NFL Victory boosts Browns

Expectations are higher after the season-opening win.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- For their first five years back in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns wanted to forget about their opener.
This year is no different.
"We have a tough game on the road next week," said Browns coach Butch Davis. "That's where our focus is."
The Browns, fresh off a surprising 20-3 win over the Ravens, will travel to play Dallas, which lost to Minnesota in its opener. And if Cleveland wants to go 2-0, it can't dwell too long on last Sunday's satisfaction.
"This can't be no one game thing," said defensive lineman Kenard Lang, who had three sacks against Baltimore. "The expectations are different now. Before when we'd win, everyone was throwing us a parade downtown. Now we're expected to win."
In contrast
It was a marked contrast from the last two years, when the Browns found ways to lose their opener when they should have won. Dwayne Rudd's infamous helmet toss cost the Browns a win against Kansas City two years ago, and the team's poor performance in the red zone resulted in a 9-6 loss to the Colts last year.
"We are always talking about giving the fans a win on opening game and we gave it to them," said wide-out Quincy Morgan, who had a key 46-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter of Sunday's game. "We struggled in the first half, but we were in it at halftime."
After a lackluster preseason, the Browns' offense showed signs of life in the second half against the Ravens -- one of the NFL's best defenses. They out-gained the Ravens 187-162 in the second half and, more importantly, forced three turnovers -- two interceptions and a fumble -- without committing one themselves.
It was a heartening performance by a team that many picked to finish last in the AFC North.
"As we talked about all summer long, the team is going to grow together," said Davis. "We had some rough times during the preseason, things that we did not do as well as would have liked. We didn't do some things [Sunday] as well as we would have liked.
"I think what we did was maintain outstanding composure."
Davis has preached teamwork all preseason and, for one game at least, his team was listening. Question is, can they keep following that winning formula?
"We just need to stay humble and stay confident," Lang said. "We're still coming together. We need to focus more on the team accomplishments than our own."
Of course, individual accomplishments aren't bad either.
"If the DBs keep getting interceptions and we keep getting sacks, everybody will be happy by Christmas time," Lang said.
scalzo@vindy.com