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Texans out-ugly Browns for first road win in a year
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Where's Charlie Frye when you need him?
In what resembled a game of chicken between two really bad teams determined to out-mistake one another, the Browns blinked first, last, and many times in-between as the Texans came away with their first road win in more than a year.
Yes, winning ugly counts and we'll take anything we can get at this point but this was one of the most unwatchable 4th quarters I've seen in a while. Browns fans seemed to agree since most had left by the 2:00 warning.
I expect the Wikipedia definition of ugly is already updated with a nod to this game.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about the win but when you watch the Texans, you're always in the mode of waiting for them to make their next mistake. It makes watching games not fun at times.
Speaking of not fun, think about the drive home from the stadium if you're a Browns fan. Been there, done that too many times. We feel ya.
The keys today were that the Texans were +3 in turnovers and they were able to dominate time of possession 37:25 to 22:35. I saw the CBS post-game coverage where Coach Kubiak gave his post-game speech to the players and he awarded the game ball to the defense for their big plays.
omg! as my daughter would say. What's going to happen to all that Richard Smith talk now that the defense got a game ball? Maybe we should blame it on the Browns ineptness and move on. We can't let this get in the way of our theories of defensive ineptitude now can we? (that was sarcasm if you don't know me)
But the Browns did plenty to stop themselves today, and some will argue that this win was more due to the Browns offensive meltdown than it was the Texans defense being proactive. But we'll take it for whatever reason because 4-7 is better than 3-8 if nothing else. And maybe this will keep a few of these goofballs at home when we face the Jags next Monday Night.
One thing the Texans did well today was pass protect which allowed Sage to connect with Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter 17 times for 209 yards and a TD. There were also some nice running lanes open early. But there's always that thing in the back of your mind about 'that next mistake.'
It's gotten to the point where I get a knot in my stomach every time Sage brings the team to the line on 3rd and long at the opponent's 20.
Should we mention the penalties? There were 11 of them today for 84 yards and of course several came at the most inopportune time. Not that there's ever a good time for a penalty, but routinely putting yourself in bad down and distance situations on offense, and extending your opponent's drives by committing illegal contact penalties on 3rd and 20 are not a recipe for success.
Mistakes?
What about Dom Barber's holding call that wiped out an Andre Davis TD return just before the end of the first half? Luckily the Texans saved some face on that one by moving the ball nearly the length of the field to get three points just before time expired in the half.
By the way, why didn't the Texans try a 'Hail Mary' instead of a 56 yard FG attempt after the Browns fumbled that kickoff just before half?
Mistakes?
What about Sage's first interception which gave the Browns a short field when the Texans could have taken over serious momentum early in the 3rd quarter?
What about the near disaster late in the 3rd when Chris Myers and Rosenfels botched a snap which was fortunately recovered by Steve Slaton, and what about the next play when Rosenfels pass was tipped but luckily fell into the hands of Andre - all with the Texans clinging to a 10 point lead that somehow held up?
Then there's all of us holding our collective breath as Jacoby runs into a pile during any punt return. Luckily that fumble was recovered by Antwan Molden.
What about coming out throwing when it's time to run the clock with 6:54 left, clinging to a lead, and allowing your giveth and taketh away QB to throw yet another interception? I know Slaton was getting worn down with Ahman Green on the bench again, but c'mon. By the way, great game Steve.
What about Mario's 15 yard face mask? Okay, we'll let that one slide because he was pretty dominant today. It's not too often that you see anyone body slam Jamal Lewis.
What about Jacques Reeves' illegal contact on 3rd and 20 that gave the Browns a first down and kept them seemingly alive? (but just long enough to make another mistake of their own).
What about Dunta's illegal contact penalty two plays later that also gave the Browns yet another automatic...1st down ... in Texans territory?
What about Reeves playing off Braylon Edwards and allowing him 11 yards on that 4th and 10?
By the way, those last three "what abouts" were part of one of the most bizarre and ugly 'drives' I've ever seen. It was a microcosm of the game as the Browns ran 13 plays (plus 5 others nullified by penalty) for only 49 yards. It ate up a big chunk of the 4th quarter and suitably ended with a missed field goal by Browns kicker Phil Dawson.
Speaking of bizarre, what about Anthony Weaver picking off a pass while he's 10 yards deep in (gulp) pass coverage. Somewhere Vic Fangio is smiling. The zone dog lives.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel pulled out his desperation package in the 4th quarter hoping that Derek Anderson could ignite some offensive magic but Anderson looked more like Charlie Sheen in Wild Thing (before he got his glasses) than he did the Pro Bowl Anderson from last season.
Whether Quinn was pulled because of performance (it wasn't good) or his broken pinkie (it probably hurt) was unknown at the time of this writing.
So anyway, thanks Browns and we'll (probably) see you again next season. It seems like the schedule always works out that way. Keep your heads up - and don't forget to put that GM of yours on your spam blocker list.
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