Here are 10 suggestions for the Cleveland Browns as they head to the second half of the season:

1)      Run the ball. The one thing the offense did kind of, sort of well the first half was run the ball. Jerome Harrison and Jamal Lewis each had 100-yard games. There have been some good runs. This could be one element the offense could build from, assuming they don't try to force the issue by mixing in too many passes. We all saw how THAT worked.

2)      Run two or three or four basic defenses and run them well. The Browns lack too much talent on defense to run a free-wheeling, blitzing style. If it means going to Cover Two and playing that every play, so be it. It can't be worse than what happened the first eight games.

3)      Remove the play-calling responsibilities from Brian Daboll and give them to Carl Smith. Daboll has looked overmatched. Yes, Bernie Kosar keeps saying on his many radio shows that Browns receivers are running wide open and simply not catching the ball, so the problem isn't merely the plays. OK, let's give Kosar that one. The problem is the knee-jerk reaction, the amateurish thought process. It's the focus on one thing that doesn't last — like opening with the quick passes against Baltimore, then giving up on it once Brady Quinn threw an interception, or opening with the Wildcat in Pittsburgh, then giving up on it once Josh Cribbs threw a pick. Formulate a plan on Tuesday, stress it during the week and stick with it on Sunday. Smith is a veteran coach who has been around. He knows what he's doing. Let him call plays and see what happens. It can't be worse.

4)      Play Quinn. Find out what the Browns have in him. It seems that we know about Derek Anderson. Or at least what we know from the previous few games is decidedly not pretty.

5)      Call some plays down the field for Quinn. He has to be able to throw the ball 15 yards. That being said, one concern expressed to me about Quinn is that he has developed the very bad habit of focusing on the rush as soon as he sees it. This takes his eyes from his receivers and puts them on the rusher, which is a key reason he throws so many dumpoffs. This is a hard habit to break, and why it happens is kind of inexplainable. It's comparable to a golfer getting the yips. So … who knows … perhaps we may see more of Anderson.

6)      Quit micromanaging. Coach the team, forget the insanity like making every non-playing and non-coaching member of the travel group get on the bus to the airport 45 minutes early so they don't cross paths with the players. Let everyone board the bus together. Forget the nitpicking like water bottles and that kind of thing. Coach the team, concentrate on winning the game. Just. Go. Win. The. Game.

7)      Make whoever decided that these receivers could play in the NFL coach these receivers personally. Because to me they look overmatched by average NFL corners. They don't get off the line, don't get open and when they do they don't catch the ball or fumble it away. (Other than that … ) No NFL team should have receivers who play the way these do. Then enact a corollary to this rule and enforce it: Announce a starting quarterback and quit playing games with the announcement.

8)      Eliminate the stinking players valet parking lot. It's a perk that this team bestowed on players well before it was earned. Now it's an offensive reminder of the way these guys are treated. Park in a lot where they can shake hands with fans and greet people and maybe sign an autograph or two after the game. Walk 20 feet in the rain, or wind, or snow, if need be. Fans do it. Players can do it.

9)      Abandon the blitz, drop deep and make teams use 15 plays to score. If they score, they score. But there have been too many big plays. Play the ultimate umbrella defense. Make the other team earn it. If they score, then so be it — but chances increase that on one of those 15 plays the other team might make a mistake.

10)   Start devoting many resources to next year's draft. At this point, that's the most important thing in the world to this team. However many people are studying college guys, add another one or two to the list.

And … because it's the Browns … a bonus 11 …

11)  Here's a unique idea: Pretend the Browns are an actual NFL team with actual professionals on the roster. Treat them that way, and maybe, just maybe, they will play that way.

This will be no quick turnaround; in fact there might not be any turnaround. But some fundamental notions could make the second half of the season a tiny bit more palatable than the first. And isn't that what everyone wants?

Three and Out will take a break this week due to the flu's invading my being. Besides, we all know the nature of the letters.

I'll be at the Cavs opener tonight, so this week's First and 10 arrives a little early.

1)      There were many reactions to my idea that it's time for the Browns to admit they made a mistake with Eric Mangini, that it's best to move on. Almost 90 percent of the e-mails and calls were positive. Folks said they agreed a change is needed. Some said thanks, others said well spoken, others criticized the owner for hiring Mangini, and some said my brains have less consistency than Jello. All is fine. As Mike Brown once said, I agree with what I said. But … just because I said … errr … wrote it doesn't mean Randy Lerner will do it. In fact, he's probably not going to do it. Which is fine. It is his team after all.

2)      That being said, the Browns have to be aware of the damage being done to their following. I've never seen a Browns crowd so apathetic as it was against Green Bay. The opposing quarterback said it was eerily quiet in the Browns stadium. People are acting like they've been hit too many times. Friends I know who have tickets can't give them away. The people I hear from are angry, which on one level makes sense because you usually hear from the angry people. But the fan base is sickened by what they see. The team's revenues could nosedive this offseason if the fans think 2010 will be more of the same. Yes, there are 11 draft picks. But if the Browns are hanging their hats on those draft picks they are fooling themselves. This regime traded three top six picks (Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, the fifth overall choice) and the only first-round pick they got in return was center Alex Mack. So they got a center, second- and third-round choices, a bunch of mid-round picks and a bunch of ex-Jets. 

3)      Some criticized me for criticizing the Browns for lack of continuity, then asking for another change. Fair enough. I just think keeping on with a mistake makes the mistake worse. If you paint your living room and realize one-third of the way through that the color is ugly, do you keep painting? Didn’t think so. The Indians made quick moves with coaches in the past when it was obvious their hiring wasn't working (Eddie Murray, a pitching coach whose name I forget). It's time to bite the bullet and accept reality. It's not working. Chart a new course in 2010, and hope that the next hire (or hires) has (have) more success. Too… if a change is made, I'd advocate hiring a football guy to run football. Then said football guy can hire the coach.

4)      It's been opined that the Browns have no talent. I don't disagree. There is a serious lack of talent. But I said that last year, and many yelled at me and cried for Romeo Crennel to be fired. Much of the same talent is back, and Mangini supplemented it with 23 players he chose (as of opening day). Ten of them are ex-Jets he wanted and went and got — either via trade or free agency. So if Mangini was right on the new guys, the team should be better. Because he brought in players he wanted to a team that got screwed up last season by the coach. Doesn't seem like you can have it both ways — cry about the coach last season, then lament the talent this season.

5)      The Browns rank dead last in the league in defense, and they are giving up 170 yards rushing per game. Why, then, did I opine that Rob Ryan would be the choice for interim coach? Basically because he's the best option. The only thing that I think will get the Browns going this season is a different voice, a guy who approaches things far differently from Mangini. That would be Ryan, a coordinator with personality who's not afraid to take people on. I'd make the move, tell Ryan to try to make a name for himself and see what happens. Like I said, it can't be worse.

6)      Seems to me that the Browns keep forcing the issue with Josh Cribbs on offense. They've tried him at receiver, they've tried him at quarterback. Thus far, he's had a critical fumble against Minnesota, a big dropped pass against Buffalo, an interception against Pittsburgh and another fumble against Green Bay. Is it possible that forcing the issue with Cribbs is actually hurting the offense? Or that perhaps he's spread too thin? What would I do? Let him run from the Wildcat formation, but run different plays — not just the sweep and the fake-one-way-and-run-the­-other play they always run. Use some misdirection, something different. Last season's coaches did not believe Cribbs could handle a larger load on offense. At this point they appear to be right. You have to love Cribbs as a player, but more and more it's looking like as a receiver he makes a great kick returner.

7)      The Browns ran a quarterback sneak on second-and-1 against Green Bay, and some people defended it because it got them a first down. These are the levels to which we have sunk.

8)      My buddy who used to call Pete Franklin and identify himself as "Joe Fan" — he'd always take the side of the fans — called Sunday and offered this solution: Have the Dolans and Lerners trade teams. Give the Indians to the Lerners, who could operate with their financial resources in a system without a salary cap. Then let the Dolans run the Browns, because they could operate in a capped system and let the revenues dictate their spending. "Joe Fan" often suggests things like this.

9)      Someone smarter than me — and that's a lengthy list — will have to figure what happened to the two quarterbacks. Brady Quinn led the Browns to 59 points in two games last season. Derek Anderson threw 29 touchdowns two seasons ago. Neither look close to what they did. To say they've regressed is putting it mildly. Maybe the team needs a field trip to the Shedd Aquarium this weekend to help clear the mind.

10)  Here's another thing that bothered me about the Browns offense against Green Bay. Their way to "take some shots" down the field was to throw the go. Receiver lines out wide, and takes off straight down the field. Against Green Bay, it came against man coverage with two very good corners doing the covering. Maybe run a go once, but four times? Why keep trying such a simple route that is pretty easy to defend, especially when receivers are not that fast. This is a low percentage pass. Might it not help to go with a more high percentage passing game? What's that? Can't do it because Derek Anderson doesn't throw the short pass well? Well what about Brady … umm .. never mind. See what a mess this team is? I mean … they trade Kellen Winslow and then run an offense tailor made for Kellen Winslow. It's not a matter of effort or caring. Obviously everyone is trying. It's. Just. Not. Working. Oh … get ready to hear how the late-season games are a boost if the Browns somehow find a way to beat an Oakland or a Jacksonville or a Kansas City in December. Right here is where you roll your eyes.

A sampling of letters, mainly dealing with Eric Mangini …

Dear Pat,

When Eric Mangini took over as head coach I was "drinking the Kool-Aid" about players trying to get better every day on one thing and that we'd see steady improvement.  Well, that has proven to be just one more false hope for us diehard Browns fans, who have now been putting up with these emotional swings for 11 seasons.

 I sat at yesterday's game in Cleveland against Green Bay and I had pretty much made up my mind it would be my last game there as a season ticket holder.  The final nail in the coffin was watching that debacle.  The Browns are no better than the original expansion team in 1999.  I am no longer willing to throw my complete loyalty and money towards supporting the Cleveland Browns, so I won't be renewing my season tickets.  I'll have to eat my PSLs, but when you look at the cost of me traveling to games from St. Louis, Dallas or Chicago, walking from the PSLs is nothing.

Why would I continue to go to games when I don't have fun? 

All the time I put into supporting the team for 47 years and all the money spent just isn't worth it anymore.  I hope Randy Lerner does well.  He and his father brought a team back to Cleveland for which all of us should be grateful.  It's the so-called "football people" that have let him and the great fans of the Browns down.

Steve Bohnenkamp

Geneva, Ill.

Dear Steve,

To those who say making a move now is not fair to the coach, it might not be. But what is fair to the good and loyal fans of the Browns?

Dear Pat,

I can only think that if Brady Quinn was given these last four games to play he could have developed and the team would be in a better place now because of it. But egos stand in the way of the Browns finding out if we have one quarterback that might be worth a damn. I have never rooted against the Browns in all my years. At this juncture I find myself pulling for them to lose. And to lose badly. This coach does not deserve his position and I would rather rebuild with a true GM and coach instead of someone that obviously is an egomaniac and control freak.

Sincerely,

Gerald Keefer

 Dear Gerald,

The only thing the Browns have learned about their quarterbacks this season is how not to handle them.

Dear Pat,

I cannot argue any of the points in your recent article.  However, as an educated reporter, what do you think will really happen to the new Browns coach?  Personally, I think Randy Lerner will never fire a coach in his first season, but I'm hoping I'm wrong.  This might actually surpass the Spergon Wynn days as the worst football in Browns history, and it makes me wonder if Lerner realizes the damage that's being done to the fan base.  Not only with the loyal customers, who have been kicked in the teeth for years, but also the next generation of kids who have never seen winning football in Cleveland.

Tom Crookston Stow

 Dear Tom,

Imagine this … 11 years of losing … three years with no football … the Belichick years. That's an entire generation of football kids, lost.

Dear Pat,

I am a Jets fan and have been all my life. My best friend is a dedicated Browns fan and I love to root for the underdog.  Believe me when I tell you, we (Jets fans) almost had a ticker tape parade when Mangini was fired. It was in my opinion at least two years too late.  For the Browns to have picked him up so soon was a mistake and it needs to be rectified now.  He saps morale, and he can't coach, as you can plainly see.  He needs to go. I hope for the fans sake that something happens soon.

Allison Norman

Dear Allison,

It's not about fines or laps or anything else. It's about what's happening on the field. And it's not working. 

Dear Pat,

If there are others like me, here, you can have a good laugh … I'm having second thoughts about Romeo Crennel.

Keith Vlasak Sandusky, Ohio

Dear Keith,

I never thought Crennel was as bad as people made him out to be, but I also didn't think he helped himself a lot. That being said, imagine the situation we are in now where Crennel has been vindicated.

Dear Pat,

Eric Mangini is embarrassing an already embarrassed city and franchise. This team is every bit as bad as the 1999 team and getting worse. Heck, we beat Pittsburgh in '99 I think.

Ray Lehotsky North Royalton, Ohio

Dear Ray,

You're right. Chris Palmer's expansion team beat Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh.

Dear Pat,

Here we go … Mr. Know It Al is at it again. You are as crazy as they come. The best thing that can happen is the Browns shut the media OUT. Leave Mangini alone. He cleared out a large percentage of players from Davis and Crennel that you sportswriters said needed to go anyhow. Give the guy a chance to get what is needed. It's not going to happen overnight with things as bad as they were. Yu writers make me puke.

Rusty Kristen Sara

Dear Rusty,

Glad we got that straight. Hope you feel better tomorrow. 

Dear Pat,

It is amazing how pathetic a team can play. Name just one part of the Browns that may even be classified as average. The quarterback situation has been talked about even before the season started and yet that hardly can be the total problem. It just boggles my mind.

Ron Ferko

Dear Ron,

You're right. Nothing is even average on this team.

(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.)

Things Brady Quinn must be wondering:

–What it takes to calculate the velocity of a pigeon carrying no mail flying into the jet stream during the early evening hours without knowing the initial speed of the pigeon?

—The formula for Coke.

—Why he can't play six or seven minutes in a blowout loss when the guy ahead of him was 12-for-29.

Any of the three could be answered as easily as the other.

Because there is no way to find an answer to any of the above questions. The largest mystery of all those three questions might be why Quinn did not play in Sunday's loss to Green Bay.

Who knows, maybe Quinn poured gasoline on Mangini's lawn after he was benched.

But the Browns could not have done more to damage Quinn's postseason trade value than they did by not playing him Sunday. To say that he's not even good enough to get in at the end of a blowout loss is an insult to the guy deemed good enough to start the opener, and maybe even an insult to the fans.

Either Quinn has no redeeming value, or something happened behind the scenes to make the coach angry. Or … maybe Mangini just figured what Derek Anderson started, Derek Anderson should finish.

Bottom line: Anderson has gone 23-for-70 the past three games. Sunday against Chicago he looked awful. Yet Quinn did not play a down.

Can the Brett Ratliff era be that far away?

Random thoughts..

–Anderson threw for 99 yards, the exact same amount of yards that Green Bay drove for to score its final touchdown.

–Someone asked after the game if the run defense was affected by D'Qwell Jackson's injury. It almost made me regurgitate my chips and salsa.

–I mean, what difference would Jackson have made in a 31-3 loss?

–Aaron Rodgers said after the game that the Packers scout team ran the Browns defense better than the Browns did on Donald Driver's 71-yard touchdown reception.

–That hurts.

–Not near as much as it had to hurt the sellout crowd to watch that game.

–How long can the Browns keep doing this to their fans?

–I wondered it before the play, so I'll wonder it now: Why not try a fake field goal early in the quarter when the Browns were lined at their four. Isn't this a team that needs something like this to make it work?

–After having some success with the Wildcat in Pittsburgh, the Browns ran it once against Green Bay. Josh Cribbs had a knee issue during the week, which might have had something to do with it.

–Someone posited to me that the Browns had no talent. I wonder who is responsible for that. Phil Savage, or Eric Mangini? It's Mangini who traded Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards, Mangini who had 23 new players on the roster on opening day, Mangini who brought in every ex-Jet walking. If the coach deserved to be fired after last season, it follows that means the Browns had some talent and the coach did not get much out of it. Which means that inheriting said talent and adding 23 players to the roster — many of them your handpicked guys — means this team should be better. It's not. It's worse.

–The Browns had first-and-goal at the 5 and first-and-goal at the 1 and did not score a touchdown either time. This will lead to problems.

–The next tackle Eric Wright makes in the open field will be the first.

–Though Brodney Pool did whiff early in Driver's big catch.

–Can this get worse? Yes. The Browns go to Chicago next week to play a Bears team that was embarrassed in losing to Cincinnati.

–Then there's all those home games in December.

–Yikes.

What they said:

"I thought we were making progress in a lot of areas. I don't think we showed that today, at all."

–Browns coach Eric Mangini

"Because DA was our starter and I felt comfortable with the things that we were doing."

–Mangini, on why he didn't play Brady Quinn

"We aren't good right now. Period. Flat out."

–Derek Anderson

"We feel like this is a game we should win, and we came out and dominated."

–Packers CB Charles Woodson

"This was a weird game, to be honest. It was a little chippy at times and very quiet in the third quarter to where on third down I can hear myself and everybody on the field can hear me as well. There was a different feel to it."

–Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

First and 10

1)      The Browns should suspend Braylon Edwards for Sunday'a game in Buffalo. He earned it. Suspend him. Enact some true discipline, not the ceremonial kind that fines guys for minor offenses or forces them to run a lap for this, that or the other. Edwards embarrassed the Browns with his actions in the wee hours of Monday morning, and he nearly started a brawl that involved other Browns (their roles should be investigated as well). The Browns have put up with nonsense from Edwards for five years. If they keep putting up with it they're enabling it. Suspend him for one game — at the least.

2)      It's getting to the point that you really wonder what kind of tortured existence Edwards leads to do the silly stuff he does. Does he crave adulation? Clearly he feeds off it; perhaps he can't live without it. Perhaps he's amazingly insecure. Perhaps everyone in his life feeds the monster because they worship Braylon the football player instead of Braylon the person. He has to be in some kind of horrible cocoon where if he's not the most successful, the most adored, the most watched … then he's just not going to be happy.

3)      Either that or Edwards is just prone to do ridiculous things. Like punch a friend of LeBron James because he's jealous that James gets more attention than him. Edwards is out until 2:30 in the morning the night after a Browns loss, which coincidentally or not was the first game in which Edwards did not catch a pass. And he goes after a friend of James? No matter the underlying cause, there's right and there's wrong, and punching someone unprovoked (assuming the victim was telling the truth, and the evidence he was has piled pretty high) and almost starting a brouhaha (that's a word you rarely get to use) does not add up to much that is right.

4)      Just a hunch, but I'm guessing Edwards is not going to win any popularity battle with James in this town. If that reality bothers him, he can sign with the Lions when he's a free agent.

5)    James' words seem to sum up things well: "I've never crossed paths with Braylon before but it seems like there is a little jealously going on with Braylon and me and my friends. I have no idea why. I've never said anything to Braylon at all. For him to do that I think is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds, seriously it is like hitting one of my kids or something like that. It doesn't make sense but the right people will take care of it. It hits home for me when I hear something like that at 7 a.m. in the morning when I get up for work. I know how to handle myself as a professional athlete and I take care of my friends and my family. It is unfortunate that some guys don't understand that. You are a role model to kids and you should carry yourself that way on and off the field. And I carry that. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize myself or my family. I'm one of the guys that look at being a professional athlete at more than just being out on the court." N'est ces pas, LeBraylon?

6)      The one person who might have helped Edwards was former receivers coach Terry Robiskie, a guy who minced no words and took no nonsense. In fact, late in Edwards' second season when Edwards was staying out late and showing up late for meetings and falling asleep at the team facility, Robiskie tried to approach the situation as he usually does — directly. Edwards complained to GM Phil Savage. After that season, Savage — who had control of the coaching staff at that point — fired Robiskie. Coincidence? Many think not. Edwards can be a likeable guy. He just seems so … needy.

7)      As for last Sunday … the attitude after the Browns loss to Cincinnati means things have come to this: Playing Cincinnati close at home is a considered a good thing. Imagine that taking place a few years ago. But the reality right now is that the Bengals have beaten the Browns in eight of the last 10 games. I'm believing that effort (at home) against the Bengals means something when they follow up with something a little more meaningful.

8)      Where does the Browns first win come from? If it's not in Buffalo it does not seem like it will be until after the bye week. Because after going to Buffalo the Browns travel to Pittsburgh, play Green Bay at home and then travel to Chicago. That supposedly easy schedule has looked tougher and tougher as this early part of the season has unfolded. Included are four road games in five weeks — not a good thing for a team trying to find itself.

9)      Can anyone please explain why dentists carry on conversations while you're laying in a chair with your mouth filled with dental instruments and cotton?

10)  The most encouraging thing about the offense's play against Cincinnati came in the play of three guys: Mohammed Massaquoi had an excellent game, catching just about everything thrown his way. He looked skilled, polished and confident. And after every catch, he merely flipped the ball to the referee and went back to the huddle. Jerome Harrison ran for 121 yards and ran inside and out. Harrison looked like an every-down back, running 29 times, and he returns to Buffalo this weekend where he had a very strong game a year ago. Derek Anderson made a huge difference, getting the ball downfield and throwing it to several different receivers. Anderson is that close to saving a season once again. It also was evident how much better Anderson threw the ball than Quinn. Receiver dropped at least four passes, two of them when they weren't ready for the ball coming out of a break. Imagine that … a quarterback threw the ball before a receiver made his break.

Three and Out

Fairness and candor prompt to state that the first three letters this week were received prior to the Cincinnati game.

Dear Pat,

Where to start?

I am a season ticket holder with six PSLs. What a bad investment. But I do have a large family, and still plan on going Sunday (vs. Cincinnati).

My question: Does Mangini rate a column on how this year's Jets team is doing?

Is that current team his, or were there drastic changes and Rex Ryan is the next coming of Bill Walsh?

Does Mangini have some redeeming values if given time, and we have some hope once we get some talent?    All I'm looking for this year is hope and improvement.

Thanks,

Pete Sutter

Dear Pete,

I'm not sure how much credit Mangini should get for the Jets start. That team was miserable down the stretch a year ago, it changed coaches and quarterbacks, added LB Bart Scott and now it's 3-1.

 The quarterback last season played hurt and looks pretty good this year now that he's healthy. Guy named Favre.

I also know that the Jets got rid of a bunch of guys, all of whom seemed to find their way to Cleveland.

This may be too negative. I don't know.

Rex Ryan does seem to "connect" with his players a little better than Mangini.

I asked a friend in New York, and he said Ryan should be credited for turning Mangini's team around, that it is playing better.

As for this season in Cleveland … why settle for hope and improvement? If a change was made after last season because the talent was closer to the 10-win team of two years ago, then does it not follow that the change should bring about improvement?

If the Jets can go 3-1 after a change, why are "hope and improvement" the barometer for the Browns?

Too, there won't be any hope and improvement if Mangini does not handle sideline decisions better. I refer to punting on fourth-and-10 with 19 seconds left instead of trying to … well … you know … maybe take a shot to win the game. But more than that I refer to the ridiculously bad decision to take a timeout with 2:02 left and the Bengals nowhere close to running a play.

That was the Browns last timeout, and it came two seconds before the clock would stop.

The Browns could have used that timeout on their last drive.

Wasting it the way they did might have cost them the game.

Kind of reminds me of the time Romeo Crennel lost two timeouts on one challenge.

Dear Pat,

Watching the Browns try to fix their team is like getting calls from a fax machine dialing the wrong number over and over and over. You pick up the phone, scream in rage, slam it down. It rings again five minutes later: you know what will happen but … you … just … have … to … pick up the phone.

Make it stop. 

Best, as ever,

Scott Huler

Dear Scott,

This seems like it would make one heck of a Bugs Bunny-drives-Elmer-Fudd-or-Daffy-Duck-crazy cartoon.

Dear Pat,

When Bill Belichick was coach of the Browns, I commented that he had taken the joy out of following Browns football. I knew that he had a plan, but his pure business approach even then made rooting for the Browns hard, especially after coldly getting rid of Bernie Kosar and others with whom so many of us identified.

Essentially, we are rooting for a bunch of mercenaries, almost all from someplace else, who play a game in uniforms with Cleveland written across the front. For me at least, I have to be able to connect with the team and the players on a somewhat personal level — I see enough of the cold hard business decisions made at work.

What I'm getting at, I guess, is that I feel that Eric Mangini has done the same thing, taken the joy out of following Browns football.

I'm not angry anymore, just depressed, and I hope that some day I can feel something positive towards this team again.

Ken Goetz, from the online comments

Dear Ken,

You wrote before the "uplifting" loss to Cincinnati.

Do you feel better?

If not, might I suggest scrubbing the driveway.

Very therapeutic.

Dear Pat,

Sorry Pat, you are wrong. Losing close to Cincinnati will NOT STOP the outcry about this clown Eric Mangini, and it should not stop it.

Ned Parks, from the online comments

Dear Ned,

If the Browns lose in Buffalo, the outcry grows loud again.

I'm stunned to think I played a part in the Browns feeling good about coming close to beating the Bengals.

I'm going to go swab my driveway.

Dear Pat

Wow! The Browns have moved up from being horrendous to just plain bad and still not being able to make the big play when needed to win a game — 0-16 here they come.

Tony C, from the online comments

 Dear Tony,

 I'm guessing your driveway will be sparkling by the end of this day.

 (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)

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."

Interesting take from Mike Lombard in the National Football Post on Eric Mangini’s decision not to reveal the Browns starting quarterback even thought everyone in the Western Hemisphere knows it’s Brady Quinn (would Mangini start Derek Anderson for a play just to play with folks … nah).

Lombardi is quite critical, saying Mangini’s decision “might be the most childish act I’ve seen in my 20-plus years in the NFL.’’

He agrees with me … well … he writes stuff similar to what I’ve written when he states that keeping the secret provides “no competitive advantage … whatsoever.”

He also writes about the importance of communicating your plan and message to the team, fans and organization. He discusses Mangini’s quirky habit of holing up in his office for hours and not talking to anyone, and states: “(Mangini is) not going to share his thoughts with anyone as he doesn’t trust people to keep a secret. It’s this lack of trust that prevents him from allowing the dialogue that’s needed with the right people to make the right choices. It takes discussion about the issues to decide on new ideas, new thoughts and maybe alternative solutions. Get smart people making decisions and you’ll make smart decisions. Exclude everyone and you’ll only get what you want.”

A few points on this:

1)     I agree with Lombardi.

2)     Mangini hasn’t been a jerk about this. In fact, when he said he wasn’t going to announce the starter he admitted there were different approaches and he respects those approaches. He was just going to do it his way. That is his right as an American. I just disagree with him that it’s going to matter at all.

3)     This might matter if we were talking two different styles of quarterbacking, say a guy like Mike Vick and Brady Quinn. One runs, the other drops back and throws. But we’re talking about two pocket passers, and one throws deep a little more often.

4)     None of this will matter in the biggest for the Browns in this game: Running the ball and stopping the run. Those are the Browns biggest issues in this opening game.

First of the season … regular production begins the week of the opener.

1)      I think if Saturday was a regular season game the Browns get whacked pretty good. Kerry Collins and the Titans offense moved the ball pretty easily, and they did it with short throws and the running game. The Browns made a good play blocking a field goal, but the way Tennessee held the ball the Browns defense would have been worn down by the end of the third quarter and that would have been that. The quarterbacks garner a lot of attention, but the defense has to be a concern right now.

2)      But … it wasn’t a regular season game, it was a preseason game. And the Browns won. They forced  a  goal-line fumble and a fumble on a kickoff return and got a nice touchdown pass from Brady Quinn to Braylon Edwards. The Browns beat a good team, and it’s been a long time since they beat a good team. After a disastrous first game, the Browns have done enough the next two games to have me intrigued about the opener.

3)      Bless the Titans for running the ball and keeping the game moving. That preseason game took less than three hours to play. Can we bring them in every year?

4)      There hasn’t been much to separate the two quarterbacks in the games. This decision might come down to practice reps. Or the dreaded “gut feeling.”

5)      That being said, Quinn has done absolutely nothing to lose the job. His play has been consistently solid, which it was the other night. One of his nicer plays came on a check down to Jamal Lewis for 14 yards. That set up the touchdown to Edwards. He’s also avoided mistakes.

6)      I think Derek Anderson has been very solid as well. He could have had a touchdown had Braylon Edwards not turned out on one throw, but that’s a woulda, coulda, shoulda. And in quarterback competitions every one of those counts.

7)      Here’s one difference between Quinn and Anderson. The Browns called a rollout and throw back to the tight end across the field. Silly call, but they called it. Robert Royal was covered and Anderson pumped once, then threw. By the time he threw the coverage had moved to Royal and the pass easily could have been intercepted for a touchdown. He was fortunate it wasn’t. Later, Anderson thought Mike Furrey would keep crossing on a route, but he stopped. The ball went right into the guts of a Titans defender, then bounced high and down to Furrey. Those could have been two interceptions. Anderson will give you the big play, but his propensity to always try for the play also can lead to mistakes.

8)      That’s a significant factor, significant enough in my book to feel like Quinn should be the starter. If it were me, I’d name Quinn.

9)      But I don’t expect Mangini to name Quinn, because he wants to keep the Vikings guessing right up until kickoff of the opener.

10)   James Davis continues to impress at running back. He’s quick, nimble, aggressive and fast earning more playing time. Jamal Lewis will remain the starter, but Davis is going to get his plays. What this means for Jerome Harrison is anyone’s guess.

Profootballtalk.com points out the financial realities in Brady Quinn’s contract, stating Quinn will trigger a $5 million escalator for 2010 if he plays 70 percent of this season’s snaps, and will trigger a $1.32 playing-time incentive if he is on the field for 45 percent of the snaps.

PFT continues: “… if it's truly a toss-up, the dollars and cents should be enough to tilt the competition in (Derek) Anderson's favor, and to keep him in the job for at least the first 31 percent of the season.”
Eric Mangini was asked if money would be a factor. His response: “Not one bit.”

This is the kind of question that a coach hates. If you think about it, it’s near insulting. A coach who is judged on wins and losses making a decision on money? Perish the thought.

But … the question had to be asked … if only to get Mangini’s response on the record.

Me, I don’ t believe Mangini would make any decision based on a contract. Call me naïve, but I don’t think he or the Browns operate that way. (Not with players at least.)

I also think that if Anderson plays well against Tennesee, he might just heist this job away from Quinn, who had to be the leader at the quarter pole.

And … I think Mangini might not tell us until just before the opener. Something about keeping the Vikings guessing comes to mind.