State of the City

I suppose I must say something, if not for my reader(s), than for myself. A purge is in order, to expel the bad and get back to the good.

And good it has been, even if it hasn't been great. Check that, it has been great, just not the greatest. Not all that long ago, I was begging for my beloved Cleveland teams just to compete. We sure are competing now. Think of it: Ohio State, the closest Cleveland connection to big time college sports, played for the national championship in both football and basketball. The Indians are in first place in the Central with one of the best records in baseball. The Cavs won the east and went to the finals for the first time in their history. And the Browns still suck. All in all, this has been a pretty damn good year, so let's keep that in mind as I go through my review/preview of the state of Cleveland sports.

Not much to be said about the Buckeyes in the football National Championship except that they did not show up and Florida way outplayed them. I feel worst for Troy Smith, because he truly was the best player in college football last year, and he did not deserve to tumble in the draft the way he did. I'd wish him all the best in the pros, and I would say that he was the the steal of the draft, but considering the Ravens got him, I hope an extended case of the highly contagious shingles is in everyone's future in Baltimore.

As far as the basketball goes, I don't think OSU could have scripted the final game better. Florida's defense was not really the deciding factor, because the Buckeyes got off their shots. They just kept missing those three pointers. Heck, even if OSU had hit 3 more (to go 7-23, 30%, well below their 36.3% average on the season), the game would have been a game. They picked the wrong time to go ice cold, that's all. They made a heck of a run--it's too bad the finals couldn't have been a bit closer.

The Indians are playing well, mostly because they are pitching well in long streaks. It doesn't look like it statistically because there is a clause in every pitcher's contract that he must give up 6-8 runs in an inning for every 25 innnings he pitches. Sabathia is showing some signs of being a true number one starter, a guy who can stop losing streaks and put up 20 wins (which would be the first time an Indians pitcher did so since Gaylord Perry in 1974, another happy goddamn Cleveland sports' statistic). The problem is the same as it's ever been with this team: lack of veteran leadership in the field and lack of consistency at the corner outfield spots, first base, and third base. They are muddling through pretty well with the combination of guys they have, but I'm still pretty wary about what happens when everyone starts slumping. Is Trot Nixon enough of a leader? I guess we'll find out, but color me unoptimistic. I suspect this team is going to fade at the end--that's what teams without leaders do.

The Cavs, ahh the Cavs. What a great run, and what a shame that a bunch of freaking idiots in the media have done everything in their power to diminish the team's achievements this past season. Newsflash: the Cavs deserved to be in the finals, they weren't the worst team ever to go, and they were a whole lot more than a one man show (although that one man deserves his due). Let's look at a few issues before going into why I think the Cavs lost the way they did.

True, the East was overall weaker than the West this year, but the imbalance was not as ridiculous as everyone wants to make it out to be. Most of the powerhouse teams in the West, with the exception of the Spurs, are built for the regular season. They run and score in bunches and do not play tough defense and are not very tough overall. That's why the two greatest teams of all time, the Suns and the Mavs, both got bounced before even getting to the Western conference finals, and both have won exactly as many championships as the Cavs. If you don't believe me, then ask yourself this: why is it we kept hearing how dirty the Spurs were against the Suns, and then didn't hear another word about it in the next two rounds of the playoffs? Judging by the evidence, i.e.: who actually won playoff series and advanced when it mattered, the second best team in the West was the Utah Jazz, and I would have felt pretty confident with the Cavs lining up against Boozer and Co. in the finals. So, until the ninnies in Phoenix make it to the finals and the wussies in Dallas actually win a championship, can we please stop calling them the best teams in basketball? Sound fair?

On the other hand, say what you will about the East, but both the Heat and the Pistons have won championships in the last four years, and the same Nets team core went to the finals two years in a row not too long ago. At the top, the East has competed just fine with the West in the Finals in recent years. And the Cavs deserved to be at the top this year, even if they did not show it in the Finals (see below). They remained one of the best teams throughout the year, finished the season strong, and absolutely romped through the playoffs, dominating both the Nets and the Pistons in the process.

So what happened in the finals to make the Cavs look so bad? A few things are worth considering: First and foremost, the Spurs were better, more experienced, and better coached. But there were issues on the Cavs side, too. First, I think it was pretty clear that beating Detroit and getting to the finals was the finals for the Cavs this year. That was the big goal, and anything beyond that was gravy.

Second, they gave the Spurs way too much respect, and played like it was the regular season. I'm not saying the Cavs should have been dirty, but in the playoffs, especially the finals, you do not let the opposing team's point guard shoot 40 fricking layups without making him pay for it. That's just common sense. But Tony Parker, a Frenchmen no less, drove through the lane scot-free for the whole series. What the heck is Scot Pollard sitting on the bench for, anyway?

Third, let's not forget the immaturity factor. Everyone knows LeBron is only 22, but look at some of the rest of the starters and guys who got big minutes: Drew Gooden, 25; Sasha Pavlovic, 23; Anderson Varejao, 24; Daniel Gibson, 21. Ilgauskas, 32; Donyell Marshall, 34; Damon Jones, 30; and Eric Snow, 34 were the only older guys who got any minutes, and Jones and Snow didn't even play that much. Heck, even Larry Hughes is only 28.

Wait, did I say Larry Hughes? The starting point guard for the second half of the season and the playoff run? The second leading scorer on the Cavs for the season? The guy who helped shut down Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups in the playoffs? THE GUY WHO DID NOT REALLY PLAY IN THE FINALS? And that's the fourth point. It's kind of a biggie. The Cavs starting point guard, probably their second best player, one of their better defenders, and an absolutely essential component of their winning rotation this year, had a torn muscle/ligament/tendon thingy in his foot when he did play in the finals, and did not suit up at all for two of the games. Am I the only one to notice this? How do you think any other team would do in the finals without their second leading scorer? Just for the record, over the past six years, the names of the second leading scorers on the teams that won championships have been Parker, O'Neal, Parker, Billups, Parker, and Bryant. Got that? I'm not saying that Hughes belongs in that company, but before we all decide to call the Cavs the worst team every to stumble their way into the Finals as a one-man show, let's at least pretend that it might matter when you lose one of your best players.

The Cavs were a great team this year, led by a great player. They didn't quite get it done this season, but like I told you way back when, barring injury, next season they are going to win it all.

That, my friends, is pretty damn cool for us Cleveland fans. (Even though the Browns are going to be terrible.)

State of Cleveland Sports

Short version: Sadly for two of my three beloved teams, nothing has changed.

Long version:

The Cavs.

LeBron has been gliding this year, recognizing that the Cavs are good enough and the East is weak enough that the Cavs can have a pretty high seed this year without the players killing themselves for every last victory.

The problems are clear: the personnel does not quite match the coaching style. Mike Brown wants to play a deliberate, defensive game, but the only players suited to going slow are Eric Snow and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Unfortunately, Z is a massive gaping hole in the defense--teams have been running the pick and roll against him for five years now, but it took the Mark Jackson the other night to finally say it out loud. As a result, Z sits on the bench down the stretch of almost every game, which really isn't the best use of the huge chunk of the salary cap that he takes up. Z is a good offensive rebounder, he blocks shots occasionally, and when he gets hot on offense it is a lot of fun to watch, but he does not fit in the LeBron James era. So, for the 7,000th time, I'm begging Danny Ferry to trade the big man for any kind of forward/center who can run the floor and play defense.

Larry Hughes has also been a disappointment, but, again, that has more to do with coaching style than Hughes' game. Larry was waaay overrated as an on-the-ball defender in Washington--all those steals game from jumping in passing lanes. Mike Brown wants Larry to guard the best 2 or 3 on the oppposing team, which is not what he's best at, so he gets wasted on the Cavs. On offense, he has no real role, but that is no different than any one else, since it is not clear that Brown actually has any sort of offensive game plan.

All of this was particularly frutrating to me for most of this season because every time the Cavs were on national tv for about two months there, they lost ugly. So every time I watched them, they were at their worst. But in recent weeks, they have had a little national tv winning streak, and have looked like the team we thought they would be. The key for the Cavs is the same as it was last year: have enough guys on the roster besides LeBron who can put up big numbers that any combination of two or three of them having a nie night will equal a victory for the team. Last year, Flip Murray became the extra guy that they needed. This year, it looks like rookie Daniel Gibson and the oft-underrated Sasha Pavlovic are the guys filling the Murray role (with Drew Gooden, Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, and Z as the other guys who can fill it up).

The point is that LeBron needs just enough help that he does not have to do it all on his own. He need guys to hit open shots, and he needs one or two of his teammates to play well every game. That's it. He'll do the rest.

I'll stand by my earlier prediction--for all the talk about the powerhouse West and LeBron gliding this year and poor free throe shooting and all that, the Cavs are going to win the NBA championship either this year or next. It would help to trade Z and get a bit more athletic in the frontline. It would help for the Cavs to keep up the recent trend of pushing the ball more to create mismatches (like LeBron against any two players who are backpedaling). It would help if Gibson and Pavlovic continue to play well. But in the end, it does not matter. The Cavs have enough. People are underestimating how good LeBron is. Just watch.

The Indians.

Let's see: the Indians are loaded with young talent coming into their prime, both on the field and in the pitching staff. They clearly need another big bat or two, preferably some veterans who have won games and can stablize the batting order. They did corner outfielder by committee last year, which was the dumbest thing I've ever seen, and they have a gaping hole at second base. They have an offer on the table to get Manny Ramirez for three prospects, the best of whom plays center field, where he is never going to displace Grady Sizemore, and they pass. One of the best hitting second basemen ever in Alfonso Soriano was available as a free agent this winter, and the Indians never even pretended like they were interested.

The Indians lineup could have been, Sizemore, Soriano, Ramirez, Hafner, Martinez, Peralta, Andy Marte, Ryan Garko, and whoever. Instead they got Trot Nixon and a closer who retired before spring training started. It's all part of the Dolan-Shapiro 40 year plan for mediocrity.

The Browns.

I used to think I knew something about football. It used to make sense to me; there used to be order in the world. No more. This team, our team, is a fricking enigma. I don't have the first clue why they suck so much. I mean, I know all the reasons, all the bad draft picks and bad coaching decisions and all of that, but I do not know why those picks were bad; I do not know why the coaches were wrong more often than right. Think about it: none of those bad first round picks were bad at the time. And half of those guys have gone on to be productive members of winning teams (see Gerard Warren and Jeff Faine).

I think I know a few things about this team. I think on defense the linebackers are pretty good and pretty deep. I think Sean Jones and Brodney Pool are nice safeties, and Leigh Bodden is a good corner. I think the defensive line should be blown up and rebuilt from scratch. I think on offense that Kellen Winslow is good but misused by the Browns (see that big open area called "the deep middle," you might want to send Kellen there once in a while). I think Braylon Edwards is good and should be great next year with the extra time to recover from the knee injury. I think the Browns have solid running backs in Droughns and Harrison. And I think the offensive line needs two new offensive guards. But I don't know. And I especially don't know about the quarterback. I sure didn't see enough from Charlie Frye to say he is the man, but I'm more than a little worried that Derek Anderson doesn't know when not to throw the ball.

As for the draft, do the Browns take a quarterback? I'm less than excited about Brady Quinn or Jemarcus Russell, and I would like to take Troy Smith, but not in the first round. I think drafting a running back like Peterson at the 3 or 4 slot is a waste since you can find running backs later in the draft. But what if Peterson is the next Tomlinson? I think the Browns need linemen more than any other position, but no d-lineman for a 3-4 are worth it at the 3 or 4 slot, and I'm not particularly excited about that o-tackle from Wisconsin. But what if he is the next Jonathan Ogden?

In the meantime, people have brought up Marty Schottenheimer returning to the Browns. Sure, I'd be interested in Marty, but then I am absolutely desperate. I'll take anyone who can make my team competitive again, and Marty could certainly do that. But it's not going to happen.

The Browns have a lame duck coach who will probably be gone before the end of next season, and Browns' fans are in for another long year. At first glance, it looks to me like the Browns are farther away this offseason than they have been since before the 2000 season. By which I mean I think they have no chance of being good. Or maybe they will. Hell, I don't know. I hate being a Browns fan.

Go LeBron.

An Email

In keeping with my oft-repeated vow to avoid the easy route of going negative when talking about crappy Cleveland sports, I haven't had much to say about the inconsistency of the Cleveland LeBrons, yet another ridiculous offseason for the Indians where their big move so far was to try, and fail, to get the mediocre Baez back, and the Browns' idiotic collapse against Pittsburgh (don't even get me started about the Hail Mary from Pittsburgh's 20 yard line to end the game. Yes, the 20 yard line. Like Pee Wee football.)



But it occured to me that a recent email exchange might indicate my somewhat rational feelings about the current football season. A coworker asked about his fantasy football league: "Do you think the Browns' D would be a good play this week?"

I replied:

Do you get points for special teams return yards with your defense in your league? If so, Josh Cribbs and Dennis Northcutt are very good return men, so even if Larry Johnson goes a little wild, the Browns d will score some points.

And there is always the fact that Herm is conservative, and the weather looks bad in C-Town this weekend, so that might help.

As far as sacks go, McGinest and Wimbley are having pretty good years, but the Browns defensive ends get almost no pressure, and their best end, Orpheus Roye, is doubtful. So they are probbly good for 2-3 sacks in the game.

In the defensive backfield, the Browns corners are all backups, but playing pretty well, and the two safeties are studs who make a lot of plays and tend to shut down the middle of the field. They very well could stop Gonzalez, especially if the Browns play their third safety--Brodney Pool, who is a very good cover man--on him, as they have tended to do against the good tight ends of the league (Gates, Heap, etc.).

So the answer is "maybe." This game has all the classic makings of a team on the ropes coming out and beating a better team. But, then again, I've got an inkling that Crennel's lost the team, and the Browns are in store for some epic and very ugly collapses on offense, which will lead to a tired and demoralized defense.

I hate being a Cleveland fan.

Hope that helps!

And there you have it. If I say anything else, it will get real ugly, real fast.

Thank goodness for the Buckeyes. Which brings up one more point that indicates my less rational feelings--which, I suspect, are pretty common on the north shore: In the abstract, I would love for Jim Tressel to become the Browns coach. He gets the Cleveland mindset, he would understand that beating Pittsburgh is the most important thing for the Browns, and build from there, just like beating Michigan is the most important thing for Ohio State. He understands the people of Cleveland and he always has his team prepared to play.

All that said, I like Jim Tressel way to much to wish the Browns job on him.

That Confirms A Lot

From Pat McManamon's column in the Akron Beacon Journal today:

Though some Browns muffled their feelings, the change from Maurice Carthon to Jeff Davidson was welcomed by two linemen whose collective description of the offense made it sound like a chaotic mess.

Joe Andruzzi and Cosey Coleman said the offense was not organized, plays were not called properly, Carthon was overly critical and cohesion on the coaching staff was missing.

``You guys kind of saw most of that,'' Andruzzi said when asked if players were behind Carthon. ``As an offense, it was more or less a lot of confusion, a lot of young guys not on the same page. As an offense, all 11 guys have to work together as one.''

Coleman said Carthon's in-your-face style ``wasn't a good formula for success.''

...

Andruzzi even confirmed that plays sometimes were sent in with the wrong protection or wrong formation, making it nearly impossible to make them work.

``That's part of the confusion,'' Andruzzi said. ``It gets to a point where you're going to be the guy calling the play, you got to get it called right.''

...

One story from last year -- told by a player prior to this week -- seems to sum up what now appears to have been a dysfunctional situation.

It had then-quarterback Trent Dilfer telling Carthon that a play he called in practice had the wrong protection. Carthon responded by telling Dilfer to run the play the way he called it, protection or not.

That angered Davidson, who turned around and slammed his clipboard to the ground.

Okay, Romeo, Phil, and Randy, you best start spinning real fast. We knew Carthon was inept, but could only guess that it went to the extent that he was unable to correctly call his own plays. If an organization, especially the head coach, sticks with a guy who was this clueless, they really should do some explaining.

My recommendation is for Romeo to apologize to everyone and admit that he let his personal loyalty get in the way of making a sound decision. Because the other option is not good: if a head coach doesn't recognize that an assistant coach literally cannot do his job, what does that say about the head coach's fitness to run a team?

I'm still trying to decide which emotion is going to win out: relief that Carthon is gone or horror that he stuck around so long. Dear God, what a mess.

When It Happened

What's to say? Most of it is being said already. But let's try to pinpoint the moment, the exact time when Romeo Crennel lost this team.

Every new coach has a grace period. Fans and owners have high expectations and high hopes for their new star--they expect some bumps and some steady improvement. Usually, the new coach has an established reputation as a winning head coach or as an extremely effective coordinator. As a result, he gets all kinds of leeway. Even his questionable moves are given a pass because of the reputation.

That is especially the case with Crennel. Five Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach seem speak volumes about the guy's abilities. He's from the Parcells/Belichick tree, and he's got echoes of the Parcells/Belichick attitude, especially their no-nonsense, get-it-done-or-hit-the-road personas.

But, as is so often the case when you go out on a limb of a coaching tree, Crennel is no Parcells or Belichick.

The signs, always ignored with the new coach, were there. There was little or no evidence that the success of the Patriots defense had anything to do with Crennel. Belichick is behind those defenses; Crennel just happened to be the co-pilot, the sometime executor of someone else's plan and preparation. Not a bad seat from which to learn (Nick Saban and Eric Mangini have also taken a spin), but Belichick is clearly in charge, both in concept and execution.

The sad thing is that Cleveland, of all places, should have known this. I can't believe the way one clear and indisputable fact was completely ignored in the Romeo love-fest that started Crennel's tenure in Cleveland. Crennel had left Parcells/Belichick land once before, in 2000, to be the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. How did he do? How did he fare on his own? By points allowed, the Browns had the fifth worst defense in all of football, giving up 419, or 26.2 per game. They also gave up 2505 yards on the ground that season, for an average of 156.6 per game, third worst in the league. If Romeo had some sort of magic bullet that led to defensive success, he sure didn't bring it with him to Cleveland the first time around. I know the 2000 team didn't have much talent, but that's the point isn't it? Doesn't a great coach help fill in the talent gap?

I'm off point. The question at hand is when Romeo lost this team. When he burned up all of his credibility as a no-nonsense winner and became just another guy who fell too far from the tree. When he ceased being a guy with a reputation for not tolerating losing and became just another loser.

This question of when is tied up in the question of how. And the how is simple: Maurice Carthon. The Browns problems on offense are manifest: schematically they are suspect, with receivers running routes to the same areas, pass blocking schemes that do not account for defensive ends, and formations that clearly give away play calls; and personal usage is a disaster, with continual plays for the Terrell Smith's and Steve Heiden's while Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, Jerome Harrison, and Josh Cribbs twiddle their thumbs. But more than that, Carthon has no feel for calling plays, no innate understanding of the shifting weak point in a defense and how to attack it. A great coordinator needs to be an artist; Maurice Carthon paints by numbers, and not very well.

Anyone can see this. Most people could see it last year. Trent Dilfer couldn't leave town fast enough to get away from Carthon. But that's not when Crennel lost the team. Then we could pretend that Dilfer was being a malcontent, that he was inconsistent as a quarterback and that is what hurt the offense. When Frye struggled in his games, we could claim it was because he was a rookie.

But then Frye had the great offseason. Winslow and Edwards got back on the field. Jurevicious came on board. Droughns had his big season. We added professional offensive linemen with records of success. Harrison stood out in the preseason. Frye built the rapport with Winslow and continued his connection with Edwards. Enough pieces were in place, but still the offense wasn't getting it done, and Maurice Carthon, clearly, undeniably, was the overwhelming reason why.

But Crennel ignored it. He claimed Carthon was doing a fine job, but that the team just wasn't executing, or that turnovers were sabotaging the effort, or whatever. All of a sudden, the no-nonsense coach was spouting nonsense. The coach who knew how to win and wouldn't tolerate losing was keeping a loser on his staff. As soon as the players realized that, Crennel lost them.

And I'll tell you when, within a few weeks or so. Sometime between the third preseason game and the second regular season game against Cincinnati. The reason we know this is because Winslow spoke up. He made his comments to the press about not getting the ball enough, about not being on the field on third downs, about not being given a chance to win on offense. Make no mistake, those comments were directed at Carthon. And make no mistake, those comments did not just come out of the fevered mind of young Winslow. All he did was give public voice to the rumblings in the locker room. The players knew Carthon was a disaster, and Winslow, high emotion guy that he is, couldn't just keep it among his teammates.

And Crennel had lost the Cleveland Browns, and is on his way to losing his job (with the inevitable rumor mill now saying that Jim Tressel might be interested in the job).

Crennel's only chance, and I mean only chance, is to fire Carthon right now and try to shake up the play calling. The Browns are still hamstrung with their offense schemes, but a more intuitive play caller might get them on the right track, which would excite the players, pump up an improving defense, and get the fans hopeful again.

Because the Browns, beloved though they might be, are losing us. We don't want to rebuild again. We want to win. Now.

Update: It's about time. Now we'll see if Davidson was worth the offseason promotion.

Here We Go Brownies! Here We Go!

Memo to Maurice Carthon
Re: Offensive Coordinating
October 4, 2006

1. "Establish the run" does not mean "run the ball every play." Conversely, when running the ball does not work, do not throw the ball every play. Get crazy, mix up the pass and run. Everyone will be impressed.

2. Kellen Winslow must be on the field for 90-95% of the offensive snaps.

3. You might want to mention to your starting quarterback that he can and should throw the ball away in some situations--say, for example, on 2nd and goal from the seven yard line when you are up by a field goal in the fourth quarter and he is outside the pocket. In fact, you should have this lesson so pounded into his head that he does it automatically when the situation arises. Then remind him again.

4. Terrell Smith is a bruising fullback, but he is your least talented skill player on offense. Under no circumstances should he have as many receptions as Kellen Winslow. Nor should he be the primary receiver on any given play more than three (3) times a season.

5. You must run multiple (three (3) or more) different plays out of every formation in your playbook. Otherwise, the defense knows what play you are running based on the formation, like, for example, the cornerback for the Ravens jumping a slant in the endzone in week 3 when he had been burned earlier in the game on a fade. Or, for another example, everytime you run a pitch sweep on 3rd and 1 the entire defense is lined up where the sweep is going.

6. It is also helpful to mix up personnel and play calls. So, for example, it might be a good idea to run the wheel route with a running back other than Jerome Harrison every once in a while.

7. You must give your quarterback the ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage, so when the defense has nine guys in the box, he can check out of the run play that had been given away by the formation.

8. Run screen plays on downs other than 3rd and long.

9. When you line up your offense with five wide receivers and no running backs, the defense knows it is going to be a pass and that the quarterback does not have much protection, so they bring an extra guy to tee off on the quarterback, even when he gets the pass off. When you line up your offense with five wide receivers and no backs three times in one drive, you can and will be arrested for criminal negligence when your quarterback gets carted off on a stretcher.

10. On a related note, protecting the quarterback is a priority on all NFL teams, but especially ours, as our starting quarterback is backed up by Sister Mary Dorsey and Scooter, the "special" fourth Manning brother no one talks about.

It is imperative that you make these adjustments. The fans in Cleveland are not stable (see enclosures A, B, and C).

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Enclosure A: "Pseudo Ravens fans get an earful at game":

Standing in a crowded restroom at Browns Stadium, there is nowhere to hide. Especially when you're wearing the jersey of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, a player who has inflicted pain on the Browns and their fans for years. A man in head-to-toe Browns gear took the time before departing to stop, stare a hole in me and say the words "Ray Lewissssss," followed by a string of obscenities.

Six other fans in the previous several minutes had let me know in no uncer tain terms what was what. All of the rants contained words not fit for print. Two fans, seemingly reading from the same script, called me a piece of (bleep) who had no business taking up space where only Browns fans are allowed.

It was all part of tough lessons learned during a challenging assignment: To go dressed as a fan of an opposing team and report on how I was treated.

The opposition happened to be the Ravens because they were the first team to play in Cleveland after the New Orleans Saints. In the wake of the Browns' loss to New Orleans in the season opener, The Plain Dealer received e-mails from Saints fans detailing relentless verbal abuse and physical intimidation that left them shaken and fuming, mostly over references to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA trailers, the homeless and dead bodies.

We contacted three of the e- mailers for a more in-depth explanation of what transpired. One man, who asked to remain anonymous, maintained he never had been so intimidated as when he and his wife and four others were hounded -- without provocation, he said -- virtually from the moment they got out of their vehicle to the moment they "escaped" the stadium grounds.

And this man once flew fighter jets.

_____________

Enclosure B: "Something to shout about":

The article about the experience, titled, "Pseudo Ravens fans get an earful at game," appeared Oct. 1. It chronicled a day at the stadium made uncomfortable by unrelenting verbal abuse.

Readers reacted swiftly, by phone and e-mail. Here is a sample of what was received:

...

I am a Browns fan living in California. Went to a Browns-Niners game a few years ago . . . not too bad. But being at the Browns-Raiders game last Sunday wearing a Browns hat . . . the Browns coming from behind to win made a visit to the Lakefront look like a trip to Disney. And, Ray Lewis is [expletive] in every town.

Martin McGreevy, Carmel, Calif.

...

I can't wait until the security gets beefed up at the stadium, and I get removed for telling a Steelers fan to sit down and put his towel away as Joey Porter and Troy Polamalu combine for the 13th team sack of the day as the clock expires and the Browns get shut out by them again at home.

Honestly, what was the point of this article other than to force the team to punish its own fans? Can you really say that a Ray Lewis jersey and a Saints golf shirt are comparable?

I'm sure you didn't get much mail from Ravens fans who attended the game, because they understood what they were in for.

Is the abuse right? No, but you have to expect to get harassed a bit, and if you egg it on, angry men who have been drinking for eight hours are going to drop some comments that you might not want to hear. I was at the game on Sept. 10, and I heard a woman, in her Reggie Bush jersey, taunt me and many others on our way down the ramp from the "upper-deck corners, which have a rough-and-tumble reputation."

After about five minutes of her jawing, somebody from behind me said, "At least I didn't lose my house in a flood." The woman didn't say another word and began crying shortly thereafter. It was a strange atmosphere as very few words were exchanged from anybody who had observed the incident, and everybody felt bad. It is my opinion that everybody had the same sympathetic thoughts: "I'm sorry you had to hear that remark. That was very bad taste. But you can't come to Cleveland, along with many other cities, as a casual NFL fan and taunt people without being ready to hear some hateful things in return. The football atmosphere is much different than Charlotte, Tampa, and Atlanta."

Scott Trepal, Cleveland Heights

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Enclosure C: From the comments to "Boorish Fans," Cleveland '64, predating above enclosures:

Although when I spent considerable time in Columbus the real die hards could be annoying even to a Buckeye fan such as myself. I do remember the 02' tailgate for the OSU v. Michigan game. It was fun, I pissed in the Kitchen of the Holiday Inn, whats not fun about that? After partaking in many Browns tailgates, I would have to say that I was upset at how well the OSU fans behaved. I did not see one fight. I went to the first Brown's game this year against the Saints and actually saw Browns fans punching Saints fans. Now that's loyality. Shouldn't we have at least felt sorry for them after Katrina. Naugh, fuck it. We are still the poorest city in the country. We don't even need a natural disaster to have people living in shacks with no heat and insufficent food. Hey, I'll take a trailer. The Browns may not win a game but hopefully [our] fans have finally become pissed off enoungh to beat the living crap out [of] Pitt. fans so they stop coming to our stadium and goading us to kill them with those stupid towels. Every year I go to that game, and I'm getting closer to deciding that it is worth going to jail to grab one of those sick fucks and toss them of the upperdeck to find out if they really do bleed yellow and black. Well, back to my original thoughts (sorry), I thought the OSU fans were mild, compared to what I've seen on Sundays.

Season Ender?

Was yesterday's Raven's game a season-ending loss for the Browns? I'm on "Maybe," but leaning toward "Yes."

Now, I swear one person is writing this blog, even though I've switched positions in the last week more times than Jenna Jameson on speed. See, I was correct about the ability of this Browns team when they get it together, as any fool could have seen in the first half of the game yesterday. No doubt Steve McNair's struggles played a big part in the defense playing well, but it wasn't the only part. They were flying around, they were making plays, they believed in the scheme and one another, and it showed.

Same goes for the offense. They started feeding the ball to Winslow and Edwards, and even the vaunted Ravens defense couldn't do a thing to stop them. Even Ray Lewis doing a clear (and uncalled) horse collar pull down on Charlie Frye didn't shake the young quarterback. They took shots down field, they threw fades to their big receivers down in the red zone, and they looked for Winslow on third down to get them out of jams. It worked. Even though they could't run the ball, they went up and down the field on Baltimore in the first half.

Everything I said about the team coming together was right there. They were ready to dominate and start their run to the playoffs. The talent was there, and it was taking over. So what happened?

I'll tell you what happened: Romeo Crennel, Maurice Carthon, and Phil Savage.

Some general observations about the game to help make the point:

Positive:

*Sean Jones is starting to look like the real deal at strong safety. At one point yesterday, he had a head-on one-on-one collision with Jamal Lewis, and he stuck the big back.

*Kamerion Wimbley has gotten more consistent pressure on the quarterback in three games than Courtney Brown did in his entire time in Cleveland.

*D'Qwell Jackson still isn't making enough plays, but he is getting closer.

*Andra Davis is all over the field, but as everyone else plays better he needs to start getting downhill and making plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.

*Simon Fraser stepped up big time and should have earned himself some more playing time.

*Kellen Winslow is unstoppable.

*Braylon Edwards is unstoppable.

*Charlie Frye is a football player, pure and simple.

*Every time the Browns have thrown the ball deep to Braylon Edwards this season it has resulted in a big play (one was called back).

*Every time the Browns throw a jump ball to Edwards or Winslow, great things happen, especially in the red zone.

Negative:

*Joe Andruzzi is a gaping hole at left guard.

*Daven Holly and Ralph Brown are plug-ins at best, but probably should never see the field.

*Leigh Bodden should have been covering Derrick Mason anywhere he went on the field.

*Jerome Harrison could not have possibly have been any worse than Jason Wright at running back, and may have been quite a bit better.

*It sure doesn't make any sense to line up Wright as a wideout when Travis Wilson and/or Josh Cribbs is standing on the sideline.

So what does all that have to do with Crennel, Carthon, and Savage keeping the Browns from winning? Everything.

I'm glad Crennel chose Butch Davis pick Sean Jones to be the starter, because he is clearly better right now than Savage pick Brodney Pool, but I mention it because that is about the only personnel move that makes clear sense. Crennel might have the most bizarre judgment of personnel I have ever seen (and Savage has given him some real doozies to work with). Crennel seems to hate rookies, except when he loves them. He seems to hold a grudge on players, except when he doesn't. He rewards performance, except for when he plays players who don't perform. Look at a few of my observations from the game and the season so far:

*Wimbley has been a game-changer, but we keep being told that the only reason he is starting is because of injuries to McGinest.

*In the preseason and regular season, D'Qwell Jackson has made tons of rookie mistakes and very few plays on the field, yet he is the undisputed starter over Chaun Thompson, who came into his own last year and is a physical freak. (Not to mention the fact that rookie LB Leon Williams seems to have solidified a spot on the short yardage team, even though he has been driven back or pancaked every time they've been in one of those situations.)

*Andruzzi is the undisputed starter at guard, even though he has spent the last two seasons not moving lineman in the running game and getting beat badly on the pass rush.

*Daven Holly and Ralph Brown keep playing no matter how many plays they give up, while second year man Antonio Perkins sits on the bench and never gets a shot to show whether he can play or not.

*Jason Wright was nearly cut in favor of Lee Suggs or William Green, while Jerome Harrison clearly earned a spot early on and showed he can carry the ball between the tackles in the preseason. So when Droughns goes down, Harrison only gets two carries and Wright gets fed the ball and runs for nothing.

*Travis Wilson held out for a couple of days at the beginning of camp, came in low on the depth chart, but caught everything thrown his way in the preseason and made some great plays. Still, he hasn't sniffed the field, even after Jurevicius went down, and even when the Browns go to four receiver sets.

Savage deserves some of the blame for not making sure that the Browns were deeper at offensive guard and cornerback, but I'm not sure Crennel would have used the guys anyway, because his personnel choices are an enigma. But that is only part of the issue--the bigger part is the offensive play calling, courtesy of Maurice Carthon. Let's go back to those observations:

*Even though it works every time, the Browns have only thrown the ball deep to Edwards one time a game for the first three games.

*Even though allowing their playmaking quarterback to throw the ball to the unstoppable Edwards and Winslow led to two touchdowns in the first half of the game against the Ravens, the Browns locked down their offense in the second half. They returned to the short patterns that never gives them a chance to make plays and allows only a few defenders to cover all the Browns receivers. The second half looked just like the first two games.

*This is the biggie: even though a four-year old could see that Edwards and Winslow are nearly unstoppable on the fade in the red zone, as Edwards proved on the first half interference call and as Winslow proved on his near catch and interference call last week and on the grab on the sideline this week, Carthon called that idiotic slant into the teeth of the defense on the last Browns drive. (Not so incidentally, it's pretty clear that the Browns' formation gave away the route, because there is no way McAllister jumps a slant from the five yard line when Edwards made him look stupid on the fade in the first half from the same spot. No way.)

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Non-Browns fans might be surprised to find out how positive Browns fans seem to be today. Most Clevelanders had such low expectations that they never thought the Browns had a chacne to win yesterday, so they were pleased by the close game. They are being fools.

The truth is that yesterday's game was a disaster, and this year's team is hanging on by the slightest of threads. Yesterday was devastating, and it only happened because the coaches of the Browns do not have the sense to get out of the way when their talented players come barrelling through. When I said the Browns were going to the playoff, I assumed that the coaches would not get in the way, that they would at worst be neutral as the players made plays. Yesterday I was proved wrong in that assumption.

The only reason the Browns have a sliver of a chance this season is because they play the terrible Raiders next week. If they win, then maybe the talent of Frye, Winslow, Edwards, Droughns, Jones, Bodden, and Wimbley under the leadership on the field of McGinest and Washington will overwhelm the strange personnel choices and bad gameday coaching on offense. Then maybe they can go on a run.

But 0-3 is a big hole out of which to climb. And I sure wish our guys didn't have to work against the offensive coordinator. (Actually, I wish Savage and Crennel would have had the sense to go get Norv Turner, Mike Martz, or even Mike Tice to replace Carthon this offseason.) And if they lose this weekend to Oakland, you can be sure that the wheels will come off in spectacular fashion. I can see it now: McGinest goes on the IR by week 6, Washington swallows Harrison by mistake, Frye and Wimbley get hurt, Winslow goes totally apeshit and gets suspended for the rest of the season, hilarity ensues.

So here we are, hanging by that thread. The Browns are still close. The unfortunate truth is that with a better offensive coordinator they would be closer. With a great head coach they would be there.