It's always touchy when a team replaces a coach, especially when the coach has been with the team … oh … the last 44 years. So when Eric Wedge told a media gathering on Tuesday that he had fired bullpen coach Luis Isaac and he would not be reassigned within the team eyebrows were raised.

Isaac had been with the team for 44 years. He'd worked as bullpen coach Wedge's entire time as manager. He was universally liked, and always had a friendly smile and greeting. Wedge even talked how Isaac was "as loyal as the day is long" after saying he had fired him. Interesting juxtaposition.

But Isaac was not angry or bitter.

"How am I going to be angry when I've been 44 years with the Indians?" he said from his home in Puerto Rico.

Isaac will look for a coaching job with another team, but he said GM Mark Shapiro had talked to him about taking a different job with the Indians.

"I haven't made up my mind," Isaac said. "We'll see what happens. I think I know baseball and I can help people. I'll maybe do that. If not, maybe I'll stay in Puerto Rico and play golf."

Wedge said he wanted a "different dynamic" in the bullpen job. Apparently Isaac taught some things differently than the way Wedge and pitching coach Carl Willis taught. That had been happening for some time, and Wedge had thought about making a move for a few years. He didn't, in part because he knew Isaac's tenure with the team. This season, he finally decided it had to happen.

It's never a pretty thing when a manager makes a change. Consider Ned Yost, manager of Milwaukee, being fired with a month left in the season. Butch Davis went through coordinators like butter when he was Browns coach. Wedge actually replaced his first pitching coach, Mike Brown, early in his first season.

But Isaac refused to be bitter, angry or disappointed.

"If the Indians go to the World Series again, I'm going to think I'm there even if I'm watching on TV," he said. "For 44 years I loved the Indians and the Indians are still my team."

First and 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three and Out

Dear Pat,

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

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

Ed

Columbiana

Dear Ed,

Great letter!

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

Dear Pat,

Howdy.

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

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

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

Kyle St. Peter

St. Louis

Dear Kyle,

Howdy-doo.

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

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

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

Dear Pat,

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

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

Eric

Dear Eric,

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

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

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

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

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

2005 - Kamerion Wimbley and a bunch of flotsam.

I shall let you judge.

(Want to be recognized in "Three and Out"? It's a rare treat. Comment here or send an e-mail to pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com, and put "First and 10" in the subject line)

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

Boy was it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some thoughts -

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

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

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

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

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

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

A couple quotes:

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

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

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

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

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

Carson Palmer will not play today for the Cincinnati Bengals. If the Browns cannot beat the Bengals with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, it's time to consider disbanding the franchise.

I am hereby suspending all blog activity until the crisis in Berea is solved.

HEY … it's a joke!

The more one thinks (note the imperial ‘one') the more it seems nearly irrelevant who plays quarterback on Sunday in Cincinnati. That's because the Bengals' run defense is dismal and this is the weekend to get the running game going. That, after all, is the quarterback's best friend. Well, that and the trade of the starter after the season's opening game. But the best thing that can happen for the Browns, Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn would be for Jamal Lewis to get the ball at least 25 times in Cincinnati. Lewis ran for 308 yards in the two games against Cincinnati last season. The Bengals have not exactly improved on defense this year.

A year ago the Browns used the downfield threat to spread the field and then run the ball. Throw to get ahead, run to win. That kind of thing. Well this season things can be reversed. Use the run to bring the safeties up, then hit them with the pass in the right circumstance and situation. Keep the offense out of third-and-long. Give the quarterback an advantage. Let Anderson or Quinn or Josh Cribbs or David Mays or whoever play in that kind of circumstance and any should be able to win the game. Which, after all, is the point. Win the stupid game.

That's what I'd do at least. If I were not suspending all football-coaching activity until the Japanese beetle crisis is solved.

Item: Romeo Crennel announced that Derek Anderson will start Sunday in Cincinnati.

I tried to make this clear yesterday (cough, cough). Anderson has always been the choice of the coach and his staff.

If nothing else, Crennel is loyal. In this case, I think he made the right decision. Anderson has been working with the starters since the beginning of camp, and there still is a (slim) chance to salvage the season. Going to Quinn might help, but it's more likely to lead to the usual struggles inexperience brings. No, Anderson is not a grizzled veteran. No, he's not played well. But he's had a lot of company in that regard. And if the entire team improves and plays like it can, then Anderson's play will not be such a big, red, sore thumb. However, the goal is winning on Sunday, not making sure all feelings are soothed. This leash should be short, and the Browns should not hesitate to make a change if it seems a change will help win the game. But starting Anderson is the right thing to do.

Said Crennel of Anderson:“He said he needs to play better and that is the thing that we are focusing on going into this game is trying to get him to play better.”

OK then. Evidently the straight-talk express now resides in Berea.

Item: I don't get Jim Brown.

Well I do. Brown is a man who will always say what he thinks, whether people like it or not. He will not be cowed, slowed or influenced by anyone. When he's asked a question, he answers. And that really is a good thing.

But I don't get how his comments Tuesday help anything.

Brown spoke on an internet radio show and pretty much ridiculed Anderson.

"Ive been in meetings all day," Brown said. "I've met with coach, the president of the organizatino, team captains, individual players — we all seem to be in one accord. But it's up to the coach to make the final decision on his lineup this week, but if he makes the right decision on the lineup I think we can be out of this terrible slump we're in."

Item: Now Shaun Rogers missed practice with a shoulder problem.

But he's expected to play Sunday. Othes who missed include LB Kris Griffin, S Sean Jones, LB Willie McGinest, Rogers, TE Martin Rucker and G Eric Steinbach. WRs Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth were limited.

First and 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You're An Idiot

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

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

I call that "reader oversight."

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

Three and Out

Dear Pat,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks,

Will

Akron

Dear Will,

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

Dear Pat,

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

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

Eddie Vidmar

Dear Eddie,

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

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

Dear Pat,

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

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

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

Eric Graham

Dear Eric,

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

(Want to be recognized in "Three and Out"? It's a rare treat. Comment here or send an e-mail to pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com, and put "First and 10" in the subject line)

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

Some other thoughts:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

–What in the world is with Donte' Stallworth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evidently there was a logjam at 22.

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

This is supposed to be a problem?

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. Choo is impressing a lot of people.

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

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

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

Think CC Sabathia might be starting with pinstripes that night?

Item: Footballs with numbers on them. For professionals.

There's really no making this stuff up.

First and 10

1)      Got an e-mail from a friend who said the best thing that happened Sunday night was that his power went out. He said that enabled him to a) get a good night's sleep and b) not be forced to watch the Browns lose to Pittsburgh. Again.

2)      It's gotten to the point that Pittsburgh cackles over how it beats the Browns. Hines Ward "marks his spot" (his spot) to the Dawg Pound. Willie Parker talks after the game about how much they love to beat the Browns. This is bad. Real bad.

3)      I'm not sure why he did it, but when Phil Savage told WTAM that the Steelers game was the biggest game of his and Romeo Crennel's tenure it kind of added a little bit of a new dimension to the game. Savage is a pretty honest guy, and he may have just been being honest, but I'm not sure the coaching staff viewed it that way. As one NFL type opined: "That just puts the heat on the coaches more than anything."

4)      Deep breaths. The Giants started the 2007 season 0-2.

5)      Reality. Record of Browns head coaches against Pittsburgh since 1999 - Chris Palmer: 2-2. Butch Davis: 1-8. Romeo Crennel: 0-7.

6)      More troublesome than anything about the Browns start is the play of the offense. Jamal Lewis has 100 yards in two games, Derek Anderson has one touchdown, the offense has one touchdown and Braylon Edwards has as many drops (5) as he does catches. We can whine and lament and second-guess all the coaching decisions in the world, but when the team is producing that way - albeit against good teams - the team is not going to win.

7)      For some reason the offensive edge that was present last year has disappeared these two games. Anyone who watched Dallas and Philadelphia Monday night saw confident teams playing with abandon. The Browns aren't playing that way offensively. They are not playing with abandon. They are not playing with focus. With the exception of Kellen Winslow and Jamal Lewis. There is absolutely no reason a receiver as talented as Edwards should drop so many passes. No receiver who wants to be in the elite of the league can catch half the balls thrown his way. It's easy to pick on Edwards, in part because he makes himself so pick-on-able, but the Browns need him to come through if they are to win. This offense needs to wake up. And trying to do it in Baltimore might not be the easiest challenge, against that defense.

8)      Robaire Smith evidently is done for the year with a torn Achilles tendon. This is a significant loss, because Smith is a hard-nosed, dependable guy who played hard every down. Note that there was never a moment when the Browns considered replacing Smith, even though they had acquired Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams. Smith is a very underrated, solid player, the kind of guy who helps a team win. Now he'll do it next year - assuming he can come back from the Achilles.

9)      It's pretty evident that what people say about Rogers is true: He can be a wrecking ball in the middle of the line.

10)   I really don't feel like I'm in the position to fire a coach. It's too easy a solution when a team struggles, and if a team continues to struggle the coach basically will fire himself. Or the owner and/or GM will. Unless you're Ned Yost in the middle of a pennant race; in that case knee-jerk owners and GMs who have surrendered your future for one pennant run will fire you. That being said, Romeo Crennel has not helped himself at all these first two games. And if the season keeps going south, he's going to be in a very tenuous position at the end of the year. But … and this is important … it's not all the field goal decisions or non-decisions. It's the way the players have played as well. The players have done very, very little to help their coach and coaches with their play on the field.

Three and Out

Dear Pat,

I hope your article in Tuesday's Beacon Journal was written tongue-in-cheek. I agree with everything you have said about the post '99 Browns. In regards to adopting the Steelers, let me give you a bit of insight. Half or more than half of Northeast Ohio already has! I made a comment to Terry Pluto the other day that we may be getting close to the point that the dwindling fan base in Northeast Ohio can no longer support an NFL franchise in Cleveland. If that is what you are suggesting, perhaps you should be writing about the NFL at the Post Gazette.

In regards to embracing the Steelers, you need a little insight into the Western PA mindset. I worked in Pittsburgh for 15 years and I can tell you that sports fans in Pittsburgh think everything about Cleveland stinks and, for that matter, everything in Ohio in general. Unlike Ohio, where you can purchase Steelers paraphernalia almost everywhere, you won't find an Indians or Cavs jersey for sale anywhere near Pittsburgh. Wearing said jersey would certainly draw ridicule and "mistake on the lake" comments.

I have no particular issue with people supporting an out of state team as is their right however, when respect only goes one way, it is a larger issue.

The Browns are bad because they lack a winning culture, not talent. I believe the right coaching staff can turn this team around and would see this mess fixed before we throw in the towel and start sending all of our money to Pittsburgh and drive the Browns out of town

Ed Eaken

Columbiana

Dear Ed,

Very thoughtful letter.

Of course the notion of embracing the Steelers was written tongue-in-cheek. And I would never advocate the Browns leaving again.

I just think you fans deserve better, and I think stating what I said was a good way to get that point across.

I will say this though: It's impossible not to respect the way the Steelers build and run a team, and the way they play football.

But if the Rooneys lose control of the team in this financial struggle, a lot can change about the way things go in a very short time.

Dear Pat,

I've been a fan of yours for a long time.  I look forward to reading your articles and blogs.  But… it seems like lately you've swallowed the ‘cup half-empty' pill.  The other day your article included a derogatory dig for Sarah Palin.  I'm sick of the political digs from both sides.  Please keep your digs to yourself… we don't need another Keith Olberman.

As far as this article about adopting the Steelers, this totally disgusts me.  As a Browns season ticket holder I was there to hear the abuse from those Steeler fans.  It was bad enough to lose to them again on Sunday, but now this article is yet another victory for them as they continue to mock all Browns fans.  I'm sure the local Steeler fans will absolutely love reading this article.

Pat, you're an excellent writer.  Your funny and you do a great job of communicating your point.  Please get back to being the Pat that we love to read.  I hope you take this as constructive criticism.

Thanks!

David Freund

Account Executive

Chas E Slusser Agency, Inc

Dear David,

I appreciate the note … and I appreciate the fact you were constructive about it.

As for Sarah Palin, it was just a joke. I crack on myself, so I figure I can crack on myself too.

As for the "adopt the Steelers" remark - again it was tongue-in-cheek prompted by the frustration over the team.

As a beat writer, I pretty much had to keep opinion out and stick to analysis. As a columnist, I'm expected to have a strong voice and strong opinion. I know it seems half-full at times, but I really think what I write reflects the team.

Believe me, had the Browns competed the first two games and played smart, I'd have written it was disappointing to start 0-2 but there was still hope for the season. The way they played doesn't provide a lot of hope … not yet at least. I mean, how can you expect to see hope when they can't figure out how to line up for a kickoff after six weeks of training camp and all that off-season stuff???

When they start playing better, the glass will re-fill. And when they actually BEAT the Steelers, the approach will really change.

Dear Mr. McManamon,

I'm a transplant from Akron living in Portland (Pacific-side).  Always have enjoyed your columns.

I'm writing in order to inquire as to what the general mood in Cleveland is with regard to our utterly hapless coach.  You mentioned some coaching errors in your recent article, yet I believe this understates the egregiousness of his incompetence at this level (at least in the central role, as opposed to a coordinator position).

Even in the way Romeo walks across the football field, or paces the sidelines and tries to manage the various speaking devices he has with upstairs and the sidelines (true — you couldn't get more subjective than studying another's strolling mannerisms, but bear with me), he appears to me to be very uncomfortable … to, indeed, be in way over his head, and has for each of these four years.  When is the hammer going to come down?
This, in my opinion, should be it.

The complete lack of any semblance of clock management at the end of the game (a game against a divisional rival, at home) is cause enough to realize that our team needs better (or, actually, any) direction.  Tim Couch would be a better head coach (this is probably untrue, but I have severe feelings about this).  Even Mike Tomlin, in his first year last year, seemed to have a vastly greater understanding of how to manage his players (albeit they are better players, but still).

I understand the desire for "continuity," but the only continuity we currently have with Crennel is of losses to the Steelers.

Thanks for your time.

Cheers,
Parker Staley

Dear Parker,

Well, I'd say your feelings are shared by many in this area. Many.

Let's just say that folks are not very happy.

Dear Pat,

Note: Written before the Steelers game.

I'm pretty sick of this.  Here are a few related questions for you and your readers:

Let's consider the season openers -

1) Which team is better? The Bears or the Cowboys?
2) Did we notice the Browns and Colts both hobbled into their season openers, after a preseason derailed by injuries with prime talent still in recovery mode?

3) Is it just me, or did the Bears do to the Colts what the Cowboys did to the Browns? (Bears win 29-13, Cowboys win 28-10)?

4) Is anyone saying the Colts are a bad team, or that they are doomed?

Take a second and piece the whole connection together.

"Fans" in this area, and you yourself - some of your columns are the biggest, most pessimistic downers of all - don't take much motivating to drag this team out to the curb on trash day, do you?

The Browns have far more talent than what they were able to pull together against the NFL's most complete team. Conversely, the Steelers are healthy and had the luxury of starting against a weak team. Get a grip on yourselves, people. There are 15 games left. Fifteen of 16.

Stop firing people. Stop trading players. Stop whining. Try enjoying football for once. Try backing your team. The rest of us are tired of hearing you gripe.

Dave Curfman
Actual Browns Fan
Akron, Ohio

Dear Dave,

I again point out to all that your note was written prior to the Steelers game.

But I do appreciate your positive sense.

I would repeat again: The Giants started 0-2 last season.

And after one game last year, everyone (me included) was ready to, as Dave says, take the Browns out on trash day.

They rebounded.

There is still time to rebound this year.

Finally … a personal note … the Beacon-Journal has again decided to lay off employees. This time, five reporters are on the list, me being one of them. The outrage is that this calls into question the long-term future of this brog. Layoffs take effect in 60 days. While I certainly hope things change in that time, I can only promise this clog will be around until Nov. 15. Questions may be directed toward your local Sta-Puf Marshmallow Man.

(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)