He's no Robert Royal, but it seems this Ben Watson guy will be OK at tight end.
Cleveland Browns tight end Benjamin Watson, left, makes a one-handed grab with St. Louis Rams Craig Dahl on the defense of a pass that was ruled a touchdown after review in the second period during a preseason game Saturday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.1. Let's talk fumbles, since the Browns had five ... yes, five of them in the first quarter. The Browns were blessed to only lose two of them. For a veteran quarterback, Jake Delhomme had far too much trouble taking snaps in a driving rain. Delhomme fumbled twice. Both times he seemed in a hurry to get the ball in his hands and then lost the ball. It's pretty basic. When it rains, a quarterback has to do a better job than Delhomme did.
2. Last season, Delhomme played 11 games in Carolina, and had six fumbles (losing three). In 2008, he had five fumbles (losing three). Earlier in his career, he had three different seasons where he lost at least five fumbles. The good sign is Delhomme pulled himself together after those fumbles and led the Browns on an 11-play, 77-yard drive. He also stayed away from interceptions.
3. He's no Robert Royal, but it seems this Ben Watson guy will be OK at tight end. To be serious, having a tight end like Watson (who made a terrific one-handed catch for a touchdown) is such a key to helping the offense. The Browns want to play ball control, and that means lots of passes to running backs and tight ends. Top be fair, Royal came to the Browns from Buffalo where he was basically know as an offensive lineman playing tight end because he has poor hands.
4. In his two seasons with Denver, Peyton Hillis caught only 19 passes. The Browns insisted the bullish running back could be a good receiver, and he showed it with some nice catches Saturday. At Arkansas, Hillis caught 118 passes in 44 games, 11 for a touchdown. He also made a major impact with his relentless effort carrying the ball. He is listed at 240 pounds, but the Rams must of felt like they were trying to bring down a two-ton truck.
5. When the Browns have fullback Lawrence Vickers and Hillis in the same backfield, that should create a physical running game between the tackles. Vickers was playing at Pro Bowl caliber as a blocker by the end of last season.
6. Jerome Harrison also fumbled. He had only two fumbles in 194 carries last season.
7. When the offense played its first few possessions as if it had never seen rain before, bet Eric Mangini wanted these guys to run laps all the way from the Cleveland Browns Stadium to Cedar Point. The coach believes his team should be the one forcing fumbles in bad weather, not giving up the ball. He thinks a key to the Browns season is the ability to play in the rain and snow.
8. Love the way Sheldon Brown hits receivers in the secondary. Joe Haden also had some forceful tackles. But the Browns still have trouble covering tight ends. I like Haden on returns, you can tell he was a terrific high school quarterback who could really run the ball.