Intense Browns take 16-10 lead into halftime against Saints
September 14, 2014Browns beat the Saints for home opener win! – WFNY Podcast – 2014-09-14
September 14, 2014Mike Pettine won his first game as Cleveland Browns head coach in his second try. Who would have thought I’d get to say that when the schedule was revealed and the Browns drew the Saints in week two to open their home schedule? But win they did! The Browns sent the Saints packing with some extremely heavy 0-2 luggage as they won it on a last-second Billy Cundiff field goal 26-24. A week after losing by the field goal, the Browns find a way to get it done the same way. It was anything but easy, but who thought it would be?1
The Browns – like every other NFL team – don’t get to complain about luck or anything else, and they seem to know this. The Browns were missing Jordan Cameron, Ben Tate, Barkevious Mingo, John Hughes and Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, but nobody cares who you’re missing in the NFL. After going out to an early lead, missing an extra point, and flirting with disaster, the Browns stared down a one-point deficit – trailing 24-23 – and the ball at their own five yard line with about 2:45 left. Yes, they were at their own five, but these are the scenarios you need to conquer in the NFL to win games.
The Browns converted for the first down out of their end by the two minute warning, but they still had 83 yards to a Browns touchdown, and less than that (maybe fifty-ish?) for a game-winning field goal. The Browns had all their timeouts as well. It was an uneven drive and the Browns nearly lost the game when Miles Austin caught the ball along the sidelines with 15 seconds left. The clock kept running in error all the way down to eight. The play went under review, the call on the field was upheld and then the clock was corrected on the field.2
Your Browns did it. They stared down all of it. Brian Hoyer completed a long pass to Andrew Hawkins for 28 yards. Yes, it should have been a touchdown if the ball had been thrown better. Who cares? The Cleveland Browns completed that pass, called their timeout and Billy Cundiff nailed a game-winning 29-yarder to send Browns fans home happy 26-24.
The Browns didn’t start the second half well. Their first drive out of halftime was five plays, three yards, and a punt. That’s not how anyone dreamed it up when the Browns were putting their opening drive together in the locker room, I wouldn’t think. Drew Brees moved the ball down the field for Jimmy Graham’s second touchdown and all of a sudden, the Saints had the lead after struggling through the first half. Momentum was all gone for the Browns, it seemed and Brian Hoyer jumped back on the field.
The Browns debuted the Johnny Manziel package with a hand-off for a couple of yards. The home crowd lost their minds and the enduring image will be of Johnny quieting them down before handing off for very little gain. It’s hard to think what the Browns were hoping to accomplish by putting Johnny Manziel on the field. He has ability and talent, but until he can run the whole playbook, it really seems like little more than gimmickry.
Isaiah Crowell came into the game when the Browns really needed a spark. After a 7-yard carry and a 17-yard carry, the Browns were first and goal. Crowell gave way to Terrance West who punched it in from nine yards out for the score. The Browns responded when they needed it most by achieving in the running game, which was really exciting, but also an extreme relief. The Browns went down 17-16 and proved that they could respond with that touchdown. That’s key for any football team. You never expect the Browns offense to be a consistent juggernaut, but they go through spells of inability that make you feel like they’ll never move the ball again.
For me though, the key to this game wasn’t even the finish. Yes, the Browns needed to finish, but it wasn’t what I’ll remember from this one. I’ll remember the way they started with defensive dominance, punching the Saints in the mouth with a steady dose of Karlos Dansby, Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard in Drew Brees’ face. It was infectious too. Joe Haden was measuring up runners early and delivering shots as well. Paul Kruger’s pressure on Drew Brees led to Tashaun Gipson’s return TD.
Mike Pettine showed courage in his decisions. With 6:30 to go in the first quarter, the Browns faced a fourth and one at the Saints’ five yard line. Rather than taking a chip shot field goal, the Browns trusted their jumbo run game. They got the yard they needed and followed it up with a play-action slant to Miles Austin for the score. Going up 7-0 to the Saints at home in the opener is no small deal for Browns fans. This showed actual confidence.
For Browns fans, it has been easy to confuse “What do we have to lose?” with actual confidence. They’re clearly not the same things and the Browns crowd seemed to know it in the stadium. With 3:45 left to go in the first quarter the Saints had already used two timeouts and followed up the second one with a false start penalty, largely aided by crowd noise.
The Browns were fortunate, but teams make their own luck and the Browns took advantage. When Miles Austin dropped an easy first down on third and four and the Browns were forced to kick a field goal, they lucked out. Billy Cundiff plunked the upright on fourth and four, but the Saints were in the neutral zone and the Browns got a first down gifted to them. The Browns didn’t do much, but Billy Cundiff nailed a 32-yarder as opposed to his failed 44-yarder standing and giving the Saints the ball back down just seven points.
Enough of the play-by-play. The Cleveland Browns won their home opener. They did it against an opponent that everyone assumed was superior heading into the game. They did it without all their best players, but they stuck to their plan. They stayed true to their stated identity of being a team that would play defense and run the ball. Yes, the Browns threw the ball 41 times, but they ran it 30. The Browns came back and won a football game by executing a game-winning field goal drive from their own five yard line with under three minutes to go in the game.
Read that back to yourself a few times tonight and again a few more tomorrow.
59 Comments
WINNER: The coaches and huddle/pre-snap communication….the Browns started the game winning drive with ALL THREE timeouts left. How many times in the past have they been in a spot like that and had no timeouts left because of miscommunication or pre-snap mistakes and had to waste them?
WINNER: Gary Barnidge….made a huge 3rd and 12 catch on the “Manziel Drive” that eventually led to a touchdown, and caught the even bigger 4th and 6 play on the game winning drive.
WINNER: Tashaun Gipson…..was he out of position and got lucky, maybe….but he made the pick and what’s even better is that he took it to the house. How many times in the past have we seen a big INT only to be tackled on the 10 or 5 yard line and the offense fail to punch it in and kick a FG. Gipson did what you need to do there and that’s score the TD. Awesome play.
Agreed; I did notice that it looked like Sheard would sometimes set up wide and take a chip shot at Graham on the way out to slow him down as well.
Looked at the schedule again and don’t think it would be crazy for them to be 6-4 when they get Gordon back.
I said it on the message board a couple weeks ago and then I backedup my hunch on the moneylibe at Bovada. Count me among the week 2 winners.
Great to get a win but there’s still lots more work to do. And if I were the Saints I’d be worried about what is now a yrend : their offense is just no good in early games, on the road, outdoors. Oh well, makes no difference to me. A win is a win and they’re all tough to come by in the NFL.
That was noticable and an improvement now if they get rid of the all white unis even better!
you want the white unis on sunny september days. better to have the saints wearing the heat absorbing black. take every edge you can.
You know, the purpose of a Free Safety is to be the last outlet to make a tackle when all of the people designed to cover fail; the FS is usually in deep coverage over top. Most free safeties are not Ed Reed.
Strong take
Jam him with a linebacker, bracket him up the field, and keep the safety in the neighborhood – translation: not worth it. The Saints have too many weapons to put the kind of coverage on him that’s needed, and we don’t have a 6’3″ freak to cover him man to man.