Re: Cleveland's Future Looks Bright Cleveland's future looks bright By Chris Ruddick, NFL Analyst (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Browns closed their 2005 campaign on a winning note on Sunday, as they rallied to defeat the Baltimore Ravens, 20-16, to claim their first divisional win of the season. More importantly, first-year head coach Romeo Crennel has seemingly laid the groundwork for a team that could be on the verge of competing for a playoff spot in the next few years. But, will general manager Phil Savage go along for the ride? Reports started to surface late last week that Savage was about to be fired. However, since then the team has stated that he is not going anywhere, and the Browns instead fired team president John Collins. "Today I'm going to enjoy this victory, and I'm not worried about any rumors, and I'm not talking about any rumors," Crennel said. "I'm going to enjoy the New Year. So don't even ask." If Crennel had any doubts about going into next season with Charlie Frye under center, those questions might have been answered in Sunday's win, as the rookie showed a lot of moxie playing well beyond his years in the come-from- behind win. After a dismal first half, Frye rebounded to complete 22-of-38 passes for 129 yards. He also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Frye finished the season completing 98-of-165 passes for 1,002 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions. "I wasn't down. I was just ready to play some football," Frye said. "I just tried to do my job and relay the message we had to do it one play at a time. His main target on Sunday was Antonio Bryant, who finished with nine catches for 123 yards, giving him a career-best 69 for 1,009 yards on the season. "Coach [Romeo] Crennel kept saying, 'You only need one play, you only need two plays,' " Bryant said. "And I kept telling him, 'I just want to win right now.' It feels great, but if you go out there and you sacrifice every Sunday - which you should do - those things come to you. I'm happy God blessed me." Bryant became the fifth Browns receiver to go over 1,000 yards and the first since Kevin Johnson racked up 1,097 in 2001. His 69 catches were also tied for fourth in team history with Ozzie Newsome, who did it in 1981. "He works really hard to get the ball," Crennel said. "He runs good routes. He'll block and he's been doing that all year. Some of his inconsistencies, those drops, have come at crucial times. On another team, they might not have been as crucial. To his [credit], he stays with it, keeps working and was able to produce when we needed him." Cleveland will have a decision to make in the offseason with regards to Bryant, who will become an unrestricted free agent. Keeping Bryant, though, will likely be a top priority for the team, as he and Braylon Edwards could form on of the league's top receiving tandems. "You look at a guy like Braylon Edwards and Charlie Frye and being here with a guy like Dennis Northcutt - there's so many names I can mention," Bryant said. "You definitely want to be back here and that's how I feel. But I'm not going to worry about that right now." Edwards, though, has to find a way to stay on the field. The third overall pick out of Michigan played just 10 games this season and caught 32 passes for 512 yards with three touchdowns. The 22-year-old wideout had his season cut short after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee following a 20-14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. He had caught five passes for 86 yards and two first-half touchdowns before leaving the game. The wideouts combined with Frye, as well as running back Reuben Droughns, who became the first Browns back in 20 years to top 1,000 yards, Cleveland has the makings of a pretty good offense. Droughns was by far the team's MVP this season, as he rushed for 1,232 yards on 309 carries with two touchdowns, while catching 39 balls for 369 yards. Defensively, the team took care of one of their own, as cornerback Leigh Bodden was signed to a four-year contract extension on Friday. The 24-year-old Bodden was originally signed by the Browns as a undrafted free agent out of Duquesne in 2003. He played in 13 games this season, starting 11, and has recorded 58 tackles and three interceptions. "I'm happy to be part of this organization for the next four years and receiving this contract extension shows that hard work pays off," said Bodden. OPPONENTS FOR NEXT SEASON Thanks to their last-place finish in the North, the Browns list of opponents for 2006 includes Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati, Denver, Kansas City, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and the New York Jets. Cleveland will also visit Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta, Carolina and Houston in addition to its three divisional opponents. From HERE
Re: Cleveland's Future Looks Bright Winning the last game of the season is always a good thing--shows you are ready to take on the league next season. The Ravens aren't too bad a team either, when they got Boller back they started to play better IMO. Last year the Redskins beat the Vikings last game of the season and Randy Moss left the feild before the game was over in disappointment. This year we got to the playoffs.
