Browns finish disappointing year with heads high in Cincinnati

Coach Butch Davis shouldered much of the blame for the 5-11 record.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- One year after they made the playoffs as an up-and-coming team, the Browns ended a disappointing 2003 season with a somewhat satisfying 22-14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Coach Butch Davis said even after five straight losses, the win allowed the Browns to finish the season with their heads up, and he shouldered much of the blame for the team's 5-11 record.
"As head coach, I feel I let this team down a little bit this season," Davis said. "I learned a lot of lessons this season, and there were some bitter lessons.
"Every evaluation starts at the top, and I've got to do better."
Injuries major factor
Injuries were a major factor -- five offensive linemen suffered significant injuries, for instance -- but the problems go much deeper for a team expected to contend.
Tim Couch, who was supposed to be the cornerstone of the franchise's re-emergence as an expansion team, finished the season unsure whether he'll be back.
Couch, who has one year left on his contract for $7.6 million, is willing to restructure his deal to stay.
"I believe in what this team is doing and where it's headed," Couch said after completing nine of 18 passes for 115 yards.
He felt the way the Browns finished the season might renew the team's confidence in him.
"He's done an awful lot to bring back people's belief in him," Davis said.
Needs to make decision
But Couch believes the Browns must avoid a repeat of this season, when Davis picked Kelly Holcomb to start the season, then went back-and-forth as both quarterbacks struggled. Couch wants the club to pick a quarterback and stick with him.
"Change is not necessarily a great thing right now. We need guys who are on the same page," Couch said. "I just want to be here when it all turns around, when we're a playoff team consistently."
The Browns also are unsure about running back William Green, who was suspended by the league for violating its substance abuse policies. The team doesn't know when or if the second-year running back will return.
Suggs impressive
Rookie Lee Suggs, who had just 103 yards on 30 carries going into the game, rushed 26 times for 186 yards Sunday. He knew that was just one step toward becoming a starter, and he is still upset that he wasn't taken until the second day of the 2003 draft.
"Teams passed on me 114 times. I have to prove I'm better than a fourth-round pick, the 11th back taken," said Suggs, the 115th overall pick, who had touchdown runs of 78 and 25 yards.
The Browns' locker room got a jolt this season when Kevin Johnson, the team's top receiver since 1999, was released in November. Davis was unhappy with his blocking and other aspects of his game.
Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has been under fire, and Browns fans had more reason to wonder after Couch threw a roll-out pass on 4th-and-1 in the second quarter. But it was a happy locker room after the Browns finished off the Bengals' playoff hopes.
"These guys wanted to go out feeling good about themselves," Davis said. "We've had a lot of adversity this season. We talked about trying to make the most out of a bad situation."