That Did Not Take Long

I had been working on a post affixing much of the blame for Buffalo's 37-24 loss last night in Cleveland on punter Shawn Powell.

Apparently, I was not the only one to see things that way. The Bills cut him this morning.

First, Powell's eminently returnable low liner gave Travis Benjamin plenty of room for a 57-yard return that set up Cleveland's first field goal.

That did not stop the second-year punter, who replaced Brian Moorman after last year's game against the Browns, from booting another low one the next time out. Benjamin showed his appreciation with a winding 79-yard runback that put Cleveland ahead 17-10.

Clearly rattled, Powell added a shank (for the second time in four days) and a 34-yard punt out of the Buffalo end zone late in the third quarter that, after a 6-yard Benjamin return, put the Browns at Buffalo's 32-yard line. Eight plays and 26 yards later, Billy Cundiff's 24-yard field goal gave Cleveland the lead for good.

With Jeff Tuel looking absolutely helpless after replacing injured quarterback E.J. Manuel, the Browns' three-point edge might as well have been 30.

As Mrs. We Want Marangi astutely noted after one of Powell's misfires, "You have one job. One job."

Fail to do it, and, as Powell learned this morning, you have none.

At least the Bills gave the guy a lift back to Buffalo. As far as we know.

(Editor's note: Watch for a full, less Powell-centric We Want Marangi analysis of last night's game at some point later than I had originally planned.)