First and 10
1) Nobody wants to overreact to one loss. Dallas is a good team. A very good team. Tony Romo seems to have matured greatly as a quarterback, and he has some very talented targets running around out there. He also has a massive offensive line that dominates the line of scrimmage. That being said, the Browns never really competed with the Cowboys. That game easily could have been 35-10 or 42-10 or 35-3. Cleveland's touchdown drive came courtesy of some amazingly foolish Cowboys penalties. A 38-28 loss or a 31-28 loss would have hurt, but would not have caused the anger and anguish that's present. As one friend said, "That was JV vs. varsity." Boy do the Browns need to beat Pittsburgh.
2) Am I the only person in the area sick of hearing this or that about why the team can't win, though? I mean, every year there's something. There's a weak area of the team or there's an injury or seven or there's a bad schedule or there's a lost game of Tiddly Winks somewhere that affected the team's mental makeup or a guy got hurt and that took away an offensive package (of plays). I mean, there's always something. At what point will this team just go out and win the dadgum game?
3) Braylon Edwards said he lost the ball in the sun. Interesting, because Terrell Owens was looking back at the same sun. Just catch the ball and win the game! Donte Stallworth pulls up lame in pregame warm-ups. Is this a joke? The offense can't get lined up right. Aren't they in that building all day long going over things? For crying out loud, just go win the game!
4) Adam or PacMan or Asteroid Jones claimed someone on the Browns grabbed him in a very bad spot in a pileup. "I told that dude, 'Man, you're lucky I'm trying to do better, because I would have got 15 yards for kicking your [rear],'" Jones told the Dallas Morning News. If true, this would clearly not be very sportsmanlike.
5) Bernie Kosar spilled some interesting beans on an interview on WKNR on Monday. He said that anyone who felt owner Randy Lerner didn't care or wasn't competitive should have seen him when Romeo Crennel told Phil Dawson to kick a field goal with the Browns down 21 and a little less than 11 minutes left. Bernie said Lerner was quite animated in the booth. I'm not guessing he was stomping around because he was upset about sales of foam fingers.
6) I did disagree with that decision, and still do. But I think some of the "fire Crennel" and "he will only last until October" talk is a tad over the top. The guy won 10 games a year ago. He was given a contract extension. He's not going to be fired this year. Deal with it.
7) I do understand some of the anger, though. The Browns did not appear ready to play. They always seem to start a season on a lackluster note. Their defense was bamboozled by Dallas (Good word there eh? Bamboozled). And that decision to go for a field goal left Crennel wide open to second guessing. Crennel and his team need to compete a whole lot better against Pittsburgh.
8) Crennel gets into these situations because he's pretty reserved on the sidelines and private in public. His demeanor really does not change. In the long haul, this is a very positive trait. It's one of the traits given for the Browns success last year. Clearly Crennel's players believe in him, and that is vital. He's honest with them, and that's vital as well. He just is not a Bill Cowher type who's going to yell and scream. Because of that, some draw the conclusion that he's not involved, which is really a preposterous idea.
9) The defense took a lot of heat, but the offense wasn't very good either. Former Broncos GM Ted Sundquist pointed out on profootballtalk.com that after their touchdown drive, the Browns had five three-and-outs in a row that gained 22 yards. He also pointed out that except for the touchdown drive, the Browns had drives of 5, 3, 3, 1, 3, 3 and finally 10 plays, which ended with that much-criticized field goal. For crying out loud. The defense? Dallas ran 63 plays – that's a lot – and averaged a gain of 7.7 yards per play. Could it have really been any easier
10) It was a weird opening Sunday in the NFL. San Diego, Jacksonville, Cleveland and Indianapolis all lost, and New England lost its meal ticket. The only team favored to win anything that won was Pittsburgh. Tom Brady's absence opens things up a bit, and the Browns can take advantage. But the way the opener went indicates they've got a ways to go.
Three and Out
Dear Pat,
I don't understand, Pat. In your Sunday column (in the Beacon Journal) you said the defensive backfield was going to get beat and teams would take advantage of it all year and the Browns would finish 7-9. Then in your Monday column you criticized the Browns defense for playing just the way you thought it would.
Why should you be critical of the Browns when they played like you (and I) said they would?
I thought the Browns would take a few steps back this year like most NFL teams do.
Also have you noticed that for a lot of fans there is no middle ground for sports teams in Northeast Ohio. Either they are championship contenders or they stink.
If you can only enjoy a team that wins a championship you are going to be pretty frustrated all the time and not enjoy sports much.
Alan Nolt
Rittman, OH
Dear Alan,
I just hate it when letter writers make more sense than I do.
Pat
Dear Pat,
The Browns showed the same emotion that they always seem to show — NONE. If you watch Romeo Crennel on the sidelines he always shows the same emotion — NONE.
The answer to the Browns' lack of being prepared and coming out and playing the game with intensity and emotion is to FIRE Crennel now before the season is lost. I am a longtime Browns fan who was born in Ohio, and I watch each and every Browns game.
Stan Yaknunas
Calgary, Alberta
Dear Stan,
Spoken from the HINTERLANDS.
First of all, those who sell NFL Sunday Ticket thank YOU.
Second of all the RODEO might calm the blood pressure.
Pat
Dear Pat,
The lack of pass rush yesterday was something I haven't seen since 1999, prior to Bob Slowik's imaginative "UFO Defense" late in that season.
I see a defensive line that should not be expected to generate a pass rush simply because the people playing the positions are not built to do so.
Excuse me, but when I close my eyes and imagine a prototypical pass rusher I don't see men that average 6-4 and 340 pounds like the Browns lineman do.
The real shortcoming for this unit lies with linebackers who are not physical (D'Qwell Jackson) or athletic enough (Andra Davis) to stop the run, another who is well past his prime (Willie McGinest) and one who has been exposed as a one-trick pony (Kamerion Wimbley) who probably can be labeled as a flash in the pan.
As for Crennel's decision to kick the field goal, it was a defeatist attitude (despite what he says) and seriously calls into question his judgment as a head coach.
Bill Pillar
(formerly of Lyndhurst Ohio currently living in Pittsburgh Pa. whilst maintaining my season tickets)
Dear Bill,
As a season ticket holder you are entitled to vent.
But your point about the defensive line is a good one. Big guys can't rush over and over and over because they wear down.
That being said, the Browns did put Shaun Rogers over a backup left guard, and Rogers put on good pressure by himself a few times.
It just wasn't often enough.
Boy do the Browns need to play better this weekend against Pittsburgh.
Pat
(formerly of West Palm Beach, Fla., and wondering why in the world I'm moving north as I get older)
(Want to be recognized in "Three and Out"? It's a rare treat. Comment here or send an e-mail to pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com, and put "First and 10" in the subject line)
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
i'm pretty tired of seeing the "he won 10 games last year" excuse trotted out for romeo. so what? first of all, it wasn't good enough to get them in the playoffs. secondly, they lost the most important game of the year against cincinnati because of a terrible game plan in heavy wind.
this team will go nowhere with this guy as head coach. it is obvious that he does not have the ability to lead men. he is much better suited to be a yes man for a more qualified coach.
savage deserves part of the blame as well because the talent on this team has not improved over last year. the defense is clearly slower up front and undermanned in the secondary.
i'm sticking with my 6-10 prediction.
Pat,
I am still miffed with the field goal-it was still a 3 score game-Crennel really has gotten some slack-remember he wasted 2 timeouts last year against the Steelers for a ridiculous challenge-Also, Savage likes the Press he gets with a trade or signing-but there are alot of his draft choices looking for a team. I think this team needs Marty Shottenheimer… no kidding
sigh…there's always next year
A new season, same results. Browns lose. Go Steelers.
If you take a step back and think about it, there's one painfully obvious reason why Romeo opted for the field goal. Phil Dawson is the placekicker on his fantasy team.
The only plausible reason for Crennel to kick that field goal might be to
show his players a defeatest attitude, sparking in them a renewed effort
for the blitzburg game next sunday night…or the guy's off his rocker for
kicking a field goal with 3 touchdowns out…!!!
This is getting kind of ridiculous. I am a huge Browns fan and had high hopes for the team this year. But what did we honestly expect? That we were going to go undefeated and win the Superbowl?
No one wanted to see the Brown's play like that. Last year they won games as a team and this year they definitely lost this one as a team. Blame cannot go to any individual or unit. It is the first game of the year! I hate excuses more than anyone else but this preseason has not been exactly conducive to creating a team atmosphere. Players have been hurt, guys have taken longer to knock of the rust, and some ego's had to be deflated.
You know the O-line walked into N.Y. with a chip on their shoulder and walked out with their tales between their legs. You know Braylon Edwards walked into the stadium Sunday and thought he would walk out with some type of monstrous numbers. Somewhere along the line I think that some of the players lost a certain respect for the game and their opponent. They forgot what it feels like to go out there as the underdog and fight for every inch.
This season is not a loss. Yes next year we will have more personnel in place and be even more of a contender but this year still has purpose. This is the year that will forge us into the contender that we will become. There is so much talent on this team that even with the schedule they have there is the possibility to go 10-6. And if we go 7-9 we did it against some of the best teams in the league. You don't think that will light a fire under their butts and have them come out shooting next year?
And as for Crennel. Leave the man alone. I cannot explain why he kicked a field goal when he did but he will get enough crap about it from Lerner that it will not happen again. He was not the only one to make a mistake on Sunday. The man has had to deal with a lot since coming to Cleveland. Inheriting a roster that had less talent than a middle school team, a city of high expectations regardless of the previous season, and the egos of potential superstars. Look at the turn around Braylon Edwards had under the guidance of Crennel. Under some other coach Edwards may have been the next T.O. in terms of player conduct but he is far from that. Not to mention that they have K2 in check.
All I am saying is that we are not going to win every game. Mistakes will be made. But those Sundays (and Mondays and Thursdays) will come when the team rises up together and make the city of Cleveland proud.
Hey John … a voice of reason (and logic)! … well done.
pat, could you please point out the logic in john's post. i see a lot of speculation and excuse making. i'm having a hard time finding logic though.
John, "make the city of Cleveland proud?" I'd wager John Kruk's testicle that not one person who's ever posted in an Irish sports scribe's blog actually lives in the city of Cleveland. Seriously, do unemployed folks living in boarded-up houses really care about cuddly pear-shaped Romeo's foibles? Make them proud??? Seems to me they're far more concerned with simply finding enough change under the couch cushions to afford their next bounty of Ramen noodles.
More to the point, isn't it kinda dumb to be pushing the panic button? There are 15 regular-season games remaining, aren't there? At this time last year, people were moaning and moaning and moaning about beginning the campaign with a starting NFL quarterback being traded to Seattle in exchange for a grande caffe' vanilla Frappuccino. But it's not like they finished 0-16.
I don't think Anderson is bad at all, but Savage certainly didn't barter for Pretty Boy for yucks. Anderson started the season, Quinn will finish it. They won't have a bad record, they will have a mediocre record. Just like old times. It will feel as if Modell still has Lerner's father under his thumb.
But it's all a moot point. Unlike those Terminator movies and the TV series, this future can't be changed. I said it years ago, and I'll say it again. When the Cavaliers are a bumbling LeBronless lottery team on the court, Coach Cowher will be screaming at whoever is screwing up on the field. With apologies to Kruk, no crystal ball necessary.
I never said anything about "pushing the panic button". If anything my point was not to panic.
You obviously do not think very highly of Cleveland. Would it have been better if I would have said "make Northeast Ohio proud"?
John, I attempted to post something in response, I don't know if it will show, my computer screen froze when I submitted it. If it appears, then never mind. If it doesn't, you misread my post, read it again, I obviously wasn't referring to you panicking. And yes, painting a broader brushstroke with "make Northeast Ohio proud" would have been far more accurate.
It was the "more to the point" that confused me.
Pat
I live in Chicago and usually see just a few Browns games per year, so this year has been nice since the first two games have been nationally televised.
However, it seems that in every game I do watch that the team is unprepared, undisciplined and basically out coached. The announcers are always discussing a critical game situation where the Team handled it like the keystone cops (e.g. last night's clock management at the end of the first half). I think that this Team is too good to lose games in this fashion. Romeo Crennel appears to be a nice fellow, but I always get the feeling that he is in over his head and that I am watching a rookie coach in his first game.
I read the online Cleveland/Akron papers regularly, but I never see anything questioning the Coach. Am I the only person that feels this way?