CLEVELAND BROWNS

Football News, Schedule, Pictures, Roster & More

Receiver Braylon Edwards discovered Sunday that the gash on his right foot went a little deeper than the two inches visible to the eye. It also cost him some timing with quarterback Derek Anderson and a good performance in Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Cowboys.

Edwards, who missed the final three preseason games after teammate Donte Stallworth spiked his shoeless foot Aug. 9, dropped one sure TD catch on a deep ball at the 11 and let at least one other pass over the middle slip through his hands. One or two other balls that he might've had last season fell incomplete.

He was also flagged once for an illegal shift -- a penalty that was declined when the ball went through his hands -- and once for a false start that put the Browns in third and long near the red zone in the fourth quarter. The Browns ended up settling for a field goal after Anderson was sacked.

All in all, it was not the performance one would expect from a Pro Bowler who had 16 TD catches last season. He finished with two catches for 14 yards, with a long of 12.

Continue reading "Browns Insider: Edwards admits rust; Sanders excited to play, sympathetic for Stallworth" »

Cleveland Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys post-game report

Beneath the glitz and glamour, the Cowboys are a quality team. They showed it on both sides of the ball Sunday in a 28-10 victory over the Browns in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The leader of the star-studded carnival, owner Jerry Jones, was among the many who held court in the locker room afterward.

"I was scared to death of this game," Jones said. "Cleveland is very good, especially in their place. I knew if we had too many three-and-outs and didn't execute, we'd be in trouble.

"I must tell you, I didn't expect to feel this good after the ball game."

As it turned out, Jones experienced few anxious moments. The Cowboys never trailed. They led 7-0 after one quarter and 21-7 at halftime. Only diehard Browns fans thought their team could rally.

Continue reading "Jones stays modest, but Cowboys can't hide their confidence after dominating win" »

Browns coaches won't have to come down too hard on new starting cornerback Brandon McDonald on Monday. He did enough of that to himself after what he felt was a poor debut against Terrell Owens and friends in Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Cowboys.

"It was very frustrating," said McDonald. "I knew what I was up against. I knew who I was up against, as far as T.O. and the Cowboys and I don't feel like I came out today and performed like I know I can. I'm a whole lot better than what I showed today."

McDonald, who's been gearing up for Terrell Owens since OTAs in May, let the receiver get behind him for a 35-yard touchdown catch and committed two hands-to-the-face penalties against Owens that led to two other touchdowns -- one of which wiped out a Robaire Smith sack. On the TD, however, McDonald was left on an island with no help.

"As far as the touchdown is concerned, we were in a zone coverage and it was a miscommunication on the back end," said McDonald. "It's not just one person. Everyone has a role. There are some things we need to get fixed and we will."

Continue reading "McDonald frustrated by Dallas air show" »

The Browns should open next season away from home, preferably China.

At least with a 12-hour Olympic-style time difference, you might sleep through the game and the head coach's explanation for what happened -- specifically in his area of expertise.

That's defense, remember?

Allowing 487 yards Sunday to the Cowboys, who graciously sat on the ball late, was more of the same sad show on display against Pittsburgh in the 2007 opener.

The last two years Romeo Crennel's teams have greeted the season the way Tony Soprano greeted most mornings. In their bathrobe. With a face full of stubble. Stumbling down the driveway.

Continue reading "There's no defense for Browns' drab debut --- then again, there was no defense at all" »

Scribbles in my Browns notebook as they were spanked, 28-10, by Dallas ...

I'm worried about Donte Stallworth, who missed much of early training camp with a hamstring injury and then pulled a groin muscle ... in warmups! He has a history of minor leg injuries that have hampered his career. He sat out four games in 2006 with hamstring troubles. Yes, he appeared in 16 games in three of the last four years, but he sometimes played with leg muscle pulls. The Browns desperately need another experienced receiver on the field, as they had Steve Sanders and Syndric Steptoe on the field together for some plays, and neither had a single catch in their NFL careers.

Braylon Edwards said he dropped only two passes, but it was four according to NFL.com. He should look at the tape and see if he still thinks it was only two. He should note he also was called for two illegal motion penalties. Remember, Edwards was spiked in the foot when not wearing shoes and messing around with Stallworth at the end of a practice. The Pro Bowl receiver missed the last three preseason games. He had 11 passes thrown to him, but only two receptions for 14 yards. Silly stuff like this can really hurt a team with playoff aspirations.

Continue reading "Scribbles on Braylon's bobbles, defensive futility and Crennel's pointless field goal" »

What happened: Browns had the ball first in continuation of possession that began late in third. Phil Dawson kicked a 34-yard field goal with 10:13 left to make it 28-10. Dallas put together a clock-killing drive that lasted until the end of the game.

Notable: On third-and-10 with 14 minutes left, Derek Anderson hung in against a corner blitz and threw a strike to Syndric Steptoe for 12 yards to the Cleveland 49.

Anderson took advantage of soft coverage by Dallas.

Anderson thought Anthony Henry tried to hit him in the helmet as Anderson slid down for a short gain. The officials disagreed.

Continue reading "Final: Cowboys 28, Browns 10" »

Tony Grossi's take: Hard to tell which is worse -- Browns pass rush or coverage ... Brandon McDonald has had his hands more times in Terrell Owens' face than on the ball ... Browns defenders have lost their helmets at least three times during plays ... Felix Jones' first NFL carry -- 11 yards up the middle for a touchdown ... Romo's worst pass of the day for Owens is intercepted by Eric Wright in the end zone. Owens had Wright beat, but the throw was off the mark ... Down by 21 with 10:13 to play, Browns kick a 34-yard field goal rather than try fourth-and-3 from the 17. Needless to say, the crowd was, uh, displeased ... I feel this way about it: If it wasn't still the preseason, Crennel would have gone for it ... Felix Jones rips off a 22-yard run on second-and-13 ... That'll do it.

What happened: Dallas did nothing on its first possession. The Browns took over at their 49 but gained just 8 yards in three plays. The Cowboys drove 86 yards in 10 plays to move ahead, 28-7. Felix Jones scored on an 11-yard run with 6:24 left. The possession lasted 4:53. Tony Romo was intercepted in the end zone in the final minute. The Cowboys had been poised to lead at least 31-7.

Notable: Terrell Owens was flagged for pass interference with 14:07 left. Owens had pushed off and caught a deep pass.

On third-and-15, Tony Romo threw incomplete. The Browns finally applied pressure.

Early in the quarter, Derek Anderson threw a bad lob pass to Braylon Edwards on third-and-2 from the Dallas 43. The ball floated out of bounds.

Romo, under pressure and throwing sidearm off the back foot, zipped a pass to Jason Witten for 19 yards on third-and-5.

Continue reading "Third quarter: Cowboys 28, Browns 7" »

It's great to see Derek Anderson throwing the ball well, and moving around the pocket with no problem. He did have a concussion a few weeks ago, and the media and fans had not seen him play (or practice) since. We heard he was 100 percent, and he looked it. I also liked how offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski twice rolled Anderson out of the pocket on critical plays --- one leading to a TD pass to Kellen Winslow, the other to Steve Heiden. Defenses know Anderson likes to throw from the pocket, so rollouts do surprise the defense and buy him more time to throw.

With Donte Stallworth hurt (again), Heiden becomes even more important. The Browns have only two experienced receivers (healthy) -- Braylon Edwards and Winslow. Yes, Winslow is a tight end, but his speciality is catching passes. His various injuries are part of the reason he's not much of a blocker. So the Browns need Heiden doing heavy duty at right end, with Winslow as a slot receiver. At one point in the first half, the Browns had Steve Sanders and Syndric Steptoe on the right side -- two guys with zero catches in their NFL careers.

I'm worried about Stallworth, who mised much of early training camp with a hamstring injury, and then came up with a groin injury before the game. He does have a history of minor leg injuries that have hampered his career.

Continue reading "Terry Pluto's halftime scribbles for Cowboys-Browns" »

On one of Tony Romo's many untroubled dropbacks in the first half, the Dallas quarterback found Terrell Owens behind Browns' corner Brandon McDonald for a 35-yard touchdown.

The only consolation for the Browns was a small one. Owens did his impersonation of a sprinter in the starting blocks, drawing a penalty. On the most recent episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks," Owens told his teammates he could beat Jamaican Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt in the 100 with a 20-yard start.

I don't doubt it, given Owens' time in the 40. What I'd like to see, though, is if the Browns could get to the passer if they were allowed to use starting blocks...

The one time they did get to Romo, McDonald was penalized for hands to the face. All in all, the Browns picked up right where they left off in the preseason. So did Braylon Edwards, who needed the rust sand-blasted off him at halftime.

What happened: Browns tied the score, 7-7, with 12:43 left. They covered 78
yards in 16 plays in a drive that began in the first quarter. Derek Anderson threw a 2-yard TD pass to Kellen Winslow Jr. Time elapsed: 8:57. Dallas helped with three penalties.

Tony Romo's 35-yard pass to Terrell Owens with 9:48 left capped a four-play, 69-yard drive as Dallas pulled ahead, 14-7. Browns went nowhere on their second possesion of the quarter. Cowboys forced to punt on the ensuing possession. Browns continued to bog down offensively.

Marion Barber's 1-yard TD run with 26 seconds remaining gave the Cowboys a 21-7 lead. Drive covered 69 yards in 10 plays.

Notable: Braylon Edwards schooled Adam Jones in the end zone, Jones tackling Edwards before the ball arrived. The penalty set up a first-and-goal.

Winslow expertly sat down in space, enabling Anderson to find him for the 2-yard TD.

Barber's 23-yard rush with less than 12 minutes left was a thing of beauty.

Continue reading "Halftime: Cowboys 21, Browns 7" »

Tony Grossi's take: Browns announce Donte Stallworth injured his groin in warmups ... Oh, so that's why they activated Steve Sanders on Saturday? ... No Browns defender can cover Dallas tight end Jason Witten ... Braylon Edwards failed to come down with two catchable balls. One would have been a TD ... Yes, the Browns had a nice TD drive. But it took them five times inside the 5 to score, and they couldn't bang it in on the ground ... Still, that almost-nine-minute possession should drain the Cowboys' pass rush ... Finally, 20 minutes into the game, the Browns show a pass rush. Shaun Rogers draws a holding call ... Very next play, Tony Romo and Terrell Owens beat Brandon McDonald for a 35-yard TD ... The safeties are having a nightmarish game ... Browns needed another long possession, but they go 3 and out in less than a minute ... Cowboys score another TD for 21-7 lead. And they deferred at the coin toss, so they get the ball to start second half.

What happened: Dallas won opening toss and deferred. Browns receive kickoff. Donte' Stallworth (groin) is questionable after not being listed on the injury report. Browns moved from their 29 to Dallas 45 before drive stalled. Derek Anderson fumbled the snap on third-and-1, losing 1 yard. Dallas moved 80 yards in 10 plays, Marion Barber diving over the pile from 1 yard with 6:40 left. The drive lasted 5:15. Browns were inside Dallas 10 with their second possession when quarter ended.

Notable

Derek Anderson made a good dumpoff to Jamal Lewis that gained 14 yards on the Browns' first possession.

On the Cowboys' first drive, Tony Romo had plenty of time to throw before finding Jason Witten for 19 yards on third-and-9 from the Dallas 40. Romo had even more time on the next play before connecting with Terrell Owens for 13.

Cowboys basically did whatever they pleased in covering 80 yards and pulling ahead, 7-0.

Browns failed to pressure Romo.

Marion Barber is a terrific back.

Anthony Henry made a good tackle in limiting Braylon Edwards to a 2-yard gain midway through the quarter.

Cowboys penalized for hands to face, giving Browns a first down at their 47. Browns would have been forced to punt.

A wide-open Edwards dropped a potential TD pass from Anderson with less than five minutes left. Edwards had broken free down the middle of the field.

On a third-and-7, Anderson had time to throw and delivered a strike to Kellen Winslow Jr. over the middle for a 17-yard gain.

On third-and-1, Anderson rolled right and found Steve Heiden for the first down. It was a well-designed play.