Start Me Up: Browns @ Bengals

Let's hope Brandon Weeden will have a better
rating than 5.1 today.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday—the second Browns Sunday in the 2012 season.

Straight up, I'm having a very hard time finding positive reasons that the Browns will win this one.

Let me explain. Obviously, the Browns offense still isn't very good. Brandon Weeden is a rookie, and he's going to need some time to adjust to the NFL. I think the game speed overwhelmed him last week—something that isn't entirely unexpected since he only played five quarters in the preseason. Trent Richardson also played too much last week, as even head coach Pat Shurmur admitted he played probably 10-12 more snaps than he was prepared for. But irrespective of the snaps, you can't convince me Richardson should've had 19 carries after not taking a live snap since the National Championship Game in January.

Okay, yes I do expect Richardson to be better this week after getting his feet wet against the Eagles, but who knows what to expect from Weeden? Even if he stinks again, they have to keep him in there. He's a first round pick. If you think he should be taken out in favor of McCoy, you're lost.

I have more confidence in the other side of the ball, but not much. Joe Haden's immaturity got the best of him and now the Browns won't have him for four pretty key games. The other starting cornerback, Sheldon Brown, is reportedly going to play, but won't be at 100 percent after sustaining a shoulder injury last week. With an elite caliber receiver in AJ Green on the Bengals offense, how will Dimitri Patterson, Buster Skrine, and 2012 7th round pick Trevin Wade do against the pass?

Also, lost in the shuffle last week was that the Browns allowed 110 yards on 20 carries to LeSean McCoy. That's 5.5 yards a carry. Why Andy Reid had Michael Vick throw the ball 56 times when he had a running game that effective will always be a mystery to me, but the Browns are going to have to do a better job against the run if they want to win today. Despite getting demolished by Baltimore last week, Bengals RB Benjarvus Green-Ellis rushed the ball 18 times for 91 yards—that's 5.1 yards a carry.

I'm not really a betting man, but if I were I'd put money on the Bengals pounding the run today with the Law Firm and trying to play ball control offense.

But despite all of that negativity surrounding the Browns this week, let's think about what we know about the Bengals. They always have these flash-in-the-pan years, and then go back down to earth. It's happened plenty of times before—they won the AFC North in 2005, then went 8-8 in 2006. Then they won the division again in 2009, and went 4-12 in 2010. They really weren't even competitive against Baltimore on Monday night, and with the short week who knows how they'll look today?

So what's going to happen in this game? Honestly, I have no clue. I think it'll once again be a low scoring affair, with Dick Jauron once again doing a bang up job with the "Bend but don't break" defense. I think both teams will try to establish a solid running game early and often. And I think the Browns will probably struggle trying to cover AJ Green.

But without further ado...

The Prediction: Bengals 20 - Browns 17

It'll be close, the Browns will once again be winning in the fourth quarter because the defense has kept the team in the game, but a tired D will once again lead to a heart breaking loss.

Can you really see this one playing out any other way?

Well, no matter what happens, I'll see you after.
~MAS

The Final Word: Only in Cleveland

It would've been more surprising had they actually held on to win the game.

That's what I thought to myself as I sat watching the Eagles offense take a knee after Brandon Weeden threw his fourth interception of the day to seal a 17-16 victory.

Ah yes, Weeden's fourth interception.

Wow.

This morning, I prepared myself to sit down and write a post defending the 28-year-old quarterback if his debut didn't exactly go well. But now...

I mean, the numbers speak for themselves. Shield your children's eyes: 12/35 for 118 yards. 3.4 yards per completion. Four interceptions. And—the kicker—a horrific 5.1 quarterback rating.

Now we can all talk about how bad Weeden was, how Colt McCoy is better and should be playing, and to be honest, I really can't make an argument to counter that other than let's give Weeden a few more games. But to me, the bigger concern was the Browns startling lack of a running game.

I wrote in the Start Me Up today that Trent Richardson really is the key to all the Browns offensive hopes and dreams, and if you look at his numbers from today you can easily see why the good guys lost.

Richardson carried the ball 19 times for just 39 yards. His longest run was just nine yards, and it came on the play to the right were he truck sticked an Eagles defender into next week.

Obviously 2.1 yards per carry is not ever going to get the job done. And on a team that traded up to draft Richardson 3rd overall, 39 yards on 19 carries in an entire game is simply unacceptable.

To be honest, however, I really wasn't expecting Richardson to get the ball so much. I'm not sure why Pat Shurmur didn't spell him a little bit with Brandon Jackson for some carries. Yes, Jackson did make a key catch for a first down, but Richardson hadn't taken a handoff in a live game since the National Championship Game in January when he was still playing for Alabama. You can't tell me he was prepared to go 19 carries in his first NFL action.

That being said, the Browns were embarrassing on short yardage run situations. Yes, Philly loaded up the box constantly when it was 2nd or 3rd and 1, but with a RB like Richardson, you must get to the point where you know, I know, the defense knows—everybody in the NFL knows he's going to get the ball on 3rd and short and he makes it anyway. That's what a dominant running game looks like.

That's what the Browns need to strive for.

I'll kill Shurmur for many things over the course of this season, but I can't be too mad about not going for 2 after D'Qwell Jackson's pick-six. After the touchdown, there was 13:59 left to go in the game. That's a whole lot of time. And honestly, the way the Browns offense was going, was there really a realistic chance that they'd make it? At least because they kicked the extra point, two field goals would've just tied the game, instead of winning it.

Not that it really matters.

In the end, we're stuck with yet another gut wrenching loss. I long for the days when we'll be happy after games like this instead of stuck feeling the same old way game after game, week after week, year after freaking year.

Until next week...
~MAS

Start Me Up: 2012 Cleveland Browns Season

If you ask me, the Browns season hopes are tied
to how well this guy can run the ball.

The return of Start Me Up posts can only mean one thing...

The Browns are back, baby!

This 2012 season is obviously going to be a big one for four men: Jimmy Haslam, Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert, and Pat Shurmur.

As someone who just bought a franchise for a billion dollas, Haslam has earned the right to do whatever he wants with the Browns. And based on everything I've learned about him in the last month or so, I think he's going to do what it takes to win football games here in Cleveland. Not only is he an extreme lover of football, he's a shrewd businessman. The Browns will be a hobby for him. It's not that owning an NFL franchise won't make him richer, but it also won't be his only source of income.

That's the way I want an owner to operate.

Still, though, this season could—and probably should—be defining for Holmgren, Heckert, and Shurmur's careers in Cleveland. Holmgren is already expected to be packing his bags for Seattle as former Philadelphia Eagles President Joe Banner is presumably going to fill that same role in Cleveland once the sale is finally approved in October.

But for Heckert and Shurmur, things could be different. If the team plays well and shows that what they've begun building over the last few years is making tangible progress, I believe there's a very good chance that both could stay. I can't give a number for wins on that, but if they go 6-10, I think there's more than a reasonable argument that progress has been made.

If they go 1-15 as some "experts" have been predicting...well, let's not even go down that road.

When you think about it, though, the keys to the season pretty much rest in the hands of the supremely young Browns offense.

Obviously the Browns hope Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden can become stable backfield fixtures in Cleveland for the foreseeable future, but if the season goes south only one of those guys realistically has a chance to be here when a new regime takes over. And his name isn't Brandon Weeden.

To me, if Richardson is healthy and productive, the Browns will have a realistic shot at winning each and every game they play. Yes, I know the NFL has little by little shifted into a passing league, but a running back with speed, power, and agility still has a place in the league—just ask the Texans. I'm not going to pretend it's all about the running back—since I firmly believe Houston lost to the Ravens in the divisional round last year because they were playing their third quarterback in TJ Yates—but if you have a top-notch running game and can control the ball and the clock, you will have a chance to win.

Plus, now opposing defenses have at least one guy that they must gameplan to stop. You literally could not say that about one Browns offensive player last year. As weeks go on, we might even prove to have two or three guys like that—Greg Little has reportedly made some strides, and Josh Gordon is just a supreme physical talent. Hell, maybe even Weeden will progress enough to scare some defenses as well.

For now, we all have to hope that Holmgren's bold prediction that the team will take a "big jump" this year holds true. Will it? I'm not sure. There are just so many unknowns on this team. The lack of depth at the linebacker position scares me—and it should scare you too. At some point, Joe Haden might be out for four games, and that would be terrible. And losing Phil Taylor for half the season at one of the DT spots certainly isn't that good either...

But when it comes down to it, who cares? It's football season yet again, and as of this writing the Browns are undefeated!

And because this is a Start Me Up post, of course we have some predictions to make...

The Season Prediction: 5-11, Fourth Place, AFC North.

I just don't see how the Browns are going to win more than five games with their schedule. I want to be wrong—meaning I want them to win more games—but there are just too many question marks. Like I said, if Richardson is healthy and productive, the Browns will have the ability to be in every game. It's just going to be a matter of making sure those games turn into Ws, and I'm just not sure they have the ability to do it.

And now for today...

The Prediction: Eagles 28 - Browns 17

Okay, here's a bold prediction—the Browns will come out and score a touchdown on their first drive of the season. Trent Richardson will surprise us all and come out looking like a man on a mission, allowing the Browns to run the ball down Philly's throat while Weeden comes up with some big time throws. And then the Eagles will remember that they're playing a worthy opponent, and all the wind will be sucked out of the Browns sails. But I really don't think it's going to be as bad as it looked like it could be in that preseason game just a couple of weeks ago.

For all of you loyal blog followers out there, unfortunately there won't be any halftime blurb today as I've got too many meetings to go to, so I probably won't even see most of the game. But at some point, I'll do what I can to see what I can and there will be a Final Word. So all three of you, don't you worry about a thing.

Enjoy the day, Browns fans!
~MAS

"Come out and compete," they said. "It's a competition," they said.

Colt McCoy looking a little defeated. I'm sure "defeated"
is exactly how he felt on Monday

Even if your name is "Colt McCoy," you saw this coming from a mile away.

The first depth charts came out for the Cleveland Browns today, and as Pat Shurmur so eloquently put it, "Brandon Weeden will start the Detroit game, and he'll be our starter going forward here."

Like I said, even if you're McCoy himself, you knew this was coming. Anybody who has attended more than one training camp practice has surely noticed that McCoy doesn't take any snaps with the first team. And that was something the young quarterback seemed to think was important enough to specifically point out to the media as he spoke after practice this afternoon.

"I would like to say that I haven't taken any snaps in walk through or in practice with the first group," McCoy said.

That's right, bud, you sure haven't.

McCoy is a gentleman and a professional. Does he provide material that the media is going to salavate over so they (...we?) can write their (...our?) articles? No he does not.

But to me, that's just fine.

You see, today was the first time McCoy has even voiced any type of frustration to the media over what has happened to the quarterback situation in Cleveland. Okay, so that might have something to do with the fact that it was just the third time all camp he's spoken (when he saw the gathering waiting for him, he said, "You guys wanna talk, huh?"). But even so, McCoy didn't explicitly say he was ticked off because it was obvious he never had a chance.

"Well I thought coming in it would be a competition," he said at one point. And in response to a reporter saying he had a shot at the starting role he quipped, "I did?"

So, yes, he went as close as you can get without going over in terms of did he or didn't he say, "there was no quarterback competition." But he was adamant about the fact that he was still going out to compete and trying to get better everyday.

Unfortunately, the simple fact of the matter is that Brandon Weeden is just better than McCoy. Weeden is bigger and stronger than McCoy. He's been more accurate in practice than McCoy. He has a better ability to throw the ball downfield than McCoy.

And I don't want to sound too politically incorrect with this, but McCoy just looks slow on the field sometimes. When he goes through his reads it's as if someone is counting, "One-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand..." instead of the "one, two, three, boom" you see when looking at Weeden. It's even apparent during 7-on-7 drills, where there aren't any linemen for McCoy to have to look over. He reads the defense slowly and then has no choice but to go with his checkdown. Watching him in practice has kind of explained the offense last year. McCoy is just slow on the uptake.

In some ways, it pains me to write this because I like McCoy a lot. He's exactly the kind of guy you'd like to date your sister. But that certainly doesn't make him a quality NFL quarterback.

The problem is that McCoy was supposed to be a developmental project. Think about it, when McCoy was originally picked in the third round of the 2010 draft, he was supposed to be the third quarterback behind Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. He was to hold the clipboard and learn for a few years before potentially competing for the starting job.

Then Delhomme and Wallace both got high ankle sprains in 2010 and that plan got shot to hell.

We all know how the story has turned out for McCoy. Could he use a fresh start? Probably. Will he get that chance? I'm not sure. Both McCoy and Wallace have looked like backups in camp, and this team just isn't big enough for three real quarterbacks. (And if you think Thad Lewis counts, you obviously haven't seen him in practice.)

In the end, I do hope we're able to keep McCoy and send Wallace elsewhere. Heaven knows we could use a good backup for the next few years that's actually going to put the team first, and won't unnecessarily change a play at the end of the first half.

McCoy's a professional. He can be that guy.

~MAS

Welcome to Cleveland, Jimmy Haslam

For those of you who read this blog often, you know that I'm a huge football fan.

And right now, my beloved Cleveland Browns are going through a period of transition and I couldn't be happier about it.

Maybe I'm being an impressionable and naïve fan, but from everything I've seen, read, and heard from Jimmy Haslam III, I think we're about to usher in a fantastic new era of football in Cleveland, Ohio.

Once the sale becomes official—either in October or a at a special NFL commissioned meeting—Haslam will become the fifth owner in Browns history. The first, obviously, was Paul Brown, followed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Al Lerner was awarded the expansion franchise that began playing in 1999, and once he passed away his son Randy took over.

And I've heard some people talk about this, but the way Randy Lerner just didn't seem to love owning a football team is somewhat baffling. I mean really, can you imagine owning anything better than a football team?

To me, that's one of the best things about Jimmy Haslam. He came out to practice today dressed in Browns t-shirt and shorts to see his team practice. And throughout the morning session, he talked with both President Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert, asking questions about the way things are run on and off the field.

Isn't it a beautiful thing to see the owner actually taking an interest in the franchise?

And that's not to speak too ill of Randy Lerner, but everybody knows he was the epitome of an absentee owner. Mike Holmgren had been attending the NFL Owners Meetings for him for the past couple of years, so what does that tell you?

I will say this for Lerner, though—he was never afraid to spend money. He threw tens of millions of dollars at people so that they would just go away—Romeo Crenel, Eric Mangini, Carmen Policy, Phil Savage, the list goes on and on and on.

But now, the Haslam family from Tennessee is coming in and I believe we're going to see a new period of stability. If Holmgren is right and the team does take "A pretty big jump" this year, I don't see Haslam cleaning house as some have reported he will.

Seriously, if this team wins six games and looks good doing it, why in the world would you blow it up?

This team finally seems to have a direction. It finally seems to have a purpose. It has an offensive and defensive philosophy. We have a premier running back—seriously, if you haven't seen Trent Richardson in person in Berea, just wait until next Friday's first preseason game. The new quarterback might be older, but he looks like a winner as well.

Now you add an owner to this equation who is passionate, driven, and committed to making this team successful here in Cleveland—what's not to like?

I may have drank that Brown and Orange kool-aid too quickly, but man is Jimmy Haslam an impressive man.

And I'd be shocked if he didn't bring winning back to Cleveland.

Here we go Brownies, here we go!
~MAS

Making a Splash in Round One

Trent Richardson. Could be the best Browns
RB in a very, very long time.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Why hello there old man!
Brandon Weeden, new Browns QB
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

I've gotta say, this is not what I was expecting out of the Browns today.

Did I want Trent Richardson? Hell yes. Did I think they'd trade up to #3 to get him? Absolutely not. Am I happy they did? 1000% yes. (And that's not a typo.)

Now, Brandon Weeden. With all the WRs still on the board after the end of the first round—including Stephen Hill—this might have been a much better pick than I might have initially thought.


I certainly wasn't expecting Weeden to be taken at #22—I don't think anyone was. (Well, maybe aside from Tom Heckert, Pat Shurmur and Mike Holmgren) But I'll say this, tonight the Browns have gone after exactly who they wanted.

Clearly, the attempt to trade for RGIII wasn't a smokescreen—the Browns have determined Colt McCoy is not a franchise quarterback. I can't blame them for that, especially based on Colt's size and lack of arm strength.

The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff has been campaigning for Weeden to come to Cleveland for a long time now, and this video from ESPN's Sports Science series is a big reason why.




So yeah, Weeden can take out clay pigeons, but what does that have to do with what he does on the field?

Well, for one thing, Weeden beat Andrew Luck, RGIII, and Ryan Tannehill last season. I don't think that's insignificant.

I also don't think it's insignificant that we're replacing a guy who's 6 ft. with a more prototypical quarterback type—6 ft. 4 in. 220 lbs. and a lazer rocket arm.

What's not to like?

I'll be honest—I was totally prepared to go into this season with Colt McCoy as the quarterback with better weapons around him, and then pick a franchise quarterback in the 2013 Draft. Weeden's age (29, when the season opens) means that he must come in and start right away. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if he'll prove to be the best quarterback in the "common era" (since 1999).

I certainly hope he ends up being able to be mentioned in the same conversation with Bernie Kosar.

~MAS

Draft Day 2012 - Just Get It Right, Browns

Oh the NFL Draft...What will you bring us tonight?
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

So maybe I never got around to posting that season preview for the Tribe, but when hasn't this here blog been more focused on football?

I'm sure you're all dying to know who I'd like the Browns to pick and who I think the Browns will pick.

But to be honest with you, I'm not going to go over the whole first round or to pick #37, where most have been on any number of websites.

Obviously, I'm no scout. I'm no draft prognosticator. But I am a Browns fan, and I'm a football fan—I watch a whole lot of it. So when it comes to who I'd like the Browns to draft tonight, I'll leave it at this:

I'd love for them to draft Trent Richardson, but if we draft Justin Blackmon I won't be too upset.

If you remember, Blackmon had an absolutely stellar night in January when he and Brandon Weeden faced off against (future) #1 pick Andrew Luck and Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. That night, Blackmon caught eight passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. That night, I sat watching the game with my mom and we both were like, "Get that guy in a Browns uniform." And there were plenty of others on my Twitter timeline who were saying the same thing.

Is Blackmon a Calvin Johnson or AJ Green? Again, I'm not a scout, but I just don't think he is (and, for the record, the draft people don't seem to think so either). But they are comparing Blackmon to Terrell Owens, and that's a comparison I can totally see.

Does that make him worth the #4 pick? I'm not entirely sure that it does. T.O. was the key to the Eagles advancing to the Super Bowl in the 2004 season, even playing with a broken leg in that Super Bowl in Philly's losing effort. But because he's not the elite game changer, I'd go with Richardson.

I'll admit it, I was hardcore on the Blackmon bandwagon and prepared to draft him until a report came out that Richardson had knocked over Browns running backs coach, Gary Brown, at his Alabama Pro Day.

Take a look over on the right. Is that not the kind of guy you want running the ball late in the season against the Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers? Is that not someone you want Colt McCoy to be able to turn around and hand the ball off to 20-25 times a game? Is that not the kind of guy you want in pass protection? And is that not the kind of guy you want catching passes in the flat?

I think I've made my point.

Yes, you can get a running back lower in the draft. But I don't know that we'll be able to get someone who embodies the history of Cleveland Browns football any better than Richardson—even if Jim Brown called him "ordinary" today (I think that's total garbage).

ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi has been saying that if the Browns don't pick Richardson, it's going to be "Jump off the 480 Bridge time." I wouldn't go that far, but I do hope they won't trade down. We have 13 draft picks this year. It's time to stop all the stockpiling of picks and just pick some players that will have an impact.

So do I care who they draft? Of course I do. I'd really prefer it if we didn't take a defensive player with the #4 pick. But the most important thing is that they just get it right because damn it, I'm tired of 10+ loss seasons.

I'll probably have something for you all later tonight after the Browns second pick, so stay tuned.
~MAS

Start Me Up - Super Bowl Sunday!!

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

As I say every year, it's an unofficial holiday in the good ol' US of A as people around the country are getting ready for the Super Bowl.

Honestly, if you're not planning on watching this game tonight, I say you're being completely un-American!

...Okay, so maybe that's a bit harsh. But I honestly can't contain my excitement over this game today. I think we're really about to see one of the better Super Bowls of all time.

Why? Well, for one, Tom Brady is a man on a mission this year. Cursing out offensive coordinators, making mincemeat out of Tim Tebow—if there's any year that Brady wants to get that fourth ring, it's this one.

On the other sideline, you've got the New York Giants who surprised pretty much everybody (except my mom) by beating the Packers a few weeks ago. I also will give a little credit to myself, as I figured if they could beat Dallas week 17, they'd have a good chance at going all the way.

So who do I think has an edge in tonight's game?

Madonna, even though her new song is complete trash (seriously, it's awful). 

But for the game itself, I'm honestly not sure. Both of these teams have been playing at a very high level for weeks.

You could say that the Giants might have an edge because they beat the Patriots earlier this season on a very clutch Eli Manning touchdown pass to Jake Ballard.

But on the other hand, back in 2007 the Patriots beat the Giants in week 17 and then ended up losing the Super Bowl to them a month later.

What does all this mean?

Any given Sunday, one team can beat out another.

Maybe someday in the distant future this Start Me Up will be about the Browns. I'm not holding my breath, but I do think that it could happen someday.

But for now, I'm picking the team my mom said at the beginning of the Playoffs would be the one to rise above and get that Lombardi trophy.

The Prediction: New York Football Giants 24 - New England Patriots 21

I'm thinking a late Patriots turnover will force the game into overtime (Buffalo Wild Wings at work) and Lawrence Tynes will get a game winning field goal.

Enjoy the game, everyone! I know I will.
~MAS

It's getting Chilly in Berea—Browns hire Brad Childress as Offensive Coordinator

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

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 a tough 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

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

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 Harrison nearly 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

Browns Halftime Blurb - 12/24 @ Ravens

I was going to write up a full post but I'm so disgusted with the sequence of events that ended the half, I'll just sum it up in few bullet points because I just...I just can't.

• The Browns are down 17-0. Not 17-3, not 17-7, 17-0. Wow. 
• Peyton Hillis is having a good day running the football with 68 yards on 15 carries—good for 4.5 yard average. I'd like to see him back next season.
• You know how I wrote that "Fire Pat Shurmur" post? Yeah, the clock management he just did at the end of the first half is a fireable offense. If Holmgren was in the building, he should honestly come down from the box, put on a jumpsuit and coach this team during the second half. That's the worst display of clock management I've ever seen in my life, and I watch a whole lot of football.
• I know there's a big talent gap, but it doesn't have to be this bad. Just give a little effort guys, c'mon! 
• Can it get any worse? 

I'll see you after the game. If I make it, that is.
Ugh.
~MAS

Start Me Up - Browns @ Ravens

You know, I completely forgot about coming on this here blog to gloat about how exactly right I was in my predictions in last week's Start Me Up. You know, how I said quarterback Seneca Wallace has a tendency to do stupid things (re: fumbling at the goal line) and another special teams breakdown would lose the game?

Times like those, I'm not particularly happy to be right...but I can't say I'm surprised.

But if you wanted to just see me gloat, you probably wouldn't be here—this is all about Browns versus Ravens. And if you watched the absolute pounding the Dirty Birds gave the Browns a few weeks ago in the Factory of Sadness, you know this one could get very ugly, very fast today.

In case you forgot, Ray Rice ran all over the Browns lowly running defense for 204 yards on 29 carries—good for a 7.0 average. All told, the Browns gave up 290 yards on 55 carries—that's a 5.5 average. If I may, those are awful numbers.

So obviously, the Browns defense definitely has a lot to prove today. Dick Jauron is working with a rag-tag bunch with key players linebacker Scott Fujita and safety T.J. Ward out for the year, but honestly there's no excuse for giving up nearly 300 yards on the ground. The D did a pretty good job last week of containing Beanie Wells and the Cardiñals ground attack, but I don't think anyone is going to confuse Arizona and Baltimore's offense. I don't really think the Browns realistically have a chance, but if the defense can come through like they did versus Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago they can at least keep the game interesting to watch.

But...the problem comes in that we're facing the Ravens defense, led by Ray Lewis and graduate of Ball So Hard University, Terrell Suggs.


If Seneca Wallace and company aren't scared, maybe they should be.

On the other hand, the last time the Browns were in Baltimore, Peyton Hillis ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and Wallace was 18/24 for 141 yards and a touchdown. Last week, Pat Shurmur did a good job coaching these guys up and calling a good game to put the Browns up 17-7 in the third quarter, but then got so incredibly conservative that everything fell apart. Well, that and it was like all of a sudden Arizona remembered that they could play defense and the Browns just had nothing to counter it.

Here's the deal—Shurmur has got to realize that 17 points is usually not enough to win games in the NFL. It's certainly not going to be realistic to ask your defense to hold the Ravens to under 17 points today. It's week 16—it's time to open up the playbook so that we see more than these four plays.

As we saw last week, Seneca Wallace is very capable of leading the team down the field to score touchdowns. Again, Arizona's D is not nearly as good as Baltimore's, but in order for me to believe in this "process" and the "progress," I need to see something real, something sustained on both sides of the ball. The bar is pretty darn low for the defense to show some progress based on the way they crapped out against Baltimore on 12/4, but it has to be done.

The Ravens have got plenty to fight for today including a division title and a chance at the #1 seed in the AFC, so I'd expect that they're going to come out and give us everything they've got. It's going to take a lot to keep us competitive, but stranger things have happened, right?

Maybe, just maybe, the Browns will give us a nice Christmas gift today. But if you think that means I'm picking the Browns, you must not know how much I like to be right.

The Prediction: BAL 17 - CLE 10

I don't think the Browns will come out and surprise the Ravens like they did the Steelers and Cardinals on the first drive again, but the defense will probably surprise us with a good game—until the fourth quarter, that is. Look for a long touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to rookie Torrey Smith to seal the deal today.

Enjoy the game, and I'll see you at the half.
~MAS

Browns Halftime Blurb - 12/18 @ Cardinals

You know what, that was a very nice first half. Anytime the defense can come out and give up just seven points in a half, you've got to consider that a success. You do that in the second half, and it comes out to just 14 points—which should be enough for your offense to win the game. So even though the defense coughed up a big drive at the end of the half, that's why I'm not that upset about the Browns 10-7 halftime lead.

Alright, so the big story was the Browns first offensive drive which led to a touchdown. Did you know: that's the first time the Browns have scored a touchdown on their opening drive the entire season? Ugh. Regardless, yes it was a very nice opening drive. But, then the Browns got the ball on their second possession inside Arizona territory and couldn't even kick a field goal. Things like that infuriate me—you can't just go out, run some good plays and call it progress. You need to sustain it.

We did get that 44 yard field goal on a drive that started at our own 20, and that was great, but Browns should have at least 13 points. No excuse for not scoring when you get the ball in the opponents territory.

One thing I'm very, very happy about is Peyton Hillis running the ball. The man looked like he did last season with five carries for 35 yards on the opening drive—including two for 10+ yards. All told, Hillis had 15 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown in the first half. That's excellent production, considering the lack of run game the Browns have had all year.

Defensively, the team played quite well until the final two minutes, when they allowed John Skelton 'n Co go 65 yards in 1:30 on nine plays to make the score 10-7. Strangely, the Browns have kept the Cardiñals run game pretty quiet, as for a team they have 11 carries for just 29 yards. Beanie Wells hasn't run rampant either, with just six carries for 22 yards. I'll take that.

But it does seem like the Browns have a two-minute defense problem—especially when they're not backed up to the goal line. That's got to get better, because the Cardinals may keep their backs against the wall with the hurry up in the 2nd half, since it worked so well.

Also, on Phil Dawson's 44 yard field goal, someone came clean through what looked like the space between the left guard and left tackle, or the left tackle and tight end. Either way, you can't let a guy come from the inside free like that—it's going to get blocked.

In order to win this game, the Browns are going to have to keep posession of the ball and try to run the clock down as much as possible. And please, Browns, when you get the ball in the opponent's territory, score some freaking points!

No Final Word today—I've got plenty of finals to study for. But, once I get home on Thursday night, look for a bunch of blog posts to come your way as I've got plenty to say about the Indians, Cavs and Browns that I just don't have time to put down right now.

I hope we all enjoy the second half, and have a pleasant week, folks.
~MAS

Start Me Up - Browns @ Cardiñals

It may be an inside joke with some of my high school football buddies, but I seriously enjoy putting the "˜" over the "n" in Cardinals.

But that's not what you're here for, regardless of however I decide to write it, the Browns are in sunny Arizona to play their game today. Who's optimistic?

Well...I am. Sort of. Let's call it cautious optimism.

Seneca Wallace will get the start today as Colt McCoy was still showing signs of a concussion late in the week and hadn't practiced. Colt is hopeful that he'll be able to play next week at Baltimore, but we'll see.

So we've got Seneca, the backup quarterback who made four starts last season. Granted, under Mangini and Daboll, Wallace wasn't running the offense he had become so comfortable with in his seven seasons in Seattle—with most of those being under current Browns President Mike Holmgren. So now that he's back in a comfortable spot with the West Coast offense, what can we expect to see this week?

Well, probably some improvement. Wallace has always been a pretty accurate passer, as his lifetime completion percentage is 60.5 percent. He's also stayed away from interceptions, as he's only thrown 16 compared to 29 career touchdowns. All of that is good news for the Browns, who are playing their very capable backup today.

We've already seen that Wallace can be effective in a pinch. He did it last week against the Steelers—throwing one of the best passes we've seen all year come from a Browns quarterback by leading Evan Moore perfectly on a deep out route to the five yard line. When he made spot starts last year after Jake Delhomme went down with an ankle sprain, we saw how Seneca is very capable of leading a team down the field to score.

My concern is that Wallace is going to do well for a while—say the first half—and then the Cardiñals are going to figure out what Wallace is doing and stop it. We also saw last year that Wallace can make some pretty poor throws or just plain stupid decisions. I believe it was against the Bengals that Wallace tried to throw a screen pass and the cornerback was right there to jump the throw and returned it for a touchdown. The Browns can't afford for Wallace to do that today if they want to win today.

If—but probably when—Seneca does well today, it might have a lot more to do with the fact that Arizona's defense is ranked 21st in the league, and the last three Browns opponents have been ranked in the top 10. It's interesting to note that the Browns are 7th in the league in giving up just 19.5 poins per game, while the Cardinals are 18th at 22.2. Let's hope the law of averages plays out today.

Defensively, the Browns are really going to have their hands full. Yes, we're ranked #2 in passing defense, but when you're 31st in the league in rushing defense by giving up 150 yards per game on the ground who needs to pass? With Larry Fitzgerald's height and all around #beatstmode ability, Joe Haden could have a tough day. And I don't even want to think about the damage former OSU running back Beanie Wells could inflict on the Browns D. If I were Arizona's head coach, Ken Whisenhunt, I'd ground 'n pound with Wells all day long until the Browns prove they can stop it.

Another concern is special teams. It's a darn shame that one of the strongest aspects of this team in years past has boken down so much this year, but especially given rookie Patrick Peterson's ability, I really think the Browns could be in trouble. In his rookie season, Peterson has tied the single season for punt returns for touchdowns with four. And based on this game winner against the Rams a few weeks ago, I could see him breaking the record today against the Browns lousy group.



I believe it was Colt McCoy (or perhaps Joe Thomas) that said once this season that if the Browns play "perfectly" on every play, then they can compete with anybody. But absolutely no team can be perfect on every play. And it's ludicrous to expect that. So based on everything I've said above, here's the bottom line.

The Prediction: ARI 24 - CLE 20.

Seneca Wallace will probably get us in a position to win, but then another special teams breakdown will lose it. It's just the sad reality of this football team right now, but I just don't think good things are in the Cards (ha...ha...) today.

I'll see you at the half,
~MAS

The Final Word — We Got Spanked, Plain and Simple

As I continue to watch Browns games this year, it's starting to become more and more difficult to justify my Browns fandom. I love football, especially the NFL, and so I watch a whole lot of it—good teams, bad teams, those in-between. 9.23 The Fan Brown beat reporter Daryl Ruiter tweeted out earlier that Josh Cribbs said there's a "big gap" between the talent level of the Browns and their other AFC North opponents. Cribbs may have overstepped by saying that in the heat of the moment right after the 24-10 loss to Ravens, but he's right. So. Incredibly. Right.

And it's not just the AFC North that we have to contend with. I'm not sure how the heck we beat Miami, because I'm telling you, we wouldn't beat them today. And we're certainly nowhere close to the same orbit as the 49ers, Patriots, Saints, and Packers. Hell, even the Giants gave the Packers a great game today. You think we could do that with the horse crap product the Browns are putting on the field right now? 

Yeah, I don't think so either. 

The score today was a whole lot closer than the game actually was. Honestly, I can't think of any better word to use to describe their effort today than "pathetic." And no one can escape this—the offense, defense, special teams or the coaching. There was no positive unit today, and that makes this a complete team loss. 

I don't often think like that when going over a game, but think about it. The Browns were down just 10-0 at the half. They came out, traded punts with the Ravens, before taking the ball down the field and scoring  a field goal on a drive highlighted by a 52 yard pass from Colt McCoy to Peyton Hillis. It was a wheel route, and I guess the Ravens just forgot he was there. And after that, the Browns pretty much got nothing, but they cut into the lead 10-3, and suddenly it felt like a whole new ballgame. 

But then the defense came out and showed their pathetic side by giving up a 67 yard run to Ray Rice on the first play after the kickoff. Are you kidding me?! 

I don't have to tell you how after that, the wind was just completely knocked out of the Browns' sails. 

And so begins our talk of the myriad of problems the Browns had today, the most glaring of which was the Browns (lack of) run defense. They gave up 295 yards on the ground today—204 of them to Ray Rice on 29 carries. Yikes. 

Colt McCoy looked really bad today, going 17/35 on his throws for just 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Peyton Hillis didn't look too great either, gaining just 45 yards on 12 carries—but he only carried the ball twice in the second half. Yes, a healthy Hillis only carried the ball two times in the second half, when we came into the third quarter down by just 10 points. 

And that bring me to my newest favorite whipping boy—head coach Pat Shurmur. What the hell was he doing today? Let me be clear, hell yes I still want this guy fired, because he's completely incompetent! 

What have we been saying since week one? The offense lacks creativity. You know how many times Josh Cribbs got the ball in his hands today? A big fat zero! He's a playmaker! You have to put the ball in his hands somehow, someway. Put him at running back and throw it to him in the flat. Screen pass. Reverse. Something!

Now I know Colt didn't execute well, but the fact is that it looks like there are too many three step drop and throws that result in just five yard plays. I found this little gem out today—last year Pat Shurmur's offense in St. Louis averaged 5.9 yards per passing play. This year, it's the same number in Cleveland. 

Can you guess what the Packers and Saints average?

Aaron Rodgers gets a whopping 9.6 yards per play, and Drew Brees (who I think might be playing even better than Rodgers) averages 8.02. Those guys are playing a completely different sport than McCoy and the Browns offense, and it's not going to get any better until the coaches figure out how to maximize the talent we have. 

Look, the bottom line is it was bad today and we've got the Steelers on Thursday (grrrrrrreat...). This team is just nowhere near good enough to compete with the big boys and they proved it today. But none of that is an excuse to just go out and lay down like they did today. 

There's absolutely no excuse for that, and to me, it makes this year's version of the Browns a complete embarrassment to the history, colors and fans of this franchise. 

I'll see you Thursday...

~MAS

Browns Halftime Blurb - 12/5 vs Ravens

Well, what can I say? I figured it would be ugly, but man... The Browns running defense has been nothing short of pathetic as they gave up 158 yards in just two freaking quarters, and allowed the Ravens to take a 10-0 lead into the half.

Yes, the story of the game so far has definitely been the Ravens running game versus the Browns (lack of) running defense. So far, Dick Jauron's crew has successfully made Ray Rice look like the reincarnation of Jim Brown as he has 107 yards on 17 carries. That's 6.3 yards per carry, folks. Disgusting. Ricky Williams has also gotten the best of the Browns D, gaining 43 yards on six carries as the change-up back. There's not much to say other than the Browns are getting completely bowled over. Right now, I think it's at the point where the Ravens could tell the Browns where they're going to run the ball, and the defense still couldn't stop it. You just can't win like that

One defender who I think is having a particularly bad day is Sheldon Brown. Yes, he dropped that easy tip-drill interception, but I always find INTs to be more gravy than anything else. But Brown has also been terrible in coverage, and was just run right over by Ray Rice on the first touchdown. Jayme Mitchell has also been pretty bad today, as the right end has been consistently stood up by the Ravens offensive line en route to the spanking they put on us in the first half.

If there's a silver lining, it's freaking Billy Cundiff. The dude almost missed the extra point on the first touchdown, and the proceeded to miss his next two field goal attempts before he nailed the last one with 13 seconds left to play in the half.

If there's something nice that's happened on offense, it's that Peyton Hillis seems to be healthy and is running the ball with some authority. His longest run of the day so far is just nine yards, but he does have 43 yards on 10 carries—good for a 4.3 average. I'm sort of surprised we didn't see any Montario Hardesty in the first half, but with his calf problems and the field conditions it's probably the best decision.

Colt McCoy has looked pretty bad so far today too, although it's not all his fault. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the offensive line is going to get poor Colt killed out there with their lack of blocking. However, that interception was all on Colt—you just can't stare down a receiver like that. I knew he was throwing the ball over there, and if I were a DB, I could've easily made that pick too.

Honestly, with the way we're getting our natural behinds kicked, this game should probably be something more like 24 or 20 to nothing, but fortunately that's not the case and it looks like the Browns could actually have a chance. Well, that's if they actually figure out how to get their mess together in the second half.

Hopefully Colt will survive the third and fourth quarters, and I'll see you after the game. I promise.
~MAS

Start Me Up - Browns vs Ravens

Alright everyone, I'm back for a full day of regularly scheduled Browns bloggin'. The last few weeks haven't really surprised me—especially the loss at Cincinnati, they're actually a good team, and the Browns are not—but the game today could get ugly. Fast. 

Here's the deal, the Browns offensive line has gotten better in the last couple of weeks, but I don't think they'll be any match for the Ravens front seven. Take a look at how the team in black and purple completely dismantled the 49ers last week and it's easy to see why. That's a team with Frank Gore—a top-tier running back in the NFL—and he only gained 39 yards on 14 carries. Yikes. They sacked quarterback Alex Smith nine times and got 12 more QB hits. They didn't let San Fran into the redzone at all. 

And they did all of that without Ray Lewis!

If Colt McCoy isn't scared...he should be.

McCoy has been sacked 26 times this year and has been knocked down a league leading 64 times. The Ravens D has a league leading 38 sacks and 16 forced fumbles. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that when you put it all together, it doesn't spell good news for us, Browns fans. 

If their is any silver lining, it's that we should have a full complement of running backs for the first time in months. Peyton Hillis was healthy last week, and I thought he had a pretty productive game (I don't think Shurmur used him very well towards the end of the game...but that's another story/another reason why I don't like our head coach). Montario Hardesty's calf should finally be ready to go, and Chris Ogbonnaya is also available.

It's probably worth noting that in the first game against Baltimore last year, Hillis had 144 yards on 22 carries. Could that happen today? Well, anything's possible, right?

On the defensive side of the ball, I really think we're going to have a tough time stopping Ray Rice. He's another great young running back in this league, as he both runs the ball and catches passes quite well. So far this season he has 722 yards rushing and 54 receptions for 537 yards—good for a total of 1,259 yards from scrimmage. I realize the passing defense has been a strong point for the Browns this season, and Flacco has been somewhat inconsistent, but without both Scott Fujita and TJ Ward, the defense is really going to have its hands full. 

Look, I know the Ravens have had a few let-down games this year, as all of their losses have come to teams who were under .500 at the time of the game, and that quarterback Joe Flacco has been inconsistent, but I just don't see the Ravens coming into Cleveland for a division game and laying an egg. And let's be clear, the only way the Browns are going to win this game is if the Ravens lay an egg. 

Since '08, the Browns have won a game each year that they just have no business winning—the Giants game on Monday Night Football in '08, the Thursday Night game against the Steelers in '09, and the Saints game last year—and that could very well happen today. Any given Sunday, right? That's why you play the game. 

But let's just get to the bottom line.

The Prediction: BAL 31 - CLE 13

We'll probably get that touchdown in garbage time, because it's probably going to be a long day for the Browns offense—and that's with or without Ray Lewis on the field. 

I'll see you at the half.

~MAS

Browns Halftime Blurb - 11/20 vs Jaguars

Well I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised that the Browns actually got into the endzone—but with the break they caught on that tipped pass, they really had no excuse. However, Blane Gabbert and Maurice Jones-Drew have done well against the Browns D, and that's why the score is tied at 7 after two quarters of football.

Offensively, Colt McCoy has done some nice work, going 8/13 for 117 yards. 51 of those came on that nice pass to Jordan Norwood, who broke a tackle and sprinted down the field to set up Chris Ogbonnaya's touchdown run. Greg Little also caught a pass for 22 yards. Other than that...well...yawn. Ogbonnaya can't run the ball (again), as he only has 17 yards on nine carries. Booo! Also, no completions to Evan Moore yet.

On the defensive side, Blane Gabbert has presented more problems than probably anticipated as evidenced by his 11/17 for 97 yards first half. He did a great job of putting together their 18 play, 92 yard touchdown drive. Those are the kinds of things that can totally deflate a defense. Other than that, I guess the D has been alright—they've only given up 54 yards on 13 carries to Jones-Drew, a 4.2 average.

Honestly, there isn't much to say about this game. The Browns are still in it because of that ridiculous call on the pass interference review—the ball was definitely tipped. So maybe we'll get a couple good breaks towards the end of the game too. We probably deserve the karma after MJD did the LeBron chalk toss after he scored his touchdown. Booo!

Man this was a short halftime blurb...But I'll see you later for the Final Word.
~MAS