I woke up yesterday six hours from home, after a weekend partying in Fort Knox, KY. Even with the extra “fall back” hour, an early morning start was out of the question. I wouldn’t be home for the opening kickoff. So while cruising up I-75, the radio played the sound of a Browns’ season going down in flames. Last week’s strengths were this week’s stiffs: the receivers’ hands, the kick coverage units, the defensive scheme itself.
I arrived home and switched on the TV in the third quarter. The Browns were losing 21-6. I’m not claiming credit for this fortunate coincidence, but the game turned around once I could see it for myself. It was the Jets who crashed and burned. Here were the keys to the Browns’ comeback victory:
1. Couch, cool and collected. Our QB wasn’t kidding when he said he preferred road games. Unfazed by the deficit, ungrazed by the pass rush, he was crafty, nimble, and — on that amazing two-point conversion — downright lucky. And his leadership skills showed: when the Browns got the ball back after tying the game, it felt inevitable that he would drive them for some sort of score.
2. Playmakers played. This was no game for soothing egos or gradually building confidence. We needed results. So rookie RB William Green was limited to three carries. And when WR Quincy Morgan faltered, he sat down, and backups Andre King and Frisman Jackson saw some rare action late in the game. Critical to the win was solid play from the likes of Dennis Northcutt, Mark Campbell, Orpheus Roye and Anthony Henry.
3. Better placekicking. None of Phil Dawson’s three field goals was longer than 35 yards, but on that treacherous field, nothing was assured. Can you imagine them winning if any of those kicks were missed? The Browns failed to get into the end zone in the first half, but at least they stayed in the game by ending drives with the points that Dawson provided. And in the clutch, his kick was true, while John Hall’s was too low, allowing Courtney Brown to block it at the line of scrimmage.
While the Browns need to improve in several areas to fulfill their playoff promise, the promise is still alive. This win provides a tremendous confidence boost to a team beset with injuries, haunted by bizarre losses, and grieving its deceased owner. Their 4-4 record doesn’t begin to describe the drama and emotion that produced it. This season is the most entertaining one of the new era, and it could still be the most successful one yet. I know I’ll stay tuned in, one way or another.
