So many times, we tend to pass judgment too harshly and too quickly. Each week, after we have had a chance to digest the game, here at DawgBones.com we will break down the Cleveland Browns game from the week before. Let us look at the top 5 good things, the top 5 bad things and the top 5 things that failed to impress us in this week’s game. The segment is called 20/20 Browns Hindsight we hope you enjoy it.



Top 5 Good Things: Ravens Game

1. The run defense finally stepped up and lived up to what many Browns fans had hoped for. Against a power running team in the Ravens the defense yielded only 86 yards on the ground and no rushing touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if this unit continues to move in a positive direction or if they will revert back to what we saw in week 1 & 2.

2. The play of QB Charlie Frye continues to impress. Does he hold the ball too long? Sometimes, but he also makes plays by holding the ball too long sometimes. That was displayed late in the 4th quarter with the Browns facing a 3rd and 14. Fry scrambled to the right sideline and just as pressure got to him he threw the ball back across the field to a wide open Kellen Winslow II for a first down and 21 yards. Frye also tied an NFL record for QB's, shared with Hall of Fame Browns QB Otto Graham, by running in a TD for the 3rd consecutive game. The toughness that Frye has shown can not go un-notice either. Even though he has been sacked 15 times on the year and taken some vicious shots, he keeps on going. He has earned the respect of all his teammates and if nothing else that could get them all to play just a little harder because they know Charlie does.

3. TE Kellen Winslow II knows he is one of the best in the league at his position and at times he will tell you, the rest of the NFL is finding out he is no liar. Through 3 games Winslow leads all TE's in the NFL in receptions and yards. If he continues at his current pace Winslow will catch 101 balls for 1,050 yards. Those numbers would surely be enough to send the 3rd year pro to his first Pro-Bowl in Hawaii.

4. Veteran OLB Willie McGinest was maligned for missing the Bengals game with a calf injury. It seems to have pissed him off as he will not talk with anyone in the Cleveland media. It also seems to have sparked his play on the field as well. McGinest recorded his 1st sack of 2006 in Sunday's game and added 3 tackles, 1 QB hurry and 1 pass defensed. More importantly McGinest brought veteran leadership to the defense and the unit as a whole appeared to lift their game to another level.

5. WR Braylon Edwards continues to amaze us. Here he is less then 10 months from having ACL reconstruction and you would never know it. Edwards has caught TD passes of over 55 yards in each of the teams 1st 3 games, the first one was called back due to a penalty. Edwards has recorded back to back 100 yard games and gives the team a deep threat to go along with Winslow's toughness across the middle. Edwards, Frye and Winslow are young and will be giving Browns fans a lot to cheer for years to come. Now that's exciting!



Top 5 Bad Things: Ravens Game

1. The play calling on offense was not bad for the entire game, but it was for most of the 2nd half and with the game in the balance it down right sucked. The Browns appeared to come out after halftime with a mentality to not lose the game rather then going out trying to win the game. With the Browns up 14-12 and with momentum clearly on the Ravens side, the Browns went on a drive of their own. Starting at their own 20 the Browns went all the way to the Ravens 4 and with just over 3 minutes to play looked as if they were going to put the game a way. On 2nd down offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon called for a quick slant pass to Edwards. Ravens LB Bart Scott was unblocked and hit Frye just as he was releasing the ball. the ball fluttered and Ravens CB Chris McAllister jumped in front of Edwards and intercepted the ball in the end zone. This play call will haunt Carthon and the Browns as it did not need to be called. It's great to be aggressive and go for the win, but the percentages were not in their favor. Frye had been sacked 7 times on the day and with Frye's mobility a run/pass option should have been called. A field goal forces the Ravens to score a TD to win, not a 52 yard Matt Stover field goal.

2. The defense had a chance to close the deal on more then 1 occasion. Browns defenders dropped 3 very catchable interceptions, 1 by safety Sean Jones that would have surely been a TD. Good team make plays, i.e. McAllister's INT, when the game is on the line, the Browns defense did not and ultimately it cost them the game.

3. The officials absolutely sucked in the game. On a crucial play, that led to Stover's game winning field goal, the officials gaffed big time. Not only did they penalize Browns OLB Kamerion Wimbley for being off-sides, replay clearly showed he was not, they failed to call a penalty on Ravens WR Derrick Mason on the play. Mason had stepped out of bounds and come back in to catch an 8 yard pass. By rule a player can not go out of bounds and then be the first player to touch the ball, which Mason was. The play at worst for the Browns should have been off-setting penalties and do the down over. The play at worst for the Browns should have been off-setting penalties and do the down over. Another gaff by the officials and another loss by the Browns, the two seem to go hand in hand.

4. The Browns 3rd down defense is still not getting the job done. The Ravens were 7 of 17 in converting 3rd downs or 41%. It is the 3rd straight game that their opponents have converted more then 40% of their 3rd downs. After having nearly a 5 minute advantage in time of possession in the 1st half the Browns had nearly a 10 minute disadvantage in the 2nf half. This stems from not converting your 3rd down on offense and not stopping the opponent on their 3rd down opportunities.

5. The offensive line is, well, offensive! This unit went from allowing 8 sacks to the Saints to no sacks against the Bengals to allowing 7 more against the Ravens. The pass protection is atrocious, just imagine if they could give Frye time to throw. Perhaps even more disgusting is their inability to run block. this team had a 1,200 yard rusher last year in Reuben Droughns, through 3 games this year the team has yet to rush for 100 yards as a team in a game. In fact the Browns rushing offense is ranked 31st in the NFL and we all know, if you can't run the ball you aren't going to win games in the NFL.



Top 5 things that failed to impress: Ravens Game

1. The big, bad Ravens have got to top this list. They came into the game hyped up as the 2nd coming of the Bears 86 defense. For a team, with absolutely no running game, like the Browns to handle them with such ease for most of the game has got to be alarming. The Ravens have some old players on defense that can be exploited, just ask CB Samari Rolle.

2. The Browns coaches continue to show their inexperience. In the 2nd half they had the option of taking the wind in the 3rd or 4th quarter and opted to take it in the 3rd. It is another decision that bit them in the ass. No way does Matt Stover come within 10 yards of making the game winning field goal if he were kicking into the wind on Sunday. The Browns had the lead at halftime and instead of figuring they would need to kick a game winning field goal they should have been thinking it would be the Ravens who would need to be kicking it. It is a sign that perhaps the Browns coaching staff is not 100% sure of what they have in a football team. 4 pre-season games and now 3 regular season games, let's hope they know now.

3. Sure the Browns were forced to play RB Jason Wright for the injured Reuben Droughns, but why did we not see more of Jerome Harrison? Wright might have gotten the call for his ability to pass block, but the was awful on Sunday in that regard. On several occasions he was ran over and offered very little resistance for Ravens defenders. Let's hope Droughns comes back and soon.

4. WR/PR Dennis Northcutt has yet to get on track in 2006. Arguably one of the games best return men, Northcutt had 2 returns for a combined 9 yards on Sunday. He also had 3 catches for 32 yards. Once again he has been given a chance to step up and seize a starting role and has done nothing with it. It is clear that he is a mismatch as a slot receiver and once WR Joe Jurevicious comes back Northcutt may find himself back in that position.

5. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is puzzling. At times he let's his defense sit back and give up big chunks of yardage and at others he seems to blitz on every play. Blitizing safety Sean Jones on virtually every play on the Ravens game winning drive proved to be futile. Perhaps Jones was gassed from running after McNair over and over again, he just could not get to him. Perhaps Grantham should have brought another player in at that time to hound McNair? Grantham is still growing onto his role as defensive coordinator and it will take time, but some things are common sense and you just don't do them, like blitzing your safety up the middle every down.

Back to DawgBones.com