CHICAGO -- The Browns must be ready for the regular season, because they sat out their final practice game Thursday against the Chicago Bears.
Well, not entirely. But coach Pat Shurmur may have set a record by keeping 18 of his 22 starters out of the game. They watched in full uniform as the outer limits of the 80-player roster spent the evening trying to impress the coaches one last time. Final cuts have to be made by 6 p.m. Saturday.
There weren't a lot of plays made.
Running back Armond Smith had a 6-yard touchdown run. Defensive end Auston English and tackle Scott Paxson had two sacks apiece. Jarrett Brown tossed a 38-yard touchdown pass to receiver Rod Windsor in the fourth quarter. And Quinn Porter had a 30-yard punt return.
Otherwise, this was a group exercise in avoiding injury.
The Bears, who lost in the NFC Championship Game last season, obviously have the deeper roster. Their backups prevailed, 24-14, in a contest that challenged the interest of the most fanatical of fans.
"The final preseason game, you want to walk away without any major injury, and I think we accomplished that," Shurmur said.
The lone Browns starters who played were rookie linemen Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard on defense, and rookie guard Jason Pinkston and receiver Brian Robiskie on offense. The defensive guys got the second quarter off. Pinkston and Robiskie played the entire first half.
Sheard made his presence felt on his second defensive series when he made contact with the helmet of Chicago quarterback Caleb Hanie and was flagged for roughing. He followed that with an offsides call on the next play. As it turned out, penalties would be a secondary theme on the night.
The Browns committed five defensive penalties on the Bears' three scoring drives in the first half. They had 10 penalties overall. Three were called on James Dockery, the undrafted cornerback who told reporters this week he didn't think he had a roster spot sewn up. It was said out of humbleness, but may prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
On Chicago's first offensive series, Dockery interfered with ex-Ohio State receiver Dane Sanzenbacher while giving up an 8-yard reception and then was beat for a 22-yard reception by Sanzenbacher.
In the second quarter, Dockery intercepted a pass from Nathan Enderle, but was penalized for illegal contact, giving the Bears a first down. Five plays later, Dockery's pass interference penalty gave the Bears a first down at the 6. They scored two plays later on a two-yard run by Robert Hughes.
Despite the rough night, Shurmur gave Dockery a strong endorsement after the game.
"I don't know if it affects his roster status," Shurmur said. "He challenges every play. I like the way he plays. His style of play is something I'm fond of."
Dockery wasn't the only young Browns defensive back victimized. Rookie Buster Skrine lost coverage in the end zone on a 19-yard pass from Hanie to Johnny Knox that beat a swipe from late-arriving safety DeAngelo Smith.
Meanwhile, the offense directed by backup quarterback Seneca Wallace labored through four successive three-and-out possessions to start the game, netting 19 yards. With attention more focused on the season opener against Cincinnati, there wasn't a lot of creativity and preparation devoted to game-planning the Bears. And it showed.
The offense finally broke through on its fifth possession. Robiskie had three receptions for 39 yards, and Smith, battling hard for a roster spot, added 13 after a catch. From the Bears' 6, Smith wriggled through the middle and bounced off a tackle attempt for the touchdown. It was Smith's second TD of the preseason. He also led the team in rushing with 47 yards and didn't fumble.
"Armond Smith took advantage of his opportunity," Shurmur said.
Another bubble player to impress was English, whose two sacks gave him a team-high four in the exhibition games. English was battling Derreck Robinson and Brian Sandford to join Marcus Benard for two backup end spots.
Brown, who is trying to convince the Browns to keep a third quarterback, had his second straight decent outing. He put together a long drive of 79 yards to start the third quarter, but it stalled at the Bears' 1. The Browns failed on four snaps inside the Bears' 5. Rookie fullback Owen Marecic was stopped in his tracks for no gain from the 2 and then the 1 after a Bears penalty.
Brown showed some resiliency by taking the offense the length of the field again on his second possession, scoring when he got the ball to Windsor, who beat rookie cornerback Ryan Jones.
On the drive, receiver Demetrius Williams took a vicious hit to the head while leaving his feet for a high pass. Williams was nailed by the helmet of safety Winston Venable, who vaulted into the defenseless receiver like a missile. Shurmur said Williams' shoulder was injured on the play.
Brown, who completed his first seven passes after going 4-for-4 last week, threw an interception in the fourth quarter. It set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Chicago rookie Robert Hughes.
"I'm not sure where I stand, but this is where I want to be," said Brown, who was 10 of 15 for 92 yards. "I think I've gotten better each game."
Source:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/09/cleveland_browns_go_through_th.html
No comments:
Post a Comment