...and some days you're the fire hydrant. Sure feels like the latter tonight after watching my "Rivalry Week" fizzle, with both the Buckeyes and Browns coming up short this weekend. I care more about the Bucks. But this Browns loss today really bites.
I can accept defeat graciously (no, really) when my team is outplayed in a good game by a quality opponent, like how the Buckeyes were taken apart yesterday by Michigan. But on the heels of that deflating pasting, it's tough to take the regular seat in Section 129 today, and watch the Browns giftwrap a win for the mediocre Steelers.
Five turnovers for the Browns to none for the Steelers tells you almost all you need to know. I feel bad for the Browns defense, because they played great but couldn't bail out the bumbling offense all day long. They held the Steelers without a first down for the first and third quarters, and held them under 100 total yards through three quarters of play. You're supposed to win when you do that.
The play-calling down inside the 10-yard line (on those two possessions on which we scored a total of zero points) was pretty lame. I'd like to be a bug on the wall in that postgame meeting between Butch Davis and Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians. I know the natives are restless. Between the men's room group therapy session after the game, and the hike back up to 9th and Lakeside, I listened to a lot of fans sounding off, and the griping centered mostly on QB Kelly Holcomb's two devastating interceptions ("I told you Couch is the man!") and the questionable play-calling by Arians (or Davis?).
I do know that you can't lay the blame for this loss on the much-maligned offensive line. They pass-protected extremely well for Holcomb. When he was sacked it wasn't because he didn't have enough time to throw. And the run blocking allowed James Jackson to gain about 95 yards with a decent average per carry. And they did that with Center Jeff Faine missing most of the last three quarters.
This one just proves that you can't combine the "giving" of Christmas and the United Way drive and hope to win in the NFL. We handed this one to the Steelers with a great big bow on it. You're welcome.
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Posted by dan at November 23, 2003 09:04 PM