Losing the first three games made coach Romeo Crennel contemplate lineup changes, particularly on offense, but in the end, not much is going to or can change.
Derek Anderson will start against the Bengals on Sunday in Cincinnati, Crennel said on Wednesday. Brady Quinn is getting increased practice time this week, but Anderson will get the start despite a passer rating of 43.5.
"I think we have to look at all the positions," Crennel said. "We'll definitely try to get the other guy (Quinn) ready to go."
The 26 points scored by the Browns are the fewest in the league. Through three games they have gained 582 total yards — less than 200 a game — while allowing 1,041 yards.
Anderson has completed 43 of 93 passes for 405 yards. He has thrown two touchdowns and five interceptions and has been sacked eight times. The only quarterback with a lower passer rating is the Chiefs' Tyler Thigpen at 38.3.
Anderson has made 18 starts since taking over for Charlie Frye in the opener last year. He threw 21 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in his first 10 starts. In the eight games that followed, he threw nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
After losing in Baltimore, Anderson said he should have to fight to keep his starting job because of the way he has been playing. In the locker room Wednesday, he sounded determined to pull himself and the team out of this slump.
"There was never any uncertainty in my mind," Anderson said. "It's going to take a collective effort. It starts with me. Together we can continue to make changes and get better. I have to be a little better on timing and a little bit better on location.
"We don't have to change a ton. If everybody gets a little better, things will be all right."
Quinn said his approach this week is the same as it has been because he always prepares as though he's going to start. He did not use the opportunity to say he could fix the situation better than Anderson can.
"We have a lot of things to work on," Quinn said. "We have a lot of things to put together. Hopefully we'll find some more answers from the game this past week, have another good week of preparation and go into Cincinnati confident."
Anderson's career took off last year in a start against the Bengals. He threw five touchdown passes in a 51-45 Browns victory in Cleveland the second week of the season. His last game against Cincinnati was not so pleasant. He threw four interceptions in a 19-14 loss in the 15th game. The loss knocked the Browns out of playoff contention. Anderson said he has put that game behind him.
Quinn's only regular-season appearance was against the 49ers in the final game of 2007. He completed three of eight passes for 56 yards. He had two starts in preseason this summer. He was 14 of 24 for 106 yards against the Lions and seven of nine for 65 yards against the Bears.
SERIES HISTORY: 70th meeting. The Bengals lead the series, 35-34. At one time, the Browns dominated the Battle of Ohio, but the Bengals have ruled recently, winning six of the last seven. A 19-14 loss in Cincinnati last December knocked the Browns out of the playoffs.
NOTES, QUOTES
—The first game between the Browns and the expansion Bengals, played on Oct. 11, 1970, had extra significance because Paul Brown was coaching the Bengals against his old team. Art Modell fired Brown in 1963, two years after buying the Browns for $4 million. The Browns won the first game, 30-27, but five weeks later the Bengals got revenge, 14-10.
—Butch Davis' final game as head coach was against the Bengals in Cincinnati in 2004. The Bengals won a wild shootout, 58-48. The Browns were driving for what could have been the winning touchdown, but Kelly Holcomb's pass for Aaron Shea was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Davis said he had 'a panic attack' and resigned the next day.
—Derek Anderson's coming-out party was against the Bengals in Game 2 of 2007. Anderson completed 20 of 33 passes for 328 yards and five touchdowns — two to Braylon Edwards, two to Joe Jurevicius and one to Kellen Winslow Jr. Leigh Bodden iced the game for the Browns by intercepting a pass from Carson Palmer on the Browns 27 with 20 seconds left.
—The low point of Anderson's career was also against the Bengals last season. He threw four interceptions in the 19-14 loss that knocked them out of the playoffs. Two were thrown at the end of the first half, resulting in a pair of Cincinnati touchdowns, one with 1:05 left in the second quarter on a catch by T.J. Houshmandzadeh and one with 26 seconds left in the half on a run by Kenny Watson.
—The Browns franchise record for total points between both teams was the game played between the Browns and Bengals on Nov. 28, 2004, when the Bengals won 58-48. The second-highest point total between two teams in a game involving the Browns was the 51-45 victory over Cincinnati in the second game last year.
—In 1987 the NFL players went on strike, but it began to weaken after three games involving replacement players. The Browns had nine regulars in the lineup compared to two for the Bengals in a game played in Riverfront Stadium. Gary Danielson threw four touchdown passes while completing 25 of 31 passes for 281 yards. Danielson said the statistics shouldn't have counted because of the mismatch. It was the first shutout in 34 meetings between the Browns and Bengals.
—The big debate for the Browns in 1999 was which quarterback to take with the first pick in the draft. They chose Tim Couch over Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith. History shows Couch and Smith had ill-fated careers, but when they met in Cleveland Browns Stadium on Oct. 10, 1999, Smith was making his first NFL start. Smith threw the winning touchdown pass to Carl Pickens with nine seconds left. He let the Browns know what he thought about them spurning him by standing at midfield and taunted the Browns after the game.
BY THE NUMBERS: 4 — Times the Browns started 0-3 prior to 2008. Their best finish was 5-11 in 1980.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We have to focus on getting the guys on the field that give us the best chance to win, guys that will concentrate and focus and play to the best of their ability. Then we have to try to adapt and adjust if a guy is limited for whatever reason to try to limit the tough situations that he's put in." — Head coach Romeo Crennel, on possible lineup changes.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
After missing the first three games with a strained quadriceps, wide receiver Donte Stallworth appears ready to play in his first regular-season game with the Browns. Barring any setbacks, Stallworth should be in the starting lineup Sunday when the Browns play the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Adding a receiver of Stallworth's caliber would be a boost to an offense that has struggled to find the end zone — just two touchdowns in the first three games from an offense that scored 402 points last season. The sitting has been frustrating for Stallworth. If he does play, he will take some heat off Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. He said the injury no longer causes pain, but for a while, he still was not ready to play.
"Pain has nothing to do with it," he said. "It's just a matter of me being able to go out and play well and not get it re-injured. The pain receded after a week or two, but it still has to get strength back in it."
The Browns signed Stallworth to a seven-year, $35 million contract as a free agent in the offseason.
PLAYER NOTES
—LB Willie McGinest missed the game against the Ravens with a hamstring injury. He did not practice Wednesday.
—LG Eric Steinbach missed practice with muscle weakness in his shoulder. The injury prevented him from playing against the Ravens.
—LB Kris Griffin is still out with a calf injury. He missed the game against the Ravens and did not practice Wednesday.
—The Browns are hopeful safety Sean Jones can play against the Giants on Oct. 13, but he is unable to practice. He had arthroscopic knee surgery Sept. 11.
—DL Shaun Rogers was held from practice with a sore shoulder. The Browns are hopeful he can practice Thursday.
—WR Braylon Edwards is still bothered by a sore shoulder and was limited in practice.
GAME PLAN: The Browns pass offense is stronger this week because Donte Stallworth should be ready to play after missing the first three games, but the Browns want to get back to the basics of proving they can run the ball. Running back Jamal Lewis was critical of the play-calling for giving up the run too early in the 28-10 loss to the Ravens last Sunday.
Bullish offensive lineman Ryan Tucker could return to the lineup Sunday. He could play right guard or right tackle, the position he played from 2002-2006 until he switched to right guard last year when Seth McKinney was knocked out with a shoulder injury. Tucker is the Browns' best run-blocker.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Browns LB Kamerion Wimbley, who has zero sacks, vs. Bengals QB Carson Palmer, who has been sacked nine times. The Bengals and Browns are mirror reflections. Browns QB Derek Anderson has been sacked eight times after being sacked 15 times all of 2007. Palmer was sacked only 17 times last season. The pressure on Wimbley to produce big numbers is getting strong. Rookie seventh-round draft choice Alex Hall has one sack. Wimbley has none. Bengals left tackle Levi Jones has been flagged for false starts. If Jones concentrates on staying put, Wimbley could scoot by him.
Browns Pro Bowl LT Joe Thomas vs. Bengals rookie LB Keith Rivers. The Bengals have one sack after three games. Rivers has played well against the run with 27 tackles, but he has not gotten to the quarterback yet. Thomas could keep it that way.
INJURY IMPACT: Steinbach did not practice at all last week and he did not play against the Ravens because of a shoulder injury. He still cannot practice. Seth McKinney will start if he cannot play against the Bengals. Not having Steinbach again would be a huge loss.
WR Donte Stallworth is not 100 percent, but if he plays he can take some heat off Braylon Edwards. Stallworth practiced on a limited basis Wednesday.
The Browns are thin at linebacker. That's a problem, because a sore hamstring that kept Willie McGinest out of the Baltimore game prevented him from practicing on Wednesday.
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