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By Marla Ridenour Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Nov 26, 2007
CLEVELAND: Browns free safety Brodney Pool said it was the hardest hit he's made since he knocked himself out against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But his second-quarter tackle on Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels that jarred the ball loose and forced a field goal packed more than just a powerful punch. It sent the message that the Browns' defense was ready to shoulder its share of the load.
Quarterback Derek Anderson, running back Jamal Lewis and tight end Kellen Winslow were still the stars in the Browns' 27-17 victory on Sunday. Lewis posted his second 100-yard game as a Brown, rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown. Anderson threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Winslow caught 10 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
But the Browns' defense, ranked last in the league, came up with the big plays when it needed them. Some other examples:
With the Texans leading 7-0 in the second quarter and facing second down at the the Browns 35, linebacker D'Qwell Jackson intercepted a Matt Schaub pass intended for tight end Joel Dreessen.
The Browns led 17-10 in the second quarter and the Texans had reached the Browns 39 when linebacker Kamerion Wimbley forced Daniels' fumble after a 17-yard catch and cornerback Leigh Bodden recovered. Texans coach Gary Kubiak challenged that Daniels was down by contact, to no avail.
''It's a shot in the dark,'' Kubiak said. ''If your stadium's doing it the right way, they aren't going to show you the replay if you're the visiting team. You just go off your player thinking his knee was down. If you're wrong, you're wrong.''
Rookie cornerback Brandon McDonald, filling in for the injured Eric Wright, had two crucial stops. He broke up a third-down pass intended for receiver Jacoby Jones at midfield in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, he grabbed his first interception to set up the Browns' final touchdown.
''We're bending, we're not breaking,'' Wimbley said. ''We're letting them get down there, we're not letting them score touchdowns. In the beginning, we'd give up some big plays in the run and pass. We're making big plays now.''
Browns coach Romeo Crennel still wasn't happy. His team surrendered 314 yards, but it held the Texans to 2-of-10 on third down and notched three takeaways.
''Our guys play hard, they make plays when they have to,'' Crennel said. ''If we hadn't given up that last touchdown, I would say it was a pretty good defensive performance.''
The Browns (7-4) won their fifth consecutive game at home for the first time since the 1994 season. Aided by the Cincinnati Bengals' 35-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans, the Browns also gained control of their playoff destiny. If the season ended today, they would earn one of two wild-card slots along with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
''I told you guys we were going to turn some heads this year,'' Winslow said. ''We can only get better. There was like 21 points we could have had on the board.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
CLEVELAND: Browns free safety Brodney Pool said it was the hardest hit he's made since he knocked himself out against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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