Little’s drops overshadow success

Associated Press

BEREA

Browns rookie wide receiver Greg Little took the football he caught for his first NFL touchdown home as a souvenir from Cincinnati and placed it on a nightstand.

That one he didn’t drop.

On Sunday, Little dropped four passes, including one in the final minute that would have given Cleveland a first down, and cost the Browns in their 23-20 loss to the Bengals.

Little’s mistakes, compounded by him dressing quickly and leaving the locker room before talking to the media afterward, soured an otherwise memorable day for the second-round draft pick.

“I feel like it was a milestone I accomplished in both respects,” Little said Monday. “The touchdown was great, but I just got to do a better job of focusing and ensuring the catch. ... it’s just a bad day.”

Little certainly wasn’t the only offender for the Browns (4-7), who failed to build on a 10-point lead in the third quarter and couldn’t put away the Bengals (7-4).

A botched snap on a field-goal attempt — the second for Cleveland in three weeks — also doomed the Browns, dropping them to 3-17 inside the AFC North over the past three seasons.

Little’s gaffes became magnified when Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green made a leaping catch for a 51-yard gain to set up Cincinnati’s go-ahead field goal with 38 seconds left.

Little admitted he wanted to show he could perform on the same level as Green, the fourth overall selection in this year’s draft.

“All the stars were aligned to come out and either I was going to play better or he was going to play better,” he said. “He made two big plays and I made kind of one. He’s a very good player in some of the things he does and so am I. I just didn’t have the day that he had.”

Little was targeted 13 times by quarterback Colt McCoy and finished with five receptions for 57 yards.

Not long after one of his drops, he made a 3-yard scoring catch in the second quarter for his first points as a pro. Instead of an outlandish celebration, he tucked the ball under his arm and headed to the sideline, acting as if he had been in the end zone before.

However, all of Little’s positive plays were overshadowed by the drops.