By Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Columnist

Kelly Holcomb won the job, the title to come.

If not, Butch Davis loses credibility.

Not in the stadium seats, where Holcomb could now run for energy chief in addition to mayor and governor. It’s all about the locker room, where Davis’ players heard him declare an open competition and promise the decision wouldn’t be about the size of anybody’s con´ tract or their draft status.

Holcomb scored the knockout punch he needed last night against Green Bay. He needed it for a few reasons, but it was never because Couch established himself as the undisputed cham´ pion of the Browns’ offense.

He needed it because the Browns made the playoffs last year, because Couch lost his starting position by injury and because no matter what they say, it’s a hard gulp to pay Couch so handsomely for staying clean.

There was a time when Davis could have sold Couch as the starter based on the traditional incumbency granted in injury sit´ uations. For a guy who has taken as many hits as he has since 1999, an injury to Couch deserves some deference.

But when Davis decided to pit Couch and Holcomb against each other in this camp, he opened the position to the urgency and in´ surgency Holcomb brought to castle gate last night.

The Browns scored two touch´ downs under Holcomb. One was a screen pass to William Green, who could have made Doug Pederson look good on the play. But take away Green’s 82-yard touch´ down sprint and Holcomb still completed six of nine for 84 yards and a touchdown.

More important, he looked like the starter. Even the interception in his final series was aggres´ sively thrown downfield.

“You live by the sword and you die by the sword,” Davis said, lauding both quarterbacks. Holcomb’s sword is sharper. For Davis not to name him would make you wonder what part of “crisp” he doesn’t understand.

Another factor has been under´ estimated. The Browns look so soft defensively, they are going to need every point they can muster. They have taken a step back by throwing veteran defenders overboard in a salary-cap dump. They’re younger, faster and still can’t tackle.

Holcomb, under contract through 2004, gives the best chance to score. The Browns have to find out everything they can about him this season. He has given them the chance to do that by outplaying Couch.

Davis wouldn’t admit that last night. But he called the first half “about as efficient as we’ve been in a long time.” Part of that was Couch, but most of it the way the game started.

Holcomb replayed his 2002 highlights last night against the Packers, getting rid of the ball quickly and throwing downfield. Even when he doesn’t throw downfield, he looks downfield. Couch took the challenge, com´ pleting a 20-yard TD pass to Kevin Johnson. But too often, his offense moves sideways.

Holcomb raised the standards every time he played last year. Couch knew it, which is why he came to camp lighter and stronger, not to mention more blond.

Authoring fourth-quarter vic´ tories, as he did so well last year against Tennessee and Balti´ more, is worthy of respect. So is his feistiness. But with Green at running back, there is no reason other than their defense why the Browns should have to play from behind as often as they have. It has happened because of an of´ fense stuck on horizontal.

Holcomb has adjusted the pic´ ture for the Browns. That’s even more clear after last night.