Mid-season report card

Time to take a look at the Browns at the halfway point of the season. For the first time since the 2007 season, it’s not unrealistic to think something good is beginning to take shape so deep into a season.

Unlike many of the previous 14 seasons, the Browns have played representative football in the first nine games. They haven’t been blown out of a game nor have they blown out anyone.

No longer are they the patsy on other teams’ schedule. No longer are they the doormats that can be stepped all over. No. This team is beginning to build a lot of respect around the National Football League.

Slowly and so very surely, the Browns are learning how to win. That’s a bigger step than many would have believed this club would be capable of at the dawn of the season. To be 4-5 at this juncture with some impressive victories bodes well for the future.

Coach Rob Chudzinski has done a solid job of not allowing the season to get away despite some setbacks. He has made a few mistakes, but that is to be expected with rookie head coaches. But he’s shown he is smart enough to learn from those mistakes.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how the Browns grade out thus far. Warning: This grader has a tendency to take a harder look than most. His grades are rooted in perceived reality.

Quarterbacks:

If it weren’t for the efforts and performances of Brian Hoyer and Jason Campbell, the Browns would not be 4-5 at this point of the season. And if weren’t for the performances of Brandon Weeden, the Browns might be undefeated.

OK, so the last part is laced with hyperbole, but the personality of this football team is entirely different depending on who steps under center on any given Sunday.

In games Hoyer and Campbell have started, the Browns are 4-1; with Weeden, it’s 0-4. That’s s bit deceiving, though, since Weeden replaced Hoyer, injured early in the Buffalo game, and the Browns went to win.

Nevertheless, the Cleveland offense is noticeably better with Hoyer and Campbell in control. That’s because Hoyer, lost for the season in game five, and Campbell, who replaced an ineffective Weeden in game eight, waste no time in getting rid of the ball in the passing game.

Weeden, on the other hand, looks worse than he did in his rookie year last season. His indecisive manner and inability to read opposing defenses cause the Browns’ offense to stutter and stammer whenever he’s in there.

Many fans no doubt blame Chudzinski, wondering why he waited until game eight to make the switch to Campbell, arguing that the veteran should have replaced Hoyer instead of Weeden.

There is no question, however, that offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s offense clearly is better with Campbell, who has thrown five scoring passes with no interceptions, at the controls. With him at quarterback, the Browns now stand a good chance of finishing the season with at least seven victories.

Mid-season grade: C+

Running backs:

Without question the weakest position on the team. And it’s not even close. To be perfectly honest, the Browns’ running game is an embarrassment to the legacy of the team.

This is the franchise of Marion Motley, Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Greg Pruitt, Mike Pruitt, Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner. No, not Eric Metcalf, who was a wide receiver masquerading as a running back.

The current running game is a joke. It has compiled a paltry 38 first downs, only 734 yards in nine games, a per-game average of 81.5, and one touchdown. Willis McGahee, whom they picked up of the street after trading Trent Richardson to Indianapolis after game two, leads the team in rushing.

McGahee is the master of the three-yard gain on first down. He has run for 262 of those 734 yards. In 100 carries. Doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out his per-carry average.

Chris Ogbonnaya is the second-leading rusher with 101 yards on just 19 carries, but Tuarner, for some reason, refuses to give him the ball on a consistent basis. It seems to think he’s a better blocking back for McGahee.

No, he’s a better running back than McGahee. A better receiver, too, with 28 receptions for another 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Maybe the coaching staff will wake up and discover that before the second half of the season commences a week from Sunday in Cincinnati.

What makes matters worse at the position is that there is no depth whatsoever with only Fozzy Whittaker and MarQueis Gray on the bench. Yikes!

Mid-season grade: D- (and that’s being charitable)

Wide receivers:

If not for the wonderful talents of Josh Gordon, this position would rival that of the running backs as the worst on the team. He is the major reason the Browns’ offense came alive in the third game of the season.

That’s when he returned from his two-game suspension and put a charge into the offense with his ability to stretch the field and make clutch receptions. His uncanny ability to get open made Hoyer and Campbell better quarterbacks.

It’s not a coincidence that his return sparked the club’s three-game winning streak after losing the first two games of the season. He averages five catches a game and leads the team in receiving yards (626) and average per catch (17.9 yards). He‘s a weapon opponents pay close attention to.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much help on the flanks with only Greg Little and Davone Bess to help. Both have been inconsistent and cannot be relied on from game to game. And now that Travis Benjamin is out for the season, there is no quality depth at the position.

Mid-season grade: C- (only because of Gordon)

Tight ends:

Of the surprises thus far this season, this has been the biggest and most pleasant. Most observers knew Jordan Cameron had all the tools to be a difference-making tight end in the National Football League.

He was big, strong, had great hands and decent speed. But the former college basketball player couldn’t stay healthy. Nagging injuries robbed him of proving he belonged. He played only eight games in his rookie season and sparingly in 14 last season, piling up only 26 receptions.

This season, Cameron has caught the attention of the NFL with what, so far, could be considered a Pro Bowl type season. His 50 catches nearly double his first two seasons’ output and his 600 yards more than doubles the first two seasons. Thirty of his catches have produced first downs and he has scored six touchdowns.

Gary Barnidge provides solid support as a blocker when the Browns go to a two tight end look and is occasionally used in short-yardage situations as a receiver. The position overall is solid.

Mid-season grade: A

Offensive line:

Of all the positions on the team, this one caused the most excitement among the fans at the beginning of the season. Everyone returned from last season except guards Shaun Lauvao and Jason Pinkston, who began the campaign on the injured list. But John Greco filled in nicely for Pinkston last season, so the optimism remained high.

When grading this unit, close attention was paid to one part of its job – opening holes for the running backs. The statistics above is ample proof that the performance has been disappointing. What holes there are at the handoff disappear quickly.

And when it comes to executing screen plays or anything of a sophisticated nature, the Browns have to be among the NFL’s worst. Without the ability to keep the opposition off balance with screens, the quarterback’s job becomes that much tougher.

At the beginning of the season, this unit struggled with Oneil Cousins (a natural tackle) playing right guard between Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz. It was disastrous until Lauvao returned from injury. The only aspect of the game that improved upon his return was pass protection.

Joe Thomas, the bellwether of the line, has had a decent season. But for the annual Pro Bowler, that’s not good enough. Numerous times this season, Thomas has been flagged for holding and false starts. Flags for the latter infraction are inexcusable.

Blocking for the run is supposed to be easier than pass pro for offensive linemen. That’s why the ineptitude of this line in the run game is so puzzling. Better coaching is not the answer. Better talent is.

Mid-season grade: C

Defensive line:

By far the most consistent position on the team. In the span of just nine games, the Browns have gone from one of the worst teams against the run to one of the best. No longer do we see opposing runners racking up 100-plus yard games against the Browns, who have not allowed a 300-yard passer or 100-yard runner this season.

What makes this unit special is the depth. There is no dropoff in quality when the so-called second string enters the game. Defensive coordinator Ray Horton leans on his seven-man rotation. They rush the passer every bit as well as stuff the run.

When Billy Winn, Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, John Hughes and rookie Armonty Bryant enter the game for starters Desmond Bryant, Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin, the status of the quality remains quo. Taylor and Kitchen at nose guard are the main run stuffers, while the other five bring pressure from the edge. Armonty Bryant has been the most pleasant surprise with his pass rushing ability.

The only reason this grade isn’t higher is an inability to create turnovers. And too often, the defense has trouble getting off the field. The third-down defense is atrocious, ranking near the bottom of the NFL. Clean up those problems and the grade here is an A.

Mid-season grade: B+

Linebackers:

This is the most important position in Ray Horton’s hyper aggressive defensive scheme, especially the outside backers. And they have responded with 14½ of the position’s 19 sacks (the team has 31 overall).

But it must be pointed out that Paul Kruger, the ex-Baltimore Raven who was signed as a free agent because he specialized in dropping quarterbacks, has just 2½ sacks. He also has just 23 tackles, of which only a dozen are of the solo variety. The man is not earning his money.

On the other hand, fellow outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo, who filled in when Jabaal Sheard went down early in the season with an injury, has four sacks and the same 23 tackles (16 solo) in far less playing time. The return of Sheard a couple of game ago seems to have made a difference, however, returning Mingo to the role at which he excels – situational pass rusher.

The grade slips somewhat because the inside backers have had trouble covering tight ends this season. The opposition has picked on Craig Robertson quite a bit and we can see why. He’s usually a step slow when dropping into coverage.

When one looks at the tackling numbers, inside backers D’Qwell Jackson and Robertson are near the top of the list. That’s because the defensive line attempts to funnel all ground activity their way.

Mid-season grade: C+

Defensive backfield:

One look at the Browns’ inability to pick off opposing quarterbacks and give the ball back to the offense tells you all you need to know about the Cleveland secondary. It’s not very opportunistic.

Opposing quarterbacks have put the ball up 351 times in nine games and the Browns have picked off only six. The team plays a lot of press coverage as part of its numerous blitz packages and still cannot get the ball back.

Safeties Tashaun Gipson and T. J. Ward have four of the thefts (Ward made it a pick six in the Buffalo victory), while cornerbacks Joe Haden and Buster Skrine have one apiece. 

To be fair, Gipson and Ward have played well on a consistent basis this season, especially Ward, who leads the team in solo tackles with 49 (second overall to Jackson’s 79 with 64 solos). Both men have enjoyed solid seasons in the tackling department.

Two of the biggest surprises have been Skrine, rebounding nicely from a poor 2012 campaign, and Chris Owens, used frequently by Horton on corner blitzes (he has 2½).  Haden has been his usual reliable self, shutting down the opposition’s top receiver with regularity.

Mid-season grade: B- (but getting better)

Special teams:

For the most part, the special teams have played very well. They have not given up any long returns on punts or kickoffs, ranking in the top third in the NFL in average starting position on kickoffs. They also rank seventh in average start of a drive on kickoffs returns.

The only negative might be the reluctance to remove Greg Little as the return man on kickoff returns. It took special teams coach Chris Tabor seven games before realizing Travis Benjamin could be just as effective running back kickoffs as he was returning punts. Benjamin returned his first kickoff 86 yards against Green Bay.

The following week, he went down in the Kansas City loss with a season-ending torn ACL. His most important contribution was club record 179 yards in seven punt returns in the Buffalo victory, including a 79-yard jaunt for a touchdown. The Bills never kicked away from him. They fired their punter the day after the loss.

Mid-season grade: B

Coaching:

If it weren’t for his stubbornness in keeping Weeden at quarterback when it seemed so obvious the team was not responding to him following the injury to Hoyer, Rob Chudzinski earns a higher grade here.

He was the guy who was not afraid to choose his third string quarterback over the second stringer to replace the injured Weeden in game three. It seemed the right decision at the time because Campbell was a journeyman and Hoyer had never really received a shot.

He also trusts his coordinators. Turner and Horton have not let him down. The Cleveland offense has rebounded nicely under Hoyer and Campbell and the defense, for the first time in who knows how long, ranks in the top 10 in all three categories.

As an unabashed Browns fan, Chudzinski also seems to really enjoy where he is in life. He understands the rivalries with his AFC North opponents (unlike most of his predecessors), owning a 2-1 record within the division. And the only loss (to Baltimore) was closely contested.

Believe it or not, the club still has a shot (albeit remote) at the division championship. If they knock off a banged-up Cincinnati Bengals team coming out of the bye and take advantage of the down season the Pittsburgh Steelers are going through, who knows where this could lead?

Right now, Chudzinski has his team believing in itself. And that's more than half the battle. Now that Campbell is ensconced at quarterback and the offense is not playing embarrassing football, the Browns can concentrate on playing some of the best defense seen in Cleveland in a long time. That's a formula that could lead to big things.

Mid-season grade: B

Monday leftovers

The sigh you might have heard around Browns Nation Monday morning was due to a diagnosis by team physicians. Jason Campbell is still the club’s quarterback.

The thought of losing yet another quarterback would have been devastating to a team that has displayed a genuine desire to win this season. Unlike previous seasons, when some games were mailed in, this team has no such agenda.

And losing Campbell for any length of time, on top of watching Brian Hoyer go down with a season-ending injury earlier, would have been devastating news. That’s why Monday’s medical report of just bruised ribs for Campbell drew the huge sigh of relief.

The thought of Brandon Weeden back under center because he was the only healthy quarterback left conjured up images of Halloween. Scary. Fans had seen enough of him to realize he’s not even close to being the answer at the position.

So when Campbell went down late in the first quarter under the full 340-pound weight of Baltimore’s Haloti Ngata on a scramble and had to leave the game, fans obviously thought the worst.

“First it was Hoyer and now Campbell goes down?” had to be coursing through the fans’ minds. “Hasn’t this team suffered enough?” And when Weeden’s brief relief of Campbell produced negative results, the worry thermometer trended up.

But it seemed as though everything returned to normal when Campbell returned to the game on the Browns’ next series. And yet, the fans had to wait until Monday before getting the good news.

The Browns do, indeed, look like a different team on offense with Campbell under center. The running game still stinks, which makes his performances in two games thus far that much more impressive.

Several times in the 24-18 victory over the Ravens Sunday, Campbell successfully executed a play fake. Why the Ravens’ linebackers and defensive backs bit on the fake is difficult to understand. In order to be successful on play action, a team has to have a strong running game in order to keep the defense honest.

Cleveland's running game consists of Willis McGahee running for two and sometimes three yards on first down. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner called for a run on first down 12 times against the Ravens. They produced 21 yards, including three for no gain. Turner was far more successful calling a pass on first down.

So even though it’s obvious the best way to stop the Browns is shutting down the passing game, Campbell has excelled in his two starts, throwing for 554 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. And he’s been sacked just three times.

Why is he more successful than Weeden? They work with the same personnel. It’s not as though he has a stronger arm. And it certainly isn’t as though he’s more mobile.

So what makes him more successful than Weeden? Easy. After nine seasons in the National Football League, the game has slowed down for him. He sees developing plays quicker and is able to make smarter decisions.

It’s been only two games, but he has yet to make a horrible throw playing against two very good defenses in Kansas City and Baltimore. He tries to stay away from the kind of throws that makes you wonder out loud “what the hell was he thinking?”

We haven’t seen those bad passes thus far. There are still seven games remaining and anything can happen. Bear in mind that Campbell is an NFL journeyman for a reason. The Browns are his fourth team in five seasons. He has bounced around because he hasn’t proven he can be consistent.

And now, he’s the toast of Cleveland after knocking off the Ravens. Good things happen to the Browns’ offense when he’s on the field.  Now all he has to do during the bye week is take it easy, rest those sore ribs and grab a flak jacket to protect them when the season resumes a week from Sunday.

~ Greg Little is an enigma. There are times you wonder if the wide receiver will ever get it as a professional football player. He’s hard to figure out. Take the Ravens’ game for example.

We all know Little has hands of stone. Watching him drop passes right in his mitts has become commonplace. It was almost as though he didn’t care when he dropped a pass. It earned him a demotion.

Then the Ravens’ game arrived and Little played like a man possessed. It was almost as though he demanded the ball be thrown to him. He seemed angry when he caught each of his seven passes and ran in almost reckless fashion for most of his 122 yards.

The belligerent, almost cocky attitude also cost the Browns 30 yards in penalties, the most egregious being a 15-yarder for taunting after catching his second straight 15-yard pass midway through the second quarter. He immediately baited Ravens safety James Ihedigbo and just as immediately drew a flag.

His body language told you he knew he had made a mistake because the official who threw the flag was standing next to him.  Little reacted by tilting his head in obvious acknowledgment of the error. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt as the Browns scored a touchdown three plays later.

Now if Little can bring that nasty and aggressive attitude to every game with some discipline and good hands attached, then the Browns just might have another weapon besides Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon.

~ Turns out Joe Haden was right about the Ravens.

Several days before the game, the veteran cornerback told Cleveland reporters that “the Ravens are not the Ravens of old. They’re still really good, a real talented team . . . but at the same time, our team is a whole different team. It’s a different squad. We still haven’t gotten over the hump, but there’s no reason why we can’t.”

The Ravens are not the same team that won the last Super Bowl. The emotional and spiritual leader of that team now works for ESPN. 

They won’t admit it, but the Ravens miss the playmaking and uplifting approach to the game that linebacker Ray Lewis delivered for all those years. And safety Ed Reed, who stabilized the secondary and tortured the Browns over the years, is now in Houston. He was the quiet kind of a player who led by example.

On offense, they sure miss Anquan Boldin, who made numerous clutch catches en route to their Super Bowl victory. Boldin and tight end Dennis Pitta, on injured reserve all season, were Joe Flacco’s reliables, the guys he knew he could rely on.

~ Notebook: Is there any question coach Rob Chudzinski trusts Campbell more than Weeden? I don’t think the coach would have twice gambled on fourth down Sunday with Weeden. Each time, he was rewarded with a successful play. . . . The last two games have produced 11 sacks for Ray Horton’s defense. Flacco was also hit on eight other occasions. He had no idea where the pressure was coming from. . . . It is quite obvious Horton loves T. J. Ward. The strong safety was everywhere on the field. If he wasn’t blitzing, he was faking the blitz or dropping back in coverage.  He played as much in the box as he did in coverage. . . . McGahee ran the ball 21 times against the Ravens for 31 yards. Talk about ramming your head against a cement wall. . . . Lost in the afterglow of the victory was the terrific transition defense following McGahee’s lost fumble in the second quarter. The Ravens, trailing, 14-3, began the drive at the Cleveland 38. Three plays later, they had to punt from the Cleveland 48. Three plays, zero yards and a holding penalty on Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. . . . One last thing: Someone needs to teach Cleveland quarterbacks how to slide when scrambling. That’s how Hoyer got hurt. Campbell and Weeden look like wounded giraffes when they slide. The Browns need to hire someone from the Indians to teach their quarterbacks how to slide.

A glorious farewell to the streak

The look on Ray Rice’s face was priceless.

He looked confused as if trying to figure out where to go and what to do next. And then it hit him.

The game was over and a feeling unlike any the Baltimore Ravens running back had ever experienced washed over him. All he could do is get up at the Browns’ 48-yard line after an 18-yard gain with a Joe Flacco pass Sunday and head to the locker room.

The game was over. There would be no more plays. He then realized what it's like to lose to the Cleveland Browns.

Time had finally run out on the Ravens’ mastery over the Browns for the past six years. The yoke that had hung around the Browns’ necks was finally shed. For the first time since Nov. 18, 2007, an 11-game stretch, they had more points on the scoreboard than the Ravens at the end of a game.

The 24-18 victory not only smashed what some believed was a jinx the former Browns team had over the current team, it was accomplished in a manner that very well could portend a turnaround in the series.

Even though they permitted the Ravens to get back into the game when they didn’t deserve to be as close as three points early in the final quarter, this one was going to be won by the Browns one way or another.

They played the game as if to say, “This (11-game) losing streak ends right here, right now.”

They brought attitude on both sides of the ball to the ballpark. They performed as though the very thought of losing never entered their minds. Even when the Ravens closed to within 21-18, one got the feeling this one was not going to slip away.

It was a game where Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron, the Browns’ most dangerous receivers, were non-factors. It was a game where Greg Little and Davone Bess, the club’s two least-feared receivers, provided most of the pass receiving excitement.

Little made seven tough catches for 122 equally tough yards. And Bess, excoriated for his performance last Sunday in Kansas City, exonerated himself with a pair of touchdown receptions and perhaps the most important catch of the game.

The defense, with the notable exception of the final minute of the first half, played exquisite football. The Baltimore running game, which normally eviscerates the Browns’ run defense in Cleveland, was non-existent.

Rice, who has tortured the Browns in Cleveland for the last five years, might as well have not showed up. He carried the ball 11 times and produced 18 yards. Sounds like the kind of stats Cleveland runners have compiled against the Ravens’ defense in the last five seasons.

The leading Baltimore rusher was Flacco, who picked up 25 yards in three scrambles. And when he dropped back to pass, he saw a Ray Horton defense that seemed to befuddle him for a major portion of the game.

If it hadn’t been for the fact Horton opted to play a prevent defense in the final minute of the first half, the Browns most likely would have taken a 14-3 lead to the dressing room instead a 14-10 lead.

Cleveland had built the lead on a pair of first-half touchdown passes by Jason Campbell to Bess. Yes, the same Bess who contributed mightily to the Browns’ loss last Sunday in Kansas City.

Instead of putting pressure on Flacco, Horton chose to play a two-deep zone on a third-and-8 from the Ravens’ 35-yard line. Flacco took advantage and hit Torrey Smith on a 46-yard pass when free safety Tashaun Gipson failed to pick him up after cornerback Joe Haden released him with about 20 seconds left in the half.

Two plays later, the Ravens regained some momentum when Flacco connected on the first of his two TD passes to Marlon Brown.

But the defense provided the emotional impetus that enabled the Browns to recover from what could have been a devastating blow. In the past, it most likely would have. But these Browns are different.

The Ravens controlled the ball for the first six minutes and 17 seconds of the second half, running off 13 plays and seemingly wearing down the Cleveland defense in the process. The Browns needed a big play.

In the past, the big play was only a dream. Not with this defense, though. Strong safety T. J. Ward, coming on one of Horton’s sophisticated blitzes, got up close and very personal with Flacco and dropped him for an eight-yard loss on a third-and-15 at the Cleveland 37.

It sucked away some of the momentum the Ravens had built up and breathed new life into the Browns’ offense. With more than a little help from Baltimore’s special teams, Cleveland built the lead back up to 11 on the next possession thanks to Tandon Doss.

Doss replicated Bess’ fumbled punt against Kansas City last Sunday and special teamer Eric Martin recovered the muffed punt at the Baltimore 11. Three plays later, Campbell found tight end Gary Barnidge all alone in the end zone for his third TD pass of the evening.

A 36-yard punt return by Doss two series later produced a short field for Flacco, who drove his team 32 yards in just five plays and converted a two-point conversion, making it a three-point game.

Usually at times like that, the old Browns tended to fold their tent, bow to the mastery of the Ravens and slink back into the locker room wondering just what the hell went wrong.

But again, these Browns seem to take a different approach to adversity. They tend to reach back for whatever they reach back for and refuse to give up.

The Ravens, who semi-abandoned the running game in the second half, tested the Browns’ resolve with relentless determination down the stretch. But the Browns were just as determined to end the Ravens’ streak, end their own three-game losing skid and stretch the Ravens’ losing ways to three games.

When the Browns took over at their 29 with 6:44 left on the clock, all they needed was a drive that bled a lot of time off the clock. They needed someone to make a big play.

Campbell found that player in Bess, of all people. Held to just his two touchdown catches, the little wide receiver made arguably the most important catch of the day and made coach Rob Chudzinski’s gamble look good.

It was as little three-yard grab on a fourth-and-1 at the Baltimore 43. Campbell was flushed out of the pocket and looked desperately for anyone to help him. An incomplete pass would have given the Ravens possession of the ball at their 43 with slightly more than three minutes left.

Bess saw his quarterback in trouble and did what any good receiver would do when he sees his quarterback in trouble. He headed back toward Campbell, who drilled the ball toward Bess. And this time, he held on for a vital first down.

The catch forced the Ravens to exhaust all their timeouts. Aided by a pair of Campbell-Chris Ogbonnaya connections that netted 31 yards, the Browns ran off all but 14 seconds as the Ravens could only watch as Billy Cundiff stretched the lead to six points with a 22-yard field goal.

If nothing else, this victory proved the Browns have turned an emotional corner. They no longer wonder whether they can win an important game. After knocking off the Ravens, they know they can win an important game.

Teasing the law of averages

Sooner or later, the law of averages is bound to catch up with the Baltimore Ravens whenever they play the Browns.

Like this Sunday, for example.

The Ravens bring an 11-game winning streak into the edifice formerly known as Cleveland Browns Stadium. Not an 11-game winning streak overall. An 11-gamer against the Browns.

Overall this season, the defending Super Bowl champions are just 3-4 and have played nowhere near the caliber of football they displayed in 2012. Not even close.

The law of averages says the Browns are going to win a game against the Ravens sooner rather than later. It will happen. The question is when. More on that later.

The Ravens will arrive relatively refreshed, having enjoyed their bye week last week. That brings up another interesting statistic, which does not bode well for the Browns.

Since the 2002 season, the Ravens are 10-1 in games following the bye week. The lone loss was a 38-7 drubbing in Pittsburgh in 2007. They finished 5-11 that season and cost Brian Billick his job. Under coach John Harbaugh, they are perfect in five seasons the week following the bye.

This will be the third time the Ravens face the Browns following a week off. In 2008, they won, 28-10, in Baltimore in week three. That was Harbaugh’s first season at the helm. And last season, they prevailed, 25-15, in Cleveland in week nine.

All these numbers mean nothing, of course, once the game begins. They are nothing more than interesting stats to chew, swallow and regurgitate for radio talk show hosts, members of the print medium and bloggers.

Not many experts thought the Ravens would be looking up at the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North at this point of the season. It has become obvious that they suffer from a serious lack of offense this season and it seems to be chronic.

But the Ravens, coming off consecutive losses to Green Bay and Pittsburgh by a total of just five points, almost always somehow seem to regain their health against the Browns. It’s as though playing them seems like an elixir.

Joe Flacco and Ray Rice have no idea what it’s like to walk off the field against the Browns hanging their heads because they lost. The Baltimore defense, which lost emotional leaders Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, also seems to kick it up a notch when it sees Seal Brown and Orange.

Flacco is having a less-than-ordinary, for him, season with only eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He clearly misses veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin, traded to San Francisco in the offseason, and injured tight end Dennis Pitta.

Rice, on the other hand, is having a miserable season, caused in part by a hip injury suffered when the two teams met in week two. He has rushed for only 242 yards in six games. His longest run was 14 yards and he has lost two fumbles.

Rice absolutely tortures the Cleveland defense at CBS, where he has averaged 127 rushing yards a game. Included were games of 154 yards and 204 yards. Now, he seems like a shell of his former self. Unless he takes a swig of that magic elixir.

In that first meeting this season, Flacco threw for just 227 yards and one TD in a 14-6 victory. The Baltimore defense saved him in that one, sacking Cleveland quarterback Brandon Weeden five times.

It was also in that game that we got a good luck at the type of Cleveland defense that could eventually be the difference between winning and losing in this series. The Ravens ground out only 296 yards on offense and trailed, 6-0, at the half.

Flacco now operates behind a suspect offensive line. And the way the Browns’ defensive front has been playing, the battle in the trenches could very well swing Cleveland’s way after all these years.

Don’t forget Josh Gordon sat out the second game of his two-game suspension for that first Baltimore game. No one knows for certain, of course, but he very well might have made a big difference had he played.

Coming off two straight losses seems to have caught the attention of the Ravens. “Every game is a must-win game . . . but in the eyes of everybody and the players, I could say this is a must-win game,” said Baltimore running back Bernard Pierce.

Not certain the Browns can use the term “must-win” when talking about their three-game losing streak. They don't harbor the same playoff ambitions as the Ravens. In a season where the desire to win is there, it remains to be seen whether the ability to win is also there.

This one figures to be a carbon copy of the first meeting. The only difference is that Jason Campbell will be under center for the Browns. And he must produce a performance similar to the one he gave in the Kansas City loss last Sunday if the Browns have any chance.

It is also imperative his offensive line affords him the kind of protection he received against the Chiefs. The Baltimore pass rush is not as fierce, but the Ravens scheme their pass rush more than the Chiefs.

Linebackers Terrell Suggs, with eight sacks, and Elvis Dumervil, with five and a half, own more than half of the Ravens’ 25 sacks. But it’s the tough Baltimore run defense the Browns have to crack in order to keep the pass rush honest.

The Ravens have surrendered just one rushing touchdown this season and limited opponents to just 16½ points a game since the 49-27 pounding they absorbed in the season opener in Denver.

Here’s one more interesting stat: The Browns have been held to 17 points or less in their last nine meetings with the Ravens.

In order for the Browns to win this one and bring the losing streak against the Ravens crashing down, they’ve got to play even better defense than they did in the first game. They’ve got to win first down on both sides of the ball and win the emotional battles.

Now that we’ve seen Ray Horton unleash a much more aggressive defense against the Chiefs, we can expect to see more of the same against the Ravens. And that is something Baltimore hasn’t been used to seeing in the last . . . well . . . uh . . . 11 games.

The law of averages says it’s time for the Browns to level the playing field against the franchise that used to call Cleveland its home. The Browns will score more than 17 points Sunday and make the Ravens feel what it’s been like for the last five and a half years to walk off a loser.

Flacco, Rice, Suggs & Co. finally go down. Make it:

Browns 23, Ravens 14

He’s not going anywhere

OK, Josh Gordon, you can relax now.

You, too, Browns fans.

The best wide receiver the Browns have been fortunate enough to draft in a very long time – and yes, that includes Braylon Edwards – is going nowhere.

The rumors that Gordon would be shipped to another team as the National Football League trade deadline neared proved they were just that – rumors. He is staying put.

And Cleveland is where he belongs. He’ll tell you that, too.

“I’m here in Cleveland and I want to make a difference here in Cleveland,” he told the Cleveland media recently. “This is where I am right now . . . my head and space is right here and that’s what I’m focusing on.”

It’s not surprising that the rumors regarding Gordon’s possible departure escalated in the final days. He is quickly climbing the ladder among NFL wide receivers despite having to ply his trade with three different quarterbacks.

The people who make a difference around the NFL have taken notice of Gordon’s talents. It’s very easy to see why they like him.

He’s got the size, the speed, the quickness and, perhaps most important, the game comes easy to him. Watch him and you’ll notice an almost effortless approach as he runs his routes.

There are times when it appears as though he’s not playing at top speed. But no one has yet to catch him from behind. He runs as fast as he needs to.

His ability to get open and make himself available to his quarterback cannot be overlooked. And while we don’t know for certain whether he runs the most precise routes on the team, the fact he averages more than five catches and 18.2 yards a catch this season is evidence he’s doing something right.

Gordon is the most important piece in Norv Turner’s offense. Without him and his quick strike ability, opposing offenses would crowd the line of scrimmage. The threat of Gordon over the top keeps them honest.

Now that Jason Campbell has been installed as the No. 1 quarterback, look for Gordon to light it up in the second half of the season. Campbell had to marvel as watched Gordon from the bench while Brian Hoyer and Brandon Weeden threw to him in five of the first seven games.

It didn’t long for him to strike up an on-field relationship with Gordon in his first start of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. Yes, the Browns lost, but Gordon’s five-catch, 132-yard, one-touchdown afternoon served as a portent of things to come.

Based on his first game with Gordon, look for Campbell to dial up his number early and often from now on. He aimed 10 of his 36 passes at the lanky wideout, whose drop ratio might be the lowest on the team.

We don’t know how close Gordon was to being moved by the Browns, or how serious Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi were in their negotiations. We probably never will find out the real story because Banner will spin something entirely different to the media.

Bottom line is Gordon will be in the Seal Brown and Orange for the rest of the season. And that is truly good news.

Monday leftovers

The Browns insist they are not seeking to trade wide receiver Josh Gordon. And there is no reason to disbelieve them.

What they are not saying is there is at least a chance Gordon will be wearing the colors of a different uniform by 4 o’clock Tuesday afternoon.

Technically, the Browns are burning the telephone lines in an effort to move the stylish and very productive Gordon, but not because they initiated those conversations. They are accepting calls from National Football League teams desperate enough to at least inquire on how badly the Browns want to move him.

If it weren’t for the fact the second-year man is one negative drug test away from a year’s suspension, the lead of this notebook would be about something entirely different.

The Browns are listening to teams like San Francisco and New England, teams that have serious wide receiver needs. They also have high draft choices they would be more than willing to part with to take a chance with Gordon. Only problem is those picks will be in the lower portion of rounds.

It must be awfully tempting to Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi to reach for the plunger that would eject Gordon out of Cleveland. After all, they didn’t select him in the second round of the supplemental draft in 2012. Credit that gem to Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert Jr. Banner and Lombardi have no connection to Gordon.

If they do make a deal and obtain first- and/or second-round choices in the next college draft as compensation, that would be a mistake. Even bigger than shipping Trent Richardson off to Indianapolis a couple of weeks into the season.

They would be losing a player who has made a surprisingly significant impact on the offense. No one expected Gordon to come right in and play as though he belonged. In 22 NFL games, the 6-3, 225-pounder has caught 82 passes for 1,387 yards, eight touchdowns and 65 first downs. All but 17 of his receptions have produced first downs. And he has fumbled the ball just once.

Want to get rid of production like that? No, no and NO.

Richardson’s absence, as it has turned out, has not seriously harmed the Cleveland running game. That’s because the Browns have no running game. Their offense is predicated on the forward pass. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner is a pass-first, run-second kind of guy. That has become apparent.

So if Banner and Lombardi decide they don’t want to gamble that Gordon will stay straight and moving him is addition by subtraction, they would seriously damage what is a decent passing offense by removing the reason it can be called decent.

Trading Gordon and getting very little back from a personnel standpoint is like removing one tire and rim from your car and expecting it to run smoothly. It’s not going to work.

Reducing the wide receivers corps to the likes of Davone Bess, Greg Little and Brian Tyms is ludicrously ignorant. Travis Benjamin is no longer around after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.

Sure Jordan Cameron would become the new No. 1 man, But he’s a tight end who is needed for blocking every now and then and would not be available on an every-play basis. Besides, he would become the No. 1 target for opposing defenses and draw at least double coverage.

With Benjamin’s injury, everything now points to the Browns doing nothing with regard to Gordon. He is clearly the most valuable player in this offense. Unless Banner and Lombardi can extract multiple draft choices and a player for him, the buildup to his possible departure will be nothing more than that.

More likely to be moved is Little, whose improvement from year to year can be measured microscopically. He has become a non-factor in the Cleveland offense and might fetch a late-round pick.

If anything, the Browns missed the boat on Little when they didn’t try to convert him into a running back. He was a very good high school tailback and played some at the position at the University of North Carolina.  

When 4 p.m. rolls around Tuesday, status quo might be the order of the day and we can proceed to the second half of the season.

~ All week long before the Browns-Chiefs game Sunday, much was made about the great Kansas City pass rush. And with good reason. When you average five sacks a game, that’s worthy of chest-pounding boasting.

So where was that pass rush against the Browns? Only one sack and four hits on Campbell? Maybe it was an off day. Then again, maybe it was because the Browns’ offensive line played one of its best games of the season from a pass-blocking standpoint.

One of the main reasons Campbell was hardly touched was his ability to get rid of the ball quickly and decisively. The frustrated Chiefs pass rush was left with nothing but air to grab by the time it got close to the Cleveland quarterback.

Every pass was crisply thrown and not once did a Chiefs lineman stick his hand up and deflect a throw. The 6-5 Campbell’s overhead delivery makes that nearly impossible. And it was refreshing to watch him use his agility and pocket awareness to avoid a sack on at least four occasions.

It would appear the offense is in good hands for the rest of the season. The Browns look like a different team with Campbell in the game.

~ What in the world is wrong with Joe Thomas? The annual Pro Bowl offensive tackle is not having a Pro Bowl season. Not even close. He has accumulated multiple false starts and holding penalties in the first half of the season.

He’s the one guy along the offensive front you usually don’t have to worry about. You know he’s going to be solid in pass protection and produce holes on the left side of the line for the running game. But it appears as though his reputation might be taking a hit.

Based on the first eight games, his play has been disappointing. It’s possible he might be playing through an injury. No one knows for certain and he’s not going to tell. If it’s just a slump, he’s got plenty of time to redeem himself.

~ Credit Ray Horton for making some terrific in-game adjustments. The defensive coordinator changed up his blitz schemes in the second quarter after the Chiefs took advantage several times in the first half.

The Browns must have been tipping off their blitzes and Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith changed the original call, switching to screen passes away from the blitz. And they worked every time, especially on Anthony Sherman’s second-quarter touchdown on, what else, a screen pass.

Horton cleverly disguised his blitzes in the second half and completely threw Smith off his normal rhythm. After converting nine of their first 12 third downs in the first half, the Chiefs converted only one of seven in the final 30 minutes.

~ Notebook: The Chiefs so dominated the first half, they had a 23:00-7:00 lead in time of possession. In the second half, though, the Browns stormed back with a 17:00-13:00 margin. It was 17:00-11:00 before surrendering the ball on downs with two minutes left. Overall, K.C. led, 36:00-24:00. . . . Cornerback Joe Haden had another solid game, holding Dwayne Bowe to just one catch before Bowe left with an injury. The linebackers, however, had trouble with Dexter McCluster. The little scatback caught seven passes for 67 yards and a TD. . . . Inside linebacker Craig Robertson and safeties T. J . Ward and Tashaun Gipson had terrific games. Robertson had 11 solo tackles, while Ward (10) and Gipson (9) combined for 19 solos. . . . Kudos to coach Rob Chudzinski on the gutsy call on a fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 19 on the first possession of the second half. A field goal would have made it 20-13. In a what-have-you-got-to-lose moment, Chudzinski said nothing to lose. Willis McGahee, with a great push from the offensive line, easily picked up a couple of yards. On the next play, Foswhitt Whittaker circled out of the backfield and Campbell hit him perfectly for a 17-yard touchdown. Well done.

So close and yet . . . 

The Browns actually played a very good football game Sunday in Kansas City. Too bad they didn’t start playing it until late in the second quarter.

If they had played the first 25 or so minutes the way they played the last 35 or so minutes, they might not have lost, 23-17, to the Chiefs, who extended their unbeaten streak to eight games.

As the game wound down, the Chiefs were hanging on, looking nothing like a team that has yet to taste defeat this season. The Browns were clearly the better team before self destructing midway through the final quarter.

Self-inflicted wounds are the bane of football coaches and serve as the difference, painfully so in this instance, between winning and losing. Good teams do not hurt themselves. That’s why they are good teams.

Bad teams, star-crossed teams and those that just can’t buy a break are the ones that usually lose games like this. Count the Browns as one of those teams as they drop to 3-5.

Teams like the Browns have the Davone Besses of the football world on their rosters. All Bess had to do was hold on to the football in two critical instances in the fourth quarter and the Browns just might have pulled off the upset.

Clutch players make the plays in question. Bess proved beyond a shadow of any doubt that he is not a clutch performer with a pair of hand wringing, forehead slapping, mind-numbing miscues.

The Browns started out the game on both sides of the ball as though they didn’t want to be on the same field as the Chiefs, who ran off to a 13-0 lead 20 minutes into the game and led, 20-7, with a minute left in the half.

After three straight three-and-outs to begin the game, offensive coordinator Norv Turner dipped into the trickeration bag and hauled out the old throwback to the quarterback bromide to kick-start the offense, Jason Campbell hooking up with Josh Gordon for a touchdown after a pitchback by Willis McGahee.

Right after the second K.C. touchdown, the Browns seemed to flip a switch and began playing as though they were actually interested. With about a minute left, they could have sat on the ball. Instead, they marched 54 yards to set up a Billy Cundiff field goal.

And then defensive coordinator Ray Horton who began turning up the heat midway through the second quarter, dialed up even more intensity on the Chiefs, who were held to only 68 (41 net) yards of total offense in the second half.

The Browns shut down the running game and threw up an exquisite and exotic array of defensive looks that absolutely befuddled Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who was sacked six times. On a few plays, he threw the ball away disgustedly as the Browns were about to blow up the play.

Bolstered by solid tackling and a relentless quest to put Smith on the ground (the Browns’ pass rush looked more like the Chiefs’ vaunted pass rush), the defense gave the Cleveland offense its cue.

The Browns opened up the second half with an 80-yard scoring drive, Fozzy Whittaker gathering in Campbell’s pass in the flat and galloping in on a 17-yard circle route. The Cleveland defense then shut down the Chiefs offense in four straight series, limiting them to just 16 plays.

It reached a point where Kansas City had lost all its momentum by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.

And then along came Bess. 

With the Browns clearly owning the momentum and not succumbing to the vaunted Kansas City defense, the Cleveland defense pinned the Chiefs near their goal line with seven minutes left in regulation, forcing a Dustin Colquitt punt.

Punting from his end zone, Colquitt lifted a high kick to the 50-yard line. Bess, subbing for Travis Benjamin on punt returns after the specialist was injured on a return late in the third quarter, was stationed 10 yards into Cleveland territory. He ran up and attempted to catch the ball in mid-step.

He reached for it, never secured it and the Chiefs recovered the muff. So instead of the Browns with the ball in Chiefs territory and the distinct possibility of no worse than a field goal and a tie game, K.C. retained the ball at its 47.

The emotional tide changed just like that when Bess, who had dropped a couple of earlier passes, couldn’t hold on to a simple punt. And it eventually got worse for the sixth-year receiver.

The defense again held the Chiefs, giving the ball back to the offense for one more try with four minutes left. Even though they had to start at their 16, there was still plenty of time for the Browns to get into position for at least a tying field goal.

Campbell delivered a clutch 11-yard pass to Jordan Cameron on a third-and-9, but a Joe Thomas daily double (holding penalty and false start) contributed to a fourth-and-7 situation at the 31. Time for a playmaker to step up.

Gordon, who had 123 yards and a TD on four catches, and Cameron, with 81 yards on four grabs, had to be the likely targets. Anyone but Bess, right?

Big problem. He was the only receiver who could get open and, like the veteran receiver he is, came back to the quarterback when he saw Campbell in trouble. He made himself available and slid to catch the ball in first-down territory. The ball was delivered low, but on target. And it slithered out of Bess’ grasp.

So with two minutes to go, the luckiest team in the National Football League at that very moment breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Did Bess lose this game? Not totally. He had plenty of help in the first 25 minutes.

This game, as it turned out, was lost when the defense pretty much allowed the Chiefs to do whatever they wanted for much of the first half. And it was lost when the Cleveland offense went three-and-out on its first three possessions and racked up a paltry 13 yards of total offense as K.C. raced out to the 13-0 lead.

Campbell, for the most part, had lots of time to throw all afternoon mainly because of his quick release. It kept him out of a lot of trouble and his pocket awareness enabled him to run for important yardage. He was sacked just once and avoided three others by scrambling for 17 yards.

Campbell, whose quarterbacking makes it easy to forget about Brandon Weeden in a hurry, threw for nearly 300 yards, no interceptions and the two scores after his slow start. He clearly demonstrated why Weeden should be tethered to the bench from now on.

So now that we’ve seen what a Ray Horton defense can do when unleashed and what the Cleveland offense can do under Campbell, the second half of the season just might be something toward which Browns fans can look forward.

If the Browns can come this close to knocking off the last unbeaten team in the NFL, there’s no telling just how much noise they can make in the second half. 

If the Chiefs can do it . . .

What a difference a coach makes could very well be the theme song for the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine the Chiefs are the most improved team in the National Football League this season. From making the first selecion in the college draft to the only unbeaten team in the league in six quick months is nothing short of remarkable.

Might as well give Andy Reid the coach-of-the-year award right now. What he has accomplished in such a short period of time has to make Philadelphia Eagles fans wonder why their team let him go. Probably, they’ll say, because he wore out his welcome there. And they would be correct.

Well, they certainly welcomed him in Kansas City, but even the fans there have to admit they never expected anything like this so soon. The lovefest for their comeback Chiefs is beginning to reach the fever stage. The quest for season perfection continues Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium when the Browns invade.

The Chiefs don’t beat you with offense. More on that later. They do it with defense. Big-time defense, the kind that hasn’t been seen around the NFL in a very long time.

All you need to do is look at the comparative statistics, last season to this season, to understand how the Chiefs quickly escaped have-not status and won their first seven games. They are all on defense.

For example, they have produced 35 sacks in those seven victories, 10 more than runner-up Baltimore. Yes, they had an amazing 10 in one game. So what. You can’t take that away from them. Five sacks a game on the average. Stunning. And scary if you’re the offensive coordinator trying to game plan against that defense.

Last year, the Chiefs racked up 27 sacks . . . for the entire season. They are on a pace to wind up with 80 for this season, eight better than the all-time record of 72 set by the 1984 Chicago Bears.

To put that in perspective from a Cleveland standpoint, the Browns’ record for sacks in one season is 48, shared by the 1992 and 1993 teams that featured Anthony Pleasant, Rob Burnett, Michael Dean Perry and James Jones on the defensive line.

More fun Chiefs stats with last season’s total in parentheses: This season, they have 10 interceptions (seven); nine recovered fumbles (eight); four defensive touchdowns (one); eight touchdowns allowed (47); and a +11 turnover ratio (-24). This is one defensive juggernaut.

New defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was fortunate to inherit eight returning starters, including two-thirds of the defensive line, three-fourths of the secondary and three-fourths of the linebackers. From an experience standpoint, the Chiefs were set. All they needed was the proper coordinator.

Linebackers Justin Howard, Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson and nose tackle Dontari Poe have combined for 27 sacks. Outside linebackers Houston and Hali have 19 of them. Now take into consideration that the Browns’ offensive line has permitted nearly four sacks a game. Yikes!

If the Chiefs have a weakness on defense, it’s stopping the run. They give up 110 yards on the ground on the average. But since the Browns’ running game is virtually AWOL, that very well could be a wash.

The Chiefs’ offense, which will not blow anyone away from a statistical standpoint, feeds off that defense in terms of field position. Reid has, in practically no time, put together the formula that ultimately wins Super Bowls.

Down through the years, with a few exceptions, the team that wins the Super Bowl has a great and opportunistic defense, solid special teams, a strong running game and a quarterback who makes few mistakes. In other words, the Chiefs do not beat themselves, which is somewhat inappropriate to say now since they are unbeaten. 

A classic example of that is what the Baltimore Ravens did in the 2001 Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer was the quarterback on that team and no one will associate him with greatness. He kept mistakes at a minimum, though, while the defense, special teams and the running of Jamal Lewis took center stage. Dilfer just stayed out of the way.

And that’s exactly what Alex Smith does with the Chiefs, who run the ball 47% of the time. His numbers won’t make you go out and draft him early for your fantasy team. He throws for just 225 yards a game on the average with a meager touchdown total of seven and four interceptions.

The Chiefs rely mainly on the strong running of Jamaal Charles, who has scored eight of the club’s 14 offensive touchdowns. (The Chiefs have also scored four times on defense and twice on special teams). Charles leads the team in rushing with 561 yards and receiving with 36 catches for 337 yards. That’s 898 yards on 171 touches. Shut down Charles and that puts the pressure on Smith.

When he’s not getting Charles the ball, the brainy Smith has distributed his passes to 12 other receivers with Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery among his favorites, although Bowe is listed as questionable for the game.

The stats show the Chiefs, who average a respectable 24 points a game, are not a fun team to watch on offense. In fact, they’re rather dull and methodical. And yet, all they do is win. It’s not always pretty, but it doesn’t have to be. Not with a defense that permits just 11½ points a game.

There’s an old expression in the NFL. Offense wins games; defense wins championships. And right now, the Chiefs are the embodiment of that type of thinking.

When scanning at the Browns’ schedule at the beginning of the season, most fans undoubtedly took one look at game eight and automatically chalked it up as a victory. Little did they, or anyone else in the NFL for that matter, know what was in store.

Jason Campbell will be under center for the Browns against the Chiefs, a cruel present for his starting debut in the wake of Brandon Weeden’s ineptitude. Given the manner in which the Chiefs’ defense plays the game and the Browns’ line protects its quarterback, Campbell will be fortunate to be vertical by game’s end.

So that’s what awaits the Browns’ arrival in K.C. The best Browns fans can hope for is that Weeden will not have a need to strap on his helmet. This one will not be close. Make it:

Chiefs 30, Browns 3

Scraping the bottom of the barrel

Wonder what Jason Campbell is thinking right about now. Can’t be good.

Anointed the new Browns starting quarterback Wednesday, he had to wonder why now? What took you so long? Is that what they think of me?

When Rob Chudzinski had to make a change at quarterback after Brandon Weeden went down with a thumb injury late in the game two loss in Baltimore and missed a couple of games, he chose Brian Hoyer, the No. 3 guy, to replace him.

Not saying that was a mistake. Turns out Hoyer was not just better than Weeden. He was much, much better.

Now consider what must have been going through Campbell’s head at the time. “He picks a journeyman who has started only one NFL game over me? What’s with that? I’ve got several years as a starter in this league and he picks someone else?”

Despite what Chudzinski says about Sunday’s game in Kansas City and how he’s giving the Browns the best chance to win with Campbell, there is no question what the pecking order is at the position. All things being equal and everyone healthy, it’s Hoyer, Weeden and Campbell.

Chudzinski, in large part due to the ineptitude of Weeden, is making a move that can’t be labeled as anything but desperate. He’s not going to say that, of course. And he never will. But that’s exactly what it is.

Parse the words he uttered when he announced the change. “I believe it’s in the best interest of the team ultimately (to make the switch) and gives us the best chance to win,” he said. “I’m excited to see what Jason will do with this opportunity.”

In other words, he doesn’t want the locker room falling apart because that is a distinct possibility if he continues to play a quarterback whose confidence is shot. And of course he’s excited. Watching anyone but Weeden at the position would excite anyone.

The season, with Hoyer out for the year and Weeden playing like a rookie with a deer-in-the-headlights look, is getting away from the head coach. And he’ll do anything to make certain the locker room does not wind up in a fractured state.

In spite of what they say publicly, there is no way the rest of the players on offense still have any confidence in Weeden. He seems to be playing worse not just by the game, not just by the half and not just by the quarter, but by the play.

Something had to be done. The big question is why did it take so long? This is a decision that should have been reached Monday. Maybe even after the embarrassing loss last Sunday in Green Bay.

Not saying that Campbell is the be-all and end-all to the Browns’ problems. Probably not. But he is definitely an improvement over Weeden.

He’ll go out there Sunday against the best defense in the National Football League and make mistakes. Count on it. Get ready for them. But he won’t make the same kinds of mistakes we’ve seen from Weeden. He’ll play a much more representative game than Weeden would have.

He can’t be expected to come right in and be successful with an offense that barely has a running game and an offensive line that can be sieve-like in pass protection and cannot be counted on to play solid football for an entire game.

But when Campbell makes the kinds of plays that make you scratch your head and wonder why he made them, consider this: If you don’t like what he’s doing, remember who is backing him up.

Sublimely ridiculous

Have you heard the one about the 43-year-old former National Football League quarterback expressing an interest in coming back to the league?

Yep. Says he feels sorry for one of his former teams and reached out (his words) to that team and said he was ready to come back and play.

Well, he didn’t exactly say he felt sorry for that team (let’s call them the Cleveland Browns), but one got that impression since that team has all kinds of problems with the quarterback position currently.

That’s right. Jeff Garcia, who used to play for the Browns, offered his services even though he hasn’t played in the NFL since retiring about three years ago.

What? Jake Delhomme, Tim Couch and Charlie Frye weren’t available? Maybe they aren’t paying attention. The Browns need a quarterback and Garcia, feeling strangely benevolent, stepped forward.

The Browns, of course, politely (we assume) said no thank you (another assumption) as the circus atmosphere continues to hover over 76 Lou Groza Blvd.

Garcia, whose football talent left his body about 10 years ago, proposed his bizarre comeback attempt on a Cleveland sports talk show Tuesday.

“I actually reached out to the Browns and said, ‘Hey, if you need a guy to come in, work me out, take a look,’ “ he said. “I don’t know if people want me back in Cleveland, but I’m open to the opportunity.”

Well, Jeff, it’s like this. No, people don’t want you back in Cleveland. In fact, they still have a bitter taste in their mouths after that very forgettable year you put together in 2004.

Remember that season? Let’s refresh your memory.

Remember when Butch Davis brought you in as a savior of sorts and you proceeded to set quarterbacking back at least 10 years? Butch quit his job with five games to go that season.

Bet you forgot about your second game as the Browns’ quarterback. That was the 19-12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys when you completed eight of 27 passes for a robust 71 yards and three interceptions.

It was the game in which you managed to do what only a handful of NFL quarterbacks have accomplished in the history of quarterbacking. Your passer rating was an ignominious 0.0. Yep, zero point zero. I’d forget something like that, too.

Garcia, who lives in southern California, must have an awful lot of time on his hands to inject himself back into the consciousness of Cleveland football fans. Why else would he take the time to barge in right in the middle of another disastrous season?

We had no idea he had such a sense of humor.

Got to give him credit, though. He sure sparked a lot of interest. In a Cleveland,com poll, readers were asked if they would welcome Garcia back to Cleveland. The options were: Yes, he is better than Brandon Weeden, and No.

Of the first 7,240 votes, slightly more than 50% said, yes, he is better than Brandon Weeden. That’s how bad the situation has become with the Browns.

What’s next? Jim Brown coming out of retirement to solve the Browns’ running back problem? Yes, he is better than Willis McGahee, or No.