Joe Paterno's dementia and the hypocrisy of the NCAA

A few weeks ago the Brown Log did a piece in which we considered the possibility that Joe Paterno might actually have died a long time ago and all this time Penn State has been propping him up, ala "Weekend at Bernies" just to get him the all time division I coaches win record. Well, the shocking events of the last week revealed that perhaps we were not too far off. I simply cannot understand how Paterno could have not done more nearly 10 years ago when Paterno learned that Jerry Sandusky was molesting young boys.

It has long been clear that Paterno has been a figurehead coach and that his mental functioning is not what it once was. Today we can see the true price paid for Penn State's board of regents allowing the proverbial tail to wag the dog. It has been many years that it is apparent to any impartial observer, that Paterno has shown signs of senility. The bottom line is that a person doing a given job, needs to be fully capable to carry out ALL of his duties. Up until this week, it was easy to overlook Penn State's inability to force Paterno out, because everyone could appreciate the sentimental element of retaining a figurehead coach. The horrible consequences of allowing a man not capable to perform his full range of duties these last 15 years is now clear.

Did a once honorable and ethical man like Paterno, do the legal minimum on the Sandusky matter simply because he was tired and disengaged??? I prefer to believe that Paterno was simply so detached from reality that he could not get his hands around even the most obvious situations. That is better than believing that Paterno did not do everything is his power to put a child molester behind bars.

Another bitter note here is that the NCAA has been embarrasingly silent on the Penn State matter. Why do I get the feeling that if Jerry Sandusky had stolen a few hundred dollars in NCAA merchandise, the reaction of the NCAA would have been lightening swift?

Peyton Hillis

Cleveland is a working class town where people show up for their job every day and take pride in working through even the worst of illness.

When our best playmaker Josh Cribbs a few years back struggled to get a new contract, he endeared himself further to Cleveland fans thanks to his workmanlike attitude. He showed up every Sunday, played hurt and contributed, in spite of Cleveland management at the time, trying to use time to grind him down.

Peyton Hillis finds himself in the same situation this season. What did he do? He refused to play a game he could have easily played, alienating his teammates. Later in the season, Hillis blew off a charitable function for Cleveland area kids that he had committed to.

Hillis does not fit into Cleveland, in short he is a jerk. I hope he never stains the field of play for Cleveland again.

Our sentiments exactly

BL Live Blog: Colt

I can't remember the last time I've seen a QB take more hits than Colt McCoy did today. He simply cannot be judged until he has an offensive line capable of giving him more than a split second of protection. I'm seriously concerned that McCoy won't make it through the season healthy.

Browns are FUCKING HORRIBLE

The Cleveland Browns are...fucking horrible.

BL Live Blog: Nevermind

The Texans are completely dominating the Browns

BL live blog: Jason Pinkston is being dominated

McCoy has no time to pass

BL Predicts: Week Eight vs Houston

It is officially panic time in Cleveland. Naturally the Browns are still in the hunt at 3-4, and have a chance to be a .500 team at the halfway point of the season, something that has not happened in ages. So why all the gloom and doom? I think nearly 50 years without a championship has simply clouded our ability to reason.

I will go on the record today and exclaim "stay calm". In spite of an offensive line that has two or three players who could not start for any other team in the NFL and in spite of having very little talent at WR this team has competed in nearly every game this season. Furthermore Peyton Hillis has managed to go from hero to villian in less than 8 games. Holding himself out of a game he could have played in put him in a bad position with fans in working class Cleveland. But the end of the love affair took place last Monday when Hillis blew off a commitment to attend a children's event he has promised to attend.

On the plus side, the Browns defense is in the top tier in the NFL which means that on any given Sunday this team can win and finally, for those of you who might doubt Pat Shurmur, I really suggest you listen to the man during his press conferences. He is a straight shooter and has a clear plan for this team. He also has the support of a skilled front office, it is only a matter of time before this guy is a winner and that time might well come this season.

So what do I think about today's game? I predict a shocking Browns win. As troubled as the Browns are right now, so are the Texans. They have key players missing due to injury and are 2-2 in the last 4 weeks. Look for the Browns D to come through big and even put a few points on the board today. Finally, today may be the game in which Carlton Mitchell finally contributes with some long gains. He will get a chance, that is likely

BL Predicts
Browns 20
Texans 13

The BL is 4-3 on the season in predicting Sunday's result

BL Predicts: Week Seven vs San Francisco

On the road vs a good Niners team this week. After the total disappearance of the Browns offense last week it is difficult to imagine anything other than a Browns loss this week.

BL Predicts

Browns 13
49ers 24

The BL is 3-3 this year on the prediction front.

Congratulations Coach Paterno

Coach Joe Paterno yesterday became the winningest head coach in division I college football history, surpassing Eddie Robinson with his 409th career win.

There is only one question left to be answered, "Is Joe Paterno actually still alive"?

Given some of the conspiracy theories out there that folks accept, is it really that hard to digest the idea? All I can say is that it's mightly fishy that Paterno gets hidden in the press box during games. Who knows, maybe Paterno will be the next head coach of the Browns.

BL Predicts: Week Six vs Seattle

In what is a must win game if the Browns are to hold onto playoff hopes, this Sunday is a major test. Pat Shurmur is starting to see how serious Browns football is to northern Ohioans. Holmgren had to step up and take a bit of the heat off Shurmur with a press conference earlier this week so that Shurmur could concentrate on getting ready for Seattle. At the same press conference Holmgren stated that Shurmur would not both head coach and offensive coordinator in 2012 so even Holmgren is starting to send some signals to his new head coach that while we have some good excuses, it is time to put those behind and get on with getting some results.

Optimism is quickly running out and patience wearing thin in winning starved Cleveland. There are a lot of negatives we can latch onto this week, with Hillis and Haden both likely out and morale among the troops apparently low. Still the home team wins 57% of the time in the NFL and this week lets hope that the home field advantage is enough for the Browns to pull out a W.

BL Predicts: Evan Moore has a big game and the Browns win

Browns 24
Seahawks 16

BL Predicts: Week Five vs Oakland

The Brown Log are 2-2 this season in game predictions after not only predicting the Tennessee game correctly but also darn near nailing the final score. After the drubbing at home at the hands of a Tennessee squad that many fans do not respect, prognosticators are nearly universal in predicting that the Browns will get beat soundly today in Oakland.

The Brown Log felt that the facts in the run up to the Tennessee game pointed clearly to the Browns being soundly defeated. So what are the facts on the table for today's Raiders game?

- Oakland are 3-2 and have won vs the Jets, Texans and beat Denver at Mile Hile, which is never easy. Furthermore the Browns have never done well vs Oakland on the road and we all know that the home team wins 57% of the time in the NFL.

However unlike the Tennessee game I see many factors working in the Browns favor this week:

- First and foremost, the Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, ranking near the bottom of the league both against the run and pass. If you want further evidence of just how significant of a mess the Raiders find themselves in, look no further than the fact that the Raiders traded this week for Seahawks back up linebacker Aaron Curry, a former first round bust and after all of three days to get ready, Curry will be starting today against the Browns.

- While the Raiders have one of the leagues top offenses, their success is due in strong part to a rushing game near the top of the NFL is yards per game. If the Browns prepare well, our 4-3 defense should have a chance to hold it's own against the Raiders rushing game.

- While the Browns D will be weakened by the likely loss of Joe Haden, the Raiders QB Jason Campbell is still prone to mistakes. One or two turnovers can change the complexion of a game quickly.

- The Browns have had two full weeks to prep for the Raiders while the Raiders during their one week of prep have had to deal with a historical distraction, the passing of their leader Al Davis, one of the great figures in NFL history. While the Raiders may get an emotional lift from the desire to play well during the week that their Hall of Fame President passed away, there can be no doubt that their game preparation had to be negatively affected. There simply was less time available than in a normal week for Raiders management and coaches to get ready for this game.

- This game is the real debut of the Cleveland squad. Because of the lockout, our team and it's new coach had four short weeks to install completely new systems on offense and defense. As a result we've seen Pat Shurmur continue to evaluate the entire roster in the first 4 games. These two weeks off have allowed Shurmur time to assess the first four weeks of the season and make some decisions. Look to see more of Evan Moore, Greg Little and Peyton Hillis today. Watch for the Browns to better balance the run and the pass and look in particular for Ben Watson to have a big day.

- The big negative for our Browns is the likely absence of Joe Haden today, who is quickly becoming a reliable shut down corner.

Bottom line: Look for the Browns to score often and shock the NFL today with a win in a high scoring shootout.

BL Predicts:
Browns 31
Raiders 28

Peyton Hillis' agent takes the blame

Sounds like a lame excuse Peyton Hillis' agent takes responsibility for advising not to play sick