The Browns try one's soul

As I alluded to before, the Browns are making a habit of perking up moribund teams by offering themselves as cannon fodder. It's getting to be an irritating little habit.

This week's effort was particularly lame, as the Browns were clearly a better team (not a good one, mind you. Just better than Houston). But, rather than grouse, I'd just like to point out that the Browns' miserable afternoon was bookended rather nicely by two plays from Texans cornerback Philip Buchanon.

On the Browns' first possession, receiver Antonio Bryant stiff-armed Buchcanon and knocked him to the turf. As he fell, Buchanon reached out and swiped at Bryant's ankle, causing him to tumble, too. A sure completion sailed over their heads and the refs held their flags. The Browns punted. Then on the Browns' final play, when they needed a big fourth-down conversion, Buchanon swatted away Trent Dilfer's pass for Bryant at the last instant, preventing a touchdown.

Of course, the Browns couldn't find the end zone on about a million chances earlier in the game, and coughed the ball up in Texans territory twice. So it's not as if they were robbed. What really pisses me off about this win, though, is that the bat-guano crazy among the Browns' fan base will immediately start clamoring for anointed future star QB Charlie Frye.

Which I can totally understand. I mean, it's not as if Browns fans have any recent experience with a rookie quarterback being thrown to the dogs and allowed to "learn on the job" or some such shit.