Before the start of the season, wouldn’t you have been pleased to know that the Browns would start off 5-3? For sure! But that’s meager consolation after yesterday’s 27-6 beatdown in Pittsburgh, a crash-landing that dropped the Browns out of the AFC North lead and — if the playoffs started today — out of the postseason altogether.
Fumbling away your first two possessions, getting gashed for 160 rushing yards in the first half, swallowing eight sacks, ceding 85 yards on nine penalties — well, that’s no way to go through life, son, and certainly no way to win a division road game. It’s one thing to get outplayed, but to lose your head and your poise on the field is just a bad look. That last garbage-time drive epitomized the futility, as the Browns couldn’t punch it in from the one, and then a false start drained the rest of the clock to leave fans without even a touchdown for what we hope is the only time this season.
You’d have to squint pretty hard to find the bright side of that debacle, but Harold Fannin Jr. had ten catches for 154 yards, both career highs. Our cornerbacks weren’t bad either, as Denzel Ward came up with his second pick in as many games since dislocating a finger, and Tyson Campbell came back valiantly from a first-half neck injury and concussion check.Many among our crowd of 43 at the Northville Sports Den stayed through the bitter end. We’re grateful for that, and for the charity-boosting participation in our 50/50 drawing, in which Kento Arendt won $80, and our ongoing Change for Charity challenge. We’ve raised nearly $500 so far for Dementia Friendly Services! Tom Wennerberg astutely answered this halftime trivia question, taking home a spiffy pair of Browns sunglasses: On this date, November 1, in 1959, the Browns won a shootout over the defending NFL champions, with Jim Brown’s five touchdowns helping defeat what Pittsburgh-born Hall of Fame quarterback? (answer below)
CLUB NOTES
We successfully launched our sales table of vintage Browns apparel and accessories, and we’ll have new items to add to the mix next Sunday. It’s a great way to find unique additions to your team gear collection, and another credit to the generous team spirit of our club member donors.
We’ve scouted the space and selected a scrumptious buffet for our 20th anniversary celebration on Feb. 7, but we need you to make your reservation as soon as possible, and no later than December 1. Come join our club’s original player guest, “Top Dawg” Hanford Dixon, for the fun and fellowship at Slows Bar BQ in downtown Ann Arbor.
And let it be known to those so digitally inclined that we can accept Venmo for merchandise, banquet reservations, and raffle tickets.
WEEK NINE PREVIEWThe Browns head down the The Big Easy for next Sunday’s 1 p.m. matchup with the Saints. But nothing’s really come easy this year, has it? We’ll see if our young team can bounce back and make the last fiasco look like growing pains in retrospect. The 2-5 Saints are coming off a bye and just fired their running game coordinator after their own futile ground effort against the Steelers the week before. Coach Monken is eager to start games stronger, since early leads promote more balanced play-calling and more chances on defense to gin up the pass rush. That’s all well and good, but it would also be nice to not lead the league in penalties. Four-plus pre-snap flags a game doesn’t get you anywhere but backwards. A struggling opponent might be just what the Browns need to set things right.
At the Den, we’ll have our sales table, halftime trivia, a Backer of the Week introduction by Patti Kinel, a most excellent raffle prize — an art print featuring star linebacker Carson Schwesinger — and, we hope, you!
Bark hard, keep the faith, have a great week, and we’ll see you soon.
Brownsgirl (Susan) and Ace Davis (Dave)
https://maybethisyear.com/ P.S. trivia answer: Johnny Unitas. |