After the final whistle blew. I took a second to take everything in. And then I had one thought:
"I wonder how Jim would've called that one?! Goodness!"
It's sad when anyone dies. We're all human. But when I heard the news that Jim passed away yesterday, it felt like losing a friend. It hurt my heart. It's broken.
Very few celebrities and people can do that to someone unless they leave a profound impact through their legacy.
No, I obviously did not know Jim personally. And I'm jealous of those who did, and who got to call him a genuine friend.
But he brought Browns football into the lives of millions of people for 25 years. Whether someone was at home with the TV muted and listening to him, or traveling in their car, Jim was a fixture. It didn't matter whether it was during the sun, rain, snow, the playoffs or during a lost season, he was there.
And no matter what, he always was passionate, energetic, and loved what he did. The Browns lost so many games in every conceivable way while he was in the booth. That man saw more losses than anyone deserves to see. But he never lost his energy, and he was such a master at vividly painting a picture of the game just with words alone. No one did it better.
And when the Browns won, Jim's reactions made those games so much sweeter. Yes, he was a pro's pro. He did his job the absolute best that he could do. But at the end of the day, he was one of us. He loved this football team. He went through everything with us.
And I can't help but think he's upstairs smiling today, in the Big Pressbox in the Sky. We love you, Jim. Always!
The Browns may be going through another lost season. But at least for one day, they got up, dusted themselves off, punched Baltimore in the mouth, and won an emotional ballgame!
How'd they do it? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory!
Game of Firsts
In any other season, this game wouldn't mean anything. Cleveland still stands at 2-6, and will need an absolute miracle to climb back into any form of contention for anything.
But even with how the season's gone, today's win over the Ravens had a number of milestones. It was the first time that:
The Browns have scored over 20 points in a game this season.
Jameis Winston won as the Browns' starting quarterback.
Someone other than Kevin Stefanski was calling the plays.
A Browns quarterback passed for 200 yards or more this season.
I really hope Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry, and most of all, Jimmy Haslam, were watching this game closely today. You win games in the NFL when you have a solid to great quarterback, let the offensive coordinator actually do his job, and stay the heck out of the way! Kudos to Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey on a solid gameplan today!
I know the Browns front office will likely try to bring Watson back for 2025. They literally can't afford not to. But if they were smart, they'd seriously consider eating his contract, and looking for a genuine quarterback of the future in the Draft, free agency, or stick with Winston. It's clear DW4 didn't have it this season before he got hurt, and I don't think he's had it since 2020. It's time to see what else we have around here.
I know one thing the Browns had in spades today...
Welcome to Cleveland, Jameis Winston!
I initially was a little nervous when I saw Jameis Winston would get the start for Cleveland. I knew the Browns basically had no choice, but I had heard of his past reputation: He was a hit or miss quarterback. Literally. He'd either throw a ton of picks, or he'd ball out. Thankfully for the Browns, he absolutely WENT OFF!
Winston led a rejuvenated Browns offense by going 27-41 for 334 yards, three touchdowns and no picks!
Isn't it amazing how much more watchable a football team is when they have competent quarterback play? I'm not even talking about great quarterback play.
It would be great to have a superstar quarterback who actually delivered, of course. But when you have a solid quarterback under center who actually knows what he's doing, great things can still happen! Today Jameis Winston looked like a field general. He led this offense like a professional quarterback should.
I was a little nervous several times, and Jameis Winston made a few throws he probably shouldn't have. But luckily for him, the Ravens never capitalized on any of them, or turned any of them into interceptions when they VERY easily could've done that.
But for a guy who was making his first ever start as a Brown, and was starting his first game in two years, Winston looked absolutely fantastic. I'm interested to see what he can do the rest of the way!
And I'm interested to see if this win will have any effect on another unit as we go through the final nine games of the year...
Bend but don't break D!
After the Browns gave up what appeared to be the go-ahead score with about 2:30 left, I was saying all kinds of words. And it wasn't even because they gave up the touchdown. It was because I was still mad at them for what had happened several plays earlier.
The Browns were up 23-17 at that time. Not only that, but they had Lamar Jackson and the Ravens pinned down in the shadow of their own goalpost. Any great defense would be licking their chops. Lamar and the Ravens were inside their own two-yard line. A safety in that situation would be an absolutely massive momentum swing.
Had the Browns gotten to Lamar and brought him down in the endzone, they would have gone up 25-17 with just over two minutes to go, AND gotten the ball. And with the run game being solid enough, that would've been enough to win. Ken Dorsey and the browns offense could've just ran out the clock in that situation. Game over.
But like Lamar Jackson always seems to do, he slipped out of what looked like a sure sack near the endzone, and took off 30 yards downfield before someone finally decided to tackle him.
And a few plays later, after Derrick Henry plunged into the endzone from a yard out, I thought that was it. I know the Browns had kept up with the Ravens in terms of scoring. But I just didn't see how they would not only score, but actually get a defensive stop when Baltimore had just gone through them like a hot knife through butter.
But I was proven wrong.
After the Browns scored the go-ahead touchdown on a beautiful 38-yard pass from Winston to Cedric Tillman, I thought they gave Lamar and that Ravens offense too much time. But after Baltimore drove all the way down and threatened to score, the Ravens threw three straight incompletions to end the game.
On the final play, I almost saw my life flash before my eyes. I could've sworn I saw my future wife, our three kids, our dog, and the house behind the white picket fence in the suburbs, before I suddenly snapped back to reality!
And while I've seen so many heartbreaking Browns games end thanks to dagger touchdown drives, this one turned out different. The defense bent but didn't break. They came through when they absolutely had to!
I don't know if you guys believe in the afterlife. But I certainly do. And something tells me a certain broadcaster put a bug in God's ear. For one day, I think the big guy upstairs gave us a break and listened to Jimmy.
BROWNS WIN!
Statistical Leaders
Jameis Winston: 27-41, 334 yards, 3 TDs
Nick Chubb: 16 carries, 52 yards
Cedric Tillman: 7 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TDs
Source
ESPN
Picture Credit
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