5 Reasons to Watch the Browns This Monday

This Monday night the Cleveland Browns face the Baltimore Ravens on ESPN's Monday Night Football. The Browns have only one win on the season and have a total of 4 good players (that's counting the punter). It seams like a game any casual football fan may want to pass, but maybe not. I submit 5 reasons to watch Monday Night Football this week.


5. The Fantasy Impact

Sure the Browns are horrible, and most leagues probably don't have a single one of their players, but the are playing the Ravens. Most every player on Baltimore's roster is projected to have a huge game. I, myself (sounds redundant), have WR Derrick Mason who went for 118 yards and a touchdown against the browns in week 3. I also have the Ravens' defense who gave up just 3 points to the Browns while intercepting 4 passes. I do not expect this week to be any different then week 3.


4. Josh Cribbs On & Off The Field


Over the past 3 seasons Josh Cribbs has been one of the best (if not the best) kick/punt returners in the NFL. This season he has a punt returned for a touchdown and a kickoff returned for a TD. He is rated either 1 or 2 on most experts top returners in the league lists. He is a source of pride for Cleveland fans on the field, and more recently oof the field. In a display of his quality as an individual, Cribbs walked a high school senior-night with the son of his former college football coach. Cribbs late coach died in 2005 of lymphoma leaving behind his son Michael Drake. Cribbs, unannounced, showed up to walk Drake onto the football field and be there for the son of a coach who was like a father to Cribbs. Read the story here.


3. Brady Quin: Medicine Man?

With the lowest passer rating (36.2) and the lowest completion percentage (42.9%) in the NFL this season, Derrick Anderson has been benched by the Cleveland Browns. His 9 interceptions in 6 games has lead the team to turn the ball back over to their opening day starter Brady Quinn. A move, expected, but depressing. Quinn started week 3 against the Ravens: throwing one interception with a total of 34 yards. He was benched at the half, giving way to Anderson who lit up the Ravens by throwing 3 interceptions. Is Quinn, the former Notre Dame collegiate star, the medicine the browns need to turn things around. The numbers say no, but Sean Connery believes the Browns' flower has bloomed and revealed that Quinn is the rare ant that can cure the Browns' losing cancer.


2. The Lovable Losers

Who can honestly say they hate a Cleveland team? They once in a great while put up a fight, but they never win it in the end. If anything, they give your team a free victory. Besides LeBron with the Cavs, Cleveland has been a push over for more years than I have been alive. People love an underdog and the Browns are almost always the underdog. Secretly, I think most people would like to see the Browns win. If not...you're either a front runner or from Pittsburgh. Either way, I hate you.


1. Pst...Nothing is on

If you live on the west coast nothing else is on at 5:30pm worth watching. However, if you are on the east coast... I suggest starting with House (8pm) on Fox, laughing at the Browns for an hour on ESPN, then flipping over to Castle on ABC (10pm, one of my favorite shows).

Enjoy the game!

Don't Call it a Come Back

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the opening game of the 2009 NFL season tonight, and they already are giving Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers undeserved praise.

"Another 4th quarter come back", the announcers declared. Really? Was it a "come back"?

The game was basically tied the whole game. First the game was tied at zero for almost 2 halves. Next the game was tied at 7. When the Steelers scored, the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh's opponents, scored right away. In the 4th quarter the Titans went up by 3 points with 11 minutes to play. Plenty of time for a few chances to tie the game up. A field goal with basically a whole quarter to play is very obtainable.

The announcers may claim the defenses were very stingy though and any points were hard to come by. That may fly if it wasn't the first game of the season. This is the first time the players have played a full length game. They have yet to see the 4th quarter this season. The players and defenses are some of the best in football, but they were still tired. There were points out there to be had.

Don't get me wrong. The Steelers found a way to pull the game out and get a win. Their defense was amazing, as always, and they played well for an opening game. You just can not say a team "came back" in a game that was close all game, in a game with 11 minutes to play, and in a game played at the victor's home field.

Down 14 going into the forth..."come back". Down 3...it is still either teams game.