A couple of things struck me recently regarding how bad things are in 2009 for the Cleveland Browns and their fans.

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

There is no joy in Cleveland, the mighty Quinn has gone three and out; kick return man and wildcat Cribbs has gone down.

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.

No folks, that’s not a type there in title. Croppy is the intended word.

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).

Very interesting comments over at The OBR today from Browns offensive captain Jamal Lewis regarding his head coach.

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.

Entering this Sunday’s home matchup with BYE, the Cleveland Browns were sitting at 1-7 and in 5th place in the AFC North behind Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Notre Dame.

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.

Before we get into the heart of this post and this week’s podcast, let me just type something that all of our Browns readers can agree on:

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.

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* – 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.

Just hours after “soul-searching” about the fate of his Cleveland Browns, team owner Randy Lerner put his frustration to action with the removal of Browns General Manager George Kokinis, who was reportedly seen being escorted out of the Browns practice facility in Berea on Monday morning.

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

Randy Lerner, owner of the Cleveland Browns, stood near the tunnel to the visiting team locker rooms at Soldier’s Field in Chicago Sunday — and by halftime appeared frustrated, angry and disheartened as the Browns fumbled and bumbled its way to a 30-6 embarrassing drubbing.

Lerner admitted to The Plain Dealer he was “sick” about the 1-7 Browns, the team which ranks at the bottom or very close in all aspects of play, including the offense, defense and special teams. And starting quarterback Derek Anderson had a quarterback rating of 0 at halftime, improving to 10 before the final whistle.

But “sick” as Lerner was, he also said he was not ready to fire head coach Eric Mangini — at least not during this Browns bye week.

Lerner apparently is beginning to see the mistake he made as owner in hiring Mangini, shortly after he was relieved of his head coach duties for the New York Jets. That mistake was compounded by hiring Mangini before a hiring a general manager and naming a team president with football knowledge. More than one critic has said it was Mangini who hired his own immediate boss — General Manager George Kokinis, a man even more vague and distant with the media than Mangini. Kokinis has also seemed very much out of the loop.

Now, Lerner indicated to The Plain Dealer that it is time to bring in a football authority to help straighten out the mess. Ya’ think?

“The highest priority that I have is a strong, credible, serious leader within the building to guide decisions in a much more conspicuous, open, transparent way,” Lerner told The Plain Dealer. “I think my highest priority is to have a stable figure that represents the voice that explains the decisions.”

Over the last week or so, Lerner brought former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar in to serve as “another pair of eyes.” But Lerner did not respond when asked if Kosar would serve as the team’s “serious leader.”

Kosar told espn affiliate wknr AM850’s “Really Big Show” host Tony Rizzo that he was first trying to learn what everyone at Browns headquarters was supposed to do for the organization.

Kosar also said the Browns organization would be meeting and making some decisions during this bye week.

Kosar was the owner of the short-lived Cleveland arena team, taking it from near obscurity to the playoffs in one year. The arena league was dismantled, then discontinued last year.

Kosar has said he would love to get back into football at some capacity. But at the same time he has been hamstrung by four children and an ex-wife living in Florida.

In his impromptu interview at Soldier Field Sunday, Lerner also said the Browns current quarterback fiasco didn’t make sense. Mangini made it a priority to give both quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quin a fair shot during the mini-training camps and the pre-season exhibition games. Quinn started the first three games of the season, but was yanked at the half against the Baltimore Ravens.

Mangini thought Anderson could provide a spark — and he did manage to connect a few times early, but only got worse with each week. Lerner admitted the whole quarterback fiasco “doesn’t look sensible. As to why Mangini has not played Quinn. Lerner said he had no idea since he “wasn’t told about anything.”

In my opinion, Lerner should have been asking questions all along, and holding these coaches responsible.

Lerner could make the Browns right. But it will take the time to actually evaluate the abysmal parade of coaches — and players — since 1999

But taking the time could finally right this Cleveland Browns titanic before Browns fans drown in its wake.

Today Lerner is “soul searching.” Hopefully, he will be taking some action — soon.

Stay tuned.

The following tweet by our friend Scott from Waiting For Next Year perfectly summed up my thoughts regarding the Josh Cribbs trade rumors floating around right now:

As little underlying support there is, these Josh Cribbs rumors are not fun

He is exactly right.

Who knows how legitimate the Cribbs-to-Miami or Cribbs-to-whomever talk is, but there is nothing fun or exciting at all about the Browns’ clear fan favorite being mentioned in the same sentence as the word “trade.”

All the rumors about Cribbs got me to thinking: is he the second most untradable sports figure in Cleveland?

(I think we all know who the first is.)

Let’s think about it for a second.

Is there anyone on the Cavs right now other than LeBron that Cleveland fans have a really strong connection to? I would suspect that Big Z is in that category, but considering his age and contract, I’m not sure Cavs fans would be too up in arms if there was a parting of the ways soon.

Shaq, despite his profile and the excitement surrounding his arrival, has yet to play a regular season game for the Cavs. There has been no time for a connection to develop.

Do you see anyone else on the Cavs roster with 1/10th the fan love of Josh Cribbs? I don’t.

Let’s then move on to the Indians where, unfortunately for Indians fans, two fan favorites have already been dealt away over the past two years: C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee. I would definitely have placed Sabathia right there with Cribbs, if not above.

Who else on the Indians roster might qualify in Cribbs’ class?

Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner were on their way a few years ago, but then decided to suck and have fallen out of favor. The only person who could legitimately enter the conversation is Grady Sizemore.

Sizemore is a very, very good player, but for years I have felt that he was somewhat overrated.

Don’t get me wrong: he’s among the top 25-30 players in baseball, especially when you factor in his tremendous defensive ability. I just don’t consider him among the elite of the elite as some people do.

When it comes to fan love, however, Sizemore does pretty well for himself.

Guys like Grady because he’s a 30-30 threat who can help their fantasy team and has been the one consistent offensive force on the Indians’ revolving door of a lineup over the past few years. And the ladies like him because, well…I guess because he has dimples, or something? (Money, you idiot…it’s the money! And the shirts…)

And then we get to the Browns, where talented former 1st round picks like Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards have recently been traded away without much fan consternation.

The only player whose popularity could approach Cribbs’ is that of Brady Quinn. However, considering Quinn’s underwhelming performances when given an opportunity, it’s not like the majority of Cleveland fans honestly feel like they have a prettier version of Bernie Kosar sitting on the bench right now.

In fact, while there is a subset of Browns fans who would be pissed and upset if Quinn got traded, there is no such subset of fans who would be pissed and upset to see Cribbs go.

ALL Browns fans would be devastated to see Josh Cribbs gone. ALL OF THEM.

Every single one.

If you can find me a single Browns fan who would be even remotely excited about the loss of Josh Cribbs, I will grow a mustache, name it Zastudil, and interview it on a podcast.

Seriously.

For all of the ill will that Eric Mangini and George Kokinis have generated since their arrival, it would pale in comparison to the fan backlash that would result from trading Joshua Cribbs for anything less than a franchise QB or an already established superstar defensive player.

Cribbs is the one guy who gives us all hope every time he touches the ball. He has been the heart and soul of the organization since he became a star in 2007. He has continued to play hard this year despite little hope of team success and little progress on a contract extension that was promised to him.

There is not much good about the Cleveland Browns right now, but whatever ounce of good exists is manifested almost entirely in the play of Josh Cribbs.

You can get away with trading malcontents like Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards. Browns fans understand that. And if you’re going to be cheap, stupid-line-in-the-sand hardasses about Cribbs’ contract, and not pay the guy what he deserves, then I hope the Browns do trade him…for Cribbs’ own sake.

Josh Cribbs deserves to play for an organization that understands and respects his value to the team, fans, and city. Mangini and Kokinis just need to realize that said organization needs to be Cleveland, with no excuses.

I don’t care if he’s “just a special teams player.” Watch the damn games, watch the effort, watch his teammates respond to him, assess the value of what you’d have to pay him for the myriad tangible and intangible positives he brings, and watch the fans stay interested in the miserable overall product because of this exciting player with the never-say-die attitude and never-quit motor.

Josh Cribbs is a special player. Period.

I’m not saying pay him like a #1 WR or a top-flight defensive lineman or anything like that. Just pay the guy what he deserves for his value on the field and his value to the organization, with his value to the fans being a major part of that.

Pay him, and don’t trade him.

I’m coming to Cleveland next weekend for the Packers game. If Josh Cribbs isn’t there too, I am not going to be happy. Not one bit. I’ve never booed my own team at home — and I’d never boo the players so long as they’re giving effort — but I’d boo Eric Mangini as hard and as loud as I possibly could if Cribbs is not around.

And something tells me the other 73,200 people at Cleveland Browns stadium would join me.

Luckily, it sounds like the Cribbs rumors are just that: rumors. And from everything I’ve read, the Browns are not actively shopping Cribbs. They are merely listening to offers considering Cribbs’ desire for a new contract.

Fine. I understand that…so long as it results in an amicable resolution in which Cribbs gets a new contract and we all have some security that our favorite player will be around for a while.

Update: Cribbs’ agent thinks that the Browns are being unfair by not trading him or redoing his contract.

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* – Grady Sizemore photo credit: Luello.com

* – Joshua Cribbs photo credit: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

I’d been thinking about writing this post for the past week or so.

And after reading this on PFT this morning, I decided the time was right to at least try throwing a bone to embattled Browns coach Eric Mangini.

I figure if I don’t point out the positives now, before the rare glow of the team’s first victory fades into what I assume will be the overall blackness of our experience in Heinz Field this weekend, I might never get around to it. 

Here is a quick excerpt of the PFT post referenced above:

And there’s less of an edge to Mangini, making the overall player experience more enjoyable in a city where agents have privately said they would never send their clients.

It’s unclear why or how it has happened, but maybe Mangini has seen the light.

Now, there aren’t really a whole lot of specifics given here, and trying to ascertain the validity of anything coming out of Berea is quite a chore these days.

But…despite my original misgivings about Mangini’s hire in the first place, and my disappointment at how the first month of this season has gone, there are at least some positive signs for Browns fans to grasp onto.

First, say what you will, but Eric Mangini at least has a clear vision in his own mind for how he wants to build an organization and the types of characters he believes it requires to build a solid locker room. (And as a bonus, it was influenced by Bill Belichick, one of the all-time greats.)

Mangini’s initial and most important steps have revolved around changing the culture of the locker room, which has included the jettisoning of the oft-injured Kellen Winslow and the oft-inept Braylon Edwards. 

Both of these guys are clearly talented, but both are proven front-runners. When things are going well and they’re getting their numbers, all is right with the world. If the team is struggling a bit, or they are not glorifying themselves on Sundays, they aren’t exactly the kind of team-first players you batten the hatches down around during tough times.

We know this season is a lost cause in terms of the playoffs; having Kellen and Braylon around was not going to be a positive. I think it showed great foresight by Mangini and Kokinis to trade Kellen and his wobbly knees and then get rid of Braylon while they could still get some value for him, rather than see one or both walk away in the offseason with nothing coming in return.

What’s funny is that the biggest argument against getting rid of K2 and Braylon was that it would hurt us in the immediate term. Yet, in our first game without both, we won for the first time in forever.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But a mighty encouraging one if you ask me.

I also like the fact that Eric Mangini switched from Brady Quinn to Derek Anderson, even though it was a tacit admission that he made the wrong decision on his QB in the preseason.

The truth is that neither Brady nor Derek is good enough to be a starting QB in the NFL right now. And to use a South Park metaphor, Mangini was essentially choosing between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.

However, right now, the Browns need Anderson’s ability to stretch the field. If Quinn is going to be inaccurate and indecisive on the short and intermediate throws, he provides no value because we know he isn’t stretching the field with any level of competence.

Going to D.A. was the right move to at least give this offense a fighting chance. Mangini didn’t realize it initially, but had the intestinal fortitude to swallow his pride and overturn himself for the good of the team.

I also like what Mangini and Kokinis are doing with the draft. They has already lined up double-digit picks for 2010 and appear poised to follow the Patriots’ draft model. It’s not perfect, but certainly a strategy valuing quantity has its merits in the long-term.

So, despite the putrid 1-4 start to the season, there are a few positives for Browns fans to cling to and a few reasons to not give up yet on the troubled Mangini era in Cleveland. Obviously the only thing that will matter in the long-run is Ws and Ls, but at least we’ve already notched one in the W column.

Think about it: aren’t you a little more encouraged right now than if you were a Bucs fan, a Raiders fan, a Chiefs fan, a Titans fan, a Bills fan, a Rams fan, and maybe even a Redskins fan?

I am. And while it’s not much, it’s something.

It’s going to be a long year. As always, the onus is on us as Browns fans to grasp onto whatever positives we can find.

What do you think? Are you taking any positives from the first five games of the 2009 season?

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* – Eric Mangini photo credit: AP via The Pigskin Press

Derek Anderson replaced Brady Quinn in the second half of last weekend’s game against Baltimore, and he has replaced him moving forward as well.

Eric Mangini, as promised, announced his decision on the Browns’ starting quarterback position today. His decision: Derek Anderson will start, in hopes of sparking a moribund offense that has scored one touchdown in the last…year? Decade? Century?

How long and how bad has it been?

Anyway, it’s possible that this is the most inconsequential QB announcement ever.

The Browns’ offensive woes run far deeper than just the QB. But at least the Browns did move the ball a little bit with D.A. in there last Sunday.

If nothing else, having Anderson in there makes Braylon Edwards a deep threat again and forces defenses to respect the Browns’ ability to stretch the field. That, if nothing else, should open up a few more holes for the running backs and make defenses play the Browns a little more honestly.

The downside, of course, is that there is now an exponential increase in the possibly of the Browns’ QB throwing the ball to the team wearing the wrong jersey.

But at least Mangini didn’t drag this out until Sunday. Now we know, Derek is starting.

The question is: will it make a difference?

We’ll see.

The only source of optimism I can find right now is this box score from 2007, which harkens us all back to a time when the Browns seemed like a team on the rise, rather than on the verge of utter collapse. Yes, there was a time when the Browns’ QB threw for 5 TDs in a single game.

At the rate we’re on right now, we’ll be lucky to see 5 TD passes all season.

Today’s link of the day comes from one of our favorites here at Midwest Sports Fans: Joe Posnanski.

In his column at SI.com today, Posnanski makes the bold claim (reiterating something he had recently tweeted) that Eric Mangini is the worst NFL head coaching hire in the last 25 years.

Something tells me that our very own Midnight Writer just might agree.

That’s what I call a bold statement. And though it sounds like hyperbole on its face, it is harder and harder to disagree with as each lost Sunday passes by with the Browns seeming to regress under Mangini’s watch.

I am in no way ready to give up on the Mangini experiment yet. But, there is absolutely nothing empirical that anyone can point to that suggests a turnaround is nigh.

And that really sucks…because there are still 13 more Browns games that I will faithfully watch. If they’re anything like the first three, it is going to be a long, sad, miserable year.

With that said, here is your Link of the Day and excerpt, plus more great links from around the blogosphere on a relatively slow sports news day.

Mangini: Worst Coaching Hire Ever? — (Joe Posnanski, SI.com)

I cannot stand what Eric Mangini has done to the Browns, the team of my childhood. I cannot stand the lack of respect he has shown for the team’s history, the Mickey Mouse game he plays with quarterbacks, the amazing knack he has for getting his players to not play hard for him or the stupid fines he hands out like he’s Principal Vernon from “The Breakfast Club.” Don’t mess with the bull, young man, you’ll get the horns.

But here’s the thing: Based on the Twitter responses I’ve seen … I’m actually starting to believe that I’m right. I’m actually starting to believe that Mangini really was the worst head coach hire in 25 years. The responses have mostly been to list other coaches who were worse hires than Mangini. But you know what? I don’t think any of those hires WERE worse than Mangini.

What do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

(By the way, for all of the Reds fans out there or just general baseball fans, Joe has a new book out about the Big Red Machine. Here is the link to his website with all of the links where you can order it.)

Sports:

• The Bears’ Jay Cutler isn’t even the best Jay Cutler — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• Can Shaq and LeBron co-exist? — (Barkley’s Mouth)
• Russian Kingpin to Make ‘Bron Pawn? — (Cleveland Frowns)
• Video: carry your old lady around, win her weight in beer — (MoonDog)
• Carlos Zambrano doesn’t know what the hell he wants to do — (Another Cubs Blog)
• T.O-Rodney Harrison Twitter fight — (The Sporting Blog)
• Browns suck so bad, fans are flocking to Detroit — (MoonDog)
• When will Matt Forte join the fun? — (Zoner Sports)
• Big Ten Network playing “Erin Andrew Card” in talent selection — (The Sports Bank)
• Male football dilemma: Would you wear opposing NFL team colors to avoid being shived? — (Busted Coverage)
• Kyle Orton just wins, baby — (Tremendous Upside Potential)
• The Cynic’s Guide to College Football: 300 Edition — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Non-Sports:

• 13 Hot Girl/Ugly Guy Combos — (Straight Pinkie)
• Taking charge but preferring the status quo — (MSF’s own Ari Kaufman, Indianapolis Star)
• Honest letters to one-night stands — (Holy Taco)

And, finally, Conan O’Brien falls and sustains concussion on Tonight Show:

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* – Eric Mangini photo credit: M. Spencer Green – AP via Dawgs By Nature

Is it too late to give the Browns’ name, its colors, and history back to Baltimore?

When Art Modell sold the city of Cleveland down the river and moved the Browns to Baltimore, Clevelanders clamoured to keep the Browns’ name and create a new Browns out of…well, what would become a bunch of misfits led by poor schlep Chris Palmer in 1999.

After Sunday’s 34-3 humiliating annihilation at the hands of the former Browns, it is time to consider the 2009 Browns the latest group of misfits, and call the total new Browns a failed experiment.

But where to go from here?

Open letter to Browns owner Randy Lerner:

“As a successful billionaire businessman, you must know the hiring of Eric Mangini is a mistake. The man is incapable of teaching, coaching, drafting or motivating the players on the Browns, the team that your father, Al Lerner, willed you on his deathbed. Al must be screaming obscenities from his grave.

“If a manager you appointed in your business failed to deliver on his promises, you would fire him — or at the very least — relocate him.

“Mangini believes he is a football god with all the answers. He is incapable of self-criticism — and those kind of individuals do not change or grow.

FIRE MANGINI TODAY. Take the hit to your wallet and find a better coach.

Sincerely,

Cleveland Browns fans from across the world”

The Cleveland Browns not only lost big to the Baltimore Ravens, but lost its team; and perhaps worse, demoralized so-called starting quarterback Brady Quinn and killed the confidence of Derek Anderson who was told right before the second half kick-off he was going in to face the Raven D.

Derek being Derek, his big gun drove the team down the field to a field goal, but his gun also misfired for three interceptions and a QB rating of 30.9. Quinn’s was 42.7. Baltimore’s Joe Flacco’s QB rating was about 110.

Perhaps Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer columnist said it best: “Until further notice, the Cleveland Browns have become the franchise where quarterbacks go to see their careers die.”

Quinn, who led the Notre Dame offense in college and put up 30 and 29 point respectively against Denver and Buffalo last year, suddenly can’t move the ball?

To quote a frustrated Buffalo Bill Terrell Owens after Sunday’s game, he runs “the plays that are called.”

The lame, vanilla plays called by rookie offensive coordinator Brian Dabold depend on a running back that equals the resurrection of a young Jim Brown. Two running plays up the middle with puny Jerome Harrison and a weak offensive line? Then it is third and seven and Braylon Edwards is not free, everyone else is covered or not looking — so what does a QB do? Either check down and complete a three yard pass (Quinn) or force the throw and wind up with three interceptions (Anderson).

The pathetic thing is, the Browns could have had better players like Cincy’s Rey Maualuga or Clay Mathews Jr. or Knowshon Moreno. And if Mangini was so unimpressed with his QBs, Mark Sanchez was there for the taking.

But Noooo! Let’s get a few Jets retreads instead.

Good draft picks were made in the second round with Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie. But Massaquoi has been a ghost on the field, barely there for one play, then *poof*…disappearing into the Browns bench. And Ohio State stand-out wide receiver Robiskie has not been allowed to dress. (Did Robiskie maybe voice his opinion to Coach or fail to bow with deference? Only the shadow knows.)

And now we hear that up to five Browns players are filing grievances against Mangini, at least two for being charged $1,700 for forgetting to pay for $3 bottles of water from a hotel.

Other players have quit on the field. When Baltimore gets three running touchdowns without any Cleveland defensive player even touching him … can they be this bad? Or have they given up?

You decide, midwestsportsfans.com readers.

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*- Derek Anderson photo credit: SI

If you have not heard, there is reason to believe that the Cleveland Browns might not be so “punchless” after all!

Of course, when the punches are coming from rookie defensive backs and directed at his own teammates, it’s probably not the kind of “punch” Eric Mangini and the embattled Browns are looking for.

Nonetheless, that’s what happened in the Browns’ locker room yesterday, as rookie DB Coye Francies did not take too kindly to a little rookie hazing.

Via the Plain-Dealer account of the fight between Coye Francies and his Browns teammates:

Browns rookie cornerback Coye Francies, the victim of a rookie prank, lost his temper in the locker room Friday, heaving a bucket of ice water at teammates and taking a swing at safety Abe Elam. 

…

Francies first threw half the bucket toward Brandon McDonald, splashing him and scattering ice over the floor. Then, he tossed some at safety Mike Adams. “Welcome to the Browns locker room,” receiver Braylon Edwards shouted. 

Shaun Rogers, David Bowens, and D’Qwell Jackson reportedly grabbed Francies and calmed him down. Eric Mangini was asked about the fight later and in his always-oh-so-serious manner discussed his thought process in coming to the conclusion that it was no big deal.

All Mangini needed to do was listen to Francies, who said afterwards that he was “just playing around.”  I’m sure it was a little more than “just playing around” but whatever. For a team that has shown absolutely zero punch on the field — especially offensively — it’s almost depressing to hear about Browns’ players wasting such energy on their own teammates.

Let’s see…what’s the bright side here?…come on, I can find something…

Hmm…well maybe this galvanizes the Browns, brings the team closer together, and leads them to a victory Sunday afternoon in Baltimore!

…

…

…

Yeah, yeah, I know.  I’m laughing too.

Have a great Saturday everyone.  Be back later.

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* Coye Francies photo credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images via The OBR