http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound Another Nifty Geeklog Site quartermasterq@hotmail.com quartermasterq@hotmail.com Copyright 2010 Powered by NFLfans.com GeekLog Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:03:07 -0600 en-gb http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=2010012805014236 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=2010012805014236 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:01:42 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=2010012805014236#comments Browns News If Sunday's conference championship games revealed any truths to a suddenly resurgent Browns Nation, these could be it: 1. The NFL is a league that rewards solid quarterback play. 2. Speaking of #1, the NFL of 2010 and beyond has essentially become a glorified version of flag football. 3. Speed - or at least the threat of speed - is essential to employing a truly balanced offensive attack. 4. One-dimensional offensive attacks can only take you so far. 5. Because of all the above, the key to successful defensive play is an ability to disrupt an opposing passer. 6. Our current Browns do not easily fit into most of these categories. 7. I have another reason to support the Holmgren hire. While I was one of the biggest supporters of Mangini in 2009 - at least during the final month of the season ... I'll admit the Detroit loss was the pinnacle of my depression - Sunday, it became obvious that the style of play that led the Browns to an undefeated December is not the stuff of champions. In a league where defensive backs and pass rushers are forced to play in a handicapped manner, the idea of featuring a one-dimensional, run-heavy offensive attack is self-defeating. Although this style of offense took the Jets farther than they should have been allowed to go, in the end - the lack of an effective passing threat cost Mangini's former team a shot at the Super Bowl. Perhaps a lesson is to be learned here. Beyond the Jets, consider the previous cases of the Bengals and Ravens - two similarly built teams. Neither AFC North contender could play the kind of vital contemporary game that allows teams to essentially "catch up." The Jets learned this lesson the hard way Sunday, as they found themselves engaged in a struggle to match points with the Colts - who are basically designed to take advantage of this new NFL landscape. Unlike the Vikings or even the Packers of a couple weeks ago, the Jets are simply not built to score a lot of points. And while it's obvious that the Jets have enjoyed some great success featuring a strong running game and solid defense - such traits can only take you so far. Which is why the Holmgren hire in Cleveland now makes more sense than ever. While I applaud Mangini for the effort he gave in trying to mold the Browns into a more disciplined, physically and mentally tougher bunch, yesterday's matchups again affirmed the obvious in the NFL. That is, to play and win at a championship level, you have to pass the ball. Running Jerome Harrison some 35 times a game is terrific in a situation where the lakefront wind swirls around and the wind chill hovers near zero; however, eventually the Browns have to establish some type of threat from their passing game. Which brings us to Holmgren...and the quarterback situation....and the mess at wide receiver. Before yesterday's championship games, I was more intrigued by the Holmgren hire in terms of the much-needed organization and functional stability that he could bring to the franchise. Of course, recent history has painfully made us aware that the lawlessness and overall futility of vision enabled by Randy Lerner during his ownership tenure was the biggest obstacle to the team's success. And in case you're scoring at home...that's roughly the 8,000th time I've mentioned this... However, yesterday affirmed another positive regarding Holmgren's arrival in Cleveland. For the first time in a long time - possibly since the Lindy Infante era of offensive playcalling - the Browns finally have an offensive-minded leader at the helm of the franchise. Talk about some good timing. In less than two weeks, the Colts and Saints could engage in a Super Bowl shootout for the ages, as both Peyton Manning and Drew Brees lead offenses that are easily capable of putting up 40 points or more. Compare this to the average Browns effort of 2009, where we were almost spoiled to see the team break the century mark in passing yards. And while there are certainly some difficult questions to be answered this offseason - namely how Holmgren and Mangini will mesh together - perhaps this season's playoffs will serve as a blueprint for the future. Or, in other words - the game has changed...which necessitates a change on the Browns part. For the Browns to truly compete at a championship level, the lack of offensive weapons has to be addressed. And while some detractors would point to the departures of K2 and Braylon, the problems exist at a much deeper level. As it stands now, the Browns are critically weak at the quarterback and wide receiver positions. In a league that is now set up to reward the pass, these are two areas that urgently need upgraded. The Browns of the future cannot expect to become contenders using dated offensive schemes that rely on taking the ball out of the quarterback's hands. Regardless of any progress that some may think Brady Quinn made late in 2009, the bar has been raised far above even the most idealistic visions Browns fans may have for the brittle QB. The same can be said for the team's wideouts, who while still young and raw, do not seem to possess the type of game-changing skills required of a championship contender. Which once again brings us back to Holmgren...and Tom Heckert and every other new member of the Browns' front office. The bottom line is this: while it's obvious that Mangini's plan began to take shape throughout the year and was very effective in December, there are limits to his overall philosophy. While Mangini left unchecked could certainly deliver this team back to respectability, it's obvious that Holmgren holds the key to the Browns' eventual hopes for a championship...one in which they will have to basically outscore another opponent. Let's hope he was watching Sunday. http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=2010012805014236 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100116134339245 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100116134339245 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:43:39 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100116134339245#comments Browns News Part III. This is the Part Where Mangini and Kokinis Lower the Bar and Blame the Past The interesting thing about Mangini is that whenever he really wanted to get some kind of information out there, he was usually able to find a way. In a story he or someone inside the organization essentially tipped to the Plain Dealer, Mangini let it be known that he felt the franchise was being handicapped by the former regime because of roster bonuses due several players, including Joe Jurevicius, Kevn Shaffer, Derek Anderson, Stallworth, Joe Thomas, Corey Williams, Shaun Rogers and Jamal Lewis. In truth, these roster bonuses were simply the by-product of trying to fit high-priced players into a salary cap by signing them to long-term contracts. The Browns were well under the salary cap anyway and the structuring of these contracts was one of the reasons why. Moreover, these bonuses served as convenient mile posts for making future decisions about certain players. They kept the Browns from being locked up in salary cap hell in the future. Using them as an excuse was a nice narrative for Mangini to try to get out there, but it just wasn't accurate. Paying players like Thomas and Rogers was a no-brainer. Anderson was a little more iffy as was Lewis. Jurevicius was only owed $250,000. But the biggest question mark of all was Stallworth, who was owed $4.75 million. He was signed by Savage in the same way that Andre Rison was signed by Bill Belichick years earlier. It worked out about the same way. Ultimately, Mangini paid him the money. It was a decision he and the rest of the Browns' organization would come to regret. After getting word that the Browns were going to pay him the roster bonus, Stallworth spent the evening in Miami Beach celebrating. Among those celebrating with him was Braylon Edwards, the franchise's proverbial bad penny. After a night of drinking, Stallworth got into his car, drove for a bit and then plowed into Mario Reyes, who was looking to catch a bus to return home to his family after working the third shift. Reyes was dead at the scene. After paying the Reyes family a healthy, but undisclosed amount of that bonus money, Stallworth worked out a very sweet deal with the local prosecutors. He served a brief prison sentence and is in the midst of a lengthy probation. He's also on indefinite suspension from the NFL. For a coach that likes to draw lines as bright at Mangini does, particularly about player conduct, he dithered on what to do with Stallworth, because of the money. It was a sad testament. Mangini could have made a bold statement and cut Stallworth immediately. It would have accelerated his salary and bonus for cap purposes but that was a highly manageable and transient concern. Instead, Mangini let the league handle it. Penny wise, as always, and pound foolish, as always. As March was coming to a close, it was the first time that Mangini and his hand puppet Kokinis made it first known that they were leaning toward keeping both Anderson and Quinn and conducting an open competition for the job once training camp opened. The fact that they wouldn't pick a starter from among those two was hardly surprising. Anderson was coming off an awful 2008 after a brilliant 2007 and Quinn had looked good in limited time before getting hurt. Still, at the time, many thought that Mangini was just being coy, not wanting to tip his hand in case anyone else in the league was paying attention. They weren't. Meanwhile, the Plan Dealer's Bud Shaw was pleading with the Browns to move heaven and earth to sign Jay Cutler, an Anderson clone with a slightly better record, at the expense of Quinn. Cutler ultimately was traded by Denver to Chicago where he went on to huge stretches of ineptitude followed by fleeting moments of mediocrity. With Mangini holed up in the background somewhere plotting his revenge on the NFL via the upcoming draft, the NFL and the ESPN found a completely worthless way of burning two hours of programming via their 2009 Schedule show. Yes, it took them two hours to reveal each team's upcoming schedule and provide the kind of meaningless analysis you've come to expect from the World Wide Leader. The NFL, with more primetime games to fill than deserving primetime teams, gave the Browns two national appearances, down from the 5 the previous season. One was a late season Monday nighter against the Ravens. The other, an even later season Thursday nighter against the Steelers. Now in another one of those foreshadowing moments that I have from time to time, after looking at the Browns' 2009 schedules I said about the final game against Jacksonville in Cleveland "I hope you're enjoying that perk at a half-filled stadium freezing under a blanket while a steady 20 MPH wind, gusting to 45 MPH, whips across your cheeks like a worn razor blade." I think the only thing I got wrong was the wind speed. On Sunday it looked to be about a steady 25 MPH. Part IV. This is the Part Where Mangini Turns Into Monty Hall As the draft was approaching, the rumors the Browns were floating around the league had them trading Braylon Edwards to the Giants for Domenick Hixon and some draft choices. Indeed, Mangini did try to make that trade but the Giants balked. As it ultimately turned out, Mangini wasn't kidding about trying to move Edwards. In a season full of so many missteps, this wasn't one of them. The only one who didn't think so was ESPN's Colin Cowherd, who spent a few shows spinning it all good in Edwards' direction. I'd say he'd probably wish he had those shows back, but with Cowherd it's always hard to tell. When draft day finally approached in late April, the Browns spent the day moving up, down and sideways in the first round before trading down late into the first round and finally settling on California center Alex Mack. To make that happen, Mangini had to trade with his former club, the Jets, who used the Browns' pick to draft quarterback Mark Sanchez out of USC. The choice of Mack was at once a stretch and an insight into Mangini's thinking. It was similar to his move in New York when he drafted Ohio State's Nick Mangold. Building a team from the lines on out is always a good choice. But the rest of Mangini's draft was, well, just plain weird. All the wheeling and dealing got him a boatload of extra draft picks which Mangini used in the most random of fashion. The second round tells the story. In it he drafted two receivers-Ohio State's Brian Robiskie and Georgia's Mohamed Massaquoi-and then really reached in taking defensive lineman David Veikune from Hawaii. Sure, these were areas of need, but no one thought these were the players we needed. Maybe the draft is best explained by reference to the veteran free agents Mangini brought with him from the Jets, players like Kenyon Coleman and Abram Elam. Mangini took some grief for bringing in those players but it did make some sense. As converts to the Mangini way they would be counted on to spread the gospel to a locker room full of skeptics. But those players looked to also be gap fillers that would allow Mangini to focus elsewhere in the draft, or something like that. The lack of cohesion to the draft choices made it difficult to grade it. Even now, Mangini's first draft is at best a mixed bag. None of his drafted players were major contributors although Mack started and played all season at center and got much better in the process. As for Robiski, Massaquoi and Veikune, the jury looks to be out for awhile. With the draft completed and mini-camps beckoning, one story emerged that continued throughout the season: the plight of Josh Cribbs' contract. In May, Cribbs hired a new agent who took a look at the contract that Cribbs signed two seasons ago and essentially said it was "outrageous, salacious and preposterous." He then went about pleading his case. The problem that Cribbs' agent, J.R. Rickert, found was that the new regime wasn't too excited about honoring the commitments that the previous regime had made. Crennel had named Quinn the 2009 starter, for example, only to see Mangini declare it open season on picking the new quarterback. Now Rickert was finding a similar stonewall when trying to enforce a commitment that Savage, with Lerner's blessing, made to re-do Cribbs' contract. Mangini, again with an eye on the budget, felt that giving big money to a special team's player, even one as valuable as Cribbs, might not be the best investment. He wanted to see more out of Cribbs, including whether he could be a regular on offense. He laid a carrot in front of Cribbs in May and left it dangling throughout the entire season, often telling the media that he thought a new contract would get done soon. Soon still hasn't arrived. While Cribbs and his agent were making the most noise about renegotiating a contract, with Cribbs at times seemingly threatening to sit out, one that flew under the radar screen was Phil Dawson. Dawson refused to report to any of Mangini's pre-camps in a bit of a silent protest about his contract situation. Dawson eventually reported to preseason training camp without a new contract in hand. He didn't help his case by getting hurt. As for the rest of off-season Camp Mangini, it was going along swimmingly, at least from Mangini's mad scientist perspective. He was irritating the bejeezus out of the players by having having them run laps for making mistakes, like false starts. He also was irritating the bejeezus out of the local media for playing hide the sausage on even the smallest bits of information. Finally, he was irritating the bejeezus out of both Anderson and Quinn as the so-called open competition commenced. And if all that wasn't enough, Mangini committed still another public relations blunder of his own by "volunteering" his rookies for a 10-hour bus ride to Connecticut to work at his football camp. Meanwhile, Mangini, trying to build team camaraderie, flew to Connecticut instead. After word broke out about the camp, thanks to a whole bunch of agents who had gotten an earful from their disgruntled clients, Mangini rode the bus home. But the specter of the bus trip caused an inquiry by the league and the Players Association, one of three they were forced to make of Mangini this past season. If only the Browns hadn't fired their entire public relations staff all of this might have gone down much more smoothly. As it was, though, the Browns had bigger problems. They were having trouble selling loges and went into business with the Indians who likewise were having the same problem, offering a so-called "Touchdown Package" that would allow fans, for the price of $15,000, to watch the Tribe play St. Louis and Detroit and the Browns play Pittsburgh, all from a luxury box, refreshments extra. As the dawn of Mangini's first real training camp beckoned, word came down that the Browns were being sued by one of their own, Joe Jurevicius, who had missed the entire 2008 season because of a staph infection contracted after relatively routine arthroscopic surgery following the 2007 season. Jurevicius claimed in his lawsuit that the Browns did not properly maintain, disinfect or clean their therapy devices making it likely that he would suffer a staph infection. Staph infections have been a particularly thorny issue with the Browns as a number of players have suffered from them over the years. While I understood the concerns and frustration of players like Jurevicius, I always doubted his claims. Yet, isn't it interesting that following the filing of the complaint and with all the Browns' injuries this season there hasn't been a staph infection? One of the more refreshing aspects of the Browns' training camp was simply the fact that every player was under contract before it started in earnest. Cribbs wasn't happy not having his contract renegotiated and neither was Dawson. But both were in camp as was every draft choice. For a team in desperate need of anything positive, this would be it for awhile. In the early days of camp, Mangini made his presence felt in the form of summarily dismissing defensive lineman Shaun Smith. Smith, as most remember, got into a locker room fight with Quinn the previous season with Quinn ending up with a fat lip. Smith always had his own agenda anyway and served as the perfect foil for the point Mangini was trying to drive home. It helped that Smith also wasn't very good. Smith spent the next several months on the sidelines before landing, briefly, with the Detroit Lions. The Cincinnati Bengals picked him up, cut him a few days later, and then signed him once more when more injuries hit. As a point of reference, the week after Smith was signed again the Bengals lost their last game of the season to the Jets, 37-0. As another point of reference, the Bengals lost in the playoff re-match the following week http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100116134339245 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100115182838721 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100115182838721 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:28:38 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100115182838721#comments Browns News There are probably a million or more ways to look at the Cleveland Browns' 2009 season and probably even more conclusions that could be drawn. But one thing that is undeniable. It's been a long, strange trip indeed. I promised to write a book about the season, and that might come in time. But I thought the best thing to do first was to try and make some sense of what we all just experienced. I wanted to follow the journey, really, that new club president Mike Holmgren had to take to get himself up to speed before deciding whether or not to keep head coach Eric Mangini. In more ways than not, the 2009 season was worse than the 2008 season, although it's a pretty close call. The Browns entered the 2008 with lofty expectations from the national media and ended up crashing and burning on the heels of 4 years of abject mismanagement on and off the field. That was a season that had Braylon Edwards as its poster child. A Pro Bowler in 2007, Edwards developed the swagger and entitlement mentality reminiscent of most of today's professional athletes. But Edwards never did develop the professionalism he actually needed to sustain his one good season. Instead he was lackadaisical in approach and it showed on the field in the form of one dropped pass after another. It was the story of the entire team, actually. Edwards' failures fairly summed up the end of the road for Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage, but I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. The story of the 2009 season actually starts with Crennel and Savage still in charge, sort of. A lot about placing the 2009 season in context depends on when you think last season ended. For me, it was December 28, 2008. That was when the Browns played their last game of the Phil Savage/Romeo Crennel era and it ended, exquisitely, with a 31-0 pasting at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team's most hated rival. In that game the Browns set the NFL's record for longest streak without scoring an offensive touchdown and also had the dubious distinction of being the first Browns' team to be shut out in consecutive games. In my recap of that game I noted that by hitting what looked like rock bottom (and it was, but for that year only) in that manner they did, the Browns guaranteed that their fans would be dealt a steady diet of Kevin Harland and Rich Gannon as announcers for 2009. It's exactly what they got, with the occasional Randy Cross thrown in for good measure. The loss to the Steelers and the dispirited way that season ended raised the most obvious question, where do the Browns go from here? The worry then, fully justified soon thereafter, was that owner Randy Lerner hadn't managed to get anything right yet and was now putting himself of overseeing the next makeover. Would it end well? How could it? As it turned out, Savage's fate was already sealed before the kickoff of that woeful Pittsburgh game. Lerner had fired him prior to the game but didn't bother to tell anyone until after, apparently not sensing the irony in claiming that Savage's termination was due, in part, to poor communication skills. The mistake Lerner had made in Savage was a common one for Lerner. When hiring based on established track records was called for, Lerner instead opted for hope. Lerner figured Savage could fit comfortably into the general manager's job simply because he had sat at the feet of Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore. What Lerner never realized was that Savage was more comfortable with stats than people. Newsome probably is still laughing at that miscalculation and thanking God during every waking moment that he left for Baltimore when Modell did. Savage left a legacy of some decent draft choices (virtually every key contributor for the Browns this season, for example, was brought in by Savage) and a bevy of botched ones as well. Ultimately, it was Savage's inability to be a steady, calming influence and face of the organization that was his undoing. He had embarrassed Lerner and the Browns in nearly consecutive weeks with his handling of the news of Kellen Winslow's staph infection and compounded the problem first by issuing a perfunctory apology and then by sending a profane email in response to one written by a disgruntled Browns fan fed up with what he had been seeing on the field. Again, his apology was perfunctory, as if he'd done nothing wrong in the first place. As for Crennel, the shoe dropped on him after the final game. In typical Lerner fashion it was through a written statement and again without any appreciation for irony in that he claimed he fired Savage a day earlier, in part, due to his lack of leadership skills. Crennel was a very decent man. Approachable and serious minded, Crennel treated the players like men and found himself being rewarded in the same way parents are rewarded for trusting that their 17-year old won't break into the liquor cabinet while they're away for the weekend. His teams lacked discipline of almost every sort and his tenure can be summed up in perhaps the two words that described the team's most common penalty, "false start." Lerner's first thought in trying to replace Crennel was a good one, Bill Cowher. But Cowher told Lerner before that fateful Pittsburgh game that he didn't plan to coach in 2009 and stuck to his word. Lerner found himself thus at a crossroads. Having failed by hiring a lifelong assistant like Crennel, Lerner could either find someone who had head coaching experience or someone who had head coaching ability. Naturally, he opted for the former when he needed to opt for the latter. But that's getting ahead of ourselves, too. Certainly Lerner's first task surely would be to find a general manager before tackling the issue of who might be the Browns' next head coach. That's the right order, isn't it? As it turned out, it wasn't the right order at all. Shortly after the 2008 season ended, the New York Jets apparently did Lerner the biggest favor of all and fired Eric Mangini as its head coach. Mangini was given the nickname of Mangenius when he took a 4-12 Jets team and turned it into a 10-6 playoff team in his first season. But that nickname quickly faded when the Jets reverted back to form the following season at 4-12 and then, in Mangini's last season, started 8-3 and then lost its last 5 games to miss the playoffs. It was time, general manager Mike Tannebaum said, to move where all teams eventually need to move to, destination new direction. That's pretty damning stuff, actually, just 3 years into the direction they were on with Mangini. For Lerner, Mangini had the two attributes he most coveted: a connection with Bill Belichick and head coaching experience. That was the sum total of the due diligence he performed. But that may not have been even Lerner's biggest mistake. That would be reserved for letting Mangini pick his new boss, which he did in the form of George Kokinis, the former Baltimore Ravens pro personnel director. On the surface it sounded like Kokinis was Savage redux, right down to the resume. But that wasn't exactly true. As a pro personnel director, Kokinis' focus was on current players in the league, not college players. In other words, he wouldn't be much help in the draft. Putting aside the problem with letting the subordinate hire his own boss, Kokinis was an odd selection because the Browns' biggest trouble area was the draft. What we didn't know at the time was that Mangini hired Kokinis specifically because he lacked that skill. It let Mangini wander free around the draft. But that's getting ahead of ourselves, too. I've got to stop doing that. Mangini's official hiring came on January 9, 2009 and marked the first time, probably, that any NFL team had elevated its former ball boy to head coach. Lerner, of course, didn't announce the decision personally. That task fell to Mike Kennan, the club's president, a title Kennan would relinquish once Holmgren was hired. The courtship of Mangini was quick, particularly so considering that no other team looking for a head coach at the time had even given Mangini a second thought. At his introductory press conference Mangini said all the right and usual things. But the proof, as I noted then, would be in whether he does the right things. Call it foreshadowing. But even greater foreshadowing came in the form of a question posed by the Jets fan who ran the FireEricMangini.com website: who in their right mind would replace one ex-Patriot flop with another ex-Patriot flop? Destiny, thy name is Lerner. Part II. This is the Part Where Mangini Settles In and Others Suddenly Become Unsettled After the hiring of Mangini and Kokinis, the rest of January was relatively quiet, unless you happened to work in the Browns' front office. Blaming the economy, Lerner approved the layoff of 15 employees, including the public relations staff. Meanwhile, there were a host of castoffs able to ride out the economy in slightly better fashion in the form of Lerner castoffs still owed millions, castoffs like Carmen Policy, Butch Davis, Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel. Maybe these 15 layoffs were part of a tanking economy. But to say that they weren't in part the result of a makeover being overseen by Mangini would be wrong. At the time Lerner was having staffers clean out their desks, he was allowing Mangini to have the Berea complex physically overhauled at a considerable cost. Of all the changes that occurred, the one that caused the most controversy, though, was his painting over a mural of Browns' legends. Some saw it as Mangini purposely trying to break with the past. Others saw it as Mangini wanting to let everyone know who was calling the shots. They were both right. Meanwhile, Mangini was keeping many of Crennel's assistants dangling, insisting that they be held to the letter of their contracts while preventing them from interviewing elsewhere. Part of that was because he hadn't yet finalized his own staff. Part of it, maybe the bigger part of it, was the simple fact that it was saving the Browns money. Per league rules, if the Browns fired the coaches before their contracts were completed and the coaches found other employment elsewhere at a lower salary, the Browns would be on the hook for the difference. A coach that resigns, however, has no such luck. At the very least, it set a tone. In retrospect, it was the beginning of a number of blunders Mangini would make that made him one of the most unpopular hires in Browns' history, at least for the first 3 months of the regular season, anyway. As February dawned, Mangini gave his first full press conference. It was a virtuoso performance as he talked often and said nothing. He mentioned the mural and how that was all one big misunderstanding and said a few nice things about D'Qwell Jackson and Josh Cribbs, but not much else. Actually it was unclear why Mangini had the press conference in the first place, unless it was to set the ground rules with the media for what was to come. It did and Mangini never got the media back on his side for the rest of the season. Kokinis wasn't much better. A few weeks after the Mangini press conference came Kokinis to publicly declare that he and Mangini were on the same page without ever giving anyone a clue what page that actually was. As it turned out, they didn't know themselves. But one thing was clear from the Kokinis press conference. Mangini had placed him on a short leash. Kokinis wouldn't discuss, for example, whether the Browns planned on placing the franchise tag on safety Sean Jones, about their only free agent worth trying to keep. Likewise, he wouldn't discuss his thinking on Derek Anderson other than to say "you really have to fit Derek within the whole structure of the whole football team." It's still one of my favorite quotes ever because it precisely captures the guise of saying something while actually saying nothing at all. But to Kokinis' credit, it was exactly what Mangini wanted him to say. Someone who was far less shy in talking substantively was Scott Pioli, the new general manager in Kansas City. Talking freely at the combine in Indianapolis, Pioli went on to praise in almost over-the-top fashion Detroit's hiring of Jim Schwartz as head coach. It wasn't just that this was praise at the exclusion of Cleveland's near simultaneous hiring of Mangini so much as it was insight on why Pioli wouldn't take the general manager's job in Cleveland. Pioli and Mangini are like oil and water at this point owing mostly to Mangin's role in the whole Spygate affair while Pioli was in New England. But more to the point, speculation is that Pioli wanted Lerner to consider hiring Schwartz in Cleveland as part of the package of bringing Pioli in but Lerner instead was fixated on Mangini. It was the deal killer of all deal killers. As for Mangini and Kokinis at the combine, they were their usual insightful selves. The Browns were either interested in a running back or maybe it was a defensive end. They were going to keep Anderson or maybe trade him. They'd consider moving Josh Cribbs to safety or maybe running back. What the two didn't realize is that the only ones interested in the Browns' plans were their fans. The rest of the league and billions worldwide could have cared less. Already getting off on the wrong foot with the fans, the media and the holdovers from the front office, Mangini decided to go for the grand slam by taking on the players. In the most highly publicized snub since Don Knotts wasn't nominated as best actor for his role in The Incredible Mr. Limpett, Mangini ignored the hulking Shaun Rogers at a charity function in late February, claiming he just didn't see him. Mangini's explanation wasn't believable because the two almost literally bumped shoulders in their bids to ignore each other. Rogers claimed he felt disrespected but what was really going on behind the scenes was that Rogers (and other players) had gotten a letter from Mangini a few days earlier that they would be required to report for the team's upcoming workouts in mid-March at their playing weight. Rogers, who struggles with weight issues and never met a Boston crème pie he could resist, felt disrespected because he always answered the bell during the season. To some, Rogers was just acting out his nickname of Big Baby. As it turned out, it was just another misstep by Mangini; a failure to understand the pulse of his new team. Meanwhile, in an effort to reclaim some of the draft picks lost by the previous regime, Mangini (or was it Kokinis?) traded Kellen Winslow, Jr. to Tampa Bay for a second round pick in the coming draft and a fifth round pick in 2010. Ultimately, it was a trade of mutual convenience. Winslow wanted his contract renegotiated and Mangini wanted draft picks. Tampa Bay was the willing dupe. In some sense, Winslow was missed. Mostly, though, he wasn't. Winslow wasn't happy with the Browns for a number of reasons and wanted a fresh start elsewhere. Whatever skills Winslow still has, they aren't ever going to be what his college potential promised due mostly to injuries. A team rebuilding didn't need someone like Winslow. Of course either did Tampa Bay but they went on to re-do his contract anyway, making him about $20 million richer. Meanwhile, somewhere Josh Cribbs steamed. When the NFL's mid-winter meetings hit in early March, the Browns were mostly bystanders. That was a good thing. It was a refreshing assessment that signing a high-priced free agent wasn't what this team needed. There were just too many holes and not enough cap space to go around. It was something that Savage never really understood as he went about throwing money at the likes of Donte Stallworth the season before. http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100115182838721 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100115182437491 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100115182437491 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:24:37 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100115182437491#comments Browns News Josh Cribbs is getting all the attention in his contract situation because his agents have run to the top of the highest mountain to shout their displeasure, but the fact is the Browns have higher priorities at the bargaining table. One of them is Jerome Harrison. Harrison’s four-year contract with the Browns expires on March 3. The next day, he, fullback Lawrence Vickers and safety Brodney Pool will become free agents without new deals. “I’d love to be back here,” Harrison said during the last week of the regular season. “Our fans are great. They were supporting me and encouraging me when I wasn’t getting a lot of opportunities. “We have a great locker room of guys here. Things are going in the right direction. I want to be a part of it.” Exactly what type of free agents they would be — restricted or unrestricted — depends on whether the team owners and the NFL Players’ Association can hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement before the 2010 free-agency period begins on March 4. At this point, it doesn’t look good for a new CBA. Normally, a player with four years in the league can sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent, but without a new CBA, unrestricted free agency doesn’t kick in until after six seasons. That means Harrison, Vickers, Pool and about 220 other players in their fourth or fifth year who otherwise would be unrestricted — including Braylon Edwards, now with the Jets — would be restricted, which means it would be easier for their current team to re-sign them. “It doesn’t matter,” Vickers said before the season ended. “If I’m up (a free agent), I’m up. One way or another, it’s going to work out. I hope it works out here.” Vickers has been a steady player since being drafted in the sixth round from Colorado in 2006. He received more attention over the last four regular-season games because the Browns won with a punishing running game, and he was at the head of it knocking linebackers off their pins. Harrison, a fifth-round pick from Washington State in 2006, is a different story. He toiled in obscurity for more than 3 1/2 seasons. He had the occasional good game, as he did against the Bengals in September when he rushed for 121 yards in a 23-20 defeat. But that was like a flash of fool’s gold, until the last three weeks of the season. Harrison followed his game against the Bengals by rushing for a total of 120 yards in eight games. They more closely resembled his first three seasons, when he played in 33 games and totaled 448 yards rushing. But in the final three games of 2009, when Harrison finally got the chance be the featured back — he was behind Reuben Droughns as a rookie in 2006 and behind Jamal Lewis in 2007, 2008 and until Lewis was injured in 2009 — he rushed for 286 yards against the Chiefs, 148 against the Raiders and 127 yards vs. the Jaguars in the final game. “I love him as a player,” Browns president Mike Holmgren said on Tuesday. “I thought what he did at the end of the season was remarkable. The fact that it appeared as though the teams that Cleveland played knew that’s kind of how it was going to go and still they got it done — 286 yards, is that what he had in that one game? That’s a lot of yards. “That (the contract situation) is a decision. I know Eric was happy with him. Who wouldn’t be? Someone had to step up and get that done. (With the) weather, when it gets cold and you can have a good running game and you can control the clock, all those things, it’s nice to have a guy you can give the ball to like that. I like him a lot, clearly.” The CBA, a massive 302-page agreement about to expire, has a proviso that almost guarantees Harrison would play for the Browns in 2010 if he does become a restricted free agent. If the Browns tender him a one-year offer of $2.396 million, a team could still sign Harrison to an offer sheet, but then it would have to compensate the Browns with a first-round draft choice if the Browns refuse to match it. The same would apply if the Browns were determined to keep Vickers or Pool and to all teams with would-be restricted free agents. In all three instances, the Browns would probably prefer the first-round pick. http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100115182437491 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100106174644209 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100106174644209 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:46:44 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100106174644209#comments Browns News Cleveland Browns Offseason: Welcome Mike Holmgren and Position Analysis by Daniel Wolf Going into the 2010 offseason, there are many things surrounding the Cleveland Browns since their new president, Mike Holmgren, is finally in the Browns' Training Facility in Berea, OH. Holmgren cracks jokes and needs an office on day one as President When Holmgren got to the facility, he was looking around for his office, and when he asked where it was, another employee informed him that his office was not completed. So what did Holmgren do? He found the first empty office space that he saw and claimed it as his temporary office. A little bit sad, and a little bit funny. Funny is what Holmgren was during his first press conference with the Cleveland and national media. Cracking jokes and giving out all the right answers, Holmgren is the new face of the Cleveland Browns, and he looks the part right down to the tie, which he also cracked a joke about. A quick note: Look at the picture above and you can see Holmgren was wearing his Super Bowl ring at the press conference, possibly to remind Clevelanders that he has won the big game. Nice touch! Position-by-Position Breakdown Even though the Browns won their last four games of the 2009 season, there are still plenty of holes to fill on both sides of the ball, and with 11 draft picks in the 2010 NFL Draft and lots of room under the salary cap, regardless of whether it's a capped or uncapped year, the Browns are looking to acquire many players in the offseason. Quarterback: This is the most talked about position in the history of the new Browns, but with Holmgren on board and his expertise at the position, the Browns will look to finally have stability at quarterback. Brady Quinn may not be the answer, but if he stays on for 2010, look for him to be on a short leash. Derek Anderson will get cut due to his $9 million salary. Not worth it at all. Look for an additional quarterback or two to be added via free agency or the draft. Many speculate that Holmgren will bring in a vet, or even try to get Matt Hasselbeck from the Seahawks. Running Back: Before the month of December, many fans were hoping that the Browns would pick a running back in the first round of the draft, but after Jerome Harrison broke out in the final three games, it looks like he will get a new contract and be the starter for 2010. Rookie James Davis' injury was unfortunate since he showed potential in the preseason, but the Browns still do not know what he has since he was out for the entire season. Davis could be a good alternate to Harrison in a running rotation in 2010, but a big bruising back is needed to get short yardage and during goal line plays. Chris Jennings could bulk up a bit more and be that bruiser, but adding a big back could work out, too. Adding Josh Cribbs as a running back could prove to be helpful on short yardage and goal line plays, as well, since he has averaged 6.5 yards per carry in his career. Fullback: Lawrence Vickers is under the NFL's radar and is one of the best fullbacks in the league. He demolishes defenders on his blocks, and the Browns need to re-sign him for 2010 and beyond since his contract ended in 2009. Wide Receiver: There is good potential at receiver for the Browns with Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie, and Chansi Stuckey, but another receiver needs to be added. This journalist, along with a few others, have all said that the Browns need a Joe Jurevicuis-type receiver who has great hands and can be a mentor for the younger receivers on the roster. Free agency is the way to go in getting a good veteran receiver on board. This biggest issue will be whether the vet receiver will be good enough to be the No. 1 or No. 2 starter for the team, because at times, Massaquoi struggled as the teams' No. 1 receiver in 2009, and he needs help with another good starter on the opposite side of the field. Massaquoi's time as the No. 1 receiver in 2009 may have been the best learning experience for him, and maybe in 2010 he will be a true No. 1 receiver for the Browns. Tight End: Evan Moore came out of nowhere to become the Browns' biggest tight end threat in the passing game, and he has a chance to be a very good starter if he works hard in the offseason. Robert Royal should be let go, and Steve Heiden is still reliable when he is not injured. Michael Gaines has provided some needed push in the running game, but the Browns might still need to add another tight end. Offensive Line: The right side of the line struggled for most of the season, at least until Hank Fraley played right guard and Rex Hadnot played right tackle for the last four games of the season. A stud right tackle should be drafted, and current right tackle John St. Clair needs to be cut. After adding a right tackle, the Browns will have good depth on the line in 2010. Defensive Line: The emergence of Athyba Rubin on the line when Shaun Rogers went down for the season proved to be a good thing since Rubin is very good in controlling space and plugging lanes against the running game. Roger may even move over to the end since he enjoys rushing the opposing quarterback more than anything else. Rumors are out that Holmgren may switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme since he has worked with that style of defense for most of his career, and that would mean current linebacker transition players Kamerion Wimbley and David Veikune could go back to playing on the end of the line like they did in college. The Browns line looks good going into the offseason, but let's be honest, if Ndamukong Suh is still available once the Browns' No. 7 pick comes up in the 2010 draft, they must draft him. This is highly unlikely, but you never know in the NFL. Linebackers: The Browns' linebacker group was hurt with injuries to starters D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton, but David Bowens stepped in and preformed at a very high level. Rookie Kaluka Maiava was able to see some playing time with the injuries, and he did play well, but still needs time to get better. Former Dolphin outcast Matt Roth was picked up midseason, and he showed the Browns why they need to re-sign him to a nice contract, because he should be starting on the outside in 2010. This is a good mix of players, but the Browns really lack a playmaking and intimidating linebacker that most teams have, and while another addition might help, Roth could also be that intimidating player in 2010. Cornerbacks: Eric Wright is slowly developing into a very good cover corner, but besides him, the Browns do not have another starting caliber corner, and they must address this in the draft (quite possibly in the first round). Backups Brandon McDonald and Hank Poteat were burned all year long, and this position might be the worst in depth on the team. 2009 rookie Coye Francies hardly saw any playing time in the regular season, but he was impressive in the preseason. Hopefully, Franices' development can continue and he can contribute more in 2010 in nickel and dime packages. Safety: Brodney Pool has had too many concussions in his short career, and that could threaten his long-term health, but he may still be of value as a backup safety or as a cornerback. The Browns need a starter opposite Abram Elam for 2010, and even though Elam was not spectacular, his name wasn't mentioned much, which means a player is doing his job. In 2010, Elam will be a starter for his second year, so look for him to have a bigger impact. If the Browns cannot get Tennessee safety Eric Berry at No. 7, then perhaps they should look for Earl Thomas in the second round. Kicking and Punting: Phil Dawson said he was going to hold out before the 2009 training camp began, but he came back to play. He is still the only player this journalist wants to see kicking the ball in the crazy winds off of Lake Erie, but if Dawson wants more money, then it is in the hands of Holmgren to decide if he's worth the price. Bottom line: if you can kick in rain, blizzards, and 30-plus mph winds, then you should get paid. Period. Punter David Zastidul is at the top of his game, and as long as his can stay healthy, there is no reason to replace him. Final analysis: The most important positions of need are easily at right tackle and in the defensive secondary, and the Browns should focus their first three picks in the 2010 NFL Draft on cornerback, safety, and tackle. Free agency can provide some depth that is needed at positions like quarterback and wide receiver. There are other positions that need more depth, but quarterback, wide receiver, right tackle, cornerback, and safety should be the first priority in the offseason for the Browns. (Article also posted on Dawg Scooper) http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100106174644209 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100106174216540 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100106174216540 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:42:16 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100106174216540#comments Browns News Six Points on the Cleveland Browns (Jan. 6) by Christopher Maher Correspondent “If you want me to make dinner, let me buy the groceries.” — Bill Parcells, on his desire as head coach to have control of personnel “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken (excrement)” — Common saying In yet another season of unsatisfied hunger for Browns fans, we would do well to look at where we started, how we finished, and how we got there. After all, while our collective stomach is still growling we did get a few treats at the end. 1. In the Beginning: The Empty Kitchen The season started with a hungry fan base, but Cleveland Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini walked into a kitchen with not only an empty refrigerator and empty cupboards, but rodent droppings all over the floor. The 2008 campaign ended with a team that had given up on its beloved “players’ coach.” Said team had not scored a single offensive touchdown in its final six games, limping home to a 4-12 record with its collective tail between its legs. The books were in such shape that, if it were a household, the lights were barely kept on and the credit card bills were enough to make the occupants hide from the mail carrier. Four draft picks were all that remained, and the salary cap was being scraped by bloated contracts. At the end, while none of us expected or got filet mignon, we got enough Happy Meals to hold us off until the next season. Eric Mangini closed the campaign by winning four consecutive games, setting a record for Browns v 2.0, and matching the streak last achieved in Cleveland by his original mentor in 1994. Mangini’s squad knocked two contenders out of the playoffs, beat two teams on its own level, and did it by punching its opponents in the face. 2. Building the Foundation Not only was the kitchen empty and filthy, but the rest of the place had enough code violations to keep a city housing inspector drawing a paycheck for at least another week. At the very least, the Browns now have three-fifths of an offensive line. Instead of Salary Cap Hell, Cleveland heads into 2010 with plenty of room and 11 draft picks with which to build for the future. The Browns closed the season playing with discipline, aggressiveness, and purpose. Most of the violations have been fixed, and 11 draft picks, along with a new Grand Poohbah (Mike Holmgren), are in the cupboard. 3. Dr. Mangini, to the OR, Stat! First, the chef had to clean up the rodent droppings in the kitchen. Or, as they say in business, he donned the scrubs, got out the scalpel, and cut some tumors out. First to go was Kellen Winslow, Jr. Many Browns fans loved him, but he ate up too much cap space, his knees were shot, and blocking was far from his strong suit. Next was Shawn Smith. Who? This defensive lineman, best known for decking an injured quarterback from Notre Dame late in the 2008 campaign, earned his outright release for dogging it in training camp. Smith’s next stop was Detroit. With the Lions, who finished 0-16 the previous season, he met the same fate. Braylon Edwards was shipped off to the New York Jets before the trading deadline for two picks and two serviceable players after he had a confrontation outside of a Cleveland nightclub. In Cleveland, his drops earned him the sobriquet of “Edwards Scissorhands.” In New York, the trade that brought him to the Big Apple to continue dropping passes has become known as “Mangini’s Revenge.” Finally, it may be no coincidence that, not long after Jamal Lewis went onto Cleveland’s ESPN Radio affiliate to criticize Mangini’s tough practices, the running back was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. Instead of throwing Lewis under the bus, Mangini may have allowed him to retire with dignity by going out on IR. Say what you will about Mangini, while he had plenty of deserving candidates on his team, he never threw a player under the bus in public. And with the tumors gone, the team eventually coalesced and responded. 4. No More Dirty Laundry Or, at least not much dirty laundry, anyway. In 2009-10, the Browns went from the second-most penalized team in the NFL to the third-least penalized team. Gone were the exasperating, drive-killing false start penalties of the Crennel regime. Even when the Browns were getting blown out earlier in the season, the team played intelligent football. After the bye week, the Browns actually achieved a positive turnover ratio. And, Six Points must note, this was accomplished with a porous secondary and nothing resembling a legitimate starting NFL quarterback. 5. The Browns Identity To quote Mangini’s mentor during his tenure in Cleveland, “I can only go by what I see.” And Six Points liked what he saw the final four games. Old-fashioned lakefront football returned, channeling the spirit of Woody Hayes. The offensive line was punishing, the fullback was blowing up defenders, Jerome Harrison was making it a long day for defenders, and the Browns had rediscovered their classic identity. Before Six Points ’ time, 80,000 people in the stands at Municipal Stadium knew Jim Brown was getting the rock, along with everyone on the opposing sideline. And it couldn’t be stopped. If Holmgren is as astute as he appeared in his Jan. 5 press conference, that new-found identity will not be thrown out with the bathwater in pursuit of the West Coast Offense. And, Mr. Grand Poohbah? Mike? Sir? In order to run the West Coast Offense, you need a quarterback. We still don’t have one. And that’s a code violation we can only hide for so long. 6. Homework, Q&A, and "The Meeting" Holmgren, in his initial presser, said he gave Mangini a list of questions to answer in “The Meeting,” to be held this afternoon to determine the head coach’s future employment status. Mangini, in essence, said Monday he does not feel like he is interviewing for his job, saying that he has a job and is proud of the job he has done. Eric, face it. It’s Corporate America, this is a new regime, and you’re interviewing to keep your job. It happens all the time. If all three readers have not gotten the gist yet, Six Points is strongly in favor of letting Mangini build on what he started. But that might not matter. Most of us know how job interviews can go. Party A, employer, tosses loads of bollocks at Party B, prospective employee, at which time B dodges original load of bollocks and tosses some back, while both parties smile the entire time. But, imagine an honest job interview? I might go something like this: MH: Eric, you’ve received a lot of criticism for your handling of the quarterback situation. How do you respond to that? EM: Mr. Holmgren, Sir, I’m glad you’re here. MH: Call me Mike. Please. EM: Mike, both these guys suck! I have one fan favorite I couldn’t trust to throw the ball over a Chevy Suburban, and another guy I couldn't trust to hit a Chevy Suburban if it was the only car in the lot! MH: As President of Football Operations, I also have to sell suites and hot dogs, as I said in my presser. I have a concern over your relations with the media. EM: If I wanted to stay in junior high, I would have been an education major. Seriously, these writers are like 13-year-old girls in the cafeteria! If I win, they’ll shut up. MH: How do you feel about ceding the authority you were given earlier in the season and strictly coaching the football team? EM: Mike, there are only 32 of these gigs, and my position in this case is “Yes, it tastes great! May I kiss it again, Sir?” Extra Point: (Forget) You, Go Coach for Buffalo! In the gallows humor any Browns fan must have to keep breathing, a reference to former General Manager Phil Savage is necessary. His vulgar response to a fan in a chat room ranks high in the lore of incompetence that has embodied Browns v 2.0. If "The Meeting" does not go well, the Bills are looking for a new head coach and staff, and they could do worse than Mangini. In a season that reached its nadir at 1-11, the Browns were still all over the national media. Never has a team with that record garnered so much national attention, and it was all for the drama. You want to sell papers, get web hits, and get more tweets? Put Mangini in Buffalo. The Bills are another rebuild, and they may have slightly more talent than the Browns. In Buffalo, Mangini would face former mentor Bill Belichick twice a year, and also face his former team, the New York Jets, twice a year. As long as the Tuna stays in Miami, his two other games would be against his mentor’s mentor. Although Six Points would rather have Mangini stay where he is, if he were hired in Buffalo, it could be the de facto East Coast Newspaper Relief Act of 2010. Imagine all the extra copies of the New York Daily News, Newsday, New York Post, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Miami Herald, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, and Buffalo News flying off of the shelves for 17 weeks next season. Mr. Wilson, turn your hearing aid up. If Holmgren lets him go, hiring this man might be Mangenius. http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100106174216540 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=2010010421464926 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=2010010421464926 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:46:49 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=2010010421464926#comments Browns News Terry Pluto's scribbles: New Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren has a surprisingly tough decision By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer January 04, 2010, 7:29PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some end of the season scribbles on the Browns ... 1. It was a year ago that owner Randy Lerner fired former General Manager Phil Savage (did it by telephone), and that put the franchise in its current position with question marks as the season ends. You can argue about keeping or firing Savage -- I favored retaining him and allowing him to hire a new coach. But if you decide to fire a general manager, that creates a hole in the front office that the Browns are starting to fill only now with new President Mike Holmgren. 2. Lerner went from dumping Savage and coach Romeo Crennel to being rejected by Bill Cowher. His conversations with Scott Pioli went nowhere, and Pioli is now Kansas City's general manager. First, he was going to let Cowher (a coach) run the team. Then a front office guy (Pioli). After being unable to secure Cowher and Pioli, he turned to Eric Mangini as head coach -- allowing Mangini to pick a general manager. We know that the hiring of George Kokinis fell apart at mid-season, leaving the Browns without a GM. 3. Lerner's basic problem was his inability to settle on a business model for his franchise. Do you want a President/GM type in charge, and that man hires the coach? Or do you want the Coach In Charge model? That is the situation in New England with Bill Belichick, Philadelphia with Andy Reid and Cincinnati with Marvin Lewis. While some of those teams might have a GM in name, the coaches run the show. Lerner kept flopping back-and-forth. Butch Davis was the Coach in Charge model. Then Savage was the strong GM model. Then back to Mangini as the Coach in Charge model. 4. Lerner's approach has been to hire a guy and hope that somehow, the new leader fixes everything. When he hired Holmgren, he never saw the four-game winning streak coming. It seems the Browns were headed for another off-season where everyone is fired and it's time to start over, just like a year ago. Holmgren is giving no clues to his plans, other than he will wisely hire a general manager who can immerse himself in the draft. 5. Here's the situation: Holmgren is coming to Cleveland to build a basement/foundation, especially in drafting and securing players. The house itself is the coaching staff and the general approach to the game (the 3-4 defense, a run-style offense, etc). Can he put in a new basement but not tear up the house in the process? 6. It's fair to assume that when Lerner began discussing the job with Holmgren, a new coach would be hired. Don't be surprised if Holmgren is in a mighty struggle trying to decide what to do about Mangini -- something he never imagined a month ago. 7. As a Hall of Fame-caliber coach, Holmgren has to respect how the Browns became only the second 1-11 team in NFL history to finish with a four-game winning streak. In his last season as coach, Holmgren's Seahawks were 4-12 and finished by losing seven of nine. But they did beat Mangini's Jets, 13-3, a game that probably cost Mangini the playoffs and his job. Nonetheless, Holmgren also has to appreciate the discipline and character shown by this Browns team. Is it worth ripping all that up with a new coaching staff? 8. What about the general manager? While it's Holmgren's team, will the new GM want a say in selecting the coach? Will Mangini be able to deal with two new bosses? Will someone such as Seattle player personnel director Will Lewis (who is close to Holmgren) want to work with Mangini, or would it be best to start over with a new coach picked by the front office? 9. If the Browns keep Mangini and start poorly, does the drumbeat begin for Holmgren to take over? That's especially true as Holmgren eliminated coaching "in the near future," unless he says something different in his next press conference. At best, it would seem Mangini is on a win-now time frame. But if you do fire Mangini, then who is the next head coach? An inexperienced coordinator? A recycled veteran? The next move must be in place before sending Mangini out the door. 10. If I own this team, I'm sitting down with Mangini and Holmgren and trying to see if this shotgun football marriage can work. They both have tremendous qualities, and I want to see if they can develop some chemistry. But in the end, this must be Holmgren's call. And right now, maybe even he isn't sure what he'll decide. http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=2010010421464926 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103192501239 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103192501239 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:25:01 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103192501239#comments Browns News Touchdown dash completes another sensational Pro Bowl season for Josh Cribbs By Dennis Manoloff January 03, 2010, 7:32PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Even when unable to electrify on kickoff or punt returns, Josh Cribbs finds ways to contribute. Cribbs rushed six times for 47 yards and one touchdown in the Browns' 23-17 victory over the Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The touchdown, which gave the Browns a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter, was Cribbs's first by rush this season. He ended the season having scored four ways, including by kickoff return (three), punt return (one) and reception (one). Cribbs finished with 55 carries for 381 yards, 20 receptions for 135 yards, 38 punt returns for 452 yards and 56 kickoff returns for 1,542 yards. His only blemish came as a passer: 1-of-4, 18 yards, one interception. The all-purpose yards (2,510) and total return yards (1,994) rank in the top five in NFL history. "Because of the guys blocking for me, I did well this year," Cribbs said. "They deserve the credit." During practices in the week leading to the Pro Bowl, Cribbs will wear jerseys of various teammates. "I want everybody to know who the guys were who helped me get there," he said. "I'm going to represent them. I appreciate them. They should be going there with me." Among those paving the way was Lawrence Vickers, whom Cribbs followed for his 14-yard score against Jacksonville. Cribbs took the snap in the Wildcat formation on third-and-4. "I saw a lot of defensive guys, then I saw Vickers, No. 47, hitting one guy into another guy," Cribbs said. "Both guys fell down. That cleared it up." Cribbs still had plenty of work to do. He shed a Jaguar near the line of scrimmage and bobbed and weaved his way into the end zone. "Our guys were throwing their bodies around," he said. "The least I could do was score a touchdown." The Browns used the Cribbs dash as a springboard to a 20-3 advantage. Jacksonville made it interesting with two fourth-quarter TDs, the second coming as time expired. "It was all about who wanted it more," Cribbs said. "It was about imposing our will on them. That's what we did." Cribbs praised coach Eric Mangini and his staff for getting the players locked in for Sunday. The opponent entered with slim playoff hopes and the weather figured to be nasty. As it turned out, temperature at opening kickoff was 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind chill was minus-1, with snow on the ground. "We practiced in the snow the other day," Cribbs said. "We were letting everybody know that, 'hey, you can't simulate this down in Jacksonville.' We were outside on Thursday -- full pads. We executed in practice and it carried over into the game. That's a coach who led his team to victory." Mangini ended his first season in Cleveland at 5-11 but riding a four-game winning streak. It is up to Mike Holmgren if Mangini gets an opportunity for a second year. "If [Holmgren] asked me, I'd have to say, 'Yes,'" Cribbs said. "He came in here and turned it around." Last year, the Browns went 4-12 under Romeo Crennel. They ended in a six-game slide, the last two by shutout against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, respectively. "Eric's getting the group of guys he wants in here," Cribbs said. "It was a slow start this season because it takes some time to get that group you want, guys who are going to fight hard. Look at the guys who have been excelling on defense: no-name guys, guys people haven't heard of in the league. But those guys are hungry. They want to make a difference. "He's filling this football team with hungry players. ... Their life is at stake. When you've got a team fighting for one goal, everybody else better watch out." Entering this season, Cribbs made it clear he wanted a new contract. It did not come. Instead of holding out, Cribbs posted terrific numbers in his fifth pro season. "I'm ecstatic how it turned out," Cribbs said. "I think I did a pretty good job of handling everything. I talked to Jim Brown and he was like, 'Hey, play and don't worry about the money; it will come.' That's what I did. I played for this team, for the fans, for my family. "And I scored some touchdowns in the process." http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100103192501239 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103191936954 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103191936954 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:19:36 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103191936954#comments Browns News Tony Grossi give an instant analysis of the game today. How does he grade the team? Read on to find out! TONY’S TAKE Offense: A facsimile of the game plan of the previous three wins. Run, run and run some more. Over their four wins, the Browns ran the ball 73 percent of the time. Because of the arctic conditions on Sunday, they ran 81.7 percent of the time — 49 runs vs. 11 passes. On both touchdown drives, the Browns didn’t attempt a pass. Jerome Harrison and Josh Cribbs had rushing touchdowns. Lawrence Vickers had pancake blocks. One turnover. Bottom line: Unstoppable. Defense: Two fourth-quarter touchdowns ended their streak at 12 quarters of keeping an opponent out of the end zone at home. Eric Wright had an interception. They sacked David Garrard four times and contained Maurice Jones-Drew (82 yards) most of the game. Drew’s 30-yard run set up the first touchdown. Bottom line: Playing hard till the final gun. Special teams: After Josh Cribbs returned the opening kickoff 31 yards, the Jaguars kicked away from him. Cribbs also had a 12-yard punt return, which is the second-longest allowed by Jacksonville this year. Phil Dawson made field goals from 27, 21 and 33 yards. Bottom line: Clearly superior. Coaching: In his 16th game, Eric Mangini earned a Gatorade bucket shower from his team. Amazing. He coached the Browns to their first four-game winning streak since 1986. It’s only the fourth Browns team to win four in a row in a non-playoff season — first time with an overall losing record. Bottom line: A much better exit (possibly) than entrance. — Tony Grossi http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100103191936954 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103191324679 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103191324679 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:13:24 -0600 http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/article.php?story=20100103191324679#comments Browns News Cleveland Browns put on a fine finale, 23-17 over Jaguars; but is it Mangini's farewell? By Tony Grossi January 03, 2010, 7:12PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At the end, they dunked a bucket of Gatorade over the head of Eric Mangini. What were the odds? How many of them would have imagined, while they were running those discipline laps in the oppressive heat of August, that their season would end with the traditional expression of support for their coach in minus-1 wind chill in January? "That was sweet," fullback Lawrence Vickers said. With the defense on the field putting the finishing touches on a 23-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vickers instigated the Mangini dousing with backup quarterback Brett Ratliff. "He was like [saying], 'Thank you, thank you.' He wasn't bothered by it," Vickers said. The post-game celebration was just the latest of unforeseen occurrences in one of the most eventful seasons in Browns history. The fourth win a row after a 1-11 start duplicated a feat only done previously by the New England Patriots coached by Bill Parcells in 1993. Yes, they made the playoffs the next season. Mangini has reminded us of that. There was a third consecutive 100-yard rushing game by multi-record holder Jerome Harrison and his fifth touchdown over that stretch. There was a fabulous 14-yard touchdown run by Josh Cribbs, who can keep on running right to the Pro Bowl in south Florida. There was another victory hammered out on the icy-hard ground while the passing game failed to achieve 100 yards. That's happened in four of their five wins. And there was the continual improvement of a defense loaded with rejects and fill-ins for injured starters. It held Pro Bowl back Maurice Jones-Drew to 82 rushing yards and kept the Jaguars out of the end zone until the fourth quarter -- extending its streak at home to 12 quarters without allowing a touchdown. But the story of this season has a final chapter to be written by incoming President Mike Holmgren. Does the Big Show cast aside his obvious philosophical differences and keep Mangini as his coach, or does he start fresh with his own choice? "I respect Holmgren's professionalism and I have to accept his judgment, whatever it is," said linebacker David Bowens, a Mangini guy. "No team's the same every year. Who knows? I just wish we can keep this thing going. Everybody's comfortable with coach and the way we prepare." Unburdened by another week of game preparations, Mangini finally talked plainly about the reality of the situation, of him possibly being fired for the second time in two years. "I've been on both sides of the desk," he said. "I've had to tell people, 'We're going in a different direction.' That's never fun. I've been told that and I'm sure it wasn't fun or easy for the [Jets] people that told me. But you understand that and you respect everybody's right to do that." It was an emotional weekend for Mangini, Bowens said. The night before, Mangini had players stand up and tell stories of their first encounters with him -- guard Eric Steinbach in their off-season meeting about gaining weight, nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin in his first visit to the coach's office, at which the shy Rubin hardly said a word. Mangini disputed that it was a nostalgic weekend, as if all involved knew it could be the last time they'd be together as a team. "When you've been through a difficult season -- a long season -- it's easy to forget all those steps that took place as you went," Mangini said. "It wasn't nostalgia as much as appreciating it and reminding them about it and letting them talk about what it means to them." Cribbs, who became a better all-around player under Mangini, said he would tell Holmgren to keep Mangini as coach. "He turned it around," Cribbs said. "We beat Pittsburgh for the first time since I've been here. It was a slow start (1-11) because it takes some time to get that group of guys he wanted that would fight hard. "He's surrounding the football team with hungry players -- players that want to fight no matter their contract, no matter their draft [status]. When you've got a team fighting for one goal, everybody else better watch out." Bowens said players were slow in buying into Mangini's methodical ways. But once they did, "We've become that tough, smart, competitive football team [that Mangini preaches]. I just want to keep it going." Holmgren is scheduled to arrive in Berea from Phoenix at some point on Monday. He may not have his sit-down with Mangini until Tuesday. "We'll see what happens," Mangini said. He asserted that he wants to remain coach and believes his team has stated the strongest case of anybody that he deserves to continue the program longer than one year. "I knew there were short-term sacrifices that had to be made for the good of both the long term and for us to be able to make progress as we went along," he said. "The decisions that were made were made with that in mind, in building the strongest possible organization that is built for the long term. "I'm not hiding from the mishaps that we had this year, or the things that we didn't do very well. There are some things I wish I could have done better and we could have done better. It's different each place that you go." During this season-ending winning streak, owner Randy Lerner has been conspicuous by his absence. He missed his third game in a row. Mangini said he "communicated back and forth" with Lerner and received a good luck message from him on Saturday night. Asked about the Gatorade dousing from his players, Mangini termed it "cold and satisfying." Which pretty much sums up his first -- and possibly only -- season as coach of the Browns. http://www.nflfans.com/cyberpound/trackback.php?id=20100103191324679