From time to time in this blog, we go back to basics in terms of football. One thing we keep repeating is that most successful teams have the ability to run the football, and the defense to stop the run. Yesterday’s 16-7 loss by the Browns to the Cincinnati Bengals illustrates once again that the Browns are simply not a good football team.
The first thing that gives it away is their 1-10 record, but Sunday’s contest shows once again how Eric Mangini’s crew came to such a record.
The Bengals gained 210 yards rushing, the Browns gained 169 yards in total! The zealots who see nothing wrong with the Browns will be happy to point out the defense did a good job holding Carson Palmer in check. That’s because Palmer didn’t have to throw to move his team. He just needed to hand it off to Bernard Scott and Larry Johnson, who just signed off the NFL scrap heap ran for over 100 yards (107) against the beleagured defense.
A defense who couldn’t get off the field as the Bengals had over 38 minutes of possession time. Palmer threw for just 110 yards, which was still more than Brady Quinn who had 100 yards passing, completing just 15 of 34 throws.
The offense was part of the reason for the lopsided time of possession, as the attack(?) didn’t do much the entire game. The first time Cleveland had the ball, Quinn hit Chansi Stuckey on a seam route to get the team to midfield. However, the downfield throws featured against the Lions were mostly absent in Cincinnati. The team had just a few completions of over ten yards, and sadly, one of them was to Quinn on a gadget play pass from Josh Cribbs on the Browns’ only touchdown drive.
The running game was non-existant with Jamal Lewis lumbering for 40 yards on 11 carries. RBs Chris Jennings and Jerome Harrison, who gained over 100 yards the last time these two teams met, had just two carries apiece. Why the coaching staff keeps featuring a back who will not be on the team next season is one of the great mysteries of this season.
They also did not use arguably their most effective play this season, that is, running Josh Cribbs out of the wildcat formation. Cribbs did carry once, but it was on an inside handoff. The coaching staff needs to answer why they wouldn’t use this bread-and-butter play.
When the Browns play a good team, it seems they play not to get embarrassed. Why? They already have little chance to win the game, so why not open it up and try the element of surprise? If you are going to go down, why not do it with guns ablazing?
To make things worse, it appears the Browns best defensive player, NT Shaun Rogers, may be lost for the season with a leg injury. Rogers’ absence will be a disaster because he is the only defensive impact player on the roster. Something the current coaching staff should have addressed in the last draft, when they picked three offensive players in the first four picks.
The Plain Dealer’s Tony Grossi mentioned the need for an impact running back in the 2010 draft, and this is another spot that should have been fixed by Mangini last spring. Lewis had little tread left on his tires, yet no replacement was selected.
It is obvious the Browns have little talent, and sometimes that is something a new coach cannot control. However, Mangini watched over a complete change over of the roster, bringing in over 20 new players. He assembled this group, something that shouldn’t be overlooked when evaluating his performance.
There are five games remaining in this hopeless season, and more and more key players are getting hurt. It’s looking like 1-15 with a new head of football operations coming in. That would seem to signal the end of Mangini, who may be the most delusional man in Cleveland because he thinks he is doing alright. However, his dismissal could be the best thing about this season ending.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 