Same, sad story for Browns

By Tony Grossi

Cleveland Plain Dealer

SAN FRANCISCO

Is it possible to lose a football game on the second play of the game?

You betcha.

That’s what happened to the Browns Sunday in Candlestick Park. There was a lot of talk afterwards about fighting through the long day and of making a game of it. But the fact is they lost to San Francisco on the second play when linebacker Ahmad Brooks beat right tackle Tony Pashos with an inside move and strip-sacked Colt McCoy of the ball.

In five plays, Frank Gore was in the end zone and the rout was on. The tough, physical 49ers rolled up a 17-point lead and cruised to their sixth win in seven games, 20-10.

The Browns, held without a touchdown in the first and third quarters for the seventh straight game, fell to 3-4.

“I know Brownstown is really upset, but one thing they can be excited about is our effort,” said receiver Josh Cribbs, who scored the only touchdown on a 45-yard reception in the fourth quarter. “I hope back home they won’t get into a frenzy like the world’s going to end with this loss.”

Of course, the sight of the same game over and over again is straining everyone’s faith and patience. We’ve seen these hopeless offensive efforts so many times before. As recently as two weeks ago in Oakland, the Raiders jumped out early and hung on for a seven-point win.

This was an exact replica — complete with the obligatory muscle injury to a running back early in the game.

In Oakland, Peyton Hillis pulled a hamstring muscle and hardly played. On Sunday, with Hillis still nursing his injury on the sideline, Montario Hardesty suffered a calf muscle injury in the first quarter. He played a little with it and was out for good by the second quarter.

That left the running game, blitz pickup and the outlet pass role to third back Chris Ogbonnaya, who joined the team two weeks ago. He played virtually every snap after replacing Hardesty with about 1:43 left in the first quarter. Ogbonnaya had 37 yards rushing and 24 on five receptions.

“Chris played well. He just got gassed,” said McCoy.

The absence of Hillis, Hardesty and receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (concussion) turned the 49ers into blood-thirsty sharks. They pressured and hit McCoy endlessly. Brooks (two sacks), linebacker Patrick Willis (one) and rookie end Aldon Smith (one) seemed to affect every pass attempt.

“It’s football,” said Little. “I told him to keep playing hard.”

Goldson’s 15-yard penalty helped the Browns advance far enough for a 52-yard field goal by Phil Dawson just before halftime — his career-high fourth of the season from 50 or more. By then, the 49ers had rolled up 17 points, scoring on three of their first four possessions. The only time they didn’t, linebacker D’Qwell Jackson stopped Gore on three successive carries from inside the Browns’ 2.

“Our margin for error on offense is very small,” said coach Pat Shurmur. “That’s not an excuse. That’s the reality. We have to hit on everything. We just do.

“We have to fight for every yard. We can’t make mistakes, and if we do make a mistake, we have to overcome it.”

Besides losing the fumble on a hit he never saw coming, McCoy also was intercepted in the third quarter.