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Offense can't finish drives in preseason opener
By George M. Thomas Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Aug 13, 2007
CLEVELAND: When a team dominates its opponent in yardage, normally it dominates its opponent on the scoreboard.
That wasn't the case Saturday night in the Browns' 16-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in their preseason opener at Browns Stadium.
The Browns outgained the Chiefs 346 yards to 200 yards, yet it took a thrilling kick return for a touchdown from Chris Barclay for the Browns to claim a victory.
Before that, the Browns' drives produced just three field goals.
''I thought we moved the ball pretty well up and down, but we need to get TDs,'' said Browns quarterback Charlie Frye, who completed 12-of-15 passes for 122 yards. ''I know our coach likes field goals, but he appreciates TDs a lot more.''
The game unfolded a lot like it would be expected in a preseason opener. The Browns looked out of sync on the offensive side, with numerous dropped balls and other problems. The offense was directly responsible for giving up nine of the Chiefs' points.
In the second quarter, a pass Frye threw backward thus making it a fumble if not caught was returned 56 yards for a touchdown by the Chiefs. In the third quarter, offensive lineman Rob Smith recovered a Ken Dorsey fumble in the end zone, resulting in a safety. In addition, Frye, trying to score a touchdown from the 5-yard line at the end of the first half on a scramble, seemed to have little idea of how much time was left on the clock and was stopped at the 3. Instead of at least getting three points, the Browns ran out of time and got nothing out of the drive.
''We moved the ball pretty well our offensive unit as a team,'' Browns quarterback Derek Anderson said. ''It was just little penalties and mental mistakes.''
It probably didn't help that instead of keeping a quarterback in for successive series during the early part of the game, Browns coach Romeo Crennel elected to rotate them each series, making it difficult for either quarterback to get any type of continuity or flow.
''We kind of knew going into it, it was going to be difficult going in and out,'' said Anderson, who completed seven-of-16 passes. ''It was just taking advantage of opportunities.''
Crennel realizes that it might have hampered Frye and Anderson's respective performances.
''I thought both of them started off a little slow until they began to get into a rhythm. Charlie was able to get into a rhythm a little bit sooner than Derek,'' he said. ''We had to try and catch Derek up with some plays. Both were hurt by some dropped passes, so we will look at the tape and make an evaluation.''
Overall, Crennel said the offense performed all right in its first outing of the preseason, knowing that the attack installed by new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski will need to have the kinks worked out before showing any signs of consistency.
The running game totaled just 99 yards against the Chiefs.
But for now, it's a win, even if it did come on a kick return.
''Well, there were some good parts and some bad parts. We were really excited about getting a victory there at the end,'' Crennel said. ''Our guys didn't give up, they kept fighting. I tell them all the time, you never know what play can make the difference in the game.''
Eye opener
Running back Chris Barclay, who spent the winter playing in NFL Europa, where he was the second-leading rusher in the league and among the leaders in kickoff returns, turned some heads when he scored the game-winning touchdown. If he doesn't make the team, he can always try his hand at fortunetelling. He told teammate Jerome Harrison he'd run one back.
''I was talking to him this week about it. If I got the opportunity, I would definitely maximize the opportunity,'' Barclay said. ''It happened and led us to a victory today.''
It could also help his case in making the team, even with kick-return specialist Joshua Cribbs already on the roster. Barclay realizes he has a way to go.
''I'm still learning as well. Jerome Harrison and Jamal Lewis are still coaching me up,'' he said. ''I try to always be prepared as if I'm starting.''
Last-minute changes
Rookie cornerback Eric Wright found himself starting at the last minute Saturday. The Browns drafted him hoping that he'd be a fixture in the starting lineup.
''It's only a preseason game and I only played a certain number of plays, but at the same time, it felt good to get my feet wet, get out and compete and make some plays for myself,'' he said.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
CLEVELAND: When a team dominates its opponent in yardage, normally it dominates its opponent on the scoreboard.
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