Browns lose to the Falcons, 20-10.

What did we learn today?

How could we possibly be duped into thinking that Jake Delhomme was healthy enough to start today's game. There was still a legitimate question a couple of hours before kickoff on who was going to start at QB for the Browns. So, again this was Mangini trying to fool the opposition. Let's see how this is handled after they had to play the Delhomme card today. Pittsburgh knows both Delhomme and Seneca Wallace have injured ankles and there will be no mobility from either next week. Maybe it's Joshua Cribbs! Yeah, sure. After his interception against the Steelers last year out of the Wildcat.

Delhomme is taking a lot of heat from the fans today, but there is no way he was healthy to play. Makes you wonder what is going on with Colt McCoy's progress.

Wallace didn't make any mistakes today and maybe the outcome would have been different if he stayed in the game. I doubt it though.

Why do we continually give credit to the Browns defense? Sure, they held the Falcons to two redzone field goals and a blocked FG, but look at the horrendous playcalling by the Falcons down there. First FG came after two Michael Turner runs get stuffed, including a weird looking misdirection on second down. Then a third down pass was incomplete. The second FG comes after Turner gets a first down at the Browns 14, then a run, a really short completion and an incompletion. The blocked FG comes after Turner rips off a 55-yard run to the Browns 12, then one run, an incompletion, followed by an incompletion on an insane shovel pass. Therefore, once again proving my theory of Offensive Coordinators: "It's not enough to beat you, I have to show everyone I'm smarter than you." Shovel pass, are you kidding me? It's the Browns, they cannot stop the fucking run. 165 yards by the Falcons today, if you need 'em.

Oh, and the only time the Falcons go deep today, it's a Matt Ryan-to-Roddy White special for a 45-yard TD. Ryan was 6-18 at the half, but ended the game 16-28 for 187 yards.

We got nothing from Joshua Cribbs and Joe Thomas, who most would consider the Browns best two players. Cribbs is getting nothing in the return game and the Wildcat is basically non-existent. Cribbs had a catch for 8 yards and two runs for 11. Had one chance at a punt return for 3 yards and had 3 kickoff returns for 64 yards. Very blah.

Joe Thomas had a bad day at the office today. Too many times, he was beat on the left side today. John Abraham doing most of the damage. Abraham had only 7 tackles in the first 4 games, today he had 5. Abraham had a sack early, his sack of Wallace put him out of the game, and he basically punched Delhomme in the head contributing to Delhomme's second interception. Just awful.

Then there is the walking contradiction known as Peyton Hillis. He fumbles early. Runs 10 times for a paltry 28 yards. But makes a beautiful 19-yard TD catch.

Three turnovers including a pick six, the third one this year from the Browns. Absurd penalties. Remember Jerome Harrison running for 286 yards against the Chiefs last year. At today's pace, it would have taken him 286 carries to do that. Plus, the Browns had bad clock management at the end of the half with Delhomme basically wasting 18 seconds without running a play from the 50.

Then, at the start of the third quarter, the Browns OC, Brian Daboll, decides that a gimpy Delhomme is well enough to start firing the ball over the place. 10 of the first 14 plays in the second half were passes. So much for the Browns "identity".

This game left me sour. The final score was in no way indicative of how poorly the Browns played today. Only helped by Atlanta playing to their level.

Next up, it's the Steelers.

Meal of Links

Solomon Burke died today. One of the best.

The next 10 years. From a radical pessimist. Say goodbye to the middle class.

The truth about Titanic is finally revealed. The guy made a wrong turn.

Must be Christmas. The ice rink at Rockefeller Center opened today.

Truly Awful Onside Kick



Exercise Yard

Mariano Rivera. Hall of Fame pitcher. Probably the best closer ever. All-time Yankee great. So, for his first national TV ad, he decides to star in a commercial for...Taco Bell?

Mariano Rivera for Taco Bell



As Leonard Pinth-Garnell would say, "Monumentally ill-advised!".

Visitor

None, on as beautiful of an October Sunday as you'll see.