Browns - Steelers Post Mortem

The Steelers were going to go for it on 4th and 10 from the Browns’ 35 in the first quarter. A procedure call prior to the snap changed their minds. I hate to see teams punt inside the opponent’s 40 and applaud Pittsburgh for the initial idea. The fact that Pittsburgh had absolutely no fear of the Browns' offense also helped.

The wildcat offense is a gimmick, but it can work on occasion however. What I don’t like is to see a quarterback (i.e. Derek Anderson) out wide in that offense. What’s he going to do out there? Why not put a receiver out wide in that set? At least then, the defense has to take his presence seriously.

The Brows have now scored four offensive touchdowns this season. That’s exactly one touchdown less than Tom Brady threw in his second quarter of play today. Nice.

Brandon McDonald is a perfect example of the Browns playing an NFL second teamer as a starter. He missed a couple more tackles today and had a pick go through his hands in the Browns' end zone this afternoon. Think about it - Thomas and Steinbach are the only offensive starters who would play elsewhere. Rogers, Jackson, Pool and perhaps Bowen are the only defensive starters who would see significant time on a decent NFL team. You do the math.

I am dumbfounded as to why the Browns have not given Josh Cribbs a new deal. Again, this is not MLB or the NBA – where the players have guaranteed deals. If you tear up his current contract, give him a new five-year package, then he goes down next year with an injury, you don’t owe him the final four years of the deal. Therefore, if this guy is your best player – which he is right now, and he wants to stay in town – which he does – why not fix this problem now? It’s not like this is going to start a run on Browns’ players wanting new deals. They don’t have anyone else who is close to Cribbs in terms of productivity.

Pittsburgh has an excellent passing game with a talented group of receivers in tow. I do think Big Ben holding the ball so long will, in the long run, be a negative for him and the franchise. Yes, it gives his receivers more time to get open. It also shows he’s extremely tough. However, taking that many hits, year after year, will eventually take its toll on his body and shorten his career.

I love the routes the Steelers run. They love crossing patterns, where the receivers are headed up field as they make the reception. It gives them multiple opportunities for yards after catch (YAC). It is also the most difficult route to cover when you are in man-to-man – where the defender is chasing a receiver across the field.

In the NFL, no team should outgain another 500+ yards to 190, like Pittsburgh did today against the hapless Browns. It’s one thing to see that in high school and college, where the talent difference can be huge, but not in the NLF – where they ALL get paid. That’s embarrassing. It makes one wonder what Eric Mangini, his staff and the Browns were doing in all those voluntary camps, mini-camps, two-a-days, etc… the past six months.

The Browns' lone touchdown today was a pass to the fullback. That’s right, fullback. Luckily, he (Lawrence Vickers) caught it. However, I would not suggest they make a habit of throwing to fullbacks on third down and goal. There’s a reason fullbacks block and do little else.

Only in Cleveland can the Browns give up the fourth most yards in a single game in team history while the offense produces one lone touchdown, yet the focus by some in the media is on why the refs gave the Steelers a first down after a fourth down play when the television angle seemed to show it might have been short.

With all the drops recently and general youth at wide receiver on this roster, does anyone really believe David Patten, a 13-year vet with rings, wasn't good enough to make this roster? Come on.

I saw Future Hall of Famer, according to the National Media, Mark Sanchez, throw three of his five picks today. He didn’t get pulled and likely won’t get pulled next week even though he has struggled the last three weeks. The Jets will show the appropriate amount of patience you need to display with a young quarterback you believe in. You see, now we find out about Sanchez, not when he was sitting at 3-0 with the media and fans so far up his rear they couldn't see any daylight.

The trading deadline is less than 48 hours away. How many more draft picks will Mangini and company try to acquire? A reminder - it's nice to have quantity, but I'd rather have quality (aka:talent/playmakers).