Update: Thanks to Twitter, this post caught the attention of Gatorade president Sarah Robb O’Hagan (@SarahRobbOh). She enjoyed our rundown of the funniest Gatorade baths ever, and she also sent me the wall mural from Gatorade’s headquarters with some of their favorite Gatorade baths of all-time. It’s very cool. You’ll see it at the end of the post.

The Gatorade bath is a tradition like few others in sports.

After most monumental wins in football – specifically Super Bowls, national championship games, especially important and/or meaningful bowl games, or season-ending victories over hated rivals – such a celebration can be expected. The tradition began with the New York Giants in the mid-1980s and continues into today with no signs of slowing down.

While the sentimental among us enjoy the Gatorade bath because it symbolizes the triumph of a team of men on the field of athletic battle and the ultimate moment of shared jubilation and respect between coach and player, I enjoy Gatorade baths for a far different reason.

Pictures and videos of them can be laugh-lout-loud hilarious.

So here is my personal ode to the Gatorade bath, with the 28 funniest Gatorade baths of all-time, presented in no particular order other than saving the best ones for last.

Bob Stoops

Image source: AP Photo/LM Otero via Boston.com

Urban Meyer

Image source: SBNation

Nick Saban

Zombie Ken Whisenhunt

Image source: Revenge of the Birds

Kirk Ferentz

Image credit: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky via Boston.com

Jim Tressel

Image credit: Photo by Harry How/Getty Images via The Part Time Jock

Image source: Eleven Warriors

Gary Patterson

Joe Gibbs

Image source: Here

Tony Dungy

Image source: Stock Lemon Blog

Bill Parcells

Image credit: Peter Read Miller/SI via Hot Clicks

Greg Schiano

Image source: Today’s ACC Headlines

Image credit: Dill/AP via NY Daily News

Steve Spurrier

Image source: Eric Campos via GoGamecocks.com

Dave Doeren

Image credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE via Chicago Tribune

Some Confused Ohio Bobcats

Mike McCarthy

Image source: Here

Cito Gaston

Image source: The National Post

Bill Curry

Image source: MTV.com

Rick Stockstill

Image credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images via Boston.com

Frank Beamer

Image credit: Phil Coale/AP via Statesman.com

Image source: Boston.com

Eric Mangini

Les Miles

Image source: Here

Image credit: A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images via MTV.com

Image source: SECTalk.com

And I saved the best image last…

Marty Schottenheimer…like a boss

But no Gatorade shower can or will ever be quite as funny as the one in this video, all things considered.

Guy Morriss

Update: Actually, I was mistaken. I’m not quite sure how I forgot about one of my favorite Gatorade bath pictures of all time, but I did. Thankfully, loyal Tweeters like @jimkanicki are here to remind me of the error of my ways. For goodness sakes, this pic is the background of Spencer Hall’s Twitter page!

Here is the great Howard Schnellenberger (the man who laid the foundation at The U, for those too young to remember) being doused by his team at Florida Atlantic.

Random thought: I suppose I should change the number in the title to 29 considering that there are technically now 29 images and videos with the addition of the Schellenberger picture, but since one of the pics is an elephant peeing on Les Miles, we won’t count that as a Gatorade bath.

Update: And here is the picture of the mural at Gatorade HQ sent to me by Sarah Robb O’Hagan:

Hey, remember Jerome Harrison? You probably do if you had him on your fantasy team… I sure as hell do seeing as he single-handedly knocked me out of the playoffs last year.

So maybe you just snuck into the playoffs or you’re a good team who happens to have some brutal match-ups (i.e. Cedric Benson against the Steelers) – well you’re in luck because you have a Choice – crash out the playoffs in a blaze of glory or make the only logical Choice there is – add Tashard.

Yes, I’m talking about Tashard Choice, the running back that Cowboys homer in your draft always seems to grab in the last round every year and you say “LOL third-string running back”. Well boys and girls, you better hope they didn’t hang onto his sorry ass for 13 weeks  this season because the homer may just might have the final laugh – Tashard could just be this year’s Jerome.

Here’s a few reason why it just makes sense…

• Since Jason Garrett has taken over, in the past 4 games the Cowboys have ran the ball on 54% of offensive plays (134 out of 248 plays). In the previous 9 under Wade Phillips, the Cowboys only ran the ball on 33% of offensive plays (167 out of 493 plays). That’s a 21 percent increase. The Dallas running game was never able to get off the ground under saggy-tits Wade but now that it has legs with Garrett at the helm it looks like the running game is here to stay.
• The incredibly average Jon Kitna and the average passing game. Sure with Tony Romo and weapons like Miles Austion, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and Roy Williams it can be easy to just disregard the running game and hope for the best throwing the ball 67% of the time. Well enjoy that sideline view Tony, who is expected to miss three more games and get better Dez Bryant, hope that broken ankle heals right. The Cowboys passing game still has enough explosiveness for defenses to respect it, but they will be leaning on the running game with the aforementioned injuries.
• Three favorable match-ups in a row with the Eagles and Redskins at home and the Cardinals on the road. People think the Eagles is a “bad” match-up for some reason, but they have allowed over a touchdown a game on the ground and have a pretty mediocre run defense. Sure the Eagles can put up points fast, but at home I like the Cowboys to stay in the game for awhile, which helps the running game. Washington and Arizona are even worse on defense, with the Redskins allowing almost 170 yards on the ground a game and the Cardinals… well… let’s just hope you play Tashard in Week 16, because that defense is awful and your wallet will probably be fatter.
• Finally, the Cowboys have nothing to lose, so they might as well see what they can get out of some unproven players like Tashard. James Harrison was in the same boat last year; with Eric Mangini’s job on the line he gave Harrison the ball 106 times in 3 weeks. Now I’m not saying Choice will get that ungodly amount of carries, but he will get more than enough touches to merit a start by most owners.

So there you have it… if you haven’t put in a waiver claim for Tashard Choice, do whatever you can to get him. If you’re playing in a waiver budget league and have any money left over, bust open that piggy bank already and put everything you got into the man who will be making a lot of fantasy owners happy around the holiday season.

Matthew Brown is a social media professional who runs a full-time soccer blog called The Trapped Fan which focuses on international soccer. Also an avid Vikings and Minnesota sports fan, you can follow him on Twitter: @trappedfan

The latest is this quote, in the New York Post:

“I go in there and he told me that he traded me to the New York Jets and I couldn’t show how excited I was at the time, because I thought it would be unprofessional to do a dance in his office. When he told me that, I couldn’t get out of Berea [Ohio, where the Browns train] fast enough.”

Well guess what, Braylon? You aren’t the only one who was ready to dance when it was announced that you were leaving Cleveland. I seem to remember an entire fan base that was overjoyed with the news.

And in case you forgot, the Browns won their final four games last year…without you. Something tells me Eric Mangini probably would have done the fox trot with you right out to your car.

So, since Braylon Edwards is my least favorite athlete in any sport, I decided to honor his return to Cleveland in the most disrespectful and unwelcoming way I can think of: with a mocking photo story here on MSF.

Note: If for some reason the image doesn’t load properly or quickly, view it here.

And here’s the saddest part about it Braylon: even if you catch 10 passes for 300 yards and 4 TDs in Cleveland, not one fan in that stadium would want you back, and the Browns’ biggest weakness is at wide receiver.

That’s sad. It’s pathetic. And it’s all your doing, because you have zero humility and the self-awareness of cucumber. Maybe you’re fine with that, whatever. But you could have been a hero in Cleveland (remember 2007? You know, when you tried…) instead of a drunk-driving, pass-dropping douchebag now lost in the shuffle in New York. That was your choice.

My choice is to call you out for it all one more time as you come back to the city you so clearly loathed from Day 1. Well the feeling is now fully mutual, you jackass.

Oh, and on behalf of my friends in Cleveland, thanks in advance for what I’m sure will be at least a couple of these on Sunday…

GIF credit: Dan McQuade via SBNation

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Update: Our friends over at Cleveland Frowns have a much more mature and measured take on Braylon’s return to Cleveland and how the swap of Braylon for Eric Mangini has worked out very well for the Browns.

It is speculated that Mike Holmgren might consider firing Mangini if the Browns reached 0-4. The firing of Mangini would also undoubtedly have resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. This would have left the Browns in complete disarray and with the reality of another disappointing season.

The coaches and the fans can thank the team for a well played game that resulted in a win.

The first win of the year was won on the back of Peyton Hillis. He ran for 102 yards on 27 carries and is now seventh in the league in rushing yards. Hillis had a key 24-yard run right before the two minute warning to cement a Browns victory.

The game was a must-win because an 0-4 record would have left little to no hope for a playoff berth. After leading in the fourth quarter in all of their first three games and losing, they bucked that trend Sunday.

After a back and forth game, the Browns entered the fourth quarter with a 23-13 lead. All Browns fans in attendance were uneasy, including me, because the Bengals could strike at any moment. They have Ochocinco and T.O. with the latter having a great game. T.O. had 10 catches for 222 yards. His longest reception was one for 78 yards and a touchdown, which he scored on Sheldon Brown.

The Bengals cut the lead to 23-20 after a 9-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by a Brian Leonard TD run. The Browns took the kickoff but could do nothing with the ball. They went 3 and out with 9:34 left in the 4th quarter. This moment had happened in all of their first three games. They had stalled offensively in the second half and lost their lead late.

The Bengals got the ball and went to work quickly. With 5:20 left, they had taken the ball all the way to the Cleveland 31 and had to convert a key 3rd and 3. Even if they did not get it, they could set up for a field goal that would tie the game. The next two plays ended up changing the game.

On third down, Carson Palmer looked to the sideline for Chad Ochocinco. The pass was off target and it looked like it could have been picked off. Ochocinco decided to not allow the possibility of an interception by committing offensive pass interference. Eric Mangini had an important decision to make: accept the penalty and move the Bengals out of field goal range but giving them another 3rd down play, or decline and give Ohio’s other football team a chance at a field goal. Mangini put faith in his defense to get another stop and he was rewarded. Matt Roth came up witha huge sack on Palmer that put the Bengals on the 45 yard line of Cleveland and forced a punt.

The Browns got the ball back with 4:41 left at their own 11-yard line. The goal was clear: run out the clock. The Bengals had two timeouts left along with the two minute warning. The Browns got a quick first down and were later faced with a 3rd and 1 with 3:07 left. Peyton Hillis got the hard earned yard to keep victory in the clutches of the Browns.

Hillis’s most important run of the year so far came with 2:47 left on 2nd and 7. The Bengals were out of timeouts which meant that a first down would seal a victory for the Browns. Hillis got more than just a first down, when he ran for a 24 yard gain that sealed victory. A few plays out of the victory formation and the Browns brought home their first victory of 2010.

Based on the final stats, it appeared that the Bengals should have been victorious. They had 413 total net yards compared to the Browns’ 295. Both teams also finished with 21 first downs each. The key stat was points off of turnovers. The Browns had 6 while the Bengals had 0. Two Bengals fumbles were drive killers in their own right and gave the Browns the points they needed to win. 6 points can mean the difference between winning and losing, or having a job and being fired.

From Adam Schefter’s Twitter page:

Filed to ESPN: Mike Holmgren informed Eric Mangini and his full staff they will return to work in 2010 – then said, Let’s get to work.

There might be some tweaking to Browns staff, like there is on any staff, but Mike Holmgren told full staff they would return.

And a major hat tip to Mark Schlereth, whose tweet (which I initially doubted) alerted me to the growing chatter that Holmgren was keeping Mangini.

Update: As pointed by The Orange & Brown Report on Twitter, none of the sources stating that Mangini will be retained are local. However, I don’t see any reason at this point to doubt ESPN’s report. I’m keeping my eye on it though.

Update: Pro Football Talk is also reporting on Mangini’s return to Cleveland. They cite the ESPN.com story entitled “Source: Mangini to Return” that was filed by Schefter preceding the tweet cited above.

The story is light on details, saying only that Mangini and his staff were told they would return after three days of meetings with Holmgren.

Let’s take it to the people with a couple of poll questions:

Update: Interesting point raised by The OBR on Twitter just a few minutes ago:

How many in the media are going to admit they were wrong when they said Mangini was a goner as soon as Holmgren arrived? My guess is zero.

In this week’s edition he analyzes the ten immediate actions that Mike Holmgren should take in his effort to turn around the Browns. While most of the suggestions are fairly solid and well-reasoned (especially the “Pay Josh Cribbs” one!), this one almost made me fall out of my chair:

Under the heading “Hire Mangini’s Replacement” Florida writes the following:

One obvious candidate is Jim Mora, who might be out in Seattle, depending on who the team’s next general manager is.

If Holmgren hopes to have an active role in the Xs and Os, Jim Zorn makes sense, too. He has experience in the top job, and he’d surely defer to any guidance or suggestions Holmgren might make.

Of course, if Holmgren really wants to get involved, he can coach the team himself, something he has not yet ruled out.

Yes, like many other Browns fans reading this, I threw up a little bit in my mouth when I read that.

Jim Mora has done so poorly in his first season with the Seahawks (replacing Holmgren) that he might be ousted when the Seahawks hire a new GM. Whoo-hoo!

Jim Zorn has done so poorly during his two seasons in Washington that his power has been all but completely usurped and the Redskins’ owner is galavanting about town courting Mike Shanahan. Whoo-hoo!

And Mike Holmgren once was a very successful coach, but got burnt out in Seattle and has now reached an age when many coaches who were formerly successful struggle to climb the mountain again. Whoo-hoo!

So, as far as I’m concerned, Florio went 0-3 in offering potential head coach choices that would inspire me to be hopeful. Then, after I tweeted about this article, someone I respect sent me a direct message on Twitter that said the following:

At least he didn’t throw out Morninwheg like everyone else. I’ll be really ticked if that’s the direction Holmgren goes.

You remember Marty Morninwheg right? Yes, that Marty Morninwheg who somehow made the Detroit Lions worse and whose claim to fame is winning the toss in overtime and deciding to kick.

Brilliant.

I think I need some Pepto Bismol quickly or I’m going hurl all over my computer.

So, to recap, here are the names that I’ve read as being potential head coach candidates in the Cleveland next year:

• Jim Mora (failure in Seattle)
• Jim Zorn (failure in Washington)
• Mike Holmgren (failure his last season in Seattle and now older)
• Marty Morninwheg (failure in life for kicking in OT)

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to being a Cleveland Browns fan…where hope springs eternal!

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* – Jim Zorn photo credit: Taylor-Made Tirade

Sitting at 1-11, the conventional wisdom was that Eric Mangini was basically coaching out the string, essentially a placeholder for whoever the Browns future “football czar” were to choose to be the new head coach.

After two straight victories – importantly, one of them against arch-nemesis Pittsburgh – two of the most influential voices in Browns Nation have now publicly pledged their support for Mangini.

None other than Joshua Cribbs and Jim Brown.

Here are a couple of excerpts that are extremely telling of just how much better the Browns have played over the last two weeks:

From Peter King’s MMQB column today, which included the following Josh Cribbs comments on Eric Mangini:

I asked Cribbs Sunday after the game: If you polled all the players on the team, what would be the vote on whether to keep or get rid of Mangini?

“I think it’d be unanimous,” Cribbs said. “I think the guys would definitely want to keep him. You can’t judge coach Mangini on one year. The camaraderie in the locker room is great. You hear things in the media about coach Mangini being too tough on us. But I think we’re building something here, and I think the players are behind him.”

And from James Walker’s AFC North blog on ESPN.com, which included the following Jim Brown comments on Eric Mangini:

Following Sunday’s win, Brown, an executive advisor for team owner Randy Lerner, said Mangini should be back in 2010. Brown believes the team is improving with “a lot of young people who we don’t know who are playing good football.” Brown also said he didn’t want to contradict his boss.

I cannot think of two people more important for Mangini to have on his side than Brown and Cribbs.

Brown is obviously the most legendary Brown of all, and someone whose word still carries immense influence both inside and outside of Berea.

Cribbs is the most beloved and decorated current Brown, whose effort and selflessness endear him to everyone. Add in the fact that he now holds the NFL record for career kickoff return TDs, and is the most complete and explosive special teams player in the NFL, and he has emerged as a bona fine NFL superstar.

Remember earlier this year when the Browns looked listless as they lost game after game after game in embarrassing fashion? And remember when Jamal Lewis was extremely critical of his coach publicly?  I think it is now fair to ask if perhaps Lewis was a lone wolf, balking at a routine that was different from what he had known under more laid back regimes in Baltimore and under Romeo Crennel.

Jamal Lewis was placed on IR on December 2nd. At the time, the Browns were 1-10. Since then, the Browns are 2-1 after battling the hottest team in the NFL, San Diego, to a 7-point defeat, and then beating the Steelers and Chiefs in back-to-back weeks.

I’m not close enough to team to draw any sort of direct correlation between Lewis’ absence and the drastically improved play and attitude of the team (at least from my vantage point), but I do think that the timeline is interesting.

Either way, Mangini’s job status has gone from a foregone conclusion to very much an unknown – and rightfully so. The Browns were dreadful for the first three months of the season, but the fact that they are winning games in December with so many starters injured has got to come back to the head coach in the form of credit. Doesn’t it?

Had the Browns simply played out the strong and continued losing badly, the decision for the future czar would have been easy. But if the Browns get to four or five wins and Mangini has Jim Brown, Joshua Cribbs, and the majority of the locker room in his favor, he just may have done enough to buy himself another year.

And with the way the team has played the last two weeks, I no longer think that would automatically be such a bad idea.

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* – Eric Mangini photo credit: Sports Full Circle

Anyone who has watched a game this season knows just how bad the team is, but a few things have happened this week that go beyond the offensive offensive numbers (repetition intended) and the record to truly illustrate what a putrid season this has become.

First off, there may be no bigger indictment of the sorry state of the Browns than this: the Detroit Lions, a team that went 0-16 a year ago and has won only one game this year, is a 3.5 point favorite over the Browns this weekend.

But wait…there’s more.

Entering Week 11, which begins the stretch playoff run for any team worth half a crap, the biggest story involving the Cleveland Browns doesn’t even involve anyone on their own team. It revolves around whether a basketball player would make a good football player.

Even more amazing, it’s not just fans talking about it, but Browns players and coaches are addressing the issue as well. (Our friends at Waiting For Next Year also noted just how terrible of a sign this is for the Browns.)

When you’ve scored five touchdowns in 15 games, I guess you can’t really blame these guys for practicing a little bit of escapism. Plus, does anyone really doubt that LeBron James could throw on some pads and cleats tomorrow and become the biggest threat on the Browns’ offense?

Don’t get me wrong: as great as LeBron’s athletic ability is, that is much more of an indictment of the Browns than any faith I have in his football ability.

Cleveland fans should be careful though. They may be jinxing their King by mentioning him in the same sentence as the Browns. Is it a coincidence that on the same day all of this Lebron-on-the-Browns talk escalated that the Cavs lost to the Wizards and LeBron hurt his wrist?

Maybe…maybe not.

But perhaps nothing though sums up the 2009 Cleveland Browns season more than what happened at the end of the Browns-Ravens Monday Night game earlier this week.

The Browns called a timeout before their final play of the game, presumably to try something, anything, in a desperation move to avoid a shutout. On the ensuing play, the Browns’ only productive offensive player – Josh Cribbs – was injured while running around and lateraling the football. He had to be placed on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.

The problem is that it was the Browns fourth timeout of the second half. As we all know, teams only get three timeouts per half. And, of course, the Browns did not score on the play en route to a 16-0 home shutout loss.

The moral of the story? Even when fortune seemingly smiles down upon the Browns and throws them a bone (so to speak), it turns into a complete and utter disaster.

And that, ladies and gentleman, should be the name for the official Browns 2009 Season in Review DVD.

Complete and Utter Disaster.

It is the most apt description possible for a season that continues to just get worse and worse…and worse.

Oh, and if you think I’m just plaintively wallowing in woe-is-me nonsense all by my lonesome, do a quick Google Image search for “browns fans” and then examine the first page. There is nothing but Browns fans looking miserable (except for the strange picture of the lady dressed up as the Browns’ elf).

I guess seasons like this are what you sign up for when you become a Browns fan. But even by the Browns’ lofty standards, what has transpired this year has been pathetic.

Thanks for reading. I’m going to back to doing what Randy Lerner is probably doing right now: daydreaming.

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* – Browns fan photo credit: Tracy Boulian via the The Plain Dealer

A fan at Cleveland Browns Stadium for the Monday Night debacle against the Ravens, held up a sign that said it all: “Hey, Baltimore, can you take this team, too?”

After suffering through another day of depression and frustration over the state of these Cleveland Browns’ pretenders, (remember, the Browns did not “come back” in 1999; late owner Al Lerner accepted a nameless, nearly talent-less expansion team and named it the Browns), Browns fans’ hope the end of the nine-game Coach Eric Mangini Era is near.

Even though Browns owner Randy Lerner said he would not fire his incompetent, arrogant little field general and dictator this season, a seriously injured Cribbs would have had Mangini packing, as well as his clueless offensive (yes, his lame playcalling is offensive) coordinator Brian Dabold.  Cribbs, a brilliant kick-off and punt return man, is a fan favorite and heart of the team.

It was in the final seconds of the 16-0 game that Cribbs was blindsided and knocked to the turf. This came after lateraling the ball to a teammate in a desperation mad dash to score six points. (Why? Because losing 16-6 would have looked better?)

The nearly empty stadium became even more silent as Browns and Ravens players surrounded Josh while he was lifted gently onto a stretcher. Cribbs was released Tuesday morning from the hospital, and Mangini, admitted in a conference call (yes, Coach opted to skip his regular face to face press conference)that he should not have allowed the hook-and-ladder play.

Brady Quinn did what he could with Daboll’s calls for five-yard bubble passes, a non-running game and receivers who let the ball slip through their hands. Game analysts figured Quinn had 2.5 seconds to take the snap, read the defense, find an open receiver and throw the ball — before getting leveled by Baltimore’s D.

After the last interception, Quinn tackled the wrong Raven too low, knocking his feet from under him and causing serious injury. This led Baltimore defense captain Ray Lewis to call Quinn out for the dirty hit. Quinn said he didn’t mean to hurt anyone — and I believe him.

Brady was so distraught, he probably didn’t know who had the ball.

Quinn has got to be lobbying his agent for a ticket out of Cleveland. Back-up quarterback Derek Anderson is also demoralized by Mangini and his schizophrenic quarterback shuffling.

The result is, neither Quinn nor Derek Anderson can move the offense into the red zone. Their egos are bruised, their confidence shot and trade value practically nil.

After a short practice week, the Browns head to Detroit to face the Lions on Sunday. (The first team to score a touchdown, wins the game.)

There is one flickering light at the end of the tunnel: Word came down from Berea Tuesday that Randy Lerner met with former Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Holmgren about a director of Browns operations position, with authority over personnel — including the right to fire the coach.

One can only hope.

And the beautiful photoshop work featured in this post is the fruit on our own Ryan Russell‘s labor of Browns love, in response to the most colorful and nonsensical figurative part of Jamal Lewis’ pre-practice rant about Eric Mangini earlier today.

Via the OBR:

“If you look at this like it’s a farm, we (the players) are just the crops. We’re just the crops. We’re just the crops. You’ve got to take care of your crops. You’ve got to nurture them. And if you don’t, when it comes harvest time, your crop isn’t going to be any good.”

Full size picture (Eric Mangini included!) after the jump.

Nice work Russell (who you can follow at @ryansrussell).

Let me see how to put this as nicely and succinctly as possible: it doesn’t sound like Jamal is the biggest fan of the Mangenius.

Berea Report: Lewis Rips Mangini — (The OBR)

Can’t wait for Monday!

Update: Our friends at Cleveland Frowns have responded to Lewis’ comments. And we’ve responded to it all.

Washed-Up Running Back, Washed-Up. Blames Coach — (Cleveland Frowns)

What would you do if you were a 30 year-old running back with more mileage than Jenna Jameson, and you didn’t want to admit that you were at worst washed up, or at best, in a rebuilding situation that was a bad fit for you at this stage in your career?  Blame the coach, of course.  Everyone’s doing it.  Gotta take care of #1 eventually, Jamal.  We get it, what you’re doing here.*  But we don’t have to buy it.  And we’re not.  Nor should anyone else, really.  Not least Randy Lerner.  Not until Mangini gets his fair shake.

As with most cases like this, the truth and reality no doubt resides somewhere in then middle. I am sure that Jamal Lewis is frustrated and that his comments are consciously or subconsiously imbued with some reputation preserving sentiment.

But, if you’ve followed Lewis’ career, you all know that he is not prone to speaking publicly in this manner about team issues. I don’t believe just his ego could bring out this kind of statement because we haven’t seen it from him before.

Do Lewis’ comments mean that Randy Lerner should walk into Eric Mangini’s office and fire him today? No. But Lewis has earned enough respect for his words to be carefully weighed by the owner and whoever he brings in as “football czar”.

Yes, the culture in Cleveland needs to change. But as Lewis points out in his comments, at some point there needs to be a reward for the hard work, or there can never be any momentum for the change built.

Despite the team’s poor start to the season, plus the turmoil caused by the firing of George Kokinis and threats of a Monday night protest next week, hopes were high that a second victory would be forthcoming.

“We don’t want to take anything for granted,” former starting quarterback Derek Anderson said. “I once got intercepted by the JUGS machine in practice. I thought it was Steve Heiden. So humility will not be an issue for this week.”

How right he was.

Unfortunately for Anderson, he was not given an opportunity to make amends for his JUGS INT nor his JaMarcus-esque QB rating. Brady Quinn was given the start against BYE, a move that Eric Mangini said was necessary for the future of the franchise.

“We are going to go with Brady this week,” Mangini explained at his Wednesday press conference. He then proceeded to move his mouth but no words came out, a new tactic for dealing with the press that ensures no information is given away that could compromise the immense competitive advantage the Browns have enjoyed so far this season.

After about ten more minutes of this pantomimed talking, a frustrated press corps simply began to get up one-by-one and exit. Finally the last reporter left and Mangini smiled, knowing that the precious information to which he’s privy — information that could lead to victory — would be safe from the evil, prying press for yet another week.

But that would be the last smile of the week for Mangini, who watched his team drop another crush home game yesterday to BYE by the final score of 27-6. The Browns fell behind 10-0 early and never were able to recover.

Brady Quinn was ineffective early in the game, much to the chagrin of Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. In fact, Quinn’s struggles with accuracy were so pronounced that Anderson was informed he should start warming up. Unfortunately, Anderson went 3-10 on his warm-up tosses and was intercepted by a ball boy.

That’s when the Browns made the call to Brett Ratliff.

What ensued were the most exciting seven minutes of Browns offensive football anyone can remember.

Ratliff took over with the Browns on their own 41 thanks to a solid kickoff return by Josh Cribbs. He then proceeded to do the unthinkable and strung together three consecutive first downs. The drive stalled then stalled as BYE’s defense stiffened and the Browns kicked a field goal.

Incredibly, the Browns forced a three and out on BYE’s next possession and Ratliff once again led the Browns on a field goal drive. The score was 13-6 at this point with all of the momentum on the side of the Browns.

But then reality set in, and BYE proceeded to score 14 unanswered points to seal the victory.

Needless to say, players were despondent in the locker room afterwards.

“Usually BYE week is such a breeze,” said veteran running back Jamal Lewis. “To tell you the truth, I’ve never experience a BYE week like this. It seriously felt like BYE just whipped our asses this week. I’m exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally.”

Lewis was then asked if his retirement was still imminent.

“We just lost on our BYE week, what do you think?” he replied.

Outside of Cleveland Browns stadium, the reaction was not any more positive. Browns fan Lew Singhope said it was the worst lost he can remember in his 40+ years as a Browns fan.

“Who loses to BYE?” asked Singhope. “I was just so sure that we’d come out of this weekend with only seven losses. This is just crushing.”

Singhope’s tailgate partner, Damwi Arnogood, agreed.

“Yeah, I’m bummed out,” Arnogood said. “But that’s what separates Browns fans from every other fan base. The schedule may say BYE, but the fans never will. It hurts to lose, sure, but I’ll be here next Monday night at kickoff like I always am.”

Let’s hope that all Browns fans maintain such perspective and are there cheering from the kickoff Monday night. The Old Browns are coming to town, and it sure would be sweet to get win #2 of the season at home, in front of a national TV audience, against the team that was ripped away from the city.

It would certainly be a great way to rebound from what has been a terrible BYE week in Cleveland.

Pittsburgh sucks.

Everyone nod in agreement, put down the Stadium Mustard, and now prepare to be separated into two distinct camps (both of which still hate Pittsburgh, no worries there).

In one corner: supporters of Dawg Pound Mike Randall and the walk-in-late protest that he and Mobile Dawg Tony Schaefer are planning for next Monday’s Browns-Ravens game in Cleveland Browns Stadium. If you side here, you most likely think Eric Mangini should have been shown the door with George Kokinis.

In the other corner: supporters of the opinion held by fellow die-hards like Peter Pattakos of ClevelandFrowns.com, who do not understand what will be accomplished by purposefully settling into their seats after kickoff. If you are on this side, you most likely believe that the correct next step for the Browns is something other than a knee-jerk firing of the head coach.

And now we bring you what I am officially dubbing The Debate by the Lake in which Dawg Pound Mike and Cleveland Frown Peter go head to head discussing their beloved Browns.

Two men with the same ultimate goal, but vastly different opinions on what the franchise and its fans should do next in an effort to get there.

Enjoy.

MSF Podcast: The Debate by the Lake

featuring Peter Pattakos of ClevelandFrowns.com and Dawg Pound Mike Randall

(Note: You can subscribe to the MSF Podcast and listen to every episode via iTunes.)

Peter and Mike engaged in a very lively and spirited debate last night and both make their opinions quite clear. I’ve excerpted a few of the exchanges and quotes that stood out to me, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to decide what stands out to you.

And even if you’re not a Browns fan, this is a podcast that you will enjoy. When was the last time you heard of two fans getting an audience with an NFL owner to voice their displeasure? As Peter says, whether you agree with Dawg Pound Mike or not, you have to respect the fact that he and Mobile Dawg Tony were able to get a face-to-face meeting with Randy Lerner.

After listening to the podcast, what do you think?

In case you don’t have the time nor inclination to listen to the entire podcast, I did cut out to two short (approx. 90 seconds) clips from Peter and Mike that sum up their positions. If you want to hear only the Cliff’s Notes versions of their viewpoints, listen to the following two clips:

Dawg Pound Mike on how he will determine success for the planned late-walk-in protest for the Browns-Ravens Monday night game:

Peter from ClevelandFrowns.com on why he will be in his seat at kickoff:

Where do I stand on this issue?

I respect his passion, his influence, and the access that he has received, but I disagree with what what Dawg Pound Mike is planning for Monday night. I don’t disagree with it so much from the standpoint that it will embarrass the Browns organization — it will do that, and I suppose I’m okay with that part of it — I just don’t really understand what there is to be gained.

As Mike explains in the podcast, he feels like he has to go through with the late-walk-in to sustain the momentum he believes has been created this week. I’m not so sure.

I don’t doubt his claim that Randy Lerner wants to win, and wants to win now, but the will to win has never really been Lerner’s problem. His problem has been the aptitude to make good front office personnel and head coaching decisions. If Lerner does not believe Mangini is the right guy for the job, he will fire him regardless of whether or not a portion of the fans aren’t in their seats at kickoff Monday night.

The problem is that none of us — not even Mike and Tony — have any legitimate reason to believe that Lerner’s next decision will be any better than his previous ones.

In this sense, I find Dawg Pound Mike’s dogged support of Lerner to be somewhat curious. No, Eric Mangini has not given Browns fans much of anything to pin their hopes on either…but has Lerner? At all?

So why align yourself so strongly with the guy who has failed in Cleveland for nine years as opposed to the guy who hasn’t even failed for one complete year yet?

Sadly, the one through line of that pathetic question is what we all can agree on, and what we all are frustrated by: failure. That ugly word has defined the Browns since their rebirth in 1999.

I don’t think the late-walk-in does anything to help reverse the culture of failure that has taken ahold of the Cleveland Browns franchise. In fact, I think it further perpetuates it.

That said, I applaud Dawg Pound Mike for his commitment, his initiative, and his passion. I just respectfully disagree in this case with his direction.

And now, as promised, here are some excerpts I transcribed while listening to the podcast after we recorded it:

Dawg Pound Mike defending the integrity of the protest:

“This is no disrespect, this is not done to embarrass, this is showing that we care, and we’re supporting this team. We’re here. I’m telling people to buy tickets.”

Peter’s counter-argument:

“Aren’t you still undermining Eric Mangini? Aren’t you still undermining the players? It’s an embarrassment frankly. It’s an embarrassment for the organization. Its an embarrassment for the franchise.”

Dawg Pound Mike responding to claims that the late-walk-in will be an embarrassment to the franchise:

“That’s why I came on here. Because I want to shut all these people up that think it’s a damn embarrassment. Because Randy Lerner, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, doesn’t think it’s an embarrassment.”

One of the questions posed by Peter that serves to sum up his argument regarding Dawg Pound Mike’s responsibility to use his access and voice to represent the Browns’ fan base more completely:

“What about the people that just want Eric Mangini to be given a chance to do his job?”

Mike and Peter argue about Brian Daboll and the Browns’ offense…easily my favorite exchange of the podcast:

Mike: “My biggest thing about Mangini: you hand-picked Brian Daboll. Okay? He’s terrible. He shouldn’t be offensive coordinator for a high school football team. He sucks that bad.”

Peter: “What plays has Daboll called that the Browns, with no wide receivers, with two yay-hoos at quarterback, with a geriatric running back, what were they supposed to do? Where was Brian Daboll supposed to come up with these great calls that a team with no skill position players was supposed to be able to succeed with?”

Mike: “Listen, there is talent on the team. They are put in bad decisions, bad formations…Daboll is an idiot. And I will say that to his face, and I did to him against Buffalo when he looked right by me and I go “You suck” and Eric Wright looked over and laughed.

Mike and Peter boil down the Randy Lerner debate into one exchange:

Mike: “He says ‘I’m the owner, it was my fault.’ Now, we told him and he knows he needs to find a good football operations guy in here instead of these bean counters that don’t know football, and he’s doing that. And he looked at us and he said ‘Guys, I don’t care about the money. If that guy’s the best guy, and he’s the best guy, and he wants this, I’m gonna get him in here because I want to win now. And if that doesn’t psyche up anybody out there that’s listening to this, then you’re not a true Browns fan.”

Peter: “So this wasn’t true before but it’s true now? That somehow, right now, Randy Lerner is going to get it right even though he apparently hasn’t gotten it right in the last decade.”

We’ll leave that last question posed their Peter as a rhetorical one. All Browns fans know it’s the question that has been haunting — and that will continue to haunt — this franchise until Randy Lerner is able to start making smart hiring choices.

I sincerely thank Peter and Mike for their time, and do hope you enjoyed the podcast. Use the comment section liberally to debate this issue. There certainly are plenty of valid points on both sides.

Ultimately, no matter happens with the walk-in, at least we can all agree on one thing that we want to see next Monday night: a win over the Ravens.

And maybe, just maybe, the NFL gods will decide to throw us another Monday night bone. Then, instead of arguing and focusing on another loss, we can go back to doing what Browns fan do best.

**********

* – Dawg Pound Mike photo credit: DawgPoundMike.com

* – The intro song for this week’s podcast is Awake the Day by Austin Bridges. The intermission song is I Won’t Wait by Records Record Records.

The Browns were not saying whether Kokinis resigned or was fired. However, late speculation from various media sources is, Kokinis was dismissed “with cause.”

The beleaguered — and largely absent — Kokinis, hired at the suggestion of Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini, seems to have been made the sacrificial lamb for the Browns 1-7 season, its anemic so-called offense, and the general frustration, malaise, and chaos that has been the Cleveland Browns organization since Mangini took the helm early this year.

As of Tuesday, Cleveland NBC affiliate, WKYC Channel 3 and the Lake County News-Herald have reported that Lerner has been speaking with former Browns GM Ernie Acorsi about the idea of possibly becoming the Browns next general manager with the purpose of grooming former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar for that role.

However, The Plain Dealer is reporting that Acorsi, is in retirement with no desire to go back to work.

Despite the discrepancies, one thing is sure: Kosar is expected to take on a more formal role in the Browns organization and football team he loves.

On Tuesday morning, rabid Browns fans “Dawgpound Mike” and “Mobile Dawg” appeared on the espn Cleveland affiliate WKNR-850AM “Really Big Show” to report they had just met with Lerner about the state of the Browns.

Lerner agreed to meet the two after the fans announced a protest to be staged outside of Cleveland Browns stadium at the Browns next home game on Monday Night Football, Nov. 16, against the Baltimore Ravens. The plan calls for the fans to refrain from taking their seats until after kick-off. This would give the national audience a view of a near empty stadium.

The move is aimed at giving the impression of the disgust Cleveland fans have for the 2009-10 Browns, its management, and organization. The ploy is also intended to embarrass the owner and move him to make the necessary moves to restore the Browns to the great and well-respected organization it once was — prior to the Move to Baltimore in 1995.

“Dawgpound Mike” and “Mobile Dawg” told the local radio show host Tony Rizzo that Lerner met with them for nearly two hours, Tuesday morning; that Lerner listened to their concerns and spoke passionately about the Browns. Lerner did not ask the two “dawgs” to cancel the protest and it is still on.

Randy Lerner also made mention of promising his father, Browns former owner Al Lerner, that he would take over the ownership and turn the Browns into champions, again. Randy Lerner intends to honor his father’s deathbed request.

At Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini’s press conference Tuesday morning, Mangini addressed the Kokinis dismissal — sort of: “George is a friend of mine and … for a variety of reasons things did not work out. Organizationally, (Kokinis’ dismissal) was the best decision in order to move forward.”

With that, Mangini refused to entertain further questions about Kokinis, and began droning on with the same old refrain: “Analyzing film, trying to improve…”

Perhaps Mangini, like Brady Quinn, should put his house up for sale. It takes several months to sell a home in Cleveland.

Apparently a quick disintegration of his relationship with Eric Mangini helped spur his ouster.

ProFootballTalk was all over this story tonight. Here are the links to their coverage:

• Mangini, Kokinis marriage was doomed from the start
• Browns officially address firing of GM George Kokinis
• Report: Kokinis fired “with cause”

Also, there is this, from the News-Herald:

• Kokinis Out, Ernie Accorsi In