Ho-hum, the Cleveland Browns won again. It was their fourth win in a row, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17 to finish the season 5-11 after a 1-11 start. It’s the first win streak of this length for the brown and orange since 1994 when Bill Belichick coached and Vinny Testaverde was the quarterback.
It was the same formula the team has used in the previous three wins, that is, running the ball, controlling the clock, and limting mistakes in the passing game. Cleveland ran for 214 yards, with Jerome Harrison getting his third straight 100-yard game, and his fourth of the year. Why was he inactive or invisible for several games this season?
The Browns’ defense also controlled the running game and forced David Garrard to throw 39 times. He was intercepted once by Eric Wright and sacked three times, as the Jags outgained Cleveland because of the big edge in passing yards (197 to 86).
Of course, the Browns virtually stopped passing for a quarter and a half after Derek Anderson threw an interception in the second quarter. It wasn’t until the Jaguar defense ignored the pass and started putting nine or ten guys in the box did coach Eric Mangini allow his quarterback to pass again. In all, Anderson completed just 7 of 11 throws for 86 yards. College teams that run the wishbone put the ball in the air more often.
By the way, Brady Quinn took heat early in the year for only throwing to backs and tight ends. Today, Anderson completed just one pass to a wide receiver, a 14 yard play to Mohammed Massaquoi.
Now, the fun begins for the Browns and their fans. Tomorrow, meetings will start with Mangini and team president Mike Holmgren to determine the future of this franchise. The four straight victories are nice, but they may be too little too late. They also came against the league’s dregs (Kansas City and Oakland) or decent teams that were struggling when they played the Browns (Pittsburgh and Jacksonville).
You cannot compete with the better teams in the NFL with a one dimensional offense, and that’s what the Browns are. They still simply cannot throw the football with any success or confidence. All the Cleveland victories were attained with no help from the passing attack.
Also, the roster needs to be infused with talent. Some might say the passing woes are because the team dealt Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. However, the head coach made those moves. You can’t give away millions of dollars of your money and then claim you are poor.
Winning with a mixture of free agents and special team specialists is fine, but to win consistently and in the playoffs, you need some impact players. The Cleveland Browns have very few of this type of players.
The two best players on the roster are Josh Cribbs, who is a tremendous utility player, making an impact as a returner and in specialized offensive sets, and LT Joe Thomas, who is headed to a third straight Pro Bowl.
There are other good players such as offensive linemen Eric Steinbach and rookie Alex Mack, Harrison, aa well as NT Shaun Rogers, LB Kamerion Wimbley and CB Eric Wright on defense. There are some good players sprinkled about the roster, but not enough to be a playoff team.
The lack of talent means the coaching staff must depend on tricks to win games. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is a master of disguising defenses and most weeks did well in keeping the Browns in the game until fatigue set in. He would love to have some studs to build a defense around.
Holmgren probably is happy with the four wins, but he will likely want to bring in his own guys, and that is his right. That’s why he was given the keys to the front office. Whether Mangini is back or not is the new president’s decision, and only his decision.
Within the next few days, we will have a better picture of where the Cleveland Browns are heading. Winning these last four games was nice, but it would have benn better if the Browns were 6-6 heading into the last month, rather that 1-11. No one should forget that.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 