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Far from competitive, they leave Green Bay laughing
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Monday, Oct 26, 2009
CLEVELAND: What does it say about the state of the Browns when a Green Bay Packers' scout team linebacker can get to the quarterback faster on a blitz than the Browns' starting safety?
That's what the Packers were laughing about Sunday after quarterback Aaron Rodgers' 71-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver with 7:01 left in the second quarter broke open the game in a 31-3 rout of the downtrodden Browns.
Safety Abram Elam blitzed out of the slot, and Rodgers flipped a short pass to Driver, right where Elam would have been. Safety Brodney Pool lunged and missed the first tackle, not touching Driver, an 11-year veteran receiver.
Cornerback Eric Wright caught Driver at the Browns' 22 and tried to strip the ball but ended up on his back near the 5 as Driver scored to make it 14-3.
Rodgers said the Browns called the same defense last weekend at Pittsburgh and it resulted in a sack of Ben Roethlisberger. The Packers called it ''two slide'' and spent plenty of time on it in practice.
''Actually [Desmond] Bishop played it better than [the Browns] played it today. He got there quicker,'' Rodgers said of Bishop, an unknown three-year veteran from Cal.
The play encapsulated the gap between the Browns (1-6) and Packers (4-2). Rodgers threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns and had a 155.4 passer rating, as Derek Anderson passed for 99 yards (44
after the first quarter) and a 36.4 rating. The Packers had a 460-139 edge in total yards and a 25-12 advantage in first downs. Five of the Browns' came by penalty.
''We aren't good right now. That's it. Period. Flat out,'' Anderson said. ''We haven't run the ball effectively, thrown it where we need to. We haven't protected up front like we need to and caught it when we need to. You can't win like that.''
Left tackle Joe Thomas was just as succinct.
''We didn't play nearly well enough, and the score showed it,'' Thomas said. ''It hurts to lose, when you lose bad like that, because you're not even close to being competitive.''
Browns coach Eric Mangini said that he never considered a switch to backup Brady Quinn, but that he would examine everything in the wake of the demoralizing loss. An announced crowd of 69,797 bailed early at Cleveland Browns Stadium, leaving the cavern so desolate that Rodgers said everyone on the field could hear him in the third quarter. A cheer of ''Let's Go Pack,'' also broke out.
''I don't think we played very well; I don't think we coached very well,'' a grim Mangini said. ''I thought we were making progress in a lot of areas. I don't think we showed that today at all.''
Mangini abandoned the Wildcat offensive formation, which the Browns ran 13 times against the Steelers with their most dangerous player, Joshua Cribbs, taking the direct snap. It was called once in the first quarter, a 1-yard run by Cribbs.
''Did we run the Wildcat today?'' Cribbs said, surprised it was mothballed. ''I guess we didn't want to run it today.''
Asked what it would take to revive an offense that has produced just four touchdowns in 81 series this season, Cribbs said, ''If I knew that, they'd need to make me the coordinator.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/. Follow the Browns on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns.
CLEVELAND: What does it say about the state of the Browns when a Green Bay Packers' scout team linebacker can get to the quarterback faster on a blitz than the Browns' starting safety?
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 08:23 AM, 10/26/2009
The NFL should start a mercy rule - if not for the players, at least for the fans!
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:37 AM, 10/26/2009
The only fire I saw yesterday was Reggie Rucker's commentary on the game. Out with Mangini, in with Rucker. At least he cares.
akron, oh
Posted 08:47 AM, 10/26/2009
So now that Anderson isn;t producing will this halfwit coach go back to Quinn? He was never really given a chance to play anyway with the poor play calling the coaches were throwing at him. Brady is just standing on the sideline smirking because he knows what a baffoon Mangina actually is. Brady will pack up and go somewhere else where he will flourish and be a MVP Pro bowler. Mangina will go back to being a high school coach.
Cleveland, Oh
Posted 09:47 AM, 10/26/2009
Uninspiring is the word of the day. Its hard to say that but seeing is beleiving. This is a professional football team that gets paid to do their job. And it should be done with all the fire and emotion they can muster. didnt see it yesterday and really havent seen it all year. All Ive got to say about this farce is we still have to play the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals again.
Posted 09:49 AM, 10/26/2009
Quinn will not be any more than a mediocre QB at best. Quit dreaming.
Akron, Oh
Posted 09:57 AM, 10/26/2009
WoW..can you try any harder to suck..Ooh no I lost the football..ooh were could it be..
someone please put us out of our misery..
at least the leafs got done,the gutters cleaned out,
just had to do something til 4:00,then two more sucky
nfl teams are trying to be like the browns,
this has to be a sickness..just look at the way the rest of the nfl teams are doing the same thing..
ya its the flu..right..
akron, oh
Posted 10:04 AM, 10/26/2009
The Browns organization needs to be taken over by the league for their own good. They obviously can't run a pro football team even with a billionaire owner.
It's not fair for the other teams not on the Browns' schedule.
Cleveland, Oh
Posted 10:22 AM, 10/26/2009
The wheels on this bus are looking real wobbly. When will they fall off? Isay in two or three weeks. In two weeks the Browns will have their best Sunday performance of the entire season. Their bye week. We will all be spared the sham, the Browns have become this season. I can't wait!
norka, OH
Posted 10:54 AM, 10/26/2009
what has DoA shown that makes me think hes a better choice than the Q ......remember after the Q left the Dome they were not that good for a couple of years was it him or the coaching time to think for your self its really not that hard HEY HO MISSGENIE GOTTA GO!!!!
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 11:05 AM, 10/26/2009
Been ticket holder 45 years and never seen anything this bad. Glad I gave up this year could not sit through what I am watching. Our fans don't deserve what has been thrown at us. At one time the Browns were the envy of the NFL. SO SAD.
Lorain, OH
Posted 11:57 AM, 10/26/2009
I love the Browns no matter how bad they play, but even I have to say this, "The Browns need to makes some big changes." One- they need to sell the team. Lerner, Modell, Lerner, Modell. Do any one see the problem. Get rid of the Lerners and the spell will be broken. Two- Mangini needs to go. If I said it again, I said it a thousand times. Romeo was not the problem last year. The problem was that the players was plague with a lot of injuries. Romeo at least gave us one good year. Three- Browns need to have faith in theirselves. I know that it is hard, but you have to do it. Practice hard and you will perservere.
From Cleveland Brown Fan
Akron, Oh
Posted 12:16 PM, 10/26/2009
If Mangini was considering EVERYTHING he would be considering LEAVING the Browns....NOW
Get the hell OUT
Paradise, Oh
Posted 12:36 PM, 10/26/2009
The NFL has been punishing the people of NE Ohio for quite some time now. At the same time, the NFL is hauling buckets ful of money out of here.
Somewhere in New York city there are a bunch of guys in a back room...laughing their azzes off at us.
Posted 12:45 PM, 10/26/2009
i contend that the browns should play both qb's. i know that goes against all the rules, but how, really, how much worse can it get? start da, bring in bq for a couple series, use cribbs at the wildcat for a series. what do we have to lose? if one of these guys gets hot, stay with them. i never thought i would say this, but play both qb's.
Posted 01:27 PM, 10/26/2009
Uggh, glad I don't have season tickets any more. I can barely manage to watch the games at home, yelling and screaming at the poor play and terrible coaching. I'd probably be rioting if I was the game.
Dumbo the offensive coordinator needs to go. Really bad play calling, pass on 1st down incomplete, run on 2nd down for 1-3 yards, then 3rd and long, which is either not converted or a turnover. I know the players are not doing their jobs, but the coaches are very uninspired also.
Lets see we still have games left against the Lions, Raiders and Chiefs, so I suppose it is possible that we win another game. Although I don't see how, maybe another fantastic 6-3 score like in Buffalo :(
Kent, Oh
Posted 02:12 PM, 10/26/2009
Quinn needs to get out of town as quickly as he can, pray to Sister Margaret Mary that he can catch on with a team next year. This town doesen't start careers it ends them.
Bethesda, MD
Posted 02:52 PM, 10/26/2009
Time to start Theo Ratliff or whoeverthehell.
First time in decades when I didn't even bother to watch or listen to the game (I guessed they would lose 37-13). Made a scarecrow for the kids instead. Didn't even bother to find out who won until the early evening when I stumbled upon the news.
Any other vet fans who are slowly disconnecting from football too? Lerner can ill afford to lose the forty and over crowd in Cleveland.
North Royalton, OH
Posted 06:15 PM, 10/26/2009
It's hard to believe that a team could be less prepared for a game than yesterday. That coaching staff is a complete embarrassment.
soldiers grove, wi
Posted 11:41 PM, 10/26/2009
This is the first public post Ive ever made but I couldnt resist. I was a former Browns staff member under Bill Belichick before I went to NFL Europe for 4 years. I started with George Kokinis, Phil Savage, Tommy Dimitroff Jr. (Atlantas GM now), Scott Pioli, Eric Mangini was a part time PR assistant (actually hardly ever saw him). Nick Saban was our defensive coord. Jim Bates was our linebackers coach. Alot of talent there on that staff. Bernie was just on his way out. These were all friends of mine and I still keep in touch with Tommy Dimitroff, consider George a friend and some of the others. I havent missed even a preseason game in over 20 years. I watch all the games on a system coaches used to use and rewind the plays back and forth 50-60 times and break down every player, offensive and defensive play calling etc... Its a passion of mine (as are the Browns who I love dearly) and if I wasnt pursuing a musical career Id still be working in the NFL. Id first would like to say its hard taking the medias word for things...its MUCH different behind closed doors. Bill Belichick, I knew - was a great guy to work for- you knew he'd have success- he was a defensive genius and believed in letting people be accountable for their jobs- not micro-managing. I believe this and Tom Brady have been the key to his success. The media killed him in Cleveland (my hometown) and ran him out of town as a smug brat. All that being said...Id like to give my breakdown of what I see currently with the Browns... for what its worth:
See Next Post....
soldiers grove, wi
Posted 12:46 AM, 10/27/2009
...his bullheaded play calling.
Rob Ryan: love ya but your making some real bad calls out there. Blitzing two men over Donald Driver and letting him completely free- this sort of overcommitment in one area is happening on alot of big plays. And why the public support of your corners saying Eric Wright is great? They both put out the most complacent effort on the field Ive ever seen. Neither appears to want to get involved in the tackle. I mean theyre not even trying. Its on tape- watch it. It doesnt belong in the NFL.
Mangini: Talks of turnovers "cant have em". But go to the root of the turnover. The poor coaching decisions (addressed earlier with Jerome Harrison and Womack) that led to lack of pass protection, that led to the turnover.
Poor player assessment, bullheaded philosophy, and idealistic team building (aquiring nice, mild mannered, special teams players to play for you) is unrealistic and the reason your team looks so bad. You need TALENT. And you need to talk man to man with these guys. Not toss out fines from your hidden chamber. ALL the players (or 80%) like to go out and party. Get used to it. And see who can get it together on game day. We've already let go of 2-3 talented play makers and gotten little for them( I know it would have been hard to hold onto them for contract reasons but letting go of a few others could have enabled it). Certainly ownership has cut all the big contracts in a rebuilding effort, but the team is being stripped of talent. The direction based on the decisions I see is not good.
Posted 09:14 AM, 10/27/2009
"EastSideJo
Bethesda, MD
Posted 02:52 PM, 10/26/2009 Time to start Theo Ratliff or whoeverthehell.
First time in decades when I didn't even bother to watch or listen to the game (I guessed they would lose 37-13). Made a scarecrow for the kids instead. Didn't even bother to find out who won until the early evening when I stumbled upon the news.
Any other vet fans who are slowly disconnecting from football too? Lerner can ill afford to lose the forty and over crowd in Cleveland."
Eastside:
Actually, you have to consider ALL of NE Ohio when looking at the fan base. Growing up in Akron, I NEVER saw a Steelers jersey, now they sell them there and you will find them displayed all over. Forget the Mahoning Valley, its black and gold everywhere. Hard to believe Ohio residents could embrace an out of state team this way but hey, the Browns have been so bad for so long, I guess you can't blame them. The young people weren't around during the Schottenheimer years and all they have seen is almost constant mediocrity. The bottom line is that fans watch football and attend games to enjoy themselves. Yes, the Browns lost games in the 80's too, but the games they won made up for it.
From my perspective, I see the Browns fan base shrinking to include only the Cleveland metropolitan area. It is really sad to see all of that $$$ crossing the state line into PA.
bowling green, oh
Posted 11:16 AM, 10/30/2009
yeah, and after the game, Rodgers was laughing at the coaching
