Believe it! Browns win again

Jerome Harrison set another team record in Cleveland’s 23-9 victory.

By TONY GROSSI

CLEVELAND Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND — Ho hum, another Browns win.

Another dominant performance by the offensive line produced another record rushing day for Jerome Harrison, this time for attempts.

Another demonstration of smart and disciplined football by the Browns, who resisted the temptation to duke it out with the brawling Oakland Raiders.

After the Browns rang up their third win in a row, 23-9, for the first time since 2007 and only the third time since their expansion rebirth, the future of Eric Mangini as coach remains a red-hot issue nobody is answering.

It’s the 800-pound elephant in the room.

The two most important men deciding Mangini’s fate were not in the building to shed light on what the franchise does now. Owner Randy Lerner did not attend his second game in a row and new President Mike Holmgren remained at his Phoenix home to enjoy the holidays with family.

Holmgren’s introductory press conference, which everyone assumed would take place this week, has been postponed indefinitely. The club has not set a date. But Holmgren will address the media Monday at 5 p.m. via a teleconference call.

Mangini was considered to be a “one and done” coach a few weeks ago when the Browns were in the throes of their worst season in history. But after the three straight victories raised their record to 4-11 — equaling last year’s win total — even the national football “insiders” are hedging.

For his part, Mangini isn’t gloating. He’s carrying on as if the question of his future doesn’t even exist in his mind.

“I’m happy with the way things are going,” Mangini said. “I’ve seen progress from the group. They’re being rewarded for the good things that have been happening, that always weren’t very apparent. To see this, it’s really positive.”

For the second time in a week, Mangini actually brought up Holmgren without being asked. The context of Sunday’s reference was to a question about whether Harrison has done enough to go into next season as the team’s feature back.

Harrison followed up his franchise-record 286 yards rushing last week with another franchise record day. His 39 carries broke Lee Suggs’ record of 38 set in a 2004 game and he rolled up 148 yards and one touchdown.

Mangini said, “I think he’s shown a lot of good things. I think that’s something that we’ll have to discuss with Mike and see what he feels.”

Harrison’s longest run ignited the key touchdown of the day and one of the weirdest drives of the year for the Browns.

Late in the first half, they started at their 7 after a punt and a holding penalty. On second down, center Alex Mack drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in an exchange of unpleasantries with Raiders lineman Richard Seymour.

On second-and-12, Harrison scooted for 17 yards. The next play, Harrison ran for two yards and received some extracurricular activity from the increasingly frustrated Raiders. Seymour and Browns guard Rex Hadnot received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Before the next play was run, Seymour was assessed another for saying something to referee Jeff Triplette.

“They were beating on J.C. [Harrison] when he was on the ground and our guys aren’t going to let that happen,” said quarterback Derek Anderson.

“I was always taught to protect your own,” said Hadnot. “What I liked was we regained our composure and finished our drive with a touchdown.”

A few plays later, Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt was ejected for a flagrant head butt after another Harrison run. Before long, Anderson was lobbing a touchdown pass to Mohamed Massaquoi in the right corner of the Dawg Pound end zone.

That seemingly comfortable 17-6 lead was shaved by three in the next 18 seconds when a short kickoff and two Charlie Frye completions set up a 61-yard field goal by thunderfoot Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski.

Still, that breakdown didn’t break the Browns. They roared out to a field goal to start the second half after Janikowski, scared of Josh Cribbs, kicked short and Harrison returned it 39 yards to the Raiders’ 43.

Harrison continued to be the focal point as the Browns tried to run down a clock that kept getting stopped by Oakland penalties. The Raiders committed 13 on the day, including one when Tony Stewart made contact “unnecessarily with a game official,” which resulted in a second player ejection.

These, um, indiscretions made it more difficult for Frye, who outpassed his former teammate, Anderson, 333 yards to 121. But Frye suffered four sacks and was intercepted three times, including once in the red zone, causing him to leave Cleveland Browns Stadium with another loss.

“In pre-game, it was [weird],” Frye said. “But once the game started, I was fired up.”

Harrison lugged the ball 17 times in the first half and 22 in the second to eclipse Suggs’ record for carries. He had 34 the week before in Kansas City.

“With the win I feel great,” said Harrison, who is 5-9 and 205 pounds. “How I’m going to feel tomorrow — I don’t know.”

Harrison would appear to be running his way into the Browns’ plans for next season. But that will be one of many questions for Holmgren to answer. The way things are going, maybe he will ask Mangini for his input, too.