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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
We’ve known for a long time that Cleveland is the Browns’ town.
Red Right 88 