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.