That certainly felt nice. The Browns may have played like crap for the first half, but coming away with a win is the ultimate redeemer.

I originally planned to use this introduction space to get all Roger Brown on your ass and tell everyone why we shouldn't get excited about the Browns. But, of course, everyone already knows not to get excited about the Browns--they're 1-3, not 3-1. And that one win, exciting it may have been, was against undeniably one of the worst teams in the NFL. And, even then the Browns only squeaked by.

Instead, let's concentrate on the uplifting aspects of yesterday's game, like the continued improvement of Braylon Edwards or that Kellen Winslow sometimes seems untackleable. Or, most importantly, that Babatunde Oshinowo did an excellent job willing his teammates to victory on the sideline. And, thanks to a halfway decent rushing game, I have no ammo for use against Maurice Carthon.

The road ahead looks pretty tough, with the Jets being the only mediocre or worse opponent until Week 16. So let's enjoy this while we can.

Play of the Week

Alex says: On the opening drive of the third quarter, down by 11 points, the Browns were faced with a conundrum: 4th-8 on Oakland's 31-yard line. Thankfully, Maurice Carthon and Romeo Crennel had the guts to go for the long conversion, and it worked--thanks to a 22-yard catch-and-run by Kellen Winslow. Two plays later, the Browns scored a touchdown. I think the coaches' hand was forced a bit, Phil Dawson had already missed a 48-yard field goal--plus he would now have to kick off the infield dirt of McAfee Stadium. Although most coaches are overly risk-averse when it comes to going for it on fourth down, I don't think 4th-8 is the time to keep your offense on the field.

Corey says: Rarely do we allow our Play of the Week to be a defensive play. After all, other than turnovers, individual defensive plays have to add up over time in order to represent positive achievement. It's hard for one play to be truly game-changing. So, acknowledging that other individual plays had more of an overall impact on the game (and with a major tip o' the hat to Orpheus Roye's tackle for a loss on 4th-and-1 at the end of the game), I would like to name Kamerion Wimbley's gorgeous, death-defying sack of Andrew Walter in the third quarter. I'm no scout, but Wimbley always looks like such a great finisher when he approaches the quarterback. He's running, he's running, and then whoosh--he's flying through the air--and enveloping the quarterback like a spider web. Last year, the Browns' pass rush was pathetic. This year, it has looked pretty good so far.

Player of the Week

Alex says: Hooray for 100-yard rushers! Because as we all know, the Browns only won because Reuben Droughns hit that magical number. Never mind that Lamont Jordan had 128 yards on the ground, or that the Raiders out-rushed the Browns nearly 2:1. All of this is a red herring, of course, because my Player of the Week is Joshua "MTV" Cribbs. He may have only touched the ball on two plays, but on those two plays, Cribbs had an incredible influence on the Browns' field position, ergo their chances of scoring.

Corey says: The fact is that 17 of the Browns' 24 points were essentially scored as the natural result of extremely excellent field position (with drives starting at the Raiders' 32, 43, and 17 yard-lines, respectively). For this we have the special teams to thank. So with a tip o' the hat to Dennis Northcutt and his blockers, my Player of the Week is also Josh Cribbs. His first long kickoff return was all speed, as he outraced the entire Raiders team down the sideline, while the second long return was all about key blocks, as Cribbs zigged and zagged his way up the middle of the field. Great job, kickoff return team!

Quote of the Week

Alex says:

"I think that you're going to see what kind of character this organization has--both its coaches and its players. Are we going to fold, or are we going to fight and continue to believe that we can make it to the Super Bowl?" --Lamont Jordan

First of all, Mr. Jordan looked lovely in his army fatigues during the press conference. I find it just a little dubious that anyone associated with the Raiders, from Al Davis down to the ball boys, believes this team can make the Super Bowl. And given that some players on the team were reported to be mailing it in during Week 1, the smart money is on the Raiders folding rather than fighting. Their tenacity was on display when they put up a valiant effort in the second half... right?

Corey says:

"I should get fined for letting the kicker tackle me." --Josh Cribbs

Hmm, an interesting concept. Although, it would mean that, financially, Josh would be better off taking a knee in the endzone each time around instead of trying for a long return. Of course, listed at 250 pounds, Sebastian Janikowski is by far the fattest kicker in the NFL. John Hall of the Redskins is listed at 240, but no one else even comes close. The next-fattest kicker Cribbs will have to face this season is the Steelers' Jeff Reed, at 225 pounds, and we all know he'll probably just curl up in a little ball and suck his thumb when he sees Josh barreling down on him.

Ryan Pontbriand Honorary Special Teams Moment of the Week

Alex says: Anyone can call the outcome of a game (except apparently Corey)--games are long and can essentially only go one of two ways. Plays, however, can end in a myriad of ways. Like a touchdown, for instance. Josh Cribbs' first kickoff return, in the second quarter, really really really looked like a touchdown to me. And, as the other fans at the New York City Browns Backers will attest, I called it! I predicted that Cribbs would take it all the way, and he did. Sort of. I'm curious what kind of day he could've had if only Darnell Dinkins and Lawrence Vickers hadn't each fielded a kickoff.

Corey says: If this were a Raiders blog (I know, I know... shudder), then the Adam Treu Honorary Special Teams Moment of the Week might very well be Josh Cribbs' other long kickoff return (the 53-yard one, not the 65-yard one), for no other reason than kicker Sebastian Janikowski's acrobatic tackle to save a certain touchdown. Consider the irony, then, of this very play being named my Ryan Pontbriand Honorary Special Teams Moment of the Week. The 65-yarder (on which Cribbs allegedly stepped out of bounds) set up a field goal, but this return set up a touchdown (Frye to Darnell Dinkins). Honorable mention goes to Dennis Northcutt's fine, fine 58-yard punt return in the third quarter, which also set up a touchdown (Frye to Joe Jurevicius). On that return, it was Raiders punter Shane Lechler who made the score-saving tackle. Nice try, Raiders kickers, but your impressive tackling skills only served to delay the inevitable! Mwahahahaha!

Rex Bumgardner Memorial Obscure Brown of the Week

Alex says: Darnell Dinkins is the most forgotten of the Browns free agent additions, because he's neither famous (LeCharles Bentley, Willie McGinest, Ted Washington, Joe Jurevicius) or from Cleveland (Bentley, Jurevicius, Dave Zastudil, and Bob Hallen). In fact, he's pretty obscure and from Pittsburgh. Darnell did good on his first action of the season--catching a one-yard touchdown. I think Darnell has one of the more interesting paths to the NFL on the team. He played quarterback in high school, and joined Pitt as a QB. He was quickly moved to free safety at school. After college, Dinkins went back to QB for a semi-pro team in Pittsburgh. Then he caught on with the Giants, who shipped him to NFL Europe as a tight end. Things went a little more normal from there. These days, more and more is being made of quarterback-to-wideout transitions like Matt Jones or Antwaan Randle-El, but did you have any idea there was a quarterback-to-tight end out there?

Corey says: My Obscure Brown of the Week is backup center Lennie Friedman. You may remember Lennie from that little fiasco we like to call "2006 Training Camp Parade o' Snappers" (which was recently chronicled in an article on Football Outsiders, in case you're interested). Besides being a "National Football Hall of Fame inductee" (according to his bio on the Browns' official site), Friedman is one of our great nation's few Jewish pro athletes. Thus, today being Yom Kippur and all, allow me to atone for a few sins by apologizing to all those wonderful Obscure Browns I've neglected over the years. I'm so sorry, Kris Briggs! And L'Shana Tova to you, Lennie!

Fashion Item of the Week

Alex says: I'm really at a loss for words when it comes to fashion items this week. So let me address something that tangentially related, since both are aesthetically related. For his press conference, Romeo Crennel didn't get to sit at a table. Instead, he was pinned to the wall by a sea of reporters shoving microphones in his face. This is a common sight in football. But what struck me most is the hand in the lower right-hand corner of this picture:



As far as I can tell, that's one hand holding the mic for WKYC, KTVU (a San Francisco FOX affiliate), and someone too cheap to have a cool microphone with your name on it (probably a radio station). I understand the consolidation of hands holding microphones since there is only so much space around Romeo's strikingly handsome face, but it would seem that this is quite rare among reporters. It's especially weird that a California and Ohio station would share a mic-holder.

Corey says: If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Why oh why oh why, Leigh Bodden, did you unveil a new hairstyle this week? With your cold, calculating dreadlocks, you were able to shut down any receiver in the NFL, be he Chad Johnson or Bethel Johnson. But with your new, wild, unpredictable, decidedly neither cold nor calculating hairstyle, you promptly got injured! Oh cruel Fate! Oh miserable world! Without Leigh Bodden, what would the next 13 editions of "Born and Raised" be about? Absolutely nothing! Let's all hope and pray that Leigh does not miss much time. And let us hope and pray that he sees the error of his ways and goes back to the calculated coldness of his cold, calculating dreadlocks.

Idiot of the Week

Alex says: I love Charlie Frye, but I'm calling him Idiot of the Week simply for his bone-headed interception in the endzone in the fourth quarter. For LeBron's sake, Charlie, throw it away! THROW IT AWAY!

Corey says: My Idiots of the Week are all those people who spent yesterday's game tarnishing the proud legacy of Oakland Raiders legend Jim Otto and his illustrious jersey number, #00. For example, the guy managing the game clock. I mean, no fewer than four times during yesterday's game did the clock read :00. What is that about? All it would take would be one ounce of cocaine up that game clock manager's nose and poof--the number #00 and all those associated with it, especially Jim Otto, would be shamed for eternity! (P.S. My Idiot of the Week is actually Jim Otto.)

Number of the Week

Alex says: 1.92, or the Raiders' yards per pass attempt for the game. For reference, the worst starting quarterback in the NFL last season by YPA was Kyle Orton. He averaged 5.08 yards per pass attempt. The Browns certainly had trouble containing Lamont Jordan and Justin Fargas, as I touched on the ratio of rushing yards earlier. But the defense really had their way with Andrew Walter--getting a lot of pressure and forcing bad throws. Walter didn't help matters much by sucking, but these things reflect well on the Browns, and I'm contractually obligated to mention them.

Corey says: 39, or the total yards gained by Raiders wide receivers in yesterday's game. I'm kind of beating a dead horse here, as Alex has just pointed out that the Raiders passing attack sucked across the board, but this number in particular jumps out at me. Once again, we're seeing examples of why the key to defense is stopping the pass, not stopping the run. The Browns did not stop the run this week. Furthermore, their cornerbacks after Leigh Bodden's injury were Daven Holly, Ralph Browns, and Anotnio Perkins! Andrew Walter may not be much of a quarterback, but still, I have to give tons of credit to the aforementioned gentlemen for shutting down their assigned targets, and holding the Oakland offense to 14 total points (remember that the other 7 were scored on a defensive touchdown).

Moral Standings

The Browns, of course, earned another moral victory thanks to their actual victory--a very big component of the moral victory equation. The Bengals got their orange and black heinies handed to them by the New England Patriots, bringing them down to .500 on the season. The Steelers almost earned a loss in their bye week, but their saving grace came when I met a kid from Pittsburgh who told me about the weird way people talk there. For example, it is perfectly acceptable to say "The car needs washed" or "I always watch TV anymore". The Ravens suffered another humiliating moral defeat since Jamal Lewis was only able to sell two kilos of cocaine this week, instead of his target of three.

            MW  ML    pct
Cleveland    4   0  1.000
Cincinnati   2   2   .500
Pittsburgh   1   2   .333
Baltimore    0   4   .000

Next week: With the Panthers threatening to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, Kellen Winslow Jr. flies into a rage and vaporizes half the state of North Carolina, including the entire roster of the Panthers and all of South Carolina, with his heat vision--sealing a victory for the Browns! We'll be here to hand out gameballs and to survey the damage!