That said, if you look at either of our QBs in comparison to their forgettable 2014 - what do you see? 2 much improved QBs that compete especially if they get support from the defense and special teams. For example, we beat TN by double digits when our defense swarmed the QB and Benjamin returned a punt for a TD. All we needed from our QB was a couple TD passes and good decisions throwing the ball to the extent we only needed 8 completions. If that's a bad example, look at Peyton Manning the day McCown outplayed him enough to get us into overtime. Dansby caught as many TD passes from Manning as any of Manning's receivers but that game boiled down to what defense was going to be good enough to win. It was the defense good enough to remain undefeated which would also repeat history against Aaron Rodgers' previously unbeaten team.

I don't know if anyone heard this when we played Arizona; but it was said McCown was ranked #1 on 3rd down efficiency or passer ratings in 2015 so far. He spreads the ball around well with TE Gary Barnidge is enjoying a career best season. Both of our QBs are responsible for the best numbers Travis Benjamin has put together. Meanwhile, they're also hooking up with a rookie RB Duke Johnson. They're pretty much tapping anything that can be while Phil Simms gave a politically correct BINGO of the value of knee-high WRs today. We look like a very stupid football team when we tell a guy like Willie Snead he's not good enough to play in the same WR Corps that led the AFC in dropped passes for 2 straight years. Now, we're sentenced to watching Dwayne Bowe and Taylor Gabriel when Josh Lenz was told he wasn't good enough for the NFL version of minimum wage here. We deserve better than this and so does whoever volunteers to play QB. As much as Hartline's 2 TD receptions helped us vrs Arizona, his 3 second half drops serial killed drives against a first place team. Do I blame the QB that put the ball in his hands?

Our defense had it's moments in 2014 (even around where they ranked vrs the run) when they were removing the stench of the 4-12 train-wreck from 2013 so it was reasonable to expect more growth and progress this year. Unfortunately, when we were edging our way back into the Cincy game - our defense morphed from bend don't break to break don't shatter mentality. How long has Randy Starks played in the NFL? And he doesn't understand how to line up a couple feet away from the ball without being way off sides? Another time he makes a nice tackle for a loss; but instead of putting Cincy 2nd and 15 - the same hollow dome gets flagged for taunting giving Cincy 15 yards and a first down. We're already challenged on that side of the ball so adding WunDumPhuck is like giving Jason Pierre Paul a box of matches with some unlit fireworks and wondering who gets the finger. Halftime should have been 10-10. Instead, Starks' actions said if you can't beat us - don't worry about it, I'll beat us for you.

Half 2, when CLEVELAND's version of Pro Football WR is a knee high Taylor Gabriel dropping passes and hearing foot steps since his traumatic experience in St Louis (like Hartline did 3 times the week before) - we're serial killing drives against GOOD defenses. Dumping salt in wound, Cincy ain't undefeated by accident so they responded with drives punctuated by TDs while time of possession tired who's legs?

Believe it or not, I thought our line pass protected reasonably well in both halves Thursday. BUT you can't false start when you're playing good teams if you want to make 3rd downs doable for an inexperienced QB. It leaves your 4 start old QB (at 22 years of age) scrambling for about 12.5 yards when we needed 13 especially when an alternative like Gabriel in route (is still hearing footsteps from his traumatic experience in St Louis) so he wasn't going to catch anything while Benjamin and Barnidge were drawing more attention. There were plenty of throw-aways that would have been sacks or INTs from the 2014 version of Manziel, which was only a couple starts ago and 1 playbook removed (even if this was the 1st playbook Manziel actually looked at). People are going to choose to see what they want to see with Manziel. The critics that made predictions he'd suck are going to pretend Cincy was winless and he had all kinds of easy street on their televisions he just couldn't tap. How many points did Pittsburgh's full strength passing game light Cincy up for last week anyway? It's amazing how much a team's defense has a say in whether you stand a chance of beating an undefeated opponent or just the Tennessee Titans. This is the margin of error I speak of when I see a 32nd ranked defense vrs the run (plus all their 2nd half flat lines) being more the reason McCown only sports a 1-6 record in one of the best stretches of his career.

Every time our offense doesn't score - we can't be the second half defense we saw vrs Arizona and Cincy. Interestingly enough, the team Andrew Hawkins came from - has the following targets fetching passes today while their QB enjoys his best season:

Sanu 6'2"

Green 6'4"

Jones 6'2"

Tate 6'1"

Eifert 6'6"

It would be nice if somebody we're counting on for personnel decisions this side of 1999, above and beyond our 8 TD receptions from the WR Corps in 2014, was understanding what was behind the knockout blows from our divisional rivals. More access to a better catch radius isn't the only thing helping Dalton. How about guys being able to get off the line of scrimmage consistently while remaining easy to see for their QB? Does Dalton ever have to throw a pass downward to any of these guys? If we gave McCown more than Barnidge and Benjamin to throw to - would he be nearly as beat up holding onto the ball while defenses double those guys or attempt to jam them more at the line of scrimmage or both?

Hollywood even made a movie about the draft (Draft Day?) and its pertinence to the Cleveland Browns almost as if Heaven above was giving our front office in chaos unavoidable clues like: "Is there really a QB who's character doesn't have the owner/GM/HC all in unison on his first round spot?" Love Manziel or hate him - he didn't draft himself folks. And what about this one? "Is there really a LBer named Mack that needs to be strongly considered that played college ball so close by that you couldn't miss multiple great performances?" In the movie Mack played for Ohio State which is pretty close to Cleveland but in reality the University of Buffalo is only about a 3 hour car ride from Cleveland (as well as the reality they play a few Ohio schools in the MAC). The irony of it all is Mack had a terrific performance against Ohio State to the extent any team needing massive upgrades at LBer should have been put on alert there's a game changer that could be on their door step. Oakland landed Mack and a QB investment they were willing to nourish with helpful tools like Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree (just 1 year later).