First and 10

1)     A few folks who e-mailed thought I was a tad negative in Monday's Beacon Journal. That the Browns led at halftime and that they pretty much did what was expected — lose to Minnesota. This means, of course, that folks e-mailed negative thoughts about me being negative. And my first thought is to wonder if it's negative if it's merely the truth. That being said, there is a danger to "pile on," and I try to be aware of it and sensitive to it. Perhaps I was a tad … shall we say … less than positive. But what I saw was a team that lost 34-20 and scored one touchdown on a punt return and another in the most meaningless of circumstances. If folks want to hang their feel-good hat on that kind of game, have at it. It just didn’t work for me.

2)     This could be a case of the proverbial half-full or half-empty glass. The half-full view says that the Browns were expected to lose, were not expected to defend the run well and were facing a tough defense. Because of that, going into the locker room at halftime with a lead means they did fairly well. The half empty view says that all the same is true of the pregame expectations, which means that the Browns had a golden opportunity at halftime. But in the second half they let the opportunity drop and splat like it was a dozen eggs. Either view is valid.

3)     The first half belonged to the Browns because their defense did a nice job confusing the Vikings. Credit Rob Ryan for this, because his different looks and ability to pressure Brett Favre were causing problems. Too, the Vikings were not running the ball consistently well. In the second half, the Vikings decided to ride the best player on the field, and Adrian Peterson ran them to a win.

4)     This is where the concern comes in. Of course the season is not over because of one loss, and a win in Denver balances the record, which is what it's about. But the first real game gave the Browns their first chance to show they had solved some of the concerns, specifically the run defense. The Vikings shredded the run defense. Folks can say all they want that Peterson should shred a run defense, but when a team runs for 225 yards on the defense it's cause for concern.

5)     I like Brady Quinn. He once held a door for me at Panera. Nice guy, good guy. But his play did not do much for me. Yes … it was only one game, against a good defense. There's no reason to give up on him, just that in that one game (against a very good defense) he did not seem real effective.

6)     As for the last touchdown drive that led to a score with 30 seconds left … we are not talking about an expansion team here. In 1999, those things mattered because the Browns were learning to put their shoes on. This is 2009, 11 years into a ""re-birth." Quinn is in his third season, albeit with a different system than a year ago. Braylon Edwards went to a Pro Bowl two years ago. It’s a new coach, new system, but the standards for judging them shouldn't make it as if they're grade schoolers learning to play. If that last drive means a lot, then we're all in for a longer year than we thought. Had Derek Anderson (who had a pretty fair first start, as I recall) played the same game Quinn played, folks would be taking him to the guillotine. Heck …. Mark Sanchez in his first start in New York threw for 272 yards and went 12-for-16 on third down. Joe Flacco is in his second season and he threw for (307) in the first game. How do these things happen everywhere in the NFL but with the Browns?

7)     To say that Quinn did not throw down the field before the game was settled is not exactly accurate. He did take a couple shots. But the kinds of throws he made down the field were of the same blasé variety — receiver runs deep down the sideline and the quarterback lofts him a deep one. This almost worked in the first half, as Braylon Edwards made a nice catch after being interfered with. But other than those sideline throws, most of the passes were underneath. The reality is that of Quinn's 21 completions, 13 went to backs or tight ends. I remember very few posts, skinny or otherwise, very few crossing routes, very few 20-yard turn-ins.

8)     I don't know if Quinn is that kind of quarterback or if he's being coached to do that kind of thing. You know the line — don't force the ball … take what's there … buy low, sell high … all that stuff. At times it makes sense. But when a quarterback does that over and over again, the defense starts to squeeze the field, which makes running the ball pretty difficult. Again, I don't know where it's coming from, and I don't know if it's an issue given the strength of the Vikings defense. As the season progresses, we'll discover if it's an issue. But I do know that Quinn is gaining a reputation as an underneath guy, one who will not take chances. Whether that's fair after just four NFL starts is a legitimate question.

9)     Put it this way: The best player on the Browns offense Sunday was probably Joe Thomas, who more than held his own against Jared Allen. But the best skill player was Jamal Lewis, who ran and caught for 104 yards. Lewis looked pretty effective, making those who wondered about his future look kinda dumb. Like me. But Quinn and Edwards are first-round picks. There are two other second-round picks at receiver whom we hardly saw. Robert Royal is wildly inconsistent in terms of catching the ball. Josh Cribbs is as good as they get in the return game, but as a receiver the judge and jury are out. Tough defense, yes, but the response to the tough defense was pretty meek.

10) I'm starting to wonder if Edwards has checked out. To the Northern peninsula in Michigan. He had six passes thrown his way Sunday (including the pass interference). There was one catch (would have been two without the interference, which was caused by an underthrow from Quinn), one pass interference. His one catch totaled 12 yards. Oh … he also had two penalties that cost the Browns 15 yards.

And a bonus 11th since it was opening day …

11) As for being negative, I'd say that of course the season isn't over. The Browns have 15 games to make something of things. They need to win this weekend in Denver because winning in Baltimore looks tough, and the last thing they need is to return home at oh-and-three. Denver isn't much offensively, but the Broncos did show they can play defense in their opener. The season is absolutely not over. But the problem is this: The Browns did not show much of anything in their opener to make anyone believe the problems that existed last year and heading into this year have been solved. If anything, the opening game loss only confirmed that the worries were valid. Until the Browns show they've solved some things — like the run defense — the concerns and criticism will be present. Eric Mangini is right — it's pretty much up to them.

Three and Out

Where you, the dear readers, take the floor — and generally tell me what an idiot I am, have been and will be.

Dear Pat,

A word to the wise.

I follow the Browns, as I have since I was 14. I am now 59. The world is a difficult place. I have laid off 75 people in my company, and read sports as an escape. Telling me how bad the Cleveland Browns are is not what I want to read. Do not take yourself too seriously or people may stop reading your work and you might have to find another line of work.

Remember this is the toy department, not the real world.

Lighten UP,

Frank Lemmo

Dear Frank,

The Browns should be grateful for loyal fans like you. It's people like you who continually fill the stadium despite 10 years of struggles.

As for me … if you know me at all you'll know I really don't take myself too seriously. I know we're not curing cancer here. Too, the folks who read this flog regularly know I don't take much seriously at all. Except for Frito's corn chips, which always must be taken seriously.

I might offer, though, that I might lose what little credibility I have if I start to write that things were good when I thought they were bad. That might really turn us into the toy department.

I also might offer that the problem isn't with the person reporting what happened, or offering his opinion on it. We all know what opinions are like; you can agree or disagree. The problem is that since 1999 the Browns have not put a representative product on the field, and the opener did little to indicate 2009 will be different.

Yes, there's a lot of time left. But the opener was what it was.

Dear Pat,

I like your work but couldn't read more then half of the article in Monday's Beacon-Journal. Couldn't you be any more negative then that?

I've been a diehard browns fan for 40 years.  I thought they played well in the first half.  The wheels got blown off in the second half by a superior team. I feared the whole game was going to be like the second half but it wasn't.  I saw some good things early and I haven't seen anything good since the Giants game last year.  I think the Browns can learn and build off what they did in both halves.  After last season and this Indians season, the team I saw in the first half was a welcome sight.

Russ Clark

Las Vegas

Dear Russ,

Are you related to the gentleman I met in Ireland. He's a Harrington, like my grandmother, and he always referred to himself as "Dan R." Take care, Dan, I said when I left. "Dan R," he said.

Dan R might agree with you, by the way.

Unfortunately, I do not.

I think we've seen so much bad football that when we see a glimmer of hope the tendency is to make too much of it. The first half was OK, but last I checked games are two halves.

It'd be nice to think this team will turn things around in a hurry. I just didn't see it in the opener.

Dear Pat,

Woody Hayes once wrote a book, "You Win With People". After watching this year's edition of the step-browns I think Mangini can write a book called  "You Lose with Nobodies". Other than Brady Quinn there is no one on this team that anyone has ever heard of.

Keep this e-mail. If they win the 6 games that you predicted I'll have a case of your favorite beer delivered to your office. You don't have to risk anything.

Frank Webb

Akron

Dear Frank,

You're on.

But the bet includes plane tickets to Ireland, because the favorite beer is Guinness, on tap, seated at Connaughton's pub on Achill Island.

Hey … you offered.

(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)

Tagged as: Brady Quinn, Cleveland Browns