Gameballs and Goats: From Courtney to Bruce

Courtney Brown firmed up his grip in the team's MVP standings and Bruce Arians firmed up his grip on... well... he probably doesn't want to walk into too many Browns Backers bars right about now. Except for Dave Campo, the team's coaching staff isn't getting any love from fans as we head into the bye week.(Fan commentary, mild profanity)

The Week's Results
Courtney Brown firmed up his grip in the team's MVP standings and Bruce Arians... well... he probably doesn't want to walk into too many Browns Backers bars right about now. Four of the five gameballs were awarded on defense, but the team's coaching staff isn't getting any love from the fans as we head into the bye week.

GAMEBALLS

Player	Gameballs
Courtney Brown	51
---Entire Defense---	35
James Jackson	35
Ben Taylor	33
Dave Campo	10

Gameball Write-In Votes:
"Red zone defense", "CBS for showing it in the Syracuse NY area", "Fans Who Are Plotting Mutiny", "brownsfan2112", "Bye Week ", "Fans who can tolerate watching a crappy offense", "Browns fans at Bogey's in Venice, FL", "The Lerner Family-because bad Browns football is still better than No Browns football."

GOATS

Player	Goathorns
Bruce Arians	66
Butch Davis	33
---Entire Offense---	25
Kelly Holcomb	23
Tim Couch	16
Carmen Policy	15
---O Line---	11

Goat Write-In Votes:
"Both Quarterbacks", "The guy assigned to cover Daniel Graham.", "Browns Uniforms", "Barry Alvarez".

Year-to-Date Totals

	Gameballs	Goats	Grand Total
Courtney Brown	545	0	545
Tim Couch	424	87	337
---Entire Defense---	267	0	267
Andra Davis	265	30	235
Kevin Johnson	215	0	215
William Green	223	21	202
Andre Davis	173	0	173
Phil Dawson	118	56	62
Ben Taylor	62	0	62
James Jackson	59	0	59
Kenard Lang	55	0	55
Kelly Holcomb	238	189	49
---LB Unit---	43	0	43
Kevin Bentley	40	0	40
Anthony Henry	33	0	33
Fans	53	22	31
Jeff Faine	28	0	28
Barry Stokes	25	0	25
Dave Campo	24	0	24
Chris Gardocki	21	0	21
Jerry Rosburg	0	13	-13
Paul Zukauskas	0	14	-14
Gerard Warren	0	19	-19
All Coaches	0	23	-23
Chaun Thompson	0	27	-27
Carmen Policy	0	30	-30
---Officiating Crew---	0	33	-33
Melvin Fowler	0	34	-34
---WR Unit---	0	34	-34
Dennis Northcutt	47	87	-40
Steve Heiden	0	49	-49
---D Line---	0	51	-51
---Entire Offense---	0	52	-52
Robert Griffith	0	63	-63
---Special Teams---	0	64	-64
Quincy Morgan	16	119	-103
---O Line---	75	215	-140
Butch Davis	0	176	-176
Bruce Arians	0	354	-354

 
Gameball Comments:

Dawg	Comments
rutger	I thought that Gonzalez and DeMar not only held their own but played very well considering how little experience that both have.. Also Courtney Brown is playing very solid and often spectacular week in and week out..
dp10451	Ben Taylor was active and all over the field. Chris Gardocki prevented a lot of problems with outstanding punting. And the corners were fantastic in shutting down New England's WR's. Actually the whole defense played a terrific game.
bendal	The gameball for the offensive line goes to the new starters only. They did about as well as could be expected, and tended to outplay Ryan Tucker! The defense played very well throughout the game, especially when the Patriots got in the red zone.
r22weiss	Only Boyer and the defense. Anytime you keep New England to 9 points to need to win. No one on offense seemed to care out there.
edgewater joe	Again, a game the Browns probably had no right being in that close to the end -- kudos to the folks who kept it close.
frank_martinez4	no one really did anything special....James Jackson did ok, considering that he sucked so much in the last 2 years....defense did pretty good, but the offense sucked....
thomascl	Cant complain about 3 FG's
optidawg	Nothing positive to talk about. This is a team that could draft Top 5 next spring !!! Too bad we haven't a clue what to do with so high a choice ...
stov	CB steady every game, JJ nice effort...
spicydeigo	another good game by our young defense, i see some bright future stars on this team, even big money is starting to show signs. Dave campo doesn't get enough credit he is doing a great job w/ these guys, they are playing a lot better then expected, i like this defense a lot more than last years. if you hold a team to only 3 field goals you should win the game. thank God its a bye week.
jsinct	Didn't notice the Zebras today, so they get a gameball.
thespazdawg	Terry Robiskie gets one for not killing Arians. Kenard had the first game of the season where i said "Hey look at Lang"
thorix	Good play by the young LB's (even though there were still tons of missed/arm tackles)
s146r23s13	I think Chuck Pagano is the only coach on this staff worth anything
weweber3	Really hard to give out Balls for this one, but the Defense deserves it, only giving up 9 points, you should win every time! Also, pat on the back to the Offensive line, talked about a ragtag crew, thanks for not getting the Deuce and the Gimp killed!
akrondawg	Everyone else is up in arms about this or that, I almost feel like i should give everyone a game ball. That team played there ass off out there considering the injury issues they battled for 60 mins, but just didn't have the horses. If Faine and Ohara play, we probably win this game.
brownsfan2112	nice job d! even with no help from the offense you still didn't give up a touchdown. nice job Ben Taylor for 18 (unofficial) tackles! we stop that run up the middle and some missed tackles we will be #1 in every defensive category! GO BROWNS!!
browns_beer	Our D played one of the best games I have ever seen. Even late in the game they found a way to reach down deep inside of them selves and stop them from moving the ball. You can't ask for more than only giving up 3 FGs.
freakofgod83	2 Gameballs to the entire defense for their exceptional effort, giving up 9 points in 4 Defensive Redzone situations. Gameball to Kelly Holcomb for playing a pretty solid game when considering the circumstances.
naxos	It wasn't the defenses fault we lost this game. Great game by Ben Taylor. He is a tackling machine and a motor to get himself all over the field.
porters	Red zone defense was great again but have trouble stopping the run when they need to stop the clock.
dixiedawg	None.
nybrownie	defense did their jobs...running game didn't look all that bad just not enough....
sexco	Ben Taylor had a great game. D in general did pretty good except for a couple big plays. Who would of thought the D keeps us in games this year and the O is terrible?
redright	1. Dre Davis.....earned a starting spot 2. James Jackson......proved he belongs on this team. 3. Defense......kept a banged-up Pats offense in check and gave us a chance to steal a win. Perfect? No, but if you want perfect, try ice skating.
sapphiresmd	Despite the constant inability to stop the run or tackle, the defense didn't look too bad this week. They kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win at the end. Also, Kenard Lang had a pretty good game, and Ben Taylor was in on just about every tackle.
condor	Anthony Henry has been a shutdown corner the entire season. Not getting near enough credit. Courtney is finally becoming the man to look to on the D-line.
norman_smiley34	I thought that the running backs that filled in for William Green did a great job. They actually gained a good amount of yardage against a very good Pats defense...with horrible blocking. Phil gets one for doing all the scoring for the Browns. The kickers did what were asked of and did very well. James Jackson did great filling in for William Green
fgm	James Jackson- Ran hard, took advantage of whatever holes he had, should've had more than 15 carries. Anthony Henry- Great job of shutting down Troy Brown. He is starting to settle in nicely as a cover corner. Needs to start being the ball hawk he was 2 years ago though. Courtney Brown- Had a solid game overall. The only linemen to get any pressure on Tom Brady all game. The fans- For sitting and watching this miserable excuse for an offense. The Rolaids "toughest team to stomach watching" award has to go to Browns fans.
Dawgalong	The entire defense, especially C.B. dug deep all game. These guys never quit. They play their asses off every week and all they get is a bullcrap offensive coordinating effort from Arians. Bruce might want to get his sorry ass up in the booth before the defensive line goes postal on his ass.
whoknowsmore	The excellent play of the D. was only rivaled by the dismal play of the O. Injuries/Switching QBs have totally thrown off this offense. Butch knows Defense!!!
darkcell	JJ looked really good today (Go Hurricanes). Kelly still isn't 100% and played decent. Defense didn't give up a touchdown on the road, what more can you ask from a young defense?
invinsor	Ben Taylor is really coming into his own. He's had a couple monster games back to back. Courtney Brown is playing with something that few Browns do -- consistency. He's looked good this year. Dave Campo is getting a lot out of a bunch of guys you wouldn't expect too much of...
bjthacker	We stayed and suffered through that poor excuse for a game.
bigdcopfer74	well not much to say with a loss but good job d cb gets honorable mention. defensive mvp of the year is close and so is the pro bowl all you have to do is stay healthy
photocitydawg	Courtney had another great game. The corners must be doing something right; we barely heard from any of New England's wide receivers all day. Given their experience level, the offensive line did an awesome job.
ewsturg	Phil Dawson, Chris Gardocki, Dave Campo and the def.line good job.
bart.quigley	I don't know. Whatever.
clbr99	The Entire Defense for continuing to play hard knowing they would get no help from the offense. And Ben Taylor is quietly becoming one of the best tacklers/players on the D.
underdog71	The defense was awesome!!!
jeffdsp	good job to the o-line...back-ups to average linemen...gameball to the defense for bending but not breaking and keeping the team in it...to TC for being tough and hanging in there and not blaming anybody or anything for miscues and losses and putting up with Arians awful play calling.
cornjob	James Jackson: I am impressed he was able to crank out 70 plus yards at all behind these scrub linemen. An excellent back-up. Trade White, I say! Courtney Brown: Continues to be the best player on the team this year. Kelly Holcomb: For managing to do what Couch could not--put point on the board, even if it is only three.
jacooper96	Ben Taylor was all over the field. James Jackson stepped in and ran hard!!

Goat Comments:

Dawg	Comments
lcanning12	Kevin Johnson needs to be off this team.....PERIOD. If I was as lazy as he was on that last play my employer would fire my ass. The Browns would follow suit if they had any damn sense. Absolutely disgusting performance all the way around. I won't blame the O-line b/c it was 4 beer truck drivers in there pretending to play football. To hell with him!!!
rutger	This teams tackling.. It SUCKS!!! With one exception.. Courtney Brown!! How can so many players miss so may tackles game after game and still stay on the field..
dp10451	Neither Tim Couch nor Kelly Holcomb did anything to help this team win. Somebody has to lead and I just don't see it here. And Quincy Morgan? Come on Quincy, stop talking and get open. Then catch the ball. PLEASE !You need more than one catch from your number two WR.
bendal	Tim looked tentative and didn't appear to be interested in even playing in this game. Goathorns to Davis and Arians for making it obvious they have no confidence in Couch. Notice how creative the offense got with Holcomb in there?
r22weiss	Once again Davis gets out coached by a vet head coach. Doesn't make gameday adjustments. Did they plan for the second half? If the spread offense moves the ball why not use it more? Starting to wonder about Davis plan for the year, if he even has one. I know the OL has tons of injuries but this is getting ridiculous. They have better talent than they are showing. There is no emotion. it's all uninspired play out there. They don't throw down field, run on plays where everyone knows they are going to run. Holcomb had every right to lay into the linemen. they did not do their job today. When are they going to get some OL who can play? WHEN????? There are guys out there playing who wouldn't be on the practice squad of most teams. Come on. As Browns fans we deserve better than the product we got on the field over the last 2 games. Maybe it's good that the bye week is next week...the need the break.
edgewater joe	On consecutive drives, Arians calls two screen plays that DON'T EVEN GET TO THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, much less first downs?! This clown has a lion's share of the blame for the total implosion of the offensive unit this first part of the year.
phelix17	Bruce Arians is the offense antichrist. Even the announcers were hammering his inept play-calling. Arians must go now. ARIANS MUST GO NOW! ARIANS MUST GO NOW!
appraiser	yes, we have a number of injuries to the offensive line. but, you have to game plan for what you have. or are we? do we have nothing on offense?
frank_martinez4	the offense sucked, probably because of the coaches
mikepodkowa	Its getting to be more like a job watching these guys. They're in there 5th year and it looks like there going backwards. Problem starts at the top I wish Lerner would of never renewed Carmen's contract.
thomascl	One Missippi two Missi.... (sack)
optidawg	Is Arians the worst OC in NFL History? Have you ever seen so many 3rd and 4th down throws short of the first down marker? This is the poorest performing Browns team sine 1999. Is this the worst Offensive Line you've ever seen? I dunno...but it's pretty close. BD & co should be looking for new jobs soon...If I were Randy Lerner, they would already know their fates. This crew is a terrible waste of $'s
stov	Cant convert on 3rd down, cant get a stop on 3rd down ...
spicydeigo	well our offense is just sad. and all the offensive line injuries don't help. but look at new England half there defense is hurt, and yet they still play good. why don't we??? both QB's look bad today, but i not blaming them, i seen both of them play before and they both are good. it is the coaching and there system. everyone says couch holds the ball to long and just dumps it off, well Kelly did the same thing to, we threw more balls to Steve Heiden today. were are our big name guys, cant they get open??? against a banged up defense. this team needs a lot of help and they are not going to solve all the problems is 2 weeks, what's sad is that we can win the division at 8-8, hell 7-9 might do it. we need a to get a good GM to re-look over the offense and get some people in here that want to win and not just play for a paycheck and talk themselves up like the second coming of rice.
dabrowns31	Everyone deserves one for another uninspired performance
jsinct	This schizophrenic offense needs to go. I'm convinced it's the OC... Unimaginative playcalling for the majority of the game... sad.
thespazdawg	Phil buddy, TOUCHBACKS PLEASE!!! Where were the holding penalties, for both teams if needs be, but come on the entire game in the NFL without a freaking hold??!?
thorix	Why did the 3rd down plays all run pass routes that were 2 yards short of the 1st? Why did Couch (and Holcomb to a certain extent) always throw to the VERY short receiver on 3rd down?
mmercurio	We STINK. What a great offense! I'm tired of hearing how great our WRs are. The only thing Butch does right is challenge the officials. WTF - how is James Jackson starting over Jamel. Jackson would kill any offense - including the Chiefs or Rams.
s146r23s13	why did Policy give this college coach GM power. and by the way BOTH QB's are bad in this system why cant we let Couch run the Bills Offense from the Jim Kelly years, I think we would be awesome with that offense. We have great receivers and don't use them
weweber3	Hard to prevent injuries, but this is what happens when you neglect the O-Line for 3 years, thanks Coaching Staff!
akrondawg	I'm not giving any goats today. I thought we played well enough considering the injury issues. I just can't bring myself to bash anyone on this team for the effort they put out with what they had offensively.
brownsfan2112	How do you look in the mirror on Sunday night Arians? you're the worst offensive co. in the league! how do i know? because only an idiot can take a team with so much talent at the skilled positions and only produce 3 points! and guess what else? tight ends and full backs can do more than block! and also, why do carry that big play sheet around with you? you know the four plays you run and you certainly dont need it so the opposing team can't read you're lips, because they know what's coming from you're predictability! and Davis, you should go back to college ball. you've been out-coached the entire season. you can pick talent, but you sure can't use it. the way you handle the affairs of this team is criminal. from putting unneeded pressure on both our quarterbacks with press conferences, to calling josh booty on the phone to tell him he was released, to the horrific play calling on the field. it's fourth and one, punt. Oh, fourth and nine? go for it! and let me tell you, one fake punt is not going to cut it! the team is uncomfortable, flat, and unenthusiastic at this point. you can tell by the play and the action on the sidelines. once supportive team mates are just running on and off the field like they're punching in and out of a job they don't like. And check you're ego at the door, you're not that good. Mr. Al Lerner, please do me and other Browns fans a favor, fire butch Davis and Bruce Arians. And I promise you, the great city of Cleveland will finally have the football team it deserves!
buzzard510	BD has ruined this team, Bud did a better job with his has beens and never weres than Butch can do with his personal choices
browns_beer	Boy oh boy having 1 starter from our O-line in there really hurts. Holcomb gets a horn not because of the way he played, but the way he came down on Fowler in the middle of the field and then as they walked to the sideline. You can go ahead and yell at a player on your team but wait until you are on the sidelines off camera. I didn't see Fowler turning around and screaming at Holcomb when he would float a pass over a receivers head.
award2403	Once again the offense sucks - it doesn't matter who plays QB if you offensive coordinator can't put together a decent gameplan. Why did we keep abandoning the running game?
freakofgod83	Melvin Fowler - Regardless of his inexperience, there is still absolutely NO excuse for messing up a simple snap like that. GO PLAY FOR THE BENGALS!
naxos	It is still Carmen's fault that our team is in the place that it is. However, Arians need to pull his head out of his behind and open this offense up.
porters	Arians and Davis need to share in this ineptness of the offense which began with Arians system and has escalated into a QB controversy which neither can run consistently . Don't blame the QB's. Northcutt made some bad decisions on punt returns.
dixiedawg	Ah, another pathetic offensive performance. Can't wait to visit Priest Holmes in two weeks.
nybrownie	offense what offense.. Kelly or Tim don't seem to matter
sexco	Tim and Kelly both were pretty ineffective. I have to start wondering with the expectations everyone had for the offense this year what the problem is? Could it be Arians, I don't know but something is wrong!
redright	1. Bruce Arians...for failing to put together a game plan that would take advantage of pats' weaknesses. 2. Bruce Arians.... for calling plays that that left us one yard short of whatever was needed. 3. Bruce Arians.....for killing Couch and Holcomb 4. Oh, did I already mention Bruce Arians?
sapphiresmd	I've seen pee-wee teams with more explosive offenses. That was totally ridiculous. Could the play calling be more predictable? And what exactly was Butch Davis' game plan yesterday? I don't want to hear about injuries as an excuse, because they knew all week they were going in to that game banged up. New England's had injuries too, and they are playing just fine. It's the coach's responsibility to prepare his team to play hard. Evidently, Butch was too busy "blowing smoke" all week instead of formulating a game plan.
condor	Kills me every week to hear the announcers talk about our receivers and then see all the 5 yard passes.
norman_smiley3	Well the O-Line...what more needs to be said on that...Its not so much of the guys that played but for them all in general...stupid injuries...Coaches! How many times did we see miss tackles...how many times on 3rd and short did we see a 0-yard pattern run by the WR's? Play calling was bad too. Kelly Started out ok...made some quick choices with the ball....but then he yelled at his O-Line that was doing the best they could. Kelly was taking his frustration out on his teammates...then the forced throw at the end with the int took the cake for a goat award...Defense needs to learn how to tackle. Kelly exploded at the O-Line and threw a pick that cost the browns the game...O-line needs to heal and play better and the coaches need to teach the D how to tackle the O-Line how to block and call better plays for 3rd and short
dandm5413	amazin' play callin' Bruce,3rd&9 and we throw 5 yards "deja vu"..how can we put points on our board when we can't cross the 50 yd line..Give Joe D. a call, hell ,he'll play for free! bye week, smiiiweek, time to evaluate the "infrastructure" from pole cat Policy down! Our team needs something and I hope they find it!
fgm	Melvin Fowler- This guy is a waste of space. Snapping the ball prematurely on a key third down play is inexcusable. I don't blame Holcomb for chewing him out. Bruce Arians- Playcalling was terrible, as usual. He doesn't know how to make adjustments. This guy really needs to get the pink slip after this season. He has 4 quality WRs and he can't utilize them properly. LBs- Aside from a couple good plays from Bentley and Boyer, this unit looked completely lost on the field. They still have tackling problems, and they let that TE run all over the place. Couch/Holcomb- Had to put them together cause they both sucked. Neither of them could read the blitz and call audibles.
Dawgalong	FIRE BRUCE ARIANS, FIRE HIM NOW!!! What a worthless load of s**t. Get him off the damn field and into the booth so he might have a clue as to what the hell is happening on the field. How can he possibly see what happened on a play while he's standing on the sideline? HE CAN'T, That's how! We also need to get the moron that is in the booth feeding bad info. to Arians heading down the road. I'm way past tired of watching this mess.
whoknowsmore	What do 3 points get you in the NFL?...A big fat loss! Bruce has to go, and Butch needs to get the O on track. Remember the days when CLE had NO weapons? Now there are so many weapons that we don't know which on to use. Yeah, right! Butch does know diddly about Offense!!!
mamadawg	Please take some advice. You hear many fans say "old school." There is a lot of meaning in those words. There is also a load of tradition and winning. The Browns and their fans are "Old School." Trying to change uniforms, stadium music, policies, rules stuffed down our throats, advertisements thrown at us from every direction of the stadium. "Old School" worked pretty well in the past with happy fans and winning games. Take a look and hopefully learn
darkcell	Arians playcalling still sucks. Timmy started to look like his old self again. Where is the #2 from the Steeler game? Pathetic letting a TE chew up a Defense all day long. Graham isn't a Shockey, Heap, or a Sharpe, so whats the deal?
invinsor	Bruce Arians confounds me with his calls. Some are brilliant, some are profoundly stupid. There's more offensive talent on this team than defensive... or at least that's what we were led to believe. Now the defense is making a weekly habit of showing up the O. Robert Griffith = liability. He's old. He's slow. He can't tackle. Why is it we brought this guy here. Time to put Crocker in -- he may be green, but at least he can catch a WR. Kelly Holcomb chewed out a line that I thought did reasonably well, against a tough D. He bitch out his linemen, trouble is Kelly, when they rush more guys than you have blockers, you're going to get sacked, Man. I appreciate his passion and fire, but it wasn't the O-line that threw a pick to loose the game...
bjthacker	Davis - What they hell does he mean the D-line had a good game? Was he watching the same game? Holcomb - Missed badly on two wide-open receivers, didn't protect the ball on a fumble, didn't get rid of the ball and took a sack from the right side (he watched the guy come get him), missed KJ at the end, and called for Fowler to snap the ball then put all the blame on the center even though it was Holcomb that wasn't paying attention. Barry Alvarez - As a Badger alumn, all I can say is who the hell calls a 1 yard WR screen on a 4th and 4?!?!
sofladawg	dump Arians and hire Tony Wise!
theskaterx	When is Andre Davis going to break a kickoff?!?!?!
bigdcopfer74	kelly kelly kelly still a ? what can you do against a real defense we've seen it against a prevent now show us something. butch its time to let bruce go get as much as you can out of the season and shop for a good oc. and you get a goat for being dumb enough to hire him and not call the damn plays yourself. time to make some changes.
photocitydawg	How often do we see Gerard Warren standing around just watching the action?
ewsturg	FIRE BRUCE ARIANS!
southdawg	Arians must go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bart.quigley	Butch, it's coming down to you, man. Look what Belichick does with his hurt players.
clbr99	Butch Davis, if you proclaim one more moral victory in those postgame speeches, I’m going to scream. Don’t pat these guys on the back for stinking. Geesh. Gerard W., you are NOT worth the money. I’d gladly trade you for a bag of cleat cleaners and a new Offensive Coordinator. Speaking of.....Bruce Arians, who hasn’t figured out our vanilla gameplan yet? Run on 1st, run on 2nd, pass on 3rd. Maybe it’s not the quarterbacks at all--maybe two great qb's are being smothered by this pitiful excuse for an offense.
underdog71	That's twice we only needed 10 points to get a win. The offense was weak... Better study hard and get ready for the 8-0 Chiefs. Hope everyone gets healthy and comes back strong. How about drafting some offensive linemen this year...
jeffdsp	Holcomb for ripping his line several times on national TV instead of taking the blame and for trying to throw the ball deep into the wind when he doesn't have the arm strength (purple heart for going in 2 games in a row and playing hard even though he shouldn't even be suited up w/ his injuries)...goathorns until he's fired to Arians...worst OC in the game by far!!!...horns to Butch for putting a player (kelly) in jeopardy of ruining his career into a game 2 weeks in a row...that's why you have a 3rd QB...suit him up each week ......and fire Ariens and bring in Bernie....imagine this offense w/ "the man" in charge of it!!!!!
cornjob	Butch Davis: For his continuous lack of being able to fire these player up for a game. Hell, Dick Vermeil is a lot older, and look at how he pumps up the Chiefs before every game. Damn, I wish we didn't play them in two weeks... OLine: 'nuff said. Steve Heiden: Can someone please tell me why we kept passing to this guy and not to people like Northcutt, KJ or Davis?
jacooper96	The Browns O.C. sucks. It doesn't matter who the QB is, there is something wrong with the system ... did anyone see Brian *@#?#* Griese last night against the same Chargers we stunk it up to. Holcomb for his temper tantrum on a botched snap that was clearly his fault, and instead of the announcers kissing Ty Law's ass on the last pick how about the severely under thrown pass (KJ had the guy beat). Davis- I am getting the distinct impression that it isn't much of an accomplishment to take a bad team and make them competitive to average, but it is clearly a whole other ballgame to make them above average, and I am beginning to have my doubts.