Poor Eric
Here’s a riddle – What do you do when someone is clearly not getting the job done and keeps making the same mistakes over and over again? Answer – you replace him!
Obviously, the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff did not take that course in personnel management 101.
Eric Wright, who we have been sounding the alarm bells about for two years, was beaten over and over again like a mouthy step child with bad habits and worse hygiene by the Ravens’ A. Boldin yesterday.
I actually felt bad for Wright, who was left out there on an island time and time again, much like a manager decides to leave his starter on the hill to eat innings down 7-0 early. The only difference is this – the Browns were still in this game.
What was Mangini’s and Ryan’s solution?
Leave him out there and occasionally sliding a safety over on top for help. That worked great by the way.
Obviously, there was never any serious thought to taking the guy off the field and replacing him.
Why would you do that? It’s not like you have a high first round pick on your bench who plays the exact same position ready to step in for just this kind of circumstance.
Here’s an out of the box thought – put Brown on Boldin and slide Haden over on Mason with some help on top if you think the rookie needs it.
Can you spell coaching malpractice? Look, these guys spend 24/7 looking at film and yet can’t make a common sense decision a pee wee coach could figure out.
It gets worse - Here's what their braintrust was saying - Eric Wright is our #1 corner. Why else would you put him on a futue Hall of Famer/their best WR?
A 12 year old who plays for the Catholic Youth Football League knows S. Brown is a superior cover corner. Keep breaking down film guys. It will all make sense someday.
Besides, if a guy is having a terrible day, get him off the field – for his own good. Wright’s head had to be spinning 100 mph. The last place he needed to be was on the field in the second half of that game making a fool of himself and costing his team dearly.
If you don’t want to sit him completely, make him the nickel back for a while to take some pressure off the poor guy.
Quick- What's the definition of insanity? Right. It’s doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. That would be the Browns’ coaching decision yesterday when it came to their secondary.
Now imagine being a player on that team and knowing you have to depend on that bunch(coaches) to make adjustments at halftime to win games. More on that two paragraphs down.
Anyone who had any doubts about Mangini being in over his head should have no more illusions. This was so poorly handled by this guy and his staff even the local media figured it out.
Need more evidence – this team led in the second half in all three games played to date, only to lose all three.
The way the game ended is indicative of the joke that is the Cleveland Browns – a player jumped off sides on 3rd and 4 late, securing the win for Baltimore. Come on –you can’t make this stuff up.
Women in Sports
Warning - I am about to cross the PC line here folks. Read at your own peril.
I am open-minded, but a local female scribe (ABJ) wrote a sidebar this morning with the narrative that Wright sat at his locker and took the heat for the poor play and the loss.
Okay. That’s easy to write and nice. Women like the touchy, feely stuff. I get it.
But the real story was what this broad buried in the piece. At one point she wrote that Wright was "on the verge of being a Pro-Bowl player coming into this season" or something to that effect.
Really? I never read that memo, and more importantly, someone forgot to tell the Ravens.
How the hell could anyone who knows anything about sports come to that conclusion? Understand this – this babe gets paid to watch football and report on it.
Here's my concern - Where the hell was her editor? The guy couldn’t do her a favor and take that line out and save her embarrassment.
He obviously asked her out on a date sometime back and she told him to take a hike, she had to attend practice and marvel at how the Browns throw effectively to their fullbacks. Or maybe not.
Here’s the problem with sports journalism in a nutshell – her editor probably had no idea that throwaway line made a fool of her.
Remember what we stated a long time ago when we started this work – less than 5% get it.
If I were her boss, I would have handed her an apron after she filed that piece and pointed her in the direction of the kitchen and told her to go practice making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for when she squeezes out some puppies.
Hey, at least broads have an excuse. Some male local talk show host got on the air yesterday and ridiculed the coaching staff for putting Wright on a #1 receiver saying he isn’t good enough to cover top flight WRs.
Boy, that takes huge stones after the guy puts on a show worthy on Dennis Northcutt on Monday Night football versus the Steelers when “Cutt” dropped all four passes thrown his way showing clearly that he wanted to get out of the cold.
Where was this genius two week ago?
Look, I saw Wright line up against Boldin in the first series and laughed out loud wondering how you put a nickel back on a true #1 receiver. Add the lack of pass rush and you had a trainwreck in the making.
The truth is I didn’t think the Ravens coaching staff was smart enough to go there time and time again. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Then I figured Mangini and his skinny D-coordinator would adjust accordingly. I was wrong again.
What’s next, the media calling for the rookie corner (#23) to start ahead of Wright this week? Geez, that’s really getting out in front of the story.
I apologize for my sarcasm, but I get closer and closer to quitting this column when I read and hear this stupidity time and time again.
Pass Rush Or Lack There Of
Another riddle – What’s worse, the Browns pass rush without Marcus Bernard or the team’s receivers? Answer – it’s a push.
The Browns turned Joe “I threw four picks last week and cost my team a win” Flacco into Dan Marino on Sunday. It helps when you can play pitch and catch without fear of being touched.
Speaking of the receivers, I heard another funny line prior to kickoff. One of the local talking heads was wondering how the Browns were going to adjust to
the “devastating loss of not having their possession receiver Brian Robiskie active.”
He was serious.
Something Positive
We saved some good news for last. The offensive line played very well yesterday against a very good defense. They pushed the Ravens’ front around and kept Ray Lewis' mouth shut for most of the game.
I ripped them last week, but they finally showed up Sunday. It’s about time.
That allowed Peyton Hillis to put on an “old-school” performance running straight ahead on every touch and rushing for over 140 yards.
One more time – you have to stay with the run and not abandon it early, especially when the alternative is to throw the ball to “Muhammad Ali” and “Stick With Me.”
This ain’t brain surgery folks.
QBs
One final point – It’s been impossible to judge a QB in this town the past two years since this bunch has been lining up at wide receiver. I know I keep belaboring the point, but you really have no idea how bad their receivers are.
Remember what I said last year - the worst group of WRs I have seen in Cleveland in 40 years of watching football.
Regardless, my boy Seneca Wallace was better this week – making the first guy miss, squeezing a couple in tight places and not making any glaring blunders.
Unfortunately, he just has no playmakers around him. There is no one on that roster that scares the defense. That is beyond sad.
And no, Josh Cribbs worries the defense, ne doesn't scare them.
Turnovers
Wouldn’t it be nice if the defense could force a turnover or two on occasion?
When you can’t rush the passer and don’t have any impact players in general you don’t force mistakes. It’s another glaring weakness on this team – among many others.
Expectations
We though this team could win 7 games this fall because of the additions at linebacker, the signing of a legitimate NFL starting corner and the hope they would run the ball effectively.
We also stated the following – “Unfortunately, this team is a lot closer to 5 wins than 9.” I hope I’m wrong, but if they don’t stay on the ground and can’t get to the quarterback, they might have a hard time reaching 5.
Next Week
Bengals 27 Cleveland 20. The Browns find another way to lose.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Short & Quick
BROWNS WEEK #2 & MORE
You can’t open 0-2 against Tampa and K.C. It’s that simple. Not when you opened 1-11 last year before getting a handful of semi-garbage wins against poor teams while hardly completing any forward passes.
It made absolutely no sense for the new regime to keep Mangini, and we stated so at the time. And unfortunately, that decision will likely be reversed during the bye week if this team is sitting at 1-6 or 0-7 during that break.
The truth – Mangini has absolutely no one to blame but himself. Not only do his teams lose, but they lose with players he drafted. The wide receiver corps, the one we have ridiculed for over a year, features a pair of starting #2 picks HE drafted.
To be fair, the “Walrus” deserves some blame as well. He revamped a very weak secondary in the off-season. The same should have occurred at wideout. They are trying to win professional football games with good college receivers. Period.
Good teams (aka: Pittsburgh) find ways to win, while bad teams (Browns) seem to always find ways to lose. The truth hurts.
Some thoughts from the KC loss follow.
Marcus Bernard can rush the quarterback. He had one sack Sunday – granted a coverage sack at that – and forced a holding penalty on another strong rush from the outside. He also made a terrific play in space when he tipped a pass during a deep drop. He made plays in 2009 as well when given the opportunity. He should start. End of story.
It's official – the two young DBs drafted early can play. Along with Brown, Cleveland has ¾ of what potentially is a relatively strong secondary. The “Walrus” and his people deserve credit for addressing this problem and getting it right in the off-season.
Now the bad news.
My boy Seneca Wallace cannot go “DA” on us and throw a pick six. The Browns aren’t good enough offensively to make such a huge blunder and still win. Bad decision. Period. Yes, he rebounded and threw a long TD pass to Cribbs on the next series. But I can’t excuse it.
Take that bad play away and they probably win. Yea, but take that five-run third inning away and the starter pitched well. You simply can’t go there.
Someone needs to look it up for me, but this may be the first time in NFL history in the modern age where a team does not have a wide receiver with 50 catches on the year.
Who the hell on this team is going to get open enough to catch 50 balls? These guys couldn’t separate from their mom’s umbilical cord after the doctor cut them loose.
Hell, a former college quarterback (Cribbs) is more dangerous out wide than they are right now. Look for the local media to finally figure it out.
Most obvious line of the day everyone missed yesterday came when the television color commentator said the following late in the Chiefs/Browns game – “Brian Robiskie is not winning the release battle at the line of scrimmage.”
How the hell does #23 not know he’s not allowed to step in the end zone when covering punts?
My other boy, Jerome Harrison, did not make the first guy miss one time during his 16carries yesterday. No, the offensive line is not blocking well on the running game, but once in awhile, you have to make your own hole. JH was tripped up on several occasions by an arm tackle when he had a chance to turn a 3 yard carry into something more.
The most disappointing aspect of this football team after two weeks of play has been the offensive line play – especially the well-paid left side. They simply have not opened up many holes against two very poor run stopping units. This does not bode well for the future folks - like next week at Baltimore.
Look at the bright side - I heard all seven of the Browns’ next opponents had winning record in 2009. Now, I am on record on not giving much credence to past records as an indicator as to what will happen in the future. However, it’s probably safe to say Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New England and New Orleans have a few more playmakers than TB and KC.
So let's get it over with - Baltimore 27-10 over Cleveland in week #3. No, I don't expect them to get totally buried. If they do, Mangini might not make it to break week.
How can anyone ever line up off-sides? I watched small college football in person for 19 years and can honestly say I can count on two fingers how many times I saw it called. I see it called every week in the NFL.
I heard my boy Vince Young was playing poorly and got pulled (again) against the Steelers. This seems to be a yearly occurrence. That’s a game he needed to play well in and win. Credit the best organization in sports for keeping things afloat and winning while using #3 QBs.
I am on record as being a Michael Vick fan in terms of what he brings to the table on the football field. That was not the case when he was drafted, but his on-the-field performance changed my views. Yes, he has proven he cannot be trusted to be the face of a franchise because of his off-the-field behavior. But facts are facts -you have to game-plan for him, unlike most guys who take snaps from center.
ODDS & ENDS
Am I the only one who doesn’t think Joe Torre should be up for sainthood? Here’s a guy who doesn’t win anything until he manages the highest payroll in baseball (New York). He then goes to another large market team (LA) and when it’s clear they are about to cut payroll due to a messy divorce at the top and who knows what else, he bails and says he may go elsewhere to manage next year at age 70.
Let me take a wild guess and predict he won’t end up in KC or Pittsburgh? Billy Martin he’s not.
I heard some national pundit going to the “See, the Rays are proving you can win consistently without a huge payroll” card. Right.
Stop it. Their front office folks, scouts, etc., are obviously very good. But when many of their their top players walk (free agency), they won't be in it every year. That's the shame of this one-sided system known as Major League Baseball.
Perhaps TB can beat the odds, much like Minnesota has, but everything has to go right in order to avoid that “short window of opportunity” a mid/small market has to win it all before the bulk of the talent leaves.
I heard a sick stat yesterday. Thomas Jones did not lose a fumble once in well over 300 carries in 2009. That’s pretty amazing.
OSU
How about a few cupcakes to go with those Canes?
I know OSU scheduled Miami (FL), but do you have to put all cupcakes around Miami when it comes to your non-conference schedule every year? Throw in a relatively weak Big 10 Conference, or whatever you call it now, and you basically have maybe three truly competitive games on the schedule all season long.
Why can’t OSU add a Boise State, or at least a Brigham Young home and home on the schedule from time to time, and play two competitive non-conference opponents a year?
Chris Speilman is going around the country trashing Boise State and saying they would have trouble in the Big 10. I like CS and what he stands for, but Boise State would compete for the Big 10 title. It's not their fault they are where they are. Besides, someone needs to tell Chris this isn't the Big 10 circa 1970. The conference doesn't carry that kind of weight any more. It's a good football conference, but nowhere near the top conference in the country.
POLITICS
First, the media and lefty politicians claimed the “Tea Party Movement” was part of an astro turf program – meaning it was a creation (aka: fake) and funded by the Republic Party and not a true people’s movement.
Second, they ridiculed it by calling them “team baggers,” a derogatory term referring to a sex act.
Then, they went to the “They won’t have any impact on the elections” line.
Now, they are honed in on the narrative that says – they are “kooks,” zealots,” right-wind nuts,” etc…
Even traditional republican operatives and reporters I respect are taking shot s at individual conservative candidates who they feel can’t win in the general election.
They all miss the point – It’s not about winning elections and getting republicans House and Senate leadership and committee chairmanship positions back, it’s about getting people in Congress who have principles and will seriously attempt roll back much of what has been passed in the past 18 months.
What good is it to send a Republican to Washington who looks and acts more like a Democrat when it comes to voting on legislation? That’s what the Tea Party people are saying. And besides, the public uprising is not “republican” based, it’s “Conservative” based. That’s what these folks are missing.
Of course, the media will continue to try to build the template/narrative these candidates are “radical” and/or “dangerous.”
They are also pushing hard on the talking point that the “Republicans are having a civil war within their party” line. Yet, they of course ignore the fact that many democrats running for re-election don’t want to be seen with the president publicly nor are any running on the party’s legislative successes – i.e. Health Care. Talk about a civil war?
It’s not going to work. The majority of the American people know that being fiscal responsible, federal government intrusion into health care, among other areas of private life, and keeping taxes relatively low are sound principles, not “wacky” ideas.
As someone who has a little experience in PR, it’s simple to analyze – if you don’t have anything to run on, attack your opponent. It’s called an “ad hominem” attack.
I don’t think it will work this time.
"You have a right to your own opinion, but not your own facts."
You can’t open 0-2 against Tampa and K.C. It’s that simple. Not when you opened 1-11 last year before getting a handful of semi-garbage wins against poor teams while hardly completing any forward passes.
It made absolutely no sense for the new regime to keep Mangini, and we stated so at the time. And unfortunately, that decision will likely be reversed during the bye week if this team is sitting at 1-6 or 0-7 during that break.
The truth – Mangini has absolutely no one to blame but himself. Not only do his teams lose, but they lose with players he drafted. The wide receiver corps, the one we have ridiculed for over a year, features a pair of starting #2 picks HE drafted.
To be fair, the “Walrus” deserves some blame as well. He revamped a very weak secondary in the off-season. The same should have occurred at wideout. They are trying to win professional football games with good college receivers. Period.
Good teams (aka: Pittsburgh) find ways to win, while bad teams (Browns) seem to always find ways to lose. The truth hurts.
Some thoughts from the KC loss follow.
Marcus Bernard can rush the quarterback. He had one sack Sunday – granted a coverage sack at that – and forced a holding penalty on another strong rush from the outside. He also made a terrific play in space when he tipped a pass during a deep drop. He made plays in 2009 as well when given the opportunity. He should start. End of story.
It's official – the two young DBs drafted early can play. Along with Brown, Cleveland has ¾ of what potentially is a relatively strong secondary. The “Walrus” and his people deserve credit for addressing this problem and getting it right in the off-season.
Now the bad news.
My boy Seneca Wallace cannot go “DA” on us and throw a pick six. The Browns aren’t good enough offensively to make such a huge blunder and still win. Bad decision. Period. Yes, he rebounded and threw a long TD pass to Cribbs on the next series. But I can’t excuse it.
Take that bad play away and they probably win. Yea, but take that five-run third inning away and the starter pitched well. You simply can’t go there.
Someone needs to look it up for me, but this may be the first time in NFL history in the modern age where a team does not have a wide receiver with 50 catches on the year.
Who the hell on this team is going to get open enough to catch 50 balls? These guys couldn’t separate from their mom’s umbilical cord after the doctor cut them loose.
Hell, a former college quarterback (Cribbs) is more dangerous out wide than they are right now. Look for the local media to finally figure it out.
Most obvious line of the day everyone missed yesterday came when the television color commentator said the following late in the Chiefs/Browns game – “Brian Robiskie is not winning the release battle at the line of scrimmage.”
How the hell does #23 not know he’s not allowed to step in the end zone when covering punts?
My other boy, Jerome Harrison, did not make the first guy miss one time during his 16carries yesterday. No, the offensive line is not blocking well on the running game, but once in awhile, you have to make your own hole. JH was tripped up on several occasions by an arm tackle when he had a chance to turn a 3 yard carry into something more.
The most disappointing aspect of this football team after two weeks of play has been the offensive line play – especially the well-paid left side. They simply have not opened up many holes against two very poor run stopping units. This does not bode well for the future folks - like next week at Baltimore.
Look at the bright side - I heard all seven of the Browns’ next opponents had winning record in 2009. Now, I am on record on not giving much credence to past records as an indicator as to what will happen in the future. However, it’s probably safe to say Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New England and New Orleans have a few more playmakers than TB and KC.
So let's get it over with - Baltimore 27-10 over Cleveland in week #3. No, I don't expect them to get totally buried. If they do, Mangini might not make it to break week.
How can anyone ever line up off-sides? I watched small college football in person for 19 years and can honestly say I can count on two fingers how many times I saw it called. I see it called every week in the NFL.
I heard my boy Vince Young was playing poorly and got pulled (again) against the Steelers. This seems to be a yearly occurrence. That’s a game he needed to play well in and win. Credit the best organization in sports for keeping things afloat and winning while using #3 QBs.
I am on record as being a Michael Vick fan in terms of what he brings to the table on the football field. That was not the case when he was drafted, but his on-the-field performance changed my views. Yes, he has proven he cannot be trusted to be the face of a franchise because of his off-the-field behavior. But facts are facts -you have to game-plan for him, unlike most guys who take snaps from center.
ODDS & ENDS
Am I the only one who doesn’t think Joe Torre should be up for sainthood? Here’s a guy who doesn’t win anything until he manages the highest payroll in baseball (New York). He then goes to another large market team (LA) and when it’s clear they are about to cut payroll due to a messy divorce at the top and who knows what else, he bails and says he may go elsewhere to manage next year at age 70.
Let me take a wild guess and predict he won’t end up in KC or Pittsburgh? Billy Martin he’s not.
I heard some national pundit going to the “See, the Rays are proving you can win consistently without a huge payroll” card. Right.
Stop it. Their front office folks, scouts, etc., are obviously very good. But when many of their their top players walk (free agency), they won't be in it every year. That's the shame of this one-sided system known as Major League Baseball.
Perhaps TB can beat the odds, much like Minnesota has, but everything has to go right in order to avoid that “short window of opportunity” a mid/small market has to win it all before the bulk of the talent leaves.
I heard a sick stat yesterday. Thomas Jones did not lose a fumble once in well over 300 carries in 2009. That’s pretty amazing.
OSU
How about a few cupcakes to go with those Canes?
I know OSU scheduled Miami (FL), but do you have to put all cupcakes around Miami when it comes to your non-conference schedule every year? Throw in a relatively weak Big 10 Conference, or whatever you call it now, and you basically have maybe three truly competitive games on the schedule all season long.
Why can’t OSU add a Boise State, or at least a Brigham Young home and home on the schedule from time to time, and play two competitive non-conference opponents a year?
Chris Speilman is going around the country trashing Boise State and saying they would have trouble in the Big 10. I like CS and what he stands for, but Boise State would compete for the Big 10 title. It's not their fault they are where they are. Besides, someone needs to tell Chris this isn't the Big 10 circa 1970. The conference doesn't carry that kind of weight any more. It's a good football conference, but nowhere near the top conference in the country.
POLITICS
First, the media and lefty politicians claimed the “Tea Party Movement” was part of an astro turf program – meaning it was a creation (aka: fake) and funded by the Republic Party and not a true people’s movement.
Second, they ridiculed it by calling them “team baggers,” a derogatory term referring to a sex act.
Then, they went to the “They won’t have any impact on the elections” line.
Now, they are honed in on the narrative that says – they are “kooks,” zealots,” right-wind nuts,” etc…
Even traditional republican operatives and reporters I respect are taking shot s at individual conservative candidates who they feel can’t win in the general election.
They all miss the point – It’s not about winning elections and getting republicans House and Senate leadership and committee chairmanship positions back, it’s about getting people in Congress who have principles and will seriously attempt roll back much of what has been passed in the past 18 months.
What good is it to send a Republican to Washington who looks and acts more like a Democrat when it comes to voting on legislation? That’s what the Tea Party people are saying. And besides, the public uprising is not “republican” based, it’s “Conservative” based. That’s what these folks are missing.
Of course, the media will continue to try to build the template/narrative these candidates are “radical” and/or “dangerous.”
They are also pushing hard on the talking point that the “Republicans are having a civil war within their party” line. Yet, they of course ignore the fact that many democrats running for re-election don’t want to be seen with the president publicly nor are any running on the party’s legislative successes – i.e. Health Care. Talk about a civil war?
It’s not going to work. The majority of the American people know that being fiscal responsible, federal government intrusion into health care, among other areas of private life, and keeping taxes relatively low are sound principles, not “wacky” ideas.
As someone who has a little experience in PR, it’s simple to analyze – if you don’t have anything to run on, attack your opponent. It’s called an “ad hominem” attack.
I don’t think it will work this time.
"You have a right to your own opinion, but not your own facts."
Monday, September 13, 2010
Short & Quick
FYI - I am adding a blog that was misplaced elsewhere last week at the bottom of this latest entry. My apologies. I am a moron. I may have others, but I can't seem to find them at the moment. Sorry.
I know we predicted a loss last week, but that doesn’t mean the following adage isn’t true – “There are losses, then there are bad losses.”
Tampa was actually worse than I thought.
In the season opener versus Tampa, the Browns lost to a team that will be lucky to win 5 games this year.
The Browns lost to a team whose starting quarterback took 8 snaps during the pre-season – and looked the part.
The Browns lost to a team that had a wide receiver corps that wouldn’t dominate the SEC – much like their own.
The Browns lost to a team that was poorly coached. How else to do explain taking your best offensive player (Cadillac Williams) off the field late in the game near the goal line? The great Wayne Fontes did that on occasion with Barry Sanders when he went jumbo backfield. Good call.
The Browns lost to a team that was dead last in the NFL in rush defense in 2009 – even worse than their own. Yet, Eric Mangini and his wizard “O” coordinator who lost 70 pounds in the off-season – mostly brain matter it seems - gave Jerome Harrison less than 10 touches in the running game. That’s the same JH who single-handedly saved Mangini’s job last year by rushing for well over 500 yards in the team’s last four games – all wins.
The Browns lost to a team that had such low expectations there were so many empty seats in the stands it reminded me of Progressive Field in September – circa ’08, ’09, ’10. You get the picture...
The Browns lost to a team that had Rich Gannon, the color commentator, make this remark as he watched the Bucs play midway through the third quarter – “You can’t make this many mistakes and beat a good team.” Gannon of course did not factor in Tampa’s opponent – the Browns, who are not a good team.
A second Gannon observation that caught my attention came when he uttered these words after the Jake D. pick late in the first half that changed the momentum in the contest – “Jake knows better than that.” Really? I’m not so sure. Check his 2009 number s and the fact that he was available and everyone passed but the Browns.
By the way, I like JD’s personality and fire. But in sports, if you lead with your mouth and don’t perform, the guys will turn you off quicker than a prostitute looks for her panties after her fifth john in three hours.
Did you notice the separation, or lack thereof, by Cleveland’s receivers? The scary part is that came against a mediocre secondary. What happens when they play a team that can actually rush the passer with DBs that can cover?
We mentioned this early up top, but someone PLEASE explain to me why you would go away from the one thing that worked last year – JH running the football behind the line – specifically, the left side of the offensive line? This is a classic case of coaches having way too much time on their hands in the off-season and training camp to dream up schemes that $#@! things up. Keep it simple stupid (KISS) works in life and sports as well. You started to form an identity at the tail end of last year.
Why would you go away from it this quickly – especially against a team that can’t stop the run? I know, these coaches are all way too smart for me.
Nice job saving all those timeouts at the end of the game. They’ll come in handy next week. Oops. I forgot. They don’t carry over.
If I were the Bucs, I would have most certainly kicked the field goal on fourth down deep in Browns territory with under a minute remaining instead of going for it on 4th down. Get up so the Browns have to go the distance with seconds remaining and no timeouts.
The Freeman touchdown that beat Joe Haden to put Tampa up was an excellent throw. The coverage wasn’t that bad. Freeman actually made a good pass – one of the few on the day. Just a couple plays earlier, he missed a wide open receiver Joe Namath could probably still hit today while loaded on vodka cruising for babes.
By the way just about every media member in Cleveland had them winning on Sunday. Some even guaranteed it. The cool aid was only 69 cents a pack in Northeast Ohio last week. It will go up some this week however.
If they lose to the Chiefs, the “Walrus” and/or “Chucky” Watch will begin in Cleveland.
As we said last week, we like the Browns to beat the Chiefs in week #2. How does 23-20 sound? Why am I picking them after ripping them? Simple. Tampa, KC and Cleveland are all likely to finish under .500. Therefore, I assume if the three played each other in pool A – they would all split since none of them would likely be good enough to go 2-0. Make sense?
I may actually root for the Ravens against the Jets tonight. Then again, I can’t. I hope it ends in a tie.
The Steelers, playing with a college quarterback at the helm, beat the Falcons, who I am told, have a franchise quarterback leading them. How did that happen?
Another franchise quarterback, Tony Romo, couldn’t get it done in week 1 either.
One more time – a “franchise quarterback” is a guy that has done it for years and is going into the Hall of Fame. There are currently three playing that clearly deserve that moniker – Manning, Brady and Favre. Yes, McNabb and Drew Brees, two of my favorites coming out of college, would be in the discussion. If I missed someone, let me know. I make mistakes like everyone else.
Along with “great,” it is the most overused and inappropriately used term in sports. I should know, I study words for a living.
"You can judge the morality of a nation by the way it treats its animals."
Ghandi
OTHER RECENT ENTRY FOLLOWS BELOW
Why is the NCAA finally deciding to finally crack down on illegal agent-player contact? What, they weren’t aware of it in the past?
How are they physically going to get Reggie Bush’s Heisman? If I am right, the school and player each get one. Sure, Pat Haden can take USC’s Heisman and drive himself it to Indianapolis in his ‘97 Malibu. But how are they going to re-acquire Reggie’s version?
Why does the NFL have to go to 18 games? Why not an odd number – 17? That way, you can keep three exhibition games and not extend the regular season by two more weeks.
I saw where the NFL players showed symbolic union unity prior to the season opener last night between the Vikings and Saints. I wonder how long that unity will last six weeks into the lockout when a good percentage of these scholars are out of money and can’t make their BMW payment. Some may end up on my new favorite television show “Pawn Stars” and fork over their gold earrings and necklaces to buy food for their kids.
Why do I feel the Browns, if they improved at all from a year ago, should open 2-0 based on the opponents, but I know full-well they will find a way to %$#@it up. Perhaps it’s because they have no pass rush whatsoever and not one quality NFL receiver on the roster.
So here goes – Tampa Bay wins 24-23 as K2 makes a couple of big plays to seal it.
For the Browns sake, let’s hope he picks up a flag for taunting and another one for moving too early.
I wonder how many of the cool aid drinking Browns fans/media will do a 180 on Jake D. is he tosses Sunday’s game way with a couple ill-timed picks. Let’s hope he goes 17-for-25 for 200 yards with 1 TD and no picks. If that happens, they win.
And based on what has been written and said to date, how can the Browns possibly win a football game without M. Hardesty in uniform?
Is it just me or is there some light at the end of the tunnel with the Tribe. Even though no one is paying attention, I am actually somewhat encouraged by how some of their young starting pitchers are doing. Yes, I know there’s a lot less pressure when no one is paying attention in August and September when you are 20 games out.
Regardless, you want to see consistency from young players, and when you do, that’s a good indicator the guy might be reliable in the future. Getting Sizemore and Santana back in the middle of that line-up next spring should also help immensely with that anemic offense.
I would also strongly recommend re-signing Westbrook in the off-season if he wants to come back and would work relatively cheap. Having one or two veterans is always a plus.
“Speak so the lowliest can understand you.” Abraham Lincoln
I know we predicted a loss last week, but that doesn’t mean the following adage isn’t true – “There are losses, then there are bad losses.”
Tampa was actually worse than I thought.
In the season opener versus Tampa, the Browns lost to a team that will be lucky to win 5 games this year.
The Browns lost to a team whose starting quarterback took 8 snaps during the pre-season – and looked the part.
The Browns lost to a team that had a wide receiver corps that wouldn’t dominate the SEC – much like their own.
The Browns lost to a team that was poorly coached. How else to do explain taking your best offensive player (Cadillac Williams) off the field late in the game near the goal line? The great Wayne Fontes did that on occasion with Barry Sanders when he went jumbo backfield. Good call.
The Browns lost to a team that was dead last in the NFL in rush defense in 2009 – even worse than their own. Yet, Eric Mangini and his wizard “O” coordinator who lost 70 pounds in the off-season – mostly brain matter it seems - gave Jerome Harrison less than 10 touches in the running game. That’s the same JH who single-handedly saved Mangini’s job last year by rushing for well over 500 yards in the team’s last four games – all wins.
The Browns lost to a team that had such low expectations there were so many empty seats in the stands it reminded me of Progressive Field in September – circa ’08, ’09, ’10. You get the picture...
The Browns lost to a team that had Rich Gannon, the color commentator, make this remark as he watched the Bucs play midway through the third quarter – “You can’t make this many mistakes and beat a good team.” Gannon of course did not factor in Tampa’s opponent – the Browns, who are not a good team.
A second Gannon observation that caught my attention came when he uttered these words after the Jake D. pick late in the first half that changed the momentum in the contest – “Jake knows better than that.” Really? I’m not so sure. Check his 2009 number s and the fact that he was available and everyone passed but the Browns.
By the way, I like JD’s personality and fire. But in sports, if you lead with your mouth and don’t perform, the guys will turn you off quicker than a prostitute looks for her panties after her fifth john in three hours.
Did you notice the separation, or lack thereof, by Cleveland’s receivers? The scary part is that came against a mediocre secondary. What happens when they play a team that can actually rush the passer with DBs that can cover?
We mentioned this early up top, but someone PLEASE explain to me why you would go away from the one thing that worked last year – JH running the football behind the line – specifically, the left side of the offensive line? This is a classic case of coaches having way too much time on their hands in the off-season and training camp to dream up schemes that $#@! things up. Keep it simple stupid (KISS) works in life and sports as well. You started to form an identity at the tail end of last year.
Why would you go away from it this quickly – especially against a team that can’t stop the run? I know, these coaches are all way too smart for me.
Nice job saving all those timeouts at the end of the game. They’ll come in handy next week. Oops. I forgot. They don’t carry over.
If I were the Bucs, I would have most certainly kicked the field goal on fourth down deep in Browns territory with under a minute remaining instead of going for it on 4th down. Get up so the Browns have to go the distance with seconds remaining and no timeouts.
The Freeman touchdown that beat Joe Haden to put Tampa up was an excellent throw. The coverage wasn’t that bad. Freeman actually made a good pass – one of the few on the day. Just a couple plays earlier, he missed a wide open receiver Joe Namath could probably still hit today while loaded on vodka cruising for babes.
By the way just about every media member in Cleveland had them winning on Sunday. Some even guaranteed it. The cool aid was only 69 cents a pack in Northeast Ohio last week. It will go up some this week however.
If they lose to the Chiefs, the “Walrus” and/or “Chucky” Watch will begin in Cleveland.
As we said last week, we like the Browns to beat the Chiefs in week #2. How does 23-20 sound? Why am I picking them after ripping them? Simple. Tampa, KC and Cleveland are all likely to finish under .500. Therefore, I assume if the three played each other in pool A – they would all split since none of them would likely be good enough to go 2-0. Make sense?
I may actually root for the Ravens against the Jets tonight. Then again, I can’t. I hope it ends in a tie.
The Steelers, playing with a college quarterback at the helm, beat the Falcons, who I am told, have a franchise quarterback leading them. How did that happen?
Another franchise quarterback, Tony Romo, couldn’t get it done in week 1 either.
One more time – a “franchise quarterback” is a guy that has done it for years and is going into the Hall of Fame. There are currently three playing that clearly deserve that moniker – Manning, Brady and Favre. Yes, McNabb and Drew Brees, two of my favorites coming out of college, would be in the discussion. If I missed someone, let me know. I make mistakes like everyone else.
Along with “great,” it is the most overused and inappropriately used term in sports. I should know, I study words for a living.
"You can judge the morality of a nation by the way it treats its animals."
Ghandi
OTHER RECENT ENTRY FOLLOWS BELOW
Why is the NCAA finally deciding to finally crack down on illegal agent-player contact? What, they weren’t aware of it in the past?
How are they physically going to get Reggie Bush’s Heisman? If I am right, the school and player each get one. Sure, Pat Haden can take USC’s Heisman and drive himself it to Indianapolis in his ‘97 Malibu. But how are they going to re-acquire Reggie’s version?
Why does the NFL have to go to 18 games? Why not an odd number – 17? That way, you can keep three exhibition games and not extend the regular season by two more weeks.
I saw where the NFL players showed symbolic union unity prior to the season opener last night between the Vikings and Saints. I wonder how long that unity will last six weeks into the lockout when a good percentage of these scholars are out of money and can’t make their BMW payment. Some may end up on my new favorite television show “Pawn Stars” and fork over their gold earrings and necklaces to buy food for their kids.
Why do I feel the Browns, if they improved at all from a year ago, should open 2-0 based on the opponents, but I know full-well they will find a way to %$#@it up. Perhaps it’s because they have no pass rush whatsoever and not one quality NFL receiver on the roster.
So here goes – Tampa Bay wins 24-23 as K2 makes a couple of big plays to seal it.
For the Browns sake, let’s hope he picks up a flag for taunting and another one for moving too early.
I wonder how many of the cool aid drinking Browns fans/media will do a 180 on Jake D. is he tosses Sunday’s game way with a couple ill-timed picks. Let’s hope he goes 17-for-25 for 200 yards with 1 TD and no picks. If that happens, they win.
And based on what has been written and said to date, how can the Browns possibly win a football game without M. Hardesty in uniform?
Is it just me or is there some light at the end of the tunnel with the Tribe. Even though no one is paying attention, I am actually somewhat encouraged by how some of their young starting pitchers are doing. Yes, I know there’s a lot less pressure when no one is paying attention in August and September when you are 20 games out.
Regardless, you want to see consistency from young players, and when you do, that’s a good indicator the guy might be reliable in the future. Getting Sizemore and Santana back in the middle of that line-up next spring should also help immensely with that anemic offense.
I would also strongly recommend re-signing Westbrook in the off-season if he wants to come back and would work relatively cheap. Having one or two veterans is always a plus.
“Speak so the lowliest can understand you.” Abraham Lincoln
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