grayman

Is there any question that this guy is the toughest man in the game?

BEREA, Ohio -- Kelly Holcomb may have saved the Cleveland Browns' season on Sunday at the expense of a portion of his own.

Cleveland's quarterback fractured a bone in his right leg during the first quarter but refused to come out, rallying the Browns to a stunning 13-12 win over the 49ers.

Wincing in pain and hobbling, Holcomb completed 12-of-14 passes on a 91-yard scoring drive in the final minutes, throwing an 11-yard TD pass to Andre' Davis with 29 seconds left to give the Browns (1-2) their first win.

"It was somewhat John Wayne-esque," Browns coach Butch Davis said Monday. "It was kind of heroic. He fought through the whole day and refused to surrender, like a heavyweight prize fighter. He kept getting up off the mat."

But Holcomb could be down for a while.

X-rays taken during halftime and again Monday revealed that Holcomb has a hairline fracture of his fibula, the smaller bone located on the outside of the leg.

Holcomb could miss a few games, but Davis hasn't ruled him out of practice this week or playing Sunday against winless Cincinnati.

That's typical of Davis, who usually downplays injuries hoping that his optimism can help a player return earlier than expected.

Davis dismissed a radio report that Holcomb will be out 4-to-6 weeks as "totally erroneous." He added that Holcomb could conceivably play with the injury all season.

"He played the whole game yesterday on it," Davis said boldly.

"All the information I have from our medical people is that they think there is a moderate to slightly reasonable chance he will practice on Wednesday. If something transpires between now and then we'll tell you.

"If he was going to be gone four-to-six (weeks), trust me, I wouldn't be telling you and setting myself up for looking like a fool."

Holcomb, named the starter over Tim Couch at the end of training camp, was injured while making a quarterback sneak near his own goal line. As Holcomb pushed into the line, 49ers defensive end Chidi Ahanotu fell on the quarterback's leg.

Holcomb got his ankle taped and continued to play. He sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and still finished 25-of-38 for 222 yards and two TDs.

He has played hurt before.

Last year, Holcomb broke his left leg while filling in when Couch suffered a concussion against Baltimore. Holcomb stayed in despite the injury and nearly rallied the Browns to a win.

While at Middle Tennessee State, Holcomb finished a game despite a broken jaw.

Davis said initial X-rays didn't show the fracture. He considered switching to Couch in the third quarter, but decided against it when Holcomb -- blitzed nearly nonstop by the 49ers in the first half -- appeared to be dealing with his injury.

"He was moving around fine and he was playing fine," Davis said. "We were more concerned about getting the protections changed than we were about changing the quarterback. He was able to plant and able to throw.

"Mobility was a little bit of an issue, but it wasn't much of a factor. I don't think anybody is going to mistake Kelly for Michael Vick anyway."

On the Browns' final drive, Holcomb completed 11 straight passes. He threw to five receivers and converted four third-down situations despite excruciating pain.

"To see him in that kind of pain made us want to go out and make plays for him," said Andre' Davis, who made two big ones, catching a 2-yard TD pass to get Cleveland within 12-7.

Davis' game-winning catch came on a perfectly thrown ball by Holcomb, who put it high enough for the wide receiver to jump and catch it between five 49ers.

If Holcomb has to sit Sunday or is sidelined for an extended period, the Browns will again turn to Couch, who led them to eight wins last season before losing his job this summer.

"Our football team believes in Tim," Davis said. "Tim has won games here. Tim prepares. His mental attitude has been very good. When he's on the sideline, he's watching coverages. He and Kelly are talking. He's into the games as if he's going in on the next possession. From that standpoint, we feel good."



Didn't he do the same thing last year? Go back in the game knowing he had a broken leg, and come from behind for the win?
You can question his durability and ability, but don't ever question his heart.

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G_Lock

I watched that game and man was it awesome. It is just an incredible site to see a guy play with that much heart. It reminds of games like last year when McNabb broke his foot in the first half, but played pratically on one foot and threw like 3 TD passes. It also reminds me of a game quite a few years back when Emmitt Smith played with a separated shoulder against the New York Giants in a game the Cowboys had to win. He not only played but he had unbelievable numbers and the Cowboys won, got the first round bye and won the SuperBowl. It really makes you think about how tough these players really are.

gov135

I get the Cleveland Plain Dealer and read Bernie's Insiders, and noone can really figure out what's going on. It appears there is alot of swelling, and there is not much the team can do until it goes down. We'll see if he practices on Wednesday, that will be a big indicator.

As far as the toughest in football, I gotta go with Steve McNair. The guy is a walking injury list, but he is a winner.

djtestudo

Yeah. McNair would go out their with a walker and an IV stand and lead a game-winning touchdown drive.

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"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Superbelt

Holcomb is backed against a wall. He had to perform, keep playing and win or he would have lost his job. It was more out of necessity than anything.

Couch is breathing down his neck.

wwcd101

Kelly generally sucking has been the number 2 reason the offense has bogged down this year. Number 1 was losing OT Verba for the year with a torn bicep (ouch!).

It's nice that he lead them to two late scores for the win. It's nice that he did it on a broken leg. But lets not get all caught up here in the moment. Y-T-D his performance has been lame, not his leg.

I'm a Browns fan. We are not a playoff team. Watch out for this weekend (Bungles in Cleveland), regardless of who is QB.

Thanks for listening.

gov135

I agree. The offensive line is certainly the number one reason why the Browns have been so hard to watch. They aren't run blocking well, and they aren't exactly pros at pass protecting either. Right now Cleveland has four natural centers on its roster, two of which are trying to play guard. Neither is doing very well.

I don't care who lines up under center, they are gonna have a tough time. That said, you are right about Kelly not putting on inspiring performances. They say we might have the best receivers in the league, but you have to get the ball to them first.

Cincinnati is playing well enough to win five games this year. Let's hope the young Brown's defense can contain Corey Dillon and superstar-to-be Chad Johnson.

123dsa

Fractured fibulas are not that big of a deal. Marathons have been run on them

RAMONES!!!

i have respect for the man, i think its a great story in cleveland...i like to route for the little guy.

i also found out that Chidi Ahanotu plays for the 49ers, man has he been bounced around

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Come on

BigGov

Holcomb has a hairline fracture, basically meaning a little itty bity part snapped but is still in place.

McNabb's fibula on the other hand was SNAPPED. Remember when Vick got hurt and he was rolling on the ground in pain and couldn't walk? The exact same thing happened to McNabb. That happened in the first quarter, he goes on to pass for 4 TD passes and 400 yards.

McNair hasn't practiced during the season since about 1996 (ok, an exageration but you get the point) and yet still goes out and performs every Sunday.

Byron Leftwich in college couldn't stand on his broken shin. He had to be carried to the offensive line, where he would have to call the correct play all on his own, then run the play, then repeat the entire process.

And that's just in football. If you included other sports.

Arturo Gatti broke his right (dominate) hand in his third fight in the fourth round with Micky Ward. Now, if you haven't seen a Ward/Gatti fight, these were just flat out brawls, when the punches started flying, they flew for about 3 minutes at a time. Every time Gatti connected with a punch with his right hand you couldn't just look at the pain on his face, you could literally feel it it was so painful. When he goes back to the corner and his cornerman says "Is your hand ok? Do you want to go on?" his face and body say no but his mouth says yes. After 10 grueling rounds Gatti eventually won the decision.

Those are all within the past few years. Is Holcomb the toughest guy in sports? Not a chance. Is he the toughest guy in football? (This is where everyone starts laughing)

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One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!"