BROWNS Defense impressive to begin the season; team eyes comeback

Under coach Butch Davis, 13 games have been decided on the final play.
BEREA (AP) -- The Browns' much-maligned defense swarmed and was surprisingly stingy. The reshuffled offensive line was solid. Even the orange pants were a big hit.
Oh, and everyone kept their helmets until the end.
Just about everything went perfectly for Cleveland in its season opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts -- except for the final on the scoreboard.
The Browns dropped to 0-5 in season debuts since their rebirth in 1999 as Mike Vanderjagt's 45-yard field goal with one second remaining gave the Colts a 9-6 victory.
"It's rough," said safety Earl Little. "You play your hearts out, and it comes down to another doggone field goal. I kind of expect it now."
Keeping it close
Everyone does. In three seasons under coach Butch Davis, the Browns have been involved in 20 games that have gone down to the final minute. Thirteen have been won or lost on the final play.
"See all these gray hairs," kicker Phil Dawson said, massaging his goatee. "It seems like every week it's going to be close, but that's the league."
Davis fell to 0-3 in NFL openers, with all three losses coming on last-second field goals. This one, though, was easier to swallow.
A year ago, the Browns were beaten 40-39 by Kansas City on Morten Andersen's game-winning kick, which was set up by Dwayne Rudd's boneheaded helmet toss.
Making his regular season debut as a starting quarterback, Kelly Holcomb did a nice job of running Cleveland's offense, and the Browns were able to move the ball up and down the field -- but only between the 20-yard lines.
Twice, they drove the length of the field and had first-and-goal inside Indianapolis' 3-yard line, but came away with just two field goals by Dawson.
After reviewing the game film, Davis said he maybe should have had Holcomb try a sneak. Six points on either of those possessions and the Browns would likely be 1-0, not 0-1.
"You've got to come away with a touchdown in at least one if not both of the possessions," Davis said. "Having to settle for two field goals was a bitter pill."
Improvement
Much sweeter for Davis was the performance of his overhauled defense, which showed few flashes of being much better than last year's unit during a sub-par preseason.
With three second-year linebackers making their first pro starts, the Browns were able to shut down one of the NFL's most potent offenses.
They confused and pressured Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw two interceptions -- to linebackers Kevin Bentley and Ben Taylor -- and had a 55.5 rating. Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon shadowed wide receiver Marvin Harrison, limiting him to nine catches for 44 yards.
End Courtney Brown looked better than he has since undergoing knee surgery, recording a sack and punctuating it by pumping his fists. And safety Robert Griffith, playing with a cast on his broken right finger, had 10 tackles.
Davis was also pleased the Browns didn't give up any long plays. The Colts' two biggest gains were a pair of 18-yard passes. However, they couldn't stop Manning in the closing minutes as he drove 65 yards to set up Vanderjagt's kick.
The ending was a familiar one, but with 15 games remaining, it's nothing the Browns can't overcome.
"We didn't get off to a fast start last year and we made the playoffs," guard Shaun O'Hara said. "By no means, does not getting off to a fast start dampen our season. There are a lot of good teams that are 0-1 right now."