Todd Porter: Second half woes leave Browns out in the cold

When last Pittsburgh and Cleveland played, the Browns went with Charlie Frye. Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field, they went with Charlie Dickens.

"It was," Head Coach Romeo Crennel said, "A tale of two halves."

Like Derek Anderson was a have in the first half, and a have-not in the second.

Anderson threw for three touchdowns - all in the first half - in Cleveland's 31-28 loss to the Steelers. But Cleveland's quarterback, who caught fire three weeks ago, lost it after halftime. He completed just 6-of-19 passes for 43 yards in the second half and the Browns' offense could muster just two first downs. Both of those came during a frantic and desperate last-minute drive.

"Obviously, they were playing good defense," Anderson said. "I missed some throws and didn't get into the rhythm we had in the first half."

Anderson was not sacked. The final stat report didn't list a single Pittsburgh defender as having a quarterback hurry.

Then why did Anderson look jittery in the pocket in the second half? The Steelers sacked Frye five times in the season opener.

"I think the difference in what they have done offensively since we played them the first time is Anderson makes quick decisions with the football," Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin said. "He gets the ball out of his hands. The big thing that we wanted was to make him make decisions, but we had to be in great coverage. He's not holding the ball, and he's not getting it out of his hands.

"It's not about sacks. It's about pressure, and the pressure was sufficient."

Anderson's passes in the second half were usually off target. He threw behind receivers, at their feet and above their heads.

What he didn't have was any opportunities to complete throws down the field. It was a frustrating afternoon for a guy from Oregon State who enjoys the vertical passing game.

"Their linebackers were dropping deep and forcing us to throw it to the running back," Anderson said. "It's just what was there. I was trying to be smart and patient and not force the ball down the field."

Crennel disagreed with an assessment of Anderson having nervous feet in the second half.

"I didn't see nervous feet," Crennel said. "We were not as poised because we didn't operate as efficiently, if you want to say that. We were more efficient in our operation in the first half."

Anderson did have his most successful drive of the season on the team's first possession. He directed a 16-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a wide-open touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow.

That was Cleveland's longest scoring drive this season.

Anderson, who completed eight straight passes at one point in the first half, was on target on four third-down passes during that drive to keep it alive.

What happened in the second half?

"We didn't convert on third down," Anderson said. "That's where you win games in this league, by keeping their offense off the field."

Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com