The Browns appeared to be sleepwalking last Thursday Night at home against the Bears.  Brady Quinn got the start and he looked much better than he did against the Lions the week before as he completed 7 of 9 passes for 65 yards.  Ken Dorsey finished up again for the Browns and he didn’t look too good completing 10 of 20 passes for 92 yards with 1 interception.  RB Travis Thomas led the Browns in rushing against the Bears with 70 yards on 11 carries (6.4 ypc).  Jason Wright was also busy with 41 yards rushing on 9 carries (4.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 13 yards.  Jerome Harrison was also very effective when he was on the field as he rushed for 35 yards on 7 carries (5.0 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 22 yards against the Bears.  WR Travis Wilson led the way for the Browns in the passing game with 6 catches for 57 yards (9.5 avg).  The Browns finished up with 161 yards rushing on 32 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 29 passes for 150 yards.

The defense did not play that great despite the fact that the Bears only put 16 points on the board.  CB Gerald Lawson and linebackers Leon Williams and Kris Griffin led the Browns in this game with 7 tackles apiece.  CB Travis Key also had a decent game with 5 tackles and a interception.  Starting CB Brandon McDonald pitched in with 3 tackles and a interception in this football game.  The Bears finished up this game with 117 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes for 225 yards.  The Browns finished the preseason 0-4 and they looked pretty bad doing it.

The Cleveland Browns played horrible on both sides of the ball against the Lions on Saturday.  Brady Quinn got the start at QB for the Browns and he didn’t look too good.  Quinn completed 14 of 24 passes for 106 yards without a TD pass or a interception.  Ken Dorsey finished up the game by completing 13 of 22 passes for 94 yards for the Browns.  Jason Wright led the Browns in rushing on Saturday with 42 yards rushing on 8 carries (5.3 ypc).  Jerome Harrison was also busy as he carried the football 4 times for 11 yards (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 28 yards (7.0 avg).  Donte’ Stallworth led the Browns in receiving yards against the Lions with 34 on 4 grabs (8.5 avg).  TE Kellen Winslow pitched in with 4 catches for 26 yards (6.5 avg).  The Browns finished up with only 55 yards rushing on 16 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 46 passes for 195 yards.

The defense was also pretty bad for the Browns but some players did show up.  DE Melila Purcell, NT Shaun Rogers and OLB Kamerion Wimbley led the Browns’ defense with 5 tackles apiece against the Lions.  Safety Nick Sorensen was also all over the football field with 4 tackles and a interception.  The Lions finished up with 129 yards rushing on 30 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 31 passes for 257 yards.  I know it’s just the preseason but the Browns better show up against the Bears on Thursday Night in Cleveland.

The Browns have acquired CB Travis Daniels from the Miami Dolphins for a late round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.  The 25-year old Daniels will likely be the nickel back for the Browns in 2008.  He played in all 16 games (5 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he made 28 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he had 1 interception.  Daniels has a nice upside so this was a solid move for the Browns who continue to play for right here and now as they keep moving future draft choices for veteran players.  Daniels has now played in 44 games (25 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 125 tackles, has defensed 18 passes and he has 3 career interceptions.  The Browns really need help in the secondary so this was a good move for them.

The Cleveland Browns starters looked awful last night as they trailed 30-3 with only one minute gone in the 2nd quarter before the backups rallied and almost pulled out a win.  Derek Anderson did not play well at all as he completed 4 of 10 passes for 20 yards before leaving the game with a concussion and a bruised hand.  Brady Quinn followed Anderson in the game and he looked sharp completing 7 of 12 passes for 124 yards including a 44-yard TD pass to 2nd year receiver Syndric Steptoe.  Ken Dorsey was also outstanding for the Browns in this game as he completed 9 of 11 passes for 143 yards with a 8-yard TD pass to WR Lance Leggett.  Jerome Harrison was the Browns’ leading rusher in this game as he carried the ball 5 times for 36 yards (7.2 ypc).  Jamal Lewis had a game to forget as he carried the ball 6 times for 13 yards (2.2 ypc).  Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis had a botched handoff that resulted in a 94-yard TD return for free safety James Butler of the Giants.  WR/KR Syndric Steptoe almost willed the Cleveland Browns to a win by himself last night.  Steptoe caught 3 passes for 80 yards (26.7 avg) with a 44-yard acrobatic TD reception in which he took the ball away from a defender.  He also caught a lateral from Brady Quinn which he turned into a 7-yard TD.  Steptoe returned 2 kickoffs for 130 yards (65.0 avg) with a 90-yarder after Josh Cribbs got banged up.  WR Lance Leggett did a solid job at the end of the game for the Browns as he caught 2 passes for 46 yards (23.0 avg) including a 8-yard TD from Ken Dorsey.  The Browns finished up with 74 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.5 ypc) and they completed 20 of 33 passes for 279 yards last night.

The Browns defense did not play well at all last night.  Linebackers Kris Griffin (7 tackles) and Andra Davis (5 tackles) led the way for the Browns last night.  CB Eric Wright had some truly awful plays last night but he also made a couple of big plays.  He finished with 4 tackles, 1 sack and a interception that he returned 15-yards for a TD.  Wright also had a huge pass interference penalty in the first quarter and then he was burned for a TD on the next play by Eli Manning and Domenik Hixon.  The Browns allowed a stunning 201 yards rushing on 36 carries (5.6 ypc) and that was the most disappointing thing about watching this game.  The Giants also completed 15 of 30 passes for 129 yards last night.

The Browns also gave up 9 points on special teams and that’s flat out unacceptable.  The Browns gave up a safety on a blocked punt and Domenik Hixon returned the free kick on the next play 82 yards for a TD.  The Browns have a lot of work to do in all three phases of the game.

The Cleveland Browns saved Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage’s job by going an unexpected 10-6 last season.  The Browns figured that the only real hole that had on the team was the defensive line so they went out and traded for NT Shaun Rogers and DE Corey Williams.  The Browns have no excuse to not be a Super Bowl contender this season and it will be up to head coach Romeo Crennel to keep the team focused and motivated.  Crennel has been the head coach in Cleveland for three years now and he has compiled a 20-28 record (41.7%) during the regular season.  2008 will be considered a failure if the Browns don’t make the playoffs and win at least one game when they get there.  Make no mistake though the goal is to get to Tampa and play in the Super Bowl.

The Browns will be without rookie TE Martin Rucker for at least the next six weeks after he had surgery on his knee to repair a torn meniscus.  This hurts the Browns who had a lot of plans for Rucker which would have effected where Kellen Winslow lined up.  Rucker also looked great in his NFL debut catching 5 passes for 70 yards (14.0 avg) in the Browns first preseason game against the Jets last week.  At least tight end is a deep position for the Browns as Steve Heiden and Darnell Dinkins will pick up the slack until Rucker is ready to play again.

The Browns have cut Gary Baxter as they have come to the realization that he would never be the player he was before he came to Cleveland.  Baxter ruptured tendons in both of his knees on the same play a couple of years ago and he has never really recovered from it despite spending endless hours in rehab.  Baxter played 3 season for the Browns but he only appeared in 8 games (all starts) in which he made 43 tackles, has defensed 3 passes and had 3 interceptions.  It’s a shame that Baxter couldn’t stay healthy because the Browns could use the help at CB this season.

The defense and special teams let the Browns down last night in the preseason opener.  The Browns allowed two TDs to WR David Clowney (70, 71 yards) which is just flat out unacceptable…..preseason or not.  They also allowed a 62-yard punt return to rookie CB Dwight Lowery in the 4th quarter which cost them the game.  The Browns did hold the Jets to 59 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.1 ypc) which was pretty impressive.  But, the pass defense had a lot of leaks last night.  The Jets completed 18 of 26 passes for 283 yards.  The Browns pass defense has a lot to work on before September comes.

Derek Anderson opened up the game for the Browns and he played pretty well.  He completed 4 of 5 passes for 20 yards including a 2-yard TD pass to Braylon Edwards.  Brady Quinn followed Anderson in the game and he was effective.  Quinn completed 13 of 17 passes for 133 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 interception.  Ken Dorsey finished up the game for the Browns and he was pathetic.  He completed only 8 of 26 passes for 139 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  His best play was his only run of the game which went for 16 yards.  Jerome Harrison led the Browns in rushing with 31 yards on 8 carries (3.9 ypc).  Jason Wright only rushed for 17 yards on 7 carries (2.4 ypc) but he scored a TD.  Rookie TE Martin Rucker led the Browns with 5 catches for 70 yards (14.0 avg).  WR Travis Wilson also had a solid game with 3 grabs for 58 yards (19.3 avg).  Rookie Paul Hubbard pitched in with 2 catches for 49 yards (24.5 avg).  The Browns should not have lost this game based on the play of the offense.  The Browns rushed for 107 yards on 29 carries (3.7 ypc) last night.  They also completed 25 of 48 passes for 275 yards.  It’s hard to fathom how the Browns could lose a game in which they had possession of the football for 37:19 but they did.