Who would have thought...

[deerhunt45]

The predictions before the season started were one of our Ohio teams was going to contend for the AFC North title and the playoffs.

Who would have thought it would be the Browns?!?!

It's 3-0 Bengals, 2nd quarter. The Browns have already botched a field goal attempt (wind gust blew the snap).

Long time Browns fan who hopes they can win today and not worry what the Tennessee Titans do. Should be a good game to the end!

["J"]

Oh well now we got to hope for a Titans loss!!!! Hate to have someone else make our play off destiny for us, but I'll take it if it comes along. Go Jets!!!!:whistle:

[TheCream]

WHO DEY! :D

[HeartLunger]

WHO DEY!

It is a shame that our only joy this time of year is in a Dawg Pound loss. We should be contending for a playoff.:rant: :mad: :coco:

[deerhunt45]

A disheartening 19-14 loss on Sunday at Cincinnati cost Cleveland control of its playoff destiny. And although they still hold one of the AFC's two wild-card berths, the Browns (9-6) will miss the postseason if Tennessee wins at Indianapolis next Sunday night.
"You can talk about it and all that, but it is what it is," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. "We lost a golden opportunity." If the Titans (9-6) beat the Colts, they would pass the Browns based on a better record against common opponents - the third tiebreaker following head-to-head matchups and conference records. The Browns will also be shut out of the playoffs if they lose their season finale at home to the San Francisco 49ers and the Titans and Colts tie. That's an unlikely scenario, but in this surprising season of strange twists and bizarre bounces for the Browns, nothing can be ruled out. What's clear is that in the gusting winds inside Paul Brown Stadium, the Browns blew it and especially quarterback Derek Anderson, who threw four interceptions in what was his poorest performance of 2007. Anderson's meltdown may have led to a run of No. 10 Brady Quinn jerseys being gobbled up as last-minute Christmas gifts.
Anderson could have avoided two of the picks if receivers had come back to the ball, but Crennel didn't absolve his QB of blame, either. Crennel also refused to second-guess his decision to have Anderson keep throwing late in the first half, even when the Browns were out of timeouts and down 13-0. Anderson threw two interceptions in a 30-second span, leading to two touchdowns by the Bengals. "Regret? No," Crennel said. "I regret we threw the picks, that's what I regret. I don't regret how we went about the game because if you go back and look through the season, there have been times in that same situation where we are aggressive, we take it down and we score." Once their game ends Sunday, the Browns will plop down in front of their TVs and cheer every Peyton Manning-to-Reggie Wayne pass while hoping Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy leaves his starters in as long as possible.
The NFL moved the Tennessee-Indianapolis kickoff from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., making it the final game of the regular-season. The switch is appropriate for the Browns, whose year has been defined by last-second drama.
Crennel chuckled when he was asked if he planned to rush something in the mail to Dungy in time for Christmas. Crennel understands that his good friend has his own concerns heading into the Colts' finale. "Tony is just like all the other coaches in the league," Crennel said. "He's going to do what he thinks is best for his team. He's not really worried about my team. He's not worried about us. If he wins the game, that would help us but he's already in the playoffs, so he's going to do what he thinks is best for his team."
Dungy said backup quarterback Jim Sorgi will play at least one half, and that Manning's time could depend on whether Marvin Harrison returns from a knee injury that has sidelined the star wide receiver nine straight games.
The Colts have been in this type of situation before. In both 2004 and 2005, Indy had nothing to play for in its finale and Manning was in for just one series in each game. But last year, he went 22-for-37 for 282 yards and two TDs in a win over Miami.
The Browns may have to hope that Manning, who is 55 yards shy of 4,000 this season, can pile up some points on the Titans before Dungy decides to pull him. In essence, Cleveland's final game doesn't mean much. Sure, the Browns can improve to 7-1 at home and 10 wins would be their most in a season since returning to the league in 1999. But a loss would only be catastrophic if the Titans and Colts tied, which has happened just 16 times in 7,812 games since overtime was adopted in 1974.
But don't try telling Crennel that Sunday's game isn't worth winning. "It's the next game and it's important that I win every game," he said. "That's the way that I approach it. And I think generally, that's the way most coaches approach it. What kind of message am I sending to my team if I don't say the game is important? "Why do they go through the work that they go through during training camp and offseason, to say that the game is not important? Every game is important."

Tom Withers, AP Sportswriter