2)      Brady Quinn gave little hope for the future with the way he played in Cincinnati, but I still would not give up on him. This season has been a mess from start to finish, so I think it's next to impossible to judge any player based on the way the offense has been run and the way things have gone.

3)      When I see Quinn I kind of/sort of/maybe/perhaps want to think of Vince Young, a guy many were saying was done in Tennessee after last season. He's got himself back together. Why can't Quinn, he wrote, wondering if perhaps he's next going to advocate that the flying reindeer will soon be distributing Clark bars to all autoworkers as they clock in to work.

4)      Really, the only two consistent and dependable guys on the offense week in and week out this season have been Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach — and maybe even Alex Mack. Them we can judge. They can stay. Put down roots. Buy, not rent. The rest … who knows what to make of their performances. Things have been mishandled that badly. When this season ends, it's best to flush it as fast as possible and move to clean water. And yes, that's a nasty image.

5)      The Browns have yet to hire a general manager — how did this term "football czar" take hold? — and they might not until the season ends. It just seems that most folks who are available and willing to work in 2010 want to wait and see what else is available, and those who aren't available have to wait because they're working for another team. This tells me that Mike Holmgren might not decide if he wants to become the "czar of football" until after the season. Though it sure would be nice to think that he might become Cleveland's (dramatic music in the background as John Facenda mutters) "czar of football." I just think pursuing him makes a lot of sense.

6)      It's hard to see anyone telling a new "czar of football" that he must accept a coach not of his choosing. No self-respecting "czar of football" is going to run "football" without wanting to choose "his" coach. Bottom line: This just does not seem good for Eric Mangini's "future" with the Browns. Using quotation marks that way always makes me think of Saturday Night Live.

7)      The absence of a "czar" — again, where did this term arise? — shows in the Brian Robiskie situation. A "czar" could ask, pointedly: "What the heck? The guy is a second-round draft pick. The team is 1-10. Get the guy on the field and see what he can do." Would we rather evaluate Mike Furrey some more? Or was Jake Allen that impressive in practice last Thursday?

8)      Shaun Rogers is done for the season, which is a shame. The guy is a good player who's given his all in every game since he's been a Brown. But I wonder how much it will matter. The Browns are ranked 31st in the league in defense with Rogers, and they're giving up 159.9 yards per game rushing with him in the middle. It's not like their ranking is going to plummet without him. Though I guess it could go to 32.

9)      Rogers' penalty at end of the first half gave Cincinnati another of those infernal "untimed downs" the Browns have made famous, but at least it was a hustle play. Rogers chased Carson Palmer out of the pocket and just grabbed the wrong part of Palmer's jersey. The play did show why the horse-collar tackles has been banned. The potential for injury is high. And it was nice to hear Eric Mangini say he didn't see the play but he respected the ref's call. It was far different than the way he approached the pass interference penalty in Detroit, and a far better way to handle it. But, even though it was a hustle play, those three points sure changed the nature of the game.

10)  It's pretty goofy of Mangini not to say exactly what Rogers' injury is, but that's the coach's policy.

11)  That promise of stopping the run this season made by Rob Ryan before the season? Doesn't seem to have worked out.

12)   Noticed that Darnell Dinkins caught a touchdown pass for New Orleans Monday night. That's the ex-Browns tight end, the guy the Browns let go when they signed Robert Royal. Dinkins caught the pass, and when the game ends he's in New Orleans playing for an undefeated team and eating beignets and drinking café au lait. It'd be interesting to know if he's happy about the change of scenery.

Three and Out

Hey Pat,

What's the real reason behind the unrelenting support of Brady Quinn?  Did you dole out big bucks for official Brady Quinn jerseys for your daughters?

Brian D.

Twinsburg

Dear Brian,

Well, he did hold the door for me once at Panera.

Good afternoon Pat,

It’s hard to disagree with your assessment about Brady Quinn’s incomplete.  But there is something I’ve seen the last two weeks that bothers me, to the point I wonder if he’ll ever pan out.  On about 75 percent of his passes, he looks completely out of sync,  like a power pitcher trying to throw to first base after fielding a slow roller in front of the mound.  His motion is not right.  How many times is he going to fire the ball into the ground at the receiver’s feet? There is no rhythm to his delivery.  His wrist is tight, not loose.  On a couple throws he looked like he was trying to throw a sinker, his wrist snapped so hard downward at the release. And that’s where the ball went – straight down.

Browns played Bengals close both games – and that’s the  team that dominated the Central Division this year.  The glory of the ‘Tradition’ of the Cleveland Browns has just expanded.  It now includes the opponent scoring on extra plays awarded at the end of halves/games by penalties on the defense.  Rogers’ play cost us three points.  At the end of the game, that could have made a difference.  In any event, we played them pretty tough this year. Silver lining?

How bad is a franchise when, over a 10 year period, its best players, year in, year out, are the punter and place kicker. Phil Dawson has to be the unluckiest player in the NFL.  I think he might be  the best place kicker the team has ever had.  We just don’t realize it because he hasn’t been there to win big games for us.  He’s such a classy guy.  Think what a huge star he would be had he played for Indianapolis or New England the last 10 years.

And our punters have been very good as well.  Dave Zastudil is as good as we’ve ever had.

So when you assess the cloud hanging over the Browns, ask yourself how many teams in the history of the NFL have lost both their place kicker AND punter simultaneously for an extended period of time.

George Rosin

Akron

Good day George,

Always good to hear from an old friend, and as always you raise good points. As for the silver lining, has it really reached the point where it's a silver lining to play the Bengals close? Is that what we've come to? And … how can there be any silver lining given your extremely accurate statements about the kickers.

From the online comments …

Eric Mangini is the Lord of his kingdom and no player should ever, ever question him over his rule.

Just look at his history. Because of his Lordship's rule, he has stabbed veteran players in the back, fired his own best friend General Manager, accused another former buddy coach of stalling time with fake injuries, and accused his former "mentor" (Belichick) of cheating by stealing signals.

He has overlooked veteran players at charity events (Rogers) and has had the most grievances filed against him in one season in the NFL.

If a player makes a statement to the press, that player's time is cut for the next game. Rookie players cannot get onto the field to play because they have not "shown enough" yet??? So he picks up free agents off the waiver wire and plays them instead???

He fines players with excessive fines and even refuses to allow them to play in a game until they learn "his way or the highway."

What happened to the days of a coach being a mentor, teacher and instructor instead of a ruler???

Not much else I can add here, other than I sure would hate to be his friend. I wonder how many Browns players feel that way right now???

Strange behavior leads to strange happenings.

Alex K

Dear Alex,

Fairness forces me to admit that Mangini does have his defenders online as well. Not many, but there are a couple holdouts. Just like there are a couple folks who still insist Oswald acted alone in the library with a paring knife.

I just wonder why you use three question marks at the same time.

(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.)

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)

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