Browns Offense Sputters, Again!!!!!!
The Cleveland Browns were defeated by the San Francisco 49'ers yesterday and the score was not indicative of how bad the Niners beat the Browns. Once again the Browns offense was absolutely putrid. Granted they were without Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty pulled up lame early in the game but its not an excuse for the terrible play calling. When Pat Shurmur was hired we thought that because he was an offensive coordinator with the Rams that the Browns offense would take a step forward from the Mangini-Daboll era. But what we have seen over the first 7 games makes me yearn for the days of the Wildcat and the hurry-up offense, which by the way seems to be the only way this offense can move the ball and Shurmur refuses to use it more.
One of the criticism of the Daboll offense was when the Browns needed 6 yards for a first down, there would be a dink pass to a receiver or back that would go for 3 yards and then they would have to make up the remaining yardage for the first down. Invariably the punt team was coming onto the field. We saw more of that yesterday which really begins to make me wonder if the Browns don't truly need an offensive coordinator. Early on many people criticized the Browns for having Shurmur call the plays. At the time, I didn't think it was a bad move since Shurmur was (supposedly) an offensive-minded coach and there are other head coaches in the league who call their own plays. But it's becoming increasingly apparent to me that Shurmur is in over his head. I am not calling for a new head coach but I'm suggesting that he needs help on the offensive side of the ball.
Josh Cribbs' comments after the game are a little bit annoying. Cribbs hopes that Browns fans are not going off the deep end and that while they started off slowly they finished the game like a Super Bowl team. Really, Josh!!! Super Bowl team??? Are you kidding me??? Cribbs says that we should be proud of the fact that this team doesn't quit. Josh, you guys get paid millions of dollars and how dare any of you quit. As fans we expect you and your teammates to play hard every down. Quitting is not an option.
I watched some of Colt McCoy's press conference last night and the kid gets it. McCoy basically said that its not enough to say that we kept fighting, that we didn't quit. The kid quarterback said: "its about winning. We have to start winning." That's the thing about McCoy that makes you want to see this kid succeed. He's been a winner at every level. You could tell on his face that he was sick about that game not to mention the physical beating he took. But I still wonder if this kid has the ability to take the Browns to the Super Bowl. Shurmur has not figured out a way to use McCoy's strengths: his ability to throw on the run, he's athletic and he's smart. I honestly believe that is why this offense moves the ball in the hurry up sets and if you remember the Browns were successful in the hurry up last year with McCoy at quarterback.
Nobody expected the Browns to be a playoff contender this year. However, we did expect to see some progress. Defensively, I believe this team has improved. The goal line stand yesterday was impressive and they basically won the game last week against the Seahawks. But offensively this team has regressed. If anything it should be plain as the nose on your face that this team misses Peyton Hillis but somehow I have a feeling that the Browns will let him slip away. The jury is still out on Hardesty but it seems clear that this kid is injury prone. In the meantime, Browns fans must continue to deal with an offense that is inept. It's as bad as when Luke McCown was quarterbacking in 2004. Things are so bad that many of us who live outside of Cleveland have to consider dumping the Sunday Ticket. There are certainly better things to do on a Sunday than watch an offense which couldn't beat any of the top college teams in the country.
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I'll comment on the Leafs loss to Ottawa tomorrow in Tuesday's Thoughts along with the constant whining and complaining of Bills fans about the games in Toronto. Don't forget Wednesday Part II of Yankee Rumblings.
Pens Win Streak Snapped at 5 As Leafs Win 4-3
Last year the Toronto Maple Leafs had a middling record at home. Moreover, their Saturday night Hockey Night In Canada was terrible. But this season the Leafs are unbeaten at home and last night defeated a hot Pittsburgh Penguins team 4-3 snapping the Penguins 5 game winning streak. Jonas Gustavsson notched his second victory in a row and seems to be gaining confidence as he plays more games. He made a big save on James Neal late in the third period to preserve the Leafs 4-3 lead. The Monster made 34 saves as the Leafs were outshot 37-29.
The defense pair of Dion Phaneuf and Carl Gunnarsson were outstanding and Ron Wilson seemed to try to pair them against Evgeni Malkin's line. Mike Komissarek had one of his stronger games and the defense corp in general played well and made plays when they had to. With Gustavsson playing better and the defense playing well, things are certainly looking up when you consider that they have been doing this without their number 1 goalie James Reimer.
Brian Burke's plan to have a solid corp of bottom six and top six lines really seems to be in place at this point. The fourth line of Dupuis-Steckel-Brown handled Malkin's line really well last night when they were out there against them. They forecheck extremely well and create scoring chances. The Leafs have not had this luxury from a fourth line in years. Matthew Lombardi's line is solid and I thought Tyler Bozak played well last night. It would be nice to see Matt Frattin get on the scoresheet with a goal.
The top two lines are rolling. Last night we saw what the possibilities can be if Tim Connolly stays healthy as he made a nice pass(while on his butt) to Phil Kessel who one-timed it with a bullet passed Brent Johnson that proved to be the game winner. Connolly also scored a beauty on the power play on a nice feed from Kessel. The Mikhail Grabovski line seems to have found its scoring touch as Grabovski scored a power play goal and Clarke MacArthur scored his second goal of the season. MacArthur now has two goals in his last two games.
While the power play seemed to click, the penalty killing unit did allow 2 goals in four Penguin opportunities. To be fair, the last Pittsburgh power play goal the Leafs were down 2 men and two of their best penalty killers (Steckel & Dupuis) were in the box. I really think that the penalty killing unit is doing better than the stats show and hopefully their numbers will look better.
There has been much made out of the fact that the Leafs had an easy schedule to start the season. But they went on the road where they were only outplayed in the Boston game and beat the Rangers and the Canadiens. They beat a very good Penguin team last night. There is something different with this team than last year's squad. They are more determined. Dion Phaneuf was interviewed during the Rangers game and what really struck me was how often Phaneuf reiterated that they need to continue to work hard and that they are building something special.
Tonight they face an Ottawa Senators team that is hot right now. This game will not be easy but its a game that the Leafs can win. Puck drop is at 7:30pm in Kanata, Ontario.
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Tomorrow's post will critique the Browns-49ers game and some notes on Leafs-Senators.
Yankee Rumblings
Congratulations to the St.Louis Cardinals for winning the 2011 World Series. Now that it is over, it's time to begin the yearly winter ritual of determining what the Yankees need to do in order to win the 2012 World Series. It is apparent that the Yankees will announce the re-signing of Brian Cashman as General Manager. I suppose the Yankees have no choice. While I agree with Cashman's desire to build up the farm system, he has had free reign since 2006. It's time to see the fruits of farm system. They have screwed up Joba Chamberlain, need to get Phil Hughes on track and have not had a legitimate power hitting outfielder come from the farm system since Bernie Williams. To his credit, we do have David Robertson and Ivan Nova. In addition, I truly believe that Jesus Montero can be a big-time power threat for the Yankees. He's the type of young blood that they desperately need.
Positional Players
The Yankees are stuck with ARod and Mark Teixeira. Someone needs to get into Teixeira's head. He is turning into a better fielding Jason Giambi. I've seen too many home runs hit in blow out games and nothing when its really needed. Giambi hit home runs when it mattered. He's fallen in love with the short right field porch. His average has gone down every year since he's been a Yankee. Hitting genius Kevin Long needs to get Teixeira to go the other way particularly when he is batting left-handed.
With respect to ARod, the Yankees need to hope that he can get healthy. Some numbers to consider: in 2007 ARod played 158 games. The number of games go down every year after 2007: 2008 - 138 games, 2009 - 124 games, 2010 - 137 and 2011 - 99 games. The Yankees are faced with the fact that ARod may have to DH anywhere from 35-45 games next year which could end up taking at bats away from Jesus Montero unless they feel comfortable with Montero behind the plate.
With ARod and Derek Jeter both needing spells at DH, the Yankees need to decide if they are prepared to allow Eduardo Nunez to be their back-ups. Nunez was the piece that Cashman would not part with in order to get Cliff Lee from the Mariners. I think Nunez has offensive ability. He has some power and good speed. However, the kid was a defensive liability when he filled in for Jeter and ARod. He also seems to lack some baseball sense. This year will be the second year of Jeter's new contract. He will be 38 in June. The Yankees need to decide if Nunez is the heir apparent.
There is no question that the Yankees will pick up the club option year on Robinson Cano. Despite Scott Boras' comments about wanting an extension, the Yankees have no reason at this time to do that and Boras has since backed off his comments. I also don't think Cano has any desire to move from the Yankees. It is being reported that the Yankees will pick up the club option on Nick Swisher. Swisher has been a good fit for the Yankees. He has produced in the regular season and is a great guy to have in the clubhouse. If you don't think having a good clubhouse presence is important go ask the Red Sox. Of course he has not produced in the playoffs and that has led many to say that the Yankees should get rid of him. It's being reported that the Yankees will pick up the option and possibly try to move Swisher in a trade. I'm not sure what they would be looking for in a trade but Swisher is marketable based upon his age (31) and his contract ($10.25 million) Depending upon what the Yankees would get I might not be opposed to a trade. However, we should be clear about something: the Yankees did not get Swisher to carry this team. In fact, in one of Brian Cashman's better moves, he got Swisher for none other than Wilson Betemit. Wilson "freaking" Betemit. For me Swisher stays. His contract is up at the end of the year and if you don't want him back you let him go. It's nice to acquire someone from another team that truly appreciates being a Yankee.
What they should do: They need to bring back Russell Martin and commit to Jesus Montero. The only way I would trade Montero is if they were going to get King Felix and I don't think that is going to happen. With Eric Chavez probably not coming back next year, they need to consider picking up a guy like Ty Wigginton. He can play multiple positions, hit for power and knows what it is like to play in New York. If they can I think they should bring Andruw Jones back. Jones came up with some big at-bats against the Red Sox late in the season in Fenway and I think Girardi screwed up by not giving this guy more at-bats during the playoffs. I would not sign Carlos Beltran. Beltran will be 35 years old next April. He will be looking for a 3-4 year deal at around $20 million per year. The Yankees don't need another aging injury prone player who may need to DH when they have ARod under contract until he is past 40. There are many that point to Beltran's post season stats. But a closer look makes you wonder. In 2004 at the age of 27 he hit .435 with 8 HR's and 14 RBI's. Two years later, at the age of 29 he hit .270 with 3 HRs and 5 RBI's. At the age of 35 he is more likely to match the 2006 numbers than the 2004 numbers. That is if he stays healthy.
Next week I will take a look at the Yankee pitching staff and Manager Joe Girardi.
NFL Week 8 Picks
Last week was a very good one as I was 3-0 and raised my season record to 13-10. Been on a hot streak as over the last 3 weeks my record has been 7-2. So hopefully I can keep it going in Week 8.
* Houston (-9 1/2) over Jacksonville - The Texans are on a roll as they blew out the Titans last week. The Jaguars are coming off a big win at home on Monday night against Baltimore. The Texans are second in the AFC on offense while Jacksonville is dead last. The Texans are 2-1 as a home favorite while Jacksonville is 1-2 as a road dog. Look for the Texans to blow them out as Jaguars have a big let down. Houston 38 Jacksonville 17.
* Baltimore (-13) over Arizona - Baltimore comes home reeling after losing in a terrible performance against Jacksonville. Arizona has been awful this year and Kevin Kolb is in for a long day. The Ravens are 3-0 as a home favorite while Arizona is 1-2 on the road ATS. The Ravens cover easy. Baltimore 30 Arizona 10.
* Detroit 24 Denver 14 - The Lions are coming off a two game losing streak at home while Denver is riding high on Tim Tebow's miraculous comeback against the Dolphins. The Lions are not the Dolphins and the Lion defense is ranked second in the NFC. Look for them to give Tebow all he can handle and then some. The Lions need to right the ship if they want to keep an upper hand in the NFC playoff chase. This is a game they have to win. Detroit 27 Denver 10.
Leafs Impressive In 4-2 Win
Surviving a 1st period when they were out shot 16-10, outscored 1-0 and saw the New York Rangers score 2 goals that were disallowed, the Toronto Maple Leafs roared back in the final 2 periods to earn a 4-2 win to spoil the Rangers home opener at the newly refurbished Madison Square Garden. The first period the Rangers strategy was to fire as many shots to the net as possible. Jonas Gustavsson made 15 saves in that 1st period but looked bad on Dan Girardi's goal that should have been stopped. Two times in the period Ryan Callahan interfered with Gustavsson causing the puck to go into the net and both times the goals were disallowed. Give Callahan credit. After the game when he was asked about the two disallowed goals, Callahan owned up saying that he hit the goaltender and he made no excuses. No penalty was called on either play because a Leaf player was in contact with Callahan.
The Leafs came out a much more determined squad in the second period. Matthew Lombardi scored the Leafs' first goal beating Henrik Lundqvist on the short side. I'm sure Lundqvist wishes he could have that one back. Phil Kessel had another strong game as his line was dangerous all night. Kessel had two break aways in the second period but Lundqvist stoned him both times. The other highlight in the second period was a mismatch fight between Mike Brown and former Leaf Kris Newberry. Brown ended the fight really quick as he put Newberry down to the Madison Square Garden ice.
The Leafs took the game over in the third period with 3 unanswered goals and played a textbook road third period. What was impressive was that even with the lead the Leafs continued to aggressively forecheck and limited the number of shots for the Rangers. Mike Kommisarek had one of his better games as he was strong defensively and made a nice play that resulted in Mike Brown's goal which made the score 4-1. As mentioned above, the Kessel-Connolly-Lupul line was a threat all night. It may have been Lupul's best game as a Leaf as he was a physical threat and scored early in the third when he went hard to the net and pounced on a rebound that gave the Leafs a lead they would never relinquish.
Defensively, the Leafs played really well after the first period. The pair of Dion Phaneuf and Carl Gunnarsson led the way with solid play. Luke Schenn had one of his better games of the young season. Hopefully, Clarke MacArthur's goal in the third period will get him and his linemates going as his goal proved to be the game winner. Nikolai Kulemin had a really strong third period and was a physical force.
Jonas Gustavsson had no chance on the Rangers second goal and made saves when he had to the biggest one with 47 seconds left in the game off the stick of Brad Richards. I thought Gustavsson was a little shaky and actually thought he played a better game in the Philly loss but he did what a back up needs to do and he gave the Leafs a chance to win particularly in the first period.
The long awaited debut of Tim Connolly was a good one. Connolly made some nice plays and hopefully he can stay healthy. It was easy to see that this guy has the ability to be the playmaking center that the Leafs have longed for to pair up with Phil Kessel.
The Leafs came out of this four game road trip with 2 wins, both against teams that they will need to beat in order to get into the playoffs and were only outplayed in the loss at Boston. They were able to do this without James Reimer in three of the games. And now with a complete line up, the Leafs have an opportunity to put last year's collapse behind them. Hopefully, Reimer is back in the line up on Saturday when the Leafs take on Pittsburgh. The puck drop is 7pm at the ACC.
Later today Week 8 NFL Picks
Leafs Visit The New MSG To Take On Rangers
If the Toronto Maple Leafs are to make the playoffs for the first time since the lockout, the New York Rangers are one of the teams that they will need to beat. Tonight in the Rangers home opener at the newly renovated Madison Square Garden the Leafs will have an opportunity to take that first step. It will also allow them to end this 4 game road trip on a high note with a 2-2 record.
They should have James Reimer back in net along with the return of Tyler Bozak and the debut of Tim Connolly. It will be interesting to see if Coach Ron Wilson puts Connolly on the big line right away though it was reported that he did practice with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul. With the return of Bozak and Connolly, it would seem that Nazem Kadri will be going back to the Marlies. I don't think that is a bad move since Kadri still needs to refine his game. Not sure what the Leafs can do but Kadri still seems to be easily knocked off the puck as was the case in the third period when he was placed up on the first line.
Some in the Toronto media are questioning the Leaf start since their wins have come against the likes of Montreal(2), Winnipeg, Ottawa and Calgary. But what if they would have lost??? You know they would be roasted for that. The fact is that in order to make the playoffs you need to beat the teams you are suppose to and try to split against those higher in the standings. Before the beginning of the season a big question was: If the Leafs are to make the playoffs, which team(s) that made it last year will they have to beat out?? Well, last time I checked the Canadiens made the playoffs last year and the Leafs are 2-0 against the Habs. Tonight the Rangers are another one of those teams.
The key tonight will be for the Leafs to withstand the first 10 minutes of the game as I'm sure the Rangers will come out flying for the home opener. They will also need to limit the number of penalties as that was one of the problems in their 4-2 loss to the Flyers. This game won't be easy but it is a game that the Leafs can win and need to win. I'll be posting after the game tonight.
Upcoming Schedule: Tomorrow - Week 8 NFL Picks, Saturday - Yankee Rumblings, Saturday Night - Leaf/Penguins Recap and Sunday - Browns/49er Preview.
The Big East Is On Its Death Bed
Back in 1979, the Big East was established as a basketball conference. It soon became a force to be reckoned as evidenced by Georgetown's appearance in 1982 and winning the championship in 1984. In 1985, this relatively new conference had 3 teams (Georgetown, Villanova and St.John's) in the Final Four which resulted in an all Big East Final that saw Villanova upset favorite Georgetown.
The Big East has been one of the dominant basketball conferences in the country but it is currently struggling to survive and for that college basketball fans will suffer. Particularly those in the Eastern part of the country. Soon the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry will be gone. Pittsburgh-Connecticut, St.John's-Syracuse, Villanova-Pittsburgh and the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden will soon be a memory. And to me its a damn crying shame!!!
Football runs the show and the Big East's decision to add football to its conference was an attempt to give the Big East more notoriety and also more revenue. Miami was brought along and the conference had instant credibility. But that began to slip away when Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami bolted to the ACC in 2004 and 2005. And that was the beginning of the end for Big East football.
The end is right around the corner with Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia leaving and TCU leaving before they ever played a conference game. What is left are second rate football schools and a basketball conference that may take a greater hit if Notre Dame decides to pull up stakes and go to the ACC or Big 12.
The fate of the Big East is a result of the revenue starved football programs that are looking for more cash by developing super conferences with the television networks, specifically ESPN and FOX, supplying the long green. If you think I'm joking please read the article below.
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7149965/espn-middle-college-realignment
ESPN started this debacle by aiding and abetting the University of Texas to create its own Longhorn Network which resulted in Texas A&M bolting from the Big 12. Thanks to ESPN and FOX, college sports as we know it will be destroyed. No more traditional rivalry games. Conferences that were based on geography will be destroyed thus making it harder for fans to attend road games. But what do they care. More money for the schools and more money for the networks. What a damn disgrace. Shame on the NCAA!!! Shame on ESPN!!!
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering when Donald Trump became a political godfather that every Republican candidate for President needs to have an audience with him, here's what is on my mind this morning:
* The Leafs lost a tough one last night to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 at the Wells Fargo Center in the City of Brotherly Love. Jonas Gustavsson had a strong game in goal for the Leafs easing the worries of Leaf Nation after his shaky relief appearance on Saturday night. The Flyer line of Jaromir Jagr-Claude Giroux-Scott Hartnell accounted for all of the Flyer goals as Hartnell had 2 and Jagr scored 2 on 3 breakaways against Gustavsson. Phil Kessel continued his hot start with his ninth goal giving the Leafs an early 1-0 lead. David Steckel scored with about 8 minutes left in the third period to close the margin to 3-2. Unfortunately, the Leafs were pressing for the tying goal and John-Michael Liles got caught in his own zone which led to Jagr's third breakaway and second goal that put the game away.
* The Leafs close out their road trip against the New York Rangers on Thursday night and it is being reported that James Reimer should be back along with Tyler Bozak and the long-awaited debut of Tim Connolly. What is amazing is how Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul have been able to perform quite well while having a different centers. I hope that Connolly will be able to kick-start the Leaf power play which has been less than adequate.
* While in Cleveland on Saturday night was at a sports bar called The Winking Lizard in downtown Cleveland to watch the Maple Leafs-Canadiens game. What was amazing was the number of Leafs fan in the bar. When Mikhail Grabovski scored the game winning goal in overtime, the place erupted with the chant of "Go Leafs Go". It was funny looking at the faces of the other bar patrons who were there watching college football or the World Series. Leaf Nation is everywhere and it was in full force in downtown Cleveland on Saturday. By the way, if you are in Cleveland and you want to watch a game go to the Winking Lizard. Good food, drink specials and plenty of TVs.
* John Kruk is the biggest blowhard on ESPN. The former Phillie first baseman tries to be outlandish making strong comments and being real authoritative. Sunday morning Kruk boldly stated that Albert Pujols' 5 for 6 three home run night was the greatest feat in World Series history. It surpassed Babe Ruth's two-3 home run games and Reggie Jackson's 3 home run night in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. Kruk is way off base here . While I can't speak to Ruth's games, Jackson's 3 home runs were in the World Series clinching game. Jackson had 5 RBI's and the Yankees won the game 8-4. Reggie's home runs were the margin of victory. Pujols' home runs were not and it was in Game 3 in a World Series that finds his Cardinals one game from the brink of elimination. Once again Kruk has shot his mouth off. His anti-Yankee bias is disgusting.
* This NFL season has been a roller coaster ride as each week's designated super team stumbles. Last night on ESPN Sportscenter, Mike Greenberg anointed the Baltimore Ravens as the team to beat in the AFC. Lo and behold, on their way to the Super Bowl the Ravens were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars 12-7. You can say whatever you want but Joe Flacco does not inspire me as a franchise quarterback. He's a good quarterback but I don't believe he is a Super Bowl winning quarterback.
* The Mike Francesa-Darrell Revis flap has been really entertaining to follow. It appears that Mike has backed off a little by saying that there are others who believe that there was no pass interference on the play that involved Revis and Brandon Marshall last Monday night. One of those who thought it was a clean play was Phil Simms. It will be interesting to see if anything is brought up when Simms appears on Mike's NFL Now show on Sunday.
* Notre Dame's disappointing performance against USC Saturday night at South Bend makes it hard to consider the Irish back as a top football program. It is amazing that Notre Dame has killed itself throughout the season with self-inflicted wounds by committing turnovers in the red zone. If they were able to hang onto the ball, they could really only have one loss this year.
* And finally, this weekend the Buffalo Bills will be playing the Washington Redskins in Toronto and I'm sure we will here the yearly whining about having a game at Rogers Center. What people in WNY don't realize if it wasn't for this arrangement, Ralph Wilson would have been attempting to move the team years ago. With the Bills doing much better this year, I wonder how many Louie Lackawannas will make the trip up the QEW.
Browns Win But It Is Brutal To Watch
Had the opportunity to go to yesterday's Browns-Seahawk game. I was hopeful that the Browns would be able to get a win and that Colt McCoy would give me something to believe that he is a franchise quarterback. The Browns did win but it was painful to watch and McCoy deserves full marks for withstanding a physical beating. However, I didn't see anything to make me believe that he is a franchise quarterback.
The Browns defense had a great game registering 3 sacks and continually pressuring Seahawk quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. They also shutdown the small Seahawk running backs but to be fair did not have to deal with Marshawn Lynch who had back tightness during pre-game warm-ups and was held out of the game. That notwithstanding, the defense played very well and there is reason for hope. The defensive front four played really well. Jabaal Sheard and Jaime Mitchell each had a sack and Ahtya Rubin was a problem all day for the Seahawks. Chris Cogong registered a sack and the second year tandem of TJ Ward and Joe Haden made an impact once again. The transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense has gone very smoothly to this date. Tom Heckert has done a very good job in building the defense through the draft as evidenced by Haden, Ward, Sheard and Phil Taylor.
The offense is a whole different story. The Cleveland brand of the West Coast offense is boring and ineffective. The Browns had nearly a 3-1 time of possession advantage yet only managed 6 points. Montario Hardesty rushed for 98 yards but it took him 33 carries to do it. On one of the most promising drive of the day, McCoy threw an interception as he was trying to hit Evan Moore. The play would have brought the Browns into the red zone. McCoy on numerous occasions was running for his life and the Seahawks corner blitzed at least 4 times and the Browns had no answer for it. One would think that on those plays someone would be open.
To make matters worse for this offense, guard Shawn Lauvao, wide receiver Mohammad Massaqoui and tight end Ben Watson were all knocked out of the game. Losing all three will certainly hurt an offense that seems to be regressing as the season rolls along. One has to begin to wonder if McCoy needs a good supporting cast to be a good NFL quarterback. That is not the making of a franchise quarterback. While I love McCoy's intangibles, I really am starting to believe that he is not the answer. In his defense, the offensive line has been woeful in pass blocking and the receivers are less than stellar. However, a franchise quarterback can make his receivers look very good and I think Greg Little has the talent to be a go-to-receiver.
Next week the Browns head to San Francisco to take on a vastly improved 49er team whose defense is one of the best in the league. The young Browns defense will certainly be tested as they will face Frank Gore and Vernon Davis. Unfortunately, this one could get ugly very early. In a season where Browns fans were looking for some improvement, it seems that it is going to be more of the same. While most fans were not expecting a winning season, we were expecting improvement particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Instead it seems to be regressing. Can't wait for next Sunday in San Francisco. Oh Brother!!!!
Hillis Situation Reflects Badly On Browns
This past week, Mike Holmgren indicated that there was nothing new to report on the Peyton Hillis situation. Hillis currently makes $650,000 a year and his contract runs out at the end of the season. He has indicated that he loves Cleveland. He is the sort of players that blue collar Browns fans can relate to and he is the type of back you need on cold November-December days when protecting a lead. Yet, from where I sit it appears that the Browns may be willing to let Hillis go at the end of this year.
Holmgren indicated that the team had no intention of trading the bruising back nor were they thinking about franchising him. He basically said that the Browns would seek Hillis' services but the running back will have the ability to explore all options. To be honest with you I don't get it.
Probably one of the most dominating drive that the Browns have had since they have come back was last year against the Patriots. After New England had scored in the fourth quarter to cut into the Browns lead, the offense got the ball and it would be imperative to run off some time on the clock to leave Tom Brady as little time as possible to mount a comeback. The Browns mounted an 11 play drive which saw Hillis carry the ball 9 times and rip off chunks of yards including a touchdown which put the game away for the Browns. It was the type of running that the Browns have not seen since Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner.
Somehow I'm not so sure that Pat Shurmur is all that enamored with Hillis and Holmgren & Company must feel that he is not a fit for their West Coast offense. An offense that has been putrid this season. If you are ultimately going to let one of your best players go after the season, why not trade him for a draft pick. Certainly the Browns need more talented players. But that's why this whole thing makes absolutely no sense. You have a player who wants to stay in Cleveland. A player who has talent. A player who the fans can identify with yet the team does not seem to be all that interested. I can't understand it. But then again, it's difficult to understand anything that this team has done since 1999.
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