Jerome Harrison was too frustrated and upset about his fumble to talk after the game.
Bottled up all day by the Chiefs' defense, Jerome Harrison declined to talk about Sunday's loss with reporters.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jerome Harrison sat at his locker with his head down for a while after Sunday's 16-14 loss to the Chiefs and was so upset that he refused to be interviewed -- a first for Harrison.
"I'm not going to say anything today," the Browns' running back said. "I'm just frustrated. Thanks for understanding."
Later, when another reporter approached him, he said, "I'm not saying anything. I'm getting out of here."
Harrison, who ran for a club-record 286 yards and three touchdowns last year against the Chiefs, managed just 33 yards on 16 carries and fumbled the ball away on his second carry to set up a Chiefs field goal.
Harrison, who put the ball on the ground twice in a preseason game against Detroit, vowed to correct the issue. But it happened again Sunday when Akron native Mike Vrabel drilled him for a 3-yard loss and then stripped the football.
Harrison walked off the field after his first carry -- a 4-yard gain on the opening play -- holding his arm and seemed to be injured. It's unknown if the incident had anything to do with his fumble. Last week, Peyton Hillis lost a fumble against the Bucs in the red zone to cost the Browns some points.
"It's very shocking," said tight end Robert Royal. "We harp on it, we preach on it, we have guys strip at it. We do it all day every day. If it comes out, you run laps. We've just got to find a way to stop that."
Harrison carried the ball only nine times in Tampa last week and was hoping for more touches. He got 16, but averaged only 2.1 yards with a long gain of 8.
Later in the game, Harrison got up slowly after a play and was checked on the sidelines by the trainers, but returned to the action.
"We knew we had to stop the run against these guys, and I thought our guys did a tremendous job," said Chiefs coach Todd Haley. "We couldn't allow explosive runs. I think they only had one run over 10 and that was 12 [by Hillis]. We had to contain WR [Josh] Cribbs, who is a heck of a player. We let him out of the trap on one play and that hurt us. But I thought overall, we knew [we had to contain] number 16, number 35 [Harrison], this big 40 [Hillis] and their big offensive line, which is very impressive and a very physical group. We could not let a couple of those guys beat us."
Cribbs stifled: Last year against the Chiefs, Harrison and Josh Cribbs combined for 614 yards, including Cribbs' two kickoff returns for touchdowns. This year, it was 184. The Chiefs kicked away from Cribbs, allowing him just one punt return for five yards and one kickoff return for 19. He managed one big play -- the 65-yard TD catch from Seneca Wallace.
"The plan was no returns," said Haley. "I think [the Browns] had the scheme to get him one again and they had one early, but what a job our two kickers did."
Cribbs knew going in there'd be slim pickings.
"I know their responsibility was not to let me open the gate with any return," he said. "He didn't give me any opportunity at all. Kudos to them. If I was the coach I'd do the same thing. Don't put it in my hands. If they do, we've got to do something with it.
"I was very upset that I didn't the opportunities I wanted to return, but if teams do that, we've got to be ready to respond."
Dawson's miss: Kicker Phil Dawson was wide left on a 42-yard field goal that could have been the difference in the game. Heading in, Dawson was 9-of-10 on field goals against the Chiefs, including a 50-yarder in 2003.
The miss came after Ahtyba Rubin intercepted a pass to give the Browns the ball at the KC 27 late in the first half. "We got the turnover and couldn't get the field goal," said Eric Mangini.
Delhomme week-to-week: Jake Delhomme was on the sidelines in a walking boot, helping Wallace between series. A source said he's "week to week," meaning there's no guarantee he'll play Sunday in Baltimore. Delhomme was inactive and Colt McCoy was the backup.
Penalties: Mangini lamented the nine penalties for 78 yards, including a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call against Alex Mack that led to Dawson's missed field goal. "We're not going to play that way," said Mangini. "We work on it every single day and you can't have it. We don't tolerate it."
Kenyon Coleman was flagged 15 yards for roughing in the fourth quarter, but was surprised at the call. "I was like 'who did something?'" Coleman said. "I thought maybe I hit him late. I guess the call was spearing. I don't know how it's interpreted."
Ward leads again: Rookie safety T.J. Ward led the team in tackles for the second straight week, this time with nine. He also had two special teams tackles. Chiefs safety Eric Berry tied for his team-lead with seven, including two for a loss.
"You want to make a statement every time you step on the field," said Ward. "That's what I want to do, regardless of who's out there."
Maiava, Moore injured: Linebacker Kaluka Maiava left with a right leg injury and didn't return. Tight end Evan Moore left with a head injury after a big hit by safety Kendrick Lewis. While he came back in for a play, he then walked into the locker room. Afterward, he wouldn't confirm it was a concussion. "A head injury," he said as he walked out. Defensive lineman Robaire Smith injured his left ankle but returned to action.
Extra points: Of the 15 quarterbacks who have started for the Browns since 1999, only Jeff Garcia was successful in his debut, a 20-3 victory over the Ravens in 2004. ... Rubin recorded the first interception by a Browns defensive lineman since Kenard Lang picked off a Matt Hasselbeck pass at Seattle on November 30, 2003. ... Ben Watson's 44-yard catch and run was the longest of his career. ... Linebacker Marcus Benard registered a sack and now has six in his career. Benard has recorded at least a half-sack in five of his eight career games. ... Defensive back Sheldon Brown recorded his 20th career interception. He has at least one in every year of his career, which began in 2002. He has appeared in all 130 regular-season games in his career, which is the second-longest streak among all active defensive backs.
| Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot analyze the Cleveland Browns loss to the Kansas City Chiefs |