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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Because vBulletin and the log-in activity time for OS have been very naughty in the past, I will be forced to punish early-readers by posting just the story of each quarter or post, then editing in each spoiler containing information. I've once already tried adding everything in and applying all of the necessary coding to make things look very nice and clean, because it is very important to me, and nothing was more frustrating than spending twenty minutes making things look perfect and then trying to post, only to find out that OS has logged me out of my account and losing all of my work. So if you are reading this soon after I post, you'll notice it's missing some of the spoiler boxes, just be patient and they will all be added, but then again, I doubt this will be any problem, just thought I'd mention it.
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Rookie half back Terrance West made himself a valued member of the Browns' offense in weeks six through six through nine.
Quarter II; 2014
Weeks 6 – 9
Cleveland Browns
Record: 5-3
Divisional Record: 2-1
After the tough loss Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns’ most infamous rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was time for their second game of the season, this one closing out the rivalry early for the season coming in Week 6. Now on Cleveland’s home field, the Browns were in the middle of a two game win streak, while the Steelers were floundering, having found their only wins against the Browns in the season opener, and the previous week against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 42-6 blowout in Florida. Both coming off wins over cupcake teams, experts were split as to who would walk away victors in this rematch.
Week 6: versus the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3)
The game got off to a slow start, neither team scoring a point in the first quarter as they both warmed up to hopefully find their stride. The Browns would be the first to find theirs much thanks to
WR Andrew Hawkins who, after a big game against the Steelers in Week 1, continued to perform strong against Pittsburgh starting with a 34-yard touchdown pass from
QB Johnny Manziel, followed by another 14-yard touchdown reception on the team’s next drive. This gave Cleveland an important 14-0 lead early on, but they were don’t there in the second quarter, as Manziel eventually threw his third touchdown pass of the first half to
WR Miles Austin on a dangerous 4-yard curl route. Pittsburgh would walk into the locker room with just a field goal to their name, giving way to many surprised experts during the CBS Halftime Show.
But the second half wouldn’t fair any more kindly toward the Steelers, as the Browns started off hot, scoring on their first drive with
another touchdown throw from Manziel, this one to
WR Stedman Bailey. While the passing game seemed on point with Manziel finishing the day with four touchdowns, just one interception, and a 110.7 QBR with 202 passing yards, it was the running game that was really the key to victory. Rookie
HB Terrance West stepped into the spotlight with a 129 yard game for one touchdown (which would come at the end of the third quarter, Cleveland’s last score of the game), on 28 attempts, averaging 4.6 yards per run.
HB Ben Tate was also in the mix as well, gaining 71 yards on just 11 attempts, as for the day the Browns would finish with 220 yards gained on the ground.
In the end, the Browns had 407 total offensive yards, while their defense performed strongly, holding the Steelers to just 197.
LOLB Paul Kruger led the defense with 9 tackles, 2 of which were sacks. Rookie
CB Justin Gilbert also had an interception of his own, but that was stifled on the next play in which his quarterback Manziel gave it right back to the Steelers. Nevertheless, it was a gigantic victory for Browns Country and the state of Ohio, as Cleveland celebrated a 35-3 victory over their arch nemesis, Cleveland’s first victory over Pittsburgh since 2012’s tainted win in which
QB Charlie Batch started in place of the injured
QB Ben Roethlisberger.
Week 7: at the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
Now with the momentum swung their way, it was off to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars on the road come Week 7. It would end up being a very similar story to the Pittsburgh story, as the Cleveland defense performed dominantly while the offense was running on all cylinders. The game’s first score came midway through the first with a 4-yard touchdown run by
HB Terrance West, followed by a field goal for each team in the second quarter, and a 4-yard touchdown pass to
WR Stedman Bailey with just 30-seconds remaining in the first half. The second half was nearly a mirror image of the first, as Manziel threw two more touchdown passes, one to Bailey again, and the other to
WR Aaron Dobson, with another
K Billy Cundiff field goal and just one more Jacksonville field goal, leading to the final score of 34-6. Worth mention from this game is Cleveland’s commitment to the run game after their solid performance against the Steelers, as
HB Ben Tate led this game with 26 carriers for 111 yards, and
HB Terrance West remains an important part to the offense with 9 carries for 47 yards and 1 touchdown.
Week 8:versus the Oakland Raiders (3-3)
Back home for Week 8, the Browns were hosting the Oakland Raiders who came into the game nicked up with injuries, but still possessed a troubling defense for the Browns to handle. This fact was apparent throughout most of the game, as the Browns passing game saw trouble putting points on the board, although
QB Johnny Manziel kept the turnovers to just one interception on the day. It was the running game coming through big again, beginning in the second quarter when
HB Ben Tate scored on a 2-yard goal line burst. Oakland was quick to respond though, as their free agent pick-up during the off-season,
HB Maurice Jones-Drew, put up six for Oakland on a 2-yard run of his own. Cleveland’s next drive showcased the importance of Manziel’s mobility, as he resorted to a 12-yard touchdown run after failing to find anyone open on a 3
rd and 8 situation. The Browns would also get the ball-back before the end of the half, after an interception by
CB Alfonzo Dennard, leading to a 19-yard field goal to put the Browns up 17-7 at the half.
The following half saw a failure of successful adjustments from the Oakland Raiders, as they would only score another three points on the day, while Cleveland had two field goals of their own and another touchdown run by Terrance West to put the stamp on things for a 31-10 final score. For the game, West finished with 38 yards on 11 carries and that fourth quarter touchdown, while Tate had the bigger day with 26 attempts for 113 yards and his second quarter touchdown. Defensively,
RE Desmond Bryant had the impactful day, sacking Oakland
QB Matt Schaub three times in total out of his seven tackles for the day, while cornerbacks Alfonzo Dennard and
CB Joe Haden both had an interception to their name.
Week 9: versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-0)
With five-straight victories in the books, Cleveland entered Week 9 in a nationally-televised match-up with the undefeated, 8-0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hosting Tampa Bay was going to be important, but experts were split on who would walk away winners in this one. Cleveland’s defense had one of the best in the league in their previous four games, put Tampa Bay’s
QB Mike Glennon has emerged as a star quarterback in his first eight games in his sophomore season. By kickoff, the fans in Cleveland were as loud as they had been perhaps all season, ready to show the world that they were ready to stake a claim in the AFC as a potential contender by delivering Tampa Bay their first loss of the season.
Sporting a strong defensive line, the strength of Tampa Bay’s defense was felt early on, as Cleveland failed to get anything going in the first quarter, while Tampa Bay could only get themselves a field goal. The second quarter was full of action though, starting with a responding field goal by
K Billy Cundiff. Tied 3-3, the Buccaneers soon found their stride, beginning with a 13-yard reception by rookie, and former teammate of
QB Johnny Manziel,
WR Mike Evans. Tampa Bay would get another field goal after that, but would close out the first half with an important touchdown catch by
WR Vincent Jackson (who is having a phenomenal season), this one from just 4-yards out on third down and only 21-seconds left, putting Tampa Bay ahead 20-3.
It was not time for Cleveland to back-down though, as they responded by opening up the second half with a possess ending in a 10-yard touchdown run by
HB Terrance West. Tampa Bay did what they could to stave off the Browns, with a touchdown run of their own on the goal line by
HB Doug Martin, but Cleveland would revive hope at the very end of the third with a 45-yard touchdown catch by
TE Jordan Cameron to put things at 27-17 entering the fourth.
This final quarter was full of offensive production, beginning with another touchdown run by Terrance West on Cleveland’s next offensive drive, putting things at 27-24 with eight minutes left. Most of the fourth quarter saw strong defensive statements by both teams, until Mike Evans continued to make a name for himself with a huge 73-yard pass from Glennon thanks to a slip-up on the field by
CB Alfonzo Dennard. This slip-up would be all it took for Cleveland to allow the game to get away from them, as an interception by Johnny Manziel on their next drive resulted in
another touchdown catch from Evans, this one from 13-yards out to give the Bucs a 41-24 lead. With just two-minutes left, the game was most certainly out of reach for the home team, as although
WR Andrew Hawkins scored the final points of the game, the onside kick was not recovered by Cleveland and the fans left with a distasteful 41-31 loss in their mouth.
The quarterback performance was nearly night-and-day for both sides, as Mike Glennon continued to look incredible with a 393 yard, 4 touchdown, 1 interception performance for a 125.3 QBR, while Johnny Manziel finished with 352 yards for 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, resulting in a 73.5 QBR. On the ground, Doug Martin finished with nearly as many yards as the entire Cleveland offense combined, running 31 times for 118 yards and 1 touchdown, while Terrance West only ran the ball 4 times for 21 yards and his two touchdowns, mostly thanks to the fact that the Browns were behind the entire game. On the receiving end, Vincent Jackson finished with 11 catches for 140 yards and 1 touchdown, while Mike Evans had 3 touchdowns on just 4 catches for the day, resulting in 105 yards. Martin also hurt the Browns coming out of the backfield, catching 5 balls for 56 yards, 54 of which came after the catch. Defensively, the Browns lost control of things early on, and failed to make any real impactful plays, with the only turnover coming off an interception by
CB Justin Gilbert.
Despite the tough loss at home, the Browns entered Week 10 of the season in second place in the AFC North, with a 5-3 record, holding on to the final AFC Wild Card slot if the season were to end at this moment.
Statistically,
QB Johnny Manziel continues to maintain a completion percentage hovering around the 65% mark, while he has reached 2000+ throwing yards on the season and has finally evened out his TD/INT ratio at 1.0. Obviously the ratio isn’t something to be striving for, but is much better than the start of his season. Finally have found his stride, he is now connecting consistently with four of his receivers, with
TE Jordan Cameron leading the fray in terms of reliability and receptions.
WR Stedman Bailey had a big last four games, scoring all five of his touchdowns thus far this season, despite the low increase in total yards. On the ground is where the Browns have really found their stride, as the combination of veteran
HB Ben Tate and rookie
HB Terrance West has perplexed their last four opponents. The two have combined for over 800 yards on the ground, while West has picked up the majority of the end zone runs as Cleveland has made him their go-to-guy in the red-zone. On the defensive end, rookie
CB Justin Gilbert has hit a stride, now leading his cornerback counterparts in tackles and picked up three interceptions over the last four games, while
CB Joe Haden now has 6 of his own INTs.
MLB Karlos Dansby continues to lead the team in tackles with 58, while
SS Donte Whitner continues to lead the team in total downs played, solidifying his position as the heart-and-soul of the Cleveland defensive unit.
Team Statistics
Player Statistics
Team Schedule
Injury Report
AFC North Standings
Top 10 Conference Standings
Around the NFL
Spoiler
League News
Brady leaves battle against Manning with injury
While the lead up to another battle between
QB Tom Brady and
QB Peyton Manning was almost all the NFL and the media could talk about entering Week 9, the drama was real in New England when the Patriots suffered a debilitating loss at the helm of their offense. A 3rd and 12 play saw Brady sacked and in immediate pain following a huge hit from
LOLB Von Miller. Immediately the pain was obvious and the training staff was rushed out to the field. Having to be helped up, Brady was carted off to the locker room holding his left arm in agony, leading to a class-act scene involving Peyton Manning, Brady’s career nemesis, giving him his best wishes before the cart pulled away. With the entire stadium and New England team stunned at what had just taken place,
QB Ryan Mallett was forced to enter the game, failing to step up to the challenge with just 100 yards on the rest of the game with no touchdowns, but also no interceptions. After the game it was announced to be an upper arm fracture, expected to keep Brady out for perhaps the rest of the regular season, and perhaps the Patriots out of the playoffs this season. Denver would win the affair 34-15.
Tampa Bay remains undefeated; the sleeper has awoken
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to remain the surprise team of the season, as they remain the only undefeated team left in the NFC at eight wins and zero losses. The team is led by a breakout year from
QB Mike Glennon who thus far boasts the highest QBR out of all starting quarterbacks in the league at 107.6, having through for 2,211 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only 3 interceptions. The second-year quarterback and ignited a Tampa Bay fanbase which has clamored for a winning team for quite some time, having last won the Super Bowl in 2002. The team features a well-balanced offense supported by
HB Doug Martin who is fifth in the league in yards this season at 698 so far with 6 touchdowns to accompany. His carrying this season has remained an issue, as Martin does have 4 fumbles in 8 games, but opponents have clearly failed to capitalize on the opportunities. On the receiving end, it’s not surprising to find
WR Vincent Jackson third in the league in receiving yards with 820 already, while standing out with an incredible 8 touchdowns caught already. His impact has certainly been increased thanks to the addition of rookie
WR Mike Evans who has 471 yards and 6 touchdowns of his own. But it’s not just all offense in Tampa Bay as their defense has been the sleeper story to their rise in prominence. Ranked 5th in terms of yards given up, the Buccaneers have also given up the second-least amount of points against opponents all season. The real challenge though is how long the Buccaneers can keep up their run and if the pressure will be too much for many of their young players to handle.
Has the guard changed in the AFC East?
The AFC East may be undergoing a culture change as the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills each remain near the top of the conference with just one loss. The Dolphins are led mostly by their high powered offense that is quick to score in any occasion, while the Bills are more of a defensive powerhouse with solid offensive production as well. With the loss of QB Tom Brady, the AFC East will almost certainly find itself with a new division winner for the first time since the Dolphins’ title and 2008, and for the second time in 12 years.
QB EJ Manuel has emerged as an effective game manager for Buffalo, throwing for 1,568 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions; while
QB Ryan Tannehill for the Dolphins has himself 1,706 yards for 13 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The two met for the first time in Week 2 where the Dolphins won a pivotal game in Buffalo, 26-20. The Dolphins may appear to have Buffalo’s number thanks to that game, having disrupted EJ Manuel to the point where he would throw 4 interceptions in the game. However, the game was an overtime occasion, as the Dolphins won things with a touchdown on their first drive to secure the tough road victory. The two will meet again in Week 11 on Thursday night in what should be a very important and exciting football game.
Transactions
- The only significant transaction to take place in the second quarter of the 2014 NFL season involved free agent and infamous WR Plaxico Burress who signed a $1M/1yr contract with the St. Louis Rams, causing media uproar for the first week of the announcement. Since his signing in Week 6, Burress has recorded 5 receptions for 34 yards and 1 touchdown.
Injury Report
- The Bengals have been without HB Giovani Bernard for some time, as he suffered a dislocated knee and will be out at least until Week 13.
- The Cardinals also found themselves with a dislocated knee situation involving their LE Calais Campbell who is out until Week 13 as well.
- The Packers saw HB Eddie Lacy suffer a dislocation of his own, this one involving his left elbow which will have their running producer out for another two weeks.
- The Panthers have been feeling the pain perhaps more than any other team, with seven of their players on the team’s injury report entering Week 10. Of those listed include both half backs HB DeAngelo Williams (dislocated ankle) and HB Jonathan Stewart (broken thumb). Both are expected to make their return in Week 11.
- The Patriots suffered a huge loss for the rest of the regular season when QB Tom Brady broke a part of his left arm in a game against the Denver Broncos. Also out on the Patriots roster is LG Logan Mankins with a partial PCL tear for another month, LT Nate Solder with a pulled groin for three weeks, and WR Brandon LaFell with a right shoulder tear that has him out another two weeks.
- While the Ravens wait for LOLB Terrell Suggs to continue to recover from a partial PCL tear and ROLB Elvis Dumervil from a broken thumb, the team took another hit in the linebacker core with the loss of MLB Daryl Smith to a dislocated ankle which could have him out potentially for the rest of the regular season.
Players of the Week