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 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.

Now that the Cleveland Browns have played their final preseason game, it’s time for them to choose the regular season’s starting quarterback. And the winner of the QB derby is… we still don’t know. Why head coach Eric Mangini is dragging this competition on for so long is a mystery to me. We all know they will eventually promote Brady Quinn to QB1, regardless of whether or not he actually deserves it. The unwritten rule, at least among inept franchises, is that the first round pick gets the benefit of the doubt until it’s clear he’s a bust. Quinn can be a quality quarterback in this league, but so can Derek Anderson. The same Derek Anderson who went the Pro Bowl in 2007. Unfortunately, he’s also the same Derek Anderson who completed a pathetic 50% of his passes and finished with a QB rating of 66 last season.

Both are young, Anderson is 26 and Quinn will be 25 in October; both are a good size, with Anderson standing at 6′6″ and Quinn at 6′3″; both have strong arms; and both have been inconsistent when given the opportunity to show their talent. The regular season starts next week and the other teams with question marks at quarterback chose their starters BEFORE the final preseason game. What is “Man-genius” waiting for?

Cleveland is in a rebuilding year so no one is expecting the quarterback to lead them to a .500 season, let alone a playoff berth. But for this team to head in the right direction as soon as possible, the leader of the offense needs to be chosen. Quarterback is the most important position in football, and arguably the hardest position in all team sports, and an offense knowing who the starter will be and developing a rhythm with that starter is integral to the success of that offense. But here are the Cleveland Browns, playing catch up as usual.

I hope Mangini knows what he’s doing. I’ve lived in Cleveland and it’s a wonderful city that loves football and deserves to see their team succeed. So pick a quarterback already. Please.