Cleveland Browns' Crazy Train To Hell

[Bobbuttons]

So what else is there to do following the last dismal loss at home to a team that hadn't won a road game in a year..... How about looking at the silver lining? Well, there isn't much of that, either. I will instead look at this:

The Browns could and very well should be 8-3 right now.

The funny thing is, this could be the worst 8-3 team in a long time. If they were 8-3, it would be less for what they had been able to do and more of how poorly their opponents have played. After starting out 0-3, they rebound by beating the Bengals and then get the big Monday Night win at home against the Giants. 2-3 and suddenly the team shows life again. After putting up 35 points against a big time Giants defense, you only score 11 against Washington (a team that's given up 16 or more points in 9 of their 11 games this year). You hold them to just 14, so that's a game you have to win. Yet, they lose by a FG.

Then they win a tough game at Jacksonville and it looks again like maybe things are turning around, and you have the next two at home. Against Baltimore and Denver, they are up 13 points. They blow those leads and lose both games. Those SHOULD have been wins. It looked like it was going to happen again against Buffalo, but Brady Quinn hit a couple of passes setting up a career long 56-year FG by Phil Dawson.

Then the debacle yesterday. Houston had given up 28.7 PPG coming into that game. How in the hell do you only score 6 points? Just 17 points would have won that game. It's inexcusable to come out and play so flat at home following a big win on the road.

If you take those losses I mentioned above, that's an 8-3 record, despite having a secondary that has made the likes of Joey Flacco and Sage Rosenfells look like Joe Montana. Despite having a QB carousel. Despite having no 100 yard rusher all season. Despite injuries on the D-line that has given up a God awful amount of rushing yards. And don't even get me started on Braylon Edwards.

So, I guess if you want to look at the bright side, that's it.

Still, though, I am tired of these poor decisions by Romeo Crennel. He sticks with Derek Anderson, no matter how bad he looks, all the way until the Denver game. Then Brady throws two INTs in a game and he gets pulled? What the hell does that say to your supposed number 1 QB? And Jamal Lewis ran 10 times for 58 yards. Why only 10 times? First, the Browns are around 10-1 or so when Lewis runs 20 times or more. And it wasn't as though he was only average 2 yards a carry. He only had 2 carries in the first half. I don't understand this insanity. Yes, he fumbled early. That's Lewis. He's always been a bit fumble prone. Give it back to him again. Let him make up for it.

So, I guess I'll close with this:

GUH*




























*trademarked by Dargone

[silvam14]

Shut Up with your whining

[Antonin]

The Browns are my team and I will always support them, but they are really hard to watch this season.

I wonder if there really is a Paul Brown curse...

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by silvam14

Shut Up with your whining

It's more a rant then whining :P

[Tribe Fan 24]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

It's more a rant then whining :P

" !

[Andy]

At least your team isn't the Bengals.

[Tribe Fan 24]

dola -

The Browns are a train wreck right now. I loved the game against the Giants, and we seemed to be clicking. Then we have HORRIFIC games after that. There is no excuse for the crappy play. I am afraid that I am in the "fire Romeo" camp right now. I don't see anything getting appreciably better in any area. He must turn this around before the end of the year for me, or I would cut him loose. Too many garbage mistakes, wierd subs, and horrible offense.

They should be better than this.

[Erik W.]

I was surprised when I read that Quinn had already lost the job. He looked pretty good in his first two games.

Romeo seems to be a nice guy but a pretty terrible head coach.

[Bobbuttons]

Originally Posted by Erik W.

I was surprised when I read that Quinn had already lost the job. He looked pretty good in his first two games.

Romeo seems to be a nice guy but a pretty terrible head coach.

He hasn't lost the job, he was just pulled in the last game after 2 picks. He was still named the starter for next week's anticipated drubbing by the Colts.

[Erik W.]

Originally Posted by Bobbuttons

He hasn't lost the job, he was just pulled in the last game after 2 picks. He was still named the starter for next week's anticipated drubbing by the Colts.

That's good to hear. Either ESPN.com or CNNSI.com last night was saying that Anderson would be the starter again. I'm glad it was bad information.

[Go Tribe]

i've said all year - i'll take a 4-12 season to get rid of anderson (1st or 2nd round pick) and crennel (hello bill cowher).

savage's f* you email to that fan will make it easy to fire him for cause and not have to pay his remaining contract

use the top 5 pick to get beanie

[Faroo6]

Originally Posted by Go Tribe

i've said all year - i'll take a 4-12 season to get rid of anderson (1st or 2nd round pick) and crennel (hello bill cowher).

savage's f* you email to that fan will make it easy to fire him for cause and not have to pay his remaining contract

use the top 5 pick to get beanie

I don't know if Anderson would get you a 1st or 2nd this year, cuz he's looked awful. They should have traded him in the off-season for a guarenteed 1st when his valued was the highest. I'm sure my Niners would have bit at that.

[stevebydac]

Romeo's a good guy and was an excellent defensive coordinator for the Patriots. I was rooting for him to do a good job with the Browns. It's too bad that things don't seem to be going well.

[KurtBevacqua]

Crennel is dead man walking as his Chudzinski. I think with the right coaching and right system Anderson could be a star. Won't happen as things are in Cleveland. I'm not sold on Quinn. Looks an awful lot like a shorter version of Bernie Kosar, only unlike Bernie at that stage in his career, has yet to show any big wins on his resume.

[Bobbuttons]

Originally Posted by KurtBevacqua

Crennel is dead man walking as his Chudzinski. I think with the right coaching and right system Anderson could be a star. Won't happen as things are in Cleveland. I'm not sold on Quinn. Looks an awful lot like a shorter version of Bernie Kosar, only unlike Bernie at that stage in his career, has yet to show any big wins on his resume.

Unlike Kosar at this stage in his career? Both were 1-2 in their first three career starts. The only team Kosar beat in his first three starts was a 1-4 Houston Oiler team. Quinn beat a 5-4 Buffalo team on the road. While that's not necessarily a big win, it's a bigger win record wise than Kosar at that stage.

I'll admit that I'm not completely sold on Quinn yet, either, but I don't think it's a good argument to say that he hasn't won a big game yet.

Also, Quinn and Kosar took over their teams at opposite ends of the spectrum. I'll say that Kosar did more with less it seems. In 1984, the Browns were 5-11 and the next season, Kosar took over as qb of a 3-2 team. He went 4-6 as a starter with a rating of 69. Quinn took over a team with an offense that carried the team to 10 wins the year before, but was only 3-5 this year. In his few starts before his injury, his rating was 66.

[Forest_Fan]

Originally Posted by Bobbuttons

Unlike Kosar at this stage in his career? Both were 1-2 in their first three career starts. The only team Kosar beat in his first three starts was a 1-4 Houston Oiler team. Quinn beat a 5-4 Buffalo team on the road. While that's not necessarily a big win, it's a bigger win record wise than Kosar at that stage.

I'll admit that I'm not completely sold on Quinn yet, either, but I don't think it's a good argument to say that he hasn't won a big game yet.

Also, Quinn and Kosar took over their teams at opposite ends of the spectrum. I'll say that Kosar did more with less it seems. In 1984, the Browns were 5-11 and the next season, Kosar took over as qb of a 3-2 team. He went 4-6 as a starter with a rating of 69. Quinn took over a team with an offense that carried the team to 10 wins the year before, but was only 3-5 this year. In his few starts before his injury, his rating was 66.

When Kosar took the reins in 1985 the Browns were a run first, run second, run most of the time kind of team. They ended up an 8-8 division winner that focused on basic fundamentals and which produced a pair of 1,000 yard backs in Kevin Mack and Ernest Byner. Patiently easing Kosar into the key role in the offense was smart and the Browns reaped huge benefits in the next 3-4 seasons as he became one of the NFL's elite passers.

And part of that fundamentals stuff was that they had a defense that played smart and was no pushover.

Quinn stepped into an offense in flux where there was no real dedication to the running game, some bad injuries, and receivers with the droppsies. And there is no defense in Cleveland.

I think times have changed and you won't see a team make a conscious effort to conservatively develop a raw quarterback as the Browns did Kosar. That may have had something to do with Marty, but I don't know. Today, Quinn will be expected to step in and direct the team at a highly competent level or get yanked out on a short leash.

Quinn will be a fine QB if he has some talent around him, and if that talent lives up to expectations. The pressing problem in Cleveland is just bad coaching, from lousy time management to a weak and directionless offensive approach, not to mention a defense that does the team absolutely no favors.

[Cryomaniac]

Cribbs should play QB

Beside the Point: The Blog by Patrick McManamon » Blog Archive » First and 10: Why not Cribbs at QB?

Also, Forest Fan, I'm guessing the quote in your sig is from Brian Clough? I've seen it before, but I'm not sure where.

[Bobbuttons]

At the time, I would never have thought that Jerome Harrison's 72-yard run against the Bills Monday night, November 17th, would be the last offensive touchdown of the season for the Browns.... sadly, it's looking increasing like it will be...

[Big Hugg]

The Bengals only have 3 shutouts in the last 20 years, all in Cleveland, 2 of them in the last 3 seasons.

[KurtBevacqua]

Originally Posted by Bobbuttons

Unlike Kosar at this stage in his career? Both were 1-2 in their first three career starts. The only team Kosar beat in his first three starts was a 1-4 Houston Oiler team. Quinn beat a 5-4 Buffalo team on the road. While that's not necessarily a big win, it's a bigger win record wise than Kosar at that stage.

I'll admit that I'm not completely sold on Quinn yet, either, but I don't think it's a good argument to say that he hasn't won a big game yet.

Also, Quinn and Kosar took over their teams at opposite ends of the spectrum. I'll say that Kosar did more with less it seems. In 1984, the Browns were 5-11 and the next season, Kosar took over as qb of a 3-2 team. He went 4-6 as a starter with a rating of 69. Quinn took over a team with an offense that carried the team to 10 wins the year before, but was only 3-5 this year. In his few starts before his injury, his rating was 66.

I seem to recall Bernie won this really big game in 1984 against some team from the midwest that was at the time considered the greatest college team ever. Meanwhile Brady Quinn had his ass handed to him on a plate every time Notre Dame played in an important game.

If you compare Quinn to Kosar at this point in their careers Bernie had a national title under his belt and demonstrated the ability to remain composed while under pressure. Quinn has demonstrated that he is another Notre Dame QB with a lot of hype. He may eventually be great, but to be honest I have seen no evidence of it.