First and 10 with the Browns

Welcome to a new weekly feature on this blog. It’s called First and 10, and truth be told it’s not new at all. It’s really old. For some years now I’ve e-mailed this First and 10 newsletter on the Browns to those who asked. Free! How cool is that. You want it, it arrives once a week in the e-mailbox (Is that not an annoying word?) Well the folks at “corporate” have decided that blogs are now the greatest thing since sliced bread. So the folks at “corporate” have deemed it wise to put First and 10 on the blog and not send it out via e-mail. In truth, we don’t have a “corporate,” just a bunch of folks running around with titles. Apparently I have a title now, but it doesn’t carry more weight than the guys who wear ties. At times, I’d like to ask them: “Why so serious?” But I digress. Beginning today, First and 10 will be part of the blog every Tuesday, unless circumstances or technology force it to Wednesday.

On to First and 10…

1) Football coaches must be geniuses of the highest order. They can look at preseason film and break it down and actually come up with some insight into what they saw. Take the debacle that was the Browns preseason opener (which cost some of you up to $70 to attend, thank you very much). That game was the lead argument for the abolishment of preseason football, or the marketing gurus in the NFL office who decided you have to pay full price for those fiascos of games, whichever you want to wipe out first. The offensive starters were in the game for nine plays. The defensive starters for nine plays. Yet the coaches actually can learn something! These guys must be the most brilliant of the brilliant, because they can actually watch these few plays and dissect each individual’s play and draw some conclusions.

2) I just don’t get preseason NFL football.

3) Let’s consider Shaun Rogers, the team’s new defensive lineman. Rogers started and was the object of many cheers when he was credited with a tackle. In his time on the field, he looked good. But the fact is he should look good. Everyone I’ve ever talked to about him said that when he plays and he cares, he’s nearly unblockable. The problem is that his weight takes a toll, and eventually he wears down. So to find out if the Browns really have something in Rogers, we need to see him in the third or fourth quarter, after he’s played a half and the temperature is in the low 70s. To see if he wears down. If he tires. Then we need to see him in the second half of the season, after he’s been playing into the fourth quarter for eight out of nine weeks. To see if he’s in good enough shape to last a season. I would submit that though one would rather Rogers look good instead of bad, judging him on these handful of plays and coming to any sort of conclusion is folly. Poppycock, in fact.

4) The column I wrote from the game (How’s that for self-righteous self-importance, pointing to “my column”? Not bad, eh?) centered on Braylon Edwards and his marvelous touchdown catch. In the column, I pointed out how good he was last year and that he might be the most indispensable Brown this year. Several folks commented on line to the effect of “Well, duh, there’s an insight.” They’re right of course, but Edwards’ cutting himself on the heel while running in socks (huh?) after practice on Saturday kind of highlights the point. Let’s take Edwards out of the offense for two, three weeks, and let’s see exactly what the Browns have in receivers. Think about it. You’ll share my concern.

5) Had to enjoy Romeo Crennel’s response to Edwards’ injury. It was Crennel at his straightforward, bottom-line best, who said: “What can you do about it, other than try to educate them?” Suggestions to avoid silly injuries like the one Edwards got might include following them 24-7, assigning a security guard to be with him every minute of every day or installing a special shoelace with a combination lock. The team can advise a guy not to do something like that, but if he goes ahead and does it … well what can you do. Reminds me of the night Gus Frerotte decided to celebrate a touchdown in Washington by smashing his head into a wall. He sprained his neck. Then-coach Norv Turner said after the game: “Guess I’ll have to put that one in a manual.”

6) Nice of John Edwards to stand up big, eh? Lovely role model there. Almost as funny as Bill Clinton making that strong stand for monogamy in one of his speeches. Clinton made the plea in the context of stopping the spread of AIDS, but the notion of him talking monogamy almost brings giggles. Maybe he and Edwards can have lunch some time.

7) The Browns first-team offense looked very good the other night. Jamal Lewis did indeed look quicker. The offensive line blocked well. Derek Anderson threw the ball well. Donte Stallworth made a couple catches. And Edwards had that marvelous one-hand snag for the touchdown. They did all this without Kellen Winslow too. If one can draw a conclusion from nine plays, it would be that it was good to see the offense took their time seriously. But they simply cannot afford to lose Edwards for any extended period of time and hope to be close to the same unit.

Eight) The secondary depth is a real concern. The backups were pretty much torched in their time, and their time was significant because they were in for a significant amount of time. If Brandon McDonald or Eric Wright is injured, the Browns might be calling Houston. Because they’ll have a problem. Friend of mine once referred to that line as: “Houston, we’re breaking up.” Like they were using cell phones or something. This happens sometimes. People get confused. People break up. “Houston, we’re breaking up.”

9) Maybe it’s just the way they’re perceived now, or maybe it’s playing experience, but Derek Anderson seemed much more like the starter and Brady Quinn much more like the backup in the first practice game. Anderson was confident, and Quinn continued something he’s been doing in practice and throwing a lot of underneath passes. Not sure what this means, but that’s the way it seemed.

10) Here’s another reason preseason football is ridiculous. I actually heard someone phone in to one of the talk radio shows after the game proposing that Syndric Steptoe return more kicks so Joshua Cribbs can take more snaps with the offense. This brings to mind two questions: Are you nuts? And, are you nuts? It also brings to mind the time when, in a previous life, I covered the Miami Dolphins. O.J. McDuffie was one of the better punt returners in the league, and he was about to take over as a starting wideout. I ran across Mike Westhoff, the special teams coach (one of the better ones in the league), and asked him if the team planned to give McDuffie a break on returns because he was going to start. He looked at me like Japanese beetles were crawling out of my eyes. “A break?!?!?” he said. “A break?” I mumbled something totally incoherent. “Do the Steelers give Rod Woodson a break?” he asked. That pretty much ended the conversation, and Westhoff was kind enough to lift the tiles off the floor so I could crawl back in my hole. Point, and I learned it: In the NFL, you put the best guys on the field, and Cribbs is one of the two best return men in the league. Any time he fields a punt or kickoff he can score. He won games last year with his returns. The guy is great, and taking him away from what he does best is just silly. As for Steptoe .. please. He may develop into a nice player, but at this point he’s one of the guys who thrive in preseason. Because he gets to play because the coaches decide to put the starters on the bench after one series even though all the poor fans in the seats paid full price for their tickets. If it were not for preseason, exhibition football, Steptoe would be a name on the roster who is inactive every week. Cribbs might not deserve a new contract at this point in time – he did sign his own deal, as I do recall – but he is one of the most dynamic returners in the game. And barring injury, blowout or exhaustion, he should return every kick the other team makes.

Three and Out

This is the spot where I answer three letters. But I don’t have three letters. So this is the spot where I tell you if you have a comment or question you’d like addressed in the newsletter to post it here or e-mail me at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Then I pick three letters or comments I like and answer them and call them Three and Out. Thus ends the newsletter-that-has-become-a-blog-post. Clever eh? Three and “Out”? In lieu of three letters in Three and Out, I present three quick points:

1) Shame that Gary Baxter and LeCharles Bentley were cut; they did all they could to come back from some pretty serious and dangerous injuries.
2) They – and others – occasionally got angry when their comebacks were described as longshots and potential miracles. Fact is they were.
3) Count me as officially “surprised” if either play in the NFL again.

Pat

Tagged as: Brady Quinn, Braylon Edwards, Browns, Derek Anderson, Romeo Crennel, Shaun Rogers