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Favre from good
Packers even preseason record at 2-2 with one-point win
Latest: Saturday August 26, 2000 10:35 PM
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Wide receiver Bill Schroeder executed the famous "Lambeau Leap" after hauling in his first touchdown catch of the game. AP |
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- In the last audition of the NFL preseason, the Green Bay Packers' defense came together early and the Cleveland Browns' rookies impressed late. Green Bay's first-string defense forced its first two punts of the preseason and Bill Schroeder caught two touchdown passes as the Packers held on to beat the Cleveland Browns 34-33 Saturday night in the NFL's final preseason game. Backup fullback Matt Snider caught a short pass from Danny Wuerffel and rumbled 66 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:28 left. The Browns made a late scoring drive on five straight passes from rookie Kevin Thompson to rookie Dennis Northcutt -- including a 26-yard TD pass with 50 seconds left -- but Thompson's pass to Northcutt on the two-point conversion attempt was low and wide. | Northcutt leads Cleveland's exciting youth movement |
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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Dennis Northcutt and the Cleveland Browns' talented young receivers looked a lot like veterans late in their 34-33 loss to Green Bay Saturday night.
Rookies Northcutt and JaJuan Dawson and second-year player Darrin Chiaverini combined for 16 receptions, 200 yards and a touchdown against the Packers.
Dawson had all three of his catches and 45 yards before halftime, while all of Northcutt's game-high nine catches and three of Chiaverini's four receptions came in the second half.
Northcutt was phenomenal against the Packers' third-string defensive secondary -- most of whom likely will be cut on Sunday -- on the Browns' final drive of the game. He had a 41-yard reception earlier in the game and finished with 132 yards.
Cleveland's second-round draft pick caught five straight passes from fellow rookie Kevin Thompson for 5, 8, 9, 9 and 26 yards, culminating in a touchdown reception against overmatched cornerback Jason Suttle.
"This team has a lot of weapons," Northcutt said. "It's good to have this type of game. Now I just want to continue what I've been doing. It started a little slow, then it started coming together."
"[Northcutt] matured tonight, and I thought our quarterbacks did a good job getting the ball to him," Browns coach Chris Palmer said. "He's a playmaker."
Rookie running back Travis Prentice outplayed veteran Terry Kirby. Prentice had 55 yards on eight carries -- including a 4-yard touchdown run and a 23-yard gain earlier -- while Kirby had just 9 yards on three carries as well as two receptions for 18 yards.
The Browns likely will decide between Kirby and rookie Rahshon Spikes for their third running back spot. Starter Errict Rhett had 55 yards and a touchdown.
"The offense got going and looked stronger," said Chiaverini, who had four catches for 33 yards. "I think we're bringing along some of the younger players, and we're going to have a pretty good season. We've got a lot of big-time receivers."
Quiet around media
The toughest task Herbert "Whisper" Goodman tackled on Saturday night was facing the media.
The quiet rookie running back from NAIA Division II Graceland (Iowa) essentially earned a spot on the Packers' roster with a standout game, but he struggled in his first attempt at a press conference.
"[Talking to the media] is something I've got to adjust to and adapt to," Goodman said. "I mean, I'm not very expressive, but it's part of my contract."
Goodman, who scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Green Bay's preseason loss at Miami on Monday night, shone on the Packers' scoring drive in the second quarter. On three straight plays, Goodman had a 10-yard run, a 12-yard run and a 17-yard reception.
The drive ended in a field goal, but Goodman was far from done. Since the Packers had just two healthy running backs on their roster, Goodman played into the fourth quarter and finished with 88 rushing yards on 21 carries, as well as three receptions for a team-high 67 yards.
Meanwhile, Mitchell bombed while playing mostly with the Packers' starters. He struggled to find room to run and finished with 15 yards on 11 carries and one reception for 6 yards.
Many happy returns
The Packers may have found their elusive kick returner in Friday's trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that netted Allen Rossum.
In his first afternoon in the Packers' green and gold, Rossum proved himself a dangerous threat on both punts and kickoffs. Afterward, Sherman all but confirmed Rossum will start the season as the Packers' top punt returner.
"He has an explosive ability to return kickoffs and punts," Packers coach Mike Sherman said. "It's a shame we had a penalty on that one. He was well-received by the team."
Rossum had a 31-yard punt return that could have gone much further, but a holding penalty nullified it. The return still earned Rossum a handshake from Sherman when he reached the Packers' sideline.
Rossum also had a 34-yard kickoff return, the Packers' longest of the preseason. | | | | |
"If you're a fan, this was a fun game to watch," Browns coach Chris Palmer said. "It was a fun game to coach and to play. We came out of this on a very positive note. There are things we can build on." The Packers' defense, still learning the scheme of new coordinator Ed Donatell, forced Cleveland to punt on its first two possessions and held the Browns' first-team offense to 66 yards in the first quarter. Of course, the Browns had just six points in their last eight quarters of play prior to the game and hadn't scored a touchdown in three weeks, but the Packers' defenders -- who were beaten soundly by the Jets, the Broncos and the Dolphins during the preseason -- are happy with any improvement. "I thought our first-team defense finally clicked and made some plays out there," Packers coach Mike Sherman said. "It was critical that we come out today and show an improvement, and we improved." Matt Hasselbeck and Wuerffel each threw two touchdown passes in place of Brett Favre, who watched in shorts and a T-shirt. Favre, who rested the tendinitis in his right elbow for the third straight game, hasn't played since the first two series in Green Bay's preseason opener on Aug. 4. But he is expected to play next week against the New York Jets, keeping alive his NFL-record streak of 125 consecutive starts. Embattled quarterback Tim Couch again struggled to spark the Browns' offense, but Cleveland got going and scored its first touchdown since the preseason opener when Errict Rhett dove in from 1 yard with 11:09 left in the second quarter. Couch, who didn't practice until Thursday while resting a sore arm, was 7-of-11 for 96 yards. He hit David Patten with a sharp 48-yard pass down the sideline to set up Rhett's dive. "If you're going to play in this league for a long time, you're going to take some heat at this position," Couch said. "I know I didn't lose any talent since last year, so I just have to keep throwing the ball." Cleveland (1-3) lost its final three preseason games, while Green Bay (2-2) won both of its home exhibitions. Hasselbeck had another outstanding game, completing 10 of 12 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Packers on three scoring drives. He hit Schroeder for TD passes of 24 and 16 yards in the first quarter. Both teams played their starters into the second quarter, and the real competition for jobs began in the second half, when several Browns rookies made strong moves for a roster spot. Among those making the best impressions were Rashidi Barnes, who returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown with 1:09 left in the second quarter, and fellow rookie defensive back Anthony Malbrough, who played tight defense in place of injured starter Daylon McCutcheon. Rookie Travis Prentice solidified his backup spot behind Rhett by rushing for 55 yards and a touchdown, while rookie quarterback Spergon Wynn led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter and Thompson another. Still, the Browns are expected to sign or trade for a veteran backup quarterback sometime this weekend. In a mild surprise, Herbert "Whisper" Goodman appeared to decisively win his battle with Basil Mitchell for the Packers' last running back spot. Goodman, a rookie from NAIA Division II Graceland (Iowa), rushed for 88 yards on 21 carries and also caught three passes for a team-high 67 yards. Receiver Kevin Johnson returned for Cleveland after missing two games with a hamstring pull, but he strained the hamstring again and was taken out. Starting cornerback Corey Fuller sprained a toe and also left early. Green Bay plays host to the Jets next Sunday, while the Browns play Jacksonville.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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