Finally Gone

If you were a recently unemployed NFL quarterback who wanted to show future employers that you embody the poise, maturity, and leadership necessary to take over the huddle of another NFL team, what wouldn't you do?

Of course, you wouldn't take shots at the fans on the way out of town.  You wouldn't refer to Northeast Ohio's loyal success-starved masses as a "ruthless" lot, and you certainly wouldn't say they "didn't deserve a championship," even if some of them might once have rejoiced at your misfortune.  

Loaded arm, empty head, is what they always said about Derek Anderson here in Cleveland, and that's exactly how he went out.  He couldn't resist.  He couldn't hold back his tongue and leave Cleveland with some class, just like he couldn't hold back his arm and leave the 2007 regular season a playoff quarterback.  

It's true, 29-48 for 251 yards, 2 touchdowns (both coming after the Browns had already fallen back by 19 in the first half) and 4 interceptions at the hands of a hapless 5-9 Bengals team at the expense of a 2007 playoff berth is one thing he'll always be remembered for here, among a few other things worth remembering about the Derek Anderson era in Cleveland:

First, that there's a good argument that the Browns' 2007 schedule was the easiest regular season schedule in NFL history.  Only four games against playoff teams (PIT, NE, SEA), in which the Browns went 1-3 (with the win coming against the weakest of the three, SEA, just barely). 

Also worth remembering is just how good the Browns skill position players were in 2007.  Pre-Hollywood dreams Braylon was one thing, with his 1,300+ yards and 16 touchdowns in his first and only Pro Bowl season.  But more importantly about that season was the way that a healthy-for-the-first-and-only-time-in-his-career Kellen Winslow Jr. caught everything that was thrown his way (literally, everything, 1,100+ yards for him), opening things up downfield for Braylon along with big veteran slot target Joe Jurivicius' (600+).  Jamal Lewis' 1,300 yards on the ground behind the Browns' best line in a decade was a big help too. 

With the historically easy schedule, historically excellent supporting cast, Anderson's historic failure in the clutch against the Bengals (and against the Cardinals too, really), and with fan favorite first round draft pick Brady Quinn waiting in the wings, it was easy enough to see the wisdom in getting something of value in return for what seemed at the time like a beneficial confluence of circumstances even despite the playoff miss.

Usually we like to be reminded that circumstances are only what we make of them, but what was made of the circumstances here was spectacularly bad, easily the worst of so many bad decisions made by Phil Savage in his tenure as Browns GM, and likely the root of so many of the rest.  The Cowboys' first and third round picks weren't high enough to accept in return for Derek Anderson, Savage thought.  Of course Savage wanted to think of himself and Anderson (and Crennel, and the rest of the team he'd put together), as more good than lucky.  And we've all been choking on it ever since.

All the worse because so many of us saw it coming.  A sight so scary it would make you start a Browns blog.

Some help that was.  So coming into 2009, with such heavy sunk costs of Savage's decision having already been absorbed, Anderson still got every chance from Mangini to win the job here in Cleveland (every chance Mangini could give him in the mess left here by Savage and Crennel, anyway).  Whatever you think of Mangini's decision to let Anderson compete for the job, with Anderson's "veteran Pro-Bowler" status so much more established in the new coach's room (not to mention an $11 million incentive payment coming due to the untested Quinn), it certainly wasn't as easy to see what to do with the quarterbacks then as it was in February 2008.

So where else but in Cleveland, really?  Where else is the development of a first round quarterback going to be set back for a full two seasons in this way?

If it's not the Curse of Chief Wahoo, I don't want to know what it is, really, and all I can do is hope that it leaves the Browns enough alone after all this so we can at least go to a home playoff game here some time soon.  

And hope that an honest look at his time here in Cleveland should be plenty for Derek Anderson to understand why such frustrated folks might celebrate an injury.  Thanks for the apology, anyway, and good luck.

Brady Quinn and Seneca Wallace

As we learned well last season, nothing's more exciting than a quarterback controversy.  So here we go again?  The Browns trade for seven-year backup Seneca Wallace last night, and this morning, Cleveland's favorite Browns beat writer says not only that "Seneca Wallace has the tools and the knowledge to be Browns' starting QB this fall," but also that "it's doubtful [Brady Quinn] will be able to learn Holmgren's system in one off-season and beat out Wallace for the starting job."

So all of a sudden a 5'11 seven-year backup who's never been seen as fit to be groomed as a starter is our guy in 2010, at the expense of a fourth-year first round draft pick with twelve career starts?  Because he has "more experience" and because he has a better career QB rating than Quinn?

Before you choke on your Flutie Flakes, let's think for a moment about how little sense this makes.  

We might as well start with some words from Holmgren himself.  Remember, it was only last week that Peter King wrote this:

Mike Holmgren looked and sounded like a man with a sense of urgency to pick a quarterback, put him under center, and let him play 16 games -- without the pressure of looking over his shoulder at the backup. "A quarterback needs two full seasons before you can judge him. What's Brady Quinn started? Twelve games? How can we know if he's the guy?'' Just from listening to him, it sounds like the Browns will give the job to Quinn, draft a passer sometime after the first round, and groom him in case Quinn's not The Man.

It's true, it's only been twelve games for Quinn.  And not just that, but twelve games over two seasons under some of the worst circumstances a quarterback could ask for.  First, there was three games in the staph-infected offense of the crumbling Crennel regime. (The kid didn't look bad at all against Denver though, did he?)  Then three starts for the cancer-ridden Browns of Braylon's last and Mangini's first days with the team.  Finally, six more after the cancer was gone, playing with what's been decisively proven to be the most substandard set of pass-catchers in recent NFL history. 

Sure, there were some ugly performances by Quinn in those twelve games, but there were also real flashes of promise.  And of course, a quarterback needs two full seasons before you can judge him.  Quinn is only 25 years old (won't turn 26 until October).  After all that he's been through here in Cleveland, how little sense would it make to not give the first-round-pick that crucial second year here under the supervision of a bona fide quarterback guru (whatever else Mangini and Daboll are, neither could be considered one of those), and finally with a sense of real stability surrounding the franchise's leadership?  Lost in all the treachery of the last two seasons here and in all the excitement surrounding Holmgren's arrival is the still very real potential that Quinn develops into a very valuable asset for the Cleveland Browns.  There's just no argument that his ceiling isn't much higher than the 30-year-old Wallace's at this point. 

Those who want to point to Wallace's career statistics should note that he didn't attempt more than 25 passes in an NFL season until his fourth season in the league, when he was 26 years old.  And that was only in spot duty for the AFC Champion Seahawks who in that season and in the following three had an established passing game in which Wallace was always understood to be the backup (i.e., Wallace has never faced the pressure of competing for a starting job).  

By all indications, Wallace is about as solid a veteran backup as we could ask for here in Cleveland heading in to Brady Quinn's second year as a starter, a valuable tutor for the young quarterbacks on the roster, and an exciting option in wildcat packages.  But the notion that he should be anything more than that absent an injury to Quinn is just absurd.  Holmgren has said there will be no quarterback controversy in Cleveland this season.  Here's hoping that's true, and that he shortly nips all this Wallace talk in the bud as soon as is practicable.  In the meantime, before we all get too crazy, we should remember that it probably doesn't make much sense for the Browns to clue other teams in on their quarterback plans at least until after the draft. 

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That said, the above also seems to make clear how little sense it makes for the Browns to trade valuable assets to land Kevin Kolb, he of three career starts, all (like Wallace) in a much more stable offensive system than what's been here in Cleveland, and also entering his 4th season in the league (like Quinn). 

BQ is our QB. 

Also, Mr. Anderson, it was one hell of a run.  All the best to you, Sir.

NBA Monday: Sit the Man (UPDATE)

It's a great idea.  "An opportune time," for sure.  With the Cavs not playing again until Friday, LeBron will have had nearly a full week off after having rolled his ankle last Friday against the Pistons.  The Cavs have a five-game lead in the Eastern Conference, and a three-game lead in the race for the NBA's top seed.  And of course, having LeBron healthy for the stretch run is much more important than playoff seeding.

The Spurs will be missing one of their superstars tonight as well in Tony Parker, and tonight will be San Antonio's third game in four nights.

The Cavs are 0-7 playing without LeBron over the last three years, and it seems like as good a night as any for them to break the streak.  With LeBron's status for tonight currently uncertain, the line is now at Cavs -5.  Will keep an eye on Windy's Twitter and update this post with a Cavs play if an announcement is made that LeBron will sit.

UPDATE: Confirmed.  LeBron will not play.  That was fast.  Now let's see how long it takes for the line to go down.  Will be back when it does.

UPDATE: 6:50 PM -- Line is down to even.  Love it.  Cavs PICK over Spurs (9 units).

NFL Free-Agency Frowndup: Fujita and Pashos a Great Start but Critical Holes Remain

Hats off to the boys in Berea for the first new additions of the 2010 free agency period.  Both Scott Fujita (ILB) and Tony Pashos (RT) come in as experienced NFL starters arguably in the prime of their careers (Pashos is 29, Fujita is 30), both fill positions of need for the Browns, and, per GM Tom Heckert:

"They are two players we had targeted from the start of free agency. Both are smart, tough and physical - the type of players that the Browns are looking for."

It's an especially big relief to see the hole on the right side of the offensive line addressed so decisively via free agency.  While Pashos missed 11 games last season due to a broken shoulder blade, he started all but one game over an impressive three-year period from 2006-08: 

[I]nclud[ing] 16 with the Ravens in 2006 and the Jaguars in 2008, and 15 for Jacksonville in 2007. In 2006, he was part of a Ravens line that allowed only 17 sacks, the second-lowest total in the NFL that year, while RB Jamal Lewis rushed for 1,132 yards. In 2007, he was a member of a Jaguars line which led a running game that averaged 149.4 yards per contest, the second-best figure in the league, led by a 1,202-yard rushing effort by Fred Taylor, who averaged 5.4 yards per carry. In 2008, Jacksonville averaged 4.2 yards per rush attempt as both Maurice Jones-Drew (824) and Taylor (556) surpassed the 500-yard rushing plateau.

If Pashos can recapture his 06-08 form, the Browns already formidable run-blocking unit becomes significantly stronger, and if he plays at all, he's a clear upgrade over weak link John St. Clair. 

Fujita might be an even better addition, an excellent fit with Mangini's Browns. Per Heckert:

Scott possesses tremendous size for a linebacker (6-5, 250), and this will allow him to play inside or outside in our 3-4 defense . . . He has been a starter throughout his career, has been exposed to several different defensive schemes and has been successful in all of them . . . He is a great leader and played a big part in the success that the Saints achieved last year.  

Tony Grossi adds that Fujita, "a mainstay" on the Saints Super Bowl-winning defense, was "one of the most popular Saints, inside the team's locker room and within the city," having been chosen as the Saints "man of the year" in 2008.  According to Grossi, the Saints "didn't expect Fujita to leave" via free agency. 

The addition of Fujita gives the Browns added flexibility in dealing with D'Qwell Jackson's restricted free agency.  In view of David Bowens' excellent performance inside during the Browns late season run, a linebacking corps of Bowens, Roth, Fujita, and Wimbley looks like another significant upgrade, with or without Jackson.  All the better if Jackson remains a Brown. (Short video interview of Fujita re: his background here (via @LoriSchmidt)).

Meanwhile, in New York . . .  while the Browns are adding smart, tough, physical veterans, and "men of the year," the Jets are ditching such guys, like Thomas Jones, to add folks like five-time-paternity-suit defendant Antonio Cromartie.

Said one Jet, speaking anonymously on Jones' departure: 

I can tell you, it's not going to be a popular move in the locker room . . .We loved T.J. The man loved the game and put it all on the line only to get dumped after his best season. 

Brandon Moore went on record to note that:

[Losing Jones creates] a major void . . . A passionate guy like that, with the intensity he brought at certain points in the game, it ignited sparks in everybody. You would've liked to have kept a guy like that.

And Damien Woody added that:

"Some players bring things to the table that you can't put a price on, and T.J. is one of those guys."

Which raises some good questions, as noted by Dave Kolonich at Cleveland Reboot:

Would anyone be upset with a Jerome Harrison/Thomas Jones pairing heading into 2010?  Wouldn’t the natural connection between Jones and Mangini seem to make this potential deal obvious?  Or, how about this?  If Mangini were still fully in charge, would this have already happened?

Those questions being at least mostly rhetorical, let's get back to the Jets.  As much fun as Rex Ryan's training camps are, one has to wonder if a guy like Jones wouldn't have been an especially important guy to keep around.  Especially after having added a guy like Cromartie, who's "had his share of legal troubles," including the aforementioned five paternity suits:

Cromartie . . . had a bar patron claim that he hit him in the head with a champagne bottle hours after the team's victory at Denver last November.

And suffered a "low moment" on the field "against his new team in the playoffs in January:"

Cromartie froze as Jets running back Shonn Greene hit the hole at the start of a 53-yard touchdown run that gave New York a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter of a 17-14 win in the AFC divisional round. 

It looks like the Chargers couldn't wait to get rid of him.  Interesting that the Jets took him on for a third-round pick that could turn into a second rounder despite that Cromartie only has one year left on his current contract. 

While we're talking about former Florida State stars with one year left on their contracts who were available for third-round picks . . . Bye-bye Boldin.  It's especially sad to see him go to the Ravens after just having been talking about what a great fit he'd be in Cleveland and the AFC North. 

ESPN's K.C. Joyner offers some consolation in suggesting that Boldin isn't a true "game-breaking wideout,"

Boldin has a short/medium-pass skill set similar to the one that Derrick Mason gave Baltimore over the years. That makes this much more of a lateral move than an upgrade, but one that GM Ozzie Newsome smartly made at low price.

But what seems more important than a "game-breaker" now in Cleveland is a veteran who can offer a reliable target.  Kudos to Terry Pluto who noted again this weekend that, "come on, they have to upgrade the position and they need a solid veteran, a Torry Holt type who can help with all the young receivers." 

Which reminds us of what Pluto wrote last month about Holt: 

They need a player who can make an impact in the film and meeting rooms, along with still being reliable on the field. He has to be a high-character guy, which is said to be the case with Holt. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler. At 33, he no longer is a featured receiver, but still caught 51 passes for a 14.2-yard average with Jacksonville. . . .

After cutting Holt and two other veterans, General Manager Gene Smith said Holt was "a player-coach for us this past year in the way he mentored our inexperienced receiving group. . . . 

While Holt is not the same star that he was in his prime with St. Louis, 35 of his 51 catches were for first downs. Massaquoi led the Browns with 23 catches for first downs, then came Furrey with 13. Massaquoi and running back Jerome Harrison led the team with only 34 catches. Rather than use a high draft pick on a receiver, I'd prefer to add a veteran and develop the younger receivers. Holt was credited with only two dropped passes and flagged for three penalties.

Which at least suggests that Holt might be a better addition than Boldin.  As does this, again from ESPN's Joyner:

Holt's 8.1 overall YPA was actually higher than Owens' 7.6. It was also higher than Braylon Edwards (7.7), Larry Fitzgerald (7.6), Brandon Marshall (7.6), Roddy White (7.5) and Calvin Johnson (7.5). Holt did have fewer attempts than any of these pass-catchers, but his 93 targets still ranked 33rd in the league, so he wasn't terribly lacking in this area.

Whatever about Boldin, I'd be thrilled to see Holt in Orange and Brown in 2010.  Joyner also makes the case for Kevin Walter, Chris Chambers, and Terrell Owens as viable vertical threats.  Call Holt my favorite from this bunch.

Finally, nice to see the Cribbs business settled.  Have to agree with Mr. Pluto once again here:

It was a pleasure to watch how new Browns president Mike Holmgren, General Manager Tom Heckert and Vice President of Business Bryan Wiedmeier were able to rework Joshua Cribbs’ contract without responding to some of the inflammatory charges by the players’ agents. You know that Holmgren & Co. wanted to scream, "Guys we just got to town, I don’t even know where the weight room is yet," when Cribbs and his agents began publicly demanding a new deal within a few days of the team’s regime change. . . . 

The former Super Bowl coach showed his maturity with how he dealt with some of the silly things said by Cribbs’ camp right after Holmgren joined the Browns. . . .

It was done in a very professional manner without the team lashing out at the player. It was done without the coach needing to be involved. That makes relationships with players easier when the coach is not part of the contract talks.

More on the up and up in Brownstown.  "It's amazing how much can be accomplished . . . "  Here's to another productive week, and to some pass-catchers paying visits shortly.

P.M. Frowndup with a Very Special Rivalry

Not Cavs/Pistons, of course (love the screen caps, though). 

It's hard to argue with Kent State coach Geno Ford (via Terry Pluto) about Akron and Kent squaring off for the MAC regular season title tonight ("Both teams are 22-8 overall, 12-3 in the MAC"): 

"I don't think people fully appreciate how unique it is to have two schools in the same conference about 10 miles away playing at such an elite level," said Ford. "Neither of us have the best facilities. In fact, they are some of the oldest in the league. But we've been able to put together something special."

So special that if the friendly neighborhood ticket brokers outside of the Q try to get crazy on me today, I'll forgo the chance to break another* World Record tonight at the Q and head down to the J.A.R. for the 8:00 start. 

Tough to say who to pull for tonight, because what we're going for here is the dream of seeing both Akron and Kent in the Big Dance.  Kent has the more experienced team and a much higher RPI (48) than Akron (91).  If Akron wins tonight, does this give Kent extra motivation to beat Akron in the MAC Tournament, putting Kent in the tourney at Akron's expense?  If Akron loses tonight, does this make it easier for them to take the automatic bid next week, and if so, doesn't Kent have a much better chance at an at-large bid (also better if they get the win against Akron tonight)?  Probably.  Kent St. +3 over Akron (2 units) to help keep the dream alive. 

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Slow day for Browns news.  The Corey Williams trade (he was sent to the Lions today with a seventh round pick in return for a fifth rounder), seems like free money to me.  Hard to understand how anyone can say that the Lions "got the better of the deal," when Williams was sure to be cut anyway. 

We'll be here if anything interesting happens regarding the Browns over the weekend.

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Finally, congratulations to Paige Nemec of Crestwood who'd just become the first girl to qualify for Ohio's state wrestling tournament, then yesterday the first girl to win a match at the tournament, now  one win away from placing.  

That's all for today.  Hope everyone's weekend gets off to a good start.

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*I'm already the holder of several World Records anyway, including longest in-game headstand on the top of of a Canal Park dugout, and best 2010 in-print NFL playoff handicapping, to name just a couple. 

A Warm Winter Thought

No doubt much like you, I often find myself daydreaming back on the Browns' December domination of the Steelers.  I think back on the way the Steelers completely laid down for the Browns that Thursday evening, and I can't help but feel at least a glimmer of hope that the latest Pittsburgh mini-dynasty might be dead . . .

That there might be at least some credibility to the following line from Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden, written the day before the loss to the Browns: 

Unflattering comparisons to Jon Gruden are starting to crop up. Gruden succeeded Tony Dungy as head coach at Tampa Bay in 2002, winning the Super Bowl his first season - with Dungy's team, many said.

Then, as Gruden's tenure lengthened and the Bucs became "his," they went in the toilet, missing the playoffs three of the next four seasons and never winning another post-season game under Gruden.

Did Tomlin win with Bill Cowher's team? Will Tomlin's Steelers mirror Gruden's Bucs? Tomlin was on Gruden's staff at Tampa from 2002-05. Will Tomlin follow Gruden's path or go in a different direction? Tomlin has job security other coaches in the NFL can only dream of. Will that turn out to be good or bad?

After the Browns game, Madden followed up with this:

The Steelers coach waited until his third year to make rookie mistakes. Perhaps, as discussed below, the Dungy/Gruden factor is revealing itself. But Tomlin wasted few opportunities to make himself look impotent. Witness his lackadaisical training camp, his lack of control in the Roethlisberger-Ward spat and his failure to deliver on promised changes last night. Tomlin's "unleash hell" quote motivated foes more than his own locker room. Tomlin talked tough, but failed to prepare his team.

No job in sports has more security than Steelers head coach. You get it, you keep it. Steelers fans might finally regret that.

If you inherited a team of Super Bowl winning veterans with a lock Hall-of-Famer to set the tone on each side of the ball, maybe rookie mistakes wouldn't matter until the third year or so?

Whatever else you think of Madden's suggestion here (and there are plenty who consider it sacrilege), a few things can't be denied.

Tomlin did inherit 15 of his 22 offensive and defensive starters in Super Bowl 43 from Cowher's Super Bowl 40-winning team (11 started both games for Pittsburgh);

Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, widely understood to be the mastermind of the Steelers'  defense, is 72 years old;

And, the Steelers laid down for the Browns in December.  Absolutely laid down.  

There's also the idea that a team doesn't suffer a massive rash of injuries by accident.  So about that lackadaisical training camp...

And increased questioning about the Steelers having let Ken Whisenhunt go can only help.

The exception to the rule against rooting for others to fail so obviously applies here that it's hardly worth discussing other than to note that we might finally actually have a rivalry here again. 

I'm going to get back to reading about how deep this year's draft is.  

Akron vs. Kent tonight with the top seed in the MAC Tournament at stake, and pre-Cavs at Flannery's, don't forget.

Back later with a Frowndup including certain relevant NFL free agency news.

Thursday Night NBA Quik-Pik

So the Jazz lost to the Clippers on Monday. 

 

Tonight's their first game since.  Jazz -1.5 over Suns seems like a decent idea (4 units).