Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Terry Pluto: No surprise as fates go against Browns

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"]Terry Pluto[/URL] December 30, 2007 23:36PM

Categories: Browns

You knew it.
If you're a Browns fan, you knew this would happen. You knew you'd get your hopes up. You knew you'd be teased. You knew the 10-6 Browns season was too good, that something would go wrong.
You knew your team would miss the playoffs, which they did after Tennessee beat Indianapolis, 16-10, Sunday night. It didn't matter that Tennessee had the same 10-6 record as the Browns. It didn't matter that the Browns beat San Francisco, 20-7, earlier in the day. It didn't matter that the NFL rules for this situation meant the Browns could have lost and still went to the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
All Tennessee had to do was lose.
Which you knew would never happen.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Bud Shaw: Quinn's cameo can't overshadow Anderson's year

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"][EMAIL="[email protected]"]Bud Shaw Plain Dealer Columnist[/EMAIL][/URL] December 30, 2007 21:21PM

Categories: Browns

What's the reading material in the trainer's room anyway? The "Wally Pipp Story?"
The Yankees didn't build a statue to Lou Gehrig, Pipp's replacement, during one afternoon game.
But if you're a sixth-round draft choice like Derek Anderson and you dress next to the matinee idol first-rounder, a certain amount of paranoia must go with the territory.
Like his head coach, Anderson seemed to have his AQC system -- Anti-Quarterback Controversy -- on high alert Sunday.
After X-rays on his little finger, Anderson jumped back in to start the third quarter after Brady Quinn played the final series of the first half. Anderson never again left the game, even though he spent much of the fourth quarter handing the football off.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Browns Insider: Quinn gets in, gets the lead out

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"]Mary Kay Cabot[/URL] December 30, 2007 22:38PM

Categories: Browns

Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerBrady Quinn was 3-for-8 for 45 yards in his NFL debut.
Photo gallery

Brady Quinn ran onto the Cleveland Browns Stadium field Sunday to a standing ovation with 3:11 left in the first half of the 20-7 victory over the 49ers and didn't disappoint in his NFL debut.

After kicking off the cement shoes he felt like he was wearing, the rookie backup quarterback completed three straight intermediate passes and produced a field goal in his lone series.
He would've had a touchdown, but Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow dropped back-to-back passes in the end zone. The Browns settled for a field goal.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Think Cribbs is great? He kicks it up a notch


Monday, December 31, 2007 Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter
Browns tight end Kellen Winslow has never seen a kick returner - and kamikaze gunner - like his Pro Bowl teammate Josh Cribbs.
"That guy is not human," said Winslow. "He's the best I've ever seen at returning anything. I wouldn't kick it to him. He's a tackle-breaking machine, he's doing everything, and he's the best I've ever seen doing it."
Cribbs, voted to the Pro Bowl earlier this month, returned punts and covered kicks against the 49ers like he was in the playoffs, not a relatively meaningless game.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Terry Pluto's Notebook: With Crennel, there's a lot to love

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"][EMAIL="[email protected]"]Terry Pluto Plain Dealer Columnist[/EMAIL][/URL] December 30, 2007 21:05PM

Categories: Browns, Terry Pluto columns

Supposedly, Bill Parcells wants Romeo Crennel as his coach in Miami. Rather than going to Miami or anywhere else, Crennel could be in position for a contract extension.
While he won't be Coach of the Year (Bill Belichick is expected to win it), Crennel has earned respect by turning the Browns into one of the NFL's surprise teams.
General Manager Phil Savage loves Crennel for several reasons, one of the biggest being Crennel is interested in coaching, period. He doesn't want to be a GM. He doesn't want to draft players or make trades. He obviously wants input, but he's not a guy who wants publicity or is interested in a power grab.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Cleveland Browns kicking battery celebrates a record season

Monday, December 31, 2007 Joe Maxse

Plain Dealer Reporter
The three amigos were celebrating right next to each other in the Browns' locker room after Sunday's 20-7 victory against the San Francisco 49ers.
While Phil Dawson was the center of attention for getting a team-record 120 points by a kicker, the nine-year veteran wanted his good fortune to be spread among holder-punter Dave Zastudil and long snapper Ryan Pontbriand. In fact, he was adamant that all his teammates share in the accomplishment.
"I knew about it, but I wasn't focused on it," said Dawson, who connected on two field goals and two extra points. "It was something I was hoping to get and it was nice to share with my teammates. They all came up to me after the kick."

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Browns season ends
Monday, December 31, 2007
By Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


CLEVELAND Dessert?

Browns quarterback Derek Anderson didn?t know if there would be any as he dressed beside a Brady Quinn cluster interview after the Browns? 20-7 conquest of San Francisco.

There wasn?t. Tennessee, not the Browns, won the last AFC playoff spot.

The Browns needed an Indianapolis win with skinny backup Jim Sorgi throwing at the Titans to get out of the regular season alive.

Anderson had joked about sending Sorgi a box of cookies as an incentive.

As the grim necessity of Sorgi magic approached Sunday, Anderson said, ?I will send him those cookies. Any kind he wants.??

Sorgi?s Peyton Manning impersonation was inadequate. In a game with historic implications for the Browns, Indianapolis swiftly went into practice-game mode, its playoff back covered, using backups.

The Titans advanced by winning 16-10.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Browns win 10th, still miss out on playoffs
Monday, December 31, 2007
By Steve Doerschuk
Repository sports writer

Browns defensive back Brandon McDonald tries to get the Dawg Pound excited during the first quarter Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns went on to beat the 49ers, 20-7, to finish the season 10-6 ? their best finish in the expansion era. Repository photo by Bob Rossiter​

CLEVELAND The hay is in the barn. The bins are so fat with harvest, it?s a wonder the siding doesn?t blow off.

Yet, there was that glaring, steaming cow pile in the middle of the floor. It would have taken Tennessee losing at Indianapolis on Sunday night to clean it up.

That didn?t happen. The Titans scored a maddening win to grab the final AFC playoff spot Cleveland could have had.

Yet, now that the cleanup work must wait until 2008, there is much to take to market.

?It?s not where we wanted to be,? tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. said. ?But it?s a steppingstone. We?ve grown.?

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

BROWNS NOTEBOOK
Monday, December 31, 2007
BY Steve Doerschuk
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


The siege

The Browns lingered longer in the locker room than after any other 2007 game.

Even at that, they had hours to wait before the Titans-Colts game that would determine their playoff fate.

Throughout the fourth quarter, Browns fans chanted, ?Let?s go Colts.?

?We?re all Indy fans tonight,? Romeo Crennel said. ?Hopefully they can get it done.?

Phil Dawson, the only Brown who has been with the team throughout the expansion era, said:

?It?s hard to imagine that it?s over.?

It was one of those nights the single guys didn?t feel like going home, but ...

?I don?t want to let my emotions get the best of me out in public,? rookie Brady Quinn said. ?I?ll probably be in my house or somewhere with one of my teammates.?

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Cribbs: 'I love playing this game'
[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Punt return for touchdown punctuates Pro Bowler's great season[/FONT]
Monday, December 31, 2007
By Todd Porter
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

MY FIRST ONE Joshua Cribbs returned his first career punt for a touchdown in the first quarter Sunday against the 49ers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. He also had a kickoff return for a score called back by a penalty.
REPOSITORY BOB ROSSITER​

CLEVELAND On the field, they?re almost never in the same place at the same time. But the night before every game, Joshua Cribbs and Braylon Edwards are inseparable. They?re roommates.

In February, they?ll get their own rooms in Hawaii. Cleveland?s big-play players were on display Sunday during Cleveland?s regular-season finale, a 20-7 win over San Francisco. Thanks to both Pro Bowlers, the Browns finally got it going after a slow start.

?We want to prove we?re not flukes,? Cribbs said. ?We didn?t get in (the Pro Bowl) by accident. We?ve got to keep that standing. If we make it to the Pro Bowl and slack off, sit back, that gives you no credibility. Each team we play we?ve got to show them why we?re in the Pro Bowl. We?ve gotto show them we?re as good as we are.?

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Todd Porter: Browns are losers no more
Monday, December 31, 2007
By Todd Porter
Repository sports writer

CLEVELAND

When Romeo Crennel first walked through the doors of the Cleveland Browns? facility in Berea, a hinge might as well have fallen off. The frame could have squeaked and the door bell probably didn?t work.

That was the kind of mess Crennel and General Manager Phil Savage walked into. The team, on the field, was in shambles. They feared losing to their own shadows. They believed they could beat only themselves, and seemed hell-bent on proving it week after miserable week.

Oh, those were the days.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Pointing out
Monday, December 31, 2007
BY Todd Porter
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


THEY WON THE GAME HERE

With Derek Anderson off to another poor start, the Browns? offense was struggling. On third-and-8 from the San Francisco 45 and the crowd growing antsy for something positive, Anderson delivered. He found Braylon Edwards streaking toward the end zone and pulling away from CB Nate Clements. Anderson was looking at Edwards and missed a blitzing Bryant Young bearing down on his chest. Anderson?s pass was perfect, he took the hit and the Browns led 14-0. At that point it sent a message to the hapless Niners this was Cleveland?s game. The door was shut on a bad team looking to sneak out of Cleveland with a win.

THEY SAID IT

?He?s got a little bruised pinky. We kissed it and put a little aspirin on it and he came back.?

Romeo Crennel joking about the extent of QB Derek Anderson?s injury.

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[ScarletBlood31]

Well, I'm not really a Browns fan, but I was rooting for them to make the playoffs.

However, I think that they have a lot to be proud of. The future is looking good for Cleveland.

 

[schwab]

When I look back on this season, there are many positive things that we can take away from what the Browns were able to do. 10-6 is nothing to sneeze at, and is good enough most years. Heck, in 2002, 9-7 got us in with tiebreakers.

Having said that, one of the best memories of the season I will keep is Miami going 1-15. And who that 1 came against....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Another solid draft in 2008 will go a long way towards the direction of the Browns in the next five years.

#1 priority is resigning Anderson and Lewis.
#2 priority is getting some D-line help and depth.