Browns win ugly against Raiders

William Green had his second straight 100-yard rushing game.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- It may not have been colorful, but the Cleveland Browns won with a lot of Green and yellow.
"Sometimes you don't go out and win by 20," said Browns coach Butch Davis. "What we did today is what I really believe good football teams do."
Namely, they win ugly.
William Green had his second-straight good game and the Browns (3-3) took advantage of an error-filled performance by the Raiders as Cleveland won its first home game of the season, dropping Oakland 13-7 on Sunday.
"It's nice to give the fans something to cheer about," said Green, who ran 26 times for 145 yards and a touchdown. "The offensive line did a heck of a job and, most importantly, we won. I think we have something to build on."
Green, who ran for 115 yards in last week's win at Pittsburgh, was the first Browns running back to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games since Kevin Mack in 1986.
"There are days when you have to win by running the ball," Davis said. "They just kept grinding away."
Pulling away
Especially in the fourth quarter.
Leading 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter, the Browns ran nine straight times, moving 80 yards on 11 plays while taking 5:25 off the clock. Phil Dawson capped the drive with his second field goal of the game, this one from 32 yards out.
"William Green just ground those guys out," Davis said. "I wish we could've ended it."
The Raiders nearly rallied to win, driving to Cleveland's 24 with 28 seconds remaining. But on fourth-and-1, Raiders' receiver Jerry Rice caught a pass near the sideline and was ruled out-of-bounds.
A replay challenge upheld the call.
"I caught the ball," Rice said. "From what the referee told me, my knee hit the ground before I caught the ball. There is no way. That is something I practice all the time, unless I am too old or too senile, or something like that."
It was the game's most controversial play, but it wasn't the biggest.
That came late in the third quarter, when Dawson ran 14 yards on a fake field goal to set up Green's 5-yard touchdown run.
"I looked pretty slow on the replay," Dawson laughed. "I knew it was fourth and 6 at the 19, so I had the 13-yard line pegged in the back of my mind. I just said get to the 13 and whatever happens after that, happens."
Good enough
Browns starting quarterback Tim Couch wasn't overwhelming, but he managed to keep Cleveland in the game by completing 16-of-26 for 127 yards -- including five to Dennis Northcutt for 54 yards.
"This was a big challenge for Tim," said offensive lineman Barry Stokes. "He came out and played his butt off."
So did the defense, which held Oakland's offense in check the entire game. The Raiders' lone score came after Green fumbled in the first quarter, giving Oakland the ball at Cleveland's 24.
"Our defense did a great job all day long," Davis said. "We're learning how to win and how to be consistent.
"This football team is growing up."
Struggling
And the Raiders are growing old.
After advancing to the Super Bowl last season, Oakland (2-4) has struggled with injuries, inconsistency and a whole lot of penalties.
The Raiders were penalized 19 times for 128 yards -- the most in the NFL this season and just three short of the league record. It was also the most penalties ever by a Browns opponent.
"Unfortunately, we continue to find ways to beat ourselves," said Raiders coach Bill Callahan. "We are all at fault, but I am at fault mostly, because I am in charge of this operation."
Rice finished with just two catches for 19 yards and fellow Hall-of-Fame wideout Tim Brown had two for 14 yards.
"Offensively, we stunk up the joint," Brown said.
The Browns weren't much better, but they found a way to win. And after starting the season 1-3, Cleveland is slowly establishing itself as a playoff contender.
"We can't allow ourselves to get too emotionally high," Davis said. "These are one-week seasons and now we have to turn our attention to San Diego and play well next week."
scalzo@vindy.com