I agree wholeheartedly
From today's Monday Morning Quarterback from Peter King:
"Three words for Cleveland GM George Kokinis regarding Josh Cribbs: Pay the man."
From today's Monday Morning Quarterback from Peter King:
"Three words for Cleveland GM George Kokinis regarding Josh Cribbs: Pay the man."
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.)
All things considered, it was perhaps the most disappointing game of Browns’ 2008 season.
After opening the season 0-3, Cleveland battled back to win three out of its next five games, ultimately sitting at 3-5 as they prepared to take on the Denver Broncos at home on Thursday Night Football.
Leading 23-10 early in the 3rd quarter, it appeared that the Browns would improve their record to 4-5 and salvage some semblance of an opportunity to make a late season charge at the playoffs.
The Broncos were only able to muster a field goal in the 3rd quarter, meaning the Browns were nursing a 23-13 lead as the 4th quarter began. I was at the Browns Backers that night, as I usually am during Browns games, and for the first time since the opening week of the season, I felt genuine optimism.
We win this game, we’re right back in this thing, was the thought permeating the room.
We know how that turned out.
Over the next 15 minutes of play at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the door was shut on the Browns’ 2008 season for good. You all remember what happened: Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald forgot how to play cornerback, and another chapter in the over-hyped legend of Jay Cutler was written.
Cutler threw 3 TD passes in the 4th quarter, with the 93-yarder to Eddie Royal that started the barrage seeming to break the Browns’ back, even though Cleveland still led 23-20. Cutler would add subsequent TD passes to Daniel Graham and Brandon Marshall on his way to 447 passing yards on the evening.
Despite a solid game from starter Brady Quinn, and the best rushing performance of the year for Cleveland (160 yards, 5.5 yard average), the Browns ended the night a demoralizing 3-6. They would win the next week at Buffalo before proceeding to drop their last six games of the season.
Would 2008 have turned out any differently had the Browns been 5-5 instead of 4-6 after Week 10? Who knows. Probably not. But I know one thing: the sting of last season would have been a little less severe had that 4th quarter embarrassment against the Broncos not occurred.
Sunday afternoon, the Browns will have their opportunity for vengeance.
Here are the particulars:
Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0)
Last week, my preview and analysis of the Vikings-Browns game unfortunately proved prophetic.
The Vikings are quite possibly the worst matchup in the NFL for the Browns, and it showed on Sunday. Cleveland played very well in the first half, but the Browns’ inability to run and stop the run doomed them to a disappointing second half.
This week, my Browns preview will not be nearly as pessimistic. Unlike last week, when I listed out the three reasons the Browns would lose and then provided three things that had to happen for them to even have a chance, this week will be much easier.
I’m giving you three reasons why the Browns will win on Sunday. Because they will. Chime in with your prediction, then read mine.
Who will win Sunday's game between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos
- Denver Broncos (38%, 6 Votes)
- Cleveland Browns (62%, 10 Votes)
Total Voters: 16
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Three reasons the Browns will win on Sunday
1 – The Browns’ biggest weakness, run defense, is marginalized by Denver’s unproven rushing attack
The Broncos have long been known as a running team, ever since Terrell Davis began the legendary run of 1,000-yard backs that Mike Shanahan seemed to pluck off of the trees outside the Broncos’ practice facility. There was Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson and Clinton Portis and Mike Bell, and on and on and on.
Their rushing prowess also led to consistent success and many playoff berths for the Broncos, with the franchise winning at least eight games every year between 2000-2006 after winning 37 games in three years between 1996-1998.
But Denver has not had a 1000-yard back since Tatum Bell ran for 1,025 yards in 2006. Not coincidentally, they haven’t had a winning season since 2006. Also not coincidentally, 2007 is the season Jay Cutler took over as their quarterback.
The end result is that by last season, the Broncos were 12th in the league in rushing at 116.4 yards per game. That is actually impressive when you consider that they did not have a back eclipse 343 yards, with Shanahan employing a revolving door of Michael Pittman, Peyton Hillis, Selvin Young, Tatum Bell, Andre Hall, and others. (Note: the picture above is rumored to have been taken after Shanahan was shown the Broncos’ final 2008 rushing statistics. I cannot confirm this, however.)
The Broncos’ transition from a running team to a passing team was essentially complete at the end of last year, with the results obvious: a 15-17 record during the 2007 and 2008 seasons with no playoff berths.
In 2009, Jay Cutler has been replaced by Kyle Orton and the Broncos are counting on a rookie first round draft pick, Knowshon Moreno, and a career backup, Correll Buckhalter, to carry the load on offense.
One would think that the Broncos’ Week 1 matchup might have offered a chance for the running game to get going early in the season. The Cincinnati Bengals were 21st in the league in rushing defense last year. However, the Broncos’ offense struggled all day, netting a total of 302 yards with Buckhalter and Moreno combining for just 65 yards on 16 carries.
Certainly, I and everyone else expect them to have more success running the ball against the Browns, a team that few have been worse than over the past few years at stopping the run. But the Broncos will not be able to run roughshod all over Cleveland like the Vikings did.
Minnesota blew the Week 1 game open in the second half because Adrian Peterson is an absolute beast. In the first half, Cleveland actually played very well and contained the Vikings on the ground. On Sunday, I expect the Browns defensive performance to be much closer to the first half of Week 1 as opposed to the second half.
I’m sure that Denver will get 110-120 yards on the ground. The Browns are not going to miraculously become a good defense against the run overnight. But I do believe they will be able to contain the Broncos enough, like Cincinnati did, to make Kyle Orton beat them.
I’ll take my chances with Kyle Orton, which me leads to reason #2 why the Browns will win on Sunday…
2 – I’ll take my chances with Kyle Orton
The Broncos beat the Browns last year because Jay Cutler, despite his uneven record as a starting quarterback, is supremely talented and capable of getting into a zone that few QBs in the NFL can match. Cutler also had a great rapport with WRs Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, and it was certainly on display last season.
That said, Cutler is douchy, inconsistent, and has poor leadership skills, which in my mind makes him a hugh risk as a franchise QB. Obviously though, none of that mattered in the 4th quarter last year.
Kyle Orton, on the other hand, is not the type of quaterback who can beat you on his own.
In Week 1, Orton finished the game with solid numbers: 17-28, 243 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. But take away his fluky touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley that won the game, and this is what his numbers would have been: 16-27, 146 yards, 0 TDs.
Against Cincinnati’s defense.
I realize the irony of a Browns fan criticizing another team’s offense, but the Broncos offensive attack just does not scare me. If the Browns can contain the Broncos’ running game, which I believe that we will, it will put the onus on Kyle Orton to win the game. Despite the fluky madness that ended last week’s game — for which Orton gets no credit, sorry — I don’t believe Kyle Orton will be able to get the job done.
The truth is that I see the Broncos and Browns as very similar teams. Both teams’ running games have potential, but have shown nothing yet. Both teams have pedestrian QBs that are incapable of winning games on their own. Both teams also have defenses with some obvious strengths, but also some very obvious holes and debilitating weaknesses.
So, considering that the Broncos are playing at home, what leads me to believe that the Browns will win on Sunday?
3 – Sunday’s game will be a close one in which special teams make a huge difference; the Browns have the decided advantage in this area.
No discussion of the Browns’ special teams can begin anywhere but with the best special teams player in the NFL: Joshua Cribbs.
In case anyone needed a reminder of Cribbs’ greatness, he took a punt 67 yards to the house last Sunday against the Vikings. For his career, Cribbs averages 11.1 yards per punt return and has score twice. On kickoffs, Cribbs averages 26.3 yards per return and has scored five times.
Eddie Royal, who handles the return duties for Denver and did so last year as well, has yet to score in his young career and falls short of Cribbs’ averages in both areas.
Kicker is another area where the Browns have an advantage.
Phil Dawson has made of 82.9% of his kicks over his successful career, with numerous clutch game-winners over the past two seasons. He may not have the strongest leg in the NFL, but he’s 12-14 between 40-49 yards over the past two seasons and did kick a 56-yarder last season.
Matt Prater, who handles placekicking duties for Denver, is only a 70% career kicker despite going 2-2 in Week 1 on a couple of long kicks. Last season, he was only 5-11 from 40-49 yards.
In a close game, I’ll take my chances with our far more proven kicker.
The Browns also have the more consistent punter and punt coverage unit. In 2008, Dave Zastudil averaged 45.5 yards per punt, pinned the other team inside their 20-yard line on 30.7% of his kicks, and the Browns gave up an average punt return of only 7.3 yards, good for an overall net of 42.3. Also, 43 of Zastudil’s punts were fair caught.
Brett Kern handles the punting duties for Denver, and while he averaged 46.7 yards per kick in 2008, he only pinned the opposing team inside its 20-yard line on 28.3% of his kicks. Additionally, the Broncos gave up 4.5 more yards per punt return (11.8) than the Browns, which resulted in a net punt average of 39.6 for Kern.
Here is the best thing about Kern from a Browns perspective: he kicks it long but they are returnable. Whereas only 42.6% of Zastudil’s punts were returned in 2008, 60.8% of Kern’s were returned. This only accentuates our advantage in the return game and makes Cribbs even more of a factor.
In a game between two subpar offenses, the hidden yardage of the return game could be huge. Points will most likely be at a premium, and the team can put itself in the best position to score with solid field position will most likely end up on top.
Hence why I believe the Browns will win on Sunday.
I don’t think that Denver is a very good team this year. I’m not sure that the Browns are a good team either, but I do believe we are better than the Broncos.
What does give me a little bit of pause in picking Cleveland to win this Sunday is the fact that the game is in Denver, which has always been a tough place for opponents to play. Between the rowdy fans, the altitude, and the typically strong teams Denver has had, coming into the Mile High city and getting a W has never been easy.
But after the huge withdrawal that the Broncos made from the football karma bank last week, improbably snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, they are ripe for a little payback in Week 2. Add this impending karmic payback to the payback the Browns will already have on their minds after last season’s 4th quarter debacle, and Browns fans have yet another reason to believe.
Last season, the Browns outplayed the Broncos for 45 minutes and then simply ran into a 15-minute 4th quarter buzzsaw that could not be stopped. That threat is now gone with Jay Cutler replaced by Kyle Orton.
I think Sunday’s game will be much more like the first three quarters of the 2008 matchup than it will be like the final quarter. In fact, it will probably even be a little closer.
But if you take away that final quarter, the Browns would have won in ‘08.
One year later, with special teams being the difference, the Browns will finish the job.
Take the Browns and the points but understand that you won’t need them:
Cleveland Browns 17 | Denver Broncos 16
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* – Jay Cutler in Browns-Broncos ‘08 photo credit: Duncan / AP via New York Daily News
* – Joshua Cribbs photo credit: Bleacher Report
* – Phil Dawson photo credit: Waiting For Next Year
I can’t wait for tomorrow.
The first game of any season is always exciting. There have been no losses yet, no unfulfilled potential, and no bitter taste on the tip of the tongue still stinging from the week before.
It’s a bitter, noxious taste that Browns fans are unfortunately quite familiar with and one that we were forced to choke down on a regular basis last year.
What made 2008 such an exceptionally bad season was the fact that the Browns’ surprising run to 10-6 in 2007 had raised everyone’s hopes and turned them into expectations.
When hopes get trampled, it is easier to accept it and move on. It was just a hope, a wish, right?
There is always a recognized chance that a hope might not come to fruition, thus somewhere in the back of your mind, and in your heart, you are always somewhat prepared for a hope to fall short.
But when expectations are not met, it is crushing.
A deeper layer of vulnerability is exposed when hopes and wishes are transformed into full-fledged expectations. 2008 was a season that started with what now seem like absurdly high expectations for the Browns, but at the time they seemed perfectly reasonable. That is why the taste was all the more bitter when the team fell so egregiously short of fulfilling the expectations.
And now, here we are on the eve of 2009’s commencing kickoff with little to no idea of what to expect from the 2009 Browns. In 2007 we were supposed to be terrible and went 10-6. In 2008 we were supposed to be great and went 4-12. In 2009 we are supposed to be terrible again…
…and based on the experiences of the last two years, all it means is that we could be really good or really bad and no one would really be surprised.
So, on the preemptive bright side, at least there are no soaring expectations that could precipitate a painful fall like last year. But there also seems to be a glaring lack of hope as well, especially for a team in a league that saw 2007 doormats Miami and Atlanta make the playoffs last year.
I, for one, am actually relatively hopeful about the 2009 Browns.
If anything else, the complete lack of knowledge regarding what we will see on the field this year makes the season seem intriguing. There is a new front office leadership team, a new coach, a semi-new quarterback, several new players including some promising rookies, and a fresh 0-0 record all presaging, if nothing else, a new experience in 2009.
Unfortunately, there is also the history of disappointment that has defined the Browns franchise; a history of doom, gloom, and frustration that the franchise and its fans cannot seem to escape.
I have done my best to turn the plethora of 2009 unknowns into positives, writing a few weeks back that SI’s Peter King will regret predicting a 2-14 finish for the Browns. Some Browns fans have jumped on my bandwagon of hope, as evidenced by the comment thread of this Plain-Dealer story in which a commenter by the name of “dawgmatist” linked to my article with the following statement:
For those of you (myself included) who will be relying more so on HOPE, rather then EXPECTATIONS this season, here’s a good article I’ve kept and refer to from time to time to help give my spirits a little boost as we approach our season.
And for the most part, I believe what I’m saying.
Eric Mangini has proven he can turn a team around in one season. Braylon Edwards and Kamerion Wimbley are talented enough to become the stars Cleveland needs to anchor its offense and defense. And the addition of James Davis plus an increased role for Jerome Harrison should make the Browns more proficient at running the football.
So…if I’m so excited, you may ask, why in the hell did it take me this long to get my Browns Week 1 preview and prediction up?
And the forthright answer is that, despite my overall optimism for 2009, I am not at all hopeful about this Sunday’s matchup with Minnesota. I didn’t want to face such disappointing thoughts until it was absolutely necessary.
Right now, the 2009 Browns season is like an early winter morning after a fresh powdering of snow. Everything looks fresh, clean, and pure. There is a chance that school or even work could be canceled. The perfection of the moment has yet to be disturbed.
But at some point, the snow will start to melt, cars will have rendered the streets sloshy and nasty, and the underlying and forgotten about ice might have made the roads unable to be driven on. Eventually you realize that the seemingly lovely blanket of snow is actually nothing but a nuisance that will wreak havoc on your day.
I’ve avoided this preview because I already know that once I’ve finish writing it, the figurative fresh snow of 2009 will have already begun to melt.
Before I delve into the three reasons why the Browns could win on Sunday, and the three reasons why they won’t, here are the particulars to get you ready for Sunday:
Minnesota Vikings (0-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-0)
And now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the matchup analysis, getting the negative stuff out of the way first.
Three Reasons Why the Browns DON’T Have a Chance to Beat the Vikings on Sunday
1 – The Vikings running attack seemingly can’t be stopped and the Browns cannot stop the run
This is the A+/#1 reason why I see the Browns really struggling to even keep Sunday’s game close. All you need to do is look at the numbers from 2007 and 2008, as they tell the story:
2008:
2007:
Behind Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, Minnesota will be able to control the game and the clock on the ground. I hope that the Browns are better against the run this year, but this is a hell of a team to find out against. If the Vikings run for less than 150 yards, I will be surprised.
And it’s hard to win games when you give up that much on the ground.
2 – The Vikings are terrific at stopping the run, while the Browns struggle to establish a ground attack
The Vikings running for 150 yards wouldn’t be such a big deal if I felt the Browns had a chance to churn out 125-130 yards of their own on the ground. That would help balance out the clock domination and keep the pressure off of Brady Quinn, who is making his first ever opening week start as the top tog on the depth chart.
While I am hopeful that the Browns’ running attack will be better this year, it wouldn’t really take much based on our ground “success” from last season. Once again, the stats explain this expected Sunday mismatch better than I ever could:
2008:
2007:
There was a little bit of hope when it looked like the “Williams Wall” might not be eligible to start the season. However, both of the Williams boys will be out there, meaning a whole lot of 1- and 2-yard clouds of dust on Sunday, and probably a lot of 3-and-outs because of it.
3 – The team with better players and more stars wins most of the time
This is a truth of sports that you could try to argue with, but you would have absolutely no statistical nor empirical foundation upon which to argue.
And on Sunday, the team with the better roster will be on the sideline opposite my boys in brown.
If we stacked these two lists on a scale, it might tip over and fall towards the direction of Minnesota, and not because of the girth of the Williams boys.
The Browns have improved their roster over the last few years, and have more talent than they are given credit for or showed last year, but have a ways to go to be on par with Minnesota.
Okay, now it’s time to transition from the negative to the semi-positive.
I’ll end the suspense right now, in case you were even still wondering: I am predicting Minnesota to win this game, and to cover the 4-point spread. You can scroll down right now if you don’t believe me.
But the phrase “any given Sunday” is the most famous NFL cliche of them all for a reason, and the Browns winning a season-opening game over the Vikings in Cleveland would be far from the biggest upset in NFL history. If it happens, who knows, it might not even be the biggest upset of the day.
It’s just highly, highly unlikely.
But let’s assume the optimistic hypothetical for a moment, just for the sake of argument and for the sake of furthering what few semblances of hope we as Browns fans can cling to heading into kickoff tomorrow. What follows are three reasons (plus an obvious fourth) why the Browns could win.
And if they do end up winning, I can almost guarantee that all three of these things occur (especially the first one!).
Three Reasons Why the Browns DO Have a Chance to Beat the Vikings on Sunday
1 – Home field advantage
Here is some interesting reading for you stat geeks out there (you know, people like me): NFL Home Field Advantage and Team Strength, from Advanced NFL Stats. The post analyzes the varying effect of home field advantage between evenly matched teams and mismatched teams. The scope of the study is the 2002-2006 NFL seasons.
What the study found is that the overall percentage of games won by the home team is 57%. For teams that end up with the same record, and are therefore “evenly matched,” the percentage rises to 63%. Conversely, the home field advantage is reduced to 53% for “mismatched” teams.
Here is what I take from this, if we assume that the Super Bowl-contending Vikings and my beloved but undermanned Browns are, indeed, a mismatch: there is still a 53% chance that the Browns come away victorious.
Hey, I said this section was reasons why the Browns do have a chance. I’d say this quick statistical citation qualifies.
(See, I guaranteed that if the Browns would win, the first reason would almost surely occur. Well, no matter what happens, the game is being played at Cleveland Browns stadium, so I’m right!)
2 – The Browns’ porous 2008 rushing attack could improve to a level closer to 2007’s competence
As stated above, I have little confidence that the Browns will be able to run on Minnesota or stop the Vikings’ rushing attack. To win the game, they will have to at least exceed my expectations in one area. With Adrian Peterson in the Vikings’ backfield, I see very little hope of the Browns containing the Vikings on the ground.
However, I do think there is a chance for the Browns’ backfield to come through with a solid day.
The main reason for this hope, no matter how small it may be, is that the Browns do have versatility, and even a little bit of explosiveness, in their backfield.
Now for a quick snap back to reality: the Vikings finished first in the NFL in rushing defense the last two years. Predicting that the Browns can break the century mark on the ground against Minnesota is foolhardy at best, and most likely requires some level of hopeful insanity.
Well, I am not predicting that it will happen. Yet, if James Davis and Jerome Harrison are used more than sparingly, and come to play, it could happen. And I believe that with the inexperienced Brady Quinn at QB and only one proven WR on the outside in Braylon Edwards, the Browns will need to approach or exceed 100 yards on the ground to win this game.
The Lewis-Davis-Harrison trio has intriguing potential, and they do have a decent offensive line to run behind. Maybe, just maybe, the Browns can defy the stats and the odds to produce adequately on the ground. If so, they will have a chance to control the ball, the clock, field position, and possibly put themselves in a position to win the game late.
3 – The Browns’ main defensive strength capitalizes on the Vikings’ main offensive weakness
I have already chronicled the Browns’ woes stopping the run. We also know that opposing QBs do not fear being taken to the ground, as the Browns accumulated only 17 sacks last year, tying for 30th in the NFL. For a little perspective, DeMarcus Ware of Dallas had 20 all by himself.
However, there is one thing that the Browns do well defensively: force turnovers, specifically interceptions. Only Baltimore (with 23) had more inceptions than the Browns’ 22 in 2008. And it wasn’t one player dominating the totals, as the Browns got INT contributions from everywhere on their defense.
Sean Jones is gone, so his four picks will have to be replaced, with former Jet Abram Elam stepping in as the guy trying to replace them. Elam had only one pick last season, but did return it 92 yards for a TD.
Update: Forgot to check the injury report before posting. Eric Wright is listed as questionable, with Hank Poteat slated to replace Wright if he cannot go. So…please EW…be ready to go.
Also, just so you don’t think I forgot, Bernard Berrian is also listed as questionable for Minnesota. While his absence would hurt Minnesota, I think this game will be decided on the ground, making Berrian’s inability to play somewhat negligible. But it does offer one less way for the Vikings to attack Cleveland should Berrian not be able to go, and obviously would help balance out Wright’s absence if he cannot go either.
Why is this such a positive, especially against the Vikings? Well, you may have heard that Brett Favre is now playing QB for Minnesota. And you also may know that he is the NFL’s all-time leader in virtually QB stat imaginable, including interceptions.
Last year, Favre tossed 22 completions to the other team, and there were only three games in which he did not throw a pick. For his career, Favre has thrown 310 INTs so surely he will gift wrap a few for McDonald, Wright, Pool, et al, right?
It depends on which Brett Favre we see.
He played very conservatively during the preseason, and understands the greatness that lines up behind him. Though it goes against his natural instincts, I am sure that Favre and the Minnesota coaches are committed to him playing a more safe, ball control, game manager brand of football than he is used to playing.
But can an old dog learn new tricks? Can a leopard change its spots? Can a Favre protect the football?
We’ll find out, but the historical evidence leads me to believe that there will be at least one or two balls there for the taking. If so, the Browns’ defenders have proven that they are capable of taking advantage.
Now the caveat: the Browns’ offense will have to take advantage of the turnovers, something that they couldn’t do last year. So we’ll see if that improves this season.
Regardless, I’m just looking for reasons the Browns could win. Forcing turnovers is certainly one reason that we can reasonably expect, and there is no way Cleveland comes away from Sunday victorious without them.
Before we move onto the prediction, I do also want to say that a fourth reason for hope is the presence of Joshua Cribbs. He is capable of changing a game with one kick return, one forced fumble covering a punt, or even in his new purportedly expanded role on offense. By now, Browns fans should understand that Cribbs’ superb ability is a given, so I didn’t list it as one of my three official reasons.
Okay, now for the moment I’ve been fearing and avoiding: a prediction for this Sunday’s Browns-Vikings game.
You already know that my caveat will be that I hope to be proven wrong. While there are a few legitimate reasons to believe that I will be, I take my prediction responsibilities seriously and try to pick with my head instead of my heart.
If I picked with my heart and dove completely into the lonely waters of Browns optimism, I’d go 17-14 Browns. However, my head says the Browns just aren’t good enough yet, even at home, to overcome Adrian Peterson and the Vikings.
So while I believe that 7-9 or 8-8 is realistically attainable for this year’s Browns, I just can’t see one of those 7 or 8 wins coming tomorrow.
Official Browns-Vikings prediction: Minnesota Vikings 27 | Cleveland Browns 13
And now, in the interests of ending this on a positive, please follow the link to my aforementioned ode to Browns hope in 2009. The Vikings are just not a good matchup for Cleveland, but an 0-1 start will not mean that hope is lost for a successful rebound season in 2009.
A few other previews from our friends around the Brownsosphere:
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* – Adrian Peterson photo credit: Bryan C Singer/Icon SMI via Lester’s Legends
* – Eric Wright photo credit: Tracy Boulian — Associated Press via Washington Post
According to “internet reports”, the Cleveland Browns are targeting WR Brandon Marshall in a trade with the Denver Broncos. The website reporting the rumor, which I will not name so as not to given them their 15 minutes, has said that the package would include KR/ST Stud/WR/Complete Badass Josh Cribbs plus one or more draft picks.
To view the complete report on the Brandon Marshall-to-the-Browns rumor, hop on over to the good folks at Pro Football Talk.
(For the record, hopefully you understood the sarcasm of the first paragraph. Pro Football Talk is decidedly NOT a blog that typically receives such treatment anymore (but we are!), although they did at one time. Now, they are striking deals with NBC and basically encroaching more and more on the NFL universe every single day — and I mean that as positively as possible. Congrats to Florio for the recent announcement of the deal with NBC. We are quite pleased that “suitable nodes” will no longer be part of the PFT lexicon.)
Now, back to this Brandon Marshall-to-the-Browns trade rumor.
I believe that Florio is hearing such whispers, I just don’t believe that the rumor will ever come to fruition, nor that it should.
First, I just don’t see Brandon Marshall being a “Mangini guy.” Granted, I only have peripheral knowledge of what a “Mangini guy” is from what we’ve seen through the press, which of course is very little because Mangini is decidedly a “Belichick guy.” However, what I believe that we have learned is that Eric Mangini is a coach who values character, loathes distractions, and employs a system that demands cerebral players and desires versatile players.
We also know the following about the Browns: they are thin on experience and proven play-making ability at the WR position and are still embroiled in a contract spat with the Cribbs.
Still, I just can’t see this being a move that Eric Mangini and George Kokinis would want to make.
Based solely on reputation and my own admittedly subjective opinion, Joshua Cribbs is cut from a higher cloth of character than Brandon Marshall. Additionally, Cribbs has played multiple positions in the NFL and was a QB in college. Just based on the diversity of his experience alone, I think it’s reasonable to assume that Cribbs is a more cerebral player overall than Brandon Marshall. And while Marshall may know receiving better, Cribbs clearly has versatility in his corner.
As for distractions, yeah Cribbs has gone public with his desire for a reworked contract, but he also participated in camp most of the way through the squabble. Marshall, on the other hand, has unresolved (though disputed, by him) issues with domestic violence that were recently chronicled on Outside the Lines. And Marshall is clearly not as amenable as Cribbs. Something set Marshall off and he, essentially, “took his ball and went home.” Marshall recently cleared out his locker so serious was he about geting out of Denver, with Jay Cutler’s departure ostensibly being part of the reason.
Update: Just caught this recent post on PFT regarding a statement by Brandon Marshall at his website. The post by Marshall purports to explain some of his reasoning for leaving. Aaron Wilson explains why the Broncos may have a hard time trading Marshall, and none of them should make the Browns overly excited about getting him.
But what about from a purely football standpoint?
Brandon Marshall is clearly a much better WR than Joshua Cribbs, and would give the Browns either a potent 1-2 punch of Marshall and Braylon Edwards, or as PFT suggests, would put Edwards “in play” for a trade to another team. Either of those options is intriguing, especially if the current accord between Mangini and Edwards is on a rocky foundation. (I don’t know either way, but Edwards certainly had a tense relationship with the Browns and the city last year.)
However, how much of a loss would Joshua Cribbs be on special teams and as a versatile offensive weapon? I think the Browns would lose a lot. Cribbs provides difference-making ability every time he lines up for a punt or kick-off. He consistently makes big yardage-saving tackles and is a threat to break a big return every time he touches the ball.
I think that the impact of Brandon Marshall — a terrifically talented receiver — on offense is equivalent to the impact of Joshua Cribbs on special teams. And while I don’t believe offense and special teams are necessarily equals, I do believe they impact NFL games in a similar enough manner that the character and intangibles (not to mention future contract cap-friendliness) of Joshua Cribbs should win out here.
Forget the draft pick, especially if its a first-day pick. I definitely would not do that deal, not with how valuable draft picks are. And the truth is that I, personally, would not trade Joshua Cribbs straight up for Brandon Marshall. Yes, Marshall is a great WR and would instantly help Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, but the Browns have a new coach and should be building for the long haul. Joshua Cribbs is the kind of underrated yet impactful player who can be had for a reasonable contract and become a cornerstone — in both talent AND character — into the next decade.
Brandon Marshall? I’m not so sure. Lots of talent, but will he help to define the new era of football under Eric Mangini or undermine it? I don’t have the answers to those questions, and am basing them solely off of my personal impressions of Brandon Marshall through what I’ve read in the media, but I’ll tell you this: I have no such fears or conceptions about Joshua Cribbs.
If I were the Browns I would send a clear message that the new regime is making a commitment to character and leadership. Brandon Marshall may possess these attributes in addition to his talent, but Joshua Cribbs does possess these attributes in addition to his talent.
Thus, the Browns should trust and hang onto what they know: keep Cribbs. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Now, Michael Vick on the other hand…hmm, that’s mighty intriguing, don’t you think?
The last 36 hours have just not at all been what I expected or hoped for them to be.
It all started on Wednesday when, buoyed by my fantasy baseball team’s hot start (my team and another have already opened up a double-digit lead on the pack in a H2H league), I decided to take to the message boards with some thinly veiled trash talk at the rest of league. My team is playing the other top team next weekend so I posed the question of whether or not it was the biggest H2H matchup in May in the history of fantasy baseball – a reasonable question I think. Naturally, my hitters have struggled and my pitchers have been awful this week.
Then, on Wednesday, the Cavs were surprised by the Magic in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After watching the Cavs dominate in the first quarter, I thought it would turn into another Pistons/Hawks rout. Not so much. The Magic proved that they would be worthy Eastern Conference Finals adversaries, and if they needed any more motivation for tonight and the rest of the series Mo Williams decided to give them some: “I don’t feel this team can beat us four times. I don’t see them beating us four times.”
The only problem, of course, is that the Magic have beaten the Cavs 9 out of the last 12 times they’ve played (at least, that was the stat tossed out on the radio today) and lead the series 1-0. I’m thinking a more humble approach would work here; but the the proof will be in the pudding tonight.
Anyway, back to the B.S.
So I wake up on Thursday morning to the exciting news that the White Sox are surprisingly making a hard charge to get Jake Peavy. I run into the office and post about it here on MSF, leave to teach a class at the SBDC here in town, and then get back and hear that it’s all up to No-Trade Peavy whether the deal will go down or not.
Always willing to do anything necessary to help my teams win, I get the completely misguided inspired idea to start an online petition to show Jake Peavy support from White Sox fans. In my insanity zeal to somehow make a difference, I convince myself that I can promote the petition, get tens of thousands of White Sox fans to sign it, and it gets added to the “Pro” list Jake Peavy is making as he weighs his options. Then he comes
to Chicago, ultimately does an interview with MSF, leads the White Sox to the World Series, and his sublime K/BB ratio inspires Iran and Israel to schedule a Texas-style square dance at which they will squash their difference and lead a united front for peace in the Middle East.
Well, we all know what happened. A measly nine people signed my measly petition and Jake Peavy pretty quickly soon thereafter decided to stay with San Diego. Oh, and then the White Sox got shellacked 20-1, as if we needed to feel any worse after getting jilted at the alter.
I would go into more detail about my thoughts on Jake Peavy and the White Sox from yesterday, but Bobby from Tremendous Upside Potential pretty much said everything I was already thinking. Hop on over to TUP and read his post.
(By the way, the sublimely perfect picture to see there of an unnamed White Sox fan on his back was lifted from PhotoBucket, courtesy of the aptly named profile “White Sox Suck.” Ridiculous.)
So, that all kind of sucked. In more positive news, Josh Cribbs visited the Browns facility yesterday and even took part in a team meeting, although he is still not taking part in any on-field activities. But the fact that he is having dialogue with Mangini at least appears to be a positive step in the right direction on the surface. And Brady Quinn has apparently vaulted into the lead for the Browns QB race, mostly by virtue of the fact that Eric Mangini had to pick someone to take the first team reps. I just can’t get excited about our QB situation heading into this season after the debacle of last year. Every time I think about Quinn and Anderson is reminds of my favorite South Park episode…
And on that same subject, why is Phil Dawson not attending the voluntary minicamp? Purportedly he wants a new contract, to which I would respond: “Dude, you’re a kicker, and we were 4-12 last year.” The way I look at it, kickers get new contracts when things are good and everyone else has been taken care of. I realize that Phil Dawson was perhaps the Browns’ most valuable player last year, but shouldn’t that be a clear sign to Browns management that we need to spend money elsewhere to upgrade our roster? I love you Phil, I really do, and I think you’re a great kicker. But consider the timing. A 4-12 team probably has bigger fish to fry than a solid, but still pretty replaceable kicker. (Or as my old high school buddy Ssengats might call him, “a piece of equipment.”)
Before I being the work day, time to pass a little love along to some of our good friends here at MSF.
The guys over at Sharapova’s Thigh continue to entertain with their Random Retro Baseball Player series. The most recent highlight? Mark Gubicza, who was a pretty good pitcher for the Royals. Now, feel free to go to the Sharapova’s Thigh home page and scroll down. You will not be disappointed, as Mark Gubicza is clearly the least attractive person pictured. The fact that I have chosen the post about Gubicza to link to, when I could have chosen any number of hot chicks now has me wondering if I am way too obsessed with baseball…
Next, step over to Hugging Harold Reynolds (my favorite blog name ever, by the way). We are always proud to support any post that includes a picture of Ben Roethlisberger looking like a drunk neanderthal.
Our buddies at Sparty and Friends have uncovered the movie poster for Spike Lee’s next film about Michael Vick doin’ work.
Robert Littal, the bona fide sports expert, has a post that includes something you don’t see every day: criticism of LeBron James. For its uniqueness alone, I send you over there.
And finally, I sent you on your way this morning with a link over to Josh Q. Public, who is already on his way to a weekend of ridiculous fun in Las Vegas. Since I’ve never been there before, I figured I’d try to live vicariously through the Elvis Presley video he posted yesterday. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work. But we here at MSF always support weekends of irresponsibility, debauchery, and good old male bonding. Have fun out there JQ. Thanks for making me even less excited about my work day today.
If Eric Mangini wants to help the Browns author a Falcons- or Dolphins-like turnaround in 2009, he surely knows that he needs his most talented players on board with his program. Browns fans certainly realize this, and unfortunately one of those talented players has already decided to skip the Browns’ first voluntary minicamp this week.
Josh Cribbs, special teams extraordinaire and team spark plug, has announced that he will not be attending this week’s voluntary full-team minicamp. As reported by John Taylor of the Orange and Brown Report, talks between Josh Cribbs and the Cleveland Browns “have gone nowhere.”
Here is an excerpt from John Taylor’s post at the OBR regarding Josh Cribbs skipping Browns minicamp this week:
One Browns source stated that “the team is having a hard time figuring out a value to place on what Josh brings to the team. He’s obviously a tremendous football player, a tremendous asset to the team and to the city, but we all just have to find some type of way to gauge financially what is acceptable in relation to what he does and to the [salary] cap.”
Cribbs is still playing under the contract he signed before his incredible 2007 season in which he always seemed to be involved in every big run of Browns momentum, whether it be from a punt return, a kickoff return, or a yardage saving tackle as a gunner. From 2009 through 2012 Cribbs’ salaries are $620K, $635K, $650K, and $790K with “up to $400K” escalators built into each remaining year.
According to Taylor, “Cribbs is not necessarily looking for a new deal right now; he is, however, looking for some type of meaningful progress in the talks.” Taylor also says that Cribbs is believed to be okay with a deal that includes lots of incentives based on his offensive participation. The root of his displeasure apparently is the fact that he was promised by Randy Lerner, Romeo Crennel, and Phil Savage that he would have his contract situation resolved and be taken care of after the 2008 season.
Obviously with Crennel and Savage now gone, replaced by Eric Mangini and George Kokinis, Cribbs still expects such an organizational promise to hold true. Personally, I cannot say that I blame him one iota. And as Mike Florio astutely points out over at ProFootballTalk, this is not the first time that Eric Mangini has encountered trouble with promises made by previous regimes. Citing the same report from the OBR, here is what Florio had to say about Josh Cribbs skipping the Browns voluntary full-team minicamp:
During Mangini’s three years with the Jets, three different players made similar claims: guard Pete Kendall, receiver Laveranues Coles, and tight end Chris Baker.
Taylor reports that, after the arrival of the Magini-Kokinis regime, Cribbs was told that the team would focus on fixing his contract after the 2009 draft. Three weeks later, no progress has been made.
I have a really hard time believing that Eric Mangini and George Kokinis would really have trouble figuring out the value of Josh Cribbs. If you want an example from 2007, you can pretty much just watch the tape of any Browns game. Josh Cribbs was electric and was either the source of a momentum shift or a momentum hammer time and again. An opposing would score, and Cribbs would immediately reverse the field position and get the Browns going, or he would make a big play when the Browns were on a roll and suck the life out of the opposition.
Considering his potential versatility in a Wildcat formation, or his potential if effectively and judiciously used as a third-down slot receiver, Cribbs is worthy of a new deal. He plays hard every down, he is a high character leader in the locker room, and he is the kind of person and player that you build winning organizations around. Unless his contract demands are just outrageous, which it does not sound like they are, what is the upside to pissing him off and forcing him to dig in his heels and stay away this week?
And getting back to my point above, if Mangini and Kokinis need more help figuring out Cribbs’ value to the team, why not look at Mangini’s very own Jets from last year. Leon Washington offered incredible value as one of the Jets’ primary weapons. I know that special teamers sometimes get looked upon as replaceable parts, but certain guys deserve to be paid, with Washington and Cribbs being two of these guys.
Not to mention, Cribbs is absolutely beloved by all Browns fans. If Mangini and Kokinis are looking to win over the fans (which they seem to care little about), they will get Josh Cribbs taken care of it. More importantly, if they are looking to ultimately win over the fans by winning games (which they do seem to care a lot about), they still should get Josh Cribbs taken care of. We all know that one of the Browns’ biggest problems is a dearth of playmakers on both sides of the ball. Josh Cribbs, however, can be a playmaker on both offense and special teams. Unless there is something I don’t know (which, granted, could be the case) I do not see any reason not to reward Cribbs for his contributions thus far to the organization and to make him a long-term, happy piece of Browns’ foundation moving forward.
Let’s just hope this ultimately gets resolved and Cribbs gets into camp. I don’t want to sit through the painful dreck of 2008 once again in 2009, and it’s hard for me to envision anything else without Josh Cribbs on the field playing like Josh Cribbs.
Update: Good news? Since posting this, PFT has posted regarding the fact that there is still an outside shot Cribbs could report to Browns minicamp tomorrow if “the team demonstrates today sufficient interest in adjusting Cribbs’ contract to reflect his performance over the two seasons since he signed it…” Let’s hope such interest is shown, and soon.
Update #2: Yet another update on the Josh Cribbs story over at PFT. It seems that the Browns front office is taking issue with Josh Cribbs’ stated recollection that Owner Randy Lerner promised Cribbs that his contract situation would be handled, even after Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel were let go. This is decidedly not the response that I was hoping the Browns would have to this situation. Fan-f***ing-tastic.
If anyone wondered whether third-string quarterback Ken Dorsey could lead the Browns into the end zone against the Titans on Sunday, all doubts were erased as Tennessee clobbered Cleveland 28-9 on its way toward clinching the AFC South Division title.
To be fair to Dorsey, the Browns have not scored a touchdown in three games with three different starting quarterbacks. Last week, it was Derek Anderson at the helm in Cleveland’s 10-6 loss against Indianapolis, and two weeks ago Brady Quinn started in the 16-6 loss against the Houston Texans.
Quinn, despite wearing a splint wrapped by a bulky bandage, was on the sidelines, communicating with Dorsey via a headset: (“Hey, Ken, watch out! Titan coming from 12 o’clock! Duck! Run!†or “Hey, do you think we’ll be able to catch the Dallas-Pittsburgh game?â€)
Despite Quinn’s helpful hints, Dorsey, who hasn’t had an NFL start in three years, went 22-of-43 for 150 yards and threw one interception.
Prior to the Browns latest debacle, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that sources inside the Browns organization said that Marty Schottenheimer had the inside track in the race to replace Head Coach Romeo 
Crennel. But Marty’s reputation for not being able to get to the Super Bowl has caused some doubt of his suitability among the local media and Browns fans. Schottenheimer, 65, started his head coaching career in Cleveland in 1984.
Loading ...Marty Schottenheimer was fired by the San Diego Chargers after a 14-2 season in 2006, and the Chargers have not contended, since. Marty also has the reputation of being very stubborn, especially when adding family members to his staff. It was pushing to hire brother Kurt that led to dissension in Cleveland; and word has it that Marty wants his son, Brian, involved in his next coaching job.
Mortensen’s report smacks of the Browns using the media to float its latest trial balloon up there for fans to see – and for Bill Cowher to see. Mortensen also reported, “Bill Cowher is a consideration, if he sent stronger signals that he is ready to return to coaching.â€
In the meantime, what do the Browns do about their last three games against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football; Cincinnati, Dec. 21, and Pittsburgh on Dec. 28?
Although the score does not reflect this, the Browns defense played one of its best games Sunday in coming up with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, accounting for three Phil Dawson field goals.
Dorsey is gutsy, I’ll give him that, standing in a collapsing pocket until it is too late. He threw a 25-yarder to wide receiver Braylon Edwards – which Edwads caught – in the Browns very first possession Sunday.
But the best throw came from Joshua Cribbs, the Browns Everyman, who has returned kick-offs and punts for touchdowns, and Sunday, lined up eight times as a shotgun quarterback, running six times.
Finally, late in the fourth quarter, Cribbs, an ex-Kent State University running quarterback, threw deep to Edwards who managed to get one foot down inside the line. The Browns didn’t even challenge the call, leading one CBS analyst to say, “Cleveland is asleep at the switch.â€
I agree. Okay, the season is lost, but this is the time to experiment with creative play-calling. Why not set up the flea-flicker? How about a fast-paced, no-huddle, shot-gun format? What do the 4-9 Browns have to lose?
If the Browns are gun shy about playing inexperienced pro quarterbacks, why not place an ad in the classifieds of NFL city newspapers:
“Wanted: NFL quarterback. Must have experience scoring from the Red Zone. Please email Randy.”
Hmmm…. I wonder what Vinny Testarverde is doing these days.
(Update: This post was originally written before the Browns lost to the Colts 10-6. During that game, Derek Anderson went out with what looks a pretty serious knee injury. Unfortunately, the rest of Derek Anderson’s 2008 season appears to be in jeopardy, meaning that Ken Dorsey will likely be playing QB for the Browns for the rest of the season. Unless, of course, they choose one of the other candidates below…)
Word broke last night that Browns QB and Golden Boy Quarterback of the Future Brady Quinn will miss the rest of the 2008 season.
Quinn visited the Fantasy Football Grim Reaper, Dr. James Andrews, only a few days after saying that his injured finger did not affect his performance on Sunday against the Texans. During the visit, further damage was discovered to the finger; and thus, Brady Quinn will sit out the rest of 2008.
Most people assume that Derek Anderson will be taking over on Sunday when the Browns play the Colts in Cleveland. And that is probably correct. But between the Browns’ 4-7 record, the utter incompetence of Braylon Edwards, the overall ineptitude of our offense, the up and down defense, and questionable job status of Romeo Crennel, Rob Chudzinski, and Phil Savage less than a year after contract extensions…well, let’s just say that this year has not exactly gone according to plan.
So, I am going to run down the Top 10 Candidates to Replace Brady Quinn. We’ll be begin with the assumption that Derek Anderson will immediately step into the role of starter, and then this post will probably start unraveling right before your eyes.
1 – Derek Anderson
Positives: He has starting experience, and was a Pro Bowler in 2007. I wonder if he threw any 300s on the circuit last year. Wait – what? Oh. He played in the Pro Bowl. The one with the best players in the NFL. Wow. It seems like so long ago I barely remember. After watching him this season, it was pretty hard to fathom that Derek Anderson went to the Pro Bowl last year.
Negatives: Well, in the section of positives above, I could not contain my frustration and keep 
it all positive. Not good when we’re talking about the guy that got a 3-year extension in the offseason. (Update: And now, of course, he’s hurt. So Anderson’s out of the mix.)
2 – Ken Dorsey
Positives: He has been in the Cleveland system forever and knows the offense. (Considering how poorly the offense has played this year, I’m not sure if knowing the offense is actually a positive.) He played at the U with Kellen Winslow.
Negatives: I watched him warming up once and was certain that he had a sprained or separated shoulder. No, I was told – he was actually throwing it as hard as he could. (This story is not true, but it could be.) KVB throws like a ten-year old girl, and he just might be able to get it down the field better than Ken Dorsey.
3 – Joshua Cribbs
Positives: Are you kidding me? Because he’s Joshua Frieking Cribbs. There aren’t many players that I will completely absolve from blame for this season’s woes, but Joshua Cribbs is one of them. He played quarterback at Kent State and would allow us to get the ball into the hands of one of our best play-makers each play. Sure, we might not be able to throw all that well, but are we really throwing it that well right now anyway? What do we have to lose?
Negatives: Joshua Cribbs is one of the top special teams players in the NFL. We don’t want him getting tired running for his life as the quarterback and then being unable to cover and return kicks with his usual pizzazz.
4 – Jerome Harrison
Positives: He has been our most dynamic and consistent play-maker on offense this year, despite his limited role. Every time he touches the ball, something good seems to happen. It stands to reason that if you get the ball into the hands of your play-makers more, good things will happen for the offense.
Negatives: Well, he has never played QB before, so that hurts. Sure, Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn have looked like they hadn’t played QB before – but surprisingly they actually had, as recently as 2007! So Jerome’s lack of experience should not work against him.
What may work against him is a little known quirk in the fabric of the universe that only Rob Chudzinski knows about. The entire city of Cleveland is actually lined with dynamite. Every square inch of it. The evil doers who set this up dictated only two things that could trigger detonation, with the assumption being that they will never happen: Jerome Harrison receiving more than 10 touches in a game or the Cleveland Indians winning a World Series. I’m not sure if this is true, but it’s about the only reasonable explanation I can make for the Browns’ aversion to giving the rock to Jerome Harrison more this season – so I’m not ruling it out.
5 – Bill Cowher
Positives: Can you imagine the roar from the Browns crowd? I realize this sounds ridiculous, but think about it: the Browns can’t just install Cowher as their coach right now because they have to comply with the Rooney Rule. However, I can’t think of any rules against signing Bill Cowher to play QB, thus allowing him into the meeting rooms to learn the current system, get to know the players, and begin to change the mentality of this team. You may think this one is ridiculous; I think it makes the most sense of all.
Negatives: He’s old, he has a mustache, and he’s never played quarterback before. If we are going to try out
this combination in hopes of actually winning a game, I’d rather go with Tom Selleck or Quint from Jaws. Cowher at QB would obviously be a move for the future and likely result in five straight losses to end the season. If we want to finish the season with dignity, Selleck or Quint could help us get there.
6 – LeBron James
Positives: He is tall, he’s mind-bogglingly athletic, and he played football in high school. Can you imagine a zone-read offense with LeBron James at QB and Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison flanking him, with the threat of a reverse to Joshua Cribbs. Seriously, tell me the Browns wouldn’t score more points that way. Plus, as Cleveland comes to the realization that LeBron will not be around in two seasons, the city needs to get creative in coming up with ways to keep him. Sure, he’d have the big market of New York City if he went to the Nets or Knicks – but wouldn’t he become a global icon faster if he was the NBA MVP and a starting NFL QB? Eat that Bo Jackson.
Negatives: He would be playing for the Browns, which would force him to live under the same dark cloud that everyone associated with the franchise has had to live under since 1999 – and for long before that. How long would it be before LeBron got hurt? One of the greatest NBA careers ever could be derailed by the (un)luck of the Browns.
7 – Tim Sofa
Positives: So I heard about this young kid from rural Kentucky who put up ridiculous numbers in HS playing against a bunch of small schools. Then he went to a big conference, played in a spread and threw the ball 70 times a game and continued to put up great numbers, fooling everyone in the process that he was actually a competent QB. Pick him #1!
Negatives: Unfortunately, this guy has zero leadership qualities, a rag arm, and is more fragile than cracked glass. Yeah, never mind about this one. We’ve been here before.
8 – Zack Morris
Positives: The Browns have lost their pretty boy, eye candy for the ladies now that Brady Quinn is down. Derek And
erson just does not seem to have the same cache with the females. The other problem with DA is that he is not cool and calm under pressure. Brady Quinn needs some time to develop, but it appears as if he will be a cool customer with time. Zack Morris, however, is quite possibly the coolest guy ever. The ladies loved him, he was always finding a way out of difficult situations, and he thrived under less than optimal leadership (Mr. Belding). He could be the perfect choice to succeed in a struggling offense for a struggling coach. (Plus, look at that picture of Ken Dorsey above and tell me he wouldn’t be a worthy Screech Powers.)
Negatives: Well, he’s a TV character and not a real person, so that could be a problem. Of course, many of us thought that Brady Quinn was just a commercial actor and ball boy until he actually played in a game this year. Also, Zack Morris is a California kid from Bayside High, so his toughness could be a question mark. But, what many people forget is that the early episodes of Saved by the Bell (with Miss Bliss) actually took place in Indiana. So Zack Morris has Midwestern roots and, ostensibly, toughness. And perhaps if Preppy plays QB for the Browns he could bring A.C. Slater with him. We could use a linebacker.
9 – Sloth from Goonies
Positives: Look, let’s be honest about something here. Browns fans, on the whole, are not the prettiest people in the world. They are hard-working, blue-collar people who are defined more by toughness, loyalty, and grit than razzle-dazzle, sparkle, and face moisturizers. Doesn’t it seem a bit incongruous that Brady 
Quinn and his leading-man good looks are quarterbacking this franchise? He should be in Miami or Dallas or L.A. Sloth from Goonies, however, just looks like a Browns fan, doesn’t he? And that’s not to say that most Browns fans are ugly. Really, it’s more of a generalization about the majority of people in the Midwest. Hey, I love the Midwest. It’s where I grew up. But I see more “pretty†people in Dallas every day than in a year of time back home. Doesn’t mean I like the people down here any more (quite the contrary, actually) – it just is what it is.
Negatives: First off, while Browns fans in general may not have much in common with Brady Quinn in terms of looks, Sloth would probably be much more comfortable at Heinz Field with the rest of the eye sores that root for the Steelers. Also, I have to question Sloth’s toughness. He was tough and scary at the beginning of the movie, but quickly turned into a softie. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt though, because he helped out the kids and became a hero in the end. Also, he does not appear to be very mobile in the pocket. If he has a decent release, he could be a poor man’s Bernie Kosar, but probably not much more.
10 – Charlie Brown
Positives: First off, his last name. He was born to play football in Cleveland. Secondly, poetic justice. Charlie Brown consistently has the ball yanked out from under him when he runs forward to attempt to kick it, sending him flying up in the air to land on his back with a thud. Sadly, what better metaphor is there for Cleveland Browns football in 2008?
Negatives: I can’t think of any. Let’s add another eponymous superstar to the list of Cleveland greats that is highlighted by Paul and Jim. The legacy can continue with Charlie.
Seriously, at this point, what do we have to lose?
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Cleveland Browns Coach Romeo Crennel has denied that his team ‘quit’ on him last Thursday night after blowing a 13-point lead against the Denver Broncos.
Crennel told the media at his press conference Wednesday: “It seems like the word ‘quit’ has taken a life of its own and grown a little bit bigger, and now the Browns are quitters and the coach has lost control of the team and there’s division in the locker room, and that’s not the case.”
The beleaguered head coach has been in the hot seat over a 3-6 record so far this season. But Crennel vowed all of his players “are going to play and play together. Whether we play good enough remains to be seen. You don’t quit if you have the ball at the end of the game with a chance to win.”
Loading ...It is not that the Browns quit against Denver when the defense gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter, but “guys didn’t play as smart as they needed to play in critical situations,” Crennel said.
Reporters inside the Browns practice facility in Berea say the players have been worked a bit harder this week in preparation for the Monday Night game against the also struggling Buffalo Bills in Buffalo.
Romeo Crennel hopes more focused, intense, work this week will smarten up a few players, specifically, Brandon McDonald, the cornerback beaten badly by Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall on several long passing plays.
However, critics of the Browns coaching staff wonder aloud why McDonald was left out there by himself to defend the taller, stronger, and more versatile Marshall.
Don’t be surprised if Brandon McDonald does not start on Monday, and if Browns once rising star wide receiver Braylon Edwards spends time on the bench for his hand-eye/hands-football coordination and foot-in-mouth disease. (These problems may all be head-related and not expected to lead to staph.)
Running back Jamal Lewis accused his teammates of quitting after the 34-30 loss to Denver, adding, “some people need to check their egos at the door and find some heart to come out here and play hard.” Most Browns media members and fans believe he was referring to Braylon Edwards — although Jamal would not 
name specific players.
Romeo Crennel also said he spoke with both Jamal Lewis and running back/receiver Joshua Cribbs — who agreed with Jamal on some team members quitting.
Crennel said neither man actually saw anyone quit.
Following the press conference, Jamal Lewis spoke of how his former team, the Baltimore Ravens’ 2000 Superbowl team, all pulled in the same direction from the top down to the players.
Thanks for reminding us, Jamal. The whole reason Art Modell moved our Browns team (which began in Cleveland in 1946) to Baltimore was to do something he felt he could not do in Cleveland — win a Super Bowl.
The players in Baltimore did not sweat the small stuff, but each did his job, Lewis said, adding that if everybody on the Browns took that approach, “we’d be all right.”
Crennel also insisted, “When you say the team quit, you’re saying I quit. I know I’m not a quitter and my players don’t quit.”
That may no longer matter. The Cleveland media and Browns fans have begun to debate whether the sputtering Browns should go back to the drawing board and start over in 2009 from the top to bottom with a fourth regime since “coming back” in 1999.
Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner has been “strangely silent” about the Browns and its future, more than one media member has remarked.
Hang on tight, Browns fans. The next few months could be a wild ride.
[tags]cleveland browns, romeo crennel, nfl[/tags]
Will Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage be gone in 2009?
Rumors within the NFL and sports talk stations and blogs are that Cleveland Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel will get the axe unless the Browns somehow salvage their 2008 season.
And what is more, Romeo Crennel probably knows it.
The whole Bill-Cowher-for-Browns-Coach buzz has been gaining momentum with each Cleveland loss, botched clock, player discipline problems, (i.e. Kellen Winslow outing Phil Savage in Staphgate, Braylon Edwards’ refusal to speak to the media about uncomfortable, uncool things like dropping the football) — and the latest split in team unity voiced by running back Jamal Lewis after the Browns lost 14-point and 13-point leads against Baltimore and Denver.
“This is a man’s game,†Lewis told reporters following the Denver debacle at Cleveland Browns Stadium. “Some people have to check their egos at the door.â€
The insinuation by Jamal Lewis that his teammates were quitting on him — and Romeo Crennel — could have been blamed on Jamal’s frustration and embarrasment after the Thursday night Browns-Bronocs game.
But when Joshua Cribbs chimed in with the same allegations of team members packing it in early, and deep, deep sources close to the locker room report that some of the players openly talk back to Crennel, the story of a divisive locker room and that appearance that Crennel could have lost control of his players could mean that the jobs of the entire Browns coaching staff may be in jeopardy next year.
Enter the movement to bring in Bill Cowher, former coach of the Superbow Pittsburgh Steelers — Cleveland’s longtime rival. Cowher’s mug is smiling now, behind a desk at CBS, making a go at being a broadcaster and commentator, but lacking the presence of pacing the sidelines.
Questions as to why Cowher would want to return to 100-hour work weeks to field a new team — and if so, why the Cleveland Browns — will be addressed in my column later this week.
Loading ...By the way, rumors really began flying about Cowher coming to Cleveland after anonymous sources began phoning radio talk show hosts claiming Cowher bought a house in Strongsville, an upper middle class
suburb southwest of Downtown Cleveland.
But Kenny Roda, sports talk jock for ESPN 850AM, WKNR, tried to shed light on the subject a couple of weeks ago when he claimed Cowher was simly investing in Greater Cleveland property to build a llama or alpaca farm. (Can you picture “the Face†in blue jean overalls chasing down a stubborn llama?)
We shall see.
Regardless, General Manager Phil Savage may have sealed his fate with more than just his poor performance in handling the Kellen Winslow and staph infection fiasco; that would just be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
While Phil Savage earned his salary and more in drafting Joe Thomas and finagling for Brady Quinn, first round draft pick Braylon Edwards’ inconsistent play, giant ego and 12 dropped passes in the past nine games has reduced this player’s value.
Another first reound draft pick, Kamerion Wimbley is not getting to quarterbacks, making him a bust.
But perhaps it was the handling of the quarterbacks in 2007 that may have cost the Browns a playoff berth last year and a winning season this year.
Because Brady Qui
nn held out for more money (his agent is Tom Condon), he arrived late at the 2007 pre-season training camp and was not allowed to compete for the quarterback job that Charlie Frye ultimately won.
We all know how that turned out. And when Derek Anderson began losing his touch when the games began to count, Brady Quinn still stood on the sidelines with his clipboard, getting only eight snaps in one game the entire season.
It became evident from the first snap against Dallas in the home opener that Anderson did not perform well under pressure. Yet, Quinn was stuck with that stupid clipboard to hold until Anderson fell to his knees, then his ass, in disgust after being intercepted multiple times on the road against the Ravens in a game that now looks like a microcosm of the 2008 Browns season.
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[tags]cleveland browns, bill cowher, brady quinn, phil savage, nfl[/tags]
–Being run over from behind by an 18-wheeler.
–Watching John Kruk perform a pommel horse routine — and slip with his legs open.
–Contracting a staph infection.
–Being a Bengals fan.
Other than that last one, I’m fairly certain that all of the first three would be more pleasant experiences than watching today’s Browns-Ravens game. Much like in the first meeting of the season, the Browns played well and hung tough early — hell, we even had a 27-13 second half lead today — only to see the Ravens grab the momentum and never give it back. The end result was a 37-27 home, divisional loss for the Browns. They are now 3-5, need a telescope to see the top of the AFC North standings, and are grasping by the thinnest of threads to any hope of making the playoffs.
Before we go into any more analysis of today’s game, let’s gauge the feeling of the Midwest Sports Fans community as to what the Browns playoff chances are as we sit right now:
Okay, time to assess the carnage. I wish I had one of those airline sickness bags next to me right now, just in case I get sick while reliving that debacle of a second half.
In a must-win road game against a trendy preseason Super Bowl pick, with one of their most talented players back home in San Diego, after a week of controversy, the Cleveland Browns stepped up and breathed new life into their 2008 season.
As predicted earlier this week on Midwest Sports Fans, Joshua Cribbs and the Cleveland Browns pulled out a hard-fought win over the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17. Browns fans are still waiting for Joshua Cribbs to bust out a long kick return for a touchdown, but he came up with several key special teams plays today; the most crucial being a fumble recovery after a Beau Bell strip on a kickoff after the Browns had gone up 20-17. The offense stalled and only could muster another field goal, but the six point difference forced the Jaguars to go for a touchdown on their final drive — which they just missed off the finger tips of Cocaine Jones.
This was not a “pretty” victory for the Browns, as the offense stalled pretty much the entire final 45 minutes. But it was beautiful in the sense that it pulled the team to one game within .500 with a very winnable home game against Baltimore on the horizon next week.
And let’s not ignore the 800-pound elephant in the room: the team moved to 2-0 without previously suspended tight end Kellen Winslow.
But we can deal with the Kellen Winslow stuff a little later. First, some game balls:
(Sunday morning update: The Browns have lifted the suspension of Kellen Winslow after text messages surfaced from a Browns PR employee that pressured Winslow to keep quiet about his staph infection. Winslow will still not play against the Jaguars.)
It has been suggested in the comments sections here at Midwest Sports Fans that those of us who cover the Cleveland Browns consistently exhibit too much optimism about this year’s team. The irony, of course, is that “optimism” and “Cleveland Browns fans” are very seldom found in the same sentence. I am not a lifelong Browns fan, but have grown into a zealous one over the past five years; once thing I have learned about the Browns and their fans that even in the best of times, there is a resounding and perpetual fear of the proverbial “other shoe dropping.”
I am prefacing my preview of the upcoming Browns-Jaguars game in this way because for the first time this season, my gut instinct is telling me that the Browns will lose to the Jaguars. In every game so far this season, had I been forced to bet my savings based on my gut feeling, I would have placed it on the Browns. This week, my gut is telling me the Jaguars.
My hope, however, is that after analyzing the game I can come up with a rational and reasoned prediction that gives my gut feeling the middle finger and still allows me to pick the Browns anyway.
Let’s move on now, to the keys for the Browns-Jaguars game in Jacksonville this Sunday at 4:30 on CBS:
by Jerod Morris
That was terrible. It was pathetic. It was ugly. As I type this I am watching Derek Jeter speak to the crowd after the final game at Yankee Stadium. Jason Giambi is standing one person to Jeter’s left, so he and his sellingly (that’s my word for a mustache if you didn’t know…a combination of Selleck and Mattingly, who sported two of the greatest mustaches ever) are on full display. Why do I mention this? Because it’s the only thing I’ve seen today that’s uglier than the Browns’ performance this afternoon at Baltimore.
I’m still trying to figure out what happened. We led 10-7 at the half, and it felt like we were somewhat in control of the game. We were running relatively well, Derek Anderson seemed to be throwing the ball better, and the offensive coaches remembered that Jerome Harrison is on the team and got him a screen pass that he promptly turned into a touchdown. Plus, the defense had forced two turnovers and seemed primed to make it a difficult day on rookie QB Joe Flacco.
Then the second half started. And…well to be honest I don’t want to talk about. I’d prefer to not have nightmares when I got to bed after writing this.
I’d much prefer to look forward. What can the Browns do to turn this season around and get back to some semblance of respectability?
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