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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- When linebacker William Thomas played in
Philadelphia, he used to joke with offensive coordinator Jon Gruden
that he should be a tight end.
|  | | Oakland's Tyrone Wheatley rushed for two touchdowns in Sunday's victory. |
The pleading should begin again in Oakland after Thomas had two
interceptions, including one that he ran back for a touchdown, as
the Raiders beat Cleveland 36-10 and knocked the Browns out of a
first-place tie in the AFC Central.
"He always talks about that tight end thing," Thomas said
about Gruden, now head coach of the Raiders. "But he hasn't
followed through with it."
Gruden kiddingly replied: "I may have to accommodate him."
Tyrone Wheatley ran for two 2-yard touchdowns and Zack Crockett
added another for the Raiders (3-1). Sebastian Janikowski,
Oakland's top draft pick who entered the game 2-for-5, hit field
goals of 37 and 31 yards.
After passing for a career-high 316 yards last Sunday in
Cleveland's 23-20 victory over the Steelers, Tim Couch was 16-of-29
for 141 yards.
His lone touchdown was a 15-yard TD pass to Darrin Chiaverini on
the opening drive. And he had just one interception going into the
game.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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If you throw out the second quarter, this was a fairly even game. But 21 points was too much for the Browns to overcome.
Oakland's ability to control the football was impressive (32 minutes possession time). Two interceptions (one returned for a TD) were also key for the Raiders.
QB Tim Couch didn't play as well as he had earlier this season.
Couch seemed to have difficulty getting the ball downfield to his wide receivers and was forced on many occasions to dump the ball to a running back.
The Raiders didn't pile up huge numbers offensively but were efficient and got the job done. Rich Gannon suffered no interceptions and Oakland had no other turnovers. The Raiders also were able to get Napoleon Kaufman more involved in this game.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director of football operations.
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"I don't think they were that much better than us," Couch
said. "If I don't throw those interceptions, we're moving right
down there and we're doing good."
Cleveland (2-2) won just two games all of last season in its
first year back in the league. Phil Dawson hit a 29-yard field goal
in the second quarter to account for the rest of Cleveland's
scoring.
After Chiaverini's touchdown, Cleveland's attempt at an onside
kick failed, putting Oakland on the Browns 43 for its first series.
Soon after, Wheatley scored on a 2-yard run for the Raiders, who
bounced back after a 33-24 home loss to the Denver Broncos last
Sunday.
"We had a good drive to open it up, and we were trying to keep
our defensive off the field as long as possible," Browns coach
Chris Palmer said about the onside kick. "We were going to try to
pull out everything we could to win it, but it backfired on us this
time."
Oakland took the lead on Wheatley's second 2-yard run to open
the second quarter. The key play of the drive was Rich Gannon's
48-yard pass to Andre Rison, who had three receptions for 54 yards.
Wheatley finished with 21 carries for 63 yards.
Midway through the second quarter, the Browns got down to
Oakland's 33-yard line on Errict Rhett's 42-yard run. But Dawson's
42-yard field-goal attempt went wide right.
Thomas, a 10-year veteran linebacker and two-time Pro Bowl
player picked up by the Raiders in the offseason, snagged his first
interception late in the second quarter. It led to Crockett's
scoring run.
On the Browns' next possession with less than a minute left in
the half, Thomas picked off Couch again, this time with a running
scoop catch that he ran back 46 yards for a touchdown.
"By far, I have the best hands on the team," Thomas joked
afterward.
Couch was charged with intentional grounding in the end zone
late in the second half for a Raiders safety.
Gannon, who had been criticized for favoring receiver Tim Brown,
spread it around a little more this time, going 14-of-23 for 179
yards.
Top overall draft pick Courtney Brown, who sacked Kent Graham of
the Steelers three times last Sunday, was quiet against the
Raiders. In fact, Gannon remained untouched by the Browns'
defenders all day.
"I don't think it's a step backwards," Palmer said. "But
they're a good football team and this is a very hard place to
play."
Game
notes
Browns defensive end Stalin Colinet left the game with a
neck strain and did not return. ... Thomas spent all nine of his
previous pro seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. ... Gruden gave
Thomas the game ball. ... Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy
sprained his left knee in the second half. ... Rison went to Kansas
this week to enter a no-contest plea to felony theft charges
involving a $1,000 tape recorder. "I had to go take care of
business," he simply said. ... Janikowski now leads the AFC with
six touchbacks. ... The Raiders head into their bye week. .... The
Browns play host to the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
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