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Career-long field goal helps Browns edge Bills
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.: The Browns were fighting for respectability and redemption. The Buffalo Bills might have had their playoff lives on the line.
Redemption won out by perhaps a yard. The Browns survived a furious fourth-quarter scoring flurry to escape Ralph Wilson Stadium on Monday night with a 29-27 victory.
On the Browns' last-gasp drive, second-year quarterback Brady Quinn gave them a chance with a 16-yard pass to tight end Kellen Winslow to the Bills' 39. Phil Dawson kicked his fifth field goal of the game, a career-long 56 yarder with 1:39 left to give them a 29-27 lead.
Bills quarterback Trent Edwards hit tight end Robert Royal for a 22-yard gain and running back Marshawn Lynch ran three times for six yards to the Browns' 28. Rian Lindell's 47-yard field goal sailed wide right, missing by what looked like inches, with 38 seconds left.
The Browns (4-6) managed to avert disaster for the third consecutive game, despite watching a 13-point second-quarter lead turn into a one-point deficit. The Browns had blown third-quarter advantages of 13 points to the Denver Broncos and 14 points to the Baltimore Ravens in the previous two games. No team in NFL history had
blown three such games in a row.
The Bills (5-5) clawed back by relying on the rushing and receiving skills of running backs Lynch and Fred Jackson after Edwards tossed three first-quarter interceptions. Bills kickoff returner Leodis McKelvin and punt returner Roscoe Parrish were virtually unstoppable.
Lynch had 119 yards rushing and 58 receiving. The kickoff team for the Bills had 246 yards on seven returns.
In the wild fourth quarter, Browns running back Jerome Harrison dashed 72 yards for a touchdown, his first on the ground in his three-year career, to put the Browns ahead 23-13 with 14:47 to go.
But on the next play, Bills rookie McKelvin took the kickoff and dashed 98 yards for a touchdown, weaving down the left sideline virtually untouched.
On the Browns' next possession, Dawson kicked a 22-yarder with 11:32 remaining.
Quinn, who finished 14-of-36 with 185 yards and a passer rating of 55.9, survived a near-fatal blunder with 6:51 remaining. With linebacker Kawika Mitchell coming untouched on a blitz up the middle, Quinn made a bad decision to heave the ball. Safety Ko Simpson intercepted it, but Browns coach Romeo Crennel challenged, and the replay showed the ball hit the ground.
But Quinn's third-down pass for Braylon Edwards hit off the receiver's face mask for an incompletion and the Browns were forced to punt. With Parrish setting it up with a big punt return, the Bills marched 48 yards to a touchdown, Edwards sneaking from 1-yard out for the go-ahead score with 2:25 left.
The Browns notched four turnovers, also recovering a Fred Jackson fumble. But they capitalized for just nine points as Dawson made field goals of 40, 33 and 43 yards.
The fumble, forced by cornerback Brandon McDonald and recovered by rookie defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin, gave the Browns a little breathing room after the Bills rallied from a 13-0 deficit with 9:52 left in the second quarter. Quinn found a connection with receiver Braylon Edwards, who caught only one pass in Quinn's first start against the Broncos on Nov. 6.
Quinn marched the Browns from their 37 to the Bills' 26 as Edwards caught passes of five and 23 yards. Dawson kicked a 43-yard field goal to put the Browns ahead 16-10 with 6:27 to go in the third quarter.
Edwards was trying to atone for dropping a crucial pass on the Browns' second series. Despite tight coverage by cornerback Terrence McGee, Edwards got his hands on a ball that would have given the Browns a first down at the Bills' 5. It was his 14th dropped pass of the season, a league-high. The Browns were forced to settle for a Dawson field goal. Edwards finished with eight catches and the 10th 100-yard game of his career.
The Browns took a 13-0 lead with 9:52 left in the second quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Joshua Cribbs. That capped a season-long 96-yard drive that included three catches by Edwards for 20, 18 and 10 yards. Quinn went 4-of-5 for 62 yards.
The rest of the half was a struggle for Quinn. Other than the long drive, he completed 2-of-10 passes for 17 yards in the first half.
But the momentum quickly shifted as the Browns defense reverted to its form of the past two games — forgetting how to protect a double-digit lead and how to tackle.
The Bills breezed down the field, going 59 yards in six plays for a touchdown. They relied on their running game, getting 37 yards on the ground and the rest on two passes to Lynch. Edwards' 18-yard touchdown pass to Lynch was a short dump pass, but Lynch picked his way through a maze of five missing tacklers.
After a three-and-out by the Browns, the Bills closed the gap to 13-10 at halftime on a Lindell 26-yard field goal.
Brownies
Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson went to the locker room early in the second quarter for X-rays on his elbow and wrist, but returned. . . . Strong safety Sean Jones went out in the same quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. . . . Defensive end Shaun Smith aggravated a calf injury in the third quarter and ended his night. . . . Running back Jason Wright went down late in the third quarter on a kickoff return with a stinger. . . . Harrison suffered a fourth-quarter hamstring injury.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.: The Browns were fighting for respectability and redemption. The Buffalo Bills might have had their playoff lives on the line.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Naples, FL
Posted 05:41 AM, 11/18/2008
Sean Jones goes out in the second quarter and the Browns don't give up a deep pass the whole game. Coincidence? I think not.
Posted 06:43 AM, 11/18/2008
I hate to be the grim reaper, however, the Brownies should have run away with this game considering all the turnover by Buffalo. I quit counting the number of missed tackles at halftime. I can't fathom a pro football team that's not able to tackle well; tackling is a basic fundamental that should have been perfected in high school.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:11 AM, 11/18/2008
I love the Browns. Their ups and downs are one of the few things I am passionate about, lately.
Dawson = MVP.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:12 AM, 11/18/2008
Dawson deserves a raise....
Wooster, Oh
Posted 07:31 AM, 11/18/2008
If Dawson increases his range to 70 yards, the Browns win out.
Posted 08:07 AM, 11/18/2008
The defense is horrid. I fail to understand why the Browns have not drafted one Ohio State defensive player over the last 3 or 4 years when they continue to turn out NFL starters.
Posted 08:13 AM, 11/18/2008
Not quite the Cardiac Kids of a few years back, but it'll do.....it'll do.
Alliance, Oh
Posted 08:28 AM, 11/18/2008
The best thing that could happen to the Browns is Oakland takes Romeo Crennel for their new coach! The Browns are the worst coached team in the NFL. No heart on defense (except Shawn Rogers)and they can't tackle. Todd Grantham did a much better job with a worse defense last year! 1:33 to go-Buffalo one timeout left. Ball on the 39. Run Lewis and run the clock down. Force Buffalo to use their last timeout. They could have run the clock down to about 20 seconds if they didn't get a first down and then tried the field goal. Buffalo wouldn't have had a chance to get in field goal range. But, that's the Browns tremendous coaching. Fits right in with the Cleveland philosophy, although I do like Mike Brown. Get the cheapest coach and hope our talent wins out no matter how bad the coaching! The Browns should win one more game this year. That will make 4 out 5 years that Romeo has given us 5 wins. Now that's a guy we should hang on to!
Posted 08:37 AM, 11/18/2008
Nice observation Paul. I was wondering the same when the brownies were at the Buffalo 40 with less than 2 minutes to go. Run the ball at least once to give Buffalo something to think about, and to run the time on the clock. Also the weak kickoff is another source of contention that got the Bills in field goal range. RC does not understand clock management. He lucked out this time.
Baltimore, MD
Posted 08:46 AM, 11/18/2008
I have been a Browns fan for over 30 years and will continue to be for as long as I live. I gotta ask, though, is Cleveland cursed? I have seen the same lame play calling and lack of passion for the last 20 years!! Why do we always rely on our field goal kicker to save the game?? God bless Phil Dawson, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have won 2 of the 4 games we won.
If you take Josh Cribbs and Phil Dawson out of the picture, our Browns would completely suck!!
Mogadore, OH
Posted 08:48 AM, 11/18/2008
It was an ugly win, the Bills last field goal didn't miss by much...Quinn's numbers?
Posted 08:56 AM, 11/18/2008
I've supported Romeo for a long time but after last nights game I'm starting to think some of you are right. The short kickoff at the end was horrible. In his defense, he does not call the plays but not running the ball on the last drive with 2 min left was insanely stupid. One more thing, the Bills got pressure and blitzed all night, why was there not a single screen pass or draw play the entire game? Everyone knows that when a team is getting pressure you run a screen or a draw.... Instead they kept dropping Brady back and he kept getting hurried. Chud is not as great as people thought...
akron, oh
Posted 09:06 AM, 11/18/2008
A win is a win. They could be better, but that is our team. Good job Dawson, Quinn did a great job too. Like we say every year theirs always next year.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:08 AM, 11/18/2008
Dawson, okay on field goals. . . . . dawson on kickoffs, not so hot. . . . that squibbed kickoff after the long field goal gave the Bills very good field position.
They almost gave it away again . . . . . the win was a gift from the bills
Akron, OH
Posted 09:49 AM, 11/18/2008
These NFL "games" are choreographed, and poorly so. Refs "blowing" a call preventing Pitts from covering the spread.
All building up so conveneintly to a Browns-Stillers match for all the marbles the final week. Gee, who da thunk?
Posted 10:30 AM, 11/18/2008
I seen a couple of QUINN DID A GOOD JOB in these posts…. What game were you watching??
55.9 passer rating. Every time he tried to go deep he missed by about,,,,30 yards… We had the ball 3 times in the first qtr inside the Bills 50 and got 6 points. He did a horrible job and if it were Anderson you would want his head on a silver platter.
Edwards needs to be put on a plane to the CFL. He might make it up there. Cool off that ego he has.
I love the Browns but WTF.
Posted 10:34 AM, 11/18/2008
The poor tackling is simply inexcusable. If the defense could actually tackle people, this team could end up being pretty decent.
Canton, OH
Posted 10:36 AM, 11/18/2008
Thanks Mr.Dawson. You saved my job!
Romeo
Posted 10:41 AM, 11/18/2008
Hopefully Crennel is smart enough to give Harrison more playing time. I'm also tired of watching Edwards drop passes, he dropped another one in the 4th that could have been very costly. He is paid millions to catch the football. Typical Michigan grad.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:56 AM, 11/18/2008
Robert M, Dawson would not call for a squib kick. That would could from the coaches.
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 10:56 AM, 11/18/2008
The Browns defense & special teams sucked wind again last night and that dropped pass in his hands in the 1st quarter by Edwards once again shows how badly his mind is going. The Browns are now 4-6 and out of the playoff hunt so who cares anyway? Fire Crennel and continue to let BQ start. As for me - GO STEELERS !!!
Posted 11:33 AM, 11/18/2008
This game should not be called a Browns win but rather a Bills loss. Once again Romeo has proven he has zero clock management skill. If it weren't for Shaun Rodgers this defense would be unwatchable. They even lack the ability to perform two basic functions of football.....catch the ball(Edwards) and tackle. I don't know that there is one member of this coaching staff that deserves to keep their job.
Posted 11:47 AM, 11/18/2008
I seen a couple of Quinn did a good job in these posts…. What game were you watching??
55.9 passer rating. Every time he tried to go deep he missed by about,,,,30 yards… We had the ball 3 times in the first qtr inside the Bills 50 and got 6 points. He did a horrible job and if it were Anderson you would want his head on a silver platter.
Edwards needs to be put on a plane to the CFL. He might make it up there. Cool off that ego he has.
I love the Browns but WT-.
Posted 11:49 AM, 11/18/2008
See even the Steelers fans think the best thing for Cleveland is to keep starting Quinn. Whats that tell ya? Even a dumb Steeler fan knows that Quinn is a bad choice.
Posted 12:01 PM, 11/18/2008
somewhere lost in the shuffle, not to be left out of all the acolades to special team play, the defense and drops, was the play of the offensive line. holes for jamal were nonexistant. and again harrison has way toooooooo few touches.
i don't believe there is a running back on any team regardless of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & taxi squad that they would not make into a 100 yard back.
Ravenna, OH
Posted 12:22 PM, 11/18/2008
Paul, YOU should be the head coach.
Stow, OH
Posted 12:59 PM, 11/18/2008
Quinn did a fine job last night considering they were in his face before he had the ball half the time .And as usual our pass rush was non existent ,with their QB having all day to throw. A lot of those bootlegs Quinn ran and got yardage on I could not see DA running without getting tackled for a loss . The Browns need to completely overhaul our linebacking core ,the best guy is McGinist and he is a 12 yr. veteran ? And I cannot figure out why Dawson can kick a 56 yd. field goal but can't kick past the 20 yd. line on kickoffs ?
Akron, OH
Posted 01:30 PM, 11/18/2008
Dawson is truly special! And we long-time Browns fans know that. I shudder to think what the score would have been last night if it weren't for his field goals. The defense certainly did everything they could to give the game away. And Crennel is supposed to be a defensive guru! Laughable! I am happy with the win, but it's too little too late and I agree with one of your other "commenters" above, this wasn't a Browns win, it was a Bills loss.
w.orange, nj
Posted 01:41 PM, 11/18/2008
Well aren’t you glad you have the Brady man? Vanilla quarterback on an un-inspired team. He will manage us to death. He has the weakest arm I’ve ever seen! Every time he throws he lifts his back leg up and ‘aims’ it. And the completion rate! Crap. Tell me, once you so-called fans get rid of Crennel, send Anderson to Texas, Edwards to the Jets and Savage to Baltimore, will you all huddle around the TV at draft time and get drunk like you do at the games then act like cowards in the comments? The real fans are over 50 helped get the Browns back after Modellnut took them away then apparently gave their tickets away to children. The reason the team stinks is there is no real support just a bunch of leaches waiting to pounce on the next ‘villain’. I’m sorry Jim Brown has to be seen at that stadium.
hudson, oh
Posted 02:04 PM, 11/18/2008
DON COCKROFT, MOVE OVER...
Vatican , It
Posted 02:43 PM, 11/18/2008
1. Start Jerome Harrison
2. Bench Braylon Edwards
3. Start Cribbs at WR
4. Implement West Coast Offense for Quinn
5. Hire Jake's Crane to remove Large Sh*t Bag from Browns Stadium; Frog march Phil Savage from Browns Staduim during Half-Time festivities
6. Finally--RANDY LERNER: Fly to wherever Cowher is, hand him a blank check, then fly back to London and stay there until (see #7)
7. Make Super-Bowl preparations by 2011.
akron, oh
Posted 02:56 PM, 11/18/2008
so many fans
smithville, Tn
Posted 05:09 PM, 11/18/2008
Robert Good Post good laugh at the end of the day!
