The Cleveland Browns remain winless after a 30-24 overtime defeat to the Miami Dolphins.
After losing kicker Patrick Murray to a knee injury during Thursdays practice, the Browns were forced to sign former Philadelphia Eagles kicker Cody Parkey. The Auburn product failed to deliver in his orange and brown debut, as he hit just 3 of the 6 field goals he attempted, including what would have been the game winning kick from 46 yards out as time in regulation expired.
However, Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson refused to put the blame on Parkey.
“I know everybody will say it came down to the field goals, but I’m not going to put that kind of pressure on Cody, Cody just got off a plane with us and I don’t know him as well as I know this chair right now.”
Jackson’s joke about Parkey has been a representation of how this season has gone so far for the Browns. Jackson instead turned his focus to the positive takeaways of the game which included the emergence of WR Terrelle Pryor.
According ESPN, Pryor became the first Browns player since 1977 to have multiple receptions, rushes and passes in the same game. Pryor finished the game with 8 catches for 144 yards—both team leading and added 35 yards through the air and 25 on the ground. Pryor even lined up at safety during Sundays tilt.
While Pryor accumulated 200 of the Browns 430 total yards of offense, Pryor refused to take high praise for his highly versatile performance but remains to be loyal to Jackson who gave him the chance to play quarterback while the two were together in the Bay Area.
“I’m very dissatisfied with myself. But I’m proud of our team. I’ll play anything for Coach Jackson… Center… Tackle…”
Jackson’s use of Pryor just shows his savvy ability as an offensive play caller, and continued to show that with rookie Quarterback Cody Kessler, who Jackson has been put on record for saying that “everyone just needs to trust me on this one”.
Kessler’s NFL debut was nothing special as his numbers reflect that. Kessler completed 21 of his 33 passes for 244 yards. His only true blunder was a fumble early on in the first quarter, but after that the former Trojan seemed unfazed by the moment in South Beach.
“Cody Kessler was amazingly unflappable in his first NFL game,” All-Pro Left Tackle Joe Thomas said of the third man to take under center in as many weeks for the Browns.
While the Browns took strides in the loss at Miami, Jackson still doesn’t want to sugar coat the fact that the Browns were unable to leave Miami with a win.
“There are no moral victories in pro football, I’m going to say it again: From the first day I came, I said I didn’t come here to lose and I’m not going to change that. I’m not going to let our players feel like that. I did not come here to lose. We came down here on a flight and we expected to beat Miami and we didn’t.”
The Browns must shift their focus now to the Redskins as they travel to Washington hoping to get their first win of the season.