Red Right 88

Browns still running on empty

With two regular-season games remaining in the 2013 NFL season, it may appear as if there isn’t much for the Cleveland Browns to play for other than draft position.

But the Browns still have an opportunity to add a dubious entry to the franchise’s record book – the lowest rushing total for a team leader since the NFL went to a 14-game schedule in 1961.

Even though he has played just 11 games for the Browns this season – and may not suit up again this year – it seems like a lock that Willis McGahee will end the year as the team’s leading rusher.

McGahee’s current total? Three hundred and seventy-seven yards.

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Browns close out home schedule the same way it began

The Cleveland Browns ended the home portion of the 2013 NFL season the same way they began it – with a loss.

Many are going to point to the 21 fourth-quarter points that the Bears scored as the reason the Browns lost, and there is some merit in that. But if you take the easy way out, that lets the offense off the hook for yet another weak performance with Jason Campbell at quarterback.

The Browns had two defensive touchdowns in the game – one on a Tashaun Gipson 44-yard interception return, the other on a T.J. Ward 51-yard fumble return – and normally if the defense hands the team 14 points that should be enough to secure the win.

But this being the Browns it’s probably not surprising that they found a way to lose.

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Browns vs. Bears – Week 15

The Cleveland Browns close out the home portion of the 2013 NFL season on Sunday when they host the Chicago Bears, a team the Browns have beaten four consecutive times at home.

A win would give the Browns four home victories this season. That may not sound impressive, but it would mark the first time the team has recorded at least four home wins in consecutive seasons since returning to the NFL in 1999.

The Bears are in a fight for a playoff spot in the NFC North and will start Jay Cutler, who has only played once since the end of October due to injury, at quarterback.

The Browns will counter with Jason Campbell and his 1-4 record as the starting quarterback.

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Patriots, officials combine to take down Browns

The Cleveland Browns were so very, very close to pulling off the upset of the season on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

But in the end, Tom Brady and the Patriots got by – with more than a little help from their friends in the striped shirts.

When quarterback Jason Campbell hit tight end Jordan Cameron with a four-yard touchdown pass to give the Browns a 26-14 lead with just 2:39 left in the game, it certainly looked as if the Browns were going to come home winners.

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Browns vs. Patriots – Week 14

The Cleveland Browns hit the road on Sunday to take on the New England Patriots.

The Patriots are looking to clinch their fifth consecutive AFC East Division title, keep pressure on Denver for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC for the playoffs, and push quarterback Tom Brady’s record in games played in December to 43-6, the best winning percentage in the month for any quarterback since the merger in 1970.

As for the Browns, they have entered the portion of the season where they are evaluating the young players on the roster to find out “what they have” for 2014.

And since it is a new week, we get a new starting quarterback as Jason Campbell returns and will attempt to make it through four quarters of football without hurting himself.

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Welcome to Cleveland, coach Chudzinski

We would have thought having grown up a Cleveland Browns fan and having worked as an assistant coach with the team previously that Rob Chudzinski would have known what he was getting himself into when he accepted the head coaching position.

If he didn’t know before, he does know as the team’s latest quarterback situation has become Chudzinski’s “welcome to Cleveland” moment.

With former starting quarterbacks Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden both still in the NFL-mandated concussion protocol system and not yet cleared to play, the Browns very well could turn to Alex Tanney, signed last week off of Dallas’ practice squad, or Caleb Hanie, signed as a street free agent on Tuesday, when they take the field on Sunday against New England.

“As far as our quarterback situation goes, it’s a very fluid situation, unique, one that I haven’t necessarily been around,” Chudzinski said on Wednesday. “Obviously, we’ll tailor the package to whichever guy ends up being the starter and to what they can do and to what is going to be effective, hopefully, versus New England.”

Cleveland: where the unique is a common occurrence.

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Browns keep showing us things we really don’t want to see

The great thing about sports is you never know when you are going to see something that you have never seen before.

Or in the case of the Cleveland Browns, see something that you wish you could then un-see.

Such was the case on Sunday as the Browns found a way to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars by the score of 32-28.

Things started out well as quarterback Brandon Weeden hit Josh Gordon (more on him in a moment) for a 42-yard reception on the Browns first possession of the game. Two plays later, the Browns scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Willis McGahee – talk about something we haven’t seen a long time – and things were off to a good start.

The Jaguars answered right back, with Chad Henne hitting Chris Harbor with a touchdown pass to tie the game with a little over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. But then the Browns defense took over.

Following that touchdown pass, the Jaguars had seven offensive possessions the rest of the first half and piled up all of 51 yards of offense – but went into the half leading, 20-14.

And it was all thanks to Weeden.

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Browns vs. Jaguars – Week 13

The Cleveland Browns host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in the penultimate home game for the Browns.

The Browns and the Jaguars come into the game trending in opposite directions. Jacksonville has won two of its last three games – both on the road, interestingly enough – while the Browns have lost the past two games to derail what was possibly turning into an interesting close to the 2013 season.

Now, instead of a possible playoff push, we get to watch the Browns in the race once again for a high draft pick.

Oh, and Brandon Weeden returns this week as the Browns starting quarterback.

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