How To Beat The Cleveland Browns
No, this is not a joke post, guys, and the answer is not to just show up! This is the NFL and if the Ravens feel this way like so many fans seem to feel, they will be sadly embarassed just like the Green Bay Packers and their fans were as they left Lambeau Field last Sunday in shock after the Cincinnati Bengals punked them in their own crib.
However, if the Ravens play anywhere near their potential, it won't matter if the Browns play lights out as Baltimore has way too much more talent on both sides of the ball than Cleveland does.
More on "How To Beat The Cleveland Browns" after the 'Jump.'
The Browns have been beaten twice so far in 2009, by the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos. They have scored only one offensive touchdown, a meaningless TD pass late in their opening day 34-20 loss to the Vikings. They could only muster a couple of first quarter field goals in their 27-6 loss in Denver last week. While Brady Quinn has retained his starting gig, Derek Anderson's name is already being mentioned as replacing him if this losing trend continues. However, you can't pin this all on the QB, as the runing game has been non-existent and the right side of the offensive line has collapsed, putting Quinn on the run way too often. Defensively, the Browns are not playing too bad at all, but being on the field all the time while the offense continues to flounder is something this defense cannot do nearly as well as the one that carried the Ravens for so many years up until now.
Up until now is the key phrase of what has happened to the Baltimore offense. While the Ravens defense is mentioned as not being as tough as it was under Rex Ryan, the offense has come alive and has moved the ball all over the field in both their games. Whether it be through the air or on the ground, Baltimore has been able to dictate the pace of the game and has ground out scores from all over the field, be it long, time consuming drives or long passes, both which have happened with amazing regularity this season.
That doesn't add up to an attractive matchup for the Browns, as neither their offense nor their defense matches up well with the Ravens. All it seems the Ravens need to do is stay away from giving up the big play to the Browns in order to continue their winning ways and end Sunday at 3-0 and still atop the AFC North. The possibility of the big play lies in the Browns return games, with returner Joshua Cribbs always ripping off huge returns against Baltimore as well as the rest of the league. Cribbs already has a TD return this year and will try to put points on the board for Cleveland or at least put them in short field position for easy scores. The Ravens task is to stay in their lanes and not let Cribbs get in open space as he has dreadlocks, which is my theory that all the guys in dreads are good in the NFL and Cribbs is no execption to that theory.
Beyond Cribbs, the Quinn to Braylon Edwards connection can be a dangerous one, but Edwards is not quite the threat that San Diego's WR's presented, as he is Cleveland's only big receiving threat and we should be able to provide better help to whichever corner is assigned to cover him. The pass rush should force Quinn to get rid of the ball and expect the Ravens opportunistic defense to begin collecting similar stats to last year after being questioned in last week's victory over the Chargers.
Once the Ravens get a decent lead, expect to see a lot of the "3 headed monster" that is Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain. Prior to that, Joe Flacco has a bevy of receivers that while not superstars, are good enough to catch his accurate throws. Flacco hit seven different receivers last week and that should continue this week and might even improve, as tight end L.J. smith is expected to return to action.
Baltimore has too much talent on both sides of the ball to get upset this Sunday, unless they are just dogging it and take the Browns lightly, which I doubt they will. Conversely, Cleveland has so many issues, both on and off the field from their players to their new coach, Eric Mangini. The rivalry between these teams extend far beyond the sidelines of the playing field, to the move of the Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore and the well deserving induction of former Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But those are topics that have been regurgitated more than I want to continue to discuss so Ravens fans should just now focus on the task at hand this Sunday and plan on continuing their path to the Big Game in February.
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Comments
Rexx, what are the chances of the Ravens having Hauschka kick away from Cribbs? I’m not really down on the terminology, but if he’s such a huge threat, why not kick it out of bounds or short or whatever? With their offense and our defense, a guaranteed short field (at the 40 or so) seems like a better deal than the possibility of a couple of big returns.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 25, 2009 10:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I guess it’s cool if Bruce answers, too.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 25, 2009 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We both will say the same thing,
which is I doubt we will kick away from Cribbs because of the pride part of the team. If the game is close and we are punting, perhaps we will angle it OOB’s, but expect us to test him and try to take priide in shutting him down – if we do!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 25, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s not like Cribbs is going to score 5 TD’s or anything. If he takes one back hopefully we are up big anyway, so it won’t matter that much. Also, Sam Koch is really good and I trust him to punt where he needs to to allow for the coverage to get down the field, that is if we have to punt.
by klunker18 on Sep 25, 2009 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My concerns are that if
Cribbs takes one to the house and one or two more into good field position, then that’s as much as 13-21 points. On the other hand, me thinks we’ll put more than 21 on the Brownies, right?
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 25, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How to beat the Browns
Just show up, they are pathetic.
by Oldbuckwilder on Sep 25, 2009 1:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This hasn’t worked in 50% of the games between the teams in the last two years.
www.lowbrowsophisticate.com
by kwoog on Sep 26, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
HAHA! You kill me with your abuse of statistics. The Ravens have beaten the Browns 13 times in 20 all-time meetings. You can make anything look good if you manipulate the timeline.
You’re still desperately clinging to the 2007 season, eh? Take away the two victories in that fluke season and see what you’ve got then. Even you cannot deny that the Browns that year were a fluke. They prove that last year… They imploded under the pressure.
The point is that saying the Browns are 50% in the last two years is a statistical manipulation, which I will not allow to go unchecked.
by BAL_Hawk on Sep 26, 2009 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Obviously there is a proportional aspect to the relevancy of the wins and losses and how far back you go. What happened in ‘99 has literally no relevance, whereas what happened in 2008 has more relevance than 2007 (Thus, all-time meetings is the real statistical manipulation). Since 06 it’s 4-2 in favor of BAL, since 05 it’s 5-3. So yes, there can be different opinions as to when that relevancy line should be drawn. I personally don’t think 06 (and anything before) is very relevant at all, both because of the nature of the NFL and the specific roster construction of the teams. However, limiting it to just 08 is a very biased view, as things can change rapidly year to year.
I do not think 2007 was a fluke. And imploding under pressure in 2008 certainly doesn’t prove it. All that proves is they choked, which actually takes away from the fluke argument (since they lost b/c of pressure, not the talent on the team).
In any event, I’ve certainly not abused any statistics. You seem to want to do so, though, by pretending that “all-time meetings” has anything to do with anything. You might as well include the Baltimore Colts’ record against the Browns, or the Orioles against the Indians. Your hypocrisy is self-evident, and it’s not something I have to attempt to disallow unchecked.
www.lowbrowsophisticate.com
by kwoog on Sep 26, 2009 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If we usually win and you usually lose
then the opposite of that is a fluke. 2006 was a winning season for us and due to injuries at key positions, 2007 was a losing season and a fluke, as we were healthier in 2008 and back to winning. 2009 is just a continuation of our recent success and unfortunately, the opposite is the “norm” for Cleveland and 2007 was indeed a fluke.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 26, 2009 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You still have to count that year though
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 26, 2009 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lol
You can clearly tell it was a fluke because the Browns actually thought that Derrick Anderson was a franchise QB and gave him about 30 million to lead them to 9-7 in the future, which they failed miserably at. Can any Cleveland fans tell me why the hell the Ravens would ever get rid of him off our Practice Squad? I still think to this day what we would be like with him at QB. Quite possibly sitting at 21-0 carrying over from last season and on our way to yet another undefeated season. Is DA in the CFL yet?
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Sep 27, 2009 3:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
These big words hurt my head at 4 in the morning.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Sep 27, 2009 3:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I do not think 2007 was a fluke. And imploding under pressure in 2008 certainly doesn’t prove it. All that proves is they choked, which actually takes away from the fluke argument (since they lost b/c of pressure, not the talent on the team).
Of course 2007 was a fluke! The 2007 Browns may actually be the biggest example of a fluke football team that I know of. Maybe you want to call them a one-hit wonder.
The Browns gave extentions to Savage, Crennel and Anderson following the 2007 season and fired all of them (benching Anderson) following the 2008 season. They even cut half of their roster when Man-tard was hired. Obviously, the entire Browns organization, the NFL and the Brown’s subsequent record seems to disagree with your evaluation of their talent in 2007.
The Brown’s 2007 team was a fluke. That’s a pretty obvious point that most NFL fans understand and accept. I understand that your a Browns fan, but clinging to 2007 isn’t objective.
by BAL_Hawk on Sep 27, 2009 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We dont have much to be happy about. Do you have to try to crush everything
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 27, 2009 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
By the way…
Next year, I should be able to say, “The Ravens are 100% versus the Browns over the last two seasons.” I would be very careful defending your skewed statistics.
by BAL_Hawk on Sep 27, 2009 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, its still early in the season and you all might have already locked up a playoff spot by our second meeting
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 27, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe your bench versus our starters makes a good game
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 27, 2009 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How to Beat the Browns:
Go to sleep at a reasonable hour.
Wake up. Don’t forget to eat your Wheaties.
Don’t smoke crack.
Make sure your shoe laces are tied tightly.
Don’t forget your mouthpiece…
Hop in the car.
Drive downtown.
Arrive at the stadium.
"I know where you're at, man. You had it all, and now it's gone. It's torn a hole in your soul bigger than my Escalade. So you turned to the drugs, the alcohol. Pornography, free-basing with OJ, human trafficking, dog fights slash orgies... darkness."
-- Craig Robinson as Reg Mackworthy in Season 1, Episode 5 of Eastbound & Down
by jackmca on Sep 25, 2009 1:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Don’t smoke crack.
If you feel the need, though, this would be the week to do it.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 25, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
OK. Were a bad team. We get it.
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 26, 2009 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This hasn’t worked in 50% of the games between the teams in the last two years.
www.lowbrowsophisticate.com
by kwoog on Sep 26, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
From my above response to your other ridiculous comment…
You’re still desperately clinging to the 2007 season, eh?
by BAL_Hawk on Sep 26, 2009 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I will say it again, as my strategy has worked the past two weeks.
Score more points than the other team.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Sep 25, 2009 1:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i'm surprised you haven't been vetted by any owners for an HC position yet
"I know where you're at, man. You had it all, and now it's gone. It's torn a hole in your soul bigger than my Escalade. So you turned to the drugs, the alcohol. Pornography, free-basing with OJ, human trafficking, dog fights slash orgies... darkness."
-- Craig Robinson as Reg Mackworthy in Season 1, Episode 5 of Eastbound & Down
by jackmca on Sep 25, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
LOL!!!!!!
If alcohol didn't exist the Irish would conquer the world.
by Baltimore Warrior on Sep 25, 2009 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So, one of my favourite gameplans on offense is to get the opponent’s worst player on the field. For the Browns that means Nickelback Hank Poteat. This would imply a 3 WR 1 TE 1 RB formation (I imagine we would want to keep Todd Heap in). Forcing them to have Brandon McDonald on one WR and Hank Poteat on another, with (most likely) Eric Wright on Derrick Mason would possibly give us 3 WR-CB mismatches, which is way too much for their safeties to deal with. Big passing yardage available.
However, in reality the Browns have struggled mightily defending the run (although they have faced very good running teams in Denver and Minnesota), so we may want to keep a more run-heavy formation, such as our standard formation. The advantage here is that it cuts down on mistakes, and the Ravens basically have to make mistakes to lose this game.
On Defense… please blitz more Mr. Mattison. Double cover Edwards, and our DBs will be fine. Josh Cribbs, Mohammed Massaquois and Steve Heiden are guys we should be able to cover. Keeping Brady Quinn off balance will let us take this game over. It’s too good of a payoff to pass up on.
by math_geek on Sep 25, 2009 2:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Good thoughts
I’ll pass them along to Greg if I see him…
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 25, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Eric Wright can defineatly cover Mason. I know we arent a good team, but Eric Wright is pretty good.
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 26, 2009 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not saying Wright isn’t good, he is. But Mason is extremely difficult to cover.
And the last time the Ravens played the Browns, with Flacco playing well, but still not as good as he is now, Mason lit up the Browns with 9 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. That’s not exactly good for the guy covering him. That was usually Wright. Clayton played pretty well in that game too.
by math_geek on Sep 26, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gimics and Special Teams
These are the only ways Cleveland can beat us: they cannot beat us straight up. They are going to pray that Cribbs has a monster return day and that maybe they can cash in some Raven mistakes (turnovers).
I also see a lot of (illegal) WR picks to try to spring Cribbs, receiver screens featuring Cribbs and end-arounds using, you guessed it, Cribbs. Cribbs, all day, all the time…
by vlad755 on Sep 25, 2009 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You’d think they’d sign him to a decent contract if he’s that important.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 25, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I see no problem in this match up
We have their offense beat by a mile, especially in rush yards, total yards and third down conversions, Now if Flacco would stop holding that ball too long and throw the dam thing, we have an even better chance.
M2¢W
by DorisF on Sep 25, 2009 5:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
this is the season for the browns. they will pull out all the stops. we need to pressure Quisp early and often so he can’t get anything going. they will try the deep ball early. we need to establish the run early and be safe until we get that 7 point lead. as stated before, they will need turnovers.
by raven on Sep 25, 2009 9:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That is true
You know after watching what SD did to us, and knowng they also can’t run against us, especially with Jamal out, they will throw deep a lot, hoping for either completions or penalties.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 26, 2009 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is this a question?
How to beat the Browns? I think every team in the NFL the last 50 years has been able to figure this out. Flacco and Co. will be fine.
www.SportsMumboJumbo.com
by EricFeld on Sep 26, 2009 1:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This hasn’t worked in 50% of the games between the teams in the last two years.
www.lowbrowsophisticate.com
by kwoog on Sep 26, 2009 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you’re going to copy and paste, so will I…
You’re still desperately clinging to the 2007 season, eh?
by BAL_Hawk on Sep 26, 2009 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Your desperately clinging to the 08 season, eh?
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 26, 2009 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, Lemme guess, Steelers fan huh?
If alcohol didn't exist the Irish would conquer the world.
by Baltimore Warrior on Sep 26, 2009 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lol. I love your effort. You still clinging to 1960 when you guys were actually contenders?
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Sep 27, 2009 4:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But come on, Malor you should be able to take a joke.
by TheRealSlimShady on Sep 27, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My message came at 4am, and I was not in the right state of mind.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Sep 27, 2009 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
*Cough* "Drunk!" *Cough*
If alcohol didn't exist the Irish would conquer the world.
by Baltimore Warrior on Sep 28, 2009 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
we are just building the game up in our minds. a little false concern helps us stay humble…that and trips to pitt..
by raven on Sep 26, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You never know...
but if the Ravens don’t completely shoot themselves in the foot (or is it thigh, Plax?) then they should win the game going away. The Vegas oddsmakers don’t often throw up a 13 1/2 point line in a NFL game, and they usually know what they’re doing.
thefantasyknowitall@gmail.com
http://thefantasyknowitall.blogspot.com/
by thefantasyknowitall on Sep 26, 2009 10:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
as they did in week one
when I thought a 13 point favorite was a tough pick for any game in the NFL, but we did end up covering, right?
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 26, 2009 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm pretty late to this
but I think the answer to “how to beat the Cleveland Browns” is “Show up. Play football.”
"[The Giants] beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close."
by cjmulrain on Sep 28, 2009 12:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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