• Second Half

Cleveland Browns thuggery, goon football play

And the hypocrisy of the NFL's stance on player safety.

The Titans lead the Browns early in the second quarter 14-0. The Titans offense has shredded the Browns defense thus far. Cleveland cannot stop the Titans with straight-up, legal football play, so a Browns defensive player resorted to an illegal, thug-like, cheap-shot on the Titans QB after the QB scored a touchdown.

And now the Titans QB may not return. After the assault by the Browns player, a Titans offensive lineman retaliated on someone, and the refs with supreme stupidity called off-setting personal foul penalties on both teams.

If the NFL truly cared about players safety, the only personal foul penalty would have been called on Cleveland, and that Browns player would have been ejected from the game and suspended from the next game, similar to what college football now does.

How can that type of goon actions be tolerated? The Titans QB may not return, so that favors the Browns. The off-setting penalties favored the Browns. The player not being ejected favored the Browns.

Basically, the NFL is saying that it's okay to cheap-shot a QB out of the game. In this example, Cleveland received no penalty while Tennessee may have to play their backup QB.

Way to go NFL. And keep it classy, Cleveland.

If a TN player retaliates, for the Browns thuggery, no penalty should be called. That's life. Make a severe cheap shot, then face the wrath of an emotional retaliation.

It was a cheap shot on a quarterback after he crossed the goal line. And after listening to the announcers, TWO Browns defensive players cheap-shotted the Titans QB in the head after the QB scored the TD.

At the most, the NFL will review the play and levy a fine on one or two Browns players. Wow. Big penalty.

TN QB Jake Locker did return to the game. 14-3 TN leads. Approx mid-way 2nd qtr.

On this next possession, Locker is still running with the football on scramble plays or designed running plays. TN is driving, now in Cle territory, so the Browns defense is still feeble.

Maybe the Cleveland defense can club someone with a metal pipe or a baseball bat. The NFL won't object much.

The Cleveland Browns flagship station, AM 850 WKNR, is as worthless in this game thus far as the Browns defense. For some reason, the station played three commercials during the middle live action. It was not a TV timeout. The station broke from the game to air the commercials.

TN now has first and 10 at the Cle 24.

Cle flagged for roughing the passer, blow to the head. Cle also flagged for holding on that play. I think it was a third down pass play that went incomplete.

TN backup QB Charlie Whitehurst is warming up on the sidelines now. Apparently, the Locker is shaken up. Not head-related, possibly. Might be a wrist injury that he had last week.

Whitehurst is now in the game. Locker went to the locker room.

Under 4 min left. 2nd down and 10. TD pass. What, no Browns cheap-shotted anyone in the end zone after the play? Wow. 21 points surrendered in the first half to Tennessee. That's pathetic defensive play. And these were long drives.

TN TD drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:22.

Cleveland leads in thug hits. That's something to be proud of in the locker room at halftime. They can watch the replays and rejoice over how the Browns goonsquad flogged the opponent's QB in the head after scoring a TD.

Kickoff, touchback. 3:43 left. Plenty of time for Cleveland's offense to at least get a FG attempt. A FG keeps it at least a two-score game.

Unless Whitehurst plays the rest of the game and plays terribly, it will be up to the Browns offense to win this game.

With this game, the Browns embark on an incredibly easy schedule over the next 5 or 6 games. In theory. But this is the NFL where nothing is predictable. Browns fans think Cleveland can end up with a record of 5-3 or even 6-2 at the halfway point with this schedule. Cle is currently 1-2.

The Browns are a couple plays away from being 2-1 or even 3-0, but Cleveland is also one play away from being 0-3.

Third down already for Cleveland. 3rd and 5 at own 25. Pass incomplete. Wow. A quick three-and-out. Now TN has plenty of time on offense.

After punt, TN starts on own 25 with 2:55 left.

TN has been dominating Cleveland defense mainly by running the ball.

Cleveland's offense has been inept too, mounting only one decent drive that resulted in a field goal.

Holy moly!!! First play on offense for TN, Whitehurst throws a bomb pass that Cleveland did not expect, obviously, because the receiver was wide open and he caught the pass and ran into the end zone. A 75-yard touchdown pass!!!

28-3 rout. But that one-play drive still leaves Cleveland with over two-minutes on the clock, so Hoyer will need to run a no-huddle offense and snag a TD right before half.

Kickoff returned to Cle 24. Flag. Against Cleveland. Holding. Browns will start on own 10-yard line. 2:38 left. Cle has two timeouts plus two-minute warning, so this is doable. Hoyer can do it.

• pass complete, 21-yard gain to own 31.
• run, gains a yard or so.
• 2:05 left, pass caught, Cle own 43. first down. two-minute warning with 1:56 left. good field position and plenty of time left with both timeouts.

TN cannot relax on offense and defense. Titans know that Cleveland can make a big comeback. On week one, Cleveland trailed at halftime in Pittsburgh 27-3. Browns stormed back in the second half, tied the game at 27-27 with plenty of time left. Cleveland had the ball a couple times on offense with the game tied, but they failed to move the ball much. Pitt may one decent pass play, and kicked the winning field goal on the game's final play.

If Cleveland goes into halftime down 28-10, that's still a three-score deficit, but it's a start.

• pass complete, down to TN 25.
• run, gains 6.
• run, gains about 4. enough for first down at 15. 1:09 left. plenty of time.
• run, down inside the one yard line. :45 left. no timeout called by Cle.
• :32 and ticking. run. no gain. Cle calls TO with :16 left.
• TD pass. :12 left.

28-10. Browns defense surrendered 28 points and a ton of yards in the first half.

Browns RB Ben Tate back from injury has rushed for 77 yards in the first half.

The Browns offense still has not committed a turnover this season. Cleveland is the only team that has not made a turnover.

Halftime.

Second Half

Browns got ball first in the second half, and Cleveland drove and made a field goal. 28-13. Two scores. Doable now.

TN drove up to around midfield, but the drive stalled an an offensive lineman committed a late hit, personal foul penalty. Nice self-destructive move. TN eventually punted.

During the punt return, TN committed a personal foul, late-hit penalty, but Cleveland also committed a penalty, so off-setting. But TN clearly has lost focus with two late hit penalties in the third quarter.

Cleveland drove well, and on 4 and 3, instead of trying about 40 yard field goal, Cleveland went for it, and did not get it. Seemed a bit early to eschew a makeable field goal. It could have been 28-16. Instead, TN took over.

TN needs about 10 points this half to guarantee victory, most likely. But if TN scores zero points, then Cleveland can win this. The Browns offense is rolling a bit more now after a slow start. I would have taken the three points with around 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

TN punted again, but Benjamin fumbled the punt. TN recovered. But the officials have convened. This does not count as a turnover for the Browns offense.

TN punt team was flagged for a penalty. No turnover!! The TN punt team player got blocked out of bounds and something about not coming back into play properly. Whatever. Strange penalty or rule. I think the TN player who covered the fumble was flagged for not returning to the field properly.

So instead of TN not having the ball in good field position for at least a field goal attempt, Cle starts around their own 41-yard line.

The Titans are 1-3. Committing a lot of dumb penalties may be one reason for a 1-3 record.

1:25 left in third quarter.

28-13 at the end of the third quarter.

Cle has 2nd down and 3 at the TN 4.
Pass inc. 3rd down.
Tate has been running well in the second half. He's in now ... passing, thrown away.
Um, what happened to running the ball? Hoyer is passing okay, but the Browns have run well.
Going for it on 4th and 3. Browns call TO. A TD here makes this a nail-biter for TN. Cleveland is used to it.
Pass is incomplete. Knocked down at the line of scrimmage.
Two consecutive Browns drives where Cle turned the ball over on downs. Both could have resulted in field goals.

Granted, Cle would still be down two scores, but it could be 28-19, early 4th qtr. TN offense has done little thus far in this half. The chance exists for a TN offense turnover. The Browns offense has been doing well since late second quarter.

I think Cle should have taken the points. TN has made dumb penalties.

TN starts at the own 4-yard line, and TN is not really trying. 3rd down and long. If the Cle was down 9 points, plenty of time existed for Cle to score another TD and then maybe a game-winning FG late, assuming TN does not score. But now, Cle needs two touchdowns with one needing a two-point conversion.

TN pass compl but short of first down. 3-and-out. Cle should have good field position.
Punt blocked, and ball rolls out of the end zone for a safety.

28-15. Still requires two touchdowns. That safety was about like getting a field goal on the last possession, and then TN going three-and-out and punting.

Cle will need to go for it on 4th down each time they get into scoring position. Clearly, the Browns are thinking only touchdowns.

11:02 left. TN punts. Cle fields at own 18, returns to around own 30. Good punt and coverage by TN.

Two Cle TDs and pats, and Cle could win by 1 point and hand TN a humiliating defeat.

TN led 28-3 with only a little over 2 minutes left in the first half with the Cle offense starting on its own 10-yard line.

Now it's 28-15, Cle with first down at 49-yard line, running a hurry-up offense, at times.

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