APPEARING ON CENTER STAGE...
The most important decision Butch Davis will make this preseason waits yet
another week.
Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb settled little in the first preseason game
against Tennessee, as both got little help from their teammates.
Browns receivers dropped at least three passes and fumbled another completion
away at the one-yard line. As a result, the stats were pretty blasé.
Couch finished 4-of-8 for 17 yards against and at times looked bad. On one
play he tripped over William Green, got up, ran out of the pocket to the
sideline and threw a poorly-advised pass across the field that easily could have
been intercepted.
He also had some good passes right in the hands of wide receivers that were
dropped. The Browns felt that one drop by Andre King at the five-yard line could
have been a touchdown.
Holcomb threw for 71 yards and came within an eyelash of a touchdown, but
Kevin Johnson had the ball knocked loose as he tried to reach into the end zone
at the one.
Holcomb also completed two passes just before halftime to set up Phil
Dawson's 51-yard field goal.
Who looked better? Probably Holcomb -- by one length. But he faced backups
and Couch faced starters -- and the rest of the team was such a mess it probably
made judging the quarterbacks impossible.
If the week of practice leading up to the game was significant, though,
Holcomb would have the edge. He was very sharp, and Couch was intercepted on
consecutive days to end practice.
The bottom line? Nothing has been decided.
Couch said he wasn't worried about his numbers because the Browns were trying
to work on the running game -- a curious approach given the team's most
important decision is the quarterback.
He shrugged off the night and promised everyone would get better.
Holcomb seemed more assured about his performance, but added he had no idea
if it settled anything about the job.
The Browns will give Holcomb a start in the second game at home against Green
Bay. Davis has vowed that he would name a starter before the third preseason
game and he does not intend to veer from that plan.
This week of practice and the next game will be very important to the two
passers.
ON THE SIDE STAGES...
Offensive Line: Melvin Fowler, a third-round draft pick a year ago,
got a week of practice and some game experience with the first team at left
guard. The results weren't overwhelming as William Green ran for 11 yards on six
carries. Center Jeff Faine, the team's first-round draft pick, moved into the
starting lineup at center and got a lot of playing time. Faine said there was
little that overwhelmed him. "It's football," he said.
William Green averaged more than 100 yards per carry the final half of 2002,
but in week three of preseason the Browns removed Barry Stokes from the starting
lineup and inserted Melvin Fowler at left guard. With Fowler and rookie Jeff
Faine starting, two-thirds of the line's interior was new.
Tight End: Steve Heiden was the object of much praise from the head
coach throughout camp, but then dropped two passes in the preseason opener. Both
were plays that would have led to first downs and could have helped each
quarterback develop some rhythm.
Fullback: The team's on-again, off-again love affair with the fullback
continues. After starting camp without a fullback and going almost exclusively
with an H-Back, the team went out and signed fullback Kevin McLeod. They then
gave McLeod a bunch of reps with the first team, and used him a lot in the first
preseason game. Davis said he was signed to blow up linebackers, but in the game
McLeod was the target of two passes -- which gained two yards. For whatever
reason, the Browns seem to have trouble deciding if they're going to be an
H-back team or a fullback team.
Wide Receiver: Undrafted wide receiver Antoine Burns continues to make
big plays. Burns caught a 33-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb in the scrimmage
against Buffalo, then caught a 60-yard pass from Josh Booty late in the loss to
Tennessee. That catch and run gave the Browns a chance to win. ... Burns and
undrafted rookie receiver C.J. Jones have both played very well in camp at a
crowded position... The Browns say wide receiver
Andre Davis has a bruised right knee, but he has not practiced since July 26 and
he sounds very worried about his condition. The team hopes Davis returns this
week, and it bears watching.
Defensive Line: The best defensive tackles on the field were Orpheus
Roye, Alvin McKinley and Antonio Garay. Where did that leave Gerard Warren? Good
question. His name wasn't called when he was in the game. The Browns hope
Courtney Brown returns to full-speed practice this week as he attempts to come
back from microfracture surgery on his knee. The team is cautiously optimistic
Brown can play in the second preseason game, but a more realistic goal might be
the third game in Detroit.
Linebacker: Coach Butch Davis assessed his young linebackers play in
the preseason opener by saying: "They showed up." While it was good they did,
the team's linebackers did not exactly stand out. Few people did on defense, as
the Browns opened the game by giving up a 72-yard touchdown drive that included
four third-down conversions by Tennessee. This was not the way the team
envisioned the defense would play. Barry Gardner started at middle linebacker,
but quickly gave way to Andra Davis. Neither player distinguished himself.
Linebacker Chaun Thompson hustles and plays hard but has a lot of catching up to
do after reporting late.
Cornerback: Lewis Sanders is making a push to win one of the
cornerback jobs. Sanders is competing at both left and right corner, which could
put Daylon McCutcheon or Anthony Henry into the nickel role. Cornerback Daylon
McCutcheon had a tough first night. McCutcheon missed a couple tackles -- a rare
occurrence -- and saw Derrick Mason catch five passes for 55 yards. McCutcheon
is a good player, but is in a fight with Lewis Sanders to keep his job.
Cornerback Michael Lehan may have earned a spot on the team purely on special
teams. Lehan was the "gunner' on punt coverage and made a nice play in the first
period as he broke free to make a quick tackle. Chris Crocker ended consecutive practices with
interceptions, but didn't stand out in the game.