Abysmal, abominable, absolutely atrocious. All these words and more can be used to describe the Browns 20 to 10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday. Once again the offense struggled to get anything going, making for a difficult to watch game. Over the course of half a season the team seems to have regressed offensively. At the times they have shown glimmers of hope, but never in any consistent form really. Once again they depended on the dismal passing game to try and move the ball, and once again it failed. Colt McCoy threw 34 times, connecting on 22 for 224 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. McCoy also added 30 yards on the ground, seven yards less than Cleveland’s leading rusher Chris Ogbonnaya. Ogbonnaya carried the ball 11 times with a long of seven yards. Montario Hardesty carried the ball twice for a grand total of six yards. This is after coming off the Seahawks game where he rushed 33 times. While the running game wasn’t fireworks last week, it did allow them to control the clock and grind out a win. In the passing game rookie receiver Jordan Norwood lead all Browns receivers with five receptions for 37 yards, though tight end Benjamin Watson gain the most yardage with 64 on three receptions. The other rookie wideout Greg Little contributed four catches for 28 yards, while Josh Cribbs had two catches for 56 yards including a 45 yard reception and run which was the first Browns touchdown in seven quarters, and the only one for the team on Sunday. Once again the team’s defense showed they are truly the bright spot of the season, though they have displayed their youth at times. While the defensive line has looked tough all season, the run stopping was subpar early as 48er’s running back Frank Gore rushed for over 100 yards by the end of the first half. San Francisco’s running game also showed how truly slow the Browns are on defense and glaring holes at the linebacker and secondary positions. While it can be frustrating to watch, fans need to remember that this team is in the process of building through the draft, not by picking up short-term stop gaps through free agency. If the prior few drafts become a recurring trend then the next few drafts should help to fill some of these holes, especially considering how many rookies and second year players are currently starting on what was the fourth best defense in the league going into today’s game. With the number of holes on offense to address it is difficult to say what direction the Browns will try and go in this year’s draft. Will they try and solidify the defense at the risk of passing on dynamic offensive players or will they pick up a well rounded linebacker or defensive back? One thing is for certain, they need to figure out a way to move the ball on offense or they won’t have too many people coming out to support the team no matter how well they draft. Who are we kidding, this team could trade all their draft picks for Gatorade and Nike shoes and we’d all still be there for opening day with optimism in our hearts and booze on our breaths. Photo by David Freeman