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(Sports Network) - With trade and real estate rumors swirling in Cleveland, it's no wonder Browns first-year head coach Eric Mangini is having a rough experience at the helm.
With two worthy and capable starting quarterbacks in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, Mangini was reluctant to name a starter until a few days before the season-opening kickoff. Whether he was trying to throw off his opponent, Mangini's plan to make Quinn the No. 1 guy backfired in favor of Anderson, who will make his third consecutive start Sunday afternoon against the AFC North- rival Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
Anderson hasn't done much to solidify his position as the starter, but he managed to get Mangini his first win as Browns head coach last week in a 6-3 triumph at Buffalo despite finishing 2-for-17 for 23 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Quinn could have done the same thing and possibly made out with a win, but instead he reportedly put his Cleveland home up for sale. According to an article in The Cleveland News-Herald, Quinn's five-bedroom home in Avon Lake is on the market, although he has reportedly denied making a trade request and said he wants to move closer to the Browns' training facility in Berea.
Quinn, who opened the season as Cleveland's starter, lost his job when he was benched at halftime in a 34-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on October 4. Anderson took over that day and didn't fair any better, but has been under center ever since and gone 1-1 over that time.
The Browns, who ended a 10-game slide with the recent win, will be heavy underdogs in this matchup with the defending champion Steelers and are off to their worst start since opening the 2006 campaign with a 1-5 record en route to a lowly 4-12 finish.
Pittsburgh has to be feeling confident entering this matchup, having won 11 in a row against the Browns since a 33-13 loss at Heinz Field in 2003. After losing two in a row since a season-opening win versus Tennessee, the Steelers have recorded back-to-back victories, including last weekend's 28-20 road triumph over the lowly Detroit Lions. It was Pittsburgh's first road win.
The Steelers had a tough time containing Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who passed for 282 yards with a touchdown and ran for 44 yards on three scrambles. That shouldn't make a difference this week versus the struggling Browns, since Pittsburgh still has one of the top-ranked run defenses in the league. It is second against the run, allowing 71.2 yards per game, and tied for fourth in total defense (290.8 ypg).
Head coach Mike Tomlin would like his defense to be more dominant, and who could blame him after the Steelers blew two fourth-quarter leads already this season.
Pittsburgh, which tied a 35-year-old NFL record by holding 14 consecutive opponents under 300 yards of total offense last season, surrendered 335 yards to the Lions at Ford Field. Maybe the aggression took a back seat when safety Troy Polamalu went down in Week 1 with a knee injury. He hasn't played since, but was back at practice this week and is expected to be back in action for Sunday's tilt.
Steelers running back Willie Parker has been sidelined the last two weeks with a toe problem, but second-year running back Rashard Mendenhall has filled in nicely. Mendenhall had 165 yards and two scores in a win over San Diego on October 4, then posted 77 yards and a touchdown last week.
While the Steelers' ground game hasn't missed a beat without Parker, who could be available versus Cleveland, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been able to air out the football. He has two 300-yard passing games so far and five touchdowns passes to only one interception over the past two weeks.
Tomlin's squad must not look past the Browns with a matchup against Minnesota looming before the team's bye. Pittsburgh is in the midst of playing three of four games in front of the home faithful, and it is unbeaten in its past six home tilts dating back to last season.
SERIES HISTORY
The Steelers lead the all-time regular season series with the Browns, which dates back to 1950, by a 57-55 count. Pittsburgh has won 16 of its last 17 regular-season games against Cleveland, including 11 straight since the Browns pulled off a 33-13 win at Heinz Field in 2003. The Steelers took their first lead in the history of the series with their 10-6 win at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Week 2 of last season, and also defeated their longtime rival by a 31-0 count in the regular season finale from Heinz Field. The Browns have lost five straight in Pittsburgh.
The clubs have also met twice in the postseason, with Pittsburgh winning both times. The Steelers picked up a 29-9 victory in a 1994 AFC Divisional Playoff and won a 36-33 thriller in a 2002 AFC First-Round Playoff.
Tomlin is 4-0 against the Browns as a head man. Mangini was 1-0 against both Tomlin and the Steelers while at the helm of the Jets (2006-08), with his Gang Green squad earning a 19-16 overtime win over Pittsburgh during the 2007 campaign.
WHEN THE BROWNS HAVE THE BALL
Anderson (384 yards, 1 TD, 5 INT) is coming off a dreadful but winning performance last week in which he threw for 23 yards on 2-of-17 passing with an interception. He hasn't done much to outshine Quinn and may never regain the magic of 2007, when he passed for 3,787 yards with 29 touchdowns and 19 picks. The Browns are 31st in passing with 142.2 yards per game through the air. Now that Braylon Edwards has been traded to the New York Jets, Mohammed Massaquoi (11 receptions) is the team's new leader with 195 receiving yards. Massaquoi averages 17.7 yards per catch and eight of his 11 catches this season have resulted in first downs. Mike Furrey leads Cleveland with 13 receptions, while return specialist Josh Cribbs (9 receptions) may see more of an extended role.
The big news out of Steelers practice was the return of Polamalu (6 tackles, 1 INT). The hard-hitting safety and run-stuffing specialist hasn't played since going down with a knee injury in Week 1 versus Tennessee. Pittsburgh struggled without their All-Pro in the defensive backfield and is only 14th against the pass this season, allowing 219.6 yards per game through the air. Tyrone Carter (11 tackles, 1 sack) played most of the time in Polamalu?s absence while receiving help from free safety Ryan Clark (30 tackles, 1 INT). Clark leads the defense in tackles and is tied with Polamalu for the team lead with one interception. Corners William Gay (27 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Ike Taylor (18 tackles) haven't played up to their abilities and have a perfect chance to redeem themselves this week against Cleveland.
With two worthy and capable starting quarterbacks in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, Mangini was reluctant to name a starter until a few days before the season-opening kickoff. Whether he was trying to throw off his opponent, Mangini's plan to make Quinn the No. 1 guy backfired in favor of Anderson, who will make his third consecutive start Sunday afternoon against the AFC North- rival Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
Anderson hasn't done much to solidify his position as the starter, but he managed to get Mangini his first win as Browns head coach last week in a 6-3 triumph at Buffalo despite finishing 2-for-17 for 23 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Quinn could have done the same thing and possibly made out with a win, but instead he reportedly put his Cleveland home up for sale. According to an article in The Cleveland News-Herald, Quinn's five-bedroom home in Avon Lake is on the market, although he has reportedly denied making a trade request and said he wants to move closer to the Browns' training facility in Berea.
Quinn, who opened the season as Cleveland's starter, lost his job when he was benched at halftime in a 34-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on October 4. Anderson took over that day and didn't fair any better, but has been under center ever since and gone 1-1 over that time.
The Browns, who ended a 10-game slide with the recent win, will be heavy underdogs in this matchup with the defending champion Steelers and are off to their worst start since opening the 2006 campaign with a 1-5 record en route to a lowly 4-12 finish.
Pittsburgh has to be feeling confident entering this matchup, having won 11 in a row against the Browns since a 33-13 loss at Heinz Field in 2003. After losing two in a row since a season-opening win versus Tennessee, the Steelers have recorded back-to-back victories, including last weekend's 28-20 road triumph over the lowly Detroit Lions. It was Pittsburgh's first road win.
The Steelers had a tough time containing Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who passed for 282 yards with a touchdown and ran for 44 yards on three scrambles. That shouldn't make a difference this week versus the struggling Browns, since Pittsburgh still has one of the top-ranked run defenses in the league. It is second against the run, allowing 71.2 yards per game, and tied for fourth in total defense (290.8 ypg).
Head coach Mike Tomlin would like his defense to be more dominant, and who could blame him after the Steelers blew two fourth-quarter leads already this season.
Pittsburgh, which tied a 35-year-old NFL record by holding 14 consecutive opponents under 300 yards of total offense last season, surrendered 335 yards to the Lions at Ford Field. Maybe the aggression took a back seat when safety Troy Polamalu went down in Week 1 with a knee injury. He hasn't played since, but was back at practice this week and is expected to be back in action for Sunday's tilt.
Steelers running back Willie Parker has been sidelined the last two weeks with a toe problem, but second-year running back Rashard Mendenhall has filled in nicely. Mendenhall had 165 yards and two scores in a win over San Diego on October 4, then posted 77 yards and a touchdown last week.
While the Steelers' ground game hasn't missed a beat without Parker, who could be available versus Cleveland, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been able to air out the football. He has two 300-yard passing games so far and five touchdowns passes to only one interception over the past two weeks.
Tomlin's squad must not look past the Browns with a matchup against Minnesota looming before the team's bye. Pittsburgh is in the midst of playing three of four games in front of the home faithful, and it is unbeaten in its past six home tilts dating back to last season.
SERIES HISTORY
The Steelers lead the all-time regular season series with the Browns, which dates back to 1950, by a 57-55 count. Pittsburgh has won 16 of its last 17 regular-season games against Cleveland, including 11 straight since the Browns pulled off a 33-13 win at Heinz Field in 2003. The Steelers took their first lead in the history of the series with their 10-6 win at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Week 2 of last season, and also defeated their longtime rival by a 31-0 count in the regular season finale from Heinz Field. The Browns have lost five straight in Pittsburgh.
The clubs have also met twice in the postseason, with Pittsburgh winning both times. The Steelers picked up a 29-9 victory in a 1994 AFC Divisional Playoff and won a 36-33 thriller in a 2002 AFC First-Round Playoff.
Tomlin is 4-0 against the Browns as a head man. Mangini was 1-0 against both Tomlin and the Steelers while at the helm of the Jets (2006-08), with his Gang Green squad earning a 19-16 overtime win over Pittsburgh during the 2007 campaign.
WHEN THE BROWNS HAVE THE BALL
Anderson (384 yards, 1 TD, 5 INT) is coming off a dreadful but winning performance last week in which he threw for 23 yards on 2-of-17 passing with an interception. He hasn't done much to outshine Quinn and may never regain the magic of 2007, when he passed for 3,787 yards with 29 touchdowns and 19 picks. The Browns are 31st in passing with 142.2 yards per game through the air. Now that Braylon Edwards has been traded to the New York Jets, Mohammed Massaquoi (11 receptions) is the team's new leader with 195 receiving yards. Massaquoi averages 17.7 yards per catch and eight of his 11 catches this season have resulted in first downs. Mike Furrey leads Cleveland with 13 receptions, while return specialist Josh Cribbs (9 receptions) may see more of an extended role.
The big news out of Steelers practice was the return of Polamalu (6 tackles, 1 INT). The hard-hitting safety and run-stuffing specialist hasn't played since going down with a knee injury in Week 1 versus Tennessee. Pittsburgh struggled without their All-Pro in the defensive backfield and is only 14th against the pass this season, allowing 219.6 yards per game through the air. Tyrone Carter (11 tackles, 1 sack) played most of the time in Polamalu?s absence while receiving help from free safety Ryan Clark (30 tackles, 1 INT). Clark leads the defense in tackles and is tied with Polamalu for the team lead with one interception. Corners William Gay (27 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Ike Taylor (18 tackles) haven't played up to their abilities and have a perfect chance to redeem themselves this week against Cleveland.
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