The best part about the Browns playing on Thursday is that I don't have to wait until Sunday to get pissed off watching the Browns. The prospects of writing a blog on an 0-16 team are strangely exciting, and it's looking more and more possible with each passing week. I hate the Ravens. I hate them so much. I just feel like they're a representation of everything the Browns should be, from the fact that it was our team first, to the fact that we passed on three of their best players in the draft, namely Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, and now Torrey Smith (for William Green, Kam Wimbley, and Greg Little). Damn it all. Anyways...
Here are the two problems with the Browns that I think make the biggest differences in these games (except for all the other problems with the Browns). One, that we have a worse head coach than the other team EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Seriously name a head coach worse than ours. You can't. Two, there is no accountability, with the players or the coaches.
I already wrote about the struggles our coach has game planning here. This week, his team didn't go three and out on their first series. They didn't turn the ball over. They didn't look woefully unprepared to play. These things are positives.
However it was a 9-7 game at halftime. Of course, Baltimore made adjustments at halftime, while Shurmur and the Browns celebrated the progress they'd made in the first half and how hard they battled. So Baltimore marched down the field and scored, making it 16-7, in the rain. After halftime, Trent Richardson, the Browns best and some would say only weapon, got 4 rushes. FOUR. They threw 27 passes. This is not the 2001 Ravens. They can be run on. I'll say Brandon Weeden looked pretty good, but he'd better learn how to look off his primary receiver or he's going to throw a lot of pick sixes. But really, 4 rushes to Richardson in the second half of a close road game in lousy weather? 5 rushes total in the half? C'mon Shurmur. Our coach lost the idiot battle to Cam Cameron (who also loves ignoring his best offensive player) nearly an impossible task.
Also, for the second week in a row, we get the ball with a minute left in the half (after calling timeout to save time) and run the ball on our first play. IDIOTIC. It's like our coach is scared to even think about being aggressive. Shurmur.
Again, the recap of this game is short and simple. We played well enough on offense to keep it close but we can't make a play when we need to. We played well enough on defense but committed a stupid penalty with 4 minutes left (yeah you Buster) that cost us getting the ball back with more time for a chance to win. We ignore our best offensive player for long stretches of the game. Phil Dawson is the only chance we have to win games this year.
But sadly we played pretty well on offense, defense, and special teams and still lost by 7. It's gonna be a long year.
But it's the lack of accountability that makes me the most angry about this team. I'm not saying go out and fire everybody, or bench everybody for making a mistake now and again. But I'm sick of seeing this team make the same damn mistakes every week. Last year, we led the league in drops. If we're not first this season we've got to be close. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Why the hell do we expect Greg Little to start catching the ball now? Or any of these guys? Is it time to hold someone accountable? These guys are lucky I'm not the GM, because I'd fire the receivers coach yesterday. And Greg Little would be inactive for at least a month, if not longer. He wouldn't see the field until I thought he was going to be able to get through a game without a drop. He's killing this team.
Where the hell is Josh Gordon? Was he this far behind from a development standpoint, or is it a coaching issue?
Except for Phil Dawson, who is phenomenal, our special teams is below average. Reggie Hodges has been horrible all season. Our coverage units were adequate this week at least, but have been awful for most of the season. Someone should go, probably Hodges first. Accountability.
And Alex Mack just stinks. I don't watch coaches tape but I can see he is awful in real time. I honestly think there are 20-25 starting centers that are better than him in the NFL. I can't frigging believe we took that guy in the first round over the son of a Browns legend. Thanks Mangini you dummy.
We're staring 0-5 in the face next week, when we're at the Giants, and then maybe have a shot at a win or two when we're home against Cincinnati and at Indy. Jimmy Haslam should take over as sometime around then, and we should see if the new owner believes in "progress" and "battling" or accountability fairly quickly.
Another home game, another Browns loss. This time to a Bills team that hadn't won on the road in over a calendar year. Absolutely abysmal. Jimmy Haslam held a conference call last week with current and former season ticket holders. If he wants to know why people didn't renew their tickets, he has to look no further than the Browns home record since they've been back, which is 37-69. That is absolutely deplorable and embarrassing.
Since 1999, the Browns have had 5 head coaches, each horrible in their own way. But the one we have now may actually be the worst of them all, a testament to how AWFUL he is as a coach. Pat Shurmur needs to go. It sounds rash, but the guy simply doesn't have what it takes. I'm all for continuity. Hire another west coast offense guy. Keep the 4-3. I don't care. But don't subject the fans to this trash anymore. Every single time the Browns take the field, they look woefully unprepared to play football. Let's take a look at the 1st quarters in Pat Shurmur's 19 games as the Browns coach.
2011 Season -
9-11 - Cincinnati - Score at the end of the first quarter 10-0 Bengals.
Home opener last year. Who's pumped????
Browns get ball, go three and out. Punt to Cincinnati, give up a field goal.
Browns get ball back, go three and out, committing 4 penalties in the process. Punt to Cincy, give up touchdown. Browns get ball back, go three and out, punt.
Sound familiar?
9-18 - At Indianapolis - Score at the end of the first quarter 3-0 Colts
Browns kick off, Colts (led by the venerable Kerry Collins) march down the field in 10 plays and kick a field goal. Browns get ball back, go 3 and out and punt. Colts go 3 and out. Browns amazing run off 7 plays before punting back to the Colts. Colts drive down field, quarter ends before they add another field goal.
9-25 - Miami - Score at the end of the first quarter 7-0 Miami
Browns kick off, Miami gets 1 first down before punting. Browns get the ball, run 5 plays before throwing an interception. Miami capitalizes off the turnover, scoring a touchdown. Browns get ball back, 3 and out. Punt to Miami, who drive down the field but fumble at the Browns 20 yard line. Quarter ends before the Browns can complete another 3 and out series.
10-3 - Tennessee - Score at the end of the first quarter 7-3 Titans
Browns thrill the home crowd by not going 3 and out on their first possession, driving down to the Tennessee 39 yard line before punting. The defense forces a 3 and out, and the offense takes the short field and converts a field goal. A LEAD!! For all of 6 plays the Browns lead in the game, before the Titans score a touchdown. Browns get the ball back and the quarter ends before they can convert another field goal.
10-17 - at Oakland - Score at the end of the first quarter 7-0 Oakland
Browns, fresh off the bye week, get the ball first and show off what they've spent two weeks practicing by going 3 and out. They then give up a 15 play touchdown drive to the Raiders. They get the ball back and actually run 6 plays before punting back to Oakland, who move the ball before the Browns recover a fumble.
10-24 - Seattle - Score at the end of the first quarter 0-0
Browns kick to Seattle and force them to punt after allowing a couple of first downs. They get the ball and go 3 and out. They force Seattle to punt after 3 plays, and not surprisingly go 3 and out themselves, thrilling the home crowd. The teams trade punts before the quarter ends.
10-31 - at San Francisco - Score at the end of the first quarter - 10-0 49ers
Browns get the ball and surprise everybody by not going 3 and out, but fumbling on the second play from scrimmage. They were really fired up to play this one. Niners take 5 plays to turn that into 7 points. Browns get ball back, get a first down before punting, then give up a 10 play drive for a field goal. Browns get the ball again, run 5 plays, then punt.
11-6 - at Houston - Score at the end of the first quarter - 14-3 Texans
Another game the Browns were really up for. They kicked to Houston, who ran 9 plays and scored a touchdown. Browns get the ball, fumble on their first play, Houston recovers. Texans run 5 more plays and score. Browns get ball at midfield on a good return by Cribbs, move 18 yards, and get a Dawson field goal. Kick to Texans, who punt.
11-13 - St. Louis - Score at the end of the first quarter - 3-0 BROWNS
Browns get ball, go three and out. Kick to Rams, who move the ball to Cleveland's 34 before punting. Browns take ball and run 10 (!!) plays before kicking a field goal, firing up the home crowd. Rams get the ball, drive down the field, quarter ends. First play of second quarter - touchdown Rams. Doesn't count here though, Browns finally won the 1st quarter.
11-20 - Jacksonville - Score at the end of the first quarter - 0-0
Browns get ball first and actually don't go three and out, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. They run 6 plays, and only commit 2 penalties in the process, before punting. Jags get ball, run 4 plays, punt. Browns get ball back, get 2 first downs, and punt again. The quarter ends with the Jags on the move. (They'd eventually score on the drive).
11-27 - at Cincinnati - Score at the end of the first quarter - 7-7
The Browns get the ball and the unthinkable happens. They march down the field and score a touchdown. The defense, pumped up to have a lead, lets Cincinnati go down the field in 12 plays before stopping the Bengals on the 1 yard line. The offense, pumped up about the defensive stand, goes three and out, punting to the Bengals who score in 3 plays.
12-4 - Baltimore - Score at the end of the first quarter - 0-0
Browns get the ball, run 8 plays driving into Baltimore territory before punting. Baltimore gets the ball and drives right back, before getting stopped on 4th down at the Browns 26. The Browns get the ball and convert one first down before punting back to the Ravens, and the quarter ends with the Ravens driving. (They'd eventually score).
12-8 - at Pittsburgh - Score at the end of the first quarter - 7-3 Steelers
Browns take the ball and move to the Pittsburgh 1 before settling for a field goal. Steelers come back and take 5 plays to move 73 yards for a touchdown. Browns get ball back and again move into Steelers territory before punting, and Pittsburgh ends the quarter with the ball.
12-18 - at Arizona - Score at the end of the first quarter - 7-0 BROWNS
The Seneca Wallace led Browns took the opening kickoff 76 yards in 7 plays and the Browns score a touchdown. The defense forces a Cardinals punt, and the Browns take over at the Arizona 40 after a Cribbs return. They then go 3 and out. They punt back to Arizona, who gain a couple first downs before punting to the Browns, who end the quarter with the ball.
12-24 - at Baltimore - Score at the end of the first quarter - 10-0 Ravens
The Browns take the ball first and actually got three first downs before throwing an interception. The Ravens turn that into a touchdown, aided by a 60 yard pass interference penalty. Browns get the ball back and run 5 plays before punting. Ravens march down the field and kick a field goal. Merry Christmas Cleveland.
1-1 - Pittsburgh - Score at the end of the first quarter - 0-0
The Browns take the ball first and go three and out. Pittsburgh drives into Cleveland territory before failing to convert a 4th down. Browns get ball back, go three and out. Pittsburgh drives to midfield before punting back to the Browns, who go three and out.
That was the 2011 Browns, under then first year coach Pat Shurmur. We just knew he'd improve with an off-season and with the addition of some new offensive weapons. And we're three games into 2012 and we have this so far.
9-9 - Philadelphia - Score at the end of the first quarter - 3-0 BROWNS
New season, opener at home. Browns kick to Philly, who drive to mid-field before a LeSean McCoy fumble. Browns take over and gain a first down, leading to a Phil Dawson field goal. Browns kick back to Eagles, who convert a 2nd and 15 and a 3rd and 11 on the drive before Vick throws an interception to Craig Robertson. Browns go three and out, punting back to the Eagles. Eagles move the ball and actually kick a fg on the first play of the second quarter.
9-16 - at Cincinnati - Score and the end of the first quarter - 7-3 Bengals
Browns get the ball first and run a reverse to Benjamin for a first down. They then run 3 plays, punt and give up an 81 yard punt return for a touchdown. They get the ball back and move into Cincy territory for a field goal. They force the Bengals to punt and then get the ball back and punt themselves. They also committed 3 penalties in the quarter.
9-23 - Buffalo - Score at the end of the first quarter - 14-0 Bills
Surely the Browns would build off their loss in Cincinnati against a Bills team that can't win on the road, right? They got the home crowd in it by taking the ball and going three and out. They punt, giving up a 20 yard return in the process, and allow the Bills to march down the field and score a touchdown in 8 plays. They get the ball back and go three and out again. They punt to the Bills, giving up a 33 yard return this time. Bills only need 4 plays to convert this one into a touchdown. Browns get the ball back and go (you guessed it) three and out, getting stuffed on a third and 1. Bills end the quarter with the ball, and the Factory of Sadness was indeed sad.
That's 19 games under Pat Shurmur. They've gone 3 and out on their first possession in 7 games, and turned the ball over 4 times the first time they've had the ball. That's more than half of the games Shurmur has coached. They've been outscored 103-25 in the first quarter. It's absolutely atrocious. This is a team that is offensively challenged and they basically start the game in a hole. What exactly does Pat Shurmur do during the week? It's practically impossible to have a group of professional footballs players so incredibly unprepared to play football week in and week out. If Jimmy Haslam is going to blow this thing up, why wait? Are we gaining anything by allowing Pat Shurmur to be our head coach any longer? Punting the ball down by 10 with 6 minutes left? Gimmie a break. There are pee-wee football coaches who could script better openings to games.
I don't even want to recap the game. If you're reading this you probably watched it. It was lousy. The Browns got down early, took out Buffalo's best player, and still couldn't stop the Bills, especially when they needed to. Everytime it seemed that the Browns were gaining some momentum they would commit a stupid penalty. Everytime it looked like Brandon Weeden found a rhythm our coaching staff would either run the ball or put him back under center, even though he appeared to be more comfortable out of the gun. Our interior offensive line stinks. Alex Mack was a first round pick as a center and is maybe average at his position. I'd kill to have Chan Gailey as the Browns coach. If he had a real quarterback that team would be really good. Our cornerbacks stink without Haden. Our special teams stink. I think that about covers it.
Also, the scabs that are officiating these games are a joke. Get real referees back NOW.
Maybe it's premature, a knee jerk reaction to another embarrassing loss. I don't know. But the Bills fans celebrating in our stadium is a preview of what you can probably expect to see plenty as this season goes on. Yes I think the players will continue to improve, but they won't win many games. Because they're not prepared to win games, from the moment they run out of the tunnel. And that's a reflection of their coach. If I'm Jimmy Haslam, and I just paid a BILLION dollars for this team, I'd wouldn't give a damn about battling and progress, I'd give a damn about winning.
We even got our asses kicked in the stands
Random gifs
Ouch. Matt Schaub lost a piece of his ear on this hit.
Except for my dad, possibly no two people had more influence on my feelings about professional football than Steve Sabol and Art Modell. Sadly, Sabol past away today, just 12 days after the death of Modell. Their contributions to the way I view pro football could not be more extreme.
As a kid I absolutely loved watching NFL Films. There are very few programs that I watched as a 6 year old that I can still watch now that I'm 31, but I can watch those NFL Films presentations all day. I used to watch it when they would play blocks of it on tv, or on VHS until the tapes wouldn't play anymore. Steve Sabol was my connection to the gladiators of the past, introducing me to the powerful men in the grainy footage that would grow to be my heroes. I sat in awe in at the images of players like Buck Buchanan and Alan Page. Dick Butkus and Jack Lambert. Jim Brown and Marion Motley. Willie Brown's interception return. Art Donovan. Billy White Shoes dancing in the endzone. I loved listening to the old stories. I loved the footage. I loved the music. I loved the narration. I loved football, plain and simple, and NFL Films brought football to life. Demigods covered with blood and sweat and tape and pads, engaged in battle to prove who was the better man. Football was beautifully violent and majestically skillful at the same time, and Steve Sabol brought it to me. We named our son Deacon, the name of one of my favorite players to see on those NFL Films programs, Deacon Jones. A name with connotations of power and attitude, connotations born from the old footage and interviews I used to watch over and over again on NFL Films.
Growing up in Cleveland, I was a Browns fan. My dad would take me to the old stadium, the grimy place was a perfect representation for what football was to me. It wasn't glamorous. It was as rough around the edges as the fans were. It was old, loud, dirty, and intimidating, and I loved it. It was the way football looked on those old NFL Films. As a kid, those Browns of the 80's were my heroes. Kosar, Newsome, Mack, Byner, Slaughter, Langhorne, Dixon, Minnefield, Matthews, Golic. I could go on and on. They were warriors, like the kind I used to watch on those NFL Films shows, in real life. They used to have training camp at Lakeland Community College, and my dad would take me there every year. Fans used to line the walkway to see the players as they came in from practice and get autographs. I remember one year running under the ropes to go get autographs in my #19 jersey, and when Kosar came through he was mobbed by people. He reached across the mob of people, took my program, and signed it. I was in heaven, he made my day, he was my idol. That team, those group of players, was connected to the community, they were a blue collar team in a blue collar town. They understood what it meant to represent Cleveland and it's fans, the best in the country.
The move by Art Modell and Bill Belichick to release Bernie Kosar in the middle of the season in 1993 was heartbreaking for me and many others in Cleveland. My idol, the best and really only quarterback of the Cleveland Browns that I had known, was gone. I was 12. I remember the anger of the people, I remember after he signed with Dallas kids coming into school with 18 Kosar jerseys, I remember how happy we all were when Dallas won the Super Bowl and Bernie got his ring. A heroic ending to a sad tale, ultimately, but my idol, the face of pro football to me was gone.
I remember coming home from football practice in 1995, my dad was in the kitchen with the radio on, and he told me the Browns were moving to Baltimore. It was inconceivable at the time that the Browns wouldn't play football in Cleveland. In spite of the misinformation that has been floated around after his death, Art Modell was not forced to move the Browns. He made the decision to move the Browns, starting with blocking expansion to Baltimore in 1993 when Jacksonville was awarded a team. He stole the heart out of a city, with his buddy Al Lerner providing the jet the deal was brokered on and the NFL standing by and doing nothing. He didn't leave Cleveland the history and colors of the Browns, Cleveland sued him and the NFL and he gave them up so he could slither faster to Baltimore. He spit in the faces of an entire city full of people he had walked beside for 30 years, he was a coward and a liar. His death does not change those facts, but it did change the way I felt about the NFL and the players that Steve Sabol had turned into legends to me.
There was no professional football in Cleveland for three years while I was in high school. No games to attend with dad. No Sundays spent with family and friends watching the Browns play football. No more heroes on the gridiron.
Life went on and I became a much bigger college football fan. The Browns got an expansion team, owned by none other than Al Lerner. They got a shiny new stadium, complete with PSLs and club level seating and corporate suites, pushing the common fan up into the nosebleeds. These Browns are just not the same though. They look like the old Browns, but everything about the Browns of my youth packed up and is gone. They are terrible year after year. There is no connection to the community. There are no heroes.
The NFL was only gone for 3 years, and it's been 13 years since they've been back, but it has changed. Maybe I grew up and that's why, but I think it's more than that. The NFL that Steve Sabol introduced me to, and the NFL of my youth, died November 6th, 1995, courtesy of Art Modell.
Two men, deaths 12 days apart, two incredibly different impacts. One a man who helped create and foster a love for the game of football in a child, and one who destroyed that child's love of the game. Like the Browns, that love came back, it's just not the same.
It's a bit sad, really, that expectations for the Browns are so low that we as fans are satisfied with a loss to the Bengals. Maybe satisfied is not the right word, but the feeling I get is that the performance of the Browns on Sunday was adequate in the eyes of many fans. It has gotten so bad around here that a 34-27 loss is seen as acceptable. Progress, according to our coach. Progress is defined as forward or onward movement toward a destination. I guess by definition, then, Shurmur is correct when he states his satisfaction with the progress that the Browns (at least offensively) made on Sunday. The team, especially the quarterback and the offensive line, looked markedly better. However the destination, which in the NFL is probably considered the playoffs, still seems as far away as it did last week to me. The team is still winless, and it's going to be awfully difficult to "progress" towards the playoffs without winning a game.
Teams breaking in a new quarterback, running back, right tackle, and two new wide receivers generally don't win a lot of games. That's understood in this town right now. After last season, hell my expectations were just that the games would be watchable, which Sunday's loss to the Bengals certainly was. But at some point this team and these players have to make the little plays that win football games, regardless of youth or inexperience. It's simple, fundamental things that lose games. All things being equal, if LJ Fort makes the interception that hits him in the hands against Philadelphia in the closing minutes, the Browns beat the Eagles. I'm not putting the loss on him, that's not my intent. But that one simple, fundamental play ultimately was the difference between a win and a loss. And while I tried to focus on the positives last week, this week I won't. I'm sick of seeing this team lose when the opportunities are there for them to win. Playing well enough to lose a close game just doesn't do it for me anymore, this team has to start pulling out a few of those types of games.
The mistakes started early in this one, when they gave up an 80 yard punt return to Pac Man Jones. Since Chris Tabor took over as special teams coach, a span of 18 regular season games, the Browns have allowed two punt returns for touchdowns and one kick return for touchdown, not to mention the fake field goal TD they gave up last year to Oakland. That's 4 special teams touchdowns against the Browns in 18 games. That is why this team consistently loses football games. In the two seasons prior to Tabor's arrival, they gave up zero. Giving teams points on special teams when you are a team that struggles to score points and/or stop people (depending on the week), is absolutely unforgivable. There were at least 6 missed tackles on the return, including Johnathan Bademosi (who made the team for his special teams work in the preseason), Kaluka Maiava, Christian Yount (hard to fault the longsnapper), Eric Hagg, Craig Robertson, and Alex Smith. Chris Ogbonnaya gave chase at the end as well. He was active and Brandon Jackson was not (??) because Shurmur said he could help on special teams. The Browns never dug out of this hole, and ultimately it was the difference in the game.
The mistakes were not limited to the special teams, defensively they made plenty. Dimitri Patterson, a cornerback, actually lined up offsides twice. Two times. Absolutely inexcusable. He also played 15 yards off of AJ Green on the Bengals second touchdown, a curious move seeing that the Bengals were on the 10 yard line. Green caught it, slipped the tackle, touchdown. Buster Skrine was given the start over Sheldon Brown, who was active but played one snap. Shurmur said that Brown was fine after the game, that they just opted to go with Skrine. If Buster Skrine is a better option than Sheldon Brown at cornerback, then Sheldon Brown is probably ready to be put out to pasture, because Skrine was victimized pretty regularly and was called for a 37 yard pass interference penalty. It would've been much worse for Buster had Dalton not overthrown two long passes into the endzone. Eric Hagg was also torched on a long touchdown reception, and has done nothing to justify the hype he was getting in training camp.
Cincinnati's final touchdown came when Andy Dalton slipped the pocket and found Andrew Hawkins, who slithered through the Browns defense for a 50 yard score. Ugh.
The defense failed to stop the Bengals when they needed to at the end of the game, letting the Bengals run off nearly 5 minutes before kicking a field goal to essentially seal the game. The Browns committed a penalty on a 3rd and 1 early in the drive, giving the Bengals a first down, and Jermaine Gresham made a crazy juggling catch to extend the drive and get them into field goal range. One play can change the outcome of a game, and it may have been that catch by Gresham. It was a hellava play.
Yes, Joe Haden was missed, but it is what it is. It has to be next man up. That's how it is in the NFL.
In total, the Browns committed 10 penalties for 103 yards, compared to 6 for 54 for the Bengals. Ogbonnaya also fumbled near midfield when they were building some momentum in the second quarter. Not. Good.
Hard to complain much about the offense, especially after how they looked last week. Brandon Weeden looked like an NFL quarterback. The offensive line played much much better. Trent Richardson looked like an all-pro running back, powering through tackles, showing burst to the outside, and catching the ball well in the passing game. Both of his touchdowns were things of beauty. We haven't had a player of his caliber on offense around here in a long time.
From a clean pocket Weeden should be deadly as he builds a rapport with his receivers, but he showed the ability to stand in the face of the rush and deliver the ball with strength and accuracy. That was extremely encouraging. The touchdown pass to Little was a rocket put on the money. He looked far more comfortable, as did all the rookies, and they should continue to improve as the season goes on. By the way Greg Little does NOT care what you think.
The growth from week 1 to week 2 was exponential from an offensive point of view, and that's the reason fans of the team feel better today than they do about most losses. But they still lost the game, despite a 300 yard passing game from their quarterback and a 100 yard game from their running back. It's still a loss. It's still little things that should be easily cleaned up that cost this team games. Whether it's coaching or the players or both, there has to be some accountability. They're still 0-2, which means they ultimately have a lot more "progress" to make, hopefully starting this week against the Bills.
I don't generally listen to Cleveland sports radio, I like Rizzo, and I like Bull and Fox, but most of the hosts or people that call in are so negative and so out of touch that I just generally avoid it. I listened to a little bit this week and heard people just blast Brandon Weeden. I get it. He had a horrible game. It doesn't mean he's going to be a horrible quarterback. It doesn't mean he was a horrible draft pick. It was one game against a really good defense, and while it's easy to lose perspective, the reality is that he's a rookie quarterback. How he responds will define Brandon Weeden, next Sunday against the Bengals and beyond.
As I listened to people bash Weeden, I was reminded of a MMQB that Peter King wrote following the Giants Super Bowl win. The link to the article is here, but here are the portions that reminded me of how I hope Brandon Weeden will react to his poor performance.
Scene 2: Dec. 12, 2004, Baltimore. The one thing Eli Manning always has had is poise. That's what makes this horror show at the Ravens so weird, and so troubling. When quarterbacks go to the line of scrimmage, they most often point to the foe they're using as the middle linebacker, in order for the offensive line to know which man they're going to block. The first man to the right of the "mike'' linebacker, for instance, will be blocked by the right guard, etc. And so when Manning would see Ray Lewis, number 52 on the Ravens, across the line and bark out, "52's the mike,'' Lewis would scurry to the outside of the formation and yell, "I'm the mike!'' And Ed Reed or another defender would slip into Lewis' spot and yell, "I'm the mike!'' They were taunting Manning, and it shook him up. Says Manning now: "A nightmare. A disaster. They saw me sweating it, and they took advantage of me, to say the least.'' In the fourth start of his Giants' career, Manning was the definition of pathetic, four of 18 for 27 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions ... for a 0.0 passer rating. In the press box, one veteran Giants scribe took to calling Eli "Billy Ripken'' over and over again. As in, "The brother of a great player who'll just never make it.'' "I redshirted my freshman year at Ole Miss,'' Manning told me, "and when I was put in there, I was ready to play. My rookie year here, at first, it was an opportunity to watch an MVP play. Kurt was great to me. I would ask him tips about picking up the blitz. And when coach Coughlin went to me, I knew it hurt Kurt. I felt for him. But he was still a professional, helping me. He could have been a lot of things, but I can tell you he was a help to me.'' Warner likes Manning, and vice versa. This was a tough situation, because Warner thought the Giants were throwing away the season -- maybe to justify the trade and the selection of Manning. And Warner looked right for the first month. Manning put up only 23 points in losses to Atlanta, Philly and Washington, and then there was the 37-14 debacle at Baltimore, the day Warner had to come in to rescue Manning in relief. "He was overwhelmed by the situation,'' Warner told me on my podcast last week. "It was some of the worst quarterbacking I'd seen at the NFL level.'' The Ravens, Gilbride said, "did everything they could to humiliate Eli.'' Manning didn't fold. He had a huge week coming up, and a short week. The Giants took the train back to New Jersey after the Sunday game in Baltimore. Coming the following Saturday: a nationally televised game against Pittsburgh, at home, with Roethlisberger, who looked like a big star in the making for the Steelers, coming to the Meadowlands to show everyone in football that Accorsi and the Giants made a big mistake in picking Manning and not him. On the two-hour ride to Newark, Manning spoke with Gilbride and then-offensive coordinator John Hufnagel. Rather than sulk about the disastrous game he'd played, he told them his eight favorite plays. He told them, "If you could put these in the game plan next week, it'd give me eight plays I'd be comfortable with -- rhythm plays, plays I know I'd have an open receiver even if it was just a short gain.'' Notable that Manning could think about the next game 90 minutes after the most embarrassing game of his life. "I was down, really down,'' he said. "But I knew if we could put some plays in the plan for the next week that I liked, I'd feel better about it -- and the offense would see in practice we'd be able to move the ball.'' That week, he met with Coughlin. "I'm better than this coach,'' Manning told him. And Coughlin said he knew that, and don't look over your shoulder; just play. But around the team, this was a big week, and a tense week. Roethlisberger and the Steelers were 12-1. In the New York Daily News, Gary Myers wrote, "So far, it's shocking how inept Manning has looked. The field looks 200 yards long.'' Accorsi told Myers that week: "I don't want to talk about Roethlisberger. This thing will be written over a long time, not, in Eli's case, four weeks." Now, Manning says: "I didn't read the paper in high school, and I never got the paper in college. I could kind of tell what was being said about me by the questions the reporters would ask. So I didn't read about me. Same thing when I got to the Giants. But I could tell that week was a big week. The media was like a bunch of hungry dogs. They were coming for me. And I hadn't played well, so that's the way it goes.'' Strange game. Willie Ponder of the Giants returned the opening kick 91 yards for a touchdown. Roethlisberger threw a pick on his first drive. The Steelers scored on an Antwaan Randle El shovel pass. Manning followed with a 55-yard touchdown drive ending in a two-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey. The crowd was getting into it. Back and forth they went, the Giants taking a 24-23 lead at the end of the third quarter on Manning's second touchdown pass of the day, the Steelers coming back to take the lead on a Jeff Reed field goal, Manning driving the Giants 52 yards for another TD (a Tiki Barber TD run) to put the Giants up 30-26 midway through the fourth quarter, and Jerome Bettis burrowing behind right tackle with five minutes left to make it 33-30, Steelers. Driving to tie or win it, Manning threw a pick at the Steelers 18 with three minutes to play. Ballgame. "You don't like to say losing a game was a big mental boost for us,'' Manning said, "but it was. That was the day I thought I showed our team I could play at a high level.'' Manning that day: 16-of-23 (.696), 182 yards, two TDs, one interception, 103.9 rating. Roethlisberger: 18-of-28 (.643), 316, one TD, two interceptions, 84.8 rating. That's the day Manning took the heat off himself. He's never really felt it since.
King also talked about Ernie Accorsi, the Giants then GM, and what he saw in Manning at Ole Miss. One of the great lines delivered, and one that's applicable to all great quarterbacks, was this gem:
One last thing from that Accorsi scouting report. Something about guts. Manning may not look the part, but someone who plays the way he does late in games has something that Accorsi saw that day in Mississippi, something he'd also seen in his Colts days with Johnny Unitas, something Colts teammate Bobby Boyd saw too. Wrote Accorsi: "BOYD TOLD ME ONCE ABOUT UNITAS, 'TWO THINGS SET HIM APART: HIS LEFT TESTICLE AND HIS RIGHT TESTICLE.'
I'm not saying that Brandon Weeden is Eli Manning. I'm not going to compare a rookie quarterback to a two-time Super Bowl winning one. What I believe people have lost perspective this week is that all quarterbacks have had bad games. It's the most important position in sports, and it is the most difficult to master. All rookie quarterbacks will experience growing pains, even 28 year old ones. And yes, even RG3. It's how they respond that separates the great ones from the washouts, the Manning's from the Carr's, the Aikman's from the Walsh's, the Favre's from the Majkowski's.
I don't have access to the Browns practices. After the game Weeden said he'd be the first one at the facility in the morning. I hope that's true. I hope that he has the special quality that Eli Manning had, the ability to come back after a lousy performance, to put it behind him and work his tail off to get better. To show his teammates that he has the ability to be their leader. To show that he has the testicles required for the position. There are going to be bumps in the road, we can be sure of that, but Weeden's response will be the key indicator of whether or not he is the quarterback of the future or just another guy in a long line of failures at the position for the Browns. And we should be able to tell fairly quickly if this team is his and he's got what it takes. That's the reality of the NFL today.
Some additional perspective on some other quarterbacks in their first seasons.
Troy Aikman went 0-11 in the games he started his rookie season for the Cowboys.
John Elway went 4-6 and had 7 tds and 14 interceptions
Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions and went 3-13
Terry Bradshaw threw 6 tds and 24 interceptions
All the great ones were rookies at some point, and they all struggled. It's how they responded that made them great. And they all, like Unitas, had the testicles to play the position. Let's hope that Weeden does also, and can stuff it down the throat of the people in this town who have already written him off. We'll find out, starting Sunday.
Well, Browns regular season football is back. Like the Chinese proverb, I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news.
We need some perspective though. Who honestly thought that the Browns were going to beat the Eagles? While they certainly could should have, they did as we all expected them to do. Their record is no different than most predicted coming out of week 1. The reasons for that are many. The Browns started a rookie quarterback, a rookie running back, a rookie right tackle, and had two rookie receivers on the field much of the day, against an Eagles defense that has some serious talent. The struggles were expected, albeit incredibly frustrating. And there will be more struggles this season, rest assured. It's the nature of the beast with the way this team is constructed. There were positives. The defense played outstanding. Phil Dawson was his usual self. The special teams looked pretty solid. But yes, undeniably, those positives were overshadowed by the negatives, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Let's start with the bad. This is how Brandon Weeden's day started.
It actually got worse from there. He looked like a rookie quarterback making his first start. He overthrew Massaquoi on a sure touchdown early in the game. That one I chalked up to adrenaline. He was high on many throws early, and had guys in his face most of the game (more on that in a bit). The corner route to Alex Smith late in the game was a terrible pass, he missed a wide open Smith by 5 yards. He drops that one in and the Browns probably win. Whether it was his first read to throw to the 5'8 Travis Benjamin on go routes against 6'2 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie I can't say, but after the first one I might have avoided that matchup. And the final interception was an abysmal pass that was at least 5 yards high and behind Massaquoi. His accuracy was Derek Anderson-esque, which hurts me to even type.
He certainly wasn't helped out by his supporting cast, namely Greg FREAKING Little, who caused Weeden's first pick with an absolutely unforgivable drop on a bullet that hit him in the hands/face at the 3 yard line and bounced into Kurt Coleman's hands. If he catches that one it's a different ballgame, at the very least the Browns get 3 there if he hangs on. At the end of the half, on a 3rd and 1, with the Browns seemingly content to run out the clock, Weeden put on directly into the hands of Owen Marecic, who predictably dropped the ball. John Lynch who was announcing for FOX said they ran the that same play in practice, and that Marecic dropped that one. He was stunned that they ran the play in the game (obviously his first Pat Shurmur experience). I was happy when the drafted Marecic, but I've honestly never seen him block well or catch 1 damn pass. He's as worthless a fullback as has ever existed in the NFL. I would have cut him at halftime if I was the GM. I read on a Browns forum that last season he made a total of 2 good blocks and sustained concussions on both. He didn't have to worry about that on Sunday, because he did nothing. Anyway, Browns punt, Eagles get the ball back, and score. Different ballgame. The margin for error is going to be so small with this team that those mistakes are going to be the difference, and in this game they were.
Weeden was bad, but Mitchell Schwartz was horrible. Jason Babin owned him the entire game. He was abused on every play I focused on him, Babin is a good player, don't get me wrong, but he flat out dominated Schwartz the entire game. It was ugly. He was a big part of the problem with the offense on Sunday, they couldn't run his way and he couldn't block one on one in the passing game. Hard to be a successful offense with a defensive end in the backfield the entire game.
Trent Richardson looked like a rookie running back, although he didn't have too much room to operate. He dropped a screen pass and ran into the pile a few carries, but hard to find too much fault with him. He's going to be special. At least there was this.
Again, there were some bright spots. The defense played an outstanding game. D'Qwell Jackson is an absolute stud. Every player on the defensive line looked good to me. Both Craig Robertson and LJ Fort stepped in to a tough situation and made plays. If Fort could've made one more though.....
Joe Haden is a stud and it is really going to hurt when he gets suspended, and TJ Ward played well. It's really hard to find fault with a defense that can hold that explosive of an offense to 17 points. They were outstanding and fun to watch.
Josh Cribbs had some nice returns and Phil Dawson is awesome.
It was one game, the first for many key players that will hopefully be a part of this franchise's turnaround. I think they will all get better. I expect Schwartz and Weeden to improve a ton, starting this week against Cincinnati, and continuing throughout the season. I think Richardson is a beast. If Haden plays I actually think they beat the Bengals next Sunday, though that may be getting ahead of myself.
I'm not going to get into all the reasons here, because there will be plenty of time for second guessing this season, but Pat Shurmur is the worst head coach in the NFL. GO FOR 2 DUMMY. And mix up your stale, predictable playcalling. He's terrible.
There is hope for the future, and even though this one hurt, they're going to be better. And there's this.
