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!