The Browns have plenty to worry about before the season opener in Tampa, but Jake Delhomme has proven he's more than capable of getting the job done.
Whether it was the pressure of an opposing lineman or the demands of learning a new offense for a new team, Jake Delhomme has performed admirably in his first three outings with the Browns. "Jake has been amazing," said Josh Cribbs. "He's really grasped the scheme and is now able to take Brian Daboll's offense to the next level."BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns have plenty of things to worry about before the season opener Sept. 12 in Tampa, but quarterback Jake Delhomme isn't one of them.
Delhomme, who's expected to sit out most of Thursday night's preseason finale against the Bears, has exceeded expectations this preseason. He's completing 79.2 percent of his passes, (38-of-48 for 345 yards), has thrown two touchdowns without an interception, has been sacked only once and has earned a quarterback rating of 110.5.
In Detroit, he put points on the board on three of his five possessions, counting the one-play drive on a lost fumble.
"He's been outstanding the whole preseason," said coach Eric Mangini. "He's pretty close to 80 percent completion, and the way that he runs the offense and gets us into a good play when we're not necessarily in the best situation, that's what I'm looking for out of our quarterback -- to be efficient and also be a really good decision-maker."
In one half of work in Detroit, Delhomme completed 20 of 25 attempts for 152 yards with one touchdown for a 105.3 rating. He spread the ball around out of the no-huddle offense to 10 receivers, hitting Mohammed Massaquoi with a seven-yard pass on a fourth and 2, Evan Moore with a 22-yarder, Brian Robiskie with a 23-yarder and Josh Cribbs with a impressive 30-yarder up the left sideline that led to a TD.
"Jake has been amazing," said Cribbs, who adeptly kept both feet inbounds. "He's really grasped the scheme and is now able to take Brian Daboll's offense to the next level. He's very efficient in the passing game and does a great job of spreading the ball around."
One sequence in particular will go a long way toward endearing Delhomme to Browns teammates and fans. On third and 8 at the Detroit 16, Lions rookie lineman Ndamukong Suh crashed in and grabbed Delhomme's facemask, then twisted his head and flung him to the ground. Delhomme popped up fuming and protesting, and Suh was flagged for a personal foul, which gave the Browns a first and goal at the 8.
Delhomme fumbled the snap on the next play, and Peyton Hillis recovered for a 3-yard gain to the 5. Despite adversity on back-to-back plays, a composed Delhomme found Lawrence Vickers wide open in the right flat for a 5-yard TD pass that put the Browns up, 17-7.
"'He's a cocky young fella," Jerome Harrison said of Delhomme, 35. "He's still got a lot of jazz to him. He's a quarterback that you know has your back through thick and thin. You've got to love him."
Despite the rag-doll treatment from Suh, Delhomme was happy with its outcome.
"It's good to get hit like that," he said. "The juices get really flowing and it's great because I think it was third and long and we got a first down. Anytime we can move the chains, we'll take it anyway we can get it."
Delhomme successfully sidestepped pressure and threw the ball away instead of taking the sack. On his opening drive, he was pressured from behind on third and goal and fired the ball beyond the end zone. The Browns settled for a field goal.
"You just try to work the offense and let the offense work for you," said Delhomme. "Take what they give you and that's a big thing I'm trying to do. I'm trying to take the checkdowns, not trying to force it. Brian [Daboll] does a good job, the guys are in the right spot and that makes it nice."
Delhomme has also done well with the no-huddle, which the Browns figure to run frequently this season.
"We're trying to make it be [an asset]," he said. "We practice at a fast tempo and it really does help. Guys are in decent shape and we're going to have to be. We're going to Tampa opening day and it's going to be warm."
Delhomme has also done something that Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson seemed incapable of last season: Make the young skill players around him better.
"He does a great job of telling us what he expects of us," said Massaquoi. "He understands the game so well that it helps me and the other receivers understand it a lot better than we have."
Thanks to the good preseason work, which included 44 plays in Detroit, Delhomme feels almost ready for the season.
"Absolutely," he said. "We still have to keep moving forward, but we've been at it for well over a month and you're getting antsy, yes."
McCoy reprimanded: Rookie Colt McCoy was chastised by Mangini and Daboll on the sidelines after botching the final two plays of the game, a short pass with 26 seconds left and no timeouts that kept the clock running and a deep pass out of bounds on the final play instead of flinging it into the end zone.
"He's still growing," said Mangini. "On that short pass, you just throw it away and go to the next play. On the last play, whether there are receivers there or not, you throw it up in the end zone and see what happens. You don't throw it out of bounds. I'm chalking it up to age and inexperience and we'll get that fixed."
Sorensen resting: Safety Nick Sorensen, who absorbed a double hit to the head, visited the Browns' training facility Sunday morning and then went home to rest. He still had a headache, but was otherwise fine, a source said. It's not yet been announced whether he suffered a concussion.
Video: Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot analyze the Browns-Lions game 