Despite their records, recent meetings between the Browns and Buffalo Bills have been memorable, even historic.
View full sizeThe recent series of games between the Browns and the Buffalo Bills have been memorable for a variety of reasons. For example, Jamal Lewis and the Browns tip-toed through a December blizzard to post an 8-0 shutout victory in 2007 -- the only such score in team history. Oh, and about the weather predictions for Sunday? There's an 80 percent chance of snow. It's expected to be windy, with highs in the low 30s.BEREA, Ohio -- At 2-10, the Buffalo Bills have clinched their 11th consecutive season without making the playoffs, the longest streak in the AFC.
But they find encouragement under first-year coach Chan Gailey in that they are no longer unwatchable on offense. Gailey has turned journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick into a productive, careful passer who has brought third-year receiver Steve Johnson to the brink of stardom.
Three of the Bills' 10 losses have come in overtime and four have been by three points. They scored 30 points against New England, 34 against Baltimore and 49 against Cincinnati. Although the Browns seemingly have advanced to the stage of expecting to win against a foe like Buffalo, bear in mind the last three times the teams have played each other.
Strange things happen when the I-90 rivals meet. To wit:
• Last year, the Browns won, 6-3, despite getting two completions in 17 attempts for 23 yards from quarterback Derek Anderson.
The game, played in wind gusts up to 25 mph in Ralph Wilson Stadium, might have set offensive football back to the 1930s. Blake Costanzo's fumble recovery on a punt set up the winning field goal by Billy Cundiff. Despite the conditions, punter Dave Zastudil dropped seven punts inside the 20, including two that died at the 1.
The win was the first for coach Eric Mangini after starting his tenure 0-4.
• In 2008, Orchard Park, N.Y., again was the site of another memorable Browns win, 29-27.
This was Brady Quinn's first official win as a starting quarterback. After blowing leads of 13-0 and 23-13, the Browns escaped on a 56-yard field goal by Phil Dawson. But they couldn't exhale until Buffalo's Rian Lindell missed from 47 into the wind with 38 seconds to go.
Alas, Quinn suffered a broken bone in his hand during the game and really would never be the same again. He won only two more games as a starter the following season and was traded, ostensibly for Peyton Hillis, in March.
• In 2007, the Browns won, 8-0 -- the only such score in their history -- in snow globe conditions in Cleveland in December. Wind gusts up to 40 mph made for blinding, horizontal snow throughout the contest.
Both of Dawson's two field goals were aimed outside the uprights and were blown through -- one from left to right and the other from right to left. Dawson called the conditions "by far, the most difficult" in his career.
The Browns also scored a safety when Buffalo's long snapper sailed a ball over the head of punter Brian Moorman, who tapped it through a snowpile and out of the end zone. That win raised hopes of only the Browns' second playoff appearance since they came back from expansion in 1999, but they were dashed in a loss in Cincinnati the following week.
Over the last four seasons, the Browns have gone 24-36 and the Bills 22-38. But when they meet on the field, they produce some memorable games.
Roster moves: The Browns signed tight end Tyson DeVree to the practice squad and released defensive back Rod Windsor.
Originally signed by New England as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2008, DeVree appeared in two games with the Patriots in 2008. He also spent nine weeks on New England's practice squad in 2008 and also had a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills in 2009.
Tony Grossi's Scouting Report
Browns vs. Buffalo Bills
Sunday, 1 p.m., in Ralph Wilson Field, Orchard Park, N.Y.
Record: 2-10.
Last game: Lost to Vikings, 38-14, Dec. 5, in Minnesota.
Coach: Chan Gailey, 2-10, first year; 20-24 overall.
Series record: Browns lead, 11-5 (counting postseason).
Last meeting: Browns won, 6-3, Oct. 11, 2009, in Orchard Park.
View full sizeThe Bills may have only won two games so far this season, but head coach Chan Gailey has gotten his team to play an entertaining style of offense and usually has kept games close.League rankings: Offense is 26th (17th rushing, 23rd passing), defense is 26th (32nd rushing, 10th passing) and turnover differential is minus-8.
Offensive overview: They're no longer painful to watch. Chan Gailey knows how to run an offense. Once he settled on Ryan Fitzpatrick as quarterback, the unit has averaged 336 yards and 22.3 points over eight games. Gailey loves to spread the field with four, sometimes five, receivers. Fitzpatrick has formed a good rapport with Steve Johnson, who has displaced Lee Evans as the main passing target. Rookie C.J. Spiller was miscast as a Reggie Bush-type all-purpose threat. He's given way to Fred Jackson as the feature back, but both are on the field together at times. It's amazing Gailey has produced as much offense at all because the offensive line, as usual, has been in shambles. With the top two centers definitely out with injuries, the starting line fielded on Sunday will be the sixth different one this year.
Defensive overview: Gailey has always favored the 3-4 defense, but he forced it this time without having the right players. They never recovered from the retirement of outside rush linebacker Aaron Schobel. Aaron Maybin, a first-round pick in 2009, has been a bust and barely sees the field. They're last against the run, having surrendered six individual 100-yard rushing games. Six teams have hit them for 200 yards rushing. Coordinator George Edwards has gone to a bigger defensive front using both nose tackles Kyle Williams and Torell Troup. Weakside linebacker Arthur Moats, a rookie sixth-round pick, has come on of late. The secondary is the strength of the unit, but teams gash them so much on the ground, it presents numerous favorable passing situations.
Special teams overview: Historically, they've been among the league leaders in special teams, and that's holding true again. They have about four returners who can hurt you. So far, only C.J. Spiller has a touchdown on a 95-yard kickoff return. The coverage units are exceptional. Punter Brian Moorman, voted to the NFL all-decade team after last season, is 27th in gross average (42.6 yards) and 23rd in net (36.5), and has been among the league leaders for seven years in punts inside the 20. Kicker Rian Lindell is 12 of 17 in field goals with a long of 51 yards.
Players to watch:
View full sizeThis drop of a perfectly thrown Ryan Fitzgerald pass denied the Bills an upset triumph over Pittsburgh last month, but receiver Steve Johnson has had more more successes than failures for the Bills.• Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick: The league's only Harvard-educated QB, he's emerged as a legitimate starter in Chan Gailey's system. Quick with decisions and accurate with throws, he's tied for eighth with 20 TD passes and has only 11 interceptions.
• Receiver Steve Johnson: A seventh-round pick from Kentucky, he has blossomed in his third year. Gained notoriety for his dropped TD pass in overtime against Pittsburgh, but leads the team with 61 catches for 832 yards and nine touchdowns.
• Running back Fred Jackson: Just as he refuses to go down by one hit, he refuses to give up the feature role to rookie draft pick C.J. Spiller. He has 663 yards rushing, a 4.4 average, and seven TDs rushing and receiving.
Injury report: C Geoff Hangartner (knee) and G Kraig Urbik (knee) are out. CB Terrence McGee (leg) has missed eight games and three in a row.
Small world: Defensive coordinator George Edwards coached Browns linebackers in 2004. ... Cornerback Reggie Corner attended Canton McKinley High School and played at Akron. ... Receiver Lee Evans attended Bedford High School. ... Safety Donte Whitner and linebacker Pierre Woods attended Glenville High School. Whitner also played at Ohio State. ... Receiver Donald Jones played at Youngstown State. ... Cornerback Ashton Youboty played at Ohio State. ... Assistant offensive line coach Bobby Johnson attended Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron. ... Fullback Corey McIntyre played for the Browns in 2005.
-- Tony Grossi