Browns beat Jaguars, 23-17
October 27th, 2008 at 12:20 am by Displaced Cleveland Fan
I just don’t understand.
The Cleveland Browns, the team that has looked mediocre at best in every game except their Monday night win against the Giants, that should have lost today by two touchdowns, beat a good Jacksonville team on the road. And they did this without Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow.
Great job by the Browns. I didn’t get to watch the game because it wasn’t aired in this area. But from the box scores and video highlights, it looks like they played well.
Here’s what I don’t understand though. Why did the Browns two best games come when Kellen Winslow wasn’t playing? Winslow didn’t play today and was out for the 35-14 win over the Giants. Why did the offense play so much better without him? In particular, why has Derek Anderson played better without him? Is Winslow, as talented as he is, somehow a disruption when he’s on the field? Or is it a coincidence?
I certainly hope that this is just a coincidence. Winslow is going to be back next week. And, for better or worse, Anderson will be the starting QB. Next week the Browns have a chance to split the season series with the Ravens and catch them in the division. Baltimore has played well this year and it will be a tough game.
Now, about the Browns QB situation. In the win this week, Derek Anderson posted some good numbers - 14/27 (51.9%), 246 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. Not great, but certainly good enough. I’ve stated before that I don’t believe that Derek Anderson is the future for the Browns at QB. I’d like to think that Brady Quinn is. So I’d like to see Quinn get some starts this year so we can try and see his potential. I don’t believe, though, that Romeo Crennel will replace Anderson now until he has at least 2 bad starts in a row. Every game like this provides a faint glimmer of hope that D.A. is the man and keeps Brady on the bench. Anderson, with his inconsistent flashes of competence, could conceivably close out the season as the starter. What happens with Brady then? Who knows. But hopefully this doesn’t put next year’s success in jeopardy.
And hey, the Browns are 3-4 now and have played well in 2 of their last 3 games. Dare I say that the playoffs are still a possibility? I hate to, given how terrible the team looked early in the year. But a win next week will put them at .500 at the mid-way point. So it’s certainly possible. But let’s at least see if they can win two in a row before getting our hopes up.
Tags: Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, football, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kellen Winslow, scores
October 27th, 2008 at 5:29 am
One post-game talk show caller suggested that the reason the Browns do so much better offensively without Winslow is because they’re pushing too hard to get him the ball when he’s playing. Even when he’s well-covered by the defense, the Browns still try to get the ball to him for that big play. The caller suggested that perhaps they should start treating him like every other player in his position. Of course, that would, in that caller’s opinion, showcase the fact that other players cannot only catch the ball but can also block when called to do so.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
That’s possible. If so, Anderson needs to pick his passes better.
And with the way Heiden has been playing, he definitely deserves more playing time, even when Winslow is available to play. It might be a good option then, especially with the lack of depth at WR, to play more 2 TE sets. In some formations you could even have Heiden at TE and Winslow as the #2 or 3 WR. That way you take advantage of both Winslow’s and Heiden’s abilities.