One Drive Wins it All

After a poor performance all game long, time was running out yesterday for the Browns. Colt McCoy wasn’t ready to give up though. Since coming to Cleveland, the quarterback has had to get used to losing – something he rarely did at Texas.

Getting used to losing is one thing, accepting it is another. McCoy was not ready to accept a loss yesterday as long as there was still time on the clock.

"We need one drive," McCoy told his teammates. "One drive and we can win this thing."

The rest, as they say, is history. McCoy stepped out from the shadows of a terrible performance and conducted a game-winning 80-yard drive capped off with a 14-yard TD pass to Mohamed Massaquoi.

All was forgotten – and forgiven – after that. McCoy stepped up when it counted, and the Browns are now 2-1 this season.

It was a sloppy win, but I’ll take it.

Three Things I Liked About Yesterday’s Win:
Colt McCoy became a leader. He’s always been a leader, but yesterday he showed his teammates why they should follow him. He had ice water running through his veins on that final TD drive, and I think he gained a ton of respect from everyone on the field and around the league.

Joe Haden continued to dominate. He’s quickly becoming a marquee corner in this league. In all three games this season, he has won the battle with the opponent’s top receiver. Quarterbacks are going to have to come up with a new game plan when they face him from now on.

Greg Little is emerging. The rookie is really starting to find his role on this offense. Yesterday, he caught three passes for 24 tough yards – all on that final game-winning drive. Not huge numbers, but decent. I see him continuing to grow.

Three Things I Didn’t Like About Yesterday’s Game:
Stupid Penalties. McCoy leads the team down the field for the go-ahead TD. But wait, an excessive celebration penalty means we’ll be kicking off at our own 30, which will give the Dolphins better field position to try and win. Then, a horse collar tackle penalty gives Miami another 15 yards to work with. I thought for sure this was the nail in the coffin … thankfully, the defense stepped up. The penalties, though, have got to stop.

Wide Receivers. This group needs some work. Sure, Massaquoi and Cribbs didn’t practice last week, and it showed. All day long, McCoy and the receivers didn’t look to be on the same page. If they were in sync, it would have been a blow-out.

Picking Up the Blitz. The offense struggled with this yesterday. McCoy was just 4-for-15 for 21 yards when the Dolphins sent five or more pass rushers. The O-line needs to do a better job of picking this up and protecting the QB.

Go Browns!

Rocco the Blawg Pound Mascot says:

"What I didn't like was the anxiety that came at the end. Are all Browns games like this?"