Browns packers game

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my notebook after the Browns' 35-10 preseason win in Green Bay Thursday.
1. I love how Pat Shurmur kept giving the ball to Montario Hardesty after the back fumbled on his first carry. Hardesty finished with 45 yards on 12 attempts, not great but solid. More importantly, he stayed healthy and looked like an NFL running back -- not the injury-prone second-rounder of the last two years. After Hardesty fumbled on his first carry, the Browns coaches still ran him on five of the next six plays.

2. Hardesty had one carry for no yards and his next worst was three yards. His longest was nine yards. It was mostly tough, inside-the-tackles running, and Hardesty held up well. That's important, given his history of knee injuries.

3. Yes, everyone is saying all the right things about Trent Richardson coming back from his "minor" knee surgery by the opener, but the Browns must have another running back ready just in case. Hardesty took some steps in that direction. As Shurmur said, "He looks like a different guy."

4. Hardesty came to camp having to prove he can stay healthy and be productive, because the Browns do have Chris Ogbonnaya and Brandon Jackson with NFL experience. Not all of them will make the team. Jackson had a modest night with 35 yards in 14 rushes. The Browns do like him as a third-down back who can catch passes. Hardesty had six drops compared to 14 receptions in limited play last season.

5. The Browns' emphasis on running the ball, and the excellent blocking, was very positive. Establishing the run is critical, as it really helps a rookie quarterback. Brandon Weeden used his arm to keep drives alive, rather than trying to make big plays. If the Browns are to keep games close in the rugged AFC North, this has to be the approach. They had 40 rushes, compared to 30 passes.

6. Weeden avoided turnovers in going 12-of-20 for 118 yards. He had one bad throw that could have been picked off, but wasn't. He looked far more at ease and less bothered by the rush than in Detroit. You could sense that Weeden and Hardesty knew they were going to play important roles in the first half, and that alone helped their confidence.

7. The blocking was good, very good at times. It should make fans feel better about Mitchell Schwartz and the young linemen. None of the QBs were sacked.

8. I do hope this game allows some fans to just chill out about Weeden. Based on some of my emails and talk-show calls, you'd have sworn the Browns had another Spergon Wynn after last week's game in Detroit. This is not to turn Weeden into Otto Graham, but can we just let him play and not obsess over every throw in preseason games?

9. Colt McCoy (4-of-6, 58 yards passing) was reliable again. The Browns should keep him as a backup, and I think they will. I have been writing this same thing for months because he is the guy the coaches would have started if the Browns had failed to draft a quarterback. Just because Green Bay and some others need a good backup, why do the Browns have to send away McCoy -- unless they'd receive a quality draft pick in return.

10. Jordon Norwood (2 catches, 26 yards) has looked like a reliable slot receiver in the first two preseason games.

12. Oniel Cousins has two penalties on special teams? Why? Even as a backup lineman, the Browns must find someone better. He was overmatched last season when he filled in at right tackle.

13. Phil Dawson is amazing. He kicked field goals of 53, 52 and 47 yards. He also kicked an extra point from about 37 yards when Cousins was flagged a 15-yard penalty. "I actually practice that, extra points after a 15-yard penalty," said Dawson. "It's never happened before to me, but I figured if it kicked long enough, one day it would."

14. Green Bay is not a running team, but the Browns are known to struggle against the run. So holding the Packers to 69 yards in 18 carries (3.8 average) is encouraging. The two longest runs were quarterback scrambles. The Packers' running backs had only 22 yards in 13 carries.

15. In the last three years, the Browns were 2-2, 2-2 and 1-3 in the preseason. So it's not a big deal being 2-0. But Shurmur and his coaching staff are trying to build confidence in a team that has been 18-46 in the last four seasons.