Red Right 88

Cleveland sports fan and sports writer

Name:
Location: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

quit my job decided to drive west

Thursday, November 06, 2008

That wasn't fun

I am not angry more numb. For the second time in just five days, it was a long walk out of the stadium.

Has any NFL stadium ever been so quiet on a final drive? The Browns still had a solid chance to win and the crowd was silent. Even when the Browns led by 13, you could feel an uneasiness. The crowd was waiting for the bottom to drop out. And then the bottom did just that.

A few quick thoughts before I go pass out:

-Wow our pass rush sucks.
-Wow our secondary sucks.
-Jerome Harrison needs to touch the ball more.
-Josh Cribbs needs to touch the ball more on offense. When the ball was on the one, he should have been under center. He needs to be on the field for offense more. Hell maybe he should even play some linebacker. The dude makes every special teams tackle and every return he makes is fun to watch.
-For a first start Brady Quinn played very well. He is everything Anderson is not. Quinn is not going to throw the home run ball like Anderson but he can make the short throws Anderson can't. The change at Quarterback was the right move. Hopefully with an extended break, the coaching staff will be able to open the offense more for Quinn.
-Oh Winslow! He played a great game yet it was his mistake that turned the tide.
-Wow our secondary sucks.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Careful what you wish for

Well just hours after Romeo Crennel told the media there were no plans to make a change at quarterback, the Browns announced that Brady Quinn would start on Thursday night against the Broncos.

Short week. National TV. What could go wrong?

My guess is this call came from over Crennel's head. The proof would be that a decision was actually made. To proactively change something on the fly is not Crennel's style at all. I could just see ownership picturing 70,000 fans screaming on national TV for Anderson's head. The playoffs are lost so the Browns should wisely find out what they have in Quinn. And if it calms the fan base that is bonus.

I was at Sunday's debacle and have tickets for Thursday. Frankly I was not that excited to go to the game. Who wants to go to a funeral? This switch should fire up the crowd and make for a more exciting than it should be atmosphere on Thursday.

Only two days of practice and prep, no worries. But the Browns might as well start the future now.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Browns drop the ball

The game, and for that matter the season, was literally in the Browns grasp.

Up 14 in the third quarter, the Browns had the Ravens in the shadow of their end zone with a third and long. Flacco escaped the rush, completed a 20-yard pass and the Ravens began their march down the field. The Ravens rallied to tie the game but the Browns still had victory in their grasp. Derek Anderson threw a perfect strike down the middle of the field to a wide open Braylon Edwards but somehow Edwards dropped the ball. The game was still tied at that point but all confidence (both Anderson's and the crowd's) was lost.

The end isn't worth talking about and I have no new real ground to cover. Anderson is not the answer. He is inconsistent and maddening to watch. I really question Chud's play calling all game but especially on the interception that sealed the game. Third and eight at the 46 down three and you call a screen pass?

Two Browns really stood up. Joshua Cribbs was electric. He gave the Browns a chance to win and helped mask Anderson's incompetence. And I think there is no question that Shaun Rogers is the best Browns defensive player since their return. Rogers was a one-man wrecking crew, it is too bad he doesn't have more help.

After the game, we wandered over the Bruce Springsteen/Obama gathering. It was a little surreal but I am not sure there was 80,000 people there. Listened to Bruce sing and the start of Obama's stump speech, left just in time before the rain started. It was an interesting mix of angry drunken Browns fans trying to wade through people hoping to hear a message of change and hope.

Alas for the Browns, hope for this season is lost. Here is hoping that change in on the way sooner rather than later. Anderson is not the answer. Crennel doesn't seem to be the answer. And after the last few weeks, I am losing faith in Phil Savage as well.

It's not good.