Browns troubles only get worse as the season rolls on

The Cleveland Browns not only lost another game Sunday, they also lost another quarterback to a season-ending injury.

Despite holding the high-powered Indianapolis offense to three points, the Browns absorbed a 10-6 defeat, as the Colts scored the winning touchdown on a 37-yard fumble return by defensive end Robert Mathis with 9:45 remaining.

Later in the fourth quarter, on Cleveland's final possession, quarterback Derek Anderson was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. An MRI taken Monday revealed that Anderson suffered a torn MCL in his left knee. The Browns said that Anderson will not need surgery, but his knee will be placed in a brace and will require four to six weeks of recovery time.

The Browns (4-8) have just four games left, meaning that Anderson will join fellow injured quarterback Brady Quinn (who is out with a broken finger) on the sideline for the remainder of the season. Ken Dorsey, who moved up from third to second string last week when Quinn was put on injured reserve, now takes over as the starter.

“He’s a very smart quarterback, and he’s a competitor,” Browns coach Romeo Crennel said about Dorsey. “Now, he probably doesn’t have some of the physical skills that some other quarterbacks in the NFL have. I think that’s probably been the biggest drawback.”

Dorsey is a sixth-year pro from Miami who led the Hurricanes to the national title in 2001 and to a runner-up finish in 2002, when they lost to national champion Ohio State, 31-24 in double-overtime, in the Fiesta Bowl.

A seventh-round draft pick of the 49ers in 2003, Dorsey started seven games for San Francisco in 2004 and three in 2005. He was traded to the Browns for Trent Dilfer and a draft choice on May 4, 2006.

Dorsey has attempted just four passes in the regular season for the Browns, throwing one incompletion in the fourth quarter against Tampa Bay on Dec. 24, 2006 and going 0 for 3 with an interception in the final minute of Sunday’s loss to the Colts.

Dorsey will make his first start for Cleveland this Sunday when the Browns play at Tennessee against the Titans (11-1).

“I want to play,” Dorsey said following the game against the Colts (8-4). “I don’t think there is one person in this locker room who wants to stand on the sideline. It’s not easy; we’re playing some great teams down the stretch. We have a group of guys in here that are going to work hard and play hard.”

The Browns played hard Sunday against Indianapolis. They were leading 6-3 with just under 10 minutes left when Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney turned the game around by sacking Anderson for an 8-yard loss, forcing a fumble that Mathis picked up and returned 37 yards into the end zone.

“When I saw the ball on the ground, it looked like a pile of gold,” Mathis said. “I saw the field in front of me. I had to score. This was the first time that I have ever run with the football.”

After Mathis' touchdown put the Colts ahead 10-6, the Browns would get two more possessions. The first ended in a punt with 5:32 remaining. The second concluded when Antoine Bethea intercepted Dorsey on a fourth-down play with 45 seconds left.

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The Browns had shown some promise on their final drive when Anderson completed a 10-yard pass to Jason Wright for a first down at the Cleveland 45 with 1:16 remaining. On the next play, however, Mathis sacked Anderson for a 10-yard loss, and Anderson had to be helped off the field with the injury to his left knee.

Dorsey entered the game and threw two incompletions before firing the pass that was intercepted by Bethea.

“Coach Dungy always says that the difference between each team is so small,” Mathis said, referring to Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy. “Whoever makes the key play at crunch time is going to win.”

The Browns turned in an exemplary performance on defense. They held the Colts to 215 total yards and intercepted Peyton Manning twice, limiting the future Hall of Fame quarterback to 125 yards passing. The Cleveland defense also came through with a goal-line stand in the second quarter, turning away Colts running back Joseph Addai for no gain on third down from the 1 and then stopping Manning short of the end zone on a fourth-down quarterback sneak.

“The team played their hearts out today,” Crennel said. “This was a good football team we played.”

The Browns defense recovered a fumble and picked off two passes in the first half, but the offense could only convert the trio of turnovers into six points on two Phil Dawson field goals.

For the game, the Browns finished with 193 total yards. Anderson threw for 110 yards, completing 16 of 26 passes.

By Tom Kessler
ProFootball-fans.com Cleveland Browns Correspondent