1)      I'm thinking that right now the Lions ought to be favored by nine.

2)      Imagine that. The Browns a more-than-deserving near-double digit underdog to a team that has one win since the start of the 2009 season. Say this for the Browns: They've earned it.

3)      For the second game in a row, the Browns opponent played down to the Browns level, yet won fairly easily. Baltimore played about as well as Chicago played against the Browns, which is to say pretty poorly. One mistake by a cornerback, one mistake by a quarterback — game over. With never a threat that the Browns would come back on their own to win. Expectations have been driven so subterranean that it's worthy of celebrating when the Browns hold a team to a scoreless half.

4)      Nothing Eric Mangini tries is working. Nothing. His quarterback competition. Working players harder. Bringing in his players. Forcing Cribbs into the wide receiver spot. Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. George Kokinis. Calling timeout against Cincinnati, which only served to set up the Bengals touchdown that sent the game into overtime. Not calling timeout against Baltimore as his guys were trotting on the field when the Ravens lined up at the 13. Going no-huddle against Baltimore. None of it has worked. None of it. And were it not for a botched punt return by Buffalo, we surely would be looking at an oh-and-nine team right now. This is not bad luck, though. It's bad coaching. Bad coaching, bad decisions, bad everything.

5)      Calling that hook-and-lateral with three seconds left and the Browns down 16 was inane. What was the point? The game was over. O-v-e-r. Running that play only served to injure one of the Browns best players. Yes, injuries are sometimes bad luck. But in this case the Browns made their own bad luck with an ill-advised play call at a point of the game when that call was not necessary.

6)      It was almost as ludicrous as having Brady Quinn throw two bombs the previous two plays. Were those going to somehow tie the game? Even if they were .. . well … actually thrown inbounds.

7)      When we assess the Browns offense Monday night, let's not forget the Browns were coming off a bye. Which means they had two weeks to prepare for Baltimore. Two weeks and they come up with that performance. The NFL is a passing league, and most teams move the ball by opening up the field and running receivers in different patterns all over the field. Except … the … Browns. It seems obvious now that the Browns have two different game plans for Derek Anderson and Quinn, and that the coaching staff does not trust Quinn to throw down the field, except in the rarest of instances or when they are down 16 and less than 20 seconds are left.

8)      Eric Mangini said after the game that the Browns are trying to throw the ball downfield with Quinn. "We're not avoiding that part of the field," he said. Well it sure looks like they are. Just about every play Quinn ran was a quick rollout and quick throw. Usually for four-to-six yards. It looked like a JV offense for the high school team.

9)      People say that we now know about Brady Quinn, that he's not an NFL quarterback. I'm not buying that. I don't think we know anything more about either quarterback because it's next to impossible to judge them based on the offense being run and the plays being called. I would not shrink from bringing in a new quarterback next season, but I also would not give up on Quinn because of this season.

10)  I don't understand why Mangini didn't call for a timeout when he didn't have the players on the field with Baltimore at the 13-yard-line. The last Brown was trotting on the field as the ball was snapped. Mangini called that timeout earlier in the season against Cincinnati in a similar circumstance and he didn't need to. This time he needed to and he didn’t call timeout. Nothing is working. Too, how can it be that at this point of the season the Browns can't even get the right guys on the field for a critical play. Ten men with the other team lining up at the 13? This is the attention to detail that is stressed so much by this regime? What a joke.

Three and Out

Dear Pat,

 I don't always agree with you, but I certainly do with your latest article. It's blown my mind that this is the third season that Brady Quinn has been a member of the team and we still don't know if he's an NFL quarterback. One of the best ways to help Quinn's confidence is to run the football and limit how many times he has to throw it.  This is what Marty Schottenheimer did when they were breaking Bernie Kosar in 24 years ago.

It would be nice to see some close, competitive games in the second half of the season, huh?

Steve Bohnenkamp

Geneva IL

Dear Steve,

The Browns ran fairly well Monday night, but they had their backs run 24 times (including one WR reverse) and had Quinn throw 31 passes. This seems like forcing the pass to maintain balance, especially considering the passes the Browns threw.

As for competitive games … we've reached the point where we hope to compete against Detroit … Kansas City … Oakland.

Uncle.

Dear Pat,

Eric Mangini was such a terrible hire from the very start. My most pressing concern as a Browns fan is to see him gone. At the same time, I have this sinking feeling that the search for a new Chief Football Officer is going to be similarly botched—too rushed, too shortsighted, too fixated on a name. 

 Now, I don’t know if the Mike Holmgren rumor is for real or just one of those half-baked ESPN reports. But look at his resume in Seattle: In 10 seasons as coach he was 12 games over .500 (in a consistently pathetic division), he posted a 4-6 playoff record, and after four years on the job he was stripped of his GM duties (with a 31-33 record)—duties which he was denied in Green Bay.

 So is Mike Holmgren any good at having final approval on players or constructing and leading an organization? Isn’t that the job? I’m not saying he wouldn’t be an upgrade over the current regime. I mean, the bar’s been set right at about ankle level. But even a future Hall of Famer can be unqualified, and at this point I’ve seen enough unqualified people come through town.

Michael Stevens

Boca Raton, FL

Dear Michael,

Valid points on Holmgren. Let me address some of them:

1)      The Browns want him to be a candidate. Whether he becomes one is up to him.

2)      Holmgren had the record you mentioned in Seattle, but he also took two different teams to the Super Bowl. That says something too.

3)      He lost the GM job, but that's because he was doing two jobs. I think he's smart enough and knows football well enough that he could be a strong and positive guiding hand while doing one job.

4)      Would Holmgren look more attractive if he brought Jon Gruden with him as coach?

5)      Which of these names has the most rings: Holmgren, Bill Cowher, Brian Billick, Jon Gruden. Answer: All the above. They all have one.

6)      I think you'll see a different type search this time than the one Randy Lerner conducted in January. I think he'll involve more people, ask more opinions and get more feedback. This is good.

If the Browns can hire Mike Holmgren, I'm all for it.

Dear Pat,

I know a lot of fans were hoping the Ravens would embarrass the Browns to hasten the departure of Mangini and to secure the overall No. 1 pick.  And I kind of felt that way following the Bears game, amidst the intrigue of the Kokinis firing/resignation.  But by the middle of last week I was actually looking forward to Monday night, dreaming that the bye would be a reset, the staff would finally get it together, and that in his return Brady would become the Mighty Quinn and begin a Browns career that would place him up there with other Browns championship QBs, like Otto Graham, and Frank Ryan, and……umm….well, you get my drift.  And yea, the first half was OK because it was a draw and anything was still possible.  Then came the third quarter.

 And while it may be simplistic and unfair to distill this disastrous season down to one play, for me it all came down to one critical moment in this coaching regime's tenure.  Score 0-0, just gave up a big play to the Ravens, but an opportunity remains to take back the momentum with a stop, where even a Ravens' field goal would be a positive for the Browns.  And in the ninth game of the season, after two weeks to prepare, THEY CAN'T EVEN GET 11 MEN ON THE FIELD.  Honestly, how is that possible?  That, of course, led to Ray Rice's TD and that opened the door to yet another national embarrassment.

So while there is a lack of talent on the Browns, and competing with such a deficit is extremely difficult, it is now clear to me that this is really a secondary problem.  The first problem, and one that will ensure failure regardless of the talent level, are the people coaching and preparing the team.  Lerner must jettison Mangini now because he has no future with the team.  Keeping him for the remainder of the season will only serve to scare off talented candidates for GM who don't want to worry about being stuck with an awful coach or don't want the hassle of having to fire him.  Really, this is the only option that remains.

Dan Hough

Dear Dan,

I really can't disagree with much of what you say … but comparing Brady Quinn to Otto Graham? Wow.

That’s even worse than this colossal failure of a season.

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Well … Brady Quinn got more time than Charlie Frye …

Now we have Derek Anderson returning to the Browns starting lineup at quarterback. Quinn’s dream lasted 10 quarters, and now it’s in the land of the unknowns.

I wasn’t real thrilled with the way Quinn played, but the more I think the more I wonder if it was him.

It’s hard to buy that Quinn has totally regressed in a year. In two starts last season he threw for more than 420 yards – and scored 59 points. This season he was the ultimate dink and dunk player. Clearly something changed, though Quinn can’t come out and say what it is for fear of being fined for saying the wrong thing. It seems obvious, though, that a conservative head coach and inexperienced and conservative offensive coordinator put so many shackles on Quinn that he didn’t have the chance to function properly.

Judgments are made so quickly in the NFL these days. Derek Anderson was trashed in this town last season after he had thrown 29 touchdown passes the year before. Now he’s back as the starter. Did Anderson lose his ability last season? Hardly. Circumstances did him in, some of which were his play. But had Braylon Edwards caught that deep pass against Baltimore, a ton of things might be different right now.

Has Quinn lost the ability that had everyone celebrating his selection in the first round of the draft, and that put 59 points on the board a year ago? Hardly. He’s also a victim of circumstance, though I believe most of the circumstances that hurt Quinn were not all in his control

The difference between Quinn and Anderson is not as simple as saying Anderson will throw the ball down the field more. Anderson will take chances. Quinn seems most inclined to do what he’s told, and clearly he was told not to take chances, to avoid the mistake. So he played that way, and it didn’t look good.

Quinn did not help himself on the field. But he really was shackled, which didn’t help either. It’s hard to think this won’t affect him. In fact, there’s some thinking it might do so much damage to his psyche and confidence it might ruin him. I’d like to think Quinn is mentally tougher than that – quarterbacks are treated like they’re so dadgum fragile – but this can’t help his confidence.

Will Anderson do another bail-out-the-Browns against Cincinnati? Who knows. The team is different, the defense is still bad and Anderson did throw three picks in the second half against Cincinnati. Too, the morale on this team seems to be subterranean.

It’s really incredible, though. Name the last quarterback to be promoted to the starting job after throwing three interceptions in a half. At this rate, six picks might put him in Canton.

And name the last time there was a protracted and extended quarterback competition that resulted in the winner getting 10 quarters to prove himself. The only thing that makes it not shocking is the Browns did it two years ago after a couple quarters.

And consider the final preseason game when Eric Mangini decided neither Quinn nor Anderson needed to play. Now we have this return to the quarterback shuffle, a shuffle that seems endless in Cleveland.

The more I write and think about this entire thing – the quarterback move, the ramifications, etc. – the more ridiculous it seems.

What a mess there is in Berea.

First and 10 27 with the Browns

 1)      Well things are just peachy now, eh? It’s hard to believe the Browns could be more of a mess, and a revived Cincinnati team arrives Sunday. It’s also hard to know where to start with this team. There are only 10 items (though the name did change this week) and the Browns show no signs of heading in a positive direction. There is talk of the team quitting, of Eric Mangini’s ways being too oppressive and of a negative feeling in the locker room toward the head coach that might be impossible to stem. The Browns may face another tough decision before the season ends – if things don’t change. Losing always brings out the negatives, and in the Browns case much of it is directed toward Mangini. It’s a mess. A m-e-s-s.

2)      There has been national speculation that perhaps Mangini will not make it through the season. I speculated that very thing in Monday’s Beacon Journal. And I think it’s justified – if things do not change. This team is in disarray. There is not a single position on the team that is better than it was a year ago. It took the fifth pick in the draft – a potential spot for an impact player of some sort – and traded down three times for a center. That’s center. C-e-n-t-e-r. A bunch of guys have been brought in who have not helped. The team’s mood is horrible. There does not seem to be a drop of belief in the coach. The quit word has come up over and over again. The best thing the Browns have going for them is Rob Ryan, and right now his defense can’t defend a flea. If the problems and the losing persist, continuing on the same road for the sake of doing so is just compounding a mistake.

3)      In past years I did not cry for coaches to be fired, even when they had bad records. Romeo Crenel had some really bad games, but he never lost his team. The players always played for him. And if they had a stinker of a game, they usually followed with a good effort. Chris Palmer’s teams competed. The 1999 expansion team lost by seven in Baltimore and actually laid a hand on guys when they scored. They beat Pittsburgh. As bad as those teams were, they beat Pittsburgh. They also did not avoid the head coach on the sideline like he had Bubonic plague. One might recall that at the end of the 2007 season the players presented Crenel with a game ball and a thank you, leaving him pretty emotional.  I’m not thinking that Mangini is on many players’ Christmas lists at this point. It’s probably not even fair to say Mangini lost this team – because there never seemed to be a point where he had it.

4)      The schedule is not pretty, not with two road games in Buffalo and Pittsburgh following Sunday’s game against Cincinnati. Pittsburgh is (sorry) a loss. Buffalo is not all that great, but going there 0-4 would not be like charging in with the Light Brigade. After those two games come a home game against Green Bay and a trip to Chicago. The hope in all these games isn’t based on the Browns suddenly finding themselves; it’s on the opponent. As in, maybe Cincinnati will go back to playing like Cincinnati and maybe Buffalo will be torn up by Terrell Owens by that point (though one would guess that if any cornerbacks can revive TO be season, it’d be the Browns). It’s never good when you look at a team that’s playing poorly and say: Well that other team might be worse.

5)      At this point Mangini has to rally the team. Maybe he can. He best hope he can. But the clear feeling I get from league insiders is that Mangini will not try to be upbeat this week, but instead will hammer the team mentally for losing, and that this week will be tougher than tough. Maybe that’s what’s needed. We’ll see. But the general feeling from those I speak with is that that kind of negativity is what has the Browns where they are now. Players are beat down, beat up, playing like they’re tired and playing completely uninspired (hey, is that iambic pentameter rhyming, a la Shakespeare?). Manginieth does noteth seemeth like the coacheth who can get that doneeth.

6)      The negativity toward Mangini is growing around the league as well. There’s a lot of chuckling in Seattle because of the signing of Floyd Womack. His nickname – Pork Chop – makes him sound like a gnarly offensive lineman. In reality, he’s been a walking injury report. In the past five seasons, he’s had elbow, triceps, quadriceps, knee, groin, hamstring and foot injuries. Nobody in Seattle is surprised he’s now been out with an ankle, but they were surprised any team signed him as a free agent. Since 2005, he’s started 26 of 67 games (14 of them last season) and missed 19 due to injury. Yet the Browns signed him and touted him as a hard-nosed guy. That’s our Browns.

7)      Then again, Womack was playing because Rex Hadnot was hurt. Who’d have thought Rex Hadnot would be this team’s lynchpin?

8)      The great mystery of this early season is what happened to Brady Quinn.  A year ago, he threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns against Denver, then threw for 185 yards in a win over Buffalo. In that game he guided the Browns on a 96-yard touchdown drive, and led the team to the game-winning field goal. This season he’s looked lost. The difference? Clearly he has no confidence. Insiders say he’s been so programmed to avoid the mistake he was playing scared, which is impossible. It’s the only reason Derek Anderson might change things, because if he’ll do anything he’ll take chances. The Browns would have to live with his interceptions, but he’d also get the ball down the field. Quinn was so tied in knots by this coaching staff that he could not do a thing. I’m not at all sure, though, that Mangini is the kind of coach who will live with interceptions. Me, I’d start Anderson and hope for a miracle against the Bengals like Phil Savage got two years ago. There’s an inherent risk because Anderson pretty well figures this is his last season in Cleveland so he’s just going to go out and wing it. But … nothing ventured, nothing gained. And at this point, the Browns have to venture somewhere and try something.

9)      At some point, too, some questions have to be asked about Brian Daboll, who kind of makes you pine for Maurice Carthon, but really makes you lust for Terry Robiskie or Bruce Arians. Daboll opened Sunday’s game in Baltimore with some quick-hit passes, but after an interception four plays in he went right back to the same old stuff. Daboll’s inexperience seems glaring, and a team with a young quarterback has a defensive head coach and an inexperienced coordinator trying to guide him. Is it any wonder Quinn looks confused?

10)  Brian Robiskie has been spending his Sundays with Amelia Aerheart. One of the reasons given is that he’s not able to contribute on special teams. Anyone tell me how many receivers contribute on special teams? The answer: One. Josh Cribbs. Mike Furrey, Mohammed Massaquoi and Braylon Edwards do not play special teams. Why then is Robiskie required to do so? And if he is, didn’t he do fairly well on special teams in the final preseason game (yes, it was the final preseason game)? Is the guy considered the most polished and most NFL ready receiver in the draft that far behind? Or is there another unspoken reason he’s not playing? I don’t know. I just wonder.

OK .. I just can’t stop at 10 …

11)  The San Francisco 49ers, who are 2-1, sent out this news release about injured players: “The results of a MRI on 49ers RB Frank Gore show a right ankle strain and a right hind foot sprain that will sideline him for approximately three weeks The results of a MRI on T Joe Staley show a right quad contusion and he is listed as day-to-day. The results of a MRI on S Reggie Smith show a right groin strain and he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.” Not only did the walls not collapse in the 49ers facility, the team is actually winning. Any explanations on how the 49ers can actually reveal this information and … umm … accomplish something on the field are welcome.

12)  Randy Lerner is taking a lot of public heat for the state of the team. This comes with the territory. He did in fact hire Mangini. And my guess is he will recognize this reality. Calling for him to sell the team, though, is pretty silly. Unless you want to go door to door in the neighborhood, I’m not guessing there are many people in the area with $1 billion sitting around to spend on a football team. How Lerner handles this situation if it doesn’t improve will be telling, though. Because (I repeat) … continuing with a mistake just for the sake of doing so only makes the mistake worse.

13)  The Browns have a very tenuous situation on their hands, and without a win it will not change anytime soon. In fact, it will get worse. They need some hope. So if there is any extra hope sitting around the house, it might be wise to pack it up and send it to Berea. Because right now the hope isn’t coming from within the team. It might on Sunday, but that will be tough. Please … folks … pack up any hope in an envelope, a mayonnaise jar, a small box … and send it to Berea. They really need some.

Three and Out

Several good letters were sent the past week. Because of that, in honor of you, the dear reader, a longer version of Three and Out will appear on the blog in a few hours.

(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)

I believe this is the moment where I get to say: "Gee, I hate to be negative … but …"

The Browns stunk up the joint in Denver on Sunday. They played a team that many thought they could beat, and they lost by 21. It wasn't even that close. Denver could have had two more field goals. Other than their first possession when Denver fumbled the opening kickoff, it's tough to find the rest of the points the Browns left on the field.

This was not Minnesota.

There's no finding a silver lining in saying the Browns a team ready for the Super Bowl.

There is no silver lining at all. Because this Browns team looks far closer to the one that Peter King predicted would go 2-14 than one that can even remotely think of challenging for the playoffs.

There are many problems on this team.

Just like there were many last season.

Let me list a few:

Suspect corners.

Brandon McDonald was torched on a complex out that Jabar Gaffney turned into a big gain. Eric Wright ran alongside Correll Buckhalter for seven yards without even trying to tackle him.

No nickel corner. Brandon Stokley made catch after catch after catch after catch on Hank Poteat.

Right side of the offensive line. Elvis Dumervil tied a Broncos record for sacks in a game with four, and John St. Clair added a false start penalty for good measure.

Tight end. Robert Royal catches some, doesn't catch others.

Depth at WR. Tell me who is dependable after Braylon Edwards, who is on again and off again when it comes to dependability. The Browns are forcing Josh Cribbs into the No. 2 receiver role and he's not a No. 2receiver. He's a great football player, but he's not a No. 2 receiver. It might be time to put Mohammed Massaquoi on the field, or take Brian Robiskie out of mothballs. Cribbs is an excellent returner and can contribute when used wisely, but it's not as a No. 2 receiver.

Brady Quinn has some wondering if it's time to go to Derek Anderson. Imagine that one. Quinn deserves time, but he's not inspiring confidence.

Coach Eric Mangini apparently is the fine master. Various reports have it that he fined safety Abram Elam $1,701 for taking a bottle of water from a hotel room ("I don't know where that came from," Elam said when asked) and other reports have Mangini fining guys for other middling offenses. A player should pay for his water, of course, but this team seems close to being fractured.

Second halves. They've belonged to the other team. Minnesota and Denver have outscored the Browns 41-7.

The offense has gone eight games without a meaningful touchdown. That's one-half a season.

Sunday the Browns called timeout down 21 with 1:52 left. Last season Romeo Crennel was lambasted for that kind of decision. When Mangini was hired, the quip was that the Browns had hired ""Romeo Light." Perhaps the quip had foundation.

Mangini looked anything but confident as he spoke after the game.

That's kind.

He looked like he'd been hit by 38 sacks of potatoes.

He's 0-and-2 and heading to Baltimore.

Meanwhile, Rex Ryan, whom the Browns didn't interview, beat New England and is 2-and-0 with the Jets.

Josh McDaniels, whom the Browns did interview, is 2-and-0 in Denver.

Early in the game, Denver had the ball at the Browns 2-yard-line and called timeout. They came out with tight end Tony Sheffler split and lined up opposite linebacker Kamerion Wimbley.

Touchdown.

The Browns got to the 7 after Denver fumbled the opening kickoff, ran Jamal Lewis twice and then Quinn followed Mike Furrey all the way across the field and overthrew him by five yards.

Mangini insited the Browns have enough players to win.

 He pleaded for consistency, consistency, consistency.

 He's getting consistency.

 t's just been the wrong kind.

 Random thoughts … 

   –Good thing the Browns brought in those ex-Jets to shore up the defense.

   –John St. Clair has struggled badly at right tackle. Elvis Dumervil tied a Broncos team record with four sacks in a game.

   –With Shaun Rogers back at nose tackle, the Browns have given up 225 and 186 yards rushing in consecutive games.

   –Quinn had a couple throws over the middle that he made with authority, but he had a few that sailed high and/or wide. He deserves time, but the next defense he's facing in Baltimore won't exactly be a salve.

   –The Browns do have excellent kickers.

   —Hoo hoo!

  —I got nothing left.

What they said:

Denver QB Kyle Orton: "They do quite a bit of stuff on defense, exotic stuff. You want to be aggressive, but you do not want to make mistakes early in the game. We took care of the ball and kind of figured out what they were going to do.

KR/WR Josh Cribbs: "'m a little embarrassed on how we played today, and how I played today."

LB Kamerion Wimbley: "We just have some little things to fix and we need to do that for next week."

Mangini: "We have plenty of players that we can win with. We need to adjust the problems that we have. It's not a big mystery. There are things that are correctable and controllable, and we need to get in control of them."

News flash: The Browns hired Eric Mangini to be the team's coach. This has been expected for some time, but it's now official. Details on the contract and pay and structure and all that stuff will come soon enough.

For now, I've got to say I'm not doing cartwheels down the hallway. Mangini has credentials, and I understand Randy Lerner's thinking. I'm just not thrilled by the choice. This could all change, of course, if he wins games. Then it will become a great choice. But right now I'm not doing backflips. Or cartwheels.

Think nationally, not locally

The general local reaction seems comparable to mine. That Mangini has credentials, but is not the right fit at this time (clearly Lerner disagrees). But what's the take nationally? Foxsports ran a poll asking was Mangini the right guy, yes or no.

As of this writing there were 19,227 votes, and 63 percent voted yes. That's a pretty resounding total, and one that might want to make us locals (me included) pause for a minute.

Tidbit of information that will be in tomorrow's Beacon Journal: Nine of the last 11 Super Bowls have been won by coaches working for their second team (Tom Coughlin, Tony Dungy, Belichick, Jon Gruden, Dick Vermeil, Shanahan). Clearly the Browns are hoping that trend holds with Mangini.

Coordinator info

Mangini is expected to hire former Jets quarterback coach Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator, and ESPN.com reported Rob Ryan will leave the Raiders to be defensive coordinator. Apparently Romeo Crennel will not stay with the team. Fans will be pleased with Rob Ryan if he uses an attacking style defense like his brother Rex does in Baltimore.