TODAY’S GAME: BROWNS VS. TEXANS

MARQUEE MATCHUP

Texans DE Mario Williams
vs.Browns OL Joe Thomas and Kevin Shaffer

Mario Williams was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft and Joe Thomas the third pick in 2007. But the lofty draft status isn’t what excites Thomas about the matchup.
“The level of player you are is what’s important,” Thomas said.
Williams versus Thomas would be a battle of AFC Pro Bowl teammates, but Williams “was robbed” last season, Thomas said. “He’s producing numbers and he’s a great player.”
Williams is 6-foot-7, 291 pounds and tied for eighth in the NFL with eight sacks. He also has 18 pressures, three forced fumbles and 34 tackles. He missed out on the Pro Bowl last year despite 14 sacks.
“He’s got great hands and really built a great understanding of what it takes to be a good pass rusher — technique-wise how to beat a tackle,” said Thomas, the left tackle. “His first year, he maybe wasn’t as successful because he was always relying on how big and strong and physically gifted he was. But then the next year he realized he’s got great hands and he took that to the next level. This year, he’s such an efficient pass rusher with great moves and he’s got every trick in the book.”
Williams splits his time at both end spots, so right tackle Kevin Shaffer will also get a large dose.
“He’s one of the best all-around ends,” Shaffer said. “He has size, can stop the run and also has quickness and is a good pass rusher. If you want to build your team around somebody, it’s that type of guy.”
Williams had a sack in last year’s matchup, coming against the left side of the Cleveland line when the Browns had a protection breakdown.

NICKEL COVERAGE
(Five points of interest in today’s game)

1. It’s better to take

Just think how bad the Browns defense would be if it didn’t rank third in the NFL with a plus-8 turnover ratio. The Browns, who rank 26th in overall defense, have 13 interceptions and five recovered fumbles.
The Texans are the league’s worst in this all-important category, with a minus-13 ratio. Quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who’s filling in for the injured Matt Schaub, has seven interceptions against four touchdowns.
“The thing that they do extremely well is get turnovers and we all know that that’s a problem for us,” Houston coach Gary Kubiak said.

2. Andre is giant

Houston receiver Andre Johnson’s productivity matches his size and talent. The 6-foot-3, 223-pounder leads the NFL with 955 receiving yards, five 100-yard receiving games and 49 receiving first downs, and is third with 71 receptions for the Texans’
fifth-ranked passing offense.
“He can catch the ball over the middle and down the sideline. He can do it all,” safety Brodney Pool said. “He’s a big target and he’s going to go up and try to get the ball. He’s a special player.”
Brandon McDonald had success against Johnson last year, holding him to three catches for 37 yards while grabbing an interception.

3. Is Jamal due?

This could be the week Jamal Lewis finally gets going. The weather’s cold, the Texans rank 24th against the run (132.5 yards) and change-of-pace back Jerome Harrison could miss the game with a hamstring injury.
That’s fine with Lewis, who wants every carry and is eager for a game with 30 rushes. His 2007 season kicked into gear Nov. 25 against Houston, as he rushed for 134 yards. He finished with 697 yards in the final six games.

4. Catching on

Braylon Edwards isn’t having the year anyone expected, but he hooked up with Brady Quinn for eight catches and 104 yards last week. Of course, no Edwards game would be complete without a couple of drops.
“The ones you catch, you catch,” he said, giving credit to the defensive backs. “The ones you don’t, you don’t.”
Edwards has 35 catches for 576 yards and three touchdowns. He caught seven straight Monday night.

5. Slippery Slaton

Texans rookie running back Steve Slaton is undersized at 5-9, 197, but has had a big impact. He rushed for a season-high 156 yards last week vs. the Colts and has 701 yards for the year. Slaton has eight carries of 20 yards or more, and his 5.1 yards per carry is tied for second among the 18 backs in the league who have at least 550 rushing yards.
Slaton’s elusiveness could be a problem for a Browns defense struggling to make simple tackles.
“He’s not the biggest guy, but if you give him a seam, he’s liable to take it (for a touchdown) from anywhere on that field,” linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said.

GAME FACTS

WHERE: Cleveland Browns Stadium
TIME: 1 p.m.
RECORDS: Browns 4-6; Texans 3-7
LAST WEEK: Browns won 29-27 at Buffalo; Texans lost 33-27 at Indianapolis
SERIES: Browns lead 3-2
SERIES AT CLEVELAND: Browns lead 2-0
LAST MEETING: Browns won 27-17 on Nov. 25, 2007, in Cleveland
COACHES: Romeo Crennel is 24-34 with Browns and overall; Gary Kubiak is 17-25 with Texans and overall
TV/RADIO: Channel 19, with broadcasters Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon; WMMS 100.7-FM; WTAM 1100-AM
NFL RANKINGS (OUT OF 32 TEAMS): Browns — offense 27th (22nd rushing, 27th passing), defense 26th (28th rushing, 19th passing); Texans — offense 5th
(15th rushing, 5th passing), defense 22nd (24th rushing, 17th passing)
BROWNS UPDATE: TE Kellen Winslow tied a career best with 11 catches against the Texans in 2006. Last year, he had 10 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against them.
• K Phil Dawson has made a 50-plus-yard field goal in three straight games, a franchise first.
• WR/KR Joshua Cribbs scored his first career rushing touchdown Monday night on a 2-yard end-around.
• The team rushed for a season-high 161 yards vs. the Bills. Jerome Harrison had a career-high 80 yards on three carries, including his first career rushing TD on a 72-yard run — the franchise’s longest since Reuben Droughns went 75 yards in 2005.
TEXANS UPDATE: LB Kevin Bentley, who played for the Browns from 2002-04, will start his second game on the strong side. He has nine tackles and a sack and leads the special teams with 14 tackles.
• Chaun Thompson, a Brown from 2003-07, backs up Bentley. Thompson has five tackles, a sack and six special teams tackles.
• RB Ahman Green last week became the seventh active player to rush for 9,000 yards. He has 61 carries for 255 yards and three TDs, including two last week.
• Houston is second in the NFL with a 47.5 percent conversion rate on third down.
• Jacoby Jones is tied for second in the league with two punt returns for touchdowns and is second with a 14.4 average.
• Kris Brown is 14-for-14 on field goals, with none over 49 yards.
BROWNS INJURY REPORT: Doubtful: DL Shaun Smith (calf); Questionable: RB Jerome Harrison (hamstring), S Sean Jones (ankle), TE Kellen Winslow (shoulder),
TE Steve Heiden (elbow), NT Shaun Rogers (neck),
FB Lawrence Vickers (ankle); Probable: QB Brady Quinn (right finger), G Eric Steinbach (ribs), DE Corey Williams (shoulder), RB Jason Wright (neck).
TEXANS INJURY REPORT: Out: QB Matt Schaub (knee); Probable: G Chester Pitts (calf), DT Travis Johnson (knee), DT Amobi Okoye (ankle), RB Steve Slaton (chest), WR Andre Davis (finger), LB Morlon Greenwood (fibula), RB Ryan Moats (ankle).
THE PICK: The Browns are the better team, and get a rare “easy” win.
Browns 27-17.
— Scott Petrak

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