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Offense again can't get going in second game of season vs. Steelers
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Monday, Sep 15, 2008
CLEVELAND: Browns players wouldn't put the blame for their 10-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on anyone but themselves.
Defensive lineman Shaun Rogers took the blame for a Steelers touchdown on his broad shoulders.
The Steelers had the ball third-and-6 on the Browns' 45-yard line. Rogers got flagged for an offsides penalty. The Browns stopped Steelers running back Willie Parker for no gain, but the Steelers went for it on fourth-and-1. Parker raced outside for a 13-yard run and a first down. They eventually scored on a Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward pass of 11 yards.
''I just feel like I cost those guys the big play that we needed to put us over the top in the division. They brought me here to help out, but I feel like I just made a costly mistake,'' Rogers said. ''It was a 0-0 game. You take that touchdown back and what is it? A 6-3 game, the Browns win? I don't think that's taking it too hard.''
Kick returner Josh Cribbs, who enjoyed his best day as a pro against the Steelers in Pittsburgh last year with two kick returns for scores, felt that he didn't play his best, either. The Steelers bottled Cribbs up all game, never really allowing him to break free.
''I just felt like I let the team down a little bit. Everybody's looking for me to make that big run. Opening it up and changing the game because that's what I do, change the game,'' Cribbs said. ''The opportunities always didn't present themselves. In that aspect, I thought I let the team down.''
Offensive woes
Last year, the Browns scored more than 400 points in becoming one of the league's most potent offenses. In two games this season, they have scored 16 points. Cribbs said it's just a matter of being early in the season.
''We're two games into it. We're going to go back to the drawing board. We've got a lot of season left,'' he said.
Wide receiver Syndric Steptoe said the team needs to find its rhythm: ''That's the thing about the league. You have to find your groove. Right now, we are still trying to find it, but we know it's going to come eventually. We just haven't done the little things.''
Browns honor Davis
The Browns paid homage to one of the saddest moments in the team's history Sunday night, when they honored Ernie Davis in a pregame ceremony.
Universal Pictures will release The Express, a movie exploring the battles that Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, endured while in college.
The Washington Redskins drafted Davis and almost immediately traded him to the Browns, getting the popular Bobby Mitchell in return. Tragically, Davis never played a down for the Browns after being diagnosed with leukemia in 1962 just as he was preparing to play in two college all-star games.
''I do remember the anticipation because we'd just gotten rid of Bobby Mitchell. There was all this talk about how we were going to have the biggest, fastest, best backfield in professional football. I was excited, being a lineman,'' former Browns offensive lineman Dick Schafrath said. ''Then he got to the college all-star game and the reports came back. It devastated us because we'd lost Bobby Mitchell and a future all-pro.''
Former Browns offensive lineman John Brown, who also blocked for Davis at Syracuse University, where he played his college ball, still remembers his good friend. How could he not? He named his son after him.
Brown expressed regret about the movie, however. As he spoke, he tried not to break down. Ultimately, however, the tears flowed and his voice cracked. Davis' mother, who died just a little over three months ago, didn't get to see the finished film.
''She just wanted him to be portrayed as her son. That was her main objective,'' he said. ''And she never had a chance. Never had a chance.''
Though he acknowledges that the situations have been altered for dramatic effect, he had little problem with how Davis is played in the movie.
''I don't care how they portrayed him in the movie, as long as they portrayed him with dignity, which they did,'' he said. ''It's a movie that captures the essence of a super human being that people have started to forget.''
Stars come out
Prime-time football seems to always bring the stars out. Sunday night proved to be no exception, as Olympic super swimmer Michael Phelps took in the game. Dennis Quaid, who co-stars in The Express, also attended and conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh could be seen heading into one of the broadcast booths.
Stallworth sits again
It looked as if wide receiver Donte' Stallworth might try to play against the Steelers, as he joined in the pregame workout. By the time kickoff rolled around, however, he could be seen on the sidelines in sweats. Steptoe started in his place.
Inactives
Stallworth, defensive back Sean Jones, linebacker Beau Bell, defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin, offensive linemen Ryan Tucker and Scott Young and tight end Martin Rucker were placed on the inactive list.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
CLEVELAND: Browns players wouldn't put the blame for their 10-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on anyone but themselves.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 12:24 PM, 09/15/2008
A somewhat regrettable choice of words by Schafrath, saying "we'd just gotten rid of Bobby Mitchell," as if it were desirable to eradicate him, which he surely did not mean. This is mentioned not to criticize the longtime OLT, but to make clear to readers who may not be familiar with the politics of the club that long ago that Bobby Mitchell was not at all a problem the organization sought to "get rid of." What is more, Bobby was integral to the politics of Washington pro sports, as he became the 'Skins (ironic reference given the details) first black NFL player, necessary before the team owner could get the final funding for the completion of what eventually became known as RFK. So, in totality, exchanging Mitchell's rights for Ernie Davis' was a profoundly impactful and historic NFL trade.
Posted 12:37 PM, 09/15/2008
Did the Browns get beat, did they beat them selves, or do they have a bad coach who had them at the presipus but could not get them thru the eye of the needle? Or simply Pittsburg is so much better they just toyed with Cleveland, and figured lets make it close and make them suffer, especially for always trying to put the big hurt on Benny Boy. If I really cared why the Browns are not a confident winning team, I would be beating my head against a brick wall to get some good ideas. Or other experts say to get good ideas drink some 120 proof whiskey in large quantities. But I don't care that much. The next time they are on prime time TV (free TV that is)I will watch them again and hope and pray that Edwards will catch one, instead of swaring at all the opponents line backers and getting a fist in his mouth. What I really want is to make all those 5 foot putts on Sunday
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 04:41 PM, 09/15/2008
interesting for crennel he gets so much protection from his players...still won't save his job because he isn't going to get more intelligent in playcalling and clock management and it will take a miracle to prevent a 5-11 record, and crennel had his miracles happen last year bobby mitchell is the second greatest running back and receiver the Browns have ever had (jimmy brown and paul warfield being the no. 1s...sorry greg and ozzie, its just the truth ---but you two are the number 3s...what made mitchell truly special is that he was both)
