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A few reasons for optimism

By Sean McClelland | Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 02:47 PM

Even though their only victory has come against a bad team whose starting quarterback didn’t play, I’m optimistic about the Browns, and here’s why:

1. They don’t play this week. Now that wasn’t meant to be funny, it’s just that the bye week comes at a good time, allowing everybody to take a deep breath, regroup, put their heads together and figure this thing out.

2. The defense isn’t playing badly. Up front, the Robaire Smith loss looms large, but Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams seem to be doing the job. Rookie linebacker Alex Hall, a seventh-round pick out of St. Augustine, is looking like the steal of the draft and safety Sean Jones (knee surgery) should be back in a couple of weeks. Plus, it seems like Kamerion Wimbley is now out of the witness protection program.

3. I’m not giving up on the offense. And, yes, that includes quarterback Derek Anderson, who is nowhere near as bad as he’s looked. Sure, it was against the Bengals, but he actually seemed to be developing some sort of rhythm late in Sunday’s game, and a 17-point fourth quarter is not to be sneezed at.

4. Receiver Donte Stallworth might return. He’s saying he should be on the field for the Monday nighter against the Giants. So far, the Browns have gotten nothing from their top offseason free-agent signee due to a quadriceps injury. If he’s healthy, he can make a difference on crossing routes and in terms of giving defenses something else to worry about.

5. It’s still early. And nobody’s exactly running away with the AFC North. The Steelers had offensive line issues even before losing guard Kendall Simmons for the season. QB Ben Roethlisberger often seems impervious to pain, but he’s taking some brutal shots as he tries to make plays down the field. The Ravens have looked good early, but are you sold on that offense?

6. I’m optimistic by nature. OK, that’s not true, but if you don’t have hope, where are you? No, that wasn’t meant as a shot at the Bengals.

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Imagine if they lose this week

By Sean McClelland | Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 05:48 PM

Congratulations to Dayton Daily News Bengals beat writer Chick Ludwig and everyone else who cynically predicted such a calamitous start for the orange helmets.

Makes you wonder what 0-4 might look like.

At 0-4, will Romeo Crennel be getting paid not to coach, perhaps replaced by Rip Scherer, who holds the title of assistant head coach, lest we forget, in addition to quarterbacks coach?

Will Brady Quinn be named the starting QB going into the Monday nighter against the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants (as, gulp, Ludwig predicted)?

I doubt Crennel buys it with a loss at Cincinnati, especially if the game’s competitive. But you never know. Maybe high-level adviser Jim Brown whispers to owner Randy Lerner that it’s time for a change and maybe Lerner communicates this to General Manager Phil Savage and that’s how it happens.

But I don’t think Savage will hatch this plan by himself, especially because I don’t see him as the knee-jerk type. He’s more the don’t-panic, let-things-run-their-course type.

Besides, who’s available at this point? Doubt Bill Cowher’s leaving CBS right now, if that’s what you’re thinking. After the season? Well, that’s another story. You can start that rumor right now.

Elevating a coordinator doesn’t even appear to be an option, given the youth and inexperience in those positions. OC Rob Chudzinski’s been in his job for one full season and this is DC Mel Tucker’s first.

Scherer would be a Jim Shofner-type of option, harboring no hope of rising above interim status. Shofner, of course, finished up in 1990 after Bud Carson’s firing, just before Bill Belichick’s arrival.

Patient as Savage is, community outrage (if not Lerner) could force his hand, especially if the same problems keep plaguing the team. And for a sampling of that outrage, just turn on the radio in Cleveland. (National hosts such as ESPN’s Colin Cowherd just keep patting themselves on the back for being right.)

On WKNR-AM (850), the main sports-talk station in town, mid-morning host Tony Rizzo (a native Clevelander who would rather be a cheerleader but generally tells it like it is) blasted the team Tuesday, then welcomed linebacker D’Qwell Jackson and kick returner/receiver Joshua Cribbs into the studio, where they took calls.

One caller began ranting and raving about the 0-3 start and Jackson responded, “How do you think we feel?”

And how do you think those network TV execs feel after anointing the Browns the team to watch — literally — and giving them five prime-time appearances this season, four of which remain.

We know how the fans feel. They feel confused, maybe somewhat cheated. This was supposed to be their team’s year. Almost everyone said so. But now there’s a snowball effect at play and it could get worse (0-4?) before it gets even marginally better.

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Steinbach the latest casualty

By Sean McClelland | Thursday, September 18, 2008, 05:04 PM

This is getting ridiculous, wouldn’t you say?

According to reports, left guard Eric Steinbach did not practice for the second straight day Thursday and could be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game at Baltimore.

Steinbach strained his shoulder in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh.

Apparently Ryan Tucker is ready to play, though, after missing the first two games while still recovering from surgery on a fractured hip in May.

Also Thursday, head coach Romeo Crennel said wide receiver Braylon Edwards is dealing with an injured shoulder and running back Jamal Lewis is nursing ankle and hamstring injuries.

Steinbach is at least the 16th Browns player this season to be dealing with an injury that has kept him out of practices and/or games.

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New Ravens coach is no genius

By Sean McClelland | Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 03:29 PM

We published this quote from first-year Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in the Wednesday edition of the Dayton Daily News. The sheer stupidity speaks for itself:

“Art Modell has become a mentor, and we’ve had a chance to spend some time with he and his wife Pat. So we’ve had a chance to go through some of the history, and I grew up with the history just like you (media) did.

“I’m proud to be a part of this organization now and be in Baltimore. He’s a hero in my mind.”

Now, I don’t generally use this space as a forum for name-calling. That would be wrong, generally.

That said, I didn’t realize the new coach of the Ravens was such a dolt.

My favorite line: “He did everything he could to keep the franchise in Cleveland, and providence didn’t make that happen.”

Once and for all, had Art Modell desired to stay in Cleveland, all he needed to do was hold open the possibility of moving the team. Civic leaders, state leaders and any other relevant leaders would have been tripping over each other making sure a new stadium with all the amenities was built somewhere. It would have happened because, if it didn’t, the politicians would have been the ones blamed for not getting it done.

Instead, the slimy Modell agrees to a renovation of old Cleveland Stadium, then places a moratorium on any further discussion, thus lulling the community into a false sense of security.

Meanwhile, he’s on a tarmac in Baltimore with Governor Hee-Haw (as the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Bill Livingston memorably dubbed Maryland Gov. Paris Glendenning) signing off on a deal to rip the hearts out of people who supported him in good times and bad for more than 30 years.

Here are the only relevant facts:

1. Modell wanted to move the team because he saw an economic windfall in his future and couldn’t wait to greedily grab it.

2. Actually, after that first fact, what else is there?

No genius, this Harbaugh. Guy needs a history lesson.

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Nothing hurts more than injuries

By Sean McClelland | Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 05:29 PM

It would be wrong to blame the Browns’ 0-2 start entirely on injuries. They affect every team.

But to list them as the primary culprit might not be such a stretch.

If you were going to rank them from most to least critical, here’s how it might look, from 1-15:

1. QB Derek Anderson’s concussion. It cost him valuable preseason time, about three weeks of games and practices. Timing with receivers has suffered and he’s looked like a backup as a result (still assuming, of course, that last season wasn’t a fluke and he’s not really a backup to begin with).

2. Donte Stallworth’s strained quad. The Browns were excited about this offseason free-agent signing and looked forward to having the wide receiver as another down-the-field threat. Instead of having Stallworth the first two games, inexperienced Syndric Steptoe and Steve Sanders had to play.

3. Braylon Edwards’ heel gash. A stupid injury suffered while horsing around with Stallworth after practice, it robbed Edwards of three valuable weeks of work with Anderson and did his conditioning no favors.

4. Joshua Cribbs’ high ankle sprain. He returned against Pittsburgh, but with nothing near the kind of burst or explosiveness as last season, when he made the Pro Bowl as a returner. High ankle sprains take forever to heal, we’re told.

5. Sean Jones’ knee surgery. The safety is supposed to be the Browns’ version of Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, etc. He played in the opener and wasn’t himself. Didn’t play in the Pittsburgh game and won’t play for several weeks. Backup Mike Adams is a nice fill-in, but Jones was just starting to be recognized as one of the league’s elite.

6. Antwan Peek’s torn patella tendon. This type of injury effectively ended LeCharles Bentley’s career, and it’s one the Browns just could not afford, given their abject lack of a pass rush and how it meant more time on the field for Willie McGinest, whose better days are long past.

7. Joe Jurevicius’ multiple knee surgeries. With Stallworth, the Browns figured not to miss Jurevicius as much, but his reliable third-down hands became something of a security blanket for Anderson last season and now they are lost for at least the first six weeks. And Stallworth’s out, too.

8. Jamal Lewis’ hamstring. He hurt it during preseason but can’t be 100 percent yet. And is he really a breakaway threat against a good defense anyway?

9. Ryan Tucker’s broken hip. Tucker had been the starter at right guard and likely would have remained so. Losing him didn’t help the running game any.

10. Daven Holly’s knee surgery. The cornerback is out for the year after tearing up the knee in one of those non-training camp workouts. The Browns did not, nor do they now, have defensive backs to spare. It left them scrambling to pick up other teams’ discards.

11. Robaire Smith’s Achilles’ tendon. He blew it out against Pittsburgh and is out for the season. This could wind up being the most costly injury of all because he was a beast at right defensive end. Shaun Smith will step in, but depth suffers.

12. Brodney Pool’s concussion. Forced the safety to miss the Dallas game. You know, the one where Tony Romo riddled the Browns through the air.

13. Rex Hadnot’s knee. The right guard, signed in free agency and ostensibly keeping the job warm for Tucker, missed the opener.

14. Beau Bell’s knee surgery. The fourth-round draft pick, a linebacker from UNLV, was being counted upon as a factor on special teams.

15. Martin Rucker’s knee surgery. The fourth-round draft pick, a tight end from Missouri, might have been contributing by now if not hurt.

There you have it. Did I leave anyone out? And these are just the ones that have forced guys to miss time.

Don’t blame the record on injuries, but do take them into into account as you call for Romeo Crennel’s head and wonder why the Browns don’t appear destined for anything greater than a .500 season. It’s only fair.

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It’s only one game, so get off the ledge

By Sean McClelland | Monday, September 8, 2008, 03:54 PM

My late father loved the Browns. Two days before he died, he watched them beat the Baltimore Ravens on TV and I’m convinced it extended his life another day.

He didn’t go to many games, but almost nothing made him happier than when the Browns played well and almost nothing upset him more when they didn’t.

So I could picture him Sunday, this man who went to his grave still bitter over the Paul Brown firing, slamming his hand into the arm of his couch during that nauseating 28-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and exclaiming, “They’re not ready to play!”

It really was as simple as that when you think about it. For all their offseason posturing and roster revising, the Browns were not ready when the bell rang and the Cowboys came across the ring and hit them like Mike Tyson in his prime.

Forget beating the Cowboys. They weren’t even ready to be on the same field with such a juggernaut.

And how in the world do you justify kicking a field goal down by three touchdowns with 10 minutes remaining? Head coach Romeo Crennel said he was looking for some momentum. A reasonable justification in the third quarter maybe, but not the fourth.

A female friend who knows as much about football as I do about nuclear physics was listening in her car. She called me at that moment to suggest this probably wasn’t the soundest course of action in terms of statistical probability.

She said that since the Cowboys had 28 points at the time and the Browns had seven (a four-to-one touchdown ratio, she felt the need to point out), it would have made more sense to go for it on fourth-and-3, try to score a touchdown, then attempt an onside kick.

“Why aren’t they playing with more urgency?” she wondered, echoing a sentiment undoubtedly shared by the thousands who used that moment as an excuse to head for the exits.

I suggested Crennel must have had Phil Dawson on his fantasy team and didn’t want to risk coming away with just one point from his kicker. She laughed.

Still, even with all the blunders and miscues, there’s no reason to be out on the ledge today. Beat Pittsburgh on Sunday night — tall order, I know — and suddenly your season is alive again.

I understand passionate fandom, but this was one game, a nonconference one at that. Injuries were a factor. The Browns played a team that was 13-3 last season and nobody, except maybe for me and a few other fools, expected them to win.

It’s way too early to look at this one defeat as “ominous” or, for that matter, any definitive indication of what to expect.

If they can split their first four games, they’ll be fine, and that’s still reasonable, no matter what anyone tells you.

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Browns fever subsiding a bit?

By Sean McClelland | Thursday, September 4, 2008, 08:53 AM

Three days before the opener I’m sensing the fervor over this team has subsided to a degree.

Maybe that’s a good thing, though, when you stop and think about it.

Expectations were getting to be a bit out of whack. I mean, there were even people (OK, me) suggesting this team could be a Super Bowl contender with a few breaks.

So, what can we expect, realistically? Probably about 9-7, postseason fate decided in the last week of the season. At least that’s the record I’m predicting. And, yes, I think they’ll slip into the playoffs, end their nine-game losing streak to Pittsburgh, go at least 4-2 in the AFC North and generally be pretty fun to watch.

As for beating the Cowboys on Sunday, it’s not the long shot you might think, although I don’t believe the defense will fare particularly well this early against Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and those running backs, so a victory is probably going to require scoring close to 30 points if not more.

I’m envisioning an exciting game and, frankly, a Browns victory spurred by an emotionally charged crowd.

The big question in general is whether the defense can avoid the kind of swiss-cheese impersonation it gave last season when the opposition gained an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt.

If not, the offense had better click as it clicked last season. Right from the start. And while that’s a tall order, I think it’s going to happen simply because of the talent that’s lining up on that side of the ball.

Braylon Edwards might not be in top shape after missing so much of the preseason with that ridiculous heel gash, but this is a guy who’s as motivated as anyone to have a big year and to star when the spotlight is shining brightest.

Jamal Lewis, assuming his hamstring is OK, should be just as productive as last season. Same for Kellen Winslow. Then you throw in Donte Stallworth, who should divert some of the coverage from Edwards and Winslow.

As for the quarterback, I see no reason to believe Derek Anderson won’t succeed again, assuming good health.

What they can’t afford are any more injuries on the offensive line. They are tissue paper-thin up front until Ryan Tucker and Rex Hadnot are ready.

If the defense does end up being better than last year’s, chances are it will be a gradual process. The two second-year cornerbacks, Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright, will be exposed some, especially if the pass rush is deficient again. But they should be OK over time.

Safety Sean Jones has a balky knee and the other safety, Brodney Pool, is coming off a concussion, so who knows what you’re going to get from them.

What’s needed is for rookie linebacker Alex Hall to become an impact pass rusher, taking some of the pressure off Kamerion Wimbley. Too much to ask of a seventh-round draft choice from St. Augustine College? Maybe. But that’s the kind of pleasant surprise that takes a team from the fringe of the playoffs to a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Overall, despite the injuries and the 0-4 preseason, I still think it’s appropriate to feel good about this team and where it’s headed.

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