Behind The Box Score

On a day where Brady Quinn’s alma mater entered a new era with Brian Kelly, the trend of losing in Cleveland froze just as the weather suggested. With wind chills reaching -15 degrees, the 1-11 Cleveland Browns virtually ended any playoff reservations the defending Super Bowl champs were hoping to make.

Led surprisngly by a stout defensive assault, Rob Ryan’s bunch got pressure all night on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who continued to struggle, completing 18 passes for 201 yards, but failed to get the ball into the endzone. The Browns, on the otherhand were far from a Mistake by the Lake on Thursday night, gashing the usually tough Pittsburgh run game for 171 rushing yards and a touchdown, the first by any Browns running back in over six games. Using the wildcat extensively with five tool hybrid wideout Josh Cribbs, the Kent State alum bruised the Steelers for 191 all purpose yards and a key rush on third down which saw Cribbs break mulitple tackles for a 16 yard gain and kept the ball in the Browns’ possession.

Coming off a 30-23 loss to the San Diego Chargers last week, hopes were high for Eric Mangini’s club and the usually ill fated Cleveland fan base was sent home with a victory behind the performance of a defense that was filled with no names who have been given their chance this season. A key example is Marcus Benard, a 24 year old Jackson State grad who coming into the game had three tackles in his NFL career. Blowing past the right side of the Pittsburgh offensive line, Benard collected two sacks and lived up to his nickname, “King Kong Benard.” Also important in the constant pressure put on Roethlisberger was Corey Williams, the constantly criticized six year vet who also had two sacks and five total tackles. Along with Benard and Williams, Brian Schaefering, David Bowens, Hank Poteat and Kaluka Maiava collected sacks, who?

This has been the story all year long for this Browns team. With a roster full of fill in’s and add on’s, this group has proven to Mangini that they can play and with 11 draft picks in the next upcoming NFL Draft, the future looks bright in Cleveland. If this rag tag group of players can send the defending champs home with a loss and end their playoff hopes, imagine what this team can do when given a doze of talent.

Aside from Cribbs, Chris Jennings took a load of the carries tonight, running the ball 20 times for 73 yards and a 15 yard scamper late in the second quarter. When it seemed the wheels were reading to fall off late in the game, the defense once again stepped up for the Browns and made sure the reeling Steelers would go back to Pittsburgh with an unprecedented fifth straight loss and an invitation to the golf course this January.

How does it feel Pittsburgh?

For the Michigan game this year, you can expect something different in the look of the game. As it seems every single football team from college to the NFL has done so far in 2009, Ohio State is donning retro uni’s for the 106th installment of The Game. Ex-Buckeye Brandon Smith placed pictures on his Twitter feed of the new jerseys and helmet. The only other time that Ohio State wore throwbacks were in Read the rest of this entry »

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Plaxico Burress made the winning catch for the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Now today, just 19 months since that play, he is going to be behind bars for two years after being found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon. He could possibly get out in Read the rest of this entry »

The new Cowboys stadium held its first regular season game last night, and boy was it a great one. Just for the opposing team. Eli Manning led the Giants (2-0) on an 11 play, 56 yard drive that chewed up the final 3:40 of the fourth quarter clock, capped off by a game-winning 37 yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, ending the game Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout ESPN and the major sports networks, the 87-yard pass that was tipped by the Bengals Leon Hall from Jay Cutler to Brandon Stokley has been shown all week. What remains to be seen is how that play will change Cincinnati’s season. The last few years have not gone well for the orange and black, and this year had a hopeful outlook, Read the rest of this entry »

Last year was the third year out of 4 that the AFC South sent two teams to the playoffs, but each had troubling results once the month of January rolled on through. The Colts (12-4) lost an overtime thriller to the Chargers 23-17, and my beloved Titans (13-3), the top seed in the AFC, got upset by the born-again Baltimore Ravens 13-10. But the 2009 season looks to write a better ending to a great season than 2008, or 2007.

The division champion was Tennessee, who started last season off unbelievably hot, rolling to 10-0 record, outscoring opponents 322-121 in those games. They hammered runner-up Read the rest of this entry »

Wreaking havoc on other teams within the AFC South for the last few years without playoff success, the Texans look to stop that trend in 2009. With the key parts from an 8-8 season returning for the new year, everything looks to be in place. A tough start to 2008 threw the plans of a playoff berth out the window, starting out 0-4. Their spotty defense was the main reason they dropped Read the rest of this entry »

Three weeks ago, NFL Drama Queen Brett Favre told everyone in the national media and the Minnesota Vikings that he was going to stay retired. Finally, most people thought, this man would go away and let Sage Rosenfels and Tavaris Jackson duke it out for the starting quarterback spot. Well, like an STD, Brett Favre is back and expected to sign with the Vikings. Read the rest of this entry »

Mark Sanchez has always been known for starting fast and in his first preseason game against the St. Louis Rams, he did just that. Sanchez, the fifth pick in the draft, showed New York fans just what they traded for as on the first play, when he lost his mouth piece yelling out the play, completed a 55 yard bomb to David Clowney. Sanchez’s first throw wasn’t the only bright spot as the rookie from USC conducted a scoring drive, completing three of four attempts for 88 yards. Read the rest of this entry »

After missing the 2007 and 2008 seasons while encarcerated on charges relating to dog fighting, do it all QB Michael Vick has signed a one year deal with an option for 2010 worth 1.6 million dollars. Vick, who last played on December 31, 2006 against the Eagles, will be eligible to play the final preseason games along with practicing with the team, with an option for full reinstatement by week 6. Read the rest of this entry »