[Muniman]

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Tony Grossi

Plain Dealer Reporter

The NFL single-season record for completion percentage by a quarterback is 70.55. Through four games, New England's Tom Brady is completing 79.2 percent of his passes. "Almost unheard-of," exclaimed Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley. The NFL single-season record for receiving touchdowns is 22. New England's Randy Moss is on pace for 28. "Phenomenal," Wimbley said.

The Browns have given up 12 touchdown passes in four games - highest number in the league. Yet there was Patriots coach Bill Belichick on a Wednesday conference call insisting: "Cleveland's a team that presents a lot of challenges, in terms of throwing the ball. It'll be very competitive to throw the ball against the Browns' defense." You must understand the dynamics at work here.

The Patriots are in a short workweek after trouncing the Bengals on Monday night in Cincinnati. Next week they play in Dallas against the undefeated Cowboys. That game will be billed as a Super Bowl preview.
So this is a trap game for the Patriots - easily overlooked, unless the head coach pounds into his players that the Browns pose a formidable threat if taken lightly. And Belichick has gone to great pains to do that, based on his comments Wednesday and those of Brady.

Both were effusive in their praise of the Browns and coach Romeo Crennel, who was the Patriots' defensive coordinator on their three Super Bowl teams. Brady said there is "no chance" the Patriots, who are 4-0 while outscoring opponents by 25 points a game, will look past the Browns.
"This is as good a team we've faced all year," Brady said on a conference call. "They've got an incredible amount of skill on offense. They score a lot of points. It's a ball-hawking defense. When you've got leaders like Willie [McGinest] over there, who can disrupt the game.

"And the outside linebackers are terrific. Wimbley, he's an incredible player, incredible pass rusher. Leigh Bodden is one of the best cornerbacks we'll face all year. It's a great team and they're very well coached. We've got our work cut out for us." The Patriots have crushed the Jets (38-14), Chargers (38-14), Bills (38-7) and Bengals (34-13).

The victory over Cincinnati was New England's 12th in 15 games against AFC North teams since Belichick took over as coach in 2000. You can be sure that Belichick has a thick dossier on every team in the AFC North, stemming from his five seasons in the old AFC Central as Browns coach in the 1990s.

One of the losses came in 2000 to the upstart Browns. It was Chris Palmer's last coaching victory with the Browns.

Belichick has since won three in a row against the Browns, the last coming in the 2004 season. That December meeting in Cleveland was Terry Robiskie's first game as interim coach for Butch Davis. Robiskie used the occasion to give rookie Luke McCown his first NFL start at quarterback.
That Browns' team was in shambles by then, reeling from injuries and low morale. There isn't a single starting player on offense left from that game, and only two on defense -- Orpheus Roye and Andra Davis.

And now Crennel and GM Phil Savage seem to have righted the ship in their third year together. The Browns are 2-2 and starting to earn respect from opponents. Morale and confidence are high.

"I think he's taken on a lot of young players on that team and built it into a very strong and competitive team," Belichick said of Crennel. "They play well and don't make a lot of mistakes. The offensive line has been very impressive. They can run it, they can throw it. They're strong and physical up front, and they can play in the passing game and they're very good on special teams. They're a field goal away from being 3-1."

Brady and Moss are on their way to rewriting the NFL record book. Brady is only the third player in NFL history to throw three or more touchdowns in each of the first four games of a season. Moss has caught two touchdowns in three straight games. Moss also has posted 100 yards receiving in four consecutive games with his new team, the first player to do that. Yet every time Belichick or Brady were asked about this lethal passing combination, they turned the discussion to the Browns' defense.

"Well, I'm not really worried about 16 games," Belichick said when asked if the tandem should be expected to maintain its record-breaking pace. "I'm just worried about one right now."

Brady sighed, "We've got our work cut out for us."
No team is better than the Patriots in turning the tables on an opponent. After Wednesday's interviews, you would think the Browns were 16-point favorites, not the Patriots.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
tgrossi@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

[Lefty Noob]

Man, I know Romeo used to coach under Belichick, and the defense (especially Wimbley) looked good last week. Still, how in the world are the Browns going to stop Brady, Moss, and the New England offense? I just can't see it happening.

[Muniman]

Lefty, IMO I don't think that the Browns D can stop them. If they contain the passing game, the Pats will run. The Browns run D flat out stinks. Our only hope is to strike early on offense to try and keep up. If we can score on their D, I see this game more like the Bengal game.

If the Browns have turnovers, or we can't move the ball on offense, they're toast. I just don't see the Browns D stopping the Pats......but I've been wrong before.