The Cleveland Browns march onto a windy, snowy and frigid Buffalo turf to battle the Bills before a national Monday Night Football audience. While each team battles to redeem its season, the game is a must win for Cleveland, which has fallen to 3-6 after blowing double digit leads in its last two matches against Baltimore and Denver — at home.
This is a make or break game for the Browns, for Head Coach Romeo Crennel and for rookie quarterback Brady Quinn, who faces his first start on the road against a top 12 defense, according to former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar.
Kosar told The Really Big Show, WKNR 850 this morning that the game will test the mettle of Quinn, determined by how well he faces the pressure of NFL defenders on a hostile field.
In Quinn’s first start for the Browns against Denver, Nov. 6, the Notre Dame quarterback displayed poise and leadership even after the Browns blew a 13-point lead to lose 34-30 before a disgruntled home crowd.
“I was impressed with how quickly Brady went into the two-minute offense” said Kosar, adding Quinn was not happy with the loss, but made no excuses and placed the loss squarely on his shoulders.
That shows leadership, Kosar said.
Browns fans are hoping that Quinn can overcome the Browns beleagured defense and are crossing their fingers that wide receiver Braylon Edwards won’t drop another pass to add to his 12-drop tally thus far.
The outcome of tonight’s game is also expected to determine the fate of Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel, under fire by the Cleveland and national media, for failing to rally his troops to finish games. But the worst rap against Crennel is that his team has quit on him.
Crennel denied his team quit, and if the Browns good defense shows up tonight, and if the Browns can win most of the rest of their games, Crennel might get another year in Cleveland. If the Monday Night game proves to be deja vu all over again, there is little hope Crennel will be back.
The players, to a man, say they like Romeo.
“Well, if the guys like their coach they need to play hard for him,” said Kosar, who plans to fly to Buffalo tonight and sit in the owner’s box.
Kosar, a Youngstown, Ohio hative, has fond memories of Buffalo.
“Whenever I see Jim Kelly (former Bills quarterback), I remind him that whenever I went up against him in Buffalo, I never lost,” Kosar said.
Last year the Bills traveled to Cleveland to play amidst swirling snow and near blizzard conditions. Cleveland won that game, 8-0.
