Oh yeah, that chill you feel is the ex-Vikings head coach making his way towards the Cleveland area—and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it.
Mary Kay Cabot reports that at this point new Browns offensive coordinator Brad Childress will not be calling the plays next season—which is why he came to town instead of former Green Bay and Texans A&M head coach, Mike Sherman (who, by the way, will probably replace former Browns OC Brian Daboll in Miami). However, Cabot says that nothing is finalized and that "discussions will take place," that could change.
Okay, so Shurmur will still call the plays, but he's going to have someone help him come up with a strategy all week long. Is that going to be a help? Absolutely, positively yes. Shurmur was obviously overwhelmed at all of the jobs he had to do last year, and honestly he was really just left out to dry. I understand that the Browns didn't want to just hire a coordinator just to hire a coordinator last year, but having a rookie head coach be the only coach in the league without an offensive coordinator was seriously irresponsible—if not plain old stupid.
So what credentials does Chilly bring to the table?
Well first off, he worked with Shurmur and Tom Heckert in Philly. Childress was first the quarterbacks coach for the Eagles starting in 1999, then was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2003—at which time Pat Shurmur was promoted to quarterbacks coach. Obviously, this means that Childress was instrumental in the development of Donovan McNabb. Also, in his time with the Eagles, the team went to four consecutive NFC Championship games, and made it to one Super Bowl—the loss to the Patriots.
Of course, you should already know all this. Why? Because it's the same crap on the resumes of both Shurmur and Heckert.
What sets Childress apart from those guys is that he was, I think, a pretty successful head coach with the Minnesota Vikings. He amassed a record of 39-35 in four+ seasons with Minny, as he was fired after going 3-7 in the middle of his fifth season.
Yes, Childress is probably best known for his part in the saga that was Brett Favre—which probably ended up getting him fired—but I think it's important to note that he was the head coach of Favre's arguably best statistical season when he threw for 4,202 yards with 33 touchdowns, just seven interceptions and a career high completion percentage of 68.4.
Just how much Childress had to do with that development is an arguable point, as Childress didn't call the plays for the Vikings in the 2009 season. In fact, the only season Childress has ever called plays was in 2006—his first year as the Vikings head honcho. That's right, he never called plays in his time with the Eagles either—that's always been Andy Reid's job.
Because of that, I suppose it does make sense for Shurmur to keep his play-calling duties, at least for now.
The Browns now have three former NFL head coaches on staff as assistants—obviously Childress, defensive coordinator Dick Jauron (was head coach of the Bears and Bills) and defensive assistant Ray Rhodes (was head coach of the Eagles and Green Bay).
What does all this mean? According to Daryl Ruiter (who, if you haven't noticed by now, I think is a really fantastic source for information), those three former head coaches have a combined record of 136-159. Is that terrible? Yes. But is the experience Shurmur has around him invaluable? I'd say yes to that too.
So hopefully experienced hire will work out like Dick Jauron's hire last year, and the offense will make fantastic strides.
Do I think that'll happen?
For now, let's just say I'll keep my fingers crossed.
~MAS
Friday, January 27, 2012
Prince Fielder to the Tigers? Son of a—What do we do now?
Honestly, if you're an Indians fan, how can you have any other reaction? We just half-celebrated at the news that beloved former Indian Victor Martinez (who I will always remember how for literally being in tears after being traded from the Tribe to the Red Sox in '09. One of my all-time favorite Indians, definitely top 3) would be out all year with a torn ACL, and then we get this?!
Before you ask, "Did you really expect the Indians to be sign Prince Fielder?" my answer is absolutely not!
But I also didn't think he'd be showing up to work for the next nine years to put on a Tigers uniform, and that we'd have to pitch to him for 17 or 18 games a year.
Is that contract awful? Absolutely yes. Just as I thought about the Albert Pujols contract, nine years and $214 million is just absolutely ridiculous. How can you as an organization believe that you're going to get anything near the same kind of player at the end of that contract? Do you really want to be paying an aging star player probably $10 million more than he's worth at the end of that deal?
Probably not.
But this isn't to talk about how the Tigers will regret this contract in maybe six years. Right now this deal hurts the Indians. Badly.
And again, it's not even that I wanted Prince Fielder—although his fat self would have looked really great manning first base, I know that's completely unrealistic. But when it comes down to it, the Tigers made a hugely aggressive move in free agency to solidify themselves as the frontrunner in the AL Central for years to come. And what have the Indians done?
Well, when Fausto Carmona was revealed to be Roberto Hernandez Heredia, they traded for Kevin Slowey. And yes, I know they said they've liked Slowey for a while, but give me a freaking break, you and I both know they traded for him so swiftly because they needed depth after "Carmona" was officially out of the equation.
You see that, when the Tigers lose one of their key players, they sign someone who could have more of an impact. When the Indians lose one of their key pieces...well, they get someone who has had success in the AL Central, and has some upside, but didn't even win a game last season.
It's a damn shame, isn't it?
So here's where we are—"Carmona" is on the restricted list, which means that he doesn't count on the 25 or 40 man roster, and also doesn't get a paycheck until he reports to the organization. Based on everything I've read, that probably won't be in time for Spring Training, as the process for a visa application can take months. So what do we do?
I'll say this, the answer is not Kevin Slowey.
However, there is a player on the market named Roy Oswalt. Before you get into it about how much more expensive he is, let me just throw out a few numbers.
Because "Carmona" doesn't get paid until he shows up, if he doesn't show up at all this season, the Indians will save $7 million. Now, we've increased payroll by about $18 million just on our own players so far this offseason—and of course those depth minor league contracts. All that is well and good, but if the Dolans are going to spend when the time is right, well, the time is right now.
Oswalt will apparently look for about $7-8 million in a one year deal. I say if you shell out $16-17 million for two years for this guy, and why wouldn't he want to come here?
Even though he had a year that was fairly ravaged by injuries last season, he still made 23 starts for the Phillies going 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA. Okay, so record and ERA aren't all that they used to be with sabermetrics, and Oswalt's WHIP (Walks+Hits per Inning Pitched) was a career high 1.338, and his K/9 ratio (strike outs per nine innings) was a career low 6.0, but Oswalt has proven in the past that he's extremely durable.
The only thing holding back the Dolans from an aggressive move like this is outlined in this tweet from 92.3 The Fan's Daryl Ruiter.
So yes, the fact of the matter is the Dolans have poorly spent in the past, but if they're serious about contending, they've got to put the best rotation possible out there—especially if they want to beat the Tigers.
I have about no faith that Ubaldo is going to pitch any better against the Tigers this year—he had 6.35 ERA against them in five starts last season—so doesn't a top three of the rotation in Masterson, Oswalt and Tomlin sound really great?
Here's hoping the Dolans stop handcuffing Indians President Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti and allow them to make a move that will show the fan base that they're actually serious about this two year contending window.
Before you ask, "Did you really expect the Indians to be sign Prince Fielder?" my answer is absolutely not!
But I also didn't think he'd be showing up to work for the next nine years to put on a Tigers uniform, and that we'd have to pitch to him for 17 or 18 games a year.
Is that contract awful? Absolutely yes. Just as I thought about the Albert Pujols contract, nine years and $214 million is just absolutely ridiculous. How can you as an organization believe that you're going to get anything near the same kind of player at the end of that contract? Do you really want to be paying an aging star player probably $10 million more than he's worth at the end of that deal?
Probably not.
But this isn't to talk about how the Tigers will regret this contract in maybe six years. Right now this deal hurts the Indians. Badly.
And again, it's not even that I wanted Prince Fielder—although his fat self would have looked really great manning first base, I know that's completely unrealistic. But when it comes down to it, the Tigers made a hugely aggressive move in free agency to solidify themselves as the frontrunner in the AL Central for years to come. And what have the Indians done?
Well, when Fausto Carmona was revealed to be Roberto Hernandez Heredia, they traded for Kevin Slowey. And yes, I know they said they've liked Slowey for a while, but give me a freaking break, you and I both know they traded for him so swiftly because they needed depth after "Carmona" was officially out of the equation.
You see that, when the Tigers lose one of their key players, they sign someone who could have more of an impact. When the Indians lose one of their key pieces...well, they get someone who has had success in the AL Central, and has some upside, but didn't even win a game last season.
It's a damn shame, isn't it?
So here's where we are—"Carmona" is on the restricted list, which means that he doesn't count on the 25 or 40 man roster, and also doesn't get a paycheck until he reports to the organization. Based on everything I've read, that probably won't be in time for Spring Training, as the process for a visa application can take months. So what do we do?
I'll say this, the answer is not Kevin Slowey.
However, there is a player on the market named Roy Oswalt. Before you get into it about how much more expensive he is, let me just throw out a few numbers.
Because "Carmona" doesn't get paid until he shows up, if he doesn't show up at all this season, the Indians will save $7 million. Now, we've increased payroll by about $18 million just on our own players so far this offseason—and of course those depth minor league contracts. All that is well and good, but if the Dolans are going to spend when the time is right, well, the time is right now.
Oswalt will apparently look for about $7-8 million in a one year deal. I say if you shell out $16-17 million for two years for this guy, and why wouldn't he want to come here?
Even though he had a year that was fairly ravaged by injuries last season, he still made 23 starts for the Phillies going 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA. Okay, so record and ERA aren't all that they used to be with sabermetrics, and Oswalt's WHIP (Walks+Hits per Inning Pitched) was a career high 1.338, and his K/9 ratio (strike outs per nine innings) was a career low 6.0, but Oswalt has proven in the past that he's extremely durable.
The only thing holding back the Dolans from an aggressive move like this is outlined in this tweet from 92.3 The Fan's Daryl Ruiter.
The #Indians spent $111 million between Jake Westbrook, Travis Hafner & Kerry Wood - and nothing to show for it
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) January 24, 2012
So yes, the fact of the matter is the Dolans have poorly spent in the past, but if they're serious about contending, they've got to put the best rotation possible out there—especially if they want to beat the Tigers.
I have about no faith that Ubaldo is going to pitch any better against the Tigers this year—he had 6.35 ERA against them in five starts last season—so doesn't a top three of the rotation in Masterson, Oswalt and Tomlin sound really great?
Here's hoping the Dolans stop handcuffing Indians President Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti and allow them to make a move that will show the fan base that they're actually serious about this two year contending window.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
How I'll Remember Joe Paterno
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| Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons |
I know Paterno was a fantastic coach, I know that his record 409 victories will probably never be broken, and I know that he has helped to mold many boys into men through his football program.
But I also can't help but feel like that is all completely tainted with his inaction in regards to the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
I would never wish a man to rest in anything but peace, and it is not my job to judge him—that's not my intention here.
But when I think of Paterno now, I can't help but feel like his motto of "Success with Honor" just seems like empty words.
I think of the many boys Sandusky is accused of sexually abusing, and how Paterno knew about it, and yet did nothing. And my overwhelming thought is, what if one of those boys was someone I care about?
I have no idea what it's like to be a parent or a sibling, but I have family friends with boys and I've been a camp counselor for kids I really care a lot about. And I beleive if Sandusky was abusing one of them, and somebody with as much power as Paterno had at Penn St. knew about it and didn't do anything, I just don't know that I would be able to let that go.
Do I think Paterno was sorry? Ultimately, yes. But maybe it's because he was a part of an older generation—one that lived through much tougher times than I have ever experienced—that his attitude when the whole scandal was brought into focus just seemed to me like he didn't get it at all. He just didn't seem to understand why everybody was so angry, why it would cost him his job.
I remember reading this statement back in November which said Paterno wanted to "make it as easy" for the Penn St. Board of Trustees as he possibly could by retiring at the end of the season. It burned me up that he could be so arrogant. And maybe that wasn't his intention, but saying "I want to make it easy" made me believe he thought he was above reproach for his inaction. To me, he just didn't understand why he had to lose his job.
If nothing else, the way Paterno's career—and ultimately his life—ended should serve as a lesson to us all. No man is invincible and in some way or another, we are all replaceable.
Those young boys deserved a better advocate in Paterno than they received. And everyone in the country knew that, because everyone in the country knows Joe Paterno's name. He was—and probably always will be—Penn State. That's why he deserved to be fired—if anyone had the power to end what was happening and make sure Sandusky was arrested, it was Paterno.
So that's why when I think of Paterno now, my mind doesn't go to what he accomplished, but instead what he failed to do. I'm not saying it's right to remember him like this, or that anyone else should, but I know that I will always remember Joe Paterno as a man who failed to do what was honorable and report Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing boys to law enforcement.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Final Word - 2011 Browns Report Card
I wanted to wait until I saw President Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert's press conference to give my assessment of the Browns season, and now that it's over I think I'm ready to have my say.
Obviously, a 4-12 record is not good enough by anyone's standards—and that's something Holmgren said today. The "Big Show" also talked about how he saw progress in many aspects of the team, including the fact that he thinks we started closing the gap between us and the rest of the AFC North teams. In his defense, Holmgren knew that he would be criticized for saying that, but in my humble opinion he should be. The NFL is all about results and "what have you done for me lately." No wins in the division and records of 4-12, 5-11, 5-11 and finally 4-12 in the last four seasons really isn't good enough either.
So that brings me to today's topics, the report card and some awards. I don't think there needs to be much more introduction to a report card than to say I'll be giving different groups of the Browns grades. ...Duh.
Let's just get to it, huh?
Offense
Well, this was a group that had atough bad awful downright pathetic year. If you haven't heard, this team scored just 218 points the entire season. How bad is that? Well, the 1999 Cleveland Browns—yes, the expansion team!—scored 217, and the 2000 Browns scored 161. I'm glad I don't really remember those teams, but honestly there is no reason whatsoever for this team to be on par with the first two years of the "modern era." That's inexcusable. Not that there is some kind of comparison between the Browns and a team that actually plays offense in the NFL, but the Packers scored 560 points this season. The Saints scored 547. Even the 3-13 Vikings scored 340!
Like I said, downright pathetic.
Some other things to think about—the Browns scored 20+ points just twice this year. The first time was against Indy when they won 27-19, the second was when they played at the half-empty Paul Brown Stadium and lost 23-20 to the Bengals.
In five games, the Browns didn't even score a touchdown. That helps to explain the 218 points...
It took the Browns 12 games to finally score a touchdown in the first quarter.
It took until game 14(!!!) for the Browns to score a touchdown in the third quarter. Talk about inexcusable—that means Shurmur just couldn't make good halftime adjustments.
Yes, injuries ravaged the running backs and offensive line (please be healthy next year, Eric Steinbach), but there's no reason the Browns only had four rushing touchdowns and averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Those ranked dead last and next to last, respectively. Boo!
All told, the Browns ranked 30th in points, and 29th in total offensive yards. Can you guess what grade I'm going to give this unit?
Grade: F
Defense
Okay, obviously the defense had a much better year than O, and I think that's in no small part thanks to coordinator Dick Jauron. I wrote in this post about a year ago when the Browns hired Pat Shurmur that it could take three to five years for the defense to fully convert from the 3-4 back to the 4-3. I will gladly eat some crow on that one—even though we don't exactly have what I would consider an All-Star caliber pass-rush, and our run defense is still awful, the defense was definitely the best unit on this team.
Looking at the numbers, you could really make an argument that despite ranking 30th running defense, the Browns actually had a top 10 all around D.
Stop laughing, I'm serious.
The Browns ranked 2nd in passing D—which could be explained by people running all over us, but hey, ranking 2nd is ranking 2nd. I'll take it.
In terms of yards, the Browns were also in the top 10 as they ranked 10th total defense. Also good.
But what I put the most stock in is the fact that the Browns ranked 5th in points allowed on the season. Yes, just fifth! They gave up just 19.2 points per game, which I think is excellent. (As an aside, two of the top four defenses were Baltimore and Pittsburgh...That's bad news bears.)
Did the Browns get all kinds of turnovers? Well not really interceptions as they only had nine, but they did get 11 fumbles.
But you know what, getting the fundamentals down is a lot of the time the hardest part. If we can make this kind of progress in just one year, I'd expect the defense to get that much better with a couple more pieces. And imagine if they actually had a mediocre offense so that they could get off the field sometimes?
Even though I think the defense did very well, that 30th ranking against the run leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So that's the justification for this...
Grade: B
Special Teams
Honestly, I don't know how in the wide, wide world of sports special teams coach Chris Tabor has not been fired already. Two long snappers, three punters (albeit because of injuries), at least two blocked field goals (one against St. Louis wasn't actually considered a block), and a punt returned for a touchdown. All that, and Josh Cribbs went from one of the best return men to one of the worst, as he ranked 25th in return yards this season.
All that after the Browns routinely ranked in the top five of special teams categories int he past couple of years.
If not for Phil Dawson—who hit seven field goals of 50+ yards, and with all the stupid blocks really only missed one field goal this season—and Brad Maynard—who was excellent punting and had just one touchback on the year, which came in the final game against the Steelers—the special teams unit would surely be getting an F. Instead they get...
Grade: C+
Coaching
By 'coaching' I mean head coach, offensive coordinator (which we don't have...), defensive coordinator and special teams coach. I've said it plenty of times, but I think Shurmur was completely overmatched this season by being both the offensive coordinator and the head coach. There's a reason why 31/32 NFL teams had offensive coordinators this season, even if they didn't call the plays... Just sayin'.
Based on the previous comments on the defense, I honestly don't think we could've had a better defensive coordinator this year. Despite the fact that the run defense was no good, Dick Jauron took a defense in shambles and made it respectable.
You already know how I feel about special teams coach, Tabor, so let's just say that along with Shurmur, he's bringing down the grade here.
Grade: C
Front Office
Now this grade is sort of interesting to me, because it's all about Holmgren and Heckert. Did those two do enough in the offseason to put the Browns in a position to win? Well, on defense the argument can definitely be made for a yes. They drafted Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard—two players who will be part of the core of the Browns defensive line for hopefully the next decade. They also locked up key players like Chris Gocong, Athyba Rubin and Joe Thomas with longterm deals. Those things are good.
But they definitely failed to give Colt McCoy any kind of help at the wide receiver position, as I'm still not sure why in the world the Browns refused to sign a veteran wide receiver. The whole PR debacle of Concussion-Gate was also something that really left a bad taste in my mouth for Holmgren—especially the ludicrous, "Don't come to me asking for extra playoff tickets," line.
I'll let Jim Mora handle this one.
Grade: B-
Overall
Well, to be honest, a 4-12 record pretty much speaks for itself, doesn't it? Honestly, 0-6 in the division to boot? I know we're not supposed to be holding the sins of former regimes against Holmgren, Heckert and Shurmur, but you know what? We were supposed to see real, tangible progress in the form of Ws this year—that was the whole idea behind firing Mangini in the first place! But the thing is, I sincerely believe that if Mangini had been the coach of the 2011 Browns, there's no way in the world we would've been 4-12. But that's what we are, and that seriously has to change if Holmgren and Heckert want to justify keeping Shurmur as the head coach of this team for 2013. (...that is, if the world doesn't end before then!)
Grade: D-
So there you have it. I thought about doing some awards for this post, but I thought that might make things run a little too long (thanks for sticking it out this far!), so I'll just give you a little bit more from me to read in the next few days.
That's right guys and gals, keep an eye out for the first ever Myley Awards.
See you then!
~MAS
Obviously, a 4-12 record is not good enough by anyone's standards—and that's something Holmgren said today. The "Big Show" also talked about how he saw progress in many aspects of the team, including the fact that he thinks we started closing the gap between us and the rest of the AFC North teams. In his defense, Holmgren knew that he would be criticized for saying that, but in my humble opinion he should be. The NFL is all about results and "what have you done for me lately." No wins in the division and records of 4-12, 5-11, 5-11 and finally 4-12 in the last four seasons really isn't good enough either.
So that brings me to today's topics, the report card and some awards. I don't think there needs to be much more introduction to a report card than to say I'll be giving different groups of the Browns grades. ...Duh.
Let's just get to it, huh?
Offense
Well, this was a group that had a
Like I said, downright pathetic.
Some other things to think about—the Browns scored 20+ points just twice this year. The first time was against Indy when they won 27-19, the second was when they played at the half-empty Paul Brown Stadium and lost 23-20 to the Bengals.
In five games, the Browns didn't even score a touchdown. That helps to explain the 218 points...
It took the Browns 12 games to finally score a touchdown in the first quarter.
It took until game 14(!!!) for the Browns to score a touchdown in the third quarter. Talk about inexcusable—that means Shurmur just couldn't make good halftime adjustments.
Yes, injuries ravaged the running backs and offensive line (please be healthy next year, Eric Steinbach), but there's no reason the Browns only had four rushing touchdowns and averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Those ranked dead last and next to last, respectively. Boo!
All told, the Browns ranked 30th in points, and 29th in total offensive yards. Can you guess what grade I'm going to give this unit?
Grade: F
Defense
Okay, obviously the defense had a much better year than O, and I think that's in no small part thanks to coordinator Dick Jauron. I wrote in this post about a year ago when the Browns hired Pat Shurmur that it could take three to five years for the defense to fully convert from the 3-4 back to the 4-3. I will gladly eat some crow on that one—even though we don't exactly have what I would consider an All-Star caliber pass-rush, and our run defense is still awful, the defense was definitely the best unit on this team.
Looking at the numbers, you could really make an argument that despite ranking 30th running defense, the Browns actually had a top 10 all around D.
Stop laughing, I'm serious.
The Browns ranked 2nd in passing D—which could be explained by people running all over us, but hey, ranking 2nd is ranking 2nd. I'll take it.
In terms of yards, the Browns were also in the top 10 as they ranked 10th total defense. Also good.
But what I put the most stock in is the fact that the Browns ranked 5th in points allowed on the season. Yes, just fifth! They gave up just 19.2 points per game, which I think is excellent. (As an aside, two of the top four defenses were Baltimore and Pittsburgh...That's bad news bears.)
Did the Browns get all kinds of turnovers? Well not really interceptions as they only had nine, but they did get 11 fumbles.
But you know what, getting the fundamentals down is a lot of the time the hardest part. If we can make this kind of progress in just one year, I'd expect the defense to get that much better with a couple more pieces. And imagine if they actually had a mediocre offense so that they could get off the field sometimes?
Even though I think the defense did very well, that 30th ranking against the run leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So that's the justification for this...
Grade: B
Special Teams
Honestly, I don't know how in the wide, wide world of sports special teams coach Chris Tabor has not been fired already. Two long snappers, three punters (albeit because of injuries), at least two blocked field goals (one against St. Louis wasn't actually considered a block), and a punt returned for a touchdown. All that, and Josh Cribbs went from one of the best return men to one of the worst, as he ranked 25th in return yards this season.
All that after the Browns routinely ranked in the top five of special teams categories int he past couple of years.
If not for Phil Dawson—who hit seven field goals of 50+ yards, and with all the stupid blocks really only missed one field goal this season—and Brad Maynard—who was excellent punting and had just one touchback on the year, which came in the final game against the Steelers—the special teams unit would surely be getting an F. Instead they get...
Grade: C+
Coaching
By 'coaching' I mean head coach, offensive coordinator (which we don't have...), defensive coordinator and special teams coach. I've said it plenty of times, but I think Shurmur was completely overmatched this season by being both the offensive coordinator and the head coach. There's a reason why 31/32 NFL teams had offensive coordinators this season, even if they didn't call the plays... Just sayin'.
Based on the previous comments on the defense, I honestly don't think we could've had a better defensive coordinator this year. Despite the fact that the run defense was no good, Dick Jauron took a defense in shambles and made it respectable.
You already know how I feel about special teams coach, Tabor, so let's just say that along with Shurmur, he's bringing down the grade here.
Grade: C
Front Office
Now this grade is sort of interesting to me, because it's all about Holmgren and Heckert. Did those two do enough in the offseason to put the Browns in a position to win? Well, on defense the argument can definitely be made for a yes. They drafted Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard—two players who will be part of the core of the Browns defensive line for hopefully the next decade. They also locked up key players like Chris Gocong, Athyba Rubin and Joe Thomas with longterm deals. Those things are good.
But they definitely failed to give Colt McCoy any kind of help at the wide receiver position, as I'm still not sure why in the world the Browns refused to sign a veteran wide receiver. The whole PR debacle of Concussion-Gate was also something that really left a bad taste in my mouth for Holmgren—especially the ludicrous, "Don't come to me asking for extra playoff tickets," line.
I'll let Jim Mora handle this one.
Grade: B-
Overall
Well, to be honest, a 4-12 record pretty much speaks for itself, doesn't it? Honestly, 0-6 in the division to boot? I know we're not supposed to be holding the sins of former regimes against Holmgren, Heckert and Shurmur, but you know what? We were supposed to see real, tangible progress in the form of Ws this year—that was the whole idea behind firing Mangini in the first place! But the thing is, I sincerely believe that if Mangini had been the coach of the 2011 Browns, there's no way in the world we would've been 4-12. But that's what we are, and that seriously has to change if Holmgren and Heckert want to justify keeping Shurmur as the head coach of this team for 2013. (...that is, if the world doesn't end before then!)
Grade: D-
So there you have it. I thought about doing some awards for this post, but I thought that might make things run a little too long (thanks for sticking it out this far!), so I'll just give you a little bit more from me to read in the next few days.
That's right guys and gals, keep an eye out for the first ever Myley Awards.
See you then!
~MAS
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Final Word - We've got a long way to go
I have to say, seeing the Browns in person yesterday may have changed the way I think about the team and the way they've progressed this season. Yes, they finished 4-12, and that is not something I would ever make excuses for—especially after how we were supposed to see something better than the 5-11 record the team achieved under two consecutive seasons under Eric Mangini—but I think there are definitely things that we can take from these last string of games and improve upon.
But first things first—the Browns did lose their season finale against the Steelers 13-9 to drop their divisional record to a terrible 0-6 on the season. Honestly, if you can't beat the teams in your division, you're never going to make it in this league. I think the Browns know that and their effort on the field the last couple weeks shows it, but when it comes down to it, no wins against divisional opponents is unacceptable.
If you want to find positives, however, look no further than the Browns D. Not only did they wreck Rashard Mendenhall's ACL to end his season (and possibly some of the Steelers playoffs dreams), but they only allowed 13 points to that team in black and gold. That brings the total points given up to the Steelers in two games this season to 27. Yes the Steelers scored just twenty-seven points in two games and our offense is so bad that we couldn't win either of them! We can chalk that up to things I find ridiculous.
Another positive comes from D'Qwell Jackson, who was able to achieve his goal of playing all 16 games this season and recorded a team-high 13 tackles in the final contest. Well, let's give him some more credit—not only was he able to play, but he really should be the NFL Comeback Player of the Year as he led the Browns with 158 tackles on the year, and played darn near every single defensive snap. He may be a free agent in this upcoming offseason, but I expect him to be the leader of the Browns defense for years to come.
On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Cribbs was the lone bright spot. I remember last year that Cribbs had a pretty good repor with Seneca Wallace, so it was nice to see that work yet again. Cribbsie had seven catches for 91 yards—season highs in both categories. Even though Cribbs is widely regarded as a special teams player that would be a 3rd receiver at best on most elite teams, you have to love how he steps up and plays in big games.
But honestly, that's pretty much wehre the positives end.
Let's talk about Seneca Wallace, who, according to this article by the PD's Mary Kay Cabot, wants a shot at being the Browns starting QB next year. My response to those laughable comments could be a post in and of itself, but I'll just say here that going 16/41 for 177 yards, no touchdowns and an interception doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Wallace also has an ugly tendency to throw off of his back foot when he's trying to evade pressure—a trait that leads to under-thrown passes and interceptions. Speaking of INTs, the one he threw to Troy Polamalu was plain stupid—I could tell throwing it in Owen Marecic's direction when he's going against arguably the best safety in the league was a bad idea from the upper deck.
Also, as I feared in the Start Me Up, Peyton Hillis really didn't have a good game only gaining 30 yards on 10 carries. Of course, part of the lack of yards is the lack of carries and also the fact that his knee got banged up in the second half, but it was still a quiet day from someone who's looking for a job either here or elsewhere next season.
It's also worth mentioning that rookie Greg Little was targeted five times and caught zero passes. He dropped at least one at the end of the game—the Hail Mary pass—and besides that I'm sure he dropped at least one more, although I can't pinpoint exactly when.
But when it comes down to it, the bottom line is simply that the Browns just aren't good enough offensively to beat the Steelers. When Wallace had his big scramble in the second quarter to get the Browns inside the Steelers 10 yard line, they needed to score a touchdown there, not a field goal. The elite teams with elite offenses get that done, and it's so obvious that the Browns need more impact players on offense in order to do that.
I'll have a more in-depth wrap-up of the season and what I think the Browns should focus on this season in the next few days.
Until then, enjoy the beginning of 2012 everybody.
~MAS
But first things first—the Browns did lose their season finale against the Steelers 13-9 to drop their divisional record to a terrible 0-6 on the season. Honestly, if you can't beat the teams in your division, you're never going to make it in this league. I think the Browns know that and their effort on the field the last couple weeks shows it, but when it comes down to it, no wins against divisional opponents is unacceptable.
If you want to find positives, however, look no further than the Browns D. Not only did they wreck Rashard Mendenhall's ACL to end his season (and possibly some of the Steelers playoffs dreams), but they only allowed 13 points to that team in black and gold. That brings the total points given up to the Steelers in two games this season to 27. Yes the Steelers scored just twenty-seven points in two games and our offense is so bad that we couldn't win either of them! We can chalk that up to things I find ridiculous.
Another positive comes from D'Qwell Jackson, who was able to achieve his goal of playing all 16 games this season and recorded a team-high 13 tackles in the final contest. Well, let's give him some more credit—not only was he able to play, but he really should be the NFL Comeback Player of the Year as he led the Browns with 158 tackles on the year, and played darn near every single defensive snap. He may be a free agent in this upcoming offseason, but I expect him to be the leader of the Browns defense for years to come.
On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Cribbs was the lone bright spot. I remember last year that Cribbs had a pretty good repor with Seneca Wallace, so it was nice to see that work yet again. Cribbsie had seven catches for 91 yards—season highs in both categories. Even though Cribbs is widely regarded as a special teams player that would be a 3rd receiver at best on most elite teams, you have to love how he steps up and plays in big games.
But honestly, that's pretty much wehre the positives end.
Let's talk about Seneca Wallace, who, according to this article by the PD's Mary Kay Cabot, wants a shot at being the Browns starting QB next year. My response to those laughable comments could be a post in and of itself, but I'll just say here that going 16/41 for 177 yards, no touchdowns and an interception doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Wallace also has an ugly tendency to throw off of his back foot when he's trying to evade pressure—a trait that leads to under-thrown passes and interceptions. Speaking of INTs, the one he threw to Troy Polamalu was plain stupid—I could tell throwing it in Owen Marecic's direction when he's going against arguably the best safety in the league was a bad idea from the upper deck.
Also, as I feared in the Start Me Up, Peyton Hillis really didn't have a good game only gaining 30 yards on 10 carries. Of course, part of the lack of yards is the lack of carries and also the fact that his knee got banged up in the second half, but it was still a quiet day from someone who's looking for a job either here or elsewhere next season.
It's also worth mentioning that rookie Greg Little was targeted five times and caught zero passes. He dropped at least one at the end of the game—the Hail Mary pass—and besides that I'm sure he dropped at least one more, although I can't pinpoint exactly when.
But when it comes down to it, the bottom line is simply that the Browns just aren't good enough offensively to beat the Steelers. When Wallace had his big scramble in the second quarter to get the Browns inside the Steelers 10 yard line, they needed to score a touchdown there, not a field goal. The elite teams with elite offenses get that done, and it's so obvious that the Browns need more impact players on offense in order to do that.
I'll have a more in-depth wrap-up of the season and what I think the Browns should focus on this season in the next few days.
Until then, enjoy the beginning of 2012 everybody.
~MAS
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Start Me Up - Browns vs. Steelers
At long last, this Browns season will come to an end today around 7 o'clock. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) I'll be there to see it.
There are a whole lot of aspects of the game that the Browns haven't done well—offense, special teams and running defense to just name a few—but we can get to all of that at a later date, as right now it's time to focus on this New Years Day matchup.
First off, I think it's pretty darn unfortunate that Colt McCoy won't get another shot at going up against the Steelers after James Harrisonnearly killed him concussed him over three weeks ago. The fact that McCoy went back into that game without being checked and now still can't play certainly isn't a ringing endorsement of the Browns medical staff either. But as we've seen, Seneca Wallace has the ability to move the ball with the Browns offense. However, with the Steelers having so much to play for—the #1 seed in the AFC could fall to them if enough happens in their favor—I'd expect those guys in black and gold to come after Wallace with all they've got.
Fortunately, Peyton Hillis is healthy and could maybe be effective running the ball. The running back (who I think should definitely be re-signed) gained 112 yards on 24 carries last week against Baltimore, a team known for their staunch running D. The problem is that Hillis has had little to no success against Pittsburgh in his three games with the Browns. He gained just 41 yards on 12 carries in Colt McCoy's first NFL start last year at Heinz Field, then 13 yards on six carries in the final game Eric Mangini coached for the Browns—a humiliating 41-9 loss at the Factory of Sadness—and finally 25 yards on 10 carries a few weeks ago.
So what does all that mean? Well, it sure doesn't spell "s-u-c-c-e-s-s" for the Browns on the surface—especially with Seneca "I think I'm better than I actually am" Wallace at the helm. (I still can't believe he changed a pass to a run at the end of the half against the Ravens. That's inexcusably ridiculous.)
Also not spelling success is the fact that Ben Roethlisberger practiced all week and should be healthy after the Browns almost broke his ankle in Pittsburgh. I'm almost positive the Steelers are going to want to score early and often to bury the Browns so that they can take Big Ben out and rest him—just in case they have to play next week. I'd also look for the Steelers to run the ball like wild men, because the Browns have shown time and time again since '99 that they just can't stop it.
Do I think the Browns will win? Absolutely not. But then again, as I've mentioned in a Start Me Up or two before, there's usually one game that the Browns win out of nowhere. And as much as I've ripped head coach Pat Shurmur this season, he still has his players going out there and fighting each week. Nobody has scored more than 31 points against the Browns—something most teams can't say—and they've only allowed 30+ points twice. If the Browns had any kind of offense, we'd probably be at least 7-9.
But I digress, let's get to the bottom line.
The Prediction: PIT 31 - CLE 13
Phil Dawson will hit two field goals in some blustery conditions, but the Steelers will dominate. They just have way too much to play for so they won't be messing around at all today.
As I said in the intro, I'll actually be in attendance at the Factory of Sadness today, which menas that there won't be a halftime blurb. I know I didn't do one last week, but look for a Final Word to come either sometime tonight or in the near future. And then we'll do a season wrap-up shortly after that.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
~MAS
There are a whole lot of aspects of the game that the Browns haven't done well—offense, special teams and running defense to just name a few—but we can get to all of that at a later date, as right now it's time to focus on this New Years Day matchup.
First off, I think it's pretty darn unfortunate that Colt McCoy won't get another shot at going up against the Steelers after James Harrison
Fortunately, Peyton Hillis is healthy and could maybe be effective running the ball. The running back (who I think should definitely be re-signed) gained 112 yards on 24 carries last week against Baltimore, a team known for their staunch running D. The problem is that Hillis has had little to no success against Pittsburgh in his three games with the Browns. He gained just 41 yards on 12 carries in Colt McCoy's first NFL start last year at Heinz Field, then 13 yards on six carries in the final game Eric Mangini coached for the Browns—a humiliating 41-9 loss at the Factory of Sadness—and finally 25 yards on 10 carries a few weeks ago.
So what does all that mean? Well, it sure doesn't spell "s-u-c-c-e-s-s" for the Browns on the surface—especially with Seneca "I think I'm better than I actually am" Wallace at the helm. (I still can't believe he changed a pass to a run at the end of the half against the Ravens. That's inexcusably ridiculous.)
Also not spelling success is the fact that Ben Roethlisberger practiced all week and should be healthy after the Browns almost broke his ankle in Pittsburgh. I'm almost positive the Steelers are going to want to score early and often to bury the Browns so that they can take Big Ben out and rest him—just in case they have to play next week. I'd also look for the Steelers to run the ball like wild men, because the Browns have shown time and time again since '99 that they just can't stop it.
Do I think the Browns will win? Absolutely not. But then again, as I've mentioned in a Start Me Up or two before, there's usually one game that the Browns win out of nowhere. And as much as I've ripped head coach Pat Shurmur this season, he still has his players going out there and fighting each week. Nobody has scored more than 31 points against the Browns—something most teams can't say—and they've only allowed 30+ points twice. If the Browns had any kind of offense, we'd probably be at least 7-9.
But I digress, let's get to the bottom line.
The Prediction: PIT 31 - CLE 13
Phil Dawson will hit two field goals in some blustery conditions, but the Steelers will dominate. They just have way too much to play for so they won't be messing around at all today.
As I said in the intro, I'll actually be in attendance at the Factory of Sadness today, which menas that there won't be a halftime blurb. I know I didn't do one last week, but look for a Final Word to come either sometime tonight or in the near future. And then we'll do a season wrap-up shortly after that.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
~MAS
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