Operation Sports Forums - View Single Post - The Donovan McNabb Experiment

SKA · 09-07-2012, 01:58 AM

Cleveland Browns (3-6) at the Baltimore Ravens (3-7)

When the Cleveland Browns headed to Baltimore to take on the former Browns franchise itself, they knew they were heading into hostile territory. Unfortunately for rookie quarterback Donovan McNabb, he really just didn't know how hostile it was going to be.

Baltimore's quarter back Scott Mitchell entered the season having lead his team to a 3-7 record thus far, and had barely the same number of passing yards as McNabb himself, while having thrown a few more interceptions than touchdowns this season. Running back Priest Holmes was not surprisingly the team's still number one offensive option, while the team's defense has clearly seen breakaway seasons from linebackers Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper.

It's division games such as this which give teams with only three wins a piece something to play and work for. With the playoffs pretty much out of reach for both teams, this one was for much more than the journey of the season. It was about pride, respect, and honor.

Baltimore would start the game off with a weak possession resulting in a punt, while Cleveland would respond with the same. The Ravens would get another shot soon after, but another punt would result. The Browns would try to take advantage once again, but the first play of their drive saw a middle pass to running back Rashaan Salaam (remember Terry Kirby is injured...) get picked off by linebacker Ray Lewis, giving his Ravens deeper territory. Unfortunately for Baltimore, they would seriously fail to take advantage, as Mitchell would throw his first pick of the game as well, as safety Marquez Pope was able to leap and grab the ball to save the first score of the game.

It was something out of a bad nightmare though, as once again the Browns would turn the ball over on the first play of a drive, this time with a fumble from Rashaan Salaam, resulting in his dismissal from the game and the substitution of running back Madre Hill, getting his first shot at first-team offense during the regular season.

Not surprisingly, Baltimore was able to seize the opportunity, scoring their first points with a 2-yard touchdown barge into the end zone by Priest Holmes. As the first quarter was ending, Cleveland's offense continued to stall, while the Ravens would get their's rolling, scoring at the beginning of the second quarter to go up two touchdowns after a 5-yard TD pass to full back Chuck Evans.

Cleveland's response? Another forced punt. Baltimore would respond to that with a good attempt at a 32-yard field goal, but that would barely slice the outside of the left bar.

Cleveland's response? Another forced punt. Then, following a 31-yard completion to wide receiver Bradley Stokley, Baltimore would score another TD a few plays later thanks to a 5-yard rush from Holmes. Now done, 21-0 BAL, McNabb would start throwing a bit carelessly, as the team tried to move the ball down the field to get some points on the board. Clearly things proceeded too carelessly, as McNabb would throw his second pick of the game, giving Baltimore the ball on the CLE 2-yard line. Full back Chuck Evans would punch in his second touchdown of the game.

Time was winding down in the second quarter, and the Browns were already down four touchdowns ... A poor response to the full back's second touchdown was saved by cornerback Ryan McNeil, who was able to pick off a Scott Mitchell throw near the end of the half, giving the Browns a minute-and-a-half to respond. At this point, all guns were free, and McNabb would out throw Baltimore's defense for the first and only time of the game, moving the ball quickly down field in only a few big pass plays, ending with a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Leslie Shepherd.

The half couldn't come quick enough for McNabb who was receiving a serious punishment from the Baltimore defense, having been sacked already a total of six times in the first half, seriously affecting his completion percentage early on. The second half gave the Browns a chance for a fresh start, but lady luck would have to turn her cheek on Baltimore and hopefully take Cleveland back as her lover.

Maybe it was something coach Chris Palmer said, who knows, but lady luck would not return, as Cleveland's second half was nearly as abysmal as the first. The only highlights of the third quarter were to be the injury suffered to Priest Holmes, putting him out of the game (and out for next week), giving the Baltimore fans something to really moan about. A 39-yard field goal from Matt Stover would close out of the third, while the fourth quarter was just as uneventful. More injuries for the Ravens (including a scare for linebacker Peter Boulware), while only two offensive possessions would even take place. First a failed one from the Browns, while Baltimore would close out the last ten minutes of the game, starting from their own 10-yard line, ending up at the CLE 6-yard line, only to kneel down a final three times.

QUOTES OF THE GAME

"Well you come in with a game plan, and you make adjustments. When those adjustments don't work, you make more adjustments. When those adjustments don't work, you make more, and more, and more, until you figure it out. There's only four quarters in a game, and sometimes you run out of time to unlock the code. We couldn't unlock the code today, and I can't be too mad about it. But when you try to crack the code, and can't even get the first god damn digit, that's when you can get mad. And I blame myself, more than anyone. If we didn't prepare them enough, we'll prepare better next time. If it was practice time, well there'll be more drills and scrimmages. If we need to watch more game film, we'll do just that. We can only get better, so I can't let these guys get too down on themselves." - Head Coach of the Browns, Chris Palmer

"There's gonna be days where you really take a beating, that's just the nature of the game and the nature of the position. All you can do is accept it, try to avoid the hits obviously, but when you can't, accept it, pick yourself up, rub off the dirt, get some ice, and keep workin' at it. Or at this point, just start preparing for the next game [McNabb laughs] ... The only thing I can be mad about is my lack of production. I had a terrible game, there's no doubt about that. Yeah, I was a bit shaken up at one point, but if you can't recover from those hits, you're never gonna make it in his league." - Rookie quarterback of the Browns, Donovan McNabb

...

09-07-2012, 01:58 AM	#21
SKA Rookie OVR: 5 Join Date: Dec 2008	Re: The Donovan McNabb Experiment - A Cleveland Browns Dynasty (1999) Cleveland Browns (3-6) at the Baltimore Ravens (3-7) When the Cleveland Browns headed to Baltimore to take on the former Browns franchise itself, they knew they were heading into hostile territory. Unfortunately for rookie quarterback Donovan McNabb, he really just didn't know how hostile it was going to be. Baltimore's quarter back Scott Mitchell entered the season having lead his team to a 3-7 record thus far, and had barely the same number of passing yards as McNabb himself, while having thrown a few more interceptions than touchdowns this season. Running back Priest Holmes was not surprisingly the team's still number one offensive option, while the team's defense has clearly seen breakaway seasons from linebackers Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper. It's division games such as this which give teams with only three wins a piece something to play and work for. With the playoffs pretty much out of reach for both teams, this one was for much more than the journey of the season. It was about pride, respect, and honor. Baltimore would start the game off with a weak possession resulting in a punt, while Cleveland would respond with the same. The Ravens would get another shot soon after, but another punt would result. The Browns would try to take advantage once again, but the first play of their drive saw a middle pass to running back Rashaan Salaam (remember Terry Kirby is injured...) get picked off by linebacker Ray Lewis, giving his Ravens deeper territory. Unfortunately for Baltimore, they would seriously fail to take advantage, as Mitchell would throw his first pick of the game as well, as safety Marquez Pope was able to leap and grab the ball to save the first score of the game. It was something out of a bad nightmare though, as once again the Browns would turn the ball over on the first play of a drive, this time with a fumble from Rashaan Salaam, resulting in his dismissal from the game and the substitution of running back Madre Hill, getting his first shot at first-team offense during the regular season. Not surprisingly, Baltimore was able to seize the opportunity, scoring their first points with a 2-yard touchdown barge into the end zone by Priest Holmes. As the first quarter was ending, Cleveland's offense continued to stall, while the Ravens would get their's rolling, scoring at the beginning of the second quarter to go up two touchdowns after a 5-yard TD pass to full back Chuck Evans. Cleveland's response? Another forced punt. Baltimore would respond to that with a good attempt at a 32-yard field goal, but that would barely slice the outside of the left bar. Cleveland's response? Another forced punt. Then, following a 31-yard completion to wide receiver Bradley Stokley, Baltimore would score another TD a few plays later thanks to a 5-yard rush from Holmes. Now done, 21-0 BAL, McNabb would start throwing a bit carelessly, as the team tried to move the ball down the field to get some points on the board. Clearly things proceeded too carelessly, as McNabb would throw his second pick of the game, giving Baltimore the ball on the CLE 2-yard line. Full back Chuck Evans would punch in his second touchdown of the game. Time was winding down in the second quarter, and the Browns were already down four touchdowns ... A poor response to the full back's second touchdown was saved by cornerback Ryan McNeil, who was able to pick off a Scott Mitchell throw near the end of the half, giving the Browns a minute-and-a-half to respond. At this point, all guns were free, and McNabb would out throw Baltimore's defense for the first and only time of the game, moving the ball quickly down field in only a few big pass plays, ending with a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Leslie Shepherd. The half couldn't come quick enough for McNabb who was receiving a serious punishment from the Baltimore defense, having been sacked already a total of six times in the first half, seriously affecting his completion percentage early on. The second half gave the Browns a chance for a fresh start, but lady luck would have to turn her cheek on Baltimore and hopefully take Cleveland back as her lover. Maybe it was something coach Chris Palmer said, who knows, but lady luck would not return, as Cleveland's second half was nearly as abysmal as the first. The only highlights of the third quarter were to be the injury suffered to Priest Holmes, putting him out of the game (and out for next week), giving the Baltimore fans something to really moan about. A 39-yard field goal from Matt Stover would close out of the third, while the fourth quarter was just as uneventful. More injuries for the Ravens (including a scare for linebacker Peter Boulware), while only two offensive possessions would even take place. First a failed one from the Browns, while Baltimore would close out the last ten minutes of the game, starting from their own 10-yard line, ending up at the CLE 6-yard line, only to kneel down a final three times. QUOTES OF THE GAME "Well you come in with a game plan, and you make adjustments. When those adjustments don't work, you make more adjustments. When those adjustments don't work, you make more, and more, and more, until you figure it out. There's only four quarters in a game, and sometimes you run out of time to unlock the code. We couldn't unlock the code today, and I can't be too mad about it. But when you try to crack the code, and can't even get the first god damn digit, that's when you can get mad. And I blame myself, more than anyone. If we didn't prepare them enough, we'll prepare better next time. If it was practice time, well there'll be more drills and scrimmages. If we need to watch more game film, we'll do just that. We can only get better, so I can't let these guys get too down on themselves." - Head Coach of the Browns, Chris Palmer "There's gonna be days where you really take a beating, that's just the nature of the game and the nature of the position. All you can do is accept it, try to avoid the hits obviously, but when you can't, accept it, pick yourself up, rub off the dirt, get some ice, and keep workin' at it. Or at this point, just start preparing for the next game [McNabb laughs] ... The only thing I can be mad about is my lack of production. I had a terrible game, there's no doubt about that. Yeah, I was a bit shaken up at one point, but if you can't recover from those hits, you're never gonna make it in his league." - Rookie quarterback of the Browns, Donovan McNabb ...