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Cowboys by the Numbers — The Secondary

Three Eagles receivers — Greg Lewis, Hank Baskett and DeSean Jackson — had 100 yard games against the Rams.  The Cowboys corners shackled Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow.  Something has to give.

Here are the cornerback coverage lines:

player	att.	comp.	yds.	YPA	Def.	drops, yds.	pen.
Anthony Henry	9	2	16	1.8	3	1 (25)	0
Adam Jones	6	2	20	3.3	1	1 (5)	1
Orlando Scandrick	2	1	9	4.5	0	0	0

Those are stellar lines for each corner, though they’re artificially high thanks to Braylon Edward’s butter fingers. He dropped the lone pass where a Cleveland receiver got behind the Cowboys secondary and two in the game.

– Anthony Henry was the top target. The Browns went at him six times in the first quarter alone and nine times during the game. His strong start pushed Rob Chudzinki and Derek Anderson to target other corners. Four passes to Edwards netted zero yards. Henry tackled Edwards on a smoke route for no gain, got a break when Edwards dropped a 25 yard bomb, then broke up a pass and defended a fade in the end zone.

Henry’s yards came when he covered Winslow. The tight end beat Henry on a deep in for 15 yards and Henry left Winslow in the end zone, allowing the Brown to catch a one yard pass for Cleveland’s lone TD.

– Adam Jones got more attention as the game proceeded and did fairly well. That yardage and completion line includes a three yard interference call in the end zone, where he let Edwards cross his face on a square in and tackled the receiver while Anderson’s pass was in the air.

Jones had a breakup and was ready to tackle Edwards on a five yard stop where the receiver dropped the ball. The lone reception came in the 4th quarter, when Jones’ man got behind him on a deep out.

– Orlando Scandrick was sound.  He missed a tackle on an Edwards curl but Zach Thomas cleaned up after a nine yard gain.  He had solid coverage on a fade to Edwards that Anderson tossed too high and out of bounds.

Dallas kept the Cleveland stars under control and the Cowboys corner trio played a big part in that.  I don’t think the Eagles backups — Jackson, Baskett and Lewis are the Eagles’ 3rd, 4th and 5th receivers (Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis are hurt) — will terrorize the Dallas wideouts.  Tackling will be key.  The Eagles will throw a lot more short passes and I expect them to complete quite a few.  If the Cowboys’ corners wrap up quickly and limit short throws to short gains, they should be okay, whether Terence Newman plays or not.

Cowboys by the Numbers — Offense

Here are the offensive stats against Cleveland:

Run Offense vs. Cleveland

Run	Barber	Jones	Choice	Total
Toss L	-	-	-	0-0
OT-L	4-8	-	-	4-8
Iso-L	-	-	2-4	2-4
Power-L	-	-	-	0-0
Bend-L	-	1-1	1-15	2-16
Wham L	-	-	-	0-0
Draw	3-27	-	-	3-27
Dive	2-3	-	-	2-3
Wham R	1-2	-	-	1-2
Bend R	-	2-3	-	2-3
Power R	-	4-52	-	4-52
Iso-R	-	1-1	2-7	3-8
OT-R	3-7	-	-	3-7
Toss R	3-32	1-3	-	4-33

Dallas skewed to its right in preseason and was decidedly right handed against the Browns. Marc Colombo is run blocking much better this year and Cory Procter is subbing for Kyle Kosier at left guard. Makes sense to me. Note also how each runner had signature plays, even in the span of one game. For Marion Barber it’s the toss right. For Felix Jones, it’s power right, the counter Emmitt Smith ran a million times in the second Super Bowl win over Buffalo.

Run Offense — by QTR.

	Barber	Jones	Choice	Total
1st QTR	5-19	-	-	5-19
2nd QTR	6-45	-	-	6-45
3rd QTR	5-16	3-31	-	8-47
4th QTR	-	6-32	5-26	11-58
Total	16-80	9-63	5-26	30-169

Note how the carry totals increase every quarter. By the fourth Dallas was beating down the Cleveland front. Those eleven carries came on a clock-killing ten and a half minute drive.

Receivers vs. Cleveland

player	attempts	completions	yards	YPA
Terrell Owens	8	5	87	10.9
Patrick Crayton	6	6	82	13.7
Jason Witten	9	6	96	10.7
Isaiah Stanback	3	2	24	8.0
Tony Curtis	1	1	8	8.0
Marion Barber	4	3	21	5.25
Tashard Choice	1	1	2	3.0
Total	32	24	320

The attempt percentages are roughly the same as last year, with Witten and T.O. splitting the two biggest pieces of the passing pie. Patrick Crayton was busy as well and had fine numbers.

Receivers — Targets

player	vs. SC	vs. NRC	vs. S	vs. LB
Terrell Owens	4	1	-	3
Patrick Crayton	3	1	2	-
Jason Witten	2	-	3	4
Isaiah Stanback	3	-	-	-
Tony Curtis	-	-	-	1
Marion Barber	-	-	-	4
Tashard Choice	-	-	-	1
Total	12	2	5	13
% of Att.	37.5%	6.3%	15.6%	40.6%

I mentioned in the pregame writeups last week that Jason Garrett does a fine job of matching his best weapons against an opponent’s weakest ones. Look at the ridiculous number of passes that Owens, Crayton and Witten got against linebackers, safeties and backup corners. (NRC stands for non-rated cornerbacks.)

Quarterbacks vs. Cleveland

player	att.	yds.	YPA	Comp. %	BD	BD %	INTs
Tony Romo	32	320	10.0	75.0	2	6.25	1

A typical Romo line. The bad decisions, both of which came inside the Cleveland ten, bother me. This is the same nonsense Romo pulled in the Houston preseason game. If he’ll take better care of the ball inside the the ten, nobody can stop him.

Offensive Line, Pass Blocking vs. Cleveland

Player	Pos.	Sacks All.	Blown Blks.	# Holding
Flozell Adams	LT	0	2	1
Cory Procter	LG	0	4	1
Andre Gurode	C	0	1	0
Leonard Davis	RG	0	0	1
Marc Colombo	RT	0	2	0

Looking for a caveat among all the euphoria? Note the number of blown blocks. Almost all of these came in the 3rd quarter, as the linemen seemed to lose their focus after halftime. They bounced back in the 4th quarter, but they’re playing a very good and smart Eagles D this week. A fade like this mid or late-game against those guys could hurt.

Number of Rushers - Plays

• 3 rushers — 5 plays;
• 4 rushers — 19 plays;
• 5 rushers — 6 plays;
• 6 rushers — 1 play;
• 7 rushers — 1 play

Another caveat. The Browns rarely blitzed heavily. They tried bringing a 4th man from a variety of locations and the Cowboys stopped them with ease. When the Browns did bring five, six and seven men, they got pressure. I’m sure Jim Johnson is aware of this. I’m sure Hudson Houck is too.

Scientific Cowboys: Dallas Flies Delta Past the Browns

One of the bigger questions facing Dallas during Cleveland week was how to maintain its attacking style with only three healthy, dependable receivers on the roster. Sure, the Cowboys activated Mike Jefferson for the game but he was a backstop, there in case any of the Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton, Isaiah Stanback trio went down.

Last week, I predicted that Dallas would flex TE Jason Witten a lot more, to give him chances to get up the field. Of all the marquee tight ends in the game, none flexed — or lined up as a receiver — fewer times than Witten, whom Dallas used this way just 23% of the time. (Compare that to Kellen Winslow, who flexed 75% of the time in Cleveland’s scheme last year.)

The Cowboys flexed Witten a lot more in this game, 15 times of their 32 attempts, for a 47% average. The tactic benefitted the Cowboys in several ways. First, it put Witten out in space, where it is harder for linebackers to jam him inside and funnel him into traffic. Second, it diminished an already weak Browns rush.

A play from the early 2nd quarter shows Jason Garrett’s thinking. Dallas put in its 12 package, with one back and two tight ends. Teams normally put both tight ends on the line of scrimmage, outside each tackle, or put one in the traditional TE position on the left or right side and move the second around, lining him up in the backfield, on a wing outside the first TE, giving an overload to that side, or out in space, in the slot.

On this play Dallas flexed both Witten and Tony Curtis, lining each up in a slot, about seven to eight yards wide of Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo. Cleveland, lined up in its base 3-4, had to pull both outside LBs, Willie McGinnest and Kamerion Wimbley, out to cover the tight ends.

As a result, the Browns had only five men “in the box,” their three down linemen and two inside linebackers. The Browns don’t blitz very often and this formation meant that Wimbley and McGinnest, their two best rushers, were lined up far from the line. They could rush, but would never get to Tony Romo in time. The Browns either had to blitz an inside ‘backer or go with just their line. Cleveland rushed the three DLs and the Cowboys line handled them. The package dictated the rush options to the defense and made blitz recognition easy.

The Cowboys did most of their flexed-TE damage from a package I’ll call delta. It is a two-TE set in which one TE lines up in the standard position just outside a tackle and the second TE flexes on the opposite side. The two WRs flank the flexed TE, with each wideout a yard behind the tight end. The three form a triangle, with the TE creating the point.

The formation is a zone buster. It overloads one side of a zone, and can generate delicious mismatches. The first time Dallas used the formation it got Terrell Owens a clean release and no coverage on his 35 yard TD pass, a play I detailed yesterday.

Another play from the late 3rd quarter shows how the delta package again put Owens in a huge mismatch. Dallas lined up in Delta right, with Witten flexed to that side. This time, however, Tony Curtis flanked to Witten’s left and T.O. flanked to Witten’s right. Patrick Crayton lined up as the split end on the far left, with Marion Barber and Tony Romo in the backfield shotgun set.

Cleveland again played zone, with LOLB McGinnest in space opposite Witten and LCB Eric Wright lined up five yards off the ball on T.O.’s outside shoulder.

Before the snap, Curtis went in motion to the right. He lined up as a flanker, far outside T.O. This forced the Browns to slide their coverage with Curtis and switch responsibilities; Wright, responsible for the wide man on his side, now played Curtis; McGinnest switched from Witten to T.O.; Witten went from being covered by McGinnest to being in open space.

The Browns rushed four men, and played a four-across zone behind them, meaning the three non-rushing LBs and the SS took the short zones and the CBs and FS played three across in the deep zone.

On the right, Dallas got its two best targets ideal matchups. Witten got a free release off the line ran a square in at eight yards and held the inside linebacker’s attention.

Owens beat a McGinnest jam, and ran a seam route. Tony Romo waited for him to get clear of McGinnest, and made an easy toss to T.O. who was tackled by centerfield safety Mike Adams at the Browns six.

Look at the production from the variants of the delta package:

1. 35 yard TD pass to Owens;
2. 5 yard completion on a quick out to Crayton;
3. A 22 yard seam right to Witten that the TE dropped;
4. A 31 yard skinny post to T.O. that was negated by a questionable offensive pass interference call;
5. A 17 yard fade left to Crayton;
6. The 22 yard seam to Owens highlighted above;
7. A 3 yard screen to Tashard Choice run away from the delta grouping;
8. A 15 yard comeback to Isaiah Stanback, who lined up as the split end away from the delta group.

Total – 8 plays for 150 raw yards, a 18.7 yard average.

Completions — 6 plays for 97 yards, a 16.1 yard average.

The Browns simply lacked the rush and secondary depth to handle the delta look. The Cowboys got huge gains almost every time they ran this set. The only failures were unforced. A Witten drop cost the Cowboys at least 22 yards and the dubious interference call cost Dallas another huge chunk of real estate.

So long as the Cowboys line and backs can protect Tony Romo, it appears the Cowboys have more than enough firepower in their tight end and receiving ranks to play attacking football.

Cowboys-Browns Review: How Do You Shut Down a Star?

The Cowboys defense hit its stride mid game yesterday, going almost 29 minutes, 28:58 to be exact, without allowing a Derek Anderson completion. The defense had a little help from a Braylon Edwards drop on Adam Jones, but didn’t need any more assistance.

The impressive task was shutting down Kellen Winslow Jr. who made some big grabs in the middle of Dallas’ defense on the Browns long TD drive that ended the 1st quarter and bled into the 2nd. Dallas used a variety of coverages on him in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, never allowing him to get single coverage on a linebacker or strong safety Roy Williams.

Much of the time, the Cowboys sent SOLB Greg Ellis with Winslow wherever he went. And when I write follow Winslow everywhere, I mean precisely that. Several times Winslow lined up as a wide receiver and Ellis lined up directly opposite him. Cleveland always ran in these situations and used Winslow as a decoy to gain an open an edge to run towards. The only time Winslow lined up as a traditional tight end, Ellis jammed him and passed him to ILB Bradie James, who put a second wallop on Winslow for good measure.

When Winslow lined up in the slot the Cowboys made sure had had a corner sitting in coverage with him. Anthony Henry, Adan Jones and Orlando Scandrick all took turns blanketing him. The only time Winslow caught a pass the last 40 minutes of the game came on the one play where he drew single coverage from Roy Williams. Winslow beat him on a nine yard out.

Rookie Watch

– For his stellar play outside and in the slot, Orlando Scandrick gets the rookie game ball. Cleveland has a dangerous passing attack and took some shots at Scandrick, but he was better than solid. The future looks very bright for him.

– Felix Jones gets the the runner up game ball. His big play skills should be obvious by now and his blocking isn’t bad. It’s inconsistent, however. If he can get better at it, he’ll play a lot this year.

– Mike Jenkins was busy on special teams. He was a gunner on the punt coverage unit and an edge player on the kickoff coverage squad.

– Martellus Bennett got a few series in the tight end rotation but didn’t draw a pass.

– Tashard Choice is also on the coverage units and got the last handful of carries in the game. He made two first downs.

Notes:

– A veteran game ball to Leonard Davis, who showed awesome power against the big uglies of the Cleveland defensive line. On Marion Barber’s 22 yard 2nd quarter draw, Davis punched out on 325 lb. Corey Williams and bowed the Brown backwards. Barber ran through the ample lane Davis created. Leonard’s best work came on Felix Jones’ 11 yard TD run late in the 3rd. He put a double team block on Shaun Rogers that helped roll the biggest Brown two yards off the line of scrimmage. Big Bigg then scraped off and blocked ILB Andre Davis, clearning a huge path off right guard for Jones’ first NFL touchdown.

Jay Ratliff told me in camp that Davis is the toughest offensive lineman he’s ever faced. The Browns linemen would probably tell you the same thing today.

Roy is Special

– the kickoff coverage unit yesterday:

1. Justin Rogers
2. Bobby Carpenter
3. Kevin Burnett
4. Pat Watkins
5. Keith Davis
6. Tashard Choice
7. Mike Jenkins
8. Deon Anderson
9. Orlando Scandrick
10. Nick Folk and…
11. Roy Williams

How ‘Bout That NFC?!

I’m watching the Bears smack the Colts around and I wonder if the NFL’s center of gravity is shifting? Consider the AFC/NFC matchups this weekend:

• Dallas 28, Cleveland 10
• Carolina 26, San Diego 24
• Buffalo 34, Seattle 10
• Chicago 29, Indianapolis 13

Yeah, it’s week one, but look at the assumed cream of the AFC. The Patriots are in disarray, fearful that Tom Brady could be lost for the year with an ACL tear. Carolina didn’t play Steve Smith and still stunned the Chargers. The Colts are sputtering with a rusty Peyton Manning under center. They look a half step slow in comparison to the swarming Bears.

Only Pittsburgh looked dominant in the AFC today. It’s early, but we may be witnessing the AFC dropping back to the NFC’s level, which means the Super Bowl race is truly wide open.

Taking A Punch and Throwing Four: Dallas Clobbers Cleveland 28-10

On Dallas second 2nd half drive, Tony Romo took a Willie McGinnest helmet to the chin. He lay dazed on the turf for a moment, gathered his wits and responded with a deep completion on 3rd and long to Jason Witten. The pass was a body blow to a Browns team that was blitzing like crazy, trying to get back into a game the Cowboys put under control in the first half. Romo threw more jabs before Felix Jones knocked out the Browns with an eleven yard uppercut, following Leonard Davis and Cory Procter on power right to power Dallas to a 28-7 lead.

The subject of HBO’s Hard Knocks applied some to Cleveland today. The Cowboys ‘08 season began in a style that recalled the ’90s teams. Remember the ‘91 Cowboys, who went into Cleveland and dominated the Browns? Or the ‘94 team, which opened in Pittsburgh, thumping the Steelers 26-9?

Today’s performance was just as dominant. This team manhandled the Browns offense, stuffing the Cleveland running game and breaking up Cleveland’s rhythm in the middle two quarters after the Browns completed a touchdown drive on their second possession.

Adam Jones and Orlando Scandrick played well in their first Cowboys games. The Browns went hard at Scandick early and after Jones late and didn’t trouble either of them. Anthony Henry also looked strong as the secondary shackled Braylon Edwards. The Browns big-name wide out dropped a Derek Anderson bomb on Cleveland’s first series and disappeared afterwards. He finished with two catches for just 14 yards.

Kellen Winslow got off to a hot start but Dallas then moved Anthony Henry over him and Winslow’s game slowed down. He finished with 47 receiving yards, the only Brown to get more than 20. Derek Anderson got good protection from his blue chip line but the Cowboys secondary did a stellar job in coverge; Anderson passed for just 114 yards on 24 attempts, a weak 4.75 yards per attempt.

The dominance was even greater in the other matchup, where the Cowboys offensive line kept the Browns rushers out of Tony Romo’s area code. Hudson Houck’s guys gave Cory Procter the help he needed. Shaun Rogers beat Procter a couple of times but he was not a factor, spending shorter series on the field as the game progressed and his fatigue level increased.

Tony Romo posted All Pro numbers — he completed 70% of his passes and averaged 10 yards per attempt. He was on his way to a perfect day but rushed a pass from the Browns five that was intercepted late in the 3rd quarter, when Dallas was ready to blast to a 35-7 lead.

* * * * * *

The sharpness the Cowboys offense showed this summer carried over to the real games. The Cowboys had four first half series and drove for touchdowns on three of them. They drove methodically, opening the season with a perfectly balanced, 10-play, 80 yard drive. After a three and out the Cowboys raced 69 yards in just four plays. Dallas ended the half with another 10-play drive that pushed Dallas to a 21-7 lead just 26 seconds before the half.

Romo showed an impressible ability to take what the defense offered. Cleveland mixed a lot of zone and zone blitzes early, giving extra attention to T.O. Romo turned to Jason Witten, who abused safeties in the middle of the field for 19, 22 and 8 yards, the final catch giving Dallas first and goal at the one.

The second Witten completion demonstrates how tight the passing game was. On 2nd and 2 from the Browns’ 33, the defense lined up in a standard 3-4 look to match up with the Cowboys, who were in a two TE set, with Witten left and Martellus Bennett right. Just prior to the snap free safety Mike Adams sprinted up to the line and lined up just outside Flozell Adams.

The Browns were attempting an overload of the Dallas left side, but it was picked up superbly. Andre Gurode stalemated Shaun Rogers. Cory Procter stopped Robaire Smith, who tried cutting into the LG-LT gap. Adams passed Smith on to Procter and stoned Adams.

Outside, Kamerion Wimbley tried jamming Witten before coming on a delayed blitz. The jam was crucial with the blitz because inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson had to get out into the flat and cover the tight end. He would have no chance unless Witten was knocked off balance at the line. Witten got a clean release outside Wimbley, raced several yards clear of Jackson and took Romo’s floater down to the Cleveland 12.

On the next series, Garrett showed that he hasn’t lost his matchup touch, getting Owens, his best receiving weapon, matched up against… nobody.

On the third play of the series Dallas faced 2nd and 12 on the Cleveland 35. Dallas lined up with a diamond package on its left flank — Jason Witten flexed wide and on the line of scrimmage, with Owens a yard behind the LOS and set to Witten’s left; Patrick Crayton was also a yard off the LOS and to Witten’s right. Martellus Bennett was lined up as the tight end right off Marc Colombo’s shoulder and Marion Barber was the line back directly behind Romo.

Cleveland was in a 3-4 look with SOLB Kamerion Wimbley lined up in space over Witten, with CB Brandon McDonald playing five yards off the ball off T.O.’s outside shoulder.

Just before the snap, Crayton went in motion left, lining up wide outside T.O. McDonald slid wide to cover him. The motion also pulled Wimbley farther towards the sideline, giving Witten a free release upfield. The Browns were in zone and Crayton’s pre-snap motion put three receiving targets in an area where the Browns had only McDonald and a deep safety playing center field. Witten ran a post, pulling the safety with him.

This meant that McDonald was alone on the right edge trying to cover both Crayton and T.O. Crayton ran 15 yards upfield and stopped. Owens ran up the left seam, unchallenged. Romo saw him and threw a perfect pass. McDonald got into the TV shot but he never had a chance to close from his wide position. It seems amazing that Owens got a free release and no direct coverage, but the Cowboys have created matchups like this for him ever since Garrett took over the play calling.

All was not perfect. The Cowboys took eleven penalties. Romo made two horrible passes in the Cleveland red zone. He got away with one, which was dropped, but the second forced throw was picked off. Romo won’t have the luxury of big leads every week and needs to cut these throws down. Felix Jones did a poor job of blocking on the pick but Romo could have taken a sack or thrown the ball away. Instead, he tossed it blindly.

Don’t be surprised if Montrae Holland is activated soon. Cory Procter did a good job of run blocking but the Browns began to beat him consistently on pass plays in the 2nd half. He blocked linebackers but could not stay with interior linemen who had any moves. Rogers whipped him several times with spin and swim moves. Eagles DC Jim Johnson will no doubt take note and target him next week. The pass blocking Procter showed today isn’t good enough for the long haul.

On the whole, the Cowboys were more than good enough. They took a game Cleveland’s best shots and gave back in abundance. They’ll have to stay sharp because a much better punching Eagles team comes to Texas Stadium next week.

* * * * * *

The Kids Are Alright

The rookies showed their value on the Cowboys final drive of the game. Cleveland took a field goal with 10:13 to close the gap to 28-13. They never saw the ball again. Dallas started at its own 20 and ended the game on the Cleveland 13, using 15 plays, 13 of them runs, to bleed the clock.

The Cowboys got one first down by relying on Felix Jones. The rookie carried twice and then threw a key block on a blitzing Browns safety, giving Romo the time to hit Crayton for seven yards and a first down. a

Two consecutive holding penalties put Dallas in 1st and 29. The team converted on a 15 yard out to Isaiah Stanback and a 22 yard slash by Felix Jones behind Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo. Jones run was the first of eight consecutive runs he and Tashard Choice made to end the drive and the game.

Stanback contributed, adding two catches for 24 yards to the tally. He showed some solid blocking on the perimeter.

Jones was the real sensation. The rookie took over in the second half after Barber left to have his ribs examined. He finished with nine carries for 62 yards, a tidy 6.9 yard average. He had a long run of 22 yards and just missed a longer TD run in the late third quarter, where Mike Adams made a desperate ankle tackle.

Cowboys @ Browns, 2nd Half Thread

Halftime observations:

Told ya so:

1. The Cowboys are lining up Greg Ellis in the slot to chip Kellen Winslow.
2. Dallas went nickel with Anthony Henry in the slot on Winslow after Winslow beat the safeties a couple of times.
3. Orlando Scandrick plays the right corner spot when Henry slides inside. The Browns are targeting him.
4. The Cowboys are getting most of their running yards going wide behind Marc Colombo, just as they did in the preseason.
5. Dallas is flexing Jason Witten more and using more standard I sets, but is not going crazy with it so far.

Cleveland is going at the left side of the Dallas offensive line, and so far has nothing. Tony Romo has time to go way down his list of progressions on passes.

A textbook hot route — Cleveland blitzes a safety on 1st down. The line blocks down, Witten blows past OLB Kamerion Wimbley and takes a Romo floater inside the Browns ten.

The Dallas rush has been close but no cigar. They’re rushing four men on most pass plays.

Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff have won the rushing matchups so far. The Browns can’t get any push behind Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach.

What does an efficient drive look like? Look at the Cowboys’ 2nd:

• 18 yard pass;
• 22 yard run;
• 7 yard pass;
• 10 yard penalty. Okay, that’s not so good.
• 35 yard touchdown pass.

The Browns are not trying to challenge Adam Jones very much. They’re thrown twice his way. He took an interference call on the first pass and almost picked off the second, defending the pass.

The early story is the Cowboys’ protection. The Browns are not getting close to Romo. Not remotely close. Cleveland’s one sack was wiped out by an illegal-use-of-hands penalty.

There’s your first terrible decision of the year for Romo. He comes in motion on 1st and ten from the Browns nine and forces a pass to Owens, who was bracketed by three Browns. It was only and incompletion — thankfully.

Touchdown with 24 seconds left in the half. Fox just showed a sideline shot of Shaun Rogers a huffin’ and a puffin’ on the Cleveland sideline.

… and Dallas gets the second half kickoff.

Cowboys @ Browns, 1st Half Thread

FINALLY!

Take it away.

Cowboys @ Browns, Part IV: Rushing against Cleveland

The matchup of Dallas’ rushing attack against Cleveland’s rush defense provides the most intrigue, because it has the least carryover from last year. Both teams have re-armed, Cleveland on its defensive line and Dallas in its backfield and at tight end.

The Browns were uniformly bad on defense last year, ranking in the bottom quarter in both rushing and pass defense. The D-backs had respectable YPAs in one-on-one matchups, which suggests Cleveland had a poor rush and played a lot of zone to minimize the exposure to their secondary. The team’s woeful sack totals bear this out.

Cleveland was even worse stopping the run, allowing an average of 130 yards per game. GM Phil Savage and HC Romeo Crennell understand that if you can’t stop the run, you can’t stop anything and they paid a steep price this offseason to beef up their front seven. They traded Cleveland’s 2nd round pick in this past year’s draft to Green Bay for 320 lb. DT Corey Williams, who was immediately installed at LE in the Browns’ 3-4 front.

The team later traded its 3rd round pick and starting CB Leigh Bodden (a very good corner, BTW) to Detroit for DT Shaun Rogers. The Lions had grown tired of Rogers’ continual tease; he’s good but only in short doses, because he’s 350 lbs. and wears out quickly. The Browns penciled him in at nose tackle and plan on rotating him with 325 lb. backup Shaun Smith, in order to keep the new Shaun fresh.

Rogers will line up against Andre Gurode, who’s coming off a Pro Bowl ‘07 and who looked very good blocking big interior linemen. He got the better of Jamal Williams last month, though it must be said that Williams had only returned to practice two days before that game. Nonetheless, Gurode’s weakness has been getting out in space and cutting off quick linebackers. He’s better suited to playing big boys right in front of him, because he’s strong and can outquick nose tackles who are usually bigger than him.

Outside, Williams will square off with Marc Colombo, who had a very strong preseason. Colombo played with an injured ankle last year and he looked much stronger this summer. Dallas was decidedly left handed in it’s runs even before Kyle Kosier injured his foot. When Dallas does run inside, look for them to go behind Colombo and 355 lb. Leonard Davis.

The questions entering game one are how often the Cowboys will run early and with whom? As I mentioned yesterday, Dallas’ strategy in the brief Jason Garrett era has been to pass heavy early, wear out opposing defensive lines and then hammer Marion Barber late. Barber had an incredible second half line last year attacking fatigued defenses.

He’s the starter now, but I suspect the Cowboys will use the same formula. Look for them to pass a lot early. Also look for them to run wide a lot, to keep the Browns big fatties running. Dallas has favorable matchups on the edges, where Pro Bowler Jason Witten will match up against OLBs’ Willie McGinnest and Kamerion Wimbley. Both Browns are huge (McGinnest goes 270 and Wimbley goes 255). They’re going to play the entire game, however, since the Browns lost key rotation OLB Antwaan Peek to injury.

Dallas ran a lot of tosses to its right and I look for that tendency to continue, at least in the first half. It will also be interesting to see how Dallas mixes Barber and new RB Felix Jones. Last year the Cowboys balanced their carries, with Barber averaging 13 carries a game and Julius Jones getting 10. I think Barber will get a lot more carries, closer to 18 to 20 this year. That said, I think the new Jones will get his early touches.

The Cowboys ran a lot of passing plays for Felix. When he carried the ball, the calls of choice were off tackle plays, tosses and draws. I think he’ll figure heavily in the Cowboys’ game plan against that thin linebacking corps. While Dallas throws early to wear out the linemen, I think Garrett will also run Felix wide and get him out in space on short passes. Then, in the second quarter, the dose of Barber will increase. Dallas could come out and try butting heads with the Browns, but that hasn’t been Garrett’s style.

Special Teams

Injuries are the story here. The Browns have lost elite return man Joshua Cribbs to injury. That’s a relief for Dallas coverage teams that continue to be inconsistent. The injuries to Dallas’ receiving corps have messed with the team’s special teams rotations. Miles Austin and Sam Hurd were the team’s primary gunners last year and both are out. The lack of depth here was one reason why Alan Ball was kept and Evan Oglesby was cut when the Cowboys re-signed Keith Davis. Ball excelled at gunner at the end of preseason and may be active Sunday to play that role.

Isaiah Stanback’s injury may also scramble the team’s kickoff return plans. He and Austin were the team’s two designated kickoff returners and I wonder if Stanback will return kicks, being the only healthy WR behind T.O. and Patrick Crayton? Watch the Cowboys active roster tomorrow to see if Danny Amendola has been activated to play. The more likely candidate is Orlando Scandrick, who will likely be active as the 4th CB and as a kick cover man.

One returner who should play and who could impact the final is Adam Jones. He got two returns in preseason and showed he’s just as dangerous as he was in ‘06, when he rivaled Devin Hester as a top return man.

Prediction:

I wrote earlier that some teams are not fully ready for week one. The Browns look like one of those teams to me. A large number of key starters have not been able to practice much of the preseason. Derek Anderson only returned to practice this week after suffering a concussion three weeks ago. Braylon Edwards missed almost all of pre-season with a gashed foot. He too returned to practice this week.

Jamal Lewis is nursing a sore hamstring and has barely practiced the past couple of weeks. Safety Brodney Pool may not play because of a concussion.

It’s one thing to be a bit ragged because you didn’t play much in the preseason games. Cleveland is hoping its skill position core can step on the field and light it up with little preparation. They’re talented guys but they run a timing offense, so their task is harder.

The Cowboys offense has been smooth this preseason. If they can avoid turnovers, they should be able to move the ball.

Dallas 31, Cleveland 21

Beware the Week One Rush to Judgement

NFL fans can’t wait. They’ve been without football since early February and they’re getting real football back. Their hearts are racing. Their minds are spinning.

And it leads to outrageous over reactions to good play and bad. I’ve said for years that week one of the NFL schedule is the most overanalyzed. People form hard opinions of teams that are hard to shake.

Week one reveals very litte in the long run. It resembles the end of ‘07 more than it will tell us how ‘08 will unfold. There are several factors that make it unlike any other. First, it’s the only regular season game for most teams where the staffs will have more than three to four days to prepare. For the remainder of the season coaches will have to put Sunday’s game behind them and have fresh game plans ready to install that Wednesday and Thursday.

This week, coaches can unwrap game plans that have been weeks in the making. Dallas started practicing for the Browns last week, when the Vikings were still on their schedule.

There’s the conditioning issue. Some teams have been holding back injured starters to keep them for real games. This means you’ll see teams that might not have their timing down or have the stamina to go 60 minutes. If you saw the Giants/Redskins opener you know what I’m writing. The Giants looked like they were going to run Washington off the field, racing to a second-quarter 16-0 lead. But the game stalled in the second half, where neither team scored a point.

There are teams with new staffs that are learning new systems. They’re often not ready to play their best ball on opening day.

Weeks two and three are much better indicators or what a team will be. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to downplay Dallas’ odds. I think they’ll win, in part because too many Cleveland starters missed too much time this summer, a point I’ll address in the final preview today. That said, there’s a chance parts of the Cowboys game will be ragged.

Think back to last year. The Cowboys won their opener against a division rival and yet a lot of fans were white hot at Wade Phillips because his team gave up 35 points. He was a fraud, they said, a defensive coach with no defense. The secondary was doomed because Terence Newman was hurt.

Was this game a true indicator of the defense’s and the team’s future? No. The Cowboys allowed 20, 10 and 7 points in the next three games and finished the month 4-0.

Root hard, my friends, but don’t root yourself sick. There will be a week two and a week three, and thirteen more game weeks after that.

Cowboys @ Browns Preview, Part III

When Dallas Throws the Ball

The Cowboys run many of the same sets the Browns do, because the OC pedigrees are similar. Follow the bouncing ball: Jason Garrett played for Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese last decade and uses many of their aggressive, timing plays. Browns OC Rob Chudzinski was San Diego’s TE coach when Cam Cameron ran the Chargers’ offense under Marty Schottenheimer. Cameron runs the same schemes Turner does. When Chudzinski and Cameron both left last season, Chargers GM A.J. Smith hired Turner back because he would keep the same offensive fundamentals, allowing for a smooth transition to the new regime.

The bottom line is that you’ll see many of the same personnel packages from each team. A look at Dallas’ passing breakdown shows patterns similar to those we saw from the Browns in Part I of the preview:

Targets	Att.	% of Romo’s Att.	YPA
Terrell Owens	139	26	9.7
Jason Witten	141	27	8.2
Patrick Crayton	80	15	9.5
Totals	360	68

Look at the Cowboys’ table and look at the Browns. The percentages to the first three targets are almost uncanny. Dallas also uses its #1 WR and TE as options 1 and 1A. The second receiver also gets 15% of the passes.

The wideouts will be playing an underrated set of Browns corners. Last season Cleveland lined up Eric Wright and Leigh Bodden and got very good play from both. Wright was superb out of the collegiate box, posting a 6.1 YPA. He was very good against red-level wideouts and is Cleveland’s top cover man.

The Browns lost Bodden in free agency and are confident that nickel and dime backs Daven Holly and Brandon McDonald can step up. Both had YPAs under 7 last year, which is red-level, but have struggled in the ‘08 pre-season games.

The key to Dallas’ success will be getting T.O. away from Wright. Garrett was excellent at this last year, motioning Owens into the slot and working him on shallow crosses and seams over the middle, where he was matched up on linebackers and safeties. Nearly half of Owen’s ‘07 attempts came against these coverages.

The Browns use a lot of zone so look for more of the same. Don’t be surprised if Patrick Crayton has a strong game. He had a strong 9.5 YPA in ‘07, which ranked 11th overall. Crayton’s downfall is red-level corners. He posted a lousy 2.6 against top tier corners, so look for the Cowboys to line him up away from Wright as much as possible. Crayton was 9.2 or better against mid and low-level corners, so he may put up some big numbers working the rest of the Cleveland secondary. He had a Bob Hayes-esque 19.4 YPA against non-rated CBs.

If Isaiah Stanback can stay on the field and flash some deep speed (getting his hands on a deep ball will suffice, to keep the Browns corners honest) Crayton could get the favorable matchups he’s destroyed in the past.

It will be interesting to see how many times Jason Witten plays the F-back, motioning into the backfield and how often he lines up on the line of scrimmage and can run deeper routes up field. Deon Anderson’s health should see Dallas playing more two back sets, putting Witten outside an OT or in the slots, usually on the same side as Owens. This puts the safety on that side in the difficult position of trying to choose which option to cover deep.

When Tony Romo drops back to pass, he’ll be protected by one of the best units in the game. The Browns get a lot of ink because their starting five only allowed 10 sacks last year but Dallas’ starters only gave up 11. Flozell Adams allowed a league best one sack at left tackle and Andre Gurode was stellar inside. Mark Colombo is a bit weaker on the right side, giving up 5 sacks last year, but was gritty against top rushers.

The Cowboys line is dinged, with LG Kyle Kosier out with an injured foot. After shuffling several interior linemen into the LG slot, backup C Cory Procter will get the start. There’s some concern that Procter could have trouble with massive NT Shawn Rogers, the Browns big offseason acquistion on defense.

Procter will likely get help from his center and his offensive coordinator. Last year, Jason Garrett ran a 56/44 pass/run blend. What’s more, he skewed his play calling heavily towards the pass early and the run late. This tactic was very effective at wearing out defensive lines early, as it’s taxing for 330-340 lb. DTs to run several sprints in heat, especially when they’re chasing an active QB like Tony Romo.

Garrett used this strategy to perfection in week two last year against the Dolphins, when he had Miami’s DTs worn out before the half. I expect him to try the same tactic Sunday. Rogers is very talented, but is also very overweight and wears out quickly. I think Dallas will make him rush a lot the first two to three series, and send him to the oxygen tank as quickly as possible.

Dallas will be facing a Browns front that could muster only 28 sacks last year. Kamerion Wimbley led the team with 5 sacks. Cleveland’s top four rushers combined for 17 sacks. Demarcus Ware, by comparison, had 14 all by himself. The Browns rush may be further weakened by OLB Antwaan Peek’s knee injury. Watch his status as game time approaches.

Cleveland’s weak rush may be the deciding factor in the game. The Browns were criticized last year for sitting in zones and playing it safe early on. Their rush came on down the stretch and they have the talent to be troublesome when they’re healthy, but right now they’re not at full strength. Peek appears hurt, as is safety Brodney Pool, who recently suffered a concussion. He has not been practicing and may not play.

Romeo Crennell was Bill Belichick’s DL coach and he’ll try some creative ways to get his guys to Romo. If they fail early, he may call on heavy blitzing, which is exactly what Dallas is hoping for. Cleveland has talent in its secondary, but its young and somewhat erratic. If the Cowboys can prevent leaks at left guard, Romo will get some chances for big plays.

Cowboys @ Browns Preview, Part II: Stopping Cleveland’s Rush

It appears, at first glance, that the Cowboys have formidable opponents in Jamal Lewis and the Cleveland offensive line. The Browns showed great balance last year, with Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow keeping secondaries honest. This kept eight man fronts to a minimum and created space for Lewis to run.

The Ravens gave up on Lewis but he showed he still has tread left on his football tires, rushing for 1,304 yards, averaging a very good 4.4 yards per attempt.

Lewis’ season can be broken down into two halves. He started slowly, carrying only once each in early losses to New England and Oakland and missing the Dolphins game completely. He averaged a pedestrian 64 yards per game in the Browns’ first nine contests and were it not for a breakout 216 yard game against Cincinnati in week two, Lewis would have averaged just 43 yards per game in that span.

He was a different runner in the Browns’ last 7 games, averaging 113 yards per contest and notching four 100 yard games. Only once in that stretch of games was he held below 92 yards.

These numbers suggest the Browns line gelled at mid-season and began steamrolling opponents, right?

Not exactly. Let’s look at Lewis’ performances when broken down by his opponents’ run-defense rankings:

Opp. Rush Defense Rank	Gms.	Att.	Yds.	Yds. Game	Yds. Att.
1-10	6	89	258	43.0	2.9
11-20	3	66	232	77.3	3.5
21-32	6	143	773	128.8	5.4

These numbers demonstrate that the Browns’ rushing game was good but not dominant in 2007. Cleveland had six games against rush defenses ranked in the top 10 — two against Pittsburgh, two against Baltimore and one each against Arizona and New England. Cleveland ran poorly in those matches. Lewis averaged less than three yards per carry and 43 yards per game.

Against mid-level rush defenses, those ranked 11th through 20th, the Browns put up solid numbers. Lewis averaged 3.5 yards a carry and just over 77 yards per game against the Seahawks, Texans and Rams.

When the Browns played poor run defenses, they ripped them apart. In their six games against the Bengals, Raiders, Jets, Bills and 49ers, Lewis ran wild, averaging over five yards a carry and nearly 130 yards per game. It’s a coincidence that Cleveland’s toughest run opponents clotted their early schedule and the weakest ones filled their second half.

Dallas’ run defense ranked 6th last year, and is likely stronger this season. Zach Thomas looks much more instinctive and productive than Akin Ayodele did last year. He shows no effects from the head problems that shortened his ‘07 campaign.

Dallas also has better depth at nose tackle, with Tank Johnson and Marcus Spears rotating inside with Jay Ratliff. These changes make Dallas stronger up the middle, the softest area in their ‘07 rush defense.

New DL coach Todd Grantham has Spears playing his best ball ever. He looked far more active in the preseason games and made a lot of plays in the backfield.

As I wrote yesterday, Cleveland does not run a lot of power formations, because Kellen Winslow lines up as a wide receiver so often. The Browns rely on second TE Steve Heiden, a 270 lb. load, to block on the edge when they line up in two-TE sets. When the Browns go standard, 250 lb. fullback Lawrence Vickers provides interference for Lewis.

Because Winslow blocks so poorly and because Dallas’ run defense is sound, I’ll again contend that we won’t see Roy Williams much on Sunday, as the Cowboys probably won’t keep an eighth man in the box. That player is better used in coverage. Dallas has the size at OLB to match up to Cleveland’s line and lead blocker with its standard 3-4 front.

I would not be surprised to see Dallas line up the strong side OLB, which is usually Greg Ellis, out in space on Winslow, to jam his release. Ellis would then turn Winslow over to the CB behind him and pursue runs inside or to the weakside. He would be counted on to beat Winslow at the point of attack on any outside runs his way.

In any case, don’t expect Dallas to go overboard trying to shut Lewis down. As the chart demonstrates, he and his teammates have trouble against good rush defenses, and Dallas has a good one.

Next: Dallas’ passing offense versus the Browns pass defense.

Cowboys @ Browns Preview, Part One

Why wait?

Opening Sunday is coming and you’re no doubt past due for some real football. Today, we begin by considering the matchups when the Browns offense faces the Dallas defense.

The Browns rocketed to a 10-6 mark last year on the shoulders of their offense. Ranked 12th in yards per game and 8th in points per game, Cleveland overcame a horrible preseason, in which all of its QBs struggled to settle into new OC Rob Chudzinski’s scheme, which he brought from San Diego, where Chudzinski served as Cam Cameron’s understudy.

The Browns appeared headed for a long year when they were drubbed 34-7 by the Steelers in week one. HC Romeo Crennell made what appeared to be a panic move when he benched starter Charlie Frye in the second quarter of the game and replaced him with Derek Anderson.

Crennell was actually making a bold statement, in showing confidence in Anderson’s wide open game. Crennell amplified the move by trading Frye to Seattle the following week, leaving only rookie Brady Quinn as a backup. Anderson and his mates responsed by hanging 51 points on Cincinnati the following week, scoring through the air and on the ground, where RB Jamal Lewis rushed for 216 yards.

The keys to Cleveland’s success were the concurrent breakouts of Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. Both were top picks, Winslow going 6th overall in 2004 and Edwards going 3rd in 2005. Both missed significant time in ‘05 and ‘06 with knee injuries. Both regained their health in ‘07 and tore up opposing secondaries. They form the core of Cleveland’s passing attack:

Targets	Att.	% of Anderson’s Att.	YPA
Braylon Edwards	147	27	8.8
Kellen Winslow	141	26	7.9
Donte Stallworth, J. Jurivicius	79	15	10.4
total	367	68

(Stallworth played as the 3rd option for New England last year and his attempts from Tom Brady were almost identical to those Joe Jurivicius got from Anderson. Both QBs had very similar attempt totals and given good health for Edwards and Winslow, I see Stallworth filling the same role for the Browns.)

The table shows that Anderson is indeed a down-the-field thrower. More than two thirds of his passes went to his starting receivers and his tight end. He checks down grudgingly, which is one reason why he had the second highest QB bad decision total last year.

As I noted yesterday, Winslow lined up as a receiver on 75% of his plays, far more than any TE in the game.The Browns in effect run a three receiver offense, which suggests Dallas may go to its nickel a lot on early downs in order to match up. Dallas won’t go man-to-man on every down or maybe even on the majority of its downs, as the Cowboys like to zone blitz a lot.

When Dallas does match up, we might see a repeat of the strategy the team employed against New England’s three WR sets last year. In that game Dallas gave safety help to the corner who matched up against Randy Moss and took its chances on Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker. The Cowboys matched up well against the wide outs for three quarters but could not win in the slot, where Welker destroyed Nate Jones.

Terence Newman did not play in that game and his presence Sunday could allow the Cowboys to match up 1 through 3. Newman will likely get Edwards. #2 Anthony Henry, the biggest Cowboys corner at 6′1″, 207, would get the 6′4″ 240 lb. Winslow and Adam Jones will get Stallworth. Jones has improved every game for Dallas but would likely get some safety assistance; he’s a hyper-aggressive CB who tries to jump everything short and he had a lot of trouble in Oxnard and in the early games when he faced fast WRs.

Cleveland could use more three WR sets to try and create better interior matchups for Winslow, but they’ve lost Joe Jurivicius for the season and #4 Joshua Cribbs for the game. They will rely on 4th and 5th WRs Syndric Steptoe and Paul Hubbard. Dallas can emphathize.

Up front, the Cowboys front seven will match up against a Browns line considered one of the best in the NFL. The Cleveland line allowed just 10 sacks last year, according to Scientific Football ’08’s line blocking metrics, lowest in the game. The Browns invested heavily in their line last year, picking LT Joe Thomas 3rd overall in the draft and spending a mint to lure LG Eric Steinbach from Cincinnati. They formed an effective left side of the Browns line.

The line was doubly effective when you consider that Cleveland flexed Winslow off the tackles so much, meaning the Browns backup tight ends and backs were very effective at assisting their linemen.

The Cowboys are a blitzing team that likes to rush five men on most passing downs. They prefer to send both OLBs, Demarcus Ware and Greg Ellis together, in addition to the line. Dallas will probably try this early, to learn if the Browns can handle both of them without assistance. Ware and Ellis combined for 26.5 sacks last year, almost as many as the entire Cleveland team (28 sacks). The Browns have two very good pass blocking tackles, in Thomas and RT Kevin Shaffer. Each gave up only two sacks last year. However, it’s very hard to block two blitzing OLBs with an offensive line without sacrificing interior protection.

And the interior is probably the weakness of Cleveland’s protection. Steinback gave up 3.5 sacks and C Hank Fraley surrendered 2.5, the two highest totals on the line. The Cowboys will likely rotate rushing NTs Jay Ratliff and Tank Johnson at Fraley. Also look for Dallas to fake outside blitzes and try interior stunts and blitzes with SOLB Bradie James. The Browns had a lot of trouble in their preseason games handling interior blitzes and their QBs took a lot of shots. I expect the Cowboys to test the Browns inside and keep testing then until the blitzes don’t work.

Dallas will want to hit Anderson early and test his mettle. He missed the last two Browns games recovering from a concussion he suffered when Osi Umenyiora slammed his head into the Meadowland’s turf. Reports today said the Browns are optimistic Anderson can play. The Cowboys will try to make his afternoon a short one. If the can stay upright, they’re hoping the pressure can produce more bad decisions and several turnovers.

Wednesday: The Cowboys defense versus the Browns running attack.

Three Factoids That May Shape the Cowboys-Browns Bottom Line

1. New DL coach Todd Grantham is already paying dividends, getting Marcus Spears to play far above his Kacey Rogers-era level and getting Tank Johnson into opposing backfields with regularity this preseason.

He may pay another dividend — as a spy. Grantham was Cleveland’s defensive coordinator last year and has as much insight into the Browns defensive capabilities and thinking as anybody in the Cowboys meeting room. I’m guessing he’s spent some time talking to the offensive coaches the last two weeks.

2. We’ve heard since OTAs that the Cowboys are working on nickel and especially dime packages that line up Anthony Henry inside, on opposing tight ends.

You won’t have to wait long to see them. As I pointed out in Thurday’s piece on Jason Witten, the Browns use TE Kellen Winslow Jr. as a wide receiver. He was “flexed” off the line, or lined up as a receiver on 75% of Cleveland’s plays last year, easily the most for any NFL tight end.

Dallas usually slides Terence Newman inside when it plays nickel, but the Browns signed speedster Donte Stallworth this offseason to pair with Braylon Edwards. In effect, they’re running a three-WR base set, with the 6′4″, 250 lb. Winslow as their slot option.

There’s no way Dallas is going to stay in their base and put Roy Williams in coverage against Winslow. The Cowboys may open in their nickel with Henry over the tight end and Newman and Adam Jones lining up over the wideouts.

3. How well would the Cowboys do against their offense? And vice versa? I’ve watched the Browns the last three weeks and notice their packages and offensive plays greatly mirror Dallas’. Cleveland OC Rob Chudzinski and Cowboys OC Jason Garrett are both aggressive play callers with gunslinger QBs who like to throw down the field.

Tony Romo had the third-highest percentage of bad decisions among starting QBs last year. Derek Anderson had the second-highest percentage. The difference is that Romo was more accurate and had a solidly higher YPA and a significantly higher SYPA (success % times YPA). Whichever defense is better able to throw their opposing QB out of his confort zone and press him into more bad decisions will have a huge edge.

4. Bonus crumb — A review of the Vikings video showed Alan Ball making several tackles as a gunner on the punt coverage teams. With Miles Austin and Sam Hurd hurt, Ball bought himself a longer stay with his special special-teams play.

Browns Unis Offend Football Gods, Lead to Their Humiliation by the Giants

Anybody else watch the Giants-Browns tilt Monday night? It looked like an intriguing matchup of teams Dallas will face this year, but it was a pushover, with New York racing to a 30-3 lead just three minutes into the second quarter.

Cleveland’s offense looked awful. Their defense looked worse. Their special teams worse still. The final embarrassment came when Jamal Lewis fumbled the ball inside the Giants five, only to see it returned for a touchdown. Add Derek Anderson’s concussion and it was a forgettable night for the Browns.

I blame their uniforms.

Look at these abominations:

They’re absolutely schizophrenic. The jerseys are classic Browns, circa 1955. Otto Graham wore that shirt. So did Jim Brown. The pants, on the other hand, are something from Flashdance. All that’s missing are the leg warmers. And dig those two-tone, color-coordinated shoes. Even the cleats match!

Cleveland has one of the most understated, influential uniforms around. The helmets lack a side decal. The white-on-white unis started the home-white trend years before the Cowboys existed. Look at the Packers’ jerseys. Knockoffs of Cleveland’s, especially the sleeves. Look at the Dolphins’ uniforms from their glory days of the early ’70s. They’re replicas of the Browns’ ’50s unis, with aqua and orange replacing the orange and dark brown.

Tonight, Cleveland defamed that uniform, and you can just imagine the ghosts of Paul Brown and Marion Motley shaking their heads in disgust, then causing mischief with the football. All-black, spandex pants look good on Olympic sprinters, not on flabby, big-butted 345 pound linemen. (T.O. wears tights like this — under his regular uniform pants.) The Browns are football players, but they look like they’re late for a Richard Simmons aerobic session.

You simply can’t win looking like this, and Cleveland didn’t come close.

God, I hope the Browns wear them again on opening day against the Cowboys.

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