Preview: Browns vs. Chiefs
Cleveland Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace is expected to take the field for the 15th start of his career against the Kansas City Chiefs tomorrow afternoon.
The Browns number one quarterback Jake Delhomme is officially listed as a game time decision. However, it is almost a foregone conclusion that tomorrow will feature the Browns fourth starting quarterback in the teams last five games. Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, Jake Delhomme, and now Seneca Wallace are all members of a not so elite club. However, Wallace it seems has a very clear role heading into the weekend.
Wallace is the Browns backup quarterback and Delhomme is the teams starter.
Very early on after the acquisitions of both Delhomme and Wallace the Browns brass seemed reluctant to name Delhomme the starter. However, it didn’t take long for a very clear message to be sent around Berea. Jake will lead the team, Seneca will be ready to step in at any moment, and Colt will be nothing more than an emergency quarterback all season long.
No more quarterback competition, no more coin flip, and no more booing an injured quarterback as he lies in pain on the field.
It seems almost so uncontroversial that it may not even be newsworthy to discuss the idea that as soon as Delhomme is healthy he will certainly return to his opening day role regardless of the performance Wallace puts out.
As for the game, the Browns are hoping to avoid an 0-2 start against a team they are certainly capable of beating.
The Kansas City Chiefs shocked football fans Monday night when they knocked off the division favorite San Diego Chargers. However, the final result hardly tells the full story.
The Chiefs were the beneficiaries of outstanding special teams play. Meanwhile, the horrible weather conditions certainly didn’t help the pass heavy offense of the Chargers.
Matt Cassell the Chiefs starting quarterback had a dismal game at best completing 10-22 passes for a measly 68 passing yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Jamaal Charles continued his emergence as a great young back with 92 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. All the same while, the aging Thomas Jones only managed to rack up 39 yards on 11 carries.
The real story of the Chiefs lies in the teams youth however. Along with Charles fellow youngsters Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster, and Tony Moeaki contributed to the teams increasing hype.
My assessment evaluates the Chiefs certainly as a team on the rise, but also a very long way from playoff contention.
Meanwhile, the Browns week one performance while not resulting in a win absolutely inspired optimism in me. Naturally I am an optimistic person when evaluating the team, however my analysis here is simply factual.
Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the Browns defense managed to hold the Bucs to 10 points while a uninjured Delhomme run offense put up 14 first half points.
The lone touchdown given up by the Browns defense occurred during a max pressure defense in which rookie Joe Haden was left in man coverage on a play call defensive coordinator Rob Ryan described as almost egotistical.
Up the that point, the Browns defense was 4-4 on max coverage plays not allowing a single gain. Ryan was attempting to push the Bucs out of field goal range an ultimately paid the price by allowing the touchdown when Browns safety Abe Elam failed to get to Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.
However, it is so easy in sports to say “woulda coulda shoulda” as Cleveland fans know all to well so we will stop at that.
A win is a win and a loss is a loss.
Looking forward to the Chiefs, they are probably justifying last years defeat to the Browns in the same manner. The Browns were the beneficiaries of two kick return touchdowns from Josh Cribbs which ultimately decided the game.
The point… this Browns and Chiefs matchup will feature two teams attempting to win the traditional way in order to inspire hope among their respective fan bases.
Last week, the Browns became obvious victims of a silly game plan and horrific weather conditions. It appeared as if the Browns were trying so hard to establish a legitimate passing attack against a sub par team that they eventually shot themselves in the foot along the way.
Despite impressive runs from Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis the team seemingly abandoned the running game along with the highly advertised wildcat, cyclone, and flash formations.
Certainly the Browns had their own reasons for approaching the Bucs as they did, but obviously they will approach the Chiefs with a far more conservative approach.
In last seasons game the team and more specifically Browns record-breaking running back Jerome Harrison dominated the Chiefs defense piling up 286 yards rushing in the third best rushing performance in NFL history.
If the Browns knowingly disregard that stat and fail to run the ball at least 35 times they will likely doom themselves once again.
The Chiefs are a team that should hardly require the Browns to put up large scoring numbers and the running game should be an effective tool in securing a victory despite the need for a backup quarterback.
The Browns are a better team on paper than the Chiefs and I agree with Vegas’ decision to put the Chiefs as -2 point underdogs on the road.
Come Sunday, we will have a much better picture of where the Browns are at as a team moving forward.
