Abysmal

 

That’s the best adjective that can be used to describe yesterday’s 31-3 beating handed to the Cleveland Browns by the Green Bay Packers.  The word can be applied to the team’s play on offense, defense, and the coaching philosophy.  If you have tickets to any of this team’s remaining game, why would you use them outside of the cash used to buy them.  The Cleveland Browns are unwatchable as a sports product.

 

While most rational people did not expect a playoff appearance this season, nor did they figure a winning season was possible, what the fans thought would happen was improvement.  After seven games, this football team has taken a step backwards, and I, for one, would like to hear a good reason from Eric Mangini as to why this team is not better than the one who played for Romeo Crennel in 2008.

 

Their were very few dropped passes yesterday, and still Derek Anderson stunk the joint out.  He is becoming the Scott Mitchell of the 00’s, having one good season, and fooling a lot of people in the process.  Anderson missed open guys, forced throws in to coverage, and had another game where he completed less than half of his throws.  This is despite hitting his first five passes.  After that beginning, DA went 7 of 24 through the air.  Those are simply not up to standards for an NFL quarterback.

 

This week or at least during the bye week, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll should be removed of his duties.  Last week, the Browns were most effective using the "wildcat" formation.  This week, it was used just once.  Was Daboll trying to show how smart he is by confusing Green Bay and not putting the ball in Josh Cribbs’ hands?  Cribbs isn’t a receiver, but he gains yardage on the ground.  To not use him in this capacity tells me the Browns are not trying to win games.  There is a different agenda here. 

 

I don’t know what it is, but moving the ball doesn’t seem to be a priority.  The Browns have gained less than 200 yards in five of their seven games.  Something has to be changed.

 

The worst attribute a coach can have is stubbornness.  At what point will Mangini see that what he is doing is not working and try something else.  So far, he has changed one position, the quarterback.  That move has not brought about any difference,  save for the Cincinnati game where the offense showed some life. 

 

When Anderson was named the starter, supposedly it was because Quinn checked down to the tight end and running backs too much.  Yesterday, nine of Anderson’s 12 completions went to running backs (four to Jerome Harrison, one to Lawrence Vickers) and tight ends (two to Michael Gaines and two more to Greg Estrandia).  So…

 

The coaching staff seems content to shove Jamal Lewis down our throats, eschewing the use of Harrison or the wildcat formation.  Harrison and Cribbs touched the ball on offense nine times in 52 plays.  Gee, wonder why they averaged less than three yards per play.

 

Defensively, Mangini brought in some former Jets (Kenyon Coleman and Eric Barton) to help shore up the run defense.  That hasn’t worked either.  The Cleveland Browns are getting run over on a weekly basis to the tune of 170 yards per game.  And if you can’t stop the ground game, you simply cannot be a good defensive unit.  Oh yeah, the secondary can’t cover either, continuing to allow big chunks of yardage, yet rookie Coye Francies, impressive in the pre-season, can’t get on the field. 

 

The only unit playing well is the special teams with Cribbs and punter Dave Zastudil leading the way.  The team’s most effective play in a kickoff return.  Think about that one.

 

Regardless, Eric Mangini needs to give us some answers.  This team not only isn’t as good as last year, they aren’t as good as the team that started the season.  That’s on the coaching staff.  They are getting overmatched on a weekly basis. 

 

This is a team in full reverse.  However, they have a lot of draft picks next year.

 

JD