cleveland Browns' chances for the playoffs are gone, but their opportunity for vengeance remains. Last year, the Indianapolis Colts failed to give an effort in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans, thereby eliminating the Browns from playoff contention. Whether that means something to you or not, it plays a factor in the emotion of today's game. Maybe not for the players, but for some fans, it does.

Derek Anderson will get the start for the Cleveland Browns after Brady Quinn's season-ending injury last week. The fans at the stadium could boo with every misthrow, but I hope they don't unless it truly is a horrible effort by Anderson. We still need to try to provide a home-field advantage -- it happened against the Giants, so why not against the Colts?

FINAL PREDICTION: Indianapolis Colts 27, Cleveland Browns 20.
Without Bob Sanders, almost anybody can score against the Colts' defense. However, the Colts' offense is back in sync, and with that, Peyton Manning is brilliant at chewing up clock time. By keeping our offense off the field enough, the Colts will come away with the victory.

This is the official gameday topic for the Cleveland Browns in Week 13 as they take on the Indianapolis Colts. All comments regarding the game should be posted in this topic. Enjoy the game, and GO BROWNS!!!

Oh, you thought something changed since 11 months ago? Think again.

On January 2, 2008, several days after the 2007-2008 regular season ended, I circled this Sunday's date on my calendar: a shot at the Indianapolis Colts.

It's no secret that I am a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, when you consider NFL teams that I like besides the Cleveland Browns. Most, if not all of that, has to do with how "cool" Peyton Manning operates at the quarterback position. In turn, he makes the rest of the Colts "cool" in my mind. Heading into Week 17 last season, all the Browns needed was for the Colts to defeat an offensively-challenged Tennessee Titans team, and we would've made the playoffs.

The Colts played Jim Sorgi most of the game. Tony Dungy conceded to a division rival. Think of it this way: even if the Browns had clinched a first-round bye for the playoffs, would you really want us to lay down against the Pittsburgh Steelers so they could make the playoffs? No way. That's what the Colts did.

"Hey! Don't blame me, I couldn't even quarterback the Lions!"

After my initial rant (link above), Brad Wells from over at Stampede Blue called for Cleveland fans to stop whining. From what I've read over the months, his feelings about the situation haven't changed. Neither have mine.

Spoiler alert: this Sunday, I am picking the Colts to defeat the Browns. For the first time in several years though, I don't want the Colts to win. I don't care if it sounds bitter, because there is justification behind it -- I want to see Tony Dungy look up at the scoreboard as the clock reads 0:00 and see the Browns with a "W". Last year, we were hoping that this game would mean something to the Colts -- like maybe it would hurt their chances at a division title. Well, there hopes for a division title are slim to none, but there's something even more important on the line: their playoff hopes.

A loss by the Colts will likely remove them from the fifth of sixth playoff seeds for a week or two. We already upset Eli Manning's New York Giants at home this season. Can we do the same to Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts? I hope so.

Box Score - 11.23.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	7	6	3	0	16
	0	6	0	0	6

Maybe Brady Quinn shouldn't have played after all against the Houston Texans. After the game, it was revealed that due to playing and practicing with a fractured finger, his injury had worsened to the point where he will miss the remainder of the season.

Even with Quinn's injury, it wasn't a legitimate excuse for the egg the Browns laid against the Texans. For the first time this season, I didn't feel depressed after the game -- I just felt empty. That's a telling sign when you know the season is over.

Let's get started with the goats of the game for Week 12, and there was one player who was especially deserving of one...

Goats of the Game (Hang Your Head)

WR Braylon Edwards cannot hang on to a pass in the end zone from QB Derek Anderson. The catch would've made it a 16-13 game with enough time left to play.

1. Braylon Edwards: This was perhaps the worst of them all. He has been dropping passes in every game this season, but the problem was really dangled in front of our eyes Sunday when Rob Chudzinski called for every pass play to go his way. I believe the official statistic stated that he was targeted 17 or 18 times, with about 3 or 4 drops. It was worse than just those drops though -- a poor effort on Brady Quinn's second interception, and a possible momentum-changing jump ball touchdown dropped, just to name a few.
   
2. Jamal Lewis: With Quinn having an injury to his finger, I blame Chudzinski for not giving Lewis more touches. However, Lewis lost two fumbles against the Texans (Anderson was credited with the second one, officially). It has been a long time since Lewis has put the ball on the ground, but his turnovers certainly didn't swing the momentum our direction.
   

Awarding Game Balls (Solid in Defeat)

1. Shaun Rogers: Consistently neglected in the game ball section this year, it's time for Rogers to receive another one. He has been the most consistent player on the 53-man roster, with another high-impact game against the Texans. He blocked his second field goal of the season, and although he didn't record a tackle, his presence was felt regularly.
   
2. Brodney Pool: The defense didn't look "great", but they kept fighting. Pool intercepted Sage Rosenfels early in the third quarter to set the Browns up with great field position. It was negated two plays later though, when Quinn threw his first interception.
   

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Thomas' Lowlights: In round two, Mario Williams had the edge on Joe Thomas. It wasn't the typical shutdown game for Thomas, who allowed Williams to knock down our quarterback several times.
   
If you were frustrated by the Browns' effort this season, here is some good news: you'll get to watch Derek Anderson for the rest of the season!

2. Quinn the Starter? We'll See: Exactly why was Brady Quinn named the team's starting quarterback or 2009 already? Don't get me wrong -- I have no problem with the "decision". However, after Romeo Crennel benched Quinn in an attempt to get a "spark" from someone else, how can he justifiably act like this was "all part of the plan"?
3. Poor Performance: There are some things I liked about Quinn's game, but it really kills me that he didn't get more opportunities to prove himself this season. In the end, Quinn didn't do enough to show that he can immediately take charge of the offense next season. Sure, the fans might be behind him, but the same may not be true for whoever our head coach is.
   
4. Anderson Slinging: Prior to the game, I said we shouldn't be surprised if we saw Derek Anderson (not on the sidelines, but in the game). His entrance came under unexpected circumstances, but he played nonetheless. I thought he actually did provide a spark with several nice throws to Braylon Edwards.
   
5. J. Wright is Bad Luck: If I'm Anderson, I never want to throw the ball to Jason Wright again. The last two times that Anderson has attempted a pass to Wright, it has been intercepted. Not that it is necessarily his fault, but I'm just tired of Wright being involved in the offense -- I wouldn't mind dumping him in the offseason.
   
6. Dawson's Shank: All kickers have them every now and then, as Phil Dawson shanked a chip shot field goal in the fourth quarter that would've drawn the Browns to within one possession.
   
7. Tackling Pays Off: We played back a little more. We were a little tentative in taking risks. The reason? We were focused on tackling. This was without question the best game this season our defense had from a tackling sense, as everybody, including Terry Cousin, made fundamentally sound tackles. Maybe next season, we can be like every other defense in the league and not look like we're learning how to play the game of football on the fly.
8. Secondary Affected: Our cornerbacks were affected the most by the tackling aspect, as Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter pretty much shredded Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright. Credit Sage Rosenfels on the first and only touchdown of the game though, as he threw a perfect pass to Walter in the corner of the end zone.
   
The Browns should have run the ball more with Jamal Lewis, if for nothing more than to take pressure off of Quinn.
9. Harrison Involved More: This may sound greedy, but even though Jerome Harrison had a season-high eight touches, I wanted more. Not just from Harrison, but from Jamal Lewis too. As I explained earlier in the goats section, it made little sense to throw it 32 times and run it 20 times when we were never even behind by more than ten points.
   
10. Welcome Back, Vickers: One player who had a quiet, but nice, game in return was fullback Lawrence Vickers. I thought he really opened up the holes well for the few times Lewis did carry the ball early in the game.
11. Winslow's Pass Interference: This has got to change too. We've already missed Joe Jurevicius' presence on third downs this season, so when we do execute them, it's a relief...that is, until you see a yellow flag down with the officials calling offensive pass interference on Kellen Winslow. 
12. Really Got Under My Skin: This one really made me irate, so here goes a rant: in the fourth quarter, Joshua Cribbs received the ball and rolled out to the right. He suddenly pulled up ready to throw the ball, but quickly saw that nothing was there and tucked it for a short gain on the ground. Are you kidding me? We have been waiting for Cribbs to throw the football for about two years, but the play has never been called. Cribbs throwing the ball should be the "dagger" type of play when we are up by ten points, or the "shock" type of play in the second or third quarter when we are down by three. Why would you run the play late in the fourth quarter when we are down by two possessions? That is the best time Chudzinski could think of to call a Cribbs pass? Not against the Steelers? or Ravens? Sickening.
13. Wimbley's Pursuit: Although he was "let free" on the play, I'd credit Kamerion Wimbley's sack on Rosenfels as his best one of the season. The Browns need to do a lot more of what happened on that play -- spread Wimbley out further so that someone else occupies the left tackle.
14. Brownies: It was a frustrating game defensively if you were watching on television, but you couldn't tell based on the box score...we held Steve Slaton to 3.5 yards a run, intercepted Rosenfels twice, and held the Texans to just 16 points, their third-lowest total of the season.
    

The game was a dud, plain and simple. I tried to avoid talking too much about Romeo Crennel's decisions in this game, because it's obvious that what he did was just as bad as what Andy Reid did with Donovan McNabb against the Baltimore Ravens.

Against Indianapolis, we'll be facing one of the hottest teams in the AFC. We've only won one game at home this year, but it's not time to throw the towel in. We defeated Peyton Manning's brother, Eli Manning, and the New York Giants earlier this year, proving that wonders can happen on any given Sunday (unless you're the Detroit Lions). Also, I haven't forgotten about last season. And neither should you have. What needs to be in store this Sunday for the Browns?

Revenge.

Yes, "hate" is a strong word. This is in a football sense as it relates to the Cleveland Browns, though.

Basically, this is your area to sound off following a pathetic 16-6 loss to the Houston Texans, in an attempt to prevent 50 threads being made about "why Crennel should be fired", "why Savage should be fired", etc.

Feel free to vent here, though I think we can refrain from the already tiresome Phil Savage e-mail jokes. What drove you nuts against the Texans? Romeo Crennel standing there on the sidelines? Thinking that Savage's picks haven't panned out? The constant drops of supposed Pro Bowl receiver Braylon Edwards? The two fumbles by Jamal Lewis? The ever-so-ineffective Andra Davis? I could go on and on, and so can you...so sound off.

HOUSTON TEXANS (3-7)		WEEK 12		CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-6)
		VS.

Date:	November 23, 2008	Location:	Cleveland, OH
Time:	1:00 p.m. ET	Stadium:	Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Browns by 3
Radio:	WMMS, 100.7 FM	Over/Under:	50
SBN Coverage:	Battle Red Blog	Announcers	Kevin Harlan & Rich Gannon

When a fellow SB Nation writer actually picks the Cleveland Browns to win, you know you're in good shape. Over at Battle Red Blog, our Houston Texans affiliate, Tim has picked the Browns to come away victorious, 30-24. The over/under is high for this game -- at 50 -- because both teams have major issues in the secondary. Besides hoping for a Browns win this week though, there are several other games we'll want to keep our eyes on in terms of playoff potential. Our division hopes are gone, but hope still remains for a wildcard, believe it or not. Without further adieu, here is a "best-case scenario" for Cleveland today:

1. Philadelphia vs. Baltimore: The Ravens are coming off a big loss against the New York Giants. I projected them to be swept by the NFC East during the second half of the season, and I'll bank on that trend continuing today. The Eagles were embarrassed last week by finishing in a tie against the Bengals, but they still know how to get after the quarterback. Joe Flacco will be rattled at the right time to allow the Eagles' defense to capitalize.
2. New England vs. Miami: We need...the Patriots to win this game. Why? Chances are, one of these two teams are going to take one of the wildcard spots. If Miami wins, I think the Patriots have enough experience to win the rest of the season, causing both wildcard spots to come out of the AFC East. But, if the Patriots take care of business today, I think Miami will fade off a little -- enough for the Browns to at least have a shot at catching them.
3. Indianapolis vs. San Diego: This is a real important game. We've already picked up wins against wildcard hopefuls in Jacksonville and Buffalo. The Colts are in a whole different league compared to those teams, but if the Colts lose to San Diego and we defeat Houston, we would control our own destiny in terms of owning a tiebreaker over them. One thing to note is that the Chargers have been a very good home team the past couple of seasons. I'm picking the Colts to win, but it's clear we need to cheer for San Diego.

Now that we know what else we need to pay attention to around the league, let's see what the Browns need to do against the Texans, starting off this week's preview with the overall team statistics thus far...

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

	Quarterback Sage Rosenfels can provide that spark when his team is behind, but as a starting quarterback, he is way too mistake prone. Rosenfels last played against the Browns in relief back in 2005 -- a game in which he was 5-of-10 for 14 yards and 2 interceptions. I'll pass on him and take Brady Quinn in a second. Quinn won his first career game last week against the Bills on the road, but he suffered a fracture on the tip of his index finger. The odds are suddenly higher for Derek Anderson to play in this week's game, but that shouldn't be a negative in terms of our chances of winning.
	Running Back This game will be a great gauge of Lewis' progress since last year (or lack thereof). Last year, Lewis ran all over the Texans at home for 139 yards and a touchdown. With Jerome Harrison and Jason Wright banged up after Monday's game against the Bills, Lewis' workload might reach the 20-carry mark for the first time in several weeks. Houston fans have been very pleased with rookie running back Steve Slaton, who is currently averaging 5.1 yards per carry on the year. Veteran Ahman Green has also returned the past few weeks in limited action and ran the ball successfully. The Browns will need to bring the same type of closing defense they had against the Jaguars earlier this season to have any shot at stopping Houston's ground game.
	Receiver Technically, both receiving groups should have field days today. On the Texans' side, Andre Johnson's production has dropped tremendously since Rosenfels took over for Matt Schaub. Johnson has only topped 66 yards in his past three games, with only one touchdown during that stretch. Last year, the Browns -- Brandon McDonald in particular -- held Johnson to 3 catches for 37 yards. The Texans aren't all about Johnson though, as receiver Kevin Walter and tight end Owen Daniels present much more of a threat than anybody the Bills had on their roster last week. Braylon Edwards, despite dropping a few passes last week, showed some solid chemistry with Brady Quinn and will be looking for redemption again this week. Kellen Winslow will play with a sprained shoulder.
	Offensive Line Whether it was Brady Quinn's fault, the running backs' fault, or Hank Fraley's fault, something needs to change this week to ensure that Quinn doesn't see free blitzers right up the middle several times. He cannot risk another "hit" on his finger. What was impressive last week was the offensive line's ability to clear out for Jerome Harrison's touchdown run. The Texans' offensive line has come a long way since the horrific days of David Carr being the most-sacked quarterback in the league. Still, the Browns have the favorable advantage of having Shaun Rogers creating pressure in the face of an erratic quarterback.
	Defensive Line It'll be another great matchup in Part II of Joe Thomas vs. Mario Williams. Williams is a better player this year than he was last year, but the part that will make him more dangerous is when the Texans line him up at other positions. The Texans will also see the return of second-year defensive lineman Amobi Okoye. Although he hasn't put up productive statistics, he helps the Texans' interior defense up front. The Browns will be without Shaun Smith this week, again limiting our depth. Maybe we'll get a further look at rookie Ahtyba Rubin, who had a decent game last week against Buffalo.
	Linebacker We'll say hello again to former Browns linebacker Kevin Bentley today. I don't really know if I'd take him over any of the guys we have now, but I don't imagine him having any special impact on the outcome of today's game. That might be a different story of linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who has started playing up to par again after being hampered by an ankle injury earlier this season. Chaun Thompson, mostly a special teams player, also plays for the Texans. The past several weeks, I've been a little more impressed by the effort that veteran Willie McGinest has been giving (though he is still having a difficult time, like the rest of our defense, at "finishing" a play). One interesting thing about today's game: Beau Bell is ACTIVE. Does that mean anything? We shall see...
	Secondary Texans fans have not been pleased with the performance of their secondary. For the Browns, Eric Wright has done a tremendous job most of the season -- he's not making as many "plays" over the past several weeks, but he has been keeping his man's receptions to a minimum.
	Special Teams Andre Davis hasn't presented many problems for opposing teams on kick returns this year. With that said, the Browns will need to watch out for Texans punt returner Jacoby Jones. He has two punt returns for touchdowns this season. Texans kicker Kris Brown is also 14-of-14 on field goals this year, including 5-of-5 on kicks between 40-49 yards. Phil Dawson has been as automatic as you can get as of late, especially on deep kicks from beyond 50 yards. Both teams have high explosiveness on special teams -- it'll be an interesting to see how much of an impact that has on today's game

FINAL PREDICTION: Cleveland Browns 34, Houston Texans 21.
We had the Ravens in position for this type of win at home. We had the Broncos in position for his type of win at home. This week, we'll have the Texans in position for this type of win, and hold on. Houston has been a horrible road team -- they haven't won on the road in over a year now.

This is the official gameday topic for the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 as they take on the Houston Texans. All comments regarding the game should be posted in this topic. Enjoy the game, and GO BROWNS!!!

Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn suffered a small fracture on the tip of his index finger, according to the Akron Beacon Journal and various other sources. The injury occurred during Monday's game against the Buffalo Bills, when Quinn's finger came into contact with the helmet of a Bills defender.

"The soreness will be the thing he has to deal with," Crennel said. "After this week probably the soreness will die down. We'll monitor him on a regular basis to make sure the soreness is not getting worse. He's going to play and he's going to practice."

So, the good news is that he will start this week against the Houston Texans. The bad news? If he takes a shot on his hand in the wrong spot again, we could see Derek Anderson come in the game in relief.

"If he gets hit again there's a possibility of more damage. We'll have to monitor it to see," Crennel said. "If it gets worse he may have to wear the splint all the time or we might have to sit him."

What's wrong? You knew there would never be an "end" to the quarterback dramas in Cleveland.

Box Score - 11.17.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	6	7	3	13	29
	0	10	3	14	27

The Browns won for the third time in their past four road games, taking out the wildcard-contending Buffalo Bills 29-27 on Monday Night Football. It was our second Monday Night victory of the season in two attempts -- we have one more in December against the Philadelphia Eagles.

I think that overall, when you look at the state of the team, we are a better football team than last season. Looking at our schedule heading into the season, we feared that despite being better, we'd have a worse record. We do have a worse record at this point (4-6), but it's not because of the competition. We've defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. We've defeated two potential playoff teams in Buffalo and Jacksonville. And, we dominated the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens -- two teams with great records -- until making team history with collapses.

The odds aren't in our favor now, but we still love Cleveland Browns football, and our team gave us another wild one against Buffalo. Let's get started with the game balls for Week 11...

Awarding Game Balls (Making Fans Jump for Joy)

K Phil Dawson kicked a tremendous game for the second year in a row versus the Buffalo Bills.

1. Phil Dawson: I didn't agree with the decision to kick it short on kickoffs as often as we did, but I'll assume those calls came from special teams coach Ted Dashier. Dawson is listed here for being the hero against the Bills for the second year in a row -- by now, I'm sure Buffalo fans hate him to death. Dawson went an incredible 5-for-5 on the road, with each one of them being spot on. His finest piece of work came on what turned out to be the game-winning field goal with 1:39 remaining, as he calmly drilled a career-long 56-yarder.
   
2. Jerome Harrison: I'm not exactly sure if four touches merits praise for the coaches in terms of getting him involved a whole lot more, but at least they stuck with him while he was hot. At the start of the fourth quarter, Harrison burst through the line for a 72-yard touchdown. I was screaming and jumping out of my seat as I saw him get past the third level. His work may have been even more important after that though -- following a Bills kick return touchdown, Harrison came right back out for a 9-yard run (tack on a personal foul penalty), followed by a nice 21-yard reception on a play the Indianapolis Colts often run. He didn't return after that due to a hamstring injury, but he led us to 10 points in the two drives he was utilized.
   

Goats of the Game (Could Have Cost Us)

1. Andra Davis: Welcome back to the goat section Andra Davis. After making a nice interception in the first quarter, the rest of the game was unbearable. The entire defense couldn't tackle Marshawn Lynch or Fred Jackson, but Davis was the worst of them all. Please, Romeo: get Beau Bell in there already. I don't care if Bell gets juked out of his shoes on every single play; removing Davis from the field is a victory in itself.
   

WR Braylon Edwards can celebrate another aspect: he had several nice blocks down the field.

2. Braylon Edwards: He had 8 catches for 104 yards, but it could have been so much more. Edwards was targeted on several other occasions, but couldn't come away with a reception. The most notable ones were a nice high pass on the team's first drive, and a ball that hit Edwards right in the face on the final drive. I do give a lot of credit to Terrence McGee for having excellent coverage on Edwards throughout the game, but Edwards is supposed to be a Pro Bowl receiver. There were clearly catches in that game that he knows he's talented enough to catch; the wait for him to break out of his funk continues on.
   

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Outstanding Defense: Yes, of course there were a lot of things our offense should have done to adjust better to the Bills' defense. Nonetheless, I thought Buffalo gave Brady Quinn a lot of tough looks in his first road start, and I'm glad that they did. It allowed us to see how Quinn would respond to that type of pressure.
   

QB Brady Quinn may have been pressured, but he wasn't flustered.

2. Quinn Did What Needed to be Done: Statistically, it wasn't a very pretty game for Quinn, as he completed just 39% of his passes for a QB rating of 55.9. Maybe Derek Anderson would've had been stats in this game, but that's not what is important to look at in this case. Quinn was blitzed heavily all night long and did a great job getting a throw off down the field most of the time. The option of using him on a bootleg run panned out well too. My favorite throw is his one on our final drive that set up Dawson's long field goal -- a corner blitz came free from the edge, and Quinn almost instinctively without seeing him was able to step up, double pump, and fire a completion.
3. Missing Stallworth: It was good to see Edwards get involved this week, and Winslow was still targeted several times as well. However, I don't like the fact that we heard Syndric Steptoe's name mentioned more on the receiving end than Donte Stallworth's. Things looked bright last week between Quinn and Stallworth, but having zero catches the next week is not what this team paid so much money for.
   
4. McDonald's Redemption: I couldn't have been happier for Brandon McDonald, who made up for last week's miscues with two big plays against the Bills: an interception and a forced fumble, each of which led to a Dawson field goal. The tackling was still atrocious, but if you can't tackle you at least need to make up for it as McDonald did.
   
5. Strong Consideration for E-Wright: There probably should have been a third game ball handed out to cornerback Eric Wright. Blanketing the fast Lee Evans most of the game, he held him to without a catch the entire game. Heck, I don't even remember him being targeted once, despite the fact that Trent Edwards often had light years to make a decision. That's the first time Evans has failed to record a catch in a game in nearly 70 games.
   
6. Special Teams Edge: Trying to determine who had the better special teams on Monday Night is a tough one. Dawson had five field goals including the game winner, while Rian Lindell missed the game winner. The Bills' coverage on Cribbs was solid, while the Browns' coverage on Leodis McKelvin was poor. There is one play that will lean me towards Cleveland: in the first quarter, Mike Adams perfectly downed a Dave Zastudil punt at the one-yard line on a play most special teamers would probably muff into the end zone in the heat of the moment.
   
7. Did You See Orr?: I sort of rushed seeing the game since I was on tape delay, but I didn't really notice any difference in terms of Shantee Orr's playing time. If anyone has any word on that, feel free to chime in. I noticed Travis Daniels in on the action more often, but he was just part of the depressing non-tacklers.
8. Ahtyba Rubin: Even before he made a critical fumble recovery, I noticed Rubin making a few more plays than usual. If anything, it looked as if Rubin was receiving the type of proportional playing time I expected Orr to get at linebacker.
   

The Browns' defense couldn't stop Bills RB Marshawn Lynch late in the game.

9. "Reason 2 - Not Physical": I listed "not physical" as reason number two of our defensive shortcomings in my review of the Denver Broncos game, and it applies to the Bills game as well. Marshawn Lynch has a lot of talent, but he had not had a good game all season. In the past three games, we've allowed rookie Ray Rice to have a career day, fullback Peyton Hillis to beat us on fourth-and-one, and Lynch to win 1-on-6 matchups with 20 yards to go against us. We're not catching unlucky breaks in terms of backs getting hot; we're just that bad when it comes to tackling.
   
10. Fullback Slant: Heh, I'll take a quick fullback go/slant route over the middle any day over a fullback flat pass. When Charles Ali caught Quinn's pass in stride, I thought, "holy crap, is that Ali out there?" I would've hated to have been the defender to meet him for the tackle.
11. Ineffective Back: There was a lot of discussion before the season in debating who was better served as the Browns' backup running back: Jason Wright or Jerome Harrison. Wright had two decent seasons as a backup, but this year he has been in my opinion a detriment to the offense. I still put some of the blame on him for not turning around quick enough on Haloti Ngata's interception a few weeks ago, and I blame Wright for not doing a good job in picking up the blitzes Buffalo brought up the middle. All you need is a chip, but all I saw were whiffs.
12. Crennel's Reactions: At the end of the game, I couldn't help but roll over laughing at Romeo Crennel's excited reactions to Dawson's successful kick and then Lindell's miss. As they showed him walking to the center of the field after the game, I could've sworn he had a facial expression that was trying to look normal but was really holding back a huge smile.
13. Opposite Reaction: After I saw those reactions from Crennel, I saw someone on the OBR mention how Crennel looked pissed off after Jerome Harrison's huge touchdown run. I went back and checked the tape and was laughing -- but baffled -- at just how true this was. If you taped the game, go back and check it. A montage of these past two bullet points would make you laugh.
14. Brownies: Quinn had a heart-clutching throw late that should have been picked and cost us the game...it goes without saying, but Shaun Rogers remains a beast, as he had another Pro Bowl type of game...I kid you not: right before Cribbs' four-yard touchdown run, I said to my brother, "I bet we'll run a double reverse to Joshua Cribbs here." It was only a single-reverse, but close enough.

The defense was horrible again in the fourth quarter, meaning our "rotations" didn't really keep people any fresher. In the end, the "W" is what matters, and Brady Quinn has improved to a .500 record at 1-1. This is the third straight game that we should have blown out the competition based on how we started the games; maybe we can do that this Sunday against the Texans. Thank goodness for a regular Sunday 1:00 PM game too -- I've missed those.

Jerome Harrison <3

For those who asked in the gameday thread, they were able to resuscitate me following the run. Isn't it fitting that my hero, Jerome Harrison, has finally broken my curse of predicting Browns football games?

It's not fair to give all the credit to Harrison though. Someone else deserves some love too:

Phil Dawson <3

From 56 yards in a swirling wind? Room to spare. Down the middle. Ball game.