The Browns have changed quarterbacks. They have changed starting cornerbacks. They have diminished playing time from two defensive stalwarts.

Now is it time to bench their running back?

For most of the season the Browns have ignored the run game in favor of passing the ball. Jamal Lewis, the starting half back who has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game this season, had a mediocre showing against the Bills on Monday Night. In a game where they gave the ball to Lewis early in an attempt to build a rhythm for their brusing back, he hardly impressed.

When Jerome Harrison took the ball 72 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, he showed his big play ability that has been talked about since being drafted in 2006 out of Washington State. On the season, he now is rushing for 10.4 yards per carry on 20 rushes. If factoring in Harrison's receptions and yardage, he averages 11.48 yards every time he touches the ball. Yet he only averages 2 carries per game. With a struggling ground game, and no speed from either Lewis or Jason Wright, why isn't Harrison getting more invovled in the offense? At this point, he has earned the right to be the starter.

Moving to a back by committee system probably isn't in the cards either. In Lewis's last year in Baltimore, 2006, he played in a platoon with Chester Taylor, now of the Vikings. Lewis was unhappy about the diminished role. Since he was clearly being used as the power runner, and Taylor as the slash back and receiver, Lewis felt teams were able to key in on him and telegraph plays. Lewis saw several eight man fronts, and he plugged along, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry (which is ironically the same as he is averaging to date this year).

If Lewis does not get touches, he's not a happy running back. Given his fiery attitude of late, can anyone expect him to graciously walk away from his 20 carries per game?

Handing the ball to Harrison now is the right move. The Browns high flying offense of 2007 is just not there this year. Harrison has earned the right to carry the ball more. He has had many critics point to his inability to pass block, an area he has improved on this year. Harrison at this point is the all purpose back the Browns offense needs.

Has Harrison earned the right to start for the Browns?

- Akron Beacon Journal (Marla Ridenour): McDonald deals with demotion

- Akron Beacon Journal (Patrick McManamon): Calm, quiet kicker lets feet do talking

- Buffalo News (Jerry Sullivan): Free fall from grace starts with quarterback

- Chronicle Telegram (Scott Petrak): Dawson keeps getting better with age

- Plain Dealer (Terry Pluto): Far from flawless, Quinn still gave a sense of poise to Browns offense in victory

- Plain Dealer (Dennis Manoloff): Edwards makes an impact

- Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Leo Roth): Buffalo Bills turned to Lynch too late

- What I'm saying today: The Browns tried their best to lose, but still managed to win. Hooray!

Brady Quinn was kind of average, outside of late in the game. Good enough.

Braylon Edwards was the best player on the field last night. What is this, 2007? Oh, wait, Phil Dawson was actually the best player out there.

Apparently the Browns players forgot how to tackle sometime between the first and second quarter and never figured out how to do it again. It has to be time Andra Davis sits on the bench.

Tonight's blog is set to go live at 8. If you're here a little early, there are some glass-half-full factoids below the live blog.

Buffalo has lost three consecutive games, all against teams that run a 3-4 defense, similar to that of the Browns.

Did you know the teams that have beat the Browns have a combined record of 37-23, aka, a winning percentage of 62?

D'Qwell Jackson needs just three tackles today to take the league lead from San Francisco's Patrick Willis.

Running back Jamal Lewis rushed for 789 yards over the final seven games of last year. Should he do that again this year, he'd finish the season with 1,382 yards rushing. Last year, he had 1,304 yards.

In four games in college, Bills quarterback Trent Edwards, playing for Stanford, never beat Brady Quinn, playing for Notre Dame.

In his first career start, Quinn completed 65.7 percent of his passes. Derek Anderson only topped the 60 percent mark twice this season, throwing for 62.5 and 62.1 percent against the Bengals and Giants, respectfully.

Make sure to join us for tonight's live game blog, starting shortly before kickoff.

A few quick news bites:

- Shaun Rogers and Eric Steinbach are listed as questionable for tonight's game. My uniformed guess is that Rogers will play and Steinbach won't. Both have rib injuries. Corey Williams, Darnell Dinkins and Steve Heiden are also questionable. Lawrence Vickers is doubtful. Jamal Lewis and Eric Wright are probable.

- For the Bills, the biggest news is that defensive end Aaron Schoebel is out, receiver Josh Reed is doubtful and receiver James Hardy is questionable. Their other injuries are minor.

- Given that the weather in Buffalo tonight is supposed to be pretty bad and both of these teams have been inconsistent all year, this one will either be really ugly or really entertaining. Don't expect a blizzard like the matchup last year in Cleveland, but high winds and cold are expected.

- Quick stats: On defense Buffalo allows 21 points per game (13th in the NFL) and 309.1 total yards (15th). On offense, they score 21.3 a game (21st) and average 304.1 (24th) total yards a game.

- Make sure to read Marla Ridenour's five things to watch story here for additional insight into tonight's game.

- Think the Browns have the best fans in the NFL? Bills fans might disagree.

Prediction: Browns 13, Bills 10

Sean Jones decreased role in the Browns defense has become an issue with the Browns star safety, who is up for free agency at the end of the season. 

This piece jumped out at me from Stephanie Storm's article:

"I want to be on the field for every snap," Jones said Friday. "I'm one of the better safeties in this league and I want to be out there trying to make plays. If I'm not on the field, then I can't make plays.

"That's my opinion on it; the coaches have got their own thing about it. I didn't know it was an issue until I heard about it on Monday. . . . I always want to play with a chip on my shoulder. But it definitely kind of makes me even more motivated than I already was."

Part of the issue here is that Jones is losing playing time to Mike Adams, who is a more natural cover man than Jones.  Jones has trouble playing man to man on tight ends and slot receivers, whereas Adams does not.  Jones could easily move over to Brodney Pool's free safety spot, but the team keeps him out there in passing downs because he is (supposedly) a better zone coverage defender. 

Jones has logged nearly 100% of the snaps on defense for the two seasons prior.  A big part of it was his production, but also the Browns had no one else who deserved to be out there.  So are Jones' stats and value slightly inflated because of his unusually high amount of playing time? 

Jones is a guy the Browns should resign, no questions asked.  He's a good defender at strong safety, and a guy who really never got credit for his play because of bad how the Browns were.  It seems like a bum wrap for Jones, who is a leader for the team. 

What are your thoughts on Sean Jones decreased snaps?

The Browns are losing.  Some would say quitting.  No matter what, it's not entertaining.  Thankfully the Browns draw the struggling Buffalo Bills (Dan Kadar's new favorite team) this week on Monday Night Football.   

The Bills collapse in midseason is parallel to the struggles are eerily similar to what the Browns have experienced recently, just in a much quicker way.  Why change your allegiance now, as Dan recommend in the previous blog, when the Bills are in nearly the exact same spot the Browns are (well, with more wins and a shot at the playoffs though). 

A Young QB who shows promise but can be inconsistent? 

The Bills are starting to feel what it's like to believe in your quarterback and fear him all in the same breath.  Trent Edwards has been inconsistent and promising.  His past month has been rough, with a high point of a QB Rating of 114.0 against the Chargers in Week 9, and then a rating of 49.2 against division rival Patriots this past week.  The problem is that Edwards is the guy, the Bills don't have a Brady Quinn behind him.  Edwards technically is the Brady Quinn of Buffalo, taking over for J.P. Losman this season as the starter.

A power running back who's not being utilized? 

Marshawn Lynch and Jamal Lewis both get thrown out the window once a lead is gone.  Their respective offensive coordinators struggle to utilize them correctly, which is to secure a lead, and wear out a defense.  Neither is a homerun threat from the position, but can do it all. 

A potentially dominant wide receiver who is inconsistent? 

Bedford High School product Lee Evans has all the physical skills to be a top flight wide receiver in this league, has major consistency issues.  Evans a great deep threat, but can get overmatched physically.  What's great for the Browns is that Evans recently signed a mammoth contract extension:  four years, $37.25 million with $18.25 million guaranteed.  In 2010 Braylon Edwards will be a free agent, and right now has just as many 1,000 yard plus receiving seasons as Evans: one.

A cornerstone left tackle not playing as well as he did in 2007? 

Joe Thomas and Jason Peters were easily the top two left tackles in the AFC last year.  This year, both have been less than what they were.  Both are still natural talents, but have struggled overall.  Peters lack of awareness in pass protection has caused issues for the passing game. 

An easy schedule that produced easy wins and inflated the team's actual ability? 

The Browns peaked in December 2007 shortly after playing the Bills, but by that point the season was nearly over and a winning record had been sealed up.  The Bills came into this year similar to how the Browns did in 2007.  They were a subpar team the year before who drew an easy schedule and had a quick start, which inflated how good they really were.  The Bills have crash landed in the past three weeks, much quicker than the Browns did in 2007.  Either way, it's not good for a team that was thought to run away with the AFC East once Tom Brady went out for the year in Week 1 for the Patriots.

So if you want to root for the Bills, I say go for it.  Just realize you basically will be subjecting yourself to the same pain, just without the fear of a staph infection.

So, you're sick of being a Browns fan. You watch the team not live up to expectations. Sitting in the snow sucks. Reading about how players quit on the team is a drag.

Because you're a paying fan, you let your voice be heard (albeit mostly anonymously). Phil Savage should be fired. Romeo Crennel should be replaced by Bill Cowher. Brady Quinn should start. Brady Quinn shouldn't start! Randy Lerner should sell the team. Braylon Edwards should be cut! Jerome Harrison and Alex Hall should play more! The team should be sold.

Well, forget all that noise. Just find a new team. People find new spouses all the time, so what's the big deal about finding a new team? Come on, follow along, it's easy to do!

- Step 1: Maintaining some loyalty – You may be turning your back on the Browns, but not so much so that you can root for the Steelers, Bengals or Ravens. Fair enough.

- Step 2: No losers – You're a Browns fan. What is the point of cheering for a team worse than them? Gone are the Chiefs, Lions, Raiders and Rams.

- Step 3: No one likes a frontrunner – It's easy to root for a perennial winner. It's also easy to hate the fans of such teams. Adios, Colts, Patriots, Eagles and Giants. The Cowboys also go here. America's team or whatever.

- Step 4: No West Coasters – What's the point of rooting for a team you can't watch? Say goodbye, 49ers, Seahawks and Chargers.

- Step 5: Flashes in the pan might just be worse than the Browns in a season – Sure, they're fun to watch, but some of these teams could go up in flames at any moment. No one likes that, so eliminated are the Titans, Cardinals, Jets and Falcons.

- Step 6: Just because – You're a Cleveland sports fan. You're expected to be fickle. The Drive still happened, the Broncos are out. Jon Gruden looks like murderous doll Chucky, the Buccaneers are out. You thought Lerner was bad? How about Dan Snyder as the owner? Redskins: Out. What the hell even is a Packer? Out.

Now, just a quick recap. This all leaves us with the Bears, Vikings, Texans, Jaguars, Panthers, Saints, Bills and Dolphins.

- Step 7: Too far to drive – The above teams are randomly on TV, so being able to drive to games would be nice. Good riddance Saints, Jaguars, Panthers, Vikings and Dolphins.

- Step 8: No politics allowed – What do you think when someone says Texas? George W. Bush? Get outta here Texans. Chicago? Obama? Sorry, Bears. I thought you were a real contender.

Now, wait just a second here. Look who is left. It's the Buffalo Bills. If you're so sick of how the Cleveland Browns perform on the field and in the front office, just who will you be rooting for Monday night?

Nor, it wasn't signing Donte Stallworth or shipping Jeff Faine to New Orleans. Nor was it hiring Romeo Crennel (that was mostly done by Randy Lerner and John Collins). Or trading three draft picks from the latest draft.

Watching the Ravens game yesterday, it was clear. Phil Savage's biggest mistake was one of his first. It was when he swapped draft positions with Baltimore so the Ravens could pick up defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.

He can do it all — rush the passer, stop the run, clog lanes, everything. Instead, the Browns got Kamerion Wimbley, who can't really do anything.

Revisionist history is a beautiful thing in sports. Just think about this one. If the Browns had Ngata, who plays end in Baltimore, they would have had to trade a second-round pick for Corey Williams. Then, the Browns could have used that second rounder this year on a cornerback so Brandon McDonald wouldn't be starting. There could be a ton of these sort of scenarios, obviously.

Think Savage has made a worse decision? Try to beat this one.

Looking over photos from last night's game, this one stuck out to me.

The photo was taken by Phil Masturzo, quite possibly the greatest photographer under the sun (or moon). See more his Browns shots here.

The movie Groundhog Day featured comedian Bill Murray as a meteorologist who keeps reliving the same day over and over again as a chance to re-examine his life and priorities.  Murray's character takes advantage of this day to lead a hedonistic life at first, but rarely making the appropriate changes to his life.  Romeo Crennel and the Cleveland Browns appear to be stuck in a similar situation, except without the groundhog present.

For the second time in five days, the Browns are seeking to pick up the pieces of a fourth quarter meltdown.  In both games they were up by two scores, only to see both their offense and defense collapse.  On a Thursday instead of Sunday this time, the offense lost the ability to gain yardage and drain out the clock, and the defense could not stop the other team from scoring.  Thursday's collapse against Denver felt so much like Sunday's against the Ravens that if you went down to Mall C on Lakeside, it's possible Barack Obama was hosting a rally to support his election to the Oval Office. 

Facing a beaten Denver team, the Browns appeared to be clearly in control through three quarters with a nice lead.  As the Browns continued to nibble, stumbling on good drives that ended in field goals, the Broncos were just warming up on offense.  Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler ended the game throwing for a career high 447 yards and three touchdowns.  All three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, including a 93 yard strike to Eddie Royal.  Cutler had been playing with no threat of a running game, as rookie Ryan Torain and second year veteran Selvin Young both left due to injury, forcing them to play rookie fullback Peyton Hillis at tailback. 

On a battered Denver defense, playing without Champ Bailey, Marlon McCree, DJ Williams, and for part of the game Nate Webster, they were able to produce key stops in the second half that slowed down the Browns offense.  Denver's defense produced key third down stops that didn't allow the Browns once high powered passing attack to be effective in the second half.  The forced fumble of Kellen Winslow by Dre Bly lead to the go-ahead touchdown. 

Despite the loss, the Browns were finally able to see what second year quarterback Brady Quinn was made of.  He had an efficient day, completing 23/35 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  Quinn took the loss on his shoulders afterwards, in particular the pass thrown to Winslow on the final drive that resulted in a drop.

"I told everyone, this one is flat on me," Quinn said. "I know I am good enough that I can make a play at the end and win. I felt comfortable out there, it's my home away from home."

Let's hope next week breaks the Groundhog Day cycle. 

Game Balls

Offense:  Brady Quinn, QB – Quinn's first regular season NFL start was positive.  Quinn was efficient, completing nearly 70% of his passes for a good majority of the game.  He was able to make quick decisions with the ball, and his mobility aided him in keeping plays alive.  His start was not perfect though, as he was throwing balls low for most of the night.  Quinn's performance should continue to improve as he wears off the rust.

Defense:  Willie McGinest, OLB – The wiley veteran played a strong game against both the run and the pass this week.  McGinest also had a key hit on tight end Nate Jackson that stopped a third quarter Denver drive.  McGinest isn't the player he once was, but he still plays mistake free football. 

Special Teams:  Joshua Cribbs, WR – The past two games it's been hard to determine Cribbs's bigger impact, on coverage units or as a return man.  Cribbs had three special teams tackles this week (two solo), and averaged 27 yards per kick return.  His impact alone on returns seals his value, but he is improving his play as gunner on coverage.  Cribbs is easily the best overall special teams player in the league.

Turning Point

The Broncos had matchup problems with Kellen Winslow all night long.  Their safeties, particularly Marquand Manuel, were physical enough to make the stops on him, but couldn't run with him down the seam.  The fourth quarter drop which sealed the Denver win was heartbreaking, because it was a catchable ball.  Despite having a productive day, between that play and the fourth quarter pass interference penalty which negated a fifteen yard reception by Braylon Edwards, Winslow killed two key drives.  His play on the field is starting to represent the off-field distractions that have plagued him this season.  Winslow is a talented, but emtionally charged player.  He needs to play under control and more naturally, or else he will continue to struggle.

Last Straw

Blow a fourth quarter lead against the Ravens, and Derek Anderson loses his job.  Blow a fourth quarter lead against the Broncos, what will the fallout be this week?  No matter how well Quinn plays, he cannot save Romeo Crennel's job unless the team starts winning.  Finishing games is an issue, along with losing games in the division have haunted Crennel's Browns.  Crennel has to prove he's an NFL head coach, despite having five Super Bowl rings as an assistant.

Who were your thoughts on the game?