At one point during the Browns oh-so-exciting win over the Bengals, an e-mailer sent a colleague a note in the press box that watching that game was like "watching a cactus grow."
Boy was it.
The Browns did not play well in their win, but they won, and that's what they needed. Boy did they. Because a loss to an 0-and-3 team with its backup quarterback playing would have been catastrophic and, yes, time to ponder what to do with the stadium once the team was disbanded.
There were silly penalties, silly mistakes, silly Putty and silliness in general, but there was a win.
"All games aren't going to be pretty," Braylon Edwards said. "There's not going to be 30 or 40 points scored or DA throws for 400 yards. You fight until the whistle blows and that's what we did."
In Edwards' case, he once fought until after the whistle blew, with a ridiculous block late in a play that drew a penalty. But he fought, catching the go-ahead touchdown and then celebrating it with some air-guitar routine before dancing off the field and into the locker room with both arms raised as if he had caught 18 passes for 371 yards. This illustrates two things: Edwards still doesn't really "get it," and the relief that the Browns felt from just winning was enormous.
"We don't care how it looks, how it gets done, we want to put Ws in the column," Edwards said. "The more Ws we get the better chance we have of being what everybody knows we can be."
In all honesty, we're still not sure what the Browns can be yet. We may think they have a chance at the playoffs, but they have a tough run of Giants on Monday night followed by a road game in Washington followed by a road game in Jacksonville. That's three tough games. But at least the Browns can go into those games off a win. Because even if it's an ugly win, it's at least a win.
Some thoughts -
–Romeo Crennel finally detailed that Donte Stallworth's injury was projected as a 2 1/2 -to-4 week injury, and that Stallworth is returning in that time frame. Too, Eric Steinbach said he never had a separated shoulder, just a shoulder sprain.
–The Browns again put Joshua Cribbs in the backfield. He took a shotgun snap and ran. The Bengals pretty much stuffed the play. One of these times the Browns need to have Cribbs throw, because everyone is expecting Cribbs to throw.
–After Derek Anderson went 4-for-10 for 27 yards in the first half, I'd have made the switch to Brady Quinn to start the second half. Romeo Crennel didn't. And finally his players backed him up by coming through after one of his decisions.
–How best to describe this game? Buffoonery. Lots of buffoonery.
–The Browns exulted at running the ball, but Jamal Lewis gained just 43 yards on 19 carries after gaining 36 on his first six.
–At times I really wonder what ever happened to the quality of NFL football. The play that qualifies as professional really is lacking. I know. The Browns won.
A couple quotes:
Derek Anderson on Romeo Crennel not pulling him: "I'm never going to quit on him. I'm going to put in the work and keep fighting no matter the situation."
Anderson: "It was obviously a frustrating week. To go 0-and-3 in games we had a chance in and the expectations we put on ourselves, it's frustrating. During the week we had a good Wednesday practice. Thursday got better. Friday was good. I thought guys mentally were helping each other in practice. You could tell that the attitude of everybody had changed. Not that it was bad before, but things were starting to come together for us."
Mike Adams on Carson Palmer not playing: "I was looking for two picks and I only got one. I needed Carson Palmer."
Joshua Cribbs: "It almost put tears in my eyes to see us play as a team – a complete team."
Ya know … there's really nothing to add to that.
It wasn't mentioned what the feud was about between Edwards and DA. It doesn't surprise…Braylon was involved. The guy lacks maturity and I put him in the same catagory as Owens. Although Owens has proved himself as a player. Braylon had one good year so far. Question… is he going to be a disruptive figure. How many times in his short carrier has his emotions cost the team. I'm tired of hearing Crennel make excuses for this kid.
Eric Steinbach, MD. Probably also the team's Physician in Charge of Staph Infections.
Steinbach says he has a shoulder sprain, not a shoulder separation. Interesting. Why didn't this blog's scribe ask him to describe the difference between the two? If somebody asked Steinbach to define the difference between a shoulder sprain and a shoulder separation, my guess is he would have sounded like Sarah Palin being interviewed by Katie Couric.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/27/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin-k_n_129956.html
I have my own theory as to why Crennel hasn't pulled Anderson, although I think it's inevitable. By pulling Anderson this early, he feels that he has ceded his coaching authority to Savage. Does anybody really believe that Savage doesn't want Quinn in there?
Also, I have a question: Would Crennel get more respect if he wasn't a big fat blob? Seriously. I think if that guy was lean and mean, people would respect him more. Players, media, fans, whoever. It's human nature. Even Bill Parcells got far less respect when he coached the Jets while weighing somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 pounds.
I hope Crennel's arteries implode and heart explodes sometime during this season, and he is replaced by Rip Scherer, whom I assume would be given the job until Cowher takes over. Not because I wish Crennel any ill will, but because I think it would be cool to have an interim head coach named "Rip."
this is a team loaded with jackasses. b.e. and his air guitar, mike adams thinking carson palmer in the game would have been a GOOD thing, cribbs crying over the beauty of bad football and of course the pathetic coach. i think tim couch and the '99 browns could crush this team with their bad play and braindead mindsets. i can't wait to listen to tony kornholer whine about dancing idiots and the beating the giants are going to give this team. throughout all the losing years in my lifetime i can't remember a browns team whose players i despise more than this one. i never thought the days of bud carson, paul mcdonald, the drive and the fumble would make me feel good in comparison. this team and management make me sick.
fire romeo now!
What does it say about your confidence in a QB when you are scared to death to order a passing play? We ALL know the interceptions are coming, Romeo, Phil, and D.A.! Do you really think you can hide this bum's ineptness much longer? The Bengals were the worst defensive team in the league, and all we could must was 3-points thru three quarters?! Yeah, r-e-e-a-l good decision to stick with D.A. Offense like we displayed in this game will win us exactly ZERO games the rest of the season.
The big question is, why did Savage trade to obtain Brady Quinn, if he and Romeo are so dead-set against giving the guy any playing time whatsoever? How did D.A.'s untested "talents" rate handing over the job permanently to him after jettisoning Frye? Yet somehow, the team uses excuse after excuse for not allowing our 1st Round QB to sniff the huddle in the regular season? Romeo, would you seriously rather "live and die" with D.A., rather than give Brady one stinkin' opportunity? Are you THAT pigheaded?
So, let me give you a recap, from my memory, of the play calling on the 1st series…. Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Field Goal. OK, I may have added a run or missed a run on the 1st series, but anyone see anything wrong with the play calling? Couldn't they have thrown in some play-action passes?
I truly believe that the ineptitude exhibited by the play calling on the 1st series set the tone for the game. If an offense is keeping the defense off guard, the future is bright. If the offense is running the three plays in the turn of the century playbook, then the future is no more…
This team is so bad I do not know where to start. Is it the complete lack of discipline (driving 120 mph with a drunk passenger at 3am, stupid penalties, lining up in the neutral zone, are you kidding me!)? Is is the lack of talent? (I defy you to name an era when the Browns linebacking corp. has been this poor)? When are Savage's talent recognition skills going to pay off? I do not see very many of his mid or low round draft picks making contributions on the field. When are we going to see the first round draft pick from 2 years ago? The Browns used a #1 pick and traded a #1 pick to have the chance to select Brady Quinn and we have yet to see him perform (unless you count the one series against the 49'ers). How bad must he be if he can not replace Derek Anderson after half time in the Bengals game. What game is Romeo watching? (I believe he should be used in an Arby's commercial – can't you picture him with an Arby's sombrero over his head, saying to himself "I'm thinking Arby's". This would at least explain his decision making process and clock management skills). He had 14 quarters to witness his ineffectiveness (Unless he was "thinking Arby's"). How do the Browns evaluate Brady Quinn when he has yet to receive snaps in an NFL football game? We have been tortured for the last 8 regular season football games watching Derek Anderson (no NFL quarterback has more INT's over this span than DA). Average fans recognize his limited abilities (I know, he has a "cannon" for an arm, but he can not complete a 5 – 10 yard screen pass). The bottom line here is this: Savage has yet to put enough talent on the field to counter the complete and utter lack of head coaching ability of Romeo Crennel.
Peter King quoted Derek Anderson as saying, "We've got our swagger back"
What a jack@ss DA is if he really said that.