How else can you describe what happened at Cleveland Browns Stadium today? The Browns have lost three in a row, and allowed the Baltimore Ravens to clinch a playoff birth with their 20-10 loss today.
I think to say it was ugly would be an understatement. The Browns managed just 280 yards of offense today, and had 4 turnovers - 3 interceptions and a fumble. Colt McCoy had his worst day as a pro, going 15/29 for 149 yards and those three interceptions, earning him a 27.0 QB rating. Yikes. The running game was no better, as Peyton Hillis was game planned against, and only managed 12 carries for 35 yards. I think he was hurt, as Mike Bell was in for a lot of the game, and had 7 carries for 27 yards along with 2 receptions for 48 yards. Also on the receiving end, Chansi Stuckey had 4 catches for 39 yards, many of which coming on a drive that ended in an Ed Reed interception in the 4th quarter.
What's amazing about this game is that the Ravens somehow had less total yards than the Browns with only 258. That's because the Ravens focused on the running game today on the cold shore of Lake Erie and the Browns didn't force Joe Flacco to beat them. In total, the Ravens had 161 yards on the ground, a glaring number that highlights why the Browns sometimes have a tough time getting off fo the field. The ground attack was led by Ray Rice, who had 92 yards on 25 carries. It's nice to note that the Browns didn't allow an individual 100 yard rusher, but I guess that doesn't matter when you allow 161 total, does it?
In the air, Flacco was an efficient 12/19 for 102 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception by Joe Haden, his 6th of the season. No wide receiver had more than 50 yards for the Ravens, with Derrick Mason leading the charge with 4 catches for 50, and Anquan Boldin was held to 2 catches for only 15 yards. Clearly the strength of the Browns team is their passing defense, which has been brought on with the emergence of both Joe Haden and T.J. Ward. It's been nice to see them progress and become great players this season.
So what does all this mean? Well, first off the Browns are 5-10, and have lost double digit games for the 3rd consecutive season, and 7th time in the last 8 years. Yikes. It also doesn't make the case for keeping Eric Mangini any stronger, as the Browns have now lost three in a row. I still think the turning point of the season was when the Browns lost to the Jets in week 10 - to me they just haven't looked the same.
This game was also really poor for Colt McCoy, who didn't make his case stronger to be the Browns quarterback for the long term by not playing well in the cold weather. It's the first time he has looked like a rookie all season, but I really expect him to bounce back and have a better game next week against Pittsburgh.
Try to enjoy the rest of your day and the rest of the Holidays, Browns fans. I'll be back with you next week for the final game of the season as the Steelers come to town.
~MAS
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Browns Halftime Blurb, 12/26 Vs. Ravens
The Browns have looked a little inconsistent so far today. They've made some plays on offense as evidenced by that last drive before the half, but they've also turned the ball over three times, pretty atypical of them. That's clearly not helping out the defense, and the Browns go into the half down 13-10.
I think this is one of the only games where Colt McCoy has looked like a rookie for at least a little bit. I think he sort of shed that on the last drive, but when he threw the second interception to Ed Reed, he clearly read the coverage incorrectly. It's been nice to see the Browns use some trickery with the Wildcat, especially with the touchdown pass from Mohammed Massaquoi to Brian Robiskie. I was pleasantly surprised to see Josh Cribbs being more effective today, I guess his toes must be healing.
If you look at the numbers, the running game is clearly in peril. I guess Peyton Hillis is hurting a little bit as we've seen a lot of Mike Bell. The two have combined for 28 yards on 11 rushes, a 2.5 average. Cribbs has two rushes for 8 yards, and Colt McCoy had a 7 yard scramble towards the end of the half. Passing, McCoy is 8/12 for 70 yards and 2 interceptions, not great numbers. It's worth mentioning again that Robiskie had a fantastic catch in the endzone, and he's seems to be coming on strong in these last couple of weeks.
Defensively, I don't think the Browns have done too bad of a job - it's just been that the offensive turnovers have killed them. The Ravens have scored 10 points off of turnovers, which means to me that the defense is only truly liable for 3 points. That being said, the Ravens running game has done much too well against the Browns today, as Ray Rice has 38 yards on 9 carries, LeRon McClain has 19 yards on 2 carries, and Willis McGahee has 17 yards on 3 carries. Flacco is 8/14 for 56 yards and a TD, pretty good numbers if you're the Browns defense. Also, Anquan Bolden has not dominated the Browns like he did earlier this season as he's been held to 1 catch for 9 yards.
If the Browns don't turn the football over in the second half, they have a real chance to win this game. But I think it's going to take a lot for the Browns to pull this one out as the Ravens do have a lot riding on this game. We'll see what happens.
See you after,
~MAS
I think this is one of the only games where Colt McCoy has looked like a rookie for at least a little bit. I think he sort of shed that on the last drive, but when he threw the second interception to Ed Reed, he clearly read the coverage incorrectly. It's been nice to see the Browns use some trickery with the Wildcat, especially with the touchdown pass from Mohammed Massaquoi to Brian Robiskie. I was pleasantly surprised to see Josh Cribbs being more effective today, I guess his toes must be healing.
If you look at the numbers, the running game is clearly in peril. I guess Peyton Hillis is hurting a little bit as we've seen a lot of Mike Bell. The two have combined for 28 yards on 11 rushes, a 2.5 average. Cribbs has two rushes for 8 yards, and Colt McCoy had a 7 yard scramble towards the end of the half. Passing, McCoy is 8/12 for 70 yards and 2 interceptions, not great numbers. It's worth mentioning again that Robiskie had a fantastic catch in the endzone, and he's seems to be coming on strong in these last couple of weeks.
Defensively, I don't think the Browns have done too bad of a job - it's just been that the offensive turnovers have killed them. The Ravens have scored 10 points off of turnovers, which means to me that the defense is only truly liable for 3 points. That being said, the Ravens running game has done much too well against the Browns today, as Ray Rice has 38 yards on 9 carries, LeRon McClain has 19 yards on 2 carries, and Willis McGahee has 17 yards on 3 carries. Flacco is 8/14 for 56 yards and a TD, pretty good numbers if you're the Browns defense. Also, Anquan Bolden has not dominated the Browns like he did earlier this season as he's been held to 1 catch for 9 yards.
If the Browns don't turn the football over in the second half, they have a real chance to win this game. But I think it's going to take a lot for the Browns to pull this one out as the Ravens do have a lot riding on this game. We'll see what happens.
See you after,
~MAS
Start Me Up - Ravens vs. Browns
I've got a new, sleek, awesomely-wonderful-in-every-way MacBook Pro and this is the first blog coming to you from this fine piece of machinery as the 10-4 Baltimore Ravens come into snowy Cleveland to take on the 5-9 Browns. A lot has been said about the Browns losing two consecutive games to 2-win teams (surprisingly, little by me) and head coach Eric Mangini's chances of keeping his job, but for now the Browns have still got the Mangenius so we'll have to see what they can get done today.
If you go back to the game these two teams played way back week 3 of the season in September, the Browns put up a valiant fight in the loss. They had the lead in the fourth quarter before blowing it when Anquan Boldin caught a 27 yard pass to cap off a touchdown drive, and then Billy Cundiff added a field goal to seal the deal. That game, Seneca Wallace was 18/24 for 141 yards passing and a touchdown, but Peyton Hillis was huge with 144 yards on 22 carries. We've already heard Ray Lewis come out this week to say that's not going to happen again, and I believe him. People just don't run on the Ravens like that two times in one season.
The key to this game on the offensive side will be if we can establish and then maintain balance with the run and pass. Now, I'm pretty sure you could say that with just about every game you come across, because who doesn't want balance in their offensive game plan? But I think it's especially important this week as they are clearly going to be keeping bodies in the box to stop Hillis and at the same time will undoubtedly blitz the heck out of Colt McCoy in clear passing situations. It's going to come down to if the Browns can get enough yards on first and second down to make "Third-and-Manageable" situations, so third-and-three, or third-and-four. If there's ever a third-and-long, look out for the blitzkrieg.
Defensively, the Browns are going to have a tough time dealing with both Ray Rice and Joe Flacco. Both have had solid seasons, with Rice rushing for 1,051 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Flacco throwing for 3,395 and 23 touchdowns, good for a 94.8 rating that's 7th in the NFL (6th if you don't count Tony Romo). Although Rice is widely regarded as one of the best in the league, it's really not because he goes over 100 yards rushing each week - it's the receptions. He has 62 of them for 556 yards and a touchdown so far this season. Last week, the Ravens beat the New Orleans Saints behind Rice's best game of the season as he had 153 yards on 31 carries, 80 yards on 5 receptions, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. You add in wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason, who have 813 yards and 718 yards, respectively, and you can see why defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has certainly had his hands full.
The Browns did a nice job defensively during the first three quarters of the Baltimore game earlier this season, and I think a big part of the breakdown was Flacco challenging Eric Wright who just was not up to it. That was before the emergence of Joe Haden, and Wright has since been placed on the Injured Reserve list, so I doubt we'll see Bolden catch 8 passes for 142 yards and 3 TDs again. It would have been really nice to have Scott Fujita back this week for run support, but he has also been placed on that IR, which meas everyone else has to be on their A-game for run support. The Browns cannot afford to let Rice run all over them like they did with Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott last week.
Do I think the Browns can pull out a win today? Well, I certainly hope so. But based on the way this team has played since they lost to the Jets back in week 10, I just don't really see it happening. As an optimist, I hope they do. I hope they can get the win to maybe help Mangini keep his job. Rob Ryan gave the head coach a shining endorsement earlier this week, and said that it would be dumb to blow up everything now. I think he's right about that. But will I predict the Browns to win today?
Nah...The Ravens could be a championship-caliber team, and they're not going to let the Browns play the role of "Spoiler" today.
The Prediction: BAL 30 - CLE 20
See you at the half,
~MAS
If you go back to the game these two teams played way back week 3 of the season in September, the Browns put up a valiant fight in the loss. They had the lead in the fourth quarter before blowing it when Anquan Boldin caught a 27 yard pass to cap off a touchdown drive, and then Billy Cundiff added a field goal to seal the deal. That game, Seneca Wallace was 18/24 for 141 yards passing and a touchdown, but Peyton Hillis was huge with 144 yards on 22 carries. We've already heard Ray Lewis come out this week to say that's not going to happen again, and I believe him. People just don't run on the Ravens like that two times in one season.
The key to this game on the offensive side will be if we can establish and then maintain balance with the run and pass. Now, I'm pretty sure you could say that with just about every game you come across, because who doesn't want balance in their offensive game plan? But I think it's especially important this week as they are clearly going to be keeping bodies in the box to stop Hillis and at the same time will undoubtedly blitz the heck out of Colt McCoy in clear passing situations. It's going to come down to if the Browns can get enough yards on first and second down to make "Third-and-Manageable" situations, so third-and-three, or third-and-four. If there's ever a third-and-long, look out for the blitzkrieg.
Defensively, the Browns are going to have a tough time dealing with both Ray Rice and Joe Flacco. Both have had solid seasons, with Rice rushing for 1,051 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Flacco throwing for 3,395 and 23 touchdowns, good for a 94.8 rating that's 7th in the NFL (6th if you don't count Tony Romo). Although Rice is widely regarded as one of the best in the league, it's really not because he goes over 100 yards rushing each week - it's the receptions. He has 62 of them for 556 yards and a touchdown so far this season. Last week, the Ravens beat the New Orleans Saints behind Rice's best game of the season as he had 153 yards on 31 carries, 80 yards on 5 receptions, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. You add in wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason, who have 813 yards and 718 yards, respectively, and you can see why defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has certainly had his hands full.
The Browns did a nice job defensively during the first three quarters of the Baltimore game earlier this season, and I think a big part of the breakdown was Flacco challenging Eric Wright who just was not up to it. That was before the emergence of Joe Haden, and Wright has since been placed on the Injured Reserve list, so I doubt we'll see Bolden catch 8 passes for 142 yards and 3 TDs again. It would have been really nice to have Scott Fujita back this week for run support, but he has also been placed on that IR, which meas everyone else has to be on their A-game for run support. The Browns cannot afford to let Rice run all over them like they did with Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott last week.
Do I think the Browns can pull out a win today? Well, I certainly hope so. But based on the way this team has played since they lost to the Jets back in week 10, I just don't really see it happening. As an optimist, I hope they do. I hope they can get the win to maybe help Mangini keep his job. Rob Ryan gave the head coach a shining endorsement earlier this week, and said that it would be dumb to blow up everything now. I think he's right about that. But will I predict the Browns to win today?
Nah...The Ravens could be a championship-caliber team, and they're not going to let the Browns play the role of "Spoiler" today.
The Prediction: BAL 30 - CLE 20
See you at the half,
~MAS
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Start Me Up - Browns vs. Bengals
Well the Browns travel down to southern Ohio today looking to improve their record to 6-8 as they take on the strug-a-ling 2-11 Cincinnati Bengals.
I don't think this game will by any means be an easy game to win for the team in brown and orange, but, let's be serious, this is a game they not only should win, but have to win in order to save Eric Mangini's job. A lot of people, myself included, were expecting a great win last week against the team ranked dead last in the league against the run, but I think a lack of offensive game plan other than "Peyton Hillis is going to run the ball, sometimes!" prevented that from happening. Hopefully they can get it squared away against a division rival this afternoon.
Offensively, I think the Browns will get back to where they were before losing to Jacksonville with Colt McCoy back as the starting quarterback. I wrote earlier in the week that McCoy seemed to have a better handle on the mid-range passes, and I believe the Browns will get back to more of the bootleg passes that they seemed to run so well with him. Whether or not Peyton Hillis keeps his hands on the football will also be huge today, as Cincinnati has the firepower to take advantage of turnovers, whether they have a 10 game losing streak or not. Also, it would be great if Josh Cribbs is healthy enough to take a bunch of snaps from the wildcat, as the lack of that package since the Jets game has obviously hurt the offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns are going to have to contain Terrell Owens a lot better than they did in week four when he gashed us for 10 catches and 222 yards and a touchdown. I think the secondary has been much improved since that time with the emergence of Joe Haden, and so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Carson Palmer has thrown for 3187 yards with 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, good for a 60% completion percentage and a 78.1 QB rating. This may not sound too bad from our perspective, but it's clearly a disappointment for that team as they thought they would be getting a marquee offense with T.O. and Ochocinco, but that just hasn't happened. They have Cedric Benson at running back, who is having a very average season with 856 yards rushing and six touchdowns, and only 3.5 yards per carry. I think Rob Ryan's crew should be able to handle these guys better than they did in the win in week 4.
I've picked the Browns to win every single one of these "Start Me Up"s that I've done, but I'm going to continue the trend today, if for nothing else than because I like Eric Mangini and I'd like to see him keep his job. Still, the Bengals are a mess of a team right now, and Colt McCoy coming back should give the Browns the shot in the arm they need to look like that team who beat the Saints and Patriots.
The Prediction: CLE 20 - CIN 10
A slight blogging note, I have a final from 2-5 today (I know, who gives a final on a Sunday?!) and so I clearly won't be doing a Halftime Blurb, and nor will I do a postgamer since I won't have seen the game. Check back mid-week to find the wrap up after I've gotten back to CLE and away from all finals.
Go Browns!
~MAS
I don't think this game will by any means be an easy game to win for the team in brown and orange, but, let's be serious, this is a game they not only should win, but have to win in order to save Eric Mangini's job. A lot of people, myself included, were expecting a great win last week against the team ranked dead last in the league against the run, but I think a lack of offensive game plan other than "Peyton Hillis is going to run the ball, sometimes!" prevented that from happening. Hopefully they can get it squared away against a division rival this afternoon.
Offensively, I think the Browns will get back to where they were before losing to Jacksonville with Colt McCoy back as the starting quarterback. I wrote earlier in the week that McCoy seemed to have a better handle on the mid-range passes, and I believe the Browns will get back to more of the bootleg passes that they seemed to run so well with him. Whether or not Peyton Hillis keeps his hands on the football will also be huge today, as Cincinnati has the firepower to take advantage of turnovers, whether they have a 10 game losing streak or not. Also, it would be great if Josh Cribbs is healthy enough to take a bunch of snaps from the wildcat, as the lack of that package since the Jets game has obviously hurt the offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns are going to have to contain Terrell Owens a lot better than they did in week four when he gashed us for 10 catches and 222 yards and a touchdown. I think the secondary has been much improved since that time with the emergence of Joe Haden, and so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Carson Palmer has thrown for 3187 yards with 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, good for a 60% completion percentage and a 78.1 QB rating. This may not sound too bad from our perspective, but it's clearly a disappointment for that team as they thought they would be getting a marquee offense with T.O. and Ochocinco, but that just hasn't happened. They have Cedric Benson at running back, who is having a very average season with 856 yards rushing and six touchdowns, and only 3.5 yards per carry. I think Rob Ryan's crew should be able to handle these guys better than they did in the win in week 4.
I've picked the Browns to win every single one of these "Start Me Up"s that I've done, but I'm going to continue the trend today, if for nothing else than because I like Eric Mangini and I'd like to see him keep his job. Still, the Bengals are a mess of a team right now, and Colt McCoy coming back should give the Browns the shot in the arm they need to look like that team who beat the Saints and Patriots.
The Prediction: CLE 20 - CIN 10
A slight blogging note, I have a final from 2-5 today (I know, who gives a final on a Sunday?!) and so I clearly won't be doing a Halftime Blurb, and nor will I do a postgamer since I won't have seen the game. Check back mid-week to find the wrap up after I've gotten back to CLE and away from all finals.
Go Browns!
~MAS
Friday, December 17, 2010
A Little Late-Week Filler...
Alrightey, there's a lot I'd like to get off my chest and not a lot of time for me to do it, so let's just dive in to this week's version of the Filler...
Is Cliff Lee like LeBron James?
No.
I could stop right there and go onto my second topic now, but I've got too many feelings about it to let it go. This blog post from ESPN reporter Henry Abbott asserts that LeBron James and Cliff Lee are alike because they both went to teams where they could play with the best and presumably win lots of titles. Now, I've told many people why I dislike LeBron James, which is the same reason most other Clevelanders and other displaced Cavs fans dislike him - it's not that he left it's how he left. LeBron had every right to go anywhere he wanted to go and play with anyone with whom he wanted to play. I couldn't care less that he decided to team up with D-Wade and Bosh and that he's the ultimate front-runner. I mean, need I remind you that he was a Yankees and Cowboys fan growing up in Akron? He's just trying to fulfill his lifelong dream of being the front-running team that kids look up to.
But to get back to Lee, yes he signed with the outside-the-box suitor who already had three aces, but he did it in a classy way. I saw the first report that Lee was going to sign with the Phillies and it came from a source inside the Texas Rangers organization - the organization Lee was leaving. This means that either he or his agent picked up the phone, called the Rangers, told them "Thanks for the memories, but no thanks for the new contract," and then went on with his life.
To me, that's the complete opposite of a self-serving, one hour special where a player announces he's "taking his talents" to another team, and has a close adviser inform his former organization of this during the special. What Lee did and how he did it was done the way every professional athlete should handle themselves in a high profile, free-agent situation.
Maybe Lee is being so heralded because he didn't just sell himself to the highest bidder, the (Evil Empire) New York Yankees. Maybe people would like to see the Phillies dominate the league since they're not the Yanks or the Sox (who I think get way too much national television play). Maybe it's just refreshing to see a classy professional athlete in the aftermath of James' "Decision." Besides, it's not like Lee is going to be on the court with four other players every night. A lot of the time whether Lee will win or lose a game will depend on the Phillies offense and bullpen.
So no, Mr. Abbott, we don't think James is a "fraud" because of where he took his talents, it was how he decided to let us all know about it. James and Lee have nothing in common other than the fact that they began their careers in Cleveland, and neither got this city a title.
McCoy is Back
In an extremely out of character move, today Eric Mangini named rookie Browns quarterback Colt McCoy the starter for not only this week's game but for the rest of the season. I guess it's not really a surprise move, as the Browns offense has looked better under McCoy than anyone else whose been under center this year, but Mangini is notorious for playing the "who's going to be the quarterback this week" game.
I am a huge fan of McCoy though, as my eight loyal readers could undoubtedly tell you, and I'm really glad he's going to be back. I think he could potentially save not only Mangini but Brian Daboll's job. I know I'm a harsh critic of Daboll, but McCoy makes that guy look really good compared to the quarterback we saw last week. When McCoy was in the saddle earlier in the year, the coaches repeatedly said that the playbook was not limited. I really don't think they can say that about the last two weeks with Delhomme, as every passing play sort of looks like Daboll is afraid Delhomme will throw an interception. I'm not saying that those fears are unfounded, it's just clear to me that when the rookie is in there his accuracy and sheer ability to make plays opens things up.
Right now, our quarterback situation is sort of like having the teenager drive around grandpa because he's too old to safely drive anymore - and I think that's exactly what we need to do. McCoy has got the keys back to the car, and he can navigate this offense very well with Delhomme in the passenger seat (or in this case, on the sideline) giving the young kid guidance along the way. And if anything happens, Seneca Wallace can come in on the AAA truck and tow the car away - we really don't want Delhomme driving at any cost.
I know I wrote a couple of weeks ago that Delhomme brought the wide receivers dimension into the playbook, but a lot of what we saw from him in the last two weeks were all or nothing - meaning he throws pretty deep, or dumps it off to Peyton Hillis for about a 1 yard gain. What McCoy did well in his starts was get those mid-level throws, the ones that go for maybe 7-10 yards to the tight ends and running backs. Would I like to see more involvement of our wide receivers? Absolutely. But they've got to prove that they can get open before any of that happens.
I'll be back Sunday morning with the Browns Start Me Up as they travel down to southern Ohio to take on the 2-11 CincinnatiBungles Bengals (I've got a lot of nerve, seeing as how we lost to Buffalo last week...). I'll see you then!
~MAS
Is Cliff Lee like LeBron James?
No.
I could stop right there and go onto my second topic now, but I've got too many feelings about it to let it go. This blog post from ESPN reporter Henry Abbott asserts that LeBron James and Cliff Lee are alike because they both went to teams where they could play with the best and presumably win lots of titles. Now, I've told many people why I dislike LeBron James, which is the same reason most other Clevelanders and other displaced Cavs fans dislike him - it's not that he left it's how he left. LeBron had every right to go anywhere he wanted to go and play with anyone with whom he wanted to play. I couldn't care less that he decided to team up with D-Wade and Bosh and that he's the ultimate front-runner. I mean, need I remind you that he was a Yankees and Cowboys fan growing up in Akron? He's just trying to fulfill his lifelong dream of being the front-running team that kids look up to.
But to get back to Lee, yes he signed with the outside-the-box suitor who already had three aces, but he did it in a classy way. I saw the first report that Lee was going to sign with the Phillies and it came from a source inside the Texas Rangers organization - the organization Lee was leaving. This means that either he or his agent picked up the phone, called the Rangers, told them "Thanks for the memories, but no thanks for the new contract," and then went on with his life.
To me, that's the complete opposite of a self-serving, one hour special where a player announces he's "taking his talents" to another team, and has a close adviser inform his former organization of this during the special. What Lee did and how he did it was done the way every professional athlete should handle themselves in a high profile, free-agent situation.
Maybe Lee is being so heralded because he didn't just sell himself to the highest bidder, the (Evil Empire) New York Yankees. Maybe people would like to see the Phillies dominate the league since they're not the Yanks or the Sox (who I think get way too much national television play). Maybe it's just refreshing to see a classy professional athlete in the aftermath of James' "Decision." Besides, it's not like Lee is going to be on the court with four other players every night. A lot of the time whether Lee will win or lose a game will depend on the Phillies offense and bullpen.
So no, Mr. Abbott, we don't think James is a "fraud" because of where he took his talents, it was how he decided to let us all know about it. James and Lee have nothing in common other than the fact that they began their careers in Cleveland, and neither got this city a title.
McCoy is Back
In an extremely out of character move, today Eric Mangini named rookie Browns quarterback Colt McCoy the starter for not only this week's game but for the rest of the season. I guess it's not really a surprise move, as the Browns offense has looked better under McCoy than anyone else whose been under center this year, but Mangini is notorious for playing the "who's going to be the quarterback this week" game.
I am a huge fan of McCoy though, as my eight loyal readers could undoubtedly tell you, and I'm really glad he's going to be back. I think he could potentially save not only Mangini but Brian Daboll's job. I know I'm a harsh critic of Daboll, but McCoy makes that guy look really good compared to the quarterback we saw last week. When McCoy was in the saddle earlier in the year, the coaches repeatedly said that the playbook was not limited. I really don't think they can say that about the last two weeks with Delhomme, as every passing play sort of looks like Daboll is afraid Delhomme will throw an interception. I'm not saying that those fears are unfounded, it's just clear to me that when the rookie is in there his accuracy and sheer ability to make plays opens things up.
Right now, our quarterback situation is sort of like having the teenager drive around grandpa because he's too old to safely drive anymore - and I think that's exactly what we need to do. McCoy has got the keys back to the car, and he can navigate this offense very well with Delhomme in the passenger seat (or in this case, on the sideline) giving the young kid guidance along the way. And if anything happens, Seneca Wallace can come in on the AAA truck and tow the car away - we really don't want Delhomme driving at any cost.
I know I wrote a couple of weeks ago that Delhomme brought the wide receivers dimension into the playbook, but a lot of what we saw from him in the last two weeks were all or nothing - meaning he throws pretty deep, or dumps it off to Peyton Hillis for about a 1 yard gain. What McCoy did well in his starts was get those mid-level throws, the ones that go for maybe 7-10 yards to the tight ends and running backs. Would I like to see more involvement of our wide receivers? Absolutely. But they've got to prove that they can get open before any of that happens.
I'll be back Sunday morning with the Browns Start Me Up as they travel down to southern Ohio to take on the 2-11 Cincinnati
~MAS
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Goodbye to a Cleveland Legend
I know I don't write much about baseball on this blog, but I thought I'd take a little study break in my busy finals week to pay tribute to a true Cleveland legend, "Rapid Robert" Bob Feller, who passed away Wednesday night at the age of 92.
Many people know that Feller was a wonderful pitcher for the Tribe in an era where many players in the league gave up everything that was comfortable to serve their country in World War II. Feller, of course, was one of those in baseball who left the game, successfully served in the Navy and then resumed his prolific career with the Indians.
In this day and age, I honestly cannot fathom anything like that ever happening again. Of course, back then professional athletes were not nearly as overpaid as they are now, and the vast majority of them had other jobs for the off-season so that they could actually "feed their family" (a phrase that has no business ever coming out of the mouth of today's professional athlete). You also had a time where the average able bodied young man was going to go to war, whether they wanted to or not. Still, could you see someone like Cliff Lee or CC Sabathia completely walking away from the sport they love to go serve their country in war? I know I sure can't.
To me, what makes Feller all the more impressive is that when he came back from WWII he resumed his career and was still the same great pitcher. It was like he never left as he led the majors in wins in both '46 and '47 with 26 and 20, respectively. He also pitched 36 - yes 36 - complete games, 10 of those being shutouts, in '46. I think it's amazing his arm didn't fall off as you just don't see those kind of numbers from a pitcher anymore. Then he was part of the rotation that led the Indians to their last World Series victory, going 19-15 with a 3.56 ERA in '48. His last truly amazing season came in '51 when he went 22-8 with a 3.50 ERA, leading the league with his 22 wins and a .733 win percentage.
His number 19 is rightly retired on the rafters ofJacobs Progressive Field, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, and he still has the most wins in Indians history - he probably will be for a long time to come. He pitched three no hitters, including the only Opening Day no-no in major league history. He led the league in strikeouts 6 times. He was an All-Star 8 times. The list goes on and on, but it just goes to show the impact he had on the Indians.
And not only that, but he continued to be involved with the team, taking in many games from the press box. Anthony Castrovince, former indians.com beat writer, wrote this terrific blog about Feller, which does a much better job of paying tribute than I ever could. But I did want to point out exactly why we should celebrate the life of this Cleveland Legend for what he did on the field.
Rest in peace, Mr. Feller. You will be truly missed.
~MAS
Many people know that Feller was a wonderful pitcher for the Tribe in an era where many players in the league gave up everything that was comfortable to serve their country in World War II. Feller, of course, was one of those in baseball who left the game, successfully served in the Navy and then resumed his prolific career with the Indians.
In this day and age, I honestly cannot fathom anything like that ever happening again. Of course, back then professional athletes were not nearly as overpaid as they are now, and the vast majority of them had other jobs for the off-season so that they could actually "feed their family" (a phrase that has no business ever coming out of the mouth of today's professional athlete). You also had a time where the average able bodied young man was going to go to war, whether they wanted to or not. Still, could you see someone like Cliff Lee or CC Sabathia completely walking away from the sport they love to go serve their country in war? I know I sure can't.
To me, what makes Feller all the more impressive is that when he came back from WWII he resumed his career and was still the same great pitcher. It was like he never left as he led the majors in wins in both '46 and '47 with 26 and 20, respectively. He also pitched 36 - yes 36 - complete games, 10 of those being shutouts, in '46. I think it's amazing his arm didn't fall off as you just don't see those kind of numbers from a pitcher anymore. Then he was part of the rotation that led the Indians to their last World Series victory, going 19-15 with a 3.56 ERA in '48. His last truly amazing season came in '51 when he went 22-8 with a 3.50 ERA, leading the league with his 22 wins and a .733 win percentage.
His number 19 is rightly retired on the rafters of
And not only that, but he continued to be involved with the team, taking in many games from the press box. Anthony Castrovince, former indians.com beat writer, wrote this terrific blog about Feller, which does a much better job of paying tribute than I ever could. But I did want to point out exactly why we should celebrate the life of this Cleveland Legend for what he did on the field.
Rest in peace, Mr. Feller. You will be truly missed.
~MAS
Sunday, December 12, 2010
How do you Lose to a 2-10 Team?
Well, if you're the Cleveland Browns, it's really quite simple. You combine an offensive coordinator who, for whatever reason, refuses to run the ball on first down against the rushing defense rated dead last in the league with a quarterback who used to be a moderately good gunslinger, but now looks like he should be coaching in the league rather than playing, and *bam* you've got a game you easily could have should have won that results in a huge loss.
This is not the first time the Browns have lost a game where they were supposed to win this season, but it has got to be the worst. I'd go as far to say that this is the worst loss of Eric Mangini's career as coach of the Cleveland Browns. That's not to say that he should be fired, but I do know someone who should based on his play calling today...
You know what, I'm going to shift gears and start with something more positive - the Defense. Positive being a relative term, of course, Rob Ryan's crew only gave up 13 points today, and that should be a number that is good enough to win a ballgame. When you're talking about points, all things considered 13 is a pretty good number. The passing defense contained Ryan Fitzpatrick to just 142 passing yards and a touchdown, also pretty good. But what concerns me about the defensive performance is that they gave up a whopping 192 rushing yards. That was led by Fred Jackson, who had 112 yards on 29 carries, then Fitzpatrick who had 49 yards on 4 carries, and rookie CJ Spiller also gashed the Browns for 33 yards on 8 carries. Yikes. Still, the end result was only giving up 13 points, and that really should have been good enough to win the game.
But, of course, it wasn't. This game was so bad, offensively, I'm not even sure where to start. I'll congratulate Peyton Hillis once again for gaining 1000 rushing yards this season, and being the first white running back to do it since 1985, but that's it for the positives. Jake Delhomme's numbers? 12/20 for 86 yards and an interception. Those are Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson kind of numbers, if you ask me. I thought those days were over. You can argue that the interception was not really Delhomme's fault because he got hit as he threw the ball, but guess what? He still fumbled the ball and failed to execute plays time and time again on third down.
When I was watching the game, though, it was almost like Brian Daboll was setting up the offense to fail. When you have the defense lined up against you that's dead last in the run, and you have a big bruising back, you really ought to be running the football the whole game if you know your quarterback is inconsistent. Now, I'm not an offensive coordinator, but I do know that when Colt McCoy was in at quarterback we ran a lot of bootlegs because it appeared to be one of not only his but the offenses strengths. My question is, why did we not run one of them today?
I'll tell you, there were plays today where we lined up and I could just tell that we weren't going to get anything, especially on third down. One of them came with about seven minutes left to go in the fourth quarter when the Browns lined up with third and three and ended up throwing to Robert Royal. Now, someone, anyone, please tell me why oh why in the wide wide world of sports would you throw to Robert Royal on third down and three with the game on the line? Brian Daboll, what are you thinking?!
The Browns had a grand total of five possessions in the second half and did absolutely nothing with them. The two that came in the third quarter were of 5 then 8 plays, and both resulted in punts. In the fourth quarter, it was 3 plays and a fumble, 3 plays and a punt, and 3 plays and an intercepted pass. You're clearly not going to win with that kind of lack in execution of, really, anything.
Obviously this is a frustrating game for the players, the coaches, the organization, the city and the fans. It's back to the drawing board as the Browns will take on the Bengals next week. And as we now know, defeating a 2-win team is not going to be any small task.
See you next week,
~MAS
This is not the first time the Browns have lost a game where they were supposed to win this season, but it has got to be the worst. I'd go as far to say that this is the worst loss of Eric Mangini's career as coach of the Cleveland Browns. That's not to say that he should be fired, but I do know someone who should based on his play calling today...
You know what, I'm going to shift gears and start with something more positive - the Defense. Positive being a relative term, of course, Rob Ryan's crew only gave up 13 points today, and that should be a number that is good enough to win a ballgame. When you're talking about points, all things considered 13 is a pretty good number. The passing defense contained Ryan Fitzpatrick to just 142 passing yards and a touchdown, also pretty good. But what concerns me about the defensive performance is that they gave up a whopping 192 rushing yards. That was led by Fred Jackson, who had 112 yards on 29 carries, then Fitzpatrick who had 49 yards on 4 carries, and rookie CJ Spiller also gashed the Browns for 33 yards on 8 carries. Yikes. Still, the end result was only giving up 13 points, and that really should have been good enough to win the game.
But, of course, it wasn't. This game was so bad, offensively, I'm not even sure where to start. I'll congratulate Peyton Hillis once again for gaining 1000 rushing yards this season, and being the first white running back to do it since 1985, but that's it for the positives. Jake Delhomme's numbers? 12/20 for 86 yards and an interception. Those are Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson kind of numbers, if you ask me. I thought those days were over. You can argue that the interception was not really Delhomme's fault because he got hit as he threw the ball, but guess what? He still fumbled the ball and failed to execute plays time and time again on third down.
When I was watching the game, though, it was almost like Brian Daboll was setting up the offense to fail. When you have the defense lined up against you that's dead last in the run, and you have a big bruising back, you really ought to be running the football the whole game if you know your quarterback is inconsistent. Now, I'm not an offensive coordinator, but I do know that when Colt McCoy was in at quarterback we ran a lot of bootlegs because it appeared to be one of not only his but the offenses strengths. My question is, why did we not run one of them today?
I'll tell you, there were plays today where we lined up and I could just tell that we weren't going to get anything, especially on third down. One of them came with about seven minutes left to go in the fourth quarter when the Browns lined up with third and three and ended up throwing to Robert Royal. Now, someone, anyone, please tell me why oh why in the wide wide world of sports would you throw to Robert Royal on third down and three with the game on the line? Brian Daboll, what are you thinking?!
The Browns had a grand total of five possessions in the second half and did absolutely nothing with them. The two that came in the third quarter were of 5 then 8 plays, and both resulted in punts. In the fourth quarter, it was 3 plays and a fumble, 3 plays and a punt, and 3 plays and an intercepted pass. You're clearly not going to win with that kind of lack in execution of, really, anything.
Obviously this is a frustrating game for the players, the coaches, the organization, the city and the fans. It's back to the drawing board as the Browns will take on the Bengals next week. And as we now know, defeating a 2-win team is not going to be any small task.
See you next week,
~MAS
Browns Halftime Blurb - 12/12 Vs. Bills
I'm not sure what in the world the Browns are doing out there, but right now they're down by a score of 10-6 to the Buffalo Bills.
Here's the deal - the Browns have done moderately-okay on defense, but have just gotten nothing going since they failed to score a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Congratulations must go out to Peyton Hillis for eclipsing the 1000 yard rushing mark on the year, but then he went right out and fumbled the ball away. You always think he's risking that ball when he leaps over defenders, and that time running the ball it looked like he was carrying a loaf of bread home from the store. Just not a good look at all. When you take a look at the numbers, they're not so bad at all as Jake Delhomme is 6/9 for 57 yards, and Hillis has 72 yards on 12 carries. The thing is, 0 touchdowns. We've had two drives end up in the red zone and we've gotten 6 points out of it. This game is not going to go the Browns way if they continue to fail to capitalize on their opportunities near the end zone.
Defensively, the Browns are not doing nearly as well as I thought they would. I'm not sure if I was underrating Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick or what, but I just did not expect him to come out and really play so well against our D. The Browns have got to start stopping the drives earlier, as Buffalo's last two drives have been 14 plays for 89 yards and a TD, and then 9 plays for 63 yards for a field goal. Yikes. Fitzpatrick is 8/13 for 98 yards and a touchdown, and he also has 43 yards rushing! A lot of that is because the Browns have failed to collapse the pocket around him, and have let him break their contain. Matt Roth has been the offender at least twice, and I hope he can make the adjustment for the second half.
If the Browns continue to play as they did in the first half, this game is obviously going to be an incredibly disappointing loss. I'm not trying to discredit anything the Bills did in the first two quarters, but the Browns are definitely the better team in this game. They just have got to start playing like it and soon. See you after,
~MAS
Here's the deal - the Browns have done moderately-okay on defense, but have just gotten nothing going since they failed to score a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Congratulations must go out to Peyton Hillis for eclipsing the 1000 yard rushing mark on the year, but then he went right out and fumbled the ball away. You always think he's risking that ball when he leaps over defenders, and that time running the ball it looked like he was carrying a loaf of bread home from the store. Just not a good look at all. When you take a look at the numbers, they're not so bad at all as Jake Delhomme is 6/9 for 57 yards, and Hillis has 72 yards on 12 carries. The thing is, 0 touchdowns. We've had two drives end up in the red zone and we've gotten 6 points out of it. This game is not going to go the Browns way if they continue to fail to capitalize on their opportunities near the end zone.
Defensively, the Browns are not doing nearly as well as I thought they would. I'm not sure if I was underrating Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick or what, but I just did not expect him to come out and really play so well against our D. The Browns have got to start stopping the drives earlier, as Buffalo's last two drives have been 14 plays for 89 yards and a TD, and then 9 plays for 63 yards for a field goal. Yikes. Fitzpatrick is 8/13 for 98 yards and a touchdown, and he also has 43 yards rushing! A lot of that is because the Browns have failed to collapse the pocket around him, and have let him break their contain. Matt Roth has been the offender at least twice, and I hope he can make the adjustment for the second half.
If the Browns continue to play as they did in the first half, this game is obviously going to be an incredibly disappointing loss. I'm not trying to discredit anything the Bills did in the first two quarters, but the Browns are definitely the better team in this game. They just have got to start playing like it and soon. See you after,
~MAS
Start Me Up - Browns vs. Bills
So clearly I didn't get around to posting some mid-week filler in the last few days (but with two papers to do and finals to study for, can you blame me?) but the Browns take on the Bills today up in snowy Buffalo, New York in what I think should be called the Battle of I-90.
In the last three years, these two teams have met and the Browns have won all three match-ups. In 2007, there was the memorable Snow Bowl game where Phil Dawson hit two clutch field goals in crazy swirling wind, and the Bills snapped a punt over the head of their punter and out of the end zone for a safety. Then there was Romeo Crenel's last victory as coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2008, when Jerome Harrison had a 72 yard run for the Browns last offensive touchdown that year, and Phil Dawson hit a 56 yard field goal with 1:39 left in the game to win. And last year, there was Eric Mangini's first win as the coach of the Browns where the Browns got by on two Billy Cundiff (yeah, bet you forgot about that one, huh? I know I did...) field goals, and Derek Anderson had one of the worst games a Browns QB has ever had going 2/17 for 23 yards and an interception. So what's going to happen today?
Well I think any way you look at it, we'll have a great game. Sure, the Bills petered out last week against the Vikings after playing very well in their previous three games. They first had wins against Detroit and Cincinnati, two teams who are just not doing so well right now, and then took the Pittsburgh into overtime, eventually losing 16-19. They bring a lot of competitive fire to the table, but, in my opinion at least, not too much else.
First off, their run defense is terrible giving up 170.9 yards a game. With the weather conditions predicted to be as Buffalo as ever (meaning really snowy), I think that's a recipe for Peyton Hillis to have a terrific - if not career - kind of game, as long as he can stay away from the fumbles. He will also, in all likelihood, go over the 1000 yard rushing mark for the season as he's sitting on 962 right now.
Jake Delhomme will be the starting QB this afternoon, and I really think Brian Daboll knows that this is going to be a game managing situation for the veteran. The strength of the Bills defense is clearly in the way they defend the pass as they're only allowing 207.2 yards per game - it isn't the best, but it's definitely better than than what they do against the run. Yikes. The offense may or may not have Josh Cribbs back as a wide receiver and in the wildcat, but I'd say chances are more likely that he'll stay just on the kick coverage. At least that's what I think I'd prefer for him until he's closer to 100%. Last week it was clear to me that he was still hurting, as he just looked slow when running with the ball. Hopefully he'll be healthy sooner rather than later, as we could really use his talents for our last three weeks of the season.
But enough about the future, a big key for the Browns winning today will be if their defense can contain Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has really come on to be a productive quarterback this year. Fitzpatrick has thrown for 2384 yards with 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions - pretty solid numbers for a guy who has been a back-up for most of his short career. Fred Jackson (yeah, who?) is their running back, and he's had an alright season with 663 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns. As a team, I was surprised to find out that they're averaging more offensive yards per game than the Browns, 312 over 305. Still, I think the Browns will continue to show defensive improvement, and Joe Haden will go for his fifth straight game with an interception. I honestly doubt that he'll get it - if not because of the weather, than because Fitzpatrick studied film this week.
So what's the bottom line today? I think the Browns are going to show that they're over the hump because they're clearly the better team. I don't think we're going to see any of the slop we saw a few weeks ago with the Jaguars and then Panthers, and we'll see a team that's more like the one who took on the Jets, Patriots and Saints and came out 2-1 in that stretch. The Browns have been practicing outside in the cold elements of Cleveland this week and should be well prepared for the conditions at Ralph Wilson Stadium today. So I'm going with the Browns for a great, low scoring December win today.
The Prediction: CLE 17 - BUF 6
See you at the half,
~MAS
(p.s. I'd just like to say that I was very close to being right on my prediction last week, and I was quite right with my "Dawson hits a field goal to win it" call. Go me!)
In the last three years, these two teams have met and the Browns have won all three match-ups. In 2007, there was the memorable Snow Bowl game where Phil Dawson hit two clutch field goals in crazy swirling wind, and the Bills snapped a punt over the head of their punter and out of the end zone for a safety. Then there was Romeo Crenel's last victory as coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2008, when Jerome Harrison had a 72 yard run for the Browns last offensive touchdown that year, and Phil Dawson hit a 56 yard field goal with 1:39 left in the game to win. And last year, there was Eric Mangini's first win as the coach of the Browns where the Browns got by on two Billy Cundiff (yeah, bet you forgot about that one, huh? I know I did...) field goals, and Derek Anderson had one of the worst games a Browns QB has ever had going 2/17 for 23 yards and an interception. So what's going to happen today?
Well I think any way you look at it, we'll have a great game. Sure, the Bills petered out last week against the Vikings after playing very well in their previous three games. They first had wins against Detroit and Cincinnati, two teams who are just not doing so well right now, and then took the Pittsburgh into overtime, eventually losing 16-19. They bring a lot of competitive fire to the table, but, in my opinion at least, not too much else.
First off, their run defense is terrible giving up 170.9 yards a game. With the weather conditions predicted to be as Buffalo as ever (meaning really snowy), I think that's a recipe for Peyton Hillis to have a terrific - if not career - kind of game, as long as he can stay away from the fumbles. He will also, in all likelihood, go over the 1000 yard rushing mark for the season as he's sitting on 962 right now.
Jake Delhomme will be the starting QB this afternoon, and I really think Brian Daboll knows that this is going to be a game managing situation for the veteran. The strength of the Bills defense is clearly in the way they defend the pass as they're only allowing 207.2 yards per game - it isn't the best, but it's definitely better than than what they do against the run. Yikes. The offense may or may not have Josh Cribbs back as a wide receiver and in the wildcat, but I'd say chances are more likely that he'll stay just on the kick coverage. At least that's what I think I'd prefer for him until he's closer to 100%. Last week it was clear to me that he was still hurting, as he just looked slow when running with the ball. Hopefully he'll be healthy sooner rather than later, as we could really use his talents for our last three weeks of the season.
But enough about the future, a big key for the Browns winning today will be if their defense can contain Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has really come on to be a productive quarterback this year. Fitzpatrick has thrown for 2384 yards with 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions - pretty solid numbers for a guy who has been a back-up for most of his short career. Fred Jackson (yeah, who?) is their running back, and he's had an alright season with 663 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns. As a team, I was surprised to find out that they're averaging more offensive yards per game than the Browns, 312 over 305. Still, I think the Browns will continue to show defensive improvement, and Joe Haden will go for his fifth straight game with an interception. I honestly doubt that he'll get it - if not because of the weather, than because Fitzpatrick studied film this week.
So what's the bottom line today? I think the Browns are going to show that they're over the hump because they're clearly the better team. I don't think we're going to see any of the slop we saw a few weeks ago with the Jaguars and then Panthers, and we'll see a team that's more like the one who took on the Jets, Patriots and Saints and came out 2-1 in that stretch. The Browns have been practicing outside in the cold elements of Cleveland this week and should be well prepared for the conditions at Ralph Wilson Stadium today. So I'm going with the Browns for a great, low scoring December win today.
The Prediction: CLE 17 - BUF 6
See you at the half,
~MAS
(p.s. I'd just like to say that I was very close to being right on my prediction last week, and I was quite right with my "Dawson hits a field goal to win it" call. Go me!)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Close Game, Great Win: Browns 13 - Dolphins 10
I have to say that once the Browns gave up the touchdown to the Dolphins early in the fourth quarter, I thought here we go again, the Browns are going to lose yet another game in the fourth quarter. And then it didn't happen! In fact, I'd say this game had the type of ending that we're really used to seeing against Cleveland rather than for Cleveland - an interception that turns into a virtually impossible-for-you-to-lose situation. Either way, the Browns found a way to get the win today in Miami, 13-10.
Jake Delhomme didn't set the world on fire by any means today, and tried so hard to throw a fourth quarter pick six, but he didn't turn the ball over and overall had a good day. That's not to say that I'm giving him a shining endorsement, but he did do everything he needed to do to lead the offense to a win. His final numbers today were 24/34 for 217 yards and a touchdown, good for a QB rating of 97.3. The good thing about those numbers from Delhomme is that you can't say that he only "managed" the game, especially because the rushing game was pretty much a non-factor. Peyton Hillis was the only one to rush the ball today (besides Delhomme's kneel downs at the end of the game) and he had 57 yards on 18 carries, for a 3.2 average. Not great numbers, and like I said in the Halftime Blurb, I think the offensive line's lack of blocking had a lot to do to that.
In terms of the passing game, Ben Watson had a fantastic game, with a career high 10 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Wide Receiver Brian Robiskie didn't have the type of great game I was hoping he'd have, but it was nice to see Brian Daboll key in on the fact that the Dolphins were not covering Watson well at all and take advantage of it. It was also nice to see Mohammed Massaquoi get that 37 yard pass from Delhomme, as we haven't seen a lot of long passes this year.
Defensively the Browns came up big today and I think Rob Ryan is again putting himself on the list of coaching candidates for many teams coming up this off-season. Ryan's gang picked off Michigan graduate Chad Henne 3 times, and only allowed him 174 passing yards and a touchdown, going 16/32. That adds up to a rating of 37.8 - Anderson and Quinn kind of numbers. The two headed rushing attack was also contained as both Brown and Williams were held to 50 and 48 yards, respectively and the team had a total of 114 yards on 32 rushes, an average of 3.6 a carry.
Commentators Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf mentioned this plenty of times during the broadcast, but Joe Haden had an excellent game today with 5 tackles, 4 of them solo, 4 passes defended and one interception - his fourth in four games. I also said this in the Blurb, but he's clearly established himself as a starter on this defense. I think he's also making a good push for defensive rookie of the year, but I won't push it. I'd also like to give a shout out to Shaun Rogers who had a great game today, really dominating the offensive line of the Dolphins. He was around Chad Henne or whoever else had the ball all day and ended up with 3 tackles, all solo, a sack, a QB knockdown, and a tackle for loss. The emergence of nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin has been a great help to the Browns and Rogers, as he is now mostly used on passing downs where he can come in and just obliterate an offensive line.
I think this is a great win for the Browns not only because they played smart football, keeping away from their turnovers and creating them for the other team, but they found a way to win a close game. True, they did it against Carolina last week, but that was more about the kicker missing a field goal rather than the defense creating a stop like they did today. It's a very encouraging sign, and all the more encouraging for Eric Mangini and his staff.
Next week the Browns travel to Buffalo who might be a much better team than their 2-10 record would indicate as they took the Steelers to OT last week and gave Big Ben fits. I'd expect another Snow Bowl as these two teams seem to love to have, and I think it'll be a good game. Until then, enjoy the win Browns fans and check back mid-week for some filler to get you to the weekend. Go Browns!
~MAS
Jake Delhomme didn't set the world on fire by any means today, and tried so hard to throw a fourth quarter pick six, but he didn't turn the ball over and overall had a good day. That's not to say that I'm giving him a shining endorsement, but he did do everything he needed to do to lead the offense to a win. His final numbers today were 24/34 for 217 yards and a touchdown, good for a QB rating of 97.3. The good thing about those numbers from Delhomme is that you can't say that he only "managed" the game, especially because the rushing game was pretty much a non-factor. Peyton Hillis was the only one to rush the ball today (besides Delhomme's kneel downs at the end of the game) and he had 57 yards on 18 carries, for a 3.2 average. Not great numbers, and like I said in the Halftime Blurb, I think the offensive line's lack of blocking had a lot to do to that.
In terms of the passing game, Ben Watson had a fantastic game, with a career high 10 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Wide Receiver Brian Robiskie didn't have the type of great game I was hoping he'd have, but it was nice to see Brian Daboll key in on the fact that the Dolphins were not covering Watson well at all and take advantage of it. It was also nice to see Mohammed Massaquoi get that 37 yard pass from Delhomme, as we haven't seen a lot of long passes this year.
Defensively the Browns came up big today and I think Rob Ryan is again putting himself on the list of coaching candidates for many teams coming up this off-season. Ryan's gang picked off Michigan graduate Chad Henne 3 times, and only allowed him 174 passing yards and a touchdown, going 16/32. That adds up to a rating of 37.8 - Anderson and Quinn kind of numbers. The two headed rushing attack was also contained as both Brown and Williams were held to 50 and 48 yards, respectively and the team had a total of 114 yards on 32 rushes, an average of 3.6 a carry.
Commentators Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf mentioned this plenty of times during the broadcast, but Joe Haden had an excellent game today with 5 tackles, 4 of them solo, 4 passes defended and one interception - his fourth in four games. I also said this in the Blurb, but he's clearly established himself as a starter on this defense. I think he's also making a good push for defensive rookie of the year, but I won't push it. I'd also like to give a shout out to Shaun Rogers who had a great game today, really dominating the offensive line of the Dolphins. He was around Chad Henne or whoever else had the ball all day and ended up with 3 tackles, all solo, a sack, a QB knockdown, and a tackle for loss. The emergence of nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin has been a great help to the Browns and Rogers, as he is now mostly used on passing downs where he can come in and just obliterate an offensive line.
I think this is a great win for the Browns not only because they played smart football, keeping away from their turnovers and creating them for the other team, but they found a way to win a close game. True, they did it against Carolina last week, but that was more about the kicker missing a field goal rather than the defense creating a stop like they did today. It's a very encouraging sign, and all the more encouraging for Eric Mangini and his staff.
Next week the Browns travel to Buffalo who might be a much better team than their 2-10 record would indicate as they took the Steelers to OT last week and gave Big Ben fits. I'd expect another Snow Bowl as these two teams seem to love to have, and I think it'll be a good game. Until then, enjoy the win Browns fans and check back mid-week for some filler to get you to the weekend. Go Browns!
~MAS
Browns Halftime Blurb - 12/5 Vs. Dolphins
So far we've seen a very defensive game out of both teams. That's the polite way of saying that both teams have just had a complete lack of execution on the offensive side of the ball. The Browns were able to capitalize on the Mike Adams interception with a Dawson field goal, and the defense tried to blow it, but thanks to some penalties and poor clock management the game is tied 3-3 after a 60 yard field goal - a Miami Dolphins franchise record.
The offense sputtered throughout the first half led by Jake Delhomme. The running game needs to really get going, as Hillis has only 32 yards in 10 rushes. From what I saw, the offensive line was not executing the running game very well, and on at least one run I saw Ben Watson completely blow his assignment and Hillis was stopped for no gain. Delhomme has not looked great either throwing 11/17 for only 48 yards. Yes folks, that's only 80 yards of offense. Yikes.
Defensively, the Browns have done fairly well getting two interceptions, one of which led to the Browns field goal. Joe Haden has definitely made enough of an impact to keep that starting role, I think, as this is his fourth interception in four games. Otherwise, Shaun Rogers has made a great impact on this game, blocking a field goal early and then sacked Henne late in the second quarter to take the Dolphins out of field goal range. Henne is 8/16 for 100 yards and 2 interceptions, and in the running game, Ricky Williams has 7 rushes for 33 yards, and Ronnie Brown has 8 carries for 31 yards. Those numbers are nothing to write home about.
This game is going really how I felt like it could go. It's a real toss up as to who will come out with the win, but unless Chad Henne all of a sudden gets a strong boost of confidence I would say that the Browns will take control of this one in the second half. Hopefully. Ha, see you after!
~MAS
The offense sputtered throughout the first half led by Jake Delhomme. The running game needs to really get going, as Hillis has only 32 yards in 10 rushes. From what I saw, the offensive line was not executing the running game very well, and on at least one run I saw Ben Watson completely blow his assignment and Hillis was stopped for no gain. Delhomme has not looked great either throwing 11/17 for only 48 yards. Yes folks, that's only 80 yards of offense. Yikes.
Defensively, the Browns have done fairly well getting two interceptions, one of which led to the Browns field goal. Joe Haden has definitely made enough of an impact to keep that starting role, I think, as this is his fourth interception in four games. Otherwise, Shaun Rogers has made a great impact on this game, blocking a field goal early and then sacked Henne late in the second quarter to take the Dolphins out of field goal range. Henne is 8/16 for 100 yards and 2 interceptions, and in the running game, Ricky Williams has 7 rushes for 33 yards, and Ronnie Brown has 8 carries for 31 yards. Those numbers are nothing to write home about.
This game is going really how I felt like it could go. It's a real toss up as to who will come out with the win, but unless Chad Henne all of a sudden gets a strong boost of confidence I would say that the Browns will take control of this one in the second half. Hopefully. Ha, see you after!
~MAS
Start Me Up - Browns vs. Dolphins
So the 4-7 Browns travel to Miami today to take on the 6-5 Dolphins. The Browns have had their struggles on the road as they're 1-4, and the Dolphins have had the same type of struggles at home, as they're 1-4 at Sun Life Stadium. The Browns can virtually take Miami out of the playoff picture with a victory this afternoon, as the Dolphins have to contend with the Jets and Patriots, both of whom are 8-3 (OOPS!) 9-2 and are tied atop the AFC East.
In accordance with the opinions of 75% of the poll on the right side of the page (a whopping 3 of 4 people!), the Browns will start Jake Delhomme. It's going to be close to a game-time decision whether or not rookie Colt McCoy will be the third string quarterback, but I wouldn't hold my breath for that. I think Peyton Hillis could have either a great day or a bad day against the Dolphins defense as they only gave up 16 rushing yards last week to the Raiders, but they're giving up an average of about 104 per game this season. I hope that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has got a good ground game planned, because a huge key to this game will be if the Browns can stay away from turnovers - something that Delhomme has not done a great job of so far this season.
However, as I've written before, Delhomme does bring a better dimension to the offense in terms of throwing to the wide receivers. That being said, it could be a good day or pretty bad for the passing game as well, since the Dolphins have given up about 200 yards passing per game - a pretty respectable number. It would also be a great time for Brian Robiskie to have a break out game, after catching 7 passes for 50 yards last week.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has to do a much better job than it has the past few weeks if they're going to get the win. Chad Henne is back in his role as starting quarterback, and had a nice game against Oakland last week. This week is going to be big for him to see if he can continue to progress and be the quarterback the Dolphins hope they have. Henne's favorite target, Brandon Marshall, is also back after a hamstring injury has kept him out for a little while. Miami's running game has been strong all season with the two headed monster of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who combined have 1035 yards on 254 carries, an average of 4.1 yards a carry. Many of the Dolphins skill positions are strong, physical players who can be tough to bring down. Hopefully the Browns have worked on their tackling this week because otherwise it could be another tough day for Rob Ryan's D.
All in all, I think this game is a fairly tough game to call, but I'm going to be optimistic and say that the Browns are going to "Take their talents to South Beach" (I had to) and avenge the loss by our basketball team this week with a late Phil Dawson field goal to win it.
The Prediction: CLE 17 - MIA 14
See you at the half,
~MAS
In accordance with the opinions of 75% of the poll on the right side of the page (a whopping 3 of 4 people!), the Browns will start Jake Delhomme. It's going to be close to a game-time decision whether or not rookie Colt McCoy will be the third string quarterback, but I wouldn't hold my breath for that. I think Peyton Hillis could have either a great day or a bad day against the Dolphins defense as they only gave up 16 rushing yards last week to the Raiders, but they're giving up an average of about 104 per game this season. I hope that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has got a good ground game planned, because a huge key to this game will be if the Browns can stay away from turnovers - something that Delhomme has not done a great job of so far this season.
However, as I've written before, Delhomme does bring a better dimension to the offense in terms of throwing to the wide receivers. That being said, it could be a good day or pretty bad for the passing game as well, since the Dolphins have given up about 200 yards passing per game - a pretty respectable number. It would also be a great time for Brian Robiskie to have a break out game, after catching 7 passes for 50 yards last week.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has to do a much better job than it has the past few weeks if they're going to get the win. Chad Henne is back in his role as starting quarterback, and had a nice game against Oakland last week. This week is going to be big for him to see if he can continue to progress and be the quarterback the Dolphins hope they have. Henne's favorite target, Brandon Marshall, is also back after a hamstring injury has kept him out for a little while. Miami's running game has been strong all season with the two headed monster of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who combined have 1035 yards on 254 carries, an average of 4.1 yards a carry. Many of the Dolphins skill positions are strong, physical players who can be tough to bring down. Hopefully the Browns have worked on their tackling this week because otherwise it could be another tough day for Rob Ryan's D.
All in all, I think this game is a fairly tough game to call, but I'm going to be optimistic and say that the Browns are going to "Take their talents to South Beach" (I had to) and avenge the loss by our basketball team this week with a late Phil Dawson field goal to win it.
The Prediction: CLE 17 - MIA 14
See you at the half,
~MAS
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Return
As a Clevelander, I know I'm predisposed to a whole lot of sports heartbreak. I would like nothing more than for my city to have a professional sports championship. There have been so many times that we've been so close in the last three decades it's ridiculous that all of the teams just never turned the corner. That being said, tonight LeBron James returns to his former home with his 11-8 Heat and everyone seems afraid of what the Cleveland fans are going to do.
I honestly would love to be at The Q tonight. I was there for Game 5 of the playoff series against the Celtics where LeBron arguably quit on his team, and the city itself. I had the privilege of splitting season tickets for the previous three seasons, so I had seen LeBron play a lot of games and I had never seen him that disinterested in what was happening on the floor. It was heartbreaking to watch him look like he couldn't care less about the game he gets millions to play, the game that so many Clevelanders loved to watch him play, the game that he made us believe he would win a Championship.
So I booed him. I booed him along with the many other fans who were at The Q that May night, because I was disgusted and I just had an awful feeling that game was going to be the last time I would see LeBron in a Cavs uniform. My mom was with me at the time and said, "Stop booing him! He'll remember this and then he'll leave!" She was right that he'd leave, but even she admitted she was wrong in her reasoning saying a few weeks ago, "It doesn't matter now, I hate LeBron and I hope he dies!" I'm sure everyone, including my mom (and before you start talking about how women don't know sports, she really does as my interest in sports comes completely from her), can admit that's a little extreme, but it does sum up a lot of the harsh feelings towards LeBron James in Cleveland.
I think it's still important to note that many are not angry with LeBron for leaving, it's how he left. Like anyone needs to be reminded, he made an hour long special to basically take a dump on Cleveland. He didn't let Dan Gilbert know what he was doing until that special had already started. He said that he was "Taking his talents to South Beach." I love ESPN, and I'm very happy that the special raised money for the Boys and Girls Club, but if he wanted to give them some money he couldn't have written a nice fat check? And I find it hard to believe that ESPN should want to support that kind of narcissism - it sets a very dangerous precedent. Of course, I doubt we'll ever see anything like that again.
But the fact still remains that Cleveland's #2 villain (to Art Modell, of course) is returning tonight. The police protection will be high, and millions are going to be tuning in to TNT - which will have its Thursday Night crew inside The Q tonight - to see just exactly what Clevelanders are going to do. As much as I would love to see LeBron realize the mistake he made, I know that's not going to ever publicly happen. So we'll have to settle for booing the absolute heck out of him.
He should know that he will never be welcome back in this town ever again. He should know that the way he left us may eventually be forgiven, but it will never be forgotten. He should know that those seven seasons without ever winning a championship left us with a bitter taste in our mouths, but that we will get our championship without him. Cleveland has too many people who work hard every day for every penny they get to have any respect for a narcissistic pig who simply didn't care.
So, if by chance you're going to the game tonight, cheer for Z when he is introduced, remembering his many years of hard work for our city and the wonderful ad he put out in the Plain Dealer, but boo LeBron like there is no tomorrow. Print out this chant sheet and use it tonight along with the other 20,000 plus fans to make him feel you. Other than that, I believe we'll keep it as classy as we possibly can because we're Cleveland. We survived the entire Browns team leaving and didn't have football for three years. We can certainly survive a self-centered basketball player "taking his talents" elsewhere, move on and end up stronger.
~MAS
I honestly would love to be at The Q tonight. I was there for Game 5 of the playoff series against the Celtics where LeBron arguably quit on his team, and the city itself. I had the privilege of splitting season tickets for the previous three seasons, so I had seen LeBron play a lot of games and I had never seen him that disinterested in what was happening on the floor. It was heartbreaking to watch him look like he couldn't care less about the game he gets millions to play, the game that so many Clevelanders loved to watch him play, the game that he made us believe he would win a Championship.
So I booed him. I booed him along with the many other fans who were at The Q that May night, because I was disgusted and I just had an awful feeling that game was going to be the last time I would see LeBron in a Cavs uniform. My mom was with me at the time and said, "Stop booing him! He'll remember this and then he'll leave!" She was right that he'd leave, but even she admitted she was wrong in her reasoning saying a few weeks ago, "It doesn't matter now, I hate LeBron and I hope he dies!" I'm sure everyone, including my mom (and before you start talking about how women don't know sports, she really does as my interest in sports comes completely from her), can admit that's a little extreme, but it does sum up a lot of the harsh feelings towards LeBron James in Cleveland.
I think it's still important to note that many are not angry with LeBron for leaving, it's how he left. Like anyone needs to be reminded, he made an hour long special to basically take a dump on Cleveland. He didn't let Dan Gilbert know what he was doing until that special had already started. He said that he was "Taking his talents to South Beach." I love ESPN, and I'm very happy that the special raised money for the Boys and Girls Club, but if he wanted to give them some money he couldn't have written a nice fat check? And I find it hard to believe that ESPN should want to support that kind of narcissism - it sets a very dangerous precedent. Of course, I doubt we'll ever see anything like that again.
But the fact still remains that Cleveland's #2 villain (to Art Modell, of course) is returning tonight. The police protection will be high, and millions are going to be tuning in to TNT - which will have its Thursday Night crew inside The Q tonight - to see just exactly what Clevelanders are going to do. As much as I would love to see LeBron realize the mistake he made, I know that's not going to ever publicly happen. So we'll have to settle for booing the absolute heck out of him.
He should know that he will never be welcome back in this town ever again. He should know that the way he left us may eventually be forgiven, but it will never be forgotten. He should know that those seven seasons without ever winning a championship left us with a bitter taste in our mouths, but that we will get our championship without him. Cleveland has too many people who work hard every day for every penny they get to have any respect for a narcissistic pig who simply didn't care.
So, if by chance you're going to the game tonight, cheer for Z when he is introduced, remembering his many years of hard work for our city and the wonderful ad he put out in the Plain Dealer, but boo LeBron like there is no tomorrow. Print out this chant sheet and use it tonight along with the other 20,000 plus fans to make him feel you. Other than that, I believe we'll keep it as classy as we possibly can because we're Cleveland. We survived the entire Browns team leaving and didn't have football for three years. We can certainly survive a self-centered basketball player "taking his talents" elsewhere, move on and end up stronger.
~MAS
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A Little Late Victory Review & Quarterback Chat
Well, this is clearly a few days late, but my travel back to the great city of New York was unbelievably treacherous and left me way too jaded to get the blog in - especially after missing the entire first half of the Browns 24-23 victory over the Panthers on Sunday. However, I would like to get a little review of the game in and then go on to a couple other things on my mind...
Take the Victory Over the Loss
From what I saw, the Browns tried way too hard to lose their game to arguably the worst team in the NFL. As I alluded to in the intro, I didn't get to see the first half of the game and so my perspective may be a bit skewed, but I think Jake Delhomme looked awful. I don't want to hang the veteran out to dry because he did go 24/35 for 245 yards, but he threw two key interceptions in the second half that allowed Carolina to gain momentum and put them back in the game. Really, the only reason the Browns won that game was because Carolina's kicker, John Kasay, missed the last second field goal. Coach Mangini has said this week that the first interception Delhomme threw was not so bad (and I'll have to take his word for it since I didn't see it), but to me there is no defending the second. Watching the game on my 17-inch-screen laptop with the choppy DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket internet feed, I could tell Delhomme shouldn't have tried to force a late throw along the sideline to Massaquoi. In all of the games he's played so far this season, Delhomme has tried to force throws into places where they just do not belong. He did it against the Buccaneers in the first game of the season, which led to him getting his ankle sprained and the Bucs got a chance to score right before the half as well. He threw an ill-advised pass during the Falcons game where the defensive lineman was able to tip the ball and then make an incredible diving catch. Delhomme has just got to stop making mistakes that a savvy veteran such as himself should not be making.
That being said, who do I think should start at Quarterback this Sunday at Miami? If he was healthy, I'd say Colt McCoy. Seneca Wallace showed a nice ability to run the offense as well when he was starting earlier this season for the injured Delhomme, but he also had a tendency to make ill advised throws when he wasn't making nice plays with his legs. That leaves us with Delhomme, who despite how awful he looked last week was still a heck of a lot better than the now 3rd-string Brady Quinn or the laughing Mr. Hot Head, Derek Anderson.
What Delhomme does give the Browns offense is the added dimension of something many around the league call Wide Receivers. Now I'm not entirely sure what these creatures are, but apparently most teams in the NFL use them quite often to throw passes to - rather than the tight ends and running back. And, this is the most interesting fact of all, we've had some all season! Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie are the first two that stood out to me from the game against Carolina. How about that...
In all seriousness, Delhomme did help incorporate Massaqoui and Robiskie into the offense where McCoy has just not done that very much when we've seen him play. Robiskie had the best game of his young career - which, if I'm honest, isn't saying much - with 7 catches for 50 yards, and Massaqoui had 4 catches for 52 yards. My argument for Delhomme that goes against Seneca Wallace would be that in the games Wallace started, the only wide receiver who really established a good chemistry with him was Josh Cribbs - and it's starting to look like Cribbs will either be out or at least limited in action this week. It might also have been a little bit of rust that Delhomme needed to shake off in order to really get back into the game.
But This Week...
The Browns are playing a Miami team which had a pretty dominant performance against Oakland, where they held the Raiders to only 16 yards rushing. That being said, it was only on 12 rushing attempts, but still, you're talking about a team which is coming off a fantastic rushing defensive performance with an average of 1.3 yards-per-rush. You've got to think they're going to be amped up to face the bruising Peyton Hillis. Miami has a good team but their recent Quarterback injuries have probably had an impact on their schedule. Bill Parcells undoubtedly did a wonderful job turning around the franchise, and even though he has left his post his mark still remains.
I think the Browns would be wise to stick with a heavy ground attack plan, as Delhomme has revealed himself to be shaky and unreliable (at best) so far this season. Chad Henne is back in the starting saddle, and Brandon Marshall should also be back from his injury this week which could pose a problem for the Browns secondary. I think the Browns will have a good chance to win if the secondary steps up and the rest of the defense remembers how to tackle - which has been a real problem the past few weeks.
Until Sunday, if you're going to the Cavs game tomorrow, give LeQuit a piece of your mind for me.
~MAS
Take the Victory Over the Loss
From what I saw, the Browns tried way too hard to lose their game to arguably the worst team in the NFL. As I alluded to in the intro, I didn't get to see the first half of the game and so my perspective may be a bit skewed, but I think Jake Delhomme looked awful. I don't want to hang the veteran out to dry because he did go 24/35 for 245 yards, but he threw two key interceptions in the second half that allowed Carolina to gain momentum and put them back in the game. Really, the only reason the Browns won that game was because Carolina's kicker, John Kasay, missed the last second field goal. Coach Mangini has said this week that the first interception Delhomme threw was not so bad (and I'll have to take his word for it since I didn't see it), but to me there is no defending the second. Watching the game on my 17-inch-screen laptop with the choppy DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket internet feed, I could tell Delhomme shouldn't have tried to force a late throw along the sideline to Massaquoi. In all of the games he's played so far this season, Delhomme has tried to force throws into places where they just do not belong. He did it against the Buccaneers in the first game of the season, which led to him getting his ankle sprained and the Bucs got a chance to score right before the half as well. He threw an ill-advised pass during the Falcons game where the defensive lineman was able to tip the ball and then make an incredible diving catch. Delhomme has just got to stop making mistakes that a savvy veteran such as himself should not be making.
That being said, who do I think should start at Quarterback this Sunday at Miami? If he was healthy, I'd say Colt McCoy. Seneca Wallace showed a nice ability to run the offense as well when he was starting earlier this season for the injured Delhomme, but he also had a tendency to make ill advised throws when he wasn't making nice plays with his legs. That leaves us with Delhomme, who despite how awful he looked last week was still a heck of a lot better than the now 3rd-string Brady Quinn or the laughing Mr. Hot Head, Derek Anderson.
What Delhomme does give the Browns offense is the added dimension of something many around the league call Wide Receivers. Now I'm not entirely sure what these creatures are, but apparently most teams in the NFL use them quite often to throw passes to - rather than the tight ends and running back. And, this is the most interesting fact of all, we've had some all season! Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie are the first two that stood out to me from the game against Carolina. How about that...
In all seriousness, Delhomme did help incorporate Massaqoui and Robiskie into the offense where McCoy has just not done that very much when we've seen him play. Robiskie had the best game of his young career - which, if I'm honest, isn't saying much - with 7 catches for 50 yards, and Massaqoui had 4 catches for 52 yards. My argument for Delhomme that goes against Seneca Wallace would be that in the games Wallace started, the only wide receiver who really established a good chemistry with him was Josh Cribbs - and it's starting to look like Cribbs will either be out or at least limited in action this week. It might also have been a little bit of rust that Delhomme needed to shake off in order to really get back into the game.
But This Week...
The Browns are playing a Miami team which had a pretty dominant performance against Oakland, where they held the Raiders to only 16 yards rushing. That being said, it was only on 12 rushing attempts, but still, you're talking about a team which is coming off a fantastic rushing defensive performance with an average of 1.3 yards-per-rush. You've got to think they're going to be amped up to face the bruising Peyton Hillis. Miami has a good team but their recent Quarterback injuries have probably had an impact on their schedule. Bill Parcells undoubtedly did a wonderful job turning around the franchise, and even though he has left his post his mark still remains.
I think the Browns would be wise to stick with a heavy ground attack plan, as Delhomme has revealed himself to be shaky and unreliable (at best) so far this season. Chad Henne is back in the starting saddle, and Brandon Marshall should also be back from his injury this week which could pose a problem for the Browns secondary. I think the Browns will have a good chance to win if the secondary steps up and the rest of the defense remembers how to tackle - which has been a real problem the past few weeks.
Until Sunday, if you're going to the Cavs game tomorrow, give LeQuit a piece of your mind for me.
~MAS
Sunday, November 21, 2010
This One Hurts
When the game started, I had a bad feeling about the way it would turn out and all my fears were realized. This is a really tough loss for the Browns who fell to the Jaguars 24-20.
I predicted the Browns would win 23-10 earlier today, and yeah, I was way off base. I was just very confident that Colt McCoy and the Browns running game would have a dominant performance today. I usually start with the offense, but I just feel like there isn't much to say, other than the fact that there was virtually no running game in the second half. And the fact that we couldn't move the ball at all. I'm not sure if that's because of no halftime adjustments from Brian Daboll, or maybe we have horrendous wide receivers, or maybe Colt McCoy is not as good as we thought. But I just know that in his first 4 games, McCoy was not prone to taking sacks. He would get rid of the ball and find the open receiver if there was one. It just seemed to me that for some reason the offense was not prepared in the second half.
Defensively, the Browns did an excellent job of creating turnovers - it's just that the offense couldn't capitalize and get points. Rob Ryan's crew forced six turnovers. Yes, six turnovers and the Jaguars still won. To me, it's absolutely unacceptable to let a team win when they have six turnovers. I just can't get over that.
Can you tell I'm disappointed? The Browns played great teams the last r weeks and went 2-2. They played what I think is an average team, based on their statistics, and stunk up the place today. Eric Mangini has improved this team a great deal since just a year ago today, but the results have got to start showing. I know we live in Cleveland, but doesn't "Wait 'till next year" get old? 3-7 is not where this team should be, and I seriously hope that next week I don't have to write another disappointed post like this.
~MAS
I predicted the Browns would win 23-10 earlier today, and yeah, I was way off base. I was just very confident that Colt McCoy and the Browns running game would have a dominant performance today. I usually start with the offense, but I just feel like there isn't much to say, other than the fact that there was virtually no running game in the second half. And the fact that we couldn't move the ball at all. I'm not sure if that's because of no halftime adjustments from Brian Daboll, or maybe we have horrendous wide receivers, or maybe Colt McCoy is not as good as we thought. But I just know that in his first 4 games, McCoy was not prone to taking sacks. He would get rid of the ball and find the open receiver if there was one. It just seemed to me that for some reason the offense was not prepared in the second half.
Defensively, the Browns did an excellent job of creating turnovers - it's just that the offense couldn't capitalize and get points. Rob Ryan's crew forced six turnovers. Yes, six turnovers and the Jaguars still won. To me, it's absolutely unacceptable to let a team win when they have six turnovers. I just can't get over that.
Can you tell I'm disappointed? The Browns played great teams the last r weeks and went 2-2. They played what I think is an average team, based on their statistics, and stunk up the place today. Eric Mangini has improved this team a great deal since just a year ago today, but the results have got to start showing. I know we live in Cleveland, but doesn't "Wait 'till next year" get old? 3-7 is not where this team should be, and I seriously hope that next week I don't have to write another disappointed post like this.
~MAS
Browns Halftime Blurb, 11/20 Vs. Jaguars
You know, when the game started I actually had a pretty bad feeling about it. It seemed to me like the Browns were just going to have a let down game after their first drive. But then they came back, overcame a situation where they had 2nd and 21, and ended up going the distance on a 16-play, 92 yard drive that took 9:57 off of the clock to score a touchdown on a play that I didn't even know could happen in the Browns favor. I feel like that was just something teams could only do to the Browns. And then the D has a huge let down, allowing the Jaguars to score a late first half touchdown to put them up 10-7 going into the half.
Offensively, the Browns have looked pretty good - especially McCoy and Hillis. With Cribbs out for this game, you'd think there would be a few more opportunities for Massaquoi, Robiskie and Stuckey, but this just doesn't seem to be a wide-receiver friendly offense, to me. Thank goodness Ben Watson wasn't out for too long, because Robert Royal is just not the viable tight end passing option that we need. But back to that first combination, McCoy so far is having a great day statistically going 10/14 for 135 yards passing and a touchdown, and he also has 9 rushing yards. Hillis has been terrific with 12 rushes for 35 yards and 5 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll can make the proper adjustments to keep the Browns rolling in the second half.
Defensively, the Browns looked pretty good before the last Jacksonville drive where they allowed the touchdown. They didn't look horrible that drive either, but they weren't coming up with the timely plays that they needed in order to get out of the drive. Statistically, the Browns allowed David Garrard (who's name I have been spelling wrong since Wednesday...) to go 9/14 for 85 yards and a touchdown, and allowed Maurice Jones-Drew 46 yards on eight carries. The Browns also allowed the Jags to go 2/4 on 3rd down, a stat I think is really important because it shows if the defense can actually suspend drives when they have the chance.
I'm not sure what to really think about this game right now because the Browns have just looked so inconsistent. Whether or not the Browns win will depend on if they get their mess together in the locker room and come out with fire and intensity on Defense, as the Jags deferred to the second half. I think this is a really important game for Mangini and his coaching staff, as a 4-6 record looks a lot better than a 3-7 record - at least to me. See you after the game,
~MAS
Offensively, the Browns have looked pretty good - especially McCoy and Hillis. With Cribbs out for this game, you'd think there would be a few more opportunities for Massaquoi, Robiskie and Stuckey, but this just doesn't seem to be a wide-receiver friendly offense, to me. Thank goodness Ben Watson wasn't out for too long, because Robert Royal is just not the viable tight end passing option that we need. But back to that first combination, McCoy so far is having a great day statistically going 10/14 for 135 yards passing and a touchdown, and he also has 9 rushing yards. Hillis has been terrific with 12 rushes for 35 yards and 5 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll can make the proper adjustments to keep the Browns rolling in the second half.
Defensively, the Browns looked pretty good before the last Jacksonville drive where they allowed the touchdown. They didn't look horrible that drive either, but they weren't coming up with the timely plays that they needed in order to get out of the drive. Statistically, the Browns allowed David Garrard (who's name I have been spelling wrong since Wednesday...) to go 9/14 for 85 yards and a touchdown, and allowed Maurice Jones-Drew 46 yards on eight carries. The Browns also allowed the Jags to go 2/4 on 3rd down, a stat I think is really important because it shows if the defense can actually suspend drives when they have the chance.
I'm not sure what to really think about this game right now because the Browns have just looked so inconsistent. Whether or not the Browns win will depend on if they get their mess together in the locker room and come out with fire and intensity on Defense, as the Jags deferred to the second half. I think this is a really important game for Mangini and his coaching staff, as a 4-6 record looks a lot better than a 3-7 record - at least to me. See you after the game,
~MAS
New Look, New Post - "Browns Start Me Up"
If you're of the 7 loyal blog followers on the side of the page, don't be alarmed by the new look, it's still the same knucklehead writing about Cleveland sports. If you're new, why hello there! You won't notice anything different, but this is actually my first post since updating the look of the blog. There's a new background, a new font which I'm pretty sure is a little bigger, and there's the little page-view-counter on the right side of the page. I'll admit it - that's just an ego boost because it's proof that people actually click on the link. I hold on to the hope that the words are actually read.
But I thought with this new look, I'd take the Blog a step further and start putting together a little pre-game post that I'll call the "Browns Start Me Up." (Why yes, I did think of it from the Rolling Stones song, because "Brown Sugar" and "Honky Tonk Woman" just didn't seem to fit...) It only seemed logical, you know, since there's a halftime and a post-game post, why not do a pre-game one with a prediction? That's what this post is all about.
The Browns take on the Jacksonville Jaguars today down in Florida and I think this is going to be a very winnable game for them. Of course, the team in brown and orange is going to have to overcome substantial injuries to Josh Cribbs and Scott Fujita, two captains who I think are part of the heart and soul of this team. However, on offense, as long as Peyton Hillis is in the game and the offensive line is anchored by Joe Thomas, I think the Browns have a great chance to exploit the Jaguars rushing defense and dominate this game. I think this could also be the real break out game for Colt McCoy. At least I really hope so.
On the Defensive side, I'm sure Rob Ryan has put together a great defensive scheme to confuse David Gerrard. The Jags quarterback has had an inconsistent season, as he's been great in the team's 5 wins so far, but he's also been terrible in the team's losses. He completed a freak Hail Mary pass last week that Houston slapped down into the arms of a Jacksonville receiver which won the game for the Jags, but I'm hoping that today's game won't even come to that. I expect the Browns to come out firing aggressively on the D, but they'll have to wrap up and drive in order to sack Gerrard, who has the reputation for being elusive.
Maybe I'm not putting enough weight on the injuries to Josh Cribbs and Fujita, and maybe I'm not giving Jacksonville enough credit as a team because I remember how the Browns dominated them in the final game of last year, but I think the Browns are going to go out and have a great win today. When you think about it, the Browns have played 4 of the leagues toughest teams in their last 4 games, and they came out of that 2-2 - and that could have easily been 3-1. I think they'll make a great stride in becoming a good team from simply a competitive team and defeat the Jags today.
The Prediction: CLE 23 - JAC 10
See you at the half,
~MAS
But I thought with this new look, I'd take the Blog a step further and start putting together a little pre-game post that I'll call the "Browns Start Me Up." (Why yes, I did think of it from the Rolling Stones song, because "Brown Sugar" and "Honky Tonk Woman" just didn't seem to fit...) It only seemed logical, you know, since there's a halftime and a post-game post, why not do a pre-game one with a prediction? That's what this post is all about.
The Browns take on the Jacksonville Jaguars today down in Florida and I think this is going to be a very winnable game for them. Of course, the team in brown and orange is going to have to overcome substantial injuries to Josh Cribbs and Scott Fujita, two captains who I think are part of the heart and soul of this team. However, on offense, as long as Peyton Hillis is in the game and the offensive line is anchored by Joe Thomas, I think the Browns have a great chance to exploit the Jaguars rushing defense and dominate this game. I think this could also be the real break out game for Colt McCoy. At least I really hope so.
On the Defensive side, I'm sure Rob Ryan has put together a great defensive scheme to confuse David Gerrard. The Jags quarterback has had an inconsistent season, as he's been great in the team's 5 wins so far, but he's also been terrible in the team's losses. He completed a freak Hail Mary pass last week that Houston slapped down into the arms of a Jacksonville receiver which won the game for the Jags, but I'm hoping that today's game won't even come to that. I expect the Browns to come out firing aggressively on the D, but they'll have to wrap up and drive in order to sack Gerrard, who has the reputation for being elusive.
Maybe I'm not putting enough weight on the injuries to Josh Cribbs and Fujita, and maybe I'm not giving Jacksonville enough credit as a team because I remember how the Browns dominated them in the final game of last year, but I think the Browns are going to go out and have a great win today. When you think about it, the Browns have played 4 of the leagues toughest teams in their last 4 games, and they came out of that 2-2 - and that could have easily been 3-1. I think they'll make a great stride in becoming a good team from simply a competitive team and defeat the Jags today.
The Prediction: CLE 23 - JAC 10
See you at the half,
~MAS
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
A Little Mid-Week Filler...
So when I said on Sunday afternoon that the post-game Browns blog would be late, I didn't actually think it would be this late, but here I am and here it is. Although I"m going to go into a few other hot topics around the NFL, I'll start with the Browns.
Finding Ways to Win Late
I think it's safe to say that's just something the Browns don't exactly know how to do at this point. I'm not trying to take anything away from what they did do on Sunday, because taking the Jets to the final 30 seconds of overtime is an accomplishment in and of itself. Colt McCoy leading the Browns to a 59 yard 10 play drive just to force the overtime is also an accomplishment in and of itself. What I mean is simply that the Browns haven't yet turned the corner from being a competitive team to a good team. I think it's clear that we're the best 3-6 team in the league right now, but I think the Browns have got to continue to try and improve each week. A loss is a loss, right? This league doesn't see "moral victories" as anything more that losses, and losses equate to coaches losing their jobs. I don't think that's the route Mike Holmgren is going to take with Eric Mangini at this point, but it's important that the Browns go out and win these next few games coming up.
One thing about the end of the game that sort of bothered me was the play calling on offense when the Browns got the ball back at the 3 yard line after Joe Haden's interception. Now, I've heard some critical talk about Haden catching the ball instead of just knocking it down to force the Jets to punt, but let's really think about the situation. All Haden is thinking about is getting the ball back for his offense and at that moment, I'd imagine it's really hard to think about anything but securing the ball and making sure the Jets receiver (who happened to be Braylon Edwards) doesn't catch it. I can't have a problem with him making an INT at that point, because that's pure instinct.
What I do have a problem with is the fact that Daboll didn't seem to know what he wanted to do after the Browns got the ball. If you want to pass - which it appeared like they did when McCoy came out firing to Ben Watson down the field - great! If you want to run the clock out or get some space - as they did on the 2nd down inside running play to Peyton Hillis - you really ought to do that on first down. When you do it on second down, and you don't get into 3rd and manageable territory (which I define as 3rd and 4 yards or less) you're really putting yourself into a huge hole, especially given the way the Jets can blitz the crap out of a good offensive line. Obviously, that's exactly what the Jets did and McCoy was wise enough to get out of the endzone before taking a sack.
I really liked most of what the Browns did in this game, and I really think they should have won it. I'm sure we all do. Something my high school football coach, Cliff Walton, told the team once is, "A football game is not won or lost on any one play," and I believe that's true. I say that because I don't think it's fair at all to blame Chansi Stuckey for the loss because he fumbled in overtime. Granted, that was a big play and I think that drive probably would have led to at least a game winning field goal, but think of all the less-than-one-minute possessions the Browns had in the second half where they went 3-and-out. There are so many opportunities to make plays in a football game, that looking at one and saying "That's it!" just doesn't work to me.
That being said, the Browns really need to have a good win this week against the Jaguars. It would be wonderful to see Peyton Hillis run all over them the way Jerome Harrison did in the final game of last season. It would also be great to see Colt McCoy to have a breakout game against a so-so defense. I also think Rob Ryan can put together a good defense to confuse the inconsistent quarterback of the Jags, David Gerrard, although it might be a little more difficult to contain the ever elusive Maurice Jones-Drew. We'll see what happens on Sunday, but I'm thinking it's going to be a big Browns win.
Getting Embarrassed
Several teams got their mess kicked this week in the NFL and ought to be ashamed of themselves. The Kansas City Chiefs, the New York football Giants, and the Washington Redskins all came out and couldn't even put together a competitive game against the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. I'll sort of let the Redskins off the hook a little bit because the Eagles are a pretty good team, but there's still no way that anyone should lose 59-28, I'm sorry.
The Chiefs and Giants should be ashamed because they let teams who were on a complete down slide kick them around like it was nothing. Sure, Jason Garrett (a University School graduate, for the record) is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' golden boy coach, but that team is still the most overrated bunch of lugs in the league and the Giants should have been able to handle them at home. The Chiefs let the Broncos, who have also looked awful in their last few games, get out to a 28-0 lead in the first two quarters before they could scrap together a touchdown and a field goal to make it 35-10 going into the half. And then Head Coach of the Chiefs, Todd Haley, refused to shake Head Coach of the Broncos, Josh McDaniels', hand because Haley, as I understand it, didn't like the attitude of the Broncos sideline. Really Todd Haley? If you're that bitter about losing to a division rival like that, maybe you should have had a better game plan. Or how about you just worry about coaching your own team who just got embarrassed by a pretty bad team in your division. Don't do the "I'm not going to shake your hand" high school crap.
But to go back to the Eagles-Redskins game, I think this means Michael Vick is back. All you animal lovers who want to continue to condemn this guy, I'm sorry, but the guy did the time for his crime, and now he's back and better than ever. He completed his first 10 passes and led the Eagles out to a 35-0 lead after the first play of the 2nd quarter. Talk about being embarassed... Vick finished the game 20/28 for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns, passing, and he also ran 8 times for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. Incidentally, former Brown Jerome Harrison led the Eagles in rushing with 11 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. (What has Mike Bell done since coming to the Browns, you ask? Well, nothing. But that's exactly what Harrison was going to do, so get over it.) Going back to Vick, he became the first player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, rush for 50 yards, throw for 4 touchdowns and run for 2 touchdowns in a game.
On the other sideline, Donovan McNabb, fresh off his new five-year $78 million contract extension, with $40 million guaranteed, did not have a good night going 17/31 for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns, but 3 interceptions - all of which came on 3rd down. I'm not entirely sure why in the world the Redskins would sign a guy who is 34 years old and clearly on the downside of his career to a $40 million guaranteed money contract, but maybe they know something about McNabb I don't. Or maybe this is just another one off the famous bad moves that the Redskins are so prone to making over the last decade.
Wow, that was a long post. I'm shocked you actually took the time to read this far. In any case, I'll be back on Sunday for the Browns game. Until then, I'll be in wizard-mode as I'm going to see Harry Potter Thursday night (!!!). See you Sunday,
~MAS
Finding Ways to Win Late
I think it's safe to say that's just something the Browns don't exactly know how to do at this point. I'm not trying to take anything away from what they did do on Sunday, because taking the Jets to the final 30 seconds of overtime is an accomplishment in and of itself. Colt McCoy leading the Browns to a 59 yard 10 play drive just to force the overtime is also an accomplishment in and of itself. What I mean is simply that the Browns haven't yet turned the corner from being a competitive team to a good team. I think it's clear that we're the best 3-6 team in the league right now, but I think the Browns have got to continue to try and improve each week. A loss is a loss, right? This league doesn't see "moral victories" as anything more that losses, and losses equate to coaches losing their jobs. I don't think that's the route Mike Holmgren is going to take with Eric Mangini at this point, but it's important that the Browns go out and win these next few games coming up.
One thing about the end of the game that sort of bothered me was the play calling on offense when the Browns got the ball back at the 3 yard line after Joe Haden's interception. Now, I've heard some critical talk about Haden catching the ball instead of just knocking it down to force the Jets to punt, but let's really think about the situation. All Haden is thinking about is getting the ball back for his offense and at that moment, I'd imagine it's really hard to think about anything but securing the ball and making sure the Jets receiver (who happened to be Braylon Edwards) doesn't catch it. I can't have a problem with him making an INT at that point, because that's pure instinct.
What I do have a problem with is the fact that Daboll didn't seem to know what he wanted to do after the Browns got the ball. If you want to pass - which it appeared like they did when McCoy came out firing to Ben Watson down the field - great! If you want to run the clock out or get some space - as they did on the 2nd down inside running play to Peyton Hillis - you really ought to do that on first down. When you do it on second down, and you don't get into 3rd and manageable territory (which I define as 3rd and 4 yards or less) you're really putting yourself into a huge hole, especially given the way the Jets can blitz the crap out of a good offensive line. Obviously, that's exactly what the Jets did and McCoy was wise enough to get out of the endzone before taking a sack.
I really liked most of what the Browns did in this game, and I really think they should have won it. I'm sure we all do. Something my high school football coach, Cliff Walton, told the team once is, "A football game is not won or lost on any one play," and I believe that's true. I say that because I don't think it's fair at all to blame Chansi Stuckey for the loss because he fumbled in overtime. Granted, that was a big play and I think that drive probably would have led to at least a game winning field goal, but think of all the less-than-one-minute possessions the Browns had in the second half where they went 3-and-out. There are so many opportunities to make plays in a football game, that looking at one and saying "That's it!" just doesn't work to me.
That being said, the Browns really need to have a good win this week against the Jaguars. It would be wonderful to see Peyton Hillis run all over them the way Jerome Harrison did in the final game of last season. It would also be great to see Colt McCoy to have a breakout game against a so-so defense. I also think Rob Ryan can put together a good defense to confuse the inconsistent quarterback of the Jags, David Gerrard, although it might be a little more difficult to contain the ever elusive Maurice Jones-Drew. We'll see what happens on Sunday, but I'm thinking it's going to be a big Browns win.
Getting Embarrassed
Several teams got their mess kicked this week in the NFL and ought to be ashamed of themselves. The Kansas City Chiefs, the New York football Giants, and the Washington Redskins all came out and couldn't even put together a competitive game against the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. I'll sort of let the Redskins off the hook a little bit because the Eagles are a pretty good team, but there's still no way that anyone should lose 59-28, I'm sorry.
The Chiefs and Giants should be ashamed because they let teams who were on a complete down slide kick them around like it was nothing. Sure, Jason Garrett (a University School graduate, for the record) is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' golden boy coach, but that team is still the most overrated bunch of lugs in the league and the Giants should have been able to handle them at home. The Chiefs let the Broncos, who have also looked awful in their last few games, get out to a 28-0 lead in the first two quarters before they could scrap together a touchdown and a field goal to make it 35-10 going into the half. And then Head Coach of the Chiefs, Todd Haley, refused to shake Head Coach of the Broncos, Josh McDaniels', hand because Haley, as I understand it, didn't like the attitude of the Broncos sideline. Really Todd Haley? If you're that bitter about losing to a division rival like that, maybe you should have had a better game plan. Or how about you just worry about coaching your own team who just got embarrassed by a pretty bad team in your division. Don't do the "I'm not going to shake your hand" high school crap.
But to go back to the Eagles-Redskins game, I think this means Michael Vick is back. All you animal lovers who want to continue to condemn this guy, I'm sorry, but the guy did the time for his crime, and now he's back and better than ever. He completed his first 10 passes and led the Eagles out to a 35-0 lead after the first play of the 2nd quarter. Talk about being embarassed... Vick finished the game 20/28 for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns, passing, and he also ran 8 times for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. Incidentally, former Brown Jerome Harrison led the Eagles in rushing with 11 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. (What has Mike Bell done since coming to the Browns, you ask? Well, nothing. But that's exactly what Harrison was going to do, so get over it.) Going back to Vick, he became the first player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, rush for 50 yards, throw for 4 touchdowns and run for 2 touchdowns in a game.
On the other sideline, Donovan McNabb, fresh off his new five-year $78 million contract extension, with $40 million guaranteed, did not have a good night going 17/31 for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns, but 3 interceptions - all of which came on 3rd down. I'm not entirely sure why in the world the Redskins would sign a guy who is 34 years old and clearly on the downside of his career to a $40 million guaranteed money contract, but maybe they know something about McNabb I don't. Or maybe this is just another one off the famous bad moves that the Redskins are so prone to making over the last decade.
Wow, that was a long post. I'm shocked you actually took the time to read this far. In any case, I'll be back on Sunday for the Browns game. Until then, I'll be in wizard-mode as I'm going to see Harry Potter Thursday night (!!!). See you Sunday,
~MAS
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Browns Halftime Blurb, 11/14 Vs. Jets
The Browns look like a pretty darn good team today, so far. I have to say that I really was expecting a competitive game, especially given how the last couple of games has gone for the Browns, and despite the 17-13 score, the Browns had a really nice half against another Super Bowl contender.
I haven't been this hyped up for a Browns game in a long time, and so far the game just hasn't disappointed. Let's get right to the stats. On offense, Colt McCoy has looked poised as ever, on one play staying in the pocket and delivering a great pass to Chansi Stuckey for a first down. He was 8/12 for 112 yards in the first half, no TDs but no INTs as well. Again, he does not turn the ball over and I think he looks a lot more like a veteran in there than a rookie. Peyton Hillis continues his Pro-Bowl caliber season with 60 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown from 14 yards out. The Jets just do not allow 100 yard rushers, so it would be a great accomplishment if Hillis could get to that plateau today. Also important to note that Josh Cribbs was making a great impact with a 14 yard reverse play and also a great reception where he had 20+ yards after the catch for an all told 37 yard reception. The downside is that he was injured on that play when he was tackled. Still, I think Brian Daboll is really growing in his position as Offensive Coordinator and it's showing in the results on the field.
Defensively, the Rob Ryan side of the Ryan brothers duel has got the shorter end of the stick right now, but they've been alright so far. They've allowed too many yards on the ground so far today, as the Jets have 80 yards on 18 carries as a team, and I also think they're not putting enough pressure on the Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez. I think this leads well into the fact that he's a 2nd year quarterback, and I think he can still be rattled pretty well as long as the defense gets to him.
Watching these two teams, I get the feeling that they're pretty similar. I mean, yes the Jets are more along in terms of their development, and they have more potential to go farther in the playoffs, but they're both teams who's offense has to start with a good running game - and most of the time it does. That's a credit to the offensive lines of both teams. I think they're also teams who have a big emphasis on defensive aggression, and I believe that's a big credit to both of the Ryan brothers.
In any case, hopefully the Browns can force the first punt of the game on the Jets first drive of the 2nd half and then proceed to get the lead back and keep it. The post-game blog will be a little bit later than usual today, but fear not (you three loyal blog readers) it will be there tonight. Go Browns!
~MAS
I haven't been this hyped up for a Browns game in a long time, and so far the game just hasn't disappointed. Let's get right to the stats. On offense, Colt McCoy has looked poised as ever, on one play staying in the pocket and delivering a great pass to Chansi Stuckey for a first down. He was 8/12 for 112 yards in the first half, no TDs but no INTs as well. Again, he does not turn the ball over and I think he looks a lot more like a veteran in there than a rookie. Peyton Hillis continues his Pro-Bowl caliber season with 60 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown from 14 yards out. The Jets just do not allow 100 yard rushers, so it would be a great accomplishment if Hillis could get to that plateau today. Also important to note that Josh Cribbs was making a great impact with a 14 yard reverse play and also a great reception where he had 20+ yards after the catch for an all told 37 yard reception. The downside is that he was injured on that play when he was tackled. Still, I think Brian Daboll is really growing in his position as Offensive Coordinator and it's showing in the results on the field.
Defensively, the Rob Ryan side of the Ryan brothers duel has got the shorter end of the stick right now, but they've been alright so far. They've allowed too many yards on the ground so far today, as the Jets have 80 yards on 18 carries as a team, and I also think they're not putting enough pressure on the Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez. I think this leads well into the fact that he's a 2nd year quarterback, and I think he can still be rattled pretty well as long as the defense gets to him.
Watching these two teams, I get the feeling that they're pretty similar. I mean, yes the Jets are more along in terms of their development, and they have more potential to go farther in the playoffs, but they're both teams who's offense has to start with a good running game - and most of the time it does. That's a credit to the offensive lines of both teams. I think they're also teams who have a big emphasis on defensive aggression, and I believe that's a big credit to both of the Ryan brothers.
In any case, hopefully the Browns can force the first punt of the game on the Jets first drive of the 2nd half and then proceed to get the lead back and keep it. The post-game blog will be a little bit later than usual today, but fear not (you three loyal blog readers) it will be there tonight. Go Browns!
~MAS
Sunday, November 7, 2010
What a Win!
This was one of the best games of Cleveland Browns football I've ever had the privilege to watch. It was a game full of story lines - Mangini vs. Belichick, McCoy's first start at home - and the Browns came out as if they were the 6-1 team and spanked the Patriots to the tune of a 34-14 victory.
There are so many good things to write about this game, but I'm going to focus on Peyton Hillis first. I don't have to tell you how great #40 has been for the Browns, but he had a career day today with over 200 total yards. He rushed for 184 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns, the longest of those carries a 35 yard touchdown run to seal the game. Hillis also caught 3 passes for 36 yards. When you're talking about the midseason MVP of the Browns, it's got to be this guy. So far he has 644 yards and 8 total touchdowns, 7 of them rushing.
I could gush about Hillis for days, but I'd also like to give some props to rookie Colt McCoy who again managed the offense quite well en route to victory today. His final numbers on the day? 14/19 for 174 yards. Does that set the world on fire? No. But it was exactly the type of performance the Browns needed today.
I feel like everyone is saying this, but I think it's worth repeating - McCoy shows such an incredible amount of poise and determination when he is on the field. Most people just stop with the "poise in the pocket" but I think that the kid simply has a winning personality. You look at the play where he ran 16 yards for a touchdown in this game and, to me, it just shows how much he wants to win. When I look at McCoy playing, he just doesn't seem to panic. He lets the play develop, and if it breaks down, then he'll scramble. Because of his mobility, he extends plays well and can then throw a very accurate pass - as he did today in the red zone throwing a dart to Josh Cribbs for a first down. I don't think the Browns have had a quarterback with this kind of potential since they ruined Tim Couch's career, and they also haven't had such a good game manager since the days of Kelly Holcomb (who's #10 jersey I'm proudly wearing today).
But that's enough about the offense, Rob Ryan's defensive crew yet again came out to play today. They may not have had the same type of special performance that they did against the Saints a couple of weeks ago, but anytime you can hold the Patriots to 14 points you're doing your job well. Tom Brady had a pretty good day on paper, going 19/36 for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns, but a lot of those incompletions had him reeling in frustration. The Browns also forced an interception off of Cleveland native Brian Hoyer in the last 3 minutes of the game to get the ball for the end of the game. But the Browns offensive dominance really helped the defense as evidenced by the measly 68 yards on the ground. I sort of hate to say this, because selfishly I don't want the Browns to lose him, but I think Rob Ryan may be coaching himself onto the short lists of teams that will be searching for a head coach after the season. We'll see about that.
But what's the bottom line today? The Browns dominated an excellent team for an excellent win. I say props to everybody in the Browns organization, especially coach Mangini and coordinators Daboll and Ryan. Next week we've got the Ryan bowl as the Browns take on the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets, who (barely) defeated the Motor City Kitties (a.k.a. Detroit Lions) in OT today. But for now, we've got a lot to celebrate about Browns fans!
~MAS
There are so many good things to write about this game, but I'm going to focus on Peyton Hillis first. I don't have to tell you how great #40 has been for the Browns, but he had a career day today with over 200 total yards. He rushed for 184 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns, the longest of those carries a 35 yard touchdown run to seal the game. Hillis also caught 3 passes for 36 yards. When you're talking about the midseason MVP of the Browns, it's got to be this guy. So far he has 644 yards and 8 total touchdowns, 7 of them rushing.
I could gush about Hillis for days, but I'd also like to give some props to rookie Colt McCoy who again managed the offense quite well en route to victory today. His final numbers on the day? 14/19 for 174 yards. Does that set the world on fire? No. But it was exactly the type of performance the Browns needed today.
I feel like everyone is saying this, but I think it's worth repeating - McCoy shows such an incredible amount of poise and determination when he is on the field. Most people just stop with the "poise in the pocket" but I think that the kid simply has a winning personality. You look at the play where he ran 16 yards for a touchdown in this game and, to me, it just shows how much he wants to win. When I look at McCoy playing, he just doesn't seem to panic. He lets the play develop, and if it breaks down, then he'll scramble. Because of his mobility, he extends plays well and can then throw a very accurate pass - as he did today in the red zone throwing a dart to Josh Cribbs for a first down. I don't think the Browns have had a quarterback with this kind of potential since they ruined Tim Couch's career, and they also haven't had such a good game manager since the days of Kelly Holcomb (who's #10 jersey I'm proudly wearing today).
But that's enough about the offense, Rob Ryan's defensive crew yet again came out to play today. They may not have had the same type of special performance that they did against the Saints a couple of weeks ago, but anytime you can hold the Patriots to 14 points you're doing your job well. Tom Brady had a pretty good day on paper, going 19/36 for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns, but a lot of those incompletions had him reeling in frustration. The Browns also forced an interception off of Cleveland native Brian Hoyer in the last 3 minutes of the game to get the ball for the end of the game. But the Browns offensive dominance really helped the defense as evidenced by the measly 68 yards on the ground. I sort of hate to say this, because selfishly I don't want the Browns to lose him, but I think Rob Ryan may be coaching himself onto the short lists of teams that will be searching for a head coach after the season. We'll see about that.
But what's the bottom line today? The Browns dominated an excellent team for an excellent win. I say props to everybody in the Browns organization, especially coach Mangini and coordinators Daboll and Ryan. Next week we've got the Ryan bowl as the Browns take on the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets, who (barely) defeated the Motor City Kitties (a.k.a. Detroit Lions) in OT today. But for now, we've got a lot to celebrate about Browns fans!
~MAS
Browns Halftime Blurb, 11/7 Vs. Patriots
Wow. Can you believe this? The game could not have started any better. A nice opening drive, a mishandled kick off by the Patriots, and then a Peyton Hillis rushing touchdown - all in the first 4 minutes of the game. Not only that, but the Browns continue to dominate the rest of the first half with trickeration, and some pretty fine defense to go into the half with a 17-7 lead. Yes, a 17-7 lead against the New England Patriots.
Give a lot of credit to the coaching staff for this first half performance. Rob Ryan's defense allowed 1 Patriots first down in the entire first quarter. That's a defensive performance for the ages, if you ask me. Not only that, but even after Tom Brady and crew started to get it going, the defense never stopped going after him. On Brady's touchdown throw, the ball was tipped way up into the air and I think it was a little bit of luck that allowed Aaron Hernandez to make his first career NFL touchdown reception. Other than that, the numbers read like this. Brady is 10/17 for 135 and 1 TD, and the Browns have only allowed 36 total yards on the ground to the rushing combination of Woodhead and Green-Ellis. Not bad at all.
And my favorite whipping boy, Brian Daboll, can no longer be whipped - well...at least not for today. He's come up with some great stuff the last couple of games. The fourth down and inches play in the first quarter which the Browns converted with the shift of formation before the QB sneak was brilliant. And the Chansi Stuckey touchdown run for me was nothing short of unbelievable. I have watched a lot of NFL over my 19 years on earth, and I don't think I've ever seen a play like that. For the team in orange and brown, Colt McCoy is 9/16 for 106 yards, and Peyton Hillis has 73 yards on 11 carries and 1 TD. The Patriots have not allowed a 100 yard rusher yet this season, but I do believe that it's going to happen today based on the fact that the rushing game has shredded that defense so far.
I mean, of course I'm going to say hopefully the Browns can keep this up in the second half, but I really think they will. The Browns look for real and I think they're going to get a big win today.See you after the game,
~MAS
Give a lot of credit to the coaching staff for this first half performance. Rob Ryan's defense allowed 1 Patriots first down in the entire first quarter. That's a defensive performance for the ages, if you ask me. Not only that, but even after Tom Brady and crew started to get it going, the defense never stopped going after him. On Brady's touchdown throw, the ball was tipped way up into the air and I think it was a little bit of luck that allowed Aaron Hernandez to make his first career NFL touchdown reception. Other than that, the numbers read like this. Brady is 10/17 for 135 and 1 TD, and the Browns have only allowed 36 total yards on the ground to the rushing combination of Woodhead and Green-Ellis. Not bad at all.
And my favorite whipping boy, Brian Daboll, can no longer be whipped - well...at least not for today. He's come up with some great stuff the last couple of games. The fourth down and inches play in the first quarter which the Browns converted with the shift of formation before the QB sneak was brilliant. And the Chansi Stuckey touchdown run for me was nothing short of unbelievable. I have watched a lot of NFL over my 19 years on earth, and I don't think I've ever seen a play like that. For the team in orange and brown, Colt McCoy is 9/16 for 106 yards, and Peyton Hillis has 73 yards on 11 carries and 1 TD. The Patriots have not allowed a 100 yard rusher yet this season, but I do believe that it's going to happen today based on the fact that the rushing game has shredded that defense so far.
I mean, of course I'm going to say hopefully the Browns can keep this up in the second half, but I really think they will. The Browns look for real and I think they're going to get a big win today.See you after the game,
~MAS
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Break is Over
The blog has been on a hiatus for the last two weeks as I've been seeing Broadway shows, studying, traveling and home, but now I'm back to blog about a few mid-week topics before the game on Sunday between the Browns and Patriots.
Browns Big Win
First off, the Browns game I missed before the bye week was obviously a huge win for not just the team, but specifically for Eric Mangini who I believe is coaching for his job. I'm not going to make this too long, since the game is really no longer news, but it was great to see the highlights of the Browns dominating the defending Super Bowl Champions - again!
The Browns have a knack for beating Super Bowl champions, as they've done it the last three seasons. First it was the last great win Romeo Crenel coached for the Browns, a 35-14 Monday Night Football win on October 13, 2008 in which then QB of the Browns Derek Anderson threw for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns, and prima donna Braylon Edwards had 154 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Wow. Last year, I'm sure you remember the great game the Browns put together against the Steelers to win 13-6 on a frozen night, Thursday, December 10, at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Now that game saw Josh Cribbs rush out of the wildcat for 87 yards, and Brady Quinn didn't lose the game, going 6/19 on throws for 90 yards. Chris Jennings was actually the feature running back for that game, with 20 rushes for 73 yards.
In any case, I just find it really interesting that the Browns have found a way to beat the defending Super Bowl champs the last three seasons. It must be because the Browns prepare well, and the opponent underestimates them, making it a textbook example of a trap game.
San Fran Wins World Series
I know I don't really blog about baseball on here very much anymore, but I figured I'd at least give the San Francisco Giants a shout out on winning their first World Series since 1954, when they were still playing in New York and beat the highly favored Cleveland Indians. Yes, highly favored and Cleveland Indians was something that actually existed at that time, since the Indians had just set a record for the regular season by winning 111 games. Wish I could have seen that...
The first game of that World Series was when Willie Mays made that spectacular over-the-shoulder catch that he became so well known for. So, that's the Cleveland spin on something that has pretty much absolutely nothing to do with Cleveland. Unless you want to say that Cleveland allowed San Fran to win the Series by Trading Cliff Lee to the Phillies...who traded him to the Mariners...who traded him to the Rangers where he served up a masterful choke job to Edgar Renteria. And there's another Cleveland connection , because he got the hit off of Charlie Nagy to win the '97 World Series for the Marlins! (Sure, it's a stretch, but go with it.) In any case, congratulations Giants; you're World Champions.
Randy Moss Cut from the Vikings, Claimed off of Waivers by Titans
Now this came as a pretty big surprise to me. I know Brett Favre is hurting right now, yet is still in line to start Sunday's game in Minnesota against the Arizona Cardinals - a game the Vikings will win if they have any shred left of self-respect. But I just can't see what in the wide wide world of sports was going on with Randy Moss to make that team release him. Of course, everybody is saying that he wasn't getting along well with Head Coach Brad Childress, and then there was the infamous expletive laden rant about the food in the Vikings locker room, but was that really enough to release a hall of fame receiver? Apparently, yes it was. I don't really know enough about the situation to say whether or not it's a good decision at face value. It is common knowledge that Brett Favre was ecstatic about acquiring Moss, but in four games Moss only had 13 receptions for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. Still, the Vikings gave up a 3rd round pick to get this guy. That's a pretty steep price to pay for someone who was only with you for 4 games...
On the flip side, the Tennessee Titans now have picked up Moss which I think is a great move - especially if you're Chris Johnson. Right now last years NFL leading rusher has 721 rushing yards in 8 games, well below the 2000 yard pace he reached last year. However, just having Moss on the team and the threat of him going deep should allow plenty of underneath space where Johnson can run wild. It's debatable, but I'm not sure that there is anyone else that can turn the corner and get up the field as fast as Johnson can. The only question about Moss with the Titans will be if anyone can deliver him the deep ball. This is not to say that Vince Young is a bad quarterback, he's not. But he has not displayed the type of arm strength like that of Tom Brady. Kerry Collins, Tennessee's serviceable backup quarterback, also may not have the arm strength to get the ball down the field. We're just going to have to get these questions answered on game day, it's nearly pointless to over-analyze in speculation.
To Top it Off...
It's been a big two weeks not only in the NFL but all around the sports universe. The NBA is back as well, and the Cavaliers are looking toreplace begin a new era of basketball without You-Know-Who on the right foot. So far they're only 1-3, but they play the 1-4 Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow night in the city of Brotherly Love. Here's hoping Bryon Scott can coach them up to their second win. Until next time, Go Cavs and Go Browns!
~MAS
Browns Big Win
First off, the Browns game I missed before the bye week was obviously a huge win for not just the team, but specifically for Eric Mangini who I believe is coaching for his job. I'm not going to make this too long, since the game is really no longer news, but it was great to see the highlights of the Browns dominating the defending Super Bowl Champions - again!
The Browns have a knack for beating Super Bowl champions, as they've done it the last three seasons. First it was the last great win Romeo Crenel coached for the Browns, a 35-14 Monday Night Football win on October 13, 2008 in which then QB of the Browns Derek Anderson threw for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns, and prima donna Braylon Edwards had 154 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Wow. Last year, I'm sure you remember the great game the Browns put together against the Steelers to win 13-6 on a frozen night, Thursday, December 10, at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Now that game saw Josh Cribbs rush out of the wildcat for 87 yards, and Brady Quinn didn't lose the game, going 6/19 on throws for 90 yards. Chris Jennings was actually the feature running back for that game, with 20 rushes for 73 yards.
In any case, I just find it really interesting that the Browns have found a way to beat the defending Super Bowl champs the last three seasons. It must be because the Browns prepare well, and the opponent underestimates them, making it a textbook example of a trap game.
San Fran Wins World Series
I know I don't really blog about baseball on here very much anymore, but I figured I'd at least give the San Francisco Giants a shout out on winning their first World Series since 1954, when they were still playing in New York and beat the highly favored Cleveland Indians. Yes, highly favored and Cleveland Indians was something that actually existed at that time, since the Indians had just set a record for the regular season by winning 111 games. Wish I could have seen that...
The first game of that World Series was when Willie Mays made that spectacular over-the-shoulder catch that he became so well known for. So, that's the Cleveland spin on something that has pretty much absolutely nothing to do with Cleveland. Unless you want to say that Cleveland allowed San Fran to win the Series by Trading Cliff Lee to the Phillies...who traded him to the Mariners...who traded him to the Rangers where he served up a masterful choke job to Edgar Renteria. And there's another Cleveland connection , because he got the hit off of Charlie Nagy to win the '97 World Series for the Marlins! (Sure, it's a stretch, but go with it.) In any case, congratulations Giants; you're World Champions.
Randy Moss Cut from the Vikings, Claimed off of Waivers by Titans
Now this came as a pretty big surprise to me. I know Brett Favre is hurting right now, yet is still in line to start Sunday's game in Minnesota against the Arizona Cardinals - a game the Vikings will win if they have any shred left of self-respect. But I just can't see what in the wide wide world of sports was going on with Randy Moss to make that team release him. Of course, everybody is saying that he wasn't getting along well with Head Coach Brad Childress, and then there was the infamous expletive laden rant about the food in the Vikings locker room, but was that really enough to release a hall of fame receiver? Apparently, yes it was. I don't really know enough about the situation to say whether or not it's a good decision at face value. It is common knowledge that Brett Favre was ecstatic about acquiring Moss, but in four games Moss only had 13 receptions for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. Still, the Vikings gave up a 3rd round pick to get this guy. That's a pretty steep price to pay for someone who was only with you for 4 games...
On the flip side, the Tennessee Titans now have picked up Moss which I think is a great move - especially if you're Chris Johnson. Right now last years NFL leading rusher has 721 rushing yards in 8 games, well below the 2000 yard pace he reached last year. However, just having Moss on the team and the threat of him going deep should allow plenty of underneath space where Johnson can run wild. It's debatable, but I'm not sure that there is anyone else that can turn the corner and get up the field as fast as Johnson can. The only question about Moss with the Titans will be if anyone can deliver him the deep ball. This is not to say that Vince Young is a bad quarterback, he's not. But he has not displayed the type of arm strength like that of Tom Brady. Kerry Collins, Tennessee's serviceable backup quarterback, also may not have the arm strength to get the ball down the field. We're just going to have to get these questions answered on game day, it's nearly pointless to over-analyze in speculation.
To Top it Off...
It's been a big two weeks not only in the NFL but all around the sports universe. The NBA is back as well, and the Cavaliers are looking to
~MAS
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Were You Really Expecting A Win Today?
I'm going to be honest with you right now and just say that I was expecting a whole lot worse from the Browns today. Sure they lost 28-10 to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers today, but with a rookie quarterback making his first start in the NFL against one of the premier defenses in the league, 28-10 really isn't so bad.
There isn't much to say about the offense in the second half today. I think Daboll did a really nice job with the game plan for the week, and I have to say that Colt McCoy was fairly impressive executing it. He ended the day 23/33 for 281 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions - both off of tipped passes. I thought his accuracy was as good as it was advertised as he threw some really nice tight spirals, and for the most part threw the ball where only his receivers could catch it. The amazing thing about McCoy today is that he completed 70% of his passes against the Steelers, which is an accomplishment Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson and especially Charlie Frye could only dream of during their stints as quarterback of the Browns.
The running game did not improve during the second half, as Peyton Hillis only got three more carries in the second half and finished with only 41 yards rushing. McCoy actually made a few good plays with his legs as well, running four times for 22 yards. I mean, I don't think the offense was really that ugly today, but plain and simple, they just didn't get enough done. In their defense, they played the Steelers.
On the other side of the ball, the defense just couldn't stop Ben Rothlisberger's passing attack during the second half of the game. He ended the day with 257 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception, but he really got going in the third quarter and poured it on during the fourth. The Browns also seemed to have a hard time stopping the rushing attack of Mendenhall and Redman, as they were allowed 84 yards and 31 yards, respectively. But I think the secondary needs to be called out this week on lackluster performances. They allowed passing plays of over 20 yards to four receivers - Wallace, Ward, Miller and Sanders. It's too hard to win like that when you don't have a quarterback.
Losing Josh Cribbs was clearly a huge blow to the Browns. As I wrote in the Halftime Blurb, I don't know too much about the NFL rulebook, but I feel like there should have been some kind of penalty for the violent hits against Cribbs and Massaquoi. When you think about it, the injury to Cribbs really gave the Steelers a touchdown because Chansi Stuckey miffed a punt (on the third time it was tried because of penalties...) setting up the Steelers deep in Browns territory. Based on that hit, I'd say it's likely that Cribbs won't play next week, unfortunately. It's not a huge loss for the Browns, but I think it's the best option if he's concussed because we need him for as long as possible - not just this season which is really another teaching year.
So what's the bottom line today? Colt McCoy went out against the Steelers and didn't die - in fact I'd go as far to say that he did fairly well for an NFL debut. That being said, he's still the third string QB in my mind, and I'm sure he is in the minds of Holmgren, Heckert and Mangini as well. I expect to see Seneca Wallace or Jake Delhomme as soon as they're healthy since McCoy definitely still has a lot to learn. Until next time,
~MAS
There isn't much to say about the offense in the second half today. I think Daboll did a really nice job with the game plan for the week, and I have to say that Colt McCoy was fairly impressive executing it. He ended the day 23/33 for 281 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions - both off of tipped passes. I thought his accuracy was as good as it was advertised as he threw some really nice tight spirals, and for the most part threw the ball where only his receivers could catch it. The amazing thing about McCoy today is that he completed 70% of his passes against the Steelers, which is an accomplishment Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson and especially Charlie Frye could only dream of during their stints as quarterback of the Browns.
The running game did not improve during the second half, as Peyton Hillis only got three more carries in the second half and finished with only 41 yards rushing. McCoy actually made a few good plays with his legs as well, running four times for 22 yards. I mean, I don't think the offense was really that ugly today, but plain and simple, they just didn't get enough done. In their defense, they played the Steelers.
On the other side of the ball, the defense just couldn't stop Ben Rothlisberger's passing attack during the second half of the game. He ended the day with 257 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception, but he really got going in the third quarter and poured it on during the fourth. The Browns also seemed to have a hard time stopping the rushing attack of Mendenhall and Redman, as they were allowed 84 yards and 31 yards, respectively. But I think the secondary needs to be called out this week on lackluster performances. They allowed passing plays of over 20 yards to four receivers - Wallace, Ward, Miller and Sanders. It's too hard to win like that when you don't have a quarterback.
Losing Josh Cribbs was clearly a huge blow to the Browns. As I wrote in the Halftime Blurb, I don't know too much about the NFL rulebook, but I feel like there should have been some kind of penalty for the violent hits against Cribbs and Massaquoi. When you think about it, the injury to Cribbs really gave the Steelers a touchdown because Chansi Stuckey miffed a punt (on the third time it was tried because of penalties...) setting up the Steelers deep in Browns territory. Based on that hit, I'd say it's likely that Cribbs won't play next week, unfortunately. It's not a huge loss for the Browns, but I think it's the best option if he's concussed because we need him for as long as possible - not just this season which is really another teaching year.
So what's the bottom line today? Colt McCoy went out against the Steelers and didn't die - in fact I'd go as far to say that he did fairly well for an NFL debut. That being said, he's still the third string QB in my mind, and I'm sure he is in the minds of Holmgren, Heckert and Mangini as well. I expect to see Seneca Wallace or Jake Delhomme as soon as they're healthy since McCoy definitely still has a lot to learn. Until next time,
~MAS
Browns Halftime Blurb, 10/17 Vs. Steelers
For all its storylines, this game has actually been pretty tame so far. Still, the Browns are down 7-3 to the Steelers after a first half in which James Harrison injured Josh Cribbs and Mohammed Massaquoi with some violent helmet-to-helmet hits.
I'm going to start with that. I'm not going to profess that I know that much about the NFL rule book, but I know if Harrison had made the same hit on a high profile quarterback, say Tom Brady, as he did on Cribbs the flags would've flown all over the field and it would be a sure thing that he'd get fined. The commentators didn't even mention the fact that Cribbs was taken down helmet-to-helmet when it happened. Later, when Massaquoi was knocked out, they said that he was defenseless and that wasn't the case with Cribbs - as if Harrison should have been penalized - but then the flag was thrown for a "delay of game" on the offense because center Alex Mack kicked the ball out of bounds in case it was ruled a fumble. Again, I don't know the rule book that well, but I do know that when anyone tries to hit a QB like that, the field gets littered with yellow hankies. I just wish they could do the same thing for all players.
Now, offensively the Browns haven't done a particularly bad job. You've got Colt McCoy who is making his first start, yes, and now he has two of his weapons taken away. Cribbs was also playing a lot in the Wildcat, and now that we don't have that weapon either, I really don't envy Daboll's position of having to coordinate this offense in the second half. On the flip side, Peyton Hillis looks like he might get the most rushing yards off of the Steelers so far this year as he has 9 rushes for 33 yards in the first half and the Steelers have only let up a 42 yard rusher total.
Defensively, Rob Ryan has come through yet again today so far as the Steelers only have 80 passing yards from Ben Rothlisberger in the first half. That being said, I'd like them to do a little bit better against the run with Mendenhall, as they're just not tackling well so far.
I don't expect the Browns to win today (who does?) but I'm pleased with the way they competed in the first half. Hopefully it keeps up for the second. See you after,
~MAS
I'm going to start with that. I'm not going to profess that I know that much about the NFL rule book, but I know if Harrison had made the same hit on a high profile quarterback, say Tom Brady, as he did on Cribbs the flags would've flown all over the field and it would be a sure thing that he'd get fined. The commentators didn't even mention the fact that Cribbs was taken down helmet-to-helmet when it happened. Later, when Massaquoi was knocked out, they said that he was defenseless and that wasn't the case with Cribbs - as if Harrison should have been penalized - but then the flag was thrown for a "delay of game" on the offense because center Alex Mack kicked the ball out of bounds in case it was ruled a fumble. Again, I don't know the rule book that well, but I do know that when anyone tries to hit a QB like that, the field gets littered with yellow hankies. I just wish they could do the same thing for all players.
Now, offensively the Browns haven't done a particularly bad job. You've got Colt McCoy who is making his first start, yes, and now he has two of his weapons taken away. Cribbs was also playing a lot in the Wildcat, and now that we don't have that weapon either, I really don't envy Daboll's position of having to coordinate this offense in the second half. On the flip side, Peyton Hillis looks like he might get the most rushing yards off of the Steelers so far this year as he has 9 rushes for 33 yards in the first half and the Steelers have only let up a 42 yard rusher total.
Defensively, Rob Ryan has come through yet again today so far as the Steelers only have 80 passing yards from Ben Rothlisberger in the first half. That being said, I'd like them to do a little bit better against the run with Mendenhall, as they're just not tackling well so far.
I don't expect the Browns to win today (who does?) but I'm pleased with the way they competed in the first half. Hopefully it keeps up for the second. See you after,
~MAS
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Trades, Injuries and Colt McCoy?
There's a lot going on with the Browns this week, so I figured I'd do a little self-indulging with a midweek blog post.
First off, the Browns traded their former starting running back Jerome Harrison to the Philadelphia Eagles today for another running back, Mike Bell. I was a little surprised when I first read about it but after getting over the initial shock the trade seems to make a lot of sense from the Browns perspective. I've written about it and I've seen Terry Pluto write about it for the Plain Dealer - it just seemed like Harrison was not at all the same running back that put up 286 yards rushing against the Chiefs, and led the Browns offense to winning their last four games last season. It was widely reported that Harrison was unhappy about his role on the team now that Peyton Hillis has taken the bull by the horns in his role as starting running back, and, to me, that was clear by his play on the field. Hopefully there aren't too many hard feelings from Harrison as he parts ways from the Browns organization - though I will say that on some levels it seems like the Browns organization never truly appreciated his talent.
Now Mike Bell comes over from the Eagles where he was probably deemed expendable because of the emergence of their second year running back LeSean McCoy. Bell rejoins linebacker Scott Fujita on the Browns as they were both a part of the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints last season. He's in his fifth season in the NFL after making the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2006. His most productive seasons were his rookie season and then also last season, where he started three games and had over between 650-700 yards in both seasons. I think it's pretty clear that he's coming here because Browns General Manager Tom Heckert thinks highly of him and it was probably easy to make the deal with Heckert's former team.
There are also a few issues with quarterbacks and their sprained ankles on the Browns this week. According the Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, Eric Mangini is now leaning towards starting Colt McCoy this week versus the Pittsburgh Steelers because of the high ankle sprains to both Jake Delhomme and Senece Wallace. Needless to say, this is not what Mike Holmgren envisioned for McCoy's first game in the NFL, but it looks like it's going to have to happen. I was really pleased with the way Holmgren came out right after McCoy was drafted to say that the plan for this year was for him to sit, watch and learn, but it really looks like the only smart thing to do is to play the kid at this point.
Look at it this way, McCoy has got some kind of competitive drive. He is the most winning quarterback in college football history, threw for 112 touchdowns, and had a completion percentage of 70.2 in his four years at Texas. He's been in the system, learning, getting reps since training camp and even though he's a rookie, I think he gives the Browns a better chance to win this week than Brett Ratliff. I also don't think it's a good idea to play Seneca Wallace when he's hurt, based on the fact that he needs his mobility and we also saw what happened to Delhomme when he was playing hurt last week.
I (sort of reluctantly) have to say that it's time to play Colt McCoy. Best case scenario? We've got the quarterback we thought we drafted. Worst case? Well...let's not even think about that. Until Sunday, Go Browns!
~MAS
First off, the Browns traded their former starting running back Jerome Harrison to the Philadelphia Eagles today for another running back, Mike Bell. I was a little surprised when I first read about it but after getting over the initial shock the trade seems to make a lot of sense from the Browns perspective. I've written about it and I've seen Terry Pluto write about it for the Plain Dealer - it just seemed like Harrison was not at all the same running back that put up 286 yards rushing against the Chiefs, and led the Browns offense to winning their last four games last season. It was widely reported that Harrison was unhappy about his role on the team now that Peyton Hillis has taken the bull by the horns in his role as starting running back, and, to me, that was clear by his play on the field. Hopefully there aren't too many hard feelings from Harrison as he parts ways from the Browns organization - though I will say that on some levels it seems like the Browns organization never truly appreciated his talent.
Now Mike Bell comes over from the Eagles where he was probably deemed expendable because of the emergence of their second year running back LeSean McCoy. Bell rejoins linebacker Scott Fujita on the Browns as they were both a part of the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints last season. He's in his fifth season in the NFL after making the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2006. His most productive seasons were his rookie season and then also last season, where he started three games and had over between 650-700 yards in both seasons. I think it's pretty clear that he's coming here because Browns General Manager Tom Heckert thinks highly of him and it was probably easy to make the deal with Heckert's former team.
There are also a few issues with quarterbacks and their sprained ankles on the Browns this week. According the Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, Eric Mangini is now leaning towards starting Colt McCoy this week versus the Pittsburgh Steelers because of the high ankle sprains to both Jake Delhomme and Senece Wallace. Needless to say, this is not what Mike Holmgren envisioned for McCoy's first game in the NFL, but it looks like it's going to have to happen. I was really pleased with the way Holmgren came out right after McCoy was drafted to say that the plan for this year was for him to sit, watch and learn, but it really looks like the only smart thing to do is to play the kid at this point.
Look at it this way, McCoy has got some kind of competitive drive. He is the most winning quarterback in college football history, threw for 112 touchdowns, and had a completion percentage of 70.2 in his four years at Texas. He's been in the system, learning, getting reps since training camp and even though he's a rookie, I think he gives the Browns a better chance to win this week than Brett Ratliff. I also don't think it's a good idea to play Seneca Wallace when he's hurt, based on the fact that he needs his mobility and we also saw what happened to Delhomme when he was playing hurt last week.
I (sort of reluctantly) have to say that it's time to play Colt McCoy. Best case scenario? We've got the quarterback we thought we drafted. Worst case? Well...let's not even think about that. Until Sunday, Go Browns!
~MAS
Sunday, October 10, 2010
You Can't Win Without a Healthy Quarterback
I'm a little disgusted by the Browns 20-10 loss to the Falcons today, but when I really think about this game I know there's a lot the men in the orange helmets did well today. However, the injuries in this game were just too much for the Browns to overcome today and they really just didn't get anything going in the second half.
Offensively, I've got to start with Jake Delhomme's - to put it politely - less than stellar performance. He was only 13/23 for 97 yards and those two ugly interceptions, one of which was the knife in the stomach from defensive lineman Kory Biermann who tipped the pass, intercepted it on a diving catch, and then returned it 41 yards for the touchdown. Now, I'm by no means trying to justify Delhomme's poor outing today, but the guy was not the starting quarterback, and apparently for good reason. The guy was clearly not healthy and looked jumpy, skiddish, and all around uncomfortable in the pocket early in the second half. That being said, if he's healthy, which he hasn't been all season, I think he does give the Browns a decent chance to win.
On another hand we have the Browns (lack of) rushing offense today, which was plain old offensive. I don't have to tell you again how much I love Peyton Hillis, but he was also hurting today. This actually created an opportunity for Jerome Harrison to assert himself once again as an important piece of this offense, but he didn't capitalize on it at all. I wrote in the halftime blurb that he was running timidly as William Green used to do, and that continued well into the second half. Harrison only had 6 yards on 6 carries, the longest of which was a 2 yard run.
The fact that Harrison was totally uninterested in running the ball today just put more pressure on Brian Daboll to find ways of moving the ball down the field, which in turn put pressure on Delhomme to win the game all by himself. But I think Harrison also had an egregious mistake on Biermann's interception. When I saw that replay during the game, Bierrman came free, uncontested in his path to the quarterback. But guess who was coming out of the backfield to Biermann's side of the field for a pass? If you guessed Jerome Harrison, you'd be correct. On that play, Harrison has got to do something to break up that path - I don't believe that play lets the defender go totally free. I'm not saying Harrison has to go out and block him, because he was probably the intended target of Delhomme's pass, but he ought to at least chip that defender while he's coming out of the backfield. If that had happened, I don't know that Delhomme would've thrown that interception.
But that's enough about Harrison. I think we've got to once again give Rob Ryan and his defensive squad some props for holding the Falcons to one offensive touchdown and two field goals. The defense really tightened up when it got down there, and the only real mistake they made all day was the 45 yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Roddy White. Though they gave up 165 rushing yards, this game was the first all year that they had a 100 yard rusher against them. And that wouldn't have happened without that brain fart of a 55 yard run for Michael Turner, who ended the day with 140 yards.
I was talking with my best friend Linus just after the game today, and he said something that I really think is true: The Browns are a 1-4 team that could be 5-0. When you look at it they've led 4 of their 5 ballgames in the 4th quarter, but right now this team just cannot finish. Again, today I really think that might have had more to do with injuries than anything else yet this is still a disappointing start to the season. On the flip side of that, I've got to hand it to the coaches because the Browns have been competitive in each and every game so far this season which starts with the schemes. However, the Browns need to get healthy this week and work in practice to eliminate the self-inflicting wound penalties that have killed us all season - especially today. Hopefully either Wallace or Delhomme will be 100% healthy next week, because if not it might be a grim day against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
~MAS
Offensively, I've got to start with Jake Delhomme's - to put it politely - less than stellar performance. He was only 13/23 for 97 yards and those two ugly interceptions, one of which was the knife in the stomach from defensive lineman Kory Biermann who tipped the pass, intercepted it on a diving catch, and then returned it 41 yards for the touchdown. Now, I'm by no means trying to justify Delhomme's poor outing today, but the guy was not the starting quarterback, and apparently for good reason. The guy was clearly not healthy and looked jumpy, skiddish, and all around uncomfortable in the pocket early in the second half. That being said, if he's healthy, which he hasn't been all season, I think he does give the Browns a decent chance to win.
On another hand we have the Browns (lack of) rushing offense today, which was plain old offensive. I don't have to tell you again how much I love Peyton Hillis, but he was also hurting today. This actually created an opportunity for Jerome Harrison to assert himself once again as an important piece of this offense, but he didn't capitalize on it at all. I wrote in the halftime blurb that he was running timidly as William Green used to do, and that continued well into the second half. Harrison only had 6 yards on 6 carries, the longest of which was a 2 yard run.
The fact that Harrison was totally uninterested in running the ball today just put more pressure on Brian Daboll to find ways of moving the ball down the field, which in turn put pressure on Delhomme to win the game all by himself. But I think Harrison also had an egregious mistake on Biermann's interception. When I saw that replay during the game, Bierrman came free, uncontested in his path to the quarterback. But guess who was coming out of the backfield to Biermann's side of the field for a pass? If you guessed Jerome Harrison, you'd be correct. On that play, Harrison has got to do something to break up that path - I don't believe that play lets the defender go totally free. I'm not saying Harrison has to go out and block him, because he was probably the intended target of Delhomme's pass, but he ought to at least chip that defender while he's coming out of the backfield. If that had happened, I don't know that Delhomme would've thrown that interception.
But that's enough about Harrison. I think we've got to once again give Rob Ryan and his defensive squad some props for holding the Falcons to one offensive touchdown and two field goals. The defense really tightened up when it got down there, and the only real mistake they made all day was the 45 yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Roddy White. Though they gave up 165 rushing yards, this game was the first all year that they had a 100 yard rusher against them. And that wouldn't have happened without that brain fart of a 55 yard run for Michael Turner, who ended the day with 140 yards.
I was talking with my best friend Linus just after the game today, and he said something that I really think is true: The Browns are a 1-4 team that could be 5-0. When you look at it they've led 4 of their 5 ballgames in the 4th quarter, but right now this team just cannot finish. Again, today I really think that might have had more to do with injuries than anything else yet this is still a disappointing start to the season. On the flip side of that, I've got to hand it to the coaches because the Browns have been competitive in each and every game so far this season which starts with the schemes. However, the Browns need to get healthy this week and work in practice to eliminate the self-inflicting wound penalties that have killed us all season - especially today. Hopefully either Wallace or Delhomme will be 100% healthy next week, because if not it might be a grim day against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
~MAS
Browns Halftime Blurb, 10/10/10 Vs. Falcons
It's 10/10/10, so hopefully the Browns can increase their lead in the second half with a little perfect 10 magic, but right now they're up by a score of 7-6 against the Falcons.
Offensively, the Browns have done a lot with the passing game with Seneca Wallace totaling 139 yards in the first half. Yes, that's all well and good but you know how many yard the Browns have running the ball? 14. Yes, fourteen rushing yards. The Browns are a power running kind of team, we're not going to win with that kind of rushing total.
I think part of that is Peyton Hillis is hurt. He was listed as "questionable" going into the game, and Mangini and Daboll are clearly trying to protect him - which is probably in the team's best interest for the long run - by putting in Jerome Harrison fr a few snaps and giving him some carries. However, Harrison has looked timid and soft tiptoeing to the line like William Green used to do in the Butch Davis years. He just looks like a totally different guy than the one who ran all over the Chiefs last year for 286 yards.
On the defensive side, the Browns have done well...once the Falcons get inside the Red Zone. They've actually done a pretty nice job defending the pass as Matt Ryan is only 6/18 for 75 yards, but defending the run they really need to start wrapping up and driving in order to tackle Michael Turner. He's got 95 yards on 12 carries, although one of them was an extremely poorly defended 55 yard run. That being said, give the D some credit for not breaking once they get backed up against the wall in the Red Zone. Even Eric Wright is having a good day covering; Atlanta went after him fairly early in the game but he stayed strong.
The Browns are going to have to get the ball going in the running game in order to win today, because we're now in a situation where Jake Delhomme looks like he's going to be in the game for the second half after Wallace's injury. Delhomme hasn't played since week 1, but hopefully he can come in and lead the offense down the field on a few 10 play drives to get our defense some much needed rest and get a couple good scores. See you after the game.
~MAS
Offensively, the Browns have done a lot with the passing game with Seneca Wallace totaling 139 yards in the first half. Yes, that's all well and good but you know how many yard the Browns have running the ball? 14. Yes, fourteen rushing yards. The Browns are a power running kind of team, we're not going to win with that kind of rushing total.
I think part of that is Peyton Hillis is hurt. He was listed as "questionable" going into the game, and Mangini and Daboll are clearly trying to protect him - which is probably in the team's best interest for the long run - by putting in Jerome Harrison fr a few snaps and giving him some carries. However, Harrison has looked timid and soft tiptoeing to the line like William Green used to do in the Butch Davis years. He just looks like a totally different guy than the one who ran all over the Chiefs last year for 286 yards.
On the defensive side, the Browns have done well...once the Falcons get inside the Red Zone. They've actually done a pretty nice job defending the pass as Matt Ryan is only 6/18 for 75 yards, but defending the run they really need to start wrapping up and driving in order to tackle Michael Turner. He's got 95 yards on 12 carries, although one of them was an extremely poorly defended 55 yard run. That being said, give the D some credit for not breaking once they get backed up against the wall in the Red Zone. Even Eric Wright is having a good day covering; Atlanta went after him fairly early in the game but he stayed strong.
The Browns are going to have to get the ball going in the running game in order to win today, because we're now in a situation where Jake Delhomme looks like he's going to be in the game for the second half after Wallace's injury. Delhomme hasn't played since week 1, but hopefully he can come in and lead the offense down the field on a few 10 play drives to get our defense some much needed rest and get a couple good scores. See you after the game.
~MAS
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Moss to the Vikings? Wow
I know this isn't about the Browns nor does it have anything to do with Cleveland sports in general, but I love both football and the NFL and felt compelled to write about the trade of Randy Moss from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings.
Anytime a player is dealt in the middle of the season in the NFL it's usually a pretty big deal. It's not like baseball, where people can be traded 3/4 of the way through the season and keep playing like pretty much nothing has ever happened. When a NFL player switches teams a lot of times everything is different. It's a different system, it's a different playbook, it's different terminology, different coaches, different team leaders, a different quarterback. The only thing familiar about this situation for Randy Moss is probably the practice facility, the stadium and the colors - although even the uniforms are different since he last played for the Vikings.
And you know that team is ecstatic that Moss is back. You've got a guy who is nearly 41 playing quarterback, and right now Brett Favre clearly needs a big play wide receiver while Sidney Rice recovers from his hip injury. I think it's safe to say right now that Favre is riding the struggle bus with only 2 touchdowns and 6, yes 6 interceptions. It's been well publicized that Favre wanted the Packers to get Moss in Green Bay a few years ago in 2007 before Raiders traded him to the Patriots. The Vikings right now are 1-2, but they've got one of the best running backs in the league in Adrian Peterson and should be able to get right back on track if the chemistry between Moss and Favre clicks early and often.
On the flip side of that, it's interesting to take a look at the New England Patriots to see that they gave up a future hall of fame wide receiver for just a third round pick in next year's draft. In fact, Bill Bellichick sent Moss and a 7th round draft pick in 2012 to the Vikings for Moss. Sure, he hasn't had the type of production this year that he did in the past (specifically 2007, when Tom Brady threw for 50 touchdowns and 23 of them went to Moss), but I think he can still play at a very high level.
That being said, the Patriots have a reputation for not paying people once Bellichick determines they've reached a "certain age." Think about Richard Seymour, Lawyer Malloy, and Deon Branch, just to name a few and now Randy Moss joins that list. All those guys were fairly critical parts of New England's success, but, as Bellichick put it in his press conference earlier today, the Patriots have won more games than any other NFL team in the past decade. I think what we're seeing from that organization right now is clearly a trend to make the team younger as they've now stockpiled eight draft picks in the first four rounds, two in each round. I'd definitely consider the Patriots to be a dynasty team based on what they've done in the past decade - which is win all the time. I like them getting all the draft picks because they do need to get younger, and with their coaching and veterans on that team, rookies can easily make an impact (see Julian Edelman last year). To me, this speaks volumes about their organization's commitment to winning and obviously Bellichick is a big part of that.
I think this is really going to prove to be a win-win for both teams. Brett Favre gets the wide receiver of his dreams for a run that could go deep into the playoffs, while the Patriots rid themselves of a contract situation that would have distracted them for the rest of the season and acquire another draft pick for talent in the future. I'm really looking forward to the Monday Night Football match up of Vikings and Jets coming up this week as we'll get to see if Moss can escape from "Revis Island" once again.
~MAS
Anytime a player is dealt in the middle of the season in the NFL it's usually a pretty big deal. It's not like baseball, where people can be traded 3/4 of the way through the season and keep playing like pretty much nothing has ever happened. When a NFL player switches teams a lot of times everything is different. It's a different system, it's a different playbook, it's different terminology, different coaches, different team leaders, a different quarterback. The only thing familiar about this situation for Randy Moss is probably the practice facility, the stadium and the colors - although even the uniforms are different since he last played for the Vikings.
And you know that team is ecstatic that Moss is back. You've got a guy who is nearly 41 playing quarterback, and right now Brett Favre clearly needs a big play wide receiver while Sidney Rice recovers from his hip injury. I think it's safe to say right now that Favre is riding the struggle bus with only 2 touchdowns and 6, yes 6 interceptions. It's been well publicized that Favre wanted the Packers to get Moss in Green Bay a few years ago in 2007 before Raiders traded him to the Patriots. The Vikings right now are 1-2, but they've got one of the best running backs in the league in Adrian Peterson and should be able to get right back on track if the chemistry between Moss and Favre clicks early and often.
On the flip side of that, it's interesting to take a look at the New England Patriots to see that they gave up a future hall of fame wide receiver for just a third round pick in next year's draft. In fact, Bill Bellichick sent Moss and a 7th round draft pick in 2012 to the Vikings for Moss. Sure, he hasn't had the type of production this year that he did in the past (specifically 2007, when Tom Brady threw for 50 touchdowns and 23 of them went to Moss), but I think he can still play at a very high level.
That being said, the Patriots have a reputation for not paying people once Bellichick determines they've reached a "certain age." Think about Richard Seymour, Lawyer Malloy, and Deon Branch, just to name a few and now Randy Moss joins that list. All those guys were fairly critical parts of New England's success, but, as Bellichick put it in his press conference earlier today, the Patriots have won more games than any other NFL team in the past decade. I think what we're seeing from that organization right now is clearly a trend to make the team younger as they've now stockpiled eight draft picks in the first four rounds, two in each round. I'd definitely consider the Patriots to be a dynasty team based on what they've done in the past decade - which is win all the time. I like them getting all the draft picks because they do need to get younger, and with their coaching and veterans on that team, rookies can easily make an impact (see Julian Edelman last year). To me, this speaks volumes about their organization's commitment to winning and obviously Bellichick is a big part of that.
I think this is really going to prove to be a win-win for both teams. Brett Favre gets the wide receiver of his dreams for a run that could go deep into the playoffs, while the Patriots rid themselves of a contract situation that would have distracted them for the rest of the season and acquire another draft pick for talent in the future. I'm really looking forward to the Monday Night Football match up of Vikings and Jets coming up this week as we'll get to see if Moss can escape from "Revis Island" once again.
~MAS
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