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Ray Horton's young, aggressive defense is reason why this Browns team finally looks legitimate.

(John Kuntz/ The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The hunt for a good October ...

Browns' defensive coordinator Ray Horton offered his condolences "to the world" after the death of Tom Clancy, one of his favorite authors.

Horton ended his weekly press conference by saying he always turns to the last page of Clancy’s books first, then marvels at how the author delivered his readers to the climax and conclusion.

“I loved how he would be weaving tales,” Horton said this week.

Somehow all those Browns’ losses since 1999 – the ones where you knew going in that hope died in the end -- were not nearly as entertaining or riveting.

Horton’s defense is the biggest reason to hope for another surprising turn today.

A win over the Detroit Lions would give them just their second four-game winning streak since the big tease 14 years ago.

The difference? The last one gave them a 5-11 record. This one would leave them at 4-2.

That’s 229 games without a month of continuous bragging rights for a fan base that, by now, has the role of crime scene victim down pat.

The last (only) four-game win streak came after a 1-11 start in 2009. If you found yourself able to brag on that, and your name isn't Eric Mangini, I need to hear how and why.

(Depressing Stat of the Day: While there’s only been one four-game win streak since 1999, there have been 14 losing streaks of four games or more, including a nine-game losing streak, three seven-game losing streaks and two six-game losing streaks.)

Other than that, Sundays have been a breath of fresh air.

Unlike the four-game win streak that saved Mangini’s job for one unnecessary season, this one would actually qualify as promising.

Mangini and Mike Holmgren were philosophical opposites offensively. That was not a relationship built to last. The four-game win streak was marriage counseling on the way to a divorce everyone knew was coming.

Today's opportunity is more hopeful, particularly because of Horton's young defense.

“I asked them to trust me,” Horton said this week of the message he delivered after joining the Browns. “That’s all I wanted them to do … one of the things we had to overcome was past performance and history.”

And so (far) they have. The Browns haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher and have recorded 18 sacks.

They're No. 7 in pass defense, No. 8 against the run.

That's much more statistically relevant than, say, Denver's No. 1 rush defense and No. 32 pass defense. Teams have to throw against the Broncos because they're trying to play catch up with Peyton Manning.

Defense is where the Browns spent money in the offseason and it’s showing. The hiring of Horton is further payoff.

“If you have quality players and a good system, you can be as good you need to be,” said Horton.

Turns out the concern about the transition to the 3-4 hasn't been much more than a ripple. The Browns are getting better on defense, and healthier, with Jabaal Sheard and Quentin Groves expected back this week just in time for one of the biggest challenges of the season – with or without wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

“Even with him on the field, they’re really different game to game,” said Horton.

"Matthew Stafford is doing a fantastic job of distributing the ball. They have 11 players with 20-plus yard plays. That's remarkable."

Unfortunately, so is a four-game win streak in a town that finally has reason to suspect success to last, in large part because of Horton's solid defense.

SPINOFFS

• In a letter to season ticket holders, Washington owner Dan Snyder cited the origin of the nickname "Redskins" and said, "We are Redskins Nation and we owe it to our fans and coaches and players, past and present, to preserve that heritage."

Heritage?

Laugh if you want.

But maybe you’ll understand the meaning of the word next month when we celebrate the Pilgrims breaking bread with Skins’ fans at a Plymouth Rock tailgate in 1620.

• Brandon Weeden shrugged off the boos he heard against Buffalo by calling Browns' fans "some of the smartest in the league."

That’s either some of the smartest pandering in the history of the league or proof he’s never been to the Muny Lot.

• Weeden played 61 snaps against the Bills with no turnovers.

Yes, everyone’s looking at you, Eli.

• Kellen Winslow Jr. is suspended four games for violating the league's drug policy.

Somehow this is the media’s fault, he just hasn’t decided why yet.

• Appearing at a community event, Kyrie Irving answered a child's question about whether he'll follow LeBron James out the door.

“No,” Irving said. “No. I won’t leave.”

The exchange went viral this week.

And it might even be something to bank on if event was two hours ago, or even two weeks ago.

Instead of what it was: two years ago.

• Cricket fighting, a sport where handlers put crickets in shoe boxes and poke them to agitate them into wanting to take it out on each other is popular in China.

Here, you mention it and you get the same response heard after reading the punch lines in "You Said It."

Crickets.

• According to one Houston media report, Texans' fans showed up at quarterback

Matt Schaub's house and berated him for his bad play. Schaub denied the story, saying no one "to my knowledge" did that.

Schaub's comment leaves a lot of room for interpretation since to his knowledge the four defensive backs who've intercepted him for touchdowns in the past month weren't in the vicinity of his passes either.

• Quarterback Josh Freeman, released by Tampa, will make $166,666.75 per week with the Minnesota Vikings. Freeman is still due $5.75 million from the Buccaneers.

In a related story, David Garrard's knees feel instantly better and he has reported to the New York Jets in hopes of facilitating a comeback.

• One lengthy section of Alex Rodriguez's complaint against Major League Baseball is titled, "The Disastrous Tenure of Commissioner Selig.

Another is titled, "Alex Rodriguez and His Distinguished Career, Both On and Off the Baseball Diamond."

Not sure if that's from his lawsuit or a Saturday Night Live skit.

• Italian gymnast Carlotta Ferlito apologized after saying this of American Simone Biles, who won the women's all-around at the world championships last week: "I told (my teammate) that next time we'll have our skin black also so we can win, too." That brings us to the interactive segment of Sunday Spin.

(Insert Al Campanis joke here.)

• Miami's Michael Beasley purposely punched himself in the head during a preseason game against the Pistons but says the treatment he received for a facial bruise was not self-inflicted.

"I had everybody in the world call me and ask why you so crazy, said Beasley, who has developed -- for some odd reason -- a reputation as a knucklehead.

• The NFL upheld the $100,000 fine levied on Ndamukong Suh for an illegal block on Viking's center John Sullivan during an interception return.

That's six fines in four years for Suh.

Or what he calls a coincidence.

HE SAID IT

"I'm not gonna answer that" -- Browns center Alex Mack, when asked if Lions' defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was a dirty player.

Because he just did.

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Sunday Edition)

Bud:

I take my son out of school on Browns' draft day -- Rick

Understandable. I'm more surprised that Eric Mangini didn't draft him in the second round one of those years.

Hey Bud:

Does the NFL fine players for using any other adjective than "GREAT!" when they are referring to other teams, their players and coaches? -- Pat.

Great email. It does make you question their sincerity.

Bud:

Have you ever had a reader of Shaw's Spin come to your house and berate you after a few bad Spin articles? -- Angelo

Thankfully, readers of this column do not admit so publicly.

Bud:

Do you think when Kyrie told that kid he was not going to leave like LeBron he meant that he was not going to have a TV show to announce that he's leaving or have Jim Gray emcee the show? -- Dan Coughlin.

All I know is crushing disappointment at an early age is instrumental in preparing Cleveland sports fans for more crushing disappointment as adults.

Bud:

With guys that have awesome names like Barkevious and Jadeveon, how depressed was it for you to grow up with a name like Bud -- Devin, Concord.

Very. I never got over it until I went to college in western Pennsylvania and met a classmate named Harry Lipp.

Bud:

I haven't seen Jimmy Haslam in the past few weeks. Do you think he is in Europe trying to buy a soccer team? -- Scott Wise, Solon

I'm not sure Haslam leaving the country can happen with no one's knowledge these days.

Bud:

Any truth to the rumor that Anthony Bennett located Mel Turpin's cookbook at the Cavs' training facility? -- Jim Lefkowitz, Pepper Pike

Let me get this straight. You expect a sportswriter to comment on somebody else's physique?

Bud:

It is great that Tristan Thompson bowls with his right hand, but will the Cavs allow him to bowl with Andrew Bynum? -- Jim Corrigan, Fairview Park.

First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection. Repeat winners strike out.