The Bears and Cleveland Browns are relative strangers. This is only their 13th game in 55 years together in the league. It’s too bad because they are similar in many respects.
The Bears were founded by George Halas, who helped organize the NFL. A quarter-century later, the Browns were founded by Paul Brown, who helped organize the All-America Conference. The two coaching giants faced each other only four times, Brown winning the first three.
Both teams played in ancient stadiums adjacent to one of the Great Lakes. They now play in new arenas on the same sites. This is the Bears’ first trip to the new Cleveland stadium.
Both teams are noted for outstanding running backs–the Bears with Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski, Rick Casares, Gale Sayers and Walter Payton, the Browns with Marion Motley, Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and Mike Pruitt.
And both franchises have had one great quarterback–the Bears’ Sid Luckman and the Browns’ Otto Graham.
The Bears won four NFL titles in the 1940s with Luckman. The Browns won three NFL titles in the 1950s with Graham.
The Bears won again in 1963, the Browns in 1964. In the 55 years since Luckman retired, the Bears have won twice, 1963 and 1985. In the 50 years since Graham retired, the Browns won only in 1964.
The Browns drafted Tim Couch first overall in 1999, passing up Donovan McNabb. The Bears drafted Cade McNown 12th overall the same year, passing up Daunte Culpepper.
Under the new NFL scheduling format, the teams will meet more often. They have a lot to talk about.
Bills’ woes
The Bills rank 31st in the NFL in passing. Benched second-year quarterback J.P. Losman ranks second to last among NFL starting quarterbacks in passing efficiency, with a rating of 55.9. Only the Bears’ Kyle Orton is lower, at 41.9. Losman ranks last in completion percentage, hitting 47.9 percent of his throws.
Losman lost his job last week to veteran Kelly Holcomb, who has the support of the Bills’ veterans. In Chicago, Orton remains clearly the clubhouse choice, not that there are proven alternatives.
The Bills think they can make a playoff run, so they have put Losman’s development on hold, which ultimately will set the franchise back. Coach Mike Mularkey admitted the limitations on a young quarterback: “With a young quarterback, you’re probably limited a little bit to how much you can do to scheme against an opponent or how much you can do some different things.”
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Vikings’ mess
After Vikings quarterback Culpepper was sacked a career-high nine times against Atlanta, offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Steve Loney said only three of the sacks could be blamed on the offensive line.
Receiver Travis Taylor shot down the coverage-sacks argument.
“We got open,” Taylor said. “Everybody can say that the receivers weren’t getting open. But one thing we say is that the eye in the sky don’t lie. If you watch the film, you’ll see a lot of guys wide open.”
Culpepper received a cortisone shot after admitting he has been playing with a sprained medial collateral ligament and bursitis in his right knee.
Nice matchup
Sunday night’s Bengals-Jaguars game is the first meeting between quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Byron Leftwich and the only prime-time appearance this season for both teams.
They were the first and seventh picks, respectively, in the 2003 draft. The Bears could have drafted Leftwich in the fourth spot but traded down and took Rex Grossman.
Both started last year and had similar seasons as the Jaguars went 9-7 and the Bengals 8-8. Leftwich had an 82.2 passer rating, Palmer 77.3.
Leftwich missed two games in midseason with a knee injury, and Palmer missed the last three with a knee injury.
Both were looking for breakout seasons this year. Palmer has led the Bengals to a 4-0 record and is second in the NFL with a 112.1 rating. Leftwich has the Jaguars at 2-2 with an 85.7 rating.
Flutie on Vick
Patriots backup Doug Flutie, still mobile at 42, imitated the Falcons’ Michael Vick in practice last week.
“I think it’s actually easier for me to simulate Vick than Peyton Manning, but you can’t mimic him to the full extent,” Flutie said. “You can’t stand there flat-footed and fling the thing 65 or 70 yards off your back foot [like Vick can]. I’ve got a little bit of a burst, but I can’t run a 4.2, that’s for darn sure. You see guys on film take the wrong angle on him all the time because he’s so fast. You know he’s fast, but you don’t know how fast until you watch him in person.”
Bouncing back
New England has not lost back-to-back games since 2002. Tom Brady is 5-0 in those second games with eight touchdown passes and one interception and an average passer rating of 100.4. The Patriots play in the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Brady is 8-0 in domes and the Patriots are 10-2 in domes under Bill Belichick.
Poor Anthony
Ex-Bears running back Anthony Thomas is having trouble keeping up with the Joneses. After playing behind Thomas, he signed with Dallas, where he thought he would get more playing time behind little brother Julius.
Instead, he has been inactive the last two weeks.
“If they are not going to use me this season, it would be best for me to go somewhere else,” Thomas said.
Coach Bill Parcells has gone with rookies Tyson Thompson and Marion Barber III behind Jones because of special-teams play. In four seasons in Chicago, Thomas was never inactive for non-medical reasons.
Nick of time
Free-agent kicker Nick Novak’s extra point gave the Redskins their first victory in Dallas in a decade, and his field goal beat Seattle in overtime last week.
“Ice water,” safety Ryan Clark said. “He probably doesn’t understand right now. He’s getting himself a job somewhere if (injured) John Hall comes back. Nick Novak is going to be an NFL kicker.”
Wasn’t he with the Bears when they were looking for a replacement for Paul Edinger?
By the numbers
Is this a league rule? Quarterbacks have been drafted No. 1 in the NFL for the last five years. In order, here are their uniform numbers: Vick, 7; David Carr, 8; Carson Palmer, 9; Eli Manning, 10; Alex Smith, 11.
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