PRE GAME TAKE – Already on record predicting a Browns win. Does Droughns have a big enough game to get over 1,000 yards? He only needs 132 yards. Vikings run defense is 21st in the league. He could do it. GUT FEELING WATCH – Only chance we see Frye is if we’re ahead big in the 4th quarter. Let’s hope.
Kickoff at 1pm.
7.58 1st – Vikings 3, Browns 0. Could this start worse for the Vikings? I guess they could have come away with no points. Three penalties on the first drive, fumbled snap on 3rd down at the Browns 25. Browns should have stuffed them, had numerous opportunites, gave up some big 3rd & longs after Vikings screw ups.
Browns go 3 & out, Dilfer nearly gives TD pick on out pass on 3rd down. Terrible punt.
1.39 1st – Browns force a punt after 2 deep passes go incomplete. Touchback, Browns take over at 20. No pressure at all on Brad Johnson. Can we run the ball please?
END OF 1st – Vikings 3, Browns 0 – Droughns carries 3 times in a row to end the quarter, gains like 15 yards. Browns get first 1st down on second last play of the quarter.
13.50 2nd – INT off of Braylon Edwards hands. Great throw by Dilfer, Edwards literally just blows the catch. Second in as many games. Nice front page story in the PD sports section today, big fella. Keep jawin’. Flap them lips, Braylon.
12.14 2nd – Vikings go 3 & out on ensuing possession. Braylon Edwards reportedly looking for a Sharpie to autograph previous interception ball.
7.43 2nd – Browns pooch punt from FG formation to the 6 yard line. Braylon redeems himself with a big 3rd down catch, but then Antonio Bryant drops a key pass, forced Dilfer into a poor 3rd & long throw. Wasting opportunities.
5.31 2nd – INT!!! Vikings were playing pitch and catch for 3 deep passes in a row to Browns 33, then Vikes receiver pulls a Braylon Edwards, ball goes off his shoulder pad for a pick. Browns return the pick to decent field position. Strange game.
5.23 2nd – VERY NEXT PLAY, SACK ON FIRST DOWN, FUMBLE, RIGHT BACK TO VIKINGS. Dilfer has no pocket awareness whatsoever. None. Took a huge shot, but didn’t get hurt. Browns challenging, no way that challenge succeeds. No way. Play stand as called, idiot announcers claim it was close, it wasn’t. Clearly was a fumble. Vikings ball, Browns 35.
4.22 2nd – TD VIKINGS, Vikings 10, Browns 0. After Dilfer sack/fumble, Vikings go right back to pitch & catch, waltz into end zone. Brad Johnson is picking Browns secondary to pieces.
2 MINUTE WARNING - Droughns is the entire Browns offense on ensuing possession after kickoff, big 33 yard screen play down into FG range, after a big running play.
GREAT CLOCK MGMT. Somehow the Browns manage to make a ton of time disappear after getting a first & goal. Penalty, lack of awareness…..12 seconds left. Bizarre sequence.
NOW BRAYLON FALSE STARTS – ball moved back another 5 yards. INC pass, 8 seconds left.
0.04 2nd – Browns kick a FG, Vikings 10, Browns 3 – unbelievably screwed up series. Browns running around in the red zone like a bunch of brainless idiots, losing time, penalties all over the place, blow a shot at a TD.
HALFTIME Vikings 10, Browns 3 – TIM’s TAKE? What a mess. Clock mgmt at the end of the half was abominable. Droughns, once again, is the only bright spot. Browns defense appears to have missed the flight to Minnesota…are they even on the field? And when is someone gonna call Braylon Edwards out on the BIG MOUTH vs. BIG MISTAKES crap?
12.06 3rd – Browns had a drive going, stalled on 3rd & 3 when Dilfer throws behind Heiden, incomplete. Nice play by Braylon, another by Droughns. Can’t survive Dilfer. Is he in a rhythm yet? Punt to the 16 yard line.
9.56 3rd – Wow. Finally some pressure on Johnson, breaks up the passing game, Vikes have to punt. Looks like some adjustments were made at half time. Browns ball at their 30.
9.35 3rd – Sack, Fumble, Dilfer. It’s like a fucking anthem. Is that the play you call after Dilfer comes up limping? Faked reverse, faked end around? Shoulda just ran the ball. Why this team doesn’t run the ball every other play, I have no idea.
Vikings have a TD called back by holding penalty on the ensuing possession.
7.24 3rd – TD Vikings, Browns safety no where to be found. Pitch. Catch. TD Vikings, they lead 17-3
3.26 3rd – Vikings 17, Browns 6 – Very good drive again just stalls in the red zone, FG results. Great KO return to 48, sets up three consecutive 1st down gains, pass to Braylon, pass to Heiden, 13 yard Droughns carry…then sack, short gain to Droughns, sack. Dilfer limping visibly.
1.48 3rd – Vikes go 3 & out, punt, odd PI call. Browns take over at their 30. Droughns time.
END OF 3rd Vikings 17, Browns 6 - Browns seem to have gotten away from running the ball, which is odd, given that you’ve got Dilfer limping around. They’re still in the game, they need a good scoring drive soon. 3rd down near midfield.
14.44 4th – Browns have to punt to the Vikes 20.
FRYE LOOKS LIKE HE’S WARMING UP. Vikings pick up a 1st down. Man I hope Frye doesn’t get hurt.
10.50 4th – Vikes punt. FRYE TAKES THE FIELD. This is not an ideal situation. Not at all.
10.39 4th – Frye’s first throw is a pick. Nice. Got hit hard. Ugh.
8.47 4th – TD Vikings. Browns defense looks like they are out of gas. Frye’s gotta come back out on the next drive. Oy. Vikings 24, Browns 6.
8.38 4th – Josh Cribbs one of the bright spots today. Another nice KO return into Vikings territory.
Dilfer back in. Odd. What a weird game.
6.02 4th – Dilfer throws a pick in the end zone. 5TH TURNOVER TODAY.
4.21 4th – Vikings pick up a 1st down on the ground. Game iced.
4.06 4th – Browns call final timeout. Thank God they’re out of timeouts.
3.20 4th – Vikings call timeout before punting. Torture.
3.06 4th – Northcutt returns punt to near midfield. Only the two minute warning can prolong this any further. Dilfer still in. Hurts himself running out of bounds. The guy is in pain.
2 MINUTE WARNING - Dilfer moving the team on a bum knee in garbage time. Unfortunately there have been 5 TURNOVERS PRIOR TO THIS POINT.
1.06 4th – TD Browns. Dilfer to Northcutt on a slant. Nice play. Dilfer getting big time courage points today, the guy is getting pummelled, limping, etc. 2 point conversion attempt to Droughns over the middle fails. Vikings 24, Browns 12.
Onside kick fails, mercifully. Some idiot official throws a flag. STOP. PLEASE. I feel like I’m in some Dick Cheney Abu Ghraib torture chamber. Vikings ball.
Posted in: Cleveland Browns
The clock management at the end of the half was a joke. Pathetic! Why didn’t they call a time out after Droughns ran it to the 5 with over 30 seconds left?
If Dilfer goes out and Frye is actually able to win this game, I’d say that’s the last we’ll see of our boy Trent this year.
Darn. Three more months until pitchers and catchers report.
The Dolphins must really suck.
I don’t get how come we’re this bad this far into the rebuilding program. All the early draft picks haven’t meant a thing. All the coaching changes haven’t meant a thing. It’s not as if we’re talking about close, hard fought losses to the good teams. We’re talking about big losses to mediocre teams in which we out and out stink.
I just don’t get it.
Let’s not get too upset here. This is the NFL. The Browns aren’t as good as they looked last week, and they’re not as bad as they looked today. Also, the Dolphins beat the Raiders today in Oakland.
The Browns are a rebuilding team. They’ll have their ups and downs.
Sure, G, I get that. But we’ve been saying that sort of thing every year and things don’t get better. We didn’t lose a hard fought game on a last second field goal…we got stomped. Again. And the schedule ahead shows that we might have seen the last win for the season. We should have been showing some momentum from last week’s win. Instead, it looks like that game was an aberration.
I’m just at a loss to explain how we can look this bad after so many years of rebuilding. How long can we use the “rebuilding” explanation? We keep changing the parts but nothing works. All the early picks seem to have resulted in not much. I just don’t get it.
It’s certainly frustrating, though we have to face it, we are rebuilding again. Starting over. Last year doesn’t matter to Crennel and Savage. They’re seeing what they have this year, and then we have to see improvement next year. I think games like Miami give a glimmer of hope. We just have to understand we’ll also see setbacks. The key is to learn from them.
“I’m just at a loss to explain how we can look this bad after so many years of rebuilding.”
The thing is, this is the first year of a new rebuilding process. A lot of the players who were brought in under Butch’s rebuilding plan are gone, and, as G pointed out, Crennel and Savage are now starting over from scratch. You can’t look at where this team is now vs. where they were two or three years ago. You can’t even look at where they are now vs. where they were in week one. It’s a process.
Let’s see where they are next year. Another draft, another free agency period, and another year under Crennel and (hopefully) we’ll start seeing the results we’re all dying to see.