Retribution Day for Brown Fans

Until they win the Super Bowl, this was as good as it can get for the Cleveland Browns and their fans.

Beating Baltimore never will feel quite the same.

Six years after Art Modell moved his team, Cleveland finally thumbed its nose at Baltimore’s owner as the Browns topped the Super Bowl champion Ravens, 24-14, Sunday.

“This was huge,” said quarterback Tim Couch. “It feels so good to get this win for the fans of Cleveland who have seen their team leave town, and then go win the Super Bowl. This was for them.”

Couch threw two quick touchdown passes in the third quarter as the Browns (4-2) beat Baltimore for the first time since returning to the league in 1999.

The Browns have been saying all season that they’re a different team under first-year Coach Butch Davis, and now there’s no doubt they are.

“We’ve got confidence, and we believe,” safety Percy Ellsworth said.

“If you beat Baltimore, who should you be scared of?”

Cleveland’s defense forced three turnovers, had seven sacks and dominated the reeling Ravens (3-3), who are a shell of the team whose defense dominated the NFL last season.

Matt Stover set an NFL record by making a field goal for the 32nd consecutive game but that was the lone bright spot for Baltimore, whose ferocious defense has given up 55 points in two weeks.

“We’re 3-3 and if we don’t take it seriously, we can be 8-8,” safety Rod Woodson said. “We’ve got to pick it up--now.”

The Browns were outscored, 116-26, while going 0-4 since ’99 against the Ravens and Modell, who broke Cleveland’s collective heart when he moved his franchise following the 1995 season.

And although Modell didn’t come to Cleveland to flaunt his Super Bowl ring, that didn’t stop Brown fans from enjoying their first on-field success against the former owner.

“I want to beat everybody’s team,” Brown owner Al Lerner said. “We beat the Super Bowl champions--it just so happens that it’s Baltimore. I love it.”

Brown fans were more excited. Most of the crowd of 72,828 stayed through a driving rain in the fourth quarter to soak in every second and jeer the Ravens off the field.

A few feet away, Davis pumped his fist as he sprinted to Cleveland’s locker room.

Couch was 11 of 18 for 149 yards, throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Johnson, and a 36-yarder to rookie Quincy Morgan in a span of 1 minute 54 seconds in the third quarter as the Browns opened a 24-6 lead.

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Turning the Corner

The Cleveland Browns, off to a 4-2 start, have shown substantial improvement since last season, when they went 3-13. A comparison of the two seasons, with per-game statistics except third-down conversion.

OFFENSE

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First Yds Yds Third Time Pts Downs Rush Pass Turn. Down Poss. 2000 10.1 11.0 67.8 152.8 1.75 27.6% 25:59 2001 18.5 17.8 91.5 159.7 1.33 32.5% 29:37 +8.4 +6.8 +23.7 +6.9 - 0.42 +4.9% +3:36

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DEFENSE

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First Yds Yds Third

Pts Downs Rush Pass Turn. Down Sacks 2000 26.2 21.4 156.6 196.1 1.56 43.2% 2.63 2001 15.2 15.0 119.8 175.3 2.33 33.3% 2.83 - 11.0 -6.4 -36.8 -20.8 +0.77 -9.9% +0.20

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