The Cleveland Browns looked pretty good in the first half last night as they led this game 24-14 at the half.  But then they started turning the ball over and the defense couldn’t stop anyone in the second half which is a recipe for a loss.  Jake Delhomme looked very sharp once again for the Browns as he completed 20 of 25 passes for 152 yards with 1 TD pass.  Seneca Wallace wasn’t near as good as Delhomme but he made a couple of nice plays last night.  Wallace completed 4 of 9 passes for 91 yards and he also carried the ball 1 time for 15 yards on a outstanding run.  Colt McCoy’s numbers look good but the Browns didn’t let him throw the ball down the field.  He completed 10 of 14 passes for 76 yards and he lost a fumble that set up a TD for the Lions.  Jerome Harrison did not look too good last night with 11 carries for 34 yards (3.1 ypc).  He also lost a fumble that was returned 14-yards for a TD by Lions’ CB Chris Houston.  Peyton Hillis looked pretty darn good though last night.  He carried the ball 7 times for 26 yards (3.7 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 4 passes for 40 yards (10.0 avg).  Fullback Lawrence Vickers didn’t get any carries last night but he did catch 1 pass for a 5-yard TD.  WR Josh Cribbs (3 rec, 47 yards) and TE Evan Moore (3 rec, 36 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Browns last night.  The Browns finished up with 109 yards rushing (4.2 ypc) and 305 yards passing last night as they had possession of the ball for 34:31.

Rookies (S) T.J. Ward and CB Joe Haden led the way for the Browns D with 5 tackles each last night.  CB Eric Wright had 3 tackles and he recovered a Kevin Smith fumble that the returned 44 yards to the house for a TD.  The Lions finished up with 154 yards rushing (5.9 ypc) and 193 yards passing last night.  The Browns are now 1-2 on the pre-season.

Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace have been outstanding this pre-season for the Browns.  Delhomme has completed 18 of 23 passes (78.3%) for 193 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (116.1 QB Rating) so far.  He looks in charge when he’s in the huddle and he always seems to throw to the right guy.  Seneca Wallace has completed 9 of 17 passes (52.9%) for 139 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (95.3 QB Rating).  Wallace has also carried the ball 1 time for 16 yards this pre-season.  Wallace isn’t as accurate as Delhomme but he can make big plays with either his arm or his legs.  The Browns have to be happy with Delhomme & Wallace so far this pre-season.

The Browns didn’t lose this game until the 4th quarter when the scrubs were in the game.  Jake Delhomme looked sharp once again for the Browns completing 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards with 1 TD pass.  Seneca Wallace also looked pretty decent as he completed 5 of 9 passes for 67 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 16 yards in this game.  Brett Ratliff looked awful on Saturday Night as he completed 1 of 4 passes for 10 yards with 1 INT.  Colt McCoy had another game to forget as he was 0 for 2 passing and he was sacked twice.  Peyton Hillis led the way on the ground for the Browns in this game with 51 yards rushing on 12 carries (4.3 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg) in this game.  Jerome Harrison pitched in with 13 yards on 5 carries (2.6 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 32 yards.  Chansi Stuckey (3 rec, 51 yards), Josh Cribbs (5 rec, 30 yards, TD) and Ben Watson (3 rec, 22 yards, TD) led the way for the Browns in the passing game against the Rams.  The Browns finished up with 98 yards rushing (3.6 ypc) and 187 yards passing in this game.

CB Raymond Ventrone (6 tackles) and LB Chris Gocong (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way of a very inspired performance from the Browns’ D.  The Rams finished up with only 57 yards rushing (1.7 ypc) and 115 yards passing in this game.

The Browns have placed 31-year old punter Dave Zastudil on the Injured Reserve List with a knee problem.  He played in 8 games for the Browns last season and he punted the ball 49 times for 2,188 yards (44.7 avg).  Zastudil pinned the opposition inside their own 20-yard line 25 times last year and he had 5 touchbacks.  28-year old Reggie Hodges will replace Zastudil as the Browns’ starting punter in 2010.  Hodges played in 8 games for the Browns last season and he punted the ball 45 times for 1,789 yards (39.8 avg).  He pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 15 times and he had 3 touchbacks.  Hodges will be a dropoff from Zastudil but the Browns don’t appear to worried about it.

The Browns will be without starting right guard Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack for the rest of the pre-season due to injury.  He played in 13 games (9 starts) for the Browns last season.  He has played in 103 games (56 starts) in his nine years in the NFL.  Womack’s injury leaves the door open for rookie third round pick Shawn Lauvao to potentially steal his starting job.

The Cleveland Browns pulled out a stunning win last night in Green Bay as Phil Dawson kicked a 58-yard field goal to tie the game with 1:27 left in the game and they he popped a 46-yarder to win as time expired.  Jake Delhomme looked razor sharp completing 6 of 7 passes for 66 yards and leading the Browns to a TD on their first possession.  Seneca Wallace was also sharp completing 4 of 8 passes for 72 yards with 2 TD passes.  Colt McCoy was the one Browns’ QB that looked overmatched last night.  He completed 5 of 10 passes for 25 yards with 2 INTs.  He did carry the ball 2 times for 25 yards (12.5 ypc) so all was not bad.  Brett Ratliff finished up the game by completing 7 of 15 passes for 51 yards.  Jerome Harrison led the way for the Browns on the ground last night with 7 carries for 25 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  James Davis looked solid carrying the ball six times for 24 yards (4.0 ypc).  Peyton Hillis had 2 carries for 3 yards (1.5 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 34 yards (11.3 avg).  TE Alex Smith (3 rec, 37 yards), Brian Robiskie (3 rec, 32 yards, TD) and Mohamed Massaquoi (3 rec, 36 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Browns last night.  TE Ben Watson only caught 1 pass but it went for a 20-yard TD.  The Browns finished up with 85 yards rushing (3.9 ypc) and 211 passing yards last night.

The defense was so-so for the Browns last night.  Rookie 2nd round pick T.J. Ward (S) led the way for the Browns’ D with 9 tackles and 1 QB hit.  OLB Marcus Benard was also all over the place as he finished up with 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  The Packers finished up with 106 yards rushing (3.7 ypc) and 234 yards passing last night.

The Cleveland Browns have the best return man on the planet in 27-year old Joshua Cribbs.  He has returned 10 kickoffs & punts for TDs in his career which is already an NFL record that he will look to add to in 2010.  Cribbs played in 16 games for the Browns last season and he returned 56 kickoffs for 1,542 yards (27.5 avg) with 3 TD returns.  He has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has returned 265 kickoffs for 7,049 yards (26.6 avg) with 8 TD returns.  Cribbs is a threat to score from anywhere on the field as he has the moves, speed and stength combo that no other return man in the NFL has.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BROWNS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  A+++++

The Browns have lost 26-year old starting inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson for the next 4-8 weeks due to a strained right pectoral muscle in his chest.  Jackson played in 6 games for the Browns last season and he had 59 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.  32-year old Eric Barton and 23-year old Kaluka Maiava will duke it out in training camp to see who replaces Jackson for the first couple of games.  Barton played in 8 games for the Browns last season and he had 58 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, he defensed 2 passes and he had 1 fumble recovery.  Barton is a Mangini favorite from their days together with the Jets so he likely has a slight edge right now.  Maiava played in 16 games as a rookie for the Browns last season and he made 45 tackles, had 2.5 sacks, he defensed 2 passes and he forced 2 fumbles.  The Browns hope Jackson heals quickly because he’s better than the alternatives.

The offensive line is the strength of the Cleveland Browns.  It really showed in the last four games of last season when the Browns didn’t try to pass much and no one could stop their running game and that was because of the O-Line.  It all starts at LT where Joe Thomas is one of the best, if not the best tackle in the NFL.  Thomas is a great run blocker and he’s very good at pass blocking as Jake Delhomme will be able to drop in the pocket without any worries of getting hit in the back.  LG Eric Steinbach is a outstanding run blocker as he always seems to hit moving targets on the second level of the D taking out linebackers.  He’s also a good pass blocker.  When the Browns run to the left side they almost always have success due to Steinbach & Thomas.  Center Alex Mack was solid all year long as a rookie in 2009.  He’s best at run blocking as he’s just plain nasty in that role.  Floyd Womack (RG) and Tony Pashos (RT) are both solid run blockers who are so-so in pass blocking.  Rookie guard Shawn Lauvao and tackle John St. Clair give the Browns quality depth on the O-Line for 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CLEVELAND BROWNS O-LINE in 2010:  A

The Browns finished very strong last season likely saving 39-year old head coach Eric Mangini’s job.  The Browns were only 5-11 (31.3%) in his first year with the team and if it happens again he will likely get fired.  Mangini has a 4-year career record of 28-36 (43.8%) during the regular season and he’s 0-1 in the playoffs.  One thing that’s in the Browns favor this season is that Mangini is 19-13 in even numbered years with 2010 is.  But, he’s only 9-23 in odd numbered years.  President Mike Holmgren might get the itch to return to coaching at any time so Mangini has to get his team to improve in 2010.