Jake Delhomme has looked good -- right until an interception set up the Bucs for a TD right before halftime.
Jake Delhomme will be the first question to be answered as the Browns get the season underway today.TAMPA, Fla. -- Scribbles as the Browns have a halftime lead over Tampa Bay...
1. The Browns had an ideal first quarter in terms of setting up Jake Delhomme to get comfortable. The first pass he threw was a short one to Peyton Hillis, and the bulldozer of a back turned it into a 16-yard game. Later in the quarter, he lofted a nice 41-yarder to Mohamed Massaquoi for a touchdown.
2. But Delhomme's interception at the end of the first half is exactly what the Browns have been drilling him against doing. He was being tackled, didn't have a good look at the receiver and just side-armed the ball. It set up a Bucs touchdown. That was the type of decision a 35-yard-old quarterback should never make. It also was the kind of play that got him in trouble at Carolina last year.
3. Think about this: Last year, the Browns had only one TD pass longer than today's 41-yarder to Massaquoi. It was a 59-yarder to Massaquoi from Brady Quinn against Detroit. In fact, the Browns had only one other pass longer than 41 yards in 2009, and it was a 43-yarder to Brian Robiskie.
4. That 33-yard scamper by Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman -- leading to a Tampa field goal -- was what the Browns feared. The coaches have been hammering away at the defense to keep Freeman in the pocket. The Browns did get some good pressure on Freeman. Scott Fujita had some very nice moments.
5. T.J. Ward came into the league with the reputation as iffy in pass coverage, but the coaches have been pleasantly surprised with his work in that area. Veteran Michael Adams had some very good work in the secondary long before his interception late in the half.
6. Kellen Winslow ran past the Browns bench waving a Bucs banner -- guess it was supposed to send some type of message. He didn't play in the preseason because after resting his knees after his sixth surgery. The Browns used the second-rounder obtained from Tampa in the Winslow deal for Massaquoi.
7. While Quinn was designated at the No. 3 quarterback in Denver, the player the Browns obtained for him (Hillis) was a key part of the offense and had a 10-yard touchdown run.
8. It was surprising that Delhomme threw as often as he did in the first half, given how Tampa is poor against the run. But the Browns thought Tampa was daring them to throw -- and Delhomme stayed mostly with safe passes until his rushed throw in the final minute. He completed passes to six receivers.
9. Love Joshua Cribbs in the Wildcat. He has carries of five and six yards, one of those for first down. He also threw a 9-yard pass to Seneca Wallace.