Browns refuse to quit

Cleveland rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Jets, 24-21.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- This victory meant a whole lot more than most for the Cleveland Browns.
Playing four days after owner Al Lerner's death, the Browns were lethargic and mistake-prone in the first half Sunday against the New York Jets. Then, inspired by the memory of Lerner's combativeness, they rallied from an 18-point deficit for a 24-21 win.
"We as players loved Mr. Lerner and wanted to play well for him and his family," said Tim Couch, who finished 33-for-49 for 307 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns. "This was about courage and heart and it exemplified what Mr. Lerner was all about."
Maybe it also exemplified what the Browns can be all about. After Courtney Brown blocked John Hall's 44-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining, the Browns (4-4) are in the thick of the AFC North race.
More importantly, they know they can dig themselves out of huge holes. Against Tennessee in Week 3, they scored two touchdowns in the final 2 1/2 minutes to force overtime, then won on a field goal by Phil Dawson.
This time, down 21-3, Couch showed some magical escapist skills on both touchdowns and a two-point conversion, then Dawson won it with a 35-yarder with 6:27 to go.
"It says a lot about our team," said Couch, who should have silenced the jeers and doubts he's heard in Cleveland this year. "We were talking at halftime about how we were in this situation before in Tennessee and that we can do this."
Got away
After grabbing a 21-6 halftime lead, the Jets (2-5) went away from everything that worked. They appeared confused about which players belonged on the field when. They wasted three timeouts in the pivotal third quarter -- one on a replay at midfield; one when they didn't have the correct defensive personnel on the field; another when Chad Pennington, after a five-minute delay when guard Kareem McKenzie was injured, still couldn't get a play called in time.
"It's very difficult to accept," Curtis Martin said. "I came in at halftime and said, 'We've got to play even better in the second half to win the game,' and we didn't."
Instead, the Browns dominated. They had the ball for 37 minutes, 54 seconds overall and outgained the Jets 93-2 in the third period, wearing down New York's undependable defense.
Couch plays well
Couch, showing tremendous maturity and resourcefulness, shrugged off several near sacks in throwing a 5-yard TD pass to a diving Mark Campbell, then a 4-yarder to rookie Andre' Davis. And his lob under heavy pressure for the tying two-point conversion somehow found Dennis Northcutt in the end zone.
"I saw a flash of white as I was going down and just heaved it up and let Dennis make a play," Couch said. "You have to show you have trust in your guys."
The Browns should have loads of trust in Couch after his spectacular performance Sunday. Coach Butch Davis said it was "typical Tim Couch. He has the ability to make plays in the pocket as well as scramble to keep other plays alive. Without some of the plays he made, we couldn't have won today."
The Jets, who had 10 points total in the first quarter of their first six games, had 14 just 9:03 into the game. Santana Moss returned a punt 63 yards for a score only 39 seconds into the game. Laveranues Coles used a brilliant spin move for a 37-yard TD, the Jets' longest pass play of the season.
New York's other top receiver, Wayne Chrebet, had an 8-yard scoring catch, and the Jets led 21-6 at halftime. But Chrebet also fumbled at the Cleveland 7.
Dawson also had field goals of 23 and 26 yards before Couch became unstoppable.