An Ugly Win

That's two weeks in a row now that the Browns pulled off an ugly win. You know what though, a win is a win and the Browns are 5-7.

Who would have thought they'd have five wins at all this year, let alone with four games still to play?

This young team can be frustrating and exciting to watch, all at the same time. They haven't learned yet how to consistently play high-level football. Instead, they seem to play to the level of their opponent. Which means the Browns are competitive, but can win or lose at the end of the game.

Let's recap the last few weeks ... Against the Patriots, the Browns were dominant. Why, because the Patriots are one of the premier teams in the league so, the Browns played like they belonged. When the Jets came to town, same thing. The Browns played their hearts out against another good team. Unfortunately, they lost in OT (not bad, really).

Then, the Jaguars. Jacksonville gave the Browns every opportunity to win the game, but they just couldn't do it. That's the difference between a good team, and an OK team. The Browns are an OK team right now — they don't know how to win consistently.

It seemed the Browns reverted to their old ways these past two weeks, playing inept offense and making mistakes. Luckily, they played the Panthers and the Dolphins — a team who has one win and a team that can't win at home — and they won both games.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the obvious reason why I think the Browns offense has struggled the last couple of games. His name is Jake Delhomme.

And so, with four very winnable games remaining in this season, I dedicate this video to our star rookie quarterback, Colt McCoy:



Go Browns!

Awesome

 

Cleveland 34, New England 14

Go Browns!

Big Ben, Just Ben ... Gentle Ben

So, Ben Roethlisberger makes his return to the NFL this week against the Browns.

Umm, are you sure you wanna come back this week, "Just" Ben?



Go Browns!

Finally, Someone Who Gets It

How refreshing it was to read a column about the Browns that was full of common sense for a change. Imagine my surprise when reading Morning Journal columnist Bob Frantz's Rants about Josh Cribbs.

"Yes. Yes! YES!!!" I said to myself as I read this expertly argued column entitled, "Cribbs as NFL Starting Quarterback is Absurd."

Go ahead, read it. It's excellent.

Bravo, Bob! Thank you for being logical.

Go Browns!

This is Football

Other than the win (and Peyton Hillis continuing to rack up tough yards) the highlight of Sunday's game was rookie T.J. Ward's monster hit on Jordan Shipley.

Oh, there was a big outcry of "what a cheap shot" it was and so on.

Well, I think that's B.S. This is football, for cryin' out loud. You play the game, you get hit. You should expect to get hit.

You should expect to get hit hard, especially when you're attempting to catch a ball in the endzone for a touchdown.

Deal with it. If you don't want to get hit, go play soccer or some other sissy sport. This is football.

I'm sick of these namby-pamby rules. Ward didn't lead with his helmet. He didn't even hit him late. Ward laid a clean, hard hit on Shipley. He should not be fined.

Man, oh man. What a nice hit that was. I bet Shipley had snot bubbles for sure! I could watch that hit over and over again. And now, so can you.



Go Browns!

Peter King is a Lazy Egomaniac

You know who really grinds my gears? Peter King.

I mean, our society has really elevated a lot of sportswriters' egos, but King is one of the worst offenders. He thinks sooo highly of himself it makes me sick sometimes.

I stopped reading his Monday Morning Quarterback column a few years ago, because it took forever to wade through all the B.S. about his daughter's field hockey team, how much he loves coffee, what irritates him at the airport and all the other non-NFL related stuff he'd write about.

Polar Bear Pride

So, I really wanted to post a video on here from the Cleveland Browns website, but they only allow you to share videos on MySpace (seriously, Browns? How freakin' lame is that? Get with the program ... no one, especially Browns fans, use MySpace anymore).

Anyway, I'll have to settle with linking to the video (click on this otherwise non-functional screencap below).

What's special about this video. Why, it's an interview with linebacker Jason Trusnik. And, for those of you who don't know who he is, then shame on you! Jason came over to his hometown team last year in the Braylon Edwards trade.

In addition to always-solid special teams play, Jason hustles hard when he plays defense. Last week, if you remember, he gave the Browns offense one last chance to win with :34 seconds remaining when he sacked Josh Freeman for minus-6 yards on fourth down. 

Now, why am I so intent on posting this video? Because Jason, like myself, is a former Polar Bear (Oh, who are we kidding, we're Polar Bears for life! Go Northern!).

Go Browns!

Proof the Preseason is Meaningless

I know I didn't promise to try and be Mr. Positive this year, but I'm trying my best not to be super negative.

That's why I decided to wait a day before I posted my thoughts on Sunday's loss to the Bucs, because, let's be honest, there weren't a whole lot of positives to take away from that game.

Where to start?

Hmm ... To steal a phrase, let's "start with the good stuff."

Cribbs Not Even Our Best Special Teamer

OK, so I'm not going to belabor my point about Josh Cribbs. I think you all know how I feel about him by now. In the comments in that post, an interesting point was brought up. One commenter contends that Josh Cribbs is the MVP of the "new" Browns, while I emphatically disagreed.

As a quick example, I merely stated that Tim Couch, who led the "new" Browns to their only playoff berth, contributed more to this team than Josh Cribbs. Of course, I wasn't lobbying for Couch to be named MVP of the post-1999 Browns — he was simply an example of one of the many players who've had a bigger impact on the limited success of the Cleveland Browns than Josh Cribbs has had.

It got me thinking, though, about just who would be considered the MVP, if you will, of the Cleveland Browns in the past 10 seasons.

Bye, Bye Bernie!

Let's see, so far I've criticized Josh Cribbs and defended Jim Brown. What else can I do to piss off my fellow Browns fans? Hmm ...

Tonight, in the last preseason game of 2010, the Browns will host the Chicago Bears. The final preseason game is always an interesting phenomena -- Some teams use it as a final dress rehearsal for the regular season, while others let the first-teamers rest while giving "bubble' players the chance to prove themselves.

We won't see Jake Delhomme tonight, or even Seneca Wallace (at least, not on the field leading the offense). Instead, rookie quarterback Colt McCoy will take center stage to convince everyone he's better than Brett Ratliff.

So, there you go. That's one thing you can look forward to in tonight's final meaningless game: An extended look at McCoy.

I can think of only one other reason to tune in tonight (OK, two reasons if you count not caring about the OSU-Marshall game as one).

Where is Jim Brown's Statue?

Talk about the Cleveland media blowing things out of proportion! The latest is this whole Jim Brown controversy. I mean, why is everyone jumping down his throat?

Yes, the situation is getting further and further out of control now that Jim Brown is starting to speak out on the subject. The Cleveland media forced him into it. He was content not to say a thing about it, letting his actions (or absence) speak for itself.

I give huge props to The Morning Journal's Zachary Dzurick, who wrote in a recent column, "The local media has gone out of its way to sway public opinion toward the Cleveland Browns and away from the greatest player to ever don an Orange helmet."

I couldn't agree more!

Josh Cribbs is No Role Model

How soon we forget … It wasn’t too long ago (8 months) when Josh Cribbs stated that he doubted he would ever play for the Cleveland Browns again. Why would he say such a thing?

I mean, Joshua Cribbs was still under contract with the Cleveland Browns, and he had not sustained an injury, let alone a career-ending one. So, why would Josh Cribbs say such a thing?

Don’t be fooled: Josh Cribbs is just as selfish, egotistical and arrogant as many other pro athletes who believe they deserve more and more and more.

Preseason Blues

I don't know about you, but this preseason seems to really be dragging to me. Normally, I'm as excited and optimistic as every other delusional Cleveland fan this time of year — hungry for any football I can get, even preseason.

I don't know what it is, though, but I just can't get into these preseason games like I used to. I'm anxious for some real football (I'll even settle for the kind of football the Browns normally play, as long as the games count for something).

It's a Whole New Season ...

Go Browns!

New Season, New Browns (again)

It's a whole new season and, as usual, the Browns have a whole new look.

Well, the coach is the same and the uniforms (hopefully) are the same (please, get rid of those God-awful brown pants), but the players are new.