Browns lose 9-6 in Davis' coaching debut

CLEVELAND (AP) -- After the ball cut through the stiff wind,

sailed over the crossbar and through the uprights, Seattle's Rian Lindell went a little numb.

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The Cleveland Browns did, too.

Lindell kicked a 52-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining

Sunday to give Seattle a 9-6 win over Cleveland, spoiling Butch

Davis' head coaching debut with the Browns.

"We never win the close ones," Browns wide receiver Kevin

Johnson said. "A guy kicks a 52-yarder into the wind, and he nails

it? Come on. When you get that close, it's tough."

Lindell, the NFL's most accurate rookie kicker a year ago,

matched his career best with the game-winning boot that was set up

by Charlie Rogers' 49-yard kickoff return.

Lindell missed his first attempt, ending a streak of 11

straight, but he redeemed himself with kicks from 49 and 23 yards

before connecting after the Browns tried to ice him by calling a

late timeout.

"I didn't mind it too much," Lindell said of Cleveland's

strategy. "I kind of liked the extra time to size up the spot and

gauge the wind."

Following an offseason of dramatic roster changes, the Seahawks

are sure glad they didn't mess with their kicker.

"Rian Lindell, son of a gun," said Seahawks coach Mike

Holmgren, who got his 100th career win -- including postseason -- as

a head coach. "He nailed a beautiful kick when we needed it."

Phil Dawson kicked two field goals and missed one for the

Browns, who had a first-and-goal at the Seattle 7 late in the

fourth but couldn't score a TD.

Cleveland couldn't get much going on offense, but held their own

defensively and looked like they'll be much better under Davis.

"This is just one brush stroke on what will be a final

painting," said Davis, the former Miami coach hired in January

after the Browns went 5-27 in two years under Chris Palmer. "It's

up to us to make it look like we want it to."

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, making his first NFL start,

finished 20-of-34 for 178 yards, and Ricky Watters rushed for 97

yards on 16 carries.

The Seahawks, who bolstered the NFL's worst defense a year ago

with several free-agent signings, recorded three sacks, flustered

quarterback Tim Couch and held Cleveland to 239 total yards.

Chad Brown had two sacks, including one where the linebacker

leaped over rookie running back James Jackson to sack Couch.

"For some reason, I jumped," Brown said. "I've never done

that before."

Dawson's 22-yard field goal tied it 6-6 with 2:14 left, but on

the ensuing kick, Rogers broke Cleveland's containment and returned

it Seattle's 47.

"It looked like some guys got caught up and were maybe out of

their lanes," Davis said. "I'm not really sure what happened."

The Seahawks moved it to Cleveland's 36 and were facing a

fourth-and-1 with 12 seconds to go. Holmgren risked going for the

first down instead of trying the kick, and Hasselback's 1-yard

sneak moved it close enough for Lindell.

Holmgren said there wasn't a sideline consensus on what to do.

"I talked to our special teams coach (Pete Rodriguez),"

Holmgren said. "And he said, 'You want to do it now?' As soon as

he said that, I lost confidence."

Fortunately, Lindell hadn't.

After the Browns made him think about it, he calmly drilled the

game winner, making him 4-for-4 on kicks from beyond 50 yards in

his career.

"I just tried to make it like it was a day in April," he said.

"When it went through, it really didn't sink in. I wasn't exactly

sure how to feel. This isn't something that I do all the time."

The Browns had a first-and-goal at the Seattle 7 with three

minutes left, but had to settle for Dawson's kick after Couch threw

two incompletions.

Couch, who missed the final nine games last season with a broken

thumb, was 17-of-33 for 176 yards and one interception.

"We just have to execute better on Sundays," Couch said.

"When you get down in the red zone, you have to come away with

touchdowns, not field goals."

Game notes
The replacement officials had few problems except for

referee Bill Etzler, who inadvertently left his microphone on when

he consulted umpire Wes Fritz about a call. "Clock runs, right

Wes?" Etzler asked Fritz after Seattle completed a 4-yard pass.

Both coaches felt the officials did a decent job. "They didn't

throw a lot of flags and kept the game in control," Holmgren said.

... Holmgren is the 28th coach in history to reach 100 career wins.

He's 91-54 in the regular season and 9-6 in the playoffs. ...

Browns LB Jamir Miller tied a career high with two sacks. ...

Browns OG Tre Johnson was taken out late in the game with an

unspecified knee injury. He had offseason surgery on his left knee.

... The teams were outscored by a combined 17-15 by the Indians and

Chicago White Sox, who played at the same time a mile away at

Jacobs Field.