by Bud Shaw, Plain Dealer Columnist , Plain Dealer

Common sense says the banner found a place in the stadium Sunday in part because they don't make ones that read, "We're seriously skeptical."

Anderson did provide reason for encouragement, completing 26 of 48 passes while throwing for one TD and running for the other in a game that grinded Cincinnati's way in overtime, 23-20. He also revived an old sense of angst and frustration with a drive-killing interception at the goal line.

Funny. But after three weeks of such abysmal Football, the tolerance for Anderson's flaws was probably at an all-time high Sunday.

That won't last, of course, especially not if the Browns' offense turns skittish as it did under the Bengals' pressure in overtime.

Patience is not a permanent condition, so Anderson will need cleaner performances to reconnect to a fan base that couldn't wait to dump him for a fling with Brady Quinn.

Those performances might not come so easily away from home. Or, in Anderson's case, away from the Bengals , whom he torched in his first start in a 2007 season that ended with the Pro Bowl.

He doesn't have the bells-and-whistles "cockpit" that Phil Savage referenced back then - meaning a healthy Jamal Lewis, Kellen Winslow Jr. and Joe Jurevicius to go with a blossoming Braylon Edwards. Lewis didn't play Sunday. Edwards didn't have a catch. Rookie Mohamed Massaquoi was the beneficiary of the attention paid Edwards.

But the possibility that a second coaching staff can help Anderson limit his mistakes while exploiting his big arm is as promising as it gets right now behind center.

"I thought [Anderson] played well," Eric Mangini said. "You don't want turnovers and he was very conscious of that during the week. He made a lot of nice throws. He made some nice checks and got guys in the right spots. I thought he ran the offense well."

Players credited Mangini with a different approach during the week: the good cop. It wasn't quite a group hug. But the vibes were more positive.

Anderson's first start of the season had to be part of it. He's popular in the locker room. Or as he says, "I've always felt the guys had my back."

Instead of letting a two-touchdown sinkhole swallow all hope and turn Sunday into another Baltimore horror flick, the Browns followed the legs of Josh Cribbs and the arm of Anderson to a 17-14 lead. Anderson's QB rating for the day was only 68.8 but he had balls dropped (one hit tight end Robert Royal in the facemask out of a break). He didn't force things too often as he did in the second half in Baltimore.

After Cincinnati played keep-away in the first quarter, the Browns' offense dominated the next 30 minutes. It wasn't enough for a win and it didn't last through the fifth quarter. In overtime, the Bengals got after Anderson, resulting in some familiar old dance steps in the pocket.

Anderson at QB doesn't promise the instant rewards of two years ago. There's no good reason to believe. But at least there's reason to watch.

To reach Bud Shaw: bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639

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