Rob Ryan's gets a win against his former team, though "it wasn't pretty"

Rob Ryan called it personal, which made perfect sense for him facing his former team. But that message didn’t seem to inspire his defense.

If anything, the Cowboys came out flat against the Browns. They couldn’t slow down rookie running back Trent Richardson or the Browns 28^th-ranked offense.

Richardson had 93 all-purpose yards in the first half; Brandon Weeden threw for a touchdown; and the Browns took a 13-0 lead into the break.

“It wasn’t pretty, especially in the first half,” Ryan said. “I wasn’t doing a great job of play calling. We had injuries in the red zone making it tough on us … We don’t need excuses. Our guys fought like hell in the second half and I’m really proud of them.”

Ryan and the defense made the necessary adjustments to show why Cleveland has been one of the worst offenses in the league. In the end, the Cowboys escaped with a 23-20 overtime victory as the defense allowed 311 yards.

Ryan brushed off any notion that the Browns might have taken his “personal” comment “personally.”

“Cleveland plays tough against everybody, so I doubt it,” Ryan said. “I know those guys, they know me.”

 -- Drew Davison