The Waiting for Next Year guys take a look at Phil Dawson's holdout. They have a really good line in the item:

Judging by the lack of response to Dawson being MIA, I assume that fans feel that Josh Cribbs means a lot more to this team. But does he? Dawson converted 30 of his 36 attempts last season; he was 5-for-6 between the 40-49-yard range.

The question on who is more important between Cribbs and Dawson is an excellent one. I'm leaning toward saying Dawson is more important. Both are great special teams players, but someone like Cribbs might be more replaceable.

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?

The Browns played with heart and toughness on Sunday in Jacksonville, gutting out a difficult win against the Jaguars.  The game was physical and hard-fought, with a heart-stopping last second pass by Jaguars quarterback David Garrard broken up by Nick Sorensen for the win.  In a difficult season for the Browns, this was the toughest win they have come by.

The leader of the victory was nose tackle Shaun Rogers, who dominated from curtain to curtain.  Rogers finished with nine solo tackles, a sack, a blocked punt, and was applying consistent pressure all game long.  Rogers was thought to be lazy in Detroit, but he has played his heart out in Cleveland so far.  He was visibly tired near the end of the third quarter, but he hardly rested throughout the game. 

Where the passing game struggled, Jamal Lewis did a solid job on the ground against a physical Jaguars run defense.  Lewis ran for 81 yards on 20 carries, including a touchdown.  This brings the Browns total record to 11-1 when Lewis carries the ball for over twenty times in a game. 

Quarterback Derek Anderson finished the game with 95.6 QB Rating, but the Browns again struggled to score touchdowns.  The Browns were without Kellen Winslow, but again enjoyed another productive day with Steve Heiden starting at tight end.  The offense settled for three Phil Dawson field goals, including the in the fourth quarter where they had a first and goal from the one yard line. 

Finally, the special teams did a good job of containing Jacksonville's ace return specialist, Brian Witherspoon.  The undrafted free agent rookie had been an exciting part of a difficult season for the Jaguars.  He fumbled on a fourth quarter kick return, forced by Browns rookie Beau Bell in his debut, that set up a Phil Dawson field goal.  Cleveland's coverage units were able to hold the speedster in check. 

Game Balls

Offense- TE Steve Heiden  (3 rec, 73 yards): The Browns passing game has hardly faltered in the two games without Kellen Winslow due to Heiden's superb play.  Producing a key 51-yard reception, Heiden's impact in the passing game cannot be overlooked.  His overall impact as a blocker was felt as the Browns ran to his side of the formation effectively.  The Browns typically run to the left when Winslow is in-line as a tight end, a sign that Winslow cannot hold up as a strong-side blocker.  With Heiden in, the Browns showed not only a willingness, but a confidence in running behind Heiden.

Defense – NT Shaun Rogers (9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 blocked FG) &  ILB D'Qwell Jackson (8 tackles, 1 sack):  It would be hard to leave off either player, who both produced their best games all season.  Rogers domination of the Jaguars interior offensive line showed in the one on one matchups the rest of the front seven saw.  Rogers was in on several quarterback pressures, and produced several key stops like the stuff of fullback Greg Jones on a fourth and one rushing attempt. 

Jackson, a player who's been criticized in this space for his lack of production, played a good game against the run.  The Jaguars running backs were held to a total of 53 yards rushing, and Jackson was crucial in that.  Jackson is a player who needs a free path to the ball and reaped the benefits of Rogers occupying the Jaguars line.

Special Teams – ILB Beau Bell (1 tackle, 1 FF):  Making his debut for the Browns, Bell's forced fumble on Witherspoon helped shift the tide again in the Browns favor.  Bell made a nice cut on the ball, and stopped him with a strong hit.  Bell may only play special teams this year due to the time he missed, but his big play ability could be key down the stretch.

Turning Point

Jamal Lewis' second quarter touchdown from two yards out set the tone for a physical day.  The Browns struggles in the end zone this season are well documented, but when coordinator Rob Chudzinski puts the ball in Lewis' hands, it helps make the play action pass a more legit threat.  When the Browns weren't handing the ball off to Lewis and the Browns were using the play action with an Anderson bootleg, teams were able to key on the passing play.  They weren't biting for the fake, but will have to start respecting it with Lewis getting those touches.

Last Straw

Kellen Winslow is talented, but with the ugliness of the past week, the possibility of life after Winslow has become a reality, like it or not.  Steve Heiden is not the vertical threat that Winslow is, but he is a capable receiver and a strong blocker.  The Browns offense has looked smooth without Winslow, but is the team ready to part ways with the star tight end?  The teams also didn't give up a 2009 third round pick to select Martin Rucker without good reason.  Savage's handling of the Winlow situation right now is messy, but he's successfully set up the Browns to live a life after Winslow.  The team is clearly not interested in re-negotiating his contract, and seems confident in the remaining tight ends on the roster.  The last half of the season may well be Winslow's audition for a new team.

This is a bit scary. ESPN.com blogger James Walker reports that Browns special teams ace and budding wide receiver Joshua Cribbs wants to reconstruct his contract. Prior to last season, Cribbs signed a six-year, $6 million contract.

However, this came before Cribbs became arguably the most exciting special teams player in the league and Bears return specialist Devin Hester received a four-year extension worth up $40 million with $15 million guaranteed.

So what are the Browns to do? In June, general manager Phil Savage said the team was pretty much at its budget when tight end Kellen Winslow wanted more money.

It is my (likely stupid) opinion that contracts should be year-to-year performance based (this would probably come with some kind of minimum set by the league).

So, was Cribbs' performance last season worth more than the $997,000 he is scheduled to make this year? Probably.

Is Cribbs worth the possible $5.5 million Hester is expected to receive this year? Absolutely not.

Cribbs' value is probably somewhere in between. Hopefully he, his agent and the Browns front office realize as much.

Notes…
I don't know why this was in the fantasy sports section, but Matt Williamson of ESPN.com ranks the Browns' offensive line as tops in the NFL. This is absolutely crazy to me, given past o-line rankings. That's what having Joe "future president" Thomas and Eric Steinbach on the left side can do for you.

More scrutiny and praise dished about the team's secondary.

Coming Thursday morning will be a preview of the first preseason game against the Jets. Probably no post tomorrow, unless something major comes up or I get bored. Previous circumstances mean I won't be watching the game live Thursday night, so no live blogging. I'll be at the Akron Art Museum seeing my favorite live band, Houseguest. It will be fun (free) times. Nothing from Luke, either. He's in Las Vegas. Upon his return to Ohio, he and I plan on attending training camp Saturday. Come out. Say hello. I'm like 9-foot-12, so I'm not hard to spot.