Browns vs. Titans: Inactives, Live game thread for Week 2
By Thomas Moore
Nov 30, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Cleveland Browns fans during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns open the home portion of the 2015 NFL season today when they host the Tennessee Titans.
The Browns will be looking to win the home opener for the second consecutive year, and for just the third time overall since 1999, with Johnny Manziel taking over for the injured Josh McCown at quarterback.
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“Anytime you have a player that can’t play, you’re always going to be disappointed, but Johnny’s had a good week,” head coach Mike Pettine said. “It’s not like Josh practiced and we find out late he can’t go. When a guy goes into the protocol, you have to make the assumption that he’s not going to be back and then react to the news when he is. We’re prepared.”
Defensively, the Browns will be looking to bounce back from a poor showing against the New York Jets as they face Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota, the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after throwing four touchdown passes in his NFL debut.
“It’s about what we want to do to every quarterback. First and foremost, we have to be good on the early downs, put them in second and longs, third and longs and then we’ll be able to confuse them a bit,” safety Donte Whitner said. “We’ve been able to confuse veteran quarterbacks so it’s not even about being veteran or rookie. It’s about getting in the quarterbacks head, getting them in third and long and make them have to read and look at certain things.
“That’s our game plan this week; that’s our game plan every week. The offensive game plan is to stay out of second and long, stay out of third and long. It’s a battle of wills when it comes to that. We understand if we get a lot of third and longs, it’s a good chance that we’ll win the football game.”
The Browns also announced that the following players will be inactive for today’s game: quarterback Josh McCown, cornerback Justin Gilbert, running back Robert Turbin, safety Ibraheim Campbell, linebacker Scott Solomon, tight end E.J. Bibbs and defensive lineman Xavier Cooper.
Browns fans, use this open thread to discuss today’s game against the Titans.