A reader named Phil C asked after my Browns “First and 10” yesterday: “Still think the Browns would have been ‘whacked pretty good’ if Shaun Rogers had been playing in the game (against Tennessee)?”

Good question. Fair question. And thanks for asking Phil. For being selected as our questioner of the day/week/month/whatever we’ll be sending you Rod Hood’s camp diary from training camp this season.

My answer: Yes, I do.

Because Tennessee’s approach does a good job of taking Rogers’ strengths away. Tennessee runs the ball, and relies on short, quick passes. They’re not holding the ball a lot in the pocket too long. Yes, Rogers can clog the middle, but Tennessee's a pretty good running team.

As good as Rogers was last season, the Browns still gave up 151.9 yards rushing per game last season. That’s pretty putrid.

And, when Rogers played against Tennessee in 2008 the Browns lost 28-9 and Chris Johnson ran for 136 yards.

Rogers is a very good player, but he’s not going to solve the defense’s problems by himself.

Shaun Rogers must have an exit strategy. Of that there is no doubt. No player in today's modern era turns away from a $6 million roster bonus without a reasonable assurance another team is ready and waiting to pay him that money. So Rogers — probably through his agent — has a place to land. Which is why he has let it be known that he prefers the Browns not pay the bonus so he can be released and be a free agent (according to a report from NFL.com and Adam Schefter, a reporter whose inside information is never incorrect).

But … it did not need to come to this, and the fact that it did falls squarely on the shoulders of new coach Eric Mangini.

People criticized me and wondered why I wrote so much about the way Mangini handled people. What does it matter if you win, folks wrote. It's a fair question. But my answer is simple: It always matters how you treat people. And when you are the lead guy in an environment where a team is built, how you treat people is vital. Look at how LeBron James treats people; his teammates love playing with him. Look at Mike Brown. Most great coaches have players who give extra because they respect the coach so much. The Browns hire a guy who immediately starts taking down murals of Hall of Famers and painting walls and making plans for renovations while people are laid off and the guys he needs most, his players, are ignored at banquets.

It matters.

Mangini can put on the happy face all he wants at his news conferences and say he's confident with the kind of guy he is. But not reaching out to players — especially the best players — does little to build camaraderie. Mangini instead has chosen to spend a lot of time in his office with the door closed. I'm sure he's doing a lot of football stuff, but he's also done a lot of non-football stuff. And he's obviously made little or no effort to contact his players, especially his key players, if they have not passed through the building.

In Baltimore (gosh it's getting old using Baltimore as a reference) John Harbaugh's first move was to call each and every player and explain to them his strategy and thinking. That came from owner Steve Biscotti, who told him it was important for the new coach to earn his players' respect immediately. A wise man once listened to an new executive address his employees; in the address Bob Exec said how Person A or Person B was pleasing to him. The wise man said Bob Exec had it backwards. In a new job, they are not pleasing to you, you are pleasing to them. For the coach to walk right past Rogers, within a few feet of each other, at the Cleveland Sports Awards banquet … well that's unnecessary. And when the coach says he didn't see Rogers … well that's a hard one to swallow.

There is one chance for a first impression. Mangini's has come and gone.

Now, you can say that Rogers has a contract and the Browns should hold him to that contract and if he doesn't like that, well that's too bad. You'd be right. The Browns have that option, and Rogers' job would be to live up to the contract in the most professional way possible. It's also very possible Rogers just wants out. Mangini and Rogers could have shared espressos at the local Starbucks and he still might want out.

But the bottom line is this puts the Browns in a bad spot. Because if Rogers is released, then it's anyone's guess who next starts making noise publicly to get out. And if he's not released, then Rogers very well could revert to the Shaun Rogers of Detroit days — because he won't want to be here.

And clearly the lack of contact played a role in this situation getting to where it is. And that's unnecessary.

The situation did not have to come to this. Not even close to this. Because treating people the right way matters. And while building a team means being tough and challenging at times, it also means being smart enough to reach out and win over the people you need most.

Emily Litella …

If Rogers comes out and says this was all a misunderstanding … well … never mind.

Newspaper layoffs …

My previous post brought quite a few comments, and I was intrigued. Perhaps I'm not the only one who has a problem with a company filing bankruptcy and asking for millions to be set aside for bonuses if people's jobs are eliminated. I find that immoral.

Alan, you said I could write the bankruptcy judge, and I will do so. Any clues how to get his name? Can you get his name (he wrote, figuring Alan spends most of his life on the internet anyway)?

Elizabeth, I love your idea for a Business Ethics Secretary. Love it. The sad thing is that in today's world using the words Business and Ethics together almost sound like an oxymoron.

And Alan, I'm touched that Roger Ebert's review was so close to mine. Geez Alan … what else do you do all day but read the internet?

A sad moment …

I shall address this more as time goes on, but the past couple days have been tough. Adriana Lima has indeed eloped with Marko Jaric. Once again, the dumpy, dopey Irish guys of the world are left wondering what we did wrong, and why she seems to be saying in this picture: "Hey all you dumpy, dopey Irish guys out there … eat your heart out!"

When the Browns traded for Shaun Rogers, all the negative publicity from Detroit followed him to Cleveland. Lazy. Takes plays off. Overweight. Overpaid. But then people started to tell me that when he wanted to play, Rogers was nearly unblockable.

Well that unblockable Shaun Rogers showed up Sunday in Jacksonville. He was primarily responsible for the Browns win with a destructive game from his nose-tackle spot. Rogers had nine tackles (an almost unheard of total for a nose tackle), one for a loss. He blocked a field goal and even recovered the block.

If that Rogers would show up each and every game, the Browns defense will be able to challenge anyone. This win over Jacksonville actually showed the defense the Browns wanted in the offseason. Strong against the run, don't allow the big play in the passing game. Rogers led the way. His game was as impressive as I've seen from a nose tackle.

Some other thoughts:

That was a very, very good game. Well-played. Players competed. A lot of effort given on the field. Big plays for both sides. And it went right down to the last two plays. Had Matt Jones managed to snag that second-last pass, the attitude would be different now. But he didn't. And the Browns can celebrate a win.

I'm worn out by the Kellen Winslow saga. I stand by what I wrote last week, that if it were my team I'd release him now. He's not going to be part of the Browns long-term, and it's questionable just how much value he'll have on the trade market if teams know the Browns have to get rid of him. His knee is so bad he might not have more than two more years to play. But the team does not seem inclined to release him, so the best all can hope is that Winslow returns, there are no more problems and the team benefits.

Steve Heiden, though continues to play well with more playing time. His three catches for 73 yards included a 51-yard catch and run on fourth down in the first half. Heiden clearly has a role in the offense, with or without Winslow.

As well as the Browns defense played, a lot of credit has to go to Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard. He ran for a team-high 59 yards and threw for 283. Pretty impressive. … Jamal Lewis continues to impress for the Browns – 20 carries for 81 yards. … The Browns only penalty of the day was a shaky roughing the passer call on Rogers. … The Browns had a stretch of six plays in a row in the second half when they did not gain a yard. … Four of those plays came after first and goal from inside the two. … The inability of the Browns to score from that position for the second week in a row was disquieting.

I hate to be an optimist, but if the Browns win Sunday they will be back to .500. And after a dismal start and way too much upheaval for one team, they will be back in the playoff hunt if they do reach .500. Who would have thought that possible after the first three games.

That sure didn't look like much of an improvement to me. Same silly penalties. Same silly mistakes. Same nonexistent pass defense. One team played on Saturday, and it wasn't Cleveland. This preseason has not gone well, and it's hard not to conclude that too many with the team have put expected success ahead of the work needed to achieve that success.

Some random thoughts:

• Crennel was asked if there any bright spots. He said: "Uh, no."
• Since when does Jon Kitna have the ability to elude the rush. The Browns let him outside the pocket twice, and he found receivers both times.
• Check out the penalties, including an illegal formation on a kneel down at the end of the half. That's one I've never seen. How does a team get illegal formation on a stinking kneel down?
• I think the Browns spent too much time in pads during the week.
• Brady Quinn did not look very good. He had some moments, but he also had some not-to-good moments. He wasn't helped by the poor pass protection up front. Quinn's first non-penalty first down came early in the second quarter. The next play Lawrence Vickers was flagged for holding. Figures.
• The protection was not good. That's because the Browns have a large line that was out-quicked by the Lions defensive linemen. Detroit jettisoned Shaun Rogers in part because they wanted quicker guys. He's a massive guy. He also was inconsistent, among other things, in Detroit. "This is a speed team that we were playing," coach Romeo Crennel said. "It's the Tampa philosophy where they have excellent team speed. That showed up. I think with more work hopefully we'll be able to settle some things down." Hopefully.
• Lions fans booed heartily every time Rogers' name was announced. "They're Detroit fans and if they're not rooting for the home team, what are they doing here?" Rogers said. "It's expected."

• Rogers had five tackles, which was impressive. Crennel said Rogers did what he was supposed to do in the game. "I'm never one to throw bouquets at guys when we lose the game," Crennel said.
• There was a Chase Pittman sighting.
• In the first quarter, Quinn was two-for-four for eight yards.
• Dan Orlovsky looked like Tom Brady against the Browns defense. First-team, second-team, no matter. Orlovsky shredded the Browns.
• This was in the Dallas Morning News story about the Cowboys game Friday night: "The Cowboys ripped off four first downs in their first five plays before Tony Romo connected with a crossing Patrick Crayton on a 6-yard score."

You always wonder if you make too much out of preseason. The games don't count, after all, and if the Browns beat Dallas and Pittsburgh it will be forgotten. Too, the Browns were plain awful last year in preseason. That being said, the last two games the Browns haven't exactly given any reason for folks not to be concerned. This is a team that has not looked good.

Some more quotes:

• Crennel on the pressure Quinn faced: "I think you saw the classic NFL approach to a young quarterback. Bring pressure to see if he can handle it, and if he can't handle it keep pressuring."
• Crennel on getting back several injured players who missed the game: "They're going to be a little rusty, so it's going to take some time for those guys to knock the rust off. So it's not just going to automatically happen that we're going to be back to where we want to be."

Quinn on his game:

• "I didn't execute the way I wanted to."
• "They brought a decent amount of pressure, which is to be expected when you're a young quarterback in this league."
• "I definitely was disappointed in my performance."

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

On to First and 10…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three and Out

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

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

Pat