Burkes Blog - Browns Loss
By: Burke Griffin
Updated: August 16, 2012
Two really good things happened on Thursday night in Green Bays home preseason opener against Cleveland.
1. Mike McCarthy's first words during his press conference were
"I have no injuries to report."
2. Aaron Rodgers threw a great pass to Jordy Nelson over the top into the corner of the end zone for a 20 yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Yes, there were other a few other good things that came out of the Packers 35-10 loss to the Browns. From Charles Woodsons strip and forced fumble on Monterio Hardesty that was recovered by rookie Casey Heyward, to free agent WR Jarrett Boykin who had 5 catches for 63 yards, and Otis Merrill who had a 60 yard punt return. But after that, the dominating themes of the night were turnovers and inconsistent play by both sides of the football. Cleveland owned the categories that matter the most.
Turnovers - Green Bay 4, Cleveland 1.
Total yards - Browns 337, Packers 228.
1st downs - Cleveland 19, Green Bay 10
Throw in time of possession and 3rd down conversions and the Packers were simply outplayed. Of course the preseason is where coaches are more concerned about individual performances and McCarthy didn't have many options in their backfield. Packer RB's rushed 13 times for a paltry 22 yards, while Cleveland had 117 yards on the ground. The Browns also played their top guys for much longer than the Packers did --- probably because they wont "show" too much next week against Philadelphia --- since they play them in their regular season opener.
It's way too early to be worried if you are a Packer fan at this point, and things should turn around a bit next week on the road in Cincinnati when the starters on both sides play for much longer.
If they don't, then be worried at least a little.
