Stillers vs. Browns Pregame Analysis (Game #9, vs. Clev)
The 6-2 Stillers host the 3-5 Clev Brownies in a primetime
matchup on Sunday night.� The Browns are
feeling a bit better about themselves after a hard-fought home win over the
Titans.�� The Stillers are coming off
two successive slopfests in which they've groped and grabbed against 2 of the
weakest bottom feeders in the NFL.��
* When the Browns have the ball, they'll be
led, in a half-hearted way, by veteran journeyman Trent Dilfer.� Trent has a SB win under his belt, back when
he QBd for a Ratbird team with dominant defense and a stout supporting
cast.� Obviously, those days are long
gone, and Journeyman Trent is left slogging along with a mediocre team and a
mediocre cast.� To his credit, Dilfer
hasn't been totally wretched this season, and he had possibly a career game
last week, going 18 of 34 for 272 yards and 1 INT (on a hail Mary pass at the
end of the 1H), despite windy weather alongside Lake Dirty in Cleveland.� Still, Dilfer is Dilfer -- clumsy, slow
afoot, slow to read, and as scattershot & unreliable as a Saddam's Republican
Lard.�
The running game, long a sore spot ever since Clev came back into the NFL, has
been rejuvenated with the emergence of ex-Donco Rueben Droughns.� Last week, the Grilled Reuben sobered up
after his DUI just in time to lead the Brownies to victory, gaining 116 yards
on the ground and turning a 3rd down screen into a 51-yard gainer.� Droughns has far more NFL pedigree than any
Clev RB since they re-entered the league, as he gained 1200+ yards last season
for the Doncos.� Droughns is a compact
runner that has a good burst to the hole, and is capable of bulling for extra
yardage.� William Green, as wooden and
stiff as ever, backs up The Reuben and is hobbled with injury.� Backup scrub Jared Wright, activated from
the prac squad on Nov. 3, scored the Brownies' first rushing TD of the season
last week -- their first rushing TD since Nov. 28th of 2004.��
At FB, former Aint Terrelle Smith gives the Browns a very
solid FB.�
There's a reason the team went to so long without a rushing
TD -- a horrendous O-line that had been neglected every single year under the
Palmer and Davis regimes in Cleveland.�
To his credit, Crennel immediately realized the sad sack O-line crew
wouldn't cut it, and he briskly made some moves to shore up this line.� Former Patsie Joe Andruzzi ably mans the RG spot.� While he won't end up anywhere near Canton,
he's a solid, capable RG, and he's at least 3 times better than any half-assed
barstool they've inserted in that spot the past 6 years.� Cosey Coleman mans the other guard spot, and
he was a starter on the Tampa Super Bowl team of a few years back. Coleman is
doubtful, however, and might be replaced by former Jet Dave Yavanivits, which
would be a degradation for the Browns.� At
center is former Golden Domer Jeff Faine, who, although not spectacular, has
rounded into a very serviceable starting center.� At 6'3" tall, Faine is a bit taller than I would prefer for
the center spot, and he does have leverage issues against the brawnier tackles
in the league.� Former Card LJ Shelton,
a 1st round draftee in '99, mans the LT spot.�
There's certainly better LTs out there, but with Verba gone, Shelton was
as good as any low-profile pickup.� Old
vet Ryan Tucker mans the RT spot.� In
sum, this isn't a dominant O-line by any stretch, but compared to the human
sieves that this franchise has fielded since 1999, this crew looks like the
Webster/Kolb/Davis lines of the Stillers' glory days.� ��
The receiving corps is very capable and flammable.� Denny Northcutt leads this crew, and can go
deep, gain RAC yardage, and carry the ball off reverses with equal aplomb.� Starting opposite him is former Pitt star
Antonio Bryant, whom Cleveland picked up from the Cryboys.� Bryant had fallen deep into Parcell's
doghouse, but given new life, has seemed to have found a nice home in
Clev.� He snared 2 big TD passes in
their win over Chico a few weeks back, and leads the team with 33 grabs, good
for nearly 15 YPC.� In the shadows as
the #3 is rookie 1st rounder Braylon Edwards.�
Gaylon hasn't set the league on fire, having caught just 15 balls (albeit
missing some time to an arm injury), but he has a load of talent and potential.� Frisman Jackson, a speedy receiver, would
seem to be the #4 receiver, but he hasn't been activated since the 6th grade
picnic.� He had a career day vs. the
Stillers last Nov, grabbing 5 passes.� �
TE is manned by Eric Heiden, an H-back type of TE that is
more receiver than blocker.� To his credit,
he receives quite well and isn't all that shabby a blocker.� Aaron Shea, more blocker than receiver,
serves as the backup TE.� Had he not
been injured from his Evel Knieval chopper routine, Kellen Winslow would
probably be providing a dangerous threat from the TE or H-back spot.�
The Stiller D suffered some injuries last week.� Farrior is questionable for this game, which
would place special teamer Clint Kriewalt into the starting lineup.� Obviously, not good.� Joey Porter is also hobbled.� Townsend showed considerable gimpiness last
week and doesn't appear fully healthy.�
The key matchup will be the Browns dangerous trio
of WRs versus the Stillers secondary.� I
don't see Droughns running for gobs of yardage, unless Kriewaldt is forced to
play and then blows chunks.� This Clev
WR corps is far, far more dangerous than either of the pitiful receiving corps
from the past 2 opponents, and as we saw, both of those passing offenses still
gave the Stillers fits.� Clev will
likely try to get a lead through the air against a Stiller defense that has
been extremely sluggish at the start of ballgames, and then follow up that lead
with a heavy heaping of The Grilled Rueben.�
��
* When the Stillers have the ball, Charlie
Batch will get his 2nd start while Benji recuperates from the knee scope.� Batch was basically restricted with the ol'
ball and chain last week, treated like a convicted rapist/thief assigned to a
halfway house.� He wasn't permitted to
throw any passes beyond 10 yards past the LOS, and was under strict orders to
run what was essentially a grade-school offense.� �
The Brownies scrapped their Davis 4-3 and now run a 3-4 under
Crennel.� Romeo doesn't have the
personnel he'd prefer for this system, so he's having to make do with what he's
got.�
On the line, former Stiller O. Roye mans one DE spot, with
former Carolina Panther Alvin McKinley working the other end spot.� Although adequate, both are past whatever primes
they had, and their backups offer no boost to the defense.� Jason Fisk is a journeyman NT, having
bounced around from Minn to Tenn to SD.�
At 6'3", 300 lbs, he's a bit tall and a bit light for the task at
hand.� �
The LB corps is a bit more talented and able.� Leading the way is ILB Andra Davis, who has
blossomed into a tough, stout ILB after a stellar college career in
Gainesville.� Davis is built similar to
former Stiller ILB Earl Holmes, with the same nose for the football, but with
more quickness.� Ben Taylor, who is entirely
undersized for the ILB chores, works alongside Davis and serves as the weak
link of this crew.� Chaun Thompson
starts at one OLB spot.� Tommy, a 2nd
round pick in '03, is a very talented LB but has yet to realize his potential,
although after a year under his belt with Crennel, it's plausible he'll turn
the corner in '06.� At the other OLB
spot is Kennard Lang, who was a career DE before Crennel moved him to OLB,
partly out of desperation due to a bare cupboard, and party out of the thinking
that Lang could become another hybrid backer/end in the Vrabel/McGinnest
mold.� Although Langer has had a learning
curve at the LB spot, he's a good athlete with very strong football instincts,
so Crennel made a good move here with what he had to work with.� If the Browns really want to bolster their
defensive posture, they always have the option of activating (hold your
laughter) Justin "The Pancake" Kurpeikis from their prac squad.� Now that would be hilarious.
The secondary is average, at best, though it should be noted
that they've allowed the same passing yards per game (210) as Pittsburgh has
thus far in '05.� Little Daylon McCutcheon
mans one CB spot.� Though small, the
former Trojan is scrappy and has faced the Stillers several times over the past
6 seasons.� Gary Baxter was signed from
the Ratbirds in the offseason to shore up this secondary, but was shelved for
the remainder of the season during the Lions tilt a few weeks back.� In his place is 3rd-year CB Leigh Bodden
from Duquesne University.�� (As
Mill and Trap are both alums from this fine university, I'll take a brief
moment to trumpet this fact.)�� Bodden
had a stellar career at Duquesne, where he starred as a DB as well as the A-10
champ in the long jump.� Bodden is raw,
but is athletic and can run a legit sub 4.4.�
Greybeard vet Ray Mickens -- well past his prime -- and Mike Lehan serve
as backups. �Chris Crocker and Brian
Russell start at the safety spots, although neither will be entrenched past '05.� Sean Jones, the Browns' 2nd round draft pick
from last year, missed all of '04 and waits in the wings as a backup SS, while rookie
2nd rounder Brodney Poole from Okie-land waits in the wings at FS.� �
The key matchup will be the Stiller ground game
against the Clev front 7.� The Brownies
rank near the very bottom of the NFL in rushing defense, and with Billy Cowher
terrified at the very thought of Batch attempting a forward pass, the key will
be the Stiller ground game.� Staley ran
very well last week and showed no sign of rust.� There's plenty of malleability in this Clev front 7, which should
allow Duce, and Parker or Bettis, to chew clock and yardage.�
* Special Teams: �The very trusty Phil Dawson does the kicking chores for Clev.� He missed an easy last-minute boot in last
week's game that turned out to be harmless, but aside from that, he's been
perfect in '05.� Former Bungal Kyle
Richardson does the punting chores.� Josh
Cribbs handles most of the PR/KOR chores.�
Key Individual Matchups:
* CBs Taylor/Townsend vs. WR Antonio Bryant.� In college, the former Pitt star often
seemed to play at his best when he had a chip on his shoulder and something to
prove.� Making a return to Pittsburgh,
he's probably got something to prove, and he's got the ability to do it.� Townsend's gimpiness adds concern to this
matchup.�
* Max Strarks vs. DE Roye or LOLB Lang.� Starks had little challenge versus GB last
week, but will have his hands full with Roye and Lang.�
* C Jeff Hartings vs. NT J. Fisk.� This is a nice matchup for Hartings, who should eat Fisk for lunch,
er, supper, since it's a night game.�
* Synopsis: As the Stillers hit the half-way
mark of the season last week, it's high time this Stiller team start making its
move by gelling, collecting its focus, and smoothing out the rough spots and
the potholes.� They've played
fiddle-faddle and grabass the past 2 weeks against the NFL's bottom feeders,
and barely escaped with a W in each game.�
Play grabass long enough in the NFL, however, and the fortuitous bounces,
officiating, and other factors start to roll in the opponents' favor.� Hopefully the Stillers have seen the slop
and have made some adjustments in scheme, mentality, preparation, and focus.� If so, the Stillers will win this one,
26-13.� �