Video: Colin Cowherd really, really doesn’t like Johnny Manziel
September 18, 2015Browns Friday Fumble – Tennessee Titans – WFNY Podcast – 2015-09-18
September 18, 2015The National Football League’s brief season means that every game carries more weight than any other sport. When a team loses its first game – as literally 16 teams do in Week 1 – fanbases tend to push the panic button (or embrace the absurdity). When your team loses 31-10 in its opening contest and looks ragged in the process, you may feel tempted to go up to the roof and feel how strong the breeze is. However, one game neither makes nor breaks a season. This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns (0-1) will return home to play the Tennessee Titans (1-0) and their wunderkind quarterback Marcus Mariota. Let’s take a look into the matchup.
Familiar Faces
Punter Brett Kern – Toledo. Kern is the only Titan who attended a college in Ohio. He played for Toledo from 2004-07, averaging 42.3 yards per punt. Writers named him the Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year as a senior. The Denver Broncos signed him as an undrafted free agent and he punted in Colorado for two seasons. The Titans picked him up during the 2009 campaign and he now holds the Tennessee record for gross punting average.
Last Win: Week 5, 2014. Browns 29 @ Titans 28
The Browns and Titans last clashed during Week 5 of the 2014 season down in Nashville. From the opening kick the Titans jumped all over their guests (which is rude when you are a host in real life, by the way). With 2:55 to go before the half, Tennessee and relieving quarterback Charlie Whitehurst led 28-3 and Pro Football Reference’s win probability gave them a 98.5 percent chance of victory. The second half, however, was all Cleveland. A Billy Cundiff field goal coupled with a blocked punt/safety brought the game slightly closer at 28-15. Travis Benjamin caught two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, the last with only 69 seconds to go, to help the Browns secure a 29-28 win. The victory set a record largest comeback for a road team in NFL history. The Browns’ record moved to 2-2, and Brian Hoyer delivered yet another last gasp game winning drive as the starting quarterback/hometown kid. Sigh.
Last Loss: Week 4, 2011. Titans 31 @ Browns 13
The Titans most recently came to town four years ago. Led by Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee took a 21-6 halftime lead over Cleveland. Browns QB Colt McCoy went 40-of-61 for 350 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Everything about that stat line is amazing; head coach Pat Shurmur figured the best way to “battle” was to have his signal caller air it out a preposterous 61 times. Of course, with running back Peyton Hillis gaining only 46 yards on 10 carries, something had to give.
Running Backs
Browns fans will recognize both of the Titans’ running backs, but for two different reasons. The starter, Bishop Sankey, was born in Wadsworth to a family of Browns fans, many of whom will be in attendance on Sunday. Sankey played well against Tampa Bay last week, gaining 74 yards and scoring a touchdown on 12 carries. The other running back may not be as thrilled to be back in town. One week before the first game, the Browns traded tailback Terrance West to Tennessee for a conditional pick in the 2016 Draft. West received 13 carries and picked up 41 yards in the Week 1 victory over the Buccaneers. Rumors persisted last year that West and head coach Mike Pettine did not always see eye-to-eye, and the timing of his trade was curiously close to the start of the season. West is currently listed as fourth on the Titans’ unofficial depth chart, but if his number is called there is no doubt he will leave it all on the field against his former boss Sunday afternoon.
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota was one of the NFL’s biggest stories after Week 1. The number two overall pick in the 2014 Draft, Mariota went 13-of-16 for 209 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He did not turn the ball over, and the only real blemish on his day was the two sacks he took. Astonishingly, he earned a 95.7 QBR (out of 100) in his first pro game. So is he the heir apparent to Tom Brady? File that under “too soon to tell.” While many pundits expected his collegiate successes to carry over into the League, it’s unlikely he can replicate his initial numbers over a whole season, and even a slight regression to the mean would certainly benefit the Browns’ defense. Some of the Browns defensive players are looking to rattle the kid a bit in First Energy Stadium.
“He’s still a rookie quarterback at the end of the day,” said safety Tashaun Gipson earlier this week. “We definitely don’t plan on being very vanilla with him this week. We want to make sure we give him a bunch of different looks, probably something he’s never seen before.”
So about the Browns starting quarterback…
Lost in the wreckage of Cleveland’s Week 1 loss to the Jets, both Browns quarterbacks had positives and negatives. Starter Josh McCown led the Browns on a nine-plus minute drive…that ended in a heart wrenching fumble/concussion (fumbussion?). Johnny Manziel threw his first touchdown pass…and also turned the ball over three times. During the week, the Browns coaching staff game-planned under the assumption that Manziel would start under center on Sunday. However, McCown seems to be recovering quickly and on Thursday Coach Pettine said about his veteran, “If he’s cleared and practices fully tomorrow I don’t see — barring anything unforeseen — a reason why we wouldn’t play him.” While Johnny did show some progress against the Jets compared to last year, it is not completely obvious which quarterback gives the Browns a better chance to win. Unfortunately, something unforeseen did pop up and the team will be rolling with Jonathan Football (the more mature version, you see?) when they take to FirstEnergy Stadium for the first time this season.
More than anything, the Browns need to play well for the benefit of the 67,407 fans who will be on hand Sunday. In the past five years Cleveland has won four, three, four, three, and three games at home. If they want to establish themselves as an intimidating unit, they need to make FirstEnergy Stadium their fortress. That could all start against Tennessee. Also, for what it’s worth, Marcus Mariota’s team lost the last time he played a football team from Ohio.
6 Comments
hi Corey … i love it anytime someone brings-up my hometown toledo rockets.
Every time I see Bruce Gradkowski pop up somewhere, I think, “Hey! I watched him play in college!”
this is the heisman showdown this week & manziel’s not gonna let that pretty boy get the best of him.
he was great in college … and even made a decent pro career out of it. great guy.
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