BROWNS 22, BENGALS 14

“It’s been a bitter, bitter, bitter, bitter season,” said head coach Butch Davis. But the aftertaste was sweet.

This exciting season finale leaves the Browns and their fans with a hopeful glimpse of the future. Surely there’s no denying that a 5-11 season is no cause for celebration. But there are signs that the organization is at least not in total disarray.

Those who wished that the Browns would lose this game — whether to secure a higher draft position or to spite outgoing Ravens owner Art Modell — are surely not the type of “fans” I’d want to associate with. Quite simply, a true fan wants his or her team to win every single time they take the field. Higher draft picks don’t assure success anyway, as they require higher contracts, for one thing. And the “keep Modell out of the playoffs” logic is skewed as well. The Browns had their chances to beat Baltimore. They would gain no moral victory by then losing to Cincinnati, and then rooting (in vain, as it turned out) for the Steelers, of all creatures.

But back to the game:

— Lee Suggs made me smile. His 78-yarder was the longest rushing touchdown I’ve ever seen from a Browns player. And his 25-yard fourth-quarter score, after getting stuffed repeatedly on that drive, was a thing of beauty. The dude makes quick decisions, shows nifty elusiveness, and can turn on the afterburners. I’m glad he was able to get it into gear this year. Of all the personnel questions this team will need to address, we now know that, regardless of William Green’s status, a running back needn’t be on our shopping list. And I do hope that Suggs’ emergence helps take the spotlight off of Green’s situation (which Redskins QB Tim Hasselback, a college teammate, discusses pointedly here) during the off-season.

— I was genuinly concerned that last week’s narcoleptic energy had spilled over. The Bengals surprised the Browns with a no-huddle opening drive. Penalties and porous rush defense put us in an early hole. Then late-season addition Nick Maddox, the emergency running back, fumbled the ensuing kickoff. If the pigskin hadn’t been covered by Mustard, this game could have gotten ugly early. It would’ve been nice to see pre-season sensation C.J. Jones return kicks, but too many injuries at other positions prevented him from seeing action.

— Looks like the Browns made the effort to get Quincy Morgan the damn ball, as he requested, early in the game so he’d be less prone to drops. How’d that work out? Couch’s first pass of the game went to Morgan for six yards. The next play went Morgan’s way too, but he couldn’t handle the ball slightly behind him, batting it dangerously into the air. On a second-quarter lateral, Morgan lost seven yards. That is all. SIDEBAR: Comparing stats for the last six games, Q caught 12 for 138 yards (11.5 average). KJ, largely coming off the Jaguar bench, caught 17 for 253 (14.9 average).

— They call it poetic justice. Look at the way the first half ended in this year’s two Browns-Bengals tilts. Back in Week 4, the Browns lost the lead and their momentum by surrendering 80 yards in the last minute of the half, including the dagger, a 55-yard TD reception by the “very humble, nice” Chad Johnson. This time, during the Bengals’ two-minute drive, the very same Johnson was called for a false start and two pass interference penalties (causing TV color man Brent Jones to display his true Bengal stripes). Johnson left the field shaken up. Poor play calling and a mental error led to a key sack by Tyrone Rogers, and the half ended on the Cleveland 8 yard line. The Browns kept the lead and the momentum on their side this time.

— The Browns’ secondary played a great, great game. QB Jon Kitna, having his career year, was pretty much unpressured, yet the Browns succeeded in keeping everything underneath. No pass play gained more than 19 yards. As they did all season, the cornerbacks held premiere wideouts in check. Johnson and Peter Warrick gained just 54 yards between them. Rookies Michael Lehan and Leigh Bodden were outstanding. So too was hobbled veteran Daylon McCutcheon, who deserves that roster bonus but, sadly, may very well have played his last game as a Brown. And I’m happy for Robert Griffith’s game-ending pick, as fine a going-away gift as anything.

— Nice job by quarterback Tim Couch, staying within himself, converting two crucial third-down passes late in the game, and, as always, getting the defense to jump offsides at least once every game. The Browns didn’t light things up through the air, nor could they grind it out in short yardage, but the offense didn’t hurt itself either. No sacks. No fumbles. No interceptions. Only one penalty, a false start. Make no mistake, this offensive line needs some big-time help, but if Butch and the boys can learn how to make the right additions before the inevitable subtractions, this team doesn’t need to start from scratch.

I’ll start pondering the positional possibilities in posts to come, but for now I’ll concentrate on soaking maximum joy out of this scarce Browns win, enough, I hope, to last until next season.