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Published on Sunday, Oct 25, 2009
1. Rough week
Twelve Browns missed Wednesday's practice with the flu, leading tackler D'Qwell Jackson needed season-ending pectoral surgery and cornerback Eric Wright totaled his Mercedes at 2:10 Friday morning. All that and being 1-5 provided a challenging week for the coaches and players.
''You start questioning, 'Maybe I should go to church more often and start living better,' '' said defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who was among those stricken with the flu. ''It's unfortunate we had a lot of guys miss practice. Green Bay's got one of the better offenses in football. [Coach Mike] McCarthy's a tough guy and he could care less; he's probably champing at the bit.''
On Wednesday, the Browns were missing seven starters and two of the 12 were confirmed cases of Influenza A. That number dwindled to 10 on Thursday and one (defensive lineman Corey Williams) on Friday. The Browns were hardest hit at outside linebacker (Kamerion Wimbley, who also missed last week's game in Pittsburgh, and Jason Trusnik), running back (Jerome Harrison and Lawrence Vickers) and defensive line (Shaun Rogers and Williams). The illness might have affected players' conditioning and their lack of preparation in the facility could give the favored Packers another advantage. But the players were committed to catching up those who were out and the two teams did meet in the preseason.
After his accident, Wright was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.
2. Aaron Rodgers
Last weekend in Pittsburgh, the Browns gave up 10 plays of 20 or more yards and two that went for 19. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL in the 20-plus category (26 plays) and Rodgers is right behind (22 in five games). Rodgers has thrown for 742 yards in the past two games and is on pace to break the franchise record set by Lynn Dickey (4,458). Rodgers ranks fifth in the league in passer rating (104.1) and improves to 136.7 on third down, second in the league to Eli Manning (141.4). The 24th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Rodgers is in his second year replacing Brett Favre.
''He's one of those quarterbacks that it's like a double-edged sword with him,'' Browns linebacker David Bowens said. ''If you let him sit back there and throw the ball, he'll find his spots. If you also try to pressure him, he'll be able to get out and run. He's a slippery guy. One thing he likes to do is run if he sees the pressure.''
One plus for the Browns is that Rodgers and Roethlisberger have similar styles. Rodgers has also been sacked 25 times.
''We don't want it to be a big-play show like it was last week,'' Ryan said.
3. Secondary under fire
Packers receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings have totaled 25 and 17 catches for 395 and 304 yards, respectively. Both went over the 1,000-yard mark last season, a feat accomplished on only four teams. Driver became the franchise's all-time receptions leader last weekend against the Detroit Lions. This appears to be a mismatch against a Browns secondary that allowed Roethlisberger to throw for 417 yards, the second-highest total of his career, last weekend.
''They're outstanding. They really run crisp routes,'' Browns coach Eric Mangini said of Driver and Jennings. ''Especially with Jennings, his ability to make people miss after the fact. It might have been a slant for 10 where he broke it for 40. He has good strength, good change of direction. Driver's made a couple one-handed grabs on the sideline. He has excellent hands and speed.''
Just as dangerous could be second-year tight end Jermichael Finley, 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds. He's tied for third on the team in receptions with 16 (for 244 yards and a touchdown), four of them for 20-plus yards. His 15.3 yards per catch ranks third among NFL tight ends. His 62-yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings was the Packers' longest play in 2009 and the longest by a Packers tight end since 1993. The Browns couldn't cover the Steelers' Heath Miller (five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown) and Finley might be more athletic.
4. Browns' woeful offense
The Browns rank 31st in the league in total offense and quarterback Derek Anderson's 41.7 passer rating is the lowest in the NFL. But he's had at least 15 passes dropped the past two weeks.
''Dropped passes aren't fun,'' offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said, ''but the throws could be a little better, too. Concentration has to improve. We just keep on working on it with concentration drills. They've got to come down with it. We've got to put the ball where it needs to be put.''
Compounding the issue this week is that the Packers rank third in the league in takeaways (13) and are tied for second in interceptions (10). The Browns are tied for 28th in turnover margin at minus 5 (including 16 giveaways, 10 of them interceptions).
''They're really good at taking it away and we're really bad at giving it away,'' Daboll said.
5. Linebacker changes
The loss of inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson could force multiple changes, although Ryan seemed to indicate Friday that rookie Kaluka Maiava would be promoted to the starting lineup. If he struggles, 11-year veteran Bowens could move inside. It could also mean more playing time for rookie David Veikune, the second-round pick from Hawaii. Maiava, a fourth-rounder from USC, appeared to get picked on by Roethlisberger last week and the Packers are also likely to go after him.
Prediction: Packers 34-13. Ridenour's record: 6-0.
— Marla Ridenour
1. Rough week
Twelve Browns missed Wednesday's practice with the flu, leading tackler D'Qwell Jackson needed season-ending pectoral surgery and cornerback Eric Wright totaled his Mercedes at 2:10 Friday morning. All that and being 1-5 provided a challenging week for the coaches and players.
''You start questioning, 'Maybe I should go to church more often and start living better,' '' said defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who was among those stricken with the flu. ''It's unfortunate we had a lot of guys miss practice. Green Bay's got one of the better offenses in football. [Coach Mike] McCarthy's a tough guy and he could care less; he's probably champing at the bit.''
On Wednesday, the Browns were missing seven starters and two of the 12 were confirmed cases of Influenza A. That number dwindled to 10 on Thursday and one (defensive lineman Corey Williams) on Friday. The Browns were hardest hit at outside linebacker (Kamerion Wimbley, who also missed last week's game in Pittsburgh, and Jason Trusnik), running back (Jerome Harrison and Lawrence Vickers) and defensive line (Shaun Rogers and Williams). The illness might have affected players' conditioning and their lack of preparation in the facility could give the favored Packers another advantage. But the players were committed to catching up those who were out and the two teams did meet in the preseason.
After his accident, Wright was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.
2. Aaron Rodgers
Last weekend in Pittsburgh, the Browns gave up 10 plays of 20 or more yards and two that went for 19. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL in the 20-plus category (26 plays) and Rodgers is right behind (22 in five games). Rodgers has thrown for 742 yards in the past two games and is on pace to break the franchise record set by Lynn Dickey (4,458). Rodgers ranks fifth in the league in passer rating (104.1) and improves to 136.7 on third down, second in the league to Eli Manning (141.4). The 24th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Rodgers is in his second year replacing Brett Favre.
''He's one of those quarterbacks that it's like a double-edged sword with him,'' Browns linebacker David Bowens said. ''If you let him sit back there and throw the ball, he'll find his spots. If you also try to pressure him, he'll be able to get out and run. He's a slippery guy. One thing he likes to do is run if he sees the pressure.''
One plus for the Browns is that Rodgers and Roethlisberger have similar styles. Rodgers has also been sacked 25 times.
''We don't want it to be a big-play show like it was last week,'' Ryan said.
3. Secondary under fire
Packers receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings have totaled 25 and 17 catches for 395 and 304 yards, respectively. Both went over the 1,000-yard mark last season, a feat accomplished on only four teams. Driver became the franchise's all-time receptions leader last weekend against the Detroit Lions. This appears to be a mismatch against a Browns secondary that allowed Roethlisberger to throw for 417 yards, the second-highest total of his career, last weekend.
''They're outstanding. They really run crisp routes,'' Browns coach Eric Mangini said of Driver and Jennings. ''Especially with Jennings, his ability to make people miss after the fact. It might have been a slant for 10 where he broke it for 40. He has good strength, good change of direction. Driver's made a couple one-handed grabs on the sideline. He has excellent hands and speed.''
Just as dangerous could be second-year tight end Jermichael Finley, 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds. He's tied for third on the team in receptions with 16 (for 244 yards and a touchdown), four of them for 20-plus yards. His 15.3 yards per catch ranks third among NFL tight ends. His 62-yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings was the Packers' longest play in 2009 and the longest by a Packers tight end since 1993. The Browns couldn't cover the Steelers' Heath Miller (five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown) and Finley might be more athletic.
4. Browns' woeful offense
The Browns rank 31st in the league in total offense and quarterback Derek Anderson's 41.7 passer rating is the lowest in the NFL. But he's had at least 15 passes dropped the past two weeks.
''Dropped passes aren't fun,'' offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said, ''but the throws could be a little better, too. Concentration has to improve. We just keep on working on it with concentration drills. They've got to come down with it. We've got to put the ball where it needs to be put.''
Compounding the issue this week is that the Packers rank third in the league in takeaways (13) and are tied for second in interceptions (10). The Browns are tied for 28th in turnover margin at minus 5 (including 16 giveaways, 10 of them interceptions).
''They're really good at taking it away and we're really bad at giving it away,'' Daboll said.
5. Linebacker changes
The loss of inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson could force multiple changes, although Ryan seemed to indicate Friday that rookie Kaluka Maiava would be promoted to the starting lineup. If he struggles, 11-year veteran Bowens could move inside. It could also mean more playing time for rookie David Veikune, the second-round pick from Hawaii. Maiava, a fourth-rounder from USC, appeared to get picked on by Roethlisberger last week and the Packers are also likely to go after him.
Prediction: Packers 34-13. Ridenour's record: 6-0.
— Marla Ridenour
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