2015 Regular Season
We hit the regular season with one troubling injury – newly signed LT Claude Nieto is out for several weeks with a broken clavicle. Our line is again reshuffled, but we are in slightly better situation to handle this than before.
QB Deion Brock is also hurt – he will miss the first half of the season. So, to fill in there, we need a replacement. Mo Treadwell, late of the Bengals, is looking for a chance, so we grab him on a one-year deal.
Week 1: Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Pittsburgh should be improved, after signing two-time Superbowl MVP QB Mercury Shoemaker from Arizona. They make a tough game for us, but we come up with a 20-16 win. Devin Norton is again the main target, getting 12 catches for 98 yards on the day. James Houston drops back for 50 passes – which is simply too many for this team.
Week 2: Cleveland (1-0) at San Francisco (0-1)
We need more late-game heroics to get a win here, but Houston finds Zach Blair for the game-winning TD with 1:15 left, and we get a 13-12 win. Our defense held the 49ers to 3.2 yards per play – a very solid effort.
Week 3: Cleveland (2-0) at Indianapolis (2-0)
On the road, we finally click – and run over the Colts with ease, 30-6. Gus Stewart tallies 135 and a TD, and leads the way of a team-oriented offensive attack, where ten skill players got touches all told.
Week 5: Cleveland (3-0) at Denver (3-0)
Again on the road at an unbeaten team. We secure another win, and another close one. Our ground game was simply more effective, and that amounted to a big difference – we win 23-17 with a 90-yard rushing advantage. LB Curtis Davis gets 11 tackles, a sack, and an interception en route to a game ball for his efforts.
Week 6: Oakland (1-4) at Cleveland (4-0)
We are made 23 point favorites here – how can that be? We have lost RB Newman for the season (and probably that wraps up his career, too) and will have rookie Joe Baker in for a carry or two this week. If we lose Stewart, forget it – we have nobody behind him to carry the load. We win 33-13 over Oakland, nearly covering that spread, forcing five interceptions to set up thee offense for an easy day.
Week 7: San Diego (3-2) at Cleveland (5-0)
WR Zach Blair has blown out his knee – he is listed as out for 63 weeks, which doesn’t sound too good. Our WR corps is fairly deep, though, as we will count on Cornelius Tilton and veteran Alex Garcia to carry the load. We have also lost DT Gary Cascadden to a second injury this year – and he looks like he is now on the “too brittle to play” list.
We suffer our first loss here at home – we play well, but come up short 10-6. The defense held the Chargers to only 215 total yards, but we couldn’t get going on offense, and never got into the end zone at all.
Week 8: Cleveland (5-1) at Kansas City (1-5)
We put up points this week, but keep letting KC back into the game. We withstand a late rally to hold on for a 34-27 win.
Week 9: Baltimore (5-3) at Cleveland (6-1)
A win here would put the division picture clearly into focus – on us. If we lose, we will have to keep an eye on Baltimore for a while.
Stewart has a down day (23-49) but we are able to throw pretty well, and get the 24-14 win at home to move three games ahead in the division.
Halfway through our regular season, here is a snapshot of our stats so far:
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Record: 7-1
Winning Pct.: .875
Cleveland Browns Team Rank
Rushes 239 12
Rushing Yards 1095 9
Yards Per Carry 4.58 4
Pass Attempts 283 18
Completions 170 13
Passing Yards 1750 22
Yards Per Attempt 6.18 17
3rd Down Conversions 40.3 18
Points Per Game 22.8 7
Turnovers 10 7 (T)
Turnover Margin +6 2 (T)
Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 185 4
Rushing Yards 611 2
Yards Per Carry 3.30 1
Pass Attempts 272 9 (T)
Completions 135 1
Passing Yards 1550 4
Yards Per Attempt 5.69 5
3rd Down Conversions 34.8 6
Points Per Game 14.3 3
Turnovers 16 6 (T)
We are once again thriving on a positive turnover margin, and running the ball well. But this year, our defensive stats are back – we’re #1 against the run, #5 against the pass – that’s much more like what I want to see from this group.
James Houston sports an 82.3 passer rating – his biggest downside is only 6.2 yards per attempt – he’s just not as effective going downfield as Marco Clancy has been. Clancy himself has been pretty decent and has the Bears atop their division at 5-3.
Week 10: Cleveland (7-1) at Pittsburgh (4-4)
The Steelers are again competitive with us, but we again get the win, this time 34-24 behind an 18-point fourth quarter. Another good win, and we keep the march on for a top seed.
Week 11: Cleveland (8-1) at Cincinnati (3-6)
James Houston gets the big stats this week, with 4 TD passes en route to an easy 35-10 win. Gus Stewart’s 189 yards rushing are no trivial matter, either.
Week 12: St. Louis (6-4) at Cleveland (9-1)
Very tough game, as we have to overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit and get two second half TD passes to earn a 14-13 win. The defense really came through when we needed them, pitching a second half shutout.
We welcome back LT Bennie Heinlein to the active roster, and he will work back into the starting lineup for us. He’s been with us since the 2005 draft, and looks like he is fully recovered from his bad injury last year. His addition would be a nice boost.
Week 13: Miami (6-5) at Cleveland (10-1)
We are actually outgained by the Dolphins, but we toughen up in the red zone, and keep them nearly scoreless in a 16-3 win. Good effort for LT Heinlein, who leads the effort to keep our QB unscathed all game long.
Week 14: Cleveland (11-1) at Seattle (4-8)
Could be a “donut” game, but we come through with a nice 30-10 win. Gus Stewart looks very sharp, with 147 yards rushing and 7 catches for 57 more. He is developing into a true do-it-all back, and we’re riding this horse all the way. He has 1,263 yards rushing already, with three games yet to play.
Week 15: Cleveland (12-1) at Baltimore (7-6)
We have been softened up in the middle of our defense by injuries to both Cascadden and Bailey, but we will bundle everything together and try to ride out the regular season with a patchwork group on the line. It’s good enough in Baltimore for a 20-13 win, with S Kirk Week grabbing three picks including one score – enough to make the difference in the game.
Week 16: Arizona (10-4) at Cleveland (13-1)
Arizona practically gutted their roster this year, but here they are, 10-4, and looking like serious contenders once again. They are winning with an undrafted rookie at QB, even. We hand then a setback, 26-14, picking off their QB twice to thwart a couple of threats. Great seasons for them, though.
Week 17: Cincinnati (6-9) at Cleveland (14-1)
We have everything all locked up – time to rest a bit. I sit James Houston, hoping to get him back to 100% in time for our playoff debut. We play a decent enough game, but the Bengals rise up and get the win 31-27, with help from a blocked punt and a punt return, each for a TD. No matter, in any material way – we are locked in for the AFC’s top seed.
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2015 Regular Season Standings
AC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cleveland 14 2 0 .875 385 233 10-2 5-1
Baltimore 8 8 0 .500 356 307 6-6 1-5
Cincinnati 7 9 0 .438 293 365 6-6 3-3
Pittsburgh 7 9 0 .438 373 350 6-6 3-3
AC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Jacksonville 7 9 0 .438 320 329 6-6 4-2
Indianapolis 6 9 1 .406 309 356 5-6-1 4-2
Tennessee 5 11 0 .313 315 405 4-8 2-4
Houston 4 12 0 .250 227 375 4-8 2-4
AC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York J 12 4 0 .750 388 262 9-3 5-1
New England 9 6 1 .594 278 271 6-5-1 3-3
Miami 8 8 0 .500 317 337 5-7 3-3
Buffalo 7 9 0 .438 319 317 5-7 1-5
AC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Denver 10 6 0 .625 397 318 8-4 4-2
San Diego 9 7 0 .563 292 286 7-5 3-3
Oakland 6 10 0 .375 240 358 5-7 3-3
Kansas City 5 11 0 .313 233 270 3-9 2-4
NC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Chicago 12 4 0 .750 345 286 10-2 5-1
Detroit 11 5 0 .688 319 230 7-5 5-1
Minnesota 7 9 0 .438 292 295 4-8 2-4
Green Bay 4 12 0 .250 271 329 4-8 0-6
NC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Atlanta 13 3 0 .813 443 266 9-3 5-1
New Orleans 12 4 0 .750 475 359 8-4 4-2
Tampa Bay 8 8 0 .500 377 362 5-7 2-4
Carolina 5 11 0 .313 303 378 3-9 1-5
NC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Dallas 9 7 0 .563 323 328 8-4 5-1
Philadelphia 9 7 0 .563 248 282 7-5 3-3
Washington 8 8 0 .500 297 338 6-6 3-3
New York G 1 15 0 .063 242 351 1-11 1-5
NC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Arizona 10 6 0 .625 314 258 7-5 4-2
St. Louis 9 7 0 .563 289 271 8-4 5-1
San Francisco 8 8 0 .500 281 315 6-6 2-4
Seattle 5 11 0 .313 278 352 3-9 1-5
As predicted by the roster ratings, it’s the Jets who look like our toughest foes in the AFC. But we’ll need to be ready for anyone – as we showed last season after going 15-1.
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2015 Summary for Cleveland Browns
Record: 14-2
Winning Pct.: .875
Cleveland Browns Team Rank
Rushes 475 7
Rushing Yards 2214 4
Yards Per Carry 4.66 3
Pass Attempts 548 17
Completions 324 14
Passing Yards 3269 25
Yards Per Attempt 5.96 24
3rd Down Conversions 38.0 21 (T)
Points Per Game 24.0 5
Turnovers 16 1 (T)
Turnover Margin +16 1 (T)
Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 369 3
Rushing Yards 1299 1
Yards Per Carry 3.52 2
Pass Attempts 555 18
Completions 294 4
Passing Yards 3490 17
Yards Per Attempt 6.28 15
3rd Down Conversions 35.0 3
Points Per Game 14.5 2
Turnovers 32 3 (T)
Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 20 PIT 16
2 13 at SFO 12
3 30 at IND 6
5 23 at DEN 17
6 33 OAK 13
7 6 SDO 10
8 34 at KCY 27
9 24 BAL 14
10 34 at PIT 24
11 35 at CIN 10
12 14 STL 13
13 16 MIA 3
14 30 at SEA 10
15 20 at BAL 13
16 26 ARI 14
17 27 CIN 31
Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
7 Houston QB 518 307 3049 5.88 22 9
**Team --- 548 324 3269 5.96 24 11
Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD
39 Stewart RB 333 1576 4.73 9
36 Baker RB 55 252 4.58 1
**Team --- 475 2214 4.66 12
Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
6 Norton TE 123 75 749 9.9 96 3
39 Stewart RB 78 54 405 7.5 119 7
89 Harmon WR 69 42 506 12.0 61 2
23 Goodwin FB 56 36 214 5.9 77 2
83 Tilton WR 56 35 399 11.4 61 2
88 Garcia WR 67 34 382 11.2 28 3
86 Causey WR 34 19 197 10.3 24 1
**Team --- 548 324 3269 10.0 554 24
Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn
91 Dodge OLB 92 31 10.0 5 0 6
55 Davis ILB 86 27 10.0 16 3 9
20 Eskridge S 76 22 0.5 4 8 12
24 Weed S 74 28 1.0 0 5 6
56 Perez ILB 72 24 0.5 1 3 6
26 Douglas CB 53 16 1.0 0 5 9
34 Callens CB 35 6 1.5 0 1 13
40 Diaz CB 34 11 0.0 0 0 4
96 Bailey DT 33 8 9.0 18 1 0
90 Lynn DE 33 15 11.0 28 0 0
76 Oliveira DT 24 12 1.0 6 0 1
72 Cascadden DT 18 3 2.5 3 0 0
93 Fox DE 16 10 3.5 13 0 0
**Team --- 778 227 57.0 98 27 72
A few comments here. It was, strangely, our pass defense that faltered late in the year. We certainly didn’t have the pass rush we have had in past seasons, but all told the defense still played well. A huge +16 in turnovers certainly covers a lot of wounds.
Gus Stewart just missed having a 2,000-yard season (counting both rushing and receiving), but was certainly the main cog in our offensive machine nonetheless. TE Devin Norton played hurt nearly all season, and was effective – but again missed the elusive 1,000-yard plateau.
Good season all around – actually better than last year, by my metrics. We look tough and a little bit healthier as we ready for the postseason.