Browns notes: Despite loss, a breakout day for Brady

Filed by Brian Dulik November 23rd, 2009 in Sports.
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DETROIT — The best game of Brady Quinn’s NFL career still wasn’t enough to give the Browns a win Sunday afternoon.

The former Notre Dame star threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns — both career-highs — but the Detroit Lions escaped with a 38-37 victory over Cleveland at Ford Field.

“We didn’t win, so you’re never happy when you don’t get a win,” said Quinn, who entered the day with three TD passes in three pro seasons. “I was praying and hoping that our defense could get a stop right there (on Detroit’s final drive) because you always have to have faith in your defense.

“I really thought we left some stuff out there on offense, but we have all the faith in the world in those guys.”

Quinn completed 21 of 33 attempts and was not intercepted for the first time in five 2009 starts. His 133.1 passer rating was another career best and raised his season mark to a respectable 70.4.

For comparison’s sake, Derek Anderson also made five starts this year for the Browns and ranks last in the NFL with a 36.2 rating.

Quinn, though, said he didn’t feel vindicated after leading the club to its highest-scoring output since Oct. 14, 2007.

“No, not at all,” he said. “I don’t feel I have to prove anything to anyone. I think we felt we could utilize some more things against this team, and we went out and executed.”

According to wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who had five catches for a team-high 115 yards, the points explosion was simply a matter of Cleveland’s new-look offense being more comfortable playing together.

“We went out there, we played loose and we made plays,” said Massaquoi, whose 59-yard TD reception was the Browns’ longest gain of the season. “Sometimes, it’s just not good enough, and today was one of those situations.”

Brownie bits

  • Cleveland’s 24 first-quarter points set a franchise record, surpassing the 21 it scored at Dallas on Dec. 3, 1961. The last time the Browns scored more points in any period came Dec. 1, 1991, when they rung up 28 in the second at Indianapolis.
  • Phil Dawson completed his first NFL pass attempt, a 10-yarder to Mike Furrey on a fake field goal. The last Cleveland kicker to successfully throw the ball was Don Cockroft 34 years ago. Dawson also moved past Cockroft and into second place in team history with his 217th career field goal. Lou Groza holds the record with 234.
  • Joshua Cribbs passed Tamarick Vanover for 16th place on the NFL all-time return yards list with 7,489. He added a touchdown reception and 16 rushing yards.
  • The Browns did not commit a turnover for the first time since Nov. 17, 2008.
  • Inactive were running back Jerome Harrison, wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Jake Allen, cornerback Coye Francies, linebackers David Veikune and Arnold Harrison, and guard Billy Yates.

Extra points

  • The Lions lead the all-time series 14-4, including 9-1 at home. The Browns’ only win in Detroit came in 1983 at the Pontiac Silverdome.
  • The game drew a crowd of 43,170, which was the third-smallest attendance in Ford Field’s eight-year history. The bottom three crowds have all occurred this season.

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Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com.


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