The 110th meeting in the Browns-Steelers rivalry looked much like most every other game the teams have played since the Browns returned in 1999. The same old formula, played out in a newly embarassing fashion: Steelers ram the ball down the Browns throats, Browns get physically dominated, Steelers triumph. A game is really bad when you can say that it was much worse than the 27-7 score. After an encouraging victory over a solid Chiefs team, it's puzzling to see the Browns fold against their archrivals. Romeo's going to feel the heat on his trousers all week, and if he wants to stick around much longer he needs to get this team to play with some semblance of inspiration. The organization has been telling us to be patient and let Crennel and Savage work their magic, but abominations like this just won't be tolerated.
THE GOOD
Derek Anderson performed as well as a sixth-round backup getting his first career start could’ve been expected to. He completed 21 of his 37 passes (56.7%) for 276 yards, had 1 TD, 1 INT, lost 1 fumble, and was basically average across the board. He showed some decent poise in the pocket against a good Steeler pass rush, and didn’t take a sack. Credit must go to the offensive line for that, though they really don’t deserve too much praise after a game in which they paved the way for 18 whole rushing yards. The Browns are now in the enviable position of having not one, but two completely mediocre quarterbacks to choose from.
THE BAD
Willie Parker rushed for 223 rushing yards. Najeh Davenport rushed for 62. That’s two individuals who outrushed the entire Browns roster. It was nearly three as John Kuhn, a 255 pound ball of undrafted glory from Division II Shippensburg, tallied up 16 yards on his lone carry. Pittsburgh amassed 303 rushing yards altogether, and 528 yards of total offense. That makes three genuinely bad outings in a row for the Browns defense, which had been pretty consistent earlier in the year. This might’ve been the most demoralizing game of the year, though the 30-0 loss to the Bengals is very close. If nothing else, the Browns are raising their draft position to bolster another strong offseason of we loyal fans imagining how great they’ll be next year.
THE UGLY
Anderson’s decent day could’ve been a whole lot better if his receivers caught his passes. The total number of drops varies depending on the source, though the consensus is between 7 and 9. Dennis Northcutt led the botch brigade with three drops, proving once again that he is indeed a crappy pass-catcher. Braylon Edwards, Jason Wright, Darnell Dinkins and Terrelle Smith all got in on the act as well, though in the latter three’s defense, they’re not expected to be productive. Joe Jurevicius seemed to be the only receiver capable of hauling in Anderson’s passes, as he finished with 7 catches for 111 yards. Braylon Edwards explains: “There's a different velocity on Derek's ball than Charlie [Frye's]. We're not trying to make excuses, but Derek throws the ball very hard, so when you turn around, the ball is humming. It's there. You don't have time to play around. You have to be ready.” In summary, Derek Anderson throws the ball too hard and it gets to the receivers too fast. And that's a bad thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment