Check all top storylines, performers and more from Saturday in high school football in Northeast Ohio.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- No. 1 St. Edward and No. 5 St. Ignatius squeaked out wins and No. 2 Mentor topped Shaker Heights during Saturday's football action in Northeast Ohio. 

While Eagles' victory came against an elite Bergen Catholic (N.J.) team, 31-28, the Wildcats needed a tremendous scoring drive in the final minute of regulation to beat Walsh Jesuit, 30-27.

Also, read how Euclid pulled an upset against No. 21 Solon and about No. 2 Mentor's victory against Shaker Heights on the strength of quarterback Tadas Tatarunas' five touchdown passes. 

Reporter Matt Goul was at the St. Edward-Bergen Catholic game and provided a video gallery with highlights from both team, including the video below. 

Reporter Joe Noga was at St. Ignatius-Walsh Jesuit and provided video of Wildcats coach Chuck Kyle giving his pregame speech and action highlights from that game as well. 

Following up on Friday night action

Reporter Nataniel Cline offered up five takeaways from No. 4 Benedictine's win against Bishop Watterson. 

Also, read Joe Noga's take on Friday's game between No. 10 Archbishop Hoban and No. 12 St. Vincent-St. Mary and how the Knights snapped an 8-game losing streak against the Irish. 

Reporter Scott Patsko gave some insight into No. 16 Strongsville's win against Medina on Friday. 

Read Tim Bielik's take on how No. 3 Midview rallied past No. Berea-Midpark. 

How the cleveland.com Top 25 fared

Take a look at how the cleveland.com Top 25 football teams fared on Saturday. 

How the AP Top 10 fared

See how the top teams in all seven divisions throughout Ohio fared this weekend.

Saturday photo gallery (St. Ignatius-Walsh Jesuit)

Action highlights from Friday matchups

Watch football action highlights from No. 15 Aurora's 24-7 win at Barberton

Watch football action highlights from No. 24 Madison's 28-0 win over Chardon (videos) 

Watch football action highlights, postgame reaction from No. 8 Stow's 65-37 win over No. 20 Nordonia (photos)

Watch action highlights of No. 16 Strongsville football’s 42-19 win against No. 22 Medina (video)

Watch video highlights of No. 4 Benedictine football's 27-7 win against Columbus Bishop Watterson

Watch football action video highlights and postgame interviews from No. 3 Midview's 24-14 win against No. 6 Berea-Midpark

See action video highlights from Archbishop Hoban's 24-7 win against St. Vincent-St. Mary (video)

More highlights from Friday

Bay fans light flame under Rockets football team (photos, video)

Relive Friday and Saturday nights

Check out the Varsity Blitz Live blog for a rundown of all the latest news, videos and updates. Come back every weekend for Varsity Blitz Live, where you can join the conversation by including #NEOvarsity in Tweets or through cleveland.com's comments.

Catch up on what happened on Friday 

Friday night was chock full of high school football action in Northeast Ohio and you can get a comprehensive rundown of our coverage. 

Also, click here for results of the 69 games played Friday night in Northeast Ohio. Click on the score of any game for a box score, recap and more content.

Statewide scores

Click here for Saturday’s results from across Ohio.

Game balls

• Vote for best offensive performance of Week 5.

• Vote for best defensive performance of Week 5.

For more high school sports news, like NEOvarsity on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jose Ramirez singled, doubled and tripled and scored three times as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals, 9-5, Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Tribe has won the first two of a three-game series that wraps Sunday afternoon. Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jose Ramirez singled, doubled and tripled and scored three times as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals, 9-5, Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Tribe has won the first two of a three-game series that wraps Sunday afternoon.

Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast:

Cause for celebration: The Indians (77-76) have won three straight. They moved above .500 for the first time since being 2-1 after a victory April 9 in Houston.

Hanging in: The Tribe is 3.0 games behind the Astros (81-74) for the second AL wild card. The L.A. Angels and Minnesota Twins are between the two.

Finding a way: The Tribe prevailed despite a rare bad performance from right-hander Josh Tomlin (3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 R) and a lineup again missing its best hitter, Michael Brantley (right shoulder).

Quality work: Tomlin's teammates picked him up with plenty of offense and superb relief.

Royals right-hander Kris Medlen entered at 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career starts against the Tribe. He had allowed 11 hits and zero runs, period, in 13 1/3 innings. On Sept. 15 in Cleveland, he gave up five hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 2-0 victory over Tomlin.

On Saturday, Medlen allowed six runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.

Tribe relievers Zach McAllister, Jeff Manship, Kyle Crockett and Bryan Shaw combined for 5 1/3 hitless innings. Kansas City managed one walk and two HBPs against the quartet.

As it should be: The top three in the Cleveland order -- Jason Kipnis, Ramirez and Francisco Lindor -- were a combined 7-for-13 with four RBI and six runs against Medlen and Royals relievers.

Hip, hip, Jose: Ramirez, who played third base Saturday, owns multiple hits in five of his past 10 games.

Oh, by the way: Ramirez turned a 4-5-3 double play to end the eighth (Mike Moustakas grounder).

Twilight Zone: The Royals' defense was uncharacteristically leaky, as in: a handful of times each season, if that. The Indians capitalized.

Kipnis led off the game with a single. He stayed back on 2-2 curve and zipped it to center.

Ramirez's bid for a bloop single was denied when Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar swatted at the ball and happened to catch it in shallow left.

Lindor lined an 0-1 fastball low and hard toward first, where slick-fielding Eric Hosmer prepared to pick he short hop and perhaps trigger a double play. The ball had other ideas, staying down and shooting between his legs. Kipnis advanced to third as Lindor sprinted to second.

For reasons known only to the official scorer in Kansas City, Lindor was credited with a double. 

Fox SportsTime Ohio analyst Rick Manning said: "That's a ball (Hosmer) normally would catch.''

Carlos Santana sent a sinking liner toward right fielder Alex Rios, who failed to get glove on it with the backhand. The ball skipped past him and kept rolling long enough for Santana to secure a two-run triple.

Unlike the scorer's decision in the Lindor case, Santana deserved a hit. But the Indians have seen the Royals make more difficult plays numerous times.

In the fourth, Ramirez hit a two-out RBI double and scooted to third on the throw. With Lindor batting, Royals catcher Salvador Perez did not block a wild pitch that darted between his legs. Ramirez scored to make it 6-2.

The pitch struck the plate and stayed down. Regardless, Perez is too good of a defensive player not to keep the ball in front of him.

The play proved important because, after Lindor walked and stole second, Santana struck out.

Kansas City rallied in the bottom of the inning to pull within 6-5.

Abraham Almonte led off the Tribe sixth with a walk. After Mike Aviles bunted Almonte to second, Franklin Morales relieved Jeremy Guthrie for a left-on-left matchup against Kipnis. Oh, well. Kipnis grounded an RBI single to right.

Morales was so disgusted, he didn't back up the throw and instead cut it.

Ramirez's single pushed Kipnis to second. Righty Luke Hochevar relieved and allowed an 0-2 single up the middle to Lindor. Tribe third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh was ready to pinwheel Kipnis as center fielder Lorenzo Cain approached the ball. Cain made it a moot point by mishandling the hop, enabling the Tribe to extend its lead to 8-5 and for Ramirez to scamper to third.

Cain's error led to an unearned run when Ramirez scored on Santana's 4-6 fielder's choice. Santana was caught stealing second to end the half.

Browns quarterback Josh McCown has been out of the NFL, playing for the now-defunct Hartford Colonials and coaching high school football. Now that he's back in, even Johnny Manziel chants will have a nice NFL ring to them. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former St. Ignatius High school and NFL quarterback Dave Ragone recalls coaching Josh McCown in 2010 when they were with the Hartford Colonials of the now-defunct United Football League.

"We stayed in a hotel the whole season and our meeting room would be our bedrooms or hallways -- wherever we could find a way to get that done,'' Ragone, now an assistant with the Redskins, told Northeast Ohio Media Group. "Our practice facility doubled as a park open to the public and we just had to rent out some space. Pre-game meals may or may not have occurred.''

McCown, 36, has endured so much on his journey to the Dawg Pound, where he'll make his first start Sunday against the Raiders, that a chorus of chants for Johnny Manziel or a cacophony of boos for McCown will sound like a symphony to him.

"If you put the pause button on some of the spots in my life, not many people would believe I'd be sitting right here,'' he said. "So I'm okay with that because of my inner belief system. I have confidence in myself, confidence in where I'm at right now, and I believe that we can get it done.''

McCown grew up in Jacksonville, Texas, where he was the middle of three star quarterbacks: oldest brother Randy now, 38, the most highly-recruited of the three, started for three years at Texas A&M and younger brother Luke, a fourth-round pick of the Browns out of Louisiana Tech, will start for the Saints Sunday against the Jets.

Josh, who played at Southern Methodist and then Sam Houston State, is with his ninth NFL team and will start on the same day as his little brother for the first time since December of 2007.

"I got a text from Luke (Friday) saying 'thank you for choosing to play quarterback because if you wouldn't have played quarterback we probably wouldn't have wanted to do that,''' Randy said. "Luke said he probably would've been a punter and Josh would've been a running back.''

Actually, for most of his high school years, McCown -- now 6-4, 218 -- wouldn't have been big enough to play those positions either.

"He was 5-4 when he got his first driver's license at 16,'' recalled Randy. "And he had to keep it until he was 21. I remember we went somewhere where he had to show an I.D. and by then he had grown eight inches. The person said 'this isn't you.' And Josh said 'I swear, it's me!' That growth spurt changed the game completely.''

Thanks to his stature, McCown didn't start at Jacksonville High until his senior year, but led the team to playoffs and earned East Texas Player of the Year honors with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

"I've always been a later bloomer,'' said the 13-year pro with a 17-year-old daughter.

He began his college year at Southern Methodist but transferred to Sam Houston State his senior year so he could showcase his passing skills. The move paid off as he passed for 3,841 yards and 32 touchdowns to capture the attention of NFL teams. That, and an excellent NFL Combine, where he turned in a 4.57 in the 40 and a 38 1/2-inch vertical leap, made him a third-round pick of the Cardinals in 2002.

He became a full-time starter in 2004, but went 6-7 and headed back to the bench the following season when the Cardinals brought in superstar Kurt Warner. McCown bounced around after that from Detroit to Oakland -- where his quarterbacks coach in 2007 was current Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo -- to Miami to Carolina. But after almost no snaps in '08 and '09 with the Panthers, it looked like it might be time to join the family's wood pallet business.

 When the NFL ignored him that offseason, he opted for the stint with the Hartford Colonials -- despite having to leave his wife Natalie and their four children behind in Charlotte, N.C., where the kids were in school.
 
"We had our mind made up that Josh was the best guy for us and we were trying to convince him that we were the best spot for him to try to continue his career,'' said Ragone, then the Colonials' quarterbacks coach under Chris Palmer, former Browns head coach. "We were running very similar concepts and everything was about as NFL as you can get without the shield. I think he saw it as an opportunity to get back out there and play.''

McCown signed with Hartford only to receive the long-awaited siren call of the NFL -- from then-Bears coach Lovie Smith -- the night before he was to leave.

"I landed in Hartford and was going back and forth with my agent (Mike McCartney),'' he said. "As we talked through it, I didn't have peace about breaking that commitment.  I didn't want to leave an example for my kids of 'hey as soon as something better comes along, jump onto that.''

The sacrifice wasn't lost on his new Hartford family.

"It showed a lot not just to his coaches but to his teammates,'' said Ragone, who had played for the Texans and the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe. "Their level of respect grew when he made that decision. For a guy who had a chance to start in the NFL and come to a league that not many people had heard of and didn't know much about, just to come in as humble as he was -- he's an all-around great human being.''

Still, it wasn't easy.

"The bus either got lost or it broke down the first day going to practice,'' said McCown. "If you tell someone you need shorts, they direct you to a Dick's Sporting Goods or an academy or something like that. There were obviously several times along that season where I questioned, 'what was I thinking?'''

Never did he second-guess himself more than when the Bears made it to the NFC Championship game that year -- and Jay Cutler left the game in the third quarter with an injury. Backups Todd Collins and Caleb Hanie both played, but the Bears lost 21-14 to the Packers.

"It was hard watching that game,'' McCown said. "In a lot of respects you're kind of thinking 'man that could've been me.'''

But McCown will always cherish his year with Hartford and gearing up for the Las Vegas Locomotives.

"It was fun because you're dealing with a bunch of guys that love football,'' he said. "It makes you realize what an honor and a privilege it is to play in the NFL. I grew a lot as a man through that situation and it certainly has impacted who I am today.''

Still harboring NFL hopes, McCown returned home to Charlotte and offered to help coach football at his daughter's high school in the summer of 2011. There, he tutored quarterbacks, zipped around as the scout team signal-caller and made pancakes for the team on Friday mornings.

The 49ers signed him late in training camp, but cut him after three weeks and he jumped back into his high school stint just as the regular season was beginning.

"It was a blast to get back to that level and to be around some guys like that,'' said McCown. "I'm coming in as an NFL player and you think you're going to be the one that's giving the kids all of this but at the end of the day you get more out of them because of how they come to practice and they have so much fun.''

McCown shared his story with the kids of how he never started for his high school until his senior year. Inspired, the team finished 10-2 that year and made the playoffs. What's more McCown became a better quarterback from teaching the position.

"When you're trying to master something or improve at something, your best bet is to give it away,'' he said. "I think that's the last step in that process of cementing something that you're trying to learn. I took that approach when I got back in the league, that I'm going to know it well enough that I could teach it, and I think that's what allowed me to play some of my best football coming back in.''

By then a more meticulous notetaker and film-watcher, McCown was summoned for stints with the Bears at the end of his back-to-back seasons coaching high school ball in 2011 and 2012, and then signed with them again in March of 2013.

That season, thanks to injuries to Cutler, McCown was pressed into service and went 3-2 -- with 13 touchdown passes and only one interception. His 109.0 rating that year was second only to Peyton Manning. By the end of his five starts, fans were clamoring for him to start ahead of Cutler.

"It was just kind of a perfect storm,'' said McCown. "The system, what we were doing tailored to my skills and especially when Jay got hurt, coach (Marc) Trestman did some things to help bring out my skillset.''

McCown, who had elite receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery that year, along with premier running back Matt Forte, also brought his minor-league perspective to the game.

"I can just remember walking into Halas Hall, every time I grabbed the door handle and thinking, 'I'm walking into a facility and I'm back in and I really missed it,''' he said. "Having gone through what I went through and the ups and downs, it was easy for me to get to that place because I had been out. It was just 'have fun, play within the system, don't do too much, and leave it out all out there because you never know. It may be your last one.'''

The pinnacle of McCown's career was followed by the nadir.

Old friend Lovie Smith, who took over the Bucs in 2014, called on McCown to be his starter and try to dig the Bucs out of 4-12 hole. But new offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford left the team with a heart ailment a week before the season and never returned. Quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo, coming over with Tedford from college ranks in the offseason, tried to hold it together along with McCown, but it was too much. McCown, who missed five games with a thumb injury, finished 1-10 and the Bucs 2-14.

"He's a better player than what was demonstrated this past year,'' Smith said at the NFL annual meeting. "Before long, we'll all see, but I'm a part of the group that thinks he'll be able to have success. Let's not hold that 2-14 season against any of us.''

McCown understands the widespread skepticism after that disastrous year, especially after he replaced Brian Hoyer and is blocking Manziel's way.

 "I learned a ton though,'' he said. "There was never a moment especially in the quarterback room where we said 'we're out of it or this is our record, let's just mail it in.' In the bigger picture, there's something deep down that you get out of that and hopefully it will manifest itself later.''

The Browns, 1-1 heading into Sunday's game, are hoping that later is now.

They signed McCown in March to a three-year deal worth $14 million, including $6.25 million guaranteed, installed him immediately as their bridge quarterback and re-instated him this week despite the fact Manziel beat the Titans, 28-14, last Sunday with TD passes of 50 and 60 yards to Travis Benjamin.

"You've got a young guy that comes in and plays well, I get it, I understand it,'' said McCown, who was cleared from his concussion Wednesday. "You don't want it to be a distraction for everybody else. But at the same time, I understand where they're coming from. Like I said, there's so much to be excited about with the way Johnny played Sunday and where he's headed. So I understand it, that's part of it, and I've gone through that before.''

Ragone, for one, is confident that McCown can make folks stop pining for Johnny Football.

"When we used to be in Hartford together, during the days off, we had some time on our hands, so we'd go play basketball,'' he said. "I still prided myself on being somewhat athletic and we're around the same age and we would kind of go at it a little bit. And to watch him be able to throw down dunks as easily as he could, in his early 30s, it told me everything I needed to know.

"He's just a phenomenal athlete and people don't give him credit for how good an athlete he really is, his ability to make things happen when everything else breaks down. He plays a lot of younger than what his birth certificate says and he's been blessed athletically.''

DeFilippo, who lured McCown to Cleveland and away from other suitors such as the Bills, has already witnessed McCown win the job ahead of a first-round pick and deal with the aftermath.

"Josh and I have been in this situation together actually in 2007 with (former Raiders QB) JaMarcus Russell,'' he said. "We drafted JaMarcus No. 1 overall, and we traded for Josh on draft day that spring. He's handled that situation before and he'll handle it like a total pro. I pulled him aside yesterday and told him, 'Just go out and be yourself.'

"A quarterback cannot go out there and play tight and afraid to make mistakes. You have to go out there and cut it loose. I think he'll be fine with that. He is one of the most mentally tough people I have ever met in my life."

Same goes for McCown's older brother, who's also a big fan of Manziel, a fellow Aggie.

"He'll handle it great,'' said Randy McCown. "He's been in so many situations. Johnny casts a big shadow but so does Kurt Warner. And so does Jay Cutler and Josh has played with those guys and behind them and was there when JaMarcus Russell was a first-round pick for the Raiders. He's been in all of those situations and he knows how to handle it.''

McCown makes no promises that he'll play it safe, that he'll slide instead of dive headfirst into the end zone again. He plays with a reckless abandon that comes from knowing that a broken down bus in Hartford or a clipboard is only a play away.

"When they paint the field and turn the lights, let's go compete,'' he said. "I think part of why I'm still around is because I don't give up easily. It's hard for me to ever apologize for that side of me because I feel like it's such a big part of what makes me me.''

The Browns fell behind 20-3 after a lackluster first half and their rally came up short. Mike Pettine talked after the game about the play of Josh McCown and the subpar Cleveland defense.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Browns fell to 1-2 Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, losing to the Oakland Raiders, 27-20. The Cleveland offense struggled to put points on the board early and the Browns couldn't come back from a 20-3 third-quarter deficit.

After the game, Browns coach Mike Pettine met with reporters. Here are highlights of what he had to say:

Reaction to loss

"Just not good enough. Not good enough in all three phases. Made some unforced errors early in the game.  You can't fall behind in the NFL. When you do, there's zero margin for error. . . . We have to start much better. As I told the guys, that's a wasted opportunity. At home, in front of our crowd, begging for something to cheer about, and we had them sitting on their hands for a good part of the game. . . 

"The challenge for our guys is to come in tomorrow, learn from it and we get dialed in - same thing as coming out of Week 1. We have to play better in all phases. Our theme for this year is 'Words Into Action,' and we have to play better."

On the play of the offensive line

"Hard to say at this point. I want to watch the tape. We've gone against some pretty good fronts. When you fall behind and you get yourself in predictable situations . . you can play a lot better when they are 50-50 downs (where running or passing are an option). We evaluate all positions, and none more than the offensive line."

On the late interception on McCown's pass to Benjamin

"He was open early. The play, based on the coverage, we thought we could get a chunk to (tight end) Gary (Barnidge) over the ball. Josh knew there would be a potential window in Cover 2 (a two-safety deep defense), but you have to throw that ball earlier or get it to Gary."

The importance of the roughing-the-punter penalty

"We had good momentum with the stop. The muffed punt was another one as well, that took some of the momentum away."

On the Browns' defense giving up 469 yards of offense

"They (the Raiders) executed. We have our best corner on their best receiver, and they made plays. We had to do some juggling (when Joe Haden was injured), but that was a big loss losing K'Waun Williams late in the week, but still there were times they were going good (player) against good (player), and they were making plays, especially early."

Pettine's decision to go on fourth and goal in first half, before a penalty made the Browns take a field goal

"To me, the closer you get, the more likely I will to be to go for it on fourth down, with the understanding that they'll be backed up if you don't get it."

On whether McCown looked rusty

"I don't know if I would say 'rusty.' He made some big throws in the game, and missed some. I was proud not just of him but how we hung in there offensively and had a chance to tie it at the end. Josh will be the first to tell you he made some throws and had some he'd like to have back."

On the lackluster first half 

"There were times out there, and I didn't mince words with the staff, that we looked like a scout team. . . In the NFL you have to be consistent. You have to play well throughout a game."

Does the defense need to put its "Words Into Action?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Exactly."

Did the defense receive that message?

"Based on today, the answer would be 'no.' "

Any thoughts of putting Johnny Manziel in for McCown in the first half?

"No. None.. . As I said during the week, you can't put a player in a position where he feels like he's on a short leash, or it becomes self-fulfilling."

On his decision to challenge on late Raiders punt downed at the 2-yard line 

"We had all three timeouts and the two-minute warning, and we thought it was worth the challenge for a possible 20 yards there."

 

Cleveland Browns had so many more problems than quarterback play. Rather, they played like a bad team.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --  If you want to dwell on the Josh McCown vs. Johnny Manziel debate, that's fine.

This is Cleveland. Browns fans love to talk about quarterbacks. But is quarterback play really why the Browns lost 27-20 to Oakland at FirstEnergy Stadium? Of course, they could have won if they had an offense that delivered 30 points.
But that's not how the Browns are built. That's not in the game plan.

Right now, not much is going as planned. The Browns played like a bad team. Not just a bad offense. Or bad quarterback play.

"Not good enough," said Mike Pettine. The coach said that applied to "all three facets" of the game: Offense, defense, special teams. All had major problems.

Be it Travis Benjamin fumbling a punt in the fourth quarter. Or Barkevious Mingo being flagged for roughing the punter. Oakland would take advantage of that and eventually score a touchdown.

Or how the Browns are supposed to be a team based on defense and running the ball. But they did neither. Or how Oakland rookie receiver Amari Cooper (8 catches, 134 yards) seemed to wear out Joe Haden, the Browns' Pro Bowl cornerback.

Or how the Browns allowed the Raiders to march 70 yards in five plays, scoring a touchdown with 24 seconds left in the first half. The Browns then left the field at intermission trailing 17-3, as the frustrated fans booed.

Pettine didn't blame the paying customers.

"As I told (the players), that's a wasted opportunity," said Pettine. "At home ... in front of our crowd begging for something to cheer about. ... We had them sitting on their hands for a good part of the game."

In two of their losses, the Browns played like a bad team ... not a good team having a bad day. And there can be no excuses for that.

WHAT RUNNING GAME? WHAT DEFENSE?

Consider this number: 39. The Browns had 39 yards rushing. That's 39 yards in 14 carries.

This is a team that is supposed to be able to run the ball. So far, that hasn't happened. The Browns are averaging only 86 yards rushing yards per game. Isaiah Crowell has not been an impact back. Rookie Duke Johnson had three yards in four carries.

The line does not seem to be opening very many holes. The backs don't appear to have the strength or speed to gain extra yards when there is a little daylight.

Not only can't the Browns run the ball this season, they can't stop the run. Oakland came into Cleveland with only 160 yards rushing in its first two games. The Raiders ran over the Browns for 155 yards Sunday.

It's the same sad story. The Browns were last in defending the run in 2014. They were last in the first two games of 2015. This performance should keep them in the basement.

At some point the Browns have to say, "Something is wrong with our scheme." Yes, the coaches have to take blame for at least part of this, especially the running game. The Browns are supposed to be a physical team, but they have been manhandled on both lines in most of their 12 quarters this season.

Something is very, very wrong. If this doesn't change and change fast, it will be a very, very long year.

DOWN WENT McCOWN

Oakland entered the game with ZERO sacks. Absolutely zero. But McCown was sacked five times.

Part of the reason the Browns fell behind so fast was they couldn't run. McCown ended up throwing on nearly every play in the second half -- 34 passes compared to three runs. He finished with 341 yards on 28-of-49 passing. His heave near the end of the game to Travis Benjamin could have set up an overtime. But the 36-year-old quarterback was picked off by 38-year-old safety Charles Woodson.

Pettine said part of good quarterback play is to "play better around the quarterback." The Browns didn't do that very often.

Oakland entered the day having allowed exactly 33 points in each of its two games. It had the worst pass defense in the league. But the Browns never developed much momentum on offense.

In the blame game, you can wrap up McCown along with the line, the running backs and just about everyone in an orange helmet.

THE SCOUT TEAM

At times, that's how Pettine said the Browns looked -- like the scout team. The backups in practice. That was especially true of the defense. Remember, this team is supposed to win with defense, but they were rolled over for 469 yards.

Derek Carr (20-of-34) sliced them up for 314 yards. He wasn't sacked. He didn't throw an interception. Not a single Brown was credited with a quarterback hit.

The Browns often looked overmatched covering Oakland's receivers.

"I don't know what's going on," said veteran Browns cornerback Tramon Williams. "We just aren't playing good football."

And it's killing the fan base that so wants to embrace this team. They watched the Browns lose to an Oakland team that was 1-19 in its previous 20 road games.

Pettine said the theme for this year is "Words into Action." But so far something has been lost in translation, as too often the team looks confused and unfocused.

Dennis Manoloff and Dan Labbe talk all things Browns-Raiders in their postgame podcast.

We're on iTunes. Subscribe to the cleveland.com Sports podcasts channel here (or search cleveland.com Sports podcasts).

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns lost to the Raiders, 27-20, on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. Following the game, Dennis Manoloff and I broke everything down on our postgame show. Among the topics we discussed:

The defense isn't living up the hype.

The Raiders have passed the Browns.

Who should start at quarterback?

How much blame does the coaching staff deserve?

How much of what we're seeing is a result of the Browns making poor personnel choices?

You can listen in the player above, subscribe on iTunes or download the mp3 here.

The Cleveland Browns' defense, expected to be the strength of the team, allowed long drive after long drive in a 27-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders at home -- Bud Shaw's Sports Spin. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Call it a necessary survival instinct, but Browns fans have developed a keen sense of humor over the years.

Not sure that was the reason for the final chant of "John-ny" heard at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday, though it would warm my heart to think so. Coming as it did at the end of a 54-yard run by Oakland's Latavius Murray with his Raiders leading by two touchdowns, I'd like to think the chant was a sarcastic plea to put Manziel in the game at outside linebacker or strong safety.

This Browns' defense could not appear any more vulnerable at times if Manziel were responsible for "setting the edge," or the Browns re-signed Josh Lenz as a safety.

"There were times out there -- I didn't mince words with the staff - that we looked like a scout team," Pettine said of the 27-20 loss to Oakland.

Pettine's last run defense in Buffalo ranked No. 28. His first run defense here ranked No. 32. With 98 percent of the precincts reporting Sunday, we are projecting the Browns to hold their dead last-in-the-league position after allowing 155 yards rushing to the Raiders.

Numbers don't always tell the story. But the story could get worse if we turned the discussion to missed tackles or to Murray wearing Barkevious Mingo like a backpack on a six-yard TD in the fourth quarter. So the Browns shouldn't complain that statistics are unfair. 

That Murray TD made it Oakland 27, Browns 10. Just your average (for this game) 80-yard drive that featured a 55-yard catch-and-run by Marcel Reese.

He's a fullback.

I'll give Pettine this much: he's not one to extol his defense (and has had even less reason to talk up his offense). He wouldn't want to call attention to either at present, particularly the one where the bulk of the cap money is being squandered. Pettine was down to just a couple healthy defensive backs at one point Sunday after injuries to Joe Haden and Tashaun Gipson (who both returned).

Not a good time to remind anyone that Pettine's lynchpin draft pick Justin Gilbert is still reduced to cameo appearances.

Turns out it was also not a good week for defensive coordinator Jim O'Neill to do his Butch Davis impersonation. O'Neill said if the Browns could just eliminate 2-3 chunk plays -- the kind we saw against Tennessee -- the defense still could be "be damn good."

This is a young coaching staff. No way O'Neill can know we've heard so many variations of those hollow words from Ray Horton, Rob Ryan and Davis before them. With that as the backdrop, the Browns allowed a 300-yard passing game (Derek Carr), a 100-yard receiving game (Amari Cooper) and a 100-yard rushing game (Murray).

Cooper's long was 40 yards. Seth Roberts, who caught a TD pass, also had a 36-yarder. Reese turned a short Carr toss into a chunk half as long as the field itself. Six receivers caught passes for 10 or more yards.

You could say special teams did the Browns' defense no favors. A roughing the punter penalty kept a scoring drive alive. Travis Benjamin's fumbled punt cost the Browns' critical field position late and sabotaged a defensive stop.

You could say all that. Just don't. Oakland had drives of 72, 80, 70, 76 and 80 yards. This wasn't a football game. It was a land grab by a team that didn't win a game away from home a year ago and was 2-22 on the road since 2012.

"Our theme for the year is words into action," Pettine said. "We need to play better before we talk about potentially how good we can be."

Remember, until they find a quarterback, the Browns' organizational philosophy is to win with a stout defense and a running game.

Imagine if it weren't.

"(We were) in front of our crowd begging for something to cheer about, and we had them sitting on their hands for a good part of the game," Pettine said.

Every so often some people did cup their hands to chant for the backup quarterback.

That - and a defense that talks a better game than it plays - has been a tradition unlike any other since 1999.

Joe Haden suffered a rib injury early in Sunday's loss to Oakland and tried to play through it. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns cornerback Joe Haden, as he slowly pulled on his shirt, revealed that he suffered a rib injury on the first play of Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Raiders.

It was a 13-yard pass to Amari Cooper on which he made the tackle after giving up the pass.

He underwent X-rays, which were negative, but will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.

"When I fell on Amari Cooper, his helmet went into my ribs,'' said Haden.

But he couldn't come out of the game. The Browns were already without nickelback K'Waun Williams, who was ruled out Friday with his concussion.

"We didn't have nobody else,'' Haden said.

Haden, who missed much of the preseason with a strained hamstring, went on to get beat by the 2015 No. 4 overall pick two more times on that drive -- both on big third down plays, one for 18 yards and one for 23.

"It was tough but it's no excuse,'' said Haden. "I've got to play better. Everybody on the (defense), we've just got to put together four quarters.''

Coach Mike Pettine didn't think the ribs were an excuse either, and Blunt Force Trauma, as he's known, didn't mince words when rating Haden.

"We have our best corner on their best receiver and they made plays,'' said Pettine. "We had to do some juggling, and I will be curious to see how it played out. It was a big loss, losing K'Waun late in the week, but still, there were times where they were going good against good and they were making plays, especially early.''

Haden gave up another 9-yard pass to Cooper on the next drive for a total of four straight minuses on his grade chart. In the second quarter, Cooper caught a 40-yard pass against the zone that led to a touchdown. All told, he caught eight of the 11 passes thrown his way for 134 yards.

Haden gutted it most of the game but succumbed to the rib injury when he made a potentially touchdown-saving tackle of Latavius Murray after a 54-yard run. He went to the locker room for awhile but returned later in the quarter.

He acknowledged it was hard to breathe, "but I'm out there, so you've got to make plays when you're out there.''

"We've got to tackle better,'' he said. "We've got to get off the field on third down, myself included. We've just got to step up and be way more consistent on defense. We have flashes when we do really good and then we have flashes when we're just not playing like ourselves. We've just got to do it for four quarters.''

Pettine acknowledged that the huge plays -- of 55, 40, 36 and 54 -- were the killers.

"Very, very,'' he said. "There were times out there - I didn't mince words with the staff - that we looked like a scout team.''

The Browns can only hope they don't have to try to play without Haden going forward.

 

Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine calls loss to Oakland Raiders "a wasted opportunity," and he's right.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Cleveland Browns notebook after their 27-20 loss to Oakland:

1. The Browns are 1-2, just as they were a year ago. They started with a loss on the road, then split their next two home games. But this 1-2 feels so much different than the 1-2 of last season. The two early losses in 2014 came when Pittsburgh and Baltimore connected on field goals right near the end of the game. They lost those two games to playoff teams by a combined five points.

2. This season, they were spanked 31-10 by the Jets in the opener. This 27-20 loss to Oakland was demoralizing because the Browns were behind 20-3. They lost to a team that has been in the same NFL losing dumpster for several years. The Raiders came to Cleveland having lost 19-of-20 road games. As Coach Mike Pettine said, "This was a wasted opportunity."

3. Next, the Browns have 3-of-4 games on the road. They play at San Diego, Baltimore and St. Louis. They are home to Denver. This is the NFL, so the Browns will probably win one of those games. This is a league where about all you can predict is something will be unpredictable.

4. But the problem is the Browns aren't playing smart football. They had the ball on the 1-yard line, first down. That's right, 36 inches away from the end zone. At least three plays to cover that ground. Three plays later, it was fourth-and-1. Pettine decided to go for it. As the Browns came to the line of scrimmage, it seemed the snap count was off . . . or something. Guard Joel Bitonio was officially penalized for a false start, but several Browns players jumped.

5. So the Browns failed to gain a yard on three plays. Twice, they ran Isaiah Crowell into the line. Got nothing. Then Josh McCown threw an incomplete pass. Then came the 5-yard penalty, and they had to settle for a field goal. Instead of trailing 10-7 (if they had scored a touchdown), it was 10-3.

6. Following the field goal, Oakland marched 70 yards in five plays for a touchdown against the Browns defense -- making the score 17-3 at the half.

7. Another mental error also was in the second quarter. Oakland was punting from its own 25-yard line. Barkevious Mingo ran into the punter for a roughing the kicker penalty. It seemed two other players also hit the punter. Oakland got the ball back, and that led to another touchdown.

8. Derek Carr is an extremely savvy quarterback for a player in only his second pro season. The Browns tried to pressure him, but he was not sacked. Nor were any Browns players credited with a quarterback hit. This was only a week after the Browns had seven sacks against Tennessee's Marcus Mariota.

9. Travis Benjamin had four catches for 45 yards. His longest was for 17 yards, so there were no big plays on this day. Oakland's defense paid extra attention to him when he went out for deep passes. That did open up some of the shorter throws for Brian Hartline and tight end Gary Barnidge. They combined for 17 catches and 201 yards.

10. But for the Browns offense, Benjamin is the only big-play threat so far. He caught another touchdown pass. He has reached the end zone five times in the first three games. The only other Browns to score touchdowns this season are Isaiah Crowell and Barnidge. As Benjamin draws even more defensive attention, the Browns will need to find someone else to reach the end zone.

11. Give Oakland credit for sticking with the running game. The Raiders had only one yard on their first seven carries. After that, it was 154 yards in 23 carries. As I wrote in my game column, the Browns must look at their defensive schemes against the run. They were dead last defending the run in 2014, and it's the same this season.

12. On offense, the Browns need to look at their running backs. So far, rookie Duke Johnson and Crowell have combined for 196 yards (3.3 average) in three games. In case you were wondering, former Brown Terrance West was inactive for Tennessee this week. He had 10 yards in four carries (and a fumble) in his previous game. That was against the Browns.

The Browns had four shots from the one-yard line to score towards the end of the first half and ended up settling for three instead of seven

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The story of the first half between the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders can be told in two series. One ended in a field goal by the Browns. The other -- the very next one, to be exact -- ended in a touchdown for the Raiders.

Despite struggling much of the first half offensively, the Browns, trailing 10-0, pieced together a 13-play, 74-yard drive that ate up 5:02 and ended with a 24-yard field goal by kicker Travis Coons that cut the lead to 10-3. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Browns had four tries to get the ball in from the one-yard line following Isaiah Crowell's 17-yard run. The Browns came up short on first and third down run plays sandwiching an incomplete pass on second down from quarterback Josh McCown to tight end Gary Barnidge. The real killer, though, came on fourth down when the Browns were called for offsides attempting to go for it.

"I didn't snap the ball," center Alex Mack said. "I didn't hear the cadence and so it was basically offsides on me."

"It was kind of loud and then we didn't snap it on time," said guard Joel Bitonio.

"It's just unfortunate that we didn't get the ball snapped," McCown said. "We had the look that we wanted."

The Raiders took over after the field goal with 1:44 left in the half and went 70 yards on five plays, capped by a Derek Carr touchdown pass to Seth Roberts, to take a 17-3 lead into the locker room. The change of fortunes took away any momentum the Browns had going in at halftime and took the crowd back out of the game.

"When you don't finish with seven, it kills some momentum for sure," McCown said. "You always like to get points, no doubt about it, but when you feel like you're moving the ball as well as we were, you have to finish up with seven."

"You want to make your opportunities in the red zone," Mack said. "Without a doubt. We got there, big play, chance to get on the board with seven points, had to settle for three. You don't want to do that."

"We knew we had to play better (in the second half) anyway," Bitonio said. "But 10-7 sounds a heck of a lot better than 17-3. I mean, that's a one-possession game."

"We'll look at those things and all of those plays leading up to where we could have had chances to get in the endzone," McCown said, "and we'll just clean up the snap on that thing. I'm not worried about that."

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper: Browns third-round pick Xavier Cooper saw his first action as a professional on Sunday. Cooper was activated because defensive lineman Desmond Bryant was out with an injury.

"It was a truly blessing to get out there and work with these guys," Cooper said.

Cooper said after the game that he was happy with what he did.

"I think I did a lot of good things well," Cooper said. "I set the edge. I got off the ball. Big thing is the coaches just want me to get off the ball and get vertical."

Cooper was also called for an offsides penalty on third down that gave the Raiders a free play. The penalty was declined after Latavius Murray ran for five yards and a first down.

"Sometimes you gotta live with those," Cooper said. "Personally, I didn't think I was offsides, but hey, they thought otherwise so I put that on me and that was a big down for us so I gotta be a smarter player, but other than that I think I did alright."

Injuries: Safety Tashaun Gipson left Sunday's game in the third quarter with a groin injury but later returned. Linebacker Craig Robertson left the game with an ankle injury. Robertson was seen in the locker room in a walking boot.

"We are not sure of the severity of that, as well," head coach Mike Pettine said. "We will certainly have more information Wednesday on those (injuries)."

The Browns secondary couldn't contain Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and the Oakland Raiders offense Sunday afternoon. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Raiders fullback Marcel Reece caught a short third-quarter pass Sunday and turned it into a 55-yard gain because two Pro Bowl safeties could not execute a simple tackle.

Reece had no daylight, no momentum and seemingly no hope for any yards after the catch. Just as Browns' free safety Tashaun Gipson started to wrap up the 250-pounder, however, Donte Whitner opted for big hit instead of a fundamental play. The impact of the strong safety's shoulder freed Reece from Gipson's grasp, enabling him to rumble down the left sideline and set up another Raiders' final touchdown.

It was a bad decision by Whitner in a 27-20 loss at FirstEnergy Stadium and a play emblematic of the poor start for the secondary. The Browns find themselves with a 1-2 record and headed into the teeth of the schedule because their best players are getting outplayed.

The Browns were lousy in almost every facet of Sunday's game. The offense started slowly. The specials teams committed a pair of mistakes and the run defense remains a high-priced welcome mat. Unless the secondary raises its level of play, however, the Browns have little chance for a respectable season.

The Raiders, who arrived in Cleveland riding an 11-game road-losing streak, shredded the Browns' defense for 469 yards. Impressive second-year quarterback Derek Carr completed 20-of-32 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns and had no issues challenging the Browns' best defender.

Cornerback Joe Haden, playing through a rib injury suffered on the first snap, could not contain rookie Amari Cooper, who finished with eight catches for 134 yards. The Pro Bowl corner has had two tough games in three outings.

The 30-year Whitner, who returned home to be a team leader on defense, continues to miss tackles. He broke up a pair of passes against the Raiders, but his current form belies his status as a three-time Pro Bowler.

"We've got to play better," said Haden, who was defending Cooper for five or six of his catches. "We talk about having the best secondary, we talk about having the best offensive line and when it's time to prove it on Sundays it's not happening."

The Browns' defense is built around its secondary. Look at the money invested in it. Three weeks into the season and only 32-year-old corner Tramon Williams is playing as expected.

Valuable nickelback K'Waun Williams - a 2014 undrafted free agent -- is out with his third concussion in less than a year and his absence was obvious Sunday. Gipson briefly left the game with a groin injury, and Haden will get an MRI on his ribs.

All of these bumps, and cornerback Justin Gilbert, the No. 8 overall pick from a year ago, still cannot get on the field. If he played defensively, it was sparingly and the coaching staff went to Johnson Bademosi ahead of Gilbert.  

Injuries aside, there's no excuse for a unit that considers itself one of the league's best to be performing so poorly. All the preseason talk from the defensive backs sounds foolhardy at the moment. Raiders receivers consistently caught passes and either broke tackles or ran away from defenders.

"(The Raiders) executed," Pettine said. "We have our best corner on their best receiver, and they made plays. We had to do some juggling, and I will be curious to see on the tape how it played out. It was a big loss, losing K'Waun late in the week, but still, there were times where they were going good against good and they were making plays, especially early."  

For the second time in three weeks, the Browns surrendered a huge touchdown in the waning moments before intermission. The final two minutes of a half and game are supposed to be points of emphasis and pride for good defenses. The Browns have surrendered too many points in these critical situations.

On Sunday, the Raiders drove 70 yards on just five plays to take a 17-3 lead to the break. They made it look easy, especially as Carr lofted a pass into the right flat to a wide-open Seth Roberts who raced 36 yards.

The Browns' dozy offense woke up in the second half, but the defense could not make enough stops. The killer was the 55-yard pass play to Reece in which he shook off Gipson and Whitner and ran through an arm tackle of Williams for about five yards before the entire secondary converged. Two plays later, Latavius Murray scored on a 6-yard run in which he dragged Barkevious Mingo into the end zone.

Pettine was asked after the game if his "words into action" mantra is getting through to his players.

"I think based on today, the answer would be no," the coach said.

Haden, who deserves credit for toughing it out with a rib injury, needs to play to his reputation. Same with Whitner, who appears a step slow and out of sync.  

The Browns are not getting enough return on one of the NFL's most expensive defenses. The pass rush, like in the opener, was almost non-existent. The run defense yielded 155 yards as Murray broke countless tackles.

It's the secondary, however, which is becoming a primary concern. It's time to forget all those gaudy pass-defense stats from a season ago and get back to basics.

You know, like wrapping up on a tackle.

 

Nike launched the LEBRON 13 shoe in Akron, hometown of Cavs star LeBron James on the eve of training camp for the 2015-16 season. Watch video

AKRON, Ohio - Even LeBron James' shoes get pep rallies.

James and Nike celebrated the LEBRON 13, his signature basketball shoe due out in stores Oct. 10 for $200, with about 2,000 people Sunday night at the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall.

Nike calls such events a shoe "launch," but no one left campus with a new pair of LeBron kicks.

Instead, the lighter, sleeker, maroon-colored pro-type shoe was unveiled as part of an evening-long pep rally of sorts, fully equipped with Cavs' two dance teams, master of ceremonies at The Q Ahmaad Crump, a disc jockey, a slam poet, NBA TV's Kristen Ledlow, and James.

This wasn't James' first shoe launch in Akron, (the last one was six years ago, according to a Nike spokeswoamn), but stood as yet another high profile event for him in his hometown since returning to the Cavs in 2014 after four years in Miami.

James' homecoming bash was held at Akron's InfoCision Stadiu in August, 2014, and in July James hosted a red-carpet premiere of his new movie "Trainwreck" on Akron's outskirts.

Thus, the "pep." The wall-shaking enthusiasm inside the concert hall wasn't so much for the shoe (though the product seemed well received), but for the player they call King James who gives back to the community through the LeBron James Family Foundation.

Joe Vardon, Northeast Ohio Media Group 

Many of the 2,000 in attendance are children involved in the foundation's signature mentorship program and their families. Additionally, James announced that a few of the children in the foundation will design a model of the LEBRON 13 to be released next summer.

Also, on every shoe "The Akronite" is engraved on one of the padded hexagons on the sole. James said one of the design patterns from his shoe (people in the industry call them "colorways") will be Akron-themed.

"Everything we've all wanted (for Akron) will go into the shoe," James said to cheers. At an earlier shoe unveiling for media members Sunday, James said the Akron-themed shoe "means a lot to me, and I think you'll enjoy it."

Joe Vardon, Northeast Ohio Media Group 

The Nike event precedes the start of training camp for the Cavs, who will host media day for the 2015-16 season Monday and begin practicing Tuesday. A highlight reel from James' return season with the Cavs, which ended in the Finals in June, was part of the rally, and injured star point guard Kyrie Irving (also a Nike signature athlete) made a brief appearance on stage.

As for the shoe itself, Kevin Dodson, senior product line manager for Nike, said "I think it's another continuation with LeBron's line where we've kind of just gotten more and more precise with how we've solved his problems.

"We had the LEBRON 12 shoe last year that he wore throughout the whole season, he loved it," Dodson said. "His challenge to us was hey take what was great about this and make it even better, and then get rid of everything extra we don't need. That's really what we've done."

Dodson said the new shoe is an ounce lighter than last year's version and has extra padding in the hexagons placed on the heel and ball of the foot.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback Josh McCown went 28-of-49 for 341 yards and two touchdowns as the Cleveland Browns lost to the Oakland Raiders, 27-20, Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. McCown threw one interception, fumbled once (recovered by Cleveland) and was sacked five times. Here is a capsule look at McCown's performance: Give them their due: The Raiders, who played...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback Josh McCown went 28-of-49 for 341 yards and two touchdowns as the Cleveland Browns lost to the Oakland Raiders, 27-20, Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. McCown threw one interception, fumbled once (recovered by Cleveland) and was sacked five times.

Here is a capsule look at McCown's performance:

Give them their due: The Raiders, who played their first road game of the season,  snapped an 11-game road losing streak. The franchise won in the Eastern time zone for the first time since 2009 and in Cleveland for the first time since 1985.

The Raiders are 2-1 overall -- all against AFC North opponents. They opened with a 33-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, then defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 37-33.

Losing, Inc: The Browns are 1-2. They opened with a 31-10 loss at the New York Jets, then defeated the Tennessee Titans, 28-14, in Cleveland.

McCown is 0-2 as the starter, but it comes with an asterisk. He played one series against the Jets before being concussed and replaced by Johnny Manziel.

Manziel played well against Tennessee.

Brutal: As was the case against the Jets, the Browns' defense played poorly Sunday. It is most responsible for both losses, not the quarterbacks.

The Raiders amassed 469 total yards and 7.6 yards per play and possessed the ball for 32 minutes, 29 seconds. They were 6-of-14 on third down. Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, and he was not intercepted or sacked.

The Raiders' offense dictated terms in the first half, resulting in a 17-3 lead. Oakland led by at least seven points beginning midway through the second quarter and led by at least 10 the vast majority of the second half. 

As expected: McCown threw for an impressive yardage total and gained 7.0 per attempt. His passer rating was a solid 83.8.

McCown deserves credit for those numbers, but they must be viewed in proper context. The reality is, McCown benefitted from facing a defense vulnerable to the pass and from the game situation.

In Week 1, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton went 25-of-34 for 269 yards (7.9 YPA) and two touchdowns. He was not sacked or intercepted. Rating: 115.9.

In Week 2, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was 32-of-45 for 384 yards (8.5 YPA) and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once and avoided any sacks. Rating: 102.5.

If a quarterback doesn't post impressive numbers against the Raiders these days, something is wrong with him.

On Sunday, the Raiders led by at least seven points for the vast majority of minutes. It meant that an already-generous secondary was willing to keep bending. Plenty of throws were available to be completed.

Bottom line: No question McCown could have used help -- from his defense, and from his line. Oakland's front notched its first sacks of the season and forced him to move off his spot on numerous occasions.

A negligible running game (14 carries, 39 yards) hurt McCown, as well.

Factoring it all in, though, McCown performed no better than so-so against the Raiders. His team lost to a rebuilding outfit. He under-threw several deep balls and was a tad late or low on an assortment of shorter throws. And he was intercepted in the final minute with his team driving for the potential tying touchdown.

The Raiders' pressure prevented McCown from stepping into the throw that resulted in the interception. Still, McCown was late with the attempt to Travis Benjamin near the Oakland 10, enabling wily veteran Charles Woodson to make a play on the ball. 

McCown's final grade: C-

Piece by piece: Here is a breakdown of each Browns pass play:

FIRST QUARTER

First Series (Oakland, 3-0)

1. 2nd and 8 @ CB 22

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Oakland holding nullifies batted-pass incompletion.

Skinny: Browns fortunate.

2. 2nd and 9 @ CB 28

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Cleveland holding nullifies incompletion (Benjamin).

Skinny: M. Schwartz held K. Mack.

3. 2nd and 19 @ CB 18

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to G. Barnidge on left side for 6 (2 in air; 4 after catch).

Skinny: Basic to flat.

4. 3rd and 13 @ CB 24

Four rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to D. Johnson on left side for -1 (-1 in air; 0 after catch).

Skinny: Oakland diagnoses screen easily.

Second Series (Oakland, 3-0)

5. 1st and 10 @ CB 20

Five rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Incompletion (T. Benjamin) on right side.

Skinny: D.J. Hayden almost intercepts at CB 35.

6. 3rd and 6 @ CB 24

Six rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to B. Hartline on left side for 17 (14 in air; 3 after catch).

Skinny: McCown good job to step up in pocket.

7. 2nd and 11 @ CB 40

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Sack for -3.

Skinny: Raiders foil attempted backside screen to T. Benjamin.

1st Quarter Stats:  3/4 for 22 yards; 2 penalties; 1 sack for -3 yards

SECOND QUARTER

8. 3rd and 14 @ CB 37

Four rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to G. Barnidge over middle for 10 (8 in air; 2 after catch).

Skinny: Basic underneath, no chance for 1st down.

Third Series (Oakland, 3-0)

9. 2nd and 5 @ CB 38

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion (G. Barnidge) on right side at OAK 47.

Skinny: McCown hit on release, pass sails.

10. 3rd and 5 @ CB 38

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Incompletion (R. Housler) on left side at CB 45.

Skinny: Housler questionable pushoff penalty declined by OAK; C. Woodson might have gotten away with penalty.

Fourth Series (Oakland, 10-0)

11. 1st and 10 @ CB 20

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Incompletion (T. Benjamin) on left side at CB 29.

Skinny: Bad throw (low) to diving Benjamin.

12. 3rd and 14 @ CB 16

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to G. Barnidge on right side for 40 (28 in air; 12 after catch).

Skinny: Quality play by McCown, who steps up in pocket and throws on move to wide-open Barnidge.

13. 1st and 10 @ OAK 44

Five rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Incompletion (T. Gabriel) on left side at 5.

Skinny: McCown overshoots Gabriel, who is covered well.

14. 2nd and 10 @ OAK 44

Five rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Incompletion (A. Hawkins) over middle at OAK 37.

Skinny: McCown too long for Hawkins (who wanted flag on OAK for contact)

15. 3rd and 10 @ OAK 44

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to G. Barnidge over middle for 15 (11 in air; 4 after catch).

Skinny: Barnidge sits down in hole in zone.

16. 2nd and 16 @ OAK 35

Five rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to T. Benjamin on right side for 17 (13 in air; 4 after catch).

Skinny: Benjamin exploits soft coverage with curl route.

17. 2nd and Goal @ 1

Six rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Incompletion (G. Barnidge) on right side at goal line.

Skinny: M. Smith PBU.

Fifth Series (Oakland, 17-3)

18. 1st and 10 @ CB 17

Four rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Incompletion (Hartline) on right side at CB 26.

Skinny: McCown overshoots Hartline at sideline.

2nd Quarter Stats:  4/11 for 82 yards

Halftime Stats:  7/15 for 104 yards; 2 penalties; 1 sack for -3 yards

THIRD QUARTER

Sixth Series (Oakland, 17-3)

19. 2nd and 9 @ CB 21

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion (T. Benjamin) on right side at OAK 35.

Skinny: McCown hit on release, overshoots Benjamin.

20. 3rd and 9 @ CB 21

Six rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Sack by M. Smith for -5.

Skinny: Smith beats Crowell.

Seventh Series (Oakland, 20-3)

21. 1st and 10 @ CB 20

Five rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to D. Johnson on right for 8 (3 in air; 5 after catch).

Skinny: Basic checkdown.

22. 2nd and 2 @ CB 28

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion nullified by OAK offside.

Skinny: Batted-down incompletion nullified by offside.

23. 2nd and 7 at CB 23

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Incompletion (B. Hartline) on left side at CB 31

Skinny: Pass behind open Hartline.

24. 3rd and 2 @ CB 28

Six rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to B. Hartline on right side for 10 (8 in air; 2 after catch).

Skinny: Great catch by Hartline using legs while well-covered; Lofton in McCown's face.

25. 1st and 10 @ CB 38

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to T. Benjamin on right side for 8 (2 in air; 6 after catch).

Skinny: Basic to boundary.

26. 2nd and 2 @ CB 46

Four rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion (G. Barnidge) on left side at line of scrimmage

Skinny: Raiders not fooled by misdirection; A. Smith pressure, possible tip.

27.  3rd and 2 @ CB 46

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Incompletion (R. Housler) on left side at line of scrimmage.

Skinny: A. Smith tips pass at line.

28. 4th and 2 @ CB 46

Four rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to G. Barnidge on left side for 6 (5 in air; 1 after catch).

Skinny: Quality throw to Barnidge, covered by M. Smith.

29. 1st and 10 @ OAK 48

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to D. Johnson on right side for 2 (-1 in air; 3 after catch)

Skinny: McCown improv results in dump-off.

30. 2nd and 8 @ OAK 46

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to D. Johnson over middle for 0 (3 in air; -3 after catch)

Skinny: Basic underneath.

31. 3rd and 8 @ OAK 46

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to B. Hartline over middle for 9 (7 in air; 2 after catch).

Skinny: Quick slant.

32. 1st and 10 @ OAK 37

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to T. Gabriel on right side for 8 (8 in air; 0 after catch).

Skinny: Basic short pass.

33. 3rd and 1 @ OAK 28

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to G. Barnidge on right side for TOUCHDOWN (19 yards in air; 9 after catch).

Skinny: McCown rolls right away from Mack pressure, throws strike on move to Barnidge, beating Woodson.

3rd Quarter Stats:  9 for 13 for 79 yards; 1 TD; 1 penalty; 1 sack for -5

FOURTH QUARTER

Eighth Series (Oakland, 27-10)

34. 1st and 10 @ CB 20

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Sack by K. Mack for -7.

Skinny: K. Mack abuses M. Johnson.

35. 2nd and 17 @ CB 13

Four rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Incompletion (A. Hawkins) over middle at CB 19.

Skinny: Hawkins gets hand on it.

36. 3rd and 17 @ CB 13

Four rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to B. Hartline on left side for 41 (34 in air; 7 after catch).

Skinny: Terrific throw under pressure.

37. 1st and 10 @ OAK 46

Four rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: OAK holding nullifies incompletion (T. Gabriel) on right at OAK 20 

Skinny: Underthrown deep ball.

38. 1st and 10 @ OAK 41

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to T. Gabriel on left side for 9 (8 in air; 1 after catch).

Skinny: Basic stop route.

39. 1st and 10 @ OAK 19

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion (T. Benjamin) on left side in end zone.

Skinny: McCown hit on release.

40. 2nd and 10 @ OAK 19

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion (A. Hawkins) over middle in end zone

Skinny: Williams pushes Bitonio into McCown.

41. 3rd and 10 @ OAK 19

Four rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Strip sack (-6)/fumble, recovered by Browns RT M. Schwartz.

Skinny: Mack beats Schwartz with spin move.

Ninth Series (Oakland, 27-13)

42. 1st and 10 @ OAK 44

Three rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to A. Hawkins on left for 8 (6 in air; 2 after catch).

Skinny: Basic out route.

43. 1st and 10 @ OAK 31

Six rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to T. Benjamin on left side for 16 (16 in air; 0 after catch).

Skinny: Benjamin beats Thorpe on skinny post.

44. 1st and 10 @ OAK 15

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion (A. Hawkins) over middle at OAK 6.

Skinny: Carrie PBU.

45. 2nd and 10 @ OAK 15

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Completion to T. Gabriel on right side for 11 (11 in air; 0 after catch)

Skinny: Gabriel with diving catch against Hayden on sideline.

46. 1st and Goal @ 4

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Incompletion (G. Barnidge) over middle in end zone

Skinny: McCown simply overcooks it; Barnidge wide-open.

47. 2nd and Goal @ 4

Five rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to T. Benjamin on right side for 4-yard TOUCHDOWN (3 in air; 1 after catch).

Skinny: Benjamin pulls Hayden into end zone.

Tenth Series (Oakland, 27-20)

48. 1st and 10 @ CB 2

Four rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Incompletion (T. Benjamin) on left side at CB 45.

Skinny: Benjamin beats Thorpe with slant and go, but McCown underthrows.

49. 2nd and 10 @ CB 2

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to A. Hawkins on left side for 10 (6 in air; 4 after catch).

Skinny: Basic to open Hawkins.

50. 1st and 10 @ CB 12

Five rushers at time of pass; heavy moderate.

Result: Incompletion (T. Gabriel) on left side.

Skinny: Autry with batted pass 3 yards in front of McCown.

51. 2nd and 10 @ CB 12

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to D. Johnson over middle for 5 (3 in air; 2 after catch).

Skinny: Basic underneath.

52. 3rd and 5 @ CB 17

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to B. Hartline on left side for 19 (15 in air; 4 after catch).

Skinny: Hartline wide-open.

53. 1st and 10 @ CB 36

Three rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Incompletion (D. Johnson) to right sideline.

Skinny: Pressure forces throwaway.

54. 2nd and 10 @ CB 36

Six rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to M. Moore over middle for 15 (13 in air; 2 after catch).

Skinny: Good throw into tight coverage.

55. 1st and 10 @ OAK 49

Four rushers at time of pass; moderate pressure.

Result: Completion to D. Johnson over middle for 18 (3 in air; 15 after catch).

Skinny: Basic checkdown.

56. 1st and 10 @ OAK 31

Four rushers at time of pass; no pressure.

Result: Completion to S. Draughn on left side for 2 (1 in air; 1 after catch).

Skinny: Basic.

57. 2nd and 8 @ OAK 29

Four rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: Sack for -6.

Skinny: Oakland's 5th sack.

58. 3rd and 14 @ OAK 35

Four rushers at time of pass; heavy pressure.

Result: INTERCEPTION (intended for T. Benjamin) by C. Woodson on right side.

Skinny: McCown left leg bumped at release by right guard John Greco, who was pushed back by Raiders' Justin Tuck. Woodson reads McCown, jumps in front of Benjamin at OAK 10.

4th Quarter Stats:  12 for 21 for 158 yards; 1 TD; 1 INT; 1 penalty; 3 sacks for -19

Game Stats:  28 for 49 for 341 yards; 2 TDs; 1 INT; 4 penalties; 5 sacks for -27

As the games dwindle for the wild-card chasing Indians, the sting of their mistakes hurts more Watch video

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If the Indians were going to have a chance to make this happen, they couldn't afford more than a couple of mistakes. Whether or not they went through their surplus of bad plays on this six-game trip through Target Field and Kauffman Stadium is debatable, but let's just say the bank account is low.

They trail Houston for the second wild card by four games with seven to play. It doesn't look like that makeup game with Detroit on Oct. 5 is going to be needed.

The Indians went 3-3 against the Royals and Twins so it's not like they quit. It's just that with so few games left every mistake carries more weight than it would if it happened in April or May.

The AL Central champion Royals averted a sweep by the Indians on Sunday with a 3-0 victory. Would the outcome have been different without a baserunning mistake by rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor? It's hard to say, but it's the kind of mistake that will leave an echo when this season ends.

The Indians were being no-hit and beaten, 2-0, through six innings when Lindor opened the seventh with a bunt single against reliever Ryan Madson. The crowd of 36,339 booed, but the Royals were already guaranteed a spot in the postseason. The Indians were still trying to get a piece for themselves.

"It doesn't matter," said Lindor, when asked about the boos. "I was trying to do what's best for the Indians."

Manager Terry Francona agreed.

"I thought that was outstanding," said Francona. "We're not trying to break up a no hitter, we're trying to win the game. If they had an issue with it, I saw (Alcides) Escobar saying a few things, they can take that up with me."

Michael Brantley, back in the lineup after missing four games with a bruised right shoulder, followed Lindor to the plate. It's the reason Lindor bunted.

"When you got Michael Brantley at the plate with someone on base in a 2-0 game, he can change the game like that," said Lindor.

Brantley walked to move Lindor to second. Carlos Santana followed with a drive toward the right field fence that died in the wind.

"On most days, that's a three-run homer," said Francona. "He got under it and back spun it and it just didn't go.

Lindor advanced to third on Santana's fly ball and that's when the game offered the Indians equal parts opportunity and frustration. Lonnie Chisenhall sent a liner back to the mound that Madson caught. He saw Brantley breaking off first base and threw to Eric Hosmer for the double play. The throw was low and Hosmer had to make a sprawling catch as Brantley dodged his way back to first. Lindor, meanwhile, was diving across home plate. It was 2-1 and the Indians were back in the game.

Royals' manager Ned Yost challenged the safe call at first. The Royals appealed to third base saying Lindor didn't tag. Third base umpire Mike Estabrook made the safe signing saying Lindor did everything right.

The review on the call at first base lasted 1:11. The call on the field stood because while Hosmer swiped at Brantley with his glove, he as holding the ball in his bare hand.

The Royals were out of challenges, but Yost came back on the field to talk the umpires about Lindor not tagging at third. Dana DeMuth, the crew chief, used his right for a crew chief review and called New York. The review took 3:37 and Lindor was called out.

"It was kind of convoluted as you could tell," said Francona. "In the end, they got the call right, but I'm not too sure I agree they handled it appropriately.

"I think when Ned came out and challenged, they lost the challenge. Then he comes back out, which you're not allowed to do, and they allowed him to. Then they put the play on the scoreboard and they react to that and I don't think you can do that either.

"Again, it's hard to have a run taken off the board. Now they got the call right. I just don't think it was probably handled exactly right. They said there was a lot going on there."

Lindor, a strong candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, said the mistake was his.

"I went back, I just didn't go back all the way to the base," said Lindor. "I messed up. I messed up. It was my fault."

Hosmer, who made a late throw home from the seat of his pants, said, "I thought Lindor got to the plate awfully fast."

Lindor came into the game leading the big leagues with a .384 (71-for-185) batting average since Aug. 14.

"It's something that shouldn't have happened, but I did it and I embrace it," said Lindor.

The loss cut the Indians deep.

"It's very tough," said Lindor. "We had some good at bats, but the ball wouldn't fall. That's not what we're here for. We're here to win and it's hard."

Finally: The Reds claimed Tyler Holt on waivers Sunday. The Indians designated Holt for assignment last week.

A roughing-the-punter penalty in the first half and a Travis Benjamin muffed punt in the second half cost the Browns as they tried to come back against the Raiders. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Browns were afforded two opportunities for glorious field position Sunday with the reigning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week waiting to field a punt.

Both ended in disaster and played key roles in the Browns' 27-20 loss of the Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Raiders scored a touchdown after a roughing-the-punter penalty extended a second-quarter drive and Travis Benjamin muffed a fourth-quarter punt - recovered by Oakland - that cost the Browns' precious time off their late rally.

"It was one of those things (where) I felt like I let my team down," said Benjamin of the fumble a week after scoring three touchdowns, including a 78-yard punt return.

"That's one thing I don't like to do. We've got to take advantage of every opportunity. Every time we get the ball we've got to punch it in."

It was a tough day for the punt-return unit, which starred in the 28-14 win over the Titans a week ago. A third chance for good field position - a short return by Benjamin to the Browns' 43 - was wiped out by an illegal block above the waist call on Barkevious Mingo.

The biggest special teams talking point of the game, however, came on the Raiders' next possession.

Trailing by three points, the Browns' defense forced a punt from the Oakland 25 and Benjamin figured to have an excellent shot at a return. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor decided to go for the block as four Browns, including Mingo, Marlon Moore, Shaun Draughn and Tank Carder descended on punter Marquette King.

"We tried to have a party at the punter," Moore said.

King got away a booming 64-yard kick just as several Browns crashed into him. There was no disputing the penalty, but plenty of debate regarding whether the Browns should have set up a return instead of gambling on the punt block.

"It's football, man," Moore said. "You've got to be able to take chances when they present themselves and make a play. We took the chance, didn't make the play and ended up paying for it."

The Raiders capitalized on the Browns' mistake, going 60 yards and making it 10-0 on Derek Carr's 3-yard TD pass to Andre Holmes.

"We had good momentum with a stop and then had to go right back out, and they drove the length of the field," coach Mike Pettine said.

The sequence was arguably the biggest turning point of the game. Benjamin backed Tabor's decision to make an aggressive play.

"I wasn't surprised at all," Benjamin said. "I don't doubt Tabes one bit. Whatever he calls, that's we've got to run. We've just got to stay off the punter."

Benjamin's fourth-quarter fumble occurred minutes after he caught a 4-yard TD pass from Josh McCown to pull the Browns' within seven points.

The returner had trouble judging the short punt, which knuckled in the wind, and he was bumped into by teammate Justin Gilbert. Benjamin dropped the ball at the Browns' 43 and Raiders' linebacker Neiron Ball recovered.

The Raiders didn't score on the turnover, but they milked 1-minute, 35-seconds off the clock and flipped the field. The Browns started their final possession at their 2-yard-line.

"It was one of those balls I've got to catch," Benjamin said. "I'm not making any excuses about it, I've got to catch the ball."

 

Josh McCown and the Browns offense had a slow start before getting on track and mounting a comeback that fell short against Oakland. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh McCown heard the boos on his first drive at FirstEnergy Stadium and the "John-ny! John-ny!" chants with 12:28 left in the first half as the Browns were about to punt for the third straight time.

"There were Johnny chants?'' McCown said tongue in cheek after the Browns 27-20 loss to the Raiders.

But McCown, who was pick over Johnny Manziel Wednesday when he was cleared from his concussion, silenced the boos and the chants with a gutsy second-half rally -- until he was picked off with 38 seconds left by Charles Woodson on a deep ball down the right sideline intended for Travis Benjamin.

The pick ended a heroic march that began at the Browns 2-yard line with 2:26 remaining two timeouts left and the Browns trailing 27-20. McCown began the drive by underthrowing Benjamin down the left side and watching it get broken up.

"It was a double-move call and I absolutely thought we were going to beat 'em,'' said Benjamin, who caught TD passes of 50 and 60 yards from Johnny Manziel in a 28-14 victory over the Titans last week. "But Josh, who knows, he kind of put the ball with a little air in it and the safety got to it.''

Acknowledged McCown (28-of-49, 341 yards, two TD, 1 INT, 5 sacks, 83.8 rating): "I did not throw the deep ball as well as I'd like to today.''

But he shook off the miscue and made some big-time throws on the 11-play, 63-yard drive, including a 19-yard strike to Brian Hartline to convert a third-down, a 15-harder to Marlon Moore and a short pass over the middle to Duke Johnson that he turned into an 18-yard gain to the Oakland 31.

Sacked for a 6-yard loss back to the 35 and facing a third and 14, McCown scanned the field and saw Benjamin streaking down the right sideline with 18-year veteran safety Charles Woodson, who was playing with a bum shoulder. The Rabbit -- arguably the fasted player in the league -- vs. the crafty ol' vet? McCown went for it, but was unable to follow Manziel's rule from the week before: you can almost never overthrow the speedy wideout.

McCown, with John Greco valiantly trying to hold off Justin Tuck and then Khalil Mack, couldn't step into his throw and heave it the way he wanted. It came up a little short and the eight-time Pro Bowler Woodson swiped the pass and ended the threat.

"I was trying to hold Charles with my eyes and I got him where we wanted to, I just didn't put enough on the ball,'' said McCown. "We would've had a shot. It's one of those where I'd like to put a little more air on it and go over the top and you have to bet on the safety taking a bad angle and I think we would've had it. I didn't throw it the way I wanted to throw it.''

Coach Mike Pettine made it clear that McCown waited too long to unleash the ball.

"(Benjamin) was open early,'' said Pettine. "The play, based on the coverage, we thought we could get a chunk to (tight end Gary Barnidge) over the (middle). Credit Woodson, that was a heck of play, but you have to throw that ball a little bit earlier or get it in the middle of the field to Gary."

Explained Benjamin: "They went Cover 2. ....Woodson would probably be the only safety in this league who could have read that play. Josh is so good at looking the safety off and coming backside, he was just there to jump it.''

The interception spoiled McCown's 17-point second half rally after the Browns trailed 17-3 at the half, 20-3 in the third and 27-10 in the fourth. It also came on the heels of Benjamin's muffed fair catch at the Browns' 43 with 4:01 remaining and down by seven.

"Yeah, absolutely (you like your chances there), just because you have a little bit more of your playbook open to you with that time left,'' McCown said. "It's just a bummer. Everybody did one or two things that they wished they had back and I know Trav hates that that happened.

"But kudos to our defense to going out there and getting that stop (a three-and-out) and getting us the ball back. At the end of the day even with that and the things that happened, we're sitting there moving the ball and having a chance, and that's all you can ask for. We've just go to finish. So those are the things that I'll look at and just reflect on, the things that I could have done, including that last play to help us be able to finish that last one."

McCown, now 0-2 as the Browns' starter, took the loss hard.

"It's very tough,'' he said. "As a competitor you sit there and you don't want to be in those situations, but when you have that moment, you're in front of your home crowd, and you can go (98 yards) and tie a football game up and give yourself a chance to hopefully win, it's all you can ask for.

"We were sitting right there knocking on the door and we didn't finish it. I'm proud of how we rallied, both sides of the ball, but it was just too messy all day for us. Just collectively, everybody took their turns in not doing what needed to be done to win the game. And offensively we were just too up and down and inconsistent. For me, I look at me and just focus on the things I can do to help that not happen and us not play that way and have some more continuity.''

McCown got off to a horrible start that had the boo-birds and Manziel supporters out in full force. He punted on his first three drives and four of his first drive. The first three drives totaled 13 plays and netted 40 yards.

 "We started slow and that wasn't good,'' he said. "Especially the way they started, we needed to answer and respond and offensively we didn't do that. Every time we've been out generally we've started fast. and so that was not typical of us and got to be better there.''

Moments before the third punt, the "John-ny!'' chants reverberated throughout the stadium.

 "Like I said Wednesday, I understand the situation that I'm in and it's part of it,'' said McCown. "He's an exciting young player that I know people want to see play. So I understand that part. But for me, I have to just focus on where we are and what we're doing and we had our own problems, our own issues getting fixed just trying to move the ball.

"You can't allow that to become part of it because then it snowballs. Now you're fighting both the crowd and the defense, so you have to take that out of it. I've been around long enough to have gone through those things and feel pretty good about my ability to block that out."

Perhaps spurred by the chants, McCown did have one good drive in the first half -- which featured third-down passes of 40 and 15 yards to his go-to-guy Barnidge -- but it ended with a field goal after the Browns false-started on fourth and goal at the 1 with the 1:48 left in the half and the Browns trailing 10-0. Joel Bitonio got the flag, but center Alex Mack took the blame.

"I didn't snap the ball," Mack said. "I didn't hear the cadence. It was basically offsides by me."

The miscue blew a prime chance to trim the deficit to 10-7 before the break.

 "It was a great drive,'' said McCown. "We got down there and after stalling and stalling finally got something going and really have to finish that thing off and finish it in the end zone. It's just unfortunate that we didn't get the ball snapped. We had the look we wanted and it appeared to be on the pictures to be a touchdown to Duke (Johnson).

"So we were going to walk in feeling good about that and didn't get it. When you move the ball down that quickly and that effectively, when you don't finish with seven, it kills some momentum for sure.''

Instead of trailing 10-7, the Browns fell behind 17-3 with 18 seconds left in the half on a 13-yard TD pass from Derek Carr to Seth Roberts. Undaunted, McCown came out in the second half and threw touchdown passes of 28 yards to Gary Barnidge to make it 20-10 with 3:32 left in the third and 4 yards to Benjamin with 6:28 left in the game to pull within 27-20.

After completing only seven attempts for 104 yards in the first half for a 69.9 rating, McCown completed 21-of-34 in the for 237 yards with two TDs and one interception in the second half for a 90.0 mark. He was also especially good on third-down, as the Browns converted 8-of-16 for 50%. He connected six times with Gary Barnidge for 105 yards and five times with Hartline for 96 yards, including a 41-harder.

"You take the good and the bad and at the end of the day, you lost and you don't really feel good about anything,'' he said. "It's still obviously very early and it's a loss that stings because you feel like you could have gone out there and won this one and should have won this won but just did things that took ourselves out of it."

Hartline and Benjamin lamented the fact that the Browns weren't aggressive enough in the early going.

"I felt like we could've been in more of an attack at the start of the game like how we were in the second half,'' Hartline said. "You need to attack teams straight from the get go. We took too long to get going, put ourselves in a corner before we started attacking them. And that's on us. We've got to show we know what we're capable. My personal opinion is we need to get out there and understand who we are and attack the guys from the jump."

Benjamin agreed.

"We didn't come out aggressive, no,'' said Benjamin. " We could have had a couple chunk plays downfield to open up the run. When they come press, we've got to open up the pass. There's times we can start faster.''

It didn't help McCown that the Browns couldn't run the ball. They managed only 39 yards on 14 carries for a 2.8-yard average. Isaiah Crowell had 36 and Johnson had 3. He was also under seige much of the day  especially by Khalil Mack, and was strip-sacked once but the Browns recovered.

"He made some big throws in the game and missed some,'' said Pettine. "I was proud of not just him but how we hung in there offensively and got us back to within a score and a chance to tie it at the end. Josh will be the first to tell you there are some throws he made and some he'll want to have back."

McCown had X-rays after the game on an unspecified body part, but they were negative.

 "I don't want to comment about it, but I feel good,'' he said, wiggling his fingers.
If not for the pick, he'd feel a lot better.

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Chris Young pitched five hitless innings and Lorenzo Cain went 3-for-4 with one run as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Cleveland Indians, 3-0, Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Tribe finished with two hits and two walks against Young and four relievers. Here is a blink-of-an-eye look at the game...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Chris Young pitched five hitless innings and Lorenzo Cain went 3-for-4 with one run as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Cleveland Indians, 3-0, Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Tribe finished with two hits and two walks against Young and four relievers.

Here is a blink-of-an-eye look at the game after DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast:

Turn off the lights: The Indians are not mathematically eliminated in the race for the second AL wild card, but for all practical purposes, they are cooked.

With one week remaining in the regular season, the Indians (77-77) trail the Houston Astros by 4.0 games. The deficit and compressed time frame, problematic enough, are made worse by traffic in front: L.A. Angels (81-74) and Minnesota Twins (80-75).

The Angels have won five straight, the Twins two.

At least the Indians aren't the Baltimore Orioles. Coming off a three-game road sweep of the Washington Nationals, the Orioles held out hope for a second wild card at 76-76. Then they were outscored by the Red Sox, 17-0, in a three-game series at Fenway Park over the weekend.

Moral victory: The Tribe closed the road portion of its schedule at 42-39.

Goose eggs aplenty: The Tribe was shut out for the 12th time this season.

Heavy heart: Young's father passed away late the previous evening. After making  his first start since July 28, he flew to Dallas to be with family.

Stingy staff: Young was perfect until Michael Brantley walked with two outs in the fourth. Brantley stole second. Carlos Santana grounded out.

Young exited in favor of lefty Danny Duffy with the Royals leading, 2-0. Duffy worked a perfect sixth.

Tribe shortstop Francisco Lindor led off the seventh against righty Ryan Madson and reached on a bunt single to third.

(Cue the guardians of old-school code howling that no-hit bids should not be foiled by a bunt. Nonsense. It was, is, and always will be a foolish notion, as if bunting for a hit is cheap and requires minimal talent. Lindor used part of his skill set to do what was necessary to reach base, and he did so in a 2-0 game. If the Royals have an iota of problem with it, tell them to get Yordano Ventura under control first.)    

Brantley walked. Santana's fly to right pushed Lindor to third. Lonnie Chisenhall lined to Madson for what turned into a replay-prompted double play. The Royals noticed that Lindor failed to return to third and tag as Madson attempted to double off Brantley at first.

The Tribe's other hit occurred in the ninth, when Jason Kipnis doubled with one out against closer Wade Davis.

Not good enough: Indians right-hander Danny Salazar allowed two runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Oakland quarterback Derek Carr threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, giving the Browns a first-hand look at why many think Carr can become a top-flight quarterback.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns cornerback Tramon Williams has known Derek Carr since the Raiders quarterback was a scrawny 15-year-old.

"I thought he was the best one in that (2014) draft,'' Williams told Northeast Ohio Media Group this week.

The Browns didn't agree. They passed on Carr not once, not twice but three times that year.

They had a chance to select him No. 4 overall, but traded down and then back up to draft cornerback Justin Gilbert at No. 8. They had a chance to take him No. 22 overall, but they picked Johnny Manziel instead. And they could've double-dipped at quarterback and taken him No. 35 overall, but they opted for guard Joel Bitonio.

Carr, who beat the Browns 27-20 Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, was the fourth quarterback picked in 2014 at No. 36 overall in the second round -- behind No. 3 overall pick Blake Bortles, Manziel, and No. 32 pick Teddy Bridgewater.

And while Carr carved up the Browns Sunday with for 314 yards and two touchdowns, Manziel stood on the sidelines watching 13-year veteran Josh McCown try to pull out the victory in the fourth quarter.

Of course, Williams didn't know teammate Manziel back then, but he'd watched Carr closely enough over the years to know he'd be good.

"I actually know Derek real well,'' he said this week. "When I first came into the league (in 2006) obviously I signed with Houston. His brother (David) was the quarterback in Houston at the time. The place where I worked out, Derek was always there. He knew I was playing for the Texans, he worked out with the Texans. He was small, he was scrawny but with a lot of talent obviously.''

Williams followed Carr's career at Fresno State and during his promising rookie year in Oakland last season.

 "He obviously has a lot of talent,'' said Williams. "I've had the opportunity to watch him since he was a kid. He wasn't big at all. He was short. He just sprouted all of a sudden and it's crazy to see it. To see him now grow into the man that he is, a great, great husband, a great father, the whole nine (yards).''

Williams has seen enough of Carr on film to compare him to four-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, with whom he spent nine years in Green Bay.

"I don't throw this name around too often, but he kind of seems to have a skillset similar to Aaron, and that's saying something,'' said Williams. "Obviously we don't know if he's going to turn out to be that player, but skillset-wise, he can move, he can do the whole nine, he has a strong arm,  a quick release and he can read defenses as a young quarterback. He can make it to that first, that second, that third read.

"He's going to be a good quarterback for  a long time in this league.''

Fellow cornerback Joe Haden, who injured his ribs on the first play of the game and was beat for four straight passes in the first quarter by rookie receiver Amari Cooper, agrees.

 "He's going to be really good,'' said Haden. "He doesn't play like a second-year guy. He has control of the offense. Hats off to him. He did a really good job of just being poised and playing within himself and making plays.''

Carr acknowledged during the week that he thought the Browns might draft him.

"Yeah, obviously I thought that was a possibility,'' he said. "That's not the way things went down. When I didn't get picked by them, it was just like 'OK, where I am going to end up?' I wasn't sitting there hoping one thing or the other. I was just waiting to see where I was going to move my family, what city I was going to play for and represent. Did I think so that there was a possibility? Absolutely, but it didn't work out that way and I'm very happy here in Oakland."

The Raiders are happy too. Question is, how will the Browns feel about it in a few years?

 

Francisco Lindor scored the Indians only run, but it was erased upon a crew chief reiew in the seventh inning that said the rookie shortstop never tagged up at third base.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Replay madness and silent bats hurt the Indians' wild-card chances Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.

The Indians, one day after registering a winning record for the first time since April 9, lost to Kansas City, 3-0, on a two-hitter by Chris Young and four relievers.

The Royals took a 2-0 lead against Danny Salazar (13-10, 3.51) in the fourth. They were the only runs Salazar allowed in 5 1/3 innings, but there was one problem - the Indians didn't have a hit through the first six innings.

Rookie Francisco Lindor took care of that with a bunt single to start the seventh against Ryan Madson. The crowd booed, but the Indians had their second baserunner of the game. When Michael Brantley walked, they had their third and a potential rally.

Then the fun began.

Lonnie Chisenhall sent a liner back to the mound. Madson caught it, but made a bad throw to first that sent Eric Hosmer sprawling to make the stop. Brantley dodged Hosmer's tag on the way back to the bag as Lindor sprinted home, just ahead of Hosmer's throw from the seat of his pants at first base.

Brantley and Lindor were called safe. Royals manager Ned Yost challenged the play at first, but replays showed Hosmer had the ball in his bare hand, as he swiped at Brantley with his glove. That review took 1:11 and the call on the field was upheld.

Crew chief Dana DeMuth, at the prompting of Yost, asked for a crew chief review to see if Lindor tagged up on Chisenhall's liner back to the mound. Before the dueling reviews started, the Royals appealed to third base that that Lindor didn't tag, but third base umpire Mike Estabrook called Lindor safe.

This review took 3:27 and Lindor was called out. Got that? There will be a test Monday morning.

The Royals, who played from behind in the first two games of the season, took their first lead of the series in the fourth. Lorenzo Cain reached on a mishit in front of the plate for his second hit of the game. Hosmer sent a 2-2 pitch the opposite way into the left field corner for a double.

Brantley had to wait for the ball to come out of the corner as the fleet Cain scored easily from first. Salvador Perez followed with a single to center to make it 2-0.

Young (11-6, 3.15), making his first start since Aug. 28, threw five nearly perfect innings. Brantley was the Indians' only base runner as he walked with two out in the fourth.

This was Young's sixth appearance and third start against the Indians this season. The Indians scored seven runs in his previous 14 innings against them, but there's a reason he's faced them so much this year. The 6-10 Young works up in the strike zone and the Indians have a habit of chasing his pitches, which result in a lot of harmless pop-ups. The Indians made 10 of their 15 outs against Young in the air.

Kansas City made it 3-0 in the seventh. Alex Gordon singled to right to score Jarrod Dyson from second.

Madson, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis combined with Young on the two-hitter. Davis, who allowed a one-out double to Jason Kipnis, earned his 14th save. The Royals' normal closer, Greg Holland, is done for the season with a right elbow injury.

Sunday's loss dropped the Indians to four games behind Houston for the second wild card spot. The Astros beat Texas on Sunday.

Just to get next to the Astros the Indians will have to jump over the Twins and Angels. That's a lot of jumping with just seven games, and one potential makeup game, left on the schedule.  

What it means

The Indians (77-77) saw their three-game winning streak end. They returned home with a 3-3 record on their last trip of the season.

The Royals (90-65) improved to 51-30 at Kauffman Stadium. They won the season series against the Indians, 10-9.

Thanks for coming

The Indians and Royals drew a crowd of 36,339 Sunday. The three-game series drew 111,555 for KC's last three regular season home games. In 81 home dates, they drew 2,708,459 fans compared to 1,955,428 last year. 

What's next?

The Indians open their last homestand of the season with a four-game series against the Twins Monday night at Progressive Field. RHP Corey Kluber (8-15, 3.55) will be making his 31^st start for the Indians. He lost to the Twins, 4-2, Wednesday and Target Field, but overall is 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA in four starts against them this season.

Phil Hughes (11-9, 4.43) beat the Indians and Kluber on Wednesday. He's 2-2 with a 6.43 ERA in four starts against the Indians this season.

Why mess with success? Why even mess with lack of success? The same old, same old holds for the Browns' gameplan and lineup.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Well, it was another week on the shore of the NFL's Lake Wobegon.

Even though the Browns are going nowhere fast this season (except of course to San Diego this weekend), coach Mike Pettine said nothing has occurred to change the decision that Josh McCown is the starter and Johnny Manziel the backup.

Asked how it benefits Manziel to stand and watch, Pettine said, "It's similar to practice. You hear the play call, read the defense, get a sense of the coverage, and take yourself through the play mentally. Some of the runs are checked down (audibles), and you should know from the play call in which direction the run will go, based on the look."

"From a passing concept," continued Pettine, "read the coverage at field level and know where ball is supposed go. Be very active with the quarterback who's out there and with the quarterback coach and (offensive) coordinator."

The questioner (me) resisted the impulse to say, "And yada-yada-yada."

"It's obviously disappointing. I'm not going to sit here and say that I love the decision," Manziel said when he learned last week that McCown would be given the opportunity to lose his eighth straight start, rather than Manziel getting the chance for a second straight win.

Mission accomplished, as Oakland won for the third time in its last 25 road games, 27-20.

Browns fans, excited as they were by a victory led by a quarterback with a portfolio of great success, even if it was at the college level, wanted to see what Manziel could do after starring in relief of the injured McCown against Tennessee.

On that front, let's just say that Tom Brady isn't walking through that door with  his ball pressure gauge in tow, but McCown is.

The play against Oakland that sticks with many observers was the last gasp by the Browns' offense, when McCown, facing a third-and-14 after taking his fifth sack, underthrew Travis Benjamin. The latter was flying down the sideline, open for what could have been the tying touchdown in the last minute.

The Raiders' Charles Woodson, 38, got to the ball in time to intercept and quash any comeback hopes.

Isn't it just possible that Johnny Genie would have escaped some of those sacks and kept down-and-distance more manageable? Isn't it just possible that Johnny Deep would have connected on that long pass? He did just that for two long touchdowns to Benjamin in the Tennessee game.

Can't the Browns lose while determining if Manziel is the future cornerstone as easily as they can with McCown, who is most assuredly not that?

McCown said Monday, "I couldn't step into the throw. The location of the throw was bad because I didn't get enough on it."

McCown had both Justin Tuck (6-5, 268 pounds) and Kahlil Mack (6-3, 251) in his face. Call them "Big Poison" and "Slightly Smaller, But Probably Deadlier Poison." (NFL nicknames just don't roll off the tongue the way those for Paul and Lloyd Waner did in baseball.)

Pettine said McCown should have checked down to running back Duke Johnson, who was open after slipping out of the backfield.

The biggest problem was that the Browns got off to a slow start. McCown had played only one series since the third exhibition game at Tampa Bay on Aug. 29. That ended with his concussion on a goal-line hit against the New York Jets in the regular season opener.

McCown looked rusty. Who could have expected that?

As for Pettine, he said he will stick with his "defend and run the ball" approach, despite Sunday's total of 14 missed tackles and 39 rushing yards. To be fair, the anemic rushing was partly attributable to the early deficit on the scoreboard.

Pettine said everything depends on the minute tolerances that determine failure or success in play execution.

"All 11 guys have to be firing together on offense," said McCown.

"It's not like defense, where one guy can make a sack or an interception," said left tackle Joe Thomas.

Asked about his team's execution when he coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, John McKay spoke for many frustrated fans. "I'm all for it," McKay said.