Around the League editor Gregg Rosenthal has his takeaways from the game:
» Brandon Weeden took a step forward overall in his second preseason start. There was a lot to like, although his night would have looked a lot different if the Packers had held on to a pair of possible interceptions after some poor decisions by Weeden.
From Around the League:
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Lessons from Thursday's preseason games
» The Packers are going to play Aaron Rodgers the minimium amount possible in the preseason. Green Bay's timing was slightly off on a few plays, but the touchdown throw and catch to Jordy Nelson was a thing of beauty.
» Injured Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop's replacement, D.J. Smith, was all over the field.
» The numbers weren't flashy, but Browns running back Montario Hardesty showed great burst while running for 45 yards and a score in the first half. He also lost a fumble. The third-year-pro entered camp on the roster bubble, but now looks like a competent fill-in for Trent Richardson. Cleveland's offensive line played well.
» A brutal night for Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell combined with a nice effort by Browns backup Colt McCoy created a lot of dot-connecting in Green Bay and beyond. Harrell is running out of time to show he can step into this role. His protection was poor, but he's not calm in the pocket. His first 16 plays behind center created 19 yards. That was before he threw a pick six and the safety he took. (A receiver fell on the interception.)
Although we think the Packers are most likely to stand pat, they could acquire a quarterback like McCoy (or Tarvaris Jackson?) on the cheap.
