In this interview, the calm, confident and somewhat reserved Shurmur steps outside of his comfort zone and lets fans see a little bit of the man behind the clipboard.

View full sizeChuck Crow, The Plain DealerPat Shurmur, the 13th full-time head coach in Browns history, begins his tenure with the team today.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Spend an hour in the meticulous office of Browns head coach Pat Shurmur and you'll discover that he's all about the four Fs: family, football, faith and fishing.

He begins his career today as the 13th full-time head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and fans will 'be happy to know that he's all about bringing a Super Bowl victory to this storied franchise.

Shurmur has 23 years of coaching experience, 12 in the NFL that include two as offensive coordinator of the Rams. He also brings with him his wife Jennifer and their four children, who have already fallen in love with Cleveland. In this interview, the calm, confident and somewhat reserved Shurmur steps outside of his comfort zone and lets fans see a little bit of the man behind the clipboard:

Q: You began your career as an IBM salesman in Detroit. What would your life be like now if you hadn't quit IBM to become a football coach?

A: Soon after I was at IBM, they went through major cuts, so I might've gotten fired. I don't know. I'm assuming we would've gone on and had a family. But my goodness, it would be so much different. I really enjoy the profession. I really enjoy teaching and coaching. I've enjoyed what the profession has meant to the family. They've lived in California, New Jersey, Missouri and Ohio. It's been good.

Q: Your dad, Joe, an orthopedic surgeon who died in 1996 of cancer, was the one who encouraged you to follow your heart into coaching. Was it the best advice you've ever received?

A: Without question. It's simple logic and simple advice. Go do what you enjoy, and eventually you'll be good at it. And then all of the other stuff in life will come to you.

Q: What would you be doing now if you weren't a coach?

A: I've always teased that I'd be a fisherman, but raising four kids, I think that'd be tough. Once I embarked on this career, I never thought of anything else.

Q: How do you balance football and raising four kids?

A: Most, if not all, of my free time is at home. Regardless of how long I'm at work, I try to get home. Aside from all the love you feel for your family, I really enjoy being around them, and their activities are fun things to watch, the swim meets, the football games, or whatever. They're all caring and they work hard. I'd credit Jennifer with most of what's good about them. She's been terrific.

Q: You have three daughters and a son, ranging from third grade to a sophomore in college. What advice do you have for dads of girl?

A: Treat their mothers well. Treat their mothers well and I mean that because I think that's where they learn normal interaction between men and women. That's where they learn, as they move on and have boyfriends and eventually husbands. And the other part is, just be honest and real with them. I'm willing to laugh at myself. I'm willing to say check with mom or I don't want to hear that.

Q: Your wife, Jennifer, was an All-Big Ten swimmer at Michigan State and in three events, she still has one of the 10 fastest times in school history. You were an honorable mention All-America center for the Spartans. Who's the better athlete?

A: Jen is by far the better athlete. She was a terrific swimmer. I'm probably more of a try-hard, overachiever type. I wouldn't consider myself a terrific athlete, although I did OK.

Q: How did you meet Jennifer?

A: We met passing by on the street at Michigan State and then the swimmers were using our weight room, our football weight room, so I met her on campus. The first time we visited, I went back to the dorm and told my roommates that I met the girl I was going to marry. She needed some convincing, I'm sure. But I said that right away.

Q: So it was love at first sight?

A: I guess you can say that. She's great.

Q: All of your kids swim competitively, including your oldest daughter, Allyson, at Boston College. Do you feel like a fish out of water living with all of those swimmers?

A: I enjoy the water, I just can't swim competitively. But it's a terrific sport. It's very competitive, very individual, but very team-oriented. There's boys and girls so they learn how to interact with each other.

Q: Your son Kyle is the starting freshman quarterback at St. Edward. In his debut, he threw three touchdown passes against Findlay -- in the first quarter. Do you have great expectations for him?

A: I'm enjoying watching him compete and excel at what he enjoys. He loves playing quarterback and he loves his new school. He's passionate about football. According to my wife, he also has real talent as a swimmer. I'm just kind of sitting in the background on football. What I hope from his sporting experience -- just like the girls -- is that they learn how to compete and have fun.

Q: As a longtime QB coach with the [Philadelphia] Eagles, are you coaching him up?

A: Anything he wants he to know about football, I let him approach me with it. In the younger years I didn't try to jam it down his throat and as time's gone on, he's trying to develop himself as a young quarterback. There are things he's asked me about. Being at Browns camp, seeing the players, I think he studies it and I think he's got a pretty good feel for the game. We'll watch film on occasion, but most of his work [during training camp] was in the locker room doing laundry. He still appreciates being around the game and doesn't feel entitled by it.

Q: You tore your anterior cruciate ligament as a freshman at Michigan State, which ended your plans to play linebacker and possibly baseball there. Still, you were signed by the Packers as an undrafted rookie center and then cut in camp. Do you ever wonder "What if?"

A: I don't really have any regrets. You need to have talent to play in this league. It wasn't the knee. It got to the point where it was beyond my overachieving abilities to play in the NFL. You move on.

Q: Favorite childhood memory?

A: I have a lot of good ones. Not a lot of bad ones. My dad was in the Navy, and we lived on a canal on a base in Key West when I was in first and second grade. Those two years were a lot of fun. We did a lot of fishing and diving and that was enjoyable.

Q: If you could spend a day with your dad now, what would you do?

A: Fishing. No question. In Key West, we'd go off-shore and fish for sailfish and dolphin. Then we'd fish in the gulf for grouper and snapper.

Q: You just bought a house here on the lake. Will you get your fishing fix?

A: Yes. We enjoy the water. (Browns General Manager) Tom Heckert said part of my hiring is I was supposed to buy a boat. Tom enjoys fishing and boating as much as I do. He's a bass fisherman. I'm more of a salt-water fisherman, but as a kid, we used to fish Lake Erie for walleye. I'm definitely going to get a boat once the season is over.

Q: There's not a scrap of paper or a speck of dust on your desk. What gives?

A: I'm the oldest of four and I have a lot of oldest-child tendencies. I like things in their place, although I don't mind chaos. I can operate in it. That's what coaching is all about. I don't mind exerting myself and delegating, although I will sit quietly if it's a situation where I don't feel like I know what I'm talking about it.

Q: Describe your personality.

A: I lived for a few years as a wild man. That's kind of how you start learning how to coach: the loudest guy is the rightest. But I've tried to develop a calmness, which the players respond to. When I really do get uptight, they notice it. I enjoy working. I enjoy a good laugh. I enjoy a nice meal, good conversation. I enjoy the storytelling that happens when you're with 20 coaches and 90 players. But I can sit here in the office alone and look out the window and I'm OK with that too.

Q: Wait a minute. Wild man? Can't imagine that.

A: I guess when you're younger, you show your emotions a lot more. It kind of goes unchecked. I had a few of those years I'm sure when I was in college. It's probably not the best way to live.

Q: What's on your bucket list?

A: I want to fish for marlin in Australia. I want to win a Super Bowl. I want to see my kids grow and develop happy and productive lives. Then I'd like for Jennifer and I to sit back whenever it is and look back on it and enjoy it.

Q: What's on your Ipod?

A: I have a little bit of everything. I've always liked Jimmy Buffet. I became a Bruce Springsteen fan when I met Jennifer. Being out east, every girl grew up in love with Bruce Springsteen. James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac. More easy listening.

Q: On your favorite book list?

A: I've always been fascinated by books about the Mafia. I read sports. My favorite writer of all time is Ernest Hemingway. "Old Man and the Sea" is by far my favorite. It's simple and a quick read. Islands in the Stream probably would be next.

Q: Top movies?

A: I've always liked "Jaws." Jennifer and I love "Forrest Gump." All the "Godfather" movies.

Q: The perfect family vacation?

A: We went to Rome two summers ago before Allyson left for college. Kyle was confirmed at the Vatican. It was an outstanding trip. We were there for 10 days and visited Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. Regardless of your religion, the Vatican, the history, you're looking at a country with artifacts over 2,000 years old. The food, the wine, my goodness.

Q: Speaking of religion, you're Catholic, went to Catholic schools and all of your children also do. Talk about your faith.

A: I tend to keep it very private. I try to stick to the rituals of it, which I think has helped me. But like I've said to the team a couple of times already, we're probably all strong in our faith and we all believe in different things, but it's important everybody keeps it private.

Q: You're usually up before 5 a.m. What's up with that?

A: I like the ritual of the morning. I really enjoy drinking coffee, I enjoy the morning commute, I enjoy exercising in the morning -- usually running -- and getting to my desk ready to do my work. I like the idea that you're up and maybe a lot of people aren't, getting a jump on the day. Jennifer's the same way. I do sleep more the night before a game and I enjoy that.

Q: You worked under Eagles coach Andy Reid for 10 years. What did you take from Andy?

A: Andy is very real and I appreciate that. He has a reputation as being in control and in charge, but behind the scenes I found him to be very real. He was always himself. You've got to be willing to laugh at yourself and admit your mistakes.

Q: What about your uncle, Fritz Shurmur, the longtime NFL assistant who was Mike Holmgren's defensive coordinator?

A: He was a hard-driver. He really loved pro football. I don't think he enjoyed the recruiting that came with college ball. So his advice to me was to work hard to get into pro football and then work even harder to stay.

Q: And George Perles, the former MSU coach who recruited you and hired you as a grad assistant?

A: The big thing about George was, that no matter how fancy football gets, no matter how smart you think you are, the underlying ingredient to good football teams is toughness. Some people might say he oversold it, but I don't think so. That's how we were taught: Remember what you're supposed to do and then be tough. Just fight it out. The appreciation I gained from him is that boys will be boys. There will be a fight or two and once in awhile a good boy might do a bad thing, but you don't kick that kid to the curb. You work with him. And I think there's something to that.

Q: If you had a Mulligan in life, what would it be?

A: I wish we could've won the Super Bowl when we lost to the Patriots (2004 season). That's a total do-over. That's pretty much it.

Q: You coached Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to three Pro Bowl selections. What about Donovan?

A: When I was working with him, he was a superstar in this league. He had a heroic ability in that when he was on the field, you always had a chance to win. I always appreciated him. He was a fun-loving guy. He worked harder on things than at times people gave him credit for. I really enjoyed the relationship.

Q: What do you see in Colt McCoy?

A: I see a guy that wants to do everything perfectly. He acts like an oldest child. I see a guy that's very talented. I see a guy that's got a great command of playing this game. I see a guy that wants to be great. If we hadn't drafted Sam Bradford (in St. Louis) we would've positioned ourselves to get Colt. I really liked him coming out.

Q: What are your hopes and dreams as head coach here?

A: I understand the immense responsibility of being a coach and I take it very seriously. What you want is to bring a championship to town. That's what you're shooting for. Any goal less than that, you're selling yourself, your team and the town short. I feel comfortable in Cleveland, I love the interaction I've had with the fans and I really like our team. You talk about building and developing, but there's a lot of guys on this team where the future is now.

To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On twitter: @marykaycabot

Tell Colt McCoy that he can't do something ... you'll then see someone driven to prove you wrong. Now he's driven to make the Browns a winner.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerThe eyes of Browns fans are on quarterback Colt McCoy, and he now carries their hopes to lead a winner in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It was the dog days of Browns training camp in 2010 and Colt McCoy, the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history, was a nobody. Browns President Mike Holmgren told him he'd sit out the year to watch and learn, and the coaching staff ignored him. Some in the media even speculated he might not survive the final roster cut.

Undaunted, he called his former Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis and said: "Coach, they're telling me I'm not going to play this year, but I will. I'll start games for the Browns this season."

Davis sat back in his chair and smiled. He remembered a scrawny little freshman looking across that same desk at him in 2006 and announcing, "I'm going to be the best quarterback you've ever had." Yeah, Davis didn't doubt for a second that McCoy would start for the Browns last year. Because he knew something the Browns didn't yet: that McCoy was the most driven kid on the planet -- and more determined than anyone he'd ever met to prove you wrong.

Colt McCoy was born into football, the game encoded on his DNA. His father, Brad, was a high school coach in small towns in Texas, where Friday night lights ruled. "It was either football season or fixin' to be football season," said McCoy's best boyhood friend, Cam Holson. As legend has it, McCoy was actually born in New Mexico, but while his mom was in labor, Brad raced 20 miles to the Texas border, filled a shoebox with dirt and placed it under the delivery table so Colt could be born on Texas soil.

McCoy's real first name is Daniel, after the prophet in the lion's den, but they called him by his middle name, Colt, which had more of a Texas vibe. Like his son, Brad had a dream to play big-time college and pro football, but a knee injury took care of that. He ended up playing for Abilene Christian, where his father, Daddy Burl McCoy -- a former top collegiate hurdler -- coached track and women's basketball. It's also where Brad met McCoy's mom, Debra, who played basketball for Daddy Burl.

When Colt was 3, the McCoys moved back to Texas to be near Daddy Burl's sprawling ranch, and along came two more boys, Chance and Case. Brad had feelers from bigger 5A powerhouses, but opted for smaller 2A schools so he could raise country boys like himself. The house was filled with love, laughter and roughhousing. "We were so competitive, we'd see who could eat something the fastest at the dinner table," said Brad.

The McCoys were committed Christians who often spent summer vacations at church camps, and Colt even performed at religious events around the country with the McCoy Family Singers.

As a youngster, McCoy was Brad's sidekick on the field and in the office. He dreamed of being a quarterback and loved watching the coaches diagram plays. Once, as a 6-year-old ballboy, McCoy tugged on his dad's headset-wire during a game and yelled, "Daddy, run the screen, run the screen!" The San Saba Armadillos were struggling and Colt knew what to do. Brad tried to shoo the boy away, but he persisted. "Run the screen, dad!" With little to lose, Brad shrugged and tried it. The screen led to a TD and the Armadillos won.

The McCoys were strict and taught their boys to set lofty goals. Every day when Brad dropped Colt off for school, he'd say, "Have a good day, do your best . . ." and then Colt would finish . . . "and be a leader."

From early on, McCoy worked on things relentlessly until he got it right. Daddy Burl once found him outside in the driveway perfecting a Jordan-like crossover dribble move in the freezing cold. He'd throw a football through a tire until his arm ached and was always the last to leave practice. He'd watch films of his mom playing basketball to emulate her scrappy defense.

Junior and high school

When McCoy was in sixth grade, Brad took the head coaching job at Jim Ned High in Tuscola, a tiny west Texas outpost about 15 miles south of Abilene. Population: 726. One bank, one restaurant, three churches, one flashing yellow light and a five-story water tower. The 2A high school was the crown jewel, with 325 kids from Tuscola and neighboring towns.

View full sizeTommy Metthe, Abilene Reporter-NewsColt McCoy was a star at Jim Ned High School in Texas.

The McCoys moved on to a 10-acre spread, where they raised cows and goats, and had a donkey named Taco. They were a half-hour away from Daddy Burl and GranJan's ranch, where the boys baled hay and fed the animals.

When McCoy was gearing up for seventh-grade football, a nutritionist urged the team to eat right and give up sodas. Soon after, Colt, who sometimes guzzled six Dr. Peppers a day, downed his last one and swore them off -- forever. "Nothing was going to slow him down," said Brad.

Brad helped coach the junior high so he could develop Colt, and by his second game, a dad from the opposing team told Brad, "he's going to win the Heisman one day." Behind McCoy's uncanny accuracy and nimble feet, his junior high and junior varsity teams went a combined 28-0.

Despite that, some in Tuscola felt McCoy didn't deserve the varsity job. "Colt had to work harder and be better than everyone else to prove himself," said Holson, who was McCoy's No. 1 target, best friend and the son of a Jim Ned defensive assistant.

Brad was so careful to not play favorites that a player once asked him to ease up on Colt. When McCoy asked what it would take to play in college and the pros, his dad said, "set yourself apart." For McCoy, that meant outworking everyone else.

In addition to swearing off sodas, he was asleep by 9:30 p.m. and rarely needed his midnight curfew. He shunned alcohol in high school and worked so hard in the weight room that teammates followed suit. "He wanted to throw a football all day long and I was happy to oblige," said Holson. "Whatever Colt was doing, you wanted to do it, too."

From the time he was little, McCoy longed to play at a powerhouse like Texas or Texas Tech, and then in the NFL. Problem was, the skinny kid -- 6-0, 170 pounds at the time -- from the 2A school wasn't on their radar. In fact, no one from Jim Ned had ever played Division I football.

The summer before his junior year, McCoy attended a camp at Texas, which was coming off back-to-back 11-2 seasons under Mack Brown. The camp drew 300 kids, including 50 quarterbacks. Midway through, McCoy realized he was invisible to the coaches. On the way home he told his dad, "I know you don't think this, but I'm going to be the starting quarterback at Texas someday." Brad didn't argue. "I knew we were in trouble, because Colt was on a mission."

In an effort to capture Texas' attention, Colt decided he'd have to win the 2A state title as a junior. He also knew he'd have to bulk up. He drank protein shakes, lifted twice a day and gained 10 pounds. The more he won, the more big-time college coaches trekked to Tuscola, where the crowds swelled to 1,000. "It was no big deal to see Big 12 coaches walking around at our practices," said Holson. "But Colt never acknowledged it."

Finally, Texas sent an assistant, and he found a fiery field general with great zip on the ball and stunning accuracy. As planned, McCoy led his team to a 14-0 record and the 2A title game. But McCoy smacked his hand on a helmet and could barely grip the ball. The Indians lost, 28-7, and McCoy knelt frozen at midfield and cried.

Suddenly, the impact struck Brad: it was the first time McCoy had ever lost a football game. His record since seventh grade: 50-1. As a junior, he threw 50 TD passes and threw for almost 4,000 yards, both state marks.

On to Texas

After that, Brad was deluged with calls from most of the college football powerhouses such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, all the Big 12 schools, you name it. After Christmas break, then-Longhorns offensive coordinator Greg Davis came to Jim Ned for a look. "Everybody else looked like they belonged at a 2A school, but not Colt," recalled Davis. "Did I know he'd become a two-time Heisman runner-up and the winningest quarterback in NCAA history? No, but I saw enough to know I wanted him to lead our team."

View full sizeMatt Slocum, Associated PressColt McCoy followed a legend at Texas in Vince Young, but he more than held his own, becoming the winningest quarterback in NCAA history.

It was actually on the basketball court that McCoy, who also led his team to the state title game in basketball, sold Davis.

"When you watch someone play without a helmet, you can see their facial expressions, their peripheral vision," said Davis. "I could see his quickness and his lateral movement. His teammates snapped to his attention."

On tape, Davis saw the two things he was looking for. "No. 1, he was accurate with the football and much more athletic than people realized," Davis said. "No. 2, he had the ability to ad-lib and extend plays. I felt he was going to be our guy."

That spring, the McCoys visited Brown in his office overlooking Darrell K Royal Stadium. Brown dripped with Texas charm, but needn't have: he had McCoy at hello. Right there, McCoy verbally committed to Texas.

Two weeks before National Signing Day, Brown stunned Tuscola with a visit, signing autographs and visiting the elementary school where McCoy's mom taught phys ed. But shortly after McCoy signed his letter of intent, he was slammed by the press. A small kid from a 2A school? Surely he'd never make it. The recruiting class was downgraded to No. 20 nationally. More fuel for the fire.

On campus, McCoy soon realized he was no longer on the farm, having gone from 70 kids in his graduating class to 3,000 in his dorm complex alone. What's more, the athletic dorm was filthy and loud. But McCoy, at the urging of Daddy Burl, committed himself to his faith. He and receiver Jordan Shipley, a boyhood friend whose father played with Brad at Abilene Christian, went to church every week and hung out.

When McCoy first showed up at Texas, he was 179 pounds and, Brown said, looked like "a skinned squirrel." But Texas quarterback Vince Young welcomed him and taught him everything. He even let McCoy throw some passes at his first players-only practice.

With Young having two years of eligibility remaining, McCoy was redshirted as a freshman. But he followed Young like a puppy, preparing as though he were starting. The Longhorns went 12-0 that season, were ranked No. 2, then faced No. 1 USC in the BCS National Championship Game in the Rose Bowl. The night before the game, Young called McCoy over and broke the news: he was leaving early for the NFL and handing the reins over to McCoy.

"I was shocked," said McCoy. "I couldn't sleep at all that night. I just stared at the ceiling. All of a sudden, it was my team." A blue-chip recruit named Jevan Snead from a 4A school in Texas had verbally committed, but McCoy vowed he'd win the job.

Late in the title game, Young approached McCoy during a timeout and told him to take notes. "You'll be here some day," McCoy recalled in his book "Growing Up Colt," written with his dad. With seconds to go, Young ran in for a TD on fourth down to win the national championship.

A few days later, McCoy met with Davis in his office. "He told me, 'Coach, I'm ready. I'm going to be the best you've ever had,' " Davis said. "Big, strapping Vince Young had just won the national championship and I felt like I had Pee Wee Herman sitting across from me. I said, 'That's great Colt. Now go hit the weight room.' "

That summer, McCoy organized scrimmages the way Young had shown him. He took attendance and contacted absent players. His teammates were so impressed they told Brown that McCoy was their guy. The baby-faced freshman looked like a boy among men, but commanded the attention of even the NFL-bound linemen.

In his debut against North Texas, McCoy threw three TD passes en route to a 56-7 blowout. McCoy and the Longhorns lost their next game, to top-ranked Ohio State, but went on to win their next eight games. Suddenly, he was a campus phenom and a national star.

In 2008, the Longhorns started 8-0, but lost to Texas Tech on a last-second touchdownn to cost themselves a shot at the Big 12 championship and BCS title game. Instead, Texas earned a trip to the Fiesta Bowl to play Ohio State, where McCoy threw a TD pass with 16 seconds remaining for a 24-21 come-from-behind victory. The Longhorns finished 12-1 and McCoy was the game's MVP.

McCoy was also one of three finalists for Heisman Trophy that year, along with Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford, with whom he became close friends. McCoy finished as the runner-up to Bradford in a close race.

As a senior, McCoy led Texas to the BCS Championship Game against top-ranked Alabama, but on the fifth play of the game, he was hit from behind by defensive end Marcell Dareus and a pain rippled through his shoulder. He popped up to run another play, but his arm was dead. In the locker room, he couldn't hold it out straight or throw the ball 10 yards to his dad. Still, he gave a pep talk at halftime and stood on the sidelines in uniform for the second half of a 37-21 Alabama victory.

"The fact he had to stand there and watch, it was torture to him and torture to us," said Brad.

Asked by ESPN how it felt to be on the sidelines, McCoy said, "God is in control of my life and I know that if nothing else, I am standing on the rock." The speech went viral on the Internet and got almost 300,000 hits on YouTube.

Soon after, he was diagnosed with a serious nerve injury in his shoulder that would require rehab, but no surgery. Problem was, the feeling in his arm was gone and he had no idea when it was coming back.

"The truth of it was, I didn't know if I was ever going to play again," he said.

McCoy still went through with his elaborate plans a few days later to propose to his girlfriend, Rachel Glandorf. When they first met, Glandorf, then working for a TV station in Austin, had no desire to date an athlete and turned him down numerous times. "I thought I had no chance," said McCoy. "It made me try even harder." While in the Longhorns' stadium, McCoy's proposal flashed in brilliant lights on the gigantic scoreboard. Of course, she said yes.

Colt to the pros

For the first month after his injury, McCoy still had no feeling in his arm. "I had no hope," he said.

At the NFL Combine in February, he didn't throw, and teams were concerned. They also weren't impressed with his 6-11/2 height. "Another inch taller and I probably would've been a first-rounder," said McCoy. "It just drives me ever more."

By the time his Pro Day rolled around, McCoy had enough arm strength to complete 55-of-55 attempts. Little did he know that the arm strength would be fleeting. But at least one team was very interested: the Cleveland Browns. Holmgren had received rave reviews on McCoy from his friend, former NFL coach and current broadcaster Jon Gruden, who worked McCoy out for his televised quarterback special. "I knew they liked me," said McCoy. "Coach Holmgren even reminded me that he coached two Hall of Famers who were my size."

The criticism didn't stop McCoy from declaring himself the best quarterback in the draft. But the first round came and went with no call. In the second round, the Browns picked T.J. Ward and Montario Hardesty. "The cameras showed Colt and I knew that look on his face," said Holson. "I could see the little chip on his shoulder growing."

Finally, the Browns selected McCoy in the third round with the 85th pick overall -- long after Bradford was picked No. 1 and Tebow was taken 25th overall. "Colt was thrilled with where he was going, just not happy he lasted that long," said Holson.

More fuel for the fire.

By rookie camp the next week, Holmgren announced that McCoy wouldn't play in 2010, that his job was to watch and learn behind Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. In training camp, McCoy was virtually overlooked by the staff. Still, he was chastised for making mistakes in preseason games. Soon, he got the impression that coach Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll didn't want him.

"Colt had been around coaches his whole life," said Brad. "He knew the signals."

Finally, speculation hit the press that McCoy might not survive the final cut. "I was like, 'Whoa, I haven't even had a chance to do anything yet,' " said McCoy. "That's when I went out and completed 13-of-13 in the final preseason game."

During that training camp, Holmgren consoled McCoy from his golf cart on the practice fields and during visits in Holmgren's office. "I just tried to keep his head up," said Holmgren.

During one of those trips to Holmgren's office, McCoy pointed to the photos on the wall of Holmgren with Hall of Famer Joe Montana and future Hall of Famer Brett Favre, and McCoy announced, "coach, someday I'll be right up there on the wall with those guys." Holmgren smiled and thought, "Easy, big fella."

During camp, McCoy never let on that his arm was bothering him, but the strength wasn't there. "The deep balls fluttered," he said. "I just kept pushing through it."

In the opener in Tampa, Delhomme suffered a high ankle sprain and gutted out the game. Seneca Wallace replaced him, but also went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 4 against Atlanta. McCoy sidled up to Mangini, hoping he'd put him in, but he opted for the gimpy Delhomme, who re-injured the ankle in the second half and missed the next six weeks.

At the facility on Monday, McCoy figured the Browns were calling quarterbacks. Instead, Mangini told him he'd start that Sunday against the 3-1 Steelers. In Blitzburgh. Against the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Against Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. In Big Ben Roethlisberger's first game back from a suspension.

But McCoy wasn't nervous. "I had waited for that moment all season long," he said.

After the team dinner the night before the game, McCoy addressed the team. In his book, he shared his speech. "Everyone in here is scared stiff about a rookie going into Pittsburgh and having his first start. If you want to be scared, be scared. I'm not scared. I'm ready to play. I'm excited. I'm fired up. . . . Our game tomorrow is going to be the start of something great. . . . The hay is in the barn."

Veteran corner Sheldon Brown shook his head. "I was thinking 'This poor kid. I hope he's ready,' " said Brown. "Then he went out and showed me."

The Browns lost, 28-10, but McCoy showed tremendous poise and mobility, far exceeding expectations.

He went on to lead the Browns to victories over the defending Super Bowl champion Saints and the Patriots, who finished 14-2, and an overtime loss to the playoff-bound Jets. "That four-game stretch led me to believe he could be our guy," said Holmgren.

McCoy later suffered a high ankle sprain of his own and came back at the end of the season, throwing six interceptions the final two games. Although he never admitted it, his arm was still bothering him."'"

In the off-season, McCoy not only let his arm heal, but also organized four "Camp Colts" to prepare the team during the lockout, and spent time working with Favre in Mississippi.

"He should be a fine player in this league for a long, long time," said Holmgren.

McCoy's goal with the Browns is to win a Super Bowl.

"I lost in the state championship in high school and I missed a chance to win the BCS title game," he said. "I definitely have some unfinished business. My hope and dream is to lead the Browns to a championship."

Especially if you tell him he can't.

To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Benson returned to Cincinnati a week ago after serving five days of a 20-day sentence in a Texas jail for misdemeanor assault.

View full sizeAPBengals running back Cedric Benson.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cedric Benson always planned on playing in today's season opener against the Browns.

The Bengals' running back just hadn't planned on the game coming a week after serving five days in jail.

Benson returned to Cincinnati a week ago after serving five days of a 20-day sentence in a Texas jail for misdemeanor assault. Benson was arrested in July for punching a former roommate in Austin, Texas -- the same city where he had been arrested in 2010 after a bar employee said Benson punched him. Benson pleaded no contest to both charges last week.

He originally planned to serve the time during the Bengals' bye week in October, but coach Marvin Lewis had different advice.

"It's best for him and for the football team to put everything behind you as quick as possible," Lewis told reporters in Cincinnati this week.

"Tie up loose ends and put it behind you as quick as you can. I think that's important."

Benson spent just a quarter of his original sentence in jail because he volunteered to mop floors and help paint crews, and earned credit for time served after the arrests.

The time he did spend in jail gave Benson an opportunity to refocus his thoughts.

"You think about a lot of things in life, about the things you need to make changes to not only to protect yourself,

but to keep yourself out of danger," Benson told Cincinnati reporters this week. "I was eager to get back.

"I thought a lot about football. I thought a lot about this week and was eager to get back and get started."

Benson returns as the leading rusher for the Bengals the past three seasons, and agreed to a one-year deal after new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was hired. In three preseason games, Benson rushed for 119 yards on 29 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per carry.

The seven-year veteran, who was the fourth overall pick in 2005 by the Chicago Bears, is expected to be one piece of steadying veteran leadership on a young Cincinnati squad that includes rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. Last season, Benson rushed for 1,111 yards, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.

The transition to a new offense and playbook didn't worry Benson in deciding when to serve his jail time, he told Cincinnati reporters.

He merely wanted to get that part over with, and get on with the games.

"I don't want to spend my bye week serving jail time, nor did I want to have them waiting on me as the season went on," Benson said. "I wanted to get everything behind me where I could just focus on the future, focus on playing football."

-- Jodie Valade

Beat writer Tony Grossi offers his thoughts on today's game.

View full sizeAPBengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.

1. Dalton's challenge Bengals QB Andy Dalton is making his NFL debut. What are the chances of him leaving Cleveland with a 1-0 record? Well, since 1970 only four QBs have begun their careers with a win on the road in a season opener. They are Buffalo's Joe Ferguson in 1973, Denver's John Elway in 1983, Carolina's Chris Weinke in 2001 and the Jets' Mark Sanchez in 2009.

2. Shurmur's challenge Pat Shurmur has a chance to bury some ugly numbers. The Browns are 1-11 in season openers since 1999 expansion and 10 of the losses have come at home. Further, Bud Carson was the most recent to win his first game as Browns coach, coming in that surreal, 51-0 tour de force win in Pittsburgh in 1989. The ledger since then: Bill Belichick lost to Dallas (26-14) in 2001; Chris Palmer lost to Pittsburgh (43-0) in 1999; Butch Davis lost to Mike Holmgren's Seahawks (9-6) in 2001; Romeo Crennel lost to Cincinnati (27-13) in 2005; Eric Mangini lost to Minnesota (34-20) in 2009.

3. Thanks for your support The return of the Browns through expansion in 1999 was one of the best things to happen to the careers of Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, Baltimore's Brian Billick and John Harbaugh, and Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis. Those AFC North coaches have feasted on the expansion Browns, collectively posting a record of 48-16 against them. (Cincinnati's Bruce Coslet and Dick LeBeau were 4-4.) Lewis' 11-5 record against the Browns is his best against any team and includes his first career victory as an NFL head coach.

4. Don't forget about Benson A lot of focus is on Bengals rookies Dalton and A.J. Green and their West Coast offense, but the team is likely to revert to handing off to Cedric Benson to ease their transition. Benson has 13 100-yard games in 40 played with the Bengals -- two coming in wins against the Browns.

Have the Browns formed the dynamic duo of great head coach/great quarterback that it takes to build a contender?

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerBrowns players and management are optimistic that Colt McCoy and coach Pat Shurmur can turn the team into a winner.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Today's opener against the Bengals marks the start of the Pat Shurmur-Colt McCoy era, and the Browns will soon know if they've assembled the dynamic duo it takes to build a championship team: A superb coach and quarterback.

"In this league, to win a Super Bowl, you need a great coach and a great quarterback," left tackle Joe Thomas said. "There are very, very few NFL teams who have won without both. You can count them on one hand."

Thomas is confident the Browns have hit pay dirt.

"That's why I want to be here, and that's why I think everybody's really excited," Thomas said.

Browns GM Tom Heckert, who played a huge role in hiring Shurmur, senses this could become the triumphant tandem.

"There's no question in our minds that we've hit on Pat, and we're close to being right with Colt," Heckert said. "Colt so far has shown to be a really good quarterback, and we'll know a lot more this year if we got it right. We have 16 games to see what we have, but I think everybody's really excited around here."

Heckert has been involved with the combos of Don Shula and Dan Marino in Miami, and Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia. He believes it takes two to succeed.

"We had a great coach in Jimmy Johnson in Miami, but we didn't have a quarterback," Heckert said. "Dan was there one year and retired, and we struggled. I've been fortunate to be around really good coach/quarterback combinations and hopefully we have that here."

Heckert thinks it's an added bonus for the Browns that their coach and quarterback will work so closely together. Shurmur spent seven seasons as quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia and two years as an offensive coordinator in St. Louis. Shurmur did not hire an offensive coordinator for the Browns and will run the offense himself.

"We think it's ideal because Pat's also calling the plays," Heckert said. "So the guy that we think is right for the job is dealing with the quarterback, who has to be the right guy for the job. We're excited to see what they can do."

Browns President Mike Holmgren, who was part of a championship duo when he coached Brett Favre, is hoping he's struck gold in Shurmur.

"The one thing I've learned about is his command with the players, how he deals with them verbally," Holmgren said. "He'll coach and teach them and get a little mad. In my talks with players, they really like him."

The players have also quickly taken to McCoy, Holmgren said.

"Rarely have I seen veteran players respond as well to a rookie," he said. "It didn't surprise me that the rookie would try and be the leader. He's been trained to do that his whole life. But most of the time, the veteran players blow it off. Joe Montana was a natural leader. Brett Favre is a natural leader, and so is Colt."

Holmgren thinks the West Coast offense, handed down from Bill Walsh to Holmgren to Andy Reid to Shurmur, will be the perfect fit. "It's not rocket science, yet it does take some time to really function in it the best you can," he said. "We have a really young team."

Cornerback Sheldon Brown, who played for Reid in Philly, sees a carbon copy in Shurmur. Reid has led the Eagles to five NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl.

"Obviously, he wrote every note down out of Andy Reid's book because even some of the verbiage is the same, the sarcasm is the same," Brown said. "It's crazy for me because it's all so familiar. It's like the same guy talking, just a little smaller. I know we can win with this attitude and this system, and if everybody falls in line, I know it works."

Similarly, Brown is high on McCoy.

"He's definitely a leader," Brown said. "The Pittsburgh game last year when he had to go out and play, he wasn't scared. That's one of the toughest defenses in the NFL. Then he beat New Orleans and New England. Go back and look at his aura on the field, his demeanor, and how he carried himself."

But, Brown cautioned: "you're only as good as your weakest link. If they're going to become the duo we all think they can be, [the defense has] to hold up our end of the bargain."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Browns and Bengals players remember where they were and their reaction to the news of the terrorist attacks 10 years ago.

View full sizeThomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerBrowns receiver Josh Cribbs was still a student-athlete at Kent State on Sept. 11, 2001. Above, he receives diploma in 2010.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ten years ago, not many of this current batch of Browns were in the NFL. Most were in high school or college, far from the site of the terrorist attacks. Yet everyone remembers where they were when the towers came down in New York City on 9/11.

Quarterback Colt McCoy: "I was a freshman in high school. I was in the high school in history class. The speakers went off. ... You've got to realize we're from the country. ... Anytime the speakers went off you knew something was up. It doesn't happen very often. The principal got on the speaker, the announcer thing, and gave us a one-minute spiel on what was going on and then everybody brought in TVs in each room and we stayed in the same room all day, got in the corners and prayed. I'll never forget that day."

Cornerback Sheldon Brown: "I was in a classroom. They canceled school. We all went to the dorm. We had some students that had family working in that. They closed class. We [at South Carolina] were the first team to play [after 9/11]. We went to Mississippi State. We played on a Thursday. We were the first team to actually fly and play a college football game."

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis: "I was getting ready to play Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper and the Minnesota Vikings. [Baltimore assistant coach] Mike Smith walked across the hall and he said, 'A plane just crashed in New York, in the World Trade Center.' I said, 'Really?' I continued watching tape, watching Culpepper throw touchdown passes and Randy Moss catch them. I finished that one and put in another one and Mike walked across the hall and said, 'A second plane just crashed.' I finished that one and I walked down the hall, and as I walked down the hall I was going to the restroom and I remember walking by the PR area. There was a television in the PR workroom and you could see -- it was actually the second building -- fall to the ground. You were waiting for Bruce Willis or John Wayne or somebody to come out and save it. It looked like a movie, but, well, I'll never forget it."

Browns receiver Josh Cribbs: "I was in school [at Kent State] and I was listening to Howard Stern on the radio after practice. It was real funny because Howard Stern ain't really serious on his show. He got real serious, said, 'It's an emergency, our country's at war. I joke a lot, but this is serious.' I went to the dorm and I started watching it, and as soon as I started watching it, 10 seconds after I turned it on, the second plane hit. I thought it was a recap of what went on earlier. Then I was like, 'Hold up, the other building's smoking, too.' I was confused. Then they were like, 'A second plane just hit.' And I was like, 'What?' After that, I was calling home because my sister worked at the Pentagon, my family lives in Washington. I talked to them before it happened, before the plane hit [at the Pentagon]. I was just calling everybody you know, make sure everybody's all right.

"My parents are in law enforcement. My father had to respond to that, he was on high alert. 'All hands on deck,' is what they called it. Immediately, it was all hands on deck, and I couldn't even get in touch with my dad."

Running back Peyton Hillis: "I was in 10th grade. I was heading to school when I first heard about it. I didn't believe it. I just thought it was some kind of rumor. The whole day at school, everybody was watching it on TV. It was a big day for our country. I think the 10-year anniversary should mean a lot for this country, to be proud of who we are and to show appreciation for those who passed away."

To commemorate the 10-year anniversary, all 1 p.m. NFL games, including the Browns-Cincinnati Bengals game, will feature a simultaneously broadcast video followed by a performance of taps at Shanksville, Pa., where one of the hijacked planes crashed. Local members of the Ohio National Guard and Marines and local first-responders will hold a 100-yard American flag during the national anthem.

Additionally, each fan at Cleveland Browns Stadium will receive an American flag, while players coaches and sideline personnel will wear a special NFL 9/11 ribbon as a patch or pin.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jvalade@plaind.com, 216-999-4654

A Josh Cribbs kick return ignites the offense and leads to two Colt McCoy TD passes.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerMohamed Massaquoi made some big plays for the Browns in the first half Sunday, beating the Bengals' Nate Clements (22) and Rey Maualuga for a reception on this play.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notes, observations and some facts on the second quarter ...

• Mike Nugent's 47-yard field goal makes it 13-0, Bengals. Browns would be advised to show something on offense on their next possession.

• Josh Cribbs fields Nugent's fourth kickoff eight yards deep. He returns it 51 yards to the 43. After a first down, Montario Hardesty runs for seven yards, and then for five more.

• From the 34, Colt McCoy's play-fake freezes entire Bengals defense. Three guys are open and McCoy, rolling right, chooses the tough throw across his body. He just gets it there in time to Benjamin Watson to beat cornerback Leon Hall for the TD.

• Finally, some life. Defense looks fired up, too. Marcus Benard and Brian Schaefering combine for sack of Andy Dalton.

• Joe Haden with his third breakup on third-down rope from Dalton for Jerome Simpson. First Bengals punt. On the return, Browns commit their eighth penalty, holding on Sheldon Brown.

• On third-and-7, McCoy does well to avoid a sack and scrambles for a first down. There's a Peyton Hillis sighting. Runs for 17 yards.

• With Thomas Howard chasing him, McCoy throws on the run deep for Mohamed Massaquoi and connects for 56 yards to Bengals' 5. McCoy falls hard after the throw.

• On third down from the 2, McCoy puts the ball only where Evan Moore can get it on a quick, inside slant, beating Hall again. It's 14-13, Browns, after one of the worst first quarters in memory.

• On Phil Dawson's ensuing touchback, Browns get their ninth penalty as Kaluka Maiava is called for lining up behind the kickoff line.

• A.J. Green called for interference when pushing off Haden. Haden is dominating the matchup.

• D'Qwell Jackson sacks and strips Dalton. Bengals Andre Smith falls on the fumble at the 9. On third-and-23, Bengals hand off safely. Browns' second timeout is with 2:57 left.

• Browns waste good field position and punt after three plays. Another clunker by Richmond McGee of 30 yards.

It's hard to remember a worse first quarter for a first-year Browns head coach.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerThe Browns' early troubles included this touchdown reception by the Bengals' Jermaine Gresham against T.J. Ward in the first quarter Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- We figured Pat Shurmur could coach offense. Can he coach discipline?

Colt McCoy was creative enough to lead two touchdown drives to give the Browns a 14-13 halftime lead. That was some good fortune for the home team, because it blundered around for nine penalties in the first 30 minutes of the season.

It's hard to remember a worse first quarter for a first-year Browns head coach (and there's been on shortage of rookies at the helm since 1999). Chris Palmer's debut against the Steelers that year was a mismatch but for pure unadulterated slop this was hard to beat.

McCoy caught his first pass after Bengals' defensive end Robert Geathers tipped it back to him. That was an early omen. False starts. Pass interference. Defensive holding. Neutral zone infraction. Unsportsmanlike  on the Browns bench. This half pretty much had it all.

Browns fans booed at the end of the first quarter.

McCoy saved it with a 34-yard TD pass to Ben Watson and a 56-yarder to Mohamed Massaquoi to set up a short TD strike to Evan Moore.

The Browns finished the half with a lead but also with 10 penalties. That's not a recipe to beat a good team.

Colt McCoy and the offense bounced back after a error-filled start, but oh, those penalties!

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerCedric Benson and the Bengals had the early momentum, but the Browns defense stiffened in the second quarter Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles at halftime after an eventful start to the season between the Browns and Bengals.

1. First the good stuff -- and there were a couple of very impressive parts of this uneven first half for the Browns. Colt McCoy created two huge plays with his arm and legs. Rolling out to the right, he threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to his left to Ben Watson.

2. McCoy also rolled to his right, and found Mohamed Massaquoi for a 56-yard gain. McCoy adjusted that the Bengals were bringing pressure up the middle over the young guards Shawn Lauvao and Jason Pinkston.

3. In his first two carries, Montario Hardesty ran strong for 12 yards. Joshua Cribbs ran a kickoff back 43 yards and looked strong.

4. Joe Haden broke up a couple of passes, and really did look like a big-time cover cornerback. D'Qwell Jackson and Phil Taylor also had some nice moments. The Bengals ran away from Taylor, Jayme Mitchell and linebacker Scott Fujita.

5. The Browns pulled themselves together after a very rocky first quarter, and that was a good sign.

6. But the penalties ... early in training camp, I wrote that I always thought it was a good idea for players to jog a lap around the field when they committed a mental mistake such as jumping offside during a practice. It's the policy of former coach Eric Mangini. This is not an endorsement of everything done by Mangini, but his emphasis on cutting penalties and mental mistakes just makes sense.

7. The first quarter was a total embarrassment for the Browns because of the penalties. Right guard Shawn Lauvao jumped offside -- twice. Left tackle Joe Thomas jumped offside. Fullback Owen Marecic was flagged for offensive pass inference; you don't see that often, a fullback flagged for offensive pass interference?

8. On defense, Sheldon Brown was flagged for pass interference. Rookie Jabaal Sheard jumped offside. That made six penalties in the first 10 minutes of the game. Oops, the Browns bench was flagged for "knocking down an official." The Browns had 10 penalties in the first half.

9. In the first quarter, nine of the Bengals' first 11 running plays were aimed at the right side of the Browns line -- rookie end Sheard and veteran linebacker Chris Gocong, who is coming off a pinched nerve that kept him out of most of training camp. Sheard was being shoved out of the way, Gocong looked a bit slow -- and Cedric Benson overpowered them.

10. In the second quarter, Marcus Benard replaced Sheard at right end. He had a sack. The Browns also made some defensive adjustments, and the Bengals had their first three-and-punt.

The Cleveland Browns opened their 2011 season on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Before the game, they payed tribute to those that have lost their lives on that day. Watch video

The Browns defense maintains control and Phil Dawson adds a field goal. Bruce Gradkowski is in charge of Bengals fortunes with Andy Dalton out with wrist injury.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerBen Watson has three receptions and a touchdown through three quarters of Sunday's game against the Bengals.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notes, observations and some facts on the third quarter ...

• Bruce Gradkowski replaces Andy Dalton to open the half. Dalton suffered an injury to his right wrist when hit after his last pass of the first half by Jabaal Sheard and Phil Taylor.

• Browns defense responds with first three-and-out series and Browns take over at their 47 after Josh Cribbs 21-yard punt return.

• Lots of Peyton Hillis, and then a Colt McCoy 17-yard completion to Evan Moore.

• Browns can't punch it in from the 3. Hillis 1-yard loss, incompletion on fade not high enough for Evan Moore, and incompletion for Josh Cribbs. Looked like Cribbs might have mistimed his jump against tight coverage by Nate Clements. Field goal.

• Buster Skrine with a nice open-field tackle at the 9 of Bengals return specialist Brandon Tate. Skrine has been very active on special teams.

• Joe Haden has his fourth pass breakup on an attempt for Jerome Simpson at first-down range. Haden for president.

• Browns take over at their 44. Great field position ever since the first quarter.

• McCoy takes a clean hit to the midsection by Frostee Rucker. On the next play, McCoy avoids pressure and just gets ball away towards Greg Little. Leon Hall called for interference. Cheap call on ball that looked uncatchable.

• Bengals challenge the call, claiming the ball was tipped, which would negate the interference call. The ruling stands and Bengals lose a timeout.

• Evan Moore fails a one-handed effort on a deep ball. He was covered by Chris Crocker. Great field position then squandered on an 8-yard sack by safety Reggie Nelson.

• Josh Cribbs hustles to down Richmond McGee's punt at the Bengals' 1 as Brandon Tate falls asleep. Bengals challenge, claiming a touchback. Very risky second challenge. Bengals win challenge and get touchback but are now out of challenges with 5:13 left in third quarter.

• Bengals turn to Cedric Benson to return some rhythm to their offense. The right move.

• Gradkowski to Jermaine Gresham for 22 yards, beating Usama Young.

• D'Qwell Jackson's 7-yard sack forces a Bengals punt. Jackson is playing hard and well.

Join The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff and cleveland.com's Joey Morona after the game as they break down what happened on the field live from the press box at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerBrowns' Mohammed Massaquoi catches a pass in the first quarter.

CLEVELAND, Ohio —  The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff and cleveland.com's Joey Morona break down the Browns' 27-17 loss to the Bengals in the season opener at the stadium.

Listen as they talk about Colt McCoy's performance, Pat Shurmur's first game as an NFL head coach and the bizarre play that gave Cincinnati the go-ahead touchdown.

Click on play to listen. You can also download the MP3 here.

Note: Due to a technical issue, the chat archive is joined in progress.

Oklahoma stays at No. 1, becoming the first team to hold the top ranking 100 times since the poll began 1936.

Ohio State interim head coach Luke Fickell (photo) and the Buckeyes visit Miami (Fla.) on Saturday.

NEW YORK, New York -- For the 100th time, Oklahoma is No. 1.

The Sooners reached a milestone in the history of The Associated Press college football poll without even playing. Oklahoma became the first team to hold the top ranking 100 times since the poll began 1936.

The Sooners will bring that No. 1 ranking into one of the biggest nonconference games of the season when they face No. 5 Florida State in Tallahassee on Saturday.

Ohio State, following its down-to-the-wire 27-22 win over Toledo, dropped two spots to No. 17. The Buckeyes visit Miami (Fla.) on Saturday night.

Oklahoma received 32 first-place votes and 1,441 points from the media panel.

Alabama reclaimed the No. 2 spot after a 27-11 victory at Penn State, flip-flopping with No. 3 LSU. Last week, the Tigers jumped the Crimson Tide. Boise State is No. 4.

Alabama received nine-first-place votes, LSU had 17 and Boise State had two.

The Sooners have been ranked No. 1 in all three polls this season, including their 10th appearance as No. 1 in the preseason, another record.

Notre Dame is second to OU with 95 overall appearances as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. Ohio State is next at 94 and Southern California has been No. 1 90 times.

Defending national champion Auburn moved back into the rankings at No. 21 after one of the wildest wins from one of the wildest days in college football in recent memory.

The Tigers needed a last-second goal line stand to beat Mississippi State 41-34, a week after scoring two touchdowns in the final two minutes to defeat Utah State. Auburn has the nation's longest winning streak at 17 games.

Also moving into the rankings this week was No. 22 Arizona State, which beat Missouri 37-30 in overtime on Friday.

Missouri and Penn State fell out of the Top 25.

The rest of the top 10 had Stanford at No. 6, followed by Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Nebraska.

No. 11 South Carolina moved up a spot after beating Georgia 45-42 on the strength of three nonoffensive touchdowns.

Oregon was No. 12, with Virginia Tech at 13, Arkansas 14 and Michigan State 15.

No. 16 Florida, Ohio State, West Virginia, Baylor and South Florida round out the top 20.

Joining Auburn and Arizona State in the final five were No. 23 TCU, No. 24 Texas and No. 25 Mississippi State, which fell nine spots.

A disaster of a fourth quarter sends the Browns to another opening day loss to start the 2011 season.

View full sizeMark Duncan, Associated PressCincinnati's Cedric Benson finished off the Browns with a 39-yard TD run in the final minutes as the Cleveland offense never found any consistent success in the 27-17 season-opening loss. Benson ran for 121 yards in 25 carries

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notes, observations and some facts on the fourth quarter ...

• Browns have to punt for the second possession in a row. Colt McCoy now 11 of 23 for 154 and 2 TDs.

• With 12:08 to go, Browns defense just has to keep Cedric Benson out of the end zone to secure first win.

• Benson promptly blasts ahead for 12 yards. And then he gets 6.

• Joe Haden with his fifth breakup on third-down pass for Andre Caldwell. It bears repeating. Haden has dominated Bengals receivers. A.J. Green has no catches, by the way (Editor's note: This is called foreshadowing).

• With 10 1/2 minutes left and ball at their 11, Browns throw for 11 yards to Josh Cribbs on first down. I don't think that would have happened a year ago.

• McCoy puts the ball on the mark to Greg Little on a quick inside slant on third down, good for 12 yards and a first down. Very big play there.

• But three ill-conceived plays to Hillis net minus-1, minus-4 and minus-5. Richmond McGee's third bad punt, of 28 yards, gives Bengals ball at their 38 with 6:19 to play and rain falling.

• Dimitri Patterson almost makes interception of Gradkowski pass for Jordan Shipley. Patterson leaves with injury.

• Brian Leonard goes 22 yards with short pass as Bengals caught Scott Fujita blitzing.

• Bengals catch Browns napping with quick snap. Haden is late covering A.J. Green and Bruce Gradkowski gets it to him for easy, 41-yard TD. 20-17, Bengals. Haden spent a few strides covering the inside receiver.

• After one first down, Browns have to punt after three McCoy passes are defended by Reggie Nelson, Leon Hall and Nate Clements.

• Browns start using their timeouts with 3:10 to go. Second one with 3:00 left. Bengals have to punt. Josh Cribbs 21-yard punt return gives Browns hope.

• McCoy throws three very short passes over the middle as the wide receivers can't seem to find any space. Browns go for it on fourth-and-8 from their 46 with 2:12 to go, but offensive line can't keep a solid pocket and McCoy desperately flips to Alex Mack, who isn't exactly an eligible receiver. He drops the ball, anyway.

• Bengals just want to run out the clock, but Benson does considerably better, breaking through the Browns for a 39-yard TD to finish off the game.

• McCoy's final pass is a slip out of his hands that is ruled an interception by the Bengals' Michael Johnson. Browns had one good quarter offensively, and start the season with a rather disappointing defeat.

The Bengals capitalize on a Browns breakdown in the fourth quarter, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 4:28 remaining.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerCarrying a 17-13 lead into the fourth quarter, Colt McCoy and the Browns lose their grip on the ball and the game, losing the season opener to Cincinnati.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It began ugly. It ended bizarrely.

In between, there were brief moments of promise from the Browns in Pat Shurmur's head coaching debut, but not enough to hold off the Cincinnati Bengals, who snagged a 27-17 victory over the Browns on Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Bengals' back-up quarterback Bruce Gradkowski tossed a 41-yard touchdown to rookie receiver A.J. Green with 4:28 remaining -- a play in which the Browns defense had barely broken its huddle when the ball was snapped. Green had no defender within 10 yards when he caught the pass from Gradkowski, a Toledo product who was called into action only after the Bengals lost starter Andy Dalton to a wrist injury at halftime.

The touchdown provided the bookend of Bengals' dominance, as Cincinnati jumped to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks mostly to seven Browns penalties. Bengals running back Cedric Benson rattled off 34 yards in the first quarter, finishing with 121 and the game-sealing 39-yard scoring dash in the final minutes.

The Browns stopped the errors in the second quarter, and began scoring points. Quarterback Colt McCoy threw touchdown passes to tight ends Ben Watson and Evan Moore, helping the Browns to a 14-13 halftime advantage.

Dalton's injury occurred on a hard hit by Browns defensive lineman Phil Taylor just before the end of the half.

Until the final quarter, the Browns held steady behind strong play from defensive back Joe Haden (five pass break-ups) and linebacker D'Qwell Jackson (two sacks). Phil Dawson added a 20-yard field goal. Then the Browns lost their focus.

McCoy was 19-of-40 for 213 yards and two touchdowns, Peyton Hillis rushed for 57 yards on 15 carries for the Browns.

Luis Valbuena homers, Trevor Crowe has three hits as Indians split four-game series in Chicago.

View full sizeJohn Smerciak, Associated PressTrevor Crowe slides safely across the plate with the Indians' third run Sunday afternoon against the White Sox. He and Luis Valbuena (2) scored on Lou Marson's two-run double in the second inning.

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Luis Valbuena and Trevor Crowe led a charge by the bottom of the Indians' lineup Sunday as they beat Chicago, 7-3, to earn a split in a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field.

Valbuena and Crowe, just up from Class AAA Columbus, had three hits each. The much-maligned Valbuena, in his fourth tour with the Indians this season, went 3-for-5 with his first homer in over a year. He hit an 0-2 pitch from lefty Will Ohman 402 feet over the fence in right center with one out in the sixth for a 4-2 lead.

It was his first homer since he went deep against White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle on April 16, 2010.

Fans and the media have been critical of Valbuena for his struggles last season with the Tribe. This year he's put up All-Star numbers at Columbus, but they haven't translated with the Indians.

Crowe, who has missed most of the season recovering from right shoulder surgery, went 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a steal.

Lonnie Chisenhall, Valbuena, Crowe and Lou Marson, the last four hitters in manager Manny Acta's lineup, were a combined 9-for-16 with one homer, four RBI and seven runs.

The Indians put the game away with three runs in the eighth.  After Chisenhall and Crowe singled and Marson walked to load the bases, Jason Donald's infield single scored Chisenhall and Carlos Santana doubled home the other two. Santana's double broke a 0-for-20 slump.  

Ubaldo Jimenez (9-11, 4.61) went six innings for the win. He walked the bases loaded in the fourth, but pitched out of the mess. Jimenez, 3-2 with a 4.98 ERA since the Indians acquired him from Colorado on July 31, allowed two runs on three hits. He walked five, struck out two and threw 105 pitches.

The Indians took a 3-0 lead in the second. Zach Stewart (2-4, 4.17) struck out the first two batters he faced before the bottom of the lineup ambushed him for four straight hits.

Chisenhall blooped a single to right and went to third on Valbuena's single to right. Crowe singled sharply to left for a 1-0 lead as Valbuena went to third.

Marson, who entered the game hitting .292 (14-for-48) in his last 15 games, doubled to right center as Valbuena jogged home and Crowe sprinted home from first for a 3-0 lead.

After Valbuena's homer in the sixth, the Indians had a chance to pad the lead, but Crowe was thrown out at the plate as he tried to score from second on Donald's single to right. It's the second time in as many games the Indians have had a player thrown out at the plate.

Jimenez retired six straight before running into trouble in the third. De Aza hit a leadoff single and stole second and third base as Brent Morel walked. Gordon Beckham hit into a force play at short to deliver De Aza and make it 3-1. Juan Pierre, who has hit the Indians well all year, singled Beckham to third. He came home on another ground ball out, this time by Alexei Ramirez.

The White Sox, 9-5 against the Indians this year, made it 7-3 on Pierre's RBI single in the ninth.

The Browns didn't just lose -- they fell apart. They have no one to blame but themselves.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerThese fans didn't have their faith rewarded Sunday as the Browns frittered what was expected to be a season-opening victory against in-state rival Cincinnati.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For fans, this was more than a 27-17 loss to Cincinnati in the Browns' season opener.

This was annoying. This was disorganization. This was a real stinker.

And the punting was lousy, too.

Even worse, it didn't have to be this way. If you watched this game, you have every right to scream, "There's no excuse for this!" The Browns had 11 penalties, two poor punts under little pressure and an offense that suddenly stalled when it meant the most.

Coach Pat Shurmur was even flagged for knocking over an official. He didn't mean it, but he did ... and it was a penalty. Just as rookie Greg Little didn't mean to "nail a guy who bounced into Josh [Cribbs]," according to Shurmur. That cost Cribbs what could have been a long return in the fourth quarter.

But none of that was the turning point. I kept asking myself, "Exactly how did the Browns lose this game?"

I saw it. I saw it over and over. I saw Bengals rookie receiver A.J. Green line up wide right. I saw the Browns in what must be their new GMA defense -- General Milling Around. It's 11 guys sort of standing near the middle of the field with no discernible purpose, other than perhaps waiting for someone to bring out the water.

Bengals quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was in because starter Andy Dalton was knocked out with a wrist injury at the end of the first half. With the Browns leading, 17-13, in the fourth quarter, Gradkowski quickly brought the Bengals to the line of scrimmage. He noticed Green was being treated by the Browns secondary as if he had dragon breath. No one was within 15 yards of him.

So Gradkowski threw the ball to Green, who was wide open and jogged into the end zone.

After the game, Shurmur said he thought the Bengals had brought in some substitutions. If they did, the Bengals were not allowed to do a quick snap -- as the Browns are also to be given time to bring in new players.

But there was no flag, and the play counted. Bengals 20, Browns 17.

Even if the Bengals did get away with some trickery, the Browns blew coverage on a screen pass that went for 22 yards. The catch and run by the Bengals' Brian Leonard set up that toss to Green.

But there was 4:31 left. The Browns were at home, and getting the ball. They had the ball not one, not two, but three times before the end of the game. What did those three possessions yield? Two first downs. In 12 plays, they gained 25 yards and never threatened. The Browns also allowed Cedric Benson to bolt for a 39 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 left.

All of this negated two terrific touchdown passes by McCoy, one to Ben Watson, the other to Evan Moore. There was a nice 51-yard pass to Mohamed Massaquoi after a McCoy scrambled. But the pass protection was iffy. The running game was a yawner, 83 yards in 26 carries. Peyton Hillis had only 57 yards in 17 carries. The offensive line had big problems.

A scarlet-faced, tough-talking Shurmur vowed he wouldn't tolerate so many mistakes. He correctly said the team made "a season full of mistakes in the first quarter." They came back from a 13-0 deficit to lead 14-13 at the half. It was 17-13 in the third quarter, and then the Browns didn't just lose -- they fell apart.

They have no one to blame but themselves.

Cleveland Browns' next opponent, Indianapolis Colts, play without star quarterback Peyton Manning and get routed, 34-7, by Texans in Houston. Browns visit Indy next Sunday.

Associated PressBaltimore quarterback Joe Flacco completed 17 of 29 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' 35-7 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore Ravens 35, Pittsburgh Steelers 7

Big-play defense, Joe Flacco and Ray Rice key dominating win at home

Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes, Haloti Ngata led an inspired defense that forced a team-record seven turnovers, and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers 35-7.

Ray Rice ran for 107 yards and scored twice for the Ravens, who bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never let up against their bitter rivals. It was a rematch of a second-round playoff matchup last January, when the Steelers rallied to beat Baltimore 31-24. In that game, the Ravens let a 21-7 halftime lead evaporate with three turnovers in the third quarter.

This time, the Ravens got three takeaways in the third quarter to turn a 21-7 advantage into a rout. Ngata was the driving force, causing a fumble and deflecting a pass that produced an interception.

Pittsburgh's eight-game winning streak in season openers ended.

Houston Texans 34, Indianapolis Colts 7

Colts, without Peyton Manning, don't score until fourth quarter in Texas

The Indianapolis Colts looked lost without Peyton Manning and the Texans took advantage, with Matt Schaub threw for 220 yards and a touchdown in Houston's 34-7 rout.

Ben Tate rushed for 116 yards and another score as he subbed for injured Arian Foster, and the Texans dominated Kerry Collins, Manning's replacement. Manning, the four-time MVP, didn't even travel with the team to Houston as he recovers from his third neck surgery in the past 19 months.

The Colts lured the 38-year-old Collins out of retirement less than three weeks ago to take a crash course in the offense, and that looked like a bad option in the opener. Collins completed 16 of 31 passes for 197 yards and didn't throw an interception, but the Colts couldn't score until 9:17 was left in the game, when Collins threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne.

The Cleveland Browns, who lost, 27-17, to the Cincinnati Bengals at home, play at Indianapolis next Sunday. Manning will not play, as he is expected to miss much, if not all, of the season.

Buffalo Bills 41, Kansas City Chiefs 7

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and Bills defense prevail at KC

Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick performed well enough last year that Chan Gailey didn't hesitate to appoint him the starter this season.

Smart move, coach.

The career backup threw four touchdown passes, two of them to journeyman tight end Scott Chandler, and the Bills romped to a 41-7 victory over the bumbling Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. It was the most lopsided season-opening loss in Chiefs history, and their worst home loss since a 45-0 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35 years ago.

Fitzpatrick finished with 208 yards passing in a pinpoint performance, and Fred Jackson added 112 yards rushing for the Bills, who hadn't scored 40 points in a season opener since beating the Los Angeles Rams 40-7 on Sept. 6, 1992.

Chicago Bears 30, Atlanta Falcons 12

Much-maligned Bears QB Jay Cutler excels before home crowd

Brian Urlacher had an interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown, Jay Cutler threw for 312 yards and two scores and the Bears romped past Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons 30-12 in a matchup of reigning division champions.

Urlacher picked off a Ryan pass to set up an early 56-yard touchdown catch by Matt Forte, and in the third quarter the linebacker picked up a fumble by Ryan and scored from 12 yards to make it 30-6. The fumble came on one of two sacks by Julius Peppers. Henry Melton also had two sacks and the Bears totaled five for the day.

Cutler completed 22 of 32 passes and was intercepted once in his first game at Soldier Field since the Bear's loss to Green Bay in the NFC championship. He left that game with a knee injury and was roundly criticized.

Philadelphia Eagles 31, St. Louis Rams 13

Philly runs for 237 yards in road win

Michael Vick rushed for 98 yards, LeSean McCoy scored twice and DeSean Jackson topped 100 yards receiving as the Philadelphia Eagles began their self-proclaimed Super Bowl drive with a 31-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

The Eagles had 239 yards rushing and were 8 for 11 on third downs.

The defense applied constant pressure and piled up five sacks, two by Justin Babin. Darryl Tapp forced a fumble by Sam Bradford that led to an easy 56-yard touchdown return by Juqua Parker.

Steven Jackson ran for a 47-yard score on the Rams' first play, but lasted only one more carry before leaving with a right leg injury for St. Louis. Bradford left for X-rays on a finger of his throwing hand in the fourth quarter.

Detroit Lions 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20

Lions continue to look like team on the upswing in road win

Matthew Stafford threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns to help the Detroit Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-20 for their fifth consecutive victory dating to the final month of the 2010 season.

Stafford completed 24 of 33 passes, including TD throws of 36 and 1 yards to Calvin Johnson and 11 yards to Tony Scheffler. The only interception he threw glanced off the hands of intended receiver Will Heller and was returned 28 yards by Aqib Talib for the only touchdown Tampa Bay managed until Josh Freeman threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Mike Williams with less than two minutes to go.

Jacksonville Jaguars 16, Tennessee Titans 14

Defense keys home win for Jags

Maurice Jones-Drew scored in his return from knee surgery, and Jacksonville used a flawless start and some clutch plays late as the Jaguars edged Tennessee 16-14.

Titans' running back Chris Johnson, who joined the team a little more than a week ago following a holdout, ran nine times for 24 yards and caught six passes for 25 yards.

Jacksonville dominated most of the first three quarters, but Tennessee made it close with a pair of second-half touchdown passes from Matt Hasselbeck to Kenny Britt.

The Jaguars converted a key third down on the ensuing drive. Mike Thomas made a leaping grab on Luke McCown's pass over the middle for a 26-yard gain. Jacksonville took time off the clock, then pinned Tennessee deep with a 44-yard punt downed at the 3-yard line.

Browns coach Pat Shurmur said it's his understanding the Bengals quick-snapped the ball before the Browns defense had a chance to adjust to Cinci's offensive personnel change.

CLEVELAND -- Browns coach Pat Shurmur said it's his understanding that the Bengals illegally quick-snapped the ball on the play that resulted in the 41-yard gamewinning TD pass to A.J. Green.

"My understanding is when the offense changes personnel, the defense is allowed to do so as well and have time to do it. I'm going to go back and watch the tape, but we'll all see if that actually happened.''

Backup quarterback Bruce Gradkoswki launched a 41-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to a wide-open Green, who hadn't made a catch all afternoon. The score put the Bengals up 20-17 en route to their 27-17 victory.

"We weren't ready,'' said Haden, who tried to chase the long-gone Green. "Everybody was scrambling. We were in the huddle trying to get the play and we didn't realize Cincinnati was already lined up. We were waiting on the call and we heard everybody screaming.

"It wasn't a good look for us. We were just scrambling around. They caught us off guard. We had, I don't know, like a different amount of players. It was just real confusing.''

The play happened in the midst of monster game by Haden, who was the Sultan of Swat in the game, knocking down five passes before the ugly chaos.'

"Coach told me to go out and dominate and that's what I was trying to do,''' said Haden.

Said Cedric Benson of the play: "The play was designed to catch them napping and we caught then napping.''

Said Green, the Bengals' first-round pick: "It was one of the slowest balls I've ever seen to come down. I was like 'come on, get down to my hands.'''

PUNTER WOES: Richmond McGee, who headed to the X-ray room after the game for an unspecified reason, did not have a good NFL debut. He had punts of 20, 30 and 28 yards. "The first one, I was just trying to kick it too hard to help the team,'' he said. "It was a disappointing performance.''

LAUVAO CONTRITE: First-time starting right guard Shaun Lauvao felt bad about his two false-start penalties in the first quarter. "I'll work harder to make sure those don't happen again,'' he said.

CRIBBS ADVISES LITTLE: Josh C...."Wow, I saw the TD. I really don't look at the punter. I just try to look past him. It was a great block by Greg, he just knocked him and me out. I was seeing double. I was like 'oh my God, he hit hit me!' Because it was just so wide open. I was already like, 'yea, we won this, we go this. Greg made a good block and I told him on the kickoffs, just hold him and put your arm up and say just 'start running, it's touchdown.' It was a great effort on his part. Just unfortunate.''  

The preseason hope that both Akron and Kent State were on the move have been dimmed by two poor weeks of football.

View full sizeKaren Schiely, Akron Beacon-JournalClayton Moore's upsetting moment against Temple reflects Akron's inability to show much improvement so far this season. The 0-2 Zips play at Cincinnati on Saturday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's two weeks into the season and any rose-colored glasses worn by fans of the Akron Zips (0-2) and Kent State Golden Flashes (0-2) have surely been replaced by 20-20 spectacles.

It is not a pretty sight.

There was hope Akron would show signs of progress under second-year head coach Rob Ianello. There was hope that first-year KSU coach Darrell Hazell would bring a new spirit to a program stuck in a yearly quagmire.

No such luck so far.

Flashes, in the pan: At Kent it looks like another offensive staff intent on "trick 'em" football with sideline passes that go nowhere or swing passes in a torrent of rain to a 6-1, 257-pound tailback who had yet to have a football in his hands.

Message to offensive coordinator: Anthony Meray, Trayion Durham, Jacquise Terry or any other tailback in uniform should have more carries in any game, individually, than junior quarterback Spencer Keith has pass attempts.

In two games Keith has thrown 80 passes and completed just 35, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt. Granted, his wide receivers drop more than they catch, but Keith throws just as many bad passes into the ground. While the defense was solid against Louisiana-Lafayette, when Kent's best player, defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix, is flagged for two personal fouls in one drive, it shows a level of frustration one side of the football has with the other.

Yet bad as that is, Kent isn't Akron.

Zipped Zips: Akron has three points after two games. Where Kent at least has a defense, Akron's leaves much to be desired. In its 41-3 loss to Temple, Akron allowed Owls tailback Bernard Pierce to rush for 150 yards and three scores in the first half. He did not have a carry in the second half.

Offensively, Akron QB Clayton Moore was sacked seven times in the opening half, eight for the game. Clearly, there is a lot to be fixed with Rubber City football.

Mellow yellow: To read the fan forums of the Toledo Rockets (1-1), one would think UT never saw a penalty flag before last Saturday's 27-22 loss at Ohio State, and the myriad of hankies were a conspiracy against a Toledo upset.

Tim Beckman's Rockets can knit quilts with all the flags thrown against them. Last season, UT led the conference in penalties (102) by a considerable margin over Miami (78). It is undisciplined football and takes some of the air out of any potential upsets the Rockets have, which could include Friday's home game against No. 4-ranked Boise State.

The truth: That is what the MAC will find out about Ohio University the next two weeks. After cushy wins over New Mexico State (don't let that Minnesota upset fool you) and Gardner-Webb, the Bobcats' next two games are at home against Marshall and at Rutgers.

That said, even losing both won't change OU's destiny considering the MAC weakest teams -- Kent State, Buffalo, Ball State and Akron -- are the first four league games. The Bobcats should be bowl eligible before Halloween.

Trick or Treat.