Perspective and Prediction
Let's get one thing straight -- Last Sunday's big, big win over Baltimore, while not that important in terms of the Browns returning to the playoffs this season, was huge enough on a fan-level that the team could finish 2-14 (another BAL victory) and we'd still feel pretty good in Cleveland. So before I launch onto an enthusiasm tempering rant, it should be clear that I and everyone else am still ecstatic over beating the Ravens in such fashion, and nothing that will happen in the future will change it. Okay....
It's difficult to recall the Browns winning two important back-to-back games as big as BAL/@DAL since The Return. They had some nice back-to-back victories in 2002, most notably @BAL and ATL to end the season. And I'd probably argue that a win @DAL would achieve something along the same lines as that win over ATL -- beat expectations, confound the national press, and unleash delirium in the MUNI Lot.
The Dallas game is a classic let-down game after a big win: it's on the road against what should be a fundamentally sound team that's coming off a loss. Davis' Browns have always seemed to have that roller-coaster thing going on where they beat the good team and lose to some crappy ones. A win at Dallas would significantly alter that reputation.
There are a lot of reasons why the Browns can win this game, and they start with Jeff Garcia. The guy is a leader, and we shouldn't fear going on the road with a guy like that at the helm. Not to belabor it, but the difference between Couch/Holcombe and Garcia should be strikingly obvious. It was vs. BAL and he didn't even have a great game.
Winslow looked pretty comfortable too. Dallas' defense is not chopped liver, but for Winslow to play well against an aggressive unit like the Ravens can only do good things for the guys confidence. I'm still hesitant about his blocking (just check the tape) but it would seem reasonable to expect continued progression from Winslow this week. And the matchups seems to be favorable for him to be utilized much more. We'll see.
The d-line obviously had a good game too, and that bodes well. This week the Browns won't have an 8th guy in the box so in some ways this will be a greater test, but if Lang, Brown, and Roye can consistently play well the team should be very happy. We'll find out this week. The health of Warren is definitely cause for concern though.
So -- we'll fin out if our defense is for real this week, as Testeverde and Keyshawn represent the polar opposite of the Baltimore offense we last saw; if the secondary holds up I think we can conclude the defense should be solid all year. Garcia and the offense, however, I think will remain a work in progress. Suggs won't play, which sucks, but otherwise we'll hopefully see some better execution and a couple nice scoring drives. Hopefully that's enough to win the game.
Prediction: Browns 20-17, in a very close game.
It's difficult to recall the Browns winning two important back-to-back games as big as BAL/@DAL since The Return. They had some nice back-to-back victories in 2002, most notably @BAL and ATL to end the season. And I'd probably argue that a win @DAL would achieve something along the same lines as that win over ATL -- beat expectations, confound the national press, and unleash delirium in the MUNI Lot.
The Dallas game is a classic let-down game after a big win: it's on the road against what should be a fundamentally sound team that's coming off a loss. Davis' Browns have always seemed to have that roller-coaster thing going on where they beat the good team and lose to some crappy ones. A win at Dallas would significantly alter that reputation.
There are a lot of reasons why the Browns can win this game, and they start with Jeff Garcia. The guy is a leader, and we shouldn't fear going on the road with a guy like that at the helm. Not to belabor it, but the difference between Couch/Holcombe and Garcia should be strikingly obvious. It was vs. BAL and he didn't even have a great game.
Winslow looked pretty comfortable too. Dallas' defense is not chopped liver, but for Winslow to play well against an aggressive unit like the Ravens can only do good things for the guys confidence. I'm still hesitant about his blocking (just check the tape) but it would seem reasonable to expect continued progression from Winslow this week. And the matchups seems to be favorable for him to be utilized much more. We'll see.
The d-line obviously had a good game too, and that bodes well. This week the Browns won't have an 8th guy in the box so in some ways this will be a greater test, but if Lang, Brown, and Roye can consistently play well the team should be very happy. We'll find out this week. The health of Warren is definitely cause for concern though.
So -- we'll fin out if our defense is for real this week, as Testeverde and Keyshawn represent the polar opposite of the Baltimore offense we last saw; if the secondary holds up I think we can conclude the defense should be solid all year. Garcia and the offense, however, I think will remain a work in progress. Suggs won't play, which sucks, but otherwise we'll hopefully see some better execution and a couple nice scoring drives. Hopefully that's enough to win the game.
Prediction: Browns 20-17, in a very close game.
posted by Michael @ 2:13 PM
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