Browns release the poison on Patriots
The Browns dominated the Patriots on Sunday and in the process earned what is surely the defining victory of the Eric Mangini era and the final bit of proof for anyone who doubted this team and refused to see the progress it has made.
And in the process maybe, just maybe, the Browns have finally found a quarterback.
Unlike last year’s last-season win against Pittsburgh (aka the most over-rated win in franchise history), Sunday’s win came against a team riding a five-game winning streak and with the best record in the NFL.
The Browns rolled up 404 yards of offense, with 230 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns. They controlled the ball for 38 minutes behind 184 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Peyton Hillis. The offensive line had another solid day, and the right side has settled down since Billy Yates has taken over at right guard and Floyd Womack at right tackle.
For the second game in a row the team pulled out the trick plays, this time a handoff to Chansi Stuckey out of the Wildcat that resulted in Stuckey’s 11-yard touchdown run.
The defense held the Patriots to half their season total in points and, for the second week in a row, more than held its own against a top-flight quarterback. The Browns held the Patriots to just seven points through three quarters and when McCoy ran the ball in from 16 yards to give the Browns a 24-7 lead with about five minutes to go in the third quarter, the game was essentially over.
It was probably the first time both sides of the ball played well in the same game and made it truly a team win.
As for McCoy, he’s making it very difficult for the coaches to stick to The Plan once Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme are healthy.
McCoy had no interceptions for the second consecutive week, completed 73 percent of his passes on the day and once again avoided making any stupid plays that could have hurt the Browns.
You can see him getting better and more comfortable each week as he gets more practice time with the first team. And when you factor in that no rookie quarterback in the history of the NFL has made his first three starts against teams of the level of Pittsburgh, New Orleans and New England, it’s slowly starting to look as if the Browns have finally found their quarterback.
As sure as the Browns have made true progress this season – they are now 7-5 in their last 12 games after going 1-11 in the previous 12 – it would be foolish to argue or try to downplay that McCoy has not made progress in the past three games.
Bring on the Jets!
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If a big Browns win wasn’t enough to make it an extra-special day, Liverpool took it to top-of-the-table Chelsea, notching a 2-0 win over the defending champs behind Fernando Torres’ two goals.
Liverpool’s worst start to a season in more than 50 years had the Reds in the relegation zone last month, but three straight wins have lifted the 18-time champions to ninth. They are in a five-team group with Tottenham Hotspur – who were shocked over the weekend by Bolton – and only two points behind fifth-place Newcastle.
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Finally, we are only a Pittsburgh cover against the always overrated Cincinnati Bengals Monday night to nail a perfect week in the 2010 Cheddar Bay Invitational at Cleveland Frowns and continue to close the gap on leader jimkanicki.
Red Right 88 