Game 8: Browns 16, Chiefs 12

The Browns apparently have such an embarrassment of riches at QB that Romeo Crennel can't possibly decide which one deserves to start on his own, and announces that the decision will be made via coin flip. That's the kind of tough decision-making you want from your head coach, eh? Charlie Frye is named Cleveland's starter when team officials are unable to locate Thomas Jefferson.

Cleveland announcers are Jim Donovan and Bernie Kosar. Sounds like we all lost another coin flip there.

Frye's first pass of the preseason is nearly picked off. I don't care if you have to wake his mother up, find Jefferson and get him down here!

Antoine Peek strips the ball from Brodie Croyle to blow up KC's first drive. Michael Bennett opens with runs of 10 and 16. Rookie Eric Wright blankets Samie Parker on a long route. Yeah, if I'm KC, I'd keep passing.

Crennel is apparently going to switch QBs every possession. Who does he think he is, Steve Spurrier? Derek Anderson gets stuck with a poor 3-and-out: stuffed run, short completion, stuffed run. I'm sure Anderson's thankful those calls let him put his best foot forward. If this were anybody but Cleveland, I'd give KC a lot of credit, esp. Jared Allen, for dominating the LOS and stuffing the run.

Croyle had looked fairly composed, up until this play. Cleveland gets a blitz through, Croyle makes a spin move to elude it, then uncorks a mindbendingly-dumb throw right to Leigh Bodden, wide open along the sideline. Just so we're clear, Bodden plays for Cleveland. Return sets up Browns for a score.

Every other play's a good one for Frye this drive. Josh Cribbs, the opening kick returner, gets 17 on an end-around. Then Napoleon Harris sacks Frye on a blitz. Jamal Lewis runs for 15 through a huge hole made by #3 overall draft pick Joe Thomas. On 3rd-and-short, Jared Allen, who's all over the place like usual, stuffs the FB Vickers and Cleveland meekly takes a Dawson FG for the turnover. 3-0 Browns.

Croyle hits uncovered TE Michael Allen for 18 before Cleveland's playmakers get at it again. Peek stuffs a run on first down and Eric Wright stops a pass short on 3rd down. Kamerion Wimbley has also been a major obstacle for the Chiefs to handle at this point.

First quarter ends with Cleveland up 3-0.

Anderson returns for Cleveland, starting inside their own 10. Drive goes 3-and-out after Cribbs drops a good pass.

Damon Huard takes over for the Chiefs with two terrible overthrows, an awful screen pass on 2nd down and a third down pass two feet over the receiver's hand and into the hands of Daven Holly deep behind the play.

Anderson gets some good field position this time and scrambles for a 1st down to get the drive going. Jason Wright breaks a couple of tackles for 21 on a screen pass. A false start and an underthrown short pass on 3rd down lead to Dawson's 2nd FG. What happened to throwing for the first down yardage on third down? Both teams are constantly dumping off.

A holding penalty puts KC's next drive in a hole right away, and 20 yards in 3 plays is going to be a lot for either team tonight. Chiefs get close but have to punt.

Browns offense gets rolling for Frye. Jerome Harrison sprints for 18 around left end. Frye hits TE Ryan Krause on the sideline for 26 with the best throw of the night. Unable to stand prosperity, Frye throws a backward pass that Harrison can't get and immediately gives up on. Unfortunately for Harrison, Frye, Bernie Kosar and Chief CB Benny Sapp realize the ball was lateraled and is still alive. Sapp grabs the loose ball and takes it 56 yards essentially unchallenged for a TD. 7-6, KC.

Harrison's poor night continues with a sloppy fumble. Cleveland recovers, but a holding call against Joe Thomas brings the whole thing back. Harrison is yanked in favor of Jason Wright. Frye converts the third-and-long with a nice pass to Kendrick Mosley for 23. Frye seems to be Cleveland's best choice at QB, until Crennel's coin lands on end and he picks Brady Quinn. Several of Frye's incompletions were catchable.

2:00 left in the half. Frye overcomes Thomas' 2nd hold and Harrison's 5-yard loss with a 22-yarder to Syndric Steptoe. They get all the way down to the Chief 5 with 0:12 left, but with no timeouts, and Frye stupidly runs with the ball on 1st-and-goal instead of throwing it away. KC stops him, the clock runs out, and Cleveland gets no points out of the effort. Amazing that Frye's a starting QB in the NFL and still makes a play that idiotic. 7-6 Chiefs at halftime.

Oh Lord, Jaycie Pearson on color on the Chiefs broadcast.

Just in case the QB'ing in this game isn't laughable enough already, the Chiefs send in Casey Printers. The Browns stuff two runs and Printers throws a wild pass while running back into his own end zone for the 3-and-out.

Cleveland finally gives Anderson some good field position. Browns are spared a 3-and-out by a gift illegal contact from the refs. Cleveland capitalizes on that with - another 3-and-out. Harrison's disappointing night continues with a 2-yard loss, and Anderson can't make a sideline connection with Travis Wilson on 3rd down.

KC's turn for a 3-and-out, as Printers can't find anyone on third down and can't quite escape the pocket on his scramble.

Anderson hits Steptoe for 14, then Krause for 8 on 3rd-and-6 to beat a blitz. Cleveland's backups on offensive line are keeping Anderson's jersey clean. He hits Wilson for 17 to beat another blitz. Once in the red zone, TE Darnell Dinkins false-starts, and a poor low throw by Anderson on 3rd down sends Dawson back in. His 32-yarder gives Cleveland the lead back, 9-7.

Having just taken a two point lead, Cleveland promptly kicks off out of bounds to set KC up at the 40. Jereme Perry covers Chris Hannon perfectly on a 1st-down bomb, and Marcus O'Keith drops a pass in the flat for another KC 3-and-out.

Ken Dorsey now at QB for the Browns. KC strings out a Dorsey bootleg nicely on 3rd down to force a 3-and-out, and they get good field position off a short punt.

Printers goes deep and incomplete again as the third quarter expires. 9-7, Browns.

Nice cutback by Derrick Ross and downfield blocking by Hannon leads to a 19-yard run. But Mike Pinkard drops a pass on 2nd down, the Chiefs are called for holding on 3rd down, and a draw to O'Keith goes nowhere. Printers still has not completed a pass, continuing his awful performance from 2006. Cleveland's punt returner inexplicably lets the ball bounce right next to him at the 10 and the Chiefs kill it at the 1.

That punt turns out to be big, as KC sacks Dorsey in the back of the end zone the very next play for a safety. Patrice Majondo-Mwamba whips Rob Smith and - really? Ryan Tucker? - to sack Dorsey and force a fumble. Somewhat luckily for Smith, he recovers the ball so he only cost his team 2 points instead of 7. Game now tied at 9. Justin Phinisee then returns the free kick a long way to put KC right back in scoring position.

The Chiefs, in classic preseason fashion, end up losing 19 yards on the drive. A false start and two sacks that Printers didn't have a chance to avoid create the third 3-and-out Casey has led them to. And he still hasn't completed a pass.

Dorsey drives Cleveland into scoring position with four passes to TE Buck Ortega. A couple of good pass defenses by Michael Bragg force a FG attempt, though, and the Browns entrust the kick to the camp leg Jesse Ainsworth instead of Dawson. Ainsworth's 43-yard attempt is terrible, and the game stays tied at 9.

PRINTERS COMPLETES A PASS! PRINTERS COMPLETES A PASS! PRINTERS COMPLETES A PASS! 6 yards to Titus Ryan. The Chiefs are so unfamiliar on what to do after a completed Printers pass they have to burn a timeout. He then scrambles for a first down on 3rd-and-4. This counts as an extended drive for Printers. The Chiefs end up driving down to the Cleveland 20 and appear happy to settle for a Justin Medlock FG since they ran on 3rd-and-7. Medlock hits from 42, 12-9 Chiefs with 1:51 left in the game. Clutch kick for the rookie.

Wouldn't you know it. Chris Barclay fields the short kickoff, gets a huge seam right down the middle, puts a move on Medlock and puts Cleveland back on top 16-12 with an 88-yard kickoff return.

Cleveland's kickoff is deep but Ian Randolph returns it out to the 40. Good grief. Talk about non-clutch play on special teams. Printers has about 1:30 to get the Chiefs a TD. He hits Hannon on a corner route with a splendid pass for 21, scrambles for 14 and gets a late hit to put the Chiefs at the 9. Printers to Ekwerekwu (aka Brad) down to the 4. Brad makes a nice play to get out of bounds and stop the clock. On 3rd-and-goal, though, Printers and the center blow the exchange, and Cleveland runs out the clock for the win.

Exciting finish, sure, but does either team have that much to be happy about? Both offenses are laughable. Frye pretty clearly stepped forward as the #1 QB, but he will make plays so idiotic he doesn't give them any reason not to rush Brady Quinn along. Jamal Lewis has almost no speed, and Jerome Harrison was a huge disappointment. KC's QBs are laughable. That team is in big trouble.

Both teams do have reasons to be excited about their defense, which is how they're going to win games this year; yes, even Kansas City. Both defensive lines excelled tonight. Kamerion Wimbley is on his way to becoming a perennial all-Pro for Cleveland, and Antoine Peek looks like a heck of a good pickup. 2nd-round CB Eric Wright is also off to a very promising start. For KC, Jared Allen is becoming a guy you have to account for on every snap, which could lead to big seasons for him and Tamba Hali. Napoleon Harris looks like a good addition to a defense that already has Derrick Johnson, Ty Law, Patrick Surtain and Donnie Edwards. That late FG was a good confidence builder for Medlock, though he'd better start kickoff deeper. In any event, defense is the future for both of these teams.

8 down, 57 to go. Up next, actually, already starting: Panthers @ Giants.