First and 10

1)      Perspective is an amazing thing. Driving North on I-71 Sunday night, the Cincinnati talk shows were abuzz about the Bengals falling to 0-4. The feeling: How in the world could they lose to the Browns? One announcer said, "I know we had the backup quarterback playing, but we should have beat that team." Said another: "Of the four losses this is the worst. The Browns are awful." Terrible, awful, you name it. From Cincinnati's perspective that was a brutally embarrassing loss. But watching the Browns as they left the field, there was nothing but relief. Smiles and relief. In Cleveland, a win mattered. In Cincinnati, it was a traumatic loss that led to sour chili.

2)      A few years back the Browns had one of those terrible losses and I was talking to a head coach in the league who marveled how bad the Browns had been beat. Who's next, he asked? Cincinnati, I said. Ah, those Bengals, he said. They always seem to come at the right time. Apparently the rule still applies.

3)      If Derek Anderson was not pulled from that game after that first half and that start to the third quarter, it's safe to say that it might take an act of the World Court to get Brady Quinn into a game in a non-injury, non-blowout situation. In truth, Romeo Crennel never really said last week that he was leaning toward replacing Anderson. He said Anderson would start and the team would get Quinn ready. Well getting Quinn ready meant Quinn got two extra snaps in the week of practice, according to Fox's Jay Glazer. This pretty much seems to be Anderson's team - at least as long as the Browns have any lingering playoff hopes.

4)      Eric Steinbach had a shoulder separation/sprain/bruise/weakness and was not expected to play. He did. Kevin Shaffer played with a cast on his hand. So did Shaun Smith. Which made me wonder about Donte Stallworth missing his fourth game with a quad pull. Crennel explained that his recovery was on time, that team doctors said Stallworth would need 2 ½-to-4 weeks to recover. It's kind of a shame this timetable wasn't released when Stallworth was hurt. It might have ended a lot of speculation.

5)      Braylon Edwards really is turning a lot of people off this season. As much as they were behind him a year ago, they are starting to turn on him this season. Edwards' $1 million donation to Cleveland school kids remains one of the more selfless acts of the past couple years. But his air-guitar routine after his touchdown catch was just a bit much to most people. I really don't blame anyone. It was Edwards' first touchdown. The Browns were struggling like mad to get by a winless team using its backup quarterback. Edwards is paid to catch touchdown catches. Yet Stevie Ray Braylon did his air guitar. Talk about lame.

6)      And … how did he avoid a penalty when Terrell Owens was penalized in the opener for taking a sprinter's stance. The official said Owens went to the ground. Well, so did Braylon Bon Jovi.

7)      Edwards also was quite vocal as he pranced off the field after the game, arms aloft and whooping almost the entire way. He yelled some drivel about something or other, and bounded into the locker room as if he had caught 18 passes for 327 yards and three TDs. I guess a guy can be excited after a game … but … you wonder if some of his teammates wanted to stick his shoes in his ears as he yelled and screamed his way into the locker room.

8)      Then again, it's not just him. Alex Hall celebrated his late sack and forced fumble with a fervor rarely seen in the Queen City. And on Monday night football every tackle is treated as if it just solved the economic crisis. How about just acting professionally? Once? Can a play just end without some sort of histrionics?

9)      I used to think that no waterfront could rival Cleveland's for wasted space. The lakefront downtown may be the biggest wasteland this side of Mad Max. Then there's Cincinnati. Two stadiums right on the river. Land that could be used for a great public park goes to stadiums. The rest is a concrete mess. Good to know Ohio has bookend wasted areas at the Northern and Southern extremes of the state. Oh … that drive on I-71 from Cleveland to Cincinnati? Now THAT's a thrill-a-minute route. Yeah, yeah, yeah … I'm too dadgum negative.

10)   With the score 3-3 Sunday, the Bengals PA system blared out "Here for the Party" by Gretchen Wilson. What a party that game was. After, Edwards danced off the field and said he'd do the exact same ridiculous play he was penalized for next time around. And Derek Anderson told Peter King of SI.com that the Browns "got their swagger back." If that game returns a swagger then it's time to start following beach volleyball more closely. There's a lot to be said for getting a win, and that should not be minimized. But there's also a lot to be said for being real, and the Browns, as their coach said, have a long way to go.

Three and Out

Dear Pat,

In your blog, you wrote: "At times I really wonder what ever happened to the quality of NFL football. The play that qualifies as professional really is lacking. I know. The Browns won."

That game was so ripe, I had to download load it on a DVD, double wrap it and put it out to the curb. One raccoon got into it, but vomited and immediately expired.

Ed

Columbiana

Dear Ed,

Great letter!

I tried the same thing as you, just to see what happened. Took a DVD of the game and put it on the curb. All night long folks walking dogs had to stop so they could raise their legs to relieve themselves on it (the dogs were raising their legs, by the way, not the humans, though that is a funny mental image). Eventually, raccoons, cats, possums, skunks, badgers, buffalo and the occasional giraffe and stork were lined up to let loose.

Dear Pat,

Howdy.

Anyone who was really watching this team last year, who they played and the way they won should have had doubts. Until some team proves me wrong, you ultimately win with defense. Fans fell in love with a supposed high octane offense and forgot we have a mediocre defense. Adding tonnage to the defensive line does not change that.

Pressure on the quarterback is the name of the game. Just look at what has happened to us, and we have no one putting any pressure on the opposing offense. This is supposedly Romeo's specialty; he has had four years to get it right, tell Savage what kind of players he needs, and it hasn't happened.

Remember I told you Savage had little confidence in Romeo when he took the job. I see nothing that says he has the right guy. Until they change it, everything else is hard to evaluate.

Kyle St. Peter

St. Louis

Dear Kyle,

Howdy-doo.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Romeo Crennel is a realist who knows he has to win to keep his job. But today Phil Savage pretty much made it clear he's not in favor of a major in-season overhaul.

Seems best if fans would accept the fact that Crennel is the coach and Derek Anderson the quarterback, and just see what happens.

I mean, it's not like they're going to struggle to beat a winless team playing a backup quarterback, is it?

Dear Pat,

How would you rate the job Phil Savage has done? A team playing this bad can't simply be the head coach calling bad timeouts or not being emotional enough. This team lacks talent on defense and its highly rated offensive line looks suspect. How many of Phil Savage's draft picks are in the NFL? His picks from the third round on have been shaky.  It takes more than drafting first-round picks right to build a team. Oops … looks like they haven't done that right either, (Kamerion Wimbley).

You can fire the head coach, and should fire the head coach, but this ORGANIZATION looks weak to me.

Eric

Dear Eric,

There's plenty of responsibility to be shared here. But - -WARNING: Here comes the ridiculous pollyana optimism at all costs statement - San Diego started 1-3 last season and made the playoffs.

As for Phil Savage's drafts, let's take a look:

2008 - The Browns will say this draft "produced" Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Whatever.

2007 - Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn, Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. Not bad.

2006 - Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, Leon Williams and Lawrence Vickers are left. You know, Vickers alone makes this group a good one. This guy is developing into a fierce fullback, a guy who destroys people when blocking and can run and catch as well. He's a very underrated and unnoticed sixth-round pick.

2005 - Kamerion Wimbley and a bunch of flotsam.

I shall let you judge.

(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)

At one point during the Browns oh-so-exciting win over the Bengals, an e-mailer sent a colleague a note in the press box that watching that game was like "watching a cactus grow."

Boy was it.

The Browns did not play well in their win, but they won, and that's what they needed. Boy did they. Because a loss to an 0-and-3 team with its backup quarterback playing would have been catastrophic and, yes, time to ponder what to do with the stadium once the team was disbanded.

There were silly penalties, silly mistakes, silly Putty and silliness in general, but there was a win.

"All games aren't going to be pretty," Braylon Edwards said. "There's not going to be 30 or 40 points scored or DA throws for 400 yards. You fight until the whistle blows and that's what we did."

In Edwards' case, he once fought until after the whistle blew, with a ridiculous block late in a play that drew a penalty. But he fought, catching the go-ahead touchdown and then celebrating it with some air-guitar routine before dancing off the field and into the locker room with both arms raised as if he had caught 18 passes for 371 yards. This illustrates two things: Edwards still doesn't really "get it," and the relief that the Browns felt from just winning was enormous.

"We don't care how it looks, how it gets done, we want to put Ws in the column," Edwards said. "The more Ws we get the better chance we have of being what everybody knows we can be."

In all honesty, we're still not sure what the Browns can be yet. We may think they have a chance at the playoffs, but they have a tough run of Giants on Monday night followed by a road game in Washington followed by a road game in Jacksonville. That's three tough games. But at least the Browns can go into those games off a win. Because even if it's an ugly win, it's at least a win.

Some thoughts -

–Romeo Crennel finally detailed that Donte Stallworth's injury was projected as a 2 1/2 -to-4 week injury, and that Stallworth is returning in that time frame. Too, Eric Steinbach said he never had a separated shoulder, just a shoulder sprain.

–The Browns again put Joshua Cribbs in the backfield. He took a shotgun snap and ran. The Bengals pretty much stuffed the play. One of these times the Browns need to have Cribbs throw, because everyone is expecting Cribbs to throw.

–After Derek Anderson went 4-for-10 for 27 yards in the first half, I'd have made the switch to Brady Quinn to start the second half. Romeo Crennel didn't. And finally his players backed him up by coming through after one of his decisions.

–How best to describe this game? Buffoonery. Lots of buffoonery.

–The Browns exulted at running the ball, but Jamal Lewis gained just 43 yards on 19 carries after gaining 36 on his first six.

–At times I really wonder what ever happened to the quality of NFL football. The play that qualifies as professional really is lacking. I know. The Browns won.

A couple quotes:

Derek Anderson on Romeo Crennel not pulling him: "I'm never going to quit on him. I'm going to put in the work and keep fighting no matter the situation."

Anderson: "It was obviously a frustrating week. To go 0-and-3 in games we had a chance in and the expectations we put on ourselves, it's frustrating. During the week we had a good Wednesday practice. Thursday got better. Friday was good. I thought guys mentally were helping each other in practice. You could tell that the attitude of everybody had changed. Not that it was bad before, but things were starting to come together for us."

Mike Adams on Carson Palmer not playing: "I was looking for two picks and I only got one. I needed Carson Palmer."

Joshua Cribbs: "It almost put tears in my eyes to see us play as a team - a complete team."

Ya know … there's really nothing to add to that.

First and 10

1)      I'm of the understanding that Derek Anderson starts Sunday's game in Cincinnati. Not a lot of thought at all to starting Brady Quinn. I don't know what the leanings are if Anderson falters, so we'll see what happens. But the Browns aren't really going into this game with the idea that Anderson will falter.

2)      I'm also of the understanding that though nobody is happy with the way the Browns are playing, Romeo Crennel's job is not in danger.

3)      Nobody seems to like that fact. But it's a fact. Cleveland sure seems to be a town that turns in a hurry. Either that or the angry minority is very vocal. There's no justifying the way the Browns have played, and I won't try. But changing the coach is not going to make them play better just because he's changed. Yes, there were some questionable field goal decisions in the first few games, and yes at times Crennel's lack of emotion works against him. But the Browns did have a good first half Sunday. The game turned on two Derek Anderson interceptions, both plays coming from standout Ravens defenders (Ed Reed and Ray Lewis). Some might argue that at times like these, when everyone is smelling blood and crying foul, the calm, same-as-ever approach of Crennel might come in handy. That approach helped after the opener last season when everyone (including me) was screaming and yelling. Maybe it will help this season. We shall see.

4)      As for Anderson starting over Brady Quinn, this statement to me seems to make it evident why Crennel will go with Anderson. Referring to Quinn, Crennel said: "If we decided to go with him, we'd just have to put it on the fact that what we've seen in practice and what we feel that he's able to do because there's no hard evidence that he would have success." That's not exactly a ringing endorsement that changing the quarterback will help win the game. And that is the idea - winning the game on Sunday. Based on that statement, it seems that the only reason the Browns would change the quarterback would be because they can.

5)      If the Browns win Sunday in Cincinnati (HEY … stop laughing) they have a bye week to then get healthy and get their bearings back. Then they play the Giants, at home, on a Monday night. Tough game. Very tough game. But if they somehow win the Browns will be 2-3, which is pretty much at or near where they were expected to be. First comes Cincinnati, though, and the Browns absolutely, positively, without a doubt must win to have any hope of salvaging a season.

6)      Since 1990, ninety teams have started 0-3. Three of those teams made the playoffs. That's 3.3 percent. Which means the Browns have a 3.3 percent chance of making the playoffs. Not high, but somebody has to be in that 3.3 percent, right?

7)      OK, someday the cow might actually jump over the moon. But don't the Browns have to think that way? Yes, this may be Pollyanna, rose-colored glasses and all that … especially given some of the opinions I've stated on this team. But it's hard to believe the Browns are actually as bad as they've looked, and it's hard to believe they will not play a good game at some point this season.

8)      Jamal Lewis had a valid complaint about not running the ball enough in Baltimore, but that game plan in no way equates to the one last season in Cincinnati when the Browns threw 49 times in swirling winds. Let's look at the facts. Up 10-7, the Browns took the second half kickoff and threw three short passes in a row - the third turned into an interception thanks to Ray Lewis' hit. The short passing game worked in the first half; it led to the lead. But Lewis' hit forced a turnover that led to Baltimore taking a 14-10 lead. The Browns then ran once, threw incomplete once on a short pass and at third-and-6 Anderson threw his worst pass of the day, the Ed Reed interception. Baltimore led 21-10. The Browns then ran Jamal Lewis for nine yards and Lewis for three and a first down. At this point, the game was very winnable. But Braylon Edwards made a ridiculous block in the back that negated the first down. A delay followed, which made it second-and-13, then third-and-13. They passed, then punted, then Mike Adams gave the Ravens 15 yards with a ridiculous personal foul, which gave them a short field to take a 28-10 lead. At that point, the Browns turned to the pass. But … when the game was close there were runs called. It's just that the Browns did foolish things when they did get positive gains and they could not sustain any kind of drive, which will limit the number of runs. This was not a case of bad play-calling, but bad playing, and that did the Browns in.

9)      That being said, if ever a week called for a team to return to bread-and-butter basics, this is it. The Bengals run defense is actually worse than the Browns. Cincinnati is giving up 174.3 yards per game, 4.7 yards per carry. The Giants ran for 117 yards, Tennessee for 177 and Baltimore for 229. If the Browns want to regain their offensive footing, this is the week to go back to pounding Lewis up the middle. If he does not leave the game with 25 carries, the Browns  have something in their Cheerios.

10)   I've been as hard as anyone on Edwards this year, and one good example why is that block-in-the-back penalty. It was a killer. And there was no reason for it. It was just ridiculous (did we mention it was ridiculous?). A coach can teach and coach and preach and threaten all he wants, but if his players commit penalties like that one (and like Adams' personal foul) the coach may as well be talking about Parcheesi. Because if the players don't listen, it doesn't matter.

You're An Idiot

Alan, one of my regular commenters/tormentors on this flog, asked last week: "Why has the previously promised weekly ‘You Are An Idiot' portion of First and 10 failed to appear? Much like the Browns, I guess your unfulfilled promise was nothing but hype."

Quite frankly Alan, it did not appear because nobody was calling me an idiot.

I call that "reader oversight."

Ted did write and say this, though: "Pat, once again you are not an idiot; I am. For watching these Browns."

Three and Out

Dear Pat,

Romeo Crennel not only inherited a team that was in disarray, but also the decades of frustrations of fans who have been let down by three professional franchises.  The irony is that these fans want to win now, but they want a new coach every few years.  This means that a new scheme will have to be implemented, which and (if it does work) may not produce results for two-to-four years.   People are stuck on a Super Bowl winning coaching coming in and setting up a Super Bowl winning franchise.  I ask the fans, how many times in NFL history has this happened?  In the last 20+ years it has only happened to Joe Gibbs.  Even in his case, fans wondered if the game had passed him by before he won his second Super Bowl.

I guess I see Romeo's situation to be similar to several other coaches in the league.

I remember in the early to mid-90's when Cleveland fans said that Bill Belichick didn't have the demeanor to be a good head coach.  He didn't express fire on the sidelines when mistakes were made.  He couldn't motive players to play hard for him.  Not to mention that he drove out a fan favorite.   What changed?  He tweaked his philosophy a bit when he got another chance as a head coach.

Tom Coughlin was under heavy fire after losing the first two games last year (not to mention people questioning Eli Manning).  This was preceded by a year where the team underachieved and players questioned his coaching ability.  They said he was too strict.  What changed?  He tweaked his coaching philosophy.

So now, Cleveland has a defensive minded coach who is being questioned by fans for the (lack of) defense. What Coach Dungy…wait, that was a Freudian slip because the same questions were asked of Tony Dungy before he won a Super Bowl.  What Coach Crennel needs is …

-an attitude changing player on defense, like a Ray Lewis.
-a young secondary to mature
-a defense to tackle and make plays in general
- his back-up players to step up until the wounded players return.
-his star receiver to put aside his press clippings and life outside of football, and go out and just play.
-his quarterback to be confident in himself, to let the world know that he is the man for the job and to make better throws and decisions when the team needs him the most.

Crennel is not blameless in this.  He needs to develop better discipline with his team.  He needs to tweak his philosophy a bit before it is too late, just like the other students under Parcells.

I guess I believe Crennel can win because his players still want to play for him, and you have two Super Bowl winning coaches (Belichick and Parcells) who say he is a good coach and they believe in him.

As I tell fellow investors (all too often I guess), you can't set up a successful business overnight.   There will be times of frustration, and many questions. It takes time, and there will be setbacks.

Thanks,

Will

Akron

Dear Will,

Good letter, however given the prevailing mood in town I think folks may be putting you in the "You're An Idiot" section with me. Be nice to have company!

Dear Pat,

Everything in your Monday article was dead on, but you missed one more thing that makes this kind of play even harder to take. In each of the three ridiculous losses so far, at some point in the game, while the Browns were being outplayed, outcoached, out-strengthed and out-finessed, one of the wannabes posed and primped on the field after making a routine play.

Where do you lay THAT? At Romeo's feet. Next to the horrendous play calling and players not knowing when they are supposed to be on the field. They looked like they ran the same play on 1st down 75% of the time. Anderson still looks at his receiver too long, but what's the difference when they drop the ball anyway.
It'll be 2-14. Write it down.

Eddie Vidmar

Dear Eddie,

The histrionics of players on the field has gotten to such absurd levels a guy can drop the ball at the 1-yard-line on Monday night football and it's hardly noticed.

There is such a "me" emphasis sometimes it's enough to make a person turn to soccer.

Dear Pat,

Enjoy your work. My question is, how would you rate the job Phil Savage has done? A team playing this bad can't simply be the head coach calling bad timeouts or not being emotional enough.

This team lacks talent on defense and its highly rated offensive line looks suspect. How many of Phil Savage's draft picks are in the NFL? His picks from the third round on have been shaky.  It takes more than drafting No. 1 picks right to build a team. Oops looks like they haven't done that right either, (Kamerion Wimbley).

You can fire the head coach, and should fire the head coach, but this ORGANIZATION looks weak to me.

Eric Graham

Dear Eric,

As I've stated often, there is plenty of responsibility to be shared right now, and the head coach can't do much with receivers who are not threats, with immature stars and without a legitimate secondary. Think Carson Palmer isn't looking forward to Sunday?

(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)

How do the Browns go from leading in the first half to being blown out of Baltimore in the second? Turnovers and silly penalties. Leading 10-7, Ray Lewis blew up Kellen Winslow on a short reception. Winslow was pretty much set up by Anderson, who led him right into Lewis, whose big hit led to Winslow giving up the ball and it being intercepted. That play seemed to energize the Ravens, who intercepted Anderson on the next possession and returned it for a touchdown. Then Braylon Edwards negated a first down run with a block in the back and Mike Adams retaliated after a punt, giving Baltimore good field position. The Browns did not play smart, well or physical. They deserved to lose.

Some other thoughts:

–Here's another example of silly play. Leading 7-0, the Browns had the ball. They committed two false start penalties and had to punt. A short punt gave the Ravens a short field, and they scored to tie the game. Just not smart.

–Baltimore's scoring drives were 43, 12 and 35 yards. Their other touchdown was an interception return.

–Ed Reed has to be on the list of Browns-killers. Seven of his 35 interceptions have come against the Browns. Two of his four touchdown returns off picks have also been against Cleveland.

–I don't go to Brady Quinn in Cincinnati. I give Derek Anderson one more chance. But I do give Quinn more reps in practice and if Anderson falters again, I make the call to Quinn. If Anderson is going to play this way, he's not going to be around past this year so there's no sense in not going to Quinn.

–This year Anderson has completed 47 percent of his throws, with two touchdowns and four interceptions. That's not good enough. And though it's not all his fault - when does Braylon Edwards come out of his slump? - Anderson is also not helping his cause.

–Is Romeo Crennel's future in doubt? Well, he's 0-3 and when he got his contract extension this offseason he was asked what it meant to him. "It means," he said, "that I've got to win this year."

–Kellen Winslow got held pretty blatantly on a pass across the middle in the third quarter. That miss hurt the Browns, as did Anderson missing a wide open Josh Cribbs down the sidelines in the fourth quarter.

–What in the world is with Donte' Stallworth.

–Sunday's game in Cincinnati - it's between two 0-3 teams to see who will get out of last place.

–Said Hank Fraley when asked if the team still could think playoffs, "We need to think about a win. If we win, then we can think about playoffs."

Item: The Browns had receivers catching footballs with numbers on them.

Evidently the idea is to teach the receivers to focus on the ball. As it approaches they shout out the number. Next week: A lesson on the location of the line of scrimmage.

Item: Gus Frerotte replaces Tarvaris Jackson as Minnesota Vikings quarterback.

I'm thinking that when you are replaced at quarterback by Gus Frerotte you know your career is in big trouble.

Item: The Browns drop to 21^st in Sports Illustrated's weekly power rankings.

Evidently there was a logjam at 22.

Item: In said ranking, Dr. Z points out that Braylon Edwards had "nine balls thrown to him, (and had) one drop (better than the four he had in the opener), [Note: I counted two drops] three catches for 13, 10 and nine yards, 32 total. OK for a spot player off the bench but dismal for the guy who was supposed to be the man, downfield."

This is supposed to be a problem?

Item: Donte Stallworth did not sound confident about playing Sunday in Baltimore.

And people wondered why this guy was on his fourth team in four years?

Item: Syndric Steptoe is starting at receiver for the Browns, and Brandon McDonald and Mike Adams in the secondary with Terry Cousin the nickel back.

In the background, you can kind of hear Romeo Crennel mutter, "And they rip ME for field goals?"

Item: Shin-Soo Choo has 11 home runs and 27 doubles in 86 games and just more than 280 at-bats.

Mr. Choo is impressing a lot of people.

Item: Fans booed when the Twins gave Grady Sizemore an intentional walk Wednesday night.

Fans always boo at two things: Intentional walks and fake pickoff throws. Why is that?

Item: The Indians will be the first visiting team in the new Yankee Stadium.

Think CC Sabathia might be starting with pinstripes that night?

Item: Footballs with numbers on them. For professionals.

There's really no making this stuff up.

Spent Wednesday at the Browns, talking to a lot of players about Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens. It would be a shock, beyond stunning, beyond astounding if TO does not have a huge day Sunday against the Browns secondary. The Browns can win, but they won't stop Owens, who figures to treat the Browns corners like a pair of inexperienced second-year starters. If Mel Tucker has any secrets stashed on how to stop the most explosive receiver in the league, this is the Sunday to use them. More on TO in tomorrow's Beacon Journal.

As for the injured guys, quarterback Derek Anderson seemed fine, as did WR Braylon Edwards. Jamal Lewis, though, sounded iffy. He said he'd try to practice and see how it went. And he said the only thing that fixes a hamstring is rest. Safeties Brodney Pool and Sean Jones were both on the field for the part of practice open to the media, and KR/WR Joshua Cribbs was even seen running around a little. It would be a huge surprise if Cribbs played, though. Two guys did not practice: OG Rex Hadnot and LB Kris Griffin. Both should miss the game.

On a conference call, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips was asked if Adam "PacMan" Jones would play any receiver this weekend. His response: "Well … we're not telling." Kind of sounded like the thought had crossed his mind. If it hadn't, it probably should. Dallas has no healthy or experienced depth beyond TO and Patrick Crayton.

Edwards pronounced himself ready to go, but did admit that the cut on the back of his heel did come close to his Achilles' tendon. … TO was on the conference call for the Cowboys, which was disappointing because had Tony Romo been speaking we could have asked some questions about Jessica Simpson. … My good friend Andre Knott, he of SVSM, discovered this interesting tidbit: Crayton and Donte Stallworth both had the same amount of receiving yards last season - 697.

Some more quotes from some of the principals:

• Owens on the sign he ripped down after scoring the last time he played in Cleveland Stadium: "I'm not real worried about what happened in the past."
• Owens on whether he became more team-oriented after he left the Eagles: "I think I'm pretty much the same person. I think maybe my choice of words has changed with the questions that are directed toward me. I think I changed the way I answer questions, but I think I'm the same pretty much across the board."
• CB Brandon McDonald on facing TO: "I'm looking for every challenge I can get … I'm trying for every challenge and I'm not backing down from the guy."
• McDonald, speaking of himself and fellow CB Eric Wright: "We're guys who like to compete. I think that's one of our major pluses. We like to get things done."
• Browns coach Romeo Crennel on how Anderson looked in Monday's practice: "Not as sharp as they could have been. Hopefully the rest of the week we can get him sharp."
• Crennel on whether he'd prefer facing a team in the opener that did not have a Terrell Owens lining up across from his corners: "I don't think it makes much difference who you open with, because they're going to get thrown on and going to get tested. Whether they can stand up to the test is the question. You just have to wait to find out."

A few thoughts on a Browns game that produced very little for thought …

The first-team offense provided enough positives to let everyone breathe a little easier heading into the season. Brady Quinn led the starters to a field goal and touchdown, and the unit was sharp.

Quinn should have hit Kellen Winslow for a touchdown, though. Poor throw.

The offensive line, too, finally played like it’s been expected to play.

Derek Anderson was on the sidelines. He left the locker room without addressing the media, but did give a thumbs-up signal on his way out. Expect him to return to practice next week.

Braylon Edwards got a pretty nasty cut on his foot – nobody has said how many stitches he needed, to my knowledge – but the team expects him back as well. Same with Jamal Lewis, who strained a hamstring.

It was not good to see starting guard Rex Hadnot leave with a strained knee. But if the Browns are to lose anyone up front, at least they have experienced backups in Seth McKinney and Ryan Tucker on the team.

Travis Wilson might have done enough to save his job, especially if Syndric Steptoe’s shoulder injury keeps him out any length of time.

Observers said Steptoe did not seem seriously injured as he left the locker room. The Browns will need either he or Josh Cribbs to be healthy for the opener.

It’s hard to gauge these injuries during games. The team says what is hurt, and gives the chances of return (probable, questionable, doubtful, will not return). Other than that, the media pretty much knows what everyone watching on TV knows. Details on the guys hurt in the finale will be available probably on Saturday when GM Phil Savage discusses the final roster.

The Browns finished preseason 0-4, the second time in team history they went winless in preseason. But as Romeo Crennel said: “We could've been 4-0 and if we lose to Dallas you're going to ask what went wrong."

Someday we will all look back on this date and remember it as the day that Martin Luther King gave the “I Have a Dream” speech, the night that Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination and the night when the Browns concluded the preseason that seemed to drag on forever.

Where is Adriana Lima when you need her?

The acquisition of Travis Daniels via trade kind of shows where the Browns secondary resides at the moment. Daniels does not seem to be the kind of guy who will be a major contributor, but he's probably all that was realistically available at the moment. The trade for Daniels indicates the secondary's struggles are real, and the depth is a concern. Daniels is neither a star, nor a stiff. He was very big with the Dolphins secondary when Nick Saban was coach, probably because Saban coached him at LSU. Bill Parcells didn't want him. Hardly a ringing endorsement, eh? The Browns got a guy Saban liked and Parcells didn't. Parcells can be wrong, though, and Daniels has started in the NFL, and he is a Florida guy, which means he has some credentials. But Deion Sanders, Mike Haynes or Hanford Dixon? Don't think so. Heck, he might not even be Anthony Henry. Daniels will probably fight to be a third or fourth corner. If he unseats Eric Wright or Brandon McDonald, things are not exactly going well in Peoria.

Meanwhile, the injury list for the third preseason game — the one that is supposed to really matter — includes some big names: QB Derek Anderson (concussion), KR Josh Cribbs (ankle), RB Jamal Lewis (hamstring), S Brodney Pool (concussion) and LB Willie McGinest (groin). It is doubtful any will play against Detroit. This is significant only in that the third practice game is supposed to be the last chance for a team to get its act together. It will be tough for a team to get its act together with all those players on the sidelines.

One does not want to be an alarmist after two preseason games. But some of these injuries are concerning, especially Cribbs' ankle sprain and the concussions sufferd by Anderson and Pool. There's no telling how long they will affect the players. It's entirely possible all could be playing by opening day, but if the Browns had a choice I'm sure they would prefer to have them on the field this Saturday in Detroit, and would very much prefer not heading toward the season opener with this kind of uncertainty lingering.

Here's what Romeo Crennel had to say about the injured guys:

"As far as our injuries, D.A. (Derek Anderson), Brodney Pool, Willie McGinest, Jamal Lewis, (Josh) Cribbs were not out here and those guys are resting, taking care of their injuries. Now with D.A. and Brodney it’s concussions and sometimes with concussions you’re a little sensitive to light so we’re going to let them rest for a day or so and then see where they are and when they get their baseline back then they’ll be out and they’ll start practicing again. Cribbs has an ankle that he’s working on, trying to get that right, Jamal has a hamstring and Willie has a groin. So those guys, all of them, I know they want to be out here, they’ll work to get out here and that’s what we’re dealing with there."

On Braylon Edwards:

"Braylon (Edwards) is doing OK. We’re trying to keep Braylon off his feet so that he doesn’t re-open that wound. So he’s making progress, the wound is healing but we’re going to be a little cautious with him to try to get it healed up because at his position where he runs and cuts, the thing that we don’t want to happen is we don’t want him to break it open. And then continually, we have to work through that and probably he’ll have to miss more time if it gets to that point, so we’re going to let it heal and then get him back out here. But he’s in a good frame of mind and he’s doing good.”

Who is the third quarterback?

“We’re auditioning tonight (joking). No, we’ll come up with some kind of plan to take a look at it. We’ve got several guys on the team that have been quarterbacks in high school so we’ll get an emergency plan ready so that if we need it, we have it.”

On if the injured players will play on Saturday

“It will be tough for them to make Saturday because if they missed today, which they did, and they’ll probably miss tomorrow, then they’re probably not going to be ready to play. So they’ll sit out Saturday and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Welcome to a new weekly feature on this blog. It’s called First and 10, and truth be told it’s not new at all. It’s really old. For some years now I’ve e-mailed this First and 10 newsletter on the Browns to those who asked. Free! How cool is that. You want it, it arrives once a week in the e-mailbox (Is that not an annoying word?) Well the folks at “corporate” have decided that blogs are now the greatest thing since sliced bread. So the folks at “corporate” have deemed it wise to put First and 10 on the blog and not send it out via e-mail. In truth, we don’t have a “corporate,” just a bunch of folks running around with titles. Apparently I have a title now, but it doesn’t carry more weight than the guys who wear ties. At times, I’d like to ask them: “Why so serious?” But I digress. Beginning today, First and 10 will be part of the blog every Tuesday, unless circumstances or technology force it to Wednesday.

On to First and 10…

1) Football coaches must be geniuses of the highest order. They can look at preseason film and break it down and actually come up with some insight into what they saw. Take the debacle that was the Browns preseason opener (which cost some of you up to $70 to attend, thank you very much). That game was the lead argument for the abolishment of preseason football, or the marketing gurus in the NFL office who decided you have to pay full price for those fiascos of games, whichever you want to wipe out first. The offensive starters were in the game for nine plays. The defensive starters for nine plays. Yet the coaches actually can learn something! These guys must be the most brilliant of the brilliant, because they can actually watch these few plays and dissect each individual’s play and draw some conclusions.

2) I just don’t get preseason NFL football.

3) Let’s consider Shaun Rogers, the team’s new defensive lineman. Rogers started and was the object of many cheers when he was credited with a tackle. In his time on the field, he looked good. But the fact is he should look good. Everyone I’ve ever talked to about him said that when he plays and he cares, he’s nearly unblockable. The problem is that his weight takes a toll, and eventually he wears down. So to find out if the Browns really have something in Rogers, we need to see him in the third or fourth quarter, after he’s played a half and the temperature is in the low 70s. To see if he wears down. If he tires. Then we need to see him in the second half of the season, after he’s been playing into the fourth quarter for eight out of nine weeks. To see if he’s in good enough shape to last a season. I would submit that though one would rather Rogers look good instead of bad, judging him on these handful of plays and coming to any sort of conclusion is folly. Poppycock, in fact.

4) The column I wrote from the game (How’s that for self-righteous self-importance, pointing to “my column”? Not bad, eh?) centered on Braylon Edwards and his marvelous touchdown catch. In the column, I pointed out how good he was last year and that he might be the most indispensable Brown this year. Several folks commented on line to the effect of “Well, duh, there’s an insight.” They’re right of course, but Edwards’ cutting himself on the heel while running in socks (huh?) after practice on Saturday kind of highlights the point. Let’s take Edwards out of the offense for two, three weeks, and let’s see exactly what the Browns have in receivers. Think about it. You’ll share my concern.

5) Had to enjoy Romeo Crennel’s response to Edwards’ injury. It was Crennel at his straightforward, bottom-line best, who said: “What can you do about it, other than try to educate them?” Suggestions to avoid silly injuries like the one Edwards got might include following them 24-7, assigning a security guard to be with him every minute of every day or installing a special shoelace with a combination lock. The team can advise a guy not to do something like that, but if he goes ahead and does it … well what can you do. Reminds me of the night Gus Frerotte decided to celebrate a touchdown in Washington by smashing his head into a wall. He sprained his neck. Then-coach Norv Turner said after the game: “Guess I’ll have to put that one in a manual.”

6) Nice of John Edwards to stand up big, eh? Lovely role model there. Almost as funny as Bill Clinton making that strong stand for monogamy in one of his speeches. Clinton made the plea in the context of stopping the spread of AIDS, but the notion of him talking monogamy almost brings giggles. Maybe he and Edwards can have lunch some time.

7) The Browns first-team offense looked very good the other night. Jamal Lewis did indeed look quicker. The offensive line blocked well. Derek Anderson threw the ball well. Donte Stallworth made a couple catches. And Edwards had that marvelous one-hand snag for the touchdown. They did all this without Kellen Winslow too. If one can draw a conclusion from nine plays, it would be that it was good to see the offense took their time seriously. But they simply cannot afford to lose Edwards for any extended period of time and hope to be close to the same unit.

Eight) The secondary depth is a real concern. The backups were pretty much torched in their time, and their time was significant because they were in for a significant amount of time. If Brandon McDonald or Eric Wright is injured, the Browns might be calling Houston. Because they’ll have a problem. Friend of mine once referred to that line as: “Houston, we’re breaking up.” Like they were using cell phones or something. This happens sometimes. People get confused. People break up. “Houston, we’re breaking up.”

9) Maybe it’s just the way they’re perceived now, or maybe it’s playing experience, but Derek Anderson seemed much more like the starter and Brady Quinn much more like the backup in the first practice game. Anderson was confident, and Quinn continued something he’s been doing in practice and throwing a lot of underneath passes. Not sure what this means, but that’s the way it seemed.

10) Here’s another reason preseason football is ridiculous. I actually heard someone phone in to one of the talk radio shows after the game proposing that Syndric Steptoe return more kicks so Joshua Cribbs can take more snaps with the offense. This brings to mind two questions: Are you nuts? And, are you nuts? It also brings to mind the time when, in a previous life, I covered the Miami Dolphins. O.J. McDuffie was one of the better punt returners in the league, and he was about to take over as a starting wideout. I ran across Mike Westhoff, the special teams coach (one of the better ones in the league), and asked him if the team planned to give McDuffie a break on returns because he was going to start. He looked at me like Japanese beetles were crawling out of my eyes. “A break?!?!?” he said. “A break?” I mumbled something totally incoherent. “Do the Steelers give Rod Woodson a break?” he asked. That pretty much ended the conversation, and Westhoff was kind enough to lift the tiles off the floor so I could crawl back in my hole. Point, and I learned it: In the NFL, you put the best guys on the field, and Cribbs is one of the two best return men in the league. Any time he fields a punt or kickoff he can score. He won games last year with his returns. The guy is great, and taking him away from what he does best is just silly. As for Steptoe .. please. He may develop into a nice player, but at this point he’s one of the guys who thrive in preseason. Because he gets to play because the coaches decide to put the starters on the bench after one series even though all the poor fans in the seats paid full price for their tickets. If it were not for preseason, exhibition football, Steptoe would be a name on the roster who is inactive every week. Cribbs might not deserve a new contract at this point in time – he did sign his own deal, as I do recall – but he is one of the most dynamic returners in the game. And barring injury, blowout or exhaustion, he should return every kick the other team makes.

Three and Out

This is the spot where I answer three letters. But I don’t have three letters. So this is the spot where I tell you if you have a comment or question you’d like addressed in the newsletter to post it here or e-mail me at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Then I pick three letters or comments I like and answer them and call them Three and Out. Thus ends the newsletter-that-has-become-a-blog-post. Clever eh? Three and “Out”? In lieu of three letters in Three and Out, I present three quick points:

1) Shame that Gary Baxter and LeCharles Bentley were cut; they did all they could to come back from some pretty serious and dangerous injuries.
2) They – and others – occasionally got angry when their comebacks were described as longshots and potential miracles. Fact is they were.
3) Count me as officially “surprised” if either play in the NFL again.

Pat