Browns report card vs. Baltimore

REPORT CARD VS. RAVENSPASSING OFFENSE: C -- Seneca Wallace had a few good throws but many bad ones. He brought the Browns within six with a fourth-quarter touchdown, but he did not sustain a another drive when he had a chance to win the game. Wallace needed 33 passes to gain 147 yards, which is not a good yards-per-attempt. Wallace also threw a very bad interception at the end of the Browns' first drive, an interception that wiped out a scoring chance. Wallace has made a living as a backup. As a starter, he shows why. RUSHING OFFENSE: B -- Peyton Hillis had his best game of the season, gaining 112 yards. He was quick and efficient in his runs, decisive in his cuts. Hillis ran so well it cried out for him to get the ball on third-and-1 at the end of the Browns' first possession rather than asking Seneca Wallace to throw a pass. As well as Hillis played, the Browns did not sustain drives and found another way to lose. PASS DEFENSE: C-minus -- A late interception does not erase a 60-yard pass interference penalty and two passing touchdowns in the first half. Middle linebacker D'Qwell Jackson was victimized on both scores. In the second half, the Browns played much better, and Joe Flacco completed less than 50 percent of his passes. Problem was, by the second half, it was too late. RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus -- Only the Browns can celebrate holding the opposing team's two top backs to 132 yards. Ray Rice had 87 yards, Ricky Williams 45 as the Ravens again ran the ball well. The Browns limited Baltimore to five first downs and 111 yards total in the second half, but football is a game of two halves, and in the first half, Cleveland's defense was more or less steamrolled. The biggest gaffe came late in the game, as defensive tackle Phil Taylor jumped offside on fourth-and-2 with two seconds left on the play clock on a play when the Ravens were only trying to draw the Browns offside. The coaching staff warned the defense on the sideline about the play, but Taylor acted like an overanxious rookie and jumped. SPECIAL TEAMS: B-plus -- Josh Cribbs' 84-yard touchdown on a punt return was the highlight, as the Browns finally got a score on a return. The other highlight was the punting of Brad Maynard, who averaged 41.8 yards on a busy day. The Ravens got nothing on returns, and overall the Browns' special teams units had a good day. COACHING: D -- Pat Shurmur had another bad day on the sideline, starting with a completely botched possession at the end of the first half when Seneca Wallace inexplicably called for a run with no timeouts and 15 seconds left. Shurmur took the blame for a communications foul-up, but the bottom line was the Browns squandered a great chance to score. In the fourth quarter, Shurmur called for a pass behind the line on fourth-and-5 with the Browns trying to take the lead. The play was blown up when a Cleveland receiver did not clear out a linebacker, but calling that play at that time required a lot to go right as the Browns (again) bypassed trying to go down the field for the first down. In addition, at the end of the Browns' first possession, Shurmur called for a pass on third-and-1. Wallace made a bad throw, and it was intercepted. In that situation, the Browns easily could have turned to Hillis. In all, it was a long day for a coach who has had a long first season.