Middle Tennessee Browns Backers News

Latest Transactions
Date Transaction
11/14/07 Greg Eslinger C signed/unrestricted free agent
11/10/07 Seth McKinney C Placed on IR to a left shoulder
10/31/07 Ricardo Colclough CB acquired from waivers
10/31/07 Ted Washington DT Placed on IR to a left knee
10/24/07 Nick Sorensen S signed
10/23/07 Gary Baxter CB Placed on IR to a torn patellar tendons
10/17/07 Jonny Harline TE practice squad deletion
10/8/07 Louis Leonard DT acquired from waivers
10/8/07 Scott Player P cut
10/6/07Kelly Butler T cut
10/1/07 Ryan Tucker T suspension lifted
9/18/07 Scott Player P signed/unrestricted free agent
9/18/07 Paul Ernster P cut
9/14/07 Tim Mixon CB practice squad deletion
9/14/07 A.J. Davis CB practice squad addition
9/11/07 Ken Dorsey QB signed to a One-year contract
9/8/07 Paul Ernster P signed
9/8/07 Jereme Perry CB cut
9/4/07 Ryan Pontbriand C re-signed to a Four-year extension through 2011
9/4/07 Chris Barclay RB practice squad addition
9/4/07 Jonny Harline TE practice squad addition
9/4/07 Cliff Louis T practice squad addition
9/4/07 Tim Mixon CB practice squad addition
9/4/07 Chase Pittman DE practice squad addition
9/4/07 Mel Purcell DE practice squad addition
9/4/07 Steve Sanders WR practice squad addition
9/4/07 Syndric Steptoe WR practice squad addition
9/3/07 Alvin Smith DT Placed on the physically unable to perform list
9/2/07 Mason Unck LB Placed on IR to a knee

Fox Sports.com

Browns and Buckeyes: Is Football Fun Again in Ohio?
September 30th, 2007
Ohio.com "The Sports Blitz"
Call it a weekly rant or rave, your choice.
I’m sitting here in Cleveland Browns Stadium with the Browns up by three TDs - wait I just jinxed them, make that two TDs - against the Ravens.
You see something in this team you haven’t in Coach Romeo Crennel’s last squads, they actually seem to be enjoying playing and save one ridiculous run by Ravens running back Willis Magahee on what should have been a loss for a couple of yards, they’ve been fairly solid.
The record may be 1-2, but with the exception of that opening day disaster against the Steelers, they’ve been competitive. The could just as easily be 2-1 now, as opposed to 1-2. There are still huge problems here, primarily on the defensive side of the ball. The bend-and-bend-some-more defenise sometimes look like a sieve - especially on the line and you can beat this team passing. Still, I’ll take competitive any day.
On a completey different note…
Courtesy of a ridiculous Saturday afternoon in college football the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were ranked outside the Top Ten in many pre-season polls - find themselves sitting at No. 4 because four teams ahead of them - Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and West Virginia - all went down in defeat over the weekend.
Do the Buckeyes deserve it? Probably not given the Eazy-Bake schedule they faced in non-conference play. But they don’t make the rules. They could find themselves 6-0 by the time they get what could be a test against the Michigan State Spartans. But recall listening to all the college football pundits (are you out there Mark May) who said they didn’t deserve it in 2002. This year is starting to remind me somewhat of that one.
You’ve got a QB some are still unsure of. The offense is proficient, not explosive and the defense is plain out vicious. Running the table is conceivable, but like most I am leary of the Penn State Nittany Lions and this year’s surprise team, Illinois.

Len Pasquarelli's game balls
ESPN the LAST CALL

• Special teams: Cleveland kicker Phil Dawson sent the Browns into overtime at Baltimore on Sunday with a field goal on the final play of regulation, and then won the game in the extra stanza with a 33-yard field goal. But the game ball actually goes to his Cleveland teammate, return ace Joshua Cribbs, not just for setting up both kicks, but for an extraordinary performance.

The former college quarterback totaled 306 yards on 11 combined kickoff and punt returns. In the third quarter, his 26-yard punt return set up a Derek Anderson 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, he had a 50-yard kickoff return and then, with the Browns trailing, 30-27, he set up Dawson's tying field goal with a 37-yard kickoff runback. Cribbs then opened the overtime with a 41-yard kickoff return that provided the Browns excellent field position. Nine plays later, Dawson kicked the game-winner..

Browns Move Ahead of Steelers in ESPN NFL Power Rankings!
A nice holiday gift to know that the independent sports minds at ESPN rank Cleveland ahead of Pittsburgh.
Browns were ranked 32 (last) in the pre-season, and now are 7th ranked just ahead of Steelers.
(Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking last week.)

2007 Power Rankings: Week 16
	RK (LW)	TEAM	REC	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Patriots	14-0-0	So, are wet weather and windy conditions the kryptonite for the Pats' offense? It looked that way with a season-low 20 points Sunday. But even a subpar Tom Brady doesn't make mistakes that can put his team in harm's way (we're looking at you, Romo).
	2 (3)	Colts	12-2-0	Becoming the first team to produce five consecutive seasons of 12 or more wins wasn't as easy as expected against the Raiders. Their five-year total of 62 wins is the second highest during that span. The best? Look up one spot.
	3 (2)	Cowboys	12-2-0	Nope, not gonna do it. Not gonna call out the girlfriend-who-must-not-be-named as the reason for Tony Romo's struggles on Sunday. But the Cowboys need to be a little alarmed about how they've played lately. Last thing they want is Lambeau in January.
	4 (4)	Packers	12-2-0	If the Packers win at Chicago on Sunday, they'll finish the regular season with a 7-1 road record, their best mark since 1941. With some help, the Packers might not have to play another game on the road until the Super Bowl in Arizona.
	5 (5)	Jaguars	10-4-0	Props to the Jags' offense, which has produced 400 or more yards in four consecutive games, the longest streak in franchise history. More props for doing it Sunday against the league's top-ranked defense and in poor weather conditions.
	6 (7)	Chargers	9-5-0	Two wins would seal the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs for the Chargers. And why is that important? Because it means they wouldn't have to face the Patriots until the conference championship.
	7 (10)	Browns	9-5-0	The Browns should win their last two games (Cincy, SF) to go 11-5. Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, the Steelers also finish with a couple of patsies (St. Louis, Baltimore). But no one in Cleveland will complain about the wild card.
	8 (8)	Steelers	9-5-0	That the Steelers are 9-5 probably is about what we expected at this point. But their 7-2 start raised expectations, and that has made the past few weeks a little troubling. "We've stumbled of late. So be it," head coach Mike Tomlin said.
	9 (11)	Buccaneers	9-5-0	Now that the Bucs have scored the first touchdown via kickoff return after 32 years and 1,865 attempts, we can concentrate on the club's next drought: days since anyone has referred to injured RB Cadillac Williams by his given name, Carnell.
	10 (6)	Seahawks	9-5-0	When the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl two years ago, they averaged 153.6 rushing yards per game. This season? A 93.4-yard average. "Numbers speak for themselves. I don't have to talk about how different it is," RB Shaun Alexander told the P-I.
	11 (12)	Vikings	8-6-0	Are the Vikes a legitimately scary team or just fortunate to win five straight against mostly below-.500 teams? Wide receiver Bobby Wade told the Star Tribune that "other teams are going to have to take us seriously."
	12 (9)	Giants	9-5-0	Sunday's loss leaves the G-Men in a much more precarious spot, playoffwise, than they would've liked. Yes, they can still clinch with one more win, but let's face it -- it's not gonna happen in Game No. 16 (vs. Pats). That makes the game at Buffalo huge.
	13 (13)	Titans	8-6-0	In the last four games, opponents are converting 53.8 percent of their third downs (35 of 65) while the Titans are converting just 30.6 percent (15 of 49). Tennessee will need to improve on both fronts to retain any playoff hope.
	14 (16)	Saints	7-7-0	To give themselves the best shot of returning to the playoffs, the Saints need to win out (and hope for some help). First up: the Eagles at home. "It's a one-week season," offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb told the T-P.
	15 (19)	Texans	7-7-0	We can forgive Mario Williams for his hula dance sack celebration. But Ron Dayne going with the Heisman pose following a TD run Thursday? Evidently, Ron's still partying like it's 1999 (when he actually won the Heisman).
	16 (17)	Redskins	7-7-0	The loss of LB Rocky McIntosh to two torn ligaments is another cruel development for the Redskins, whose season will be on the line Sunday at Minnesota. Veteran Randall Godfrey may be called on to fill in.