Recap: Another Sunday, another loss

Coach Mangini had nobody to blame but himself for Sunday's loss vs the Ravens. The Browns did not turn over the ball the entire game, no interceptions, no fumbles.

We lost anyways.

BL predicts: Week Three vs Baltimore

The Brown Log have two predictions this week:

- First prediction is that if the Browns arrive to 0-4, Holmgren will fire Mangini and replace him with Rob Ryan

- Second prediction is relative to this Sunday's matchup at Baltimore. Ryan's defense is coming together as a group. TJ Ward gets better every week and Ryan always has a variation up his sleeve that forces opponents to make adjustments.

On the other side of the ball however, our offense will have to face the Ravens who have yet to give up a touchdown all season. Seneca Wallace will likely once again take the reigns but the Browns simply don't have any playmakers that can step up and help Wallace move the ball. Frustratingly, Mangini puts Josh Cribbs on the field with the offense about 5 plays per game while our regular wideouts simply are unable to get open. It's hard to imagine fumble prone Peyton Hillis doing much, while Jerome Harrison is fighting an injury.

I think both teams will struggle to score, but the Ravens in the end, should get past the Browns. The bad news with a loss would be a horrible 0-3 start, the good news would be that we would be one step closer to ending the Mangini era in Cleveland.

In any case, here's hoping Rob Ryan's crew dominate the Ravens and our Browns sneak out of Baltimore with a W.

BL Predicts

Ravens 19
Browns 13

2011 NFL Draft Preview

Since the 2010 season is already nearly over, as loyal Browns fans, it's time to put our concentration onto the 2011 season.
click on this link to review a list of the top draft prospects in the upcoming 2011 NFL draft. Though our Browns really need to shore up the receiver position, it might be very hard to resist taking Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward with that number 1 pick as Heyward is rated by most scouts as the best prospect in the draft.

BL Live Blog: 0-2

-Is it time for Mike Holmgren take a realistic look at Mangini before we
end up 0-16? Mangini's personnel and tactical decisions are wide
open for attack but I think the thing that disturbs me most is his
body language on the sidelines during the game. Players absolutely
take a cue from the head coach and Mangini's body language tells the
tale of the season for the Browns. When something bad happened to
Bill Cowher, he immediately started working on remotivating the
players. With Mangini, one look at him and you would think the world
had just ended. Football is an emotional game, a teams leader needs
to understand that.

BL Live Blog: 3:41 left, it's money time

Brilliant play by Marcus Bernard to tip that pass

Let's see if Wallace can lead us to a win

BL Live Blog

chiefs have a chance to eat clock.........

BL Live Blog: Here we go again?

16-14 Chiefs...................
Can the Browns O move the ball in the 11th hour?

BL Live Blog: 4th quarter = character

Will the Browns show character and hold their lead or will they fold
again in week 2?

The entire season may ride on the answer to that question. 87% of
teams that start the season 0-2 do not make the playoffs.

BL Live Blog: Second half blues?

The Browns played an awful second half last week, as the Bucs adjusted
at halftime. Will this week be a repeat?
On D, the opening drive, KC marched right down field. However one
thing I like about Ryan's D, is that in key moments, the defensive
players make good reads. On the 3rd and goal, the Browns D had 11
players running to the ball. It's clear that as the season
progresses this group will get better.

BL Live Blog: Great heads up play by NT Rubin

Nice tip by Roth leading to the intercept

BL Live Blog: Touchdown!

Two important things to note on the TD

- Unlike Delhomme last week, Seneca Wallace did not let the
interception drain his confidence.

- Eric Berry bit hard on the play action, leaving Cribbs in single
coverage.

BL Live Blog: First bad decision by Wallace

Seneca Wallace makes his first bad decision this game and like
Delhomme's bad decision last week, the Browns pay dearly.

BL Live Blog: Browns 98 yard TD drive

The run game comes alive and Seneca Wallace shows judgement all drive
long.

Well done!

BL Live Blog: TJ Ward

If you want to have some fun watching the Browns, something that is
not easy to do so far today, focus on number 43, TJ Ward, on defense

This guy clearly understands the game, makes fast reads and moves to
the ball without hestitation. It is also clear he is having fun out
there

BL Live Blog: Why do the Browns keep throwing deep?

The Browns keep throwing deep because the Chiefs are daring them to.
Single coverage.

So far, the Chiefs look smart

BL Live Blog: Ughh...

It's ugly so far, the Browns can't run or pass.
Chiefs are ignoring our outside receivers

BL predicts: Week Two vs Kansas City

The home team wins 57% of all games in the NFL and last week the Brown Log wrestled with whether or not to pick the Browns to win on the road. In the end, optimism won me over and I made a bad choice. Cold water in the face!

This week we are faced with a similar dilemma. With the luster of a wonderful but meaningless preseason having worn off in 30 ugly minutes of football in Tampa Bay, the Brown Log pendulum has swung from glorious optimism to total pessimism.

What was most scary in the Browns first game were the following:

-The deer in the headlights look on Jake Delhomme's face after his first interception. Delhomme looked like every ounze of self confidence just flushed out of his face.

-The inability of the Brown's outside receivers to do much of anything. As Rich Gannon pointed out on the broadcast Sunday, even the long TD pass to Mohamed Massaquoi was effectively a blown play by Tampa's Free Safety, who had read the play perfectly and took a bad angle to the ball. I really doubt with Eric Berry roaming the secondary for KC that the Browns will be able to bust anything deep on the Chiefs.

-Peyton Hillis has a very serious case of fumble-itis, and if he cannot hold onto the ball, he really has no value to the Browns (although I bet he is a fine human being)

-The Browns did well in the first half but they kept Tampa off balance mainly by confusing the Bucs with tricks. We threw a bunch of knuckleballs at Tampa. 2 man or 1 man defensive lines and zone blitzes from every angle, Wildcat offense a few times, Seneca Wallace and Josh Cribbs on the field at the same time for a play or two. But in the second half Tampa adjusted and the Browns were unable to do anything. By the end of the game the Browns D was back to a standard 3 man line most of the time and the Wildcat disppeared as Mangini hoped to drain the clock and hold onto his 4 point lead.

With Delhomme out this week, Seneca Wallace might give the Browns a charge, but do look for KC to really stack the line of scrimmage up with 8 men in the box. It could be a long day for our Brownies.

The only factors that cause me to think twice are the fact that KC played on Monday Night last week and so they have a day less rest than the Browns plus we are playing at home after all......

I hope I am wrong this week but I think it will be a very long day for Cleveland

BL Predicts

KC 24
Cleveland 12

Spalding!

During preseason, Josh Cribbs said he was eager to "shock the world" with the Cleveland Browns exciting new offense. In the words of Judge Smails, "Wellll. We're waiting". How did the Browns "O" look today. "Right in the lumberyard Danny".

One game into the season and the Browns are in crisis

Bottom line is that we would have won the game if Jake Delhomme doesn't make one incredibly stupid pass at the end of the first half. Delhomme didn't play like a veteran when the pressure was on.

That said, other hall of shame moments include

- Mangini's bad decision not to call time late in the 4th quarter on 4th and 3, which led to confusion and a penalty.
- Peyton Hillis fumbling in the red zone
- Mangini leaving an obviously injured Delhomme in the game in the 2nd half
- The right side of the Browns line couldn't handle Gerald McCoy

No reason to be 0-1, but 0-1 we are.......................

BL live blog: Peyton Hillis fumbles........

if the Browns lose this game it will because we gave it away on
turnovers...

there is a reason perhaps why Denver gave up on Peyton Hillis. 2
fumbles so far

BL live blog: so much for veteran experience

Big turnaround at the end of the half.

The first time all game Delhomme forces a play and the Browns pay
dearly. Bucs get the ball to start the second half.

BL live blog: 1 man defensive line

The Browns show the 1 man defensive line again on the play that the
Bucs completed for 23 years to Winslow.

In general the Bucs look unprepared for the Browns and the Browns look
quite prepared. The only time the Bucs move the ball is when Freeman
uses his extraordinary athletic ability. Also sooner or later Tampa might figure out that they should be able to run against a 1 or 2 man line

BL live blog: 2-5-4 formation

At various times in the current Bucs drive, the Browns have used a
2-5-4 formation on defense.
They put two linebackers over the offensive left tackle in a 2 point
stance, leaving the tackle to have to guess who will blitz and who
might drop back. All of the 5 Browns defenders in two point stances were in fact linebackers, not just defensive lineman in a 2 point stance.
The 2 down lineman approach hasn't seemed to cause major problems for
Tampa.

BL live blog: 1-6-4 Formation

I was joking the other day when I said the Browns would use a 1-6-4
formation on defense against Tampa. Well in Q1 on defense, the Browns
have lined up one time, on 3rd and long, with only Shaun Rogers in as
a defensive lineman and 5 linebackers behind him (1-5-5 formation)

Marcus Benard positioned himself where the defensive end might normally be, but in a 2 point stance

It worked too. Freeman had no idea what to do...

Bring on Tampa Bay!!

Why, you ask, is the Brown Log optimistic about the 2010 season? While we don't see the Browns getting into the playoffs this year, a team that competes every Sunday, and 7 or 8 wins are well within reach. Such a major step forward would be great compared to the humiliation we had to endure last year.

It is true that Coach Mangini is still learning and hopefully growing as a head coach, but the jury is still out as to whether or not Mangini can lead a team to a Super Bowl win, so, why all the optimism?? There is one major reason, Mike Holmgren. In contrast to last year, what our Browns do have now is steady leadership at the top. Holmgren's first major move was the signing of Jake Delhomme, and this move should be the key to our turnaround. The quarterback is the key to a team's offensive success in the NFL. A successful QB understands what the opponent's defense is trying to do, and is able to make the right decisions, play after play. By moving the ball, avoiding turnovers, grinding down the clock and scoring some points, the QB controls the pace and outcome. It was clear all preseason long that the Browns are in good hands with Jake Delhomme and that should make a huge difference this year, especially if "Coach" can stay out of the way.

"My own belief is this team needs an aging veteran," Mike Holmgren told reporters earlier this year with reference to Delhomme. "They need a guy who's going to grab everybody by the throat and say, 'Follow me through that door.' That's what we need."

Reinders saga comes to an end

Regulars to this blog know that that one of the Brown Log's pet peeves is how much importance NFL scouts place on size and speed and how little they seem to care about whether or not somebody knows how to play the game of football.

That stated, even the Brown Log got caught up in the football potential of Joel Reinders. At 6'8" and over 300 pounds, with wonderful athletic ability, it was easy to imagine Reinders dominating the gridiron for years to come.

There was only one small problem along the way that causes optimism and dreams to crash head on with reality. Reinders simply had very few football skills. I myself was surprised that in the end, the Browns decided that Reinders wasn't even worth one years investment on the taxi squad. That means his skills are so scarce, that the team felt Reinders would never come around. Too bad really, but it goes to show that a track meet and a football game are two radically different events.

Look for Reinders to try to catch on in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts, but honestly, don't look for him to play much. The CFL is major league football, no doubt, and Reinders will need years to develop the football skills needed to make it professionally.

BL Intel: week 1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 1-10 against the spread in their last 11 home games. Right now they are "GIVING" 2.5 points to the Browns tomorrow! The Vegas spread is dropping, probably because so many folks are taking the Browns.

Revenge?

Watch for Kellen Winslow, one of the first "character cleansings" done by Coach Mangini, to be out to show Cleveland that they made a mistake by trading him to Tampa Bay. Furthermore, the Browns have had trouble covering tight ends all pre-season.

Breaking news: Mangini to reveal 1-6-4 defensive scheme vs Tampa

Eric Mangini, who protected 11, yes that's 11 Linebackers on his 45 man active roster, announced today that the Browns will line up in a 1-6-4 defensive formation to start the game against the Bucs this Sunday.

Coach Mangini was quoted as saying that a 270 pound linebacker is almost as big as a 310 pound defensive end and almost as little as a 220 pound defensive back. Therefore why bother to collect anything other than linebackers. Rumor is that if the 1-6-4 works out, Mangini eventually plans to unleash the 0-11-0 defensive scheme.

Go Browns!

BL Predicts: Week One vs Tampa Bay

Playing on the road in the NFL is NEVER easy, I don't care who you line up against. That stated, this Sunday's opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be struggling with inexperience and lack of depth.

The Browns defense must pressure young Tampa QB Josh Freeman, something they've struggled with all pre-season. My guess is we will see the Browns aggresively blitzing in the right moments and Tampa will be hard pressed to protect Freeman.

The Browns should be able to execute against Tampa's D which will likely pay less attention to the Browns inexperienced and unproven wideouts, loading the middle of the field to stop the run and short passing game of Delhomme. Our bet is Delhomme will be able to find spots in the short passing game and move the ball.

An early key to get an idea of how Tampa will fare can be had by keeping a close eye on Buccaneers new defensive linemen, first round pick Gerard McCoy and second round pick Brian Price (both are pictured below). If McCoy and Price are disruptive the Browns will have trouble running and passing upfield and that would spell big trouble and a long day for the Browns.

Game keys
- Pressuring the QB: Slight edge to Tampa Bay
- QB decision making: Strong edge to the Browns


BL Predicts: Browns 23 Tampa Bay 17

Did Brandon McDonald Tweet himself out of a job?

Well, the Browns cut down their roster over the weekend and indeed there were some surprises, the biggest of which was the cutting of Brandon McDonald, an experienced cornerback, who was immediately picked up by Arizona.

Was McDonald punished by Eric Mangini for his offensive tweet about Terrell Owens? At the time, Mangini made no secret of his disgust about the tweet, and since McDonald is more than talented enough to contribute to the Browns success... it would seem to be the case that Mangini continues his use of "cultural cleansing" as a key criteria in selecting players to fill out his roster.

The Brown Log remains unconvinced that Eric Mangini can achieve success where Ted Stepien didn't. A football team has to be made up of 53 of the best football players you can find. Watering down the secondary because a young man has fun on Twitter is pretty damn stupid if you ask me.

time will tell....

Browns wrap up preseason

Yesterdays final tuneup against the Bears generally went well and we have now arrived to the end of a preseason that gave us much to be optimistic about.
Roster cut down time is now upon us. Here is a good article from the Canton Repository's Josh Weir summing up the key roster decisions to be taken by the Browns within this Saturday. One interesting aside is Joel Reinders who has rarely played this pre-season and clearly is not ready for the NFL. The article mentions that Reinders will likely make the taxi squad so the Browns appear to be impressed enough with Reinders athletic skills to invest one year in seeing if his potential can be transformed into playing ability

Here are some roster decisions impacted by the final exhibition game:

Plus
- Colt McCoy was a perfect 13 for 13 passing. Colt has certainly made the active roster as 3rd string QB. Here is hoping that Brett Ratliff does not get cut. He too is an NFL caliber quarterback and it would be a shame to lose him. Perhaps the Browns put Ratliff on the taxi squad instead of cutting him.


- Carlton Mitchell showed enough skills that he might just make the active roster instead of the taxi squad or getting cut

Minus
- Montario Hardesty left the stadium on crutches. That will likely mean a season long trip to the disabled list for Hardesty which saves the roster spot of James Davis.

Ohio's Football culture: Go Bucks!

Well worth watching. In Ohio, football is a secular religion.