From a moral victory to a real one

The Browns' defense shut down the Steelers' running attack.
By ROB TODOR
VINDICATOR SPORTS EDITOR
PITTSBURGH -- Coming off a week in which he described the performance as embarrassing, Browns defensive coordinator Dave Campo was all smiles in the locker room following Sunday's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"We were embarrassed last week" against the Cincinnati Bengals, said Campo, "and we had to be determined to get better.
"It's one thing to take moral victories," he said, "but what counts is winning. After a while, moral victories aren't good enough."
Campo said his focus during practice each week is to concentrate on one aspect and improve it. That happened with the run defense following the loss to the Ravens in week two, and not giving up big plays, after last week's loss to Cincinnati.
"We gave up something like 60 percent on third down [conversions] last week," said Campo, "and that's totally unacceptable.
"The thing tonight was, we got the run under control," he added. "That allows for a different mentality on the front [line]. Guys can kind of concentrate on one thing and not have to worry about play-action and shedding blocks."
Different approach
Campo said the Browns didn't blitz "an inordinate amount" Sunday night, but did so on third down. That was most evident on the third-quarter interception by Daylon McCutcheon.
On the play, a third-and-1, Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox faked a handoff only to find pressure almost the instant he looked upfield.
Maddox was waiting for tight end Jerame Tuman to cross the field but had to deliver the ball sooner than he wanted. Maddox threw the ball too far ahead of Tuman's path and into the waiting arms of McCutcheon, who raced untouched 75 yards to the end zone.
"The defensive coordinator [Campo] made a great call on that play," said McCutcheon. "We were sending everyone and that allowed me to kind of sit back and see the play.
"Once I got the ball I saw one lineman ahead of me and I knew I had to beat him because if I let him catch me I would have never heard the end of it."
Confusion
McCutcheon said the Browns tried to disguise their coverages to confuse Maddox, but that the important key was the rush.
"I don't care who the quarterback is, when you get that kind of pressure on him he's going to make mistakes," he said.
Campo was not only excited about the performance Sunday night, but encouraged by what the future holds.
"Right now, I'd say we only have about 60 percent of our defensive package in," he explained. "We're a work in progress; the guys are just starting to understand the package.
"In meetings, we talk about what happened in the last game, both good and bad. We try to emphasize the positive things, but, obviously, it doesn't have the same impact like a win."