Afc north reports regular season

STEELERS

The 2009 season was a disappointing one for the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially for Dick LeBeau's defensive unit. At the outset of the 2010 season, Steeler Nation wanted to know whether LeBeau's bunch would look more like the '09 version, or the '08 team that was historically good and helped propel the team into the playoffs and beyond.

For a game at least, the answer is this year's defense looks as versatile and talented as the '08 team, with perhaps even the potential to be even better. The Steelers surrendered some yards to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday - 295 to be exact on 71 plays, good for only 4.2 yards per play.

We have plenty of time to talk about the individual performances turned in by Steelers' defenders, but one thing at a time. Just wanted to get these numbers out there and let us begin talking about the possibility of the defense sustaining this high level of performance throughout the season. As fantastic as it was to watch the Steelers' defense play well, there are a few concerns moving forward. Nose tackle Casey Hampton left the game with a hamstring injury, never a fun injury. Hopefully he'll make a speedy recovery, but there's no reason to rush him back unnecessarily quickly. There also was a lack of pass rush from the defensive line, but that's not the first or last time that's happened during an impressive performance by the unit collectively.

Good things come to those who wait. Look like Lawrence Timmons is not the bust that a small impatient segment of the fanbase proclaimed him to be the previous two seasons. He's just a young dude still, that's all. But he sure looked great out there today. We'll see if he can stay healthy and be consistent now - the hallmark traits of the league and the franchise's best players. The prospect of him having the mental side of the game down enough to just let his natural physical ability run its course is a beautiful thing for the Steelers and their fans, and a nightmare for opponents already preoccupied by Harrison, Woodley and Polamalu. Outstanding game by him.

Tremendous performance by James Harrison. He was absolutely everywhere - plugging holes and swarming to the ball in the running game, defending against the pass at all levels. Man, it must be scary playing against him. And a solid day for LaMarr Woodley, particularly rushing the passer. He was less impressive in other phases, but he sure did show off that incredible power pushing tackles back into their quarterback.

As for the secondary, a job well done by them. Again, 5.2 yards per passing play (sacks included), 5.7 yards per attempt - an outstanding number that every defensive coordinator would kill to have each week. (In comparison, the Steelers offense averaged 7.3 yards per play passing play, and Dixon averaged 9.07 yards per attempt). More on the play of the DBs to come, but a very positive first game for both Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden at corner.

More on its way. Undefeated feels exquisite, even if it's just one week.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2010/9/12/1684527/steelers-defense-returns-to

QUARTERBACKS

Dennis Dixon might not have won the game, but he didn't lose it, either, even though he had several potential interceptions dropped. After a shaky start and a bunch of low throws, he finished 18 of 26 for 236 yards with one pick. Give him kudos for a 52-yard pass to Mike Wallace to set up a field goal and back-to-back completions of 24 and 25 yards to Hines Ward to set up the go-ahead FG.
RUNNING BACKS

Considering that the Falcons stacked the line of scrimmage to take away the run, Rashard Mendenhall did a good job grinding out tough yards, turning nothing into 2-, 3- and 4-yard gains. But he made the biggest play of all -- a 50-yard walk-off TD run in overtime. Mendenhall finished with 120 yards on 22 carries. Isaac Redman converted three short-yardage chances until late in the fourth quarter.
WIDE RECEIVERS

Hines Ward not only had his club-record 26th 100-yard receiving game, he threw one of the big blocks on Mendenhall's 50-yard TD run in overtime. So did TE David Johnson, who lined at fullback on the play. Ward's back-to-back catches of 24 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter were huge. And so was Mike Wallace's 52-yard catch in the third quarter that set up Jeff Reed's 36-yard field goal.
OFFENSIVE LINE

OK, Dixon was sacked three times, but, for the most part, he had decent protection. But two of the sacks came late in the fourth quarter after LT Max Starks went out with a high-ankle sprain. The Steelers finished with 143 yards rushing, thanks to Mendenhall's OT heroics, but their ability to get some movement up front and gain yards allowed them to keep the pressure off Dixon.
DEFENSIVE LINE

The Steelers had to play without Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton (hamstring) for 2 1/2 quarters but still held the Falcons to 58 yards rushing on 25 attempts. Their goal was to stop RB Michael Turner, and they did, holding him to 42 yards on 19 carries and not allowing him a run longer than 7 yards. Their biggest achievement was creating space for linebackers to make tackles.
LINEBACKERS

Inside LBs Lawrence Timmons (11 tackles) and James Farrior (8) were outstanding against the run, stuffing the middle and not allowing the Falcons a run longer than 7 yards. Timmons had nine solo tackles, including three for losses, OLB LaMarr Woodley extended his sack streak to nine consecutive games. And James Harrison had a big sack near midfield in the third quarter.
DEFENSIVE BACKS

The Falcons were intent on throwing to WR Roddy White nearly every time he lined against CB Bryant McFadden. Of Matt Ryan's 44 attempts, 23 were intended for White, who finished with 13 catches for 111 yards -- tying for most catches by an opponent in Steelers history. But the Steelers finally switched to zone coverage on the play that resulted in Troy Polamalu's interception.
SPECIAL TEAMS

Jeff Reed, who kicked three field goals, is the NFL's most accurate PK since '07. But he missed a 40-yarder with 39 seconds left that would have won the game in regulation -- one of the few times he has failed to deliver in that situation. The Steelers got nothing out of their return game, but coverage was good. And Daniel Sepulveda's best punt (55) came when the Steelers needed it most.
COACHING

Give Dick LeBeau credit for making a defensive change that resulted in Polamalu's interception, even though Reed missed a potential winning FG. Also give offensive coordinator Bruce Arians credit for trying to ease Dixon into the game with half-rolls and short throws. It's tough to fault Mike Tomlin for trying a 55-yard FG near the end of the first half, especially in a close game.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10256/1087228-66.stm#ixzz0za1qQHrF

The Steelers play Sunday at Tennessee, where they have won once in nine games over the past 13 years, and they have not been such large underdogs since the previous time Dennis Dixon started for them at quarterback on the road.

Dixon will get the nod for the second consecutive game, coach Mike Tomlin confirmed Tuesday, and, while the quarterback won his first game and apparently won over his coach, he has not won over the skeptics.

The Steelers are 5 1/2-point underdogs heading to Tennessee, tame compared to last November in Baltimore when the Ravens were nine-point favorites against them in Dixon's only start before last Sunday and won by three in overtime.

Tomlin, who declined to say Sunday whether he would stick with Dixon against the Titans, declared Tuesday that "Dennis is going to lead us into Nashville."

His only other choice would be veteran Charlie Batch, although Tomlin said Byron Leftwich's left knee injury has improved to the point that he will "give him some work in a limited capacity" today in practice and go from there.

Dixon, making his third NFL start and only fourth appearance in his third season, completed 18 of 26 passes for 236 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He also was sacked three times for 25 yards in losses and scrambled twice for 4 yards.

Tomlin acknowledged Dixon's inaccurate throws against Atlanta in which he had three open receivers on three third downs and bounced passes in front of them. He also indicated that he witnessed improvement in Dixon's play in the second half.

"I thought he got better as the game went on," Tomlin said. "There were some situations early in the game where he was delivering the ball to the appropriate target but it was falling short."

Tomlin thought the reason for those off-target throws was due to aggression not temerity.

"In some of those situations, they were bringing heat or potentially bringing heat, and he was speeding up the delivery process, which caused some fundamental issues with his delivery. It's actually the opposite of being tentative. So that's encouraging. But I'd like the throws to be more on target."

They were, in the second half, when Dixon completed 8 of 10 passes for 145 yards after going 10 of 16 for 91 and an interception that was poorly underthrown in the first half.

"I thought as the game wore on, he was not only making the routine plays, but he was creating a little bit," Tomlin said. "I thought that stepping up in the pocket and hitting Hines [Ward] on a third-and-9-plus was a signature play of the game. Of course, we're going with him because we feel he's going to continue to evolve, not just in practice, but when he steps into stadiums as well."
Starks' injury not so bad

The Steelers received good news on Max Starks after they and the offensive tackle were told immediately after the Atlanta game that it appeared he had a high ankle sprain.

It is not a high ankle sprain, but a normal sprain, which is much less severe to the point that Tomlin would not rule out Starks this week.

"He might be able to do something in the latter part of the week and may be able to make himself available in this football game," Tomlin said. "Hopefully, that's the case; if not, we're very comfortable with Jonathan Scott. He's been a big addition to our outfit, and we expect him to play great ball if Max is unavailable."

That settled who will start if Starks cannot, and Tomlin asserted that Flozell Adams will not be moved there.

"He's a right tackle," Tomlin declared, referring to Adams.

If Starks is unavailable, Tony Hills likely will become the third tackle for the Tennessee game, Tomlin said, although he would not rule out Ramon Foster making a play for the job.
Hampton's status unclear

Tomlin was not sure of the status of five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton for the Tennessee game other than he has a hamstring injury. He and the staff want to see how Hampton responds during the week.

"We're hopeful that he may be able to do something, but, at this point, it's up in the air," Tomlin said.

Chris Hoke, the nine-year veteran who has been Hampton's backup since 2004, would start in his place. He has started 17 games, including the playoffs, but none last season when Hampton did not miss a start.

The concern is the heat in Nashville. The coaches rotated their three backup defensive linemen with the starters often against Atlanta and would like to do that again Sunday. Hoke is the only pure nose tackle, but backup ends Nick Eason and Ziggy Hood have taken turns at the position, just in case.

"It's something we've done every September or try to because those guys are playing more football than they did in the preseason," Tomlin explained. "We want energy. We want to be able to win the line of scrimmage and playing fresh bodies is the way to do that."
Explanation of no guarantee

Tomlin explained why he would not "guarantee" in a recent radio interview that Ben Roethlisberger would start the fifth game of the season when he returns from his suspension.

"I'll answer why I answered it that way: In order for us to see our way out of this situation, we need to have a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other mentality. We need to be singularly focused on what's in front of us. That's the only way we're going to work ourselves out of this situation.

"As the leader of the outfit, I'm going to subscribe to that as well. I refuse to ponder the potential or hypothetical scenarios that wait for us at the end of this situation. I'm in the midst of it. I'm living it, like our football team is. I refuse to address any other element of it other than what we have right now, which is a Tuesday."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10258/1087553-66.stm#ixzz0za22nBic

Game ball goes to: Rashard Mendenhall

In a game in which the Steelers wanted to make sure they were able to run the ball to keep the pressure off QB Dennis Dixon, nobody ran the ball better than Rashard Mendenhall. Not only did he win the game with a walk-off 50-yard touchdown run in overtime, he finished with 120 yards on 22 carries against a Falcons defense that was stacked to take away the run. It was the second-longest run of Mendenhall's career and his fourth 100-yard game in 13 career starts.
X's and O's

The play is called "22 Double," one of the Steelers' bread-and-butter running plays, and Mendenhall hit it just the way it is designed -- for a 50-yard walk-off touchdown on the Steelers' first play of overtime. Mendenhall ran behind blocks by WR Hines Ward on S Thomas DeCoud and TE David Johnson on OLB Mike Peterson and beat S Erik Coleman down the sideline. "You get one-on-one with a defensive back, you want to win those," said Mendenhall, who finished with a game-high 120 yards on 22 carries.
The Countdown

A quick look at the top performances Sunday from the game:

1 TROY'S PLOY: Falcons WR Roddy White finished with 13 catches for 111 yards, tying for the most catches by an opposing receiver in Steelers history. But, when QB Matt Ryan tried another sideline throw to White with 1:45 remaining, the Steelers switched to zone coverage and S Troy Polamalu made a dazzling interception at the Atlanta 30. "It was something we talked about, but it's one thing to talk about it and another thing to make it work," said defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. "It was all Troy."

2 REED RIGHT: K Jeff Reed had a chance to kick his ninth game-winning field goal, but he missed a 40-yard attempt with 39 seconds remaining in regulation when the ball faded right. Reed missed a 55-yarder in the second half that hit the right upright.

3 HINES SHINES: Ward had six catches for 108 yards -- his team-record 26th 100-yard receiving game -- but his 24-yard catch that he tipped to himself on third-and-8 was the big play on a drive that resulted in Reed's 34-yard FG and a 9-6 Steelers lead.

4 BIG PLAYS: Mike Wallace wanted more action after catching just two passes, but one was a 52-yarder in which he got behind S Erik Coleman to the Falcons 26, setting up the second of Reed's three FGs." That was huge," said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

5 No. 1,000: TE Tony Gonzalez had to wait a little while to become the first tight end in NFL history to have 1,000 career catches, but he did it in the third quarter when his first reception was a 20-yarder to set up the second of Matt Bryant's three FGs.
9 ... Inside the Number

The number of consecutive games in which OLB LaMarr Woodley has registered at least one sack. Woodley's sack on QB Matt Ryan in the first quarter -- one of two by the Steelers -- gave him 12 1/2 sacks in those nine games.
What was he thinking?

With 17 seconds remaining in the first half, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin elected to have Jeff Reed, who kicked a 52-yard field goal in the first half, attempt a 55-yarder. When Reed's kick missed after hitting the right upright, the Falcons got possession at their own 45. They needed only three plays to kick a 49-yard field goal and tie the score at 3-3 with no time remaining. "I'm always comfortable giving him the opportunity to put points on the board, particularly in a situation where we thought points might be scarce."

Overheard

"We wanted to show them something they hadn't seen. Troy's zero-to-60 is so fast, there aren't many balls he can't get to."

-- CB Bryant McFadden on the play where the Steelers changed to zone defense and S Troy Polamalu intercepted Matt Ryan with 1:40 remaining


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10256/1087194-66.stm#ixzz0za2MJDy1

 

BENGALS

The first report card of the season is hardly glowing. The grades:

Quarterback (C): Carson Palmer had a very good second half but it came primarily in no huddle. He had one poor interception and if it wasn’t for drops the Patriots could have at least had four.

Running Back (C): Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott had a couple decent runs but were not much of a factor in the second half.

Tight Ends (C-): Jermaine Gresham had six catches including his first NFL touchdown, but the blocking by all three was subpar.

Receivers (B-): Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens reached milestones but the grade is high due to two tough catches by Jordan Shipley.

Offensive Line (C-): Better in the second half but bad in the first. Allowed six quarterback hits and not a lot of clear running lanes.

Defensive line (D-): Awful. No sacks and only two QB hits (Geno Atkins and Frostee Rucker). The only notable thing happened when Domata Peko was a fullback in the third quarter in goal line.

Linebackers (C-): Keith Rivers (10) and Dhani Jones were the top tacklers, but nothing stood out other than struggles in pass coverage.

Secondary (C-): Uncharacteristic bad tackling and tentative play.

Special teams (D): Mike Nugent had an A with his 54-yard field goal. The rest of the unit was abysmal.

Coaching (D+): Why does an entire team play tense and tentative with 10 days of preparation?

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2010/09/13/week-1-report-card-bengals-patriots/

In a season of great expectations for the Bengals, this was about the last thing that anyone had in mind.

While the Bengals had aspirations of handing the Patriots their first home opener loss at Gillette Stadium, New England sliced and diced them with the ease of a Fusion razor going through a five o’clock shadow.

The final score shows that the Patriots won by two touchdowns – 38-24 – but the score and the stats don’t come close to telling the story.

• Photos: Patriots 38, Bengals 24
• Scoring summary and statistics

When there was still something to be played for, the Patriots flat out dominated the Bengals – offense, defense, special teams and coaching – triggering a whole lot of soul searching going into next Sunday’s game against Baltimore.

“Not the start of our season we would have liked, but I told those guys basically the same thing that I would have told them had we been on the other side of it,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “Next week becomes the focus and we got to move forward and we’re going to certainly start the grind and get things fixed and corrected.”

The 38 points are the most the Bengals have given up on Kickoff Weekend since they lost 45-14 to the Broncos in 1991. As far as margin of victory in an opener, it is the worse since Marvin Lewis’ first game in 2003, also against the Broncos (30-10).
It is the also the third straight year they have started 0-1. Meanwhile New England has won seven straight openers and is unbeaten in home openers since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002.

• Photos: Fan party

“We weren’t ourselves today. We didn’t come close to playing as well as we were prepared to play,” cornerback Leon Hall said. “Coming into this game I think we were real comfortable as far as a unit.”

Sunday’s biggest disappointment was the defense. With no pass rush, Tom Brady had all day to throw and picked them apart. Brady finished 25 of 35 for 258 yards with three touchdowns – two to Wes Welker to put them up 17-0 with a Stephen Gostkowski 32-yard field goal coming in the middle. Brady completed the Patriots’ scoring with a 1-yard toss to Rob Gronkowski to put them up 38-17 midway through the fourth.

New England scored on four of its first six drives. Had it not been for two Gostkowski misses, it would have been 30-3 at halftime.

For Mike Zimmer’s unit, which did finish fifth last year, it was an all-around systemic crash – lack of pressure, missed tackles and breakdowns in coverage.

“That was last year; right now we’re not very good,” safety Chris Crocker said. “I’m not going to say we can be good or better than we were last year, but right now it’s the first game of the season. We couldn’t get any stops. They flat out just beat us.”

Said Zimmer: “They executed flawlessly and we didn’t execute very well. We couldn’t get close to the quarterback. We played tentative. We didn’t cover good, we didn’t tackle good. We didn’t do much.”

It’s also hard to beat teams when you can’t stop them on third down. The Patriots converted on 9 of 13. The defense forced just one three-and-out series.

By the time the Bengals offense got in rhythm, they were down 31-3. Carson Palmer finished with the fifth-most yards of his career (34 of 50 for 345 yards, two touchdowns and an interception) but it was mostly in the second half, when the game really wasn’t in doubt (272 of their 428 total yards came in the third and fourth quarters).

The offense didn’t get into Patriots territory until there was 5:49 remaining in the first half. When they did, Palmer failed to look off Jermaine Gresham and Gary Guyton picked it off and went 59 yards to make it 24-0 with 5:38 remaining in the half.

“They did a good job with some things trying to confuse us with a lot of moving around and changing the snap looks,” Palmer said. “Once we figured it out, we were successful moving the ball. We just need to do a better job early and get going.”

All week people were questioning the Patriots’ young defense and whether or not they would hold up. They looked to be the more disciplined and experienced unit compared to the Bengals. They also forced two turnovers and did a good job containing Cedric Benson (15 carries, 43 yards). Benson had a 1-yard touchdown late in the fourth to close the scoring and he had only five carries in the second half.

Special teams were not exempt from the horror. Add in Brandon Tate’s 97-yard kickoff return to begin the second half and it was the first time the Bengals have been Pick 6’d and had a return run back on them since Week 16 in 2005 against Buffalo, when Terence McGee did the honors.

The only saving grace was Mike Nugent’s 54-yard field goal with 1:14 left in the first half to cut the lead to 24-3. That tied Nugent’s career high and is tied for the second-longest in team history.

Nugent ended up being the last line of the defense on Tate’s touchdown, which was at the Bengals 30. The coverage unit ended up overrunning the kick as Tate made two cuts and was gone.

The only positive to gleam is that the offense was able to continue to move the ball via the no huddle. Palmer also did a good job of distributing the ball to Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Gresham and Jordan Shipley.

Ochocinco, who became the 33rd player to reach 10,000 yards for his career, had his sixth-best game yardage wise as a Bengal (159 yards on 12 receptions). He also tied Carl Pickens for the franchise record in receiving touchdowns with 63 when he beat Darius Butler on a 28-yard pass down the left sideline late in the third to make it 31-17.

“Offensively we have to go back to the drawing board,” Ochocinco said. “There are some positives. We did move the ball well in no huddle, but I would like to be able to execute our offense normal in first and second down coming out of the huddle. Just play.”

Owens, who became the third receiver in league history to go over 15,000 yards, finished with 7 receptions for 53 yards as Palmer tried to go to him early. On the game’s first play he tried to hit him deep, but it was broken up by Devin McCourty.

Both Ochocinco and Owens went to the locker room before halftime - Ochocinco for an IV, which has been standard in early-season games, and Owens for what Lewis said was “to get something worked on.” He would not elaborate.

Owens become agitated when pressed on why he came in early, saying “Coach said he would address the issue.”

When asked about the game, Owens said: “They played us in a lot of man and there were some one-on-one matches. Once they got the lead, they played a lot of Cover 2 man. It was a situation where guys in the slot and tight ends had to make some tight catches and find some holes in the zones.”

Both rookies ended up having big days. Before Ochocinco’s touchdown, Gresham (6 catches, 25 yards) got his first in the NFL with a 1-yarder from Palmer and Shipley made two difficult catches en route to 5 receptions for 82 yards.

As for the upcoming week, Lewis is going to stress a lot of cleaning up on fundamentals. They have to bounce back in a hurry to avoid going 0-2 with the league’s fourth-most difficult schedule.

“We got to get a lot better at those things – details, listening in the huddle,” Lewis said. “Defensively we got to do a much better job of tackling and getting off the field. Special teams, we have to play blocks, get leverage and make tackles. And our return game, we got to do a better job at getting opportunities and getting guys blocked.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100912/SPT02/309120040/1066/SPT02/Bengals-get-beat-down-38-24

More than 24 hours after it happened, I was finally glad to learn why Terrell Owens joined Chad Ochocinco in the locker room prior to halftime in the Bengals’ 38-24 loss at New England.

When neither of your starting wide receivers are on the field for quarterback Carson Palmer’s “Hail Mary” pass — caught by rookie Jordan Shipley short of the goal line — it doesn’t look good.

Ochocinco needed IV fluid. Been there, done that. It happens a lot. But Owens “went in to get worked on and looked at,” head coach Marvin Lewis said after the game.

On Monday, Lewis finally revealed Owens was getting his new shoes worked on. Just call it a “uniform malfunction” similar to when Corey Dillon went to the locker room before halftime because a rubberized sleeve was too confining and constricting.

No matter what the reason for Ochocinco’s and Owens’ early exit, it’s dangerous for two high-profile stars to be separated from the team.

Players need to show solidarity and unity, especially in the face of adversity.

Sunday’s actions gave the perception that the team is dysfunctional. This much is clear: The club needs to play with more discipline in all three phases in order to win its home opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/ludwig/2010/09/14/uniform-malfunction/

 

BROWNS

Well, that was a huge disappointment.

In a game where the Cleveland Browns started off with a sizable advantage, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who came away with a 17-14 victory.

The game started off as good as Browns fans could have imagined. New quarterback Jake Delhomme connected with Mohamed Massaquoi on a 41-yard score in the first quarter. After the Buccaneers added a 49-yard field goal, the Browns started going to work with Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis on the ground. After a 39-yard burst by Harrison, Hillis finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

Star-divide

The defense was dominating Tampa Bay in the first half, and the Browns were driving again with under a minute to play. On a first down play, Delhomme inexplicably threw the football toward the sideline as he was being tackled to the ground. The ball landed right in the hands of cornerback Ronde Barber, who returned the pass all the way down to the 3-yard line. On the first play, Josh Freeman's pass to Mike Williams went right into the hands of Sheldon Brown, but the ball bounced high into the air and was hauled back in by Williams. What could have easily been a 17-3 lead for the Browns headed into halftime was suddenly a 14-10 lead.

Delhomme and company seemed to regroup to begin the second half though, as Delhomme connected on passes of 49- and 16-yards to tight end Evan Moore. Just when the Browns were looking to re-take a two possession lead, Hillis fumbled and the Browns turned the ball over again.

Overall, the Browns' defense did a great job stopping the Buccaneers. The offense couldn't move the ball again though and were consistently starting backed up in our own territory. Eventually, Tampa Bay finally connected on a score to receiver Michael Spurlock, with rookie Joe Haden in coverage. That gave Tampa Bay a 17-14 advantage with under seven minutes to play.

The offense couldn't muster anything else though, and for a game in which the Browns should have won, they lost. Credit goes to Tampa Bay for taking advantage of Cleveland's mistakes, but I still believe the better team lost today.

Next up, the Browns take on the Kansas City Chiefs at home. I don't have a problem with the Browns' playcalling to begin the game, but there should have been more emphasis on the run. For a game in which the Browns were leading most of the game and only lost by three points, there's no way that our top two running backs should have had 18 carries compared to Delhomme's 37 pass attempts.

I'm not ready to throw Delhomme under the bus. His pass at the end of the first half was bad, but it's the fault of the offensive coordinator for not keeping the ball on the ground more often. I'll have more in my in-depth recap this week, but right now it's time to go burn off some steam.

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/9/12/1684295/instant-recap-browns-disappoint-in

The first game of the season doesn't have to be the end of all hope. Many other teams had a disappointing Week 1, including the likes of the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and the Dallas Cowboys.

Sure, all of those teams are better than the Browns to begin with, and the closest comparison to our loss was the Chargers falling to the Chiefs, but the Week 1 losses for these teams put them all in the same boat: you just had a reality check; how are you going to adapt to it come Week 2? Personally, it's immaterial that the Browns lost to the Buccaneers, because if the team can learn from their mistakes this week, there's no reason we can't come away with a victory against Kansas City.

With that said, let's get to the review of the game. Since it's the regular season, we kick off with the goats and the game balls...

Star-divide

WEEK 1 - CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

Goats of the Game:

* Jake Delhomme: I was hoping that I wouldn't have to place the Browns' new quarterback in this slot right off the bat, but he forced my hand with his ill-advised pass to close out the first half. On a scale of "Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn from last year to 10," Delhomme wasn't even close to having an overall performance as bad as Anderson and Quinn.

His interception was a game-changer though, because the Browns had all of the momentum, and even if we had tried and missed a field goal to end the half, with the way our defense was playing, I think we would've come away with a victory.

* Peyton Hillis: For as many positive plays as Hillis made, when you put the ball on the ground twice, you can't avoid this section. He officially only turned the ball over once, but it came at a time when the Browns were just about to stop the Buccaneers' momentum before it could gain any more traction.

Awarding Game Balls:

* Entire Defense: I rarely give out game balls to an entire unit, but for as much criticism as I had for the defense in the preseason, they more than delivered in the opener against Tampa Bay. There was a consistent pass rush, the coverage from our rookie players was solid, there weren't any tackling issues, the Buccaneers' running game was stuffed, and two turnovers were forced. The defense kept the Browns in the game, even at the very end when Tampa Bay consistently started with great field position.

General Thoughts:

1. Case of Mistaken Identity: The Browns had an identity against the Buccaneers. Unfortunately, that identity involved quarterback Jake Delhomme being put in a position where he had to throw the ball 37 times, compared to just 18 runs from our pure running backs. That lopsided average would lead you to believe that the Browns were down by multiple possessions early on and tried to throw the ball to get back in the game. In reality, we held the lead until 6:45 were left in the fourth quarter, and even then, we were only losing by a field goal.

2. Easing Up on Delhomme:The reason I am being so lenient on Delhomme is because we put him in a position that...

a. doesn't suit the strength of our team; and
b. goes against what he's capable of doing at this point in his career.

For that matter, I don't know if Delhomme was ever suited to throw the ball 37 times when his team wasn't behind. Delhomme is certainly to blame for his interception to Ronde Barber, but he isn't to blame for the ridiculous disparity in the play-calling. If we utilize Delhomme how he should be used, then my positive impression of him from the preseason has not changed in the least.

3. Then, Who is to Blame?:This is a tough one, and I believe someone touched on it in the post-game thread here on Dawgs By Nature. Do we blame offensive coordinator Brian Dabollfor the disparity? That's easy to do, but consider that he was the playcaller when the Browns went on the four-game win streak to close out last season.

When Mike Holmgren came aboard, he was impressed by how the Browns could win with such a remarkable disparity in favor of the run, but he noted that it's something that typically doesn't work in the league. Holmgren brought in Gil Haskell to sort of guide/mentor Daboll and have some influence on the offensive gameplan this year. Who gets the blame? While I think the Browns should pass quite a bit more than they did during that four-game stretch, the complete deviation from the ground game is overwhelmingly perplexing.

4. The Run Plays Themselves: Not only was I disappointed in the disparity, some of the run formations themselves were confusing. I like Peyton Hillis, but I don't like taking Lawrence Vickers out of the game in favor of him. Also, Harrison was running the ball straight up the middle, sometimes without a fullback in front of him. Vickers was a huge part of last year's success, and we screwed ourselves in two ways: (1) not running the ball enough; (2) not even having him in every down when we did run the ball.

In addition, Harrison needs to be the first guy to see carries. I'm fine with putting Hillis in on third downs, as a tight end, or as a back to give Harrison a breather, but we literally didn't even allow Harrison to break a sweat until late in the second quarter. You can't have one of your top playmakers entirely off the field for the majority of the game. Again, it's just all too perplexing and fits more with there being problems in the gameplan than it does problems with the talent on the team. I mean, come on -- we were facing one of the worst run defenses in the league from last season.

5. Three Sacks, Led by Benard: The Browns had three sacks against Josh Freeman, coming with more creative blitzes and also having a much better bull rush from certain players. Second-year mean Marcus Benard showed why he's on the team though, as he recorded 1.5 sacks. The other players notching sacks were Jason Trusnik (1) and Scott Fujita (0.5). I liked the bull rush I saw from Matt Roth too, something that was absent in the preseason.

6. Taming Winslow:Color me surprised that the Browns only allowed 4 catches for 32 yards to tight end Kellen Winslow. The Browns seemed to have a combination of T.J. Ward and Mike Adams covering him often, and while Adams was victimized once in the game, he assisted in a key breakup later on and had three passes defended during the game. Adams also had the team's lone interception, which was caused by the Browns getting pressure in Freeman's face.

7. Massaquoi Touchdown: I was thrilled to see Mohamed Massaquoi's touchdown in the first quarter, but it also reminded me of the unusual touchdown that was caught by (I believe) Quincy Morgan when we won our opener against the Ravens a few years ago. There was a clear mistake in coverage, but the net result was a big score for the Browns. Safety Tenard Jackson took a poor route to the ball, but Delhomme still had enough touch on it so that Massaquoi at the very least had a chance to get his hands on the ball in the air.

8. Stuckey Contributes: One game into the season, Chansi Stuckey has four catches. I like that we targeted him on third downs, however I hate what he did at the end of the game by trying to get more yardage by cutting back to the middle of the field rather than stepping out of bounds. Granted, a Hail Mary is not a high percentage play, but pass interference calls do happen...

9. Tight End Distribution: I think the tight ends really suffered from the lack of a running game being used. Ben Watson had three catches, but I honestly don't remember any of them. Evan Moore had three catches and did a heck of a job getting yardage after the catch, but he was only utilized on one drive before disappearing. This goes along with that question of whether Daboll and company have too many weapons for their own good.

10. Joshua Cribbs' Ineffectiveness: I think nothing was more surprising in the game than the ineffectiveness of Joshua Cribbs in the return game. On three kickoff returns, his longest one was 18 yards. The Buccaneers kicked it deep to him, but Cribbs was always taken down by the first pursuer. Punt returns weren't much better, and he even had a fumble that more times than not would result in a turnover, but somehow Blake Costanzo stepped through a portal and ended up at the bottom of the pile with the football.

11. Debut of the Cyclone: We saw a little bit of the Cyclone in the first half, and I really don't have a problem with how it was utilized except for one thing: without having run the ball with Harrison, it didn't work as well for my liking. I loved seeing Cribbs throw the ball for a completion to Seneca Wallace.

12. Quick Hitters on That Drive: Continuing from the thought above, we had about three quick hitter passes at the line of scrimmage alone that went for positive yardage. Great news, right? The Browns then faced a 2nd-and-4 at the Tampa Bay 40. That's a perfect time to run the football and move the chains, right? Nope -- Delhomme attempted passes on the next two plays, and they fell incomplete. The Browns punted, and of course Reggie Hodges' boot went into the end zone, preventing us from backing them up into danger zone.

13. Defensive Backs Performs Well: I liked what I saw from our defensive backs (I already mentioned Adams earlier). Joe Haden gave up the game-winning touchdown to Michael Spurlock, but it was just a perfect throw and the best play by the Buccaneers offense all game. That stuff happens; but unless you're facing the Ravens, you don't expect it to cost you the game. Sheldon Brown had nice recovery speed on a deep breakup.

He also almost picked the first Buccaneers touchdown, but the ball happened to bounce in the air and into the arms of Mike Williams. When you think about it, all of the unfortunate bounces were going the Buccaneers way. That's a reason for some of my optimism next week. Finally, I kept seeing someone on our defense make great tackles, and I would think, "man, who is that guy?" When he'd get up from the tackle, I'd see No. 43, T.J. Ward.

14. Dawson's Miss, Weather: Man, that was a nasty wind swirl that took Phil Dawson's kick wide right from 62 yards. I am amazed by how his leg strength has gotten so much better it seems. Also, it just had to rain, didn't it? That's no excuse for any football team to fail to execute, but it's another case of an Achilles heel from the preseason showing up just at the Browns lost their momentum.

15. Special Teams Tackles: Leading the way with special teams tackles was Ray Ventrone with two. T.J. Ward, Phil Dawson, and Abram Elam each had a tackle. Hopefully Dawson doesn't have to register too many more tackles in the future.

16. Fumble at the End: A debatable play came at the end of the game, when T.J. Ward came in and forced a fumble. The Buccaneers were in a heavy formation, meaning that maybe only Josh Freeman or Cadillac Williams could've caught Eric Barton if he had gotten up and sprinted. Instead, Barton, who was blanketed by Jason Trusnik, stayed down for a few seconds before being touched. On one hand, I like the decision to protect the football. On the other hand, it's killing me to wonder if we would've won the game had Barton taken the chance to scoop the ball up and start running.

17. Brownies: I wasn't thrilled with the CBS announcers, but overall I wasn't annoyed...Brian Robiskie needs to be more of a factor in the passing game if he is to be considered a threat...right after the Browns lost, fans were punched in the stomach by seeing Rashard Mendenhall score a touchdown in overtime...it was a surprise to see David Bowens inactive instead of Eric Barton.

In terms of the gameplan, things definitely need to change next week against the Chiefs. Although they are coming off of a huge victory against the Chargers, the team is still quite similar to the one Jerome Harrison ran all over at the end of last season. The Browns have a chance at redemption by showing they can literally do what they did last year but with some competent quarterback play. If they fail this week, then it might be more appropriate to consider questioning the future direction of this team.

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/9/14/1688157/browns-offense-sputters-at-the

 

RAVENS

The Baltimore Ravens might not have unveiled that prolific new offense tonight, but their defense showed why they continue to be one of the top units in the NFL this year, as they completely stifled the New York Jets' offense and held on for a hard fought 10-9 victory. Mistakes limited their scoring chances in the first half but they played efficiently enough on offense the second half to dominate the time of possession clock and keep the Jets' offense off the field.

Holding Jets QB Mark Sanchez to 60 net yards passing, the Ravens were able to stack the box and limit the run enough to force Sanchez to beat them through the air, which he was unable to do. While pass pressure was still an issue, the secondary stepped up and blanketed the Jets receivers and forced them to punt over and over, especially in the second half. The Jets ran 44 total plays, a minuscule amount for a 60 minute NFL game. They had six total first downs all game and their 14 penalties for 125 yards gave the Ravens second and third chances when it looked like they might have held the Ravens and forced them to punt.

Star-divide

Baltimore seemed to have a great strategy going in, knowing that despite his holdout, CB Darrelle Revis would still shut down whomever he was covering. Therefore, they targeted Antonio Cromartie and rookie Kyle Wilson and came up huge with completions or penalties when they needed them the most. At the end of the first half, the most costly penalty of the game was a roughing the kicker on a field goal which was good, and it gave the Ravens new life with a first down and they went on to score the game's only touchdown.

Whenever the Jets offense came on the field , they hurt themselves with penalties and bad plays, with Sanchez looking like the rookie he was last season. Without a run game to open things up, he was unable to find his receivers and kept throwing into the flat for short gains or incompletions. We all knew this would be a low scoring contest and once the Ravens went up by more than a field goal, time began to run out for the Jets. A fourth down completion to second year tight end Dustin Keller should have moved he chains but not realizing he was short of the first down, he stepped out of bounds a foot short, ending New York's chance at a last minute victory.

The Ravens are now 1-0 and continue on the road next week in a key division match-up with the Cincinnati Bengals, who lost yesterday to the New England Patriots 38-24, although that game wasn't nearly as close as those 14 points made it seem. Sweeping the AFC North last year, the Bengals will be an angry bunch but with a victory tonight, the Ravens can enjoy this win on the road in prime time, a rarity for them on national TV. before regrouping to plan for the Bengals.

So for now, let's revel in an opening night victory for the Ravens and plan on moving to 2-0 at Cincinnati before coming home to play the Cleveland Browns in week three.

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2010/9/13/1687275/ravens-ground-jets-win-10-9

On his first night as the Ravens' primary punt returner, Tom Zbikowski dared fate at least once and got away with it.

In the third quarter of the team's 10-9 season-opening victory over the New York Jets on Monday night, the starting free safety fielded a 56-yard punt by Steve Weatherford at the Ravens' 5-yard line and then ran laterally in front of the goal line looking for a running lane.

He found none and took a 4-yard loss to the 1 on the play, putting the Ravens in tough field position. Afterwards, Zbikowski admitted he got caught up in the moment.

"I took a chance on that one," he said. "I lost track of where I was. I lined up on the 15, and I thought I was drifting more left, but I felt myself going back a little bit. I didn't know I was that deep."

For Zbikowski, who tied a Notre Dame record with three punt returns for touchdowns, Monday night's performance was uneven at best.

His best return was on the game's first punt, when he went 10 yards. But after that, he returned three punts in the second half for a combined total of -5 yards, running into a Jets coverage team that was stout all night.

"The first one, I had a little opening," Zbikowski said. "I think maybe I could have taken it to the outside. [But] they were coming hard all night."

Zbikowski acknowledged that there is room to grow, a sentiment echoed by his coach.

"I thought he did a nice job of catching the ball and securing the ball, but I think he tried too hard to make a play," coach John Harbaugh said. "Sometimes guys will do that in their first outing. You've got to respect the guys covering a little bit more and take the ball north and south. … Zibby will learn from that. We had a good conversation about it on the train, and it was good-hearted. He'll be fine, but we need better."

Harbaugh wouldn't go as far to say that he is not considering other options on punt returns. Chris Carr averaged 8.2 yards on 32 punt returns last season.

"We'll see," he said. "We never rule anything out. Chris Carr's an option and so are some other guys. But Zibby, I think he'll be good at it."

Webb unfazed by deactivation

Lardarius Webb had targeted the team's season opener for his return from the anterior cruciate ligament he had torn in his right knee on Dec. 20, but the comeback was delayed as the cornerback was declared inactive by team.

"We didn't know," Webb said of his readiness for the Jets. "I was just coming prepared to play. We were going to come to a group decision, and the decision was for me to sit out."

Solid performances by Fabian Washington and Carr helped alleviate any pressure on Webb, who said, "We're not going to rush it. … I would like to be around the Ravens for a while, and I just want to be 100 percent when I do give them my 100 percent. I will be back soon."

Harbaugh said on Tuesday that the organization would continue to be cautious with Webb.

"It's just a healing process," Harbaugh said. "… We've said before, we don't want to rush those guys back. We didn't want to rush Fabian back. Fabian, we really had to hold back. Lardarius, between he and the doctors and what we see, we're just going to take it slow. We want it to be right when he comes back. I thought he had a chance to play last week, and he wasn't able to do it in the end. I think he's got a chance to play this week. Whether he can do it or not, it's really going to be his decision."

Nakamura answers the call

Because of the deactivation of Webb and fellow cornerback Bryan McCann, the Ravens lined up Haruki Nakamura, a safety by definition, in the slot in the nickel defense all night, and he held Jerricho Cotchery to two catches and 18 yards out of five balls thrown his way.

Namakura saw his contribution in the bigger picture of the defense.

"We only had seven guys [active] as defensive backs," he said. "We were very limited. We have guys that can play any position, including safety. Every person plays a role and you're asked to do a job, and you've got to step up and do it."

Harbaugh praised Nakamura, saying, "With Haruki, I don't think we anticipated necessarily him to this level being able to cover in the slot. Now he's got some things that he does really well, and of course, he's got limitations. … But he understands the defense really well, he's very quick and athletic, and he's a playmaker. Those are things that are hard, and in that position in there, those are the most important things, if you understand what you're doing."

Cousins not surprised at inactivity

The decision to start Marshal Yanda at right tackle could be interpreted as concern on the part of the coaching and training staff about the health of offensive tackle Oniel Cousins.

Cousins, however, said he continues to improve with each day, and he understood the decision to be a reserve Monday night.

"I kind of expected that because of the concussion," Cousins said of the injury he suffered Aug. 18. "I just came back and it was good for me to go back out to practice and do some stuff. I kind of knew that I would be up for the game, and I got ready for the game, but I knew more than likely I wasn't going to start. But I had to be ready to play. I'm just going to play my role out and see how it turns out. Regardless, I'll be ready to start or play whatever my role is. I'll always be ready to go."

Extra time helps Yanda, Chester

With Yanda and Chris Chester playing right tackle and right guard respectively, last week was about re-familiarizing themselves with their "new" positions.

Yanda, who has made 11 of 21 career starts at right tackle, lined up there against the Jets, while Chester, who has spent more than half of his 38 career starts at right guard, played that position.

Chester said the duo benefitted from the long week of practice afforded by the season opener being scheduled for Monday night.

"We had a longer week with the Monday night game, and that definitely helped," he said. "There was that time to kind of knock the rust off. I felt pretty good tonight, and I think Marshal did, too."

Dickson's mind on the road and at home

As if Ed Dickson didn't already have a few butterflies in his stomach about kicking off his NFL career, the rookie tight end was especially anxious in the minutes prior to the team's season opener against the Jets.

That's because his fiancée Ashley Swartz went into labor. But just before the team left the locker room for the kickoff, Dickson's mother called him with the news that Trey Michael James Dickson had arrived, weighing eight pounds, eight ounces.

"I was just happy," said Dickson, who was awarded a game ball by Harbaugh afterwards. "I just wanted to cap the night off with a victory. First Monday night game, first road game. We went out and battled it out and got the victory."

End zone

Harbaugh said he did not have an update on rookie outside linebacker Sergio Kindle, who visited Baltimore on Sept. 5 for further evaulation of the fractured skull that he suffered before the start of training camp in July. "No, I don't," Harbaugh said. "I wish I did." … Donte' Stallworth took to Twitter to clear up an erroneous ESPN comment. According to the wide receiver, ESPN analyst Keyshawn Johnson said that Stallworth would miss the remainder of the season because of the broken foot that he suffered in the third preseason game on Aug. 28. Tuesday morning, Stallworth wrote via Twitter (D_Stallworth18), "Contrary to remarks made by my big homie Keyshawn on @espn last night, I'm not out for the season. Walking fine w/o crutches…Feeling good! " … Defensive tackles Brandon McKinney and Lamar Divens did not play Monday night. … The Ravens announced Tuesday that they reached injury settlements with guard/center David Hale (bruised tailbone) and offensive tackle Stefan Rodgers (right ankle) and waived both players.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-notebook-0915-20100914,0,1133607.story?page=2

Let's get right to it. For those of you who may be new to this, each week Kevin Van Valkenburg (hey, that's me!) will break down five aspects of the Ravens game, win or lose, and try to offer a little analysis mixed with opinion. Since this blog is free, we at The Sun are happy to offer you our Satisfaction Guaranteed Special Offer. If you don't agree with what's written here, we're happy to offer you a refund of zero dollars. Now let's break down the Ravens Week 1 victory.

1. This is exactly the kind of game the Ravens couldn't win last year. The fact that they hung in there and pulled this one out -- on the road, no less -- is a sign of real progress.

Think back for a second to 2009. Recall what happened in the Minnesota game. The Colts game. The second Steelers game. All those contests were against good teams, and they were all games where the Ravens struggled, had a chance to win, but ultimately folded in big moments. That didn't happen Monday against the Jets, and that means something over the long haul. The next time Joe Flacco throws an interception, he'll be less likely to dwell on it because he'll have the confidence the defense will bail him out. That didn't always happen last year, but it happened against the Jets.

It doesn't really matter that this one wasn't pretty. What matters is the Ravens got hit with a haymaker punch right at the start of the game, and their knees may have briefly buckled, but they didn't go down. Instead of committing a slew of foolish penalties and giving the other team numerous opportunities to get cheap yards and points, the Ravens defense was able to limit the damage done by turnovers, and give the offense enough time to gather itself and find its footing.

That's almost literally what happened, when you think about it, because I suspect Joe Flacco's head was ringing a lot more than he let on after that first-drive sack. And the Jets, instead, looked like the Ravens of a year ago, racking up pass interference penalty after pass interference penalty in key moments. I think I finally understand why Antonio Cromartie has so many kids. The man can't keep his hands off anyone.

We harped on John Harbaugh a lot last year in this column for his team's lack of discipline, so let's give credit where it's deserved this week. Although the Ravens offense didn't look sharp — especially up front — the whole team kept its composure and hung in there on the road. Of the 15 games played so far this week (I'm writing this as the Chiefs-Chargers game is on-going), only four road teams came away with wins. That's a telling stat.

2. Anquan Boldin is as tough, and as good, as advertised.

People think playing wide receiver in the NFL is all about speed. They're wrong. It's about body control. Boldin isn't blazing fast running in a straight line, but he's remarkably quick coming out of his breaks and really knows how to go up and get the ball at its high point. That's such an underrated skill in the NFL, because there's no way to measure it and compare it to other wide receivers, but Boldin has it.

Several times against the Jets, he used his body to create just a sliver of separation, and then at full speed he changed directions and went after the ball. And when he caught the ball, he did it with his hands, not his body. The Ravens don't need him to catch 20 touchdowns or rack up 1,700 yards receiving. What they need him to do is consistently beat his man on 3rd-and-6, and this team will be really successful.

For years, that's what this team has been lacking, a clutch playmaker who moves the chains and gives the offense (and the Ravens defense) a chance to breathe. In a way, Anquan Boldin can make Ray Lewis better, because the more third down catches Boldin makes, the more rest Lewis (and the rest of the defense) gets for tired legs at the end of games.

3. Speaking of the defense, this one can still dominate — especially if the other team can't throw the ball.

Old school football fans, and cliche-spewing football coaches, love to remind us that you have to be able to run the ball to win football games. And that's still true — for the most part. But a team like the Jets, which run the ball as effectively as anyone in the NFL -- but pass it like someone just told them on Thursday the forward pass was legal — is just playing right into the Ravens strengths.

You have to be able to throw the ball effectively in the NFL these days because there is so much speed and size now at every position, good teams close on the ball carrier like an angry nest of hornets, and the rules are written to encourage throwing it down the field.

The Jets weren't even looking down the field, which allowed the Ravens to rush four (and sometimes three) defensive lineman and still be effective. Let's give some credit to Greg Mattison, especially considering Ravens fans were calling for his head after three games last season. He and Rex Ryan are very different when it comes to defensive strategy. Ryan is blitz, blitz, blitz, attack, attack, attack, and Mattison is about attacking in key moments, and forcing teams to drive the field to beat you. And both defense were very good tonight. But it's hard to quibble with giving up just six first downs, and essentially not allowing a single third down conversion. (The only one they got came on the final play of the game.) That's just a humiliating beat down. Lewis' brain-rattling hit at the end on Dustin Keller was a fitting end to a masterful defensive performance.

I still think Mattison's defense is vulnerable to really good quarterbacks, the guys like Peyton Manning who can throw the ball deep and to the outside, away from the safeties. But really, what defense doesn't have trouble with those routes against a Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees?

For all the talk of the Ravens cornerbacks being a weakness of this team, I'm starting to wonder if they might be OK back there. Chris Carr is a better player than people give him credit for. He's not big, but he's tough, fast and smart. He and Fabian Washington might as well have enrolled Braylon Edwards in the witness protection program for all he did.


4. Joe Flacco is getting better, and he's going to make strides this year and be a solid NFL quarterback. That said, he's still maddening to watch at times.

As I said above, this was a really good Jets defense, so keep that in mind when you grade Flacco's performance today. In the first half, it was rough. The sack where Shaun Ellis hit him like bulldozer and caused a fumble was entirely on him. It was a three-step drop with a primary route and a check down, and he held the ball for nearly six seconds (I watched the replay and counted). That's a good way to get hurt. He's lucky he didn't get a concussion there. (He certainly looked a little woozy after the hit.)

However, he did seem to find his legs a bit in the second half. He made several great throws to Todd Heap and Boldin, and when he could see where the blitz was coming from, he showed a lot of toughness hanging in there for an extra second so he could get the ball down the field to Boldin. You can definitely see that he doesn't want to rely on dump offs (or check downs, or whatever term you prefer) to Ray Rice as much this year, especially when he has guys who can make plays down the field. I think the Jets also tried to take Rice away, knowing how effective he was for the Ravens last year catching the ball, and Flacco made them pay for it.

Flacco also made two smart throws to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, which resulted in penalties. Yes, Flacco missed a touchdown to Le'Ron McClain and yes, the throw that Cromartie picked off was both a terrible read and a floated pass. But he showed some signs that it's starting to click. I still think he's most effective when he's throwing out of the shotgun, when he can see the field and make decisive reads. Cam Cameron probably realizes this but knows he can't rely on the shotgun exclusively.

I'd still like to see the Ravens run more no huddle with Flacco and take advantage of the fact that he reads coverage better when he doesn't over-think it, but that's probably why I write an Internet column and Cameron gets paid handsomely to call plays. (Still, even I don't know what to say about the play-calling at the very end of the game.)

5. The Ravens really need to figure out what to do about a punt returner.

Tom Zbikowski was a very good punt returner in college at Notre Dame, but his crazy decision to catch the ball inside his own 10-yard line (I'm pretty sure he caught it at the 5-yard line in fact), and then run backward into the end zone, easily could have cost the Ravens this game.

It's sort of an unwritten rule that you don't field punts inside your own 10, and if they happen to go coffin corner or down it at the 1-yard line, you tip your hat and congratulate the other team. You certainly don't try to make a big play in a game where any mistake can cost you the game.

To be fair to Zbikowski, that was supposed to be Donte' Stallworth back there, but a broken foot forced him into action. I still think the Ravens need to rethink it. With Ed Reed out for six games, they can't afford to lose Zibby to a special teams injury. They need him to play defense.

Is there any chance David Reed might get a shot back there? I know he's a rookie, but I'm watching the Kansas City Chiefs whip the San Diego Chargers while writing this, and the Chiefs have two rookie punt returners, Javier Arenas and Dexter McCluster, who are electric with the ball in their hands. Reed showed that the Ravens made a wise decision over Demetrius Williams when he forced a fumble on punt coverage, but I'm wondering if he might contribute in other areas too after Zbikowski's wild adventure Monday night.

6. (Bonus item! 100 percent free! Though not a Ravens-focused item!) A lot of silly people are going to mouth off about how the Ravens made Rex Ryan eat crow, and how the Jets appearance on "Hard Knocks" was a distraction, and that Ryan is all talk. Please ignore them.

The Jets didn't play well last night, but it didn't have anything to do with Rex Ryan's mouth or HBO's cameras. If they had a decent quarterback, they could have easily won this game, and the Ravens may see them again in the playoffs. Ray Lewis' "war of words" with Ryan was nothing more than Lewis trying to motivate himself with an alleged and mostly imagined slight. Ryan is one of the best coaches in the NFL, and Lewis owes him a lot. (Had Ryan decided to give Lewis the money he gave Bart Scott, I suspect Lewis would be singing a different tune.)

People love to slap down a genuine character like Ryan as soon as the opportunity presents itself because as much as we deny it, we crave conformity. We want boring coaches, because the minute they're not boring, we hammer them for motivating the other team with bulletin board material. (Which is silly. Execution matters way, way more than what you say, as any NFL player will tell you.) The reason the Jets made a run deep in the playoffs last year was because Ryan made them believers with all his bravado, but also because he's a defensive genius. If they're good again this year, it will be for the same reasons.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/spo..._we_learned_from_the_ravens_109_win.html#more

 

STEELERS

Alright, Bruce Arians. Yeah, I said it, did the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, like nails were being run across a chalkboard? No? Well, maybe this isn't your post.

I have most likely come across as an Arians supporter. I am. Why? Because, regardless of what you think about his philosophy, under his cooridinating, our record is 33-17. We have won one Superbowl, we have finished first, first, second, and are currently (extremely early, but still) first in our division. Please, read this last paragraph aloud, especially the last two lines. It's true.

I will never claim Bruce Arians is solely, or even majorly, responsible for that record. It would be a lie. I'm not a liar. Some guys named Dick LeBeau, Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger, oh and these guys too, all had something to do with it. That could be my main point there, but I'll drag it on, if for nothing else, excitement for the reader. (You're welcome.)

Bruce Arians offense has finished (in yards and points rank of 32 teams) 17th in yards, 19th in points (2007); 22nd in yards, 20th in points (2008); 7th in yards, 12 in points (2009). This season, we are far from those numbers, and there are reasons why. We know most of them, we've seen it ourselves these last two weeks.

For a guy implementing a new offense, as Bruce did in 2007, for his team to finish near middle of the pack, isn't really that bad. We won our division, and, perhaps if it weren't for some devastating injuries (Willie Parker, Aaron Smith, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark) that team could have made a deep playoff run. If it weren't for a bad angle of pursuit on David Garrard from the tiniest of predator men, we could have at least won a playoff game.

Side note, this game was especially painful for me, as I quit a job I had for about 6 years to watch this game when they wouldn't give me one night off. I mean, my God... One. Night. ... I digress.

That season, we threw the ball 442 times. We ran the ball 511 times. In contrast, our opponents threw the ball 536 times, and ran it 361. You can say that's because we were in the lead, and teams were trying to catch up, thus the difference. You're right.

But his numbers slumped in his second year? Indeed they did.

In an attempt, one could only assume, to bolster the running attack (Not our offense, a run ning attack?), the Steelers drafted Rashard Mendenhall in the first round. Willie Parker, who just the December prior had suffered a broken leg to end his season late in our campaign, still was thought to be the starter, although questions loomed about his leg injury and how he'd bounce back. Rashard Mendenhall, an insurance policy brought in to help run the ball, suffered a shoulder injury that would end his season just four weeks in. Willie Parker, despite fewer touches early preseason, did bounce back, having a "What broken leg?" game to start the season against Houston, but he too was lost in the fourth week that year and Mewelde Moore came in. Mewelde rushed for 588 yards that season on four starts while also appearing in most games. As a team, the Steelers rushed for 1690 yards, 500 yards less than the year before. That was, of course sans a healthy Parker, with out the young spell back who was expected to aid the running game, and with a runningback, who, with all due respect to Mewelde who played great for us that season, is a far less dynamic runner than Rashard (now... possibly then) or Willie (prior to the leg).

So, if a good (no, not good, I don't want to anger the anti-Arians people) competent coach coaches to his team's strengths, I would say looking at the runningback situation (with no Rashard, a tentative Willie, and featuring Mewelde Moore as the lead act... yikes) I hope you've got a good quarterback. Oh... wait, we do have a good quarterback?! Well, let him throw it... right?

Ben had thrown for 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions the year prior. This season (2008), the team's passing numbers jumped to 506 attempts, up from the 442 the year before. We ran the ball 460 times, down from the 511 the year before. Again, for reference sake, our opponents threw the ball 533 times and ran it 390 times.

This could rationally be explained by the team's runningback issues, and of course the fact we have a premier talent passing the rock. I mean... it could, right?

Oh yeah. And we won the Superbowl. Niiice.

Last seaon was rough. Hopes were high. Really high. Repeat high. But, objectively, despite the Superbowl win, some questions could have been asked.

What of our runningback situation? The season before should have raised that question, but when your looking at Tiffany in February, it's easy to overlook those things. Rashard was a question mark, some fans had already written him off as a bust. Injured, from reports somewhat lazy, benched for a game for lack of preparedness the week leading up to it... not good news. Willie Parker looked rough at times the year before. The Willie burst seemed gone, he had seemingly lost the ability to hit the holes. He was another question mark. Mewelde was everyone's darling that offseason, his fill in performences had helped up get to the promise land, but Mewelde was never a great runner. He was good, well rounded, and a veteran. A great player to have, but not a foundation for your ground game. Isaac Redman Fever was sweeping Steeler Nation, much like the British Invasion swept the US years before. I caught Steelchamps!!! singing "I Want to Hold Isaac's Hand", at one point, I hummed a long, but just a little. He was an unproven, asthmatic, out of NFL shape D-II player who was "lucky"; to be in the NFL according to some. Lots of ???'s, very few !!!'s, in there, right?

But we still had Ben. And a great group of wide receivers. Some said our best ever, although I think that was a little overboard myself. Hines, Santonio, some guy from 60 minutes (not him... him), Heath, Spaeth (haha), I think Limas was still a factor... somewhat maybe... but, you follow?

Going into the season, if you looked at the roster, a case could be made that more passing was called for. In fact, with as many question marks at the HB spot, and as many playmakers in receiver roles, and a quarterback that had won 2 Superbowls heading in to the prime of his career... you could make the case that not getting them the ball though the air was not in the team's best interest. Ol' Juicy Brucey thought just that.

So we did. Be threw the ball 506 times (536 as a team). By far the most in Ben's career, twice as many as the year he won his first championship. His second most passes attempted? I'm glad I intimated at you asking. Well, that was back when Whisenhunt and Co. still played "Steeler Football"; way back in ot six. That year, playing "Steeler Football" we ran the ball 469 times, and threw it 523.

Remember back when Whisenhuntused to just play "SteelerFootball"?Jeez I miss those days.

Also, by the by, Ben had his worst statistical season in 2006, in both completion percentage and interceptions. And the Steelers went 7-8, en route to no playoffs. Throwing it that many times under Arians three seasons later, Ben had his best career year in completion percentage and yards, he also established a career low in interception percentage (interceptions over attempts) Just saying, wasn't all that bad.

BUT WE DIDN'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?! You cry out in anger. No we did not. You got me there. But putting that squarely on Arians would be like me giving him full credit for his solid record with the Black and Gold. It wouldn't be fair, and it would be a lie.

But what about bad Bruce Arians? Oh... he exists. He exists in our nightmares, much like Freddie Kruger. Only, we don't have to sleep to be in his world or for him to come out into ours. He shows up every Sunday, or at least he has.

3rd and 1... Whatcha gonna do?

In the redzone... Who you gonna call?

Fill in the blank... ________________, you may as well have a legit gripe as well. I'm not going to deny the man has faults as a coordinator. But too much blame gets hurled his way, in my opinion.

Our esteemed historian, great wordsmith, and by the way, published author (cough "From Black to Gold belongs on every bookshelf in Steeler Nation" - Rocky Bleir cough), MaryRose put it much, much, much better than I could in this great piece from not too long ago.

1) On third down or fourth down, with one or two yards to gain, we must run the football. When we bring in that empty set and the defense knows we're passing, four things can happen and three of them are bad. An interception is the worst, a sack is almost as bad, and even an imcompletion means we have to either punt or turn the ball over. Rashard is a big boy. Give him the football. If we can't gain a stinking yard we don't deserve to win, but my guess is we will.

2) Give the defense a break. Slinging it too much, even when it works and especially when it doesn't, keeps putting the defense back on the field. They are a proud but aging unit that needs a 10-minute break now and then. Use some clock. Mix in some screen passes. Mendy might be great with those. Who knows, by the fourth quarter maybe our defense might not be so tired and might not keep collapsing. Tone and Hines and young Wallace won't mind. Ask them if they would rather have another Lombardi or better statistics? They'll give you the right answer.

3) We play in the AFC North. We have no domes. The weather is often bad, the wind is often blowing, precipitation is often falling and the field is often a mess. Take note of that. Design your game plan around an offense that can least be affected by the elements. We have to run the ball when we have to run the ball, if that makes sense. Make sure both your personnel and game plan are prepared to do that.

4) Ben cannot be sacked another 50 times. He is a walking time bomb ready to implode on any play. There are a hundred million reasons why he needs to be protected. Ever notice how Peyton's jersey doesn't need washed after playing in a mud bowl? We need to treat our guy with the same respect. Yes, he needs to make plays, and yes, part of his total effectiveness is improvising and making plays. We need to allow for some of that, but not to the extent we currently allow. You can't give a BB gun to your son and then let him run wild in the back yard without giving him some restrictions. We need organized mayhem, if you'll pardon the oxymoron. There's a fine line between letting Ben be Ben and letting Ben be General Custer. Find it.

Perhaps it was this open letter, or The Rooney's swift and decisive public kick in the *** that helped spur this change. Much like Wayne Brady, The Rooney's, um, escort-broker (?) hand is strong. And Bruce needed a smack, just a light one, to let him know who the boss was, and how the boss wanted things done.

Two of these four fatal flaws have (so far) been improved on, two cannot be proven either way as of yet. It is very early, but Bruce has gotten better this year. Perhaps the emergence of a quality runner in Rashard helped get his chakras aligned again. Maybe the short yardage confidence that lacked in years past is brought back by Isaac Redman. Everytime you say, write, or even think Redman, thank Arians by the way. With out Bruce, we have no Isaac. Fact.

So please, just try and gain a touch or perspective when we talk about Bruce. Complaints are justified only by those who levy them, so if you feel the need to scream "WHAT THE bleep, YOU bleeping MORON!!!" at your TV from time to time on Sunday, just like I do, know who you're blaming.

For every Bruce Arians out there, there is a, well, Browns OC, Raiders OC, Rams OC, Bills OC, Lions OC, and several others who do, actually, finish at or near the bottom of the rankings year in and year out (no disrespect guys). Bruce deserves some, if not a lot, of the heat he has gotten in the past, but give the guy a break, we haven't been that bad with him at the helm. That's all I'm really saying.

(Can someone please put up that picture of Ben and Charlie, where Bruce pops up like a creeper from behind the two... Johnny? I love that thing.)

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2010/9/21/1701971/a-plea-for-a-little-b-a-realism

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Steelers put an old-fashioned heat-down on the Tennessee Titans Sunday, playing smothering defense in smoldering temperatures and some how, some way winning again while losing another quarterback.

Without scoring a touchdown on offense, the Steelers jolted quarterback Vince Young right out of the game and slammed shut halfback Chris Johnson's 100-yard streak at 12. They won, 19-11, to go 2-0 and have no idea who will play quarterback Sunday in their third game.

"It was hot on their sideline, too," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said as he shuffled linemen on both sides because of the 90-degree heat and some injuries. "It's going to be hot on both sidelines next week in Tampa."

Nothing's hotter right now than the Steelers' defense. While they did allow their first touchdown late in the game, playing a prevent defense, they again carried their ineffective offense like a wounded companion.

The latest injury was the left knee of quarterback Dennis Dixon, which caused him to leave the game in the second quarter for Charlie Batch, the

only other quarterback on the roster. Dixon will have more tests, but it did not appear to be seriously injured and Tomlin said he could have used him if necessary to hand off in the second half.

Maybe that is all the Steelers will need from their offense the way their defense has played in two victories. Sunday, they forced seven turnovers, their most in 13 years, and drove Young out of the game in favor of Kerry Collins in the fourth quarter. Young was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. Collins was intercepted once and the Titans lost two other fumbles.

Johnson, who became the sixth back to rush for 2,000 yards in NFL history last season, came into the game two games short of Barry Sanders' NFL record of 14 consecutive 100-yard games. He ran for 34 yards on 16 carries, tying the second-lowest output of his three-year career. It's the same amount he had Oct. 11, 2009, the game before he started his streak. He also lost a fumble Sunday.

Linebacker James Harrison said it looked like Johnson did not want to play anymore after getting hit hard and often.

"We did a good job of keeping him contained and sort of steered them away from what they would normally do," Harrison said.

It might have been different had Johnson's 85-yard touchdown run counted in the second quarter. Instead, center Eugene Amano was called for holding nose tackle Chris Hoke.

"He said he wanted an 80-yard run," linebacker James Farrior said of Johnson. "I told him I would let him get it but we got to get the win. I gave it to him, but it ain't my fault that they were holding."

The Steelers led, 19-3, before the Titans scored a touchdown on Collins' 1-yard pass to Nate Washington and added a 2-point conversion with 58 seconds left. Tennessee then recovered the onside kick and made things interesting at the end. Collins threw a pass from his 31 to Washington that Bryant McFadden and Ryan Clark broke up in the end zone. The drive, however, lost steam on a couple of penalties and the game ended at mid-field.

"We kept fighting, that was the one thing," Collins said. "We had an opportunity to make it interesting and guys kept playing."

The Steelers jumped to their lead on the first play of the game when rookie Antonio Brown, touching the ball officially for the first time in the pros, took a reverse hand-off from Mewelde Moore on the opening kickoff and ran 89 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. It was their first score on a kickoff return in three years.

"I was just excited that we pulled that out of the bag for the first one," said Brown, who did not dress for the opener. "It was a great hand-off and a good seal left to get everybody slanted."

Neither offense did much. As was the case in the opener, the Steelers settled for field goals, Jeff Reed kicking four to go with Brown's touchdown. They had only 127 total yards and just seven first downs. Unlike in the opener, Dixon ran three times for 28 yards but he thought he injured his knee on one of those. He retired early in the second quarter and will have more tests done.

Batch completed just 5 of 11 passes for 25 yards and Dixon 4 of 6 for only 18 as the Steelers managed 43 yards passing and a mere 21 net after four sacks. Rashard Mendenhall needed 23 carries to get 69 yards.

But at least the Steelers' offense kept the ball, other than Dixon's lost fumble early in the game when he was hit from behind. The Titans lost the game because they lost the ball seven times.

"They are a good defense," Collins said. "They create turnovers, but at the end of the day, we've got to be better than that. I mean, seven turnovers are way too many."

Rob Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter for Tennessee's only score until they struck in the final minute.

The victory was only the second for the Steelers in 10 games in the state of Tennessee, beginning in 1997.

"I am happy to get out of this stadium with a win," Tomlin said. "That kind of effort was going to be required, and we knew it. We don't' run away from it, we openly talk about it and they deliver."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10263/1088889-66.stm#ixzz10E1X0WbA

 

BROWNS

Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs felt very similar to the one the Browns suffered in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm going to start sounding like a broken record before we're even a significant portion of the way into the season, but I don't care: when you have a stupid offensive gameplan, you are not going to win very many games.

Heading into the season, we might have ranked our units in this order, from best to worst: special teams, defense, offense. Through the first two weeks, the order looks like this: defense, special teams, offense. To say that the defense has improved would be an understatement; they are the reason we've lost our first two games by a combined five points. For the offense to not execute is just an absolute killer to the rest of the players busting their tail off on gameday.

With that said, let's get to the review of the game. We'll kick off with the goats and the game balls...

Star-divide

WEEK 2 - KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS. CLEVELAND BROWNS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

Goats of the Game:

* Seneca Wallace: If Jake Delhomme was named a goat for last week's interception to Ronde Barber, then there's no way I can forgive Wallace's pick six to CB Brandon Flowers. Yes, Wallace "made up for it" so to speak with a bomb to Joshua Cribbs moments later, but that is beside the point. Wallace's decision to stare at Chansi Stuckey to begin with on the sideline, hesitate, and then still lob the throw over there highlights the very reason I never considered him capable of being our starting quarterback.

If I put his throw against Delhomme's on a scale, I'd say Wallace's was worse because there was no pressure and he couldn't have missed the defender standing there the whole time. Wallace also gets partial blame for his lack of accuracy on many of his deep throws, but I'll get more into that later.

* Alex Mack: Apparently, our beloved center was furious after former Brown Shaun Smith allegedly "grabbed his private parts." Mack said he was so fired him that he started to chase Smith to the sideline during the second quarter. What happened on Cleveland's next series?

After a catch and run by Jerome Harrison, Mack inexplicably plowed into linebacker Derrick Johnson for a clear late hit, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. Guess who attempted, and then missed, a 42-yard field goal two plays later? Phil Dawson. Guess how many points the Browns lost by? Two. Granted, the field goal in itself could've changed Kansas City's philosophy in the second half, but Mack's hit could have been the underrated difference.

Awarding Game Balls:

* Matt Roth: I can't give game balls to the entire defense every week, so this week I'll single out Matt Roth. The Chiefs were trying to muster a big drive to close out the first half, but Roth stuck his hand up and deflected a pass from Matt Cassel. Nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin was on the receiving end of the pick, and any time Roth helps a defensive lineman get an interception, that in itself is worth a game ball.

General Thoughts:

1. Run vs. Pass Distribution: The distribution between pass attempts and run attempts was a little better this week, but still not where it needs to be. In a game where the Browns again had the lead for most of the second half and were never down by more than three points, the number of passes for Wallace (31) should not outweigh the carries by Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis (24).

2. Commitment to Harrison: Despite Harrison only having a 2.1 yards per carry average on 16 carries, I think it was the right decision to remain somewhat committed to giving him the football. The problem against the Chiefs wasn't so much Harrison as it was the playcalling and the lower quality blocking. Harrison should not be running very often without Lawrence Vickers, and I think it's time we see Shawn Lauvao and Tony Pashos command the right side of the line.

3. Worst Officiating Call: Over at Arrowhead Pride following the game, I saw a few Chiefs fans question why we'd blame the officials for the Browns losing this game. I can't get too picky on calls like the roughing the passer one, because as stupid as the rule is, it often gets called the same way for many teams in the NFL, just like it also did against the Baltimore Ravens last week.

However, the non-reversal of Jerome Harrison's fumble was as bad as you can get in terms of officiating. The ground clearly caused the fumble, and the camera was right on top of the action to show that. What more visual evidence is required? Chalk up three more points that were handed to the Chiefs. Kansas City scored 10 points in the first half, and our defense was not responsible for either of the Chiefs' scores.

4. Obsession With the Deep Ball: Did I miss some scouting report that said that the combination of [Seneca Wallace + the Chiefs defense] = [success with the deep ball]? I did not anticipate that being the apparent focal point of the gameplan, but shockingly it was. Don't get me wrong, I love throwing the deep ball here and there, especially if you can utilize it off of playaction effectively.

I also liked the fact that Wallace sometimes recognized the all-out blitz and would immediately throw the ball toward the sideline to give his receiver a chance to make a play. However, on plays like that one, or the other third-down plays, there should be other routes available to Wallace. Do we really have such a lack of faith in the route running abilities of our receivers that all we can tell them is to "go deep"?

5. More on the Deep Ball: The crazy thing about the deep ball against the Chiefs? Our receivers were open every time. I don't know if that was dumb luck or something that was scouted, but then you have to consider how often Wallace missed his receiver. His best throw went to Joshua Cribbs, which makes sense for two reasons: the two often worked together in camp in the Cyclone, and the throw was over the middle of the field. Wallace seemed to have trouble getting the ball accurately to either sideline on deep passes.

6. One More 'Ugh'...: My last two points just talked about our quarterback throwing many deep balls to our wide receivers. If you thought that would be talked about versus our [projected] success in the run game prior to the season, then I'd like you to pick some lottery numbers for me.

7. The Tight End Bug: While it wasn't particularly devastating this week, the Chiefs' leading received ended up being rookie tight end Tony Moeaki, a third round pick out of Iowa. He had 5 catches for 58 yards, but the part that hurt were that his final three catches all went for first downs and decent yardage.

8. Moore Hit Hard: Tight end Evan Moore took a nasty blow to the head against the Chiefs. Wallace found Moore running up the field on target, but it would've been tough for Moore to hang on even if it were a clean hit. He appeared to suffer a concussion, so I hope he is fine.

9. Secondary Excels Again: I can't really complain about our secondary, who again held a quarterback to under 200 yards and this week without a touchdown. Sheldon Brown also had a very acrobatic interception on a deep pass; it was a very impressive leap in my book. Safety T.J. Ward was a tackling machine again, with 10 tackles. I'm assuming the coverage was also stout on the play where Marcus Benard recorded a sack, because Cassel held the ball for too long on the play before Benard finally reached him.

10. Kicking Away From Cribbs: Look at these starting field position numbers after kickoffs:

-35 yard line
-25 yard line
-26 yard line
-34 yard line
-33 yard line

While those starting field position numbers are decent, I'm sure the Chiefs were thrilled to finish the game with those results. With how often the ball was kicked short, I'd expect at least something past the 40-yard line. Once again, a team found a way to neutralize Cribbs on returns (he only was able to return one punt for five yards too).

11. Dawson Misses It: Although a penalty forced Phil Dawson into a longer field goal possibly, Dawson is usually money from 42 yards. To see him pull it wide left was another zing to our team's hope for momentum. After connecting on field goals left and right in the preseason, it's a punch in the gut to see Dawson miss in the regular season.

12. Hodges' Good Day...Sort Of: My number one fear about Reggie Hodges heading into the season would be that he'd be a pretty decent punter, except for that one punt per game you always remember that costs you. Hodges punted eight times in the game and had four downed inside the 20. It should've been five, but Joe Haden barely went into the end zone one time.

Then, it happened -- with 2:41 in the game, Hodges only booted a 37-yard punt (no return). The Chiefs started that drive 42 yards away from the end zone. Had the punt been a little better, maybe the Chiefs are a little more weary about going for it on fourth down and the Browns get another chance, only down a field goal.

13. Massaquoi's Drop at the End: The drop by Mohamed Massaquoi near the end of the game was another killer. It wasn't an easy catch to make, but it was still one you have to come down with considering the defender didn't get turned around good enough to make a play on the ball. Add up all of these "what if's" I keep mentioning, and you can figure out why Browns fans are so frustrated to have lost the first two games.

14. Thomas Jones' Leap: I don't think Thomas Jones got the first down, but when a guy is leaping in the air in real-time speed, I can't blame the officials for how they spot it. The replay review looked like he possibly could be a tiny bit short, but on the same note it wasn't very conclusive. Oh well; chalk up another break that goes the way of the opposing team.

15. Special Teams Tackles: The Browns' coverage units on special teams were outstanding. The leading tacklers were Joe Haden (2) and T.J. Ward (2). One tackle apiece came from the special team vets, Ray Ventrone, Blake Costanzo, and Kaluka Maiava. On four punt returns, Javier Areans only had six return yards. On kickoffs, the Chiefs' returners averaged less than 20 yards a touch.

16. Brownies: If I had to pick on one defensive player, it would be Abram Elam...overall, the good tackling continued...the Chiefs picked up chunks of yardage in the run game right before the half to no avail, but the backs were stopped at the line a lot more often than the past few years...David Bowens played but did not record a statistic...Nick Sorensen was back and assisted on one tackle...Ben Watson had a nice 44-yard scamper, but like everyone else seemed absent in the second half.

Where do we go from here? The Browns face the Ravens next week, so it'll probably be time to cue up an offensive breakout. /sarc

It really does come down to playcalling, beside the one-throw-to-the-sideline-for-a-pick-six-by-Delhomme-or-Wallace plays. If that means we have to get rid of Brian Daboll this early in the year (not Eric Mangini), then so be it. I am disappointed in our offense, but I haven't lost faith in them. Some people look at our schedule and don't see how we can win a game over the next seven weeks or so. If it comes down to talent, we're good enough to win some of those games in my opinion. If it comes down to the same type of playcalling though, then I won't be picking the Browns to win for awhile.

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/9/21/1701583/seneca-wallaces-pick-six-is-a

The Browns placed linebacker Kaluka Maiava on injured reserve and replaced him with linebacker Titus Brown.

The Browns did not specify the injury to Maiava, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2009. Maiava injured his right knee on a Cleveland kickoff in the second quarter of the Browns' 16-14 loss to Kansas City on Sunday.
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Brown was signed off the Denver Broncos' practice squad. He ended up there after being waived by the Browns after the final cut to 53 players.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/09/cleveland_browns_put_lb_kaluka.html

It's Tuesday and that means it's grade day for the Cleveland Browns. Professor reporter Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com has posted grades for Sunday's loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ulrich likes how the defense has played, but the turnovers and sputtering offense has been been less than desired.

The offense received a D for its performance last Sunday. Here are some of the breakdowns on offense:

• Quarterback: D+. Wallace was late on a pass to Chansi Stuckey, and Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers intercepted it and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. To his credit, Wallace rebounded with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Josh Cribbs. Wallace completed 16-of-31 passes for 229 yards, but he was 5-of-10 for just 44 yards in the second half.

• Running backs: D-. Jerome Harrison had 16 carries for 33 yards (2.1 average, longest 8), and Peyton Hillis had eight carries for 35 yards (4.4 average, longest 12), including a 1-yard touchdown. Harrison, who had 286 yards rushing and three touchdowns last season against the Chiefs, also lost a fumble that led to the Chiefs' first field goal. Mangini challenged the fumble, but the call stood after a review. Harrison and Hillis combined for six catches for 61 yards. I include fullbacks in this category, and Lawrence Vickers was called for holding and did not have his best game.

The defense received a B grade based on the solid play from linebacker Marcus Benard, lineman Robaire Smith and safety T.J. Ward's nine tackles.

COACHING: D

By popular demand, I added this category. Players need to execute regardless of coaching, but coaches should be held accountable, too. The use of timeouts was an issue, and there seemed to be some confusion on defense in the second half. More important, the offense didn't have a turnover in the final two quarters but still did nothing. That falls on the coaches.

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2010/09/cleveland_browns_am_links_time_1.html


BEREA —

Bernie Kosar says the Browns’ biggest problem is a lack of talent.

A year after undertaking his biggest role with the expansion-era Browns, including extensive film review and consulting with coaches, Kosar is in Jim Brown’s boat to an extent. That is, he was offered a role with the team, just not the one he had before Mike Holmgren took over as president.

Unlike Brown, Kosar has not denounced Holmgren and says he continues to live and die with the team on Sundays.

The former Browns quarterback said the roster is “devoid of difference-makers on offense and defense,” a trait that is manifesting itself in second halves.

“You can’t trick a team for four quarters,” he said.

He said the offensive coaches are “doing a good job coming up with schemes that mask our deficiencies in the first half.”

At some point in each game, he said, a team must line up “mano to mano” and beat teams with straight-up football.

“We’re not cut out to do that yet,” he said.


SECOND TIME AROUND

Seneca Wallace has never replaced an injured quarterback for just one start.

Chances are, his first start as a Brown will be followed by a second one Sunday at Baltimore. Eric Mangini only will say Jake Delhomme is getting better, but Delhomme has spent a week in an ankle boot, an indication of a high ankle sprain and at least a two-week furlough from the starting job.

In first starts when replacing an injured QB, Wallace is now 0-4 after Sunday’s 16-14 loss to Kansas City. His previous three losses have been followed a week later by second starts, and he is 2-1 in those.

A review of his second starts, all with Seattle:

• 2009. 25-19 home loss to Chicago. 26 of 44, 261 yards, one TD, one pick, three sacks, one run for zero yards.

• 2008. 34-13 win at San Francisco. 15 of 25, 222 yards, two TDs, no picks, one sack, no runs, 115.8 passer rating.

• 2006. 16-0 home win versus Oakland. 18 of 30, 176 yards, one TD, no picks, three sacks, three runs for 49 yards.



THE GAUNTLET

The Browns’ next seven opponents and their 2009 and 2010 records:

Sept. 26, at Baltimore (9-7, 1-1)

Oct. 3, vs. Cincinnati (10-6, 1-1)

Oct. 10, vs. Atlanta (9-7, 1-1)

Oct. 17, at Pittsburgh (9-7, 2-0)

Oct. 24, at New Orleans (13-3, 1-0; played Monday)

Nov. 7, vs. New England (10-6, 1-1)

Nov. 14, vs. New York Jets (9-7, 1-1)

The Steelers and Saints won the last two Super Bowls. The Ravens and Jets have been in a conference title game within the last two years. The Bengals and Patriots are defending division champs. The Falcons are 20-12 the last two years.


MANGINI ON MONDAY

• Presumably, Eric Mangini didn’t intend this as a message to All-Pros Josh Cribbs and Joe Thomas, who fumbled and drew a holding call within the first two weeks, but he sent a message to somebody Monday when he said:

“If it becomes a pattern, we can’t play the people who create turnovers or penalties.”

• Mangini and Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll discussed whether the Wildcat was used too seldom against the Chiefs. Mangini: “We agreed we should have done it more ... just to get Josh (Cribbs) more touches.”

• It’s possible Mangini was sending a message to veteran Shaun Rogers when he went on and on about young nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin. “He created that interception (Sunday on a diving effort) with his hustle,” Mangini said.

• Mangini seemed to think a replay review should have overturned Jerome Harrison’s costly early fumble, but he did not give Harrison a pass. “The ball shouldn’t be on the ground,” Mangini said.

• Mangini on the defense: “There’s a lot of things I like.” But ... “There were plays to be made that have to be made.” He was alluding to two potentially game-changing missed sacks.

• On the run blocking: “It’s not consistent enough.”


EXTRA POINTS

• Mangini said he will have “better information on Wednesday” on Delhomme’s status.

• Merrill Hoge, who played for the Steelers and now is an ESPN analyst, said after Pittsburgh’s win at Tennessee, “This may be the best defense Pittsburgh ever had.”

• Special teams coordinator Brad Seely plans to tweak plans so the Browns get more yards out of pop-up kickoffs intended to avoid Joshua Cribbs.

• Tight end Evan Moore re-entered the game three plays after getting his bell rung, then didn’t play again. The Browns won’t comment on his status until Wednesday.

http://www.cantonrep.com/browns/x1985979628/Browns-notebook-Kosar-says-Browns-need-more-talent

 

BENGALS

I went to the playoff game last season and I don't remember one minute of that game that was as loud as most of the minutes this past Sunday against the Ravens. It was electric in the stadium I was giving out high fives to people in different sections from me. Offense is exciting, don't get me wrong. I love watching the Bengals offense, especially when it's hitting on all cylinders but there is just something about watching the Bengals defense, especially when they are totally dominating the opposing offense. When the Ravens were in third-down situations and the Bengals were lining up and throwing their hands up in the air in that "get on your feet" motion, the entire stadium got on their feet and got louder than I can remember in a long time. It was a blast. There were a million things that made me happy from tailgating to the walk back to my Who Dey Bus. Here are the seven that I picked out this week.

Point One: The Defense

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Of course this would be point one. The defense looked unbelievable against the Ravens. They had Joe Flacco running like a scared child throughout most of the game and on more than one occasion, the pressure got to him and he decided to throw the ball up for grabs just to get rid of it. Needless to say, the secondary made him pay, picking off four passes, a career high for Flacco. They also only allowed Ray Rice to rush for 87 yards and kept him out of the end zone throughout the entire game. They didn't allow T.J. Houshmandzadeh to have a single catch despite a few targets in his post-Bengals Cincinnati debut and if you take away the one touchdown to Derrick Mason (his only catch of the day) then the defense would have been pretty much perfect. It's funny to me that Ray Lewis is crying about the bad calls made against the Ravens and that the Bengals didn't earn the win. It's funny because I'm pretty sure that the Bengals defense absolutely earned the win by being tougher against the Ravens offense than the Ravens defense could be against the Bengals offense. Either that or Ray Lewis should start complaining that we didn't earn a win because Joe Flacco decided to gift wrap the win and he threw it to Adam Jones, Leon Hall, Brandon Johnson and Chinedum Ndukwe.

Point Two: The Offensive Line

I'm not going to pretend for a minute that the Ravens don't have a solid defense because they definitely do. Ray Lewis may be crying over spilled milk but that doesn't take away from the fact that he's one of the best middle linebackers to ever wear a uniform (too bad it's purple). The rest of the defense is just about as tough as he is and when it comes to beating up on quarterbacks, the Ravens are one of the best. However, for the most part on Sunday, the Bengals offensive line kept Carson Palmer on his feet and out of harms way. The pocket may have been a little cluttered now and then and Palmer got hit a couple times but when you think about the fact that the mighty Ravens defense couldn't really get to Palmer more than a couple times you can't help but be impressed. Not many teams can make a quarterback tremble in their cleats like the Ravens can and if the Bengals offensive line can play that well against them, they can play well against anybody.

Point Three: Adam Jones

I'm not going to lie, I used to really dislike Pacman Jones and I thought Jerry Jones was an idiot for keeping him in Dallas. I was upset when I heard that the Bengals were allowing Pacman Jones to work out for a spot on the team and I was more upset when I heard that the Bengals decided to sign Pacman Jones. Then I learned that Pacman Jones was no more and he had been replaced with a guy named Adam Jones who had all of Pacmans attributes and none of his baggage. He has worked hard and kept his nose clean and he has earned a spot on one of the toughest defenses in the NFL. Against the Ravens on Sunday, Adam Jones, not Pacman, was the first Bengals defender to pick off Joe Flacco and Adam Jones, not Pacman, made Ray Rice see stars when Leon Hall was the second Bengals defender to pick off Flacco. I like Adam Jones and I'm happy he's a Bengal. I'm excited to see what else he can do this season.

Point Four: Geno Atkins

Geno Atkins kicked some major butt in the preseason and got everybody excited about this rookie that just seemed to teleport from the defensive line to the quarterback's face. Then the Bengals defense looked terrible against the New England Patriots and I just kind of forgot that there was such a thing as a Geno Atkins. Then, Atkins reminded me that he exists when he recorded his first NFL regular season sack on Flacco on Sunday on a huge third down that helped the Bengals seal their victory. Not only did Atkins sack Flacco once, but he was also responsible for Flacco being chased out of the pocket during most of the game. I won't forget he exists again.

Point Five: Mike Nugent

Holy Crap I forgot what it was like to have a field goal kicker that you can actually depend on. Mike Nugent is perfect on the season so far and that includes one kick that was over 50 yards and some high pressure kicks against the Ravens. It seams that the Bengals decision makers have made the correct decision in keeping Nugent on the team. So far, I'm extremely impressed and so far, my heart doesn't beat out of my chest when the Bengals line up for a field goal. It's nice to not have a cardiac specialist tell me that watching the Bengals kicking game is killing me anymore. It's also kind of fun to yell "NUGE!" at the stadium. I don't really know why.

Point Six: Bernard Scott

Scott must be doing something right because he's getting on the field more and more often. Now, I don't think for one second that Scott is taking Benson's job away because he's not. Benson is still the main guy but Scott is becoming a solid Crockett to Benson's Tubbs. On top of that, Scott returned kicks and one kick return went well beyond 50 yards and set up the Bengals for Nugent's game winning 38-yard field goal. Without Scott, the game would have been completely different. I'm glad to see him on the field more and more.

Extra Point: Chris Henry Tribute

I'm lucky that I saw it and I don't think many people did. As I exited the stadium, I went down a flight of stairs that I usually don't go down and I stumbled upon a prayer written to Chris Henry on the outside of the stadium. It was a really cool way to end an awesome game. Most people I talked to weren't lucky enough to catch it so I'll share it with you here. It read:

It is football season 2010

Lord let our angel fly again

Give us wings to help us soar

To hear that deep Bengals roar

Give us courage to never stop

As we climb our way to the top

We need "15" by our side

So no team can break our stride

Lord give us "Slim" to help us win

Let him be a Bengal once again

~Amen~

It was surrounded with orange and black streamers and a couple other signs that said things like "we'll never forget you Slim". I don't know if it was just something that a fan put up, Henry's family or if it was the Bengals players that were responsible but I do know that, for a lot of Bengals fans, it was a great way to cap off a great win.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/9/20/1700627/the-monday-touchdown-win-against

I'll start off this post by saying I'm one of Carson's biggest fans. I've been defending him for the last 2 years like nobody's business. I was out today listening to 1530 Homer and all the callers into the station were ripping on Palmer. The host of the show was defending Palmer as well. I heard lots of the same complaints as I see on a regular basis here. He doesn't have it anymore..... his arm is weak..... he makes bad decisions etc. etc.



So here is my question. Is Carson Palmer really not that good? Palmer hasn't been "Carson Palmer" since 2007 and even then he was beginning to show signs of a decline. Sure the yardage was there, but the accuracy seemed off and lots of balls sailed high.



In 2008 my excuse was that the O-line couldn't get keep him upright. I think the injury just a few games in to the season proves this was correct.

In 2009 my excuse was that the O-line couldn't create a good pocket and that we had no weapons. Oh and the ever popular Bratkowski sucks.

In the off-season I took a step back and evaluated his play over the last few years. Looked at game film available on the internet and compared what I saw with other "elite" QB's.

What has struck me more than anything is that Carson does not get the same zip on the ball that he used to. I'm beginning to think letting the elbow heal naturally was a big mistake. He doesn't seem to be able to get much velocity on the ball to get it in the tight spaces like we have seen before.

This could be why his accuracy isn't what it once was. I know that when I throw a ball as hard as I can I have no-where near the accuracy I would if I threw it at even 90% of my max. Is Carson having to throw the ball as hard as he can now to make routine plays?

Is it the fact that we played 2 good defenses back to back? Maybe I'm being too harsh on him.

The O-line definitely sucks. I feel like Carson could put up Brady type numbers if he had the kind of do your taxes time Brady gets.

Maybe it's all timing? One thing that Carson was so well known for was his timing with his receivers. I remember lots of plays in 05/06 where the ball would be in the air a good 10-15 yards before the targeted receiver even turned to look at Carson. Was this a product of a good O-line?

Part of me also thinks it's all in his head. Somewhere between 2007 and 2008 we lost our 4,000 yard ability.

The only time I really see Carson excel is in the no-huddle. When he runs it he literally appears to be like a different player. He's more accurate, less gun-shy, we don't telegraph a run with "NUMBER 74 IS ELIGIBLE". So this tends to throw wrench in my whole argument.

It would lead me to believe that Carson's inability is a by-product of the system.

Is anyone constantly going over this stuff in their heads as well... or am I just crazy?

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/9/19/1698773/carson-palmer-the-man-the-myth-the

When it comes to opinions about his former team, Boomer Esiason has never been one to pull back any punches. He certainly didn’t on Sunday when it came to Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.

While some thought that Esiason might have been taking Lewis to task when he said “he’s obviously not in control of these two guys because of a lack of respect shown by T.O. and Ochocinco” over the halftime events in New England, he actually had more problems with the dynamic duo because of the fact that every little thing is going to get blown out of proportion, which this was nationally.

“As much respect as I have for Owens and Chad as players sometimes they can’t see the forest through the trees. Sometimes their actions have repercussions,” Esiason said. “I just imagine for Marvin that sometimes it is a pick your battle scenario. I thought the signing was terrific and because it would bring the best out in Ochocinco. When I played though it was all for one and one for all and everyone had same set of rules. Why can’t these guys respect their coach and authority, why do they have to push and be on a diffrent plain than anyone else?”

By the way Esiason also thought that Versus’ move of giving Ochocinco and Owens their own TV show was brilliant because it would bring in more viewers.

It was in Week 1 where Esiason also said that Lewis would be the NFL’s Coach of the Year again if he could successfully deal with the three O’s — Owens, Ochocinco and Ownership.

As far as Palmer, Esiason said that Palmer hasn’t played his best by any stretch but that he is not concerned.

“I do believe in his heart that he knows he has to play better and I think it will happen sooner than later. Not every QB has hit their stride yet,” Esiason said. “He hasn’t played his best by any stretch and he’s got to be a Top 5 quarterback. With what they have on offense he should be completing 65 percent of his passes, averaging 270 yards a game and two touchdown passes.”

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2010/09/21/boomer-talks-marvin-palmer-and-bengals/

 

RAVENS

Whenever we talk abut a team that has just won a game behind a great passing performance from their QB, we put him up on a pedestal and talk about his greatness. No mention of the other 10 guys on the field that blocked for him and caught the balls he threw. He had a great game and might give credit to his teammates but he's the one getting the interviews and headlines.

So then conversely, why do we try to over-protect the QB when he throws four interceptions and fails to impress even his most die-hard fans who had such high expectations of him going into this season? Many people, including national experts, had the Baltimore Ravens third year QB Joe Flacco leading this team to the Promised Land and having an All Pro season.

After yesterday's debacle, now some fans are talking about bringing in reserve QB Marc Bulger and benching Flacco for his horrible performance in the Ravens 15-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the third time in a row the Bengals have demoralized the Ravens and made Flacco look more like a rookie than a solid veteran we thought he was becoming.

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All four of his interceptions were head scratching ones, either softly tossed to no one in particular or staring down a receiver so long it was easy to stick a hand up and bat the ball up into the air for the pick. Last year, I counted four key interceptions that directly led to losses in close games the Ravens were in until the end. Even with those mistakes, as well as the ones yesterday, as badly as the team played, the Ravens were still in the game with a chance to win until the last minutes of the game.

The lack of progress from making these mistakes along with the inability to beat the tougher teams is beginning to wear on Ravens fans. Padding his stats against the weaker teams in the league has given fans the impression of progress from year one to year two, and now this year's loftly expectations. Take out the first two games of 2009 (Kansas City, Cleveland) as well as the Detroit and Chicago games later in the season and you have a very average QB in the rest of the games last year. So far this season, the Ravens have played two of the top defenses in the league and struggled offensively.

If they open it up with success next week at home versus the 0-2 Cleveland Browns, will all be forgotten and forgiven? If you play good against the bad teams and bad against the good teams, then what type of QB are you? That's the NFL definition of average. Is that what the Ravens or their fans want, expect or are willing to settle for?

Following the Browns next Sunday are the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. Despite the loss of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have found ways to win two tough games and there is every reason to believe they can hold their own at home against these Ravens in two weeks if both teams continue to play like they have so far in 2010. Losing to the Steelers without their star QB and with ours would infuriate fans and with game five at the New England Patriots, the Ravens could easily be looking at a 2-3 record after five games when many saw them being undefeated and on the road to the Super Bowl.

Watch how far the Ravens fall in everyone's Power Rankings this week, as they need to not only win this coming week as expected, but go into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers behind a solid QB performance from Flacco in order to regain the respect not only from the experts but the team's fans as well.

http://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2010/9/20/1699460/its-a-team-game-but-flacco-needs

Quarterback

D

Joe Flacco threw four interceptions. Enough said.

Running backs

A

Halfback Ray Rice ran 16 times for 87 yards, but he touched the ball only 8 times per half. When Flacco is having a bad day, Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain need to carry the load. Rice was the Ravens' offense.

Offensive line

C-

This group is good when the Ravens run the ball and use a lot of play action. But once they get behind and become predictable, a lot of weaknesses are exposed. The Ravens gained a lot of yards on the left side, but the right side has to do a better job on running plays. Flacco was hurried eight different times.

Receivers

D+

Anquan Boldin had five catches for 35 yards, and tight end Todd Heap had four for 35 yards, but there was little separation by the receivers. The Ravens didn't challenge the Bengals much down the field, and were content to stay to the outside, which did result in a Derrick Mason's 31-yard touchdown reception. T.J. Houshmandzadeh dropped three passes.

Defensive line

A

Tackle Haloti Ngata was excellent, and finished with eight tackles, second best on the team. Tackle Kelly Gregg also had a strong game in run defense with five tackles. Both ends, Trevor Pryce and Cory Redding, turned in solid games: Grade: A.

Linebackers

A

Because of turnovers, the Ravens were put in some bad positions, but this group still dominated. Ray Lewis had 10 tackles and Terrell Suggs had four and several hurries. Jarret Johnson was strong against the run.

Secondary

B

This group played well against one of the better receiving corps in the NFL. If Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer had been a bit more accurate, the Bengals could have done some damage. But cornerbacks Chris Carr and Fabian Washington played well, and safety Dawan Landry played a good center field.

Special teams

B

Kicker Billy Cundiff got great distance on his kickoffs, and he also added a 38-yard field goal. Tom Zbikowski was still a little shaky on punt returns, but Jalen Parmele averaged 30.7 yards on three kickoffs. The Ravens, though, gave up a big kickoff return late in the game, which led to a Bengals field goal. Punt coverage was good.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-preston-report-card-0920-20100919,0,5877492.column

In the aftermath of the Ravens' ugly performance against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, everyone is calling for calm.

John Harbaugh says Joe Flacco will be fine. Some in the media are certain the team needs just a few minor tweaks to look like a Super Bowl contender again.

In other words, it's too early to panic about a supposedly upgraded offensive team that has scored 10 points in each of its first two games.

Of course, any reasonable observer would probably agree, since it's hard to argue with a 1-1 record after playing twice in six days against playoff-caliber teams on the road, but there is little time for reason in the roller-coaster of emotions known as the National Football League.

The Ravens came into this season so laden with expectations — one major preseason power poll rated them the second-best team in the league — you can't help but be seriously deflated after watching Flacco and the team's expanded cast of playmakers struggle to move the ball against the New York Jets and Bengals or, for that matter, simply hold onto it.

Sure, those two uninspiring efforts came against two very good defensive teams under difficult conditions, but they were also the kind of teams the Ravens will have to beat under similar circumstances in the playoffs if they are fortunate enough to get that far. And despite all the preseason hype that surrounded this team after two straight postseason runs under Harbaugh and the addition of Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmanzadeh and Donte Stallworth, the playoffs are not a foregone conclusion.

The Ravens are a game down to the defending AFC North champions and, well, has anyone noticed that the supposedly wounded Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0 against two tough opponents in spite of the temporary absence of elite quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the loss of backup Dennis Dixon for several weeks to a knee injury?

If you aren't starting to get an uneasy feeling about this season, you're probably not paying close enough attention. Flacco hasn't been sharp. The offensive line has not been giving him a lot of time to throw. The receivers haven't been getting separation. The Ravens are 1-1 because their terrific defense has yet to allow a touchdown.

Maybe it's just a matter of making a couple of adjustments and getting back on a normal practice schedule, but we're not going to know that until the Ravens put some points up against a quality defense and increase the margin of error so they can't be undone by a couple of bad calls or big plays.

This week's game against the Cleveland Browns should be an opportunity for Cam Cameron to tune up the offensive attack, but the only news — on that front — that could come out of Sunday's home opener at M&T Bank Stadium would be bad news.

If the Ravens struggle to a 13-6 victory over the unimposing Browns, I'll race you to the panic button.

The real test will come the following week, when the Ravens head into another lion's den to face the Steelers. That will almost certainly be another defensive struggle, but it could also be a reality check if the Ravens can't outscore a divisional rival that is without its top two quarterbacks.

It's not about the won-loss record. In that regard, it's obviously too early in the season to draw any conclusions one way or the other. The Ravens could pass the quarter pole with a 2-2 record and be in fine shape, because the schedule softens up considerably after they go on the road to face the New England Patriots in Week 6.

They also figure to be stronger and more versatile with the return of Stallworth and superstar safety Ed Reed, who are expected to come off the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list after the Patriots game.

Don't misunderstand. There is still plenty of reason to be excited and optimistic, and it'll be a little easier to stay that way if the Ravens take out some of their early season offensive frustration on the Browns this Sunday.

If there also is an undercurrent of anxiety, it is because the Ravens do not look like a great football team yet, and they have created a level of expectation at which merely good will not be good enough.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-schmuck-ravens-0922-20100921,0,6278738.column

 

STEELERS

Another week, another win, another look at give guys on the Pittsburgh Steelers who quietly went about their business helping the team win. Last Sunday, the Steelers dismantled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-13 behind standout performances from Charlie Batch, Mike Wallace, and Rashard Mendenhall. As always though, there were more anonymous forces at work helping to decide the outcome in Pittsburgh's favor. Let's take a look at who some of those guys were.

* William Gay - The previously embattled cornerback makes his first appearance on the weekly list thanks to his fine play against the Buccaneers. Gay recorded four tackles on the afternoon, as well as his first sack of the year on a play where he tracked down Josh Freeman from the backside. It was a nice display of closing speed and high motor activity from Gay, who's clearly more comfortable in his nickle back role this year.

* Antwaan Randle El - The veteran also makes his first appearance in this post for his steady work fielding punts and for his big third down catch, his lone catch of the game. It came at a nice time though, with the Steelers humming along nicely up 21-6. Facing a 3rd and 7 from inside their own 40. Batch found Randle El for a 14-yard connection, good enough for a first down. The Steelers would capitalize on the momentum and take it all the way down for their fourth consecutive touchdown and a 28-6 lead before intermission. Batch's throw on that 3rd down play was less than spectacular, but Randle El dove and cradled the slightly under-thrown pass before it could hit the turf. Randle El then proceeded to jump up and do his patented excitability after a big play. Randle El might not be what he once was, but he's still cool under pressure and capable of making big 3rd down catches in traffic. I can almost guarantee he'll do so again at an even more important juncture down the road.

* Chris Kemoeatu - The play of the offensive line collectively deserves its own post, and it's safe to say that Flozell Adams and Doug Legursky deserve special recognition for their outstanding job along the right side of the offensive line. But I'll give big Chris K. a shout out here if only because he played very well for someone who had been limited in practice the following week with a banged up knee.

* Jeff Reed - Spikey seems to be making a weekly cameo here, but it's hard to overstate just how important he's been through three weeks. Reed converted all six of his kicks on Sunday (5 PATs, 1 FG). Equally important was the fact that Reed's trend of kicking the ball off much deeper continues for another week. Reed notched another touchback, which if I recall correctly matches or bests his season total from a year ago through three weeks. I'll be curious to see if he's able to keep it up when the weather turns.

* Larry Foote - This final spot could go to any number of guys on either side of the ball, but let's go with Foote, the veteran making his second tour of duty with the Steelers after a lonely, miserable year in Detroit. Foote finished with four tackles on the day, most of them in garbage time on Tampa Bay's lone TD drive. He might even be upset that he was on the field when Tampa finally found the endzone. But after being relegated to the bench for most of the first three weeks thanks to Lawrence Timmons' emergence, it was personally enjoyable just seeing Foote out there and having his name called a few times. Something tells me he might be called upon the step up and play an important role at some point later this season as bodies potentially wear down, so hopefully Foote stays positive, hungry and prepared while he waits his turn to play significant minutes.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...teelers-who-made-a-quiet-impression-in-week-3

Some incomplete and across-the-board thoughts I've been having about the Pittsburgh Steelers recently. Hopefully you'll have some opinions on some of these topics and will weigh in yourself.

* Let's start with the collective play of the offensive line on Sunday. There's really not enough praise that can be heaped on the following five men upfront (from left to right): Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, Maurkice Pouncey, Doug Legursky, and Flozell Adams. It's not just those five that deserve a tip of the cap for their early season work. Remarkably, every last offensive lineman on the 53-man roster has seen playing time this season. I'm beginning to wonder just how much of a steal the Steelers got in new offensive line coach Sean Kugler. I was excited about the hiring after reading just a little bit about Kugler. Then this summer, I asked Dale Lolley to write about Kugler and his work with the offensive line this spring and summer for this year's preseason publication for MSP. Here's a few excerpts of Lolley's article about Kugler:

"He is definitely a breath of fresh air," said Steelers right tackle Willie Colon. "We are learning so much from a teaching standpoint from him. For a guy who has been around the game, playing it, teaching it and is passionate about it, that is what he brings to the table. I love him. He's really been awesome to work with. He is going to lead us to the water; all we have to do is drink it."

"I want the offensive line for the Steelers to play efficient football," Kugler said. "If it is a third-and-short, we need to convert. If it is a third-and-long, we need to convert. We have to be efficient on first and second downs if we want to run or throw it to get into good situations on third down. I look more at efficiency. Are we running the ball efficiently? Are we putting ourselves in consistent third-and-short, makeable downs, or are we getting one-yard gains and then we are sitting there in a third-and-long where it is tough sledding as an offensive line and as an offensive football team?


"So, it's efficiency in the run game, and protecting the quarterback, or more accurately, eliminating unnecessary hits on the quarterback. There are going to be sacks, or some protections where there is a hot-throw where a guy is left unblocked, but as many times as we can take away an unnecessary hit off the quarterback due to our technique or our scheme, we can take pride in that."

All great stuff from what looks like one motivated young coach. I think we have a winner in Kugler. And as you can see here, the Steelers have been solid on 1st and 10. The Steelers have work to do on 3rd down (10-of-38), but they were better this past Sunday against the Buccaneers (4-of-9).

* In the comments section of a recent post, I've read several people mention how they believe that the Steelers' Bye Week is coming at a perfect time. I beg to differ.

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Too early. Maybe if the Steelers were sitting at 1-2 or 2-1 would I agree, but as is, even with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday, the Steelers will be in great shape at the quarter pole. Yes, it's nice that Ben Roethlisberger will have two weeks to work with his teammates before taking the field against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. But does Big Ben really need two weeks to prepare for the Browns? Maybe, we'll see. But I'm still concerned about the prospect of having to go 12 straight weeks without a break following the Bye. In my ideal world, the Steelers would have their week off following their game against the New Orleans Saints on Halloween. They're on a roll now, and outside of looking forward to getting Roethlisberger back, there's no real pressing need injury-wise for this team to need a break. I suppose my concerns would be alleviated if the Steelers could manage to secure one of the top-two seeds in the AFC Playoffs and get the opening Wild Card Weekend off.

* Is there any team in the NFL with as interesting a mix of young guys (rookies & 2nd year players) and seasoned, proven veterans? I may just have to dig in to the particulars of every 32 rosters to find out. But my guess would have to be there isn't many, if any at all. Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau's ability to rotate in fresh, hungry young bodies with championship-tested veterans makes this team more intriguing than any I can remember in recent memory, certainly in the Tomlin era. Hopefully, this infusion of young talent also raises the team's potential ceiling to an even higher level than it's been in year's past, including in '08, their most recent championship season.

* One day at a time, but this new-look Steelers' roster might also be perfectly suited to handle the rigors of an 18-game schedule in 2011 and/or 2012.

* Has an offensive lineman ever won Rookie of the Year. I imagine someone has, but I won't look that one up, and will instead leave it to one of you to inform us. Might Maurkice Pouncey make a run at the award this year? How exciting is it that this kid is so good at such a young age?!? Pouncey gets his first bigtime test this coming Sunday when he squares off against Raven's NT Halot Ngata.

* BTSC's Week 3 Top 5 Teams:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. New York Jets
5. Tennessee Titans

* If my calculations are correct, the average starting position of Steelers' opponents last year following kickoffs was ~31.5 yard line. Through three games, the average starting field position after Reed kickoffs is the 24 yard line. Quite a significant improvement.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...defeated-midweek-pittsburgh-steelers-thoughts

Troy Polamalu, Aaron Smith, James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley would enter the discussions as the player the Steelers could least afford to lose.

Here is another: Rashard Mendenhall.

The Steelers' ground game, floundering for two years to the point that it took a presidential edict to go looking for it, has returned in a big way with Mendenhall blazing the trail. The halfback ranks fourth in the league with 332 yards rushing, and the Steelers are third in the NFL with an average of 150 per game.

They ranked 19th last season. They ranked 23rd the year before. They ranked lower only once in the past 40 years -- 31st in the disastrous Tommy Gun offense of 2003.

Steelers president Art Rooney saw enough that it prompted him to say, shortly after last season ended, that "We need to figure out how to get better running the football."

And, one more Rooney statement:

"We have to get back to being able to run the football when we need to run the football, and being able to run more consistently than we have in the past season."

When Rooney made those comments Jan. 14, he had no idea he would be without his No. 1 quarterback for the first four games this season, making the ground game more critical to the Steelers' success during that period.

The ground game Sunday in Tampa worked just the way Rooney verbally drew it up. The Steelers not only ran for 201 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry, they ran it when they needed to. Last season, they could not run to save their lives -- or victories -- when they had to in the second half. It was part of the reason they blew five fourth-quarter leads in games that ended in losses for them.

With a 28-6 halftime lead in Tampa, the Steelers went into their turtle offense. Charlie Batch threw three passes in the second half, and the Steelers ran 20 times to run out the clock and coast to a 38-13 victory.

Coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged the ground game's success in Tampa, but would not commit to it as the way to win.

"I was excited that it produced in the manner it did Sunday. Every week is different. We're trying to do the very best we can to win football games and we acknowledge that week to week that may change."

Who knows how things might change when Ben Roethlisberger returns for the fifth game. He became the first in team history to top 4,000 yards passing last season, and his return might unleash the passing game again.

With Mendenhall, the Steelers have another legitimate threat besides Roethlisberger's arm. He ran through safety Sean Lewis on the way to his 3-yard touchdown in the Tampa heat the way Jerome Bettis ran through Chicago's Brian Urlacher in the snow.

The danger for the Steelers is if they lose him. The pedigrees behind Mendenhall are not strong ones. Mewelde Moore has shown he can do the job in the short term, but has never been a feature back. Undrafted Isaac Redman is in his second season, and rookie Jonathan Dwyer, drafted in the sixth round, has not dressed for a game yet.

That did not stop Tomlin from continuing to run Mendenhall deep into the game Sunday, his last carry coming with fewer than seven minutes left and the Steelers holding a 38-6 lead.

It's not 18 games yet, but it is a long season and, the way it is shaping up, Mendenhall has returned the Steelers' ground game to its historical effectiveness. They just cannot afford to lose him.
No surprise; Batch will start

In case there was doubt, Tomlin said Charlie Batch will make his second consecutive start at quarterback Sunday when the Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.

Batch led the Steelers to the victory in Tampa against the Buccaneers, throwing three touchdown passes. He ran his record as a starter with the Steelers to 4-1.

Tomlin said Byron Leftwich is healthy enough to play and will resume his role as the only backup Sunday.

Chris Hoke, who sprained the MCL in his right knee near the end of the game against Tampa Bay, might be able to play this week, Tomlin said.

The coach listed four other injuries: Offensive guard Trai Essex (ankle sprain), who missed the game in Tampa, reserve safety Will Allen (ankle sprain), backup defensive end Ziggy Hood (ankle sprain) and special-team ace Anthony Madison (hamstring).

He thought Essex might return and the other three should play. He would not commit, however, to returning Essex to right guard, where he started last season and in the first two games before his injury. Tomlin said he liked how Doug Legursky played the position in Essex's absence.

"I thought he represented himself very well. I think that's one of the reasons Trai's feeling better."
Dixon remains for now

The Steelers have no plans to place quarterback Dennis Dixon, who had surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus last Wednesday, on injured reserve this week. When Roethlisberger returns, however, they will have to make room for him on their 53-man roster and are not likely to keep four quarterbacks.

"They say from four to six weeks, but every time it's different," Tomlin said of the length of time Dixon is expected to miss. "We're hopeful he's going to get back to us quickly."

Putting him on injured reserve, "depends on how games go," Tomlin said.

"I never look too far ahead in terms of some of those kinds of decisions. We've got to play a game this week. Injuries are a part of football. You never know. You just don't."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10272/1091064-66.stm#ixzz110vOYISy

 

BROWNS

The Cleveland Browns lost 24-17 to the Baltimore Ravens, dropping their record to 0-3 on the season. Just like a case could be made that Cleveland could have won their first two games, the Browns were by no means manhandled by the Ravens in Week 3. They once again held a lead in the fourth quarter, but this time it was the defense that let them down.

Strike that. It wasn't the entire defense, but rather one player in particular: cornerback Eric Wright.

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As good as Wright has been, he looked beyond bad against Anquan Boldin. Boldin had 8 catches for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns, all against Wright. While Flacco deserves credit for recognizing the match-up consistently, anyone could have thrown those touchdown passes to the wide open Boldin. Wright was always behind, out of position, turned around, etc.

Where as the Ravens were easily able to get their yardage courtesy of Wright, the Browns had to work for theirs, and they worked hard. Quite simply, Peyton Hillis was incredible. He did what few running backs can do against the Ravens, rushing the ball 22 times for 144 yards and 1 touchdown. He also caught 7 passes for 36 yards. Running backs just don't do that against Baltimore.

QB Seneca Wallace didn't play a Pro Bowl type of game, but he did very well given the circumstances. The only complaint I have, and this goes along with the playcalling a little bit, was the deep ball attempt to Joshua Cribbs down the sideline on 3rd-and-2 on the Browns' final drive of the game. With the success Hillis has been having, why not pound it given the pressure defense being shown?

This loss feels like the most painful of the three, because the offense finally found their groove but Wright's lack of coverage all game long is something you never expect to see at this level.

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/9...imized-for-three-touchdowns-in-loss-to-ravens

The loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday was devastating. In a game that could have really boosted the spirits of this football team, I thought the majority of the players on our team played much better than they had the first two weeks of the season. But then, you had Eric Wright, who gave up three touchdown passes to Anquan Boldin. When the final clock showed all zeros, despite the Browns' effort, they are still nothing more than a team in the cellar of the NFL to this point.

With that said, let's get to the review of the game. We'll kick off with the goats and the game balls...



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WEEK 3 - CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. BALTIMORE RAVENS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

Goats of the Game:

* Eric Wright: First off, let me say that I was also extremely frustrated by the coaching staff's decision to not put somebody else on Boldin after his second touchdown reception. Wright was burned badly all game long, and whenever Joe Flacco unleashed the deep ball, I started getting that feeling that we had just given up a touchdown. Imagine the horror in my eyes when I saw our all-out blitz picked up in the fourth quarter.

After the game, Eric Mangini used the common phrase that "cornerbacks need to have a short memory," or something along those sorts. I suppose that is the philosophy that had when they kept Wright on Boldin, but it was the wrong decision. It's not like Boldin outwrestled Wright for three amazing touchdowns. This was amateur hour, where Wright made Brandon McDonald look like a Pro Bowler.

One key thing here though is that I have not lost faith in Wright's ability as a cornerback. While I think he's a bit overconfident in terms of how good he is, this is really the first time in his career that he's looked as bad as he did on Sunday; it's really kind of unprecedented. I won't start to worry until it becomes a recurring issue.

* Matt Roth: I gave him a game ball last week, but he's a goat this week for what he did on 3rd-and-4 at the end of the game. With no timeouts remaining, if the Browns would have gotten a stop, the Ravens would've punted and given the Browns a slim chance at putting together a game-tying touchdown (it also would've allowed Joshua Cribbs a chance to return a punt). Instead, Roth jumped ahead of time before the play even got off, and the five-yard penalty gave the Ravens an automatic first down. A few kneeldowns later, the game was over.

Awarding Game Balls:

* Peyton Hillis: I already praised Hillis in my Gameball post, so this just reinforces the point for the purposes of this review. Hillis dominated the Ravens' defense, pushing defenders several yards back on every carry. No one could stop him, and while the Browns are 0-3, Hillis' tough effort has actually garnered some positive support for the Browns on the national level. I wouldn't be surprised if several people pick the Browns to win in an upset over the Bengals this week because of Hillis (and the struggles of Carson Palmer).

General Thoughts:

1. Impressive Game for Wallace: I was very impressed with the effort given by Seneca Wallace against the Ravens. When I say that, don't take it in context to mean that I thought he looked like Peyton Manning out there or something.

I was worried that Wallace would look terrible against the fast Raven defenders, and while Wallace did have a play or two in which he rolled to the left where the defense wanted him to go, Wallace knew to kill the play rather than force a ball into coverage. He made several impressive throws too, particularly the ones to Ben Watson and Joshua Cribbs (I know, I know, they were his only receivers).

2. Massaquoi Needs Delhomme: You can tell who had chemistry together during training camp. Wallace only targeted Mohamed Massaquoi once, and when he went his direction the pass was high and one of Wallace's poorest non-deep-ball throws of the game. Massaquoi was effective in the preseason catching slants and being counted on in third down situations when Delhomme was throwing to him. With Wallace in the game, it was Cribbs that fulfilled that role instead.

3. Aiken to be Cut: First off, to be fair to the newly signed Sam Aiken, I doubt he even had a chance to have one practice with the team. Nonetheless, the Browns activated him and he played on special teams. He had two penalties -- one for a hold, and another for an offsides on the kickoff (crossing before Phil Dawson kicked the ball). Aiken was only signed because Brian Robiskie was out, so I imagine he'll be cut soon.

4. Davis Bangs Knee: It wasn't a very notable game for backup running back James Davis, who had 4 carries for 9 yards. I thought the Browns utilized him perfectly in substitution for Hillis, and it seemed like a few times there were holes there. The problem was, Davis had two choices -- he could've continued right through the hole on the inside like Hillis kept doing, or he could've tried to use his speed to bounce it outside.

He tried to bounce it outside a few times, but found out that the Ravens' quick defenders quickly sealed the edge off. He also got his knee taken out hard on one of those plays, which pretty much ruled him out the rest of the game. I think we'll see Jerome Harrison back this week against Cincinnati.

5. First Half Offense: In the first half, the Browns did a great job. They only had three drives, but each of them took time off the clock since there weren't any three-and-outs. Their best drive was their last one of the half, going 11 plays for 83 yards and eating up 5:38 of game clock. The Browns didn't have a third down on the entire drive until they were faced with 3rd-and-goal from the 1 yard line. Peyton Hillis just walked into the end zone on the play.

6. Pashos Replaces St. Clair: Earlier in the week, I commented that I had wanted to see Tony Pashos play right tackle instead of John St. Clair. With St. Clair going down to an injury early in the contest, Pashos played the majority of the game up against Terrell Suggs. While I didn't pay specific attention to how Pashos did, Hillis seemed to have success running on the right side. If anyone feels Pashos helped make a difference, let us know!

7. Cribbs' Utilized More: We still aren't seeing much of the Wildcat or Cyclone, but I thought Brian Daboll timed the usage of Cribbs in the Wildcat perfectly in the third quarter. Two plays after Hillis' 63-yard gain (48-yard run + 15-yard personal foul), Cribbs was in the Wildcat facing a defense that was probably a little tired and shellshocked. Cribbs had a great 19-yard burst down to the 4-yard line.

Cribbs was also the team's leading receiver with 5 catches for 58 yards, and his ability to secure the ball with his hands and position his body continues to further legitimize him as a wide receiver. He didn't have much success in the return game thanks to being kicked away from on punts and Billy Cundiff somehow booting balls six yards deep into the end zone on kickoffs all of a sudden.

8. Not Everyone Beaten by Boldin: Shifting to defense here, there was one time where Boldin was targeted deep and had the pass broken up. That was courtesy of T.J. Ward, who stuck his hand in at the right time to prevent a touchdown. Through three games, Ward has had an impact in each of them. He almost had a pick six on the first play of the game as well.

As far as Abram Elam goes, it's the exact opposite for him. I literally don't remember a single play of his through three games. Is that good or bad?

9. Boldin's Final Touchdown, Prevented: On the drive where Boldin caught his third touchdown, it never should've gotten to that point. On a 2nd-and-3 from the 36-yard line, Michael Oher false started and a scuffle eventually broke out. Oher threw a punch at Robaire Smith and should have been ejected, but was only given a 15-yard penalty. That put the Ravens in a 2nd-and-18.

The Browns did a good job on second down not giving up a big play by only allowing Todd Heap a five-yard pass underneath. On the next play though, they allowed Heap open again, this time for 14 yards and a first down. Three plays later, the Ravens went ahead for good. Besides Boldin, Heap seemed to come wide open at inopportune times for the Browns' defense.

10. Speaking of Inopportune Times: I didn't even think T.J. Houshmandzadeh was playing, but sure enough he picked the right time to deliver for Baltimore. On a 3rd-and-3 on the team's final drive of the game, he ran a pattern to the sideline and caught a pass for 4 yards and a fresh set of downs. I believe Wright was in on the coverage that time.

11. Lack of Pressure: With the Browns missing their two best pass rushers, Shaun Rogers and Marcus Benard, it didn't help Wright and company that Joe Flacco had plenty of time to deliver accurate throws. Matt Roth and Scott Fujita did the best they could to provide a pass rush, but it wasn't enough as Flacco wasn't sacked once and never absorbed a hard hit.

12. Dawson Delivers: Faith is restored in Phil Dawson after he drilled a 38-yarder in the first quarter (not that it had ever left).

13. Hodges Turning it Up a Notch: While I have been nitpicking on some punts here and there from Reggie Hodges, he continues to do a pretty darn good job considering his career up to this point. He had two punts downed inside the 20 and really didn't shank any this week.

14. Special Teams Coverage: The Browns' special teams coverage continues to do well. The leaders this week were Ray Ventrone and Nick Sorensen, with two tackles each. Mike Adams, Jason Trusnik, and Titus Brown each had one tackle. Brown had a nice-sounding stick on his tackle.

15. No Turnovers, Similar Points: The Browns' offense did very good this week, but it feels like they should have scored more than the 17 points that they did. Granted, that is good in comparison when you consider it was the Ravens' defense, but with as dominant of a day that Hillis had, I'd usually expect to reach the 20 mark. That was a result of our fourth quarter drives, but not for the reasons you'd expect.

16. Fourth Quarter Stall: The offense didn't do anything in the fourth quarter, excluding Wallace's one-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the period. On the first drive, Daboll had the right mentality: feed the ball to Hillis again. The Browns had a halfback counter called. Unfortunately, Wallace was thinking "toss" so he pitched the ball behind him. He chased the ball down to the 3-yard line, but the drive was over before it could get started. As good as the Browns were doing offensively, you can't overcome a 2nd-and-27 from the 3-yard line.

On the next drive (and the Browns' last drive), the Browns went to Hillis on the first two plays and it worked. A 3rd-and-2 was set up. Then, I didn't like what I saw. The Ravens had all of their defenders at the line of scrimmage, meaning they'd either be coming all out, or would drop a lot of them back in disguise. Either way, it was exactly the type of look that I thought Wallace would struggle with heading into the game. Sure enough, Wallace immediately threw the ball deep down the sideline when he saw the pressure, but the pass sailed way out of bounds. Given the defensive look, an adjustment should have been made to hand the ball off to Hillis.

17. Run Defense is...Fine: I don't have a problem with how the Browns handled Ray Rice. He had some nice runs, but overall I've been pleased that teams aren't gashing the Browns on the ground like the Texans did to the Colts in Week 1.

18. Brownies: I liked seeing Ahtyba Rubin make a play on Ray Rice when he covered him on a route...Joe Haden had a pass breakup...major props go to our offensive line for Hillis' success on the ground, and for keeping Wallace clean the whole game...the two sacks on Wallace came when he ran out of bounds.

Next up, the Browns come back home to face the Cincinnati Bengals. I said I wouldn't pick the Browns to win again until they actually won a game, but I'm considering changing my tune given Hillis' effort against Baltimore. It might depend on if our injured pass rushers return this week to take down Palmer.

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/9...e-effort-against-ravens-isnt-enough-as-browns

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In Cincinnati, the Bengals are searching for answers as to why their pass offense is so stagnant. Receiver Chad Ochocinco said he's not trash-talking until their offense starts clicking. He and Terrell Owens have combined for 34 catches through three games.

Here, the Browns are warbling about running the ball. The fact that Mohamed Massaquoi, their No. 1 receiver, has three catches in three games doesn't seem to faze them.

Massaquoi was thrown to one time in Baltimore. It was high and wide. Coach Eric Mangini said that light workload was the result of a run-oriented game plan and the "reads" of quarterback Seneca Wallace on the 24 pass plays that were run.

"The thing you can't do, especially against Baltimore, you can't force an issue for the sake of forcing an issue," Mangini said Wednesday. "You have to understand where the ball needs to go, make sure it's delivered on time and move the chains, and I think we did a really good job of that throughout the course of the game. We had some more running plays, which I think is always a good thing."

The last time the Bengals played in Cleveland, Massaquoi had a breakout game as a rookie -- eight catches for 148 yards. Playing opposite him was Braylon Edwards, who was shut out. It proved more than a symbolic passing of the torch.

Edwards got into a fight outside a night club later that night and was traded to the Jets three days later. Massaquoi inherited Edwards' role as the No. 1 receiver.

After leading Browns wideouts with 34 catches as a rookie, Massaquoi vowed in the off-season to have a breakout year. But it has been stalled as the Browns again go through growing pains offensively.

"It's early. It's very early," Massaquoi said Wednesday. "If this was week 11, 12, 13, 14, it might be a different conversation, but it's still early. My time will come."

There's been a lot of talk about what's keeping the Browns' passing game grounded. A lot of fingers have been pointed at the receivers, particularly Massaquoi. Is he getting open? Is he running the right routes? Is he doing everything he can to come down with the ball? Should the routes be shortened to take advantage of his run-after-catch ability? Are coverages rolling to him exclusively without having to worry about a receiver with Edwards' talent?

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was asked about the latter point.

"Receivers can't control what unfolds on Sunday. It's probably one of the positions that has the least control," he said on a conference call. "Those guys have to have the patience, the mental toughness to work through some things.

"This is a young, talented football player. Yeah, things have changed a little bit. Braylon was the guy that you were going to work coverage to a little bit more. Now it's changed a bit. And probably for the betterment of the football team, I would say, overall.

"That's the positive move I think they made there. They wanted to not suppress the young players anymore. I think that's a good thing for the football team. We've had to make steps like that here. I think this is a fine player. And at the end of the year, just judge him on how he plays through the year."

Massaquoi has one catch in five passes thrown him in Wallace's two starts. Wallace opened the practice week for Cincinnati still working with the first team in place of injured Jake Delhomme.

"We just have to try to find him as quarterbacks, me or Jake," Wallace said. "We have to make sure we go through our reads and try to get him the ball. It's nothing that he's doing. We just have to make better decisions at times and try to get him the ball."

Mangini said that Massaquoi has improved as a player in his second season.

"The numbers aren't there, but he's made strides in a lot of areas," he said. "I don't think it's just purely numbers based. Would he love to have a lot more catches? Yeah. Would we like those numbers to be different? You want all your guys to have a lot of catches. It's a function of getting the opportunity and when it comes taking advantage of it."

Massaquoi said he doesn't campaign during a game to get passes thrown his way.

"No. You want to stay within the game plan," he said. "Last game we didn't have any turnovers. We were moving the ball effectively. You don't want to take away from the game plan, don't want to become a distraction."

He didn't say it, but Massaquoi saw Edwards operate a lot differently when he was ignored in the passing game. Massaquoi won't voice his frustrations. Not yet.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/09/cleveland_browns_mohamed_massa_2.html

Browns coach Eric Mangini said today that quarterback Jake Delhomme (ankle) will sit out practice today, but could return Thursday or Friday.
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If he can't play Sunday against the Bengals, Seneca Wallace will start for the third straight week. Mangini was pleased with Wallace's performance against the Ravens, one in which he earned a 103 quarterback rating.

Delhomme, who suffered a high ankle sprain week one in Tampa, has been in a walking boot ever since.

"I anticipate Jake coming back (to practice),'' said Mangini. "We'll see where he is. I want Jake to be healthy. That's not a knock on Seneca. But Jake does some good things for us offensively (too).''

In other Browns news:

* Right tackle John St. Clair, who left the Ravens game with an ankle injury, will be idle today. Tony Pashos replaced him in Baltimore and Mangini was pleased with his outing.

* The defensive line will be thin today, with three starters resting with injuries: Shaun Rogers (ankle, hip), Robaire Smith (back) and Kenyon Coleman.

* Rookie right guard Shawn Lauvao will return to practice after missing the first three games with an ankle injury.

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2010/09/cleveland_browns_quarterback_j.html

 

BENGALS

Woot! The Bengals win in Carolina and advance their record from 1-1 to 2-1. While there may have been some frustrating plays, you can't complain about a win. An ugly win, after all, is still a win. While the offense sputtered at times, there were moments of brilliance and the defense was brilliant throughout the majority of the game. While I expected the Bengals to completely destroy the Panthers I can settle for the Bengals punching the Panthers in his face right in front of his hot girlfriend and then taking said girlfriend home just to add insult to injury. Not quite destroying the Panthers but also not cuddling with the Panthers either. So, here's the seven things that stood out to me this week.

Point One: Rey Maualuga can fly

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After Kevin Huber (we'll get to him later) pinned the Panthers close to their own goal line, the Panthers decided to protect their rookie quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, by running DeAngelo Williams three times. The Panthers didn't want to take the chance of the Bengals talented secondary picking off Clausen being so close to their end zone. Luckily for the Bengals, Mike Zimmer is in the possession of one of the lost seeing stones and knew that the Panthers would run up the middle. Okay... I'll get to the point. On third down, the Panthers lined up to run up the middle again. The ball was snapped, Clausen handed the ball off to Williams but before Williams could even look for a hole in the line, Rey Maualuga Super Man leaped over the line and landed on top of Williams, stopping him for a loss. It was an amazing play and an amazing example of his talent.

Point Two: Cedric Benson is back

Cedric Benson owners in fantasy football leagues nation wide rejoiced about the fact that Benson looked like he did last season, powerful, fast and in the end zone. Benson was the Bengals offense against the Panthers, scoring twice, once on a running play around the edge and once on a passing play. On one particular play that stands out to me, Benson burst through the hole and past the linebackers. As a safety lowered his shoulders to take on the freight train that is Cedric Benson, Benson lowered his shoulders as well and completely flattened the poor Panther, running him over and advancing the ball at least three or four more yards. It was a thing of beauty.

Point Three: Jordan Shipley is getting better

And by better I mean he's really good. Shipley had three receptions for 37 yards before he left the game early with an injured shoulder (don't worry, he's fine). Shipley has carved a nice little niche for himself between Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. When the two of them are being double covered, it's Shipley who comes away with the big first down receptions. Pretty soon he'll have one of those two touchdown games and fantasy footballers will be killing each other to pick him up on waivers. Go get him now before you end up in an "I want Jordan Shipley" fist fight with your buddies.

Point Four: Kevin Huber

Kevin Huber punted the ball six times against the Panthers. Five of those punts were within the 20-yard line and two of those five were within seven yards of a safety. It is one of the biggest reasons that the Bengals defense was so successful. The closer to their own end zone the Panthers were, the more conservative their play calling was and the more conservative their play calling was, the more dominating the Bengals defense was. Then the Bengals would force the Panthers to punt and get the ball back with great field position. Huber was directly responsible for the Bengals win in
Carolina.

Point Five: Time of Possession

If the Bengals offense is going to lack explosiveness, like it does now, then it needs to combine a grinding, ball control offense with its tough as nails defense..... like it does now. The Bengals time of possession is almost ten minutes greater than that of their opponents. If the Bengals are going to be unable to put up a lot of points on the board then they need to hold on to the ball and keep it out of the hands of the opposing offense and, and just like last season, that's what the Bengals are able to do. I for one hope that the Bengals add some nuclear rocket fuel to their offense, and I don't think it's too late to do that, but until then, I'll take the time of possession wins.

Point Six: Mike Nugent Remains Perfect

Nuuuuuuuuuge. I love it. Nugent was perfect again on Sunday against the Panthers on a real grass field, in the rain. He hit one 30-yard field goal and his second 50-yarder. So far this season Nugent has been the Bengals leading scorer and while that's kind of sad, I'm happy that the Bengals front office made the obvious right decision to keep Nugent over Rayner. I always enjoy watching an Ohio State or UC kid in Bengals stripes, especially ones that can kick a football through an open window on a Geo Metro, six miles away traveling west at 64 miles per hour. Blindfolded.

Extra Point: Jermaine Gresham again

I'm getting concerned at this point that I'm going to get tired of writing about Gresham but as long as he keeps producing, I can't complain. Once again, Gresham looked like the tight end Bengals fans have been dreaming about. He reeled in four catches for 59 yards against the Panthers. Some of those yards came on some tough running after the catch too. Gresham is a beast and I can't wait until he tears up the rest of the AFC North. By the time the Bengals reach their bye week, Gresham should help them get to a 4-1 record.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/9/27/1715979/the-monday-touchdown-win-in-carolina-edition

A shout-out to Seapit for putting his finger on the nub of the problem, the offensive line. For anyone who is serious about answering the question, what's wrong with the Cincinnati Bengals offense, the story begins and (largely) ends there. But we'll get to that "largely" later

Earlier this week, Doc contrasted this year's offense with the offense of five years ago:

Back when the Bengals offense was scoring lots of points, nobody in stripes talked about what the defense took away from them. The offense discussed taking what it wanted.

Yup, they did. But that was five years ago. It's 2010 and that ship hasn't just sailed, it sank. No matter how long we stand on the dock and wait, pining for our beloved 2005 offense lost to the Great Gridiron Ocean, it ain't coming back.

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The 2005 offense could dictate to opposing teams primarily because that year, the Bengals had arguably the best offensive line in football. This year? Well, let's put it charitably: we don't have the best offensive line in football.

For those not feeling charitable, or not convinced, let's go down the line. This year, we have just one survivor from that great 2005 line, Bobbie Williams. And while Bobbie remains one equal temper of heroic hearts, he too no longer has that "strength which in old days moved heaven and earth." Of his four companions this year, which of them, if transported back in time, would oust one of 2005's starters from the position they play now?

Would Andrew Whitworth unseat Levi Jones? Not in 2005.

Nate Livings over Eric Steinbach? Nope.

Kyle Cook vs. Buckethead? No contest.

And do I even need to name the respective right tackles? Heck, there are people calling for us to resign Big Willie right now.

Not only wouldn't they be starting, I'm not sure half these guys would even be on the team. Does Dennis Roland or Cook or Livings make it even as a backup in '05? I don't mean to run these guys down (mainly because any of them could probably kill me with a good hard stare) but that's how good the line was that year. And that's why the first thing the Bengals did in the following offseason was to secure the two tackles with big bucks deals. Of course, we all know how that worked out, unfortunately.

Carson Palmer is done? I guarantee you, put him back behind the 2005 o-line and he'll "done" his way right into the playoffs and set passing records doing it.

Now, all of that said, it shouldn't be as big a problem as it is. The o-line may not be great, but it's serviceable. It can run block decently and pass protect at least long enough to allow a short-to-medium-ranged passing game, especially with some misdirection and play-action (like we saw on the drive that ended in Cedric Benson's first TD pass last Sunday) mixed in.

However -- and here's where we get to that aforementioned "largely" -- there's one guy who doesn't get that 2005 is over. And he's the one guy who's in position to allow that illusion to do maximum damage to the team's chances this year. That man is Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.

"I think they can; we‘ve got to get better," Bratkowski said. "I think we’re a little more balanced in throwing it this year. And we’ve got to do a better job in the protection, where last year there was a heavy focus on the run. And less exposed in protection.

"They’re exposed more. They’ve got to get used to that element where it’s not all play-action and it’s a little more attempting to get the ball downfield to our skill guys."

Somebody at PBS has to stage an intervention. Bob, buddy, pal, they aren't going to suddenly get better. Tinkerbell is not going to fly down and sprinkle them with magic pixie dust and make them the 2005 o-line. They are what they are, and if you use what they are, you can succeed. But if you keep trying to force this pet Air Coryell-inspired vertical passing game on this team, it will fail. You can get your precious "chunks" but it's going to be more situational. You can still dictate, but "patience" is the watchword. Work the underneath routes and the flat. Use the run to set up the play action and the pass. You have your own version of Wes Welker and Wayne Chrebet in Jordan Shipley, and a stud-in-the-making TE in Jermaine Gresham. Use them. And when Chad and T.O. come crying, point them at the scoreboard, because there will be more W's than L's on it.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/9/28/1718433/its-the-o-line-stupid

Either Carson Palmer's elbow is fine, or it's not. The Bengals say it is, your eyes suggest otherwise. Only Palmer knows for sure. The rest is tarot cards and tea leaves.

Bob Trumpy used to advise novice football analysts to watch the action away from the ball. If you want to know why a play worked, or didn't, do not follow the ball. Look at everything else. Or, isolate on one player. On Sunday at Carolina, after Palmer opened the game with two incompletions and an interception, I stopped watching the ball and started watching Number Nine.

I saw a guy who doesn't always step into throws, causing them to sail; who sometimes short-arms throws, causing them to bounce; who doesn't usually look off defenders in coverage; who looks like he could use a box of confidence pills. I saw a QB who doesn't resemble the 2005 model. Or the early '08 model who missed the last 11 games with a bad elbow that some doctors believed needed surgery.

The Bengals don't exactly agree.

They see a quarterback who played very well last year, given his lack of targets; who has better options this year, but they're still getting to know their QB, who played poorly Sunday, in a win, so what does it matter?; whose health should not be questioned; who only needs everyone around him to play better.

They might be right.

But as Marvin Lewis likes to say, "I see better than I hear." The guy I saw Sunday - and for most of the second half of last season - was not Carson Palmer. Whoever has that guy, please get him to Cleveland by Sunday at 1 o'clock.

I asked around Monday. Did you see the game? What did you think? I checked in with two people close to the situation, whose opinions I trust. Unsolicited, I got an e-mail from a third person, a former pro baseball catcher who, like Palmer, had an elbow injury he declined to have fixed surgically.

I talked Tuesday night with Rich Gannon, a former Super Bowl QB, who now works for CBS and does a radio show on Sirius.

I got no clarity.

"I don't see a lot different, in terms of his stroke," said Gannon. "I still think he makes all the throws."

That's news to the other three experts. One said he was "shocked" at how poorly Palmer threw Sunday. He suggested that Palmer threw crisply in July and August, because he'd taken time off before camp. Now that Nine has thrown consistently for nearly three months, the elbow is barking or lacks strength. If that's the case, Cincinnati's season just got a whole lot longer.

The old catcher with the same injury said that made sense. "If I didn't get a day off after every two or three starts, that's when it would bother me the most," he wrote. "For (Palmer), I would think the situation is worse."

The catcher said Palmer's elbow is constantly cooling down and warming up. He suggested it might never be fully loose. "Definitely a bad situation," he said.

The Bengals wouldn't agree. The ball on Sunday wasn't just slick, they said, it was heavy. Any QB's throws would look lethargic. Health is irrelevant. When I asked Lewis Wednesday what could be done with the offense to help Palmer, Lewis said, "Guys doing their jobs better. The other 10 guys have to see it through the same eyes."

OK. But around here, the quest to have the other 10 guys do their jobs is eternal.

Terrell Owens, for one, says he doesn't need fixing. "I have the offense down," he says. "I'm not comfortable where we are offensively. There have been plays where a lot of people were open and the play breaks down someplace."

Palmer says the offense will be fine. "We don't need to rewrite the playbook or change what we're doing. What we're doing can work, if we execute it."

The Bengals sometimes inhabit an alternate universe. Over here in the other universe, if we hear the word "execute" or its derivatives one more time, we will swallow a football whole.

I asked Palmer, "If you looked at video of yourself before the elbow injury and then looked at video from Sunday, would you notice a difference?" He answered by saying the offense is different and so are most of the players.

Not what I was getting at.

Is Palmer hurt? Is he fine? Is the offense going to bloom, as the getting-to-know-you phase fades? Or is the elbow too weak to make that relevant?

Your guess is as good as mine.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100929/COL03/9300334/Doc-Palmer-s-play-speaks-for-itself

 

RAVENS

The decision by the Ravens to cut veteran Trevor Pryce - at least temporarily - and Cory Redding's concussion sustained Sunday against the Cleveland Browns could put Brandon McKinney into the starting lineup against the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

It could also mean that rookie Terrence Cody could get on the field for the first time in the regular season.

McKinney, a 6-2, 350-pound defensive tackle who has played sparingly for the Ravens since coming to Baltimore in 2007 from San Diego, said that he received a "significant" number of snaps in a walk-through before the regular practice Wednesday.

"I'm trying to take full advantage of every opportunity I can get," said McKinney, 27, who has started only two of 41 games in his NFL career. "I do see this to go out there as an opportunity to be a bigger part of the gameplan. This is going to be big for me."

Pryce being cut and Redding being sidelined could also Cody on the field since tearing his meniscus during training camp, though the former Alabama star isn't ready to say whether those situations translate into playing time.

"I don't know, you never know what happens," Cody said. "You have to ask the coaches that. I think I'm ready, but coaches will handle that decision whether I'm ready to not."

Asked if he has been frustrated, Cody said, "It hasn't been frustrating. It happens to the best of us. The only thing you can do is work hard and stay in shape."

Cody's well-chronicled battle with conditioning issues prior to his injury along with less than stellar practice habits has kept him in the doghouse for quite awhile. (Given the massive size of one of the team's two second-round draft choice who was nicknamed "Mount Cody" in college, it must have been a pretty substantial doghouse.)

Cody agreed that what he does in practice this week will dictate how much, if at all, he is used against the Steelers. But when someone wanted to know whether his recent work in practice has merited playing time, Cody said, "I wouldn't say that."

Cody said that he could help the team's suddenly vulnerable run defense "just being a big body in the middle and keep the linebackers free."

His goal for Sunday is simple.

"Just go out and do what I do - play ball," he said.

And maybe close the door on a very large doghouse.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/spo..._mckinney_looking_forward_to_opportunity.html

If nothing else, the Ravens' jubilant homecoming proved Joe Flacco doesn't fold under pressure.

Not after a week of criticism. Not after losing his star running back. Not in the face of an all-out blitz in the fourth quarter.

Throwing three touchdowns to wide receiver Anquan Boldin, the strong-willed quarterback lifted the Ravens to a 24-17 comeback victory over the winless Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium and lived up to the sellout crowd's high expectations of him.

Last week, Flacco shouldered most of the blame after throwing a career-worst four interceptions in a loss at Cincinnati. At Sunday's home opener, he deserved most of the praise after bringing the Ravens back and bailing out a surprisingly poor run defense.

So what does this rebound performance say about Flacco?

"It says he's the kind of guy you want playing quarterback for you," coach John Harbaugh said. "I don't think there's a guy in the building that doubted that for one second."

For those wanting to bench Flacco, he delivered a decisive counter-argument against the Browns (0-3).

He made quick decisions. He stepped into his throws. The result: 22 of 31 passing (71percent) for 262 yards and a 128.7 quarterback rating (the second best of his career).

It allowed the Ravens (2-1) to keep pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0), who lead the AFC North by one game.

"Obviously, you're happier this week than you were last week," Flacco said in his usual understated fashion.

Last week, Flacco had two opportunities to deliver a fourth-quarter comeback. Both led to punch-in-the-gut interceptions.

This time, when the Ravens fell behind 17-14 in the fourth, Flacco responded immediately by completing six straight passes for 78 yards in a drive filled with its share of hurdles.

The Ravens took a serious blow when running back Ray Rice left the game with a sprained knee after a 4-yard catch. But one play later, Flacco stared down an all-out blitz on third-and-5 -- seven Browns crashing upon him -- and hit Boldin for a 27-yard touchdown.

Their third scoring connection of the game put the Ravens up for good at 21-17 with 9:13 left and spurred a rare display of emotion from Flacco, who ran down to the end zone to celebrate with Boldin.

"That was a big-time play," Harbaugh said. "When you talk about a guy making progress in his third year, I think it showed up right there."

Rice's status for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh is unknown. Rice doesn't have ligament damage, according Harbaugh.

"I'll take some tests on Monday," Rice said, "but everything looks positive right now."

The way Flacco responded to adversity drew loud cheers from the crowd -- an announced 71,119 -- but few shocked looks.

He had thrown more than three interceptions in a game twice previously in the regular season, and both times he produced a quarterback rating higher than 120 in the next game. In many ways, this was status quo for the 2008 first-round pick.

"I love what he did today," said Boldin, who finished with eight receptions for 142yards. "He came out and just played football. He made a lot of great throws out there. I think he made quick decisions, and you see the end result."

The decision was made early and often to throw to Boldin and attack Browns cornerback Eric Wright, who was beaten on all three touchdown passes.

On the first one, Boldin slipped past Wright and leapt in the back of the end zone for the 8-yard catch. On the second one, Boldin simply made a move to the inside against Wright, who got spun around because he was guessing a route to the corner of the end zone, for the easy 12-yard grab. On the third one, Boldin had only to run under the high-arcing throw after outrunning Wright for the 27-yard score.

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"They kind of worked out the way we drew them up," Flacco said, "and that's why he ended up getting those TD passes."

Asked whether he felt as if he could beat Wright every time, Boldin said, "Our receivers feel like we can beat anybody when it's man coverage."

Disaster nearly struck Flacco on his first pass of the game. Seeing a cornerback blitz, Flacco said, he was trying to throw the ball out of bounds. Instead, it sailed into the hands of rookie safety T.J. Ward, who had no one between him and the end zone.

On a play that would foreshadow Flacco's day, the pass went off Ward's hands and right to wide receiver Derrick Mason.

"The guy did a great … uh, bad job of catching it, I guess," Flacco said with a grin.

After the Browns jumped ahead 3-0, Flacco led the Ravens on consecutive drives of 85 and 93 yards. On those possessions, he was 10 of 12 for 127 yards (he threw for 154 yards for the entire game last week).

"Joe lets things roll off his back and goes to the next play, the next game," tight end Todd Heap said. "He's becoming a leader who we can count on that's not fazed by those little things."

The Ravens needed Flacco to take control because the NFL's second-ranked defense had uncharacteristic lapses.

Browns backup running back Peyton Hillis powered his way to 144 rushing yards on 22 carries. He became only the fourth running back to crack 100 yards against the Ravens in the past 54 games.

Hillis' 1-yard score near the end of the first half marked the first touchdown scored against the Ravens defense this season, ending the streak at nine quarters (149 minutes, 47 seconds). His 48-yard run set up Seneca Wallace's 1-yard touchdown throw, which put Cleveland up 17-14 one play into the fourth quarter.

That lead was short-lived because Flacco guided the Ravens on a game-winning 10-play, 69-yard drive on the next possession.

"You look at last week and we gave up five field goals," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "You look at this week, and our offense bails us out. I think that's what builds a team for later in the year."

Flacco improved to 5-0 against the Browns, who were playing without their starting quarterback (Jake Delhomme), starting running back (Jerome Harrison), No. 2 wide receiver (Brian Robiskie), Pro Bowl nose tackle (Shaun Rogers) and sack leader (Marcus Benard) because of injuries.

So, does this impressive outing quiet Flacco's critics?

"It doesn't matter. I don't care," Flacco said. "It was a good performance, and I'm going to come back with another one next week."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-browns-0927-20100926,0,6345436.story?page=2

 

STEELERS

It's easy to pick the Steelers' best player as their season gets ready to roll past the quarter-pole Sunday with a home game against the Cleveland Browns. Apologies to Rashard Mendenhall, Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu; it's linebacker Lawrence Timmons. He's been terrific. "A special player, a blur on the screen," coach Mike Tomlin has called him.

It's even easier to name the Steelers' most improved player. There's only one candidate, really. Cornerback William Gay.

Man, I love Gay's story.

He was a key part of the Steelers' Super Bowl team in 2008, alternating series with Bryant McFadden. He was the weak link in the defense last season as the starter after McFadden left for Arizona as a free agent. He has become important again as the nickel back this season with McFadden back as the starter.

It's an amazing story.

An uplifting story.

All NFL players have egos. They don't make it to that level of football without one. Yet, Gay has managed to set aside his ego for the good of the team. You've heard Tomlin mention time and again that each player has to put his hand in the pile? Gay has put in both hands. Instead of sulking about losing his starting job to Deshea Townsend late last season and then to McFadden this season, he has worked to become the best nickel he can be.

Did I mention I love Gay's story?

So does Tomlin.

"He's been a consummate professional, a team player," Tomlin said. "He's fallen back to a sub-package role and he hasn't muttered a peep. He works extremely hard, always is ready and is into the game. He's making plays. I'm happy for him. I'm excited for him."

Gay showed me something this week when I asked him if he was upset when the Steelers traded a fifth-round pick to Arizona for McFadden on draft weekend, a clear indication they weren't happy with his play last season. You should have seen his expression. It was as if I insulted a close family member. "Upset? Why should I be upset? He's a friend. There's nothing to be mad about," Gay said.

I tried to explain my theory about egos and how much it has to hurt to lose a starting job. Gay wanted nothing to do with that. Politely, but firmly, he said, "There's no selfishness from me. I'm not the kind of guy who's going to sit around and cry about who they bring in. For me, it's all about, 'Let's go win a championship.' "

You know that corny, old saying?

It's not your circumstances, it's your attitude.

Gay is proof it's true.

The Steelers are 3-1 and in position to compete for that championship, thanks mostly to the defense, which carried the team during quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's four-game suspension. It has hardly been surprising that Timmons and the rest have been stout against the run, the best in the NFL. But the secondary has been better than anyone could have imagined. It has allowed just nine passes of 20 yards or more after being torched for 46 last season.

A healthy Polamalu at safety has been the biggest part of that. He missed all but five games last season with knee injuries. McFadden also has helped after never quite fitting in with the Cardinals. He has been solid except for allowing the winning touchdown pass to the Baltimore Ravens Oct. 3 when receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh beat him with a double move.

Gay has been the big surprise. Tomlin wasn't kidding when he said he's making plays. In the win Sept. 26 at Tampa Bay, Gay made perhaps the biggest tackle of the game when he stopped wide receiver Sammie Stroughter for a 2-yard gain on a third-and-3 play from the Steelers' 24 early in the first quarter to force a field goal. He later sacked quarterback Josh Freeman in that game. In the loss to Baltimore, Gay broke up a pass for wide receiver Derrick Mason on third down from the Steelers' 2 late in the game, then another for wide receiver Anquan Boldin on fourth down. Unfortunately for the Steelers, the Ravens got the ball back and won on Houshmandzadeh's catch.

"I should be better. This is my fourth year around here," Gay said. "I've seen a lot of offenses. I know [defensive coordinator] Dick LeBeau's defense. Being better mentally helps with the physical part of the game."

Gay won't turn 26 until New Year's Day.

"I know I'm going to get another chance to be a starter in this league," he said.

Told of that remark, LeBeau said, "In my mind, he's already a starter. If you add up his snaps at the end of the year, they'll be starter's snaps. I couldn't be happier with the way he's playing."

Wouldn't you know it?

LeBeau loves Gay's story, too.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10288/1095325-87.stm#ixzz12PAXZEAU

His linemen contemplated the subtleties of blocking techniques they use with Ben Roethlisberger in or out of the pocket even as their quarterback found himself surrounded Wednesday.

No guard or tackle needed to throw a block to get Roethlisberger out of trouble because he proved more elusive as a target than the last time he played in Cleveland.

"I miss you guys," Roethlisberger told the swarm of media that included several television networks, one from Canada. "I guess I wasn't anticipating it."

The Steelers' long, national nightmare that has been the Roethlisberger Story enters its final stage as he prepares to start his first regular-season game Sunday at Heinz Field against the Browns.

With him at quarterback, the numbers should increase in the passing game that ranks last in the NFL with an average of 136 yards per game. The boost also could apply to the number of sacks

Roethlisberger has been sacked more than any quarterback over the past four seasons (189 times). His 50 sacks last season just missed Cliff Stoudt's club-record 51 in 1983, likely because Roethlisberger missed playing against Baltimore. Dennis Dixon played that game and was not sacked.

Although one of the biggest, strongest and more mobile quarterbacks in the league, Roethlisberger attracts so many sacks because he holds the ball so long, preferring to wait for an open receiver rather than throw the ball away. It can be a feast-or-famine approach and, because they have won two Super Bowls with him, more feast.

It also means the line must adjust to their new quarterback in the way they approach their pass-blocking after playing the past 23/4 games with Charlie Batch taking the snaps.

"It's like we know where Charlie is," left tackle Max Starks said, laughing. "Where's Ben, though?"

Their assignments do not change with Roethlisberger at quarterback, just the awareness they need.

"It's one of those things, you're blocking, but you also have to feel the defensive lineman, where his movement is," Starks explained. "You know he's looking at the quarterback and he's trying to get there, so his movements will dictate that.

"You're blocking, you're blocking, you kind of feel him start drifting away and you're like, 'Why is he drifting away?' You don't hear the crowd yelling or ahhhing, so it's like 'Oh, God, Ben's coming this way so let me adjust and get him in front.'

"You realize the payoff on that is if you keep him clean, he's going to make something spectacular happen when he's back there, especially when he's moving because he's going to move that defense with his feet. It's a special gift, something a defense has to play him for because they can't necessarily say, 'Keep him in the pocket' because he can make throws in the pocket, but when he's on the run it turns a DEFCON 1 for them."

Guard Doug Legursky will be new to this game of blocking for Roethlisberger because the only NFL games he has started in this, his second season, have been the past two. He is a quick learner, though, and he relates blocking for Roethlisberger to, well, forgetting about the real Big Ben (the one in London).

"Just no clocks, that's basically our approach to it. On pass protection and stuff, you get a feeling of when the ball has been released," Legursky said of blocking for normal quarterbacks. "With Ben, you don't know. So you can never have a clock in your head and you always keep fighting on those pass protection plays.

"You definitely have to be more aware of where the defensive lineman's working towards, and definitely be able to try to pick up some ground if Ben works way outside."

No matter what, Starks believes Roethlisberger always will have more sacks than the average quarterback because of his style.

"I think he's going to be vulnerable to it but I think the onus is on us to try to limit that. We were more of a passing offense last year, so the sack to pass ratio, it's not as bad as it looks. It's a finite number, so it makes it look a lot worse than it is. Yes, he was second-most sacked but he also threw more than 4,000 yards.

"Now that we have a more-balanced offense, I think he'll limit that exposure, and it gives us more options and makes us a more two-dimensional offense."
Randle El plays Cribbs

Wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, on the scout team in practice, portrayed Cleveland's Josh Cribbs in the Browns' wildcat offense. Any chance Cribbs might be portraying Randle El on Cleveland's scout team in practice?

"I'm sure he was doing some of the stuff we do," Randle El said. "I was certainly imitating him. I think I did a pretty good job for what we did today. I think tomorrow it'll be better, much faster pace, motion the guys down and put them in the right spot. But I think it's something our defense has to be ready for."

Ready or not, Cribbs gouged that defense Dec. 10 in Cleveland, averaging nearly 11 yards a carry (8 for 87), most out of the quarterback spot in the wildcat.

"He's not afraid to hit the hole and take it up in there right at the linebacker," Randle El said. "He's not a guy who's just going to stretch it all the time and get to the outside."

Randle El has taken a few snaps at quarterback himself this season, but, so far, has thrown no passes, even though he is 20 of 25 in his career in the regular season with four touchdowns. That may be on its way.

"One of the things is feeling comfortable enough with having your guy back," Randle El explained. "I think we kind of took some of it easy with Ben being out. We didn't want to put too much in. I think we will, it's just a matter of time."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10287/1095099-66.stm#ixzz12PAoZXEl

 

BROWNS

The Browns failed to win their second consecutive home game of the season as they fell to a pretty good Atlanta Falcons team by a final score of 20-10. You can chalk up a fifth straight game in which the Browns have been competitive or in position to win in the fourth quarter, but the fact is that this team is only 1-4 right now. We don't have it as bad as some teams do, which is something to be optimistic about.

Let's get to the review of the game. With the team back on the losing side, we'll begin with the goat first, and the game ball second...

Star-divide

WEEK 5 - ATLANTA FALCONS VS. CLEVELAND BROWNS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

Goats of the Game:

* Joe Thomas: For as often as the Browns' elite left tackle deserves a game ball week in and week out but doesn't receive one, it's too bad that I have to highlight the time that he is a goat. It's not even worth mustering up any of our lovable "Joe Thomas / Pancake" type of jokes to make light of Thomas' performance. The fact is, he was beaten by Falcons defensive end John Abraham consistently.

Thomas gave up two sacks and another quarterback hit to Abraham, which qualifies this as Thomas' worst game as a pro by far. After the game, I'm sure Thomas was upset with the way he played, not only because he gave up a couple of sacks, but because of the impact those sacks had on the game.

The first sack, which happened right before halftime, resulted in Seneca Wallace's high ankle sprain. That led to a chain reaction of events -- Delhomme having to come in when he wasn't healthy, Delhomme re-injuring his ankle, and now the team forced to start Colt McCoy and sign Brett Ratliff against the Steelers this week. You hate to pin all of that on Thomas, but if Abraham hadn't gotten to Wallace, this review and our preparations for this week's game would probably be a lot different.

Abarham's other big plays on Thomas came on a sack in the first quarter, and then on a quarterback hit he got on Delhomme after the Browns were already down 20-10 in the fourth, resulting in an interception. Thomas' bad day isn't meant to take anything away from Abraham though, who definitely deserves a game ball for the Atlanta Falcons for the way he handled an all-Pro left tackle.

Awarding the Game Ball:

* Scott Fujita: I already highlighted why I gave Fujita a game ball in this week's Gameball post, so here is the cliff notes version: for the second week in a row, he stripped a quarterback of the football to give the Browns excellent field position. I remember Ryan Kelsey citing in the offseason how D'Qwell Jackson could never make those types of plays. So far, Fujita has two sack+fumbles the past two weeks, as well as a blocked field goal.

General Thoughts:

1. Falling on the Fumble vs. Returning the Fumble: I figured I'd lead off this week's top point with something that seems to be a trend for our defense. While we aren't forcing many interceptions, we're coming up with key fumble recoveries while the game is close (i.e. within three points). So far, I remember four specific instances where our defensive players have fallen on top of a fumble to secure the football rather than trying to return it.

In Week 1, it was Eric Barton who did it against Tampa Bay. The past two weeks, it has been Kenyon Coleman doing it an unfathomable three times (talk about being in the right place at the right time!). It's hard to argue about Coleman's decision, because when he has recovered the football, it has set up a short field for our offense, and we probably would've been pissed at him if he tried to scoop up the football and run, only to muff it and allow the opposition to recover.

But then, I take a look at other games around the league where opposing teams are able to scoop up the football in a similar situation and take off. Case in point -- Kerry Rhodes did it against the Saints, and it resulted in a touchdown. Granted, that is a safety (Rhodes) doing it versus a lineman (Coleman), but with our quarterback situation the way it is now, I think our defense has to take the risk of scooping+running to put some points on the board. With the short distance he had to go, Coleman is a big man who could've possibly rumbled in for a score -- or if he gets tackled trying to pick the ball up, maybe someone like Eric Wright shoots in for the recovery and takes it the distance?

This might seem like nitpicking at its finest, but our team should take advantage of getting points any way they possibly can.

2. Wallace Before the Injury: It's a real shame that Seneca Wallace had to leave with an ankle injury, because he was having a fantastic first half. His throw to Mohamed Massaquoi that just missed a touchdown was a thing of beauty, and so was his quick read on a version of the wheel route pass to Peyton Hillis for a touchdown.

Another underrated aspect about Wallace is his decision to not force a screen play. The past two weeks, we've tried to run a screen pass to Hillis three times. For whatever reason, each time, the defense has literally been all over the play. Wallace has made the smart decision each time by just tossing the football into the ground and moving on.

The whole time Wallace started the past several weeks, I kept praising him, but I always had the asterisk that Delhomme should play when he was ready. Now, it's only fitting that since Wallace is injured, I change my mind. While I still defend Delhomme to an extent, largely because he was still hobbled, Wallace has shown a type of consistency week in and week out against pretty good defenses that I didn't think he was capable of. For the areas I have pointed out that he lacks in, his consistency and ability to move the chains often was admirable.

3. Where it All Went Wrong: Delhomme's first "real" drive of the game came in the second half after Fujita's fumble. I was bummed that Wallace had to leave after an impressive start, but I was under the impression that Delhomme's injury was healed enough that he could come in and manage the game well, especially with a short field to work with.

First play, Delhomme hits Robert Royal for seven yards. The next play, Joshua Cribbs fires the ball to Lawrence Vickers for ten yards and a first down. Great! Two plays, and we're already in a 1st-and-goal at the 7. That's when my heart started to sink. On the next play, Jake Delhomme inexplicably threw the football amidst 2-3 defenders to Cribbs over the middle. That's the type of risk/non-necessary play Wallace hasn't tried to make since he started. After a nice run by Hillis, the Browns had 3rd-and-goal at the 2. Hillis always moves forward, so I thought we'd go for it on the ground on both plays...

4. Delhomme's Center-Exchange Issues: ...on the handoff, Delhomme appeared to pitch the ball straight back to Hillis on what should have been a single back handoff. On replay, Delhomme simply never had the football under control when he came out from under center. Luckily Hillis recovered the ball, but it was a wasted down and the Browns had to settle for a field goal.

Hillis told Delhomme, "you owe me one," but the veteran quarterback wasn't able to repay him. Are the center-exchange issues a problem of Delhomme's, or center Alex Mack's? Considering the problems only come up when Delhomme plays (as opposed to Wallace, or even Quinn and Anderson from last year), I'd say it's a Delhomme problem.

5. One Last Chance: It's amazing how close the Browns were to winning this game, despite the 20-10 outcome. Remember, Cleveland was down 13-10 and had the ball at midfield in the fourth quarter with just under five minutes to play. For once, I liked the playcalling that Brian Daboll used in the fourth quarter drive -- he mixed in Peyton Hillis runs, Joshua Cribbs lined up in the wildcat a couple of times, and then key third down throws from Delhomme to Chansi Stuckey.

The drive was going good, but on 2nd-and-6 the Browns ran a pitch play to Hillis. There seemd to be a potential big opening, except for Eric Steinbach being driven back too deep by his man, allowing the tackle to be made on Hillis for a loss. The next play was the dagger.

6. The Final Dagger: On the next play, a 3rd-and-7, the Falcons brought a free blitzer. Delhomme threw in the right area (where a receiver was open near a first down), but Kroy Biermann tipped the ball high in the air, stayed with it, and intercepted it as he fell to the ground. Biermann then got up and ran 31 yards for a touchdown just before Chansi Stuckey could tackle him.

I was upset at Delhomme on the play for not going after Biermann -- did he not think he could reach the ball? I know it would've been tough, and maybe impossible, for Delhomme to catch Biermann, but the defender was on the ground when he made the pick. If Delhomme had gone after him immediately, maybe he gets a hand on him, forcing Atlanta's offense to go on the field. Who knows what would've happened from there.

7. Hillis' Day: It certainly wasn't a 100-yard day for Peyton Hillis on the ground, as he finished with 10 carries for 28 yards. Considering Delhomme's ankle, it was surprising to see the Browns go pass-happy in the third quarter. There was a stretch where they threw the ball six straight times. One of those throws was a near-touchdown miss to Joshua Cribbs, but I'd still like to see the Browns commit to the running game there. If Hillis was too banged up, then give Jerome Harrison some room to run on the outside. He had 6 carries for 6 yards, but he still has the ability to break the big run.

8. More Active Backs: Next week, if Hillis is healthy enough to play, I think you have to activate James Davis. Not necessarily to give him carries, but given Hillis' thigh/quad injuries, you don't want to be down to just one extra running back.

9. Eric Wright Improves: After a two-game struggle, it was great to see Eric Wright back in a groove. He was in a mismatch early when Tony Gonzalez lined up wide on him, but the throw was a bit off and Wright nearly intercepted it. Wright also made a few good tackles, or at least reads on plays to hold up a player and allow other guys to jump in and make the tackle.

10. The Safeties: I'm having a real difficult time determining if our safety coverage has anything to do with our cornerbacks being "beaten" or "burned" on deep plays. The FOX announcers seemed to think that on Roddy White's long touchdown over Sheldon Brown, that Abram Elam was supposed to stay home and be in the middle of the field there. Instead, Elam came up to help double team Tony Gonzalez.

11. First Half Troubles for Ryan: Quarterback Matt Ryan especially struggled in the first half, going just 6-of-18 for 75 yards. Our offense played decent, but it would've been nice to build a bigger lead considering Ryan's early struggles, which had a lot to do with a combination of good coverage and a solid pass rush from Marcus Benard, Matt Roth, and company.

12. Massaquoi's Catch: It was good to see Mohamed Massaquoi involved a bit more in the gameplan; so far, I haven't seen any issues with his hands this year. Unfortunately, he just barely missed getting his second foot in for a first-half touchdown. I don't think the Browns should've challenged because I don't think he had the football in his hands yet when his "first of three" feet were down.

13. Missing Robiskie: While slot receiver Chansi Stuckey continues to make an impact on third down, Brian Robiskie's return game was pretty uneventful. You almost wouldn't believe he played, but you can see his jersey in the picture at the top of this post trying to chase down Biermann. He finished the game with one catch for five yards.

14. Blocked Field Goal: How great was it to see another blocked field goal, this time from rookie safety T.J. Ward? That's two kicks taken off the board in the past two weeks. While Shaun Rogers isn't registering the blocks, he's probably drawing enough attention to let other guys get free.

15. Special Teams Tackles: The Browns had four special teams tackles against Atlanta. The leader was Nick Sorensen with two, followed by Joe Haden and T.J. Ward having one each. Haden also made an acrobatic play to allow a Reggie Hodges punt to be downed at the one yard line. The Browns forced a three and out thanks to a nice tackle on third down by Eric Wright, but a Delhomme sack and delay of game killed the Browns' short field.

16. Turner Rips Browns: I can't defend the Browns run defense after this week's game, as they gave up 140 yards on 19 carries to Michael Turner. With that said, consider this:

-55 yards on 1 run - This came at the end of the first half, but the Browns blocked the field goal, so no damage was done.
-37 yards on 3 runs - This came with under two minutes to play in the game, and the Browns down 20-10 and at times just trying to strip the football rather than "stuffing" the run.

That represented 4 carries for 92 yards that netted no real points. The rest of the game, Turner had 15 carries for 48 yards, a 3.2 YPC. Turner still deserves credit for his runs no doubt, but it didn't necessarily hurt the Browns in this game.

17. More Wildcat Used: If I recall correctly, a bit more of the Wildcat was used (four times in total) with Joshua Cribbs. That included 2 runs for 11 yards, 1 pass for 10 yards, and 1 handoff to Hillis. We're going to need to use it three times as often this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I probably say that type of thing every week, don't I? Cribbs had a nice 34-yard kick return in the game too to set up good field position.

18. Brownies: Looking at the stat sheet, I almost forgot that Peyton Hillis did have a fumble early on, but the defense forced a quick punt...it was nice to see the Browns bring a lot less all-out blitzes, and instead focus on generating pressure from the front four or five...Shaun Rogers played apparently, but how much is the question again because he didn't register a single statistic...while I expected Delhomme to play this past Sunday based on the media reports saying he was healthier, it seemed like Colt McCoy should have still been the No. 2 quarterback.

We've already started talking about it, but next up the Browns will do battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bring out the trash-talking, because despite the Browns' shortcomings at quarterback, we are going to give Ben Roethlisberger hell in his return week there's no chance that we're leaving Pittsburgh without a victory.

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/1...e-off-of-joe-thomas-bad-day-and-clevelands-qb

Browns fans were surprised before the start of the game to hear that Seneca Wallace would be getting the start ahead of Jake Delhomme, who was available as the No. 2 quarterback.

Offensively, the Browns only scored seven points in the first half, but Wallace was throwing the ball very well again. The defense had outstanding coverage in the secondary and was generating a pass rush on Matt Ryan. But then, just before the end of the first half, Wallace went down with an ankle injury.

The second half belonged to Delhomme, but unfortunately it wasn't a game that he would like to remember. Here are some of Delhomme's "highlights" from the second half:

Star-divide

* When the Browns had a chance to tack on another touchdown at the goal line, he muffed the exchange with the center on a planned handoff to Peyton Hillis. The Browns had to settle for a field goal despite outstanding starting field position.
* Down 13-10 mid-way through the fourth quarter, on a third down play, Delhomme's quick pass was tipped into the air by a free rusher. The player who tipped the ball stayed with it and intercepted it as he fell to the ground. Delhomme was staring at the guy the whole time and should have run over to tap him down in case he picked it. Instead, he just stared in awe as the defender got up to run in for a pick six.
* Down 20-10 with just under two minutes to go, Delhomme's pass was thrown off the helmet of an offensive lineman and intercepted. The pocket collapsed on him too quickly, but it was still another lowlight for Delhomme.

Beyond all of that, Delhomme had about 4-5 other passes that could have been intercepted.

Despite giving up a lot of yards to Michael Turner, I think the defense played much better than they have the past two weeks. One of the big questions that should be raised is why the Browns went pass-happy with Delhomme when he entered the game. Sure, Peyton Hillis was banged up, but you still need to give Jerome Harrison some touches and stick with the running game. We had somewhat of the right idea to mix in the Wildcat during the fourth quarter, but Delhomme's lack of production killed things.

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2010/1...ake-delhomme-delivers-a-turkey-in-browns-loss

Key elements of the Browns' one-dimensional offense continued to be in flux as the busiest practice days for the Pittsburgh game wound down Thursday.

Running back
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Feature back Peyton Hillis missed his second day in a row with a quadriceps injury. Hillis did not appear in the locker room when it was open to the media. When asked whether he still was confident Hillis would play Sunday, coach Eric Mangini answered, "Yeah."

Mangini said that the trade of Jerome Harrison to Philadelphia for Mike Bell was made because Bell was a better fit in the style of plays the Browns have relied on as Hillis' role has been expanded.

Bell joined his teammates for his first practice on Thursday. He said he is physically ready to play, but needed to get up to speed on the Browns' offense.

Bell and Hillis were teammates in the 2008 off-season workouts in Denver. The Broncos waived Bell before training camp.

"I think we're two different backs, different styles," Bell said. "I'm physical, but I still think we're different in a lot of ways. I can't really say how. You just have to watch."

The trade was not made until after Harrison practiced on Wednesday. That was unusual because you would think the Browns would have wanted Bell on hand as soon as possible. Mangini didn't have an explanation for the delay in the trade.

As it happened, James Davis got a lot of the reps in place of Hillis the first two days of practice. Davis' only four carries this season came in the Baltimore game, during which he got hurt. Davis was inactive the past two games. He said he's fine now.

Center and right guard

Alex Mack (shoulder) and Floyd Womack (knee) each missed their second straight day of practice. In their places, the Browns used a rotation of three players: Shawn Lauvao, Billy Yates and Steve Vallos.

"All three have done a nice job," Mangini said. "Shawn is getting more in a rhythm now after getting back [from missing four weeks with a high ankle sprain]."

Quarterback

Mangini said he was pleased with Colt McCoy's first practice and his lean to starting the rookie in Pittsburgh "is more pronounced. . . . I was really happy with what he did [Wednesday]."

Wednesday was devoted to first and second down in the Browns' game-plan installation, and Thursday is third-down day, which probably meant more throwing.

On the trade: Harrison's unhappiness with his lack of playing time had "no role" in the Browns trading him to Philadelphia, Mangini said.

"Our decision is not going to be based on that. This decision and any of these decisions are going to be made based on what we think will help us move forward as a team, as opposed to that side of it," he said

"I think as Peyton's role has expanded and the things that he's done, the plays we have for him have expanded, and Mike Bell's a guy we liked in free agency . . . and is more a fit for the plays we have for Peyton. Jerome was a good fit for them [the Eagles], so it worked out for both sides."

Bell's take: Bell said the trade "caught me off guard," but he learned the business side of the game long ago. This is his fifth team (counting a one-week stay with
bellmug.jpgMike Bell

Houston) since coming out of University of Arizona as an undrafted free agent in 2006.

Bell was signed for over $1.4 million as a restricted free agent by Philadelphia this year, but carried only 16 times for 28 yards.

"I don't think anything really happened (to cause the trade)," he said. "Shady [Eagles running back LeSean McCoy] was playing so well, and they paid me a lot of money and I was just sitting. It was nothing I didn't do. It was just a logical thing to do."

Bell was the second-leading rusher on the New Orleans Saints last year, earning him a Super Bowl ring.

"I never really got to enjoy it," he said of the Saints' win in February. "But nobody can take it away that I did win a Super Bowl. It's been tough for me, moving around so much. I did go to the ring ceremony."
wallace.jpgChuck Crow / The Plain DealerQuarterback Seneca Wallace is one of many Browns hobbled by high ankle sprains. Wallace is watching the second half of Sunday's loss to Atlanta after suffering his injury late in the first half.

Das boot: Quarterback Seneca Wallace appeared in the locker room wearing a boot to immobilize his right ankle, which suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday.

In the malapropian words of former coach Butch Davis, the high ankle sprain has been the team's injury du jour of the week. Wallace, Jake Delhomme, John St. Clair and Lauvao all have been bitten by that bug.

"There's a lot of people wearing boots around here," Wallace said. "I made the joke that Mike Holmgren started that. He was wearing one in training camp. Now it seems like it's the thing."

Wallace, who suffered the injury on the second-to-last play of the first half when John Abraham rolled up the ankle after a sack, said it's the first time he's had to leave a game because of injury.

"I knew it was pretty bad," he said. "I felt something pop when it got rolled on. Immediately I couldn't put too much pressure on it. They say high ankle sprains are kind of difficult to gauge. You may feel good enough to do a little bit, but then you realize once you try you can't."

Wallace wouldn't estimate his rehab time. Lauvao and Delhomme missed about four weeks before they started walking without the boot. Delhomme aggravated his high ankle sprain in the Atlanta game Sunday and has not been available to comment on it since.

Some good news: The Browns' list of injured players missing practice was reduced by two Thursday. Defensive end Kenyon Coleman (knee) and safety Nick Sorensen (calf) were upgraded to limited.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/10/post_51.html

 

BENGALS

Cincinnati's 2-3 start to the season can't be filtered from the frustrating moments that transmutates into complete anger, impatience and suggestions that the team should completely rebuild from scratch.

When frustration started mounting with people calling to have Marvin Lewis fired at times in 2007, I asked if we really want Mike Brown to be the one rebuilding this team? I know, it's not a good reason for inaction, but it's also the absolute reality. Sure, hire a general manager. That would be great. But you do realize whom you're asking that of, don't you? Fantasy is always fun to play, but only if reality doesn't inject it's vulgar reminders that your suggestions are totally meaningful.

If Mike Brown is tasked with finding a new head coach, his track record is far more terrifying than having Lewis around for another five years. Complacency? Perhaps. Before Marvin Lewis, it was David Shula, Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau. As Bengals head coaches, they combined to win 52 of 174 games, translating into a .299 winning percentage. More terrifyingly put, that's 35 games below .500. Marvin Lewis, on the other hand, is right at .500, going 58-58-1. That's not to say that Lewis is the answer to win Cincinnati a championship and by no means, is fear a reason to hire a new head coach. But really, giving Brown the option to find a new head coach is scary business.

I know, bringing up things in history seems pointless. But how can you blindly disregard history? How can you sit there and and actually think that your thought process is anything near what the franchise thinks. Your suggestions might be better, but playing armchair quarterback is about as useful as people that moan about elected officials, but refuse to vote because it's raining outside.

That being said, the season thus far is a severe disappointment. It's not disappointing that we're 2-3, as weird as that sounds. Many teams expected to do well are struggling. Alright, 2-3 is disappointing, but it's the teams we've lost to that brings about the most painful realization that Cincinnati is basically an average team. But how did we get to that point?

New England 38, Cincinnati 24. Bengals open the season in New England, kicking off a schedule many defined as being one of the toughest in the league. Many didn't expect the Bengals to pull away with a victory, but the concept of an upset wasn't entirely unthinkable. In fact, we had every confidence, mostly a result of the homerism remaining in our gut that ignited when the regular season kicking off, that the game would be decided late.

Yea, we were kind of disappointed on that.

Carson Palmer was sacked on the team's opening possession and New England ran a five-play 72-yard drive that ended with a nine-yard touchdown to Wes Welker. Bengals punt on the ensuing possession and fumble on the possession after that. Through the first 24 minutes of the game, New England built a 17-0 lead and the route was officially on.

New England would go onto to build a 24-3 lead at half time when New England's Brandon Tate returns the second half opening kickoff 97 yards to give New England a 31-3 lead with 29:48 godforsaken minutes left in the game.

Thankfully the Patriots would go into a prevent-mode defense, allowing the Bengals to make the score appear respectable to anyone that didn't actually watch the game. Cincinnati's first three possessions would end with touchdowns; all three drives went at least 12 plays and at least 73 yards. Cincinnati would pull with 14 points by the end of the third quarter, actually giving the Bengals a fool's hope that they could make an epic second half comeback.

New England promptly took a 14-play drive for 81 yards for a touchdown, giving New England a three touchdown lead and eventually the win.

Cincinnati 15, Baltimore 10. Cincinnati got back to basics against the Ravens, using a formula they used last year to sweep the 2008 AFC runner-ups. Cincinnati picked up 253 yards of total offense, with the defense holding Baltimore to 259 yards and a 26% conversion rate on third downs. Cincinnati's defense played exceptionally, forcing four Joe Flacco interceptions, limiting Ray Rice to under 100 yards rushing and preventing former Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh from even recording a reception.

In fact, if you combined Baltimore's big three receivers, Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and Houshmandzadeh, they recorded six receptions for 67 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Cincinnati would eventually hold onto the football for over 34 minutes, winning the game on five Mike Nugent field goal conversions, giving Cincinnati, by far, their biggest win of the season.

Cincinnati 20, Carolina 7. Benson was featured heavily against the Panthers, picking up 81 yards rushing on 27 carries and a first quarter touchdown. Palmer records his second consecutive game with a passer rating below 61 with a yard/pass average below 5.4 yards. Yet Cincinnati won because of a defense that limited Carolina to 267 yards of total offense and an 18% conversion rate on third down.

Furthermore, the Bengals defense absolutely dominated Carolina in the first half, limiting the offense to 50 yards of total offense, allowing only one completed pass by Jimmy Clausen.

Cincinnati took a 10-point lead into half time and never looked back, eventually matching that in the fourth quarter, dominating the time of possession with over 36 minutes.

Cleveland 23, Cincinnati 20. Even though Cincinnati isn't destroying their opponents during wins, by this time there was enough confidence to feel that as long as they beat the teams they should beat, then everything will come together, provided we have patience. After several weeks of blaming Carson Palmer for the origins of smallpox, the Bengals passing offense truly explodes against the Browns. Carson Palmer records a 121.4 quarterback rating, completing 25 of 36 passes for 371 yards passing and two touchdowns. Terrell Owens was Palmer's biggest contributor, hauling in 10 passes for 222 yards receiving, which included a 78-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

Yet, the Bengals only scored 20 points and lost. Aside from the 10 points in the first half, the Bengals would punt, fumble, punt and miss a field goal in the first half and would go onto fumble a second time in the second half. Cleveland would kill the game's remaining 4:41 with a 10-play drive with Peyton Hillis running for 38 yards to seal Cincinnati's loss.

Tampa Bay 24, Cincinnati 21. Cincinnati came into this game, which was marketed as a great sports day in Cincinnati with the Reds hosting the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park for the third game of the National League Divisional Series later that night. The Bengals had just come off a disappointing three-point loss to the Cleveland Browns. All combined, the Bengals had nearly every reason to win this game and there was a ton of excitement.

Cedric Benson had, by far, his best game of the year, picking up 144 yards rushing on 23 carries with an additional 19 yards receiving. Terrell Owens picked up 102 yards receiving on seven receptions which included a 43-yard touchdown reception.

Yet, the Bengals only scored 21 points and lost. Even though Palmer recorded his second straight multiple touchdown performance, with five touchdowns in the past three games, Palmer threw three interceptions that led to 17 points for the Buccaneers. The Bengals defense, just as appalling, played terribly soft, allowing Tampa Bay to record just under 400 yards of total offense with a 45% conversion rate on third down. Josh Freeman would go on to pass for 280 yards, with rookie Mike Williams hauling in 99 yards and a game-tying touchdown.

I hate taking anything away from another team, but if there's a great example of how the Bengals lose a game, rather than another team beating them, it's this. Cincinnati turned the ball over three times (four times if you include the Bernard Scott fumble on the kickoff return at the end of the game) and committed nine penalties with most stalling offensive possessions. What's worse is that two of Palmer's interceptions would come with the Bengals holding onto a 21-14 lead with 2:28 left in the game. Two interceptions, 10 points later, the Bengals biggest meltdown of the year was completed. Oh, and the Reds lost later that night, eliminated from the playoffs.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/10/...-2-3-a-look-back-at-disappointment-impatience

Along with all of the talking points of Bob Bratkowski's play-calling, Carson Palmer's inability to take charge of a game and single-handed win football games like $100 million quarterbacks tend to be expected to do, the Bengals as a whole are struggling to truly fire on all cylinders at once. Whether it's a lack of an explosive passing game, or a defensive effort that's at times shockingly soft, the team isn't firing on all cylinders, even though at times (very small times) they appear to be the team that we expected them to be. Still, they've yet to put together their best effort with all three phases of the game.

Their biggest struggle against Tampa Bay, and throughout much of the season? Penalties.

Through five games this year, the Bengals have committed 36 penalties, tied for 9th most in the NFL, fourth in the AFC and most in the AFC North. Since only committing two fouls against New England, the Bengals have been called for at least eight penalties in the past four games. Of the team's 36 penalties, the offense has been called for 12 false starts, which is on average 5.5 false starts more than the league average. Against Carolina and Cleveland, the Bengals committed seven combined penalties that's led to first downs while all five opponents this season have given Cincinnati only five first downs for their own infractions.

The truth is, penalties are crushing this team right now. It's killing their offensive possessions and all three phases of the game were affected by it. That evidence is no clearer than how the game progressed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. Penalties pushed Cincinnati's third down chances from third-and-manageable to third-and-long, which led to Carson Palmer's interceptions or Tampa Bay's superior field position late in the game.

On the Bengals' opening drive of the game, Bobbie Williams and Andre Caldwell were called for false starts that eventually pushed Cincinnati back to third-and-11 at their own 33-yard line. Palmer threw an incomplete pass and the Bengals punted. During Cincinnati's third drive that kicked off the second quarter, Reggie Kelly was called for a holding, nullifying Cedric Benson's four-yard run that would have given Cincinnati some breathing room at own 10-yard line. The penalty instead pushed the Bengals back to their own three-yard line and Carson Palmer threw a pick-six to Cody Grimm, who went unnoticed by Palmer attempting a quick pass to Terrell Owens.

Bobbie Williams' second false start occurred with 9:06 left in the second quarter, pushing Cincinnati's offense back with 11 yards to go on third down. Palmer's attempted pass to Jermaine Gresham was knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Bengals punt was partially blocked. Leon Hall's pass interference with 5:40 left in the third pushed Tampa Bay to the Bengals one-yard line. Earnest Graham ran off the left edge to score a touchdown and a 14-10 lead.

Jermaine Gresham was called for a false start with 2:28 left in the game, pushing Cincinnati's offense back to their own 38-yard line with 13 yards to go on third down. This is the decision that's brought Cincinnati's coaching staff plenty of justified flack. The Bengals, with a 21-14 lead and 2:28 left in the game, elected to pass the football while Tampa Bay had already exhausted their final timeout. It's bad enough that an incomplete would simply stop the clock, but the pass was intercepted. Tampa Bay scored a touchdown five plays later to tie the game. Personally, I don't mind the aggressive play calling. What I'm concerned about is that Cincinnati has often proved that they're still not executing well enough to give anyone the confidence that they'd pick up the first down, or at the very least, a completed pass to push the time into the two minute warning. True, if the pass is completed, the game is over. If it's not completed, then anything goes. The worse possible scenario happened, and thus being aggressive with this squad brings my own suspicions; even though I acknowledge that it could be a catalyst to giving the squad more confidence to be better a unit down the road if the completed pass ended the game.

Finally, with the scored tied at 21 a piece with 21 seconds left, Terrell Owens caught a nine-yard pass that pushed Cincinnati to Tampa Bay's 34-yard line, well within Mike Nugent's range to win the game. Instead Owens was called for an offensive pass interference, pushing Cincinnati back to their own 47-yard line with 25 seconds left. On the following play, trying to pick up chunks of yardage to get back within field goal range, Carson Palmer throws his third pick of the game that would eventually lead to Tampa Bay's game-winning field goal.

Cincinnati's offense, as a whole, tends to receive too much flak. For example, they've recorded over 400 yards of total offense in two games this year, both losses. They've only fallen below the 300-yard offense mark once, a win over the Baltimore Ravens. Yes, the offense right now is a high profile squad with their biggest issue being the lack of points scored, yet to record more than 24 points in a game. However, their issue of not scoring much has everything to do with the penalties they're accruing and, most importantly, when they're occurring.

Once they clean up that part of their game, expect the team to explode with so many points, they'll be a bank of points offering loans to anyone playing the Ravens or Steelers to get back into the mix.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/10/13/1748880/struggles-on-offense-look-no-further-than-penalties

Through five games this year, Carson Palmer is on pace to have a season much closer to his 2007 season, throwing for over 4,000 yards passing and 25 touchdowns than he is 2009. The irony is that the team won in 2009 and not-so-much in 2007.

Yet, Chad Ochocinco says don't blame Carson Palmer.

After taking the blame for the pass that bounced away from his hands, resulting an interception by Buccaneers safety Sabby Piscitelli that led to a game-winning field goal to end the game, Chad Ochocinco responded to a question that was asked, wondering what's wrong with Carson Palmer.

There is nothing wrong with Carson Palmer. I’ll say it again and I’ll say it over and over again: Carson is an elite quarterback regardless of what anybody thinks or what anybody says, and Cincinnati needs to have patience with that and understand that when things aren’t going well it’s not the quarterback’s fault. Carson is only as good as his supporting cast and his supporting cast would be me. So if you’re going to boo, you need to start with booing me. You know, ummmmm, that’s it. Carson is only as good as those around him. And that’s how it goes…

Unfortunately, some aren't so pleasantly patient with the team's frustrating passing development process. Fox Sports' Adam Schein writes that it's time for the Bengals to move past Palmer now, writing:

But there’s no debating anymore that Cincinnati needs a new QB. You cannot win a title with Carson Palmer. Heck – you can’t beat the Bucs and Browns.

I'll be honest. I haven't been so much a Palmer apologist, but I have been very patient in my criticisms. The idea of changing quarterbacks by next year isn't completely deaf to my ears. But neither is Chad's point that the quarterback is only as good as the team around him.

Mike Freeman writes that Palmer gets a free pass:

Jay Cutler is playing better. So is Ryan Fitzpatrick. So is David Garrard.

Palmer's 78.3 passer rating barely trumps Jason Campbell (76.2), Matt Cassel (74), Bruce Gradkowski (71.1) and Alex Smith (71.6).

Carson Palmer continues to play like Carson Daly, and yet the outrage continues to be mostly muted. It's been this way for years with Palmer, and so goes one of the greatest free passes, in the NFL and the media, any quarterback has ever received.

Ouch. Apparently Freeman doesn't associate himself with any Bengals fan.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/10/...carson-is-only-as-good-as-his-supporting-cast

 

RAVENS

Once again, Tom Brady looms on the Ravens' horizon in all his resplendent glory. There are the three Super Bowl trophies, the Most Valuable Player award from 2007, the 29 career fourth-quarter comebacks. Impeccable record. Untouchable quarterback?

The Ravens have their own history with the New England Patriots quarterback and until last January's playoff win, it wasn't good. Sacking Brady has often caused more harm than good for the Ravens.

On Oct. 4, 2009, when Haloti Ngata and then Terrell Suggs brushed against Brady in the pocket and drew roughing the passer penalties in a 27-21 loss in Foxborough, Mass., linebacker Ray Lewis barely constrained himself.

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"Without totally going off the wall here, it is embarrassing to the game," Lewis said of the Ngata call, on which Ngata's left arm grazed the side of Brady's helmet. "Brady is good enough to make his own plays; let him make the play."

This may be the season that borderline calls no longer haunt the Ravens, though. When they visit Gillette Stadium on Sunday, they carry a five-game track record for cleaning up those messy and untimely personal foul penalties.

Through five weeks, the Ravens have been penalized 30 times for 261 yards. A year ago after five games, they had 39 penalties for 342 yards, en route to 115 penalties and an NFL-high 1,094 yards on the season.

More significantly, they have only two unnecessary roughness penalties (from the same game) and one roughing- the-passer penalty, a dubious call against Suggs in Cincinnati against the Bengals' Carson Palmer.

Suggs was flagged last October in New England when he dove at Brady and his right shoulder barely touched Brady's right leg. The eight-year veteran linebacker says the perception of a distinct and different rule on hitting Brady will not deter him on Sunday.

"Not at all," Suggs said. "If that's the only way I'm going to get him down, then I'm going to tackle him. This is football. In my eyes, one man is not more important than the other. I got hit in my knee last year, but they went on to the next game.

"I'm not saying I'm going to deliberately tackle Tom Brady in the knee. But if I'm falling and the only way to get him down is grab him and that just happens to be his foot, his shoestring, his ankle, thigh, hip, stomach — anywhere — I'm going to get him down. … Like I said, I'm a football player and I'm going to play football."

This week, the Ravens resisted the temptation to acknowledge a "Brady Rule," and said they had to use proper technique in all circumstances. In an attempt to better protect quarterbacks, the league instituted a "strike zone" for hitting quarterbacks — the area from chest to knee. Even though the Ravens hardly touched Brady a year ago, they did, in theory, violate the rule.

Will Lewis ask officials before the game where they can hit Brady?

"You know we don't even think about that," he responded. "Whatever happens is going to happen, though. You know what I'm saying? Because if you do that, you're thinking and you can't think playing this game. You've got to react, and whatever comes with it, comes with you.

"You just hope the game is always called fair."

Linebacker Jarret Johnson said the Ravens are cognizant of their history against New England, but don't dwell on it.

"You can't worry about it — we're not going to worry about it," he said. "It hurt us in the past. You've just got to be more aware of your surroundings and you can't be careless out there because they're going to call it."

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the best way to avoid any penalty is with good technique. Asked what role poise played in the penalty equation, he said: "I think decision-making is a big part of it. Poise goes with confidence. [But] it goes back to fundamentals. … [If] you play good technique, you tend to get confidence in your technique and you know in the most critical situation, you can rely on your technique."

So far this season, the Ravens have been flagged for 13 penalties on offense (with five false starts), 12 on defense and five on special teams. To cut down on false starts on the road, the Ravens blare loud music during practices, a tactic that seems to help.

"It's kind of a pain in the butt to deal with when we're practicing, but I think it's beneficial," right tackle Marshal Yanda said. "It's a good thing because we have to communicate for crowd noise."

The Ravens will need to be strong in defensive technique to deal with the league's No. 1 scoring offense Sunday. The Patriots are averaging 32.8 points a game through four games. The Ravens are giving up 14.4 points.

Dean Pees, the Ravens' linebackers coach who was the Patriots' defensive coordinator the past four years, said the reduction in penalties can be traced to reducing mental mistakes.

"When you have mental mistakes, that's usually when you get a penalty because a guy's grabbing because he's not in the right position or something like that," Pees said. "You'd have to talk to Chuck [Pagano, secondary coach] about the secondary, but I just think what I see overall defensively, I don't see a lot of mental errors. So if you're not making mental errors, that means you're in the right position, doing the right thing. And if you're in the right position, that's half the battle."

The secondary has drawn just two pass interference calls, one illegal contact and one holding penalty. Cornerback Chris Carr thinks familiarity with the system and with each other has helped reduce penalties in the back end after a penalty-riddled start to the 2009 season.

"I think if you look at the second half of last season and up to now, you can see progressive improvement," Carr said. "It's our communication and knowing how to play certain coverages, everybody talking things out and improving their own technique and their own football IQ's. I think that all plays hand in hand."

Not only have the Ravens reduced their penalty count, they have drawn 52 penalties on their opponent this year, a fact that Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not miss.

"I think a lot of those penalties that have been called against their opponents have been just because the Ravens are in better position on that particular play and the other team had to do something to try to compensate or make up for it, and they got flagged for it," Belichick said.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-1015-20101014,0,3878009.story?page=2

Offensive Line Notes—Ravens vs. Broncos

The Ravens had just 3 plays for negative yardage and none of them were the responsibility of the offensive line. The only sack was shared by 2 eligible receivers held in to block. Of the 2 QHs, one was assigned to an eligible receiver. None of the Ravens 47 running plays went for a loss, so there were no penetrations recorded. The Ravens OL played penalty free. That’s a terrific day, and the scores reflect it with no Raven under .86 per play.

The only controversy surrounding the offensive line came on the opening drive when Ngata became entangled with Broncos safety McBath when going out in the pattern on 4th and 1. It’s not the first time Ngata has run a pattern, but it might be the last. Objecting to the pass play is one thing, but those who disparage the use of Ngata as a blocker on the Ravens’ bread-and-butter McGahee goal line stretch play are overlooking much from the last 2 seasons. Even when not provided with a good hole, Willis has occasionally been able to get in by personal effort (example: week 1 vs. Jets). A list of the goal line snaps involving Ngata is worth a write-up itself, but suffice it to say his blocks have regularly been the key to those plays and his presence has meant more than the blocks alone.

The Ravens ran 72 offensive plays Sunday, excluding 1 kneel.

Oher: Whether penalties or penetrations, Michael had some blemish on each of his previous performances. This week, his only negative play was a shared QH with Grubbs (Q4, 6:04). For the year, I have him scored for just ½ sack and 2.5 QHs. I was particularly impressed with his ability to recover to slow down Hunter (Q1, 4:43) with just the back of his arm. He got good push in the run game, particularly against DJ Williams. He was used to pull 3 times and found a block each time. He had 5 blocks in level 2. Oher didn’t have a false start called against him Sunday. Part of that probably has to do with the fact that the Ravens ran the ball on 46 of their 72 snaps, but another reason might have been that the Ravens didn’t fear the Broncos’ pass rushers. Anticipating the snap count only really helps when the Ravens are passing. I reviewed the Ravens first 4 drives which included 12 non-penalty pass plays plus the interference penalty on Cox. There was only 1 play where it appeared Oher beat the snap count (Q1, 3:31) and that only by a single click (.03 seconds). Whatever cadence technique the Ravens were using, Oher was typically moving with his line mates. Scoring: 66 blocks, 5 missed, 1 QH, 64.5 points (.90 per play).

Grubbs: Ben connected on 11 of 11 pulls for the game. Aside from Yanda’s 19 pull attempts in last year’s Wild Card game, I can’t recall any other player attempting as many pulls in a single game. The Ravens recorded 72 yards on those plays (6.5 YPPA). The Ravens will soon be faced with some difficult decisions on the offensive line that depend on the outcome of the next collective bargaining agreement. The Ravens would probably like to keep both Grubbs and Yanda, but may not be able to do so with the contracts of Flacco and Ngata drawing near. Scoring: 65 blocks, 6 missed, ½ QH, 63.5 points (.88 per play).

Birk: Matt missed more blocks than usual (7), but none of those led to a negative play. On a day where the Ravens ran the ball often, Birk helped to control the middle of the Denver defensive line, particularly Jamal Williams who managed just 2 tackles. Scoring: 65 blocks, 7 missed, 65 points (.90 per play).

Chester: He had 10 missed blocks, which is one of the highest totals I’ve recorded. That included a mediocre 6 for 9 on pulls. With Gaither’s return seeming less likely each week and Yanda playing reasonably well (and much better than anyone had a right to expect) at RT, it appears Chester may stay at RG for the remainder of the season. Scoring: 62 blocks, 10 missed, 62 points (.86 per play).
Yanda: Marshal made several memorable blocks against the Broncos. He sold himself as a pass blocker well at (Q3, 4:37) as McGahee ran a draw straight ahead. He maneuvered Hunter to the outside then clubbed him further into the backfield with his left arm. As Chester pulled left (Q4, 7:30), Yanda stepped left to fill the gap then made a block with each arm (Banna left, Ayers right) as Rice ran left. He made a fine cut block (Q4, 11:09) to bring down Marcus Thomas as he trailed the play. One play I didn’t like was him blocking Vickerson onto Grubbs (Q4, 11:45, unbalanced left). He had 4 pancakes and 4 blocks in level 2. Scoring 70 blocks, 2 missed, 70 points (.97 per play).

Cousins: Oniel entered for 4 plays as a 6th lineman and looked good, connecting on a block each time. The defense was playing its 68th-71st plays, but Cousins was effective as the Ravens ran for 5, 5, 3, and 5 yards when everyone In the stadium knew runs were coming Scoring 4 blocks (1.00 per play).

Ngata: He played just 3 goal line snaps on the Ravens initial drive. For one of the first times I can recall, he was backed up on the first play (Q1, 10:54). He completed his other block before his ill-fated pass route on 4th down. Scoring: 1 block, 1 missed (.50 per play)

Individual Offensive Notes:

• Dickson finally had a chance to run a route deeper down the field and showed the ability to adjust, stand tall, and outmuscle Dawkins. Seeing the safety appear helpless to defend against the pass and as a child dragged by Dickson for 12 YAC, it occurred to me that Dawkins is a “Sword of Damocles” player. He’s much more dangerous from a few yards away when he can deliver a big hit. As to Dickson, with the Ravens lack of speed on the outside, I thought he would have more opportunities to run deep routes. It’s nice to see him make the most of one.
• Dickson the blocker has been another story. On Sunday he was flagged for holding and he contributed to the sack on Flacco (Q1, 9:37).
• I scored Flacco as having ample time and space to throw on 13 of his 25 attempts. He completed 7 of those for 125 yards. Since there was a flag resulting in no play, the pass interference call on Cox (vs. Mason) was not include above, but Flacco had ample time there as well.
• It’s been some time since Flacco has had a significant impact on a game with his legs. He had a big first down against the Pats in the Wild Card game last season, but he had 4 carries for 21 yards Sunday (excludes his kneel) and 3 of those plays would be qualified as offensive successes.
• I’ve heard it said the crowd wasn’t loud Sunday. While we’ve certainly heard the stadium louder, let’s compare some results that can be linked to crowd noise:
o Ravens 0 false starts, no delay of game, no wasted timeouts.
o Broncos wasted a TO after the Ravens first offensive play, 2 false starts, 1 delay of game, 1 illegal motion
• Boldin’s drop (Q2, 2:16) cost the Ravens a first down and the Broncos would score their first TD within 80 seconds. It’s his first significant misstep of the season, but he caught just 1 of the 3 balls on which he was targeted for 8 yards.
• Cundiff’s kickoffs have been something really special. There is always pressure on the 45th man to provide value on both special temas and one side of the ball. However, in Cundiff’s case, I’d say he’s worth a roster spot as a kickoff specialist even if the Ravens decide they need someone more accurate for field goals. He’s neutralized Cribbs, Royal, and Thomas thus far and with the trip to New England, Brandon Tate will be the next noteable return that he’ll have a chance to shut down.
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