Pat Shurmur's future as Browns coach is tied to the growth of his offense. Sunday was a good day for both of them, sports columnist Bud Shaw writes.

Only a diving tackle by the Chiefs' Dontari Poe prevented this third-quarter Wildcat run by Josh Cribbs from reaching the end zone Sunday. Trent Richardson scored on the next play for a 17-7 Browns lead. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Whatever the reasons behind this day of funhouse football, it gave owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner a new variable to consider.

The methodology of previous Browns wins has more strongly recommended defensive coordinator Dick Jauron's return in 2013 than made a strong case for the head coach. Sunday was no different for Jauron, only Pat Shurmur.

Not convincing. Not hardly. Not yet. Just a definite positive for a coach who might not only need to win games to keep his job but probably needs victories in which his West Coast offense isn't just along for the ride.

"We're putting something together here and it's going to be beautiful," Trent Richardson said after scoring twice on goal line plunges in a 30-7 win over Kansas City.

That's the word. Beautiful. Shurmur needs to win beautiful. Not just cute.

Sunday brought a suddenly creative offense utilizing the Wildcat, the Pistol formation and 'ol college running back Greg Little carrying on a backfield toss. Even better, the offense featured receivers making yards after the catch -- the trademark of the West Coast.

OK, let's not get carried away. Shurmur's two-minute offense still unfolds in slow motion. Shurmur let himself get talked into wasting a timeout on a challenge when Josh Cribbs was clearly down a yard short of the end zone.

Defense hardly took a secondary role. The Browns won by shutting out K.C. after the game's first play, a 80-run by Jamaal Charles. They won because the special teams dominated with Travis Benjamin returning a punt 93 yards for a TD, the longest in team history.

Still, for the sake of Shurmur's future, they won handily and with some offensive flair -- despite touchdowns called back on consecutive plays early in the third quarter.

"Some really good stuff happened on special teams," Shurmur said. "And we made a difference by scoring some points."

The 2012 season isn't just a referendum on Shurmur's coaching but also his version of the West Coast. The WCO is hardly foreign to Banner, whose experience in Philly means he doesn't have to be convinced it can work. But he's also in a unique position to recognize a poor copy if he sees it week after week.

Sunday, the Browns ran 35 times and threw 30. Richardson and Montario Hardesty shared 28 carries. Cribbs ran twice out of the Wildcat, once for 12 yards and an almost-touchdown. Cribbs, Little and Gordon all got stopped at the shadow of the goal line, or Shurmur's offense would've scored touchdowns off the Wildcat, the backfield toss to Little and a new old standby -- Brandon Weeden connecting with his favorite target.

Pretty sure Haslam has his own definition of what could improve the Browns' game-day experience but if Shurmur can bring a versatile, creative and potent attack to the rest of the season, a new scoreboard would rank second in the fan's poll.

Shurmur called it a "down and dirty game" on offense even as he acknowledged the "fun stuff."

"We could've lost the game and [like, hey, no problem] we ran two Wildcat plays," he joked.

Not really. You just wonder where this has been.

"I think anytime you do plays like that it's tough on defenses," said Weeden.

Was it a young coach who didn't trust his even younger offense enough to execute? Was it about something he saw in the Kansas City defense? Does Shurmur recognize his future might hinge on winning pretty? He didn't say.

They'd used Little out of the backfield some last year. The Wildcat obviously isn't new. More like cobwebbed. Cribbs, repeating the wording of a question to him, agreed it was a "long time coming."

So was the fastest Brown gashing an opponent's punt coverage. The bait-and-switch that led to Benjamin's TD was designed to bring Cribbs up to the line to go after the block. Benjamin dropped back to fill Cribbs' spot and made the shift look like genius.

It's enough that it was part of a mostly aggressive afternoon in which the Browns enjoyed their largest margin of victory in nine years.

"The offense scored points at will and we kept scoring," Cribbs said.

Pat Shurmur correctly called it fun. What he didn't say is he needed a game like this as much as Browns fans and his players did.

On Twitter: @budshaw

After going through LeBron James' decision and teammates bringing guns into the locker room in Washington, the upheaval caused by the firing of Mike Brown hasn't left Jamison out of sorts.

After a slow start in L.A., Antawn Jamison was averaging 15 points in his past eight games going into Sunday night's contest against Utah. Sue Ogrocki, Associated Press  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After 15 years in the NBA, Antawn Jamison figures he has seen it all.

So earlier this season, when the Los Angeles Lakers fired former Cavs coach Mike Brown and turned the team over to interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff while they courted Phil Jackson and then hired Mike D'Antoni, Jamison was unfazed.

"I dealt with LeBron [James] leaving Cleveland and guys bringing firearms in the locker room [in Washington, D.C.]. This is mild," he told Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.

After spending the past 21/2 years in Cleveland, Jamison signed with the Lakers as a free agent last summer. It didn't take him long to realize that playing for the Lakers was different.

"The microscope is on," he said in a telephone interview last week. "If you sneeze wrong, people think, 'Oh, he didn't sneeze the right way.' "

But Jamison said the Lakers team that will face the Cavaliers at The Q on Tuesday night is not as fractured as it appears.

"It's not that bad," Jamison said. "Guys trust each other. Guys demand the best out of each other. Guys pull for each other. I'm having fun. I'm playing alongside Metta World Peace and Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol and, hopefully, Steve Nash. These are the guys who used to kick my ass time and time again. Now I'm sitting here telling them what to do, and they're telling me. For a guy who has played 15 years, this is the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm definitely enjoying it.

"From the outside world looking in, you think: 'Oh, they're having problems. Will they ever get this down?' But in house, we understand we're not playing the way that we all want to play in the future. We know the mistakes made are correctable mistakes and we're going to figure it out. So, within the guys, it's like, 'OK, we've got to be patient. Eventually we're going to get this.' "

That certainly was the case for Jamison this season. He struggled through the first 12 games, never reaching double digits in scoring, almost unheard of for a guy who has averaged more than 19 points a game in his long, productive career. For the first time since his rookie season in 1998-99, his season scoring average remains in single-digits this season -- 8.3 before Sunday night's home game against Utah. But he averaged 15 points in the eight games before Sunday, hitting a season-high 33 in a 122-103 victory over Denver on Nov. 30.

"For me personally, everything has been a complete 180 -- just getting comfortable with the system," he said. "It was difficult just trying to get accustomed to my role and then the thing happened with Mike and then the transition with Bernie and then Mike D'Antoni came around. It was like three or four training camps.

"But knowing my role and what they want me to do, I'm comfortable, not thinking at all, having fun, competing and doing the things I normally do. So it's a lot easier. I was getting frustrated, but now I'm just out there playing. I trust the guys and it's working out pretty well."

Jamison is looking forward to returning to Cleveland because of the especially tight bond he formed with the coaching staff and young big men Tristan Thompson and Samardo Samuels, not to mention everyone from the fans to owner Dan Gilbert. He was the undisputed leader as the team struggled in the wake of James' departure, a thoughtful and polished spokesman during the NBA-record 26-game losing streak in 2010-11.

"It was tough, but we had fun," he said. "That's the one thing you wouldn't think about that situation. But we still had fun, we still competed at a high level. I appreciate the fans for what they did, and Mr. Gilbert was phenomenal. I'm excited to come back. It should be a fun game."

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officials after Friday's loss at Minnesota. The Timberwolves shot 35 free throws. The Cavs shot nine.

After that game, Scott said: "I'm trying to figure out a way to say this without getting fined. It was that bad. I understand that we're playing in Minnesota but we went to the basket just as much as they did. I think we had 38 attempts in the paint to their 34, and we get nine free throws. I think that speaks for itself."

Kansas City's uneven performance in Sunday's loss was understandable given all that the franchise has been through in the past week.

Peyton Hillis heard boos from the Browns fans Sunday and absorbed some hits from his old team, including this combined tackle by (clockwise, from top left) Ahtyba Rubin, Kaluka Maiava, Billy Winn and Ishmaa'ily Kitchen. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A week ago, the Kansas City Chiefs still were reeling from the shock that linebacker Jovan Belcher had murdered his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, before turning the gun on himself in front of coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli.

Four days ago, the team remembered Belcher in a memorial service. Saturday, a handful of players attended a memorial service for Perkins in Texas -- including starting running back Jamaal Charles, whose wife was Perkins' first cousin.

At the intersection of real life and sport, the Chiefs still were processing the emotions of all that had happened in eight days, still trying to find a way to channel the feelings of loss in life into gains in a game.

Add to that a dose of adrenaline from the return of quarterback Brady Quinn to the city that drafted him and running back Peyton Hillis to the fans that turned on him after a tumultuous 2011 season, and the Chiefs' uneven performance in their 30-7 loss to the Browns on Sunday is understandable.

The emotion from the murder-suicide still was fresh, still so raw after a week spent remembering the victims.

"It's something that I think we'll carry with us for the rest of the season," Quinn said. "But it's not a distraction for us. We're doing our best to move forward. Football, and the fact that these guys love to play the game, is a great outlet, or a great way to get our minds off of it."

Charles has not spoken to media since the deaths of Belcher and Perkins. Instead, he let his play speak for him as he burst 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. It would be the only time the Chiefs would find the end zone all day.

For the remainder of the game, the Chiefs seemed to exhale and found themselves lost. Quinn was sacked five times while completing 10 of 21 passes for 159 yards. Hillis was booed heartily each time he touched the ball, a response he was prepared for but didn't expect. He had five carries for 11 yards.

"It comes with the territory," Hillis said. "It's something you have to face up to. It was disheartening to hear it. I respect the fans. The Browns have good fans. ... I wouldn't expect anything less."

The Chiefs are still figuring out how to navigate football with the new reality of what happened away from the field. After Belcher's memorial service Wednesday, reaction from players was varied.

"I'm sure there's a lot of mixed emotions with that," Quinn said. "I think maybe it brought peace to some people, and maybe for others it made it linger on more being a part of that.

"That's something that's going to be with some guys for hopefully the rest of their lives. Hopefully they can understand some lessons from that situation and not allow it to happen in their life or to any of their friends or loved ones."

Some players already were ready to move on, ready for the next opportunity to forget about all that has happened.

"People die every day, so you've got to continue on," defensive end Shaun Smith said. "That's life. Not being cruel or nothing, but that's the way it is sometimes. You've just got to bounce back."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Heights outside linebacker De'Niro Laster (6-3, 218) made an oral commitment to Minnesota on Sunday. Laster said he also considered offers from Illinois, Cincinnati and several Mid-American Conference schools. He made his lone official visit last week to Minnesota. "They have a great coaching staff and the whole program is starting to move in the...

Cleveland Heights linebacker De'Niro Laster.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Heights outside linebacker De'Niro Laster (6-3, 218) made an oral commitment to Minnesota on Sunday. Laster said he also considered offers from Illinois, Cincinnati and several Mid-American Conference schools. He made his lone official visit last week to Minnesota.

"They have a great coaching staff and the whole program is starting to move in the right direction," said Laster, who plans to study business. "I wanted to get the football recruiting process over with.

"I feel I'm very versatile, and I can play a lot of different positions, and I bring hard work and football IQ to the game."

Laster, who transferred from Shaker Heights this year, had 70 tackles, four sacks and forced two fumbles for Cleveland Heights. His best 40-yard dash time is 4.7 seconds, and he is rated as a three-star prospect (out of five) by Scout.com and Rivals.com.

"He's a true Big Ten linebacker," Cleveland Heights coach Jeff Rotsky said. "He's very physical. He might never have to come off the field because he's excellent in pass coverage, too."

Plain Dealer Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed take a look back at the Browns 30-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Watch video

Benjamin's punt return was a well-schemed play that almost produced a block and most certainly produced momentum the Browns never relinquished.

Travis Benjamin gets a happy embrace from Pat Shurmur after his franchise-record 93-yard punt return against the Chiefs Sunday afternoon. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns special teams coach Chris Tabor probably never has been so happy a unit failed at its primary objective.

Tabor wanted to block a Kansas City punt on the first play of the second quarter Sunday afternoon. Instead, he had to settle for making franchise history.

Rookie Travis Benjamin fielded a Dustin Colquitt punt at the Browns 7 and raced 93 yards for the day's biggest play in a 30-7 victory over the Chiefs. The longest punt return since the franchise was created in 1946 energized the home crowd of 62,422 fans and seemed to demoralize the Chiefs.

It was a well-schemed play that almost produced a block and most certainly produced momentum the Browns never relinquished. It also was the perfect response to the Chiefs' 80-yard touchdown run by Jamaal Charles to open the game. The Browns went from four points down to three points up in a 12-second span.

"It was a huge lift," Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. "It puts us ahead in a game. We just took an 80-yard punch for a touchdown. That was a punch in the gut. To get a play like that to put you back on top, is something that you always hope for in a game."

On a day in which the Browns got creative offensively, it was some trickery in special teams that ignited the rally. As the return unit prepared to go on the field, Benjamin was telling teammates on the sidelines to watch for something different.

The rookie said the Browns had been practicing the play called "Banzai" for several weeks, but Josh Cribbs contends Tabor planned to use it against the Chiefs because it would work against their blocking scheme.

A young Browns fan enjoys Benjamin's touchdown dash

"We schemed up perfect," Cribbs said. "They're a man-scheme team on their punt coverage. ... We tried to get a punt block up the middle -- but a touchdown is always better."

As the Chiefs lined up at the Cleveland 48, they saw Cribbs deep in his normal position. But prior to the snap, Cribbs ran to the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, Benjamin, who had lined up wide to block one of the two Chiefs gunners, ran back to replace Cribbs.

When the Chiefs gunner -- the one lined up against Benjamin -- saw Cribbs creep forward, he moved inside to assist in punt protection. This gave the Chiefs only one gunner running downfield. The Browns got tremendous penetration, shoving the punt protectors into Colquitt, who fell after kicking the ball.

The speedy Benjamin, returning only his third punt, fielded the ball cleanly with lots of room to operate as Buster Skrine pushed Kansas City's lone gunner wide and into the end zone. The rookie started to his right before cutting back to his left, a move forcing three Chiefs to overrun the play.

"When I made the first one or two guys miss I knew I would be scot-free," Benjamin said, who stumbled momentarily after the Chiefs’ Josh Bellamy got an arm on him at the Browns 16. "I saw all those Brown jerseys up ahead blocking and leading me to the end zone."

As Benjamin picked up speed down the left sideline, the punter and Cribbs entered his field of vision. Colquitt looked like a man fleeing from the vicinity of a bar-room brawl.

"The punter saw me about to come and he opened the gate like, 'I ain't got nothing to do with that.'" Cribbs said. "As soon as [Benjamin] broke it past a couple guys, I knew he was gone."

The Browns search for ways to employ the swiftness of the 5-10, 175-pound Benjamin. He also gained 15 yards on a double reverse, a play they have attempted about five times this season. Cribbs is one of the game's premier returners. He's also a free agent at season's end and there's no guarantee he'll be resigned. In other words, Benjamin could be the Browns' future return man.

"Every time my name is called I just try to go on the field and make the most out of it," said Benjamin, who has five combined returns this season.

In the fourth quarter, Tabor put Benjamin and Cribbs together back deep for the second time this season and the veteran delivered a 38-yard return. It capped a terrific special team's day -- one in which the only missed block turned out just fine.

The Lombardi rumors can't erase a good day for Tom Heckert and Pat Shurmur.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Post-game scribbles from the Browns' fifth win of the season.

1. Before addressing the latest Mike Lombardi rumors, let us pause to consider that the Browns have won three games in a row. They are 5-3 after their 0-5 start. While the friends of Lombardi continue to float rumors of him taking over the Browns, the team tells a different story -- Heckert's drafts are paying off. Pat Shurmur is growing as a coach. New owner Jimmy Haslam should think about that for a while.

2. I'm thinking about the last three weeks. I'm thinking about how Brandon Weeden had a pass tipped and returned for a touchdown by the Steelers to open that game. That usually leads to an avalanche of mistakes and a Pittsburgh victory. Only the Browns came back from a 14-13 halftime deficit to beat Pittsburgh, 20-14.

3. I'm thinking about that 94-yard fourth-quarter drive in Oakland that put the exclamation point on a 20-17 Browns victory. I'm thinking about Jamaal Charles breaking loose for 80 yards on Kansas City's first play -- and the Browns scored the next 30 points. I'm thinking about how when the Browns were 0-5, the coaching staff did not lose the team.

4. That's why I'm in no mood to think about the latest round of Lombardi package deal rumors. Profootballtalk.com had Lombardi coming here and hiring Josh McDaniels as coach. Now the offensive coordinator in New England, McDaniels flamed out as a head coach with Denver. He started 6-0, and then was 8-8 in his first season. He was fired after a 3-9 start the following year.

5. I'd much rather go with Shurmur and his veteran staff (Dick Jauron, Brad Childress, Nolan Cromwell, etc.) than blow it up and start with a young coach who failed in his first job -- and who also plays a 3-4 defense. The Browns are having real success with Jauron's 4-3, and Heckert knows how to draft players for that scheme.

6. Can anyone think of a single reason to dump Jauron? The soft-spoken Ivy Leaguer connects with his players and they have given up four touchdowns in three games. The Browns already have more sacks than in 2011 (34 to 32) and have 15 interceptions (nine last season). You can see the young defense getting better.

7. Five times, the Browns sacked poor Brady Quinn. They also recorded nine hits. Veteran Juqua Parker had another sack, and leads the team with 5.0. Next are Jabaal Sheard and Frostee Rucker at 4.0. The pass rush was fierce as the Browns moved ahead in the second half.

8. There also is this mind-bending rumor from Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe: "According to the NFL sources, [Alabama coach Nick] Saban has let it be known that if he returns to the NFL -- where he flopped, going 15-17 with the Dolphins from 2005-06 -- it would likely be with Lombardi playing [Scott] Pioli to his [Bill] Belichick."

9. Saban needs a guy who hasn't been with an NFL team for five years to help him return to the league? Each week, the rumors make less sense. They continue because Lombardi is on many talk shows, works for several Web sites and talks to lots of media people. He will deny being a self-promoter, but the man who gave the Browns 2012 draft a "C" will never be accused of being shy.

10. Meanwhile, Heckert's fourth-round pick in the "C" draft (Travis Benjamin) set a franchise record with a 93-yard punt return. Benjamin also had a 15-yard gain on a reverse. A free-agent pickup from Wyoming (Tashaun Gipson) picked off a pass. High-risk second-round supplemental pick Josh Gordon caught eight more passes. In this game, all three touchdowns were scored by rookies (Trent Richardson and Benjamin), and the leading receiver is a rookie (Gordon).

11. Not everything done by Heckert has worked out, but you can see how most of his key moves the last few years are bringing real hope to fans. Greg Little has been terrific in the last eight games. He has one drop in that span, 33 catches and is maturing as a receiver. The coaches also unleashed the former North Carolina running back on a reverse for 17 yards.

12. Some fans have wondered where some of these trick plays have been. The Browns are playing with a rookie QB, a rookie RB (who missed the preseason with a knee injury), several rookie receivers and a rookie right tackle. These young men had to learn the basics before moving on to some of the graduate studies that showed up in Sunday's game.

13. Brandon Weeden (17-of-30, 217 yards) was just so-so. He had two passes batted down (leads the NFL with 17), and could have had two interceptions, but the Chiefs dropped them. But he also made some good throws, kept the offense in gear and running smoothly.

14. Excellent day for the special teams and coach Chris Tabor. Benjamin had his 93-yard punt return. Joshua Cribbs returned a punt 38 yards. Phil Dawson kicked three more field goals, and has 302 for his career. He has missed only one all season, and that was partially blocked. They also held the Chiefs to a 1.7 average on three punt returns.

15. Still not sure why Shurmur challenged Cribbs being tackled at the 1. He was clearly down. It also was a first down, meaning they had plenty of chances to get into the end zone. It was asking to waste a timeout, which the Browns did when they lost the challenge.

Credit Browns for winning the last three games, though each was over a team dealing with problems. Case can be made, too, that the Browns played better over their first 10 games than their 2-8 record indicated.

Browns coach Pat Shurmur talks with quarterback Brandon Weeden during the fourth quarter of Cleveland's 30-7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Browns Stadium. Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns' 30-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Browns Stadium gives them a 3-game winning streak.

It's the first time since 2009 that the Browns have won more than two straight games. Cleveland finished that season with four consecutive wins to finish 5-11.

The Browns are 5-8. The first win in their mini-streak came on Nov. 25, by 20-14 over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland. The Steelers, because of injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich, were forced to start Charlie Batch at quarterback. Batch, who turned 38 on Wednesday, had made seven starts in the previous 10 years. The Steelers committed eight turnovers.

Last Sunday in Oakland, the Browns defeated the Raiders, 20-17. Oakland is 3-10 and on a six-game losing streak. In their four straight losses before playing the Browns, the Raiders had allowed an average of 42.3 points and been outscored by 22.5 points per game.

The Chiefs were 2-10 going into their game at Cleveland. Their second win was last Sunday over the Carolina Panthers, 27-21. That followed the tragedy of the day before, when Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and then himself.

Following the loss to the Browns, Kansas City has scored 15 points and allowed 27.1 points per game.

Credit goes to the Browns for winning their last three games, but the case can be made that they should have won them all.

A case can be made, too, that the Browns played better over their first 10 games than their 2-8 record indicated. They had a legitimate chance to win in several of those contests, and their biggest margin of defeat was 14 points.

Now, the Browns face difficult tests in their final three games, although it's possible that when they host the Washington Redskins next Sunday, they won't have to contend with star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. Griffin suffered what is believed to be a sprained right knee during Washington's 31-28 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and his status for the Browns game may be a question through the week.

The Browns then finish the season with road games against the Denver Broncos and the Steelers.

What's your perspective on the Browns' three-game winning streak?

Playing just two games over a 20-day span left the Zips rusty and lacking energy against the Bluejays.

OMAHA, Nebraska -- A scheduling quirk that had Akron playing only two games in 20 days didn't help the Zips a bit when it came to preparing for 16th-ranked Creighton.

The Zips posted their lowest point total of the season in a 77-61 loss Sunday. They also made a season-low four 3-pointers and shot 42 percent overall.

"You could see those two games in three weeks hurt us," Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "We just didn't have any juice and life."

Doug McDermott scored 30 points for Creighton, which broke away late in the first half.

McDermott, who made a career-high six 3-pointers, also had 30 points against Wisconsin last month for the Bluejays (9-1).

The Bluejays shot 48 percent and made 10 of 22 3-pointers.

"We knew we couldn't win a game in the mid-70s," Dambrot said. "We did a poor job guarding them. Not to take anything away from them offensively. They're very, very gifted. But we messed up a lot of simple rotations, and we had a hard time with McDermott."

Zeke Marshall and Nick Harney both had 12 points for Akron (4-3), which is 0-25 against ranked opponents since becoming a Division I program in 1980-81.

Creighton's Grant Gibbs had eight assists and no turnovers to go with seven points and six rebounds. Gibbs has 27 assists and one turnover in his past three games.

McDermott needed only eight attempts to make his six 3-pointers.

After Akron closed within three points late in the half, the Bluejays used an 11-2 flurry that Will Artino finished with a jumper and tip-in for a 43-31 halftime lead.

The Bluejays never let Akron within nine points the rest of the way.

Creighton has won two of the three meetings against the Zips. The Bluejays won, 71-60, in the 2006 National Invitation Tournament and lost, 76-67, at Akron in the 2011 BracketBusters.

"They remind me of the Gonzaga teams of the past," Dambrot said. "Really good offensively. Enough size to play. Most importantly, instinctively, they're very good. They have a real good feel for the game. They have good role definition and they're going to play through their guy [McDermott] on every possession. Not many teams can do what they can do. Nobody has stopped them yet. They can play with anybody in the country on good nights."

AKRON (4-3) -- Harney 5-9 4-5 14, Gilliam 2-6 0-0 4, Marshall 5-7 2-2 12, Walsh 1-4 0-0 2, Abreu 2-7 0-0 5, Treadwell 2-5 1-2 5, Ibitayo 0-2 0-0 0, Betancourt 2-4 0-0 4, Kretzer 2-6 0-0 6, McAdams 1-2 0-1 3, Forsythe 2-5 2-2 6. Totals 24-57 9-12 61.

CREIGHTON (9-1) -- McDermott 10-15 4-5 30, Echenique 4-8 2-2 10, Chatman 3-7 0-0 7, Gibbs 3-6 1-2 7, Manigat 4-8 0-0 9, Stormberg 0-0 0-0 0, Yates 0-1 0-0 0, Dingman 3-7 0-0 8, Groselle 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Kelling 0-0 0-0 0, Artino 2-6 0-0 4, Wragge 1-4 0-0 2, Olsen 0-0 0-0 0, Oginni 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-62 7-9 77.

Halftime--Creighton 43-31. 3-Point Goals--Akron 4-17 (Kretzer 2-5, McAdams 1-2, Abreu 1-5, Walsh 0-1, Harney 0-2, Gilliam 0-2), Creighton 10-22 (McDermott 6-8, Dingman 2-5, Chatman 1-1, Manigat 1-4, Gibbs 0-1, Wragge 0-3). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Akron 30 (Harney 5), Creighton 38 (Echenique 7). Assists--Akron 14 (Abreu 5), Creighton 17 (Gibbs 8). Total Fouls--Akron 14, Creighton 16. A--16,310.

Hardesty was taken out after losing possession of the ball at the goal line and Trent Richardson ended up scoring on a 1-yard run. Hardesty was unhappy he was taken out and Shurmur apoligized to him.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns coach Pat Shurmur has been second-guessed about game-management decisions in many a news conference. It's one of the occupational hazards facing every NFL coach no matter the record.

But in his meeting with the press following the Browns' 30-7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday the first person to second guess Shurmur was, well, Shurmur.

In his opening remarks the coach said he made a mistake by removing halfback Montario Hardesty as the Browns were about to score their final touchdown. The reserve back ran the ball five times on the fourth-quarter drive for 35 yards before fumbling at the goal line. While Hardesty recovered the ball, the Browns inserted starter Trent Richardson who scored on a 1-yard run.

Hardesty was visibly upset with Shurmur's decision. The coach put his arm around the running back and later talked to him again on the sidelines. Hardesty had fumbled twice in preseason and the coaching staff appeared hesitant to play him for weeks.

"I am so upset with myself though for not giving Hardesty that opportunity to score there," Shurmur said in his opening remarks. "I'm [mad] at myself for doing that. There was nothing to it, it just happened. Montario, as you could see, earned the right to carry the football, which he did.

"He did a good job for us. I trust him in every situation. The people that write about him and follow him ought to be proud of his efforts this year. He's done an outstanding job. I just wanted to get that out there."

Shurmur's wasn't finished. He walked into the locker room and interrupted Hardesty's chat with several reporters to say he didn't think the halfback lost possession on the play – "he extended the ball to score, that's not a fumble" – before adding, "this guy has done great."

Hardesty finished as the team's leading rusher with 52 yards on 10 carries. He also dropped a pass. Richardson scored two touchdowns, but managed just 42 yards on 18 attempts.

In the past three weeks, the Browns have given Hardesty more carries and he's proven to be an effective change-of-pace runner. He certainly has demonstrated a quicker burst than Richardson, who continues to play through a rib injury.

Hardesty had a 25-yard run late in the third quarter to help set up the final touchdown. The halfback was asked what he told Shurmur as he came to the sidelines after being replaced on the goal line.

" 'I'm ready to go, coach, let me stay in and get the ball into the end zone,' " Hardesty said. "It's all good. I just want to get a touchdown for this team, that's all."

T-rich ties mark: Richardson scored two touchdowns, giving him nine for the season and tying the franchise rookie mark of Jim Brown set in 1957.

"Something like that is an honor," Richardson said. "Jim Brown is an icon, always will be. He's one of those guys you want to follow in his footsteps any which way you (can)."

Historic kick: Phil Dawson admitted he was nervous about converting his 300th field goal on Sunday. He hit the milestone with a 23-yarder in the first quarter before adding two others of 24 and 34 yards.

"(I've) worked a long time to have a chance to get there and to be right on the doorstep sometimes is worse than being 50 away," Dawson said in explaining the butterflies.

New team, old nemesis: A season ago, defensive tackle Shaun Smith enraged the Browns for a cheap shot on center Alex Mack while playing for the Tennessee Titans. On Sunday, he landed hard on Richardson and was in no hurry to get off him.

The running back declined to say if Smith was attempting to injure him, but fullback Alex Smith yanked the beefy tackle off Richardson and barked at the agitating defender.

"That was nothing," Smith said. "Just me doing what I normally do -- talk trash. Some people can't handle it.

What happened in the pile?

"I don't really remember," Smith said. "I just know he got up mad. When you have a 345-pound guy laying on you, everybody's going to be mad."

Return of Hillis: A simple, handmade sign was hanging in one end zone of Cleveland Browns Stadium hours before kickoff: "#40 Paycheck Hilli$," it read.

Peyton Hillis saw it, and most of all, he heard the hearty boos that followed him each of the five times he touched the ball while rushing for 11 yards for the Chiefs on Sunday.

"I was prepared for it," Hillis said. "I didn't know how bad it would be."

All of it was in response to the running back that Browns fans once supported so thoroughly that they voted him to appear on the cover of Madden NFL 12.

But after a contract dispute and a "toxic" 2011 season, a week that included a back-and-forth with Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas in which Hillis likened Thomas to a "crazy ex-girlfriend," and the boos came unchecked Sunday.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Hillis said. "I respect the fans. They would do this for anybody who left. They're a good team and they're getting better. They have something to look forward to."

Key play: One of the most critical pass break-ups of the day belonged to Browns tight end Ben Watson. Early in the third quarter, Chiefs safety Eric Berry stepped in front of a Brandon Weeden pass and appeared to intercept the ball. But Watson kept fighting and jarred it loose from Berry's grasp. Four plays later, Richardson scored on a 1-yard touchdown.

"Sometimes, we have to play defense, too," Watson said. "That's why it's a team sport. We help each other out."

Numbers game: Travis Benjamin's 93-yard punt return eclipsed the old franchise mark of 92 yards set by Eric Metcalf in 1994. . . . The Browns scored 30 consecutive points in a game for the first time since 1991 when the team topped Indianapolis, 31-0, on Dec. 1. . . . The Browns are 4-1 in their past five home games.

Weeden's record: Weeden's fifth victory made him the winningest rookie quarterback in Browns history. Will he finally join the discussion with No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck and No. 2 overall choice Robert Griffin III, whom he'll face next week?

"Yeah, I mean I've wanted that for the last three years," he said. "I've just been the guy in the background and just kind of gone about my business. I've played Robert twice, Andrew (Luck) once and they're great players. The years they're having are out of this world. They're great players, great people, but it'll be fun to square off against them.

"We've already played Andrew, came up a little short and it'll be fun to play Robert's team as well. He's a great player doing good things for that offense and they tailor what they do pretty well to him. But like I said, if we keep winning games, it'll take care of itself. For me, that's really all I can really worry about."

Griffin suffered a sprained knee in their overtime victory over the Ravens today, but an MRI showed no structural damage. His status for Sunday's game is uncertain.

On little: Weeden said he razzed Greg Little after he was tackled at the 1 following his 17-yard run. Little lined up in the slot, motioned in to the backfield and took a pitch from Weeden.

"I like how that one was schemed up," said Weeden. "We ran the empty set. I'm under center which doesn't happen very often, and they really didn't know how to line up to it. I told Greg probably 10 times I'm disappointed he didn't get into the end zone. I was joking with him, but I think he wanted to get in the end zone."

Shurmur entered Little into the "tackled at the one club" that included Josh Cribbs. Rookie receiver Josh Gordon, who caught a career-high eight passes for 86 yards, was tackled once at the 2 after an 18-yard catch.

Extra points: Kansas City quarterback Ricky Stanzi, a Lake Catholic product, was not active for the game. . . . The Browns honored Kirtland football coach Tiger LaVerde as their coach of the year. The team went 10-0 in the regular season

Plain Dealer reporters Jodie Valade and Mary Kay Cabot contributed to this report.

The Flashes are led by Melvin Tabb's 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Kent State forward Chris Evans goes up for a reverse dunk in the first half. Tony Tribble, Associated Press  

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Semaj Christon and Brad Redford lifted the Xavier offense when the Musketeers needed it most.

Christon had 18 points and Redford came off the bench and made four consecutive 3-pointers to propel Xavier to a 62-55 win over Kent State on Sunday.

The Musketeers played without their leading scorer, Justin Martin, who suffered a mild concussion late in Thursday's loss to Vanderbilt. Martin has posted double-figure scoring in each of Xavier's first eight games.

The Musketeers squandered a 13-point second-half lead in the loss to Vanderbilt. They weren't going to let it happen again.

The Musketeers scored just 18 points in the first half and trailed, 20-18, at the break. Redford scored 11 points and Christon scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half to allow Xavier (7-2) to avoid its second consecutive home loss.

Kent State (5-6) was led by Melvin Tabb's 20 points and 14 rebounds, both game highs, but lost for the third straight time.

The Golden Flashes started out like they were going to run away from Xavier, scoring the first nine points of the game, but the Musketeers used a 10-2 run to get back into it.

Xavier put the game out of reach with a 12-0 second-half run. Dee Davis scored 10 points for the Musketeers. Travis Taylor led Xavier with nine rebounds.

Tabb scored five points in a 7-0 run for Kent State to pull within five with 4:10 remaining, but Xavier held on.

KENT ST. (5-5) -- Evans 4-18 0-0 10, Henniger 1-3 0-0 2, Tabb 9-10 2-2 20, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Holt 2-17 2-2 7, Pope 2-5 1-1 5, Brewer 3-5 2-2 9, Manley 0-1 2-2 2, Goodson 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 21-65 9-9 55.

XAVIER (7-2) -- Taylor 3-8 2-2 8, Robinson 0-6 1-4 1, Philmore 2-6 1-2 5, Christon 6-13 6-12 18, D. Davis 3-6 2-2 10, Farr 0-1 0-0 0, Redford 4-6 2-2 14, Amos 0-0 0-0 0, Stenger 1-2 4-4 6. Totals 19-48 18-28 62.

Halftime--Kent St. 20-18. 3-Point Goals--Kent St. 4-24 (Evans 2-8, Brewer 1-2, Holt 1-10, Goodson 0-1, Manley 0-1, Pope 0-2), Xavier 6-12 (Redford 4-5, D. Davis 2-4, Philmore 0-1, Robinson 0-2). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Kent St. 40 (Tabb 14), Xavier 36 (Taylor 9). Assists--Kent St. 7 (Holt 4), Xavier 11 (D. Davis 4). Total Fouls--Kent St. 21, Xavier 14. A--9,622.

Browns play well in all three phases of the game against the struggling Chiefs. Links to numerous stories on the Browns' 30-7 win.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-7, on Sunday at Browns Stadium.

The victory makes the Browns 5-8 and is their third in a row -- giving them their first winning streak of more than two games since 2009, when they won their final four games of the season to finish 5-11.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes the package of stories linked to on the right side of this page, and other stories, columns, photos and videos.

The Browns have a 23-54 record since their last winning season, 2007, when they finished 10-6 but out of the playoffs. One victory in the Browns' final three games -- at home against the Washington Redskins next Sunday, on the road against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 23 and Pittsburgh Steelers  on Dec. 30 -- would give Cleveland its best win-loss record since 2007.

Jamison Hensley writes for ESPN.com that something happened on Sunday for the first time in almost five years:

For one day at least, the Browns can feel like they're on top of the AFC North. That's because the Browns were the only winning team in the division on Sunday.

The Ravens lost in overtime at Washington. The Bengals lost in the final seconds to Dallas. And the Steelers lost to the Chargers in a game that was decided before the fourth quarter.

The Browns, meanwhile, rolled past the Chiefs, 30-7. When was the last time Cleveland was the only team to win in the AFC North? It was Week 15 of the 2007 season, according to our friends at ESPN Stats & Information.

Houston visits New England in the NFL.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

NFL

8:30 p.m. Houston at New England, ESPN; FM/92.3

SOCCER

2:55 p.m. Premier League, Newcastle at Fulham, ESPN2

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

8 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Wisconsin, Big Ten Network

Power-hitter Mark Reynolds is close to signing a one-year deal with the Indians. He'll play first base or DH.

Mark Reynolds, who strikes out every 2.6 at-bats, is close to signing a one-year deal to play for the Cleveland Indians in 2013. Kathy Kmonicek, Associated Press  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have reached agreement with free-agent slugger Mark Reynolds to a one-year $6 million deal.

Reynolds, 28, hit .221 (101-for-457) with 26 doubles, 23 homers and 69 RBI in 135 games for Baltimore last season. The right-handed hitting Reynolds is a boom or bust swinger. He's hit 181 homers in 853 big-league games, while striking out 1,122 times.

Last season Reynolds played 108 games at first, 15 at third base and 12 at DH. With Lonnie Chisenhall scheduled to play third for the Indians in 2013, Reynolds will probably start at first, although the Indians are also looking for a DH.

Of course, the deal depends on the 6-2, 220-pound Reynolds passing a physical.

Reynolds' best power season came in 2009 with Arizona when he batted .260 (150-for-578) with 30 doubles, one triple, 44 homers and 102 RBI. He struck out a career high 223 times and stole 24 bases.

The Indians met with Reynolds' agents at the winter meetings last week in Nashville, Tenn.

Reynolds' one-year deal with the Indians includes incentives based on plate appearances. He made $7.5 million last season.

Last season Reynolds hit .227 with three homers and 14 RBI against lefties and .219 with 20 homers and 55 RBI against righties.

The Indians have been negotiations with several free-agent hitters including Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis and Nick Swisher. The Reynolds' deal probably takes them out of the Youkilis bidding, but as of Sunday evening they were still in the hunt for Swisher.

In real time, Weeden's performance was solid. Upon dvr review of the CBS telecast, it was even better.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback is the most important position in football and arguably the most important position in all of pro sports.

Of the quarterback's many responsibilities, throwing the ball is by far the most important -- especially in today's NFL.

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are tracking the Cleveland Browns' passing plays this season using a series of categories. The objective is to search for clues/patterns/tendencies that can help explain why rookie Brandon Weeden -- or, if the need arises, a sub -- performed the way he did.

Brandon Weeden completed 17 of 30 passes for 217 yards in the Browns' 30-7 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday in Cleveland Browns Stadium. He was sacked three times.

In real time, Weeden's performance was solid. Upon dvr review of the CBS telecast, it was even better -- the second straight week of such an assessment. Weeden did not have the completion percentage and yards of the previous game (25-of-36, 364 yards, touchdown, two interceptions, in victory at Oakland) but he still was good enough.

This start felt the most like Week 6, when he went 17-of-29 for 231 yards in a 34-24 victory over the Bengals in Cleveland. He threw two touchdowns and one interception and was sacked twice that day.

Here are other observations from the review of Weeden's game against Kansas City:

1. Weeden's team won (again).

The skinny: The Browns won their third in a row to improve to 5-8. They are 5-3 since Oct. 14. For a franchise used to losing in recent decades, going 5-3 at any point is noteworthy. For a young team trying to gain traction, it's significant progress.

Quarterbacks are measured by victories, and Weeden's five are the most by a rookie in Browns history. He broke a tie with Bernie Kosar, whose four came in 1985.

Yes, the caliber of competition during the winning streak has been suspect. The Browns defeated the Steelers with Charlie Batch at quarterback, the three-victory Raiders and the two-victory Chiefs. But the NFL does not discriminate, especially at this time of year. Teams that have defeated the Browns are not putting an asterisk next to the 'W'; no need for the Browns to apologize for beating the teams on the schedule.

2. Weeden achieved a milestone.

The skinny: The 217 yards gave him 3,037 this season. He joined Tim Couch (2001) and Derek Anderson (2007) as the Browns with 3,000+ yards since 1999.

Some evaluators wondered if Weeden would sniff 3,000 in any season -- if he got more than one. They thought he was nothing more than a product of a pass-happy college system, the spread, and would not be able to transition to the NFL. Weeden remains at or near the bottom in several important statistical categories, including passer rating and interceptions, so he has a ton of work to do if he wants to be good in the league. But throwing for 3,000 yards in 13 games as a rookie counts for something. It does not, in and of itself, prove the doubters wrong, but it is a small piece of evidence to suggest something might be brewing.

3. Weeden did not commit a turnover.

The skinny: Whenever a quarterback plays essentially the entire game and keeps the sheet clean, it's a good thing. Weeden entered with 15 interceptions and four fumbles lost. He rebounded from a two-interception game, both coming deep in Oakland territory.

There were close calls against the Chiefs. Weeden mishandled a snap before picking it up and handing off, and he nearly threw two picks. Weeden chastised himself for those two throws but did not need to do so because, upon closer examination, they were not as bad as he let on.

On first-and-10 from the Chiefs 34 in the third quarter, Weeden attempted to connect with Benjamin Watson near the 20. The pass wobbled en route and would have been intercepted if not for Watson breaking it up. The reason it was wobbly and tardy: Kansas City lineman Ropati Pitoitua's deflection.

On first-and-10 from the Chiefs 19 late in the third, Weeden fired a heater into the end zone intended for Josh Gordon. The ball went in and out of the hands of safety Tysyn Hartman, who was part of double coverage. At first glance, Weeden made a bad decision and bad throw. Upon review, the decision was upgraded to questionable and the throw to decent.

Throwing into double coverage, especially in the end zone, is dangerous. But at least Weeden had the moxie to trust his arm and try to thread one. It was a high-risk, high-reward play -- and he took the risk, to the only wide receiver in the pattern.

The throw actually was on time and accurate. In this case, Hartman deserves more credit than Weeden does blame. Hartman did his job very well, leaping high to break up a pass that would have landed in Gordon's gloves.

4. Weeden had back-to-back TD passes nullified by (supposed) penalties.

The skinny: On third-and-goal from the 4 in the third quarter, Weeden flipped a pass to Watson on the right side of the end zone. The play was called back because, according to an official, Watson and Greg Little committed an illegal shift. Given that Watson had a hand in the dirt and did not move until the snap, the official must have mistaken him for Jordan Cameron. Yes, Cameron was moving, laterally -- but Little was not moving at all.

On the third-and-goal from the 9, Weeden made his best play of the game. He took a shotgun snap and created space by rolling right, his eyes on Trent Richardson, who was blanketed by linebacker Justin Houston. As Weeden threw on the run to Richardson's back shoulder, T-Rich released himself from Houston's clutches at the goal line and caught the pass. The Browns finally had their TD -- except Richardson was flagged for pass interference. Richardson, among countless others, couldn't believe it.

On third-and-goal from the 19, Weeden completed a 13-yard pass to Watson that the Chiefs gave the Browns. Phil Dawson kicked a field goal for a 20-7 lead.

If Weeden had gotten the TD, his passer rating for the game would have been 90.6 instead of 79.4.

5. Most of Weeden's incompletions did not result from bad throws.

The skinny: Included in the 13 were two passes dropped; two batted behind the line; one pass deflected; one while Weeden was being grabbed; and two throwaways.

The drops, by Gordon and Montario Hardesty, would have resulted in double-digit gains at a minimum. According to CBS, the Browns have 27 drops -- although, in fairness to the targets, drop rates have been on the decline.

The pass while Weeden was being grabbed ended up a couple feet short of Watson at the goal line. Watson was open.

6. Weeden continued to struggle with batted balls.

The skinny: He entered Sunday tied with Cincinnati's Andy Dalton for the NFL lead with 15, then added two. He also had the one deflection.

Batted balls are difficult to classify as bad throws because they don't travel far enough to tell one way or another. Defensive linemen seemingly have gotten smarter, especially those who watch bat-master J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans. But just because it isn't a bad throw doesn't mean a quarterback should escape culpability where decision or execution is concerned. Weeden needs to cut down on the batted balls, period.

One way Weeden can help himself is by not locking on to a receiver long enough for a lineman to read his intentions. It happened a handful of times Sunday, including near-misses. Weeden also can adjust his release points to account for the big guys directly in front of him getting ready to jump or raise the paw.

7. Weeden failed to avoid two of the sacks.

The skinny: On the Browns' third play from scrimmage, Weeden was sacked by linebacker Tamba Hali. No shame there: Hali, a talented player, quickly beat tight end Benjamin Watson and gobbled up Weeden from the blind side. The other two sacks, though, are on Weeden insofar as they occurred when the Chiefs rushed just three. Somehow, some way, quarterbacks must do no worse than a throwaway when facing three-man rushes.

8. On a scale of 1 (lousy) to 3 (expected for NFL QB) to 5 (superb), Weeden averaged 3.15 on 26 graded throws.

The skinny: A 3.15 is far from electrifying, but it is solid, especially when the means to the end is consistency. Weeden avoided sequences of wild throws that make teammates, coaches and fans cringe. He could have used more than one 5 but stayed away from any 1's.

Weeden's throwing mechanics were as smooth as they have been all season. As usual, the velocity came with minimal effort.

How to use the database

• First, choose a quarterback.
• After that, choose one or more of the other options for comparisons, such as Receiver, or Pressure, or Direction of throw.  (Tip: Don't choose too many.)
  
• Click search. You will need to scroll right and left to see all the matched results.
  You can sort the results and look for more patterns by clicking on the heading of any.  Click on "Throw #" at far right to put the throws back into their original order.

Here is all our homework as a spreadsheet.  
You can drag and move the dialog box to see it better, and you can copy and paste the spreadsheet into one of your own if you wish.
If your browser or device won't allow that, try this link.

Key to the abbreviations

Cleveland Browns News and Notes with Brandon Weeden, Trent Richardson, D'Qwell Jackson, Phil Dawson and Pat Shurmur the day after their 30-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Hosted by Plain Dealer's Browns beat writer Tom Reed. Watch video

"I don't think it matters if this part of the schedule has been a favorable one. When Benjaman scored his touchdown, one thing became totally clear: Tom Heckart knows how to pick playmakers, and not just in the early rounds, in the middle and late ones too. That TD should solidify his job for next year if there is any justice for Browns' fans." - MetalRules

One cleveland.com reader says Tom Heckert deserves to stay as Browns GM, because of his ability to draft playmakers in the middle rounds. AP Photo/Amy Sancetta  

"I don't think it matters if this part of the schedule has been a favorable one. When Benjaman scored his touchdown, one thing became totally clear: Tom Heckart knows how to pick playmakers, and not just in the early rounds, in the middle and late ones too. That TD should solidify his job for next year if there is any justice for Browns' fans."

The Browns better get their decision right on quarterback Brandon Weeden. So far, for many reasons, his stats are mediocre.

Brandon Weeden isn't far off the pace of Bernie Kosar's single-season passing yardage record for the Browns, but that doesn't fully convince Bill Livingston that Weeden is the 'franchise' QB. Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Not to say Brandon Weeden won't cut it at quarterback with the Browns, but he does need to sharpen whatever he's been using to whittle away at the learning curve.

Sunday was another example of a mediocre performance, which feeble opposition gussied up until it was adequate. Weeden completed 17 of 29 passes for 217 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the 30-7 victory over Kansas City. Weeden and his bazooka arm got away with two interceptions that were dropped. To be fair, he also had a touchdown pass to Trent Richardson, which was nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty that never occurred.

He was sacked three times. Like Tim Couch, he often holds the ball too long. He does not sense blind-side pressure that well. To some extent, quarterbacks might simply have that ability innately, or not. Drew Brees, at 6-1, seems instinctively to know when to step up in the pocket or to sidle away from pressure and find a passing lane.

Is this lack of pocket awareness the reason the 6-3 Weeden had two more passes batted down Sunday and is a league leader in the category?

That the Browns don't throw as many deep balls as you might expect, given Weeden's heralded arm strength and the development of Josh Gordon and Greg Little at wide receiver, might be because of accuracy concerns. The quick-hitting passes of the West Coast offense also figure into this.

Part of Weeden's problem simply is that he is a rookie. But it would be more tolerable if he were a 22-year-old rookie and not 29. The performance "window," given his age, can be shuttered quicker than most rookies.

Weeden has completed 57 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His QB rating Sunday was 79.4. For the season, it is 72.8. Colt McCoy -- castigated as mediocre by critics, although I tried not to be vociferous about it, given his poor supporting cast -- had a 74.5 rating.

At times, Weeden has been accused of every sin but being affiliated with the New York Yankees, albeit as a minor-league pitcher. Still, he has passed for 3,037 yards, which is a pace that projects to 3,738 yards. That's about a football field and a red zone short of Bernie Kosar's career best in 1986 (3,854 yards) and only 49 yards off Derek Anderson in 2007, when he played well enough to have signed a contract in blood with the devil.

The caveat on Weeden's yardage is that he was thrown into the starting role so quickly by necessity, because you don't wait on an old rookie. Both he and the young Browns were unready. Trailing much of the time, Weeden threw a lot, trying to catch up.

Asked which metric he used first to assess a quarterback, coach Pat Shurmur said, "I double-check [the stat sheet] to see if it says "win" on there first. What's most important is we want to take care of the football, we want to be efficient, you want to complete 65 percent of your balls. It all comes down to decision-making and accuracy and doing the right thing with the football."

All good decisions aren't plays that are on the highlight shows. "Sometimes it's throwing the ball away. Sometimes it's scrambling like he did on the first play of the game," said Shurmur. "That was the hardest, roughest slide I've ever seen. He took a chunk of turf out of there. I thought they would stop the game and bring out a dump truck. [Weeden] being a baseball player, it would be a little easier. "

Weeden was a pitcher, though. Pitchers don't bat anymore. Weeden's last time on the base paths was in 2002, before the Yankees drafted him at the top of the second round.

In many ways, he is still a pitcher, reliant on a strong arm.

Weeden is no diva. Nor was Vinny Testaverde a generation ago when he was the Browns' quarterback. But when either dropped back and cocked his arm, he possessed the mystique of speed, as surely as if he were toeing the rubber of a pitching mound. With it came a sometimes misbegotten belief that he could throw the ball where it rationally could not go.

Sunday, Robert Griffin III, who was selected second in the draft after Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck, will be at the Lakefront. The Browns had no shot at Luck, but they were out-hustled by the Washington Redskins for RG III. No such outstanding quarterbacks will be available in the coming draft.

"It's natural to compare numbers of quarterbacks playing against one another, but unless something's goofy, they'll never be on the field together," Shurmur said. "The one who's played the best is probably the one whose team wins."

Hampered by a knee sprain suffered Sunday, Griffin might not play. If so, it will only delay the day Browns fans must confront the effects of an offer that could be refused.

Pargo has fiiled in as the starting point guard the last 11 games in place of Kyrie Irving, who is expected to play against the Lakers on Tuesday night. Cavs' Zeller was one of five rookie centers drafted in the first round. More Cavs story links.

Jeremy Pargo (with the basketball) has played well at times while filling in for Kyrie Irving as the Cavaliers' starting point guard. Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer  

Pargo has surprisingly been a quite effective point guard since entering the lineup due to the Kyrie Irving injury. He was a revelation in his first start for the Cavs, scoring 28 points with five rebounds and four assists in leading the Cavs to victory against the 76ers. Since he's been starting, he has settled in at 14.5 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 35 percent from three point range with a PER of 13.0, which are staggering improvements across the board for a player who was among the worst at his position last season. He's shown to be a streaky spark plug that can carry the offense for stretches (along with sometimes disintegrate the offense with a wild drive).

Records through Sunday (Previous week's ranking in parentheses)

Medina's undefeated girls basketball team moved up two spots to No. 7 in The Plain Dealer's latest Top 25 poll. Pictured is Faith Constance, center, driving against North Royalton on Saturday. - (Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer)

Records through Sunday

(Previous week's ranking in parentheses)

1. Twinsburg, 5-0 (1): Hosts No. 2 Solon on Wednesday. Defending Division I state champion Tigers remain atop the poll by handing Walsh Jesuit and Mentor their first losses.

2. Solon, 3-0 (2): At No. 1 Twinsburg on Wednesday.

3. Hathaway Brown, 3-2 (4): Hosts North Canton Hoover on Wednesday. Defending Division II state champion Blazers took down perennial Division I power Canton McKinley.

4.Walsh Jesuit, 4-1 (3): Hosts No. 6 St. Vincent-St. Mary on Wednesday.

5. Wadsworth, 4-1 (5): Hosts Nordonia on Wednesday.

6. St. Vincent-St. Mary, 4-1 (6): At No. 4 Walsh Jesuit on Wednesday.

7. Medina, 5-0 (9): At Strongsville on Wednesday.

8. Hudson, 3-1 (8): Hosts Shaker Heights on Wednesday.

9. Archbishop Hoban, 3-2 (10): Hosts Kenmore on Wednesday.

10. Magnificat, 4-1 (7): Hosts Lorain on Wednesday.

11. Midpark, 3-1 (12): At Olmsted Falls on Wednesday.

12. St. Joseph Academy, 5-0 (17): At No. 24 Cleveland Heights on Wednesday. Jaguars take a big leap after defeating Holy Name and Gilmour Academy.

13. Highland, 4-1 (11): Hosts No. 17 Tallmadge on Wednesday.

14. Aurora, 4-0 (15): At Western Reserve Academy today.

15. Kenston, 5-0 (16): At Perry on Friday.

16. Gilmour Academy, 4-1 (13): At Berkshire today.

17. Tallmadge, 4-0 (18): At No. 13 Highland on Wednesday.

18. Holy Name, 2-2 (14): Hosts Lake Catholic on Wednesday.

19. Amherst, 3-0, (--): Hosts Berea on Wednesday. Comets share first place in Southwestern Conference with Midpark after topping previously unbeaten Westlake.

20. Chardon, 4-0 (23): At Geneva on Wednesday.

21. Mentor, 4-1 (19): Hosts Stow on Wednesday.

22. Westlake, 4-1 (21): Hosts Avon Lake on Wednesday.

23. Brunswick, 2-2 (20): At Elyria on Wednesday.

24. Cleveland Heights, 3-1 (--): Hosts No. 12 St. Joseph Academy on Wednesday. Tigers' lone loss has come in a season-opening loss to Magnificat.

25. Madison, 4-1 (--): Hosts Eastlake North on Saturday.

Dropped out: Copley, Chagrin Falls and Elyria.