No need for Pepto: Browns find cure

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- Earlier in the week, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson sent bottles of Pepto-Bismol to several members of the Cleveland Browns secondary, promising them that they would feel sick after covering him on Sunday.
They didn't.
"The only thing I told him was, 'Hey, I'm going to FedEx you that Pepto, because you're going to need it,' " Browns safety Earl Little said of Johnson, who had just three catches for 37 yards. "It's good to just be able to go out there and make him put his foot in his mouth."
Bengal bug
Plenty of defenders felt sick on Sunday, but they were all on Cincinnati's sideline. The Browns' offense line was dominant, running back William Green was spectacular and the defense was nearly perfect as Cleveland overwhelmed its AFC North rivals in a 34-17 win at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
"One of the players wrote on the bulletin board, 'Smile, laugh and let's have fun,' " said Browns coach Butch Davis. "When you play like that, you can do that."
Green had been upset over his role in the offense in recent weeks, but he had no complaints on Sunday, running 25 times for 115 yards, as the Browns (3-3) outrushed Cincinnati 139-58.
Running back Lee Suggs, meanwhile, added five receptions for 100 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter that gave Cleveland a 31-17 lead.
"It's tough to keep either one on the sideline," said Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia. "You've just got to see who's hot and who's not and try to utilize the guy who's doing well."
On Sunday, the Browns didn't need to decide.
"When the offense is going well, we can both be successful," said Green.
Strong finish
Garcia wasn't perfect on Sunday -- he lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in the first half -- but he made several outstanding plays, completing 16-of-23 for 310 yards and four touchdowns.
One of the biggest came midway through the first quarter, when the Browns had the ball first and 10 at their own 1-yard line. Garcia scrambled to the right side of the end zone, lofted a pass over Bengals corner Deltha O'Neal and into the arms of wideout Andre' Davis, who outran the secondary for a 99-yard score.
It was the longest offensive play in Browns history -- Bernie Kosar's 97-yard touchdown to Webster Slaughter in 1989 was the previous best -- and the 10th 99-yard reception in NFL history.
"It really comes down to being given an opportunity to make plays," said Garcia. "So many times when you're backed up, you're just trying to do your best to get a first down. You're trying to get out of that hole. You don't think to take a shot down the field."
It was the only catch for Davis, who missed much of the second half with a sprained left toe. Still, it might not have been the game's biggest play.
Aaron Shea's 5-yard TD reception on the final play of the first half gave the Browns a 21-17 lead and helped them regain the momentum after blowing a 14-0 lead. Cleveland committed four turnovers in the first half -- including three in a six-play stretch -- which led to all of Cincinnati's points.
"We faced some adversity and the character and the heart of this team got tested big-time," Davis said. "I thought the drive at the end of the half that Jeff engineered was just absolutely enormous. That got us back into the lead and got us the momentum back."
Lack of support
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, the first pick in the 2003 draft, completed 20-of-36 passes for 148 yards. He didn't get any help from Johnson, who dropped three passes and was blanketed by Browns corners Anthony Henry and Daylon McCutcheon.
Still, he didn't regret his pregame actions.
"How can you second-guess a challenge?" he said. "I posed a challenge to the secondary and lost. Because I lost one time, am I going to second guess my game?
"I feel the only reason we lost this game is because of me. All those third-down catches, which should have continued drives, are all on me."
Maybe, but his teammates weren't much help either. After a brief foray into respectability last season, Cincinnati (1-4) looks a lot like the bumbling Bengals of the past decade.
"It seems like we are finding ways to lose ball games instead of finding ways to win ball games," said Bengals running back Rudi Johnson. "We are a hundred times better than this."
scalzo@vindy.com