Five Keys to Beating the Browns
Does any team in professional sports have a worse name than the Cleveland Browns? Not only is brown just a color (at least the Syracuse Orange is a tasty fruit), but it’s not exactly the most pleasant color in the rainbow, nor is it even in the rainbow. The exciting and true story is that the Browns were named after their original coach, Paul Brown. And that’s the story of how the Browns got their name. Breathtaking stuff, really.
Here’s five keys.
1. Don’t Let the Stats Fool You
The Giants are ranked 1st in total offense with 431 yards per game. The Browns? Dead last with 211 yards per game. The Giants are ranked 1st in points per game with 31.8. The Browns? Second to dead last with 11.5 points per game. What does this all mean? That the Giants are super awesome and the Browns are not? While this might be true, stats such as these do not tell the full story this early in the season. NFL stats and rankings are heavily dependent on the opponents that each team has faced, so these numbers may have a lot to do with the fact that the Browns (1-3) have lost to 3 teams with a combined record of 10-4, while the Giants (4-0 baby!) have beaten 4 teams with a combined record of 5-13. Not that the Giants aren’t better by a wide margin, but maybe not as wide a margin as you think.
2. Don’t Let Anderson Get Comfortable
All disclaimers about early season stats aside, Derrick Anderson has been terrible this season. After putting up a surprising 82.5 QB rating in 2007, Anderson’s rating is teetering around 50 this year. He’s thrown 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and has completed a gentleman’s 49.6 percent of his passes, good for 3rd worst in the league. However, Anderson finally “got his groove back” in the 4th quarter last week against the Bengals, completing 7 of 8 passes and leading his team to 17 points. The Giants must continue to put pressure on the QB. Keeping Anderson’s timing off is imperative to assuring that he does not reach a level of comfort that will let the Browns’ offense be the force they were in ’07.
3. Get the Ball to Madison Hedgecock
Just making sure you’re paying attention.
4. Don’t Be Shy, Mr. Manning
When the Giants and Browns faced off in the pre-season, Mr. Eli Manning torched the Cleveland secondary without the services of his top 3 receivers. He threw two touchdown passes to Domenik Hixon, embarrassing the Cleveland defense in the process. I expect that the Browns have not forgotten about this beating, despite the fact that it was an exhibition game. They will be geared up to stop Mr. Manning at all costs. But the fact is if “Easy E” continues to play the way he has, it doesn’t matter how ready the Browns defense is. Eli should air it out often and get re-acquainted with Plaxico Burress on a touchdown score or two.
5. Beware of Dawg Pound
A 2006 study showed that Cleveland Browns fans are the most loyal fan group in the NFL (Giants rank 11th). Are they loyal enough to do something stupid, like pull the fire alarm in the hotel the Giants are staying at in the middle of the night? Or worse, have the local TV stations cancel Seinfeld, Mr. Manning’s favorite show? I don’t know. Probably not. They’ll probably just be really loud, so the Giants should take the necessary precautions. The Dawg Pound and their friends will be extra rowdy on Monday night.
