Today I didn't spend a couple of bucks on the physical Sunday paper. I decided to forgo those valuable coupons for 50 cents off of Pamprin, and whatever. Today I am strictly reading the paper online.
So, imagine my surprise when I dragged by butt out of bed, planted my underpants on my leather chair, clicked the cursor, read the columnist's column, and noticed the byline said, "By Patrick McManamon Beacon Jouranl sports columnist." Evidently, sometime between Friday and today, a Saudi Arabian prince purchased an Akron, Ohio newspaper and changed the name. Who woulda thunk it.
Hey, fake Pat, it seems to me that "Beacon Jouranl" column was centrally focused upon Lerner, and why and how Lerner got himself and his product into this royal mess. The column's focus wasn't the least bit Mangini. You really oughta start reading your own columns.
Is it Lerner or is it Mangini who insists on the "Firing Kokinis with cause" … or is there more to it (like the threat of losing draft picks to the Ravens??)? Whoever is responsible is damaging the image of the Browns in ways that might not be evident until it comes to hiring someone and how much pay they'll demand to come here or trying to sign free agents (even after Mangini is gone). I think it's fair to say that the Browns have an image about equal to the old days of the "Bungles", and are considered much more ineffectual than the Davis of the Raiders.
What jumps out is that Lerner is quite willing to pay TENS of millions to Crennel and Savage, but [the Browns] (or Lerner or Mangini) is willing to become the Bungles to save ONE million owed Kokinis? Er, sorry — it seems the Browns are also shorting Crennel $20,000.00 that he received for his beer commercials.
The Browns are definitely the class of pro sports!
* * *
Here's an attempt to try to say something I keep trying to express in different comments on the Browns ….
In Mangini's recent national media interview he was particularly articulate when it came to his coaching mission, which, for instance, McManamon pointed out kind of indicates what Lerner may have seen in Mangini. Being articulate certainly seems like a desirable trait, too, for any type of sergeant/teacher or coach in Mangini's case (and I'm also pretty sure the promised discipline of Mangini's approach was welcome to Lerner as a change from the Crennel regime).
All that said, I kind of think it's irrelevant to how good or bad of a coach Mangini was/is/will be.
Everybody who aspires to be a coach (head or position) has a coaching mission statement, although many cannot articulate it and some may not even have ever thought about it. I would also say (in Mangini's defense, as well as in defense of others) that the coaching methods, goals, and measurements on the road to success used are a product of experience in either imitation of one man's understanding of an admired teacher's methods or that man's corrections and tweaking of that admired teacher's methods — either of which is, in theory added to or built upon by experience. There are, of course, people in every field who fail at a more basic level as human beings — meaning that their plan may be perfect but no one likes them, no one respects them, and no one listens to them … and they cannot understand it and never will.
In other words, there are many different ways to be successful in every field, including coaching — meaning any particular mission statement isn't nearly as important as the coach's ability to sell his core principles to those he is coaching. If the coach can get the player to believe in him, then the player will believe in the system. The coach can achieve this by personality (most preferable because that's both permanent and comes with the coach), by winning as the proof of the pudding, or by an atmosphere (like Mangini tried with bringing in a bunch of ex-Jets who know and believe in his system — or like the Steelers or Ravens who have achieved a team personality bigger than the head coach, GM, or anyone who temporarily holds a position with the team … and it's also notable that the Ravens didn't have such a team personality in Cleveland after Paul Brown had been pretty much forgotten, but got that personality by drafting one Ray Lewis and embracing his personality as the face of the team).
My impression is that, so far, Mangini leaves a lot to be desired — and my sense is that he will not survive in his job when a new GM (or Parcells-like head of football operations type) is brought in (unless Lerner makes the mistake of bringing in a stooge to carry out Mangini's orders). To me, that sense of what's coming suggests that the moves had better be made long before next year's draft so that a new coach isn't saddled with Mangini players he doesn't want. I also think that it's far more important for the Browns to have someone who can excell in personnel evaluations than any particular coach or coaching philosophy (Vince Lombardi could not have done what he did with the Packers or done anything with the Redskins without the drafts and personnel decisions each of those teams made before he arrived).
It's good to see that Braylon Edwards is such a consistent receiver. He drops the ball at Michigan, he drops the ball in Cleveland and he drops the ball in NY.
Up by one point, Braylon drops the 2-point conversion. Then the Jets give up a game winning FG as time expires to lose 24-22. Another monster game y Braylon with 3 receptions. I guess the Browns can forget about that draft pick improving to a second rounder.
And the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets lose for the 4th time in 5 games with Braylon (after a 3-1 start before Braylon). The cancer will soon kill the Jets and eliminate them from playoff contention.
What??? Did you even watch the game, Brian? No, you didn't. I did. I even put it into my DVR specifically so I could wind it back after the game and concentrate on their defense of Edwards. He was repeatedly double-covered, which leads to other guys being open. If I'm not mistaken, two other receivers had six catches each.
And Edwards didn't just "drop" the ball on that two-point conversion. The defending guy went head-first straight into the ball. Edwards can't be faulted for that, Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss probably wouldn't have been able to hang onto it, either.
Seriously, Brian, why do you keep defending that stupid trade? Edwards had to go, but they got 15 cents on the dollar in return. That's the problem.
The Jets have the same number of wins as the Browns since that trade. He's an overrated piece of garbage who was going to leave here anyway. So, play out the year and get nothing, or trade him now and pray that he stops dropping passes so the Browns can get that sweet #2 pick? Only an idiot like you would argue against that trade.
You can make all of your stupid double coverage comments you want, the net result is that he hasn't contributed to wins.
First, they weren't going to get a second-round pick. He'd have to get about 300 catches for the provision of the trade to kick in.
Second, that's just plain dumb. What do you mean he hasn't contributed to wins? So, by your logic, if Larry Fitzgerald was on the Browns, but surrounded by the 10-players of other trash out there now, it means Fitzgerald hasn't contributed to wins.
Dumb.
Bottom line, they gave him away. And they gave Winslow away. And now they're left with nothing.
Alan, does Braylon have compromising photos of you? Why do you continue to defend this bozo as if he is a top talent? I said it before and I will continue to try to drill it into your head…great receivers flourish despite double teams!
Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne and many others put up huge numbers EVERY year despite being double teamed.
Braylon only needed 55 catches to trigger the upgrade of the pick to a second rounder. Of course, for Braylon that may as well be a million!!!
@ MIA – 5 catches
vs. BUF – 4 catches
@ OAK – 1 catch
vs. MIA – 3 catches
vs. Jax – 3 catches
total catches with NYJ: 16
percentage towards 55 catches in NJ: %29.1
Remaining games: 7
Catches needed per game for 55: 5.57
Chances of it Braylon getting 55 catches: Unlikely
What happened to the genius that was Bill Belichick? Going for it on 4th and 2 from inside his own 30 when he is only up by 6 with 2 minutes remaining?
I know he was afraid of Manning taking his team down the field to win it, but at least make him earn it. Belichick gift wrapped that like an early Christmas present.
Yes, Edwards has compromising photos of me. And of you. Lip-locked. So we really should be playing it cool. On the down-low, I think I think is the term.
What can't you decipher of what I'm saying? What's so difficult to understand? I'm saying you don't the assets in your portfolio away. It's like any other business. You don't say, "Hey, I'll give x and y away, because, what the hell, we're not going to be making anything remotely close to a profit, anyway."
Besides, not only would that be a mid to low-second round pick, which is not value for value, but I have yet to see one single reliable source as to where anybody got that 55 catches number. It's like one egghead at a Browns fan blog heard something from his plumber who heard it from his neighbor Bob who heard it from Barney Gumble at Moe's Tavern.
And, if you believe Adam Schefter, and I do as his sources over the years have proven to be solid, during the off-season, before Mangini crapped on and buried Edwards' value, there was going to be an Edwards for Ronnie Brown trade with Miami. Instead, Mangini couldn't even get Ronnie Spector.
Here, more support for the trade sucking. From Schefter:
"There is tremendous hidden value in the New York Jets' acquisition of wide receiver Braylon Edwards. This season, New York will pay Edwards $3.85 million. In what is expected to be an uncapped year next season, New York's tender to Edwards would be $5.55 million. That means, for 28 games over two seasons, the Jets would get Edwards for $9.4 million — less than the wide receiver franchise tag of $9.884 million. So, basically, the Jets are getting Edwards on sale.
Fittingly, Braylon Edwards' first game as a Jet will come Monday night against the Miami Dolphins, the team that came closest to dealing for the wide receiver during the offseason. Before the NFL draft in April, the Dolphins pondered a deal that would have brought them Edwards and sent running back Ronnie Brown to the Cleveland Browns. Ultimately, the Dolphins decided against the deal, believing Brown was too much to give up in return for Edwards. Interestingly, the proposed trade pitted the second and third overall picks from the 2005 draft, in which Brown went No. 2 to Miami and Edwards No. 3 to Cleveland. For a brief period in the spring, it looked as though Edwards might be landing in Miami, not New York, in which case he would have been playing Monday against the Jets rather than for them."
It's not a private club, but the cover charge is exhorbitant…kinda like the $110,000/catch the Jets are paying Braylon for the next 1 1/2 years.
Alan, obviously YOU didn't see the Jets game or you would know that Edwards was shut out in the first half and fumbled the ball after his longest catch-and-run of 41 yards.
And if you want to quote Schefter from just after the trade, he also said that Massaquoi could be a bigger star than Edwards…so what does he know?
speaking of the cavs….anyone else notice that the cavs still can't run any semblance of an offense at the end of the game? had miami been able to make a couple shots that game could have been a loss because lebron and the dummy squad decided to either jack up the ball too quickly or fart around for 16 seconds before taking a jumper.
i still can't see this team winning with mike brown as coach.
You know – this is the kind of game the Browns win and look awesome winning, teasing us like some test drive of a really expensive Italian sports car, before we revert back to the 25 year old Yugoslavian import we've come to know and love.
What the…
Someone is wearing jersey #17 for the Browns. That jersey number should be retired throughout the NFL out of respect for the hall of fame career of Braylon Edwards!!!
So much for the fan boycott…according to CBS Sportsline about the same number of seats remained occupied both before and after the kickoff as the boycott was ignored.
I really need to stop obsessing over Mangini…
Today I didn't spend a couple of bucks on the physical Sunday paper. I decided to forgo those valuable coupons for 50 cents off of Pamprin, and whatever. Today I am strictly reading the paper online.
So, imagine my surprise when I dragged by butt out of bed, planted my underpants on my leather chair, clicked the cursor, read the columnist's column, and noticed the byline said, "By Patrick McManamon Beacon Jouranl sports columnist." Evidently, sometime between Friday and today, a Saudi Arabian prince purchased an Akron, Ohio newspaper and changed the name. Who woulda thunk it.
Hey, fake Pat, it seems to me that "Beacon Jouranl" column was centrally focused upon Lerner, and why and how Lerner got himself and his product into this royal mess. The column's focus wasn't the least bit Mangini. You really oughta start reading your own columns.
Is it Lerner or is it Mangini who insists on the "Firing Kokinis with cause" … or is there more to it (like the threat of losing draft picks to the Ravens??)? Whoever is responsible is damaging the image of the Browns in ways that might not be evident until it comes to hiring someone and how much pay they'll demand to come here or trying to sign free agents (even after Mangini is gone). I think it's fair to say that the Browns have an image about equal to the old days of the "Bungles", and are considered much more ineffectual than the Davis of the Raiders.
What jumps out is that Lerner is quite willing to pay TENS of millions to Crennel and Savage, but [the Browns] (or Lerner or Mangini) is willing to become the Bungles to save ONE million owed Kokinis? Er, sorry — it seems the Browns are also shorting Crennel $20,000.00 that he received for his beer commercials.
The Browns are definitely the class of pro sports!
* * *
Here's an attempt to try to say something I keep trying to express in different comments on the Browns ….
In Mangini's recent national media interview he was particularly articulate when it came to his coaching mission, which, for instance, McManamon pointed out kind of indicates what Lerner may have seen in Mangini. Being articulate certainly seems like a desirable trait, too, for any type of sergeant/teacher or coach in Mangini's case (and I'm also pretty sure the promised discipline of Mangini's approach was welcome to Lerner as a change from the Crennel regime).
All that said, I kind of think it's irrelevant to how good or bad of a coach Mangini was/is/will be.
Everybody who aspires to be a coach (head or position) has a coaching mission statement, although many cannot articulate it and some may not even have ever thought about it. I would also say (in Mangini's defense, as well as in defense of others) that the coaching methods, goals, and measurements on the road to success used are a product of experience in either imitation of one man's understanding of an admired teacher's methods or that man's corrections and tweaking of that admired teacher's methods — either of which is, in theory added to or built upon by experience. There are, of course, people in every field who fail at a more basic level as human beings — meaning that their plan may be perfect but no one likes them, no one respects them, and no one listens to them … and they cannot understand it and never will.
In other words, there are many different ways to be successful in every field, including coaching — meaning any particular mission statement isn't nearly as important as the coach's ability to sell his core principles to those he is coaching. If the coach can get the player to believe in him, then the player will believe in the system. The coach can achieve this by personality (most preferable because that's both permanent and comes with the coach), by winning as the proof of the pudding, or by an atmosphere (like Mangini tried with bringing in a bunch of ex-Jets who know and believe in his system — or like the Steelers or Ravens who have achieved a team personality bigger than the head coach, GM, or anyone who temporarily holds a position with the team … and it's also notable that the Ravens didn't have such a team personality in Cleveland after Paul Brown had been pretty much forgotten, but got that personality by drafting one Ray Lewis and embracing his personality as the face of the team).
My impression is that, so far, Mangini leaves a lot to be desired — and my sense is that he will not survive in his job when a new GM (or Parcells-like head of football operations type) is brought in (unless Lerner makes the mistake of bringing in a stooge to carry out Mangini's orders). To me, that sense of what's coming suggests that the moves had better be made long before next year's draft so that a new coach isn't saddled with Mangini players he doesn't want. I also think that it's far more important for the Browns to have someone who can excell in personnel evaluations than any particular coach or coaching philosophy (Vince Lombardi could not have done what he did with the Packers or done anything with the Redskins without the drafts and personnel decisions each of those teams made before he arrived).
Well said Keith.
Let's form a mob. I have the pitchforks and torches. Meet me tomorrow night before kickoff, in the muni lot next to the row of orange rv's.
It's good to see that Braylon Edwards is such a consistent receiver. He drops the ball at Michigan, he drops the ball in Cleveland and he drops the ball in NY.
Up by one point, Braylon drops the 2-point conversion. Then the Jets give up a game winning FG as time expires to lose 24-22. Another monster game y Braylon with 3 receptions. I guess the Browns can forget about that draft pick improving to a second rounder.
And the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets lose for the 4th time in 5 games with Braylon (after a 3-1 start before Braylon). The cancer will soon kill the Jets and eliminate them from playoff contention.
What??? Did you even watch the game, Brian? No, you didn't. I did. I even put it into my DVR specifically so I could wind it back after the game and concentrate on their defense of Edwards. He was repeatedly double-covered, which leads to other guys being open. If I'm not mistaken, two other receivers had six catches each.
And Edwards didn't just "drop" the ball on that two-point conversion. The defending guy went head-first straight into the ball. Edwards can't be faulted for that, Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss probably wouldn't have been able to hang onto it, either.
Seriously, Brian, why do you keep defending that stupid trade? Edwards had to go, but they got 15 cents on the dollar in return. That's the problem.
Alan, scoreboard.
The Jets have the same number of wins as the Browns since that trade. He's an overrated piece of garbage who was going to leave here anyway. So, play out the year and get nothing, or trade him now and pray that he stops dropping passes so the Browns can get that sweet #2 pick? Only an idiot like you would argue against that trade.
You can make all of your stupid double coverage comments you want, the net result is that he hasn't contributed to wins.
Stupid argument, my shadow.
First, they weren't going to get a second-round pick. He'd have to get about 300 catches for the provision of the trade to kick in.
Second, that's just plain dumb. What do you mean he hasn't contributed to wins? So, by your logic, if Larry Fitzgerald was on the Browns, but surrounded by the 10-players of other trash out there now, it means Fitzgerald hasn't contributed to wins.
Dumb.
Bottom line, they gave him away. And they gave Winslow away. And now they're left with nothing.
Alan, does Braylon have compromising photos of you? Why do you continue to defend this bozo as if he is a top talent? I said it before and I will continue to try to drill it into your head…great receivers flourish despite double teams!
Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne and many others put up huge numbers EVERY year despite being double teamed.
Braylon only needed 55 catches to trigger the upgrade of the pick to a second rounder. Of course, for Braylon that may as well be a million!!!
@ MIA – 5 catches
vs. BUF – 4 catches
@ OAK – 1 catch
vs. MIA – 3 catches
vs. Jax – 3 catches
total catches with NYJ: 16
percentage towards 55 catches in NJ: %29.1
Remaining games: 7
Catches needed per game for 55: 5.57
Chances of it Braylon getting 55 catches: Unlikely
What happened to the genius that was Bill Belichick? Going for it on 4th and 2 from inside his own 30 when he is only up by 6 with 2 minutes remaining?
I know he was afraid of Manning taking his team down the field to win it, but at least make him earn it. Belichick gift wrapped that like an early Christmas present.
Yes, Edwards has compromising photos of me. And of you. Lip-locked. So we really should be playing it cool. On the down-low, I think I think is the term.
What can't you decipher of what I'm saying? What's so difficult to understand? I'm saying you don't the assets in your portfolio away. It's like any other business. You don't say, "Hey, I'll give x and y away, because, what the hell, we're not going to be making anything remotely close to a profit, anyway."
Besides, not only would that be a mid to low-second round pick, which is not value for value, but I have yet to see one single reliable source as to where anybody got that 55 catches number. It's like one egghead at a Browns fan blog heard something from his plumber who heard it from his neighbor Bob who heard it from Barney Gumble at Moe's Tavern.
And, if you believe Adam Schefter, and I do as his sources over the years have proven to be solid, during the off-season, before Mangini crapped on and buried Edwards' value, there was going to be an Edwards for Ronnie Brown trade with Miami. Instead, Mangini couldn't even get Ronnie Spector.
Here, more support for the trade sucking. From Schefter:
"There is tremendous hidden value in the New York Jets' acquisition of wide receiver Braylon Edwards. This season, New York will pay Edwards $3.85 million. In what is expected to be an uncapped year next season, New York's tender to Edwards would be $5.55 million. That means, for 28 games over two seasons, the Jets would get Edwards for $9.4 million — less than the wide receiver franchise tag of $9.884 million. So, basically, the Jets are getting Edwards on sale.
Fittingly, Braylon Edwards' first game as a Jet will come Monday night against the Miami Dolphins, the team that came closest to dealing for the wide receiver during the offseason. Before the NFL draft in April, the Dolphins pondered a deal that would have brought them Edwards and sent running back Ronnie Brown to the Cleveland Browns. Ultimately, the Dolphins decided against the deal, believing Brown was too much to give up in return for Edwards. Interestingly, the proposed trade pitted the second and third overall picks from the 2005 draft, in which Brown went No. 2 to Miami and Edwards No. 3 to Cleveland. For a brief period in the spring, it looked as though Edwards might be landing in Miami, not New York, in which case he would have been playing Monday against the Jets rather than for them."
Is this a private club ?
It's not a private club, but the cover charge is exhorbitant…kinda like the $110,000/catch the Jets are paying Braylon for the next 1 1/2 years.
Alan, obviously YOU didn't see the Jets game or you would know that Edwards was shut out in the first half and fumbled the ball after his longest catch-and-run of 41 yards.
And if you want to quote Schefter from just after the trade, he also said that Massaquoi could be a bigger star than Edwards…so what does he know?
Browns 1 win since trading Edwards and Winslow
Bucs 1 win since getting Winslow
Jets 1 win since getting Braylon
What does Schefter have to say now? Now that a month plus has gone by? Edwards is a bum. Winslow is awesome, but will break down again.
My shadow keeps tripping over it.
speaking of the cavs….anyone else notice that the cavs still can't run any semblance of an offense at the end of the game? had miami been able to make a couple shots that game could have been a loss because lebron and the dummy squad decided to either jack up the ball too quickly or fart around for 16 seconds before taking a jumper.
i still can't see this team winning with mike brown as coach.
So much for the Cavs getting Stephen Jackson….Charlotte traded Jackson and Acie Law to the Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic.
I'm sure Jax is thrilled to be going to the 3-6 Bobcats.
You know – this is the kind of game the Browns win and look awesome winning, teasing us like some test drive of a really expensive Italian sports car, before we revert back to the 25 year old Yugoslavian import we've come to know and love.
Just like last year's Giants game.
Browns by 2 touchdowns easy.
What the…
Someone is wearing jersey #17 for the Browns. That jersey number should be retired throughout the NFL out of respect for the hall of fame career of Braylon Edwards!!!
So much for the fan boycott…according to CBS Sportsline about the same number of seats remained occupied both before and after the kickoff as the boycott was ignored.