Having at least helped start the bonfire, we’re glad to note that others in the media are dumping, appropriately, on Browns head coach Romeo Crennel and receiver Braylon Edwards.
Just last evening, for example, Fox 8 sports director Tony Rizzo joined the chorus screaming in unison that Crennel must go. In this morning’s Plain Dealer, columnist Bud Shaw, while stopping short of calling for Crennel’s dismissal, at least sought to hold him responsible for what he called the “slow crawl of progress out of Berea.” Likewise, in the Beacon Journal, columnist Terry Pluto basically tells Edwards to just shut up.
We liked both columns, of course, mainly because we agreed with them. But in each case we can’t help but get the feeling that punches were pulled, which is why we liked Rizzo’s commentary so much. Both Shaw and Pluto were rightly critical of Crennel’s many and varied shortcomings. But why, then, stop short of making the final point: that Crennel is ill-suited to lead the team of the abyss that his management style has helped create?
And this isn’t just about, as Shaw suggests, publicly hanging Edwards out to dry just to placate the public. It is about the fact that Crennel can’t even demonstrate sufficient public leadership to make anyone believe that he’ll find a way to clamp down on Edwards, thereby giving both the fans and the team reasons to believe that Crennel really is in charge.
Normally, we’re firm believers in handling these kinds of matters behind closed doors. Generally, you don’t discipline an employee in front of his co-workers and you don’t criticize one of your players to the media. But these are hardly normal or general times. Edwards transgressions have been very public. The first was his open suggestion that his gratitude could be bought (or lost) depending on whether the head coach allowed him to attend the Ohio State/Michigan game in Columbus. When the Crennel laughed off the incident by telling the media that indeed Edwards had rethought the request, it was Crennel who ended up with egg on his face when Edwards was perched prominently on the Michigan sideline at The ‘Shoe. Crennel, of course, did nothing. Edwards had a decent game against Pittsburgh the next day but who’s to say that his getting run down on the 19-yard line wasn’t the result of being tired from the previous day.
The second and third transgressions occurred last week when, in the course of one media session, Edwards trashed safety Brian Russell and play caller Jeff Davidson. Crennel, as is his wont, again laughed off the incidents by suggesting that Edwards is just young and doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. But wasn’t it Crennel, again, who ended up with egg on his face when Edwards publicly embarrassed his teammates on Sunday?
The point, we think, is that Edwards very public disrespect and “me first” attitude deserves and equally public dressing down by the head coach. It is incumbent upon Crennel to discard his avuncular favorite uncle approach to dealing with problems, if just this one time, to show that if the ship is going down, and it is, he’s still the captain.
Instead, we get what we always get from Crennel: we’ll handle it internally. The first person that doesn’t believe that’s code for “hopefully this will blow over and I won’t get any more questions about it” please raise your hand.
At this point it’s beyond cliché that the fans deserve better. But phrases become clichés because they are so true it’s hardly necessary to continue to say the obvious. And that’s certainly the case here. The bottom line is that this franchise, since its return and except for one brief moment when they miraculously made the playoffs, has been embarrassment of epic proportions. The Browns, from top to bottom, continue to find new and insidious ways of alienating their fan base. It’s about time, someone, anyone, step forward, proclaim himself in charge and actually take responsibility for fixing this mess. Which reminds us of another cliché: if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Questions and More Questions
It's probably appropriate to give some credit to the Cleveland Browns and their webmaster for allowing their staff writer, Jeff Walcoff, to write somewhat objectively about yesterday's disastrous display against the mediocre Cincinnati Bengals.
But for whatever credit the Browns and Walcoff deserve, the story published raises many more questions than it answers. Head coach Romeo Crennel proclaims, defiantly, that his team won't quit with five games left. That's true, but only technically. One has to actually start something to quit and there was no point in yesterday's game where it looked like the team actually came to play. So we ask, what is their to quit?
On a related note, Crennel claims that his team is made up of competitors and that's their nature. As a description of professional athletes, Crennel's statement is accurate. But it's not as if the Browns players have any choice but to compete in the last five games. The tenure of a typical NFL player is so short and the recycling of players so prevalent, taking the field without at least the intention of demonstrating that you belong in the league is a cardinal sin. It's just not done. So we ask, the players are competitors, what does that prove?
Crennel felt the display was embarrassing and was the fault of many not few. Hard to disagree there, but to that we'd add "unprofessional." In fact, the lack of professionalism so permeated yesterday's performance that before anyone starts dishing out individual blame, one must look to the top first and foremost. The missed assignments on the offensive line and by the running backs was on full display. That's embarrassing. But the lack of effort, the lack of passion, and the fighting on the sidelines was unprofessional. Crennel says he'll deal with it "in house." So we ask, what will that accomplish?
The fact is, this team is a whirling set of questions without any easy or definitive answers. The Browns, as currently configured, lack talent, depth, character, passion and professionalism. This is not a situation that gets turned around in a hurry. And if none of this actually developed under Crennel's watch, he's allowed it to both grow and fester.
GM Phil Savage has tacitly and repeatedly acknowledged these shortcomings and has counseled patience. And to that we ask, what's our choice?
But for whatever credit the Browns and Walcoff deserve, the story published raises many more questions than it answers. Head coach Romeo Crennel proclaims, defiantly, that his team won't quit with five games left. That's true, but only technically. One has to actually start something to quit and there was no point in yesterday's game where it looked like the team actually came to play. So we ask, what is their to quit?
On a related note, Crennel claims that his team is made up of competitors and that's their nature. As a description of professional athletes, Crennel's statement is accurate. But it's not as if the Browns players have any choice but to compete in the last five games. The tenure of a typical NFL player is so short and the recycling of players so prevalent, taking the field without at least the intention of demonstrating that you belong in the league is a cardinal sin. It's just not done. So we ask, the players are competitors, what does that prove?
Crennel felt the display was embarrassing and was the fault of many not few. Hard to disagree there, but to that we'd add "unprofessional." In fact, the lack of professionalism so permeated yesterday's performance that before anyone starts dishing out individual blame, one must look to the top first and foremost. The missed assignments on the offensive line and by the running backs was on full display. That's embarrassing. But the lack of effort, the lack of passion, and the fighting on the sidelines was unprofessional. Crennel says he'll deal with it "in house." So we ask, what will that accomplish?
The fact is, this team is a whirling set of questions without any easy or definitive answers. The Browns, as currently configured, lack talent, depth, character, passion and professionalism. This is not a situation that gets turned around in a hurry. And if none of this actually developed under Crennel's watch, he's allowed it to both grow and fester.
GM Phil Savage has tacitly and repeatedly acknowledged these shortcomings and has counseled patience. And to that we ask, what's our choice?
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Crennel Must Go
If there is one thing we can tell by now, it's when a coach is on the verge of getting canned. The results are clear on the field and in the locker room. Players fighting, airing grievances in public, playing without passion or inspiration. Those are the telltale signs of a coach who's lost control. The signs were there long before the University of Miami finally pulled the plug on head coach Larry Coker just as they were there long before Ohio State pulled the plug on John Cooper. And only a fool would try to deny the signs on this Cleveland Browns team.
It's hard to tell exactly when head coach Romeo Crennel lost the team. The smart money says it began with his steadfast support of deposed offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon, despite the putrid state of the offense. Others, we suspect, will argue that he never really had the team in the first place. To our eye, we tend to share that view.
As we've previously noted, Crennel's hiring went against the grain of what most teams look for these days. He's been a long-time assistant who had been interviewed and passed over many times before the Browns finally took a chance. Don't think the players didn't notice. And when Crennel got his chance, he acted less like a head coach and more like a coordinator when he turned his offense over to an untested and ultimately overmatched Carthon. In doing so, Crennel admittedly abdicated any role in the offense and instead paid more attention to the defense. It showed and the players noticed.
But what shows the most is the utter lack of leadership by Crennel. He didn't say much publicly when Kellen Winslow, Jr. put his Evel Knievel dreams ahead of the team and, in the process, blew out his knee in a motorcycle accident. He said little publicly when Trent Dilfer went toe-to-toe with Carthon, except to wave goodbye to a servicable starter/backup. And when it came to finally dumping Carthon, Crennel was worried more about protecting Carthon's thin skin then acting like a leader by proclaiming publicly that Carthon resigned when everyone knew the truth. Don't think the players didn't notice.
But the signs these days are coming ever more frequently and the poster child is the increasingly childlike Braylon Edwards. We previously noted how Edwards wanted to attend the Ohio State/Michigan game and suggested loudly how grateful he would be if Crennel afforded him that privilege on the day before the Pittsburgh game. Crennel suggested, publicly, that Edwards wouldn't be going but, lo and behold, Edwards was there, defying both his coach and the other players who privately told Edwards that his first loyalty was now with the folks signing his paychecks.
In the run-up to this week's match-up with Cincinnati, there was Edwards again throwing safety Brian Russell under the bus for a clean but physical hit on Chad Johnson in the last Cincinnati game. To add even more fuel to a fire already at full blaze, Edwards blasted new play caller Jeff Davidson for being too conservative in the red zone. Crennel, for all his leadership skills, was dismissive to these outbursts except to say that Edwards wouldn't be fined.
It will be interesting, then, to see how Crennel will respond to Edwards after today's debacle against Cincinnati, that is, if Crennel still has a job. On display for anyone to see was Edwards publicly embarrassing his beleaguered quarterback, Charlie Frye. Edwards clearly went after Frye on the sidelines following another interception. Apaprently Edwards was incensed that Frye was too busy running for his life to see Edwards running open. In his only effective play of the game, running back Rueben Droughns stepped into to stop Edwards visible abuse of Frye.
It's not a surprise, of course, that Crennel ignored the mini-drama unfolding on the sidelines. We've come to expect that from Crennel. But more telling, really, is the fact that Edwards feels so emboldened to act as he does in the first place. This is exactly what it looks like when the coach is no longer in control and the players feel free to challenge authority and service their own needs rather than to place any emphasis on the team or the game itself. It's what happened to Coker at Miami and Cooper at OSU. And it's what's unfolding in Cleveland right now.
If Crennel survives this season or even this week, we'll be amazed and disappointed. The Browns under his leadership, have clearly regressed. The last time we witnessed such an uninspired beat down like today's game against the mediocre Bengals was last year against Pittsburgh. But here the Browns sit, nearly a year later, still getting the stuffing beat out of them by a divisional rival.
When a coach gets fired, there will always be some players who will blame themselves. After all, the conventional wisdom goes, they are the ones not making the tackles or catching or throwing the balls. That's true at a basic level but at an even more basic level it's also true that these Browns don't respond to Crennel. We'd like stability and continuity just as much as anyone but another year of Crennel will just set this franchise back further.
If the Browns want to do something bold, now, they should fire Crennel and replace him with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Grantham is the exact kind of young coach that teams are hiring these days. He's been the one coaching bright spot on an otherwise dismal staff assembled by Crennel. Though the defense has let the team down the last two weeks, the truth is that it still plays with emotion, which we attribute directly to Grantham.
But given how the Browns operate, they'll stand pat, valuing stability over results. In the process, they'll lose Grantham to Michigan State just like they lost Bill Cowher to Pittsburgh. And when Grantham finally does make it back to the NFL as a head coach, which he will, as fans we can sit back, again and say "I remember when he used to coach here" as we put the finishing touch on still another losing season.
It's hard to tell exactly when head coach Romeo Crennel lost the team. The smart money says it began with his steadfast support of deposed offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon, despite the putrid state of the offense. Others, we suspect, will argue that he never really had the team in the first place. To our eye, we tend to share that view.
As we've previously noted, Crennel's hiring went against the grain of what most teams look for these days. He's been a long-time assistant who had been interviewed and passed over many times before the Browns finally took a chance. Don't think the players didn't notice. And when Crennel got his chance, he acted less like a head coach and more like a coordinator when he turned his offense over to an untested and ultimately overmatched Carthon. In doing so, Crennel admittedly abdicated any role in the offense and instead paid more attention to the defense. It showed and the players noticed.
But what shows the most is the utter lack of leadership by Crennel. He didn't say much publicly when Kellen Winslow, Jr. put his Evel Knievel dreams ahead of the team and, in the process, blew out his knee in a motorcycle accident. He said little publicly when Trent Dilfer went toe-to-toe with Carthon, except to wave goodbye to a servicable starter/backup. And when it came to finally dumping Carthon, Crennel was worried more about protecting Carthon's thin skin then acting like a leader by proclaiming publicly that Carthon resigned when everyone knew the truth. Don't think the players didn't notice.
But the signs these days are coming ever more frequently and the poster child is the increasingly childlike Braylon Edwards. We previously noted how Edwards wanted to attend the Ohio State/Michigan game and suggested loudly how grateful he would be if Crennel afforded him that privilege on the day before the Pittsburgh game. Crennel suggested, publicly, that Edwards wouldn't be going but, lo and behold, Edwards was there, defying both his coach and the other players who privately told Edwards that his first loyalty was now with the folks signing his paychecks.
In the run-up to this week's match-up with Cincinnati, there was Edwards again throwing safety Brian Russell under the bus for a clean but physical hit on Chad Johnson in the last Cincinnati game. To add even more fuel to a fire already at full blaze, Edwards blasted new play caller Jeff Davidson for being too conservative in the red zone. Crennel, for all his leadership skills, was dismissive to these outbursts except to say that Edwards wouldn't be fined.
It will be interesting, then, to see how Crennel will respond to Edwards after today's debacle against Cincinnati, that is, if Crennel still has a job. On display for anyone to see was Edwards publicly embarrassing his beleaguered quarterback, Charlie Frye. Edwards clearly went after Frye on the sidelines following another interception. Apaprently Edwards was incensed that Frye was too busy running for his life to see Edwards running open. In his only effective play of the game, running back Rueben Droughns stepped into to stop Edwards visible abuse of Frye.
It's not a surprise, of course, that Crennel ignored the mini-drama unfolding on the sidelines. We've come to expect that from Crennel. But more telling, really, is the fact that Edwards feels so emboldened to act as he does in the first place. This is exactly what it looks like when the coach is no longer in control and the players feel free to challenge authority and service their own needs rather than to place any emphasis on the team or the game itself. It's what happened to Coker at Miami and Cooper at OSU. And it's what's unfolding in Cleveland right now.
If Crennel survives this season or even this week, we'll be amazed and disappointed. The Browns under his leadership, have clearly regressed. The last time we witnessed such an uninspired beat down like today's game against the mediocre Bengals was last year against Pittsburgh. But here the Browns sit, nearly a year later, still getting the stuffing beat out of them by a divisional rival.
When a coach gets fired, there will always be some players who will blame themselves. After all, the conventional wisdom goes, they are the ones not making the tackles or catching or throwing the balls. That's true at a basic level but at an even more basic level it's also true that these Browns don't respond to Crennel. We'd like stability and continuity just as much as anyone but another year of Crennel will just set this franchise back further.
If the Browns want to do something bold, now, they should fire Crennel and replace him with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Grantham is the exact kind of young coach that teams are hiring these days. He's been the one coaching bright spot on an otherwise dismal staff assembled by Crennel. Though the defense has let the team down the last two weeks, the truth is that it still plays with emotion, which we attribute directly to Grantham.
But given how the Browns operate, they'll stand pat, valuing stability over results. In the process, they'll lose Grantham to Michigan State just like they lost Bill Cowher to Pittsburgh. And when Grantham finally does make it back to the NFL as a head coach, which he will, as fans we can sit back, again and say "I remember when he used to coach here" as we put the finishing touch on still another losing season.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
A Bad Win, A Good Loss
When it comes to the NBA, we think, as Tom Robbins' character Andy Dufresne told the court in "The Shawshank Redemption" that we've been quite clear on this point: most of what happens in the regular season is irrelevant. And in that vein we don't think there was much relevance in last night's Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
But what did catch our eye was Terry Pluto's column about the game in this morning's Akron Beacon Journal. Essentially Pluto complains because the Cavs lacked a certain amount of intensity once they got up by 21 points in the second quarter. As a result, they barely hung on for the victory. In other words, in Pluto's view, it was a bad loss.
The reason this intrigued us so much was that we inadvertently tuned to WTAM 1100 on Monday night and had a chance to listen to sports troll Mike Trivisonno, an opinionated, intellectually-limited bigot, interview Browns owner Randy Lerner and GM Phil Savage. The most interesting aspect of Trivisonno is the fact that he doesn't just not bite the hand that feeds him, he goes out of his way to lick the plate clean for them. Anytime he has a Browns, Indians, or Cavs "official" on his show for an interview, Trivisonno immediately becomes house apologist, finding all manner of good with nary a negative take on any aspect of their operations.
And the interview with Lerner and Savage were Trivisonno at his best or worst, depending on your perspective. (Here is a link to the podcasts.) As listeners we learned that the Browns loss to the Steelers was, in Trivisonno's words, a good loss. Lerner readily agreed, citing the alleged progress the team is making. Savage likewise agreed and then proceeded to tell us that he has gone back to review the first-year starter statistics of quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and a few others and compared them with Browns quarterback Charlie Frye. According to Savage (and we're not making this quote up), Frye is "virtually in the same ball park" as these others. "Not the best, but not the worst either."
So this is what we've been reduced to: With the Cavs we find much to fault about their win. With the Browns we find much to love about their loss. That, friends, is the essence of why it is so difficult to be a fan of Cleveland sports. The only thing worse than failure is success. More in love with pretty losses than ugly wins.
The last time we checked, the object of each of our professional sports teams was to win ball games. If you win and win consistently, good things tend to happen, like championships. When you lose and lose consistently, bad things ten to happen, like relocation.
We'd argue that we deserve better from a radio station like WTAM. But at this juncture the only ones that listen to it for reasons other than game broadcasts are shut-ins, family members of its employees, and a few saps who mistakenly hit the wrong button on the car radio. We'd argue that we deserve better from a columnist like Terry Pluto. But the one thing we know is that Pluto writes so often and changes his mind so frequently, the chance of anything he says anymore lingering is minimal.
What we would argue, though, is that the teams you get you deserve. We expect the teams, through paid shills like Trivisonno, to try to convince us that losses are good. But as fans, if we buy into that concept, then we don't deserve success. Which is convenient since its not likely to come anytime soon anyway.
But what did catch our eye was Terry Pluto's column about the game in this morning's Akron Beacon Journal. Essentially Pluto complains because the Cavs lacked a certain amount of intensity once they got up by 21 points in the second quarter. As a result, they barely hung on for the victory. In other words, in Pluto's view, it was a bad loss.
The reason this intrigued us so much was that we inadvertently tuned to WTAM 1100 on Monday night and had a chance to listen to sports troll Mike Trivisonno, an opinionated, intellectually-limited bigot, interview Browns owner Randy Lerner and GM Phil Savage. The most interesting aspect of Trivisonno is the fact that he doesn't just not bite the hand that feeds him, he goes out of his way to lick the plate clean for them. Anytime he has a Browns, Indians, or Cavs "official" on his show for an interview, Trivisonno immediately becomes house apologist, finding all manner of good with nary a negative take on any aspect of their operations.
And the interview with Lerner and Savage were Trivisonno at his best or worst, depending on your perspective. (Here is a link to the podcasts.) As listeners we learned that the Browns loss to the Steelers was, in Trivisonno's words, a good loss. Lerner readily agreed, citing the alleged progress the team is making. Savage likewise agreed and then proceeded to tell us that he has gone back to review the first-year starter statistics of quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and a few others and compared them with Browns quarterback Charlie Frye. According to Savage (and we're not making this quote up), Frye is "virtually in the same ball park" as these others. "Not the best, but not the worst either."
So this is what we've been reduced to: With the Cavs we find much to fault about their win. With the Browns we find much to love about their loss. That, friends, is the essence of why it is so difficult to be a fan of Cleveland sports. The only thing worse than failure is success. More in love with pretty losses than ugly wins.
The last time we checked, the object of each of our professional sports teams was to win ball games. If you win and win consistently, good things tend to happen, like championships. When you lose and lose consistently, bad things ten to happen, like relocation.
We'd argue that we deserve better from a radio station like WTAM. But at this juncture the only ones that listen to it for reasons other than game broadcasts are shut-ins, family members of its employees, and a few saps who mistakenly hit the wrong button on the car radio. We'd argue that we deserve better from a columnist like Terry Pluto. But the one thing we know is that Pluto writes so often and changes his mind so frequently, the chance of anything he says anymore lingering is minimal.
What we would argue, though, is that the teams you get you deserve. We expect the teams, through paid shills like Trivisonno, to try to convince us that losses are good. But as fans, if we buy into that concept, then we don't deserve success. Which is convenient since its not likely to come anytime soon anyway.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Pilgrim's Progress
We've noted this phenomena before and will note it again: fans read too much into both every Browns win and every Browns loss. That's why we're not surprised at the level of anger being directed at Berea right now.
The easy analysis of yesterday's Browns/Steelers game is to say that, like the Baltimore game, the Browns found a way to snatch a loss from the jaws of victory. It's easy to say that because, for the most part, it's true. The harder analysis is to figure out what, exactly, yesterday's loss means in the grand picture.
To gain some perspective we were inspired by tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr., who told Steelers linebacker Joey Porter before the game that the 41-0 drubbing last Christmas Eve came with he and receiver Braylon Edwards out of the lineup. That made us go back and check the team's progress over these last two seasons.
Here's where the picture doesn't get pretty. At the same point last year, the Browns were the same 3-6 as they found themselves this season. But they went on to win three of their last seven to finish 6-10. Last year, their sixth loss was against Pittsburgh, a not too competitive 34-21 drubbing. But the Browns responded by playing one of their best games, a 22-0 shut out of Miami and responded to that 41-0 beat down by Pittsburgh with an impressive win against Baltimore.
The conventional take on last year's team was that they were young but competitive for the most part. They had other chances to win but couldn't quite finish, which is typical of a young team. That's what we were left with entering into this season.
And as we entered the season, we were buoyed by the fact that both Edwards and Winslow would return as would safety Sean Jones. Throw in a decent draft and some free agent acquisitions and 7 to 8 wins was not supposed to be out of the questions.
But what we're left with is, at best, a rehash of last year's season, a team still unable to finish games. The fact that 10 games into this season we have a team incapable of finishing off a reeling opponent is the most telling and obvious sign that this has been a lost season. While there have been several injuries, that is hardly an excuse in today's NFL. Everyone has injuries. The bottom line is that even with their playmakers in tact, the Browns have simply not progressed by the only stat that counts--winning.
We're glad that quarterback Charlie Frye has another season under his belt. We're even more glad that he's been able to answer the bell each week given the inept play of the offensive line. But this additional experience has been of questionable value. The Browns still aren't winning and the difficulty of their remaining schedule strongly suggests that their win total will be less than last year's.
We're sure that the Crennel apologists will be out in full force, just as we're sure that neither GM Phil Savage nor Owner Randy Lerner have any appetite to fire Crennel. But in terms of the ultimate assessment, we'll again turn to Joey Porter of the Steelers. When asked about all the jawing with Winslow yesterday, Porter summed it us thusly: different people, same result.
The easy analysis of yesterday's Browns/Steelers game is to say that, like the Baltimore game, the Browns found a way to snatch a loss from the jaws of victory. It's easy to say that because, for the most part, it's true. The harder analysis is to figure out what, exactly, yesterday's loss means in the grand picture.
To gain some perspective we were inspired by tight end Kellen Winslow, Jr., who told Steelers linebacker Joey Porter before the game that the 41-0 drubbing last Christmas Eve came with he and receiver Braylon Edwards out of the lineup. That made us go back and check the team's progress over these last two seasons.
Here's where the picture doesn't get pretty. At the same point last year, the Browns were the same 3-6 as they found themselves this season. But they went on to win three of their last seven to finish 6-10. Last year, their sixth loss was against Pittsburgh, a not too competitive 34-21 drubbing. But the Browns responded by playing one of their best games, a 22-0 shut out of Miami and responded to that 41-0 beat down by Pittsburgh with an impressive win against Baltimore.
The conventional take on last year's team was that they were young but competitive for the most part. They had other chances to win but couldn't quite finish, which is typical of a young team. That's what we were left with entering into this season.
And as we entered the season, we were buoyed by the fact that both Edwards and Winslow would return as would safety Sean Jones. Throw in a decent draft and some free agent acquisitions and 7 to 8 wins was not supposed to be out of the questions.
But what we're left with is, at best, a rehash of last year's season, a team still unable to finish games. The fact that 10 games into this season we have a team incapable of finishing off a reeling opponent is the most telling and obvious sign that this has been a lost season. While there have been several injuries, that is hardly an excuse in today's NFL. Everyone has injuries. The bottom line is that even with their playmakers in tact, the Browns have simply not progressed by the only stat that counts--winning.
We're glad that quarterback Charlie Frye has another season under his belt. We're even more glad that he's been able to answer the bell each week given the inept play of the offensive line. But this additional experience has been of questionable value. The Browns still aren't winning and the difficulty of their remaining schedule strongly suggests that their win total will be less than last year's.
We're sure that the Crennel apologists will be out in full force, just as we're sure that neither GM Phil Savage nor Owner Randy Lerner have any appetite to fire Crennel. But in terms of the ultimate assessment, we'll again turn to Joey Porter of the Steelers. When asked about all the jawing with Winslow yesterday, Porter summed it us thusly: different people, same result.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Divided Loyalties
We didn't see much of a need to comment on the Browns strange victory against Atlanta except to say that we hope it's that key victory that Head Coach Romeo Crennel has talked about all year. We like the way they played in the first half, hated the third quarter and admired the fact that, for once, someone other than quarterback Charlie Frye made a huge fourth quarter turnover.
We saw slightly more need to comment on last Friday's Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Boston Celtics if only to say that they showed some incredible grit in coming from 18 down late to gut out the win. But that, ultimately, would violate our tacit understanding that most of what happens during the regular season is meaningless. But if you happen to find yourself looking for signature victories by Cleveland teams in 2006, forget about the Browns vs. Falcons game and look instead at the Cavs vs. Celtics. It provided still another exhibit in the growing bottom of evidence that LeBron James is in that very rare category of player, like Tiger Woods, who sees victory as the ultimate goal, no matter how small the stakes.
But what we saw most worthy of comment came today in the form of Browns receiver Braylon Edwards plea that he be able to attend the OSU/Michigan game on Saturday, the day before the Cleveland version of that game in the form of Browns/Steelers. According to the story in today's Plain Dealer, Edwards is quoted as saying: "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I've never been a selfish guy, and I would never do anything to have my teammates look at me in a negative way or have my coach think I wasn't worried about the Steelers game first and foremost. But if he does give me the opportunity, I'd definitely take it and be very appreciative."
This is essentially code for Edward saying, basically, that his team isn't going anywhere anyway so what's the big deal if he misses a day of preparation, even if it's for a game against the Browns' biggest rival.
What really caught our eye about this story is the contrast with Tony Grossi's main story detailing how seriously the Browns players take this rivalry, particularly given the 41-0 beat down they suffered last Christmas Eve. Apparently Braylon hasn't gotten the message.
There has been very, very little to cheer about since the Browns returned from their Art Modell-imposed hiatus. But irrespective of the records, the Cleveland fans still get hyped, overly hyped, for the games against the Steelers. That's because they understand the rivalry. The only reasons it lacks the intensity of the OSU/Michigan game are that there are two such games with the Steelers each year, the dates of the games vary, and the expanded playoff system in the NFL rarely makes any particular game the key to the season. But the hate that Browns fans have for Steeler fans and vice versa is every bit as intense. Most importantly, the fans of both teams expect the players to take it just as seriously.
And in this regard, that's where the Browns in all their various forms since their return have come up short, year after year. The Braylon Edwards comment just cement that fact, notwithstanding whatever else you might read to the contrary.
We like Edwards well enough, even though he's a Wolverine. But it's one thing to reminisce and wish you could attend the game and a whole other matter to actually ask and imply how disappointed you'll be with your coach if you're denied that opportunity. In short, Edwards' loyalty to his new fans and his new employer will be forever suspect. We surely doubt that Head Coach Romeo Crennel will give in to such childish demands. But if he does, to us that's tantamount to sending a message to the rest of the team and to the fans that this game is not all that important. It's the kind of thing that ultimately got John Cooper fired from Ohio State and will be just the kind of thing that ultimately will get Crennel fired as well.
We saw slightly more need to comment on last Friday's Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Boston Celtics if only to say that they showed some incredible grit in coming from 18 down late to gut out the win. But that, ultimately, would violate our tacit understanding that most of what happens during the regular season is meaningless. But if you happen to find yourself looking for signature victories by Cleveland teams in 2006, forget about the Browns vs. Falcons game and look instead at the Cavs vs. Celtics. It provided still another exhibit in the growing bottom of evidence that LeBron James is in that very rare category of player, like Tiger Woods, who sees victory as the ultimate goal, no matter how small the stakes.
But what we saw most worthy of comment came today in the form of Browns receiver Braylon Edwards plea that he be able to attend the OSU/Michigan game on Saturday, the day before the Cleveland version of that game in the form of Browns/Steelers. According to the story in today's Plain Dealer, Edwards is quoted as saying: "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I've never been a selfish guy, and I would never do anything to have my teammates look at me in a negative way or have my coach think I wasn't worried about the Steelers game first and foremost. But if he does give me the opportunity, I'd definitely take it and be very appreciative."
This is essentially code for Edward saying, basically, that his team isn't going anywhere anyway so what's the big deal if he misses a day of preparation, even if it's for a game against the Browns' biggest rival.
What really caught our eye about this story is the contrast with Tony Grossi's main story detailing how seriously the Browns players take this rivalry, particularly given the 41-0 beat down they suffered last Christmas Eve. Apparently Braylon hasn't gotten the message.
There has been very, very little to cheer about since the Browns returned from their Art Modell-imposed hiatus. But irrespective of the records, the Cleveland fans still get hyped, overly hyped, for the games against the Steelers. That's because they understand the rivalry. The only reasons it lacks the intensity of the OSU/Michigan game are that there are two such games with the Steelers each year, the dates of the games vary, and the expanded playoff system in the NFL rarely makes any particular game the key to the season. But the hate that Browns fans have for Steeler fans and vice versa is every bit as intense. Most importantly, the fans of both teams expect the players to take it just as seriously.
And in this regard, that's where the Browns in all their various forms since their return have come up short, year after year. The Braylon Edwards comment just cement that fact, notwithstanding whatever else you might read to the contrary.
We like Edwards well enough, even though he's a Wolverine. But it's one thing to reminisce and wish you could attend the game and a whole other matter to actually ask and imply how disappointed you'll be with your coach if you're denied that opportunity. In short, Edwards' loyalty to his new fans and his new employer will be forever suspect. We surely doubt that Head Coach Romeo Crennel will give in to such childish demands. But if he does, to us that's tantamount to sending a message to the rest of the team and to the fans that this game is not all that important. It's the kind of thing that ultimately got John Cooper fired from Ohio State and will be just the kind of thing that ultimately will get Crennel fired as well.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Open Season
With the baseball free agent season set to open next week, the lack of noise thus far from the Cleveland Indians is deafening. At least it was until earlier today when the Indians traded prospects Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andrew Brown to San Diego for rookie second baseman Josh Barfield.
On the one hand, GM Mark Shapiro can now cross one item off his "to do" list. On the other hand, was this the deal to make?
We've chronicled many times our displeasure with the Indians with respect to free agents. They are underfinanced by cheapskate owners and adhere to a corporate strategy in which the level of success is almost exactly equal to their level of luck.
Last year, GM Mark Shapiro was unlucky. Saddled with an uncompetitive budge and a game plan built oddly around replacing closer Bob Wickman, the Indians mostly whiffed on their off-season acquisitions last year and as a result took a step, maybe two, backward. They went from a team with 93 wins in 2005 and poised for a playoff run to a team that has several major holes to fill before they can even return to competitiveness.
One of those holes most definitely is at second base. There was screaming all season when the Indians traded infielder Brandon Phillips to the Cincinnati Reds. And when Ronnie Belliard was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tribe was left with utility players like Joe Inglett to fill the void. But for those still bemoaning those losses and trying to put the Barfield trade in context, a recent posting in "The Baseball Analysts" should be of great interest.
In Rich Lederer's November 8 column he lists his most Overrated Offensive Players for this last season. Essentially, this is a list of players who are generally perceived to be decent offensively but who statistically don't really measure up. The criteria is simple. To make the list a player has to have a batting average that is greater than the league norm but an on base percentage and slugging average below the league norm.
Interesting, both Belliard and Phillips garner an honorable mention. Belliard had a decent .272 batting average but his on base percentage was only .322 and his slugging average only .403. Phillips had remarkably similar statistics: .276/.325/.427. And, while he didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify, Joe Inglett was essentially a mirror image: .283/.332/.383 Not to take this too far, but Inglett actually had the higher fielding percentage of the three (.984 to Belliard's .981 to Phillips' .977) Barfield is basically a mirror image as well. He hit .280 last year with .318 on base percentage and a .423 slugging average. His fielding percentage was .987.
The trade for Barfield relegates Inglett and Hector Luna to utility status, where both are probably better suited and does ostensibly fill the hole at second base. But the larger point is that the hole that existed wasn't necessarily created by the trading of Belliard or Phillips. It was created by the fact that Shapiro hasn't adequately addressed it in the last few years, satisified instead with the underachieving Belliard.
On the positive side, though, Barfield has a full year of major league experience to draw on and appears to have, in Shapiro speak, a "huge upside." But to get Barfield he also gave up a player in Kouzmanoff who also has a"huge upside." From that angle, it's an interesting trade made even more interesting since they are both infielders. Clearly the Padres think Kouzmanoff will hit for higher average and power in the years to come. His performance in the minors suggests as much. But this is the kind of trade that does keep the hot stove going and the kind of trade that rarely gets made these days. Players of similar age and abilities going to teams that obviously like slightly better the guy the other team had.
And while on the subject of free agents, we also noticed the story in today's USA Today in which they handicapped the derby for the high-priced free agent pitchers. (A similar article appears with respect to the top hitters as well) In the article, the various writers predict where the top free agents will land and what kind of contract they'll get.
In a surprise roughly on the scale of the either the news of John Daly's fourth divorce or Brittany Spears' split from serial breeder, Vanilla Ice wannabe Kevin Federline, no one predicted the Indians would make a pitch for any of the first tier free agents. Long gone are the days when owner Richard Jacobs would unveil his free agent Christmas presents to the fans in the form of Dennis Martinez or Orel Hersheiser or Eddie Murray. And, not coincidentally, long gone are the days when the Tribe would sell out the season before it opened.
In short, don't expect much this off-season. The Tribe, under the ownership of the Dolans, has gone from market setters to bottom feeders. And in that role we know what we'll get: some second or third level free agent with a career that features more down side than not.
On the one hand, GM Mark Shapiro can now cross one item off his "to do" list. On the other hand, was this the deal to make?
We've chronicled many times our displeasure with the Indians with respect to free agents. They are underfinanced by cheapskate owners and adhere to a corporate strategy in which the level of success is almost exactly equal to their level of luck.
Last year, GM Mark Shapiro was unlucky. Saddled with an uncompetitive budge and a game plan built oddly around replacing closer Bob Wickman, the Indians mostly whiffed on their off-season acquisitions last year and as a result took a step, maybe two, backward. They went from a team with 93 wins in 2005 and poised for a playoff run to a team that has several major holes to fill before they can even return to competitiveness.
One of those holes most definitely is at second base. There was screaming all season when the Indians traded infielder Brandon Phillips to the Cincinnati Reds. And when Ronnie Belliard was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tribe was left with utility players like Joe Inglett to fill the void. But for those still bemoaning those losses and trying to put the Barfield trade in context, a recent posting in "The Baseball Analysts" should be of great interest.
In Rich Lederer's November 8 column he lists his most Overrated Offensive Players for this last season. Essentially, this is a list of players who are generally perceived to be decent offensively but who statistically don't really measure up. The criteria is simple. To make the list a player has to have a batting average that is greater than the league norm but an on base percentage and slugging average below the league norm.
Interesting, both Belliard and Phillips garner an honorable mention. Belliard had a decent .272 batting average but his on base percentage was only .322 and his slugging average only .403. Phillips had remarkably similar statistics: .276/.325/.427. And, while he didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify, Joe Inglett was essentially a mirror image: .283/.332/.383 Not to take this too far, but Inglett actually had the higher fielding percentage of the three (.984 to Belliard's .981 to Phillips' .977) Barfield is basically a mirror image as well. He hit .280 last year with .318 on base percentage and a .423 slugging average. His fielding percentage was .987.
The trade for Barfield relegates Inglett and Hector Luna to utility status, where both are probably better suited and does ostensibly fill the hole at second base. But the larger point is that the hole that existed wasn't necessarily created by the trading of Belliard or Phillips. It was created by the fact that Shapiro hasn't adequately addressed it in the last few years, satisified instead with the underachieving Belliard.
On the positive side, though, Barfield has a full year of major league experience to draw on and appears to have, in Shapiro speak, a "huge upside." But to get Barfield he also gave up a player in Kouzmanoff who also has a"huge upside." From that angle, it's an interesting trade made even more interesting since they are both infielders. Clearly the Padres think Kouzmanoff will hit for higher average and power in the years to come. His performance in the minors suggests as much. But this is the kind of trade that does keep the hot stove going and the kind of trade that rarely gets made these days. Players of similar age and abilities going to teams that obviously like slightly better the guy the other team had.
And while on the subject of free agents, we also noticed the story in today's USA Today in which they handicapped the derby for the high-priced free agent pitchers. (A similar article appears with respect to the top hitters as well) In the article, the various writers predict where the top free agents will land and what kind of contract they'll get.
In a surprise roughly on the scale of the either the news of John Daly's fourth divorce or Brittany Spears' split from serial breeder, Vanilla Ice wannabe Kevin Federline, no one predicted the Indians would make a pitch for any of the first tier free agents. Long gone are the days when owner Richard Jacobs would unveil his free agent Christmas presents to the fans in the form of Dennis Martinez or Orel Hersheiser or Eddie Murray. And, not coincidentally, long gone are the days when the Tribe would sell out the season before it opened.
In short, don't expect much this off-season. The Tribe, under the ownership of the Dolans, has gone from market setters to bottom feeders. And in that role we know what we'll get: some second or third level free agent with a career that features more down side than not.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Crenneled
A question still lurking in the background for this year's Cleveland Browns is whether head coach Romeo Crennel will get to fulfill the final year of his contract. To the objective eye, the safe bet would be against that happening. But this is Cleveland and this is the Browns and if there is one constant it's their unpredictability.
We've chronicled, several times, Romeo's shortcomings, all of which were on full display in the Maurice Carthon debacle. So, as Jim Leyland might say, we won't re-chew our breakfast on that one. And while we see a better organized offense since Jeff Davidson took over the play calling, the overall product is still woeful and showing little evidence of progress. That would seem to spell doom.
But putting all of that insignificant on-the-field evidence screaming that the head coach is overmatched, we'll instead consider Crennel's press conference yesterday.
Crennel has been praised for his relative candor in such settings. And compared to automatons like New England's Bill Belichick, Crennel looks positively chatty most times. But his discussion about quarterback Charlie Frye smacked of a coach who knows he's on his way out and just doesn't care anymore.
Crennel, clearly not on the same playbook as his boss, GM Phil Savage, openly questioned whether Frye is the long-term answer at quarterback. Sure, Crennel talked about Frye's intangibles: "He's got good talent, good ability, good leadership ability, got some toughness. The guys rally around him. At that position you've got to have that," Crennel said. But Crennel also sounded just a bit exasperated that Frye, like the rest of the team, hasn't made much progress. Crennel said that Frye was under "pretty good duress" early on in the season, making it tough to make a valid evaluation but, "going forward, we'll see that he's a capable quarterback."
Reading between the lines, Crennel has given Frye the benefit of the doubt for the early mistakes because of the offensive line. But now, not so much. Crennel seemed to attribute Frye's continued problems to his desire to "make a play." Translated: Frye still hasn't made much progress in learning when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
The fact that Crennel was unwilling to give Frye a solid endorsement, while intellectually honest, suggests that Crennel and Savage are not in sync on Frye's future. The fact that Savage didn't initially bring in a credible back-up and has since made no overt gestures in that direction strongly suggests that Savage sees things much differently when it comes to Frye's future.
If you are handicapping Crennel's chances of returning, this is the key development that bears watching. Yesterday's press conference was an subtle throwdown by Crennel to Savage that quarterback is another hole that may need to be filled. If Savage disagrees with this assessment, it will become the foundation upon which Crennel's departure is built as we can easily see the scenario developing where Crennel overtly puts his job on the line by demanding a change. However that scenario plays out will surely determine the future of the Browns. Here's hoping that owner Randy Lerner once again sides with his general manager against an overmatched and underachieving counterpoint.
We've chronicled, several times, Romeo's shortcomings, all of which were on full display in the Maurice Carthon debacle. So, as Jim Leyland might say, we won't re-chew our breakfast on that one. And while we see a better organized offense since Jeff Davidson took over the play calling, the overall product is still woeful and showing little evidence of progress. That would seem to spell doom.
But putting all of that insignificant on-the-field evidence screaming that the head coach is overmatched, we'll instead consider Crennel's press conference yesterday.
Crennel has been praised for his relative candor in such settings. And compared to automatons like New England's Bill Belichick, Crennel looks positively chatty most times. But his discussion about quarterback Charlie Frye smacked of a coach who knows he's on his way out and just doesn't care anymore.
Crennel, clearly not on the same playbook as his boss, GM Phil Savage, openly questioned whether Frye is the long-term answer at quarterback. Sure, Crennel talked about Frye's intangibles: "He's got good talent, good ability, good leadership ability, got some toughness. The guys rally around him. At that position you've got to have that," Crennel said. But Crennel also sounded just a bit exasperated that Frye, like the rest of the team, hasn't made much progress. Crennel said that Frye was under "pretty good duress" early on in the season, making it tough to make a valid evaluation but, "going forward, we'll see that he's a capable quarterback."
Reading between the lines, Crennel has given Frye the benefit of the doubt for the early mistakes because of the offensive line. But now, not so much. Crennel seemed to attribute Frye's continued problems to his desire to "make a play." Translated: Frye still hasn't made much progress in learning when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
The fact that Crennel was unwilling to give Frye a solid endorsement, while intellectually honest, suggests that Crennel and Savage are not in sync on Frye's future. The fact that Savage didn't initially bring in a credible back-up and has since made no overt gestures in that direction strongly suggests that Savage sees things much differently when it comes to Frye's future.
If you are handicapping Crennel's chances of returning, this is the key development that bears watching. Yesterday's press conference was an subtle throwdown by Crennel to Savage that quarterback is another hole that may need to be filled. If Savage disagrees with this assessment, it will become the foundation upon which Crennel's departure is built as we can easily see the scenario developing where Crennel overtly puts his job on the line by demanding a change. However that scenario plays out will surely determine the future of the Browns. Here's hoping that owner Randy Lerner once again sides with his general manager against an overmatched and underachieving counterpoint.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Fried
There are many conclusions you could probably draw from yesterday's Cleveland Browns/San Diego Chargers game, but the one we'll stick with is that the Browns better start looking for another quarterback, quickly.
It's not that we're necessarily down on Charlie Frye, although we are, it's just that he can't possibly survive this season in tact. Just looking at the official statistics, he's been sacked an astounding 29 times in 8 games. That translates to 58 times over the season, a figure he'll never reach because, again, he can't possibly survive this season in tact. And the 29 sacks doesn't even begin to measure how many times he's been knocked down and thrown about, which is probably double the sack total.
Frye is big and strong and seems to move around well. But he makes incredibly poor decisions each and every game, which is contributing to the abuse he's taking. We understand that the Browns have a poor offensive line. But this poor line is only part of the problem. While Frye has been sacked 29 times in 8 starts this year, he also was sacked another 21 times in 5 starts last year. Meanwhile, Reuben Droughns was on his way to rushing for 1200 yards last year, meaning it's not the worst line of all time. If anything, the Browns relative ability to run the ball last year should have resulted in less pressure on Frye, not more. Yet his sack total last year is nearly identical to what he's suffering from this year. And this year the running game has been much worse.
We've noted before that we understand why GM Phil Savage didn't sign a big-name back-up. Given the limited expectations of this year's team, there seemed to be little reason to saddle Frye with fans screaming for his back-up as Frye himself continued to founder. In theory, this makes sense. In reality, it's played out much worse then anyone could have expected.
To the extent that Frye is progressing, it's imperceptible to the naked eye. He continues to fumble and throw interceptions. He still can't seem to look beyond, at best, the second option on most pass plays. He has an unwarranted confidence in his own ability to make a play with his feet despite very limited success in that regard.
We're not burying poor, beaten Charlie yet. But at this point it's in the conversation. The Browns have significant holes to fill in the off season. It appears that quarterback will have to be added to this list, if only because the likelihood rises each week that a career-threatening injury to Frye is just around the corner. Ken Dorsey, make sure you can find your helmet.
***
We've had many ask us how the Browns could possibly give Joshua Cribbs a six-year contract. While we agree that he's shown some skills as a kick returner, his abilities as a receiver are rudimentary, at best, and were on full display yesterday. And while a six-year contract tends to show a very odd and lengthy commitment, even for the Browns, recognize that it is solely a function of how the salary cap works. We don't yet have the details on Cribbs' contract, but you can bet that there is a signing bonus involved. As such, the Browns can pro-rate the bonus over the life of the contract, thus reducing the salary cap impact. If/when Cribbs gets cut in a year or two, the bonus will then get accelerated. But until then, the contract, which is NOT guaranteed, nonetheless gives Cribbs the perception of security while allowing the Browns salary cap flexibility. That's it.
***
In all of this discussion about Frye, don't lose site of two points that were even more apparent yesterday. First, the Browns simply wore down during the game. The outcome was inevitable. San Diego, a good but not great team, was physically better and stronger. The point, though, is that the Browns have a long way to go to even get to the level of the Chargers. Which leads us to the second point. If the Browns aren't even near the level of the Chargers, how far behind must they be of the New England Patriots or the Indianapolis Colts? To paraphrase Robert Shaw's character Quint in the movie Jaws, you're gonna need a bigger yard stick to measure that one.
It's not that we're necessarily down on Charlie Frye, although we are, it's just that he can't possibly survive this season in tact. Just looking at the official statistics, he's been sacked an astounding 29 times in 8 games. That translates to 58 times over the season, a figure he'll never reach because, again, he can't possibly survive this season in tact. And the 29 sacks doesn't even begin to measure how many times he's been knocked down and thrown about, which is probably double the sack total.
Frye is big and strong and seems to move around well. But he makes incredibly poor decisions each and every game, which is contributing to the abuse he's taking. We understand that the Browns have a poor offensive line. But this poor line is only part of the problem. While Frye has been sacked 29 times in 8 starts this year, he also was sacked another 21 times in 5 starts last year. Meanwhile, Reuben Droughns was on his way to rushing for 1200 yards last year, meaning it's not the worst line of all time. If anything, the Browns relative ability to run the ball last year should have resulted in less pressure on Frye, not more. Yet his sack total last year is nearly identical to what he's suffering from this year. And this year the running game has been much worse.
We've noted before that we understand why GM Phil Savage didn't sign a big-name back-up. Given the limited expectations of this year's team, there seemed to be little reason to saddle Frye with fans screaming for his back-up as Frye himself continued to founder. In theory, this makes sense. In reality, it's played out much worse then anyone could have expected.
To the extent that Frye is progressing, it's imperceptible to the naked eye. He continues to fumble and throw interceptions. He still can't seem to look beyond, at best, the second option on most pass plays. He has an unwarranted confidence in his own ability to make a play with his feet despite very limited success in that regard.
We're not burying poor, beaten Charlie yet. But at this point it's in the conversation. The Browns have significant holes to fill in the off season. It appears that quarterback will have to be added to this list, if only because the likelihood rises each week that a career-threatening injury to Frye is just around the corner. Ken Dorsey, make sure you can find your helmet.
***
We've had many ask us how the Browns could possibly give Joshua Cribbs a six-year contract. While we agree that he's shown some skills as a kick returner, his abilities as a receiver are rudimentary, at best, and were on full display yesterday. And while a six-year contract tends to show a very odd and lengthy commitment, even for the Browns, recognize that it is solely a function of how the salary cap works. We don't yet have the details on Cribbs' contract, but you can bet that there is a signing bonus involved. As such, the Browns can pro-rate the bonus over the life of the contract, thus reducing the salary cap impact. If/when Cribbs gets cut in a year or two, the bonus will then get accelerated. But until then, the contract, which is NOT guaranteed, nonetheless gives Cribbs the perception of security while allowing the Browns salary cap flexibility. That's it.
***
In all of this discussion about Frye, don't lose site of two points that were even more apparent yesterday. First, the Browns simply wore down during the game. The outcome was inevitable. San Diego, a good but not great team, was physically better and stronger. The point, though, is that the Browns have a long way to go to even get to the level of the Chargers. Which leads us to the second point. If the Browns aren't even near the level of the Chargers, how far behind must they be of the New England Patriots or the Indianapolis Colts? To paraphrase Robert Shaw's character Quint in the movie Jaws, you're gonna need a bigger yard stick to measure that one.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Stupid is as Stupid Does
There's this old joke about a young boy without a body. It seems that his mom would set his head on the window ledge each day to allow him to watch the world go by. The young boy constantly longed to be outside, running and playing with the other boys in the neighborhood. One day his fairy godmother appears and grants him one wish. Naturally he wishes that he had a body so that he could go outside and play football with the other boys. His wish is granted and as he runs out the door and begins to cross the street he's hit by an on-coming semi. As he lays dying, his fairy grandmother appears and says "you should have quit while you were a head."
We think of that often and particularly today as we read Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston's latest 20 inches of wasted column space. Ostensibly Livingston muses about whether Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel would be a good fit for the Browns. But what caught us at the outset was Livingston's second paragraph. Admitting that he openly wondered whether Tressel could make the jump from Youngstown State and the several national titles he won there to the pressure cooker of Ohio State, Livingston said "Too bad we didn't sign a pre-nup to limit our stupidity liability. "
From our viewpoint, had Livingston ended his column right there it would have been his best and most accurate piece ever. But alas, it's budget cutting time at the PD and the editors figured that if Livingston is going to earn his salary, he'd have to write more than two paragraphs. More's the pity, at least for Livingston, because he then sets about methodically proving, again, his own stupidity.
Livingston notes that few, if any, college coaches can successfully make the transition to the pros. That seems true enough, at least recently. But there have been plenty of successful coaches who started in the college ranks, including Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcells and John Madden, although not as head coaches. And the trend these days does seem to work more in reverse--the successful pro assistant going to the college ranks.
But where Livingston really loses us is in his criticism of Tressel as supposedly a poor judge of quarterback talent. Taken in order, in 2001 Steve Bellisari was a senior and Tressel, as the new coach, had little choice in the matter. In terms of choosing between Scott McMullen and Craig Krenzel, two John Cooper recruits, Tressel initially chose the more classic quarterback of the two. Ultimately, though, Tressel made the right choice and Krenzel made the most of his limited abilities and lead the Buckeyes to the national championship in 2002. In choosing Justin Zwick over Troy Smith, Livingston fails to mention two key points. First, they were both Tressel recruits so if you're going to ding him for not recognizing talent, acknowledge, at least, that he recognized enough in Smith to offer him a scholarship. Second, Zwick was, by far, the highest rated quarterback recruit nationally at the time. He's a big guy with a classic drop-back style.
But even more to the point, the Troy Smith of today is hardly the Troy Smith of a few years ago. In terms of pure quarterback skills, Smith was sorely lacking, even when he first took over in the Iowa game two years ago after Zwick was hurt. Smith was a run-first, pass second kind of guy. In short, he was selfish.
But to Smith's credit, and to Tressel's, Smith has developed into probably the best quarterback ever at Ohio State and the front-runner in this year's Heisman Trophy contest. Again, if you're going to ding Tressel over an initial decision, acknowledge the entire landscape and, more importantly, the fact that it was under Tressel's direction that both Krenzel and Smith developed into the players they became.
In context, Livingston's column seems more designed to try strip away what he sees as the veneer coating Tressel. But Livingston's efforts, as usual, are weak and unsupported. Tressel may not be perfect, or as perfect as Livingston, but to suggest that he's not all he's portrayed is as unfair as it is ridiculous.
We harbor no doubt that if Tressel had pro aspirations, he could easily make that transition and be successful. But as unabashed Buckeye fans, we can only hope he harbors no such goals.
We think of that often and particularly today as we read Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston's latest 20 inches of wasted column space. Ostensibly Livingston muses about whether Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel would be a good fit for the Browns. But what caught us at the outset was Livingston's second paragraph. Admitting that he openly wondered whether Tressel could make the jump from Youngstown State and the several national titles he won there to the pressure cooker of Ohio State, Livingston said "Too bad we didn't sign a pre-nup to limit our stupidity liability. "
From our viewpoint, had Livingston ended his column right there it would have been his best and most accurate piece ever. But alas, it's budget cutting time at the PD and the editors figured that if Livingston is going to earn his salary, he'd have to write more than two paragraphs. More's the pity, at least for Livingston, because he then sets about methodically proving, again, his own stupidity.
Livingston notes that few, if any, college coaches can successfully make the transition to the pros. That seems true enough, at least recently. But there have been plenty of successful coaches who started in the college ranks, including Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcells and John Madden, although not as head coaches. And the trend these days does seem to work more in reverse--the successful pro assistant going to the college ranks.
But where Livingston really loses us is in his criticism of Tressel as supposedly a poor judge of quarterback talent. Taken in order, in 2001 Steve Bellisari was a senior and Tressel, as the new coach, had little choice in the matter. In terms of choosing between Scott McMullen and Craig Krenzel, two John Cooper recruits, Tressel initially chose the more classic quarterback of the two. Ultimately, though, Tressel made the right choice and Krenzel made the most of his limited abilities and lead the Buckeyes to the national championship in 2002. In choosing Justin Zwick over Troy Smith, Livingston fails to mention two key points. First, they were both Tressel recruits so if you're going to ding him for not recognizing talent, acknowledge, at least, that he recognized enough in Smith to offer him a scholarship. Second, Zwick was, by far, the highest rated quarterback recruit nationally at the time. He's a big guy with a classic drop-back style.
But even more to the point, the Troy Smith of today is hardly the Troy Smith of a few years ago. In terms of pure quarterback skills, Smith was sorely lacking, even when he first took over in the Iowa game two years ago after Zwick was hurt. Smith was a run-first, pass second kind of guy. In short, he was selfish.
But to Smith's credit, and to Tressel's, Smith has developed into probably the best quarterback ever at Ohio State and the front-runner in this year's Heisman Trophy contest. Again, if you're going to ding Tressel over an initial decision, acknowledge the entire landscape and, more importantly, the fact that it was under Tressel's direction that both Krenzel and Smith developed into the players they became.
In context, Livingston's column seems more designed to try strip away what he sees as the veneer coating Tressel. But Livingston's efforts, as usual, are weak and unsupported. Tressel may not be perfect, or as perfect as Livingston, but to suggest that he's not all he's portrayed is as unfair as it is ridiculous.
We harbor no doubt that if Tressel had pro aspirations, he could easily make that transition and be successful. But as unabashed Buckeye fans, we can only hope he harbors no such goals.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Jump Ball
In perusing the various NBA previews in the local and national newspapers, we can't help agree with the common theme of them all--that last year's playoffs served as a key reference point to this upcoming season. Where we depart ways, though, is why. In our view, if last year's playoffs proved anything, it's that the NBA season is too long and mostly irrelevant.
To be sure, last year's Cavs/Washington Wizards (or is it Bullets, we're not sure) and Cavs/Detroit Pistons were compelling and entertaining. But all that did was demonstrate the indifference with which most NBA players seem to approach regular season games. The intensity of virtually any playoff game was unmatched in any regular season game between any NBA teams and we challenge anyone anywhere at any time to prove otherwise. In fact, what is most striking about the NBA is the starkly visible difference between regular season and playoff games. To be sure, the playoffs are different than the regular season in every sport. But the disparity in the NBA is so obvious that it actually cheapens the day-to-day product.
The even larger point, though, is that the season simply is too long. That's the message the players continue to send with their indifferent play until the playoffs roll around. The season is 82 games spread over nearly 6 months. the playoffs take another two months, meaning that the NBA season is longer, by a month, than the Major League Baseball season and three months longer than the NFL season. And what do you get for your first six months: a meritocracy system that eliminates only the truly putrid. For all practical purposes, the NBA playoffs are a massive, out of control round robin tournament from which only the lame and infirm are uninvited.
We can appreciate the talents of someone like LeBron James as well as anyone. And all things being equal, we're glad he's on a Cleveland team. He gives this city its first international sports superstar ever. But we tend to subscribe to the less is more theory and believe that shortening the season would only further highlight the true gifts of someone like James and make each game that much more meaningful.
The reason that fans are so crazed for NFL football, even bad NFL football like that purveyed by the Browns, is that there are only 16 games. That places outsized importance on each one. If you don't think so, take a visit to Pittsburgh right now and you'll find most of their fans sitting in their family rooms in a semi-catatonic state with a switchblade near their wrist because the Steelers are 2-5. Even with 9 games left, they know that there is very little margin for error left if their team, the reigning Super Bowl champs, are to return to the playoffs.
But if the Cavs start off 2-5, or even 10-20, there is still little doubt that they'll make the playoffs. And irrespective of what their record may be it has absolutely no relevance to how they may or may not perform in the playoffs.
So if you insist on dissecting the Plain Dealer's NBA preview supplement in today's paper for insight into how the Cavs will finish, don't look to the idle words of the self-annoited experts. We suggest you look solely at the schedule. You know that the Cavs will play on the road 41 times. That means that, at best, that will account for 20 wins because if there is one thing that is more true in the NBA than in any other sport, it's that the home court advantage is more pronounced. Next, look at how many times the Cavs play back-to-back games, particularly when the second game is on the road and even more particularly when they are both on the road. If there is anything even more true about the NBA than home court advantage, is that back-to-back games are greeted with about as much enthusiasm as a Thanksgiving trip to the in-laws. That should account for another 10 losses right there. In short, if the Cavs are as good as advertised, they'll win around 50-52 games. If they fall short of expectations, meaning they lose more games at home than anticipated, then they'll be in the 46-48 win range. Again, though, this is mostly meaningless because they'll make the playoffs either way.
If you're looking for real insight from the PD's NBA supplement, check out the schematic of the locker room. There you'll find that King James has the corner suite and no neighbor, the better to accommodate the media. You'll also learn about his 20" video monitor, his X-Box 360 game system and, most importantly, that his shoe company (Nike) not only supplies him with shoes, but shower slippers. Now that's insight we couldn't live without.
To be sure, last year's Cavs/Washington Wizards (or is it Bullets, we're not sure) and Cavs/Detroit Pistons were compelling and entertaining. But all that did was demonstrate the indifference with which most NBA players seem to approach regular season games. The intensity of virtually any playoff game was unmatched in any regular season game between any NBA teams and we challenge anyone anywhere at any time to prove otherwise. In fact, what is most striking about the NBA is the starkly visible difference between regular season and playoff games. To be sure, the playoffs are different than the regular season in every sport. But the disparity in the NBA is so obvious that it actually cheapens the day-to-day product.
The even larger point, though, is that the season simply is too long. That's the message the players continue to send with their indifferent play until the playoffs roll around. The season is 82 games spread over nearly 6 months. the playoffs take another two months, meaning that the NBA season is longer, by a month, than the Major League Baseball season and three months longer than the NFL season. And what do you get for your first six months: a meritocracy system that eliminates only the truly putrid. For all practical purposes, the NBA playoffs are a massive, out of control round robin tournament from which only the lame and infirm are uninvited.
We can appreciate the talents of someone like LeBron James as well as anyone. And all things being equal, we're glad he's on a Cleveland team. He gives this city its first international sports superstar ever. But we tend to subscribe to the less is more theory and believe that shortening the season would only further highlight the true gifts of someone like James and make each game that much more meaningful.
The reason that fans are so crazed for NFL football, even bad NFL football like that purveyed by the Browns, is that there are only 16 games. That places outsized importance on each one. If you don't think so, take a visit to Pittsburgh right now and you'll find most of their fans sitting in their family rooms in a semi-catatonic state with a switchblade near their wrist because the Steelers are 2-5. Even with 9 games left, they know that there is very little margin for error left if their team, the reigning Super Bowl champs, are to return to the playoffs.
But if the Cavs start off 2-5, or even 10-20, there is still little doubt that they'll make the playoffs. And irrespective of what their record may be it has absolutely no relevance to how they may or may not perform in the playoffs.
So if you insist on dissecting the Plain Dealer's NBA preview supplement in today's paper for insight into how the Cavs will finish, don't look to the idle words of the self-annoited experts. We suggest you look solely at the schedule. You know that the Cavs will play on the road 41 times. That means that, at best, that will account for 20 wins because if there is one thing that is more true in the NBA than in any other sport, it's that the home court advantage is more pronounced. Next, look at how many times the Cavs play back-to-back games, particularly when the second game is on the road and even more particularly when they are both on the road. If there is anything even more true about the NBA than home court advantage, is that back-to-back games are greeted with about as much enthusiasm as a Thanksgiving trip to the in-laws. That should account for another 10 losses right there. In short, if the Cavs are as good as advertised, they'll win around 50-52 games. If they fall short of expectations, meaning they lose more games at home than anticipated, then they'll be in the 46-48 win range. Again, though, this is mostly meaningless because they'll make the playoffs either way.
If you're looking for real insight from the PD's NBA supplement, check out the schematic of the locker room. There you'll find that King James has the corner suite and no neighbor, the better to accommodate the media. You'll also learn about his 20" video monitor, his X-Box 360 game system and, most importantly, that his shoe company (Nike) not only supplies him with shoes, but shower slippers. Now that's insight we couldn't live without.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Inconclusive Evidence
We've noted before and will note again: each Browns victory is generally met with irrational exuberance; each Browns loss is generally met with irrational dread. The truth, as it always does, lies somewhere in the middle, which is why we felt best to wait a bit before commenting on Sunday's victory against the New York Jets.
To the extent there even needs to be a final analysis of Sunday's game, it's this: draw no conclusions. It's easy and convenient, of course, to credit Jeff Davidson's promotion (?) to play caller as critical to the Browns success on Sunday. And if, by promotion, it's meant to imply the firing of Maurice Carthon deserves much of the credit, then we're more in that camp than any other. In reading the missives from the mainstream media this past week we were left with two distinct impressions.
First, Carthon's a jerk. And not just a garden-variety jerk, but the kind that develops as a result of being granted too much power without having earned it. He alienated players and coaches alike. He was cranky and uncommunicative. He was unreceptive to the ideas of others and despite a tough demeanor and penchant for criticizing anyone and everyone he was incredibly thin-skinned himself. His reaction to being criticized was to continue to do the same things in the same way as if only to prove his point.
Second, the fact that all of this, while an open secret to the beat writers following the team on a daily basis, didn't come out until after he was canned should tell you everything you need to know about the reporters covering the team. We understand the difficulty of being a beat writer. Access depends greatly on relationships. And relationships to athletes and coaches alike generally means limiting any negativity. All that being said, we think it just a wee bit disingenuous for the beat writers to now reveal stories that they say took place weeks or months ago.
It was clear that Carthon was a divisive force on this football team. As we've said previously, the fact that he lasted as long as he did is more an indictment of Crennel's leadership ability than anything else. What we get out of Davidson is unknown but we did admire the relative crispness and efficiency with which the offense seemed to perform on Sunday. Players seemed to know when to be on the field and seemed to know their assignments. At every critical juncture, the teams few playmakers were all on the field at the same time, something Carthon couldn't achieve on a consistent basis.
But whether this is a trend or an aberration is a tough call at this point. If it's a trend, then Crennel has a fighting chance to retain his job at season's end. If it's an aberration then the problems are more serious than anyone thought and for which Crennel will ultimately pay the price. But the fact that there was a noticeable change in demeanor does show, at the very least, that there is still some pride simmering among the players at Berea. And that's something we couldn't say last week after the Denver fiasco.
As a final note, we do find it a tad odd that Davidson has not been given the title of offensive coordinator. Apparently he's only been given the added duties of play calling. According to the Browns web site, Davidson continues to retain his titles as Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach. Officially, that brings to two the number of NFL teams without an offensive coordinator at the moment: Cleveland and Baltimore. Fill in your own punch line here.
This week the Browns face the Chargers in San Diego. We think this will give a better gauge on where this team stands than does an emotional win against an equally inferior time such as the Jets. Until then we'll hold off on the conclusions.
To the extent there even needs to be a final analysis of Sunday's game, it's this: draw no conclusions. It's easy and convenient, of course, to credit Jeff Davidson's promotion (?) to play caller as critical to the Browns success on Sunday. And if, by promotion, it's meant to imply the firing of Maurice Carthon deserves much of the credit, then we're more in that camp than any other. In reading the missives from the mainstream media this past week we were left with two distinct impressions.
First, Carthon's a jerk. And not just a garden-variety jerk, but the kind that develops as a result of being granted too much power without having earned it. He alienated players and coaches alike. He was cranky and uncommunicative. He was unreceptive to the ideas of others and despite a tough demeanor and penchant for criticizing anyone and everyone he was incredibly thin-skinned himself. His reaction to being criticized was to continue to do the same things in the same way as if only to prove his point.
Second, the fact that all of this, while an open secret to the beat writers following the team on a daily basis, didn't come out until after he was canned should tell you everything you need to know about the reporters covering the team. We understand the difficulty of being a beat writer. Access depends greatly on relationships. And relationships to athletes and coaches alike generally means limiting any negativity. All that being said, we think it just a wee bit disingenuous for the beat writers to now reveal stories that they say took place weeks or months ago.
It was clear that Carthon was a divisive force on this football team. As we've said previously, the fact that he lasted as long as he did is more an indictment of Crennel's leadership ability than anything else. What we get out of Davidson is unknown but we did admire the relative crispness and efficiency with which the offense seemed to perform on Sunday. Players seemed to know when to be on the field and seemed to know their assignments. At every critical juncture, the teams few playmakers were all on the field at the same time, something Carthon couldn't achieve on a consistent basis.
But whether this is a trend or an aberration is a tough call at this point. If it's a trend, then Crennel has a fighting chance to retain his job at season's end. If it's an aberration then the problems are more serious than anyone thought and for which Crennel will ultimately pay the price. But the fact that there was a noticeable change in demeanor does show, at the very least, that there is still some pride simmering among the players at Berea. And that's something we couldn't say last week after the Denver fiasco.
As a final note, we do find it a tad odd that Davidson has not been given the title of offensive coordinator. Apparently he's only been given the added duties of play calling. According to the Browns web site, Davidson continues to retain his titles as Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach. Officially, that brings to two the number of NFL teams without an offensive coordinator at the moment: Cleveland and Baltimore. Fill in your own punch line here.
This week the Browns face the Chargers in San Diego. We think this will give a better gauge on where this team stands than does an emotional win against an equally inferior time such as the Jets. Until then we'll hold off on the conclusions.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Weak, Very Weak
There's a right way and a wrong way to do most anything. There's also the Cleveland Browns way, which is often somewhere between the two.
We can't say, for example, that it was wrong for Head Coach Romeo Crennel, ostensibly the leader and public face of the Browns, to take responsibility for Carthon's departure. But what didn't make it quite right was the fact that it ding ring particularly true nor did it make much sense.
At Crennel's press conference yesterday, he insisted that Maurice Carthon had, ahem, resigned. Crennel claimed that Carthon came forward, offered his resignation and that Crennel decided "to do what I thought was best for the Browns and the Browns organization, I decided to accept his resignation."
The reason it doesn't ring true is the same reason it doesn't make sense. And if we're wrong on both counts, then Crennel unintentionally revealed exactly why his own days are numbered. If Crennel really felt it was in the best interest of the Browns and their organization to let Carthon quit, why would it not have been in those same best interests to fire Crennel two weeks ago? The more likely view is that it played out just as Jim Donovan, who officially works for the Browns, reported it on Monday: Owner Randy Lerner and General Manager Phil Savage forced Crennel's hand.
Yesterday's press conference was about making Crennel look like a leader and in that, the Browns failed miserably. If Crennel's story is actually true, it makes him look indecisive and unable to pull a trigger on a gun that was cocked weeks ago. But if Crennel's story is not true (and that's where the smart money is), he looks ridiculous trying to spin a story with more holes in it than the offensive line. But in either case, the impact on the fans and the Browns is the same: Crennel looks less like a head coach today than at any point in his short tenure and that can't be good news.
The other reason that Crennel looks weak in all of this is that in turning over Carthon's old job to Jeff Davidson, Crennel also announced that Davidson will be calling the plays. In other words, Crennel's one week foray into paying attention to the offensive is over. In other words, Crennel knew he had a serious problem with Carthon but deliberately chose not to meaningfully address it until still another game and another week was lost.
Crennel cannot possibly survive the mess he's created. The only real question is whether Savage will find a legitimate head coach or again roll the dice on another life long assistant. Given the Browns history in that regard, the choice should be easy.
We can't say, for example, that it was wrong for Head Coach Romeo Crennel, ostensibly the leader and public face of the Browns, to take responsibility for Carthon's departure. But what didn't make it quite right was the fact that it ding ring particularly true nor did it make much sense.
At Crennel's press conference yesterday, he insisted that Maurice Carthon had, ahem, resigned. Crennel claimed that Carthon came forward, offered his resignation and that Crennel decided "to do what I thought was best for the Browns and the Browns organization, I decided to accept his resignation."
The reason it doesn't ring true is the same reason it doesn't make sense. And if we're wrong on both counts, then Crennel unintentionally revealed exactly why his own days are numbered. If Crennel really felt it was in the best interest of the Browns and their organization to let Carthon quit, why would it not have been in those same best interests to fire Crennel two weeks ago? The more likely view is that it played out just as Jim Donovan, who officially works for the Browns, reported it on Monday: Owner Randy Lerner and General Manager Phil Savage forced Crennel's hand.
Yesterday's press conference was about making Crennel look like a leader and in that, the Browns failed miserably. If Crennel's story is actually true, it makes him look indecisive and unable to pull a trigger on a gun that was cocked weeks ago. But if Crennel's story is not true (and that's where the smart money is), he looks ridiculous trying to spin a story with more holes in it than the offensive line. But in either case, the impact on the fans and the Browns is the same: Crennel looks less like a head coach today than at any point in his short tenure and that can't be good news.
The other reason that Crennel looks weak in all of this is that in turning over Carthon's old job to Jeff Davidson, Crennel also announced that Davidson will be calling the plays. In other words, Crennel's one week foray into paying attention to the offensive is over. In other words, Crennel knew he had a serious problem with Carthon but deliberately chose not to meaningfully address it until still another game and another week was lost.
Crennel cannot possibly survive the mess he's created. The only real question is whether Savage will find a legitimate head coach or again roll the dice on another life long assistant. Given the Browns history in that regard, the choice should be easy.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Getting What You Need
It's said that the two worst things in the world are not getting what you want and getting what you want. Now that overmatched offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon has officially been shown the exit door we all lose a convenient whipping post.
But before we leave this topic, much is to be said about the exit and none of it good. If Head Coach Romeo Crennel is feeling any job insecurity today, and he should, it's understandable. According to Browns play-by-play man Jim Donovan (who also serves as sports director of WKYC-TV), the decision to dump Carthon was made by owner Randy Lerner and General Manager Phil Savage. As Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer observed, Crennel was unable to pull the trigger. That doesn't speak well on a number of fronts.
It demonstrates that Crennel has the inability to separate what's best for the team and the franchise from what's best for him personally. Clearly Carthon and Crennel are friends. But Crennel's inability to see past his loyalty to Carthon and see, instead, a lockerroom full of disgruntled players who are close to packing it in for the season underscores that Crennel, too, is overmatched in his current job.
Bud Shaw wrote in today's Plain Dealer that Crennel made the strongest argument in yesterday's press conference for dumping Carthon (although that wasn't the topic) by observing that there was still 10 weeks of football to play. But if Crennel had done this sooner, like during the bye week when the team had nearly two weeks to adjust to the coaching change, there would have been 11 weeks of football to play.
In our view, Crennel did indeed make the strongest argument for dumping Carthon during yesterday's press conference but not necessarily in the way Shaw suggests. Crennel closed his press conference yesterday by saying, with respect to Carthon, that "things can always change in football, but I'm staying with Maurice right now." This was all Lerner and Savage needed to hear to become convinced that Crennel had absolutely no intention of replacing Carthon voluntarily despite the further regression witnessed on Sunday. Lerner and Savage had to act and it's doubtful that the discussion among the three was pleasant.
Crennel has a military background so it's unlikely that he'll ever go public about what took place when he was informed that Carthon had to go. And like the good soldier, he cut the cord himself. But the relationship between GM and Head Coach will be forever strained and it's doubtful that it can be repaired. Remember, Savage let Crennel have his way by shipping quarterback Trent Dilfer after he sparred with Carthon. That cost the Browns an experienced back-up, a necessity all fans were reminded of when Charlie Frye went off the field briefly on Sunday.
We doubt that ultimately Crennel can survive. His abject lack of leadership during this crisis was fully on display for all to see. Lop onto that a newly strained relationship with both the owner and the GM and you have a volatile recipe that strongly suggests that the Browns will be looking, again, for a new head coach this offseason.
But before we leave this topic, much is to be said about the exit and none of it good. If Head Coach Romeo Crennel is feeling any job insecurity today, and he should, it's understandable. According to Browns play-by-play man Jim Donovan (who also serves as sports director of WKYC-TV), the decision to dump Carthon was made by owner Randy Lerner and General Manager Phil Savage. As Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer observed, Crennel was unable to pull the trigger. That doesn't speak well on a number of fronts.
It demonstrates that Crennel has the inability to separate what's best for the team and the franchise from what's best for him personally. Clearly Carthon and Crennel are friends. But Crennel's inability to see past his loyalty to Carthon and see, instead, a lockerroom full of disgruntled players who are close to packing it in for the season underscores that Crennel, too, is overmatched in his current job.
Bud Shaw wrote in today's Plain Dealer that Crennel made the strongest argument in yesterday's press conference for dumping Carthon (although that wasn't the topic) by observing that there was still 10 weeks of football to play. But if Crennel had done this sooner, like during the bye week when the team had nearly two weeks to adjust to the coaching change, there would have been 11 weeks of football to play.
In our view, Crennel did indeed make the strongest argument for dumping Carthon during yesterday's press conference but not necessarily in the way Shaw suggests. Crennel closed his press conference yesterday by saying, with respect to Carthon, that "things can always change in football, but I'm staying with Maurice right now." This was all Lerner and Savage needed to hear to become convinced that Crennel had absolutely no intention of replacing Carthon voluntarily despite the further regression witnessed on Sunday. Lerner and Savage had to act and it's doubtful that the discussion among the three was pleasant.
Crennel has a military background so it's unlikely that he'll ever go public about what took place when he was informed that Carthon had to go. And like the good soldier, he cut the cord himself. But the relationship between GM and Head Coach will be forever strained and it's doubtful that it can be repaired. Remember, Savage let Crennel have his way by shipping quarterback Trent Dilfer after he sparred with Carthon. That cost the Browns an experienced back-up, a necessity all fans were reminded of when Charlie Frye went off the field briefly on Sunday.
We doubt that ultimately Crennel can survive. His abject lack of leadership during this crisis was fully on display for all to see. Lop onto that a newly strained relationship with both the owner and the GM and you have a volatile recipe that strongly suggests that the Browns will be looking, again, for a new head coach this offseason.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Regression, Again
Sometimes a single play can define a season. If the Cincinnati Bengals ultimately go deep into the playoffs, everyone will look back at the critical fourth down pass from quarterback Carson Palmer to receiver Chad Johnson in yesterday's game against Carolina as the tipping point. If the Browns end up with the number one pick in next year's college draft, everyone will look back at the critical fourth down pass from fullback Lawrence Vickers to Kellen Winslow in last week's game as the tipping point.
The point, we think, is that to truly understand the true depths to which the Browns have sunk, as evidenced by yesterday's game against Denver, you have to have context. And the difference between these two plays tells you everything you need to know about the difference between these franchises right now.
As the drum beat gets louder for Carthon's ouster, we have no doubt that Crennel will stay the course. But whatever credit Crennel gets for loyalty pales in comparison to the criticism he rightly deserves for the enlarging blind spot he appears to have over exactly what ails his team and, in particular, his offense. Normally, we're not a big fan of letting the inmates run the asylum, but in this case if Crennel would just ask virtually anyone still watching the Browns, they could tell you the problems: Carthon needs to go. Winslow, Joe Jurevicius, Braylon Edwards and Reuben Droughns need to be on the field for virtually every play. The pocket needs to move. The run shouldn't be abandoned.
The most disturbing aspect, of course, of yesterday's game is that the Browns were coming off a bye week. When common sense strongly suggested that Carthon is the problem, Crennel demurred saying that the Browns need to get back to doing what they do best. Exactly how that supposedly transferred to the field yesterday is wildly unclear. If anything, the Browns have to be even less sure about their offense after yesterday than they were prior to kickoff.
We get that the Browns are in a rebuilding mode. We didn't expect even a playoff season. But when you're rebuilding, there should be progress, correct? But what those who remained to witness the debacle saw yesterday was abject regression, on all fronts. The fumbles, the interceptions, the dropped balls, the dropped interceptions, the idiotic penalties, all speak to a larger problem that besets this team. In simple terms, what the fans witnessed was a team that didn't play hard and didn't play with pride. If Crennel doesn't make a change soon, he most assuredly will suck out what little life remains in this team and the fans. And if Crennel can't pull the trigger on the needed changes, then owner Randy Lerner needs to show Crennel the door.
Crennel likes to tell the assembled media that all this team needs is one big win to turn it around. Read the story yourself on the Browns own web site. But there is nothing about the way this team is performing under Crennel's "leadership" that gives anyone any hope that a defining win is close by.
Lerner is lucky that Cleveland will always be a Browns town. The fans stay engaged, whether complaining or celebrating. But that's still no reason to abuse their trust.
The point, we think, is that to truly understand the true depths to which the Browns have sunk, as evidenced by yesterday's game against Denver, you have to have context. And the difference between these two plays tells you everything you need to know about the difference between these franchises right now.
As the drum beat gets louder for Carthon's ouster, we have no doubt that Crennel will stay the course. But whatever credit Crennel gets for loyalty pales in comparison to the criticism he rightly deserves for the enlarging blind spot he appears to have over exactly what ails his team and, in particular, his offense. Normally, we're not a big fan of letting the inmates run the asylum, but in this case if Crennel would just ask virtually anyone still watching the Browns, they could tell you the problems: Carthon needs to go. Winslow, Joe Jurevicius, Braylon Edwards and Reuben Droughns need to be on the field for virtually every play. The pocket needs to move. The run shouldn't be abandoned.
The most disturbing aspect, of course, of yesterday's game is that the Browns were coming off a bye week. When common sense strongly suggested that Carthon is the problem, Crennel demurred saying that the Browns need to get back to doing what they do best. Exactly how that supposedly transferred to the field yesterday is wildly unclear. If anything, the Browns have to be even less sure about their offense after yesterday than they were prior to kickoff.
We get that the Browns are in a rebuilding mode. We didn't expect even a playoff season. But when you're rebuilding, there should be progress, correct? But what those who remained to witness the debacle saw yesterday was abject regression, on all fronts. The fumbles, the interceptions, the dropped balls, the dropped interceptions, the idiotic penalties, all speak to a larger problem that besets this team. In simple terms, what the fans witnessed was a team that didn't play hard and didn't play with pride. If Crennel doesn't make a change soon, he most assuredly will suck out what little life remains in this team and the fans. And if Crennel can't pull the trigger on the needed changes, then owner Randy Lerner needs to show Crennel the door.
Crennel likes to tell the assembled media that all this team needs is one big win to turn it around. Read the story yourself on the Browns own web site. But there is nothing about the way this team is performing under Crennel's "leadership" that gives anyone any hope that a defining win is close by.
Lerner is lucky that Cleveland will always be a Browns town. The fans stay engaged, whether complaining or celebrating. But that's still no reason to abuse their trust.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Ripe for Comparisons
If it's not clear now why the Browns continue to falter, contrast the styles of Head Coach Romeo Crennel with those of Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green and Baltimore Ravens Head Coach Brian Billick.
No sooner did we get done writing about Crennel's rather scary comments about how Carthon is not the problem, even though Crennel balanced that against his other comments that he'd be taking a more active interest in the offense, then we find out that both Green and Billick have fired their offensive coordinators.
In each case, the rationale was the same: the teams weren't scoring enough points. And in each case, both teams were scoring more points, approximately 2 per game, than the Browns. In fact, in each case, both teams were doing better in virtually every offensive category than the Browns.
So why did Arizona and Baltimore pull the trigger when Cleveland did not? We think it has much to do with the demeanor and the decisiveness of the parties involved. Both Green and Billick are long established as head coaches. They've been around long enough to know when something is working and, more importantly, when it's not. While Crennel likes to say the buck stops with him, these two clearly recognize that it actually does and neither was going to sit idly by and let their futures be dictated by offensive coordinators who weren't getting the job done.
We've heard some suggest that there's no point in firing Carthon at this point since the Browns aren't going anywhere anyway. But to that we ask, why wait? If this season is about building for the future, and it is, shouldn't that apply to all facets of the operation? If Crennel doesn't fire Carthon, which appears unlikely right now, does anyone honestly believe he'll be back for next season? We doubt even Crennel believes that. So we ask again, why wait? Start moving the offense in the right direction now.
Crennel being upstaged by his more experienced brethren only highlights his own shortcomings. He lacks the presence, the leadership, the skill and the decisiveness to implement a change that so obviously needs to be made. His inability to recognize Carthon's abject ineptness threatens to further polarize him from the few playmakers he has and further threatens the Browns ability to continue to attract desirable free agents who could actually make a difference. And as a result, Browns fans are forced to suffer again through a miserable season and a volatile off-season wondering, among other things, whether we'll get still another high draft pick signed again in time for training camp.
No sooner did we get done writing about Crennel's rather scary comments about how Carthon is not the problem, even though Crennel balanced that against his other comments that he'd be taking a more active interest in the offense, then we find out that both Green and Billick have fired their offensive coordinators.
In each case, the rationale was the same: the teams weren't scoring enough points. And in each case, both teams were scoring more points, approximately 2 per game, than the Browns. In fact, in each case, both teams were doing better in virtually every offensive category than the Browns.
So why did Arizona and Baltimore pull the trigger when Cleveland did not? We think it has much to do with the demeanor and the decisiveness of the parties involved. Both Green and Billick are long established as head coaches. They've been around long enough to know when something is working and, more importantly, when it's not. While Crennel likes to say the buck stops with him, these two clearly recognize that it actually does and neither was going to sit idly by and let their futures be dictated by offensive coordinators who weren't getting the job done.
We've heard some suggest that there's no point in firing Carthon at this point since the Browns aren't going anywhere anyway. But to that we ask, why wait? If this season is about building for the future, and it is, shouldn't that apply to all facets of the operation? If Crennel doesn't fire Carthon, which appears unlikely right now, does anyone honestly believe he'll be back for next season? We doubt even Crennel believes that. So we ask again, why wait? Start moving the offense in the right direction now.
Crennel being upstaged by his more experienced brethren only highlights his own shortcomings. He lacks the presence, the leadership, the skill and the decisiveness to implement a change that so obviously needs to be made. His inability to recognize Carthon's abject ineptness threatens to further polarize him from the few playmakers he has and further threatens the Browns ability to continue to attract desirable free agents who could actually make a difference. And as a result, Browns fans are forced to suffer again through a miserable season and a volatile off-season wondering, among other things, whether we'll get still another high draft pick signed again in time for training camp.
Half and Half
Your perspective on the news coming out of Berea yesterday really depends on whether you are a half-full or half-empty kind of person. Cleveland Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel is clearly in the former, given the tenor of his remarks.
Crennel told the assembled media at his weekly press conference that upon further review, no major overhauls on the offensive side of the ball are needed. Instead, we're told that this offensively-bankrupt squad needs a little tinkering. Yea, just like George Bush's foreign policy needs a little tinkering.
And that tinkering? Well, according to Crennel, he's going to start getting more involved in the offense. Crennel said he'll start attending the offensive game planning meetings during the week and may even call a play or two on the sidelines. And this is supposed to make Browns fans feel better?
See, this is where the half-full and half-empty part comes in. If you're a half-full kind of person, it's a good thing that Crennel is starting to realize, and acknowledge publicly, that maybe, just maybe, inept Offensive Coordinator Maurice Carthon needs a little help.
But if you're a half-empty kind of person, like most Cleveland fans have been conditioned to be, Crennel's comments have to send chills. In short order, Crennel has admitted that though he's head coach, to this point he's basically ignored fully one-third of the team. Whether this is a case of coaching negligence or incompetence is rather hard to say. But it's scary either way.
Crennel, in his bid to retake some the reigns he's foolishly discarded, told the media that the team needed to focus first on what it does well, "then maybe add pizazz to it." Roughly translated, no more fullback options passes from Lawrence Vickers. But more to the point, this is Crennel's admission that, as we've said repeatedly, Carthon is all about plays and not about plans. There is no cohesiveness to his game plan. Every Sunday it seems cobbled together on the fly. The Browns never seem to be trying to establish anything and Carthon seems to spend most of his time looking at his card trying to find a magic play.
At the professional level, offenses tend to be more mundane, by design. The players on defense, even on bad teams, run faster and tackle better than their counterparts in college. That's why they're in the pros. Thus, what might work for Ohio State isn't as likely to work for the Browns or any other team for that matter. The truly good offenses in the NFL got that way by designing a system and executing it. They know their strengths and basically challenge their opponents to stop them. With the Browns, there is no identity. They have a thousand yard rusher in Reuben Droughns but rarely make any attempt to establish a running game. They have a gifted tight end but struggle to find ways to get him the ball, particularly early in games. But rather than exploit their limited advantages, they instead abandon their fastball repeatedly in favor of a change up, and frankly, they don't have a good change up.
Crennel is fond of saying, week after week, that the buck stops at his desk. It's fair, then, to hold him completely accountable for the fact that thus far he's abdicated a significant share of his duties and obligations to someone as overmatched as Carthon. With that, we're taking Carthon completely off the hook. If this head coach is dumb enough to give Carthon the keys to car, it's hard to blame Carthon for driving it off the road. But a few more wrecks and Crennel won't have to worry about giving away the keys. Phil Savage will mercifully take them away.
Crennel told the assembled media at his weekly press conference that upon further review, no major overhauls on the offensive side of the ball are needed. Instead, we're told that this offensively-bankrupt squad needs a little tinkering. Yea, just like George Bush's foreign policy needs a little tinkering.
And that tinkering? Well, according to Crennel, he's going to start getting more involved in the offense. Crennel said he'll start attending the offensive game planning meetings during the week and may even call a play or two on the sidelines. And this is supposed to make Browns fans feel better?
See, this is where the half-full and half-empty part comes in. If you're a half-full kind of person, it's a good thing that Crennel is starting to realize, and acknowledge publicly, that maybe, just maybe, inept Offensive Coordinator Maurice Carthon needs a little help.
But if you're a half-empty kind of person, like most Cleveland fans have been conditioned to be, Crennel's comments have to send chills. In short order, Crennel has admitted that though he's head coach, to this point he's basically ignored fully one-third of the team. Whether this is a case of coaching negligence or incompetence is rather hard to say. But it's scary either way.
Crennel, in his bid to retake some the reigns he's foolishly discarded, told the media that the team needed to focus first on what it does well, "then maybe add pizazz to it." Roughly translated, no more fullback options passes from Lawrence Vickers. But more to the point, this is Crennel's admission that, as we've said repeatedly, Carthon is all about plays and not about plans. There is no cohesiveness to his game plan. Every Sunday it seems cobbled together on the fly. The Browns never seem to be trying to establish anything and Carthon seems to spend most of his time looking at his card trying to find a magic play.
At the professional level, offenses tend to be more mundane, by design. The players on defense, even on bad teams, run faster and tackle better than their counterparts in college. That's why they're in the pros. Thus, what might work for Ohio State isn't as likely to work for the Browns or any other team for that matter. The truly good offenses in the NFL got that way by designing a system and executing it. They know their strengths and basically challenge their opponents to stop them. With the Browns, there is no identity. They have a thousand yard rusher in Reuben Droughns but rarely make any attempt to establish a running game. They have a gifted tight end but struggle to find ways to get him the ball, particularly early in games. But rather than exploit their limited advantages, they instead abandon their fastball repeatedly in favor of a change up, and frankly, they don't have a good change up.
Crennel is fond of saying, week after week, that the buck stops at his desk. It's fair, then, to hold him completely accountable for the fact that thus far he's abdicated a significant share of his duties and obligations to someone as overmatched as Carthon. With that, we're taking Carthon completely off the hook. If this head coach is dumb enough to give Carthon the keys to car, it's hard to blame Carthon for driving it off the road. But a few more wrecks and Crennel won't have to worry about giving away the keys. Phil Savage will mercifully take them away.
Friday, October 13, 2006
On Paper
It's the bye week for Cleveland Browns fans, the yearly reminder of what it was like during the dark days when a morally and financially bankrupt Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore.
We always took great comfort in the fact that Modell's inept financial acumen ultimately forced him to sell the franchise. And we marvel at the fact that he has kept just the slightest piece of the franchise so that he doesn't have to pay off on an old contract to the Mickey McBride family. And he wonders why he isn't in the Hall of Fame.
But enough about Modell for now. Instead, as we enter the bye week, there is one thing for certain: Head Coach Romeo Crennel and his handpicked offensive coordinator, Maurice Carthon, are the walking definition of embattled. The frustration just oozes from every pore of Crennel's expanding girth. Sizing up the season thus far, Crennel told the assembled media "Last year when we got here, we didn't think we were very good and nobody did. We just tried to play hard and keep it close. This year, because of the off-season acquisitions, everybody felt we were going to be better. You can be better on paper, but ultimately you have to be better on Sunday. And we haven't been as good on Sunday."
And exactly why the Browns aren't better shouldn't be such a mystery to Crennel. Which is where Carthon comes in. In Tony Grossi's analysis in this week's Plain Dealer, he aptly noted that despite the sensitivity of the matter, the play caller must be changed: "Under Carthon's direction, the Browns scored the fewest points in the league last year. Today, they are ranked 31st in overall offensive yards. Add in a bunch of questionable play-calls and some puzzling lineup decisions. What in that body of work suggests the coordinator is doing a reasonably good job?"
In many ways, the Browns are struggling in the same ways as the Miami Dolphins. In 2005, the Dolphins appeared to be a team on the rise, finishing their first season under Nick Saban at 9-7 after going 4-12 the previous season. The Dolphins likewise made a splash in the off-season, seemingly stabilizing their quarterback situation by signing Daunte Culpepper. Yet, five weeks into this season they find themselves, surprise, at 1-4. And it's not a good 1-4, either, with losses to three struggling teams: Houston, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
When we compared the overall stats of both the Browns and the Dolphins, we were mildly surprised at how identical the teams really are. The Browns have scored 20more points, but have given up 19 more than the Dolphins. Miami holds only slight edges in rushing and passing yardage, but Cleveland holds sizable edges in third down conversions and in limiting opponents third-down conversions. The biggest difference is in turnovers. Cleveland is a league worst -9 and Miami is at level par, which begs the question of whether this statistic is overrated (it's not).
The point, we think, is that while Cleveland fans see nothing but grey in every cloud, it is nice to know sometimes you aren't alone. In fact, one could credibly argue that Miami is in worse shape since their turnover ratio figures to get worse and Cleveland's figures to get better, if only slightly. But in the end, none of it will matter. Both teams will be lucky to win 5 games and by whatever measure, whether on paper or stone tablet, they both will have taken a step backward this season despite decent off-seasons. On the other hand, at least neither club is Oakland.
We always took great comfort in the fact that Modell's inept financial acumen ultimately forced him to sell the franchise. And we marvel at the fact that he has kept just the slightest piece of the franchise so that he doesn't have to pay off on an old contract to the Mickey McBride family. And he wonders why he isn't in the Hall of Fame.
But enough about Modell for now. Instead, as we enter the bye week, there is one thing for certain: Head Coach Romeo Crennel and his handpicked offensive coordinator, Maurice Carthon, are the walking definition of embattled. The frustration just oozes from every pore of Crennel's expanding girth. Sizing up the season thus far, Crennel told the assembled media "Last year when we got here, we didn't think we were very good and nobody did. We just tried to play hard and keep it close. This year, because of the off-season acquisitions, everybody felt we were going to be better. You can be better on paper, but ultimately you have to be better on Sunday. And we haven't been as good on Sunday."
And exactly why the Browns aren't better shouldn't be such a mystery to Crennel. Which is where Carthon comes in. In Tony Grossi's analysis in this week's Plain Dealer, he aptly noted that despite the sensitivity of the matter, the play caller must be changed: "Under Carthon's direction, the Browns scored the fewest points in the league last year. Today, they are ranked 31st in overall offensive yards. Add in a bunch of questionable play-calls and some puzzling lineup decisions. What in that body of work suggests the coordinator is doing a reasonably good job?"
In many ways, the Browns are struggling in the same ways as the Miami Dolphins. In 2005, the Dolphins appeared to be a team on the rise, finishing their first season under Nick Saban at 9-7 after going 4-12 the previous season. The Dolphins likewise made a splash in the off-season, seemingly stabilizing their quarterback situation by signing Daunte Culpepper. Yet, five weeks into this season they find themselves, surprise, at 1-4. And it's not a good 1-4, either, with losses to three struggling teams: Houston, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
When we compared the overall stats of both the Browns and the Dolphins, we were mildly surprised at how identical the teams really are. The Browns have scored 20more points, but have given up 19 more than the Dolphins. Miami holds only slight edges in rushing and passing yardage, but Cleveland holds sizable edges in third down conversions and in limiting opponents third-down conversions. The biggest difference is in turnovers. Cleveland is a league worst -9 and Miami is at level par, which begs the question of whether this statistic is overrated (it's not).
The point, we think, is that while Cleveland fans see nothing but grey in every cloud, it is nice to know sometimes you aren't alone. In fact, one could credibly argue that Miami is in worse shape since their turnover ratio figures to get worse and Cleveland's figures to get better, if only slightly. But in the end, none of it will matter. Both teams will be lucky to win 5 games and by whatever measure, whether on paper or stone tablet, they both will have taken a step backward this season despite decent off-seasons. On the other hand, at least neither club is Oakland.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Getting Defensive
It may have been foretold by Nostradamus, we're not quite sure, but it seems that Courtney Brown is back on the injured reserve and out for still another season. Only this time, he's in a Denver Broncos uniform. So to the extent that Cleveland Browns fans need to feel good about something, they can feel good about this.
Courtney Brown seemed to have all the talent in the world. The one thing he could never do is stay healthy. For those keeping track at home, Brown has played a full season once, in 2000. Last year he did play in 14 games but recorded just two sacks for a total of 14 yards. Not exactly the kind of production one might expect out of a number one pick.
On a broader level, there has been much kvetching over the Broncos weird fascination with Cleveland Browns defensive linemen. The convention Cleveland-fan thinking is that this represents just another screw-up since, clearly, the Broncos are a better team. But the truth is, the strength of the Broncos defense is in their defensive backfield. The line, at best, and with all these ex-Browns, remains highly mediocre.
Michael Myers, the player and not the actor/comedian, hasn't exactly lit the world on fire. To call him an ex-Brown is only technically true. He played in Cleveland for only a season and a half, ironically, because of the injuries to the aforementioned Brown. Most of his time was spent with Dallas until they cut him and the Browns picked him up. In his time in Cleveland he recorded exactly one sack, the same as his total with Denver.
Gerard "Big Money" Warren at least has remained healthy. But by any objective measure, such as tackles or sacks, his production continues to decline each year. In fact, his best year was his first year in Cleveland. Since then it's been a rather dramatic decline.
Regarding Kenard Lang, the jury is still out. A career defensive lineman, the Browns tried to make him an outside lineback in Coach Romeo Crennel's 3-4 scheme. It didn't work too well for either side and Lang went looking in the offseason, landing in Denver. In three games, all subbing for Courtney Brown, Lang as five total tackles and one sack. Nothing stellar about that, either.
The bigger point to be made, though, is that with the exception of Mike Myers, all of these lineman carried high salary cap numbers for the Browns. Given their production, the cap numbers simply were not justified. We can certainly debate whether the Browns made good use of the cap space cleared by letting go of this group, but it's beyond debate that the cap space needed to be cleared.
The secret to Bill Belichick's success in New England revolves around his ability to coordinate cap numbers and production more closely than virtually any other team. Belichick is not afraid to let go of even popular veterans if their production no longer comes close to matching their drag on the team's overall salary. This has allowed him to sign, often relatively cheaply, up and coming talent whose production outstrips their cap numbers. Again, whether this works for the Browns, only time will tell. But on this score, you can hardly fault them for trying.
Courtney Brown seemed to have all the talent in the world. The one thing he could never do is stay healthy. For those keeping track at home, Brown has played a full season once, in 2000. Last year he did play in 14 games but recorded just two sacks for a total of 14 yards. Not exactly the kind of production one might expect out of a number one pick.
On a broader level, there has been much kvetching over the Broncos weird fascination with Cleveland Browns defensive linemen. The convention Cleveland-fan thinking is that this represents just another screw-up since, clearly, the Broncos are a better team. But the truth is, the strength of the Broncos defense is in their defensive backfield. The line, at best, and with all these ex-Browns, remains highly mediocre.
Michael Myers, the player and not the actor/comedian, hasn't exactly lit the world on fire. To call him an ex-Brown is only technically true. He played in Cleveland for only a season and a half, ironically, because of the injuries to the aforementioned Brown. Most of his time was spent with Dallas until they cut him and the Browns picked him up. In his time in Cleveland he recorded exactly one sack, the same as his total with Denver.
Gerard "Big Money" Warren at least has remained healthy. But by any objective measure, such as tackles or sacks, his production continues to decline each year. In fact, his best year was his first year in Cleveland. Since then it's been a rather dramatic decline.
Regarding Kenard Lang, the jury is still out. A career defensive lineman, the Browns tried to make him an outside lineback in Coach Romeo Crennel's 3-4 scheme. It didn't work too well for either side and Lang went looking in the offseason, landing in Denver. In three games, all subbing for Courtney Brown, Lang as five total tackles and one sack. Nothing stellar about that, either.
The bigger point to be made, though, is that with the exception of Mike Myers, all of these lineman carried high salary cap numbers for the Browns. Given their production, the cap numbers simply were not justified. We can certainly debate whether the Browns made good use of the cap space cleared by letting go of this group, but it's beyond debate that the cap space needed to be cleared.
The secret to Bill Belichick's success in New England revolves around his ability to coordinate cap numbers and production more closely than virtually any other team. Belichick is not afraid to let go of even popular veterans if their production no longer comes close to matching their drag on the team's overall salary. This has allowed him to sign, often relatively cheaply, up and coming talent whose production outstrips their cap numbers. Again, whether this works for the Browns, only time will tell. But on this score, you can hardly fault them for trying.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Following Up
It's probably just a coincidence, but we couldn't help notice how much Bud Shaw's column in this morning's Plain Dealer sounded like the same points we made just yesterday.
In particular we noted two key conclusions Bud makes, which we share since we made them first. The first is that as long as Crennel judges Carthon by whether or not a play works, there is no hope that the situation will improve. As Bud noted: "As long as Crennel defines a bad play-call as one that doesn't work, there's no hope of the Browns' offensive philosophy matching the talents of the team's playmakers. Ever. Never." Exactly. Carthon seems more interested in finding that magic play then in putting together a philosophy that tries to actually make full use of the limited resources available to him. Kellen Winslow, Jr. still is on the sidelines in too many third down situations. Simply put, there is no reason he should ever come off the field. He's a tight end that can play as a 4th or 5th receiver in a spread formation, particularly since we have no other viable options. Joe Jurevicius, easily the most sure handed receiver we have, is too often on the sidelines in favor of the clearly less accomplished Dennis Northcutt. Conversely, fullback Lawrence Vickers is on the field more often then his limited skills would suggest. In short, Carthon's offense isn't about players but about plays.
Bud's second point is that Crennel either fix the problem or be part of it. As we've said before, Crennel is a lifelong assistant who probably got his chance at head coach too late. As a result, he's over protective of his assistants, adopting a sort of "there but for the grace of God", toward the issue. If Crennel doesn't take this bye week to fix this problem, he should pick up the phone and start canvassing for jobs now. We have a suggestion on that score as well. Call Charlie Weiss. The Notre Dame defense is pitiful and Weiss seems about as clueless as how to fix that as Crennel seems to be about the offense in Cleveland. Reunited might be the only hope for Notre Dame to actually be a top tier team.
***
We noticed with great interest an item in the Plain Dealer's business section and wondered why it escaped the notice of the PD's super terrific and talented sports staff. As was reported widely yesterday, the Dolan family has made a renewed, multi-billion dollar offer to take Cablevision Systems private. The Dolan family, which controls 75 percent of Cablevision, not only control a key cable TV asset in New York City, but also Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
The more pertinent item, as reported by the PD business staff, is the local connection. Indians cheapskate owner Larry Dolan, his ineffective and equally cheap son Paul and another son, Ohio Rep. Matthew Dolan, have a huge stake in this transaction. How this may impact the Indians isn't certain, of course, but we are surprised that the sports staff hasn't attempted to even analyze the situation.
The cheapskate owners have about $500 million tied up in Cablevision, or about a third of the total Dolan interest in the company. Presumably, then, they are in for a third of the purchase of the additional shares as well. Buying the additional shares, while certainly increasing their wealth on paper, will also increase their debt liabilities, which isn't on paper. Will this impact the Indians? We submit it already has. Remember, this is the second time the Dolans have taken a run at taking the company private. For the last two years, there has been significant internal turmoil at Cablevision, turmoil that was occurring, coincidentally enough, during the Tribe's last off season.
Did all of this have an impact on the Dolans strange refusal to not spend last off-season, despite numerous previous pledges to do just that? Did any of this impact on the dumping of salary this past year? Will any of this impact on the off-season decisions this year, such as the budget? Undoubtedly if you ask either owner they'll disavow any connection. But they are fair questions to ask and fair questions to monitor. We have no beef with the Dolans and their business interests at Cablevision, except when those collide with their interest in the Tribe. And given how poorly they've treated the franchise, it seems fair to us to suggest that this latest intrigue at Cablevision can't be good for the Indians.
In particular we noted two key conclusions Bud makes, which we share since we made them first. The first is that as long as Crennel judges Carthon by whether or not a play works, there is no hope that the situation will improve. As Bud noted: "As long as Crennel defines a bad play-call as one that doesn't work, there's no hope of the Browns' offensive philosophy matching the talents of the team's playmakers. Ever. Never." Exactly. Carthon seems more interested in finding that magic play then in putting together a philosophy that tries to actually make full use of the limited resources available to him. Kellen Winslow, Jr. still is on the sidelines in too many third down situations. Simply put, there is no reason he should ever come off the field. He's a tight end that can play as a 4th or 5th receiver in a spread formation, particularly since we have no other viable options. Joe Jurevicius, easily the most sure handed receiver we have, is too often on the sidelines in favor of the clearly less accomplished Dennis Northcutt. Conversely, fullback Lawrence Vickers is on the field more often then his limited skills would suggest. In short, Carthon's offense isn't about players but about plays.
Bud's second point is that Crennel either fix the problem or be part of it. As we've said before, Crennel is a lifelong assistant who probably got his chance at head coach too late. As a result, he's over protective of his assistants, adopting a sort of "there but for the grace of God", toward the issue. If Crennel doesn't take this bye week to fix this problem, he should pick up the phone and start canvassing for jobs now. We have a suggestion on that score as well. Call Charlie Weiss. The Notre Dame defense is pitiful and Weiss seems about as clueless as how to fix that as Crennel seems to be about the offense in Cleveland. Reunited might be the only hope for Notre Dame to actually be a top tier team.
***
We noticed with great interest an item in the Plain Dealer's business section and wondered why it escaped the notice of the PD's super terrific and talented sports staff. As was reported widely yesterday, the Dolan family has made a renewed, multi-billion dollar offer to take Cablevision Systems private. The Dolan family, which controls 75 percent of Cablevision, not only control a key cable TV asset in New York City, but also Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
The more pertinent item, as reported by the PD business staff, is the local connection. Indians cheapskate owner Larry Dolan, his ineffective and equally cheap son Paul and another son, Ohio Rep. Matthew Dolan, have a huge stake in this transaction. How this may impact the Indians isn't certain, of course, but we are surprised that the sports staff hasn't attempted to even analyze the situation.
The cheapskate owners have about $500 million tied up in Cablevision, or about a third of the total Dolan interest in the company. Presumably, then, they are in for a third of the purchase of the additional shares as well. Buying the additional shares, while certainly increasing their wealth on paper, will also increase their debt liabilities, which isn't on paper. Will this impact the Indians? We submit it already has. Remember, this is the second time the Dolans have taken a run at taking the company private. For the last two years, there has been significant internal turmoil at Cablevision, turmoil that was occurring, coincidentally enough, during the Tribe's last off season.
Did all of this have an impact on the Dolans strange refusal to not spend last off-season, despite numerous previous pledges to do just that? Did any of this impact on the dumping of salary this past year? Will any of this impact on the off-season decisions this year, such as the budget? Undoubtedly if you ask either owner they'll disavow any connection. But they are fair questions to ask and fair questions to monitor. We have no beef with the Dolans and their business interests at Cablevision, except when those collide with their interest in the Tribe. And given how poorly they've treated the franchise, it seems fair to us to suggest that this latest intrigue at Cablevision can't be good for the Indians.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Written Off
While perusing the plethora of pre-game talk shows this past Sunday, we were fascinated by the number of fans who already have written off this year’s Browns season. We suppose that if you’re judging the season by the usual, boring barometers of wins vs. losses, we can see how one would arrive at that conclusion. But even in a lost season, there is much intrigue to both distract and fascinate even the casual observer.
For example, it was clear in early June that the Indians were through. They were playing uninspired, sloppy baseball night after night. They were well out of the race early and gave fans no hope that they could ever get back in. But the movements of GM Mark Shapiro still provided intrigue as he sought to divest assets for cash to better position his cheapskate bosses into pulling the wool over the fans yet again with another declaration of how they would spend in the off-season. Although house shill, team apologist and resident troll Mike Trivisonno of Indians flagship station WTAM may not have noticed, most fans with a lick of sense could see what was going on. At the very least, it provided hours of conversation for fans, which is what sports does best.
In turning our attention to the Browns, the intrigue is no less compelling.
Kellen Winslow, Jr. is a classic tragic figure. Undeterred by his modest professional accomplishments to date, he has the talk and swagger of a Super Bowl MVP and the absolute hubris to not realize that this lack of humility will ultimately be his downfall. But until that happens, he continues to entertain. Even his “no comments” resonate.
Exhibit A was the loud “no comment” yesterday when asked about the ludicrous play calling of justifiably beleaguered offensive coordinator, Maurice Carthon. Specifically, K2 was exorcised, rightly, about a ridiculous “halfback” option call on third and inches with the game in the balance. Rookie (that’s right, rookie) fullback Lawrence Vickers lined up with veteran fullback Terrelle Smith. Reuben Droughns, a former fullback, was on the bench as was scatback Jerome Harrison. Showing supreme confidence in his frail offensive line, Carthon decided not to power forward for the crucial real estate but instead tried to trick Julius Peppers and the rest of the Carolina Panthers defense with the halfback pass. Vickers threw poorly, center Hank Fraley held anyway, and the Browns settled for another field goal, blowing their last legitimate chance to get back into the game. Asked about it after the game, a perturbed K2 demurred “no comment on that one.”
So what we know from all this is that head coach Romeo Crennel has effectively stifled public criticism from the players, based on K2’s last outburst about Carthon. And what we also know is that Crennel is fast becoming a tragic figure himself with a dangerous lack situational awareness.
No one could seriously argue Crennel’s lack of effectiveness when it comes to stifling the poor play calling of his hand-picked coordinator, Carthon. Each week Crennel is asked about one poor play after another. Each week Crennel gives the same answer, “it didn’t work so it wasn’t a good play.” Since the pattern keeps repeating, the only conclusion we can draw is that Crennel believes that it’s not the plays but the players.
And this is the second reason why the Browns are still compelling. As this mini reality show plays out each week, the question quickly becomes whether Crennel will save himself by rightly sacrificing Carthon or whether Crennel will fall on his sword instead. Given how long it took Crennel to become a head coach, sacrificing Carthon would be the smart move. Given how long it’s taking for Crennel to recognize a bad coaching job, the latter is more likely. And for Crennel and Browns fans, that’s the real tragedy.
For example, it was clear in early June that the Indians were through. They were playing uninspired, sloppy baseball night after night. They were well out of the race early and gave fans no hope that they could ever get back in. But the movements of GM Mark Shapiro still provided intrigue as he sought to divest assets for cash to better position his cheapskate bosses into pulling the wool over the fans yet again with another declaration of how they would spend in the off-season. Although house shill, team apologist and resident troll Mike Trivisonno of Indians flagship station WTAM may not have noticed, most fans with a lick of sense could see what was going on. At the very least, it provided hours of conversation for fans, which is what sports does best.
In turning our attention to the Browns, the intrigue is no less compelling.
Kellen Winslow, Jr. is a classic tragic figure. Undeterred by his modest professional accomplishments to date, he has the talk and swagger of a Super Bowl MVP and the absolute hubris to not realize that this lack of humility will ultimately be his downfall. But until that happens, he continues to entertain. Even his “no comments” resonate.
Exhibit A was the loud “no comment” yesterday when asked about the ludicrous play calling of justifiably beleaguered offensive coordinator, Maurice Carthon. Specifically, K2 was exorcised, rightly, about a ridiculous “halfback” option call on third and inches with the game in the balance. Rookie (that’s right, rookie) fullback Lawrence Vickers lined up with veteran fullback Terrelle Smith. Reuben Droughns, a former fullback, was on the bench as was scatback Jerome Harrison. Showing supreme confidence in his frail offensive line, Carthon decided not to power forward for the crucial real estate but instead tried to trick Julius Peppers and the rest of the Carolina Panthers defense with the halfback pass. Vickers threw poorly, center Hank Fraley held anyway, and the Browns settled for another field goal, blowing their last legitimate chance to get back into the game. Asked about it after the game, a perturbed K2 demurred “no comment on that one.”
So what we know from all this is that head coach Romeo Crennel has effectively stifled public criticism from the players, based on K2’s last outburst about Carthon. And what we also know is that Crennel is fast becoming a tragic figure himself with a dangerous lack situational awareness.
No one could seriously argue Crennel’s lack of effectiveness when it comes to stifling the poor play calling of his hand-picked coordinator, Carthon. Each week Crennel is asked about one poor play after another. Each week Crennel gives the same answer, “it didn’t work so it wasn’t a good play.” Since the pattern keeps repeating, the only conclusion we can draw is that Crennel believes that it’s not the plays but the players.
And this is the second reason why the Browns are still compelling. As this mini reality show plays out each week, the question quickly becomes whether Crennel will save himself by rightly sacrificing Carthon or whether Crennel will fall on his sword instead. Given how long it took Crennel to become a head coach, sacrificing Carthon would be the smart move. Given how long it’s taking for Crennel to recognize a bad coaching job, the latter is more likely. And for Crennel and Browns fans, that’s the real tragedy.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Regrets? What Regrets?
A few weeks ago we asked why the Indians traded Bob Wickman. If you listened to or read about Mark Shapiro's post-season wrap-up of the Indians, that question is even more relevant and an answer ever more elusive.
Shapiro was quick to admit that trading Brandon Phillips was a mistake. That's fairly obvious given the rather large hole that needs to be filled at that position in the off-season and no one on the present squad or in the minors to fill it. That's why finding a second baseman occupies one of the top spots on the off-season wish list.
But why, then, would Shapiro nonetheless defend his decision to trade Wickman. According to Shapiro, "I don't have any regret about the decision. We had to find out about Fausto Carmona as a closer candidate. Had we not traded him, we're looking at [an] 82-, 84- or 85-win season. That would have been a positive outcome for this market."
Let's dissect this for all it's worth. First, the underlying premise makes no sense. There was nothing pushing the Indians to try to find out, right now, whether Carmona could be a closer. Virtually all scouts agree that Carmona is best suited as a starter. His late season starts for the Tribe seem to confirm that opinion. But even more to the point, Carmona is only 23. If he were a position player, he'd be young. As a pitcher, he's a baby. He's probably a good four or five years from developing to the point where his future will be clear. We'd go back and point out, statistically, how much later pitchers reach their prime than position players, but anyone who's watched baseball even casually understands that point. For Shapiro to use this self-created, but wholly unnecessary, need to chart Carmona's path now simply lacks credibility.
Second, our analysis basically confirms Shapiro's contention that had Wickman stayed, the Tribe would have won somewhere in the mid to high 80s. But where we have a problem is Shapiro's somewhat dismissive view of this. The truth is that the Indians record only improves by 7 or 8 games due simply to the lack of save opportunities this team afforded to its closer. That was evident when Wickman was here for the first part of the season and remained true after his trade on July 20th. We all remember the Carmona flameouts, but mostly because they occurred in rapid succession. If you examine the season as a whole, that appears to be the only real stretch when several save opportunities presented themselves in such consecutive fashion. Most of the save opportunities were scattered and there were long stretches throughout the season where a closer simply was not needed.
But looking at the big picture, Shapiro's lack of regret of his trade is mystifying since finding a closer, like a second baseman, also is at the top of his wish list. So while he regrets dumping Phillips, presumably because of the hole he now has to unnecessarily fill, he can't bring himself to offer up the same regrets for trading Wickman, even though filling that hole will require at least as much effort on his part. And it's not, as we've said, that finding a proven closer like Wickman comes easy or cheap.
In our view, if Shapiro should have any regrets it should be for dumping Wickman not Phillips. For Shapiro's sake, it's probably a good thing no one asked him whether he regretted not signing Bob Howry. We could only imagine the spin that question would have received.
Shapiro was quick to admit that trading Brandon Phillips was a mistake. That's fairly obvious given the rather large hole that needs to be filled at that position in the off-season and no one on the present squad or in the minors to fill it. That's why finding a second baseman occupies one of the top spots on the off-season wish list.
But why, then, would Shapiro nonetheless defend his decision to trade Wickman. According to Shapiro, "I don't have any regret about the decision. We had to find out about Fausto Carmona as a closer candidate. Had we not traded him, we're looking at [an] 82-, 84- or 85-win season. That would have been a positive outcome for this market."
Let's dissect this for all it's worth. First, the underlying premise makes no sense. There was nothing pushing the Indians to try to find out, right now, whether Carmona could be a closer. Virtually all scouts agree that Carmona is best suited as a starter. His late season starts for the Tribe seem to confirm that opinion. But even more to the point, Carmona is only 23. If he were a position player, he'd be young. As a pitcher, he's a baby. He's probably a good four or five years from developing to the point where his future will be clear. We'd go back and point out, statistically, how much later pitchers reach their prime than position players, but anyone who's watched baseball even casually understands that point. For Shapiro to use this self-created, but wholly unnecessary, need to chart Carmona's path now simply lacks credibility.
Second, our analysis basically confirms Shapiro's contention that had Wickman stayed, the Tribe would have won somewhere in the mid to high 80s. But where we have a problem is Shapiro's somewhat dismissive view of this. The truth is that the Indians record only improves by 7 or 8 games due simply to the lack of save opportunities this team afforded to its closer. That was evident when Wickman was here for the first part of the season and remained true after his trade on July 20th. We all remember the Carmona flameouts, but mostly because they occurred in rapid succession. If you examine the season as a whole, that appears to be the only real stretch when several save opportunities presented themselves in such consecutive fashion. Most of the save opportunities were scattered and there were long stretches throughout the season where a closer simply was not needed.
But looking at the big picture, Shapiro's lack of regret of his trade is mystifying since finding a closer, like a second baseman, also is at the top of his wish list. So while he regrets dumping Phillips, presumably because of the hole he now has to unnecessarily fill, he can't bring himself to offer up the same regrets for trading Wickman, even though filling that hole will require at least as much effort on his part. And it's not, as we've said, that finding a proven closer like Wickman comes easy or cheap.
In our view, if Shapiro should have any regrets it should be for dumping Wickman not Phillips. For Shapiro's sake, it's probably a good thing no one asked him whether he regretted not signing Bob Howry. We could only imagine the spin that question would have received.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
On Further Review
Now we're worried.
Yesterday we noted, somewhat in passing, somewhat in detail, the lack of professionalism exhibited by Browns quarterback Charlie Frye in throwing what may be the worst pass we've seen in recent years.
We note today that Frye readily acknowledges that it was a "bonehead" play that is not to be repeated. Good. But what scares us is that what drove him to make the throw in the first place is the fact that it supposedly worked three or four other times in the past. Really? We defy Frye to name the times, places, and situations where it worked even once. We guarantee he can't do it. Besides, even if he could, is that what we can expect out of this guy. In Frye's world, a stupid mistake that happens to work shouldn't be met with a sigh of relief that he got away with one. Instead, it's met with the false confidence to try it again. If that's what's guiding Frye in his development, we submit that the Browns will be on the market for a new starter before the start training camp next season.
We also were intrigued by the comments of Joe Jurevicius. As reported in the Akron Beacon Journal, Frye's play didn't cost him the respect of his teammates, according to Jurevicius.``He's a phenomenal competitor. He takes the hits and still takes charge in the huddle.... I don't care where he went to school,'' Jurevicius said.
This somewhat backhanded compliment only underscores the tenuous nature of Frye's grip on the respect of his teammates. Not only must he overcome the stigma of being from the University of Akron, he also must overcome the stigma of throwing two critical, ill conceived passes in the red zone in consecutive weeks. Just getting up after being repeatedly hit will ultimately lose its luster. If Frye continues to play like he's still at the U of A instead of the NFL, that respect for taking the hits will quickly turn into disdain, as in "why the heck doesn't he get rid of the ball faster? He deserves what he gets."
Yes, we all hope it's a learning experience for Frye. And, frankly, we're pulling for him. But Frye must recognize that until he starts approaching his job as a professional, he'll never carry the gravitas accorded of a NFL veteran.
Yesterday we noted, somewhat in passing, somewhat in detail, the lack of professionalism exhibited by Browns quarterback Charlie Frye in throwing what may be the worst pass we've seen in recent years.
We note today that Frye readily acknowledges that it was a "bonehead" play that is not to be repeated. Good. But what scares us is that what drove him to make the throw in the first place is the fact that it supposedly worked three or four other times in the past. Really? We defy Frye to name the times, places, and situations where it worked even once. We guarantee he can't do it. Besides, even if he could, is that what we can expect out of this guy. In Frye's world, a stupid mistake that happens to work shouldn't be met with a sigh of relief that he got away with one. Instead, it's met with the false confidence to try it again. If that's what's guiding Frye in his development, we submit that the Browns will be on the market for a new starter before the start training camp next season.
We also were intrigued by the comments of Joe Jurevicius. As reported in the Akron Beacon Journal, Frye's play didn't cost him the respect of his teammates, according to Jurevicius.``He's a phenomenal competitor. He takes the hits and still takes charge in the huddle.... I don't care where he went to school,'' Jurevicius said.
This somewhat backhanded compliment only underscores the tenuous nature of Frye's grip on the respect of his teammates. Not only must he overcome the stigma of being from the University of Akron, he also must overcome the stigma of throwing two critical, ill conceived passes in the red zone in consecutive weeks. Just getting up after being repeatedly hit will ultimately lose its luster. If Frye continues to play like he's still at the U of A instead of the NFL, that respect for taking the hits will quickly turn into disdain, as in "why the heck doesn't he get rid of the ball faster? He deserves what he gets."
Yes, we all hope it's a learning experience for Frye. And, frankly, we're pulling for him. But Frye must recognize that until he starts approaching his job as a professional, he'll never carry the gravitas accorded of a NFL veteran.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Don't Rain on My Parade
You can breathe easier now, the Browns are off the schnide. We know how the city breathes a collective sigh of relief when the Browns actually win a game, but we also know that this relief has the shelf life of an overfed goldfish. That's why we're pretty confident that by this time most Cleveland fans are busy devaluing the victory to the point where it might as well have been a loss.
But we're not going to pile on, at least not right now. If we were, we'd be talking about how Ted "C.C." Washington is about two bisquits away from eating himself out of the league. We'd also be talking more seriously about whether Charlie Frye really has the make-up to be a top tier quarterback in the NFL. His fourth quarter interception, which the Plain Dealer labeled, in victory, laughable, hopefully isn't a laughing matter in Berea. It was so amatuerish, so college, that it makes one wonder whether Frye can really lead this team.
It's one thing to try and make things happen. It's a whole other thing to treat the game like you're on the playground. Frye obviously had no appreciation for the situation. It was second down inside the 10. He was well out of the pocket and heading for the out of bounds line. He's allowed to throw it away and not risk an intentional grounding call. He's allowed to run out of bounds and lose a few yards. Instead, he just heaves it into the middle of the end zone hoping something good would happen.
And before one says "well, you'd be singing a different song if it had worked", that's completely untrue. If, by chance, Frye had been lucky enough to complete it, we'd still question his professionalism. The Browns were on the verge of putting the game away. A field goal would have forced the league's worst offense to score a touchdown, something they had done only once this season (which happened to be earlier in the same game). That's a chance a pro would take. Frye, instead, had no concept of the situation he was in, apparently thinking he needed a touchdown, even though the Browns were up by 3 and it was late in the game and a field goal was an almost certainty.
Some may want to compare Frye's bonehead play to the seemingly desperate pass that Troy Smith of Ohio State threw to receiver Brian Robiskie last week against Penn State. In the first instance, Smith is a college quarterback. Frye is a second year pro. Second, Smith's throw wasn't nearly as risky. Robiskie was in single coverage and at the time of the pass Smith, like Robiskie, was in the center of the field. The pass was thrown on a rope and put where either Robiskie would get it or no one. Frye nearly had one foot out of bounds and threw a pass in the air hoping something good would happen. And it wasn't even a well thrown ball.
And for those of you counting at home, that's two key interceptions in the end zone for Frye in consecutive weeks. Head coach Romeo Crennel gave Frye a public pass on the interception last week, saying that Frye had been hit when he threw. But that's only a half truth. The hit did not affect that throw. It was simply a poor throw at the exact wrong time, with the game in the balance. Just like yesterday's throw. But we doubt Crennel gives Frye a pass this week. Sure, they'll laugh about it now, but it's these kinds of things that one has to look for in trying to discern whether Frye is the answer.
But again, we don't want to rain on the parade this morning so we'll reserve our comments and instead note that if you're confused about the Indians, you're not alone. We read with interest two disparate articles yesterday about ostensibly the same subject: the Tribe. In the Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes, was ranting about where the Indians now stand. Hoynes rightly notes that:"It was easy to say the Indians were ahead of schedule last year. This year, they've been out-spent and passed by three teams in their own division. It's hard to imagine what the Tribe could do this winter to leap-frog Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit and reach the postseason in 2007."
For beautiful contrast, we look to Sheldon Ocker, Hoynes' counterpart at the Akron Beacon Journal. Ocker took a much more measured approach, saying , basically that the Tribe doesn't need that much to get back to where they were. While there is much to pick apart in Ocker's column, we do note that Ocker has been of this view for most of the season.
At this juncture, it's hard to tell who's right, mainly because the Indians were such an enigma this year. They had four starting pitchers win at least 10 games. They hit well and scored plenty of runs. Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner emerged as superstars. That tends to support Ocker. Yet, they were 18 games back in their division, three victories away from breaking even on the season. As we've chronicled, they are being massively outspent in their own division and little hope of ever catching up. That tends to support Hoynes.
We do know this, the fans are fed up. We suspect that this is the last season that either GM Mark Shapiro or Manager Eric Wedge will get the benefit of the doubt. It should be an interesting off-season.
But we're not going to pile on, at least not right now. If we were, we'd be talking about how Ted "C.C." Washington is about two bisquits away from eating himself out of the league. We'd also be talking more seriously about whether Charlie Frye really has the make-up to be a top tier quarterback in the NFL. His fourth quarter interception, which the Plain Dealer labeled, in victory, laughable, hopefully isn't a laughing matter in Berea. It was so amatuerish, so college, that it makes one wonder whether Frye can really lead this team.
It's one thing to try and make things happen. It's a whole other thing to treat the game like you're on the playground. Frye obviously had no appreciation for the situation. It was second down inside the 10. He was well out of the pocket and heading for the out of bounds line. He's allowed to throw it away and not risk an intentional grounding call. He's allowed to run out of bounds and lose a few yards. Instead, he just heaves it into the middle of the end zone hoping something good would happen.
And before one says "well, you'd be singing a different song if it had worked", that's completely untrue. If, by chance, Frye had been lucky enough to complete it, we'd still question his professionalism. The Browns were on the verge of putting the game away. A field goal would have forced the league's worst offense to score a touchdown, something they had done only once this season (which happened to be earlier in the same game). That's a chance a pro would take. Frye, instead, had no concept of the situation he was in, apparently thinking he needed a touchdown, even though the Browns were up by 3 and it was late in the game and a field goal was an almost certainty.
Some may want to compare Frye's bonehead play to the seemingly desperate pass that Troy Smith of Ohio State threw to receiver Brian Robiskie last week against Penn State. In the first instance, Smith is a college quarterback. Frye is a second year pro. Second, Smith's throw wasn't nearly as risky. Robiskie was in single coverage and at the time of the pass Smith, like Robiskie, was in the center of the field. The pass was thrown on a rope and put where either Robiskie would get it or no one. Frye nearly had one foot out of bounds and threw a pass in the air hoping something good would happen. And it wasn't even a well thrown ball.
And for those of you counting at home, that's two key interceptions in the end zone for Frye in consecutive weeks. Head coach Romeo Crennel gave Frye a public pass on the interception last week, saying that Frye had been hit when he threw. But that's only a half truth. The hit did not affect that throw. It was simply a poor throw at the exact wrong time, with the game in the balance. Just like yesterday's throw. But we doubt Crennel gives Frye a pass this week. Sure, they'll laugh about it now, but it's these kinds of things that one has to look for in trying to discern whether Frye is the answer.
But again, we don't want to rain on the parade this morning so we'll reserve our comments and instead note that if you're confused about the Indians, you're not alone. We read with interest two disparate articles yesterday about ostensibly the same subject: the Tribe. In the Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes, was ranting about where the Indians now stand. Hoynes rightly notes that:"It was easy to say the Indians were ahead of schedule last year. This year, they've been out-spent and passed by three teams in their own division. It's hard to imagine what the Tribe could do this winter to leap-frog Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit and reach the postseason in 2007."
For beautiful contrast, we look to Sheldon Ocker, Hoynes' counterpart at the Akron Beacon Journal. Ocker took a much more measured approach, saying , basically that the Tribe doesn't need that much to get back to where they were. While there is much to pick apart in Ocker's column, we do note that Ocker has been of this view for most of the season.
At this juncture, it's hard to tell who's right, mainly because the Indians were such an enigma this year. They had four starting pitchers win at least 10 games. They hit well and scored plenty of runs. Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner emerged as superstars. That tends to support Ocker. Yet, they were 18 games back in their division, three victories away from breaking even on the season. As we've chronicled, they are being massively outspent in their own division and little hope of ever catching up. That tends to support Hoynes.
We do know this, the fans are fed up. We suspect that this is the last season that either GM Mark Shapiro or Manager Eric Wedge will get the benefit of the doubt. It should be an interesting off-season.
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