It seems like Browns’ coach Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll found a safe with a bunch of game plans from the 1940’s and decided to do an experiment to see if they could work in today’s NFL. 

That’s the only way to explain what the Browns are doing on offense that past few weeks.  Either that or the coaches trust rookie QB Colt McCoy much more than the veteran Jake Delhomme and that’s why Cleveland is afraid to do much more than hand the ball off to Peyton Hillis. 

A combination of archaic play calling, turnovers, and a poor day by the offensive line produced just six points for the Browns in a 13-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills, who are now 3-10 on the season.  Cleveland drops to 5-8 and is officially eliminated from playoff contention.

The Browns attack netted just 187 total yards for the game, and just 82 came through the air as it appeared the team was afraid to put the ball in the air at the outset.  However, the brown and orange had five fumbles, four in the running game (losing one), and Delhomme was picked off once, he lost a fumble as well, in a ultraconservative game plan.

This game really changed in the first quarter.  Cleveland marched right down the field behind Hillis and had a third and inches from inside the one yard line.  Instead of a quarterback sneak, Delhomme handed to Hills one more time and he was dropped for a yard loss.  Phil Dawson then kicked a field goal to put the Browns out in front, 3-0.

On the Bills first drive, LB Chris Gocong hit QB Ryan Fitzpatrick causing a fumble that was recovered by Eric Wright, giving Cleveland possession on the Buffalo 25 yard line.  However, Hillis fumbled trying to hurdle a Bills defender, and Buffalo recovered.  The Browns lost momentum right then and there.

Delhomme threw downfield once in the first half and completed it to WR Mohammed Massaquoi for a 34 yard gain.  There only other passing gain of over 10 came on a pass to Brian Robiskie on the team’s second field goal drive. 

It is difficult to believe the offense couldn’t get a receiver open more than five yards past the line of scrimmage for the rest of the game.

To be fair, Delhomme was rushed by Buffalo blitzes. The offensive line had problems with the pressure put on by the Bills, particular speed rushes coming from the outside linebackers.  The Browns’ QB was sacked just once, but had to settle for short completions due to pressure many times.

The most galling conservative play calling came near the end of the first half after Buffalo’s Rian Lindell kicked a field goal to give them a 10-6 advantage. 

A penalty on the kickoff return gave Cleveland possession on the Bills’ 45 yard line with ten seconds left.  It was as if Buffalo was trying to give the Browns a field goal to end the first half. 

However, Delhomme checked down and threw a two yard pass to Hillis which took up six seconds.  A Hail Mary pass on the last play was incomplete and ended the half. 

Why not throw a 10-15 yard pass (with timeouts remaining) to give Phil Dawson a chance to add three points before the intermission?  It’s these kinds of things that make the fans cringe, and probably team president Mike Holmgren as well.

McCoy was able to practice a little at the end of the week, so perhaps he can return to the starting lineup next week.  The offense’s performance today made it much easier to make that change.

JD

If it wasn’t bad enough during the summer, baseball’s winter meetings is just one more time that it is difficult to be a fan of the Cleveland Indians. 

While other teams are dreaming of deals for players like former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke or 1B Adrian Gonzalez, the Tribe is signing veteran minor leaguer Jack Hannahan, and showing interest in utility infielder Nick Punto.

It makes you want to run down to Progressive Field or your local team shop and buy a bunch of tickets for next season.

It also makes you wonder if the Indians’ front office is interested in improving the team for the 2011 season.

Their approach regarding third base makes fans want to shake their collective heads.

At the end of last season, the incumbent at the hot corner was Jayson Nix, who batted .234 with 13 HR and 29 RBI’s in 306 at bats, with an OPS of 705.  Add to those sterling numbers his defensive deficiencies and you have someone you need to replace. 

However, the Tribe seems to want to replace him with someone who can field the position.  Unfortunately, almost everyone agrees that the position is one you need some offense from.

First, they talked about signing Kevin Kouzmanoff, if he were non-tendered by Oakland.  Kouzmanoff is the equal of Nix offensively, but has a better glove.  The A’s decided to keep the former Indian, so that idea is out the window.

Now, it is said that new GM Chris Antonetti is looking at Nick Punto, who has played shortstop and therefore will provide better defense at 3B.

The problem with Punto is he makes Nix and Kouzmanoff look like Shin-Soo Choo offensively. 

Punto, 33, has a lifetime OPS of 644.  He has a lifetime on base percentage of .321.  He’s a .247 hitter for his career with 13 homers and 198 RBI.  The 13 dingers is a good month for some hitters, and the RBI total is a season and a half worth for Manny Ramirez in his prime.

Another alternative would be former Blue Jay Edwin Encarnacion, who was just non-tendered by Oakland, but the Indians don’t like him because he made 18 errors last season.  They lived through Casey Blake making 20 errors a season, though.

However, he did hit 21 home runs with an 787 OPS.  He’ll be 28 years old in January and has a lifetime OPS of 790.  He also is not a whiff machine, with a career high of 102 strikeouts in 2006 with Cincinnati.

The Indians are spooked because Nix was so horrible defensively at the end of the year.  That’s no reason to go with a guy who is all field, no hit.

It looks like that’s the Indian way these days.

Why not give rookie Cord Phelps the job at third and use whatever money you may have to sign a pitcher.  Or sign Encarnacion, let Phelps compete for a job at second base and deal a couple of the middle infielders currently on the roster for pitching.

Instead, the Cleveland Indians seemed satisfied with mediocrity.  We know Lonnie Chisenhall should be ready to assume the job in 2012, but that’s no reason to play a below average major leaguer at the spot next season. 

And they keep alienating their fans.  That is, how many of them that remains.

MW

Before this season started, it seemed that projections for the Cleveland Cavaliers were awfully low. Once writer even thought the Cavs would win just 12 games this season.

You knew that losing LeBron James would make a big difference and the wine and gold were not a title contender anymore, but there was still enough talent to be over the .500 mark and be a playoff contender.

However, now the Cavaliers have lost four in a row, and 10 of their last 13 contests. The biggest problem in that span has been the defense, as the Cavs have allowed over 100 points in each of their last eight defeats, giving up an average of 111.3 points per night in those games.

It goes beyond points as well. Actually, the team ranks 18th in points against at 102.4 per game, but the wine and gold’s defensive field goal percentage shows a much bigger problem. Opponents are making 47.6% of their shots, a mark that ranks fourth worst in the NBA. From beyond the three-point line, the Cavs are allowing a 41.7% rate, second from the bottom in the league.

The current Cavaliers are a small team, and their defensive rotations are slow, which explains the success opponents have in putting up points.

This team has two centers in Anderson Varajao, who is really a power forward, and Ryan Hollins, who has potential but would still have to be classified as a project. And those two are the only guys listed at bigger than 6’9” on the roster. That’s not enough to be a good defensive team, and it also hurts in giving up second shots.

Just last week, the Celtics scored 60, 60! points in the paint against the Cleveland front line.

The backcourt is another area where size is needed. It’s not necessary to go overboard with guard height like former coach Mike Brown, but at this moment the guard rotation is 6’1” Mo Williams, 6’2” Daniel Gibson, 6’3” Ramon Sessions, and 6’6” Anthony Parker, who looks like he has lost a step at 35 years old.

And Parker is probably the best defender of that group.

The other problem for Cleveland is shot selection. They still hoist three point shots at inopportune times, and force other shots not in the flow of the offense.

Also, they haven’t grasped the Princeton offense Byron Scott wants to play. You rarely see a back cut from a player wearing a Cavalier uniform.

So what we have with this edition of the Cavaliers is a team who has poor shot selection and can’t defend in the paint. That’s a recipe for a poor season.

The team has played 20 games now, a quarter of the season. Based on has been seen thus far, this current group isn’t going to win consistently, so it’s time to make changes, primarily ones based on getting younger.

It will be very difficult to trade Antawn Jamison and his hefty contract, but Parker should be moved if only to get a longer look at rookie Manny Harris and perhaps Christian Eyenga.

The next move is a tough one to make, but it’s one that needs to be made if only because of the market value of the player. The team needs to move Varajao, whose talents are better served on a good team, which the Cavs aren’t.

The Brazilian could bring someone who could play in the rotation right away and also a solid prospect. For example, if Memphis would be willing to move guard O. J. Mayo, you could deal Varajao and Parker for Mayo and second year big man Hasheem Thabeet.

It is obvious after the past week that the current Cavs do not have what it takes to win without James. Knowing that means the rebuild should start now. The quicker you start, the quicker you will see results.

JK

For much of the first half, it appeared that CBS was replaying last year’s Browns-Bills game which ended in a 6-3 Cleveland victory, their only one until the last four games of the season. 

At the pace the contest was being played at, the network was going to have to show the entire second half of another game, because it might have been over by 2:30 PM eastern time.

However, it was really a different game and the Browns turned a late turnover by Miami into a 13-10 triumph, running their record to 5-7 on the season and matching last year’s win total for the entire season. 

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was using the caveman offense, seemingly refusing to throw on first down.  In the second half, the offense took more chances and put a touchdown on the board after a 3-3 halftime tie.  It was only a tie because Dolphins’ kicker Dan Carpenter made a 60 yard field goal to end the half.

Somewhere, Woody Hayes was smiling at the offensive strategy of the two teams.  He also had to be happy because Miami QB Chad Henne, who went to Michigan, threw three interceptions, including one off a deflection which led to Phil Dawson’s game winning 24 yard kick.

The Cleveland defense played well for the most part, holding the Dolphins to under 300 yards total offense.  But when the Browns took the lead on a 3 yard TD pass from Jake Delhomme to Benjamin Watson, the defense countered by letting Miami march right down the field to tie the game on an 11 play, 80 yard drive.

Rookie CB Joe Haden was all over the field, making tackles, breaking up a pass in the end zone, and intercepting a pass for the fourth straight game.  The last Brown to do that was Ernie Kellerman in 1968.  It makes you wonder why he didn’t start until Eric Wright was hurt in game 10. 

S Abe Elam has turned into a big play guy over the past several games picking off another pass today.  Elam started this trend with his strip of Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski a few weeks ago, and continued it with a strip and touchdown against Jacksonville.  This kind a big play ability had been missing from the Cleveland secondary for a long time.

And S Mike Adams made the play of the game, intercepting a Henne pass after a deflection by LB David Bowens and returning it to the Miami 2 yard line with a minute left in the game. 

As for the offense, well, if Peyton Hillis ever got hurt and had to miss a game, the Browns might consider a forfeit.  The big running back from Arkansas touched the ball on 16 of the team’s first 28 plays.  If they weren’t handing him the ball, they were throwing it to him.

To be fair, Watson had an excellent game, catching 10 passes for 100 yards and a TD.  And WR Mohammed Massaquoi had a good game as well, grabbing four balls for 81 yards including 37 yard catch on a long pass (yes, a pass downfield!) from Delhomme and a nice catch and run which set up the score.

Delhomme did a solid job, connecting on 24 of 34 passes for 217 yards, but Browns fans had to swallow hard when the QB threw a pass late in the fourth quarter that was nearly another pick six for Miami.  As a veteran, he should know better on throws like that.  He also took a sack prior to Dawson’s miss of a 47 yard attempt in the third quarter. 

The loss to Jacksonville continues to loom large as a win there would have the Browns sitting at 6-6 right now.  This was another game that could have been made easier by a decent offensive game plan.  Maybe the coaching staff is most comfortable with Colt McCoy after all.

JD

It is probably tough to be a Cleveland Cavalier player today at practice because coach Byron Scott will likely work them like dogs after last night’s embarrassing performance against the Miami Heat in LeBron James’ homecoming.

Yes, the Heat are a more talented team than the Cavs with three all stars on the roster, but what is disappointing is the wine and gold players did not match the intensity of their opponents, let alone the fans.

It was an unacceptable performance and it makes you, and probably owner Dan Gilbert wonder about the make up of the players on his roster.

It’s one thing to lose, it’s another to joke around with the opponent as he is beating you. 

There are many Cavs players who need to look in a mirror today.

There is no question that this game meant more to the fans than it did the players, but maybe it shouldn’t have.  After all, James basically told them they weren’t good enough when he decided to leave the franchise to go play for the Heat.

When James was hanging around the Cleveland bench near the end of the second quarter and was engaged in banter with Daniel Gibson and some other Cavalier players, it was not cool. 

One of the Cavs’ veterans, such as an Antawn Jamison or a Leon Powe, should have stood up and sternly told the opposing player to get away from his bench. 

That would have sent a message to James and also his teammates.

Both Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller on TNT were critical of how the Cavs bench behaved.

Yes, it’s a new generation and it is tough for old school people to identify with how the younger generation handles things. 

Sometimes, change isn’t for the good. 

Fans need to know that their team wants to win.  Last night, supporters of the wine and gold have to think their team was more interested in seeing their friend again. 

One of the criticism of the wine and gold over the past few seasons was the lack of a killer instinct, and that was when LeBron James was on the team.  That showed once again last night.

That’s why the Lakers win.  Kobe Bryant is a stone cold killer.  He wants to beat you, not be your buddy.  His teammates say the same thing about him.  However, that’s why he’s a winner of five NBA championships.

Unfortunately for the NBA, there aren’t a lot of players with that personality any more, everybody wants to be everyone else’s buddy. 

It the same trait that Michael Jordan had, Magic Johnson had, Larry Bird had, and Isiah Thomas had. 

Recently, Thomas was interviewed in The Sporting News and he said the reason he doesn’t get along with ex-players like Bird and Johnson is because he beat them.

He still has the fire and he’s been retired for 15 years. 

Check out Jordan’s Hall of Fame induction speech.  He still wants to win.  He wasn’t out to make friends.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have to look at themselves today to see if they have that quality.  They certainly didn’t show it last night and it was an unacceptable performance.

JK

Well, it’s here! Tonight is the night LeBron James returns to The Quicken Loans Arena for the first time as a member of the Miami Heat.

 The eyes of the nation, not just the basketball nation, are on Cleveland, Ohio to see how we will react. Here’s hoping a few fans on national television don’t embarrass our city.

James deserves the boos he will hear from the wine and gold faithful that will pack downtown tonight, and there will be signs decrying his departure from a franchise that he took to the brink of a title in 2007. That’s all there should be.

You see, James doesn’t merit any more attention than that. He left. Good riddance.

As of this time, LeBron James lost a heck of a lot more by leaving than we, as fans, have. The Cavaliers won over 60 games the last two seasons, and James was named the league’s MVP in each of those campaigns. It does not appear that will occur this season, and the wine and gold’s former star likely will never win another MVP unless he would average a triple double for an entire season.

He’s also no longer in the spotlight as he was when wearing #23 with the Cavaliers. No one is talking anymore about James being either #1 or #1A with the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant in terms of being the world’s best basketball player.

And even if the Heat win as many titles as either Michael Jordan’s Bulls or Bryant’s Lakers, LeBron James will be viewed as a guy who helped win those titles, not as the preeminent player on those squads.

This is not to say we should feel sorry for James. He deserves to be reviled after what he did to the Cavalier franchise that treated with nothing but honor in his time here.

He also did not handle his business in the correct manner. He was entitled to leave Cleveland if he so desired, he earned the right to be a free agent. However, he did hold the franchise hostage because he never gave them a maximum year deal.

He should have called Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert, who treated him as a partner, and told him of his decision to leave in person, not allowing one of his marketing group buddies to make the call.

He’s not worth the embarrassment. He’s gone, we are still here and you know what, life goes on. When Heat highlights (or lowlights based on their record) are shown, the blood doesn’t pump any faster.

On a different subject…There is a new sports talk alternative in Cleveland and it’s definitely worth a listen. Digital Sports Network can be accessed on Cleveland.com, The Plain Dealer website.

The network is an alternative to what has become “canned” sports talk on the town’s ESPN radio affiliate.

With outstanding hosts, including Cleveland radio veterans Les Levine and Bob Karlovec, former national talk show host Chuck Booms, PD columnist Bud Shaw, as well as Harry Petsanis, Joe Lull, Darryl Ruiter, and Ken Silverstein the talk is very entertaining and insightful.

They also have an interactive chat room so listeners can interact with other fans. Tell you friends about DSN. They will definitely love it.

MW

Next week, the hot stove will be turned up full blast with the beginning of baseball’s winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, which if you don’t know is Disney World.  This seems apropos for the cynics who like to hammer the Cleveland Indians for anything they do.

The Tribe’s real problem is that their ownership doesn’t really know when to speak and when to keep their collective mouths shut. 

A primary example is Paul Dolan’s comment over a week ago that now is not the time to spend money on free agents.  While it is probably true, why say it?  If the ownership feels the need to make any comment at all, why not say something positive, like you are looking forward to seeing young players like Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, Cord Phelps, Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex White, etc.

The reason is that this organization is caught in a negative cycle, always making excuses about the system in major league baseball, such as no salary cap, which makes it tough for a small market team to compete.  Even though Tampa and Cincinnati made this year’s playoffs and San Diego missed by one game.

This is the time to sell your franchise to its fans, giving them hope.  It’s no wonder ticket sales continue to lag for this team.

As of late, there has been a lot of talk about bringing back Kevin Kouzmanoff to play 3B if he is non-tendered by Oakland.  Here’s a move where saving money would be a good idea.  The former Indian’s OPS over the last three years has declined from 732 in 2008 to 722 in ’09 to 679 last season.  The law of declining statistics should be exercised here.

Even if it would only cost $1 million, the Tribe would be wise to pass and use the money elsewhere, for example, on pitching.

By the way, Arizona 3B Mark Reynolds is another guy to pass on.  Here’s hoping the Indians aren’t impressed by his home run totals (28, 44, and 32 the last three years) in a hitter’s paradise.  The guy is a whiff machine, averaging over 200 strikeouts over the same period.  With all those dingers, his OPS was still just 753 last season because he hit just .198.

In another under the radar move, Cleveland lost minor league free agent OF Jose Constanza when he signed a deal with the Atlanta Braves.  The left-handed hitter batted .319 at Columbus last season with 34 stolen bases and a 766 OPS. 

Is it possible he might be better than Trevor Crowe? 

The problem is Crowe is a former first round draft pick and the organization has invested a lot of money in him.  Unfortunately, at some point that shouldn’t matter.  Good organizations don’t evaluate players based on where they were picked in the draft after a certain amount of time. 

The year after they are drafted, yes.  Six years after they are drafted?  No.

There are reasons why certain organizations are always at or near the top, excluding the teams that spend exorbitantly like the Yankees and Red Sox.  Teams like Minnesota consistently make good decisions.  They know when guys can play and when guys can’t. 

They don’t make decisions based on where a guy is drafted or who he was traded for.

This is not to say Constanza will turn out to be a better than average major league ballplayer, but didn’t he earn the right to at least get a September call up to find out if he could play?

Giving young guys a chance is another positive way to promote this franchise.  Bringing back players who were mediocre doesn’t help the cause.

KM

Eric Mangini did not have the look of a victorious coach, instead he had the look of a survivor.

He survived a horrific four play stretch by his starting quarterback, which turned an eight point halftime lead into a one point game.  He survived a game in which his team lost the turnover battle, 3 to 1.  He survived another screen pass against his defense that turned into a 48 yard gain, and a 24 yard pass with 12 seconds remaining to put his opponent into a makeable field goal situation.

He survived a game in which the Browns almost turned a certain victory into a defeat by arguably the worst team in the NFL. 

It is tough to get excited about beating the Carolina Panthers by one point when kicker John Kasay’s 42 yard attempt hit the left upright.

However, Mangini did survive and the Browns improved to 4-7 on the season with a 24-23 triumph.

The Browns’ coaching staff has tried to protect rookie QB Colt McCoy by playing it safe at times on offense.  It turns out that they really need to protect the veteran, Jake Delhomme. 

In a terrible four play stretch which started at the end of the first half, Delhomme had the following results:  fumble recovered by one of his offensive linemen, threw an interception which resulted in the first missed field goal by Kasay, a running play, and then a pick six by Captain Munnerlyn to cut a once 14 point lead to just one.

There is no question that the offense became very conservative until Cleveland lost the lead with 7:04 left in the game on Kasay’s 43 yard field goal, as Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll didn’t want anymore mistakes.

The funny thing is the quarterback who seems to be most careful with the pigskin is the guy Mangini has the most worry about, his rookie signal caller.

This staff has totally mismanaged the most important position on the field.  Granted, McCoy was hurt and couldn’t play, but the guy the staff should have turned to was Seneca Wallace, who was playing very well before he sprained his ankle. 

By the way, the interception return for a TD was the second for Delhomme this season in just three games, and he had a third where the interceptor was tackled inside the five yard line.  Yikes!

The Cleveland offense was led once again by RB Peyton Hillis, who gained 131 yards on 26 carries, and caught six passes for 63 more yards.  Brian Robiskie emerged to have the best game of his young career, grabbing seven passes for 50 yards.

Evan Moore caught two passes for 18 yards, but fumbled inside the five late in the first half.  However, he drew a pass interference penalty on the Browns’ first touchdown drive.  He should still be more involved in the passing attack.

Defensively, Abe Elam had two of the three sacks the brown and orange had on Panthers’ rookie Jimmy Clausen, and CB Joe Haden acquitted himself very well in his first start, getting his third pick of the season, one which should have sealed the deal with less than two minutes remaining. 

But, the offense played it safe with three runs up the middle and couldn’t use up the clock, which led to the Panthers getting the ball with 59 seconds remaining.  On a 3rd and 10 at the Carolina 16, the defense allowed a play reminiscent of last week’s short pass and run by Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew, as Mike Goodson took a short pass and rambled through the defense for 32 yards, giving the Panthers a shot to pull out a win.

The defense simply has to make a play there.

In the end, the Browns, like their coach survived.  It should have been so much easier than that.

JD

The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best benches in the NBA.  Unfortunately, the starting lineup is playing horribly right now.

After sweeping their first three game road trip, beating Philadelphia, Washington, and New Jersey, they stepped up in class on their latest trek and got pummeled by New Orleans, San Antonio, and Indiana.

The wine and gold started the sojourn with a good quarter and a half against the Hornets, but Nawlins went on a 15-2 run to end the half, and the road trip got worse from there, ending with hammerings at the hands of the Spurs and Pacers.

Tuesday night, Byron Scott made his first change to the starting unit, replacing Jamario Moon with Joey Graham, mostly to give a more physical presence to the first unit.

That may not be the last change.

The simple thing to do would be to start the guys who have been coming off the bench, but that would just weaken the strength of the team, which is the second unit. 

So you have to come up with a mix, a group consisting of both starters and the bench group in order to get two units capable of being productive on the floor.

As much as J.J. Hickson is a big part of the future for the Cavs, it may be time to make him part of the second unit, and replace him in the starting lineup with veteran Antawn Jamison. 

Let’s be clear, this is not to say Hickson’s playing time should be cut, it’s when his playing time comes.

The Pacers game shows the wine and gold need to have more than one scorer, Mo Williams, with the starting lineup.  Adding Jamison would enable the coach to have two guys who can put the ball in the basket at the start of games.

The second unit would still have Daniel Gibson, who continues to be the Cavaliers’ leading scorer, on the floor with Hickson to provide offense. 

It also makes the second five something of a greyhound unit with all five players being guys who can get up and down the floor.  So they can provide energy, and have players who can score.

Understand that it’s not a total substitution we are talking about here, but it doesn’t get a veteran go to scorer in the contest at the beginning.  And Jamison has shown to have a variety of ways to score.

Another player that needs to pick up his performance is veteran Anthony Parker, although he did play well against Milwaukee on Wednesday.  Parker was relegated to a three point specialist when LeBron James was here, but it was felt here he could do more. 

Parker is making 47% of his shots from behind the arc, but is hitting just 33% of his attempts inside the three point line (37% overall).  Also, he seems to be a step slow getting out defensively on three point shooters, one reason opponents are hitting 38% of their triples.  If Parker isn’t doing these things, he’s needs to be replaced.

The problem is the Cavs’ only big guard option on the roster is undrafted rookie Manny Harris.  It will be interesting to see if Scott starts giving him more time if the wine and gold doesn’t start playing better.

This is the first real rough patch of the season for this basketball team, and the coach wants to see who will buck up and take charge.  Mo Williams did it against the Bucks.  Who else will elevate their performance?

At the end of this season, Browns’ president Mike Holmgren will have a decision to make regarding Eric Mangini.  Is he the head coach who can lead this organization into the playoffs, and once there, can he get them to advance?

Mangini has some things going for him.  He has made the Browns a physical football team.  He has also taken a squad that was getting blown out on a weekly basis early last season, and has them in every game a year later. 

As proof, the brown and orange has had the lead in the fourth quarter in eight of the ten games played thus far.  So, it is safe to assume that the Browns have had a chance to win any of those contests. 

However, they’ve won just three.

How are they able to compete each week?  Either they do not have a great deal of talent and the coaching staff does a tremendous job of putting together schemes each week or they have some players and they just aren’t being utilized correctly.

If Holmgren’s answer is the latter, then Eric Mangini will not be the coach here in 2011.

There is talent on this football team.  On the offensive side of the ball, LT Joe Thomas is a three time Pro Bowler, and C Alex Mack is rated as one of the best at his position in the NFL.  And certainly, Peyton Hillis will garner his share of votes to go to the Pro Bowl. 

The wide receiver position is way below average, but the coaching staff under utilizes TE Evan Moore, perhaps the best receiver on the team.

They also need another running back because when Hillis leaves the game, the other running backs have a problem gaining even a yard.

On the defensive side, the youngsters in the secondary have been as good as advertised with rookies Joe Haden and T. J. Ward making major contributions.  Also, LB Scott Fujita, Marcus Benard, and Matt Roth are also capable of starting for other NFL teams, as well as NT Ahtyba Rubin. 

And don’t forget Shaun Rogers, who is uber talented, although not in the best of shape.

So spare us the lack of talent argument. 

For the Mangini supporters, there clearly is enough talent to be in almost every game they have played this season.  That cannot be debated.  And if you are in the game, and in many cases, leading in the fourth quarter, why can’t this team finish the deal?

Because when you play not to lose, more than likely, you lose.  This is a problem for many defensive oriented coaches who ascend to the title of head coach.  Browns fans went through the same thing back in the ‘80’s when Marty Schottenheimer was the coach. 

These guys are more comfortable with defensive game plans, so they like to play a very basic game on offense and put the game in the hands of the defense.  But that strategy doesn’t put games away.

Unfortunately for Mangini, this philosophy is directly opposite from that of his boss, Mike Holmgren.

Sunday’s loss illustrated that even though the coach opened up the playbook in the wins over the Saints and Patriots, he went back to a conservative game plan in a contest where his team was expected to win.  That has to irk the Big Show.

It’s a tale of two coaches.  One has an offensive background, the other a defensive background.  The guy who likes to score points runs the show.  Where does that leave the other coach?

MW