Are The Browns Going Backwards Under Holmgren and Heckert?

http://www.chatsports.com/cleveland-browns/a/As-Browns-Go-Backwards-Honeymoon-Is-Over-for-Holmgren-and-Heckert-10-27-186

 

 

Lastest Blog Post: Why the fans Win Big in NFL Lockout

Please continue to follow my work at Chat Sports with my latest article on why the fans should be happy about the impending results of the NFL Lockout agreement:

http://www.chatsports.com/cleveland-browns/a/The-Big-Winners-of-the-NFL-Lockout-areThe-Fans-10-27-128

 

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Did Rob Ryan Punk Brother Rex on Kyle Wilson?

Remember back on draft night when various members of the media claimed that the Browns were torn between Joe Haden and Kyle Wilson?  It was even reported that the Browns were arguing internally on draft night over which CB to take with the #7 pick.

Put aside the ridiculousness that a team would still not have separated two guys who play the same position on their draft board by draft night, and remember that Rex Ryan even alluded to the fact that his brother Rob had said that Wilson was “their (the Browns) guy“.   He didn’t actually name Rob, but he made it clear who he was talking about, and followed it up by saying that “I guarantee you were right because this guy is the real deal.”

Fast forward 9 games into the season, and Toni Grossi mentions in his game preview this week that Kyle Wilson has played himself to the bench.

So it begs the question, did Rob Ryan pass along a bogus claim to his brother as part of a draft-day ruse?

The two brothers obviously discussed some players prior to the draft, so it’s perfectly logical that Rob could play coy to his brother in order to muddle the waters as to what the Browns true draft-intentions were.

Misinformation is the name of the game when it comes to the NFL draft.  But using your own brother in a grand smokescreen would be taking things to a different level.

When A First Down Is Not Really A First Down

It is fortunate for the various belongings in the immediate area surrounding the couch from which I watch football games that this was not a meaningful renewal of the Browns-Steelers ‘rivalry’.  The only thing more confusing than that first sentence was how in the world this became a first down for the Steelers. 

The referee’s excuse that it was a ‘bad camera angle’ didn’t seem to make much sense either.  Especially to those of you who were listening to the game on WMMS when the Browns sideline report Andre Knott asked the guy on the chain-gang who held the marker what happened and he said it looked like it was short to him and he didn’t know why the ref ruled it a first down.

The other curious thing is how little coverage this call got.  After all, this was only a fourth-down measurement inside the redzone during a 14-7 game.  Kinda of strange to me, but I guess that’s the kind of treatment you get when you’re 1-4 and have lost 12 straight to your ‘rival’.

A Quick Word Association

Browns offense with Brady Quinn:  Anemic.

Browns offense with Derek Anderson:  Erratic.

Talent level under Mangini/Kokinis:  Depleted.

Description of team under Randy Lerner:  chaotic

Last decade of football:  Wasted.

The Browns Have a Slight Lack of Scoring

The Cleveland Browns have not scored an offensive touchdown in 7 games.  That’s 28 quarters.  Brown pants, white pants, no pants–it really doesn’t matter what they are wearing, who the QB is, who is coaching, or where the game takes place.  They simply can’t find the end zone.

It couldn’t have been a worse 2009 debut for a club who is struggling to sell tickets to next week’s pre-season home opener against the Lions.  Next saturday we may see the first blackout of any game since the team came back 10 years ago, and those 4 games in December and January are looking perilous as well.

Certainly one could say that it was just a pre-season game, and it’s true that the reaction would be unbearable had this been the actual opener.  But it certainly doesn’t bode well for a franchise operating in a recession that has yielded little on the field in the 10 seasons since their return to football.  I would say that next week couldn’t be any worse, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve thought that and been wrong–it is Cleveland.

Of Brady Quinn, Brown Pants, a Big Dawg DUI, and Stolen Signals

Lynn Ischay/The Plain Dealer

It’s been an interesting week for the Browns, and they haven’t even played a single pre-season game yet. 

They had a practice on Sunday in which half of the team practiced in the hideous brown pants look that they donned last year for the Giants debacle.  This is a disturbing trend.  Their uni’s are so simple, yet it seems that every regime that comes to Cleveland wants to find some way to tweak them so that they are just off a little.  You had the Butch Davis era which featured orange pants, and the occasional orange jersey (yuk).  Under Romeo and Phil they reverted to a more ‘classic’ look with the grey   and black shoes, but the brown pants look that allegedly Mangini is a fan of is just wrong.

Speaking of Mangini, he seemed to quell the rumors that Brady stole hand signals from Derek and tipped off the opposing D.  Of course this sparked a debate anyway between the DA and BQ supports that went something like this:  Quinn guy:  WOW!  Brady is so competitive he’ll do whatever it takes to win even in a pre-season game!!! (although his team did lose).  DA fan:  Obviously Quinn knows he is behind in the QB derby so he has to resort to cheating.  All of this is great stuff for online forums and sports talk shows, but it’s the type of babble that shows there’s nothing better to talk about during the pre-season.

But perhaps the most disheartening story was of course the news that our very own Big Dawg got busted for a DUI earlier this week.  My first question was ‘did he at least wear the dawg mask for the mug shot?’  I’ don’t know Big Dawg but every time I’ve met him he’s seemed unusually nice, and not at all bothered by the his local celebrity.  I’ve seen him stand for an hour or more before games to take photos with fans, and never seen him turn someone away.  But DUI is certainly a serious matter, it’s just unfortunate that such a visible member of the dawg pound put himself in that situation (which made me wonder how many of the ‘regular’ dawg pounders have DUI’s under their belts, yikes). 

Anyway, this is the type of stuff you talk about when there is no actual football being played.  Well that, and this:

http://wnst.net/wordpress/section/audio/  (Scroll down to the “Burning River” clip)