Why is it so hard for many fans to
be happy with a 5-3 record at the mid-point of the season? Most Browns fans
back in August would have been very happy with that. What was it with this week’s
victory over Tampa Bay that left you unsettled?
Whatever it is it needs to be
ignored because reality is soon coming and we will finally know how good this
Browns team really is. Cincinnati
on the road this Thursday, then ten days later Houston at home. The next two
games are against talented, solid teams. We know what the Bengals got, and the
Texans are bouncing back from last year’s disaster. The Cincinnati game will be
the first time the Browns will be out-talented this season, but not by much.
My notes from the first half are
filled with scribbles about field goals instead of touchdowns. For the second
game in a row I thought that was going to sink the Browns. It did let the Bucs,
just like the Raiders last week, hang around. How this is going to play as the competition
gets better and the games get more important we will have to see. We have yet
to see this team play a complete game. Deep down in our hearts we keep waiting
for too many field goals and not enough touchdowns to come back and haunt us.
On the talk shows after the game I
heard a lot of criticism of the Browns’ clock management before half, so I
won’t rehash that. They did a better job in the second half, but these moments
of indecision have to be eliminated if the Browns want to get to where they
want to go.
There
were a lot of positives for the Browns in the win over the Bucs. Once again the
Browns’ undersized receivers came through. Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin, and
Andrew Hawkins all come up with big plays at important times. Craig Robertson, the linebacker many
had not making the team in August, made another big play by blocking a fourth
quarter punt that lead to the winning touchdown. Joe Haden made a tip play to Dante
Whitner that will be highlight reels for years. Paul Kruger and Justin Gilbert
again had good games. And, oh yes, Tashaun Gipson had another interception.
Brian
Hoyer had another up and down game, but got things done when it mattered. For
the Browns to be productive this Thursday against the Bengals he is going to
have to play more consistent.
Mike
Evans had a great game for Tampa Bay. The rookie from Texas A&M, who was a
big part of Johnny Manziel’s success there, caught 7 passes for 124 yards and 2
touchdowns. How good would a big outside receiver like him look in a Browns
uniform?
The
Browns coaches know they received a gift from the Bucs in the fourth quarter. Deep in the fourth quarter the Browns
were clinging to a 22-17 lead, the Bucs made a few plays and had a second and
one at the Cleveland 36. Three times the Bucs went from a shotgun formation and
were unsuccessful making a yard for the first down. If they would have put the
quarterback under center, and went to a two back set, they would have had a
good chance of getting the first down. Quarterback Mike Glennon is as tall as
they come, he could have leaned over and gotten it by himself. Not smart
coaching by the Bucs.
Things
were subdued for most of the game in the Dawg Pound, as fans were waiting for
bad things to happen as the Browns let the Bucs hang around. But most fans
stayed to the end to celebrate the victory, and left the stadium with a sense
of optimism.
One
last comment to elaborate on something I said last week about uniforms…How ugly
were the Bucs uniforms? Different shades of orange and red and gray, a design
that looked like it was put together by first graders. I hope the Browns don’t
look like that in the future. Who knows what Nike has planned?
(Greg Cielec is a former college football coach, a freelance
writer, and a veteran of over 25 years in the Dawg Pound as a season ticket.
Contact him at cielec@hotmail.com).
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