Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Week 13 - Two Halves Don't Always Equal a Whole Lot
Well this was certainly a tale of two halves... The Browns led 14-3 at halftime, thanks in large part to excellent teamwork by two budding rookie stars. QB Charlie Frye, getting his first start of the season, and WR Braylon connected on 2 TDs before halftime that had Browns fans beginning to envision what could be a high octane offense in the near future... Of course, those those are putting the cart before the horse a bit. Charlie still seems to be anxious in the pocket, but I was thoroughly impressed with his "pocket awareness" (including knowing when he's about to get creamed). There was a run for a first down in the 2nd quarter that was of particular liking.
The Jags came up with guns blazing in the 3rd Quarter to score 17 unanswered points, putting them ahead for good. While Greg Jones did eclipse 100 yards, noone else really did anything noteable offensively for Jacksonville. I think I will put my broken record away on my turnovers & game clock preachings, though... The Browns had ZERO turnovers and barely won the time of possession battle, but still came away with a loss... What can I say? It is a metric of success, but not foolproof I guess.
Congratulations go out to Reuben Droughns, who ended a 16 season / 20 year drought of 1,000 yard rushers in Cleveland. A true bargain trade for a 4th Round pick, Droughns has found holes that past backs couldn't find and simply operates as a living pinball as he charges downfield. While we would certainly be tempted to have an electric back in the LaDanian Tomlinson or Shaun Alexander or Reggie Bush mold, Droughns is perfect for THIS Cleveland team. He also puts to rest any thoughts of drafting a RB in Rounds 1 or 2 of the 2006 Draft. If a back like LenDale White is available come Round 3, though, sign me up!!
In some depressing news, we have learned that Braylon Edwards is now OUT FOR THE SEASON and possibly out part of next season with a Torn ACL. When will this team's horrible luck with 1st Round picks end? One thing is for certain, however... Braylon will NOT be participating in the Kellen Winslow, Jr. stunt cycle rehab program.
I would be remiss to not mention our name change for this blog... Chuck and I lobbied the fellas running things over at Cleveland SportsClub and the Cleveland Sports Zone to come up with a new creative name for this blog. Our buddy TribeFanInAZ came up with "The Blawg Pound" and we're running with it!!! Great job over there guys!
FINAL SCORE: Jacksonville 20, Cleveland 14
