Cleveland—So far, so good.
That sums up Brady Quinn’s first
half as the Browns played their third of five prime time national television
games and held a 17-10 lead at the half.
Quinn was 11-of-15 for 102 yards, no
turnovers and two touchdowns and a rating of 131.1 through the
first 30 minutes. He hit tight end Kellen Winslow six times, including
two for scores.
The Broncos wasted little time moving
the ball on the opening drive, but it ended up in a missed field goal
by Matt Prater of 38 yards. On the first play, Jay Cutler hit
Tony Scheffler for 39 yards on the first offensive play to the Browns’
23. However, the Broncos stalled and Prater missed the field goal with
13:28 to play in the first quarter.
The Browns took over on their own 28
but punted back to the Broncos after a three-and-out.
After taking the punt on their own
14, the Broncos proceeded to march the length of the field and take
a 7-0 lead as rookie Ryan Torain went over from one yard out.
The drive started as Cutler threw a 15-yard pass to Brandon Marshall
and then another of 34-yards to take the ball to the Browns’ 29. Cutler
hit Eddie Royal for 18 yards to the one in front of Brandon McDonald.
Torain then went over from the one with 7:03 to play in the first quarter.
The Broncos went 86 yards in nine plays for the score.
The Browns answered the Broncos’
score with a touchdown of their own to tie the score at 7-7. The Browns
went 59 yards in six plays as Quinn hit Kellen Winslow with 3:38 to
play in the first quarter for the score.
Josh Cribbs had a 37 yard return to
give the Browns good field position at the 41. On the first play, Quinn
hit Donte Stallworth for 18 yards to the Broncos’ 41. Jamal Lewis
broke loose for a 29-yard run to the four after an eight-yard run on
the previous play. On first down, Lewis took it to the one and then
was dropped for a four-yard loss on second down. On third-and-goal from
the five, Quinn hit Winslow for the touchdown.
After forcing the Broncos to punt for
the first time, the Browns took a 10-7 lead on a 24-yard field goal
by Phil Dawson. Seldom used Jerome Harrison accounted for 53 yards
on five consecutive plays on the drive. He rushed for 44 yards and caught
a pass for nine yards in the drive. The Browns moved to the seven before
stalling. The 72 yard took 3:30 and 11 plays.
The Browns extended their lead to 17-7
with 10:29 to play in the fist half after an interception by Brodney Pool gave the Browns the ball at the Broncos’ 20. On third-and-6 ,
Quinn hit Winslow for a 16-yard touchdown and the Browns had a 17-7
lead with 10:29 to play in the first half. Winslow caught the
ball at the six and broke a tackle by Marquand Manuel and waltzed in
for his second score
The Broncos responded by cutting the
score to 17-10 with 5:40 to play in the first half on a 35-yard field
goal by Prater. The big play was a pass from Cutler to Scheffler for
19 yards to the Browns’ 17. The Broncos went 60 yards on 10 plays
for the score.
The Browns pushed their lead to 20-10
as Phil Dawson kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 to play in the
first half. The Browns went 45 yards on eight plays as Quinn hit Winslow
on the drive four times. A 14-yard pass to Steve Heiden on third down
took the ball to the Broncos’ 43. The Browns moved the ball to 35
and were faced with fourth-and-one and decided to attempt the field
goal.
Notebook
The Mighty Quinn: The Broncos took
the opening kickoff and after a missed field goal, QB Brady Quinn made
his debut. On the first play, Quinn handed off to RB Jamal Lewis for
a two-yard gain. Quinn’s first pass was incomplete to TE Kellen Winslow.
His second pass was complete to WR Syndric Steptoe for seven yards.
Quinn threw his first touchdown of
his career to TE Kellen Winslow with 3:38 to play in the first quarter.
He then hit Winslow again for a touchdown in the second quarter. Quinn
finished the first half 11-of-15 for 102 yards and two touchdowns and
a QB rating of 131.1 .
K2 TD: TE Kellen Winslow caught two
touchdowns in the first half. It was the first multi touchdown game
of his career. Winslow had six catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns
in the first half.
Defensive Blues: The Broncos moved
the ball into the Browns’ territory on their first three possessions.
They resulted in a missed field goal, touchdown and a punt. Top tacklers
in the first half were LB D’Qwell Jackson with six, LB Willie McGinest,
DB Brodney Pool and Brandon McDonald with four.
In the Pool: DB Brodney Pool intercepted
QB Jay Cutler and returned the ball to the Broncos’ 20.
Mistake Free: The Browns had no penalties
and no turnovers in the first half.
Jerome Time: RB Jerome Harrison had
four runs and a pass reception on five consecutive plays and totaled
53 yards on the drive the Browns took the lead on a Phil Dawson field
goal. He gained 13 yards on his first carry and then caught a pass for
nine yards on the next play. Harrison toted the ball for the third play
in a row for a two-yard gain and a first down. He then followed that
up with runs of 16- and 13-yards to start the second quarter.Harrison
had 44 yards, while Jamal Lewis had 49 in the first half.
Browns Honor 1947-49 AAFC Teams: Several
members of the Browns’ 1947-49 All American Football Conference Championship
teams were honored at halftime, including Dub Jones, Dante Lavelli
and Ara Parseghian.
The Shannon Factor: Shannon Dawson,
wife of K Phil Dawson, sang the national anthem. She has sung the national
anthem each season and the Browns are 8-1 when she performs going into
tonight’s game. Her husband kicked two field goals in the first half,
including a 52-yarder.