Posted on 09/30/2007 3:37:59 PM PDT by Chi-townChief
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Picked on for years, the Cleveland Browns finally gave a black eye to one of the NFL's biggest bullies.
Derek Anderson threw two touchdown passes, Jamal Lewis ran for one against his former team and the Browns, considered the 98-pound weaklings of the rugged AFC North, surprised the Baltimore Ravens 27-13 Sunday.
With their second win over a division opponent this month, the Browns (2-2) looked nothing like the inept team that was embarrassed 34-7 in their home opener three weeks ago by Pittsburgh.
Instead, Anderson, who has had a tendency to make poor decisions, made mostly smart ones while throwing two TD passes -- one a 78-yarder to Braylon Edwards -- in the first quarter as the Browns built a 24-6 lead over the stunned Ravens (2-2).
Lewis, released by Baltimore coach Brian Billick in March, got some satisfaction against his former coach and the team he played with for seven seasons. He finished with 64 yards and scored on a disputed 1-yard dive in the second quarter, the first TD rushing given up by the NFL's top run defense this season.
And Cleveland's defense kept Ravens quarterback Steve McNair on his heels and didn't give up a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
September was viewed as crucial for Browns coach Romeo Crennel's job security, and a .500 overall record and a 2-1 mark within the division should end any talk of a coaching change in Cleveland.
And as for changing quarterbacks, Anderson could keep rookie Brady Quinn on the bench longer than anyone thought possible.
The Ravens, who didn't have Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden for the third straight week, were reeling from the start.
Steve McNair, nursing an injured groin, attempted a career-high 53 passes. McNair threw an interception in the first quarter, and the Browns capitalized on the next play, when Anderson hit a wide-open Edwards to make it 14-0.
Phil Dawson kicked two field goals for the Browns, and everyone was in such a good mood late in the fourth quarter even Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards, a Michigan graduate, took part in rival Ohio State's signature "O-H-I-O" sing-a-long.
Willis McGahee had 104 yards on 14 carries against a Cleveland defense allowing 176 yards per game.
The Ravens had not given up a TD rushing in 2007 before Lewis leaped over the pile from the 1 to give the Browns a 24-3 lead.
The Browns, who didn't wake up until it was too late last week in a loss at Oakland, came out firing.
Kellen Winslow's first catch, a 25-yarder on third down, helped set up a 2-yard TD pass from Anderson to Joe Jurevicius. Winslow played with a partially dislocated left shoulder.
The Ravens drove to Cleveland's 27 on their first possession, but McNair's pass into double coverage was intercepted by Leigh Bodden.
Nine seconds later, the Browns were up 14-0 when Anderson found Edwards alone down the left sideline for a 78-yard TD. Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAllister inexplicably cut inside as Edwards broke out before hauling in Anderson's toss and sprinting to the end zone untouched.
The Ravens closed within 27-13 on McNair's 4-yard pass to Quinn Sypniewski with 7:14 left. But despite getting the ball back two more times, McNair couldn't put together one of his patented late-game comebacks.
Yes thats all well and good but tell us how the Colts are doing.
I rather lose every game and live in Baltimore than win the Superbowl and live in Cleveland.
The Lions are 3-1. That’s as many wins as last year. All of a sudden, Kitna’s promise to win at least 10 games is actually looking possible.
You have the “Old Cleveland Browns” there in Baltimore, don’t you?
But I have lived in Cleveland.
Nothing I’ve ever seen or heard would cause me to think that someone would prefer to live in Baltimore.
” But I have lived in Cleveland.
Nothing I’ve ever seen or heard would cause me to think that someone would prefer to live in Baltimore.”
You should have opened the drapes and checked out the fire on the lake. Yes, that was many years ago, but it is even worse now. Cleveland is a Detroit wannabe.
You actually LIVED in Cleveland, and didn't know it was the Cuyahoga River that caught fire (along with the Mayor's hair, but that's another story)????
The Cuyahoga River is pretty clean now, and so is Lake Erie. Most of the steel mills along that river are no longer spewing their waste into the river, and a lot of all that steel production has also been moved to China.
Still, the City of Cleveland, is NOT where anyone would want to live, just like ANY Major City (Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, etc.) that's deteriorated as the decent people have long ago fled to suburbia.
“You actually LIVED in Cleveland, and didn’t know it was the Cuyahoga River that caught fire...”
Yes, I did realize, but “Mistake By The River” doesn’t have as nice of a ring as “Mistake By The Lake”.
I agree with the burb comment. It is a sad situation.
Visited Cleveland again a few months before 9/11. The city was cleaner, livelier and much more upbeat.
Took the family for walk in the parks of the Emerald Necklace, and later enjoyed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame down by the pristine harbor and adjacent to the towering Browns stadium.
The next day we drove up Euclid Avenue. We first passed bustling Cleveland State University with its business and engineering colleges and law school and further along passed Case Western Reserve University and then the world-remowned Cleveland Clinic. Before long we were at University Circle where we visited the superb Cleveland Museum of Art. We only had half a day though so could only see part of it -- and didn't get to the other fine museums in the vicinity.
It was summer so we missed the Browns and the world famous Cleveland Orchestra was out of season; but we did catch an Indians game at beautiful Jacobs Field on a glorious summer evening and walked back to our hotel downtown in the clean warm night air.
Then spent two fun filled days at Cedar Point. Nothing like riding on what was then the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster high above the sparkling blue water of Lake Erie.
Of course, when I resided in Cleveland I heard many many people wishing they lived elsewhere. Some went to New York, one moved to Georgia. I, and others, “split for the coast”.
But never in my 17 years in the Best Location in the Nation did I ever hear any one say: “Gee I wish I lived in Baltimore”.
Those are some huge arms on Jamal Lewis. I did not know snorting cocaine made you huge like that.
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