1) Brady Quinn was excellent.  Forget about Denver’s defense and their plight: Quinn came in and managed the game like he has been under Fraley’s ass since the beginning of last season.  It’s amazing what a smart QB can do in the NFL…as long as he doesn’t have a noodle arm like Ken Dorsey or Craig Krenzel.  Quinn without any shadow of a doubt was money tonight and gave Browns’ fans hope.  He had some poopy throws, but most of the time, his guys were catching them anyway.  Most of all, the guy had a presence about him.  When Jamal Lewis scored the go-ahead TD in the 4th Quarter and Denver was dicking with Lewis on the ground, Quinn was there to help his teammate.  Quinn was there to congratulate Phil Dawson after that ‘akward’ 52 yard Field Goal before the end of the half.  Quinn was there to pickup his teammates when they were down and commanded the huddle like he’s been doing this in the NFL for years.  Quinn gave the Browns a great chance to win by putting most of the throws there with the right velocity and watching the playmakers who can catch the ball (IE Kellen Winslow) do their thing. 

2) We heart Josh Cribbs.  The guy had a rough start to the year with a nagging injury, but lately has been 2007 Josh Cribbs.  The 2007 Josh Cribbs is nearly super-human.  What makes us gush over this guy is not the effectiveness he has as a returner, or a wild card to the offense, but the fact that every time he is on the field, he treats that particular play like it is his last.  When Cribbs does anything, it’s inspiring.  One thought I had about him during the game was that this is not the same Cribbs at Kent State. When I saw him play there, he had potential…but with the Browns, he’s been far and above one of the very best football players in the entire NFL.  Love the guy and hope his break-neck approach to the game doesn’t cut his career short.       

3) The NFL Network needs to do their homework.  Boo-hoo…let’s all cry over Denver’s unbelievable injury list and then ignore the fact that the Browns have been playing short-handed all season long with Donna Stallworth missing enough time to derail his season, Joe Jurevicius missing all season and taking away the Browns 3rd down conversion specialist, Shaun Rogers, Shaun Smith, and Corey Williams playing banged up while Robaire Smith watches for the rest of the year, Lawrence Vickers missing at FB, and Eric Steinbach and Ryan Tucker currently missing on offense.  The Browns have had more than their fair share of injuries, but the NFL Network paid no attention to it while mentioning it for the Broncos nearly every time they were on the field. 

4) Lately, it hasn’t been Derek Anderson’s fault.  Derek didn’t drop passes or fumble balls.  That was up to big-time playmakers Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards to do.  Nor is he responsible for a return to ugly defensive football for the Browns over the last couple weeks.  Look…we’re ecstatic over the move to Quinn and his first start as a NFL QB…but this game proved RIGHT AWAY that the 2008 Cleveland Browns have problems way beyond inconsistent play from Derek Anderson.  Anderson cost the Browns some wins earlier in the season, but got his act together more recently.  Forget about his pick-six last week.  The Browns probably would have lost anyway.  Was the move to Quinn pointless?  No…we need to see if he is better for the team right now on that side of the ball…but I think we all saw our first example of how the 2008 Cleveland Browns are failures for much more than QB play.  When your defense plays worse than a defense that was being heralded as one of the worst in NFL history coming into this game, what does that say about them?   

5) Romeo must still go.  The cameras panned to Romeo late in the game and you could read his expression: “oh shit…the QB move didn’t work and now we’re still heading for another loss.”  Crennel’s indecision towards the end of the half didn’t falter on him as it could have.  But that was a prime example of how this guy isn’t cut out to be an NFL coach.  Look, I certainly don’t hate the guy.  He’s a good football coach.  A great coordinator.  But not for a team that still needs some discipline…apparently moreso on the defensive side of the ball now.  For a defensive minded Head Coach, his 3-4 defense isn’t scaring anyone…in fact, it’s making opposing offenses giddy.  That’s telling enough to see a defensive minded head coach have the team’s defenses rank near the bottom of the league every year and be a complete disgrace to any brand of football from the pros all the way down to pee-wee league.  Therein lies the need for Bill Cowher or Marty as our second choice.  Time for a proven head coach who knows how to get a consistent effort out of his players. 

6) Don’t throw Brandon McDonald entirely under the bus.  A lot of people out there will pin a lot of the defensive blame on Brandon McDonald for the horrible defensive performance.  It’s not all his fault.  Give him a break.  The CBs in my honest opinion have done a remarkable job considering both starters are second year players and way more is being asked of them than what is necessary.  McDonald had two opportunities at interceptions, which you can almost shake a finger at more than his two meltdown plays towards the end of the game where McDonald was calling for help on that first one.  Why is more being asked of Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald?  It’s simple…a weak pass rush and two safeties who aren’t quite there.  In fact, Shawn Jones, proved earlier in the season who much of a teammate he was by sitting out extra long to ensure his contract year would bring maximum value (his words not ours).  The sooner he’s gone the better…he may have been one of the players Jamal Lewis was calling out for quitting in that game.  Pool isn’t a piece of crap like Jones, but one has to wonder if all those concussions have Pool a little tentative out there on the field. 

7) #1 2009 off-season priority is: pass rush.  For the love of god, how many opposing NFL QBs get 20 seconds back in the pocket to hand-select receivers, pay their bills, take out the garbage, and much more.  Jay Cutler is one of the better young QBs in the NFL today.  He doesn’t need all day to make decisions in the pocket.  Occassionally, a Browns’ player will break through on a botched assignment for an opposing team.  But if DC Mel Tucker is continuing along with the philosophy that too many blitz packages leaves the secondary exposed, he oughtta know that not putting enough pressure on the QB is just as bad.  Leaving receivers open that long isn’t the secondaries fault when a pass gets completed for a big gain on this team. 

I am officially jumping out of the Kamerion Wimbley support group.  He’s been non-existent at many points this year…but it was his latest performance that really made me question him.  Late in the game, as Denver was marching up and down the field, he was literally bullied for 10 yards from Peyton Hillis, who made like John Riggens against the Browns’ Defense.  That’s embarrassing, and while it could be labeled extreme, I immediately thought of Bo Jackson almost single-handedly ending Brian Bosworth’s career.     

9) It’s official…Don’t run on the Browns…throw every down.  During the season, with close games, it was not exposed how poor of a pass defense the Browns have since we were either behind in games or holding a small lead.  Now that the Browns’ offense has been getting better and putting up double-digit leads, the covers have been exposed.  With Shaun Rogers, the Browns are a much better run defense when they want to be disciplined (I am not glossing over Ray Rice pulling down their pants).  But when a team is down big and they decide to go to the air more often than not, yikes.

10) HELP! - OK.  Here’s our 2009 wish list: Bill Cowher, A new set of Linebackers, more depth on the D-Line (Lewis Leonard stinks and was a liability the other night), another solid Cornerback along with a replacement for Sean Jones who can go get his money grab and be a me player elsewhere.  Good luck Phil and Bill as you will be working together. 

It’s as if the nightmare never goes away.  As a Browns’ fan, just when you think good times are ahead for your football team, the bad times seem to rise from the toilet and pull you back down.  Just like news of another staph infection with Kellen Winslow, the Browns never seem to shake the bad stuff.  It just keeps piling on and the fans have to endure more and more painful football week after week.  Frustration reached another height against the Redskins, as the team had countless opportunities to get ahead of Washington in that game thanks to awarded field position from the defense, but could not for the life of them get anything going on offense.   

For the record, 11 players on defense showed up to play and 9 players on offense showed up to play.  Someone forgot to tell Braylon Edwards and Derek Anderson to show up again.  To Edwards’ credit and his 5 or more drops today, it’s not all his fault that the offense gets derailed.  It’s mostly Anderson.  While fans can criticize play calling until they are blue in the face, it was apparent yesterday, that the Browns and OC Rob Chudzinski live and die by Anderson’s arm.  Unfortunately, Anderson lives and dies by the big play. 

That is the most telling thing about the Browns’ offense.  It’s been evident since Anderson took over the team last season.  Here’s how you can tell you’re in for a long day of poor Browns’ football: If Anderson doesn’t get a big play early to get him going, forget about it.  It happened again today.  No 40 yard quick hitter play to Braylon to bail out Anderson and help get him hot.  So Anderson became the poor version of a QB that is handcuffing this team.  The proof is in the pudding.  As he continues to play, Anderson becomes more inconsistent.  All the while, the Browns GQ outspoken #1 receiver seems to add to Anderson’s struggles with drop after drop.

That’s been a recurring theme between the two players this season.  They alone are the biggest reasons why the Browns can’t get back on the winning side of things more often than not.  You can’t blame offensive play calling when your two most important players can’t get their job done: one needs to throw accurate passes and make smart decisions, the other needs to catch passes.  It’s that simple.  For Edwards, there’s no one to turn to at his position.  You’re forced to live and die with him.  For Anderson, there’s still someone lurking in the wings that is about ready for his shot.

So as Browns’ fans brace for what could be another long week of preparation for Jacksonville, a team that could shut this inconsistent offense down completely, fans again turn to Romeo Crennel and the Browns’ decision makers.  Anderson had his one great game this year against New York.  The rest of the time, he’s been holding back the offense with Braylon Edwards. 

Are the Browns going to put him on a short leash and/or make a ballsey move by turning the keys over to an unproven Brady Quinn?  The consensus in Cleveland is that it’s time to bench the inconsistent Derek Anderson in favor of seeing Quinn get his first shot at getting this offense on-track.  There’s no sense putting two wildly inconsistent players on the field to play catch and expecting things to go your way more often than not over the span of a 16-game season. 

The offense needs a leader.  Someone who won’t get into arguments with his players, or get into near-shoving matches with his teammates while trying to get a play off.  Someone who can hit short, intermediate, and long routes with consistency and touch.  Someone who can avoid getting 100 balls batted down at the line of scrimmage.  There’s no telling if Quinn is that player right now, but the time may be now to make the shrewd move to give the popular player with 30 TV commercials his big chance with a season that is losing hope. 

I don’t think we as Browns’ fans can take much more of waiting for an off-target gunslinger to show up once every 5 games.  Edwards we’re stuck with, Anderson…not so much.  Until a decision is made, I don’t think any Browns’ fan can really know what to expect every week, nor should they get their hopes up.  In the meantime, let’s hope that the team doesn’t completely implode as off the field news is starting with Kellen Winslow and more could be around the corner.                                

Digressing from the get-go…I’ve been waiting to use some lyrics from my favorite album of 2008.  You see, Metallica’s return to form on Death Magnetic isn’t necessarily going to be considered the best by music critics, but their kick-ass return to thrash is enough to make many of us who loved the old Metallica go nuts over the fact that they released their best album since …And Justice For All.  Notice I didn’t say the Black album?  Since …And Justice For All.  And with time, this album may rank above that.  They’ll never be as good as they were when Cliff was around, but Rick Rubin rode in on his white horse, helped set these guys straight and a new album was added to many people’s workout playlist. 

The lyrics to the third song on their album totally reminded me of the Cleveland Browns this past Monday night complete with a nice “Die Hard” reference.  As we all know by now, they beat the Giants 35-14.  The Browns, a team pronounced dead by 99% of us including yours truly, have been broken, beaten, and scarred from years of inept play and most recently, an embarrasing start to a season chock-full of high expectations. 

No one, including yours truly, gave them much of a chance Monday night.

But these Browns have proven that at least for one Monday night on a national stage where ESPN was ready to yank them off the stage with a hook and never book them on Monday night again that they die hard. 

God knows what this team will look like next week but for Browns’ fans, hope has returned to our vocabulary.  We’ve mentioned it here at the site before, but the Browns lived and died by the Big Play last season.  At times, the 2007 Browns offense looked constipated, but in many of last season’s game, a big play early would usually get them going.  This year, the team could barely crack 20 yards once up to last night’s victory. 

But the short pass Derek Anderson completed to Braylon Edwards on their first drive of the game gave them the spark that they desperately needed to get their engines going.  It just so happened to be against the defending Super Bowl champs.  From there, the team overcame their greatest flaw that is part of why people detest Romeo Crennel and Derek Anderson so much over: confidence.  Our coach has a hard time instilling it to his players, and Anderson has lost it as far back as late in the 2007 season. 

But confidence reigned supreme last night and fans were treated to the feeling of joy.  The Browns still had their lot of penalties.  Hell, my buddy Brian and I were watching the game and had that sinking feeling after the Browns were called for illegal formation after their first play on offense!  But the team was so on they fought through their lack of discipline to give the Giants a taste of their own medicine. 

The Giants came to town undefeated, riding high on their status as the NFL’s best team right now as they were on top of most statistical categories on offense AND defense.  Corey Williams opened his big mouth leading up to the game that Brandon Jacobs was a pansy, and it gave uneeded motivation to the NFL’s most feared Running Back.

But somehow, the Browns pulled out all the stops.  Not only did Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards find their mojo, but the Browns’ defense put pressure on Eli Manning and get interceptions as a result.  And while the game was close for most of the game going well into the 4th quarter, seeing the Browns bring their ”A” game for a change gave the fans confidence that they had this one in hand. 

This Browns’ team hasn’t been seen since the midway point of the 2007 season.  And one wonders if they’ll stick around considering their fragile psyche.  After all, we’ve all been driven to the point of raging fits of anger over this team prior to last night.  But if this is the brightest spot of the year, we’ll take it.  On Monday night football, a stage in which the networks already have regretted putting the Browns on, the Browns performed to their lofty expectations and beat one of the best teams in football. 

Now build on it and keep the Redskins reeling at home.  The season is still in the balance over these next handful of games.  But if last night is any indication, their own false bravado leading up to that big win has kept them focused on turning around an ugly season.  After all, these Browns die hard.       

Whether it was Col. Denton Walters or any other person of great leadership that might have visited the Browns’ this past bye week, the hope is that they talked some sense into not only the “Human Scapegoat” Derek Anderson, or his portly huggie bear Head Coach…but to the rest of the squad that has played like good football has gone out of style with the disco era long ago.

The Browns haven’t recovered from their putrid week 2 pre-season performance against the now mighty New York Giants, who looked as though they were breaking out their mid-season game plan on the good ‘ole Brownies in retaliation for the Cleveland’s insistence on messing with tradition and wearing poop brown pants for their national showdown.  This much is known.  Since then, the naysayers have multiplied in number and Browns’ football has gotten back to its post-Modell roots: get called for insane penalties including penalties you don’t see in other NFL games like illegal formation and neutral zone infractions at a clip that could exceed the amount of times Browns’ fans flip off their TV screens and drop the f-bomb…check.  Look inept on offense…check.  Look weak on defense…check.  Look like a bottom-feeder in the Mid-American Conference at times…check.

So with a bye so early in the year, the collective thought is (with a battered team and a 1-3 record) that the Browns will benefit greatly.  Time does heal all wounds they say.  The Browns can try to forget about how the whole city and national media outlets turned against them and they only have their own ridiculous selves to blame.  They can bide their free time away from the game of football and think about the pain and suffering they’ve caused a football-starved town who wants to love their team so badly, but gets so angered over the franchise’s consistent bad play.

So as a means to help time heal wounds as a fan, we’ll quit bashing the team we just can’t turn away from like it was a shallow worthless reality TV show about a bunch of superficial women who have it made in life, yet somehow manage to cry and whine about life more than your average blue collar dude who has tough sledding financially and has a team like the Browns to root for.  We digress.

Here’s 5 constructive suggestions to the Browns going into what could be their second Monday night embarrassment against the Super Bowl champs:

1) Don’t be afraid to take an early shot at the Giants.  The Giants are ranked 3rd in the NFL in team defense.  Odds are…if you let them get settled in by setting the tone and getting momentum on that side of the ball, you’re going to need to play for field position and hope your defense keeps you in it.  Fat chance of that happening…even at home.  The only way you’re going to beat these guys is by taking some chances early on offense so they can’t dial in…maybe taking a few shots deep early.  It hasn’t worked this year and Derek Anderson has had the accuracy of a storm trooper at times, but last year’s offense excelled at making big plays to help them get into a groove.  Hasn’t happened at all this year.  Don’t be afraid of letting Braylon Edwards beat you.  He may help you sometime soon against a team not named the Bengals.  He has to at some point right?

2) Sign a receiver.  Syndric Steptoe has shown nothing in his elevated playing time and Donte Stallworth could break a nail out there when he comes back.  Joe Horn may not be the same cell-phone toting receiver from his days with the Saints, but I suspect that dude would play hard and not be a c you next tuesday.  Of course this advice is a week late and not going to happen in time for the Giants’ game.  For those of us wishing and dreaming of Joe Jurevicius coming back soon, I just don’t see it happening.  Need some insurance here and it’s not coming.

3) Forget everything before the bye.  Not only should the Browns forget their 0-3 start, they should forget their lone win against Cincy as well because that win reeked.  Forget about the first 4 mistake filled games overall and just focus on getting better and not making stupid mistakes.  Having 4 neutral zone infractions in one game is about as unacceptable as it gets…if “IT” means getting tasered in the nuts.  Poor coaching, dimwitted play, everyone deserves a huge kick in the ass for stuff like that.

4) They say get Jamal Lewis going.  Sure that’s super.  Get Jamal Lewis going.  They did that against the Bengals to the point they were almost spiting those people who called for it by giving it to him 6 straight times on the first drive to the point the defense started stuffing the crap out of him.  Look, I’m all for establishing the run.  But if a team like the Giants are good enough to make the quick adjustment and put a lid on it, we’re going to have to rely on our shaky passing game by making good play calls and using a little innovation.  Boys and girls, that means making good calls when the opposing defense least expects it.  That’s on Chud.  It’s his responsibility to try and alleviate some pressure on Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis by establishing some sort of positive balance.  The ying and the yang.  In other words they need to pull out all the stops here at some point and forget about the team tripping over their own feet.  It’s all about creating space through deception….keeping the defense on their heels.  Maybe unwrapping some of the “Flash” package built for Josh Cribbs.  That’s the only way you’re not going to suffocate your inaccurate QB or your aging RB.  Gotta add some spice to the offense so it can provide some breathing room to the rest of the unit.  This ties in with suggestion 1.

5) Anderson on a short leash.  This is “Brian’s Suggestion” and a good one.  A friend of mine pointed out that with Anderson so innaccurate and the receivers so ineffective, it makes more sense to have Quinn in there right now whether you are a proponent of Anderson or Quinn.  Quinn makes more sense as a short to mid-range passer who reads the short route and dumps it off accordingly based off of smart reads.  Derek is your feast or famine guy.  He’ll hit you that Home Run and then strike out 4 times in the same game.  Kinda goes against suggestion 1 and 4 if you consider hitting a big strike to loosen up the defense, but if Anderson wets the bed again, the Browns should make a quick move to a guy who could probably manage better in this type of situation.  If you’re vertical game falters, it’s time to go to Quinn.  No question.  I have a strong feeling that the scoring on this team wouldn’t go through the roof or anything, but the offense would be a bit more effecient, and maintain some longer drives (thus keeping our toothless defense off the field).

Those are our 5 suggestions and while they could be dead wrong or aren’t the entire answer for a team that has done soooo many things wrong this year, we at least took a shot at it without spending the whole article talking about what has angered us so much to this point in 2008.  Go Browns?

To classify these Cleveland Indians and their 5 year window of opportunity to this point is best by using  the classic phrase “when they’re good they’re really good and when they’re bad they’re really bad”.  We saw both traits this season and it shows as the Indians finished the year strong with a 81-81 record.  A total of 162 games in a season and the Indians split them all.  Not something that happens very often that’s for sure.  But the Indians were really two different teams this year: they showed signs of the 2007 team that was on the doorstep of the World Series during the latter stages of the year without CC Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, and without Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner for a good chunk of the late stretch.  They also showed signs of being a team that can’t find ways out of a funk.  When the bats go cold, they can’t seem to find a way to manufacture runs to get themselves out of it.  And while they struggled with their bats, they did an about face in their bullpen for the second time in 4 years seeing a pen go from a major strength to a major weakness without much turnover. 

The bottom point of the season will easily go down as the 8 game stretch between June 30th and July 9th this past season: a stretch manager Eric Wedge classified himself as crucial.  At that point in time, the Indians’ bats were still in a coma, and the rest of the team was losing hope of challening for the division…but the team could make up some serious ground during that 8 game stretch as they had games with the White Sox, the Tigers, and the Twins lined up.  They lost all 8. 

It’s tough to see how they fought back late in the year and not think about what could have been had they had their act together during stretches like that.  Had they split that 8 game stretch, things could be a lot different for the team right now.  But instead, the 2008 Cleveland Indians, will try to come out of another lost season with hope that their finish will lend itself towards returning to the top of the division in 2009. 

It was another lost season that saw the Indians stellar starting staff go from near the top of baseball down to somewhere in the middle of the pack.  It signaled the end of the CC Sabathia era.  It saw Fausto Carmona revert to the player that struggled with command in the ALCS.  It saw a frustrating end to Jake Westbrook’s season and perhaps much of 2009 as well.  But it also was a triumphant return for near-certain Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, who will follow up on CC’s win last season, who pitched as if he was giving the fan base the finger the whole season after practically getting booed out of town last season.   

And while the Indians’ bats stunk early in 2008, which has stung them before in past seasons, they made strides later in the year as Kelly Shoppach proved his worth in Victor Martinez’s stead.  Jhonny Peralta made a lot of haters silent after the whole city was ready to boot him out of town.  Shin-Soo Choo rebounded from Tommy John surgery to be the dynamic hitting corner outfielder late in the season that the team was looking for (despite the fact that time is running out for him in the States).  Asdrubal Cabrera fought his way back from a AAA demotion to hit well towards the end of the year.  

Strangely enough as the team fought back, they ended up having one of the best records in baseball after they traded away CC Sabathia.  They went from a team in last place in the AL Central and almost 15 games under .500 to a team that clawed back to .500 and saw themselves only 7 games back in the division. 

While that is a remarkable feat by the team and it’s a lot better to see them finish up that way instead of finishing poorly, we can’t help but think again about what if with these guys.  Over the last 4 seasons, we’ve seen times where this team has played some great baseball.  But it never seems to be enough over a consistent portion of time for them to take it all the way.  Like the Indians of the 90s, it seems like this team keeps missing out on opportunities while they’re together.  They lost their chance to do it while CC was in town and it seemed as if last year, all the stars were aligned for this team, but they picked a bad time in the ALCS to go into a shell, and that carried over into this season.

Once again, like season’s past under the Shapiro/Wedge regime, this season was a study in frustration.  81-81 on paper is nice and the team can be commended for avoiding a losing record, but one wonders whether they can do what they did in 2007 again and finish the job next time.  From one year to another, the team deals with different challenges whether it be with drop-off performances (Hafner, Betancourt, etc..) or team-wide slumps over an extended period of time.  And while the window may still be open for these guys in 2009, you have to think about how long they have left before someone else like Hafner drops off big time or someone like CC can’t be retained. 

For all intents and purposes, Derek Anderson (w/ a 16 QB rating after the half) was playing on borrowed time in the game.  By halftime, with only 3 points on the board, Romeo Crennel couldn’t pull the trigger and make the logical move by going to Brady Quinn…a move he may have had no choice but to make in Cleveland Browns’ Stadium with fans ready to rip his head off while screaming B-R-A-D-Y at the top of their lungs.  Instead Crennel took a stubborn stance and let Anderson flounder some more in the third quarter with Browns’ fans remotely furious over the team’s lack of scoring.  Then, as Anderson probably had one too many chances in the 4th quarter, he pulled some of his 2007 magic out of a hat just in time to help the team rack up 17 4th quarter points to avoid an 0-4 start that may have spelled the end of his career in Cleveland and even the end of Romeo Crennel as Head Coach.

As mentioned, this victory wasn’t the kind of victory that made you as a Browns’ fan lift your head up and feel happy about.  The team ran the ball down the throat of the Bengals on their first drive of the game only to go to the well too often and only get 3 points.  After that, the Bengals adjusted to play run first on defense and the Browns didn’t seem to adjust too well after that as receivers and Derek Anderson continued to struggle to find any kind of flow.  Before you knew it, a Bengals’ team who was generous in giving away the football to the Browns wound up with a 3 point lead going into the half.  It was an unacceptable performance from a team who needed to come out and play like it was their last game ever, only to come out and play like it was week 1 of the preseason. 

As I sit here and write this, I still wonder how the Browns even won the game.  But after a little more thought, it became apparent.  They won the game thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick and they owe him a gold watch.  Far too many times when the Bengals had a chance to capitalize on poor play from the Browns, they too matched the Browns in that category.  Fitzpatrick looked lost at times as the Cincinnati QB and his 3 interceptions helped galvanize a poor Browns’ defensive unit to the point that their false bravado would help keep the team in the game long enough for Anderson to capitalize on his seemingly 300th chance to do something of note. 

As both teams would trip over their own feet, a funny thing happened.  Derek Anderson finally got in sync with Braylon Edwards as Edwards managed to hold onto a football thrown to him and score a Touchdown.  For Edwards, he has 16 to go to win his bet against Michael Phelps.  For Anderson, it finally takes some pressure off of him. 

But ultimately what expense does the late success against the powderpuff Bengals cost the Browns in the long run?  Instead of trying to inject some new blood into a sinking offense with Brady Quinn over the next two weeks while they prepare for what could be a major ass reaming against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, the Browns will throw DA to the wolves again and try to pretend that all is back to normal right now. 

Will a confidence boost late in a game in which he should have been pulled against a joke of a franchise be all that Anderson needs to perservere?  I would think not…especially against the Giants.  The season, no matter what the outcome of the Bengals’ game, is all but lost.  Looking at the Browns next 6 games, they have the defending Super Bowl champs, the Redskins, the Jaguars, the Ravens, the Broncos, and the Bills coming up.  Do they honestly think Anderson has rejuvenated himself against the stinking Bungles to the point he’ll still keep his job after the next 6?  Apparently, for now, yes. 

And there lies the downside to an ugly victory in Cincy.  For now, nothing changes.  All will stay the same going into Monday night against the Giants, and Browns’ fans aren’t too pleased with that.  Even if Donte Stallworth gets all the sand vacuumed out and can play, even if others are healthy and ready to go, you wonder what kind of sad end will meet the Browns when they line up against a team not as ridiculously awful as they are again.  Beating the Bengals means nothing and shouldn’t make the coaching staff feel any better going into the prolonged down time during this season.  Getting a win against a team like the Giants would mean something, but thanks to the Bengals’ game, we may not be seeing the best players out there to help pull it off.     

We could ring the guy’s neck for doing such a thing around here.  You could almost argue that Cowher is directly responsible for a generation of new Steelers’ fans in the Cleveland area.  SOB.  But at the same time, let’s call a spade a spade like we did with the Browns’ horrible performance this past weekend: Cowher is a proven NFL coach who knows how to win and get the best out of his team.  The Steelers had a few down years during the Cowher regime, but for the most part, his teams were in the hunt, and we all try to forget the one year they won it all under him just a few painful years ago.  They also put a whooping on the Browns to this day, so his teams set the president that Mike Tomlin has graciously inherited.

So wanting Cowher in Cleveland is not nuts for those of you who think sleeping with the enemy is such a crime.  Cowher was once a Brown before he went to the dark side folks.  And his ‘retirement’ from the Steelers a few years ago was equivalent to Vader throwing the Emperor over the railing to a 10,000 foot drop in the Return of the Jedi.  He separated himself from an insanely successful franchise and since then, we’ve salivated at the opportunity of him coming here and ending years of futility.  At the end of 2006, when Cowher retired, we ran an ‘open letter to Cowher’ on Bitterfans.com (which is inaccessible unfortunately) that supported hiring this man.

In the bizarro season of 2007, that sentiment died down when Crennel’s Browns actually played well…out of character.  Now that they’re back eating scraps out of the gutter of the AFC North, we’re pleading for “The Chin” to come here and return Cleveland to prominence…a place you played and ignited your coaching career under Marty Schottenheimer.

The circle must now be complete Cowher.  If you are in town as our boy Swerb reported on Cleveland’s top sports’ site, you must not leave without having some playful conversations with Randy Lerner and Opie Savage.  Tell them working next to Shannon Sharpe is lame.  You want to coach again.  It’s in your DNA bro.  There’s no way you can forget about your career in the game of football and clean toilets all day while going to New York to put guys like Esiason and Sharpe in their place.  Return to coaching where it will hurt your old franchise the most.  Return to Cleveland Bill.  We want you back.   Until that day comes, we’ll settle for this photo.

Last week was one of the worst weekends for sports in the Ohio region.  From now on, when I witness a shitty weekend of sports, I’ll always compare it to what I saw on the 13th and 14th of September 2008.  That’s where the bar is set.  First the Buckeyes.  Then seeing the Indians bend over for the Royals.  Then seeing the Browns lose their 10th in a row against Pittsburgh left me so sick and depressed, I had no desire to even do a write-up on it so for those minute few who were looking for something, there’s your answer. 

And now this…the Browns ridiculous 28-10 loss to a rookie head coach and a rookie QB and a Baltimore team that may have found its fire again thanks to a second half that made the Ravens look like the 2000 Ravens and the Browns look like the 1999 Browns.   

Surprisingly, it’s taken me longer than most people with any sense around the city of Cleveland.  It’s taken me a lot longer to come down from the mirage of the 2007 season.  I defended their legendary shit-fest of a pre-season.  I defended their loss to the Cowpolks.  But after week 2, I’ve been teetering on regaining that angry pessimistic edge that seemed to follow me around for my prior years watching the Browns.  To put things in perspective…in January of 2006, I started a website called Bitterfans with a couple other non-writer type friends simply to bitch about Cleveland sports.  I was a pessimist and the site was the perfect outlet for it.  We weren’t writers.  We weren’t in the same league as sites like the Cleveland Fan, who have an impressive roster of real writing talent, but we held our own and put out some good stuff once in a while.  What fueled us?  Therapy.  That’s right, writing this crap is therapy and today brings that back to the fore-front for me anyway.     

You’ll find a ton of Cleveland sports’ blogs out there, many of which I could never compete with based on time constraints and a lack of serious writing talent.  But I and the others who started Bitterfans had a lot of fun doing what we were doing back then.  At the beginning it was filled with filthy language and uncalled for humor and an I don’t care attitude that went by the wayside at some point.  As we picked up a ton of hits and a ton of readers, we toned it down and got more serious.  Along the way though, there was plenty to get fired up about.  After all, it’s Cleveland.  

But as Bitterfans died and Die Hard Cleveland began, there was a newfound optimism about Cleveland sports I brought with me to this site.  After all, it appeared that years and years and years of depression, anger, grief, disbelief, rage, frustration, and sadness brought forth to the fans by the Cleveland Browns was finally about to come to an end in 2007.  A 10-6 record, 6 Pro Bowlers and a handful of alternates to boot, a near-miss playoff push, a 1,000 yard rusher, a record breaking WR, and some of the most exiting offense the fans have seen since the 80s gave the fans hope that things were finally on the right track.  Add to it the fact that the Browns had the most stable coaching staff in place since their return to the league and the most stable offensive line in place as well.      

But little did the fans know what was ahead in 2008 and is still unfolding.  It all started with Joe.  Really…think about it.  Joe Jurevicius’ knee surgery and subsequent revenge of the staph battle was the start of what would snowball into the Browns ugly 0-3 start.  Since then, we’ve been known to refer to Donte’ Stallworth as “she”, we’ve seen the bad side of Derek Anderson more often than not, we’ve seen Derek get beat on again like it was 2006 or game 1 of 2007, we’ve seen the seemingly invinsible O-Line from a year ago look very average, we’ve seen the same defensive performance we’ve seen the prior 9 seasons, we’ve seen Daven Holly fall with Ryan Tucker, Robaire, J-Lew, Braylon, DA, Steinbach, Pool, Sean Jones, Rucker, Beau Bell, “she”, Lennie, the artist formerly known as Willie McGinest, among others getting injured. 

And just like that, we’re back to where we all were going into week 2 of the 2007 season.  Everything from week 2 of the 2007 season to the late stages of 2007 have all been mirages to thirsty Browns’ fans looking for winning football.  And now, I finally see the light.  I never wanted to believe that things were as many experienced Cleveland fans had professed before the season even began.  But here we all are after 3 weeks of football eating a shit sandwich and washing it down with a cup of warm piss as Browns’ fans again.  For those of you who jumped off the bridge already, I’m right behind you and for some of the guys I’ve defended in the past, it’s about time I called a spade a spade:

Derek Anderson - I’ve defended this guy while most others have been extremely harsh with him.  Today, it wasn’t about Anderson’s interceptions or his beating he took from Baltimore that upset me the most.  It was the overall inaccuracy that plagued him as if the remnants for hurricane Ike have been following him around since last Sunday.  Overthrown balls, underthrown balls…he had a few of everything.  Look, if the offense had more bite right now, I would look past some of Anderson’s shortcomings, but right now, he’s part of the problem.  And for once, I’m starting to think about Brady Quinn like everyone else.  Anderson is proving at the moment to be nothing more than a poor man’s Jeff George without the attitude problem.  A prototypical arm, with prototypical size at the QB position, Anderson is a typical project at the NFL level…a man who can light it up on occasion with a strong arm and quick release, but more often than not, that quick release burns him while trying to squeeze it into tight spots…and what good is a quick release laser arm when it’s not hitting its target accurately. 

Romeo Crennel - I’m finally back on the fire Romeo bandwagon and the more I sit and ponder what happened last season, the more it amazes me.  It’s been mentioned by many online Browns’ sources: Romeo is a player’s coach…the type of coach you stick up for since he’s such a great human being.  But being a wonderful human being is not the #1 qualification for being an NFL head coach.  Romeo seems like a nice guy who you’d love to have as your neighbor and have as a family friend.  He’s also a helluva coordinator.  But this season and the 2006 season are proving to be real examples of why this sort of guy isn’t a long term solution at head coach.  I refuse to look at today’s box score, but the Browns were penalized about 20 times to 1 Baltimore penalty.  Furthermore, the Browns play with the fire of a three toed sloth.  When the going gets tough, the Browns just feel sorry for themselves and look beaten on the football field.  That’s an aw-shucks mentality that permeates from their Head Coach.  Get Cowher in here right now…I saw CBS’s crappy pre-game show today.  In my heart of hearts, as Bill Cowher named Romeo Crennel’s decision to kick a Field Goal late in a crucial week 2 struggle against the Steelers as the worst coaching decision of the week, I dreamed of him following that up with him throwing his hands up, revealing he’s wearing a Browns’ shirt, walking out of the studio and proclaiming he was going to take over for Romeo.  If you’re going to beat Pittsburgh and start playing games like you want to win them, bring that son-bitch in here and get the party started…now.  

Andra Davis - I stood up for this guy in the past because he seems like a good dude and has good intentions.  He seems like he cares about the Browns and being a part of successful Browns’ teams.  Maybe if that’s the case, he should sit the bench and not get pancaked by Ravens’ players.  And as one of the heart and soul of the Browns’ defense, you are one of the first dudes Browns’ fans look at when the defense is floating around like a bowl of watery turds.  The defense sucks ass again this year and you are one of the many constants in that formula.  I’m sure guys like Ray Rice, who are breaking into the league, like knowing they can bowl you and the rest of the LBs over for 5 extra yards every carry when they see the Browns on the schedule.   

Phil Savage - Phil…the blame spreads across the board.  You’ve had a spotty record in the NFL Draft.  You’re no Butch Davis when it comes to sucking the big one, but you’re no Ozzie Newsome either apparently.  I back you more than anyone else in the organization, but this offseason’s push to trade more picks and Leigh Bodden for proven NFL talent seems to be a big fat failure right now.  Shaun Rogers has seemed to help the run defense early in the game, but later on as he and the rest of the defense wear down, he’s useless.  Corey Williams is almost inconsequental at this point save for a nice “what-if” dropped interception.  I like to compare you to Adam Dunn in baseball.  You’ve hit a few homers getting this team out of defcon 4, but your overall average leaves much to be desired.  Does that mean I want you out of here like some folks?  No.  But you can certainly redeem yourself by campaigning for the removal of your aw-shucks head coach and getting a guy like Cowher in town.      

Team pass rush - I find it interesting to see people take shots at Kamerion Wimbley.  Then again, he’s proving to be the on-field version of Romeo Crennel.  He’s a hard worker and one helluva person, but he’s supposed to be our main pass rushing threat and guess what?  There IS no pass rushing threat.  Right now, Alex Hall is closest to playing the part of 2006 rookie Kamerion Wimbley.  But even then, he’s not on pace for double digits and the rest of the Browns defense may be lucky as a team to see team sacks in the teens this year.  Rookie Joe Flacco could have cooked a pot roast in the crockpot at times in the this week’s game.  He literally could have got out the taters and carrots, cut all of it up, drop it in with a big honkin’ slab of beef, watched it cook for a few hours while thinking to himself that the NFL is not as competitive as his days with Delaware as he yearns for 16 games between Cincy and Cleveland.  The dude has had the easiest first two games in the league ever.  Cleveland’s pass rush is about as scary a poodle.  Which makes you wonder how you even begin to evaluate the thin secondary.  You can’t.  How do you grade players that have to cover opposing receivers for 30 seconds per pass play?  You have to give them an N/A.  Meanwhile the Ravens seem like they send about 11 players on the blitz with about 6 back in coverage.  How is this even worth watching?          

Parting thoughts - This article has no structure as I suck as a writer and had to start and stop more than the Browns’ Offensive Line performing false start penalties while I get the son ready for bed, take phone calls from ex-work people, get ready to work on a website not related to this, and ponder when I’m ever going to remember to pay fantasy fees that I got unknowingly roped into paying after the season started (yep…barely check my leagues).  However, as I sit and turn away from NBC’s Sunday Night Football in America or whatever the hell they call it, I think to myself how much life sucks again as a Browns’ fan.  First of all, I can’t even watch other games because it reminds me of how depressing the Browns are right now.  When I see other teams do well, I get insanely jealous and bitter and don’t want to watch any more.  Second of all, why the FUCK do we have to deal with more rotten football performances?  To the gods above…kiss my ass.  We already had our team ripped away from us 13 years ago, we’ve had to endure Policy/Clark, Butch and Pete Garcia, Elway owning us, the Steelers and Big Ben owning us, and many years of countless embarrasments along with the losing.  Give us a stinking break already.  Instead, we get 2007, the ultimate blue balls moment as a sports’ fan in Cleveland.  It’s becoming clear…2007 was a cock tease and the current version of the Browns (version 3 post 1999 at my count) is heading towards the same bitter end as the Davis era did.  It’ll come to the same awful end as the Palmer era ended.  I’ll predict the inevitable…Crennel is gone after this year, and the Browns better get Quinn ready, because his ass is taking over before you know it.       

I suppose there’s a certain group who is content with just beating Michigan every year, and we here at Die Hard Cleveland certainly have enjoyed OSU’s recent string of dominance over that school up north.  But as life has so often proved, nothing always goes your way all the time.  OSU has been the class of the Big Ten and a bully to the Michigan program after spending a decade losing to them frequently.  However, the big games for OSU against programs and regions that can help reclaim bragging rights in a football hotbed here in the mid-west continue to go from bad to worse.  The point has been proven.  Three strikes and Ohio State is out.  As fans, we tried to blindly defend this team after the two National Title losses, but no more.

The OSU/USC game was more important than just a game on the schedule that could mean a shot at this year’s title.  It meant redeeming themselves after two crappy outings against the SEC.  It meant regaining a little more respect for the program that seems to have lost a lot of it.  It meant shutting up a lot of people who have next to nothing nice to say about the Buckeyes. 

More importantly, it would mean that Ohio State, a truly talented football team, can rise up against teams with equal or more talent than them.  Instead, after the opening 10 minutes of their game out in Southern Cal, you had that sick feeling inside that the same tendencies that OSU displayed in their prior national championship losses was well under way in this one.  OSU always has the tendency to come out of the gates throwing the first punch against an elite opponent.  But that first punch is usually followed up by a bevy of unanswered counter-punches.

The team never seems to be able to make the proper adjustments to get themselves back into these big games they are getting beaten in.  It always seems to just unravel.  And as a fan watching the game, you have no confidence that the team is going to figure anything out.  When the going gets tough, it just keeps getting tougher.     

What’s frustrating is that it is not like OSU isn’t talented.  Is USC a better football team than OSU?  I think this game proved it.  Is USC more talented than OSU?  I think you can say that.  But are they so much more talented than the Buckeyes where OSU should lose every game they play?  Not likely. 

The game came down to making plays and being aggressive.  Ohio State made plays, but didn’t stay aggressive.  The team’s first drive for points was a good indicator.  When the drive started to sputter, the Buckeyes just settled for the FG.  When USC had trouble with the Buckeyes defense, they just took shots for the big play and it payed off.  It stretched out a terribly overrated Buckeye defense, that is good, but isn’t elite by any means.  Meanwhile, OSU flipped a coin on every offensive play as to who the QB would be: the Senior QB who kinda looks and plays like Tim Couch at times, or the freshman QB who is raw and unproven. 

Now, the season that returned nearly all their starters is all but lost.  They talked big, saying that anything short of redemption and a national title would be a failure.  Now all hope of them getting back to the big game is dashed.  Based on the collective opinion of this team, even if the top teams ahead of OSU falter, it’s going to be hard to make an argument for these guys.  They’ve had 3 big chances on the big stage over the last 3 years to represent, and every time they wet the bed. 

And at what point do we look at Tressel?  The man is a homegrown coach who came to OSU and helped the Bucks reclaim dominance over Michigan in their rivalry.  He also got the school a National Championship after only a few seasons at the controls.  Now, the Bucks’ big game record will follow him around like a bad case of B.O.  Does this game start to change the opinion on this man a bit?  For a team that never seems to rebound when an opposing team gets their number and ultimately gets embarassed in those games, it’s a valid question to ask.  And when looking at this game, there’s going to be criticism on his part (fair or not) for holding out Beanie Wells in one of the school’s biggest regular season non-conference games in decades. 

Now Tressel and the team need to pick up, head back into their conference and resume beating the crap out of their conference rivals while thinking again how they were owned by another elite school outside the conference.  Sounds like fun.       

We didn’t want to believe that the Browns had the problems they had going into this season.  Again, why would fans take a disappointing preseason and automatically assume this season was going to be a major failure?  The Browns had an equally disappointing preseason last year, but managed to explode on offense after week 1.  Instead those doom and gloom Cleveland fans, who often have valid reasons for their pessimism, can hold their head up after a Browns’ 28-10 loss to the Cowboys down at the stadium and tell those with hope “I told you so”.

So if you’re keeping score get ready for the following programmed blitzkreig of fan negativity after the Browns failed to put points on the board on offense and gave Tony Romo a minute of pocket time per snap:

-”The preseason DOES matter and I told you so.”  The Browns had issues during the preseason.  Some of it has carried into this season, but does this point need to be argued?

-”Fire Romeo Crennel.”  It didn’t take long for this line of thinking to gain momentum again.  Some out of their mind will call for guys like Pete Carroll…others will make more valid pleas for Bill Cowher.  Fans will be screaming about Crennel’s decision to kick a field goal well into the 4th quarter of this game, when it only would have brought the team within 18.  It was a stupid move, but there were bigger issues at play here than that.  There are some who may read between the lines of that decision when examing the overall mindset of this team going into this game and overall, but that’s for another discussion.

-”Phil Savage can’t evaluate talent.”  We hear this at times when examples of his spotty mid to late round picks are examined.  You would have thought the guy invested picks on long snappers or something.  Nevertheless, there will be a lot of time spent this week hearing Browns’ fans pick apart their roster more than it has already been picked apart by injury.

-”Derek Anderson sucks.”  Anderson didn’t have a horrible game.  His guys let him down more than he did.  However, he made a few errant throws, so to some, it’s time for Brady Quinn.

-”The defense is still horrible.”  I can’t really argue with this one right now.

-”The Steelers are going to destroy us next week.”  Much like the upcoming USC-Ohio State game, the collective opinion next week is that the Browns are going to get their asses handed to them after a disappointing game prior to the big matchup.  Steeler fans are already licking their chops for another Browns/Steelers game week and their mouths will be bigger than ever if you can believe that.

Are we making excuses for the Browns’ play right now?  Yeah I guess so.  But to hear all the over-the-top negativity surrounding this team after losses like this to open the season, it gets old.  Is there more reason to be concerned now that the games count?  Absolutely.  And while a lot of this swarm of disappointment may be a little too soon and unwarranted, we can all agree that two things are a problem: injury and pass coverage.

On offense, you can make valid excuses for the poor play against the Cowboys.  Early on in the game, Derek Anderson and the Browns looked like a team ready to shake the rust from a lost preseason thanks to injury.  They put together an impressive clock-eating drive to knot the game up at 7 going into the 2nd quarter.  Later on though, it became apparent to us that the rust and the missed time to injury in the preseason DID affect them.

Braylon Edwards is the most visible culprit.  He looked like the 2006 “coming off a knee injury” Braylon, who needed a full season to get back into the swing of things while costing his team games with key drops (remember their opening game loss to New Orleans that year?).  Braylon dropped multiple passes in the game, which would hurt the Browns when trying to establish momentum on offense.

The rest of the offense seemed off too.  Meanwhile guys like Steve Sanders and Syndric Steptoe, guys who previously would never crack the rotation, were getting major time out there thanks to injuries that have ravaged the WR corps.  About the only thing you can come out of the game feeling happy about with the offensive unit is that they avoided turnovers.

But the thought is that the offense still can get things together this year.  They still show the potential to move the ball and put points on the board, but injury has kept the unit out of sync so far.  On defense, you can’t make that excuse.  Despite already missing three potential starters in Daven Holly, Brodney Pool, and Antwan Peek, the defense does not have a track record for success.  Nor is there any reason to believe that their young, thin secondary can keep from giving up many TDs in the air per game while the Browns’ defense shows no real pass rush capability.

The Browns showed the ability to stop the run early in the game against the Cowboys, but when Dallas found out how really easy it was to throw the ball, that set up the run later in the game and gave Dallas perfect balance on offense throughout the rest of the game.  While Tony Romo did get smacked pretty hard later in the game, the bulk of Romo’s dropbacks were like a lazy stroll in the park on a Sunday afternoon.

You get the thought that Romo could sit back in the pocket and think things through pretty easily: “OK…what do we have…looks like our guys are covered.  Let me just sit back here and take a look at things.  Terrell will probably get open over there.  If not, let me just hang on a sec and wait for Witten to break free.  Let’s see what Crayton is up to.  Nope he’s locked up.  Ok let’s check through the progressions again.  T.O. is still covered.  Wow.  Witten…same.  Crayton..nothing doing over there.  By the way, I wonder if Jessica’s dad got that message I sent him before the game.  Oh well let’s cycle through these progressions one more time.  Darn.  No T.O.?  You gotta be kidding me.  Oh!  Witten is open.  Let me fire the ball to him!  I’m hungry.  I wonder what I’ll eat after the game.  Nice smooth throw…completion!  Big gain.  Man I can’t wait to squeeze Jessica’s boobies tonight.”

If that kind of pass rush coupled with a young secondary with a lack of depth continues, that alone will be the main reason we Browns’ fans will be in for a long year.  If the Browns’ offense can’t seem to get it going, there are going to be plenty of times where this defense gets gouged pretty easily and the games won’t even be close.  Imagine how bad it’s going to stink seeing Roethlisberger pick this defense apart all night next Sunday.  We shudder to think how ugly this could be on national TV while Steelers’ fans get to enjoy a 10th win in a row.

Yes, while hearing all the negativity around town this week will be nauseating, there’s real reason to believe that this could be a rough year despite last season’s 10-6 finish.  The pre-season HAS given us a picture of how it could be this year, and if games like this are any indication, the Browns will be finishing well under .500 and the team could be looking at making another move at the end of the season at the top of their coaching staff.  But then again, there are 15 games left and we don’t want to sit through something like that.  We want to see the team overcome what seems to be another porous defense and nagging injuries.

We in Cleveland had enough of failed expectations with the Cleveland Indians and no matter how inflated our expectations are with the Browns, we don’t want it to happen with them as well.  The 28-10 loss to the Cowboys to start this year certainly isn’t a good start to things, but like the preseason, there’s plenty of time left to right the ship.