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16.07.2019 14:27
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CLEVELAND -- Although his team has yet to win, Browns coach Hue Jackson usually spends a moment or two rattling off good things he extracts from a loss.Theres always a silver lining.Not Monday. Not after a 35-10 shellacking by the Dallas Cowboys.There were no positives to take out of yesterday, Jackson said Monday on a conference call. Some we need to learn from but really no positives.The Browns (0-9) are beyond bad, and they appear to be getting worse.Theyve matched the worst start in team history and will need a win over Baltimore on Thursday night to avoid being the first 0-10 club in Clevelands 66-year history.The Browns have lost 12 in a row going back to last season, 19 of 20 and they are 3-27 in their past 30 games -- an unimaginable stretch of sorry football.If all that wasnt tough enough, Jackson, whose young team has been hit hard by injuries in his first season with Cleveland, theres little time to prepare for the Ravens.No rest for the weary.Ive never been 0-and-9 before, so you better believe its the toughest challenge Ive ever had, he said. But I am excited about the challenge and I truly believe that weve got a tough road ahead of us, but were looking forward to it.I mean, this is the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, Thursday night in Baltimore. So weve got to get up and get these guys ready to play, and they will be.That didnt seem to be the case on Sunday as the Cowboys (7-1) outmanned the Browns on both sides of the ball. Dallas put together one long touchdown drive after another, running up a 25-point lead after three quarters before pumping the brakes and coasting to their seventh straight win.According to STATS, the Browns became the first team in 52 years to allow at least 25 points in its first nine games, a stat which underscores how poorly Clevelands defense has played under coordinator Ray Horton.In a league where coordinators are routinely replaced during the season, it would seem Hortons job would be in jeopardy. The Browns are ranked 31st in total defense and 31st in points allowed.However, Jackson said hes sticking with Horton, who is in his second stint running Clevelands defense. To Jackson, there are plenty of other reasons why the Browns are stumbling, and he dismissed a question asking if Horton was in trouble.No, and I say that with no question, he said. I dont want to continue to get into those kinds of things, and that is probably the last question I will probably take on any of our staff members about their job because it is not about that at all in my opinion.It had to be troubling for Jackson not to be able to mention one good thing about Sundays game. After all, the Browns are nine games in, and while there were no illusions that this would be a long turnaround, the team seems be regressing.It is tough, Jackson said. But at the same time, there were no positives from yesterday, but there have been some positives so that has been the foundation. We take the positives that we can find and really build on those and make that something that we rally to.Our players are professionals, and they understand when they come in this building we come in here to work each and every day.Like Horton, rookie quarterback Cody Kessler is safe for now.Jackson isnt going to replace the third-round pick, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with a concussion.Kessler had some decent moments against the Cowboys, but struggled to get the ball downfield and Jackson conveyed some dissatisfaction in his performance.Kessler finished 19 of 27 for 203 yards, but he wasnt able to sustain drives in the second half when Cleveland managed just 28 total yards.The biggest disappointment for me as the leader of our offense is we havent been able to win, havent found a way to score one more point than the other team to win a game, Jackson said.Theres some things Im sure individually players have done well, but as an offensive team, its the quarterbacks job to get the team to win. I havent done a good enough job of getting that done for our guys. Regardless of what stat lines are, until we get a win for this football team, (stats) are not going to matter.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLHydro Flask 32 Oz Sale . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Hydro Flask Australia . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.hydroflaskaustraliasale.com/ . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Hydro Flask 24 Oz Sale . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Hydro Flask 21 Oz Sale . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff.Hold on a minute.No. 4 Clemson hasnt even won its own division yet. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan still havent played. And No. 22 Washington State might have something to say about the Pac-12 North title.With three weeks remaining, theres still plenty of time for teams to impress the 12 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee -- or to trip up in epic fashion, the way we saw last weekend when three of the top four teams lost.Week 12 is another piece of the puzzle, as there are still bubble teams such as No. 14 West Virginia that need a statement win to move up in the rankings. The good news? The Mountaineers will get that opportunity Saturday.Heres a look at who can still impress down the stretch, starting this week:Dont count them out yetNo. 9 Oklahoma?(8-2): The two-loss Sooners are the Big 12s highest-ranked team and can clinch the title outright this weekend with a win at West Virginia and an Oklahoma State loss. OU is two wins away from finishing undefeated in conference play but has yet to beat an opponent ranked in the top 25. That could change Saturday with a win over 14th-ranked Mountaineers in Morgantown. Committee chair Kirby Hocutt recently referenced the Sooners tremendous offense, so OU is clearly passing the committees unspoken eye test at the moment. Theyve continued to bounce back from two early-season losses, Hocutt said Tuesday. Theyre on a seven-game winning streak. The committee believes that Oklahoma is deserving of that 9 spot, and still looking at West Virginia to get a quality win. OU, meanwhile, has the toughest remaining schedule among top-10 teams, according to FPI.No. 10 Colorado?(8-2): The Buffaloes remain the favorite to win the Pac-12 South, and theyve got plenty left on their schedule to earn them a spot in the final top four, starting Saturday against a Washington State team that has won eight straight games. According to ESPNs FPI, Colorado has the toughest schedule in its division. Not only can the Buffs boost their playoff résumé with a win against the Cougars, they also finish the season against No. 12 Utah, and would then likely have a shot at a top-10 opponent in Washington in the Pac-12 championship game. Colorado might be the most legitimate dark horse remaining.No. 11 Oklahoma State?(8-2): Ah, yes, that pesky L next to the Central Michigan game. The two-loss Cowboys are just that in the eyes of the committee: a two-loss team. We treat it as a loss, Hocutt said of the CMU game, which ended in controversial fashion. The question is whether Oklahoma State can overcome it with a Big 12 title. If the Cowboys finish with back-to-back road wins at TCU and Oklahoma, they could be back in the conversation. The win over a ranked West Virginia team is important, and the nonconference win over Pitt looks even better now.No. 14 West Virginia?(8-1): WVU is the committees lowest-ranked one-loss Power 5 team. Hocutt has said in each of the past two weeks that WVUs schedule is holding it back, but Mountaineers fans have taken exception to that, pointing out that No. 9 Oklahoma doesnt have any wins over any top-25 teams, either. The Mountaineers have played only one team ranked in the top 25 (No. 11 Oklahoma State) and they lost, and as Hocutt remarked, the quality win is not there yet for West Virginia. That could change Saturday with a home win over the two-loss Sooners. This is the only remaining ranked opponent for WVU, so it needs to take advantage of it. Its also the only game left that ESPNs FPI doesnt favor the Mountaineers in, giving them a 45.7 percent chance to win.Group of 5: One of the most surprising storylines of the committees third ranking was that one-loss No. 20 Boise State jumped undefeated No.dddddddddddd 21 Western Michigan, and thats in large part due to the fact that Boise State has a win over a top-25 team in Washington State. Boise still needs Wyoming to lose again, though, to have a chance at winning its division in the Mountain West. ESPNs FPI gives Boise State a 46 percent chance to win the Mountain West, second behind San Diego State, which has clinched the West Division. Western Michigan has a 70 percent chance to win out, according to FPI.Dont lose focusCollege football reminded us ever so bluntly last weekend that no game is a gimme. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice? Youre out of the top four. Heres a look at the rest of the contenders who cant get caught looking ahead to Rivalry Week:No. 2 Ohio State: The Buckeyes travel to Michigan State on Saturday and are clinging to playoff hopes in spite of their high ranking. Not only can they not afford to lose, they need Penn State to lose again to win the East.No. 3 Michigan: The Wolverines host a pesky Indiana team and could be without starting quarterback?Wilton Speight. This will be the committees first chance to see if Michigan still looks like a top-four team without him.No. 4 Clemson:?If Clemson wins at Wake Forest on Saturday, it will clinch the ACCs Atlantic Division. If it loses, Louisville will win the division. The Tigers playoff hopes are on the line in Winston-Salem.No. 6 Washington: The Huskies should be able to rebound from last weeks disappointing loss to USC with a home win against Arizona State. Theres only one game more important than the Apple Cup right now -- this one.No. 7 Wisconsin:?The Badgers travel to Purdue, and they can clinch the West Division with a win and losses by Nebraska and Minnesota. Dont count a two-loss Big Ten champ out.No. 8 Penn State:?The Nittany Lions should have no trouble against a Rutgers team that is winless in the Big Ten, but it needs to win out and hope Michigan stumbles once more to win the East.SuperlativesPlayer in the spotlight: OU WR Dede Westbrook. He leads the nation with 1,100 receiving yards since Oct. 1. During that time he has caught 82 percent of the passes thrown his way and has gained a Power 5-high 515 yards after the catch.Matchup to watch: Washington States offense vs. Colorados defense. The Buffs secondary is ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Ohio State at 5.5 yards allowed per attempt, and Wazzu QB Luke Falk leads the country with a 74 percent completion rate. The Cougars have an FBS-high eight players with at least 20 receptions each.Upset watch: Louisville at Houston. The Cardinals cant afford another slow start like they had against Duke, Virginia and Wake Forest. Houston receiver Chance Allen said this is our Super Bowl. QB Greg Ward Jr. is still battling an ankle injury that has hindered him all season, but coach Tom Herman said Ward is going to play and give his brothers everything hes got.Dont forget about: Pitt RB James Conner. As if his miraculous recovery from cancer wasnt enough, Conner stands only two touchdowns shy of breaking the ACCs career record for touchdowns scored that is currently held by Virginias Wali Lundy.Under-the-radar game: Navy at East Carolina. The Midshipmen can clinch the AACs West Division with a win over the Pirates.Dubious distinction: Sorry, Cal. You get the award this week. Stanford has won six straight meetings over the Golden Bears in The Big Game, and another this year would match the longest winning streak by either team in the series (Stanford won seven straight from 1995 to 2001), according to ESPN Stats & Information. ' ' ' |
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