Final Thoughts on the Browns-Jets
A day later and, while we’re not discouraged, Sunday’s loss to the Jets still hurts.
We like how quarterback Colt McCoy had Chansi Stuckey’s back after the game:
”There’s things I feel I could have done better. I should have made some plays when it counted, especially in overtime,” McCoy said in published reports. ”I definitely can stand up here and I can take some of that. It’s not Stuckey’s fault, it’s not anybody’s fault on the offense. I was the one leading it and I need to make some more plays.”
Too bad we can’t say the same for Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, who named Stuckey the Goat of the Week in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, writing that:
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We were surprised there was some criticism of Joe Haden for intercepting, rather than knocking down, Mark Sanchez’ pass near the end of overtime. Browns coach Eric Mangini said Haden would have been wiser to bat the ball down and force a punt.
”I’m sure in the heat of the moment when the ball is up there, he’s just thinking about making sure he has his hands on it and he doesn’t knock it up and tap it into the receiver’s hands,” Mangini said in published reports. ”You’d like to because it was third and such a long distance [14], force them to punt and see where it comes out. It’s a hard situation, especially for a young guy.”
We’re not so sure about that. Just look at the end of the Jacksonville-Houston game from yesterday. Houston defensive back Glover Quin tried to knock the ball down on the last play of the game but it ended up bouncing right into the hands of the Jaguars Mike Thomas for the winning score.
So you never know; we’re OK with Haden making the interception. He should work with Abe Elam this week about how to make an interception.
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We’re still cool with the Browns going for the win at the end of overtime. It sends a message to the rest of the league that the Browns won’t stop fighting until the game is over.
And while a tie may have been better than a loss, we think in the long run this will be better for the team. The coaches can use this as an opportunity to remind/teach the players just how slim the margin is between winning and losing. If the Browns had just been able to make a couple of more plays they would have come out on top.
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Still not sure how Matt Roth can’t sack a one-legged quarterback and how Eric Wright can’t cover a one-legged receiver on the same play.
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More injury woes for the Browns as guard Billy Yates is going on injured reserve and linebacker Scott Fujita may be out for a few weeks, according to The Plain Dealer. Hopefully Josh Cribbs and Sheldon Brown can come back for Sunday’s game.
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Looks like Pittsburgh should have studied the Browns a little closer; maybe then they would know how to beat the Saints and the Patriots.
Red Right 88 