It takes no great insight or genius on sports to realize what happened to the Browns in Washington: They forgot what it takes to win. It's not like they had that down this season anyway. I mean, a letdown of a season is in full bloom, after six games. So let's rephrase this way: The Browns forgot what they did against New York to win.
Everyone has to be precise, give their all, pay attention to detail and do their job. There were many culprits against Washington, but this one goes to the offense. And on the offensive side, Braylon Edwards was brutal, Derek Anderson every bit as brutal. This loss, when Anderson threw for 40 yards the first three quarters and was 3-for-14 the first half, leads to the metaphysical question: What will it take for Brady Quinn to get into the game?
Before we get to the offense, let's be blunt about something else: The run defense remains abysmal. Say what you will about Washington scoring just 14 points and Eric Wright forcing that late fumble, when a team allows a back to run for 175 yards its chances of winning are slim. That the Browns had a chance was amazing. Through six games, that promised improvement in the run defense is as big a mirage as the prime-time hopes the NFL gave the Browns this season.
As for Edwards, once again he was a bumbling mistake waiting to happen. He made some catches late, but by the time he did that he had already dropped four passes. He started the game with a league-high seven. He now has 11. If Edwards wants the desired stardom he craves, he needs to play like a star. His drops killed the Browns in the first half. He was outfought for the ball, and he dropped others. Then, in the final drive he missed a blitz and was not looking at a second-down pass Anderson threw his way. On third down, it looked like Anderson thought he was going to keep going on a turn-in, and he stopped. Bottom line: A Pro Bowler makes those big plays. A Pro Bowler does not drop four passes in a single game. Edwards let the team down.
Edwards actually said that the Browns "might have underestimated the Redskins." Give him credit for standing up and addressing the media after a tough loss and accepting his responsibility, but the question must be asked: What have the Browns done to earn the right to "underestimate" anyone?
As for Anderson, he might have been more responsible for the loss than Edwards. Yes, dropped passes hurt, but Anderson often was wild high and long and all over the place. He looked like a guy pressing, not a guy who had found his confidence. It may be time for Quinn. In fact, with the season at stake, it may have been time for Quinn in the third quarter in Washington.
And now, Kellen Winslow has gone public (to the Plain Dealer) with the fact that it was a staph infection that kept him in the hospital and out of the Giants game, and he put the finger of anger on the team, saying the team said publicly he (Winslow) wanted it private and it was the team that wanted things secret. This might lead to what is called a "credibility problem." Winslow was angry, about the infection, about the way it was stated publicly and about the fact he had played through pain and problems most would never have accepted amd he got yet another staph infection and GM Phil Savage (Winslow said) did not call him in the hospital.
Quite simply, this seems like a team in some serious, serious trouble. And all this six days after we all thought the ship had been righted.
Is it realistic for the Browns to make something of this season? You have to say that anything can happen, and a win in Jackonville changes the outlook. But with the Browns three games back of Pittsburgh and 10 to go, this one appears close to being lost. After six games. The Browns absolutely had to follow the Giants win with another win, and they played terribly, like they were still half-asleep. As one ex-player said after the Giants win: "If they have heart, they'll follow with a win."
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, I literally posted about that Winslow thing on the prior entry about 20 minutes ago. Check it out. Now this post above. That Pat guy is voodoo, almost like Kreskin.
Shut up, Alan.
Bring on Quinn!
Nice to have the old browns back. Once or twice a season, they play like a real NFL team to secure their jobs and then settle back into the team that Steelers fans can mock and laugh at. Like Romeo is fond of sayin," thats the way it is in the NFL".
Rake Leaves.. Go to the Cider Mill.. Stop wasting your time with this Mom and Pop Shop Team.
Anderson only plays well when HIS job is on the line. After having had a good game against the Giants, he knows that he bought himself at least three weeks before any pressure is on him from RAC.
The Browns should never have re-signed Anderson in the off-season. But they did, and the only thing they can do now is cut their losses, start Quinn, and move on. I doubt that will ever happen as long as RAC is head coach (which hopefully won't be too long now), unless the front office forces him to play Quinn.
This season was over in Baltimore after the third game (if not after game two against the Steelers). The only thing to do is sit back, hope the Cavs get their act together this year and wait for some good draft picks.
As an aside, I'm grateful that Pat's on-again off-again layoff is off again.
Hopefully, next year, when someone asks Crennel a question, he can start the sentence with "Back when I used to be a head coach…"
How bad is it when the announcers are asking where D.A. is throwing the ball. The future is now. It is time to bench D.A. for good.
A good definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.
I've been watching the Browns since 1954, and I can't recall a more pathetic performance by a Cleveland quarterback than Derek Anderson's yesterday. It's past time to give Brady Quinn a start and see what he can do. There's nothing left to lose except another game and the stubborn belief (denial) that DA will suddenly find himself. I don't care if Quinn can't heave the ball 70 yards. I'd be happy to see him throw it 20 yards accurately and in a timely manner. That would've won the game in Washington yesterday. And the next time Braylon Edwards drops a pass that hits his hands, bench him for the rest of the game.
There's too much talent on that offense to allow Anderson and Edwards to sabotage the hard work of the rest of the team, including the defense which has been performing above expectations this year. Anderson clearly lacks the "it" that makes a successful NFL quarterback – respect of his peers, leadership qualities, command of the game, confidence, or even basic competence. Quinn may be unknown and untested, but the team (not to mention the paying customers) deserve to see if he can handle the job.
I admire Romeo Crennel's loyalty, but head coaches need to be decisive too. If Crennel can't or won't make changes that work, he's not going to be an NFL head coach much longer.
PS – Glad you're still gainfully employed at the BJ, Patrick. When Pluto jumped ship, you became the only seasoned sports scribe left there. If you go, I'll stop checking the Ohio.com page.
i never had any delusions that "the ship was righted". this team is and was a sorry mess. when you have a team with an absentee owner, a mediocre (at best) gm, a coach with absolutely no leadership skills and a sizeable group of immature players nothing good can come from that. that win against the giants was a big "so what?". sure, it was a great game by the team but one game doesn't solve the underlying problems of this organization.
"max?" That's a new one. Actually, "max," it was a major, major compliment. I posted a "I wonder why nobody is referring to this" on the prior First and 10 entry, and shortly thereafter, it was posted on the above blog entry. It takes serious balls for a sportswriter to refer to the competition getting a heads-up on a very meaningful story, especially in this layoff climate. Can you imagine Pluto or any other columnist at the PD ever writing that a sportswriter at the Beacon Journal got the heads-up on a story? Not a chance in hell. If you saw me right now, you'd see a recently unemployed old fart applauding for Pat. Major sportswriting credibility.
By the way, again I ask: Why does Edwards drop balls during his pro football career? Every season. He never had this problem in college. Never. This guy has some serious head issues, and I can't imagine the Browns don't have some sports psychologist they send folks to in times of trouble. The Cavaliers, along with their 356 assistant coaches (why??), also pay a sports psychologist for these types of issues.
that's not true about edwards in college.
from an old nfl draft summary on nfldraftcountdown.com:
"Weaknesses: Inconsistent…Will drop catchable balls…Loses concentration and focus at times…Dealt with some immaturity issues early in his career. "
i seem to recall him dropping a big pass against osu in the 2004 game. maybe someone with a better memory than me can elaborate.
I'm so tired of Derek Anderson. I hate this guy. He is a temptress. I told all the fans last year who fell for this one-trick pony that this was the worst thing that could ever happen to the long term health of this franchise. I was right. Every start in the Anderson era has been a waste.
I am rooting for an injury because of Crennel and Savage…. and DA. DA is impossible to like. The flippant, arrogant (I see right through it though), lax attitude. The smirks after terrible throws. Derek no one thinks its funny. You'll always be hated in Cleveland, never accepted. If you can smile about it then do it. The fan base hates you. I just want someone to make like Lawrence Taylor did to Joe Montana on this guy so bad.
Pat – An excellent column that's to the point. As a lifelong Browns fan and season ticket holder living 250 miles away, I have to say that because of the utter silliness of the head coach and refusal to change, that my usual anger over such a ridiculous display of football is now being replaced by apathy. And I have to believe that I am not alone in this. For any entertainment product, this is the reaction that causes the most concern, although that makes the gargantuan assumption that this front office and coach are logical. For when there is anger, people (dollars) are still tuned in; when there is apathy, because the same dunderheads go about their business in the same way expecting different results (the definition of insanity, by the way), little by little the dollars start to erode as the paying customer sees no hope for improvement.
Does it really have to be this difficult?
BTW, count me in as another reader who will stay away from Ohio.com if they're obtuse enough to let you go, Pat.
Thenaturalmevs- you are the reason cleveland fans are regarded as pieces of s***. I am a cleveland Browns fan through and through and i will never hope injury on any of our players. You are probably one of those idiots that cheered when tim couch was injured. D.A. had a bad game but i never noticed him smirking and acting to cool to care if anything he looked visibly flustered and angry at himself. He has some solid games and some bad games and i am on the fence if he is really our guy. That being said if you account for dropped passe's by a supposed number one receiver and the game was within reach. that last throw while not great was catchable by a better receiver and if he caught that we go on to atleast tie if not win….
Here comes JAX, and after a bye week. Excellent.
Drive change, people, by staying away from Cleveland on the day of home games. This isn't the first time that Savage has been called out by his players for being callous. Is Winslow a whiner? Sure. But when you hear the exact thing said by multiple people, there is not just smoke, but fire as well. Obviously Lerner doesn't care, or he would have told Savage to get his act together.
Don't go to games, the franchise loses value, and maybe we will get someone in here who cares about football, not futbol.
terje, let me rephrase what I said, I suppose the word "never" is a word that should never be used in just about anything in life … He didn't have a remote dropsie comparison like he has today. I used to watch nearly every Michigan game on TV with my old giant satellite dish at my old house, Edwards occasionally dropped an easy few like every other receiver does, but his lack of concentration pales to what it is today. There just is no comparison. You can't even tell it's the same guy.
This guy has major talent, but there is a screw or wire loose somewhere.
Alan,
You're wrong. Edwards had a major dropsie problem at Michigan. The problem has grown slightly more exasperating as he's grown older and hasn't fixed it, but he has always dropped easily catchable balls. It's a concentration issue.
I'm getting old, maybe I'm just remembering watching Herman Edwards when he played for the Eagles. Because I don't recall ever seeing anything like this.
i agree that b.e.'s dropsie problem has become extreme. far beyond what he did in college. receivers who drop the ball as much as edwards does are not number 1 receivers (unless your initials are t.o. and his reign at number 1 just ended with the trade for williams). personally, i think the guy is extremely immature. the man has all the tools and the talent but is still a child in his head.
Edwards is just too hyper. He gets too up after wins and talks too much after losses. Just go out and do your job. Two words – rytalin.
I love how Marla wrote in her game report that the Browns' offense got it's "mojo" back in the fourth quarter. I guess she thinks needing eight downs to knockout a one-yard score was a positive thing. This is why the PD is getting the Browns exclusives.
Pat, you've gotta go back to writing Browns games — please!!!
On another note, as painful as it is to watch Braylon this season, at least he's taking credit for his mistakes. DA blaming malfunctioning helmets and saying it takes 11 guys to make a play work. Well, that may be true, but it takes one garbage quarterback to consistently misfire on sideline routes and completely lose his composure once touched by a defender.
Savage needs to eat his pride. DA's extension was a mistake, everyone knows it.
i'd like to second alan on giving props to pat for his staph suspicion. sometimes speculation is the closest thing to truth. this team is loaded with b.s. from top to bottom.
respect to grossi at the peedee for the "stick in the eye" comment. it's still making me laugh.
Mike, NFL contracts are BS. I don't know if Anderson got a signing bonus for re-upping, but he could have signed for a billion dollars for year 2 and on. Who cares? Not Savage. What's the difference when the contract isn't guaranteed?
St.Louis,Oakland and now San Francisco all seen the light and Fired there head coach's because their teams were under achieving what keeps the Browns from FIRING this waste of time Crennel.Something major has to be done to get this talented team on track.He may have been a good assistant (as long as he was given stolen videos) coach but he stinks as a head coach he has had too many chances here to be given anymore time as many have said before FIRE CRENNEL NOW an replace him with somebody who is not affraid to make decsions for the benefit of the team.
The writing is on the wall players like Winslow are going to go somewhere else to play because of the clowns that coach and supposedly run the team.
Good article EXCEPT who in their right mind thought the ship had been set back on course after Monday night. Remember how many penalties we had? That was the true sign nothing has changed with this team. The Giants mailed that one in and as superbowl champions they have the right to do that unlike the Browns underestimating the Red Skins. Regarding Winslow, I don't blame him for being pissed. Savage handled the situation terribly and disrespectfully. Both Savage and Crennel should be fired. Bring in Bill Cowher. Make him coach and GM. His first move will be to start BQ.
with all of the obvious gaffs the browns have comitted this year, why did chud insist on running right at the goal line? was not tucker out? why not run to thomas/steinbach?
dewit110- i think it's a concentration problem0, but it looks like its a footsteps problem. these boys in the pros HIT HARD.