Cleveland vs. Detroit Preview and Game Thread

[BernietheKid]

Quarterback situations in Detroit, Cleveland are reason for optimism
Posted: Thursday August 18, 2011 12:22PM ; Updated: Thursday August 18, 2011 12:34PM

By: Don Banks

More than any other month, even April, August in the NFL is all about hope. A new season looms, and the possibilities seem endless, even for the downtrodden teams of the league who perennially pack it in and head home after Week 17 rather than play on into the postseason.

So don't tell the long-suffering football fans in Detroit and Cleveland that it's "only preseason.'' August matters for these folks. Some years it's all they've got. The Lions and Browns meet Friday night in Cleveland, and the bottom-line facts are one of these two laughable losers is going to exit Week 2 of the preseason 2-0, with even more reasons to believe in a team led by a young, on-the-rise quarterback.

For anybody anywhere, would dreaming a little playoff contention dream be sweeter than for the 2011 Lions and Browns, who represent exhibits 1 and 1A of football futility? You know it's been a while for these two clubs, but I bet you don't know exactly how long they've waited for a taste of real NFL success. Here's how long:

-- Detroit's last playoff berth was 1999, its last division title came in 1993, the same year it last enjoyed a home playoff game and a top-four seed in the NFC. As for the Lions' last postseason victory, that came in the 1991 divisional round, over Jimmy Johnson and the emerging Dallas Cowboys. Who knew Wayne Fontes would preside over the glory days in Detroit?

-- Cleveland's last playoff berth was 2002, but the Browns (either the old or the new version) haven't won their division since 1989, in the Bud Carson coaching era. Cleveland last earned a top-four seed and a home playoff game with an 11-5 wild-card berth in 1994, when Bill Belichick's Browns beat Bill Parcells' Patriots in an AFC first-round game at old Municipal Stadium.

Since those long-gone days, of course, there's been mostly misery and heartbreak in the fall. Cleveland got its new expansion franchise and a new stadium in 1999, but it's still waiting for a truly big game to be played there. Detroit bid goodbye to the depressing Silverdome and opened up Ford Field in 2002, but the Steelers' Super Bowl XL win over the Seahawks in early 2006 is the only game of any real significance to take place there.

But it's August now, and that means the NFC's Lions and the AFC's Browns are starting off with a clean slate, just like 30 other hopeful NFL teams. Last week, both clubs won at home, and did so impressively, with Detroit pounding the bejeebers out of lowly Cincinnati 34-3, and Cleveland showing no sense of inferiority against the defending Super Bowl champion Packers, 27-17. There's no reason to start selling playoff tickets just yet, but still.

Most importantly, the Lions and Browns got great first showings of the season from their quarterbacks, with both the oft-injured Matthew Stafford in Detroit and the surprisingly smooth Colt McCoy in Cleveland leading their offenses on a pair of early touchdown drives. Stafford, coming off last year's shoulder injury, made his first appearance since Week 9 of 2010 count for something. He played just 11 snaps, but threw two touchdown passes in the span of 1:42, completing 6 of 7 for 71 yards on the night, with a 148.5 passer rating.

If anything, McCoy was even better, completing 9 of his 10 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, with a QB rating of 152.1 in his three series of work against Green Bay. It was a confidence-inspiring performance for the 2010 third-round pick, who was getting his first real shot at running new head coach Pat Shurmur's version of the West Coast offense. McCoy looked poised, comfortable and in command, three words not often used to describe the play of Cleveland quarterbacks. He looks ready to take the next step in his development as an NFL passer and leader, and the news that he traveled during the lockout to get tutored on the West Coast offense by Brett Favre only seemed to add to the positive buzz surrounding McCoy and his Browns.

Summer optimism aside, this is normally right around the portion of the story where I would caution Browns and Lions fans, reminding them that their playoff dreams are still miles and miles away from coming to fruition. After all, the Steelers and Ravens still reside in the AFC North with Cleveland, and the Packers and Bears remain formidable roadblocks for Detroit in the NFC North. Those are four 2010 playoff teams, and four very good reasons for a healthy dose of realism in Cleveland and Detroit.

But I say let the Lions and Browns dream. August may not matter much in every NFL market, but it does this year in Detroit and Cleveland. There's hope for these Lions and Browns, and for a change, it doesn't feel like false hope. It may only be the preseason, but after all those long years of losing and languishing, any winning start is a start worth noticing.

Here are the other Week 2 preseason games with storylines that interest/intrigue me....

• New England at Tampa Bay -- The Patriots ran roughshod over one of the NFL's three Florida franchises last week in Foxboro, pummeling the Jaguars 47-12, but let's see if they can do anything similar to the only Sunshine State team that actually compiled a winning record last season. The Bucs blanked the AFC West champion Chiefs 25-0 in K.C. last weekend, with quarterback Josh Freeman appearing ready to pick up right where he left off in his strong 2010 season.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said he was stunned not to play last week against Jacksonville, and he'll probably want to fight Bill Belichick if he doesn't see some action Thursday night (or am I getting my recent AFC East QB-head coach subplots all mixed up?).

But forget about Brady, we know what he can do. It'll be much more compelling to watch Patriots reserve quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and rookie Ryan Mallett, who were both red-hot last week against the Jaguars. One more crisp showing from either of them, and Miami will be ready to offer New England anything short of J-Lo and Jimmy Buffett in trade for a young Patriots passer.

• Arizona at Green Bay -- It's funny how the football fates can change someone's career in an instant. The last time Kevin Kolb was getting ready to start a game against the Packers, he was the Eagles new first-team quarterback in Week 1 of last season, at the dawn of Philly's post-Donovan McNabb era.
But you know how that one turned out: Green Bay outside linebacker Clay Matthews chased Kolb down from behind in the open field, knocked him out of the game, and opened the door for Michael Vick's renaissance season in Philadelphia. So indirectly, the Packers had as much to do with Kolb ending up in Arizona as anyone, and now they're coming after him again Friday night at Lambeau Field.

"It's weird how things work out,'' Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk told me this week. "Kevin started that game and then gets knocked out, with Michael Vick stepping in. Then look what happened. Vick plays great and he's in Philadelphia as the starter now, and Kevin winds up in Arizona, which seems like a great situation for him as well.''
Maybe. We don't really know yet, do we? All I really know is if I were Kolb, I'd keep a very close eye on Matthews every second I was on the field. Why tempt fate a second time?

• Washington at Indianapolis -- John Beck's going to play, and Peyton Manning isn't. That's a very good thing for Beck, the Redskins starting quarterback, because when you're competing with the likes of Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky on the opposing sideline, you can't help but look better by comparison. Beck could really help himself with a steady and productive showing. Mike and Kyle Shanahan consider him their starter, but at some point it'd be nice if he backed up their confidence and earned the job on the field.

The Colts treat the preseason like a necessary evil, and it shows. They're 4-24 in their past 28 exhibition games, and they play it so vanilla you should be able to put their performances on a waffle cone and enjoy it on the way home. But the Redskins will approach this one differently, and rightfully so. They're trying to get some mojo going this season, and last week's 16-7 home-field handling of Pittsburgh was a good first step. One AFC power vanquished, another one coming up?

• Kansas City at Baltimore -- We don't seem to get a lot of playoff rematches in the preseason, so we'll take this one and consider ourselves lucky, I suppose. The Ravens really exposed the Chiefs as a one-dimensional team on offense in that 30-7 first-round playoff beatdown at Arrowhead in January, and that outcome was used as motivational fuel in Kansas City this offseason.
Come to think of it, the Ravens haven't won a game since that conquest of the Chiefs, and they're going to be eager to erase the memory of last week's spotty opener at Philadelphia. Lee Evans should make his Baltimore debut at receiver, and quarterback Matt Cassel gets his first work of the preseason for Kansas City. The Chiefs could use an effective Cassel, because Tyler Palko and Ricky Stanzi didn't exactly tear it up in that shutout home loss to Tampa Bay.

• Minnesota at Seattle -- You have to figure that Tarvaris Jackson has had this one circled on his calendar for, well, days now. The ex-Viking quarterback gets his shot at revenge on the team that didn't believe in him, and he's got help on that front with Sidney Rice now in Seattle as well.

• Tennessee at St. Louis -- New Titans starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck knows a little something about playing against the Rams from his days in the NFC West. But Hasselbeck wasn't healthy the last time his former Seattle team faced St. Louis, in that winner-take-all Week 17 showdown last season. But Charlie Whitehurst won't be around this time to spoil all the fun. So far, the Titans QB combination of Hasselbeck and first-round rookie Jake Locker looks like it'll make for an entertaining season in Nashville.

Read more: Colt McCoy in Cleveland, Matthew Stafford in Detroit have fans optimistic - Don Banks - SI.com

[BernietheKid]

Browns-Lions: Don's Game Preview
		By Don Delco OBR Reporter Posted Aug 18, 2011 McCoy’s performance vs. Pack has garnered national attention – for better or worse. 0 Comments
Within the last week, the Cleveland Browns and its fans have witnessed the power and ignorance of the national media. Last Saturday’s 27-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers was televised nationally on the NFL Network. Under the preseason spotlight, Browns quarterback Colt McCoy performed well to the tune of 9-for-10 passing for 135 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions (152.1 QB rating). Suddenly, the national mindset shifted and the Browns were a team on the rise. Of course, take one step forward and two steps back. ESPN’s Mike Golic, when breaking down the Browns for the coming season, said the team needs to generate a pass rush from their 3-4 base defense. Well, part of that was right. Here’s what we do know: The Browns offense showed positive signs last week against a banged-up Packers defense. This week, the Detroit Lions come to town for the 2011 edition of that was once pitched as the Great Lakes Classic. (Yeah, that’s a real thing.) To sound like a national media member, the Lions are a team on the rise, and perhaps a step ahead of the Browns. Detroit is slowly walking away from the rubble that was its 0-16 season in 2008. Instead of loading up on draft picks who are pass catchers, the Lions are beginning to have smart drafts that included defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and, well, one more wide receiver in Calvin Johnson. Detroit comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday. The game will be televised on WKYC-TV 3. The Lions have won three of the last four Great Lakes Classic showdowns including last season’s 35-27 game at Ford Field. O-line Obstacle: The Browns starting offensive line of Joe Thomas (LT), Eric Steinbach (LG), Alex Mack (C), Shawn Lauvao (RG) and Tony Pashos (RT) may be the best in the AFC North, as well as in the discussion for best in the NFL. Last week against Green Bay, this unit gave McCoy time and passing lanes. What else can you ask for? Keep Suh from touching McCoy. Last week, Suh body slammed Cincinnati rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and subsequently was fined $20,000. Many have already forgotten last season when Suh grabbed Jake Delhomme’s face mask, twisted before wrapping his arms around the Browns quarterbacks head and slamming him to the ground. “I think the key to the offensive line is that they get to play together,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “Which, unfortunately, we’ve done for a few weeks now. I feel like I see progress there. There are a lot of very talented guys that seem to be working well together.” If the Browns offensive line can keep Suh in check, and stay healthy, it is a good sign this unit is ready for a productive 2011 season. McCoy-Receiver Relationship: This is a quarterback driven league. So while we fret over the potential harm opposing defenders can bring to McCoy, we also wonder if he will continue to put up solid numbers. Last Saturday against Green Bay, not only was McCoy accurate, but he was generous. He connected twice with Ben Watson (TE), twice with Evan Moore (TE), twice with Josh Cribbs (WR), and once each with Greg Little (WR), Peyton Hillis (RB) and Brian Robiskie (WR). “At this point we want to just stay consistent,” Cribbs said on Aug. 17. “We had a pretty good showing of our offense and we want to do the same this week. “We want to capitalize on that and maybe open up the playbook a little bit more.” Last season, Watson (68) and Hillis (61) were the Browns top two pass catchers. McCoy showed the ability to go through is progressions and find the open receiver and not rely too heavily on one position. It was a positive sign that hopefully continues against the Lions. Dreary Defense: It’s been well documented on how disappointing the Browns’ run defense has been since 1999. Now, last Saturday, the Browns played a lot of nickel defense against Aaron Rogers and the Packers offense, but Green Bay was able to average 4.8 yards per carry in the first half. It’s not like the nickel defense was very effective. Matt Flynn and Rogers combined to go 17-for-26 passing for 200 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Again, it’s not wise to rely too heavily on these numbers, and neither is Shurmur. “I was pleased with the way they played,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said on Aug. 17. “There was a lot of good, physical play. We played a lot of man coverage. You didn’t see guys running wide open. I thought the coverage was tight. For the most part, the receivers were challenged and we did create some pressure and disrupt the quarterback. I’m pleased with where they’ve come in less than three weeks.” Still, entering this game against Detroit, the Browns defense must perform well throughout the first half, as that is how long the starters are expected to play. As easy as it was to focus on McCoy and the Browns offense last week, the defense will need to have a good game against a better-than-average Lions offense to keep these positive feelings moving forward. Scout.com: Browns-Lions: Don's Game Preview

[Enigmatic Evil]

There's a lot of reading here that I will have to mull over tonight but here's my biggest thing:

1- We need a redux of performance quality from Colt. I want to see Colt continue to make the pre-season his' bitch. Tell me, there's not a single person on this forum who doesn't wish Colt continues to light it up and wants him to do so in the regular season. I just think it's important for the 1's to continue to have a solid offensive output and I think Detroit will offer us a solid challenge in that regard.

2- Play from the D must remain consistent. The 1's looked solid, with the exception of the Sheldon Brown/Greg Jennings mismatch. I want to see Haden lined up against Calvin Johnson. If this was a real season game this would be a match-up I would be excited to see honestly. I want to see a bit more from the front seven once the 2's or 3's hit the field even though I'm not going to get my hopes up. I think Jabaal Sheard needs to have a bigger game, make some noise at least.

3- Good play from the Running Backs. I don't know if I should consider them the 'bread and butter' or the 'secret weapon' but I would like to see us continue to establish the running game. Last week the play calling brought a good mix of run and pass, it gave Colt some freedom but it also brought some slack to the running game. Hillis with a beautiful Red Zone TD and Brandon Jackson with some good yardage runs for first-down. THATS what I want to see.

[hiwaygal]

If anyone happens to find a stream before the game, please send me a PM

I'll try to find one later when I get home.

[YtownBacker]

My take is that the Browns seem to be willing to rest some starters so they can take a real good look at some backups to see if they can step in and play with the starters if needed. This should tell the team whether they need to go find a Fa or wait for a cut or if they can go forward with some of the backups they have.

Although Greco may be the first backup guard off the bench, Pinkston will get a lot of play while they rest Steinbach. They got to know if he can be counted on or if they need to go get another lineman since Yates retired.

They absolutely need to know if Maiava and Smith can step in and take over if there are injuries. Both are good special teams players but they need someone who can play LB if we have an injury. Again, if this was a real game Gocond and Fujita would play. Titus Brown seems to be the first off the bench and would play the middle and Jackson move to WSLB but the team needs to know they have SSLB covered if Fujita goes down. BTW, Fujita can play all the positions but no one can play his. Smith is getting this shot to make the team but the Browns may still need to go get another OLB.

In the defensive backfield they seem in no hurry to push Young onto the field and have a yearlong nagging injury. Ward may also sit out although if it was a real game he'd be playing. This makes a great opportunity for someone to step up and make the team. Dockery seems to be a guy they want to see as a swing man who can play CB and FS. Patterson and the young guys are going to set the depth chart tonight because the backups won't get much playing time next week. Skrine will get a chance to battle Patterson for the nickle back job.

At WR Norwood is going to be given a chance to win playing time at the slot. At camp the Browns have used Moore, Little and MoMass will be back next week. Moore can play TE/Slot, Little has played Slot/outside in camp, and Mo can play in the slot and outside. Norwood is a slot guy only on offense. He needs to shine because he is somewhat one dimensional. Out of Robo, Mo, Cribbs, Little, Mitchell and Norwood someone is on the outside looking in. To bad Mitchell won't get a chance to show his stuff. That is going to be an interesting battle that won't get settled tonight but worth following throughout camp.

Some of these guys looked good last week but that was against GBs backups. Now they are going to have to show they can be counted on to step in and play with the #1s. Tonight won't be a much about the starters as will be about how the backups fare with increased playing time and against better competiton.

[Jax Dawg]

Lots of good info Y-town! I heard Hardesty is being held out again of the game tonight. Let's hope this isn't a repeat of last year.

[Dan in Florida]

I am curious how the Browns look "this week" and especially against the Detroit D Line.

[Jax Dawg]

If the Browns can keep Detroit's front 4 from getting to McCoy then he should be able to light up their suspect secondary. Some guy named Eric Wright is probably their best cover corner - how ironic would it be if he cost Detroit the game?

[nickers]

Originally Posted by Jax Dawg

If the Browns can keep Detroit's front 4 from getting to McCoy then he should be able to light up their suspect secondary. Some guy named Eric Wright is probably their best cover corner - how ironic would it be if he cost Detroit the game?

Word is EWright is not playing tonight due to soome injury wich I find suspect.

[Bandaid]

Originally Posted by hiwaygal

If anyone happens to find a stream before the game, please send me a PM

Same here....thought, just maybe one of the stations in Toledo might carry it seeing as probably over 90% of the football fans in the area are either Browns or Lions fans!!

[Jax Dawg]

Originally Posted by nickers

Word is EWright is not playing tonight due to soome injury wich I find suspect.

Ex-Browns, now Lions CB Brandon McDonald talking smack about the game tonight. Lions RBs to watch tonight include Jerome Harrison and Mike Bell.

[YtownBacker]

Originally Posted by Jax Dawg

If the Browns can keep Detroit's front 4 from getting to McCoy then he should be able to light up their suspect secondary. Some guy named Eric Wright is probably their best cover corner - how ironic would it be if he cost Detroit the game?

They got to roll the pocket, quick outs and slants. Drag routes and dump the ball to the backs. The Lions can be had with screens and draws.

Got to use that aggressiveness against them. Just don't have Colt sitting in the pocket waiting for routes to open up downfield. Get the ball out quick. That's what the WCO is about. Also, make them respect the run.