286 yards and a cloud of dust

I'm seeing alot of irony in Jerome Harrison's monster 286 yard performance against the Chiefs. I present for your consideration:

>> Jamal Lewis' 295 yards against the Browns back in 2003 was a similar effort as Harrison's yesterday. Both were equal parts luck, good offensive line play, and poor tackling.

>> Although Lewis has had a solid career, I think the consensus is he's no Hall of Fame material. His 295 yard game and 2000 yard season were outliers, with the rest of his career being pretty pedestrian.

>> Despite the fact that those performances were outliers, Lewis continued to benefit from them for the remainder of his career. The way I see it, without those two high marks on his resume, he would've been no higher regarded than Thomas Jones or Fred Taylor. I doubt he would've gotten paid as much as he was by the Browns if that 295 yard day wasn't so prominent in the Browns' collective memory.

>> It seems like its been years that I've been calling for Harrison to get more touches, rather than making Lewis the feature back. Albeit, Lewis is a bit of a different style from Harrison, but I'm sure working as much in his favor was his history of accomplishments, as well as his pay grade.

>>I doubt yesterday was Harrison's coming out party. It will probably get him some more looks, maybe give him a marginally better payday once he hits free agency. Either way, I doubt the current management is going to try to make him into a feature back.

>> I started off with a point, but seemed to have lost it some where along the way. So it goes.

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Re: Holmgren and Mangini-

Holmgren sounds like a great possibility, one should never underestimate a fat man with a mustache. That being said, you're putting a HECK of alot of faith in the man by letting him decide if he's going to be GM or coach. I think thats been one of the Brown's management's biggest problems: putting too much pressure on one guy, making him carry the whole weight on his back.

I won't defend Mangini, I just hate coaching changes. Its a guarantee for a wasted season and a wasted draft. If Holmgren does come in, I hope he considers the situation very closely before making a decision. I won't blame him if he can't make it work with Mangini, but change for change's sake doesn't do anyone any good.

Pay no attention . . .

Just for the official record, this is a dead blog. If you happen to see any new postings, its just a rare lapse by a frustrated and/or drunk Browns fan. . .

A few weeks back I shelled out $30 to get access to the NFL Game Rewind, that lets me watch any game from the current season or past season. Being here in DC (for the time being, Hello Cleveland!) I don't get to watch many games live, so I at least like to be able to review them after the fact.

That being said, Dude, WTF?!

Last week's game isn't even worth watching. I'm paying the $30, but tonight when there is flowing beer and pizza at hand, I don't even care to see the travesty that is the Cleveland Browns. I'm watching the Ravens/Chargers game, just because I want to watch an actual football game.

My blood will always be orange and brown, but I'm reaching the end of my patience. Just my luck, by the time I actually am back in the land of the Cleve, Browns games will be blacked out locally, as well.

Is it drafty in here?

This Mangini guy is starting to grow on me. Count me in the camp that likes the draft.

Its seems like the biggest not against the Browns draft is that it was boring, with no potential superstars, and I agree, I don't think that this draft is going to produce any superstars. But I think it went a LOOONG way towards filling in any remaining holes and improving the general level of the supporting cast. Now the superstar-wannabe's we already have on hand (Shaun Rogers, Kam Wimbley, DQwell Jackson, Braylon Edwards, Brady Quinn and/or Derek Anderson) can hopefully live up to their potential, instead of being held back because there's no help around to take the pressure off.

I'm usually in favor of trading down. Drafting in the top 10, especially in a draft as weak as this one, is a curse, not a blessing. Not only do you overpay for a player, but you're practically forced to swing for the fences, even if what is really needed is a nice single to the gap to drive in a run. Out of the top 10 picks this year, at least 5 will end up being busts, but they'll all be paid like superstars. Why hijack your salary cap for those kinds of odds?

Frankly, once Aaron Curry was gone, I was happy to ditch the pick and not take a QB, regardless of what we got from the Jets. Sanchez has only started 16 games! None of the other "options" for that slot sounded too great, either. So I would've been fine if the trade had just been for the Jets 1st and 2nd picks. Getting the three players is just a bonus. The three Jets we're getting all help fill holes with some known quantities, even if its unlikely that any will be superstars. The other trades in the first with Tampa Bay and Philly were great moves, too, sliding down a few spots, still drafting a solid player, and picking up a couple more draft picks in the process.

I think a huge reason our offensive production fell off last year is our loss of Joe Jurevicis, which left us with no one who could move the chains consistently on third and long and take the pressure off the vertical threats. So I'm thrilled that we picked up two guys with alot of potential to fill that #2 role. Don't look at it as wasting a pick on a #2 receiver, look at it as using a pick to resurrect your #1 receiver, since he needs a good #2 across from him.

Overall, we have 11 new players from this weekend, not counting the undrafted free agents who have been signed. Chances are at least 3 will be starting on opening day (Alex Mack, Brian Robiskie, Kenyon Coleman), while others will fill holes even if they aren't starting right now (Abram Elam, Brett Ratliff, David Veikune, Mohamad Massaquoi).

Wow

I don't want to get into the Donte Stollworth situation. Its too serious for a football blog. I just want to say that he should be cut.

That is appropriate

I approve of signing a player nicknamed "Pork Chop". That his Christian name is Floyd is simply a bonus.

And your mama, too

Why is Eric Mangini so dead set on alienating the Browns fanbase?

So far he has:

>> Alienated Shaun Rogers

>> Signed a number of no-name Jets, including signing Hank Poteat when Leigh Bodden could still have been had.

>> Traded Kellen Winslow Jr. (although this was already coming)

>> Declared that Browns history is meaningless

>> Cut Joe Jurevicis, despite his desire to stay with the team and to take a pay cut.

Its enough to make me wish we still had the Crennel/Savage duo. Yeah, they were incompetent, but at least they didn't actively try to piss off the fans.

Assuming that Mangini is intentionally trying to tick us off, here are a couple more ideas for him:

>> Cut Phil Dawson. Sign a kicker with a European name and a big leg, whose every kickoff is a touchback, but whose field goal percentage is the same from 30 yards as it is from 50.

>> Sign or trade for a marginal veteran QB (Kyle Boller, Jeff Garcia?). After an inconclusive and unbalanced QB competition, declare him the winner based on a "gut" feeling, while DA and Brady Quinn sit on the bench. Despite his performance (or lack there-of), stick with him.

>> Use our 4th round pick to draft a long-snapper who can compete with Ryan Pontbriand

>> Compare Browns fans unfavorably to Ravens fans or steelers fans

>> Flatly refuse to let Josh Cribbs do anything

>> Sign a marginal Jets backup running back and cut/don't use Jerome Harrison

>> Ignore special teams

>> For the legacy/team advisor position, replace Jim Brown with John Elway

>> Trade up in the draft to take a new QB

>> Lose to pittsburgh

Experience counts, does anything else?

I won't pretend that this is still a functional blog. Work is busy, and I've lost a bit of the passion (for reading every scrap of Browns news and posting, not for the Browns themselves). I'd like to keep it up, but we'll see.

But the coach search has gotten me riled up enough to figure out what my password is.

I don't have much faith. Lerner came into this search process with one thing in mind: hire a guy who has coached before. Shanahan, Cowher, and Schottenheimer were all out of the running, so our only choices were Detroit's guy, Crennel, or Mangini.

I'm OK with putting a premium on experience, but that shouldn't be your sole criteria. Here, I think it was.

This will not end well.

Nah, calling it your job don't make it right, boss

A few things have surfaced about the Browns in the last 36 hours, but I'll leave the sloppy performance against the Redskins to another post.

Most interesting to me are the emerging details around Kellen Winslow's recent visit to the Cleveland Clinic, which was not just to cheer up sick kids as one might have expected. Pardon me if I sound a bit conspiratorial, but I just finished watching JFK.

So Winslow goes into the hospital for three days. The only word emerging from the Browns, via coach Crennel, state simply that its a minor issue that he can't discuss. Meanwhile, rumors run rampant around the internet that Winslow is there because of "swollen testicles", with some rumor mills suggesting its a case of the clap (no doubt from an overzealous WAC?).

After returning to the field and taking part in an ugly Browns' loss, Winslow breaks the silence to say he was in the hospital because of an all-too-frequent staph infection. Now Winslow is being portrayed as the villain for going public, with Crennel threatening to fine or suspend Winslow, and Terry Pluto writing the Browns' front office's cover story.

Winslow has seen his share of adversity over the years, and he has brought alot of it on himself. And I'm aware that he has been vocal that he wants a new contract (which, I have pointed out before, is not entirely undeserved). But to suggest that his disclosure (which the Browns have confirmed) is nothing but a money-grabbing scheme (as Pluto has suggested) is just downright wrong.

As briefly noted  opposite of Pluto's take, staph infections are no laughing matter with the Browns. Over the past few years multiple Browns have had already serious injuries turned into life-threatening illnesses by staph infections. The Browns have become the butt of jokes throughout the league because of the frequency of these infections, and there is little doubt that it must enter into any free agent's mind when entertaining offers to join the squad.

Given this history, it's understandable that the Browns' front office wants to keep quiet another outbreak of the dreaded staph infection. Understandable, but unconscionable.

The fact is that, in a time where formerly simple diseases are emerging as uncontrollable plagues (OK, hyperbole, but not much so) the last thing we need as a society is to be sweeping this kind of thing under the rug. Drug-resistant bacterial infections are becoming a fact of life in the sports world and the larger world in general, and its just one more issue that confronts us as a country.

But beyond that, Winslow was being raked over the coals by the free (but unscrupulous) press. Not only was his masculinity being denigrated, but his fidelity to his wife. I, for one, cannot blame the man for setting the record straight, regardless of its effects on the Browns' efforts to control information.

Kellen Winslow has his flaws. But he deserves respect for his commitment to the game, if not to the Browns. On a surgically repaired (but not healed) knee he has dragged himself out there to lay his well-being on the line for the Browns, in both losing efforts as well as winning. In the process he has not only bourn incredible pain (the man has little cartilage left in his knee, dealing with bone scraping upon bone), but actually risking his future ability to walk about freely and unhindered. Yes, he is better compensated than I or most human beings. But what is money, compared to the ability to walk? What is money, compared to the respect of your peers, and the respect of the public?

Winslow had every right to go public with his story, and he will have every right to take the Browns' retaliatory response into consideration when deciding his future with the team. And we may eventually hear the Browns' side of the story. I just hope we can believe it.

Whoa baby, whats this football-like substance found in my jar of Browns?

Quick disclaimer: I DID call for benching Derek Anderson. My sudden birth of enthusiasm IS an example of fairweather fandom. And I don't give a $%@$!

But to try to remain some semblance of face, I read and was impressed by this article before the Browns' surprise win over the Giants. The main gist? Through Football Outsiders game charting program, they have been able to show that Derek Anderson's passing has been improving markedly since last year, and its really been an increase of poor receiver play and good defensive play that has held our passing attack back.

But what does any of that matter now? The good guys just won a MAJOR upset, and they did in pretty impressive fashion.

GO BROWNS!!

Coin flips and bad coaching

Back when Crennel flipped a coin to decide between Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson, it was ridiculous, but decisive. His current "decision" is still pretty ridiculous, but even lacks the decisiveness of his coin flip.

I assume he feels he's showing his players loyalty and even handedness. It might work if the players were children, but most of them are not, and they must see through this ruse pretty easily.

Regardless of where you come down in the Anderson/Quinn debate, I think few fans can look at this "decision" as a good approach. Crennel should have either given Anderson a vote of confidence, or he should have pulled the trigger on Quinn.

The head coach's primary responsibility is not to draw up playbooks, scout players, or call plays. His primary job is to decide, given the players on the roster, who will be playing on Sunday, and getting those players motivated. Crennel is failing miserably in this regard.

I predict that we will not see Quinn on Sunday, no matter how poorly the offense performs.

Disappointment Materialized

My apathy from the offseason has been replace by disgust with the actual season. It looks like we're heading for a losing record at this early point in the season, and even if we miraculously end up in the playoffs, its looking pretty unlikely that we could hang with the big boys once we're there. My only hope for redemption is if the team manages to get healthy fast enough to offset the usual injuries that pop up as the season slogs on.

Its impossible to place blame, since pretty much both sides of the ball have been sucking things up, and special teams have looked pretty pedestrian. But I'm here to try.

The offense has been totally ineffective, scoring one TD over the first two games, and even that TD was aided by some key defensive penalties. Derek Anderson has continued with his mediocre play from the end of last season. Even when he manages a decent pass, the receivers are dropping balls left and right.

The receiving corp has looked like a real sham, and I think a big part of that comes from the missing Joe Jurevicis. Last year saw too many series that consisted of a short run (or a short Kellen Winslow completion) and a dropped Braylon Edwards pass that were redeemed by Jurevicis getting the job done on 3rd and medium-to-long. With no Jurevicis this year, we're seeing too many three and outs. Beyond that, the occasional Braylon Edwards big play flashes are even less likely as opposing defenses can concentrate on Edwards since the rest of our receiving corp consists mostly of no-names.

The missing dynamic that we were all hoping for was Donte Stallworth lined up across from Edwards, giving us the twin deep threats. But where is Stallworth? Looks like he's another case of the Cleveland curse. But even when/if Stallworth gets back, we can't forget that he is a very different receiver than Jurevicis. Stallworth isn't going to give us the reliable first downs that Jurevicis does, so even when he's back we probably won't see the three-and-outs disappear, we'll just see a few more big plays that give us a five-and-out with a punt from the 50 yard line instead of the 20 yard line.

The offense could get back on track quickly, but until it does the Brady Quinn watch will only intesify, and deservedly so.

I don't care much about the defense. Sure, they suck, but not any worse than last year, and we've only seen them against offenses (Dallas and pittsburgh) that so far look pretty explosive.

The biggest area of disappointment is the TERRIBLE job done by Romeo Crennel's coaching staff. Between the poor clock management, crappy situational tactics, and complete inability to change the team's approach to match the situation on the field the Crennel regime has probably cost us one winnable game, and will continue making this team worse. Crennel continues to coach as if we're a dominating team (ala the Patriots) whether or not the team can pull it off. His style may pay off once the team gets healthy and starts clicking, but until then he's going to be costing us games that will eliminate any chance of a playoff push late once the team heals up.

I retain the right to get excited by this season, but I am not yet at the point where I'm willing to exercise that option.

The Cruise

Hola, Amigos. I know its been a long time since I rapped at ya, but things have been getting plenty hairy around here. But what's all that, when today is the beginning of Browns season?

I don't have much to say about the Browns, and haven't for the last few months. There are some reasons for hope, there are some reasons for worry.  I can see 6-10 as easily as easily as I can see 12-4. I can see us ending the season looking to trade a superfluous quarterback as easily as I can see us cutting one QB and questioning another.

But who cares? Just bring on the football!

World Ends

The biggest news right now is that Daven Holly is done for the season. Its a shame, he had some talent, and he was reliable. But to read Tony Grossi's article, you'd think that we just lost the second coming of Hanford Dixon.

I'll admit, on the surface this is starting to look like the 2006 Center situation. But in that case, we were reduced from having arguably the best center in the league to having nothing. Here, we still have the two guys who represent our brightest future at the position in Eric Wright and Brandon MacDonald. Also, that happened a month before the season started. This is still May. And lets not forget how the 2006 center fiasco ended: We gave up a 6th round pick for team captain Hank Fraley, who anchors the center of our line to this day.

Phil Savage has alot of work to do to get warm bodies in to take over for Holly, Kenny Wright, and Leigh Bodden. And the coaches will have alot of work to do to get them up to speed and figure out how to use them. And the secondary will probably be a little worse than they could have been. But this is hardly the end of the season. That won't be until the rest of the corners get hurt.

A well deserved extension

We have a few more years to trust in Phil.

And thats a good thing. Despite my recent concerns of Phil's love of the trade, the man has undoubtedly upgraded the Browns organization in a very meaningful way. The upgrades run much deeper than our current 10-6 roster. The processes he has brought to the team's player evaluation and acquisition strategies is already proving its superiority to the Butch Davis method of familiarity and gut feelings. Ace Davis has a good review of one of Phil's strategies that will be paying off for the Browns for a while.

I think I've already said it, but just bringing us a quality offensive line is reason enough for me to say "In Phil we trust!"

AFC North headed South

Part of the worry of going into the draft with few picks was that the other teams may catch up to the Browns. Fortunately, the Ravens, Bengals, and steelers GMs did their best to set our minds at ease:

Baltimore Ravens:
Trading down to stockpile picks was worrisome at first. But then they went and traded up for Derek Anderson wannabe Joe Flacco. I still haven't seen anything that sets this guy apart from our own 6th-round-pick-turned-free-agent-pick-up. Other than the fact that he cost the Ratbirds a first round pick (and first round money). He can throw the ball 50 yards from his knees? Frisman Jackson could throw 70 yards. Thats not going to help much with a bad corp of receivers and an o-line thats ready to apply for Social Security. The Ravens QB carousel is going to spin faster than our old Holcomb/Couch problem with de-facto Head Coach Ray Lewis calling the shots. I'm sure the Wizard of Oz got a few choices right when he was allowed to make the later picks, but its not going to be enough to help that train-wreck waiting to happen.

Cincinnati Bengals:
They were stuck in a tough position in the first round, with the best available players being cornerbacks and offensive tackles. So they picked a linebacker based on need. Then they picked up a few wide receivers who will have fun trying to replace hold-out Chad Johnson and released multiple felon Chris Henry. And just as we all thought they were ready to turn the corner on their collection of criminals, they go and draft defensive tackle Jason Shirley, who comes with outstanding charges before he's even been in the Bengals' locker-room. He might have a chance to learn a bit from newly-reinstated linebacker Odell Thurman, if he can get into camp before Thurman gets busted again.

pittsburgh steelers:
They got high marks from draftniks for picking value running backs and wide receivers. It'll be fun to see what those guys can do behind an offensive line that makes the Ravens' line look like. . . . . . well look like the Browns' line. Out: Alan Faneca. In: Tony Hills. Their line had a tough time keeping Roethlisberger upright against the Browns' pitiable defensive line last year. Our defensive line has improved ten fold. Their line has gotten worse. If Roethlisberger survives the season, I'll be surprised.

Browns, Usury, and the Credit Crunch

I logged on to check the draft progress around the 18th pick in round 4. Little did I expect that by then we had already made two picks.

Some of the picks sound kind of interesting. But thats not my thing. I don't know squat about college players. But I do know a little bit about finance. So I think I am somewhat qualified to point out that Phil Savage is addicted to credit, and he needs an intervention.

Savage is addicted to borrowing from the future to meet the needs of today. How fitting that its going on while our country is going through a credit crunch because of overuse and abuse of credit in the recent past.

The thing is, taking out loans and borrowing isn't necessarily bad. Borrowing is a good thing when you expect the payoff to exceed your finance charges. So taking out a loan to buy a truck for your job that will make you more than the cost of the truck is a good idea. But financing isn't always good. Taking out a home equity loan to buy a big screen tv is probably always a bad idea.

Applying this comparison to football is a bit tricky because the difference isn't whether you're using your picks for a truck or a tv. At the end of the day, draft picks are only worth anything to the extent that they get you players. There is no clear line between a trade to get great value and gambling away the future for immediate needs.

Think of it this way: We trade next year's 3rd rounder to get a 4th rounder this year to use on a guy who should've gone in the 2nd round. So next year, what do we do when a 1st rounder falls into the 3rd round and we don't have a pick left?

The fact is, EVERY year good players drop to later rounds. So using a pick from next year to get value this year just means you won't be able to get (or will have to overpay for) value next year.

Its possible that Phil felt better about getting late-round value this year compared to next year because we've focused more attention on the later rounds (without having to be distracted by scouting 1st rounders). But how good can a sixth round wide receiver really be (Marques Colston excepted)?

The only thing that really matters is the quality of the players Phil brings in. If his picks this year result in starters at linebacker, tight end, and wide receiver, then his trades may be worth it. But lets hope that Phil gets over his addiction to using future picks.

The Browns win the first round

How do you win the first round without having a pick? By the fact that 8 teams selected offensive linemen. That surely has a more than a little to do with the huge impact Joe Thomas has had on the Browns offensive line, and the huge impact the improved line has had on the entire offense.

Too bad none of them are going to be as good as quickly as Joe was/is.

Go Browns!!

I think I hold up well to even intense scrutiny

Yadda-yadda-yadda. . . . . .schedule is out . . . . . . tough opponents. . . . . . 5 primetime games. . . . . .increased exposure brings increased scrutiny. . .

I don't see why having prime time games is necessarily a good thing. I know the players like the national spotlight, and as a dislocated fan I like that I can find any old neighborhood bar to see the game at, instead of having to squeeze into a Backers' location or struggle with SOPcast. But it also means alot of annoying hype and annoying announcers who know half as much as the local guys but talk as if they know twice as much.

I don't think its necessarily a sign that the NFL expects big things out of the Browns, which appears to be the conventional wisdom. Rather, I think its a sign that, even when the Browns play a bad game, they do so pretty excitingly.

As we've known for a while, on paper our line-up of opponents looks pretty tough. But every year a handful of teams crash and burn, while another handful come out of nowhere. Hopefully we have a couple of the former on our schedule.

The first four games are a pretty tough test. At home against Dallas and pittsburgh, then at Baltimore and Cincinnati, then the bye. I'm not going to say we should be happy if we're 2-2, because we should be able to beat any of our division rivals. But division games tend to put "should" on its head.

This is going to be a long off-season. . .

NFL: Yup, they got screwed

The NFL has announced rule changes for next year. Two of the changes are direct responses to plays that screwed, or almost screwed, the Browns:
>> Allow replay to review fieldgoals. Against Baltimore, the Phil Dawson game winning field goal was called no good until some discussion, and perhaps some refs unofficially seeing the replay.
>> Eliminate the force-out rule. Against the Cardinals, a game tying Kellen Winslow touchdown catch ended with his getting forced out of bounds. The refs didn't call the force out, an inherent judgement call, and the replays for the rest of the week led many viewers to believe that the Browns got robbed of a win.

There was another rule change that was proposed and not adopted that would have changed the seeding order in the playoffs, supposedly to keep teams from intentionally tanking late season games. This also was in direct response to the Browns getting screwed out the playoffs.

I've always held that the Browns get the short end of the stick over and over again. The fact that rule changes are happening because of it just confirms my suspicions. I don't think these rule changes represent that the Browns' shafting this season was any worse than past years. Its more just the fact that when we got screwed in the past, we were still terrible, so the common wisdom is "they would've lost anyways". Now that we're a good team, it makes a bigger impact on the powers that be.

Once you get locked into a serious lineman collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can

The Browns have added Rex Hadnot and re-signed Seth McKinney.

Assuming the starting line that finished out last season -- Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, Hank Fraley, Ryan Tucker, and Kevin Shaffer -- hold on to their starting jobs, that gives us a backup line of Nat Dorsey, Lennie Friedman, Rex Hadnot, Seth McKinney, Isaac Sowells, and LeCharles Bentley. That backup line is better than most of our pre-2007 starting lines. Of course, Pete Prisco at CBS thinks that O-line depth is one of our "needs".

So what's the deal? Is Phil Savage overly concerned about injuries? Its not a terrible thing, given the age of Tucker and Fraley and Bentley's situation over the past two years.

But I also wouldn't be surprised if we saw a Kevin Shaffer trade on draft day. I'm sure Savage would be comfortable shifting Ryan Tucker back to right tackle and letting McKinney or Hadnot start at guard. That wouldn't be an improvement, but if it could get us back into the third round I could see it happen.