Tag Archives: Browns

IF I WERE IN CHARGE OF…….

Posted: Jan 6, 2014 by . Filed under Feature Articles | 40 Comments

If I were in charge of the Cleveland Browns I would inquire with every  former NFL coach who’s won a Super Bowl, every hot NFL coordinator and every top college coach and ask what would it take for them to come and coach the Cleveland Browns. Money is obviously no object, as Jimmy Haslam is paying Rob Chudzinski over $10 million dollars not to coach.

Jimmy Haslam Photo

(courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

So yes I would reach out to Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Brian Billick and Tony Dungy just to hear them tell me they’re not interested.

I would then call all the so-called hot coordinators like Dan Quinn the defensive coordinator of the Seahawks(he’s already interviewed with the Browns), Josh McDaniels the offensive coordinator of the Patriots(the Browns have already talked to him as well), Ken Wisenhunt the offensive coordinator of the Chargers and Adam Gase the Broncos offensive coordinator.

After I talked with all of them, I would then get in touch with the top college guys like Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Jim Tressel, Gus Malzahn from Auburn, James Franklin from Vanderbilt, Nick Saban at Alabama, Urban Meyer at Ohio State and whoever else is considered a top coach. I would leave no stone unturned if I were Haslam, Banner and Lombardi, you can’t afford to. Your franchise is a joke right now. You admittedly screwed up last year by hiring Chud, so you better go out and find the savior to coach this team and turn it around in a hurry.

Then I would find the top three guys who have an interest in the job and see what it would take for them to quit their current job and come to Cleveland. Whoever showed the most interest and had the best resume of the bunch, I would offer him the job and get him on the next plane to Cleveland to start helping turn this franchise around.

This is the most important off season in Browns history as you’re trying to find the right coach; you have 10 high draft picks and a boatload of money to spend in free agency to better your talent. You better get all three phases right or the Browns will continue to be at the bottom of the AFC North, fan apathy will start to set in and you will continue to be the punch line for all NFL football jokes and yes Jimmy Haslam, whether you want to believe it or not, just “THE SAME OLD BROWNS”!

RODA REPORT 1-2-14

Posted: Jan 2, 2014 by . Filed under Feature Articles | 40 Comments

Either Urban Meyer/Ohio State and David Shaw/Stanford didn’t respect Michigan State’s defense, both are too stubborn for their own good, or they just had a major brain cramp by calling the plays they called in late game situations against the Spartans defense in the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl.  Why play to the strength of Michigan State’s defense in those short yardage situations? Stupid coaching decision by two of the very best coaches in college football!

Speaking of stupid, you could argue the Browns front office is just that after firing head coach Rob Chudzinski after only one year on the job. From everything that was said all season long and even before that, in last year’s off season, the team was supposedly building for 2014 and trying to establish continuity and stability. Instead Chud gets canned after one season and Jimmy Haslam, Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi are back to drawing board of yet another coaching search.  In order to fire Chud, this next coach they hire better be the second coming of Bill Belichick and what scares me is that the guy they reportedly have the most interest in, Josh McDaniels, they feel is the second coming of Belichick. Only time will tell if getting rid of Chud was a good move or if indeed the “Three Stooges” are running the Browns!

I have a bad feeling that after winning 24 games in a row, Ohio State is on the verge of losing its second game in a row in the Orange Bowl versus Clemson. The Buckeyes defense, which gave up a combined 75 points and over 1,000 yards in its last two games to Michigan and Michigan State, will be without two of their best defenders against the Tigers in cornerback Bradly Roby and defensive end Noah Spence.  How is that defense supposed to stop Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins if they couldn’t shut down the less explosive Wolverines and Spartans with a healthier defense? Add to that Braxton Miller has been very pedestrian in throwing the football in his last four games and this has the makings of another BCS Bowl disappointment for OSU. I expect it to be a shoot-out and the team that has the ball last will probably win the game, so let’s hope it’s the Buckeyes have the pigskin last.

If Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles join Teddy Bridgewater in this year’s NFL draft, it’ll be interesting to see who is ranked highest on the QB list by the media and more importantly by NFL teams.  I don’t see a slam dunk in any of those three like I did with Andrew Luck. Will Manziel’s backyard, crazy legs style fly in the NFL? While Bortles has the size, does he have the experience and the smarts? Bridgewater looks to be the most complete of the three, but the lack of competition he played against in college; does that move him down in the rankings? I want to see these guys at the combine, hear about their interviews and see them with Jon Gruden at his quarterback school before I give my final rankings, but for now I have it 1) Bridgewater 2) Bortles and 3) Manziel.

Here’s the dilemma the Cavs have right now after a (10-21) start. If they make a trade for a player like Pau Gasol will that really impact their chances of making the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference this year and how much will that benefit them in the long run? On the flip side, if this season is headed in the wrong direction and it’s going to take another year for this team to be a legit playoff team, would it benefit them more if they ended up in the lottery one more time for what is considered to be one of the deepest NBA Drafts in recent history?   That’s the decision owner Dan Gilbert and G.M. Chris Grant have to make. The team has been healthy all season and with the off season moves of Bynum and jack they are still a lottery team as of today. Would adding Pau Gasol via a trade with the Lakers really make that much of a difference and gain them valuable playoff experience or would they be better suited to take their chances back in the lottery and maybe land so-called future stars like Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle or others?

BROWNS BY THE UGLY NUMBERS

Posted: Dec 16, 2013 by . Filed under Feature Articles | 38 Comments

The Browns have now lost 5 straight games this season and 8 of their last 9 games.

This is the 6th straight season of 10 or more losses for the Browns.

This is the 10th season in the last 11 seasons that the Browns have lost 10 or more games.

Since returning to the NFL in 1999 the Browns have a (.323) winning percentage.

Since 1999 the Browns have won 9 or more games 2 times.

Since 1999 the Browns have had 7 head coaches and 3 owners.

Butch Davis Photo

Since 1999 the Browns are (5-25) vs the Steelers, (8-22) vs the Ravens and (11-19) vs the Bengals.

Since 1999 the Browns are a combined (24-66) against their division opponents for a (.266) winning percentage.

The Browns have made the NFL playoffs 1 time in the last 15 years.

The last time the Browns won a Division Championship was in 1989 or 24 years ago!

 

 

BROWNS PAINFUL TO WATCH

Posted: Dec 16, 2013 by . Filed under Feature Articles | 38 Comments

As painful as it is to watch the Browns blow 4th quarter lead, after 4th quarter lead, after 4th quarter lead and that’s exactly what they’ve done, blown three consecutive 4th quarter leads. And as painful as it is to witness their sixth consecutive ten or more loss season and tenth in the last eleven years, let’s be honest here, in the long run it’s going to pay off right? I mean, the Browns weren’t going to win the Super Bowl this year anyway, so the higher the draft pick, the better the player you get to draft, right?

I used to think that, I really did until the Browns have proved that theory incorrect since returning in 1999. They’ve had the first overall pick, a bunch of top five picks, multiple first round picks and yet here they are after fifteen years, right back where they started in 1999, one of the worst teams in the NFL!

Team CEO/President Joe Banner and General Manager Mike Lombardi need to change that in what will be the most important off-season since the Browns returned. They have multiple picks in the first and third rounds and their own in the second round and a total of ten draft picks as of today.  Their biggest need of course is to find a franchise quarterback and then go from there.  Granted it’s not their only need, far from it, but it starts right there. If the Browns are going to contend with Joe Flacco and the Ravens and Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, they need to find their Flacco, their Big Ben.

Yes there are some pieces in place for this team like Joe Thomas at left tackle, Josh Gordon (as long as he stays out of trouble in the off season) at wide receiver, Jordan Cameron at tight end, Barkevious Mingo at rush-backer and Joe Haden at corner back, but an upgrade in talent is pretty much needed everywhere else. So use the draft Mike Lombardi. Get creative in free agency Joe Banner. Go find some play makers and difference makers, so come next December, we’re not talking about another double digit loss season for the Browns. Instead, maybe a late season push for a wild card spot, or at least a .500 or better season which hasn’t happened in Cleveland since 2007. Yes it’s been that painful!

THE MONDAY MORNING DUMP

Posted: Dec 2, 2013 by . Filed under Feature Articles | 136 Comments

So who’s guilty for the Browns 32-28 to the Jaguars? There are plenty of suspects:

Quarterback Brandon Weeden – Yes he threw for 370 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he also threw 2 interceptions and fumbled once and those all happened in the final 2:47 of the first half turning a 14-7 Browns lead into a 20-14 deficit at halftime. Oh yeah, let’s not forget he was also playing with a concussion that he didn’t tell anybody about until after the game.

Cornerback  Joe Haden – He’s the one guy on this defense that has all-pro capability and the one guy you thought for sure you could count on with the game on the line, so much for that. On one of the most routine plays a cornerback should make, Haden fell for the old banana in the tailpipe trick and bit on in-fake on 3rd and 9 around the Browns 11 yard line and gave up the game winning touchdown to Cecil Shorts  who said, “We studied film and we knew Joe likes to jump those routes so we ran the play and he did just that.”

Center Alex Mack – The normally reliable Mack sailed a shot game snap over Brandon Weeden’s head from the Browns 14 yard line that ended up in the end zone and Weeden was forced to kick it out of the end zone for a safety.  That also led to a free kick and another possession for the Jags and they turned that into a field goal. So Jacksonville went from being down 21-20 to leading 25-21 in the 4th quarter.

Head Coach Rob Chudzinski –  With the game tied at 14 and only 1:19 left before halftime and your quarterback just threw an interception on the previous possession, do you really want to try and be aggressive there? “K-Y-P” – Know Your Personnel!  The fact that Weeden had just thrown a pick to allow the Jags to tie the game at 14, swallow your pride and be happy going into the locker room tied 14-14. Make some adjustments and know that you’re getting the ball to start the second half and be aggressive on the first series of the 3rd quarter. Instead Weeden turned it over two more times and Jacksonville added 6 more points to take a 20-14 lead into the break! That’s just BAD COACHING!

There are others for sure who contributed to the embarrassing 32-28 loss to the lowly Jaguars, but those seem to be the main culprits. The Browns have now lost 3 in a row and 6 of their last 7 to fall to (4-8) and are headed to another potential top 5 draft pick with 3 of their remaining 4 games left on the road. So thank god for the Ohio State Buckeyes!

Browns Lose To The Steelers Yet Again!

Posted: Nov 24, 2013 by . Filed under Feature Articles | 37 Comments

The Browns had a golden opportunity at home to beat a very bad Steelers team and improve their playoff positioning in the division and the wild card, instead they let that chance literally slip through their fingers. With three fumbles, dropped passes, five sacks given up, a “Pick 6” and their best player getting beat for a long touchdown pass, the Browns lost to Pittsburgh for the 25th time in the last 30 games. The Final – 27-11.

The game was lost in the final 2:41 of the first half when Steelers wide out Antonio Brown beat Joe Haden for a 41 yard touchdown pass to give Pittsburgh a 10-3 lead. On the Browns next possession, Chris Ogbonnaya was hit by Troy Polamalu fumbled and that led to a Pittsburgh field goal right before the end of the 2nd quarter and a 13-3 Steelers halftime lead.

After a Jason Campbell fumble in the 3rd quarter (he had to leave the game with a head injury), Ben Roethlisberger increased the Steelers lead to 20-3 when he hooked up with Emmauel Sanders on a 4 yard TD pass to put the nail in the coffin for Pittsbrugh. Brandon Weeden poured gasoline on the Steelers fire, throwing a “Pick 6” to William Gay in the 4th quarter. That was the Browns 4th turnover of the game. Pittsburgh did not commit a single turnover.

Both of these teams aren’t very good but the difference was at the quarterback position. The Steelers have one, and the Browns don’t.  “Big Ben” improved to 16-1 lifetime against the Browns by getting rid of the football quickly, throwing underneath the Browns defense forcing linebackers and safeties to do something they can’t, cover.  Jason Campbell showed you why he was a free agent and why he really is nothing more than a back-up QB.

So Pittsburgh improves to (5-6) on the year and even though they’re a bad football team, they are still in the AFC Wild Card race. The Browns record dropped to (4-7) this season and are trending more towards another very high draft pick.. In a losing cause, Josh Gordon set single game records for the Browns with 14 catches for 237 yards and scored Cleveland’s only touchdown.  Next up for the Browns, the Jaguars at home next Sunday at 1pm.

10 Reasons Why The Browns Should Beat The Steelers Sunday in Cleveland

Posted: Nov 22, 2013 by . Filed under Feature Articles | 136 Comments

Steelers Can’t Run – Pittsburgh is 30th out of 32 teams in the NFL in running the football. Rookie 2nd round pick Le’Veon Bell is only averaging only 3.1 yards per carry. The Browns defense, ranked 8th against the run this year, should be able to stop the Steelers ground attack and make Pittsburgh a one dimensional on offense.

Pressure Big Ben – The Browns D-Line should dominate a very poor Steelers O-Line and be able to put pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and gets some sacks and force Big Ben into a few turnovers. Roethlisberger already has thrown 10 picks and fumbled 5 times this season. Plus if anybody can shut down Antonio Brown it’s Joe Haden, forcing other receivers to make big plays. Heath Miller could be the one guy who really hurts the Browns on Sunday, because Cleveland’s linebackers don’t cover well. But you can double up on him if you have to.

Pittsburgh Steelers 24 - Cleveland Browns 10

Photo/ CBSPittsburgh.com

Horton’s Familiarity – Ray Horton’s 7 years with the Steelers as an assistant coach should come in handy. His knowledge of Big Ben and the Steelers offense and as well as Dick Lebeau’s defense, should help the coaches and players be better prepared for the Black and Gold on both sides of the ball.

Run, Run, Run – If there was ever a game where the Browns should be able to run the ball, it’s this game against the Steelers who are ranked 26th in the NFL in run defense. If the Browns can establish some type of running game, it will allow Jason Campbell to use play action to his advantage, and suck up the linebackers and safeties of the Steelers and connect on some big plays down the field to Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron.

Road Woes – The Steelers are a totally different team on the road this year than they are at home. Pittsburgh is just (1-4) away from Heinz Field and giving up 27.2ppg on the road.

Banged Up – With S-Shamarko Thomas out and DE-Brett Keisel and LB-LaMarr Woodley both questionable due to injury, along with other season ending injuries to key players, the Steelers are hurting big time and their backups are not very good!

Who’s Calling The Plays? – Will Mike Tomlin insist that offensive coordinator Todd Haley call the plays, or will Tomlin let Ben Roethlisberger go more no-huddle and call the plays? The Steelers have proved to be more effective on offense this year when they go hurry up and Big Ben is in control. If Haley is in charge, advantage Browns.

Value The Football – The Steelers are a (-8) in the give- away/take-away stat. The Browns aren’t real good either at (-3), but if they can get Jason Campbell to protect the ball and manage the game and win the field position battle, that would go a long way in helping the Browns beat the Steelers for just the 6th time in 30 tries since the Browns came back to the NFL in 1999.

Lack Of Focusness (Jim Thome term) – While this is supposed to be one of the most hated rivalries in the NFL, it has lost it’s luster in recent years because of the Steelers total domination of the Browns. At one point Pittsburgh won 12 straight. The Steelers real rival these days is Baltimore and they play the Ravens on Thanksgiving night. So it’s very possible the Steelers could be looking ahead to that game more than they are focusing on this game.

Mother Nature – With the projected high temperature being 27 degrees on Sunday and with the chance of snow and winds at around 20mph, the weather in my opinion would favor the Browns in this game just like it did back in 2009. In subzero temperatures in that game the Browns sacked Ben Roethlisberger 8 times in route to a 13-6 win at Cleveland Browns Stadium as running back Chris Jennings scored the game’s only touchdown on a 10 yard run in the 2nd quarter.

 

My Prediction –     Browns 16     Steelers 13

 

THE MONDAY MORNING DUMP 11-18-13

Posted: Nov 18, 2013 by . Filed under Blog Posts | 39 Comments

I don’t know about you, but as I watched the Browns blow a 13-nothing first quarter lead yesterday by giving up 31 consecutive second quarter points, I started having an Ohio State/Nebraska flashback from two seasons ago.

That’s the last time I can remember a team being in total control and then just losing all momentum in route to losing the game.  In case you didn’t have the same flashback I had, Luke Fickel’s Buckeyes led Bo Pelini’s Cornhuskers 27-6 in the third quarter only to lose the game by giving up 28 unanswered points in a 34-27 loss. Fickell and his staff had no answers on how to turn “Big Mo” back around and that’s how I felt with Rob Chudzinski, Jason Campbell and the Browns yesterday.

With the way the Browns defense was playing, all Campbell had to do at 13-zip nearing the end of the first quarter was manage the game, don’t turn the ball over and there was a pretty good chance the Browns would have beaten the Bengals yesterday.  Instead, Campbell starts the “Avalanche of Negativity” by throwing the first of his three interceptions deep in his own territory that Cincy would eventually turn into 7 points to get them back in the game and get the ball rolling in their direction. 7 points became 14, which became 21, then 28, and before the end of the half, 31 consecutive Cincinnati points for a 31-13 halftime lead. BALLGAME!photo (47)

While Campbell started this disastrous process, Chud’s inability to make adjustments on the fly, especially on special teams was just as costly. You can’t let your special teams get two punts blocked in a single game let alone in one quarter. Chud also has the veto power to step in if he doesn’t like the way Norv Turner is calling the game and to abandon the run like they did after the first quarter proved  to be part of their demise as well.

This was the biggest Browns game in years. You had a chance to get back to .500 overall and be only a half game out of first place in your division heading into a home game against the arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Can you imagine what the atmosphere would have been like at First Energy Stadium had that happened?

Instead you squander a dominant first quarter performance and a 13-nothing lead and turn it into a demoralizing loss that puts you at (4-6) and now tied with the Steelers and Ravens for second place in the division, two and a half games back of first place Cincinnati.

Yes there is still time to turn this around and get back in the wild card race and maybe the division race, but a golden opportunity was missed yesterday by the Browns to not only put themselves in position in the division to make the playoffs, but to also galvanize a fan base who has been waiting for years to have something to believe in on the lake front.

Now it’s back to the drawing board to see if you can correct the many mistakes that were made in the Queens city in time to get ready for the hated Steelers, who have won two in a row and will be coming to Cleveland with a lot of momentum, and after watching yesterday’s Browns/Bengals game and thinking back to that Ohio State/Nebraska game, momentum is a dangerous, and sometimes an unchangeable thing!

10/17/12 – Browns owner Jimmy Haslam 1 on 1 with Kenny Roda

Posted: Oct 17, 2012 by . Filed under Current Interviews | 154 Comments