Browns-Lions: The Worst Game of the Year

Right now, there are teams of interns at ESPN crawling through stat books and old footage to try and come up with games as bad as this contest is going to be.

 

Not to say this matchup can’t be a good game, but the possibility of that is narrow at best. Both teams have exactly one win a piece, and the only winner will be the loser because they’ll probably end up with the higher draft pick.

 

Look for lots of packages on pre-game tomorrow about games played between winless or one-win teams over the past few decades. It should make for great television.

 

This week of football has been so dreadful to think about, I speculated about LeBron James and other athletes switching sports .

 

If someone really wants to sit down and compare statistics between the two teams, the word “futility” probably doesn’t mean much to that person. Or, at the very least, that person has a masochistic streak a mile wide.

 

The only stat worth looking at between the two teams is the number of offensive touchdowns each unit has scored. The Browns have scored three whole touchdowns on offense this year, while Detroit’s offense has 13, according to NFL.com.

 

By that math alone, Detroit will win just because their offense appears capable of putting points on the board. So even though the Lions have just as many losses this year as the Browns, they actually cross the goal line every now and then in the process.

 

Defensively, Rob Ryan has put some interesting formations on the field and the unit has played some good football. However, the unit can’t seem to string together four good quarters in a row, and thus they’re ranked last in the league.

 

Rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford should be easier to handle than Brett Favre, so don’t expect an offensive explosion. However, touchdowns will be scored, this won’t be a 6-3 repeat of the Buffalo game.

 

Once again, the only real hope the Browns have of putting any kind of points on the board is Joshua Cribbs. According to Cribbs’ agent, he’ll be suiting up and playing. That’s a welcome relief after the hit he took on Monday night.

 

As for head coach Eric Mangini, losing to Detroit could be the final nail in his coffin. Owner Randy Lerner doesn’t like firing coaches in the middle of the season, but if the Browns lose, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Mangini is shown the door.

 

If Mangini goes, good riddance to him. It’s become apparent over the last few weeks that all his talk of “the process” has been just that–talk.

 

To Mangini’s credit, he talks a real good game plan and lays out a good framework for building a successful organization. However, he’s proven that all that talk means nothing if you can’t execute the plan, and he hasn’t executed that plan well at all.

 

Instead, it seems that all Mangini really did is bring all the bad aspects of the Bill Belichik coaching experience back to Cleveland with none of the winning.

 

As talentless as this team may be, it shouldn’t be this bad. It takes effort to be this terrible and to be blown out of games week after week. Losing like this doesn’t happen by accident.

 

With that in mind, look for a Detroit win: Lions 24, Browns 6

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Eric Mangini Faces the Biggest Coaching Test of His Career Monday Night

For those who love statistics, the Browns Monday Night Football game will not be one for the ages.

 

Other than in an abstract sense, the stats will be meaningless, only the outcome will matter. This team is long past the point of moral victories. It needs a real win that doesn’t come off of a late game mistake.

 

Following the blowout loss to the Bears two weeks ago, head coach Eric Mangini promised to evaluate every position and every player during the bye week. On Monday, the collective football nation will see whether he was paying lip service to the fan base, or if he really backed up his words with action.

 

Like it or not, this game will act as a referendum on Mangini’s future in Cleveland. He can’t afford to get this game wrong for a myriad of reasons, the least being his job security.

 

There are those who take Mangini’s tutelage under Bill Belichik, note the similarities, and claim anyone who wants to get rid of him are crazy.

 

On the opposite side are the people who can’t understand what anyone sees in Mangini, and want him fired yesterday.

 

I’m taking the middle ground for now.

 

While I understand and accept the comparisons made between Belichik and Mangini, the reality is these are two completely different men in two completely different situations.

 

When it comes to on-field coaching and roster composition, Belichik was a first-time head coach who made a lot of mistakes and refused to correct them until after he was fired and had time to reflect on his actions.

 

That is, admittedly, simplifying the situation but the results speak for themselves.

 

Mangini had about five minutes to reflect on everything before owner Randy Lerner was giving him a multi-million dollar contract. That means Mangini doesn’t think he really did much of anything wrong.

 

Why would he?

 

Sure some things need to be tweaked, Mangini might be telling himself, but it’s also very evident he never really reflected on the exact reasons the Jets showed him the door after Brett Favre’s late season injury and collapse. The late season collapse of the Jets last year can’t all be laid on Mangini’s shoulders.

 

There has to be more to the story than that.

 

That’s why anyone who says firing Mangini at this point would be tantamount to what happened in 1995 with Belichik is using flawed thinking, because it assumes the situation with Belichik in the early 1990s is the same as 2009.

 

They’re not the same at all. Not even remotely.

 

If Mangini can’t turn this team around, and loses his job as a result, there will be no Eric Mangini in another town hoisting his third Super Bowl trophy, while Browns fans once again eat crow, because Mangini won’t get another head coaching job anytime in the near or not-so-near future.

 

Mangini has burned every bridge he ever built since taking his first head coaching job in New York. Belichik no longer speaks to him after Mangini tried filching some of Belichik’s coaching staff after a playoff game, and the subsequent Spygate incident.

 

While the specifics are unknown, many voices at the league level have given one negative quote after another about how incompetent Mangini supposedly is.

 

The fact the league fined Mangini for covering up Favre’s injury, while Bill Parcells and the Miami Dolphins got off scott free even after it was revealed they covered up Chad Pennington’s injury, speaks volumes about how Mangini is viewed in the upper echelons of the NFL.

 

Once Mangini was hired in Cleveland, all of Lerner’s top GM candidates, namely Scott Pioli and Rich McKay, abruptly pulled out of consideration, citing Mangini as a deal-breaker.

 

So don’t speculate about Mangini’s future in the NFL if he’s fired from this job because he won’t have one. He’ll be lucky to get an NCAA job at this point. He’s made far too many enemies for no good reason that I can think of.

 

Mangini prides himself on following many of the teachings of Bill Parcells and Bill Belichik, and to his credit, his planning is sound. That being said, his execution of the plan has been nothing short of terrible.

 

Something got lost in translation.

 

The Browns were a bad team in January when Mangini took over. They’re even worse now.

 

While tearing apart to rebuild was expected, what wasn’t expected was just how much further the team has regressed. As a fan, it isn’t the losing that upsets and frustrates me this year, it’s how they’re losing.

 

The Browns aren’t just losing games by a play here or a play there. They are getting their collective butts handed to them, and then getting beaten down some more, while getting jumped from behind by the other team’s friends from the other side of town.

 

It’s U-G-L-Y.

 

That’s why the team is being accused of quitting, Mangini is in the hot seat, and some fans are organizing protests.

 

If Mangini fields a team on Monday night that is once again eviscerated, he’ll have no more excuses. His sacrificial lamb, George Kokinis, is now gone. It’s all on Mangini now.

 

But I don’t want to see that. Not one bit. I want to see the Browns rise from the ashes and shock the world.

 

Not only am I hoping for a Browns win, I’m hoping to see Mangini make some good coaching moves, and get a nice Gatorade shower in the fourth quarter.

 

And while the stats may not lie, neither does a victory in the NFL, and a low QB rating won’t matter one bit if the Browns add one more to the “W” column on Monday.

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Cleveland Browns: Making Sense of the Week That Was

Halfway through the 2009 campaign, the Browns already are wondering what their draft position will be for 2010.

 

That fact isn’t sad. What is sad is the very real possibility it won’t matter if the Browns have 23 picks and right of first refusal on all other team’s first round picks because the front office is busy playing twister rather than putting together a winning organization.

 

Owner Randy Lerner has been so focused on making sure he doesn’t have to spend more than five minutes a week on the team, all he’s done is ensure he’ll be spending every waking moment in or around the Berea facility for the foreseeable future.

 

Lerner has only been good at one thing since inheriting his father’s team—screwing it up.

 

Lerner never has been able to grasp the one fundamental constant of every winning football franchise—a stable front office working together to win a Super Bowl.

 

Having failed to learn the lessons of Czar Butch Davis and his missteps, Lerner almost immediately sent the team careening into the abyss by not sitting down and defining roles of each front office position.

 

The error was compounded by not enforcing what little structure was in place when it came to division of powers.

 

Lerner ousted team president John Collins when the power struggle began between Collins and former general manager Phil Savage. Savage immediately began navigating the team into the waters of rudderless losing because there was no oversight.

 

Vowing to “correct” the mistakes, Lerner instead hired a head coach before he hired a general manager, and promptly turned control of the team over to Eric Mangini, a man who has emerged as being somewhat of a control freak.

 

In the blame game, it’s important to know who to blame for what, and how much blame each person should take.

 

At the end of the day, Lerner deserves 78.967 percent of the blame while Mangini deserves 22.351 of the blame.

 

The rest of the blame falls on (former?) general manager George Kokinis for not having a spine.

 

I say former because all Lerner will say about Kokinis is that he is “no longer active in the organization” and denies Kokinis has been fired.

 

Mangini came into the Browns organization on Day One and completely cleaned house. He fired most of the public relations staff, because we all know what a public relations guru Mangini is, and brought in as many of “his” people as he could lure in.

 

Then Kokinis was hired, specifically for his past relationship with Mangini. Kokinis, no doubt, thought this would end up being a very successful marriage and the two of them, as coach and GM, would be hoisting several Lombardi trophies in the coming years.

 

But Mangini does not share power once taken. That is the lesson being learned in Cleveland right now.

 

Kokinis, if the reports of his demise are accurate, was marginalized on his first day on the job and completely ignored in the last few weeks leading up to his dismissal from the team facility.

 

Kokinis had all the powers of a GM on paper, but he never had the support inside the front office to actually wield those powers.

 

The fact Lerner waited until a “consultant” reported this to him and then demanded Kokinis resign is all the proof anyone needs that Lerner is all talk when it comes to finding “Stable, credible” leadership for this organization.

 

It’s Lerner’s fault there is no structure to his front office. It’s Mangini’s fault this team is so bad. However, the former begot the latter, so Lerner is the root of the problem, not Mangini.

 

Why Kokinis didn’t fight harder to neutralize Mangini is something that may never be known. However, since Kokinis hasn’t been officially terminated, according to Lerner, the particulars of the inter-office war may become part of a public court record should Kokinis challenge Lerner for the remainder of his contract.

 

What are the long-suffering Browns fans to do in the meantime, with no hope in sight?

 

Not a lot.

 

So, in the interest of pure speculation, here is one possible solution to the problem short of Lerner selling the team, since that’s not going to happen.

 

Lerner needs to lure someone to be the vice president of football operations. That person then will become the de facto owner of the Cleveland Browns. That person will be responsible for hiring the front office personnel.

 

Finding the right person who would want to come in to the mess that Lerner created is a different argument, and one only Lerner can realistically have.

 

Once the front office is in place, the front office determines the coaching situation. Whether that coach is Mangini or not will depend solely on the front office. Mangini should have ZERO say in who gets the GM job.

 

The VP will ensure there is a concrete structure to the division of power within the front office. Each person’s role will be clearly defined and any attempt to breach that role should be met with serious retributions.

 

The head coach should be responsible for coaching the team, period. The head coach should have no other responsibilities or duties at this point in the game.

 

Given the mistakes Mangini has made from a personnel standpoint, that goes doubly so for him.

 

Mangini got robbed in the draft day trades and overdrafted most of the second round personnel. Too much talent was left on the table and the record shows that. Mangini should be allowed to give suggestions to the front office for next year’s draft and then be told to stay away, his input is no longer needed after that.

 

All decisions regarding the 53-man roster also should be taken away from Mangini. He’s built a roster shaping up to be one of the worst in football, mainly made up of Jets castoffs.

 

No team can be successful if it’s just cobbled together from other team’s scraps. It’s just not feasible.

 

If Mangini is just left to focus on coaching, he could be successful. Therefore, Mangini needs to accept a whole new way of doing business, or it’s time for him to hit the road.

 

That being said, if the new GM and/or VP decide Mangini is part of the problem, then it’s time for Mangini to go. He has done nothing on the field to warrant a vote of confidence.

 

Eight more weeks, how many wins will it take for Mangini to keep his job? Does it matter?

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Five Horror Movies that Resemble the Cleveland Browns 2009 Season

It could be worse.

Four words that usually become an ironic prophecy in any horror movie.

With Halloween upon us, and with the Browns sitting at a dismal 1-6, it’s appropriate to compare this team to several different horror movies that have graced the Silver Screen over the years.

Horror movies tap into our base fears and play up those fears to achieve a dramatic effect. That effect usually results in a scream or a jump and gets the adrenalin pumping.

Sports tap into our competitive nature and play up that competitiveness to achieve that adrenalin rush our day-to-day activities usually deny us.

The Browns 2009 season has resembled several horror movies. The Browns defense has given up more than 1,000 yards in its last two games while the offense has only gained 336 yards.

That’s not just bad, it’s terrifying.

Browns fans now are falling into two camps, those who counsel patience with a bad roster and lack of talent, and those who are sick of the excuses and want somebody to do SOMETHING positive with this team.

The former group believe head coach Eric Mangini needs more time and that it’s not all his fault. The latter believe Mangini is the root of all evil and only his head on a platter will release the demons that have possessed the team.

Whatever camp you fall in, here are five horror movies to watch on Halloween that resemble the 2009 Cleveland Browns.

Begin Slideshow

Green Bay Packers-Cleveland Browns: Rodgers Could Have a Big Day

The only question Browns fans should be pondering going into Sunday’s game is: Just how bad is this team going to lose?

 

Aaron Rodgers has been the cornerstone of the Packers offense so far this year, and now the Browns defense is getting hit by injuries.

 

But now that the frustration over losing to the Steelers has passed, fans should dwell on the positive going into each week’s losing experience. After all, the coaching staff already seemingly has decided this team will lose, so why mess with destiny?

 

This is not to say the Browns are a good team, or that the coaching staff is tanking the games in order to get a better draft pick, but it is being realistic. This team has extremely little talent, therefore, the coaches are approaching the 2009 season as one long exercise in preseason talent evaluation.

 

It isn’t the losing that is vexing to me, it’s the perception that Eric Mangini and staff aren’t approaching gameday as something to be won, rather they appear to be approaching it as “part of the process,” as Mangini is fond of saying.

 

Brian Daboll still is the offensive coordinator, so the Green Bay Packers have that going for them. Daboll probably will unleash a completely unimaginative offensive scheme featuring running plays that end at the line of scrimmage, and a four-yard pass on third and long.

 

Of course, the players on the field have to execute the plays and catch the balls, neither of which they appear capable of doing, but the plays being called in never really look like they were going to go very far anyway even if executed properly.

 

It can rightly be said Daboll is “learning on the job.” He’s never been an offensive coordinator before, and he’s being mentored by a guy who spent most of his NFL career on the defensive side of the ball.

 

This adds up to a bad situation.

 

It is very possible Daboll may one day be a very good offensive coordinator, but it’s difficult to see that now when all you have to do is look at the tape. Daboll is a guy who called a backwards moving play on third and long.

 

I’m not sure how playcalling that inept can signal greatness down the road, but that’s why I write the columns and Daboll takes credit for his starting quarterback being benched 10 quarters into the season.

 

Anyway, on to the Packers.

 

The Packers feature a weak offensive line, given that Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 25 times. Some of those sacks can be attributed to Rodgers holding onto the ball too long, but 25 sacks in six games means you have some holes.

 

Their offense relies on Rodgers arm as the team only has 506 total rushing yards compared to 1292 passing yards.

 

Rodgers has a 64.6 completion percentage and a 104.1 QB rating. Not too shabby.

 

On the defensive side, the Packers have a turnover ratio of +8, meaning Derek Anderson is going to have to be vigilant about giving up interceptions. He’s prone to throwing them, and the Packers are prone to catching them.

 

For the record, the Browns turnover ratio is -5.

 

If the Browns are to have any success on Sunday, Joshua Cribbs needs to be utilized more. The Wildcat should be seen early and often. Hopefully, Cribbs will be more comfortable in it this week.

 

Cribbs reportedly is fighting through some kind of knee injury, but we won’t know the impact of that injury until gametime.

 

The Browns defense now is a lot worse with the loss of D’Qwell Jackson for the season. Eric Wright also may not be in top form after he rolled his Mercedes this week.

 

Jackson was the team’s leading tackler going into this game with 56. Abram Elam is second with 42. That number can’t be replaced.

 

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has done a good job of getting everything he can out of the limited talent he has to work with, and his job just became that much harder.

 

The same can’t be said of Daboll, which is why my prediction for this Sunday’s game is Packers win big.

 

I don’t like saying it, it pains me to say it, but there it is. The only two questions Browns fans should be pondering at this point are: Which quarterback are the Browns going to draft next year, and how many more picks can Mangini accumulate between now and draft day?

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Green Bay Packers-Cleveland Browns: Rodgers Could Have a Big Day

The only question Browns fans should be pondering going into Sunday’s game is: Just how bad is this team going to lose?

 

Aaron Rodgers has been the cornerstone of the Packers offense so far this year, and now the Browns defense is getting hit by injuries.

 

But now that the frustration over losing to the Steelers has passed, fans should dwell on the positive going into each week’s losing experience. After all, the coaching staff already seemingly has decided this team will lose, so why mess with destiny?

 

This is not to say the Browns are a good team, or that the coaching staff is tanking the games in order to get a better draft pick, but it is being realistic. This team has extremely little talent, therefore, the coaches are approaching the 2009 season as one long exercise in preseason talent evaluation.

 

It isn’t the losing that is vexing to me, it’s the perception that Eric Mangini and staff aren’t approaching gameday as something to be won, rather they appear to be approaching it as “part of the process,” as Mangini is fond of saying.

 

Brian Daboll still is the offensive coordinator, so the Green Bay Packers have that going for them. Daboll probably will unleash a completely unimaginative offensive scheme featuring running plays that end at the line of scrimmage, and a four-yard pass on third and long.

 

Of course, the players on the field have to execute the plays and catch the balls, neither of which they appear capable of doing, but the plays being called in never really look like they were going to go very far anyway even if executed properly.

 

It can rightly be said Daboll is “learning on the job.” He’s never been an offensive coordinator before, and he’s being mentored by a guy who spent most of his NFL career on the defensive side of the ball.

 

This adds up to a bad situation.

 

It is very possible Daboll may one day be a very good offensive coordinator, but it’s difficult to see that now when all you have to do is look at the tape. Daboll is a guy who called a backwards moving play on third and long.

 

I’m not sure how playcalling that inept can signal greatness down the road, but that’s why I write the columns and Daboll takes credit for his starting quarterback being benched 10 quarters into the season.

 

Anyway, on to the Packers.

 

The Packers feature a weak offensive line, given that Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 25 times. Some of those sacks can be attributed to Rodgers holding onto the ball too long, but 25 sacks in six games means you have some holes.

 

Their offense relies on Rodgers arm as the team only has 506 total rushing yards compared to 1292 passing yards.

 

Rodgers has a 64.6 completion percentage and a 104.1 QB rating. Not too shabby.

 

On the defensive side, the Packers have a turnover ratio of +8, meaning Derek Anderson is going to have to be vigilant about giving up interceptions. He’s prone to throwing them, and the Packers are prone to catching them.

 

For the record, the Browns turnover ratio is -5.

 

If the Browns are to have any success on Sunday, Joshua Cribbs needs to be utilized more. The Wildcat should be seen early and often. Hopefully, Cribbs will be more comfortable in it this week.

 

Cribbs reportedly is fighting through some kind of knee injury, but we won’t know the impact of that injury until gametime.

 

The Browns defense now is a lot worse with the loss of D’Qwell Jackson for the season. Eric Wright also may not be in top form after he rolled his Mercedes this week.

 

Jackson was the team’s leading tackler going into this game with 56. Abram Elam is second with 42. That number can’t be replaced.

 

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has done a good job of getting everything he can out of the limited talent he has to work with, and his job just became that much harder.

 

The same can’t be said of Daboll, which is why my prediction for this Sunday’s game is Packers win big.

 

I don’t like saying it, it pains me to say it, but there it is. The only two questions Browns fans should be pondering at this point are: Which quarterback are the Browns going to draft next year, and how many more picks can Mangini accumulate between now and draft day?

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Browns-Steelers: How the Browns Can Win

Ready or not, it’s time to play the Steelers.

 

The Cleveland/Pittsburgh rivalry used to be one of the best rivalries in sports. For anyone who lived in the Northeastern part of the country, it was a game that promised a lot of drama and a lot of entertainment.

 

If you’re a fan of either team, this rivalry ranks up there with Ohio State/Michigan and Packers/Vikings.

 

But right now, any Browns fan still passionate about their team is dreading Sunday. While the Steelers have their faults, the Browns just aren’t any good—again.

 

When looking at faults to exploit with the Steelers, you see they have a very suspect offensive line, but make up for it with a quarterback who somehow manages to scramble all over the field and make plays.

 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Steelers lost defensive end Aaron Smith, which should weaken the Steelers attack. However, the return of Troy Polamalu is disheartening for the Browns, and a huge obstacle to overcome.

 

Polamalu injured his MCL in week one, but don’t expect him to show any rust or, weakness on the field. Expect Derek Anderson’s interception numbers to go up this week should Polamalu be on the field the entire game.

 

Back to the offense, the Steelers have done little over the past few years to rebuild a very suspect offensive line. While the Steelers are the defending Super Bowl champions, it isn’t because they protect the quarterback well.

 

The Browns need to capitalize on the one aspect of the game the Steelers have gotten away with ignoring over the last few years. Ben Roethlisburger has somehow survived behind a pretty weak offensive line. He’s done it by being an effective scrambler and making plays out of nothing.

 

However, Roethlisburger’s luck can’t hold. Roethlisburger can not continue to play as reckless as he has been and expect to be playing pro football at the age of 39. He’s had a few injury scares, but nothing that has affected his arm or his play.

 

The Steelers have already given up 13 sacks this year, not a low number, but that’s only one fewer sack than the Browns have given up, and the Browns are ranked 29th in defense.

 

Lineman D’Qwell Jackson’s storyline this week is “closing the deal.” He’s become known for getting very close to sacking Roethlisburger, but Roethlisburger always manages to elude him.

 

If the Browns are to emerge victorious from this contest, Jackson must sack Roethlisburger early and often. Roethlisburger must be contained, because otherwise he will light the Browns defense up.

 

On offense, Derek Anderson has to keep one eye on the blitz, and one eye on Polamalu. The Steelers have said No. 43 will be on the field, and that is something I’m not sure rookie offensive coordinator Brian Daboll can handle yet.

 

Daboll’s lack of vision, and ultra-conservative offensive schemes, have turned the Brown’s offense into something a high school coach could tear apart. That’s not a promising observation going into Pittsburgh.

 

Anderson will fling the ball down the field. That’s part of Anderson’s DNA and I’m sure it’s part of Daboll’s game plan. The key is to make sure none of Anderson’s passes are being returned for a touchdown by Polamalu.

 

The Browns offensive line will face a good test this weekend. They looked good against Buffalo, but Buffalo is actually worse than Cleveland, and their defensive line had two bad injuries during last week’s game.

 

I’m not sold on the right side of the line yet, but center Alex Mack has shown a lot of growth and left tackle Joe Thomas and left guard Eric Steinbach are up for the challenge.

 

Hank Fraley has looked a lot better than Floyd Womack did on the right side of the line not arguing that, but I won’t be completely sold until I see how they handle the Pittsburgh blitz on Sunday.

 

Other than that, the receivers need to catch balls, the running backs need to find holes, and our defensive secondary has to keep up with the deep ball.

 

But ,the key is getting to No. 7. If Roethlisburger is contained, the Browns can win. Otherwise, it’ll be another long Sunday for the Brown and Orange.

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Braylon Edwards Traded to the Jets; Are the Browns a Better Team?

In one of the least surprising moves of the week, Braylon Edwards has been traded to the New York Jets.

 

I don’t think it’s even surprising who Edwards was traded to. Head coach Eric Mangini seems to have a very good relationship with his former employer, and he’s certainly familiar with the Jets roster.

 

In return for Edwards, the Browns received wide receiver Chansi Stuckey and linebacker Jason Trusnik. The Browns also received two undisclosed draft picks.

 

Edwards definitely had worn out his welcome in Cleveland, with his inability to catch a football being the primary reason.

 

However, his off-field issues seemed to be mounting after the altercation Sunday night outside a Cleveland night club with a club employee, who also just happened to be a friend of Cavs superstar LeBron James.

 

Note to anyone in Cleveland: Don’t mess with LeBron James or any of his friends. You will lose that battle.

 

Despite the off-field issues Edwards always seemed to have, his solid-brick hands on the field and his lackadaisical approach to running routes ultimately was what killed his career in Cleveland.

 

Mangini is not the type of coach who tolerates players who don’t give their all on the field, and as rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi caught more passes this past Sunday, it was apparent that Edwards decided to take his ball and go home.

 

It should come as no surprise that Derek Anderson stopped looking in Edwards’ direction after the first quarter and the dropped pass that hit him right between the numbers.

 

Even more damning for Edwards was his attitude toward the other players and fans—because to listen to Edwards was to listen to a man so caught up in his own hype, he refused to admit he could be part of the problem.

 

He wanted all the benefits of being an NFL player, but never seemed willing to work toward those benefits on the field. It was a classic example of a person’s own ego shortcutting the necessary process.

 

Edwards famously cited his collegiate career in Michigan as the reason Cleveland fans, many of whom also are Ohio State fans, didn’t like him. This accusation didn’t endear him any further with the fan base as it was based in his own narrow view of things.

 

If he would’ve caught a few more touchdown passes, trust me, the fans in Cleveland wouldn’t have cared if he came from the deepest layers of the abyss.

 

Ironically, Edwards now will face New York fans and the New York media, who will make Cleveland look like amateurs when it comes to criticism.

 

There are two questions facing Cleveland right now in this trade:

 

How will the receivers be ranked?

 

What kind of draft picks will they receive from the Jets?

 

Stuckey may very well come to Cleveland and be designated the No. 1 receiver. Massaquoi probably already has earned the No. 2 spot with Joshua Cribbs being focused more on special teams again. After that, it’s a crapshoot.

 

The draft picks probably are conditional and the reason they are undisclosed right now. With Edwards possibly facing suspension from the league for his altercation, that will play into things.

 

The safe bet here is that if Edwards hits certain milestones or accelerators, the Browns will receive higher draft picks, say a third and a fourth.

 

If Edwards is suspended for a few games, or continues to drop just about every ball thrown his way, the Browns probably only get a sixth- and seventh-round pick.

 

Whatever the Browns get is more than I expected at this point. Given his off-field issues, attitude, and penchant for dropping easy passes, I would’ve been happy to get two cases of beer and an extra set of shoulder pads for him.

 

I made a joke out of the trade, but the important thing to realize is that Mangini got something out of nothing. Like his mentor, Bill Belichick, Mangini took a player on his way out and got some value out of him.

 

Anyone who was thinking of jumping on the Fire Mangini Bandwagon, including myself, now has one giant reason (and a few draft picks) to put those brochures down and cancel their reservation.

 

This was a good, smart move, and Mangini should be applauded for it. Edwards was done in Cleveland, and Mangini was savvy enough to get everything he could out of him.

 

—

 

Side note here because I’m constantly amazed at how fast things can change.

 

At 8:25 a.m., I began revising my notes and thoughts into a coherent article for publication that focused on why Edwards was bad for Cleveland. I had Edwards’ team page up, his Wikipedia page for reference, and a few other things for fact-checking purposes.

 

At 9:04 a.m., I received the phone call about the trade, which probably was about 10-15 minutes before I would have hit “publish.”

 

Going back to the Plain Dealer’s Web site, the trade was reported at 8:29 am, I refreshed his Wikipedia page as soon as I hung up the phone.

 

It was updated, including the picture of Braylon in Cleveland gear, which now features him signing a collectible at the Pro Bowl in February 2008.

 

Amazing.

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Cleveland Browns Show Signs Of Life in OT Loss

I guess losing by three points in overtime can be considered progress in Cleveland.

 

If nothing else, I’m eating a ton of crow right now because Derek Anderson only threw one interception in yesterday’s game. Whatever, I’ll take it.

 

Looking at the game, I think it’s best to take a “glass half full” approach since the Browns looked alive and engaged in the game until overtime. Once overtime hit, the team reverted back to its timid offensive ways and lost 23-20.

 

Starting with the quarterback, it’s obvious Derek Anderson looked much better than Brady Quinn for the first three-and-a-half quarters. But as is typical with Anderson, he pretty much shut down in the last few minutes of the game. Not entirely his fault, but I’ll get more into that later.

 

Anderson’s play was nothing spectacular, 26-48, 269 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but it’s what we’ve come to expect from him. Anderson is streaky and there’s nothing any head coach can do at this point to change it. Anderson will throw for 1,000 yards one minute, and then throw the ball anywhere but where his receivers are the next.

 

That being said, Quinn’s time as a starter in Cleveland is over unless Anderson gets injured. Why Quinn could not bring himself to throw downfield is a question that may never be answered.

 

The sad part of the whole quarterback situation is how mismanaged it was. It seems like Quinn was never given a real chance. It’s not clear whether or not he would’ve ever developed into a solid NFL starter, but the process was horribly flawed and now we’ll probably never know.

 

I point that out because the only thing I’m reasonably sure of at this point is our future starting quarterback for the long haul is not on the roster at this time. While Anderson looked better than Quinn, he’s not the long-term solution.

 

However, it is worth noting head coach Eric Mangini decided to end the Joshua Cribbs experiment at wide receiver after remembering he drafted a person who has actually played the position in Mohamed Massaquoi.

 

Massaquoi gained 148 yards on eight receptions and announced his presence to the NFL yesterday.

 

This brings up a few questions, namely why he wasn’t being used as much before? Mangini wasn’t lining him up as often as he did yesterday. The coaching errors in this regard just became more evident with Massaquoi’s success yesterday.

 

Other questions to consider are: Was Quinn checking down from Massaquoi too soon? Were the Bengals just not respecting him, therefore leaving him open? Did Anderson just decide to throw to him more because of coverage patterns, or because Braylon Edwards still can’t catch a ball?

 

I’d love to sit down and review the coaches’ tape to see the coverage patterns yesterday because those are all good questions.

 

Either way, Massaquoi had a great game, and all we can hope for is that this is the start of something good.

 

Turning to other positive aspects of the game, all Cribbs did on Sunday is remind the league why he’s one of the best return men in the business, running for 212 yards on special teams.

 

That kind of yardage on special teams is just ridiculous. Cribbs said he wanted a new contract prior to this season and all he’s done so far is prove why he deserves it. He made the Bengals special teams look like they didn’t even belong on the same field.

 

Shaun Rogers single-handedly almost caused the first tie game for the Browns since 1989 versus the Chiefs by blocking a field goal and a point after with his giant meathooks. The game-winning kick barely squeaked through the uprights as Bengals kicker Shayne Graham did everything he could to avoid Rogers’ hands.

 

Lost in the quarterback discussion was Jerome Harrison running for 121 yards on 29 touches. The fact we established a running game allowed the passing game to flourish as the defense had to come in to try and stop it.

 

Since the criticism has been out there about Mangini, it was very nice to see him show some life on the sidelines, congratulating Anderson and Massaquoi after good performances in the first half and generally not looking like a giant pile of garbage rotting on the sideline.

 

After the game, Mangini went out of his way to accentuate the positives and Edwards noted the “approach” during the week’s practice had been a little different.

 

While it’s doubtful Mangini pays all that much attention to what is being said in the media and Internet blogs some of it obviously filtered back to him, either that or he might have noticed the team quit the last few weeks.

 

Either way, it was a different Eric Mangini on the sidelines Sunday, and the team was better for it.

 

One thing that is worth berating the coaching staff about, and one of the main reasons I feel the Browns ended up losing, is the play calling. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll once again did no favors for his quarterback or team.

 

While Anderson did a much better job than Quinn of looking downfield, the fourth quarter and overtime offensive schemes felt like the same ol’, same ol’ that we’ve come to expect from Daboll.

 

Why Daboll went back into his shell, and why Mangini allowed it, becomes yet another mystery and single biggest reason this team is 0-4.

 

There are no moral victories in the NFL, and a loss is a loss is a loss, but the fact that this team didn’t quit and wasn’t blown out is the single biggest victory they’ve had in almost a year.

 

I guess it’s better than nothing.

 

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Cleveland Browns Preview: Who’s Watching This?

It’s safe to say if the Browns get blown out this weekend, it’s going to get UGLY at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

 

I’m suspending my official “Looking Ahead” previews until I can find a reason to look forward to a Browns game. I’m not talking about matchups or passing and running games. We don’t have either, so why waste the time.

 

The coaching staff, more than the players, are under the microscope this week for their actions since the regular season began. Should they continue to implement ineffective offensive schemes, especially in light of the quarterback change, the blame will fall squarely on the heads of the coaching staff.

 

Head coach Eric Mangini preached discipline and making steady improvement during training camp, yet he didn’t heed his own mantras. Instead, he pulled Brady Quinn after 10 quarters and has showed no discipline in his offensive schemes.

 

Quinn has not played well, there’s no arguing that. However, the play calling from offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is bad enough to make Peyton Manning and Tom Brady look bad.

 

Mangini’s job in this situation is to fix the problem. Work to your strengths and get the ball downfield. He should be working a lot closer with Daboll to get this guy’s performance more up to a professional level.

 

While reviewing Daboll’s resume this week, it’s apparent Daboll hasn’t done much to earn so high a promotion as he got this year. He spent the last two year’s as quarterbacks coach for the Jets under Mangini.

 

If you look at the last two years, he probably didn’t have much to do with Brett Favre’s performance last year. I know, I know, hard to believe.  The year before that the Jets went 4-12 and Chad Pennington was benched.

 

Prior to that, Daboll spent three years as an offensive assistant. So I ask again, what exactly has Daboll done to earn a promotion to offensive coordinator?

 

Of particular concern to most Browns fans last week was the call for the quarterback sneak on first-and-10 after Jerome Harrison had just completed a 17-yard run.

 

While speaking to the press this week, Mangini said he had Quinn go for the quarterback sneak on first down in an attempt to catch the Ravens with 12 men on the field. Mangini even invoked the Right Honorable Peyton Manning as some form of justification for the call.

 

Here’s an idea, why don’t you worry more about your own mistakes and stop worrying about other team’s mistakes.

 

If the Ravens were in the middle of substituting players, that would’ve been a good opportunity to just try and get the ball downfield and try and catch the safeties napping.

 

But back to Mangini, because that’s where the buck stops. Mangini deemed a quarterback change necessary 10 quarters into the season. He said it was to provide a “spark,” and try and convert more third downs.

 

I’m now going to quote my brother here because he absolutely NAILED the situation the Browns find themselves in right now. This is from an email I received just prior to writing this column.

 

“If we couldn’t see fit to give the ball to (Joshua) Cribbs in creative situations with Jamal Lewis out of the last game, then why would we start being creative now?”

 

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

 

The bottom line here is we have a coaching staff that has decided to implement schemes regardless of the talent on the field instead of taking the talent on the field and implementing schemes that complement that talent.

 

As for the Bengals, they appear to be a team on the rise. They won’t be taking this game lightly and I don’t have high hopes for a surprise victory from the Browns.

 

Like Shaun Rogers said this week, if the team can at least go out and be competitive for four quarters, that would be progress.

 

It’s sad it’s come to that, but sometimes the truth hurts.

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