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In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the category “Wildcat”

21 Sep 2010

A Step in the Right Direction

Browns coach Eric Mangini may be on to something here as the team prepares for its first division game of the season, this Sunday in Baltimore.

In his Monday press conference, Mangini said the Browns should have used Josh Cribbs in the Wildcat more against KC:

“I feel like I would have used it more yesterday looking back. That’s something I would have done more of in retrospect. I think that whether they’re catching up or not catching up giving Josh (Cribbs) a few more chances to carry the ball sometimes they have caught up and he changes things.”

On getting Cribbs more opportunities:

“Yes, just to get Josh more touches. I think with him, they may load the box, they may do a lot of different things. He’s got a chance on any play.”

And why haven’t they used the Wildcat very much so far:

“You’re going through the course of the game and there’s a lot of things that, when you have a chance to sit in your offense and analyze, you think of. There are some decisions that you’d like to have back, but you don’t get to it at that point. I think every coach in the league goes through that process on Monday morning, win or lose. ‘I wish we had done this, I wish we had done more of that.’ When you have the benefit of time and reflection and you’ve seen how the game has unfolded, you always go through that process. Good and bad.”

This is good stuff. The first step to becoming more effective at work is awareness. If you don’t know a problem exists, you can’t fix it. Without feedback, most people believe they are doing just fine. It seems as if the feedback is starting to get through.

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In a city with more than 10,000 taxi cabs running 24 hours a day, you would think it wouldn’t be that hard to avoid being arrested for drunk driving. The Alumni Office at the University of Michigan must be so proud.

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A very solid article at the Orange & Brown Report on the early results of the Mike Holmgren era.

Posted in Braylon Edwards, Cleveland Browns, Eric Mangini, Josh Cribbs, Wildcat | Leave a comment
08 Apr 2010
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Born to Run

The New York Times NFL blog, The Fifth Down, is ranking the 10 best offensive linemen at each position. Good news for Browns fans as three players made the top four at their respective positions.

Joe Thomas was the top-ranked left tackle, with The Times calling him “A natural. Rarely does his side of the pocket quiver in pass protection, and on the ground, he can seal defenders or throw blocks on the move with ease.”

Alex Mack was the third-ranked center who “Looked like a 7-year veteran by the end of his rookie year. Sustains well in pass protection despite questionable strength, and is a portrait of athleticism in the run game.”

Eric Steinbach was fourth-ranted at left guard for his “Fantastic range in pulls and sweeps.”

Not surprisingly, no one from the right side of the line made the list, so John St. Clair can stop hitting the refresh button on his computer.

The development of the offensive line, which should continue with the addition of Tony Pashos and possible help on draft day, will go a long way to improving a rushing attack that has only ranked higher than 20th in the league twice since 1999.

Add in running backs Jerome Harris, Peyton Hillis and James Davis, mix in Josh Cribbs and Seneca Wallace in the Wildcat, and the Browns have the makings of a team that can commit to the run, which is vital for those cold-weather games in November and December.

Maybe we’ve seen the last four interception performance during a windy, late-season game?

A Browns fan can dream, yes?

Posted in Cleveland Browns, dream, New York Times, NFL draft, rushing, Wildcat

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