The man who became the Cavaliers' first coach had a direct hand in hiring its most famous announcer.

View full sizeCharles Harris, The Plain DealerWhether they used basketball trading cards or college preview magazines, the Cavaliers' first draft in 1970 was an interesting experience for (from left) assistant coach Jim Lessig, head coach Bill Fitch and owner-GM Nick Mileti.

About the book

In the new book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (softcover / $15.95 / 264 pages), Terry Pluto teams up with legendary broadcaster Joe Tait to tell the story of Tait's four-decade career as "the Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers" and as a play-by-play announcer for the Cleveland Indians and other local teams. The book also includes personal recollections from dozens of Tait's fans and colleagues.

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Win a free copy of the book!

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are giving away three copies of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." To have a chance, just submit a short video of you doing one of Tait's signature calls. Click for full details and upload form.

Read more

• Calendar of book signings
• Website for the book (JoeTaitBook.com)
• Complete Cleveland Cavaliers coverage
• Terry Pluto's columns
• 'Things I've Learned from Watching the Browns'
• 'Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame'
• 'The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers'

Bill Fitch doesn't remember the note, just The Voice.

"The first time I was in the Monmouth press box, I heard Joe," said Fitch. "I didn't know his name, just The Voice. And it was The Voice of an announcer. You could just tell that he was going to be good."

Fitch was the basketball coach at Coe College in the late 1950s, but he also helped coach the school's freshman football team. And he also scouted the next opponent for the Coe varsity football team. So he showed up a few times a year in Monmouth's press box, where he heard The Voice.

"Joe interviewed me a few times, and I could tell that he was prepared," said Fitch. "His teams were terrible, but he made them sound so good. I just knew that one day, he was going somewhere special."

As if Fitch didn't have enough jobs, he also was the head baseball coach at Creighton from 1956-58, where his star was future Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. And Fitch scouted for the Milwaukee Braves. To Fitch, The Voice of Joe Tait was like the sound of a line drive off the bat of a pure hitter. Or the pop of a Bob Gibson fastball into the catcher's glove.

There was something pure and true about it.

"I never forgot that voice," said Fitch.

And Joe never forgot Fitch as he watched Bill climb the coaching ladder.

In the summer of 1967, Fitch was hired to be the men's basketball coach at Bowling Green University. Joe was at Ohio University, teaching broadcasting and also broadcasting the school's football and basketball games. In the Mid-American Conference preseason basketball poll, Bowling Green received one first-place vote. It belonged to Joe.

"Fitch had taken over a bad team, but he knew I was at Ohio -- and right away, he knew who voted for his team," said Joe. "He said, 'It's that crazy guy down in Athens [Ohio].' But I knew Bill was a great coach and that he would surprise the MAC."

Bowling Green did win the 1967-68 MAC title in Fitch's only season at the school.

"When Bill took over at BG, he brought the players together and asked who was the toughest S.O.B. on the team," said Joe. "A player stepped forward-and bang, Bill popped the guy."

Joe laughed as he recalled the story.

"Then Bill asked the players, 'Now who is the toughest S.O.B. on the team?'" said Joe. "Bill was still young, 33, and he was a former Marine. He was the toughest S.O.B. on that team."

By 1970, Fitch was running the Cavaliers. That's when Joe sent him the note reading: "I knew you'd always make it in the big time. ... By the way, if you ever need anyone to do for the Cleveland Cavaliers what I did for those Monmouth Fighting Scots (66-0), let me know. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

When Joe mailed the note, he was "Morning Mayor" of a station in Terre Haute, Indiana ... WBOW: On The Banks Of The Wabash!

"I also was the station manager, because the general manager had died and someone had to do it," said Joe.

* * *

Fitch was hired as the Cavs' coach and general manager on March 18, 1970. Six months later, the team that started without a player or even a basketball was set to open the season. The Cavaliers didn't get around to hiring a broadcaster until after the season opened. Public relations director Bob Brown did the first seven games in team history. All on the road. They played at Buffalo, Portland, San Francisco, Portland (again), San Diego, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

They returned to Cleveland with an 0-7 record, losing by an average of 17.3 points.

The Cavs had no money in the early days, but Brown discovered he couldn't help owner Nick Mileti run the front office and do the games on the radio. They needed to hire a broadcaster. Mileti, Fitch and Brown talked about who should be the voice of the Cavs.

Joe said Mileti later told him that he said: "We need a guy who will come in and be so excited about being in a big city that he won't think about the fact that I'm not paying him that much."

So the Cavs wanted someone cheap. They also wanted someone who would be glad to have a job, and would temper any criticism of the team. At this point, they all knew the Cavs were going to be a bad team. A very, very bad team. Hiring a Cleveland broadcaster or even someone from another major market meant running the risk of having their own radio voice being perhaps a bit too candid.

"I know just the guy," said Fitch. "He used to make the worst football team that I ever saw sound good."

Fitch said the name ... Joe Tait. It meant nothing to Mileti and Brown. Here is where the story takes two different roads.

According to Joe, Fitch had kept the letter on his desk. He used it to call and say, "Joe, are you interested in doing the Cavs' games?"

"Absolutely," said Joe.

"Can you drive to Cleveland and do a tryout for us?" Fitch asked.

"I'll drive right over," he said.

More than 40 years later, Fitch doesn't remember anything about the letter from Joe. He said he "had four guys in mind" from his days as a college coach, four broadcasters he had heard and met over the years.

"But Joe was the best, and I always kept track of him," said Fitch.

Note or no note ... Joe received his chance. He was 33 years old. He had spent 10 years bouncing from one small town to another ... from one station to another ... from one rejection to another.

"I was making $10,000 a year," said Joe. "I figured I didn't have much to lose."

* * *

The Cavs brought Joe to town without anyone hearing even a tape. Mileti and Brown just took Fitch's word, and then asked Joe to take a tape player and climb all the way to the top of the old Cleveland Arena. The Cavs were having their home opener against San Diego. It was October 28, 1970. The attendance was 6,144 for the first NBA game in Cleveland.

"Nick Mileti ordered miniature wineglasses with the Cavs logo on them to be given to the fans," said Joe. "His idea was to hand everyone a glass, pass out some wine -- and have the fans toast the new team before the game. But there was a problem: They couldn't get a liquor license from the state of Ohio. So they toasted the team with empty wineglasses, which was perfect fodder for the newspapers. Here was a team that had lost all its games, playing in a half-empty arena with empty wineglasses."

Bob Brown did the game on the radio. Joe was in the hockey press box. It was right under the roof, behind one of the baskets. It was a horrible place from which to watch a game. From that spot, Joe talked into the tape recorder, pretending to be on the radio.

"I was really nervous," Joe said. "I knew this was my chance."

After the game, he handed the tape to Bob Brown. Joe was staying at the Midtown Sheraton on Euclid Avenue, right across from the old arena.

"I'll give the tape to Nick, and we'll call you in the morning," said Brown. "We'll let you know what's going on."

Joe spent a long night trying with little success to sleep. This was the closest he had ever been to a job in a major market. Having been turned down so many times before, it was easy for him to imagine it would happen again.

"At 8:30 that morning, Bob Brown called and said to come across the street and meet with Nick in 30 minutes," said Joe. "His office was on the second floor of the old Arena. He shook my hand and said: 'Joe, I like your work. I've gotta tell you, I don't have any money. I can't pay you very much. In fact, all I can pay you is $100 a game. But if you are willing to work for $100 a game, it's yours. And someday, I will make it up to you.'"

Joe did some quick math -- the Cavs had 74 games left, meaning he'd be paid $7,400. He had to leave the $10,000 job in Terre Haute and move his family. It was a 25 percent pay cut.Mileti put out his hand.

Joe shook it. Welcome to the NBA.

Did Fitch ever listen to the tape that convinced Mileti to hire Joe?

"Never," said Fitch. "I didn't need to hear Joe's tape. I knew he was good."

As for the game Joe called from the hockey press box, the Cavs lost, 110-99. At the end of the first quarter, San Diego had a 38-17 lead, and it was 59-45 at the half. Elvin Hayes scored 40 points. Rookie John Johnson led the Cavs with 19, Bobby Smith had 18. Fans left in the middle of the fourth quarter.

"It was a perfect introduction to what was coming next," said Joe, who still has the homemade scorecard from the game that he drew on a long, yellow legal pad. The loss dropped the Cavs' record to 0-8 as Joe drove home to tell his family that they were moving to Cleveland.

* * *

Joe becoming the voice of the Cavs is something that probably wouldn't happen today. Think about it:

The coach picks him after not hearing him do a game for 10 years ...

The owner is looking for someone young and really, really cheap ...

The team didn't even consider hiring a radio voice until two weeks into the regular season ...

But the hiring of Fitch as coach would seem to be just as improbable in the modern NBA. Mileti was a Bowling Green graduate. Fitch was the coach there for only one season, 1967-68.

"I got to know Nick when he wanted to promote a game at the Arena between Bowling Green and Niagara," said Fitch. "Niagara had Calvin Murphy, and we upset them. That had something to do with him hiring me."

Mileti was thrilled when the game drew nearly 11,000 fans -- and his alma mater knocked off Murphy. Several months later, Mileti put together a group of investors and purchased the Arena and the Cleveland Barons minor-league hockey team. His goal was to bring the NBA to Cleveland. That happened in the spring of 1970, when the NBA added three teams -- Portland, Buffalo and Cleveland.

The league didn't spend a lot of time checking Mileti's finances. He already owned an arena and a hockey team. The upstart American Basketball Association kept expanding and was looking to add Cleveland. The NBA wanted Cleveland, Portland and Buffalo in their league, so in came three teams. The NBA of today would never bring in three expansion teams in the same year. It also would be very alarmed about how Mileti was paying for the team with several investors, very little of his own money and not much cash in reserve.

But in 1970, Mileti looked good as an NBA owner.

And he needed a coach. He was proud of what Fitch had done in his one season at Bowling Green. He remembered the electricity in the old Arena when Fitch coached Bowling Green to that victory. While Mileti told reporters that he had "more than 100 applicants" to be coach, he had only one name in capital letters on his list -- BILL FITCH.

After leaving Bowling Green, Fitch had coached at Minnesota for two years. He was scouting a junior college tournament when Mileti called him.

"I was in Hutchinson, Kansas, and Nick called me at 5:30 in the morning," said Fitch. "At 8, we were still talking."

Mileti had several gifts, but his best was the power of persuasion. He not only made Fitch the coach but also the general manager.

"I wasn't taking it unless I could pick my own players," Fitch said.

And his own announcer, too.

* * *

Along with tracing their roots to small colleges in the Midwest, Fitch (Coe) and Joe (Monmouth) also were very determined and ambitious young men. Just as Joe went from small market to small market, never staying anywhere longer than three years, Fitch kept chasing his dream.

He coached freshman basketball and varsity baseball at Creighton (1956-58).

He was the head basketball coach and freshman football coach at Coe (1958-62).

He was the basketball coach at North Dakota (1962-67).

He was the basketball coach at Bowling Green (1967-68), his first Division I college basketball job.

He was the basketball coach at Minnesota (1968-70). That gave him three total seasons as a major-level head coach when he was hired by the Cavs at age 36. His record at Minnesota was 25-23 in two years.

"I don't think it was that strange," said Fitch, about his hiring.

Of course, he was speaking 41 years after it happened. He was speaking after a career of coaching 2,050 games with five NBA teams. But today, some in the media would ask: "Why are you turning over the entire franchise to a guy with zero background in the NBA? You are going to let him draft the players, make trades and coach?"

But that question wasn't raised in 1970. The Cavs were new, and Cleveland was not familiar with the ways of the NBA. This also was when the NBA was looking to the colleges for coaches. Dick Motta (Weber State) and Jack Ramsay (St. Joseph's) were hired before Fitch. There was a theory that the NBA had little coaching because it was mostly former players who rolled out the balls and watched the guys scrimmage. It was the college guys who really knew the Xs and Os.

In Cleveland, Fitch was warmly received because he did win the MAC at Bowling Green. He did coach in the Big Ten at Minnesota.

How did he prepare for the NBA expansion draft? They had done no scouting because everyone was hired so late. There was no Internet. There were no private scouting services. But there were basketball cards, which had names, records and basics statistics on the back.

Fitch's assistant was Jim Lessig, whose son had the cards. As they talked about preparing for the NBA, Lessig said his son had just bought five packs for a quarter, and they did have some information about the players. Fitch sent Lessig back to the store to buy all he could. Twenty bucks and lots of doubles later, they had about 100 different player cards. And from there, they began picking their team.

Joe just laughs thinking about when he joined the Cavs, who were playing like a bunch of rejects from a card collection. He did two more home games after the audition tape ... a 125-110 loss to Cincinnati in front of 3,199 fans and a 131-107 loss to Atlanta watched by 3,533 fans ... making the Cavs 0-10.

"After I was hired, I called my wife and could tell she wasn't thrilled about having to move our two kids -- and me taking a pay cut -- from $10,000 to $7,400," said Joe. "I drove back to Terre Haute to pack some clothes. At home, I listened to the Cavs' radio broadcast from Philadelphia. The Cavs lost, 141-87. The game was on WCAU out of Philadelphia, and the broadcasters were saying things like: 'This is the worst basketball team that I've ever seen in my life. Why would anyone pay to see this atrocity?' Sonny Hill [the analyst] said he doubted the team would even last past the All-Star break before it folded."

Joe's first wife also was listening to the game.

"Edith was slam-dunking my socks in the suitcase, and she was really upset," said Joe. "I was wondering, 'What have I done?'"

But he was committed to Cleveland, and he drove back to join those 0-11 Cavaliers.

"Had I stayed in Terre Haute, I'd have been fired," Joe said. "Right after that, the station was sold, and they wiped out everyone."

Joe was just glad Edith didn't ask him what the Cleveland Arena was like. "I remember walking into it and thinking: 'This is the NBA?' It was dark. It was cold. It was a dump," Joe said. "And it was usually empty."

"That was true," said Fitch, 41 years later. "But it was a great place to shoot rats."

What?

"After the game, they'd throw out the old hot dogs and food in the dumpsters behind the Arena," said Fitch. "I'd go back there with another guy, and we'd shoot rats with a pistol. Those things were huge!"

Reader stories

I was working in radio in Bellevue, Ohio, back in 1975 when we hired a kid part time who had graduated from high school in Streetsboro. He had told me time and time again he knew Joe Tait, which, of course, I didn't believe. We went to a Tribe game together. My friend said, "C'mon let's go meet Joe -- I'll introduce you." He then headed up to the booth. I thought for sure we were going to get bounced from the stadium. We got up there, and I'll be damned, he did know Joe Tait, who I found to be very genuine and friendly during that short meeting that I've never forgotten.

By the way, our part-timer was Vince Koza, who graduated from Ohio University and was sports director at a TV station in Lima, Ohio, for some time.

In 1973, I wrote a letter to Joe asking if I could interview him for my school newspaper. I was thrilled to receive a handwritten reply telling me absolutely ... let him know the date. He'd meet me at the Cleveland Arena entrance and make me his guest for the evening. My dad took me to the game. I tagged along as Joe completed his rounds, including a pregame, taped interview with Bill Fitch. I spent the game next to Joe at the scorer's table, so close to the Cavs bench that I could hear Fitch imploring his troops and cracking wise from time to time in the huddle.

Joe could not have been more gracious. When I got home, I wrote my rather starry-eyed profile, which appeared in the next issue of our school paper.

A few years later, I was attending college in Southern California and caught a Cavs game at the Forum against the Lakers. A half hour before the game, I spotted Joe at the visiting broadcasters table, just a few rows from where I was sitting. I went over and introduced myself. He not only remembered me but greeted me like I was an old friend.

He asked how I was and what I was doing. I later heard from friends back in Ohio that he sent a personal hello from me to Cavs fans listening on the radio.

Excerpted from the book "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball" (c) 2011 by Terry Pluto and Joe Tait. All rights reserved. This text may not be reproduced in any form or manner without written permission of Gray & Company, Publishers. The book is available at Northeast Ohio bookstores and online from Amazon.com and BN.com, in both print and e-book editions. For more information, call the publisher at 1-800-915-3609 or visit its website: grayco.com

Read all five excerpts

They called Joe Tait "The Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers," and that he was, for 39 seasons. He was much more, from the Morning Mayor of Rockford, Ill. (two terms!) to Herb Score's partner on Indians broadcasts. Read exclusive excerpts from the new book.

Terry Pluto's latest book tells the story of Joe Tait's life.

They called Joe Tait "The Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers," and that he was, for 39 seasons. He was much more, from the Morning Mayor of Rockford, Ill. (two terms!) to Herb Score's partner on Indians broadcasts.

Plain Dealer sportswriter Terry Pluto tells Tait's story in his latest book, "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." The Plain Dealer is running excerpts this week in print and online. This sneak peek offers five chapters:

• LeBron James and the mistakes the Cavaliers made

"Dan overdid it trying to placate LeBron," said Joe. "There were times when we had one travel schedule, but LeBron would want to stay an extra day in a certain city because he had a commitment or whatever, and we'd change it to suit LeBron."

• Joe is the Morning Mayor ... twice ... and gets fired ... twice

"There was one of those old radiators on the wall, and I was so close to pounding his head into that radiator," Joe said.

• The infamous Beer Night (yes, it was a riot)

"I was sick to my stomach. It was the worst thing that I ever saw during a broadcast."

• Joe's dad and Nate Thurmond

"My father was always impressed that Nate remembered his name," said Joe. "I really believe those were the first times that my father ever had long, serious talks with a black person."

• Joe teams up with Bill Fitch

Fitch on Tait: "His teams were terrible, but he made them sound so good. I just knew that one day, he was going somewhere special."

You can win a free copy of the book

Like what you read? Want more? The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are giving away copies of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." To get one, you'll have to submit a short video of you doing one of Tait's signature calls, like "Wham! with the right hand!"

We'll pick the best video makers to win copies of the book. Find out more and upload your video today.

More about Tait and Pluto

• Buy the book online at grayco.com, Amazon.com or BN.com

• Check the calendar of book signings

• Go to the book's website

• Read excerpts from Pluto's previous Cavs book, "LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers"

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com is giving away one copy of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." Just upload a video of yourself doing one of Tait's signature calls. The best video as determined by The Plain Dealer's panel of judges will win the book. Watch video

Joe Tait's new book, written with Terry Pluto, celebrates his broadcasting career of over 40 years with stories from Joe and dozens of fans, media colleagues, and players. You can read exclusive excerpts from the book on cleveland.com here.

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com is giving away one copy of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball." Just upload a video of yourself doing one of Tait's signature calls. The 3 best videos as determined by The Plain Dealer's panel of judges will win the book.

Some of the signature calls you can choose from:

- Wham with the right hand!

- Three-ball..... got it!

- To the line, to the lane, to the hoop...he put it up and in!

- Mark Price in the forecourt out to the right wing, to Ehlo...

- It's basketball time at The Q

- Have a good night, everybody!

Follow the directions carefully below to enter and be sure to read the contest rules at the bottom of this post.

PROMOTION PERIOD. Promotion begins 6 AM ET November 20, 2011 and ends at 11:59 PM ET December 4, 2011 when all entries must be received ("Promotion Period").

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Live audio: Click on play about 15 minutes after the end of the game to listen to our live post-game show with The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff.

Hardesty (calf) and Peyton Hillis (hamstring) are still inactive, but Mohamed Massaquoi will start at receiver.

CLEVELAND -- It will be the Chris Ogbonnaya-Thomas Clayton backfield show again for Browns today against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

 Montario Hardesty (calf) has been made inactive again. It was no surprise, even though coach Pat Shurmur refused to rule him out during the week. Hardesty has not practiced with the team since suffering a calf muscle injury early in the San Francisco game on Oct. 30.

 Also, Peyton Hillis was made inactive for the fifth game in a row since pulling a hamstring muscle early in the Oakland game on Oct. 16.

The Browns did make Mohamed Massaquoi active. He missed two of the last three games -- and left the one he played -- because of a concussion suffered on Oct. 23. Massaquoi's status resulted in rookie tight end Jordan Cameron being made inactive.

 The Browns also announced two other lineup changes: Safety Usama Young will start for T.J. Ward (foot) and Emmanuel Stephens starts for the second game in a row for Jayme Mitchell (hip). Mitchell is active, however.

Other inactives for the Browns: QB Thad Lewis, C Steve Vallos, OL Oniel Cousins.

 For the Jaguars, receiver Brian Robiskie will not have the chance to avenge his former team. Robiskie (hamstring) is inactive.

 Other inactives for the Jaguars: FB Brock Bolen, C John Estes, DE Aaron Kampman, receiver Cecil Shorts, TE Fendi Onobun and DT Terrance Knighton. Former Brown C.J. Mosley will play for Knighton.

The public tug-of-war over the pendant began in 2010 after the unusual piece of bling went up for sale on Ebay and caught the eye of reporters.

Associated Press fileThe contested pendant.

"Whatever happened to . . .?" is a weekly series updating some of the most newsworthy and interesting local stories covered in The Plain Dealer. Have a suggestion on a story we should update? Send it to John C. Kuehner.

Today, we answer this question:

Whatever happened to the $10,000 Lebron James pendant that turned up on Ebay after an Akron woman said she bought it for $5 at a yard sale?

It remains locked up at the Wadsworth police department until the courts can sort out who owns it -- the woman, a sports memorabilia collector who tried to buy the pendant on Ebay, or Lebron James' friend and business manager Maverick Carter.

A civil trial is scheduled Dec. 5 in Medina County Common Pleas Court.

The public tug-of-war over the pendant began in 2010 after the unusual piece of bling went up for sale on Ebay and caught the eye of reporters.

At the time, then-19-year-old Vaneisha Robinson -- an amateur boxer from Akron -- told reporters she bought the pendant at a yard sale several years earlier and wore it around her neck in high school figuring the diamonds were rhinestones.

Only after having the pendant appraised in 2010 did she realize its value, Robinson said. She put the pendant up for sale, hoping to use the money to open her own boxing gym.

Steve Adams of Convoy, Ohio, won the Ebay auction, but never received the pendant.

By the time the auction ended, Maverick Carter's family had the pendant.

According to Robinson, someone lured her to Carter's mother's house during the Ebay auction by telling her Lebron James wanted to buy the pendant.

When Robinson arrived, however, Lebron James wasn't there. But Robinson said that others forced her to turn over the pendant.

Maverick Carter's lawyer, Robert Campbell, said last week that Carter is and always has been the true owner of the pendant.

He said the pendant is one of about a dozen similar pendants that were custom made for Carter and others. Carter's pendant went missing about the time Robinson started wearing a pendant to school.

The lawyer said Carter's mother and Robinson's mother were friends at the time and that Robinson would have had many opportunities to steal the pendant.

Wadsworth police have investigated the allegations, but no charges were ever filed.

Robinson and Adams, meanwhile, each filed civil suits seeking ownership of the pendant. The cases were consolidated for next month's scheduled trial.

The Jaguars can't push it in after a last-ditch drive as the Browns survive, 14-10.

View full sizeRon Schwane, Associated PressJosh Cribbs gathers in a tie-breaking TD pass from Colt McCoy to give the Browns the lead in the fourth quarter.

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

• Browns enter red zone on Greg Little 11-yard catch. A touchdown here is imperative.

• Little throws good block on swing pass to Owen Marecic.

• Chris Ogbonnaya's 6-yard run takes it to the 3. But Marecic is helped off the field with injury.

• On third down, Josh Cribbs scores TD by doing a quick 2-step hop to get both feet in just inside right pylon. Really good drive by McCoy to atone for his interception.

• Pumped up Phil Dawson drills ensuing kickoff out of the end zone for touchback.

• Sheldon Brown drops an interception. Joe Haden had one of those earlier.

• Great third-down throw by Blaine Gabbert. Twenty-eight yards on a line to Jason Hill to the Browns' 37.

• Montell Owens bounces off Haden for 8 yards and first down at Browns 11.

• Gabbert misses Hill in end zone after Brown falls. Wide, wide open. Ball out of the end zone.

• Jags have third-and-8 at Browns 9. What to do? Gabbert desperately throws backwards out of bounds with Jabaal Sheard on his back. Josh Scobee's 42-yard field goal makes it 14-10, Browns.

• The game could be iced by ... Ogbonnaya? His 40-yard dash down the left sideline ends when he cramps up, but suddenly the Browns are in position to put the outcome out of doubt.

• Ogbonnaya sits out for a play, then returns to keep moving the pile. All those who thought he would outgain Jones-Drew and average nearly six yards a carry ... yeah, sure.

• McCoy is sacked by Tyson Alualu and Russell Allen. Drive in trouble now.

• Jags are calling timeouts to try to force a field goal and a last-ditch chance to tie. They get their wish, and then some, when Phil Dawson is just wide right from 38 yards.

• Gabbert swings one to Drew Coleman for nine yards and Jones-Drew converts the first down as the two-minute warning arrives.

• Mercedes Lewis gathers in a 12-yard reception to get the Jags in Browns territory. Good pressure forces Gabbert to throw one away, but on second down he finds Lewis again on a crossing pattern to the 37. Third and four.

• Jarrett Dillard is stopped a yard short of first down, but Phil Taylor eases the pressure on the Jags by jumping offside on fourth down.

• From the 29, Browns blitz and Gabbert is short and inside to Lewis, who is be shadowed well by Scott Fujita. Third down with 57 seconds left.

• Jason Hill can't make the grab over the middle, but Joe Haden is flagged for interference. There was a lot of contact on the play.

• Now at the 14, there's plenty of time for Jacksonville. Pressure forces a throw out of bounds. Chastin West gets a square-out in front of Sheldon Brown at the five, and nearly breaks free for the score.

• Jones-Drew moves the entire pile three yards for first and goal at the 2.

• With clock running, Jones-Drew gets the ball again and this time the tackles form a wall he can't break through. Last Jaguars timeout with eight seconds left. Do they dare run MJD again?

• Hill has Haden beat in the left corner, but Haden grabs his left hand and the ball comes free. Last play.

• Jones-Drew is the best option, right? But he's in a wheel route and Mike Thomas is man-to-man on D'Qwell Jackson over the middle. The pass is a little behind and Jackson keeps pushing as the ball falls to the ground.

• Had them all the way.

The Browns end a three-game losing streak by beating Jacksonville with a redemptive Colt McCoy touchdown drive and a defensive goal-line stand.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerJosh Cribbs hops over the sideline after scoring the tiebreaking touchdown Sunday afternoon on a 3-yard pass from Colt McCoy in the fourth quarter. Beaten on the play is Jaguars defensive back Ashton Youboty.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Playing catastrophe-free football for the first time in a month, the Browns restored some faith in themselves Sunday by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 14-10. They did it with a goal-line defensive stand at the end when the Jaguars were denied on four plays inside the 5.

They did it with a redemptive touchdown drive in the fourth quarter by Colt McCoy after he threw an interception at the Jacksonville 3.

They did it with a monster second half rushing by Chris Ogbonnaya, who had 98 yards after halftime and 115 for the game.

They did it with a replay review that was fuzzy enough to cast doubt on whether a tipped pass should undo a Jacksonville pass interference in the end zone, which set up Ogbonnaya's first career TD run from a yard out.

And, yes, they did it with a questionable decision by the Jaguars to put the ball in the hands of scatter-armed rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert on the final two plays from the 1 rather than give it to Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

"Our offensive coordinator calls the plays," Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio said, throwing Dirk Koetter under the bus. "I can't speak to his thinking."

Gabbert, the league's only starting quarterback completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes, had moved his team from his 29 to the Browns' 5 after the two-minute warning.

On first down from the 2, Jones-Drew dived ahead for one yard. Del Rio used his third timeout with eight seconds left. A failed run there would have secured the loss. So Gabbert threw for Jason Hill in the right corner. Joe Haden was beat, but he closed and slapped at Hill's hands to break it up.

"He walked off like it was a run play, then next thing you know he just pushed and went to the corner," Haden said. "So I just chased him and wasn't in good enough position to look back for ball, so soon as it touched his hands I made sure I hit his hands to knock it out."

So it came down to one play from the 1 with three seconds left. A handoff to Jones-Drew, the rolling ball of butcher knives, was on the minds of most in the half-empty Cleveland Browns Stadium. Defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin said he was mindful of a keeper run by Gabbert. Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson was thinking a play-action pass.

Under center, Gabbert dropped back and looked again toward Hill in the right corner. His second read took him to Mike Thomas, his team's leading receiver, crossing to the middle of the end zone. Thomas had a small edge on Jackson, covering the middle, but Gabbert's throw sailed high and wide, slightly behind the receiver.

"I anticipated the route he was running, but it was tough route to cover because the guy works away from you," Jackson said. "I saw his hands went up, my hands went up. I didn't even see the ball."

Jackson added, "About time some things swing in our favor."

Like earlier in the fourth quarter, when Gabbert missed Hill wide open in the left corner of the end zone after Sheldon Brown slipped and fell at the line of scrimmage. Gabbert's throw sailed out of the end zone. Jacksonville was forced to settle for a field goal.

Although the Browns extended their touchdown-less streaks in the first and third quarters to a season-long 10 games, McCoy's indefatigable fourth quarter touchdown drive proved the game-winner. It atoned for McCoy's one bad play of the game -- an interception at the Jacksonville 3. What made that mistake even worse was that coach Pat Shurmur had taken a field goal off the scoreboard.

Jacksonville linebacker Mike Lockley was penalized for leaping during Phil Dawson's apparent 40-yard field goal. Referee Terry McAulay said to a pool reporter after the game that "a player who starts more than a yard from the ball cannot jump up and land on another player."

By accepting the penalty, Shurmur received a new set of downs at the Jaguars' 11. Criticized severely for setting up for a field goal at the end of the St. Louis game, which was botched, Shurmur allowed McCoy to throw. It backfired when McCoy's late pass on third down for tight end Ben Watson was intercepted by safety Dawan Landry.

Undaunted, Shurmur called two pass plays on McCoy's next drive from the 3. The second one was completed on a sprint rollout by McCoy to Josh Cribbs, who ably got his feet down with one hop in tight quarters inside the goal-line pylon.

In all, the Browns had 16 plays inside the 20 -- the dreaded red zone. Shurmur called nine passes and seven runs. The Browns scored two touchdowns in the four red-zone possessions -- gigantic improvement over last week's 0-for-4.

"Everybody had issues about the red zone, and we got in the red zone and scored," Shurmur said.

"Some day we'll all sit down and watch the red zone together. I threw the ball quite a bit in the red zone. I chose to run it at the end of the game [last week] and that was situational football. I believe it's important to throw the football and I believe it's important to trust your quarterback, and that's what we did and we won the game."

The win halted a three-game losing streak and improved the Browns to 4-6.

"It changes the whole attitude, gives you a new energy, makes you excited to go back to work," Haden said.

It also gives the Browns a new frame of mind as they enter their scheduled death march to conclude this season. Five games in the division over the last six weeks, starting with a visit to Cincinnati.

"It's not getting any easier for us at this point," Jackson said.

On Twitter: @TonyGrossi

Listen to The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff and cleveland.com's Joey Morona break down the Browns' 14-10 win over the Jaguars in the post-game show.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jason Hill (83) runs from Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita (99) in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Listen as The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff and cleveland.com's Joey Morona broke down the Browns' thrilling 14-10 win over the Jaguars during the post game show.

They talked about the big plays, highlighted the top performances and took your chat room comments and questions.

Among the topics they discuss:

- How much does the defense worry you?

- Did the Jaguars beat themselves with the decisions they made late in the game?

- Has Colt McCoy convinced you he's the guy?

- Did Pat Shurmur redeem himself from last week with his playcalling in this game?

- How encouraging is the play of Chris Ogbonnaya, Greg Little and Jordan Norwood?

- What's up with Phil Dawson?

- Do the Browns have a shot in Cincinnati?

Click on the play button to listen or click here to download the MP3.

What did you think of the Browns' game with the Jaguars? Talk with other fans in our open Browns Fan Chat room

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerTalk about the Browns vs. Jaguars game in our Browns Fan Chat.

Is your heart beating again after the final seconds of the Browns' 14-10 win over the Jaguars? Has Colt McCoy convinced you he's the Browns franchise quarterback? Did Pat Shurmur redeem himself with his game plan for this game?

Talk about these topics and whatever you like with other fans in our open Browns Fan Chat room. Just remember to play nice with others.

Then Monday afternoon, listen and fire away with your questions for Tony Grossi as he'll join us for an audio chat at noon.

Note: To turn off audio alerts, click on round button on bottom left of chat room and click on preferences.

AFC North standings, including the Browns' win over Jacksonville and the Steelers being idle: Pittsburgh and Baltimore, 7-3; Cincinnati, 6-4; Cleveland, 4-6.

Associated PressBaltimore running back Ray Rice (right) on a 59-yard run during the Ravens' 31-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

NFL early afternoon games roundup

Ravens 31, Bengals 24

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Playing without middle linebacker Ray Lewis for the first time in 58 games, the Baltimore Ravens turned to their offense in an important AFC North showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Joe Flacco and Torrey Smith did their part, and with help from a favorable replay call, the Ravens squeezed out a 31-24 victory.

Flacco threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, Smith had six catches for 165 yards, and Baltimore (7-3) moved into first place in the AFC North with a nerve-racking victory.

The ARC North standings, including the Cleveland Browns' 14-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers on their bye week: Baltimore and Pittsburgh, 7-3; Cincinnati, 6-4; Cleveland, 4-6.

Lewis watched from the sideline after being placed on the inactive list with a toe injury. The Ravens' spiritual leader and leading tackler watched his unit turn in a game-saving goal-line stand in the final minute.

Down 31-24, Cincinnati reached the Baltimore 7 before Terrell Suggs collared rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, who was called for intentional grounding. On fourth down, Dalton was sacked by Pernell McPhee.

The Bengals (6-4) needed seven points because on the previous series, an apparent 9-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham was overturned by a replay that determined the receiver didn't hold onto the ball at the end of a juggling catch. The Bengals settled for a field goal with 5:32 remaining.

Baltimore is locked in a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the AFC North, but the Ravens own the tiebreaker by virtue of their two wins over the Steelers.

Dalton went 24 for 45 for 373 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted three times. Cincinnati was without standout rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who hurt his right knee a week earlier in a loss to Pittsburgh.

Baltimore took a 24-14 lead on a 2-yard run by Ray Rice late in the third quarter. The score came after Ravens rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith picked off a pass and returned it 16 yards before fumbling. The loose ball was recovered at the Bengals 2 by teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo in a pile that included referee Ron Winter.

Cincinnati's next possession ended with an interception by Lardarius Webb. On the next play, Torrey Smith split the Bengals' two-deep zone and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone to make it 31-14 early in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals responded with a five-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to Andre Caldwell, who slipped behind Jimmy Smith down the right sideline.

But the Ravens held on. Rice finished with 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Flacco completed 17 of 27 passes.

The Bengals punted six times in the first half, two short of their season high for an entire game. Cincinnati's offense managed only 143 yards before halftime, 47 of those on one play.

On the Bengals' second possession, wide receiver Andrew Hawkins made a juggling catch for a 47-yard gain to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Cedric Benson.

The Ravens didn't get past midfield until early in the second quarter, following a 15-yard punt by Kevin Huber. Starting at its 45, Baltimore picked up a first down before Flacco tossed a short pass to Anquan Boldin, who ran the final 20 yards for a 35-yard touchdown.

Late in the half, Torrey Smith was pulled down by his long dreadlocks at the end of a 28-yard gain. Two plays later, Flacco threw an interception.

Packers 35, Buccaneers 26

GREEN BAY, Wiscinsin -- Aaron Rodgers was having an off day by his own lofty standards, and the Green Bay Packers were getting all they could handle from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With Green Bay leading by two points and trying to fend off a Tampa Bay rally in the fourth quarter, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson for a clinching 40-yard touchdown with 2:55 remaining to hold on for a 35-26 victory.

Despite the late-game drama, the Packers ran their record to 10-0, leaving them as the NFL's lone undefeated team going into a Thanksgiving Day matchup at Detroit.

Josh Freeman threw for 342 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Buccaneers (4-6), who have lost four straight but didn't back down against one of the NFL's elite teams.

LeGarrette Blount had 107 yards rushing for Tampa Bay, including a 54-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

The Buccaneers trailed by only four points and seemed to have some momentum when they tried a surprise onside kick before halftime. After a replay review gave the ball to Green Bay at the Tampa Bay 38-yard line, Rodgers drove for a 5-yard touchdown to Nelson that gave the Packers a 21-10 lead going into the half.

Tampa Bay then had a touchdown taken off the board in the third quarter when Kellen Winslow was called for offensive pass interference. The Buccaneers settled for a 32-yard field goal by Connor Barth, cutting Green Bay's lead to 21-13.

The Buccaneers' defense got a stop, and Freeman directed an eight-play, 91-yard scoring drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams.

Tampa Bay tried to tie it with a 2-point conversion, but Winslow — who had a pair of big gains on the drive — dropped a catchable ball in the end zone.

Packers running back James Starks did the majority of the work in an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by John Kuhn.

But the Buccaneers got another chance when Rodgers threw an interception to Elbert Mack — only Rodgers' fourth pick this season — and Freeman threw a 37-yard pass to Arrelious Benn to set up first-and-goal at the 4.

Freeman then threw a touchdown to Dezmon Briscoe and the Buccaneers kicked the extra point to cut the Packers' lead to 28-26 with 4:25 left.

Associated PressGreen Bay's Jordy Nelson catches a 40-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers during the Packers' 35-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay tried another onside kick, but the Packers recovered and Rodgers found Nelson to put the game away.

A late interception gave the Packers' Mason Crosby a shot at a late 29-yard field goal — but he missed.

The Buccaneers gave the Packers one of their toughest games of the year despite a rough start.

Tampa Bay's defense started off by backing the Packers up near their own end zone where Green Bay faced third-and-16 on its own 6. Two Tampa Bay players were penalized for neutral zone infractions, but the Bucs still stopped the Packers short on third down.

Then the Buccaneers got a big rush up the middle on punter Tim Masthay, who fumbled the ball, picked it back up and ran for a first down — then coughed the ball up again, but got lucky when it bounced out of bounds.

Rodgers made the most of the Packers' big break, driving Green Bay to the Tampa Bay 12-yard line, where he scrambled to convert a third down. Rodgers kept the ball again on the next play and took a big hit on the shoulder from Ronde Barber, stopping him short of the goal line.

Rodgers then handed the ball to big defensive lineman B.J. Raji, who plunged one yard for a touchdown.

Lions 49, Panthers 35

DETROIT, Michigan -- Matthew Stafford threw his fifth touchdown pass, this one to Brandon Pettigrew with 2:32 left, snapping a 35-35 tie and helping the Detroit Lions rally for a 49-35 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Detroit (7-3) became the first NFL team since at least 1950 to win three games in a season after trailing by at least 17 points, according to STATS, LLC.

Carolina (2-8) led 24-7 in the second quarter.

The Panthers tied it at 35 with 4:59 left on Cam Newton's 6-yard run and 2-point conversion pass.

Stafford started the game-winning drive with a 30-yard pass to Calvin Johnson and capped it by converting a third down from the 7 with a strike to Pettigrew in the end zone.

Newton helped Detroit seal the victory by throwing his third interception on the next snap.

Stafford completed 28 of 36 passes for 335 yards and the five touchdowns, with two interceptions. Newton finished 22 of 38 for 280 yards and a touchdown, with the three picks.

Raiders 27, Vikings 21

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota -- Carson Palmer threw for 164 yards and a touchdown and the Oakland Raiders capitalized on mistakes by Minnesota in a 27-21 victory over the Vikings.

Michael Bush rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders (6-4), who suffered a scare when receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was carted off the field with a neck injury in the fourth quarter.

Heyward-Bey was injured when linebacker E.J. Henderson's knee inadvertently hit him in the back of the head while he was being tackled. No movement could be seen in his extremities and there was no immediate word on his status.

Adrian Peterson left the game in the second quarter with an injured left ankle and the Vikings (2-8) weren't able to complete a fourth-quarter rally.

Dolphins 35, Bills 8

MIAMI, Florida -- Miami set up two touchdowns with interceptions, Matt Moore threw for three scores, and the Dolphins' improbable midseason surge gained momentum in a 35-8 rout of the Buffalo Bills.

After losing their first seven games, the Dolphins (3-7) have three consecutive victories for the first time since 2008, winning by a combined score of 86-20. Buffalo (5-5) has been outscored 106-26 while losing three in a row.

To make matters worse for the injury-riddled Bills, they lost NFL rushing leader Fred Jackson in the third quarter when he hurt his leg. Receiver Donald Jones (left ankle) and cornerback Terrence McGee (left leg) were carted off the field in the second period.

For the third game in a row, the Dolphins held the opposition without a touchdown.

Moore completed 14 of 20 passes for 160 yards and the three touchdowns, with no interceptions.

Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 20 of 39 for 209 yards and no TDs, with two interceptions.

Cowboys 27, Redskins 24 (Overtime)

LANDOVER, Maryland -- Dan Bailey kicked a 39-yard field goal 9:21 into overtime, giving the Dallas Cowboys a 27-24 win over the Washington Redskins.

The Cowboys rallied after allowing a late fourth-quarter touchdown to win their third straight and improve to 6-4, keeping the pressure on the first-place New York Giants in the NFC East.

The Redskins lost their sixth straight, their longest skid since their 0-7 start in 1998. They sent the game to overtime on Rex Grossman's 4-yard fade pass to Donte' Stallworth with 14 seconds remaining in regulation.

Washington's Graham Gano missed a 52-yard field goal in overtime.

Bailey's winning kick was set up by Tony Romo's 26-yard pass to Dez Bryant.

Romo completed 23 of 37 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Grossman finished 25-of-38 for 289 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jabar Gaffney caught seven Grossman passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. 

In the final seconds, Colt McCoy was on the sidelines, down on one knee, his head in his hands. Praying? "Nothing wrong with praying," he admitted.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerWith probably equal parts excitement and relief, Browns fans congratulated defensive tackle Phil Taylor after the defense denied Jacksonville's last pass Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The game ended with funeral gray skies over a half-empty stadium. What remained of Browns fans were on their feet, their hearts pounding against their chests.

These words were running through their minds ... Not Again. Their team wasn't about to lose some sort of crazy game again?

Even Colt McCoy could feel it. He was on the sidelines, down on one knee, his head in his hands.

Praying?

"Nothing wrong with praying," he later admitted.

Almost everyone in orange was afraid to look while trying to will his defense to hold on. But this time, the Browns did.

This time, it was a Jacksonville receiver dropping a pass in the end zone that could have won it. It was Jacksonville not using its best player -- running back Maurice Jones-Drew -- when the situation demanded that the ball and game be placed in his hands.

It was the Browns backed up to their 1, the sense of doom hanging over the place lower than those angry clouds off Lake Erie.

This time, it was the Browns 14, Jacksonville 10.

If you're a veteran Browns fan, you know most victories are accompanied by gnashing of teeth and churning of stomachs. What else would you expect? OK, you wouldn't expect this: With 2:53 left and the Browns leading, 14-10, Phil Dawson set up for a 38-yard field goal. He is the franchise's Mount Rushmore of Reliability since it returned in 1999. He hadn't missed a field goal all year, unless the line broke down and it was blocked.

But this one was ... wide. Dawson didn't think so. The bench didn't think so. The fans didn't want to think about it, because Dawson's 22-yard field goal was blocked in last week's 13-12 loss to St. Louis.

Not again...

Those words seemed to be pounding away with each Jacksonville play. Not again. Not Again. NOT AGAIN!

But as coach Pat Shurmur said, "In a game like this, it doesn't matter how you stop them or where you stop them, you just have to stop them."

Even if hearts stop in the process. The Browns made their stand 36 inches from the goal line.

"Hats off to the defense," said McCoy. "And for us, it was good to score two touchdowns."

Especially since the Browns had only two TDs in the previous four games. Chris Ogbonnaya rushed for 115 yards. Give the young man claimed off the Houston practice squad credit for determination. He had only 18 yards in first 10 carries. But Shurmur kept giving him the ball, and in the next 11 chances, he delivered 97 yards.

Then there was McCoy, who was given several chances to throw in the red zone -- even after he heaved a poor interception on the Jacksonville 3 late in the third quarter. Shurmur allowed McCoy to throw again at the end of a drive early in the fourth quarter, and he hit Joshua Cribbs in the end zone for a score.

McCoy was solid 17-of-24 for 199 yards. He found Jordan Norwood for 51 yards, Greg Little for 22 and scrambled five times for 27 yards. Shurmur allowed McCoy to operate more out of the shotgun, and taking those long snaps from center certainly seem to help him.

The defense held the powerful Jones-Drew to 87 yards in 21 carries, his longest being 14 yards. he victory raised the Browns record to 4-6, and it obvious came with a double dose of anxiety.

Only this time, there as some relief at the end. For Browns fans, it's about time that happened.

Browns improve to 4-6 in a game not decided until the final play.

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerBrowns cornerback Joe Haden celebrates with fans after Cleveland clinched its 14-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 14-10, at Browns Stadium on Sunday, snapping their three-game losing streak.

The game finished with Jacksonville (3-7) at the Browns 1-yard line. Cleveland is 4-6, and all of the wins have been similar in two regards: The victories have been achieved over other struggling teams (Indianapolis, Miami, Seattle, Jacksonville) and all have gone down to the wire.

But the Browns won't apologize for the W. The victory was imperative to maintain a semblance of respectability, especially when considering Cleveland's remaining schedule.

The Browns' final six games:

At the Cincinnati Bengals, next Sunday; vs. the Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 4; at the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dec. 8; at the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 18; at Baltimore, Dec. 24; vs. Pittsburgh, Jan. 1.

What was the biggest reason for the Browns' win over the Jaguars?

The MAC's three bowl tie-ins are the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Ala. (Jan. 8), the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit (Dec. 27) and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho (Dec. 17).

View full sizeJeremy Wadsworth, Toledo BladeChandler Harnish and the high-scoring Northern Illinois Huskies will likely be the No. 1 choice of the GoDaddy.com Bowl during bowl season. The Mid-American Conference hopes to get at least three more teams bowl invitations.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There are those within the Mid-American Conference who hope for five teams to get bowl invitations, but upsets around the country over the last couple of weeks has created a scenario in which probably only four teams will reach the postseason.

The MAC's three bowl tie-ins are the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Ala. (Jan. 8), the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit (Dec. 27) and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho (Dec. 17). Assuming that Northern Illinois (8-3, 6-1) locks up the MAC West title with a win over Eastern Michigan (6-5, 4-3) this week, the Huskies will likely play in Mobile.

East champion Ohio (8-3, 5-2), could wind up in either Detroit or Boise, with Toledo (7-4, 6-1) getting the third slot. With a Big Ten team likely landing in Detroit, both UT and OU would want a piece of that action.

The Big Ten has nine teams already bowl eligible, with Purdue a possible 10th. The Little Caesars Bowl -- which has the eighth pick of Big Ten teams -- could end up with Illinois, Northwestern or Purdue. NIU would want a piece of Illinois or Northwestern, but that may be out of the Huskies' control, as Mobile has first choice of MAC teams.

The fourth team waiting to get a bowl bid, possibly in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco, would be the Temple Owls (7-4, 4-3). That would leave Ball State (6-5, 4-3) on the sidelines, although with the Miami Hurricanes announcing Sunday that they won't go to a bowl, another spot has opened up.

Flash dance: Kent State's 28-22 victory Saturday over Eastern Michigan came despite having a field goal and a punt blocked, plus a punt returned for a TD and a fumble deep in its own territory.

The Golden Flashes (5-6, 4-3) were able to survive by holding EMU to a field goal after the fumble, picking off two passes and recovering that blocked field goal at the EMU 3 for a first down that led to a touchdown.

"I really thought our character was revealed today," Kent head coach Darrell Hazell said. "Games like this are program-changers in my mind. When you can win close ball games that could go either way, and you find a way to win a football game, it can change your program forever."

Four weeks ago, Kent was 1-6 and wondering if the losing would ever end. But Hazell said the key to the turnaround was the senior class.

"I'm proud of this football team; I love these guys," Hazell said. "I'm so happy for our seniors. It was a hard day for those guys, putting on their helmet in their stadium for the last time. They did an excellent job. I will say it again; they were the glue to this football team when things weren't so good five weeks ago."

Kent ends its season Friday at Temple.

The former Houston practice squad runner had his biggest day as a Brown, rushing for a career-high 115 yards and his first NFL touchdown.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerChris Ogbonnaya's second-quarter TD run got the Browns on the scoreboard Sunday, and his 115 yards helped keep the offense moving. "He gets better and stronger every week," said left tackle Joe Thomas, "and we're getting more comfortable with him."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Truth is, Chris Ogbonnaya was running out of time. The Browns running back has been in Cleveland for four weeks now. Sunday against Jacksonville, the time had come for him to really impress.

After all, Montario Hardesty, the tailback who tore his calf muscle three weeks ago and created the opening for Ogbonnaya, began jogging again last week. He could be ready to play next Sunday at Cincinnati. Peyton Hillis, the Madden NFL 12 cover boy with the hamstring injury, still plans on returning before the season ends.

So the Browns' 14-10 victory over Jacksonville likely marked Ogbonnaya's last opportunity to show what he could do as the featured back. In his fourth game for Cleveland, Ogbonnaya showed some workhorse potential while logging a career-high 115 yards on 21 carries, scoring his first NFL touchdown on a one-yard dash in the second quarter.

It might not have been explicitly an audition, but Ogbonnaya certainly passed any implied trial.

"I don't really look at it as something like that," he said after the game. "I don't feel that type of pressure. I just go out and play, prepare every week like you're the starter, whether your role is relegated to special teams or you get a few offensive snaps or whatever. We have good backs here. Peyton is a good player. Montario, also. To have them back will definitely help. I don't really care what my role is as long as I'm still a part of it."

Ogbonnaya will admit that he tried to impress, particularly in the second half. All but 17 of his yards came after halftime, when the Texas product said he refocused after realizing he'd missed so many opportunities.

"I left some yards out there," Ogbonnaya said. "There was one particular play where I felt like I stumbled on, and if I didn't stumble, we had a chance to make a decent gain. I was a little disappointed in that and wanted to make up for that."

Ogbonnaya had nine carries in the first half, with his longest run being his first one, for six yards. Twice he was smothered by Jaguars defenders for no gain. Halftime adjustments and reminders helped Ogbonnaya realize what he was missing. Suddenly, something clicked.

"He gets better and stronger every week and we're getting more comfortable with him," said left tackle Joe Thomas, who called Ogbonnaya one of the smartest running backs he's played with. "He's more comfortable with how we block lanes and some of the runs we're calling in our offense."

That showed in the fourth quarter, when Ogbonnaya broke free for a 40 yards that helped set up a field-goal attempt. Though Ogbonnaya grabbed at his right hamstring at the end of his run, he said his muscle merely cramped, and that he wasn't hurt.

Ogbonnaya likely passed his final test with the Browns. After struggling for two years to make an NFL roster -- the time he spent on the Houston Texans' practice squad -- it's a big step.

"I have no problem putting him in there," Browns head coach Pat Shurmur said. "I trust him, just like I do every other player we put on the field. He's showed up and done a nice job. It's a credit to what he's done. ... He's done good work for us, and he ought to feel good about himself."

At 4-6, the Browns have no surprising victories in 2011, but there are some reasons to believe there's a few more wins left this season.

View full sizeJohn Kuntz, The Plain DealerBrowns cornerback Joe Haden stripped the ball away from Jacksonville's Jason Hill in the first quarter, denying the Jaguars a pass completion.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Postgame scribbles after the Browns claim their fourth win of the season:

1. After 10 games, the Browns are 4-6. Since I picked them to finish at 6-10, I'm not sure I expected them to be much better at this point. But 4-6 has sometimes felt a lot worse, probably because none of their four victories have been against a winning team: Indianapolis (0-10), Miami (3-7), Seattle (4-6) and Jacksonville (3-7).

2. I admit to have hoped for 5-5, because the rest of the schedule is a minefield. Five of the last six games are in the AFC North. Only two are at home, where the Browns are 3-3. Four games are against Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and facing those two playoff contenders at the end of the season in bad weather could make for some savage Sundays for the lads in orange helmets.

3. But there are reasons to think the Browns could win a few more games. ... OK, more than one. The first is Colt McCoy, who is improving. Some fans don't want to hear that. They want to hear that their quarterback is a future star, that he's the guy who can change the dismal course of the franchise.

4. That's probably not McCoy. How many quarterbacks are game-changers? Perhaps 10? Fewer? Most quarterbacks are extremely dependent on the rest of the roster, from their offensive line to receivers to running backs. Joshua Cribbs caught a touchdown pass Sunday, his fourth of the year. That's the most of any Brown since 2007. We're talking four touchdown receptions, not 14.

5. Chris Ogbonnaya had the Browns' first 100-yard rushing game of the season. A month ago, it's doubtful many fans even could pronounce his name. But it also shows that in the first six games, neither Peyton Hillis or Montario Hardesty had really produced. You can blame Pat Shurmur for not calling more running plays, but Hillis and Hardesty weren't running at anything close to a Pro Bowl-level before they were injured.

6. After 10 games, if someone had told you that Ogbonnaya would lead the team in rushing as they average just 3.5 yards per carry, or Cribbs would lead in TD catches as the team tops the league in dropped passes, what would you project as their record?

7. The other part of the deal is defense. That's as much the reason that Tim Tebow is 4-1 in his five starts with Denver as his fourth-quarter heroics. Tebow's victories are by scores of 18-15, 38-24, 17-10 and 17-13. The defense baked the Browns' victory cake over Jacksonville. The offense and McCoy supplied the frosting and ice cream.

8. But the Browns finally did score two touchdowns in a game, after having only two in the previous four. Shurmur seems to be altering his offense to McCoy (72 percent completions in the last two games), who is more comfortable from the shotgun. Shurmur insisted the Browns would still run plays from under center. That's fine with McCoy, but he did say the shotgun "helped the running game" because it's a formation that indicates a pass is coming.

9. McCoy has 11 touchdown passes, the most in a season since Derek Anderson had 29 in 2007. Yes, the Browns have repeatedly switched quarterbacks, but the fact is they had only 11 TD passes in 2008 and 2009 and 13 in 2010. It has been that bad when it comes to the passing game and finding the end zone.

10. While some fans made fun of the term "defensive stand" for the Browns having to stop the Jags on the 1 after 70-yard, 14-play drive in the final 2:49, the fact is the defense did have a good game. They were not steamrollered by Maurice Jones-Drew, who had 87 yards in 21 carries, his longest being 14 yards. Phil Taylor had an outstanding game with nine tackles and Jabaal Sheard had a sack for a 15-yard loss. Both rookies have shown real promise.

Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks also win.

Associated PressQuarterback Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears are on a five-game winning streak after their 31-20 win over the San Diego Chargers.

NFL late afternoon games roundup

(Link to early afternoon games roundup)

Bears 31, Chargers 20

CHICAGO, Illinois -- Jay Cutler threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns, and the Chicago Bears won their fifth straight, earning a 31-20 win over Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers.

Chicago (7-3) continued its remarkable turnaround and handed the Chargers their fifth straight loss, their longest slide since an 0-5 start in 2003. But it wasn't easy.

Rivers threw for 280 yards. For most of the game, he looked more like a Pro Bowl quarterback than the guy who had been turning it over at an alarming rate. But two late interceptions helped preserve the win for Chicago.

The Bears were leading 31-20 when San Diego's Antoine Cason returned an interception 64 yards to the Chicago 20. But instead of driving for a touchdown, Rivers sealed the final outcome it with an INT.

Cutler completed 18 of 31 passes, including touchdowns to Kellen Davis and Johnny Knox.

Rivers was 21 of 31 for 280 yards and touchdown tosses to Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson. Seven of Rivers' completions went to Jackson, for 165 yards.

Falcons 23, Titans 17

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Roddy White had seven receptions for a season-high 147 yards and Jonathan Babineaux led an Atlanta defense that held off the Tennessee Titans for a 23-17 victory.

The Falcons (6-4) bounced back from an overtime loss to New Orleans, but it wasn't easy. Jake Locker took over for injured Matt Hasselbeck and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Nate Washington to make a game of it for the Titans (5-5).

Atlanta jumped ahead on Matt Ryan's 17-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez and was up 20-3 in the third quarter after Michael Turner scored on a 4-yard run.

Hasselbeck went out with a sprained elbow and Locker nearly led an improbable comeback. The rookie threw for 140 yards after taking over late in the third quarter.

Rayn completed 22 of 32 passes for 316 yards and the touchdown to Gonzalez, and did not throw an interception. Turner finished with 21 carries for 100 yards.

49ers 23, Cardinals 7

SAN FRANCISCO, California -- Alex Smith threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns, and the San Francisco 49ers forced five turnovers in a 23-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick Park.

Smith tossed scores to Kyle Williams and Vernon Davis on the first two drives of the third quarter to help the 49ers pull away for their eighth straight victory. San Francisco (9-1) can clinch the NFC West with a win at Baltimore on Thursday and a loss by Seattle against Washington next weekend.

Patrick Willis, Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson all intercepted passes by John Skelton. The quarterback for the Cardinals (3-7) lost for the first time in three starts this season in place of the injured Kevin Kolb.

Smith completed 20 of 38 passes and threw an interception. Michael Crabtree caught seven Smith passes for 120 yards.

Seahawks 24, Rams 7

ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- Sidney Rice caught a touchdown pass and drew a pass interference call in the end zone that led to a field goal and the Seattle Seahawks went on to a 24-7 win over the St. Louis Rams.

The Seahawks defense also came up with a big game, sacking Sam Bradford five times and forcing him to lose two fumbles that led to touchdowns.

Marshawn Lynch scored for the fourth straight week, although he just missed on a third straight 100-yard game. Chris Clemons had three sacks and came up with both fumbles. The Rams (2-8) totaled 185 yards.

The Seahawks (4-6) won on consecutive weeks for the first time, following up on an upset over Baltimore, and have won 12 of 13 in the series.

Seattle improved to 2-4 on the road in a game notable for sloppy play and 19 punts, including a season-high 10 by the Rams' Donnie Jones.

Plain Dealer's Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot analyze the Browns 14 - 10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium Sunday. Watch video

A 'frustrating' day ends well for the Browns' second-year QB following a fourth-quarter TD pass to Josh Cribbs that breaks a 7-7 deadlock.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerFormer Browns lineman C.J. Mosley gets a grip -- legal or otherwise -- on Colt McCoy during a second-quarter play Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Colt McCoy walked off the field after a third-quarter sack, his right arm dangling by his side and spiked his helmet to the ground. It was the second time his right shoulder had been drilled during the game, and he was frustrated.

But the Browns' quarterback wasn't about to let the pain or an interception in the red zone keep him from throwing a game-winning 3-yard touchdown pass to Josh Cribbs on the next drive.

"It was just frustrating," said McCoy, who almost seemed short of breath a few times during his post-game press conference. "The more I got hit, the more it just kind of was bothering me. But it's going to take a lot of for me to come out of the game."

Browns left tackle Joe Thomas knew McCoy was hurting, but also knew he'd do everything he could to play.

"I wasn't worried just because Colt is so tough," said Thomas. "It's unbelievable. He takes a lot of big hits. He's not as big as Ben Roethlisberger, but he stands in there and he makes the throws. I saw he got knocked around a little bit and was a little bit shaken up, but when you look in his eyes you know he's not coming out of the game unless he's on a stretcher or something."

McCoy first hurt the shoulder in the second quarter on a goal-line play when he was hit by linebacker Daryl Smith. It was the play on which the Jaguars were flagged for interference on a pass to Chris Ogbonnaya, the one that coach Jack Del Rio challenged because he thought the pass was tipped. The officials decided otherwise.

"I just got hit from behind and the more that I got hit throughout the game, the more it bothered me. But it's OK," said McCoy, who suffered a pinched nerve in the BCS Championship Game in January, 2010 and was bothered by it last season. "It's going to be all right. Just general soreness."

McCoy said he doesn't know if he'll undergo an MRI on Monday.

"I was able to play the game so it's just one of those things," he said.

Four plays after that second big hit -- after the Browns had gotten a first down at the Jaguars 11 thanks to a Jacksonville penalty on Phil Dawson's field-goal attempt -- McCoy was picked off by Dawan Landry at the 3-yard line on a pass over the middle intended for Ben Watson. The score remained tied at 7-7.

"When you do that you just have to regroup and rally around each other and go back down and score, and that's what we did," said McCoy.

McCoy used his sore shoulder to tackle Landry after the pick, and then had to be seen by the medical staff on the sidelines. But you would've never known it when he stepped back on the field.

McCoy found Cribbs for 13 yards and then scrambled 15 yards for another first down. He followed with 11-yard passes to Greg Little and Owen Marecic to before hitting Cribbs with the 3-yard tie-breaker just inside the right pylon.

"I tell you every week that the most important thing to me is that we win," said McCoy. "In that situation, for us as a group, you can't turn the ball over. You just can't do that. When that happened I just said 'Hey, let's go. We're going to go win this thing, trust me. You guys block, play one at a time, and we'll go get it', and it worked out good."

The touchdown drive showed Pat Shurmur what he's been looking for in McCoy.

"He reconfirmed for me that he's a tough guy and he's a battler," said Shurmur. "He's won hundreds of games since grade school, so he knows how to win and what it takes to lead a team. He's learning how to let a bad play go.

"It feels to me like he's not reeling as much."

Cribbs complimented McCoy on the touchdown pass. "Colt threw a great ball," he said. "He threw it to a spot where only I could get it and nobody else. And I made a grab, and I was able to get the touchdown."

In the second quarter, McCoy threw a short pass over the middle to Norwood, who turned it into a 51-yard gain, one that led to Ogbonnaya's 1-yard touchdown run. The pass to Norwood atoned for the one McCoy missed to him on the second play of the game.

"I threw it behind him," he said. "I just came off to the side and said 'You do what you do, I missed that throw. I am coming back to you.' He made some really nice catches for us today."

Overall, McCoy completed 17 of 24 attempts for 199 yards, with the one TD and one INT. He earned a 92.2 rating, the second straight week at 90-plus. It was also the second straight week he's completed 70 percent or more of his attempts.

"He's just a competitor," said rookie receiver Greg Little, who caught five passes for 59 yards. "A lot of his notes and his advice and words to us this week were 'find a way, just find a way to win, find a way to beat your matchup. Find a way to catch the ball, just find a way to win the game.'"

At the end, while the defense was in the middle of its final goal-line stand, McCoy knelt on the sidelines with his head in his hands, his eyes closed.

"There's nothing wrong with praying," he said.

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Meyer, currently an ESPN college football analyst, is an Ohio native and a former Buckeyes assistant who coached Florida to two national championships.

Associated PressAs soon as former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign last summer, the speculation began that Urban Meyer (photo) would be the Buckeyes' next long-term coaching hire.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Urban Meyer, 47, was born in Toledo, played defensive back at the University of Cincinnati and began his coaching career as an assistant at Cincinnati St. Xavier High School.

He was an assistant coach at Ohio State in 1986-87, and landed his first head coaching job in 2001, leading Bowling Green to a 17-6 record in two seasons.

After leading Utah to national prominence in the 2003-04 seasons, coaching the Utes to a 22-2 record, Meyer went to the University of Florida.

There, he became established as one of the nation's eltie coaches, as the Gators went 65-13 from 2005 through 2010, winning national championships in the 2006 and 2008 seasons.

Now, Meyer is on a self-imposed hiatus from coaching, working as an ESPN college football analyst.

Meanwhile, Ohio State is 6-5 after the memorabilia for tattoos/cash scandal led to the forced resignation last summer of coach Jim Tressel, the premature departure of quarterback Terrelle Pryor and multiple-game suspensions for several key players.

The rumors began as soon as Tressel departed: Ohio native Urban Meyer would be Ohio State's next long-term coaching hire. That, of course, also meaning that interim Buckeyes coach Luke Fickell would not be asked to stay on.

A 26-23 overtime loss at Purdue last Saturday and the 20-14 home loss to Penn State this Saturday have done nothing to diminish the talk.

Ohio State closes its regular season next Saturday at Michigan (9-2). Most pundits expect an end to the Buckeyes' seven-game winning streak over the Wolverines.

If there's any substantive news on the horizon connecting Meyer and Ohio State, it may surface....when, within the next 10 days? After any medium-profile bowl game the Buckeyes might play in? Prior to the New Year? 

Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal writes about some of the rumors that Ohio State will hire Meyer as its coach, including: 

A CBS operative tweeted that a Scout.com report included the news that Meyer had agreed to a seven-year, $35 million contract, but apparently that communication turned out to be a hoax.

One supposedly clued-in tweeter disclosed that last Wednesday, he tracked a small private jet flying from Gainesville, Fla., to the Ohio State airport and back to Gainesville the same day. Meyer lives in Gainesville, where he coached the University of Florida to two national championships before quitting in 2010.

Elevenwarriors.com, an OSU fan site with credible credentials, didn’t hesitate to spread its findings with great confidence. To wit: Meyer and the university have reached a contractual agreement in principle; both sides are waiting only for the NCAA to deliver it’s final hammer before announcing Meyer’s hiring, and that whatever penalties the NCAA assesses, it probably won’t kill Meyer’s interest.

“We are 99.7 percent sure that Urban Meyer has agreed to the deal,” Elevenwarriors.com said.

ESPN.com joined the party Saturday afternoon with a restrained proclamation that “the two sides are talking, but that there will be no announcement until the end of the regular season.”

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Ohio State coverage includes Doug Lesmerises' story that for the Buckeyes, "Michigan Week" is all about salvaging the season; his game story and keys to the game in the Buckeyes' 20-14 loss to Penn State; his report that the Urban Meyer coaching rumors will not be ending soon; his Buckeyes report card; Bill Livingston's column featuring running back Dan Herron and wide receiver DeVier Posey; Tom Reed's story on Penn State's team trying to concentrate on football as news continues of the scandal that tarnished the university and led to the firing of coach Joe Paterno; and, much more. 

About the Buckeyes

Despite the coaching rumors and some losses, Luke Fickell has managed to hold the Buckeyes together, Brandon Castel writes for the-Ozone.net.

An Ohio State win over Michigan would ease the tough times, John Kampf writes for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal.

The loss to Penn State is another obstacle in the way of Luke Fickell being named the Buckeyes' next long-term coach. By Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch.

DeVier Posey is a player who certainly could have helped the Buckeyes all season, writes Brandon Castel for the-Ozone.net.

Grades from the Ohio State-Penn State game, by Ray Stein of the Columbus Dispatch.

It seems inevitable that Urban Meyer will be Ohio State's coach next season, Jason Lloyd writes for the Akron Beacon Journal.

Luke Fickell's days of leading the Buckeyes are, probably, almost over, writes Tom Archdeadon for the Dayton Daily News.

Five things learned about Ohio State football from the Penn State game. A Bleacher Report slideshow.

Quarterback Braxton Miller's fleet feet couldn't bail out the Buckeyes. By Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio State and Michigan have switched places. An Associated Press story carried on the News-Herald.

Any Ohio State Big Ten championship hopes are officially over. On ESPN.com.

Michigan has a strong shot for a BCS bowl bid as it approaches the game against Ohio State. By Kyle Meinke for AnnArbor.com.