Browns help erase the bitter taste

Cleveland won its first game against Pittsburgh in the Butch Davis era, 33-13.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- Haunted for nine months by their most disappointing loss since returning to the NFL, the Cleveland Browns erased some of the bad taste festering since Jan. 5 by chewing up and spitting out their archrivals.
Before a national television audience and the largest regular-season crowd at Heinz Field (site of the Browns' monstrous fourth-quarter playoff collapse), the Browns pounced on persistent Steelers mistakes for a 30-10 third-quarter lead.
This time, the Browns hung on, hounding the Steelers with a 33-13 win that has created a real dogfight in the AFC North Division. The Baltimore Ravens (2-2) are alone in first place, with the Steelers (2-3) and Browns (2-3) a half-game behind.
"Beating someone in our division is a good win for these guys," said Browns coach Butch Davis after his first victory in six tries against the Steelers.
Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who was limited to two catches, had another opinion after his team's third loss in four games and second straight at home.
"It's embarrassing," Ward said. "To play on national TV, prime time, and putting on the performance the way we did is not good because we have a good ball team. But we're not playing good football right now."
Playing well
Davis credited quarterback Tim Couch for playing his best game. The first pick of the 1999 draft completed 20-of-25 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
"He scrambled around and made some plays when they needed to have them," said Steelers coach Bill Cowher of Couch. "He made some good throws -- give him a lot of credit."
Couch, who became the starter after Kelly Holcomb broke a bone in his leg two weeks ago in San Francisco, admitted the chance to shine has boosted his confidence.
"I was having a good time," said Couch, who lost his starting job in training camp.
Just as vital were the 115 yards Browns tailback William Green gained on 33 plays as the Browns controlled the ball for 20 of the game's final 30 minutes.
"Sweet for this team, sweet for the city of Cleveland," Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren said.
The Browns pounced on several Steelers mistakes for a 23-10 halftime lead.
"For the first time [this season], we played a complete game," wide receiver Dennis Northcutt said. "We ran the ball, we passed the ball, we caught them off guard."
Nice start
Behind Couch's precision passes, the Browns marched 81 yards on their opening possession, with Couch completing all five of his tosses for 79 yards. Wide receiver Andre Davis was unguarded in the center of the end zone when he caught Couch's 6-yard pass for a 7-0 lead.
The Steelers' first possession ended almost as soon as it began, when Browns defensive end Courtney Brown sacked Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox on a third-down pass attempt, forced a fumble and fell on the ball.
Phil Dawson's 19-yard field goal put Cleveland ahead 10-0 not quite 10 minutes into the game.
Northcutt made one of the Browns' few miscues when he attempted to field a short Josh Miller punt. After the punt bounced, Northcutt tapped it before falling, allowing the Steelers' Clint Kriewaldt to recover at the 21.
That set up Jeff Reed's 30-yard field goal that cut the Browns lead to seven points.
Clark Haggans gave the Browns a second chance when he was offsides of Reed's ensuing kickoff. Andre Davis returned the second kick 69 yards to the Pittsburgh 23 that set up Couch's 9-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Kevin Johnson in the corner of the end zone. Steelers defensive tackle Casey Hampton blocked Dawson's extra-point kick for a 16-3 edge.
Late in the second quarter, the Steelers scored their only touchdown after Ward caught two passes for 55 yards to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Jerome Bettis.
Despite being pushed around for most of the half, the Steelers trailed by only six and seemed to have new life.
Pulling away
Couch turned the tide by engineering a 78-yard drive that zapped the Steelers. Couch completed all six of his pass attempts, then capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run for a 23-10 lead six seconds before halftime.
Still, the Steelers had hope, especially after a weak Chris Gardocki punt gave them the ball at the Cleveland 43 early in the third quarter.
For the second straight week, Maddox paid dearly for an unwise throw as cornerback Daylon McCutcheon stole the ball and raced 75 yards for a 30-10 lead. That was the third interception returned for a score against the Steelers in four games.
Credit a strong Browns' defensive rush that pressured Maddox.
"I came up off the fake and had someone in my face," said Maddox, who completed 11-of-24 passes for a meager 136 yards. "I thought I could get it to him."
williams@vindy.com