Saturday, August 21, 2010
By Mary Kay Cabot
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND
So, what does the Browns offense do for an encore tonight against the Rams after its thrilling debut in Green Bay last week? It better be good, because the status quo isn’t going to cut it for coach Eric Mangini.
“I’m looking for us to play and operate better than we did against Green Bay,” said Mangini. “That’s what I typically look for each step in the preseason. I want to continue to do well and improve on the things we didn’t do well. There was plenty to improve on from the game and a lot of things I was happy with.”
Mangini will play his starters for the first half and maybe into the third quarter, depending on the quality of the reps Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace get. The coach said he anticipates Wallace working with the first team again and has liked what he has seen. Wallace threw two touchdown passes on his three drives against Green Bay, one to Brian Robiskie in the back left corner of the end zone while scrambling left and a 20-yarder to Ben Watson over the middle after faking an out.
“It was nice to see Seneca roll out of the pocket, break contain and throw a touchdown on somebody besides us,” said Mangini. “Because he extends the play, it’s been really good work defensively. I’ve been pleased with him. He’s an accurate guy. He’s got a strong arm, he’s confident, he’s got poise. The confidence in him has grown each week as we’ve gotten to know him and he’s gotten to know the system.”
Likewise, Delhomme gained confidence and some timing with his receivers after marching 80 yards in 11 plays on the opening drive, which ended with a 4-yard TD run by Jerome Harrison. Along the way, Delhomme completed 6-of-7 for 66 yards.
“It’s an exhibition game, but it was a good drive,” said Delhomme. “It sure beats the heck out of going three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out. We started fast, and that’s what we wanted to do. It’s just a start, but we’re hoping we can build on it.”
Delhomme relied heavily on No. 1 receiver Mohamed Massaquoi on that drive, hitting him three times for 36 yards — including a 12-yarder on 4th-and-1 — but might not have Massaquoi’s services tonight. He suffered a strained hamstring on that drive and sat out most of the week. He returned Thursday night for a no-pads practice but was limited. If he sits, Brian Robiskie will replace him, and Josh Cribbs and Chansi Stuckey will see increased action.