Morning After: Huge win for Davis

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

There might have been few teams that needed a victory in the opening weekend of the regular season more than the Cleveland Browns and, the guess here is, zero head coaches in recent seasons who needed a win nearly as much as Butch Davis.

Game ball
Faulk Marshall Faulk, Rams RB There were several outstanding performances by tailbacks in the opening week, but only one of the runners was coming off two knee surgeries, had missed 11 games over the past two seasons, and was rumored to be on his last legs. Never underestimate, though, the splendid Marshall Faulk, who ran for 128 yards on 22 carries in the St. Louis Rams' win over the Arizona Cardinals. Faulk got some nice relief help from first-rounder Steven Jackson. If that remains the case, and coach Mike Martz wisely controls his star back's workload, Faulk could prove that rumors of his demise were, indeed, premature.
Scout's take
Comments on the weekend's games from one current AFC pro scout and one former NFC personnel director: Belichick "When it comes to New England, you never push the panic button early, because (coach Bill) Belichick cleans up messes quicker than anybody I know. But he's got to be kind of concerned about his run defense. Losing (nose tackle) Ted Washington in free agency was even bigger than people made it out to be. The Patriots linebackers had 36 tackles the other night. You might say, 'Well, they're so damned active.' But that's too many tackles." "You don't want to criticize Indianapolis for having (Edgerrin) James in the game down on the goal line, where he fumbled. But the Colts usually use Dominic Rhodes as their short-yardage guy, don't they? I haven't seen an explanation on why he, and not James, wasn't in the game at that point." "The Lions are pretty deep at wide receiver, so maybe losing (Charles) Rogers with another broken collarbone won't hurt them as much this time. But, from everything I hear, they felt like he was really poised to have a big-time year for them." "Baltimore better hope that (left offensive tackle) Jonathan Ogden comes back real fast from that knee (injury). The guy who filled in for him, (Ethan) Brooks, got spun around like a turnstile on Sunday. And the guy doing most of the spinning, (Cleveland right end) Kenard Lang, who had three sacks, isn't exactly a world-beater, you know?" "Maybe it's time to start scouting college basketball for tight end prospects again. One of the best players I saw all weekend was that (Antonio) Gates kid for the Chargers (eight catches, 123 yards), a former hoops guy. Him and the (Alge) Crumpler kid from Atlanta are two 'comers' at the position." "I know that Chicago lost on Sunday, but a guy who is really starting to do some good things is (former first-round) wide receiver (David) Terrell. I didn't think he'd be very good in the offense that (coordinator) Terry Shea put in, but he's opening my eyes. They tried to throw him into the trade for (defensive end Adewale) Ogunleye, but the Dolphins kind of insisted on getting Marty Booker." "I watched a couple of tailbacks in their dotage on Sunday, and the results couldn't have been more (disparate). Curtis Martin looked great for the Jets. He looked so much more prepared for this season than last, and maybe he knew what he was talking about when he asked for more preseason carries this spring. On the other hand, Charlie Garner (Tampa Bay) looked all used up. He's got no burst, no wiggle, no nothing. He's most effective out in space, but they never really got him the ball out where he could make something happen. Then again, even if they had, I'm still not sure he could have done anything with it." "I think (Mike) Mularkey is going to be a good head coach in Buffalo, but I'm not sure, after watching Sunday's game, if he is going to be able to salvage (Drew) Bledsoe." "The most underrated player in this league, even though he has been to Pro Bowls, is (Pittsburgh wide receiver) Hines Ward. At the end of the game, everybody in the stadium knew the ball was going to the guy and he still found a way to shake the coverage and make plays. What a great clutch player!" "I'm starting to think, after watching the Saints, that your boy (Jim) Haslett could be in some trouble. That team just seems to have very little character." "Here's why the duet of Bill Belichick and (personnel chief) Scott Pioli are so good. Everyone figured that, with the emergence of the Pats' younger receivers, David Patten was a goner. But those two guys knew he still had something left, paid him a $1 million roster bonus in the spring, I think, and kept him around. He had four catches for 86 yards in the opener, had a touchdown, and showed he still has more than enough speed."
Heard in the pressbox
Williams One of the most impressive things about Washington defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who called a masterful game Sunday, is how he is turning guys like middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, defensive tackles Jermaine Haley and Joe Salave'a, and strong safety Matt Bowen into solid contributors. ... The Browns held starting tailback Lee Suggs out of Sunday's game because they are still concerned about the "stinger" he suffered in the preseason finale. Suggs dropped in the 2003 draft in part because several teams diagnosed him as having cervical stenosis, an abnormally narrow spinal column. There is some concern the lingering effects of the "stinger" might be attributable to that condition. ... Even though Tampa Bay's shoddy passing performance Sunday might lead some to believe the Bucs will send out an SOS for holdout wide receiver Keenan McCardell, it's not going to happen. Team officials have dug in their heels and aren't about to cave in to his contract demands. McCardell forfeited $117,647 of his $2 million base salary by skipping Sunday's game. ... Shaun Alexander scored three times for Seattle, but few people know that the Seahawks were kind of dangling him around the league this summer. They definitely called the Dolphins. There are some people in the organization who feel that Alexander, in the final year of his contract, isn't nearly as good as the leaguewide perception of him. ... The Cowboys offered tailback Eddie George to Miami before the Dolphins traded for Lamar Gordon of St. Louis. ... Tennessee might not be so quick to sign Gary Anderson after all. The Titans want to make sure the league's all-time scoring leader still has some leg left. ... NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw is pushing the league to reduce the disparity between the really big spenders, such as Washington owner Dan Snyder, and the teams with smaller payrolls. Upshaw might be willing to make some concessions on matters such as "franchise" players. ... Dallas coach Bill Parcells almost certainly will try to add a veteran corner this week, and the venerable Otis Smith will get some consideration.

The plummet to 5-11 in 2003, a year after making the playoffs as a wild-card entry, only heightened the talk that Davis wasn't a Mensa candidate when it came to X's and O's, nor the straightest shooter when it came to dealing with people. Owner Randy Lerner, who inherited the club from his late father and then bought out Policy's stock holdings, stated publicly (and rather ominously, one might suggest, for Davis) that the Browns would never again post a 5-11 record. And if they did, he noted, he might consider a more viable investment.

But, wow, what one opening-game victory can do, huh, toward altering perceptions? And coming against the Baltimore Ravens -- sure, you know, the franchise that used to be the Cleveland Browns, before former owner Art Modell nearly spent the team into bankruptcy and was forced to relocate -- made the 20-3 pasting all the sweeter. Oh, yeah, lest anyone forget, Ravens coach Brian Billick snubbed the Browns when they wanted to hire him in 1999. He went to Baltimore instead; the Browns ended up hiring Chris Palmer, then fired him after two years.

Well, on Sunday, the coach who stiffed Cleveland in '99 fielded an offense that appeared to suffer from early-season rigor mortis. The Cleveland defense, which surrendered 500 rushing yards to Jamal Lewis in two losses last year, limited the Ravens' star tailback to only 57 yards on 20 carries Sunday afternoon. The Browns harassed the Ravens' quarterback-in-training, Kyle Boller, forcing three turnovers. It's just one week, but Boller's newest tutor, former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel, should now understand the difficult task that's ahead of him.

As for what's ahead for the Browns, well, anything can happen in a diluted division. When we visited the Browns in training camp, we came away thinking they were clearly one of the worst teams we had witnessed all summer. On Sunday, though, they dispatched a detested rival and at least temporarily exorcised the Jamal Lewis demons, notching an important victory for the team, the city and the coach.

Tackles have honed their pass rushes (witness Ty Warren on the Colts' first possession Thursday night, when he beat Indianapolis right guard Tupe Peko and forced Peyton Manning into a "red zone" interception) and are attempting to split the gaps and get into the backfield. Teams such as the 49ers, with strong linebacker Julian Peterson, are looping pass rushers more to the inside in an attempt to get advantageous matchups against guards.

Said one veteran defensive coordinator: "For almost any team you play, (the guard spot) is the weak link. A lot of us (coordinators) are trying to exploit that now. The offenses still feel they can hide the guards, cover up some deficiencies, and there is something to that and always will be. But we're wising up, too, and cutting away some of the camouflage."

One guard who keeps getting better, though, is Alan Faneca of Pittsburgh. The guy is so good that, when left tackle Marvel Smith was out with a shoulder problem in 2003, Faneca moved outside to the primary pass protection spot. In Sunday's victory over Oakland, the Pittsburgh coaches called plays to Faneca's side at nearly every critical juncture of the game. On six first-down conversions, including three short touchdowns runs by Jerome Bettis, the plays unfailingly went behind Faneca-provided blocks. And while on the subject, how about Bettis, huh? Talk about a stat line: five carries, one measly yard, three touchdowns. The loony litany: Second-and-goal at the Oakland 1, no gain. Third-and-goal at the Oakland 1, a 1-yard touchdown run. Third-and-goal at the Oakland 1-yard line again, a 1-yard score. First-and-goal at the Oakland 1, a touchdown. First-and-10 at the Raiders' 24-yard line, a 2-yard loss.

So maybe Owens, viewed by some teams as poisonous this spring, really is the antidote the Philadelphia offense needed. "He does make teams more honest," allowed mercurial tailback Brian Westbrook, who had 22 "touches" and totaled 161 yards in his new role as work(quarter-)horse in the backfield. "You look out and (defenses) are kind of preoccupied figuring out where he is. So it makes us all better."

Fact is, Cincinnati simply isn't very stout inside, with tackles who don't make many plays and a first-year starter at middle linebacker (Nate Webster) the Bengals coaches may have overrated. Back in the spring, during minicamps, some of the Cincy vets suggested to us that Webster, allegedly possessing the kind of quickness Lewis wanted at the position, would not hold up. It's early, and one game does not a season make, but those veterans might have been right.

The strong suit for the trademark Capers 3-4 defense, of course, has always been rushing the quarterback. But the Texans, who registered a paltry 19 sacks in 2003, second fewest in the NFL, got just one in their Sunday loss to the San Diego Chargers. No pressure on the quarterback, no turnovers, and Capers needs to generate both. In addition to failing to harass Drew Brees, the Texans surrendered 121 rushing yards to Chargers tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, too.

This is a key year for Capers, who is supposed to be getting a contract extension but is now causing some restlessness among the natives. The organization's strong public stance aside, no one really expects Houston to be a playoff contender, but most feel that, in Year 3, the expansion franchise and Capers need to demonstrate viable progress.

To repeat, we're hardly suggesting Capers and Lewis aren't doing solid jobs. But both men's reputations were built on their respective defensive acumen. They'd better hope that Sunday's performances weren't an indication that their teams' defensive lapses of 2003 are extending into 2004.

While on the subject of the Houston defense, a nod to San Diego offensive line assistant Hudson Houck, one of the NFL's best at his position, for having his unit well prepared on Sunday afternoon. Houck started two rookies, third-round pick Nick Hardwick at center and seventh-rounder Shane Olivea at the right tackle slot, and both played well. Olivea, by the way, was the lowest-drafted rookie to start in the 15 games played so far.

Minnesota players had suggested to us in the offseason that the strong-armed quarterback had matured a great deal. And on Sunday, from what some of the Minnesota players and coaches said, Culpepper was terrific in both the physical and mental side of the game. Teammates noted that Culpepper handled the huddle with calm and aplomb, audibled well, and got the team into formations and plays that worked well.

And speaking of maturity, Moss showed that he doesn't have to catch 8-10 balls to be really effective. His two touchdowns came on just four receptions. In fact, each of the Cowboys' top three wideouts had more catches and yards than Moss -- with Antonio Bryant, Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn combining for 22 catches and 307 yards -- and it mattered little in the outcome.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe