McDonald’s potential benching a sign to Browns’ defense

By Neal Coolong  |   Thursday, November 13, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Cleveland Browns
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Come Monday, Cleveland Browns cornerback Brandon McDonald may lose his starting job.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel said veteran CB Travis Daniels may start in the Browns' Week 11 matchup with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are 12th in the NFL in passing, with two quarterbacks -- Trent Edwards and J.P. Losman -- combining for a rating of 89.5.

Commentary: If it comes to pass, McDonald's benching couldn't come at a better time. He's given up three touchdown passes (for 93, 47 and 11 yards, respectively) in the Browns' last three games, and dropped two interceptions against Denver in Week 10.

The Browns rank 21st in the NFL in pass defense, and while that's not all on McDonald -- they are 26th in the league with 14 sacks -- something clearly needs to jump-start the floundering 3-6 team. Will McDonald's possible regulation to the team's nickel back role help? Daniels, a fourth-year corner out of LSU, came to the Browns in a preseason trade from the Miami Dolphins, and has appeared in six of Cleveland's nine games this year.

Fan Pulse: Fans posting on The Browns Board are already discussing McDonald's possible demotion; some are in favor of it, while others are not.

Fantasy Football Impact: It isn't likely that anyone has the Browns' defense, and the move won't likely make the unit into a must-start in Week 11.

Injury Watch: No Browns have been ruled out of Monday's game with Buffalo, but tight end Darnell Dinkins, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, guard Eric Steinbach, fullback Lawrence Vickers and defensive end Corey Williams did not practice Wednesday.
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one ...
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