Author Archives: Dave Algase

Oddity in threes

The Browns have now played 878 games in their history. Only three of them (0.3%) have ended with the score 33-30. All went to overtime. Two of them are the Browns’ most recent wins. They are sandwiched around a loss at Pittsburgh. The third one was a loss at Pittsburgh.

A crossbar to bear

One of the frequently-heard phrases from my three-year-old these days, as he tries to decipher the workings of the world: “Is it magic?” Sometimes I’m not even sure. There’s really little more that could amplify “Double Doink” Dawson’s exploits in Baltimore. What better way to vindicate the previous week’s just-short effort in Pittsburgh in a […]

Diminishing deal

Eagle-eyed fan adogbtown noticed an unpublicized recent change to the six-year, $36 million contract of LeCharles Bentley. The injured center’s deal now ends after next season, after which he would presumably be a free agent. The logical impetus for this move from the Browns’ perspective, is to accelerate the cap hit for Bentley’s initial signing […]

On second thought

Looks like the Browns’ official site is up to its old tricks, this time for good reason. My RSS reader shows a headline entitled “Dinkens maintains innocence” and the lede “After watching the film, Darnell Dinkins said the critical holding penalty he was assessed late in the Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh was not, in fact, […]

Turnovers, not turnover

It’s Year Three of the Crennel/Grantham defense, and disappointing doesn’t quite cover it. Not to throw a wet blanket onto what has been an exciting and encouraging season so far, but the results speak for themselves. Back in 2005, converting immediately to the 3-4 was the first order of the new regime. That required a […]

Griping while typing

UNDER STANDINGS: I had hoped the Browns could steal a win but realized that even a respectable loss keeps us in the thick of the playoff hunt. But that doesn’t ease the disappointment of letting a solid 6-3 tie for first place slip into a fairly middling 5-4 dawgfight. Sure, the remaining schedule is favorable, […]

On guard

Instability on the offensive line has been the biggest single factor in the Browns’ stuggles since 1999. Likewise, an improved starting five, along with some veteran depth, is the biggest single reason that they have won most of their games so far this season. The unit of Thomas, Steinbach, Fraley, McKinney, and Shaffer has started […]

The passing prankster

Sorry to be a few days late with the news, but I didn’t want the death of George Ratterman to pass without a brief appreciation. I’m too young to have seen him play, but Ratterman deserves recognition for his unique place in the history of the Cleveland Browns. He may not have been the last […]

A sporting chance

Now that the Browns have defeated a bona fide playoff-quality team and stand 5-3 with only one remaining opponent currently sporting a winning record, it is time for fans to talk playoffs. (Players are advised to focus on the next task at hand, which happens to be a weighty one.) Last weekend featured not only […]

Like no other

With half the regular season in the books: Nobody has thrown more passes for 20-plus-yard gains than Derek Anderson (33). No wide receiver has more rushing yards than Joshua Cribbs (53). Cribbs also has 1,026 kickoff return yards, tops in the league. His average of 30.2 yards per return is 24 percent better than his […]