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In Cleveland, hope dies last

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02 Nov 2010
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The Big Man Speaks

Browns team president Mike Holmgren met with the media today about the team’s season so far and worked to clear up a few important questions.

On the season so far:

“There are some really good things happening and I’m not trying to paint a pretty picture. I think we’re improved over last year and brought in some players that are making some huge contributions. Ultimately, how many games can we win? I was very encouraged by our last win over New Orleans and now, we have to build on that and move forward.”

On whether or not he wants to coach again:

“No, I’m doing OK. Does it sound like I want to coach? The challenge of this is really something for me and I’m enjoying the challenge, but I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say I get fired up watching the games. But I also recognize what I was hired to do. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”

On the future of coach Eric Mangini:

“Wins and losses is not the only criteria. The crummy part of our business is most of the time it’s the main one. The most encouraging thing is we’ve been in most of the games. And we had chances to win the game. It’s also the most discouraging thing because we lost the games.”

Holmgren did make a point to say no decision would be made until after the season.

On the Browns wide receivers:

“Let’s not jump on the receivers too much here. I think they’re better than OK. I think they’re pretty good. It’s just that their numbers haven’t been very good.”

He did say that some of the blame for the poor performance rests on offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s play calling.

And the big one: the quarterback situation:

“As a youngster, (Colt McCoy) probably couldn’t go into two more difficult environments. What I learned from that game is the game itself isn’t too big for him. He handled himself well, made some throws and instilled some confidence in his teammates. It’s not like he had a wealth of experience going into that game.

“I told him, ‘Anybody can come in and play a good football game, so let’s put another one together. While we didn’t throw the ball around that much, I thought he played a really solid football game. I’m looking for how he handles the game. I told him I was proud of him and that he can build on it.”

Just as he did with the question about Mangini, Holmgren preached patience when it comes to making a decision on McCoy as the full-time starter, pointing out it is a moot point as long as Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace are both still injured.

Holmgren shed some light on the decision making that will go into the decision:

“The obvious thing is: If you play a young quarterback, does he give you the best chance to win? Or are you doing it just for the future? That’s kind of crummy, if you’re doing it just for the future. You want to win every game. So that’s the discussion that will take place.”

Add this all up and you get a clear sense of why the current structure of Holmgren as president, Tom Heckert as GM and Mangini as coach has a chance to work out.

You have Holmgren speaking about the team in big picture terms, leaving Heckert and Mangini to do the jobs they were hired to do. Too often last year Mangini was pulled away from preparing the team for the next day to deal with the on-going circus in Berea (some of it was his own doing, but some wasn’t).

While everyone – from the owner down to the fans – would like to see the team’s record be better than 2-5, reading what Holmgren had to say today is a clear indication – along with the improved play on the field this season – that the team is moving in the right direction.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy, Mike Holmgren, NFL
01 Nov 2010

Still interested Browns fans?

Two players that some fans wanted the Browns to pursue – Donovan McNabb and Randy Moss – were in the news today for less than stellar reasons.

McNabb – who was dumped on the Redskins because no one else was dumb enough to take him off Philly’s hands – was benched near the end of the game Sunday for Rex Grossman because McNabb apparently is out of shape:

(Redskins coach Mike) Shanahan on Monday said McNabb has been struggling with hamstring injuries for five weeks and didn’t have the “cardiovascular endurance” to stay on the field with the game on the line against Detroit. Shanahan said he even considered not playing McNabb at all against the Lions.

And SI’s Peter King had more, saying that:

“McNabb turns 34 this month. His contract is up at the end of the year. All along, we viewed the long-term deal of McNabb in Washington as a formality, to provide the fitting coronation to the Easter-night trade from the Eagles to the Redskins. Not so fast. Do the Redskins want to pay a flawed player — and how else would you look at McNabb after Sunday’s yanking — $15 million a year to be their quarterback for the next four years? And does McNabb want to remain in Washington for a second season after getting blindsided with the game on the line in Detroit?”

So the Redskins are stuck for the rest of the season with an out-of-shape, 34-year-old quarterback. More reason to believe that we were right in April when we said the Browns made the right call on not acquiring McNabb.

***

With the calls over the past few months for the Browns to acquire a “veteran” receiver, some fans wondered why the Browns didn’t pursue Randy Moss when the Patriots traded him to Minnesota a month ago.

We got our answer Monday when the Viking waived Moss after only four games, 13 receptions and two touchdowns. Following the Vikings loss on Sunday, Moss ripped the team for its performance and openly longed for his days with the Patriots.

Here’s what we said at the time of the trade:

Very glad the Browns apparently were not involved in the talks to acquire Randy Moss from the Patriots. While the team does need a major upgrade at wide receiver, it’s hard to see how someone like Moss, while talented, would have fit in with the culture that Eric Mangini is trying to build in the locker room and on the field.

Nothing that has happened in the past month has done anything to change our mind. It’s impossible to see how Moss would have fit in with the culture the Browns are building. And if he’s not happy playing with Tom Brady and Brett Favre, how would he react playing with Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace or Colt McCoy?

***

Continuing with the no surprise theme, Sunday night’s NFL game between New Orleans and Pittsburgh beat Game 4 of the World Series in the TV ratings: 11.8 to 10.4.

The news was even worse on Saturday, when college football destroyed Game 3, which ended up being the second-lowest rated game in World Series history.

It’s a football world; baseball just lives in it.

***

Speaking of the Sunday night game, guess the Steelers should have followed the Browns game plan against New Orleans last night, huh? The Saints proved that if you hit back against them, the Steelers will fold – just look at the goal line stand as evidence.

And a week after the Browns thoroughly bamboozled Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback completed 20-of-22 passes in the second half with two touchdowns against the Steelers.

Not a bad night’s work.

***

Is Anderson Varajeo looking to get out of town? Waiting for Next Year

Ready for a quarterback derby in Cleveland? Cleveland Frowns

Until next time.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Donovan McNabb, MLB, NFL, Randy Moss, TV ratings | Leave a comment
30 Oct 2010

Week 8 Picks

Back to back weeks were we made solid fundamental picks but the players didn’t execute have dropped us 5.5 points off the lead in the 2010 Cheddar Bay Invitational over at Cleveland Frowns.

Time to get serious:

Ohio State (-25.5) vs. Minnesota

NY Jets (-6) vs. Green Bay

New England (-5) vs. Minnesota

Money Pick: Miami (+1.5) vs. Cincinnati

Posted in Cheddar Bay, NFL, point spreads | Leave a comment
28 Oct 2010

It’s All Good For One Night

Nice job by the Cavs in beating the Celtics on opening night.

Nine players saw action for at least 15 minutes, the Cavs overcame an 11-point deficit in the third quarter, Boobie Gibson got hot in the second half with 16 points, and they did it without starting guard Mo Williams and with Antawn Jamison only scoring four points.

Now it’s not going to be like this every night. The team will struggle and there will be games where that 11-point deficit turns into a 25-point deficit. But with Toronto, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Washington and New Jersey coming up on the schedule, the Cavs have time to find their rhythm.

But for one night at least, the winning Cavs were back and it was all good.

***

We generally don’t put much stock in conspiracy theories, and don’t buy the argument that local media members – at least the print ones – are trying to run coaches or players out of town.

Nor does any media member in the area have the power to do that – Peter Franklin was the last guy to have that kind of juice in this town.

But that doesn’t mean that media members don’t frame questions or selectively use quotes to build an article to fit their predetermined angle.

Take a look at this piece at Cleveland Frowns, especially the video. You’ll see what we mean.

***

Finally, check out this story at Waiting for Next Year about the Indians and the playoffs of the late ’90s. But be warned, you will be depressed.

We still firmly believe if the Indians had been willing to part with Jaret Wright in a trade for Pedro Martinez, or had been able to convince Curt Schilling to come here in ’97, the Tribe would have won World Series in ’97 & ’98 and would have had a great chance in ’99.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, NBA, NFL | Leave a comment
27 Oct 2010

Well … Yeah, that’s the Idea

Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace offered his opinion Wednesday regarding who should be the Browns starting quarterback coming out of the bye and for the rest of the season:

“At the end of the day, it comes down to the coaches,” Wallace told The Plain Dealer. “Whoever’s doing the job the best, moving the team, scoring points, making the right decisions, then that should be the guy.”

“This isn’t college,” Wallace also said. “We don’t switch quarterbacks in and out. I think when it comes down to rhythm and gelling together, when you have a quarterback in for one week and then the next week it’s somebody else, that’s not a good situation. You want a guy that’s gonna be in there, be able to move the team and continue to do that week to week.”

Well, obviously you want the player who gives you the best chance to win playing at each position. No argument there. Not really sure why this is becoming an issue, especially during the bye week, but there you go.

The thing is, the person who fits the criteria that Wallace laid out is Wallace himself. Consider that in seven games so far this season:

  • The offense has only scored more than 17 points once – when the Browns put up 23 on Cincinnati with Wallace at quarterback.
  • Wallace has led seven touchdown drives this year; Jake Delhomme and Colt McCoy have led two each; albeit in fewer games.
  • Of Wallace’s seven touchdown drives, five have been longer than 70 yards, a sign that he can keep drives going; Delhomme has no drives longer than 70 yards and McCoy has one.
  • Finally, for what it is worth, Wallace has a quarterback rating of 88.5, McCoy is at 76.5 and Delhomme is at 48.2.

So while it’s been established that the best course of action for the Browns is to return McCoy to the bench once Wallace and/or Delhomme are healthy, it may not be in the team’s best interests to automatically return Delhomme to the starter’s role.

Delhomme looked nice in the preseason, but that was a long time ago and against defenses that more often than not may have not been playing at 100 percent. Plus he’s a 35-year-old player coming off two injuries to his ankle.

But you have to weigh that against the fact that Wallace is a career backup for a reason.

Luckily the Browns have some time as they don’t have a game this week. And, for the most part, the coaching staff has done a much better job this year dealing with personnel decisions.

So, for now, we’re confident that the team will make the right choice when they start preparing next week to face New England.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy, NFL, Seneca Wallace | Leave a comment
24 Oct 2010
2 Comments

Motier foux in the Big Easy

ESPN’s Bill Simmons once described New Orleans as being the kind of place where you wouldn’t be surprised to see someone turn into a werewolf on Main Street.

After watching the Browns unexpected, unbelievable and utterly bizarre win over the Saints on Sunday, we know exactly what Simmons means.

What would you have said if before the game we told you that:

  • Punter Reggie Hodges would have the Browns longest run from scrimmage – 68 yards?
  • Defensive back Eric Wright would have the longest pass reception – 62 yards?
  • Linebacker David Bowens would have more yards – 94 – and touchdowns – 2 – than the Browns receivers combined?
  • Quarterback Colt McCoy would have as many receptions as Ben Watson, Josh Cribbs, Peyton Hillis and Lawrence Vickers?
  • Peyton Hillis would have a quarterback rating of 118.8?

The answer certainly would not have included the phrase “Browns win 30-10” but that’s exactly what happened.

See what we mean about strange things happening in New Orleans? The only way this could have been any better if today was Halloween.

Defense and wacky plays – especially on special teams – carried the Browns to their first road win of the season.

The Browns intercepted Drew Brees four times – and could have had at least two or three more – sacked him three times and confused him all day long, holding him to a 65.8 rating and forcing him to throw the ball 56 times.

Bowens somehow had two of the interceptions, returning both for touchdowns.

For the first time in a long while the defense actually caught a break.

Leading 10-0 as the first quarter drew to a close, the Browns gave up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Lance Moore. But offsetting penalties wiped out the score – when does that ever happen for the Browns? – and two plays later Scott Fujita picked off Brees. No telling how things would have gone if the score had held up.

The special teams got in on the fun as well, with Josh Cribbs throwing a pass across the field to Eric Wright on the Saints first punt of the game. Wright took the play 62 yards and the Browns eventually settled for a field goal to open the scoring.

After the Saints cut the lead to 10-3, the Browns gained only two yards in three plays and lined up for a punt. But Reggie Hodges took off with the ball and, looking like Marion Motley in his prime, rumbled 68 yards to set up another Browns field goal.

On the Saints second play after the field goal Bowens grabbed his first interception and returned it 30 yards for the score, putting the Browns up 20-3 and providing the Brown-and-Orange with a solid grip on the game.

Offensively, the Browns were able to average 4.5 yards per rush, with Hillis leading with way with 69 yards and a TD. More importantly, after the Saints cut the lead to 10 with 13 minutes left, the Browns turned to the running game to build a 13-play drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock and effectively ice the game.

McCoy made his second consecutive start and, just like the Pittsburgh game, didn’t do anything to hurt the Browns but also didn’t do anything to make the Browns want to deviate from the plan to let him sit and watch this year.

McCoy’s numbers weren’t great – 9-of-16 for 74 yards – but he didn’t turn the ball over, he never looked overwhelmed, no wrong formations of delay of games on offense, and he generally left us with a good impression. He made some bad throws but he also had some nice throws – primarily a swing pass to Lawrence Vickers that would have gone for a big gain – dropped by receivers.

Overall in his two games McCoy didn’t do anything that left us shaking our heads or hiding our eyes when he was under center. He came in, did the best he could, got some game experience against two very talented and complex defenses, and didn’t embarrass himself or the team.

And, after the bye, it will be time for him to return to the bench and continue working through the learning curve while Jake Delhomme and/or Seneca Wallace take over the offense.

So the Browns head into the bye off their biggest road win in years. While some will look at their 2-5 record (which, seriously, could be 5-2 with a few breaks) and say “Same Old Browns,” this is a team that, after a 1-11 start last year, has gone 6-5 over its last 11 games.

And while that certainly doesn’t mean we should be booking playoff tickets, it means that it would be very hard for someone to argue that this team isn’t making progress.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy, David Bowens, NFL, strange things
23 Oct 2010

Browns vs. Saints – Week 7

The 1-5 Browns head to New Orleans trying to make it to the bye week without any more major injuries hitting the team.

The Opposition

New Orleans: 4-2
Offensive rank: 7th overall/4th passing/17th rushing
Defensive rank: 12th overall/12th passing/18th rushing
All-time record: Browns lead 11-4, with a 7-2 mark in New Orleans
The line: Browns +13

What to Watch For

Clearly how Colt McCoy does in his second game as quarterback. He’s had another full week of practice to work with the first team, study film, digest the playbook and try to build on some of the good things he did last week in Pittsburgh.

While Pittsburgh’s defense is more physical, New Orleans presents just as much of a challenge as they like to bring pressure on the quarterback in a variety of ways. If you were going to pick two teams for a rookie quarterback to learn from, the two that McCoy is facing would probably be at or near the top of the list.

How much the Browns can accomplish on offense may depend on how many healthy bodies they can assemble for the game. Mohamed Massaquoi is out and who knows what lingering effect Josh Cribbs will feel this week.

Peyton Hillis’ leg looked better last week, but you never know. If he aggravates the injury the running game falls to Mike Bell and James Davis, which is not an attractive prospect right now.

After putting right tackle Tony Pashos on IR this week, the Browns will also be without John St. Clair (is that a loss?) so the right side of the line could be Floyd Womack and right tackle and either rookie Shaun Lauvao or Billy Yates at right guard.

So, a rebuilt/inexperienced right side of the line in a dome? Sounds like fun.

Defensively, the Browns are going to have their hands full. Drew Brees is the dogs bollocks and wicked accurate. When the blitz comes – and you know it will – if the Browns can’t get to him he’s going to spread the ball around and really pick the team apart. There’s going to be a ton of pressure on the secondary – even more so than in the past few weeks – to hold up under the pressure and make some plays.

The injury bug is striking the defense as well with Robaire Smith going on IR this week, leaving an already thin defensive front hurting.

The Best Browns vs. New Orleans game I’ve Seen

For a team that the Browns have owned through the years, there really isn’t one game that stands out above the others. We’ll have to go with the 2002 game where Kevin Johnson’s two touchdowns – one receiving and one rushing – helped keep the Browns in playoff contention. Here’s The Plain Dealer’s story from that game. Can’t find any video this week.

The Prediction

This team really needs to get to the bye week to re-energize, re-group and get some of these lingering injuries to heal. The Browns have been competitive every week this season and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue today.

Look for the Browns to keep the game close into the second half but for the Saints to pull away. The Browns are just too inexperienced at key spots and too banged up at others this week to realistically expect them to pull out a win on the road against one of the best teams in the NFL.

We’ll take the Saints and the points.

Record on the year: 1-4-1

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy, dogs bollocks, NFL | Leave a comment
22 Oct 2010

Week 7 Picks

A simply dreadful week where we made solid picks but the players didn’t execute dropped us a half point off the lead in the 2010 Cheddar Bay Invitational over at Cleveland Frowns.

We jumped out early this week in an attempt to get our mojo back and scored by backing Oregon (-25.5) against UCLA.

The rest of the week goes like this:

Oklahoma (-3) vs. Missouri

LSU (+6) vs. Auburn

Money pick: Baltimore (-13) vs. Buffalo

Posted in Cheddar Bay, NFL, point spreads | Leave a comment
19 Oct 2010

It’s A Start, but Still Not Enough

The NFL reacted Tuesday to James Harrison’s hit on Mohamed Massaquoi, fining Harrison $75,000 but shockingly not suspending him.

According to a story on NFL.com, Harrison is considered a repeat offender. He was previously fined $5,000 for unnecessary roughness against Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young in a Sept. 19 game.

Harrison’s agent, Bill Parise, called the $75,000 fine “staggering” and said it would be appealed. Parise also said Harrison is confused about the proper way to play football.

Before the fine was announced, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin defended both of Harrison’s hits, saying they were permissible under league rules.

What’s staggering is that Harrison wasn’t suspended. If you are classified as a “repeat offender” by the league shouldn’t that result in a suspension?

NFL Vice President of Operations Ray Anderson told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King that the hit on Massaquoi should have drawn a penalty.

Not that that does the Browns any good.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, illegal hits, NFL | Leave a comment
19 Oct 2010

How Will the MSM Spin This?

Last week we pointed out how the main stream media is all upset over the fact that baseball is declining in popularity, some even going to illogical lengths to make a point.

It will be interesting to hear the spin after the TV ratings came out for last night’s Monday Night game between Tennessee and Jacksonville and Game 3 of the American League Championship Series between Texas and the NY Yankees:

  • ESPN’s broadcast of the NFL game drew a rating of 7.2
  • TBS’ broadcast of the baseball playoff game drew a rating of 6.5

Going further, the Sunday Night game between Indianapolis and Washington beat the National League playoff game between Philadelphia and San Francisco in the ratings as well, drawing more than twice the number of viewers.

Thankfully the NFL finally realizes what the rest of America already knows: we want to watch football. In the past the NFL would not schedule a Sunday night game on the opening weekend of the World Series, which resulted in one of the saddest Sunday nights on the calendar.

But not this year as Pittsburgh-New Orleans is set for Oct. 31 opposite Game 4 of the World Series.

Want to bet how badly the NFL beats Major League Baseball in that one?

Posted in NFL, TV ratings | Leave a comment

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