7-4 Cleveland, Yep, 7-4

Sitting around watching the San Diego/Baltimore game yesterday something strange happened. The scores from the afternoon games were flashing along the bottom of the TV and the Cleveland score came up. Here’s what I saw.

 

(5-6) Houston 17, (7-4) Cleveland 27.

 

What are those numbers in front of Cleveland? Surely, it’s a misprint, a type-o, a mistake. Either it’s suppose to be 4-7 or 74, as in the 74th ranked team in the country.

 

Later Sunday night, watching ESPN, they were talking about how great the Patriots were and no one could match them. Then someone else said the next tier of teams is the Colts, followed by someone else saying the Jags and Browns are up there too. What? Really? The Cleveland Browns? 

 

On Sept. 10 you have thought it was misprint and the guy on ESPN was telling a cruel joke to long suffering Browns fans.

 

Not this year. The Browns are for real. I know they aren’t close to the Patriots, but who is? And I’d put them behind the Colts and Steelers but not by much. Colts have shown they aren’t the dominate team they used to be (although they still can be) and Cleveland as already proven they can play with Pittsburgh (although not beat them yet) but the Steelers did lose to Arizona and the Jets. Not sure what to make of Jacksonville. Some games they look great, some not so great.

 

Yesterday the Browns put together what may have been their best overall game of the year. It wasn’t the best offensively or special teamively (does that count) but the defense and running game finally came along.

 

Everyone assumed the game with the Houston Texans would be a high scoring, passing all over the field, defense might as well not even show up, game. Well, for what seems like the first time all year, the Browns defense showed up for four quarters. They’ll weren’t great or perfect by any means but they were really, really good. 

 

Huge hits by Sean Jones, Brodney Pool and Kamerion Wimbely. Big INTs by D’Qwell Jackson and Bradon McDonald. A big fourth down stop on the first possession of the game set the tone and they held the Texans to 2-of-10 on third down (of course the Browns were only 3-of-13). How did the announcers (finally got Gus Johnson which was great but his partner Steve Tasker is horrible) not mention it was McDonald’s first ever start? They kept saying he as a rookie but nothing about replacing another rookie and making his first start against Andre Johnson and holding him in check.

 

Jamal Lewis woke from the dead for the second straight week. He ran for 134 yards and a touch. And he did it on averaging 4.6 yards a carry. Unlike the rest of the season (aside from the Cincy game where he ran for 216 yards against a defense I could run for 100 against) he as been very mediocre to bad. But yesterday he looked like the Lewis who ran over the Browns in the past. He ran over guys, broke tackles, spun away from others and carried the pile a few extra yards. Let’s hope this is the guy who comes to play the rest of the year. 

 

The passing game was solid like it always is. K2 is simply amazing. Of course by the time he is 35 he won’t be able to walk, but until then, my goodness is he good.

 

All that really matters is that 7-4 was not a misprint. The Browns on sitting in the sixth spot of the AFC with a relatively easy schedule left. Maybe winnable should be the word instead of easy. But let’s take the Romeo approach, AKA the Belichick and look at it one game at a time. Next week at Arizona. A very tough test with the way the Cardinals throw the ball but if the game is close you can expect Kurt Warner to pee down his leg like he did yesterday. Seriously, who loses a game by fumbling it in the endzone? 

 

7-4. Seven wins, four loses. Not a bad place to be 12 weeks into the season. This is a season full of great surprises for Browns fans and I hope it doesn’t end. As good as “(7-4) Cleveland” looks, imagine how good “(8-4) Cleveland” will look on the TV screen next week.