The axiom is as old as football: Teams that run the ball and stop the run win.
The Browns proved that the final month in beating Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Oakland and Jacksonville.
In winning the final four games, the Browns outrushed their final four opponents 900-464.
That means the Browns averaged 225 yards rushing per game.
Which is pretty amazing, all things considered.
Much of the credit for this goes to the offensive line.
Much goes to Jerome Harrison.
Much goes to the incomparable Josh Cribbs.
Much goes to Eric Mangini and the coaching staff for recognizing what needed to be done and for changing the blocking scheme to a zone blocking approach.
But I also can't ignore the fact that the opponents and weather conditions dictated the approach to a certain degree. Running the ball in the miserable weather against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville made sense. Running against Kansas City's miserable defense made sense. Oakland was ranked 29th against the run going into Sunday.
So let's not ignore the reality that conditions and opponents contributed to the 900 yards.
That being said, the Browns did gain 900 yards in four games and they topped 160 yards rushing in a game in each of the last four wins, something that hasn't happened since 1968. Which is impressive if I were coaching (and thank goodness I'm not).
Any team that plays four of five home games in Cleveland in December needs to run the ball to win. The Browns won because they ran successfully.
It's probably the top highlight of the last month.
Random thoughts …
–I don't know what to make of Jerome Harrison, except that he looked awful good the final month. Where he was the previous 12 games and three years is up for debate.
–The Browns are only the second team since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978 to start 1-11 and finish with four wins in a row. New England did it in 1993 under Bill Parcells, in Drew Bledsoe's rookie season.
–Mangini said Parcells pointed that fact out to him in a phone conversation earlier this season.
–Please spare me the talk that all these wins mean so much. They mean something, yes, but I ache for the day when the Browns win games in September and October instead of in December when their fate is long decided.
–And for all those who say I won't point out Alex Mack's play, I will point out that Alex Mack has played well as the season has progressed. I invite anyone to go back and read what I wrote the day after the draft and around the draft. I always said the choice was not because Mack might not be a good player, he might be a great player. My criticism was that when you have the fifth pick you take a standout instead of trading down three times for a center.
–Mangini never sounded better this season than he did in his postgame news conference. He was compelling in stating his case to stay, classy about the fact he might not stay and proud of how his team finished. As he talked I kept thinking that was the Mangini who sat down for the Clark Judge interview in the bye week, and I wish that Mangini had appeared from the get-go this season.
–LeCharles Bentley — whose work on radio is better than almost anyone in the area — made a good point on WKNR before the game. He said that Mangini's approach had alienated the fans and media early this season to such a degree that owner Randy Lerner had to step out of the background and make a dramatic move, which he did by hiring Mike Holmgren. Now, as Bentley pointed out, Mangini's fate is in question. Bentley should be on the networks. He's that well-spoken and insightful.
–Asked Corey Williams if all the negative stories this season were blown out of proportion or if there was justification. He hesitated, said: "You're putting me in a tough spot." Then he said: "No comment."
–Josh Cribbs weighed in in favor of Mangini, saying: "The discipline and details he brought to this team showed in the four straight wins." Every time I quote Cribbs I flash back to him saying this after the Browns lost at home to Pittsburgh last season: "We're going to take this loss and run with it."
–Derek Anderson was asked if the four wins to end the season made a statement about the coach and Mangini's ability to get the team to play. "I think it says more about the guys in there (the locker room)," he said. "Not giving up and playing for each other the whole second half of the season."
–As for all these quotes … whatever. The only opinion that matters right now is Mike Holmgren's. And we'll see how he decides.
Alan….do you want Cribbs' deal to be redone….or does your implicit opposition to redoing contracts trump performance…PERIOD.
I want Cribbs to give back the cash if he blows. That's all. Or, in the alternative, make the entire pay increase performance-based with tough to reach incentives, but reachable. Which naturally, Cribbs and his agent won't go for. They want to have it both ways.
What does it even mean to "outperform your contract?" Is Jamal Lewis going to give back one red cent of the money he didn't earn?
So…REALISTICALLY…you're opposed. The first thing you said ain't happening…the second…CAN happen…but it would probably result in a holdout…
Yes, I'm "opposed." It's a two-way street. He got himself a six-year contract, and nobody held a gun to his head. How is somebody "outperforming his contract" when he's merely doing his job? How can he "outperform his contract" when he has three years left on it? With the exception of the neighborhood gypsy, for all anybody knows, he won't even deserve the money the Browns are on the hook for already through the next three seasons, assuming he's still on the roster. Does Pat McManamon "outperform his contract" if he writes a really good column? Where was Cribbs last season? It sure wasn't in the Pro Bowl.
Alan,
Most people don't outperform their contracts, but some people do (and not nearly as many as, like not even 10%, who fail to perform at the level they're being paid — the Peter Principle?). Pat McManamon could outperform his contract by writing something that catches ESPN's attention and being invited on one of their shows — at that point, like Albom in Detroit, the Akron Beacon Journal would have to "redo" his contract to keep him. Print media wouldn't, but he'd have other offers then.
Ok, but really — and I've had this conversation on what celebrities get paid (for just being celebrities, sometimes, in the case of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears anymore). They get paid because when their name or picture is on the cover of a magazine, or in the previews for some show, people buy the magazine or watch the show. It's like movie stars — pick out one you like … when you see an advertisement for one of their films, you pay attention, I'd guess. So, why shouldn't that star get paid a portion of the big money the producers, film company, movie theaters are getting? They're the "talent." They're the "draw."
And Cribbs is the draw on the Browns. How much are the Browns worth, again? Pay the man!
Give him some added incentive pay, not guaranteed pay, then. Otherwise, tell him to clam up. It's getting old.
And Cribbs is "the draw?" The "draw" to what? They had to repeatedly get blackout extensions. Just because you're one of the few decent guys on a bad team doesn't make you a draw. Sure, you get curious when he returns a kickoff or a punt, but the same thing can be said for any good return guy out there.
I'm tired of reading that he occasionally plays more than just special teams, therefore he deserves more cash. Why? So should Julian Edelman now be given a lifetime contract? What about that dude on the Jets?
Pat!!!! Get in here and settle this debate, please. LOL
What's to settle? He's already one of the highest paid special teams guy in the league. Offer him an extra $200,000 a year to be in line with Brendon Ayanbadejo, and if it's rejected, then tell him to stuff a sock in it.
In response to alan's first comment that Jerome Harrison wouldn't last half a season with the workload he had the last three games…
Jerome Harrison averaged over 30 touches/game in his senior season for Washington State, so he's not a fragile player. He had 42 rushes in one game in his Junior season.
Obviously, he wouldn't average the 35 carries for an entire season that he did over the last 3 Brown's games. But, it's nice to know he is capable of handling that load if asked.
He might only last 2 or 3 more seasons producing that way, but that is common for NFL running backs.
Oh wait, he's a 5th round draft pick….and according to alan no playmakers come from that late in the draft. Sorry, my mistake.
They had an interesting hypothetical on "The Point After" on WKYC. If Lerner had waited until after the season ended to make any moves in the front office, would he have decided that all Mangini needed was a full season to get things the way he wanted? Would Lerner have decided to give Mangini another year? Maybe just get him some help to conduct the draft? I'd say that that is a likely scenario.
So, now when Holmgren cans Mangini on Wednesday, are all of the Mangini supporters going to be anti-Holmgren?
new Overlord=new coach …..This is the way it is done in the NFL!
Wait a minute … you're comparing running in college in the equivalent of half an NFL season to running in the pros? A couple of those games Washington State plays every year are against midgets from Ghana in the African Pygmy Conference. The APC. Please.
Harrison isn't a full season good primary NFL running back for any team other than one run by Mark Shapiro. Harrison is a young black David Dellucci. So get Mangini's brother-in-law on the phone, perhaps Eric will be agreeable to having to answer to family other than his wife. When Holmgren takes over head coaching responsibilities along with all personnel decisions within two years from today, he can terminate the entire Shapiro/Mangini clan in one fell swoop. The goofier fans will throw Holmgren a parade. Maybe they'll build him a statue in front of Richmond Mall.
Forget all this other stuff, on to something more important.
Can we get Holmgren to lose the ugly brown pants and mandate all white home uniforms again?
Harrison had 194 carries for the Browns this year…308 carries for 1900 yards in his 11 games as a Senior for the Cougars (that's 6.2 yards/carry against Haloti Ngata and the rest of the Pac 10 Pygmys).
@alan-why do even watch a browns game?"you are one pathetic loser" to quote lloyd christmas(dumb and dumber).you are very negative about even the positives.give the rest of us a rest and shut up already.perhaps if you had coached or even played sports you might have a better grasp of the dynamics of the game.after reading your posts all season,you sound like you have a man crush on the squealers.your rantings are irrelevant to fans of the BROWNS!go away.
Of all the players who have worn the uniform, I am convinced that Cribbs is one Browns player who will never give up and allow himself to suck. He deserves to make more money and he deserves to be on the field as much as they can get him on the field. Although I do not believe that they have found the best ways to utilize him in the offense.
Brian, Harrison had 1,000 carries in the last two games alone. He was 22 when he had 308 carries, and he did it for only one short college season against a few 150- pound middle linebackers.
He's an NFL scatback. Face the fact.
And toxicnut … I happen to live on Planet Earth, and I don't have "Peter Pan" on both DVD and Blu-ray. One day you'll grow up, too.
I don't understand that Cribbs and underutilized on offense stuff … he's been utilized pretty much to the max. The Wildcat is a gimmick that can be used only a few times a game, the same way wide receivers can only rush a few times a game on reverses. You can't do it 25 times a game, because it would fail 21 times. And Cribbs can't catch a pass, so he can't be used as a consistent receiver. And it's questionable if he can even throw, so he can't be used as a consistent quarterback.
He's a special teams guy. A good one. Which is how he's been used.
And the pants? Pants should not be all orange nor all brown. Especially all brown. It's a fashion faux pas. I'm still undecided if I like Arizona's all-red pants. Combined with the all red tops, some of the fatter guys look like giant blood clots.
Pat:
For the most part, I happen to enjoy reading your columns, and have told you so. This, time, however, I completely disagree with your assessment of the significance of the resurrection of the Browns' rushing attack the past four games. By 'damning' this accomplishment with 'faint praise' you seem to have forgotten just how far the running game has come. Week after week we heard how long it had been since the Browns scored a rushing TD. I think it went over a year, which means that the rushing attack Mangini inherited was pathetic. It remained pathetic for at least the first half of the season. When we finally scored on the ground it was on a QB sneak. Then we went a couple more games before a running back finally crossed the goal line. We can't come up with enough adjectives to adequately describe how consistently dismal our running game was.
It wasn't until the last four games that we started scoring regularly on the ground. It was a remarkable accomplishment- from a complete inability to punch the ball in, to excellence at scoring on the ground.
And let's not forget that Jacksonville's run defense though not the best, was far from the worst (they ended the season 19th, giving up 116 rushing yards/game), that they did have something to play for, however remote their chances were, and that they KNEW we were going to have to run the ball. Knowing what we were going to do didn't help them. We ran anyway. And we ran at will against the Steelers' 3d best rushing defense. And we ran even though our passing game was non-existent, and the other team knew that as well. When the heck was the last time we could say that about a Browns team? Probably when Mack and Byner were carrying the load.
And this was done with pretty much the same players Romeo had, with the exception of the rookie center Mangini drafted for the long haul, who did a heck of a job. So, the credit has to go to him and his coaching staff. The rushing game went from being a complete bust to virtually unstoppable.
Maybe you are correct that the players played hard, despite Mangini. But they stunk when they were playing hard. They didn't succeed until they started making and holding blocks, reading defensive alignments, and hitting the holes at the right time, not just trying to. For that, Mangini is entirely responsible.
Holmgren should recognize that Mangini has engineered a 'Pygmalion-like' transformation of the Browns running game, giving him a solid base upon which to build whatever offense he wants. Especially if he wants to win post season games in Cleveland.
I seriously doubt if Holmgren will keep Mangini on as a head coach. After the first 12 games it wouldn't even be a question. I really do think that after Mangini got rid of the troublesome personnel, (you know who I'm talking about) and played guys that really want to play football that he built a good football team. By then though, it was too late. I don't want to see anyone blow up our team and have to wait another three years to see a winner. I don't care who the president is. I hate the word "Czar"too. Give Mangini another chance and go Browns!