Open Thread: Baltimore Invades Cleveland
Written By: Craig | Category: Cleveland Browns | Comments: 209
The Browns and Ravens are all set to match up for the second time this season. The weather should be good, in the 50’s for most of the day, with normal levels of wind. Now that I have fulfilled the Dick Goddard portion of the post, on with the game.
We know that Ryan Tucker won’t be playing today. There are plenty of predictions for how the game will go right over here. Terry Pluto is talking Browns at Cleveland.com. Also, Bruce Springsteen and the Democrats (that should be his new band name) will be having an acoustic concert / political rally at 4 PM to coincide with the end of the Browns game. So either go check out the boss, or park appropriately so you don’t get caught up in that traffic nightmare.
Keep checking in here and comment often. Who’d a thunk after the first Ravens game that the Browns’ season would still be interesting at this point?
Author: CraigLyndall
Craig Lyndall has been writing about all the Cleveland sports teams at WaitingForNextYear since September 2008. When he isn't, you can find him selling insurance or playing music. Follow WFNYCraig on Twitter.Craig Lyndall has written 338 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVENS!
That should be in line with LeBroma.
Great start. 3 and out. Special teams are not so special.
Blood pressure rising already
Romeo might be a moron. Why wouldn’t you accept that penalty? He barely made that from 41.
anybody know what happened to vickers? why is ali playing
Vickers is out with an ankle from last week. I am really upset that Stallworth isn’t playing again.
Brandon McDonald gets burned and the Ravens go up 10-0. This is getting ugly quickly.
Way to show up guys… inexcusable to be this flat for this game. In some ways, I hope we’re embarrassed because it’s becoming pretty clear that major changes need to be made.
Terrible play-calls and our secondary gets ridiculously burned while Flacco had coffee drinking time in the pocket.
At least they get free Springsteen at the end of the day to sooth over the anger.
God Steptoe is such a bum. Get him off the team.
Cribbs saves the day again
Thank you Cribbs… one guy cares, now who else will show up?
Ravens whole secondary is out. They should just air it out
I HEART JOSH CRIBBS!!!!!
Josh Cribbs.
Don’t need to say anything else.
Kent State represent!!!
@#12
Yes. Make Braylon earn his game check and throw deep.
This offense makes me suicidal…
Ya’ll throw the towel in so early Lmao. Have some faith lars jeez.
Let’s run up the middle!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Another pathetic showing by our offense. 1 for a loss, 1 getting back the lost yards and then a terribad throw by Anderson, although it probably should have been caught.
Is it play calling or Anderson or a healthy mix of both?
I hear it’s better to throw to the receivers’ feet. That way the ball won’t be intercepted.
At least that’s what DA told me.
DA knows he saved his job last week, so this week he can relax I guess.
It’s cool DA, just take today off.
I think it’s gotta be a mix of both. DA sucks. Chud can’t seem to get a weekly game plan that works. Crennel might qualify for a learning disability.
DA is about as schizo as Maryland’s football team.
He’s looking great this drive.
so we’ll go for it down by 2 scores when a FG puts us to one score with 5 minutes left in the game… but kick the FG to tie it up with 5+ left in the first half?
um? what?
@victory: i’m 25 – what in my life time of being a cleveland sports fan should convince me to keep the faith?
Yikes, Rogers sits for a play and Rice explodes.
C’mon, the field goal was the right goal. Take the points and tie the game.
@ Lars: A High draft pick in next years draft??
BMac is getting abused by Mason today
Vickers being injured is killing the run game. Ali isn’t moving anyone.
I hope that Troy Smith gets traded, because I want to see him play and succeed, but not on any other team in our division.
Shaun Rogers – 6 tackles, 1 sack IN THE FIRST HALF!
Hahahaha nice clock management.. everyone run up to the line! Oh wait, TIMEOUT!
Nice pass to Braylon on the out route.
I have idea- run the same play that didnt work two times in a row!
Glad we’ve thrown one pass to the end zone today… oh wait, no we haven’t.
I have idea- run the same play that didnt work two times in a row!\\\
Phil Phil Phil Phil Phil
Tied Phil Dawson
That was one hell of a boot!
Wow…. is there a leg growth hormone? Last two years he has been pretty ridiculous compared to his entire career before.
DA runs off the field arms raised in triumph! He’s going to Disneyworld.
Ha ha i feel you lars. I’m 25 also
At least on Thursday the 6th we won’t have all these political ads running non-stop and we can get back to beer commercials and pills for artificial male enhancement.
Phil Dawson is getting my write-in for President.
Also, since Rich Gannon has overused it horribly, can we please do away with the phrase, “The game is really slowing down for him.”
We get the fact that flacco is becoming more experienced, but we don’t have to talk about the game slowing down for him every time he does something good, do we?
Cribbage
Cribbs is the MVP so far today narrowly edging out Phil Dawson.
BRAYLON
touch down baby. Sorry I am late.
much better
did you see that pump fake?
Good to see you whipjacka…
So is that still a bad pass even though they get the touchdown? I know. Who cares.
MVP of the game is Cribbs.
Jesus, Cribbs is all over the place on special teams.
My holy god I’m stuck with Lions/Bears this week. Why…why…why!!!!!!!!
I’m totally ponying up for the NFL package thing nexy season
If Todd Heap played for the Browns we would be running him outta town right about now.
sexy nexy
The corners are playing well (when they aren’t getting burned)
Good pay by Wright to get up and make the tackle.
At least you can… I get RCN and they don’t have the package. Really pisses me off… I ended up paying for NFL.com field pass so I can listen to the radio broadcast…
They’re scared of Cribbs.
I love it.
Man that sucks…I don’t mind listening to baseball on the radio but football just never did it for me.
LOL…Leigh Bodden just got burned by Devin Hester. I’ve seen that one before
That’s about the first emotion I’ve seen out of Anderson in a long time arguing for that PI call.
Bambino – I listened to the game earlier when I was in the car.
The problem? It was the Ravens radio network.
They sure sounded dejected making the call on Cribbs’ kickoff return for a TD.
This is exactly the kind of drive we expected to see this year.
Yeah I’m up here in Detroit but cool thing is I still pick up 1100 and 850 crystal clear on my car radio. It’s almost like being back home:)
Hahaha Gannon just said Jamal Lewis “wants to do his dirty work up inside”
TD!
Hey Ron… Look what comment number you had when you wrote that thing before there.
Touchdown baby. Who are these guys?
Now this is how the Browns should have been playing all year!
Defense has been very impressive as well in this game.
I think the browns are going to be okay. They are playing some excellent football. If they win today, they will be four and one in the last five games. We played some pretty good teams too.
Man Browns only have 41 rushing yards?
Lets get this thing on the ground ASAP before DA starts throwing prayers up there.
Well, it would be nice if the Browns would tighten up the D here. They are giving up prevent types of plays here.
Nice breakup by McD.
I must say Ray Rice is impressive. Remember how everyone said he wouldn’t be any good in the NFL?
wow
Oh Jesus…
The little arrow on the Gamecast thingie moved REALLLLY quick that last drive. That’s not good.
Did the Browns think that they had the game won already? Sheesh.
did they go with the no huddle because they liked the people we had on the field?
were we playing prevent?
are we too prone to getting excited about having won in the 3rd Q?
It all comes back to coaching…
or just TERRIBLE defense. I mean, c’mon have some pride and hold the lead
followed up by a three and out
f’ing incredible
Weak answer to that TD drive.
GD it
I have pleaded and nobody listens to me. Can we stop calling DA a pro bowler? He was filling in for someone. Tom Brady was the pro bowler and DA replaced him. That doesn’t make him a “pro bowler.”
Shit.
choke
I won’t ever call DA a Pro Bowler. You have my word on that hahaha
Brilliant defense. I bet we answer with a nice 3 and out.
Uber choke, woohoo!
Well, this doesn’t say much for Romeo Crennel and Mel Tucker.
No twinkie for you, RC.
Field position has killed us all day. We’re making it too easy for the ratbirds.
we’re getting torched by a rookie QB
The Browns NEED to answer here. They need it after 14 unanswered points.
45 yards rushing on 17 attempts? Not acceptable
Wow 2 straight runs up the middle. Brilliant play calling.
I have idea – let’s answer with 2 yard runs!!!!
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!
Beautiful ball. NFL HIGH 16 DROPS!!!!
Braylon WTF MAN! That might cost the team the game!
Rush.. Rush.. Pass.. They’re doing the same thing over and over again…. freaken pissing me off man….
I can’t believe he dropped that, except that I can totally believe it. That was absolutely RIDICULOUS. How can he drop a ball thrown like that from a PRO BOWL QB like Derek Anderson?
We’re averaging a little more than two yards a carry, and we’ve abused them through the air.
RC – WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?
We’re not going to “establish the run” at this point in the game. Go with what works – it’s crunch time.
Glad all I got on that was “incomplete pass”
Srsly
Craig – you just did it! I’ve screen shotted that comment, you are now on the record.
NOOOOOOOOO it was a joke.
Great stop.
Wait can we swear on here or not???
Mods?
Nope. No swearing please.
Are you telling jokes? I like jokes…
My bad on the language, it was just so seriously frustrating!
Darn. Just checking:)
No problem Eli. I removed it for you.
Everyone be good.
It is nearly impossible with this team sometimes.
A hold? Good job. Wonderful.
We have to go over to renegade boards like CSC to really express ourselves I guess…
I would hold a catching drill for Edwards. Everytime he dropped the ball everyone on the team would get a free throw at his nads.
That catch by Windslow was filthy.
Is CSC even still open? haha
I wanted that to be clean too, but it got out of control and then the snizz section opened and I forgot all about being clean.
The fine Edwards idea everytime he drops a pass sounds better though….
STOP RUNNNNNNING THE BALLLLL
Terrible offense.
What a terrible play call! Its that old ridiculous 3rd down call of being 2 yards short.
K2 caught that ball one-handed below his knee. That should have been incomplete too.
Damn. Seriously?
The Browns don’t deserve to win this game.
And our defense completely gives the game away!
Implosion successful. Great tackling.
Without our passionate Kobe vs. LeBron, Dana White, and Mike Brown debates CSC has been missing something…
WTFFFFF
I STILL BELIEVE!!!!!!
this is so depressing
The Mike Brown debate will begin shortly if the Cavs don’t improve their 3rd quarter performances, Bambino. If the Browns hold them to a FG here it will be a miracle.
Or maybe not.
One more… One more
Good tackle by Pool.
Cribbs for Heisman.
Why can’t they figure out a way to get Cribbs the ball in the offense?
Joshua Cribbs… ahahaha
Braylon is once again dropping the ball.
Handoff!
We’ll catch ‘em by surprise. or not.
Horrendous.
OMG not cool
How about a screen pass or something, people?
HE dropped another one.
3 and out. Is the new Browns fight song.
Aaaaaand it’s over.
The real question is how much blame DA will get for this loss.
Here we go “3 and out”, here we go!
Its funny that when I heard “This is a big opportunity for Anderson” I immediately added “to fail horribly and depress every Browns fan even further”.
It’s blatantly obvious they’re going to run. Why can’t we stop them?
One more… One more… Come on
Really nice breakup
YESSSSSS
a big thank you to the baltimore coaching staff for throwing on third down there.
Good field position. No excuses here.
I still hate Joe Flacco
Put Cribbs in at QB!
so you’re saying…
We have a chance?!?!
odds they run on 1st down?
Cribbs would have taken that to the house if he took the snap.
That was the worst play ever. No joke.
Why the hell did they take back Steve Sanders?
That’s it – Brady. It’s over for DA. End of discussion.
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Brady Chants going STRONG
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
interesting strategy
The crowd is screaming “brady, Brady”
Ok, BENCH ANDERSON
BRADY BRADY BRADY BRADY BRADY BRADY BRADY
What a joke. Wow. I’m speechless.
Why would you do a screen pass on 3rd and eight? Why would you make that pass? Terrible.
game over, season over
Worst play ever. I will say it again.
This is what DA does. Good game followed by giving the game away. It was enough for him to hold onto his job for a couple of weeks, BUT NOT ANYMORE!
What a bum.
“This is the dagger!” “This is the dagger!”
this is embarrassing
Anderson doesn’t have ANY vision in the pocket.
I have an idea.
Let’s do anything besides what we’ve done thus far this season.
This town sure knows how to bury a guy too. That chant was LOUD.
now anderson is running
Why throw it into double coverage underneath when it won’t even get you the first down.
Idea – run right, throw across the middle.
season now has a fork in it, Lets get Brady some playing time now either for next year or to build his trade value.
That should be the last pass DA throws in a Browns uniform.
Romeo wouldn’t even make eye contact with Anderson as he walked off the field….DEAD MAN WALKING
Maybe it’s more like DEAD MAN THINKING ARBYS
Plenty of blame to go around, as the defense coughed up a 14 point lead, but it’s hard to defend DA after this one. Against a team with its top 2 corners out, he gets outplayed by the other team’s rookie QB, and can only manage 50% completions and 219 yards. Just plain bad.
Marco – Braylon helped a lot.
Oh wait, he didn’t.
One nice TD catch, and 1398723520932 bad drops.
I’d place some blame on Braylon as well, even though if he did make that touchdown catch we still lose.
Pitiful.
This is the beginning of the end of the DA-Romeo era. A game they absolutely HAD to have (and did have up 14 points going into the 3rd quarter) turns into the biggest debacle of the season. Down the stretch both sides of the ball completely broke down and Anderson was back to his dear in the headlights look. This loss isn’t completely on Anderson (Braylon’s drop on DA’s perfectly thrown ball didn’t help matters), but Anderson needs to shoulder enough of the blame to end his time as the Browns starter. He just can’t deliver in the clutch. I’ve already written the Browns off twice this season before this game, but this is really it. Collapse down the stretch to drop to 3-5 and 1-3 in the division. It’s over.
If Braylon would have caught that ball…..a completely different game.
I live in Tampa, and numerous fans were congratulating me when J-Wright scored to go up 14. My response: There’s still alot of time left. That’s not normal or healthy. I didn’t enjoy a single second of this game because I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop–and drop it did.
This is the worst part of being a cleveland fan, in my opinion–games like this one put me in the worst moods. I am blindingly angry and inconsolably frustrated right now.
So here’s where it is for me: either DA and Romeo are gone, or I am. I know I’m just one fan and it makes no difference in the grand scheme of things to anyone other than me, but I can’t take this. Maybe that makes me less of a fan, but I don’t care about that right now.
If grandma had balls, she’d be grandpa
Oh, and by the way: to anyone who even remotely hinted at K2 being the source of this team’s problems and suggesting he be traded–you’re an idiot. Kellen Winslow is NOT this team’s problem.
Well, its only a slight consolation, but CBS is playing Slamball right now.
And Gus Johnson is calling it.
B-bo… I’m with you. This game has somehow shaken me to the core. I know it’s only sports, but when you spend the irrational amount of time that many of us do following it, these games are incredibly difficult to swallow.
In some ways though, this game may be a blessing in disguise. What this game conclusively proved, once and for all, is that DA (and Romeo) are not the future of this team. The Browns will never be winners with the two of them in charge. We’ve known that as fans for awhile, but the fact that this team has played pretty good football for the last 4.75 games until the fourth quarter today was blurring that picture. At one point during today’s broadcast during the third quarter when the Browns started to implode, Rich Gannon said something to the effect of, “Give credit to Romeo Crennel, he stuck with his Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson and now it’s paying off.” Anderson’s next pass was promptly batted down at the line of scrimmage in the first three and out of 6 in a row. When Gannon said that comment, I just had this feeling we were screwed.
Gannon’s an idiot, but I honestly believe Phil Savage is not. Brady Quinn will play this season, and if Romeo doesn’t do it, he will lose his job. This team is a sinking ship and they might as well see whether Brady and pilot it.
B-bo, I don’t want to sound like a dick, but if Romeo and DA are the reasons you stop being a Browns fan than you are less of a fan. I’m not saying we have to support them no matter what, because I hate them both and want them gone, but have some pride in your team, be there through thick and thin. If you made it through the years where they had no hope of winning, than surely you can make it through a season where they have talent but are being held back. If you stop being a Browns fan, don’t bother about coming back once they are good because we don’t want you. In fact, I’m not sure I want anyone supporting my team who is even considering a circumstance where they would stop being a Browns fan, have some pride or just go root for a perennial winner like the Patriots or something. Enjoy the hollow relationship you will have with whatever team you choose to root for. That goes for everyone. You can be pissed, angry, frustrated and dumbfounded but you are always supportive of the team itself, if not the players
How many career wins does Crennel have over AFC North opponents? 4? 5? in now his 4th year as coach?
I don’t even know what to think of this team.
Hey B-Bo, I feel your pain. DA and Romeo both need to be gone. Still, your comment about K2 is a bit crazy. K2 occasionally keeps his head down but I am not going to look at one game following a suspension as undeniable proof that he is not going to be a cancer.
These are the things that we can’t know as fans watching at the stadium and on TV. The only people who know are the people in the huddle, on the sidelines and in the locker room.
I’ll spare you guys the long profanity laced tirade left on DP’s voicemail and get to the conclusion: my thoughts after today’s game? “I’m done.”
-note that is a ‘done for the year’ and not ‘done for all time’
i’m not going to schedule a day around a team that doesn’t give a crap.
I loved hearing those “BRADY, BRADY” chants in the 4th quarter. My thoughts exactly; It was kind of the equivalent of me yelling at the TV – but this time DA could hear it.
I keep thinking about a comment that someone made here a few weeks ago. It was something along the lines of “How BAD of a job does this guy (DA) have to do to let the backup quarterback at least have a shot at taking a few snaps?”
Maybe Brady will get some playing time on Thursday? Hopefully. I’d love to see it.
And I’d love to see Braylon make some catches… and Stallworth to be healthy. Cribbs and Phil Dawson are doing great though!
What exactly makes anyone think that Brady is going to play this week? Unfortunately, (or perhaps, fortunately) I had to work on Sunday and didn’t catch any of the game on TV. I was able to listen to about the last minute on the radio, as well as the post game presser.
It was funny in a sad sort of way. The guy they had doing the locker room interviews sounded like he just watched his dog get hit by a semi, and Romeo was his typical, emotionless ho-hum self. Giving the same bullcrap generic answers:
Interviewer: Oh God. Oh dear lord in heaven. What a devastating, soul crushing, loss. I may not be able to get out of bed tomorrow. I may not even MAKE it to bed tonight, if you know what I mean. Coach, what happened here? How did this tragedy happen?
Romeo: Well, the offense and the defense just didn’t do the kinds of things that would have allowed us to finish the game with more points on the board than the other team.
So what makes anyone think that he is going to make a QB change now? You know, when we’re technically still alive for a wild card spot? Anderson has deserved a spot on the bench about 17 different times this year, but it hasn’t happened. Crennel will come out this week and say some garbage about how Quinn needs to be ready to go, and the Browns will come out with Anderson and throw all over the hapless Broncos defense. And instead of seeing that for what it is, Crennel will assume all is fine and continue to march DA out until the next 2 consecutive losses, where he will again make the Quinn statement.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat. 6-10.
Ricky: if it makes you feel like a better person because you can stomach the pathetic effort this team continually puts out on the field, then go with it. If it makes you a superior fan because you will put up with failure and stupidity week after week, then kudos to you. Maybe you can continually shake it off and be unaffected, but personally I don’t have that patience as much anymore. You want to get in a pissing contest over who has pride in their team, fine. I have neither the time nor the patience to sit here and attempt to justify or prove anything to anyone, least of all someone as seemingly arrogant as you. YOU don’t want ME coming around when the team gets better? Well I can’t tell you how much that just breaks my heart. Woe is me, whatever will I do? My apologies for voicing my growing frustrations with this team in one of the few arenas where I thought we as fans could do so–perhaps I was mistaken. I didn’t realize I would so offend your delicate nature. I should have more pride when the players, coaches, and management of this franchise clearly have very little themselves. But I’m a fan, so I should have to accept it? When did blind allegiance become the defining characteristic of a fan? Sometimes you have to call things as you see them. If that makes me less of a fan than you, so be it. I’ll still be in my Browns gear on Sundays, still rooting for the team, but I’m not going to dedicate myself to a team that isn’t dedicated to me or my hometown, and staying with RAC and DA would tell me that’s the case.
Craig: You’re right, we only see a small portion of a player on gameday. But as has often been the case since he came to this team, K2 was one of the few guys out there showing any heart. The offensive pass interference call was questionable at best. The bottom line is that it was ultimately the mental weakness of DA and Braylon, the lack of focus and effort from the secondary, and more bad playcalling that sunk this one. I’m tired of seeing people call for the head of a guy who actually seems to care about winning, that’s all.
Well said, B-bo.
You’ve pretty much exactly summed up the reasons why I’m a Republican who is going to vote Obama.
And it applies to the Browns as well.