In front of 70,348 fans at Cleveland Stadium, Green Bay QB Brett Favre made a strong statement for his certain Hall of Fame induction in what may well be his final appearance in Cleveland as a player. Favre opened the game with a 7 play, 78 yd. drive, capped by a 22 yd. TD pass to Donald Driver in just 3:38. The Browns defense, appearing as flat as they were in the opening drive against Tennessee last week, allowed plays of 19, 12, and 11 yds. in addition to the TD pass on the drive. The 38 points given up by the defense was the most given up in a preseason game since 1980 (against the Vikings).

 

"Defensively, I was disgusted", snapped Head Coach Butch Davis. "The tackling  was about as poor as I've seen and if you tackle poorly on defense, your going to have a lot of trouble getting them off field". The Browns gave up 249 yds. in the first half and 421 for the game. "The biggest thing we have to do is tackle" noted Michael Jameson. "We were in good position, but we just missed the tackles. They (the Packers) have great athletes and if you don't make the plays, they make you pay".

 

On the positive side of the ledger, the Browns were able to score 31 points themselves, including a scintillating 82 yd. catch and run for a touchdown from Kelly Holcomb to William Green in the first quarter. It was the longest play from scrimmage in the entire NFL this season. The Browns gained 340 yds. on Offense, but just 91 on the ground.

 

The QB battle continues, as Kelly Holcomb put up some exciting numbers working with the first team ( 7-10, 166 yds., 2 TD's, and 1 pick), while Tim Couch showed improved zip on the ball, quicker decision making ability and was 4-4 for 51yds. a TD and no picks. At 6pm. Sunday evening, Butch will make his choice. Holcomb or Couch? " Both  played well", said Davis. "They both were very efficient and they both executed. They both scored TD's on their drives, the receivers caught the ball well and the line gave these guys time to produce."

 

 Both QB's seem resigned to whatever choice Butch makes as being the best one for the team. Both claim complete support for the other, which I believe is a good thing, if its is legitimate. In any case, it appears the Browns have depth at Quarterback that they've not known since the Bernie Kosar/ Vinny Testeverde days of old.

 

After posting only 1 penalty against the Titans last week, the Browns were flagged 8 times for -97 yds.against Green Bay.

 

Next up, the Browns travel to Detroit for the annual Battle of the Great Lakes Trophy with the Lions. The trophy, a cast bronze Lake Steamer with a Browns helmet at the bow and a Lions helmet at the stern, resides at the Browns offices in Berea, and will remain there should the Browns defeat Steve Mariucci's Lions. Then its a battle against the Atlanta Falcons who will be Vick-less as the All Pro QB is out for the next 6 weeks after suffering a broken leg against the Ravens last night.