| |
1ST |
2ND |
3RD |
4TH |
TOTAL |
| Cleveland |
3 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
22 |
| Houston |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
The Browns ended a nine-game losing streak, and ended the season on a good note
as the team topped the Houston Texans 22-14 on Sunday at Reliant Stadium in
Houston.
The win was achieved primarily due to the Browns domination of the Texans'
offensive line, as the teams' front four raced through the Texans line for six
sacks of starting QB David Carr. The Texans' franchise QB was actually knocked
out of the game at one point thanks to a sack by DT Alvin McKinley. Even when
able to throw, Carr was constantly harassed, and wound up with just slightly
more than 100 yards on the day.
The return of Kelly Holcomb and the third-straight 100-yard game by starting RB
Lee Suggs enabled the Browns to click more on offense, and out-gain the Texans
by over 100 total yards (364 to 238). Suggs gained 131 yards on 26 carries.
The win held only a small Draft Day downside for the Browns, as last weeks loss to the
Miami Dolphins, coupled with the Tennessee Titans 24-19 win in Detroit would seem
the Browns at the #2 spot in next April's NFL Draft. Unfortunately, it appear that (based on strength of schedule) the Dolphins will pick ahead of the Browns, who fall to #3. While various web sites (including ESPN) have the Browns at #2, we suspect that the team will pick third. Regardless, the Browns improved to 4-12
and the Texans failed to finish the season even, winding up at 7-9.
The win was especially meaningful to Browns head coach Terry Robiskie, who gave
game balls to all of his players and coaches, and entertained the happy locker
room by dancing on a table in celebration of his first win as a head coach.
The Texans, in their third year as an expansion team, should be particularly
concerned about today's results. Houston's offensive line was swarmed throughout
the day, and victimized quarterback David Carr, who left the field to boos
several times during the course of the contest. The arrival of back-up
quarterback Tony Banks was received with great enthusiasm by the Houston crowd.
While the rest of the NFL world turns to the upcoming play-offs and February's
Super Bowl, the Browns will begin working immediately to hire a General Manager
and Head Coach. The team looks to be active in the off-season, both in free
agency and the draft.
Bernie's Insiders already has a
listing and odds on General Manager candidates as well as our
Draft Database.
We will be debuting head coaching prospects and free agent listings in the
coming days as we focus on this very important off-season for the Browns.
- BDMc