Tag: Cleveland Browns (Page 13 of 57)

      Not bad, Colt McCoy. Not bad at all.

      October 17, 2010 /
      Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy runs five yards with Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu in pursuit second quarter touchdown against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October17, 2010. UPI/Archie Carpenter Photo via Newscom

      The Browns couldn’t have asked for much more out of rookie Colt McCoy, who made his NFL debut in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

      The rookie made his first professional start against one of the nastiest defenses in the NFL and in hostile environment, no less. But he completed 23-of-33 passes for 281 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was Ben Watson’s fault. (The tight end should have made the catch.)

      The most impressive thing about McCoy was how he wasn’t afraid to attack the Steelers’ secondary, which is definitely Pittsburgh’s biggest weakness. He was poised in the pocket, displayed a ton of confidence and didn’t appear to be overwhelmed. Cleveland still lost 28-10 but considering the Browns couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t stop the run and couldn’t pressure Ben Roethlisberger defensively, they should be proud of the way their rookie signal caller hung in there for four quarters.

      When healthy, Seneca Wallace should start in Cleveland. He gives the Browns their best chance of winning and if he’s 100% next week after suffering a high ankle sprain last Sunday, he should play going forward.

      But if he’s not healthy or if the Browns already consider this a lost year (and nobody would blame them if they do), then there’s no reason McCoy shouldn’t receive more playing time – especially over Jake Delhomme, who has shown nothing in two years.

      Delhomme is done and he’s not a part of Cleveland’s future. The same can’t be said about McCoy. I’m certainly not suggesting that the Browns start the McCoy era after one performance, but there’s no excuse for Delhomme to be listed ahead of him on the depth chart moving forward.

      External Sports, NFL

      Big Ben throws three touchdown passes in return – no big deal.

      October 17, 2010 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pauses during warm ups before his first NFL football game back from a four-game suspension in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 17, 2010. The Steelers will face the Cleveland Browns. REUTERS/ Jason Cohn (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      The last time Ben Roethlisberger took a snap from under center, Julius Peppers was still a Panther, Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush were still together and MySpace was still more popular than Facebook. (Just kidding. Like MySpace could ever be more popular than FB. “Like.”)

      With that in mind, you’ll have to excuse Big Ben for throwing a pick on the Steelers’ first possession and struggling through the first two quarters of his return. Because once he shook off the rust, he was brilliant.

      In the Steelers’ 28-10 win over the Browns on Sunday, Big Ben completed 16-of-27 passes for 257 yards, three touchdowns and just the one interception. He hit Hines Ward and Heath Miller for red zone touchdowns in the second half and slung a 29-yard TD to Mike Wallace in the second quarter. He also didn’t take a sack, which is rather amazing considering this was his first game action since January 3rd of this year.

      Roethlisberger will receive a stiffer test next week against the Dolphins, but he and the Steelers had to have loved his 2010 debut. To celebrate, maybe he should go out with some of the fellas and bar hop a little. You know, kick a few back, meet some ladies, hit up a few parties.

      I kid, I kid. Grab a freaking book and turn in early, Ben.

      External Sports, NFL

      You’re starting, Colt McCoy! Really?! Against who?! Pittsburgh. Ah, crap.

      October 11, 2010 /
      TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 12: Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns warms up just prior to the start of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

      Nothing has been confirmed yet, but Browns head coach Eric Mangini said Monday that rookie Colt McCoy might make his pro debut on Sunday because Seneca Wallace has a high ankle sprain and Jake Delhomme is still dealing with an ankle injury himself. (Not to mention he’s also Jake Delhomme, which will always continue to hold him back.)

      That’s the good news for McCoy. The bad news is that the Browns’ opponent this Sunday is a well-rested Pittsburgh team that will no doubt be fired up with the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

      The Steelers have the second ranked defense in the league in terms of yards allowed with 1,156 (Miami has given up the fewest yards at 829). They also have the best run defense in the NFL, which is a problem considering the Browns like to pound the ball on the ground. So if the hope was to feed the ball to Peyton Hillis (who is banged up himself) and Jerome Harrison (whom Mangini apparently never wants to see get another carry the rest of the year) in order to take the pressure off young Colt’s hands, that may backfire.

      The Browns are hoping that they can start Wallace this week, but high ankle sprains can be tricky. Andre Johnson of the Texans just had one and despite his best efforts, he had to miss Houston’s game against Oakland two weeks ago.

      It’ll be interesting to see whether or not McCoy is thrust into action this week against arguably the best defense in the league.

      Update: According to Chip Brown via his Twitter page, McCoy has been told he will start this Sunday at Pittsburgh. Hold onto your nuts…

      External Sports, NFL

      Get used to the way this Falcons team wins

      October 10, 2010 /
      Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws with pressure from Cleveland Browns linebacker David Bowens during the second quarter of their NFL football game in Cleveland, Ohio October 10, 2010. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      At halftime of the game between the Browns and Falcons, I was ready to start using the term “overrated” when it came to Atlanta. Before the season, many pundits said the Falcons were Super Bowl contenders, yet there they were in Cleveland on Sunday trailing 7-6 and being somewhat dominated by a more motivated Browns’ defense.

      But a 20-10 win later and I’ve started to realize that the Falcons are who they are.

      They’re not overrated – far from it. Are they a Super Bowl contender? Maybe, but don’t expect them to play as smooth and as fluid as the Saints did last year when they rolled over opponents on a weekly basis. Atlanta is heavy metal compared to New Orleans’ smooth jazz.

      This Falcons team relies on its running game and methodical passing to wear defenses down in the second half and keep the game close. Then, when they have an opportunity to strike, they take it and all of a sudden have found a way to win.

      Most teams try to have a similiar philosophy, but few pull it off like the Falcons. Thanks to Michael Turner’s 140 yards on 19 carries, Atlanta wore Cleveland’s defense out and then just when you thought Matt Ryan wasn’t going to complete a pass for more than five yards (or complete a pass period), he hit Roddy White on a 45-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter and the Falcons never looked back.

      If you’re a football fan and you’ve watched the Falcons these first five weeks, chances are you haven’t been impressed outside of their rout of the Cardinals in Week 2. You may have even wanted to use the term “overrated” yourself.

      But the fact remains that they’re 4-1, Ryan is making plays when it matters most, Turner and Snelling continue to wear teams down, White is damn near unstoppable and the defense is fast and opportunistic. (Did you see Kroy Biermann’s 41-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the game? Holy amazing play, Batman.)

      Have they been fortunate a couple of times this year? Without a doubt. Garrett Hartley’s missed field goal in Week 3, Nate Clements’ fumble in Week 4 and Seneca Wallace’s (who was playing great before coming out just before halftime) injury today has all played a huge factor in Atlanta’s strong start. But it all plays into the Falcons’ makeup in some weird, twisted way.

      “Winning Ugly” should be their philosophy the rest of the season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Ray Rice injured in Ravens’ win over Browns

      September 26, 2010 /
      Aug. 07, 2010 - Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America - August 07, 2010: Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.

      While the extent of the injury is still unknown, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in his post game press conference that Ray Rice injured his knee in the team’s 24-17 win over the Browns on Sunday.

      The Ravens were only leading by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but Rice didn’t play on their final two drives so the injury must be somewhat serious. Harbaugh said that he doesn’t have ligament damage, but even a sprain could sideline Rice for the next couple of weeks.

      On a lighter note, the Ravens’ offense looked like a completely different unit today then they did in the first two weeks. Joe Flacco played with more confidence then he did last week in Cincinnati while throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns. All three scores went to Anquan Boldin, who hauled in eight catches for 142 yards and made Eric Wright’s life miserable for three hours.

      But while the Baltimore offense played remarkably better, the defense took a gigantic step backwards. They allowed Peyton Hillis to rush for 144 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, as well as catch seven passes for 36 yards.

      Of course, a sand bunker 20 feet high and seven miles wide couldn’t stop Hillis today. Every time he got his hands on the ball he pushed the pile forward and gained positive yards. The Ravens’ have one of the better front sevens in football, so to watch Hillis do what he did today was pretty impressive.

      It looks like Jerome Harrison and James Davis will have to fight over the scraps every week, because it’s going to take a S.W.A.T. team to remove Hillis from the starting lineup now.

      External Sports, NFL

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