Wrangled by Cowboys

Boy, talk about a letdown. Yesterday's 28-10 loss to the Cowboys was disappointing, to say the least. OK, so maybe I didn't think the Browns would go out there yesterday and smack the Cowboys up and down the field, but I did at least expect them to show they belonged.

The offense couldn't really get into a rhythm, the special teams needed Josh Cribbs and the defense ... well the defense can be summed up best by something announcer Troy Aikman said at one point, "It's as if there is no one out there defending them."

Yep, the Browns really got it handed to them yesterday. The name on the door may be "Cleveland" but Dallas didn't even bother knocking as they burst right through it.

There's a lot of talk today already about who is to blame for yesterday's loss. I'll tell you what, I don't know that there's any one person to blame. This was a total team loss.

Of course, as a Brady Quinn fan, I'd be the first to point the finger at Anderson. And, as bad as he performed yesterday, even I'll admit that the loss wasn't totally his fault. Sure, many of his passes were off the mark, but even the ones that were perfectly thrown weren't being caught (Braylon, I'm looking at you). But that's neither here nor there.

The loss of Stallworth just an hour before the game was devastating, for sure. He was sorely missed (pardon the pun). But let's be honest, the elite teams in this league are able to get past injuries. Obviously, the Browns aren't quite there yet.

Let's face it; the Cowboys were the better team yesterday. They came into Cleveland Browns Stadium and showed us all exactly why they're a Super Bowl contender.

They didn't run up the score on us, but they played well enough to beat us good. They put us in our place.

Plain and simple — the Browns lost. They've got some re-evaluating to do. Today, we can reflect on yesterday's loss. But, tomorrow we had better get past it and start thinking about the Steelers.

Three Things I Liked About Yesterday's Game:

1. The Atmosphere — It was electric yesterday at the stadium. The seats were full right from the get-go, which is unusual for Browns fans that are typically slow to shuffle into the stadium from the tailgating. Since I was at the game, I'm not sure how it must have looked on FOX. I can only hope it looked like Browns fans gave a good showing.
2. Jamal Lewis — It took him a while to get going, but for someone who missed the last two preseason games and was a game-time decision, he looked pretty good. He finished with 62 yards on 13 carries. I'm really looking forward to seeing more from him the rest of the season.
3. Eric Wright — About the only bright spot for the entire defense yesterday was Wright's interception in the end zone at the end of the third quarter. Dallas marched down field with ease, and they would have made the score even more lopsided if not for Wright. Of course, if he had stayed in the end zone, they would have brought it out to the 20, instead of the 13 where he was tackled. Regardless, at least he hadn't given up when all seemed lost.

Three Things I DIDN'T Like About Yesterday's Game (other than the result, that's too obvious):

1. Browns Fans — Now, I'm not talking about all the fans. But here are two complaints about Browns fans yesterday: The booing of the field goal, and the early exit. I agree that going for the field goal was, shall we say, an interesting choice. But, there is no reason for the fans to boo the way they did. Uncalled for. Now, and this is what really pisses me off about Browns fans, after the field goal there was a mass exodus out of the stadium. There was still more than 10 minutes left in the game. That's a long time in an NFL football game. Where is everyone going? Way to have faith in your team. Geesh!
2. Ohio State Saturation — This one really irks me. This is a Browns game, not an Ohio State game. The two are totally unrelated. Why, oh why, does the stadium insist on playing that stupid "Hang on Sloopy" song so all the stupid OSU fans can do their "O-H-I-O" dance ala "Y-M-C-A"? And, why did the OSU band have to be there yesterday? That only added to it. I'll say it again: This is a Browns game, NOT an Ohio State game. Get a life, people.
3. Cowboys Fans — Again, I ask, who lets these people get tickets? As many Browns fans as there were in the stadium yesterday, there were still more than enough Cowboy fans. Not only that, but the Cowboys fans are so obnoxious (especially after the game, walking out of the stadium).

Any way, that's my wrap up ... for now. Like I said, we can talk all we want today about yesterday's loss to Dallas. Starting tomorrow, we focus on the Steelers. Go Browns!