First and 10: We expected different in Tennessee?

First and 10

1)      Maybe I'm stupid … well I am stupid but that's not important right now. I don't get the uproar over the loss to Tennessee. I mean, what did anyone expect?

2)      Tennessee started the game 11-1 with the chance to clinch their division and home field advantage in the playoffs. The Browns started 4-8 with a third quarterback playing. Tennessee runs the ball as well as anyone in the league. The Browns don't stop the run. I mean, what did anyone expect?

3)      It's beyond me how anyone can think a team can win in the NFL when it gives up 145 yards rushing per game. And gives up 235 yards rushing in one game. It's just not going to happen. A team that does that is a team that is destined to struggle.

4)      Let it be noted I do not listen to TV while watching a game. I might watch a replay … well I will watch a replay … but I don't want to be influenced by what the announcers say because they are there in the same capacity as me. They are there to observe and state their opinion and impressions. Doesn't make them right – ask LeBron James what he thinks of Charles Barkley – but they are entitled to state them. I'm getting the impression from e-mails and comments that Dan Fouts was very hard on Romeo Crennel during the game. I'd like to think Fouts saw how little Ken Dorsey could get accomplished, but perhaps he wasn't watching that facet of the game. Me, I think Dorsey's limitations will be exposed even more Monday night against the Eagles' array of blitzes. But that's me. The other thing I didn't get was the outcry over the fact the Browns did not challenge the Braylon Edwards catch down the sideline. That play was right in front of me, and it wasn't close. Edwards was out of bounds. Challenging would have been silly. Coaches upstairs saw the replay and never suggested a challenge. Crennel was all the way across the field, and could not see it the play. The Titans did not show a replay. He had to go on what he was told. Edwards landed out of bounds. Had their been a forceout rule, he might have gotten the call, but that rule was eliminated in the offseason. Edwards was out of bounds, I don't care what Dan Fouts said.

5)      The carpet guy was working at the house as I wrote this, and he mentioned what a huge Browns fan he is. I asked if he'd fire the coach. You can learn a lot from a talkative carpet guy you know. And he said, "Well they're still playing hard for him and that's half the battle." He then gave a position-by-position rundown on the team and concluded by calling this Browns 10-year venture the "decade of excrement." Carpet guys often have great insights.

6)      Anyone know who picked these 53 guys? This needs to be clarified.

7)      I made a big deal out of the fact that Josh Cribbs didn't play more at quarterback. After further review, I'm starting to wonder if there are reasons for that we don't know. For one, the Browns hardly use Cribbs at receiver, which tells me he's not a real "read the defense" kind of guy. This might be one reason the coaching staff does not want to have him pass more. Romeo Crennel said Cribbs doesn't get enough practice to handle reading defenses, but if asked to throw a "go" route he can do it. Perhaps this makes the coaches leery of asking more from him. It also seems like Cribbs doesn't play more than three or four plays in a row. Why this is, I don't know. But perhaps it's time to back off this Cribbs thing and just assume that the coaching staff, which sees him every day, has its reasons and maybe (gasp!) they are legitimate.

8)      Flew Southwest for the first time in a long time, and doing so leads to a question: Why can't all the airlines be like Southwest? One can actually sit in a Southwest seat without having his or her knees smashed into the seat in front of him or her. They give you the option of paying a little more to get on early – if you so desire. They have this orderly boarding process that goes by number and does not mess things up even though they (horror of horrors!) do not board from the rear of the aircraft. The flight attendants are … actually … (drum roll) friendly. And they leave on time and arrive on time. These are novel concepts for the airline industry.

9)      Both teams complained after the game that the other team did a lot of woofing. QB Kerry Collins said the Browns did a lot of talking and "maybe that's their style." Browns C Hank Fraley said on his radio show that Tennessee was being talky and chippy the entire game. And the big brown pony will jump over the moon on New Year's Eve.

10)   The more I watch this team, the more I believe that if the Browns think this group can compete in 2009 without significant improvement then it's believing a mirage. Bill Parcells said a long time ago that a team is its record. Well guess what … the Browns are 4-9. The defense is porous. The offense has seen its best players go south. It's down now to a third quarterback. Romeo Crennel is criticized for everything from the way he stands on the sidelines to the way the team ties its shoes. A lot of people want me to fire him. Well, I'm not going there. For one, I don't have the authority. For two, given the talent on the team I don't know if 4-9 isn't an accurate reflection of where it should be. Would going for touchdowns instead of field goals help the right side of the line block any better? Next season's coach, whoever it may be, will have to do the following: Decide on a quarterback, figure what to do with Kellen Winslow, decide if Jamal Lewis still has it, figure what to do with Braylon Edwards, find a second and third receiver, shore up the right side of the line, decide on a center, figure out a run defense, find linebackers who can run, find corners who can cover and then figure a way to get the fans from jumping off buildings after one or two losses. Perhaps said coach would prefer a job saving the auto industry instead.

You're an Idiot

Alan T wrote online …

Dear Pat

I think newspaper sports columnists should have a bi-monthly published assessment of their past columns to review if they were right or wrong. Because many get on their high horses when they write their stuff.

They almost always refer to when they were subsequently right, but they rarely admit when they're subsequently found to be wrong.

Columnists are supposed to judge others, I think one column every other month should be devoted to judging themselves. By extension, the readers can then judge the columnists' credibility. Six columns every calendar year.

I nominate Pat to take this idea and be the first to run with it.

Alan T.

Dear Alan,

I include this letter in the ‘You're An Idiot' section only because it is a good place for it.

And because if you think I'm going to start owning up to my mistakes, well you've got another thing coming, buster.

Actually, Alan, you have a good point.

And it is something I shall consider.

The problem is that it would be a very short story pointing out my mistakes.

Hey … that's a JOKE.

Three and Out

Terje wrote online after the loss to Tennessee …

Dear Pat,

Are you honestly telling me that the Titans have more talent on the offensive side of the ball? I'll give you the defense but the offense??? Come on!!!

Kerry Collins?? Lendale White is nothing more than a bowling ball! What about Joe Thomas and big free agent Eric Steinbach? These guys have gone from great to lacking talent in one year? And Braylon Edwards? I'm sorry but his poor play is not caused by a lack of talent. Jamal Lewis has a ton of talent too; he's just on empty. Name me one player on the Titans offense with more talent than Josh Cribbs.

The most glaring piece missing Sunday was a coach who was willing to go for six instead of three, a guy who was willing to lose a timeout to challenge a call. Not only is Romeo playing to lose he is sacrificing the team's future to play Willie McGinest and other stiffs who will be nowhere near a Browns uniform next year.

They scored nine points. Not because of a lack of talent on the offensive end, but because of poor coaching. Phil Savage is a joke but your undying love for Romeo Crennel is getting sickening. Nice guys don't shaft the fan base just to stick it to the GM. Your nice guy Romeo is a fraud.

Terje

Dear Terje,

OK then.

Actually Terje is one of my faithful blog readers and commenters, and I appreciate all his remarks. He has regularly taken me to task for supporting Romeo Crennel.

I'll try to answer some of your claims, Terje, but first I must state that I do not believe Romeo Crennel would sacrifice a game to stick it to the GM. He plays the guys he thinks will help the Browns win. You and I have the right to disagree, but he's been a supporter of veterans since he got here and will be until the day he leaves.

As to the other stuff:

1)      As best I could see, the Browns were overpowered on both the offensive and defensive fronts. That alone spelled out more talent, and that alone made the difference in the game.

2)       I have no problem with the way Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach are playing. It's the other three on the line that concern me.

3)      LenDale White has scored 14 touchdowns, best in the NFL. That's a lot of beaching.

4)      Whatever the reason for Braylon Edwards' lack of production, it's not helping the cause.

5)      Do you honestly believe that with Ken Dorsey at quarterback that anything would have changed had Crennel gone for touchdowns instead of field goals? I don't. I don't think the game was winnable with Dorsey playing, and the Titans almost said the same after. Their defenders actually felt bad for him, given they were playing for a division title. The most glaring piece missing Sunday was actually two pieces: A legitimate quarterback, and a run defense.

6)      I don't agree with the challenge, but I think you are one heck of a guy Terje.

7)      Finally, I think they scored nine points because the Titans are simply that much better of a team.

Terje, I wish we could share Christmas gifts every year … but for crying out loud, the Browns are 4-9. At some point we all need to accept the fact that they are just not that good this season.

And Terje … keep the cards and rips coming!

Dear Pat,

I want to be the first person (maybe) to say that hiring Marty Schottenheimer is a stupid idea.  He is sixty-five years old. I don't care about his 14-2 record the last season in San Diego.

Perhaps that had much to do with his coaching, but with what LaDainian Tomlinson did that year, you might as well have had Mr. Belvedere as the head coach.  They were going to win.  Teams that run win games.  If you can't run, then good coaching wins games.

The Browns have neither — but I for one am firmly an 'ageist' about this coaching slot. He's too old to command respect from 22-year-olds on a team without the talent to naturally win.  Why not hire Joe Paterno?
I mean, let's say he's hired, at sixty-four, and has one good season.  The next season, he'll be three years from seventy!  Do we want to do this coaching carousel all over again, four years after we hire him, when he's seventy?
If we can't get the chin, I want someone young, and from the NFL.  Maybe they should just promote Ken Dorsey.  At least he already knows what it feels like to be eating dirt fed him by an Ohio crowd (see 2003 Fiesta Bowl).

Parker Staley

Dear Parker,

Ken Dorsey has enough problems right now.

I got a few e-mails lamenting the notion of brining Marty back. He seems to have quashed the possibility anyway.

As for the Browns, I don't get how good coaching can overcome the lack of a running game. Is a coach a magician with a wand who can make average players good merely by waving it? If the team can't run, it can't run.

And if the team can't stop the run, it can't win. And the Browns are not doing either.

Dear Pat,

As you've said this is an organization in disarray.  Tell me they aren't serious about bringing back Marty Schottenheimer. Yes, I know his regular season record would be a major improvement, but his post-season record is as dismal as the Browns regular seasons have been: 5-13.  This will just lead to more frustration and disappointment to the Browns fans.

We've all heard the rumors concerning Bill Cowher, and that would seem to be a good choice.  Other than Cowher, where to turn?

Does anyone besides Phil Savage believe he's getting the job done?  He's tried to point the finger at Romeo Crennel, of course, as the reason the Browns aren't winning, but for all his supposed expertise at drafting talent,  his picks overall have been so-so.  The good teams build through the draft and supplement with a free agents, unlike all the free agents the Browns have brought in.

As to Romeo, he seems to be a nice guy, but even he seems to have packed it in. As noted by the TV play by play announcers, why they didn't throw a challenge flag on Cribbs pass to Edwards certainly raises a question.  They sure didn't have anything to lose other than one timeout, which at that point in time in light of a lack of offense was worth trying.

One can question why not try something other than the long field goals, and yet in light of the way they have been playing from the other side of the coin it makes as much sense to kick and at least make three points.

I'd say Randy Lerner needs to start at the top and replace Phil Savage.  His rantings on radio and in the press sounds like a guy who's trying to save his job by pointing the finger everywhere else when in fact he's a major part of the problem.  Crennel has to go simply because someone else will want their own person.

Again, if Cowher is available that would make sense.  If not,  please don't bring in another retread like Norv Turner, or others like him.  Find a good program with a young and upcoming coach like the Steelers did with Mike Tomlin and hire him.  Bring in a respected personnel man from another organization if they will let the Browns talk to them.  Randy Lerner has shown he will spend the money, so that's not a problem.

Thanks for a bit of your time and allowing me to vent.  I appreciate your columns.

Gaile Wilkinson

Dear Gaile,

Vent away.

If you mention a young coach, how about Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz? Or New England quarterback coach Josh McDaniels? Both are unproven head coaches, but either could be this year's John Harbaugh.

Then again, would the fan base be excited by anyone not named Cowher?

Why not Brian Billick? If it were him Savage would go, because those two have been-there, done-that.

And if the Browns can't get Cowher, is one more year of Crennel at all acceptable?

Crennel has not packed it in. I promise that much.

I've packed it in, but not Romeo Crennel.

(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)