Browns in Search of First Win of Year

The Cleveland Browns, still in search of their first win of the preseason, head to Detroit on Saturday to try and tame the undefeated Lions. The Browns will be a little shorthanded in the game with starting quarterback Derek Anderson sidelined by a concussion. That will move Brady Quinn into the starting job for at least one night, and leave NFL betting junkies wondering what to expect.

The Browns dropped to 0-2 in the preseason after losing to the Giants last week 37-34 as a 1-point underdog on the NFL odds. It was an extremely ugly game for the Browns, as they made a ton of mistakes and literally handed the win to New York.

The Browns committed 10 penalties for 128 yards in the game, of which 98 of them were assessed in the first quarter alone. Aside from the astronomical amount of penalties Cleveland also gave up a safety after botching a punt from their own one-yard line. Pinned into his own end zone, punter Dave Zastudil kicked the ball into one of his teammates and watched it skitter out of the end zone to give the Giants two points.

The second quarter started out just as badly for Cleveland, as Anderson botched a hand-off to Jamal Lewis which the Giants recovered and ran back 95 yards for a TD. It’s safe to say head coach Romeo Crennel was disappointed with his team’s execution last week.

At least Quinn played half decent in the loss. Quinn completed 7-of-12 pass attempts for 124 yards with a touchdown strike. Combine that with his performance in the Browns’ opener (13-of-17, 133 yards, one interception) and he’s done well in the backup role so far in the preseason. Cleveland fans will see if he can keep it up as the starter with the No. 1 offense versus a questionable Detroit defense on Saturday.

Speaking of the Lions, somehow they’re 2-0 after defeating the Bengals 27-10 as a 3.5-point underdog on the football odds last week. Jon Kitna had another short night, but he was very effective, completing all three of his passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. Third-string QB Drew Stanton also had a solid game as he marched Detroit down the field for a touchdown pass and a TD run in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

Calvin Johnson caught three more passes for 76 yards, which included a 27-yard touchdown, as he continued to show why he was the top receiver taken in last year’s draft. Another player to watch for Detroit this weekend is rookie running back Kevin Smith. In his first two games Smith has rushed for 41 yards on 12 carries, and he’s taking a ton of reps with the first team offense in camp.

In Saturday’s game the Lions are a slim 2.5-point favorite, although in their last four preseason meetings the Browns have covered the spread three times.

The total for this game was set at 41, which may be low considering the combined score in both of Cleveland’s preseason games has gone OVER that amount.