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Terry's Talkin' Sports
by Terry Pluto Monday September 01, 2008, 6:46 AM
Some Browns fans have me talking to myself . . .
Question: Don't tell us the Browns will let us down, too?
Answer: Too?
Q: You know, like the Indians did. Like Derek Anderson did in Cincinnati last year. Like Jose Mesa. Like The Fumble . . .
A: Can they at least lose a game before fans panic?
Q: You want panic, I'll give you panic. The Browns are on a four-game losing streak.
A: Preseason doesn't count.
Q: Half the team is hurt.
A: The main players who will be out for the Dallas game are Rex Hadnot, Ryan Tucker, Josh Cribbs and probably Brodney Pool. It's not "half the team," but I hate being without Hadnot and/or Tucker on the offensive line. Cribbs is a major loss, too. Of the four, Pool may be the easiest to replace short-term as I kind of like Mike Adams at safety.
Q: And we all know Romeo can't coach. The team won't be ready.
A: We really know that? Didn't 10-6 a year ago mean anything?
Q: What kind of coach just stands there?
A: A head coach. It's what they do. They stand there, wearing headsets, sometimes talking to other coaches and players. Once in a while they throw a little red flag on the field. They often look constipated when things don't go their way.
Q: Can't someone do something before the whole season goes down the toilet?
A: Can they at least lose a game before fans are ready to just eat dirt and die?
Q: Oh, they'll lose a game, all right.
A: They can lose seven and still make the playoffs in this division.
Q: Why don't they just play Brady Quinn?
A: Only in Cleveland are fans upset when the team has two quality quarterbacks, as if that somehow makes the Browns worse. Anderson's ability to throw long is a major asset, as is his quick release. His strong arm forces safeties and linebackers to play deeper from the line of scrimmage, and that makes it easier for Jamal Lewis once he gets past the defensive line. A quarterback may lose a game this season, but he won't sink the Browns.
Q: OK, genius, what do you see as the problem?
A: Same as last year. They had a defense that 1) Didn't stop the run. 2) Didn't pressure the passer. 3) Didn't create a lot of turnovers. You need to do at least two of those things to be a factor in the playoffs. In the preseason, they had only two sacks in four games, and they allowed 506 yards (4.4 a carry) on the ground. I know the regulars didn't play much, but that is a worry.
Q: You said stuff like that before, can't you come up with something new?
A: The same concerns most fans had about the Browns before camp opened are the most valid. The schedule is brutal. The defense is questionable. The secondary is inexperienced and thin, but I like some of the young talent - especially Brandon McDonald. The inside linebackers are the same group who impressed no one last year. The defensive line has to be better with Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams - and that should keep every team from running over them. They need someone like Alex Hall to come out of nowhere and be a relentless pass rusher - unless Kamerion Wimbley develops into that guy.
Q: That sounds bad.
A: But the offense should be excellent, if the line can just stay healthy until Tucker and Hadnot return. Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Lewis are big-time players. Donte Stall- worth should help at receiver, and I like both quarterbacks. That makes the Browns a pretty good team, one that goes 9-7 and makes the playoffs.
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2008/09/browns_woes_wont_stop_a_playof.html
by Terry Pluto Monday September 01, 2008, 6:46 AM
Some Browns fans have me talking to myself . . .
Question: Don't tell us the Browns will let us down, too?
Answer: Too?
Q: You know, like the Indians did. Like Derek Anderson did in Cincinnati last year. Like Jose Mesa. Like The Fumble . . .
A: Can they at least lose a game before fans panic?
Q: You want panic, I'll give you panic. The Browns are on a four-game losing streak.
A: Preseason doesn't count.
Q: Half the team is hurt.
A: The main players who will be out for the Dallas game are Rex Hadnot, Ryan Tucker, Josh Cribbs and probably Brodney Pool. It's not "half the team," but I hate being without Hadnot and/or Tucker on the offensive line. Cribbs is a major loss, too. Of the four, Pool may be the easiest to replace short-term as I kind of like Mike Adams at safety.
Q: And we all know Romeo can't coach. The team won't be ready.
A: We really know that? Didn't 10-6 a year ago mean anything?
Q: What kind of coach just stands there?
A: A head coach. It's what they do. They stand there, wearing headsets, sometimes talking to other coaches and players. Once in a while they throw a little red flag on the field. They often look constipated when things don't go their way.
Q: Can't someone do something before the whole season goes down the toilet?
A: Can they at least lose a game before fans are ready to just eat dirt and die?
Q: Oh, they'll lose a game, all right.
A: They can lose seven and still make the playoffs in this division.
Q: Why don't they just play Brady Quinn?
A: Only in Cleveland are fans upset when the team has two quality quarterbacks, as if that somehow makes the Browns worse. Anderson's ability to throw long is a major asset, as is his quick release. His strong arm forces safeties and linebackers to play deeper from the line of scrimmage, and that makes it easier for Jamal Lewis once he gets past the defensive line. A quarterback may lose a game this season, but he won't sink the Browns.
Q: OK, genius, what do you see as the problem?
A: Same as last year. They had a defense that 1) Didn't stop the run. 2) Didn't pressure the passer. 3) Didn't create a lot of turnovers. You need to do at least two of those things to be a factor in the playoffs. In the preseason, they had only two sacks in four games, and they allowed 506 yards (4.4 a carry) on the ground. I know the regulars didn't play much, but that is a worry.
Q: You said stuff like that before, can't you come up with something new?
A: The same concerns most fans had about the Browns before camp opened are the most valid. The schedule is brutal. The defense is questionable. The secondary is inexperienced and thin, but I like some of the young talent - especially Brandon McDonald. The inside linebackers are the same group who impressed no one last year. The defensive line has to be better with Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams - and that should keep every team from running over them. They need someone like Alex Hall to come out of nowhere and be a relentless pass rusher - unless Kamerion Wimbley develops into that guy.
Q: That sounds bad.
A: But the offense should be excellent, if the line can just stay healthy until Tucker and Hadnot return. Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Lewis are big-time players. Donte Stall- worth should help at receiver, and I like both quarterbacks. That makes the Browns a pretty good team, one that goes 9-7 and makes the playoffs.
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2008/09/browns_woes_wont_stop_a_playof.html