Browns still unable to win the close ones
Cleveland's loss Sunday was its 14th in the final 2:00 or OT since 1999.
BEREA (AP) -- They're the "could've, should've" Browns.
And about the only thing Cleveland has perfected since returning to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999 is losing -- spectacularly.
On Sunday, the Browns blew a 10-point lead and gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter in a 24-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, another "what if" defeat for a team seemingly doomed to failure.
"We feel like we let one get away," said safety Brian Russell.
Yeah, this one, and a whole bunch more.
The gut-wrenching loss is a Cleveland tradition.
"I want to cry right now," kick return specialist Joshua Cribbs said Sunday.
The Browns (3-7), just 39-83 with one playoff appearance since '99, can't seem to get a break. Week after week they play well for long stretches where it looks as if they're on their way to a victory, only to have a play or two go the other way, sending them tumbling toward another defeat.
They also seem to have a knack for the implausible.
Remember the Browns lost a game on a thrown helmet (Dwayne Rudd, 2002) in the final seconds, and blew a 14-point lead in the last 28 seconds of regulation at Chicago in 2001 before losing in overtime.
Another close loss
Nothing nearly that crazy happened against the Steelers, but Cleveland's 12th loss in 13 games against its bitter rival was also the Browns' 14th loss in the final two minutes or OT since 1999. Ten of those setbacks have come at home.
The Browns have developed a taste for bitter pills, and Sunday's had a familiar flavor.
"We had our spurts like we always do," quarterback Charlie Frye said. "We looked good for a while and not so good for a while. We need to find a way to always look good."
The Browns were looking good with a 10-0 lead at halftime and a 10-3 advantage after three quarters. They were still up 20-10 deep into the fourth quarter when another of those funky, plays happened.
On first down, Browns defensive tackle Nick Eason broke through Pittsburgh's line and got into the face of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who pump faked. But instead of wrapping up Roethlisberger and sacking him, Eason, who had his head down, pulled off and raised his arms to show the officials he wasn't making contact.
Trouble was, Roethlisberger didn't throw the ball away until after Eason eased up. A few plays later, the Steelers scored a touchdown to pull within three.
"Next time, I'll run through him," Eason said. "They try to protect the quarterback so much in this league. When I saw his hand go up, I pulled off."
Great fourth quarter
A sack on that play could have slowed Roethlisberger, who after throwing three first-half interceptions, passed for an astounding 224 yards in the fourth quarter.
Eason's missed chance at a big play can be traced to another pivotal one in the first half that went against the Browns.
Late in the second quarter, cornerback Daven Holly, whose 57-yard interception return for a TD gave Cleveland a 7-0 lead, picked off his second pass. As he began weaving his way up-field, Browns defensive lineman Simon Fraser legally leveled Roethlisberger.
When Roethlisberger got up, Fraser drilled him again and was flagged 15 yards for roughing. The penalty wiped out Holly's return to the Steelers 5, moving the ball back to Pittsburgh's 44.
The Browns failed to convert the turnover into points, a blown chance at extending their 10-point lead that would come back to haunt them.
Crennel disagreed
Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel took issue with the officials' interpretation of a rule meant to protect quarterbacks.
"In this situation, the quarterback was trying to make the tackle and we blocked him," Crennel argued. "He became a defender and we blocked him. When he got blocked on the ground, he got up and we blocked him again. If that block was made on another defender, they wouldn't have called that.
"They said that the second block was unnecessary so they called it. I think we should tell the quarterback to lie on the ground if he doesn't want to be a defender. If we do that, it should be clear for everybody. ... Either he's a defender or a quarterback. Which one is it?"
Crennel, now 9-17 in two seasons, remains patient. He has no choice, and has been encouraged by the fight his players have shown.
"Those guys played all the way to the end," he said. "I think we can build off of that. Eventually, that worm will turn."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.