Northcutt overcomes nullified feeling

The veteran wide receiver had some of his frustration eased in last week's win.
BEREA (AP) -- It would be hard to blame wide receiver Dennis Northcutt for feeling frustrated this season.
Northcutt returned two punts for touchdowns that were nullified because of penalties and went two weeks without a catch.
He eased some of his frustration with a 58-yard touchdown reception and 31-yard run on a reverse in the Browns' victory against Tennessee on Sunday.
"He got that first pickle out of the jar," coach Romeo Crennel said. "So hopefully it will be easy to get the rest of them out."
Turns to veteran
First-year offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon went back to his veteran receiver when the offense needed to break out of its slump.
Northcutt helped bring the big play back to Cleveland's struggling offense with the touchdown catch. He came back on an underthrown pass from Trent Dilfer, fought off rookie cornerback Reynaldo Hill for the ball, then ran the rest of the way for the score.
After the first-quarter touchdown catch, Carthon called for a Northcutt reverse when the Browns had a six-point lead. The play didn't lead to a score but helped changed the field position and run the clock for the win.
Just days before, it was easy to see the dissatisfaction in Northcutt's face after losses to Detroit and Houston in which he didn't catch a pass.
Opportunities shrunk for him as more plays started going to leading receiver Antonio Bryant and rookie Braylon Edwards.
"Of course it was frustrating," Northcutt said. "I feel like I'm one of the playmakers on this team. My team looks up to me to make plays, and I wasn't being involved and both of them were losses against teams we should have beaten.
"Not being involved, it was difficult. But at the same time that's in the past, we're moving on now. We got a victory last week and we got a big game in Pittsburgh this week."
Numbers down
Overall it's been a slow start for Northcutt. He's had at least 700 yards receiving the past two years, but has just 225 yards halfway through this season.
A performance like Sunday's though could jump-start Northcutt's season.
"The fact that he was able to produce and help this team helped his confidence," Crennel said. "It reinforced the fact that he does have playmaking ability. Hopefully, he will have more of an opportunity in the second half of the year."