Vince Lombardi Teaches Football

Coach Mangini

This blog is one of many that has had a hard time accepting Coach Mangini. We've taken more than our share of shots at him. Paradoxically, yesterday left me feeling that perhaps Mangini will prove us wrong.

What is there to like from yesterday:

- His team never gave up.

- His staff had the courage to put the safety of key players like Cribbs and Massaquoi, above one game.

- Colt McCoy was prepared for a very tough game.

- The Browns have competed every game this season.

Don't get us wrong, we are likely going to slam Mangini again, but notwithstanding the loss yesterday, it appears that Mangini and his team are maturing.

comments from the NFL on helmet hits

Here is an article from Yahoo on yesterday's disgraceful helmet hits

an excerpt:

“I hadn’t heard that, but obviously suspensions would be a much bigger deal than fining guys,” said Colts center Jeff Saturday(notes), the team’s player representative. “I guess I don’t know what Goodell is going to say constitutes a suspension or not, but if guys are head-hunting out there to knock a guy out of the game, that’s the only way to take care of it.”

The Eagles’ DeSean Jackson(notes) and the Falcons’ Dunta Robinson(notes) were knocked out of their game Sunday after a frightening collision in which Robinson launched himself headfirst, while Steelers linebacker James Harrison(notes) sidelined two Browns players with head injuries after jarring hits.

Anderson wouldn’t speculate on how any players would be punished for hits from Sunday’s games.

“The fundamentally old way of wrapping up and tackling seems to have faded away,” he said. “A lot of the increase is from hits to blow guys up. That has become a more popular way of doing it. Yes, we are concerned they are getting away from the fundamentals of tackling, and maybe it has been coached that way. We’re going to have to look into talking to our coaches.”

Is the NFL going to protect players from head injuries or not?

Conrad Dobler, a guard for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1970's was openly and proudly a dirty player. It's taken years for somebody to surpass him but yesterday the mantle was passed. Pittsburgh Steeler's linebacker James Harrison is the dirtiest player the NFL has seen in decades.

Harrison used his helmet as a battering ram against the Browns Sunday. His blows to the head of Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi resulted in head injuries to both players. Without any doubt Massaquoi was in a vulnerable position and a flag should have been thrown. While by definition, Cribbs as a runner was not a vulnerable player, the blow to Cribbs head was a much dirtier play. The Massaquoi hit took place at full speed and a reasonable person could believe the helmet to helmet blow was accidental. Cribbs on the other hand was practically stopped, and it appears Harrison simply teed him up and hit him with intent to maim. Why wasn't unnecessary roughness flagged??

In the end, Harrison was Pittsburgh's most valuable player yesterday and the NFL refs were his partners in crime. Harrison helped the Steelers immensely by knocking Cribbs out of the game.

Unbelievable. The Brown Log has been consistent on this issue, being critical of TJ Ward on a much lesser violation in which he used his shoulder in a hit on a vulnerable receiver. In Harrison's case, there are no excuses. The zebras didn't bother to throw the flag even once.

On the down side....

The Browns have absolutely no outside receivers capable of playing in the National Football League. It's now apparent that Browns opponents can concentrate their efforts on stopping the Browns running game and short passes and that places limits on what the Browns offense can achieve.

What is particularly discouraging about this is that the Browns, in spite of having made real improvements to the team this year, are very likely to finish with a worse record in 2010 than the disaster of a season they had in 2009. We will have to hope that the 2011 draft will yield a top flight playmaker at wide receiver and that he can hit the ground running otherwise it might be 2012 or 2013 before we have a competitive team.

.......all this of course, if the 2011 season is not destroyed by a work stoppage.

Another defeat but all is not lost

...but there were a few positives today:

- Colt McCoy looked good, throwing for 281 yards. One of his two intercepts could have been caught.

- The Browns defense almost managed to keep the Steelers and a rusty Ben Roethelisberger under control. But Big Ben got his bearings in the second half and managed to exploit openings in the Browns pass D.

- Inspite of the fact that gamer Josh Cribbs fought to continue playing, the Browns were smart enough to sit him after he suffered a nasty concussion. The team should be applauded for this.

- The Brown Log almost exactly nailed the final score, missing by 3 total points. Our prediction was Steelers 26, Browns 9 and the final was Steelers 28, Browns 10.


the Browns are now 1-5 on the season and our next loss will be on the road next Sunday against defending Super Bowl champions New Orleans.

BL Live Blog

Punter Reggie Hodges is the Browns MVP today. Down 14-3 good punts won't help any longer

BL LiveBlog

I thought Colt looked good in the first half. Calm and much improved since the preseason. We are still in this game

BL Live Blog: the NFL chess game

First time all year I've seen the Browns make a major first half adjustment. By putting a receiver in motion, faking an end around, the Browns opened holes for Hillis. They clearly noted a Steelers key and threw a wrench into it. Love it!

BL Live Blog: Cribbs

An illegal helmet to helmet hit on Cribbs

BL Live blog: 0 man defensive line

Twice on passing downs the Browns have used no down lineman.

BL Live Blog

Great play by Haden!
Playmakers win games and that was a great intercept and return

BL Live blog

Coly looked great on the 18 yard pass to Moore.
He looked like a rookie on the sack.
The intercept was actually a beautiful pass that the receiver didn't catch.
Good start.