Browns-Bengals Preview: Keys Matchups to a Cleveland Victory (Hopefully)

This Sunday the Cincinnati Bengals come into Cleveland in sole possession of second place in the AFC North.

That sounds really weird…the Bengals are in second place in the division.

Congrats to Marvin Lewis and that organization for beginning what appears to be a turn-around after several years of being the butt of all the jokes in the NFL.

Now our beloved Cleveland Browns are the butt of all jokes in the NFL, or is Eric Mangini the butt of all the jokes in the NFL right now?

There was an SI.com article that came out a few days ago that said Mangini is the worst hire in the NFL in the last 25 years.

Those are some pretty harsh words, but after three games, Mangini hasn’t done anything to prove that wrong, especially with the latest quarterback debacle.

So Derek Anderson is the “new” Browns starting quarterback, and this Sunday’s game is all-too familiar territory for Anderson. Back in 2007, Anderson got his first official start of the season against the Bengals and was part of a shootout in the Browns victory 51-45.

Anderson threw for 328 yards with five touchdowns and hopefully he can repeat that performance, but remember that was with a healthy Jamal Lewis who ran for over 200 yards too.

This Sunday, there are several key matchups to watch for versus the Bengals, and if these key battles are won by the Browns, then they may have a chance to upset the favored Bengals.

Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards versus an improved Bengals defense with a berserker Rey Maualuga

The Browns had not one, but two chances to draft linebacker Rey Maualuga, but passed both times. Now Maualuga is hungry to show all the teams that passed on him they were wrong in doing so.

The Bengals defense will pose a challenge for Anderson because they are faster and tougher than in past years and he will have to be ready for their blitzes and make the right calls at the line of scrimmage to change protections.

With Mangini switching quarterbacks, he is hoping that the chemistry that Anderson and Edwards have had in the past is instantly re-ignited.

Both will need to play like their 2007 selves to help the Browns win this contest.

Joe Thomas versus Antwan Odom

Odom already has seven sacks after three games and Thomas has yet to give up a sack in three games.

Odom was sackless last week against the Steelers and with Thomas pitching shutouts against thus far, look for more of the same in order to protect the quarterback.

If the Bengals were smart, then they would line up Odom against the Browns’ right side of their offensive line.

Eric Wright and Mike Adams versus Chad Ochocinco and Laveranues Coles

It has been reported that Brandon McDonald has been benched due to his horrible performances against the Ravens and Broncos by giving up a 49 yard touchdown to Jabar Gaffney and a 72 yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason.

Taking McDonald’s place as the starter will be Adams and look for Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer to target Adams on almost every play.

Wright has been a solid shut down corner after three games, but that may be because opposing teams just aren’t looking in his direction because they knew they could exploit McDonald.

Whatever the reason may be, Adams now has a bulls-eye on him, and if the Browns are to win, Adams will need to shut down his guy.

The real question is why Adams when he is a backup safety? Why not let the rookie, Coye Francies get a shot?

(Props to Ochocinco for showing his support for cancer awareness since he will be wearing pink shoes, gloves, chip strap, and mouthpiece for the game.)

The defensive tackling versus the rejuvenated Cedric Benson

Benson is a ton to tackle at 5’11” and 230-pounds and the Browns have had a terrible time stopping the run by giving up 553 yards through three games.

Benson is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and just under 100 yards per game.

If the Browns are to win, they need to tackle period.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Brady Quinn Is a Product of a System That Squanders Most of Its Talent

The word “bust” is a word that has been with the Cleveland Browns for the last decade since their rebirth into the NFL.

Since 1999, the Browns have had more than their share of “busts” including: Courtney Brown, Gerrard Warren, and Charlie Frye to name a few.

If we were to list all the names it would probably take up almost an entire page.

Going into week four the the 2009 NFL season, one thing has been proven about the Browns, they still do not know how to grow and cultivate future talent as made in the example of Eric Mangini naming Derek Anderson as the starting quarterback versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

Whether it is a fail in upper management for not fully scouting players, which leads to picking the wrong guy, a fail by the coaching staff for not grooming the player properly, a fail by the coaching staff by not letting a player play soon enough, or a fail in the player by not fully adapting to the NFL level.

Regardless of what the situation may be, the Browns cannot develop their talent and therefore fail at it.

Brady Quinn is the latest example of the Browns squandering talent from the very beginning.

For some reason, the NFL has programmed some for its members into a certain way of doing things because it worked out that way for another team.

For the current Quinn situation, we have to blame the San Diego Chargers who had two quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Rivers sat while Brees played so he could “learn on the bench.” Which may have actually worked out for him because when Brees was shipped out, Rivers stepped in and has performed better than expected as a starter.

Now this example could have been a product of Rivers’ talent outweighing the NFL learning curve, but bottom line, he has found success and won many games at the NFL level.

Back to the point, Quinn was drafted No. 22 overall in 2007, and immediately the Browns should have named Quinn the starting quarterback, which might have also prevented his two week hold out in training camp.

Or at the very least, Quinn should have been able to partake in the quarterback competition between Derek Anderson and Charlie Frye during that training camp.

Look at what happened with Mark Sanchez this year. He was drafted No. 5 and the Jets did not name him the starter, but instead he participated in their quarterback competition and won it. Now he has that swagger and has lead his team to a 3-0 record.

Quinn had that swagger too when he came out of college but has obviously lost it now, and that swagger he once had could have helped in his development two years ago.

Now he has to find his swagger again and he is having a tough time doing that.

Whether or not Eric Mangini has handcuffs on Quinn, it appears that Quinn will have a tough time regaining his swagger as long a Mangini is playing mind games by benching him and not naming a quarterback for week four immediately.

It’s sad to say this, but Quinn right out of college would have been a better quarterback than Quinn is right now.

Another talent the Browns may have ruined, who Mangini doesn’t seem to like anyway, and Quinn may be on another team next year as a result.

The Browns seems like that place were a lot of promising rookies and young talent go to disappear or get released and move on to another team to become a much better player while not wearing an orange and brown uniform.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Six Step Plan (For Dummies) To Fix a Football Team: Cleveland Browns Edition

So the Cleveland Browns are bad, real bad, bad like the last 10 years since they came back never happened and all of Cleveland has just been transported back to 1999 and the expansion year.

So the question that every keeps asking is, what to do now?

Sad to say this, but whatever we (as fans) want to see, will most likely not happen at all, but here is a list that I put together as a Six Step Dummies Guide to help fix the Browns right now.

 

Step one: Fire Eric Mangini.

This is one that is a no-brainer because first and foremost look at the New York Jets right now. Some of those players played for Mangini and then there are a bunch of new guys that head coach Rex Ryan brought on board with him and they are now 3-0.

Ryan obviously was more than willing to trade away all of Mangini’s dead weight, and fortunately for Ryan, Mangini wanted all of that dead weight, so all those players got traded here to Cleveland.

This should have been a clue when Mangini keep bringing on all of his average and mediocre talent from the Jets, but we as fans were too caught up in the “bringing his guys to help teach his ways” thing that was being preached to us.

I hate being preached to and I even bought into it.

 

Step two: Promote Assistant Head Coach Brad Seely to Head Coach.

Seely has been a Special Teams Guru for many years and it is unfortunate that he just came from the Patriots, because I’m not really a fan of the Patriots coaching tree anymore, but Seely is a little bit different than most that have come out of New England.

He has been coaching in the NFL for 20 years now for teams besides the Patroits including: the Colts, Panthers, and Jets.

Seely was with the Patriots most recently and since 1999, but the fact that he has held other positions with other teams makes him a viable option.

Either the Browns give Seely his shot right now or another team will and since he has been in the NFL for so long he may actually be successful as a head coach.

 

Step three: Trade away Derek Anderson before the trading deadline.

So Quinn may not be much better, but at least Quinn protects that ball and doesn’t throw three interceptions in one half of a game.

Anderson may not have much value at all, but the Browns should still be able to get at least a fifth round pick for him, which is better than nothing.

 

Step four: Bench cornerback Brandon McDonald.

McDonald is just a below average corner that was grandfathered into a starting role somehow.

If you take a look at the Ravens game again, you will see that almost every single pass that Joe Flacco threw was to the receiver that McDonald was covering (or attempting to cover).

He is no more than a nickel or dime back at most, and it is time to move up rookie cornerback Coye Francies into the starting spot to see what he is made of.

Yes, opposing offenses will throw at Francies a lot, but his aggressiveness may also produce better results than what McDonald is doing.

 

Step five: Play the rookies and younger players immediately.

So the Browns do not like to play most of their rookies for some insane reason, but then you see every other NFL team playing their rookies and getting production out of them.

What a concept!

Now is the time to to start Mohamed Massaquoi at wide receiver and bring in Brian Robiskie as the No. 3 and slot receiver.

Also, it is time to bench linebacker David Bowens for David Veikune and Alex Hall. Bowens is washed up and with two young players waiting in the wings, your time is up Bowens.

And please get Brodney Pool out of the starting lineup and keep Mike Adams in the game at safety. Sorry Pool, but you just don’t have what it takes to be a starter at the NFL level (Elam gets a pass, but he is only a little better than Pool).

Eric Barton may be teaching D’Qwell Jackson how to be a leader on the defense, but Barton needs to move out of the way at and Kaluka Maiava get some reps, because Maiava is a berserker (Veikune is a berserker too) and he needs to be in the lineup making plays like he is back home hunting wild boar with his bare hands.

Get cornerback Gerard Lawson into the game and bury Hank Poteat into the deepest depths of the depth chart. Lawson may be raw, but he has talent, speed, and he plays aggressive defense too. The Browns need all the aggressive play they can get right now because in the second half of the Ravens game the whole team looked flat.

 

Step six: Loosen up on these players a bit.

Perfect example of this is look at head coach Tom Coughlin before the Giants won the Super Bowl.

Coughlin was a disciplined, hard-nosed, my way or the highway coach and that only brought drama and peril to that team.

Then Coughlin loosened up the next year, partly because he had to or he probably would have been fired, and look what happened…they won a Super Bowl.

Sometimes being a hard-nosed disciplinarian can be a bad thing and the Browns do not need an a-hole, they need someone who will tell them when they are wrong and discipline them, but they also need a guy who will tell them when they have done good things too (something I don’t think Mangini does at all).

 

In the end, this may or may not happen, but what do you think the Browns should do to get better? Sound it off.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Attention Randy Lerner: In Tough Times, Tough Decisions Need To Be Made

(Location: Somewhere unknown)

(Time: Approx. 2:30PM EST)

Random voice through a speaker overhead: “Can someone please locate Mr. Lerner? And tell him that he is needed in Cleveland, Ohio, immediately.”

Male adviser standing next to Mr. Lerner in his secretive and secluded complex: “Oh s***. Mr. Lerner, you are needed in Cleveland again, sir.”

Randy Lerner: “ALREADY?! I was just there a few months back a hired this guy named Eric Mangini who said he would take care of everything, including hiring a general manager for the team. What gives?!”

Random voice through a speaker overhead: “Mr. Mangini just benched Brady Quinn after the first half and replaced him with Derek Anderson, sir.”

Randy Lerner: “HE DID WHAT?!?!?”

 

This may not have been exactly what happened when Lerner found out about Mangini’s indecisiveness, but regardless, the time has come for Lerner to get involved with the team he owns.

Quinn gets benched and Anderson throws three picks.

What to do now?

Start third-stringer Brett Ratliff in week 4?

There is a very good chance that even the Browns coaching staff does not know what to do next.

They may be very coy during interviews, but even the players are in a state of disarray, which was seen by their play during the second half of the game in their demoralizing loss to the Baltimore Ravens 34-3.

Even the fans could not believe what was taking place in front of their eyes.

Now Lerner needs to step in a make an example of someone whether it be the offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, or even head coach Eric Mangini, but someone needs to get fired.

It doesn’t really matter, at this point, who takes the fall but Browns fans want to see someone get the axe because it’s completely obvious that the players are not to blame anymore and full blame needs to go onto the coaches.

The perfect example is when play-calling is so bad, that after a 17-yard run by Jerome Harrison (which is the longest that the Ravens have given up so far this year) a quarterback sneak is called on first and ten.

How about calling a pass that is 20+ yards down the field on first and ten instead?

Apparently, that is too obvious a call and a quarterback sneak would really get the defense off-balance.

Bottom line, this journalist has tried to stay positive, but after Sunday’s contest versus the Ravens, all the positivity is now gone.

Someone needs to go down, and hopefully Lerner is about to make that move sooner than later.

(Special Teams Coordinator/ Assistant Head Coach Brad Seely might make a good head coach…hint, hint.)

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

A Cleveland Browns Gameplan to Exploit the Baltimore Ravens’ Weaknesses

With many questions surrounding the Browns gameplan (or lack thereof) in their first two games, the coaching staff had better spend extra hours putting together a solid one for this Sunday’s contest versus the Ravens.

I am not a football coach of any type, but I do know enough about football to try and put together a brief gameplan of my own that I believe may help the Browns this week against the Ravens.

I would like to focus on three of the main weaknesses that the Ravens have right now after they have played two games.

Ravens Weaknesses:

Defensive backfield is struggling

Wide receivers can be shut down

Rookie starting at right tackle

The Browns have that chance to exploit all three of these glaring weaknesses as long as a good gameplan can be put in place.

Throw at the DBs not named Reed

First, the gameplan will look at the Ravens defensive backfield, and with the exception of Ed Reed the Browns need to throw at these guys.

Brady Quinn must line up and identify where Reed is and adjust the play at the line to change the receiver who is the “hot route,” so that his pattern is adapted to move away from Reed’s position.

Also, the Browns would be smart to have two backs in the backfield for most of the offensive formations to help protect Quinn from the Ravens pass rush.

With players like Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, and Terrell Suggs, Quinn will feel their presence at the line before he even snaps the ball.

Protecting the quarterback at all costs is a priority, even if it means using fullback Lawrence Vickers and a tight end in the backfield on passing downs. The right side of the offensive line needs help and extra protection from players in the backfield will help.

With Braylon Edwards newly focused and getting back on track last week, there is no reason why he cannot dictate defensive coverages toward him to free up the other receivers on the field.

Even though Edwards may get special attention, there is no reason that Quinn cannot throw the ball up high so Edwards can go up and get it since the Ravens defensive backs range in height from 5’10” to 6′.

Remember, Edwards is 6’3″ and with his height advantage he can easily out-jump the Ravens defenders.

Lock-down coverage on the Ravens WRs forcing Joe Flacco to throw into tight coverage.

Cornerbacks Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright are showing signs of being two of the better young corners in the league, especially Wright who has almost completely shut down opposing teams receivers in the first two games.

Ravens receiver Derrick Mason is a veteran and he knows how to get into an open spot on the field and Wright will most likely be glued to him most of the game while McDonald should be shadowing the other receivers.

Both Browns CBs have shown a nose for the ball in the past, and with Flacco only in his second year, he is still learning on the job.

Look for Flacco to force a pass or two into tight spaces and hopefully the Browns can jump routes and come up with an interception or two.

Ravens rookie Michael Oher should be the point of attack.

Defensive Coordinator, Rob Ryan, needs to focus his blitzes toward Oher to see if the rookie can handle consistent pressure from a defense.

All the linebackers should get a chance at Oher on the first possession the Ravens get in the first quarter, so that Ryan can see which player is the most effective in beating Oher to get to Flacco.

Look for Kamerion Wimbley, Alex Hall, and perhaps David Veikune to get chances to pressure the quarterback early and often.

As long as the Browns can get some pressure on Flacco, he may be forcing the ball into tight spaces (as stated earlier) so that Wright and/or McDonald can get a chance for a pick.

Not a Ravens weakness but a weakness of the Browns…the defense must stop the run and the Ravens have three good runners in Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, and LeRon McClain.

In conclusion, these are just a few of the key areas that I think the Browns have the best chance at finding success during Sunday’s game, and maybe the Browns coaching staff are on the same page with these.

Regardless of what happens Sunday in the first half, the most important gameplan should be the one that is constructed via adjustments during halftime because if the Browns fail in the second half for a third straight week, then look for Browns fans to get restless for some positives to start occurring in 2009.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

The Talent Jury Is Out: How Phil Savage Hurt The Browns in 4 Years

Several years ago, the Cleveland Browns brought in a so-called personnel guru in former general manager Phil Savage.

It was Savage’s job to not only run a successful ship, but to also find and evaluate talent for the Browns to build their franchise around.

We all know how that story unfolded, but perhaps the most intriguing information that came out of the Savage years, was the fact that as a talent guru, he did not bring much talent to the Browns in those years.

Everything started in 2005 with the Browns owning the third overall pick in the NFL Draft.

This pick was very important because it was Savage’s first pick as a GM and he chose the best wide receiver in the draft in Michigan’s Braylon Edwards.

Right there that should have been a red flag.

Edwards was known to have issues dropping passes, but he was a big guy and he could control defensive formations depending on where he lined up.

OK, Edwards had an amazing year in 2007, making the Pro Bowl and dominating opposing defenses.

He still finished second in the league in dropped passes that year, but it was overshadowed by his huge statistical number and all of the amazing acrobatic catches he made.

Still, Edwards was Savage’s first pick and all Browns fans should have seen it coming.

The fact that Edwards dropped passes meant that Savage dropped the ball as well to begin his term as a GM.

Of course this can all be said now, after a few years have gone by, but in the end it is still a little bit of irony and coincidence combined together.

Not to continue to pick on Edwards, but here is a list of all the other players the so-called talent guru brought on board and how they have done since being drafted.

 

2005 Draft Highlights (eight total picks)

Braylon Edwards – WR – Michigan – Round 1 Pick 3

Brodney Pool – S – Oklahoma – Round 2 Pick 34

Charlie Frye – QB – Akron – Round 3 Pick 67

Antonio Perkins – CB – Oklahoma – Round 4 Pick 103

Analysis: With the exception of Edwards and Pool, the others are not even with the Browns anymore. Frye is in Oakland backing up JaMarcus Russell and Perkins isn’t even playing football after getting cut by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in 2008.

Pool is fighting to staying in Cleveland after the 2009 season since he is in the last year of his current contract.

 

2006 Draft Highlights (10 total picks)

Kamerion Wimbley – DE – Florida State – Round 1 Pick 13

D’Qwell Jackson – LB – Maryland – Round 2 Pick 34

Travis Wilson – WR – Oklahoma – Round 3 Pick 78

Leon Williams – LB – Miami (FL.) – Round 4 Pick 110

Jerome Harrison – RB – Washington St. – Round 5 Pick 145

Lawrence Vickers – FB – Colorado – Round 6 Pick 180

Analysis: The jury is still out on Wimbley and Harrison. Jackson and Vickers are very talented players at their respective positions, but Wilson was a flop and Williams was just released last week by the Browns.

 

2007 Draft Highlights (seven total picks)

Joe Thomas – LT – Wisconsin – Round 1 Pick 3

Brady Quinn – QB – Notre Dame – Round 1 Pick 22

Eric Wright – CB – UNLV – Round 2 Pick 53

Brandon McDonald – CB – Memphis – Round 5 Pick 140

Analysis: Savage’s best draft because all four guys are current starters on the Browns roster. Whether or not Quinn works out as the starter remains to be seen, but both Thomas and Wright are outstanding and you rarely hear announcers saying either of their names, which is always a good thing. McDonald has shown some flash at times, but when he gets picked on by opposing quarterbacks it usually ends badly.

 

2008 Draft Highlights (five total picks)

Beau Bell – LB – UNLV – Round 4 Pick 104

Martin Rucker – TE – Missouri – Round 4 Pick 111

Ahtyba Rubin – DT – Iowa State – Round 6 Pick 190

Alex Hall – DE – St. Augustine’s – Round 7 Pick 231

Analysis: Savage traded away most of his 2008 draft for players like Quinn, Shaun Rogers, and Corey Williams, and even though Rucker, Rubin, and Hall are still on the current roster, the jury is still out for these guys too. Bell was released during final roster cuts before the 2009 season began.

 

In the end, Savage drafted 30 players and only 13 of those players are currently with the Browns.

That’s 43 percent, which is not a bad percentage, but out of those 13 players only four of them are starters without question marks at all. (Jackson, Vickers, Thomas, and Wright)

So taking those four unquestioned starters and dividing it by the 30 total players that were drafted and we get 13 percent of the so-called talent guru’s choices who have become reliable starters.

That is not a good percentage.

Currently, there are many experts that say the Browns do not have enough talent to compete in 2009, one specifically is ESPN.com’s James Walker.

Walker has stated many times during the offseason, training camp, preseason, and now after two regular season games, that the Browns need to play perfect football games in order to compensate for the lack of talent.

After looking at these previously drafted players and the percentages, this journalist would have to agree with Walker and say that due to the previous regimes’ lack of identifying talent, the Browns do not have enough to compete in 2009.

But that doesn’t mean that some of these players may not develop over the next year or two and become reliable starters, but the talent jury is still out on most and now it’s just time to wait some more until next year.

Hopefully I will be proven wrong in the next few weeks and these guys can step up and make an impact.

In conclusion…thanks Savage for mediocre choices.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Even With Braylon Edwards and Jamal Lewis Going Right, Cleveland’s Upside Down

The Cleveland Browns are a team that many had already written off after the Vikings game in Week One.

The deceiving part was their decent play in the first half against the Vikings (and Broncos) which looks like it was more of the Vikings trying to find their groove rather than the Browns playing good football.

The picture above kind of says it all, the Browns are completely upside down right now.

I have tried to be very positive all training camp, preseason, and after Week One, but with a disastrous four quarters against the Broncos, I find myself looking at a Browns team that has more negatives than positives right now.

Here are the few positives.

 

Joe Thomas is the best player on the entire team.

First he shut down the Vikings pass rushing specialist in Jared Allen, then he was solid against the Broncos on Sunday, by not letting a single defender through to get to quarterback Brady Quinn.

 

Jamal Lewis still has gas, but he is not used properly.

Lewis’ gas will run out quickly this year is the Browns keep sending him into the middle and right side of the line which cannot open up holes for him.

Here’s an idea, send Lewis and the other running backs to the left side of the line (you know where Thomas blocks) and perhaps the Browns will have a running attack.

Lewis has a burst that hasn’t been seen since 2007 and he can still power through defenders, even with three or four guys hanging off of him.

What happened to Mangini saying that he wants to be a run-first style of grind it out offense?

There has been next to no commitment to the running game in the first half of both games while the Browns were still competing in both games.

 

Braylon Edwards can play when he wants to.

Edwards had six catches for 92 yards and he did not drop a pass.

Not much more needs to be said than the fact Edwards did not drop a pass.

 

Now on to the negatives…

 

Brady Quinn is not a decisive quarterback.

This goes back into accounts of training camp practices, and can now be seen in games, but Quinn cannot pull the trigger and throw the ball down the field.

How many times did Quinn just stand in the pocket and pump his arm like he was about to throw, but then pull it back and just settle for a dump off pass to a tight end or running back.

Also, Quinn needs to throw the ball to a player who is past the first down markers, not to a players who is five yards short of the first down especially on third down plays.

Most of the drop backs were either three of five step drop, but Quinn still could not let the ball go, if Quinn is going to succeed at the NFL level, then he will need to learn to just throw that ball so that his receivers have a chance to make plays, too.

He may not be solely to blame, because Quinn does not call the plays, but that leads to…

 

…Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll is a horrible play-caller after two games.

Where’s the screens that were so successful in the preseason?

Why are running plays not run to the left side (strongest side) of the offensive line?

Why are third and long plays, that are called, not putting receivers past the first down markers?

If the play-calling was this bad against a below average Broncos defense, then what’s going to happen against the top tier Ravens defense in week three?

 

The right side of the offensive line is really bad.

Mangini wanted to beef up the right side by adding John St. Clair and “Porkchop” Womack, but either those two are not on the same level or those two are just really bad offensive lineman.

The Broncos defensive line tore into the Browns right side play after play and it got to the point where the Browns had to pull Womack and put Hank Fraley in at guard, but that was too little too late.

 

Josh Cribbs is not a No. 2 caliber wide receiver right now, and where are the rookies?

Cribbs asset to the 2009 Browns should be more on special teams and as a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver.

He seems like he cannot get open when he is covered by good cornerbacks and is he cannot, then that will put more pressure on Edwards on the other side of the field.

A No. 2 receiver should compliment the No. 1 receiver on a football team and right now Cribbs does not do that for Edwards.

This past draft, the Browns spent two second round picks on wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, but they are buried in the depth chart right now.

Maybe it is time to get both of them more playing time which may not only help Quinn, but it may also give the Browns a little advantage because the opposing defensive backs have never played against them before.

Also, regarding rookies in general, I find it ironic that Mangini is not playing any of his rookies (except Alex Mack), just like former coach Romeo Crennel.

Other teams play their rookies and sometimes those rookies actually contribute to their team, but if you don’t play them, then they cannot contribute…play them already.

 

Defensive tackling is worse than it has been in a long time.

First the Browns can’t tackle Adrian Peterson, which is understood because he is one of the hardest players to tackling in the NFL, but then they cannot tackle Cornell Buckhalter…that’s how you know there’s a problem with tackling.

 

Where are the halftime adjustments?

With two games in the books, the Browns can play a decent first half (and they have in both games), but the problem is with the coaching staff’s adjustments (of lack thereof) during halftime.

The Browns have imploded in the second half of both games.

Is it lack of talent? Or is it lack of coaching?

Let that debate begin with comments please.

 

This looks to be a very long season unless something can change soon, but let me know what that something is.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Cleveland Browns-Denver Broncos Preview: Key Matchups to Watch

With week two of regular season practices almost wrapped up, the Cleveland Browns had many things to work on resulting from their week one loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Moving on to the Denver Broncos, the Browns and head coach Eric Mangini go up against another Bill Belichick protege in Broncos new head coach, Josh McDaniels.

The Broncos are very similar to where the Browns are right now, they are rebuilding the team and installing a new system after 13 seasons under former coach Mike Shanahan.

Last week they won their first game of the new season by sheer luck on the last play of the game, courtesy of a bounce into the hands of wide receiver Brandon Stockley who took it 87 yards for the game-winning score, versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

Last year versus Denver was the beginning of the end for the Browns in 2008. It was the game where players began saying that the team had “just given up,” but that was a different regime, and now Mangini is bringing a more disciplined team to Denver.

There are several key matchups that the Browns need to look at in order to achieve victory in the thin air of the Rocky Mountains.

CB Brandon McDonald Versus Himself From Last Year’s Game

McDonald had what was probably one of the worst games in his professional football career last year against the Broncos. He was responsible for covering then rookie wide receiver Eddie Royal, who wound up torching McDonald for two long touchdowns.

Look for McDonald to redeem himself this Sunday and not give up any long touchdown plays.

The Browns Defensive Front Seven Versus the Broncos Running Game and QB Kyle Orton Who Has a Bum Finger

Denver’s running game under former coach Shanahan was one of the best year in and year out due to a zone blocking scheme.

It didn’t matter who the runner was, because it was the scheme that made the Broncos running game a success, now McDaniels is moving away from that scheme and with the addition of rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, the Broncos are looking to develop him at their featured back for the future.

Moreno still has a lot to learn about running the ball in the NFL, and look for the Browns defense to shut down the running attack and actually hold a NFL team to under 100 total rushing yards which hasn’t happened in a long time.

Orton has an injured finger which may or may not affect his throwing, but look for the Browns defensive backs to get at least two interceptions off of him.

The defensive front seven will continue to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and build on their impressive four-sack performance of week one.

CB Eric Wright Versus WR Brandon Marshall

After week one, Wright is quickly becoming one of the top shut down corners in the NFL. Against the Vikings, he was one-on-one with their top receiver, Bernard Berrian, and Berrian did not catch a single pass for the entire game.

Against the Broncos, Wright will face one of the top producing receivers of the NFL the past two seasons in Brandon Marshall.

Whether or not, Marshall’s heart is really in the game will be determined on gameday, since Marshall wants out of Denver in the worst way.

Wright will have his hands full Sunday, look for him to not shut down Marshall like he did with Berrian, but look for Marshall to be a non-factor in the game since the Broncos will probably focus on the McDonald-Royal matchup.

Browns Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll Versus Conservative Play-Calling

Last week Daboll was ripped by many for his conservative play-calling, but most forgot that was his first regular season game calling plays as an offensive coordinator.

With one game under his belt, look for Daboll to take a few long shots down the field as long as Brady Quinn can pull the trigger.

Daboll also has a new weapon in running back Jerome Harrison who is finally healthy and looks to contribute.

Which leads to…

…RB Harrison Will Be the Secret Weapon

Harrison has not played in a game since the first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, and has not fully participated in practices for that entire time due to an injured knee.

Practice reports have said that Harrison has quickly made strides this week and he will be getting touches in the game.

What kind of touches will Harrison get will be the real surprise!

With Harrison getting lots of hype before training camp began, it will be very exciting to see him finally utilized by Mangini (Who loved getting the ball into Leon Washington’s hands as much as possible and who Harrison has been compared to many times!)

WR Josh Cribbs Versus Denver CBs Not Named Champ Bailey

Bailey is one of the, if not the top, shut down corner in the NFL and he lines up against the opposing teams top wide receiver no matter where they line up.

Since Bailey will be blanketing Braylon Edwards, that gives Cribbs the chance to show that he is deserving of being the other starting receiver.

Cribbs will continue to grow into a starting receiver over the next several games, but what better time than now to showcase his talents and playmaking ability and take that next step into become a true all-around offensive threat against the Broncos.

Look for him to get into the open field several times and since he is so hard to tackle, look for Cribbs to get a good amount of yardage after the catch too.

 

Final Prediction: Browns 28 Broncos 13

With both teams rebuilding, look for the Browns to play very disciplined football, a big passing play to Cribbs, a pick-six for Wright, more pressure and sacks for the defense, a solid performance by Quinn, and avenge themselves after a disastrous second half in week one.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Some Random Cleveland Browns Thoughts With One Game in the Books

If there are any NFL schedule makers out there reading this, can you please give the Cleveland Browns a road game to open the 2010 season so they can actually have a better chance to win their first game of the season?

Eleven straight home openers and now 10 home opener losses.

Sunday’s game versus the Minnesota Vikings kind of felt like it was still the 2008 season, didn’t it?

It was only the first game, and hopefully the Browns have gotten a lot of bad out of their system.

Remember back in 2007, the Browns were destroyed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the home opener, but they went on to finish the season an exciting 10-6 and almost made the playoffs, so don’t put too much thought into game one.

Hopefully, Brady Quinn got all the backwards passes and double pumps out of his system, the offensive line got all the holding penalties out of their system, and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll got all the conservative play-calling out of his system.

Regardless, there were a few good things that came out of the game.

 

Josh Cribbs is the best at what he does.

Okay, so he is the new No. 2 starting receiver, but it may take several games for Cribbs to make an impact as a pass catcher, but one thing is certain, he can not be stopped as a return man.

Yes, he made a mistake when he fumbled a kickoff in the end zone then decided to run it out anyway, he should have took the touchback, but made up for it by returning a punt 67 yards for a score.

Let’s just hope the Browns can get him some more money very soon to keep him happy.

 

The defense got four sacks!

They also hit the quarterback two other times for a total of six times they made it to the quarterback.

That is excellent progress!

The only thing that I could see was that when defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, brought pressure via blitzes, the defensive backfield needs to have tighter man-to-man coverage.

With four sacks in the first game of the season, the Browns defense are easily on their way to attaining many more team sacks than the 17 they had all of 2008.

 

Robert Royal is just an adequate addition at tight end.

Royal was Quinn’s favorite target all game long and ended up with four receptions for 60 yards and one touchdown.

He was able to fight for yardage, he can block, but he did drop passes which the Browns do not need another player doing that at all.

 

Jamal Lewis showed he still has gas left in the tank.

It’s a shame that the play-calling did not favor getting the ball into Lewis’ hands more, since he had a solid performance.

He may not have run for over 100 yards, but he did run the ball 11 times for 57 yards (which is a 5.2 yard per carry average) and caught three passes for 47 yards.

There were moments were Eric Mangini put in rookie runner James Davis with the first team, but after he took a really hard hit, Lewis was placed back into the game.

Davis may have been shaken up not only by that hard hit, but by the car accident he was in on Saturday, but the Browns coaches need to figure out how to get a better running game out of their back and a more consistent play-calling for the running game too.

 

Braylon Edwards seems like he has no clue what he is doing on the football field.

Edwards seems like he is always at the wrong place at the wrong time.

It could be going inside when he was supposed to go outside on his route, or not getting both feet in bounds, or not making enough effort to fight for the ball.

Seems like Edwards just doesn’t have a love to play football anymore.

You would think that he would be playing at a high level since it is his last year on his contract, but he is just playing without any fire.

How long until Mangini gets feed up with Edwards’ performance until he brings in either Mohamed Massaquoi or Brian Robiskie?

If Edwards doesn’t start contributing on offense, his one catch for 12 yards didn’t help, then look for a change soon.

 

The defense needs to tackle.

So Adrian Peterson threw Browns defenders around like dummies in the second half, but you have to give credit where credit is due, and he is an amazingly talented running back.

That still is no excuse for the fact the the Browns could not tackle him.

Just square up and wrap your arms around the ball carrier while hitting the guy as hard as you can.

Everyone needs to practice their tackling for at least 10 hours during this week of practices.

There were some positives that came out of the game Sunday, but the team will need to really play perfect football week in and week out to compete with the better teams in the NFL.

I have read many reports from NFL experts and writers saying that the Browns do not have enough talent to compete in games this year, but in the early 2000s, the New England Patriots won a championship with a bunch of no-name and mediocre players.

There is no reason that Mangini and this team cannot compete with the players they have, they just have to play better as a team.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Cleveland Browns-Minnesota Vikings Preview: Key Matchups To Watch

Finally the 2009 regular season begins for the Cleveland Browns with a home opener at Cleveland Browns Stadium for an unprecedented 11th straight year.

As the Minnesota Viking roll into town with their main circus attraction which is Brett Favre, they are a few other key matchups to watch out for during this Sunday’s game.

 

RB Adrian Peterson vs All 11 Browns Defenders

Peterson is easily the most exciting player in the NFL today, and is easily in the top 10 for the best overall player in the NFL too, and the Browns know this.

Everyone in the NFL whether it’s fans, players, coaches, so-called experts, or analysts know that the Browns run defense has been horrid since they came back into the league in 1999, but it is up to defensive coordinator (and offspring of one of the best defensive minds ever, Buddy Ryan) Rob Ryan to get the Browns unit prepped for Peterson.

Rumors have circled that Ryan will be using some of the 4-6 defensive scheme his father made so popular, but an aggressive attacking defense is needed to compete not only in the AFC North, but in the NFL in general.

Hopefully, the 2009 Browns defense will take a cue from Ryan’s own personal “pirate-look” appearance and incorporate that demeanor into their play.

 

DE Jared Allen vs LT Joe Thomas

Pro Bowler vs. Pro Bowler.

That’s is going to be an exciting matchup all game long.

Will Thomas continue his domination of the other teams’ best pass rusher?

Let’s hope so, otherwise it will be a long opener for new Browns starting quarterback Brady Quinn.

 

Brady Quinn vs The Pressure of Starting and the Die-Hard Browns Fans

Quinn has reportedly been named that starter so we will go with that report.

He will have a tough first game against one of the NFL’s best overall defenses and in order to successfully move the Browns offense down the field and score points, Quinn will need to study his butt off and watch a ton of tape so he can make the proper decisions at pre-snap and make adjustments accordingly.

His biggest challenge will be to perform in front of 73,000+ fans that have been dying to see him start this year and will be looking for Quinn to make some magic behind center in 2009.

The pressure will be the greatest for Quinn in the game since it is the first game of the season and his first official opener as the Browns starting quarterback.

 

The Browns Running Backs vs The Williams’ Brick Wall

With the exception of rookie running back James Davis, the Browns’ running back have had a bad preseason. Jerome Harrison has been hurt most of the time and starter Jamal Lewis has averaged less than 3.0 yards per carry.

Lewis will start and Harrison is questionable, which leaves the Browns with a aging starter and a rookie to shoulder most of the load with the rushing attack.

Oh, and they have to run against a 600+ pound wall named Williams.

Lewis is more than capable is attaining those hard to get short yards, but Davis needs to get the ball in his hands and run it outside of the tackle box to pick up good yardage.

 

Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll versus Being a First-Time Coordinator

Hopefully rookie offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, can devise a game plan that includes a good mix of pass and a running game that will keep the defense on their toes to keep pressure off of Quinn during the game.

But please don’t be too conservative in your play-calling and let Quinn show off his arm and throw downfield a few times, too.

 

Brett Favre versus Eric Mangini

This is like one of those battles where the announcer would start off by saying, “Sunday, Sunday, Sunday…” like in those monster truck commercials.

Favre and Mangini have a unique pass together seeing as how Jets upper management pressured Mangini into agreeing to take on Favre last year, Mangini dealt with that pressure and got the team to a good start, but then Jet management supposedly told Mangini that they still wanted Favre to play even though he was hurt, and the team fell apart in the last five games of 2008 causing Mangini to get fired.

Regardless of who is really to blame for the downfall of the Jets last year, Mangini v. Favre is one of the match-ups that make the weekly drama of the NFL so very entertaining!

Game prediction: Browns 28 Viking 24, in a very competitive game with a few big plays and all in all just a fun game to watch to open the regular season.

 

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper: An Unofficial Cleveland Browns News Source)

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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