CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my notebook after the Browns beat Tampa Bay, 23-19:

1. When the game finally ended, I was happy for several reasons. One of them was Todd Monken, who now has his first victory as an NFL head coach. We’ll see if Monken turns out to be good at his job – but at the very least, he is interesting. He also comes off as a guy with a huge heart. I love how he ran to the end zone to slap hands with Browns fans after the game was over.

2. When the lightning delay hit, Tampa Bay had the ball on Cleveland’s 25-yard line with two minutes left. Didn’t you think Baker Mayfield would throw a TD pass to beat the Browns when play resumed? Isn’t that a typical Browns story? Only it didn’t happen. They stopped Mayfield and Tampa Bay.

3. Monken said he told the players during the delay: “There is no group I’d rather have out there at the end than our group.” He said stuff like that as if he really meant it.

4. Monken also said he didn’t care what it costs, he wanted everyone on the team to get a game ball. In his press conference, Monken said: “There’s nothing like a locker room after a win … no drug … no alcohol … nothing.”

5. Monken also stuck with Deshaun Watson, who had his best game since injuring his shoulder in Baltimore in 2023. Monken was the offensive coordinator for the Ravens in that game. Watson was 24-for-30 passing for 238 yards and a pair of TDs. When it meant the most, Watson was 8-for-9 in the fourth quarter for 59 yards. He connected with backup tight end Blake Whiteheart on a 17-yard pass (a nicely designed play by Monken) for what turned out to be the winning TD.

6. Monken set up on offense playing to Watson’s strength: a lot of short and medium passes. Watson found his rhythm and confidence. He ran the offense like a veteran. It was impressive. The Browns had zero turnovers … zero interceptions, zero fumbles. That also was a big factor in the game, and Watson had a lot to do with that.

7. Denzel Boston has a chance to be a big-time receiver. The rookie caught five passes for 95 yards, including a 55-yarder for a TD. He broke at least two tackles on that play.

8. The Browns were flagged for six penalties covering 50 yards in the first half. It looked like the old Browns, including three pre-snap penalties. But in the second half … zero. That’s right, zero penalties. I know Monken and his staff have been working hard to clean up the mess with various drills in practice. It finally kicked in.

9. I’m sure the Browns had some discussions with Mike Rutenberg. The rookie defensive coordinator looked exactly like that in the Browns’ 34-10 loss in Jacksonville. He abandoned the aggressive Jim Schwartz-style defense for passive zone coverage and little blitzing. In this game, the Browns used more man-to-man pass coverage and they blitzed more often. This looked more like the Browns of the Schwartz era. You could see Mayfield having some trouble dealing with the pressure.

10. A few times in his press conference, Monken talked about the Browns “putting on their big boy pants” after the team’s 34-10 loss to Jacksonville. In this game, the Browns did just that.