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Preseason game pathetic, penalty-filled
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
POSTED: 11:54 a.m. EDT, Aug 19, 2008
Remember in past times when some of the TV networks would show those Saturday-afternoon blooper shows?
Baseball, basketball, football, take your choice. They had guys doing silly things, with sound effects playing for each one.
The Browns provided us with one of those blooper reels Monday night, starting with the brown pants. Do those things need to go back to Wal-Mart or what?
In those brown pants, there was Eric Wright playing the most pitiful of pass defense, grabbing Domenik Hixon (aka Jerry Rice) because Hixon was about to toast him for a touchdown.
Then there was Wright watching Hixon catch a touchdown.
Here's Mike Adams grabbing a guy trying to catch a punt before the ball is even on its way down.
And the Browns offense trying to look like an offense.
And a veteran linebacker being penalized for throwing a punch.
And a blocking back actually blocking his own punter's punt.
And a team being penalized for 98 yards in one quarter.
All that's needed at this point is a calliope, or the Joker to go ''ta-daaaa'' and gesture to the crowd.
But there's more. Remember the clip they play in fast motion with the goofy music? The Browns gave us two of them. First was the Hixon return for a touchdown following the safety, then came the fumbled handoff between Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis that led to a Giants touchdown.
We've left out all the whoop, bang and crash sound effects.
Yes, it's a little disingenuous to rip preseason as meaningless, then to rip a team for playing like it's meaningless. But preseason games are about two things: Approach and impressions.
The Browns had an immature approach to this game, and it showed in the impression they left.
How about this play? Wright, who has been toasted all night, gets a gift of an interception because a blitz led the ball to pop right into his hands.
Down 30-3, Wright ran all of 15 yards and high-stepped most of the way. After he scored, he styled a pose.
Do we really need a DeShawn Stevenson on board?
''Unbelievable'' was the word Romeo Crennel used to describe the game.
That was appropriate.
But there are others.
Crennel blamed himself for not having his team practice in pads last week. He cut way back, and he said it showed.
That may well be true. Crennel certainly has been around long enough to know.
But here's another thought:
One thing that can really mess up the Browns this season would be if they approached the season as if they'd made it. It's not like they got five prime-time games after not making the playoffs, is it?
It was kind of bothersome to hear some of the players talk before the game about how excited they were going to New York to play on Monday night.
This could well have been a case of guys just pretty much answering questions in the most routine of ways.
''Are you excited about going to New York for Monday night?''
''Sure I'm excited about going to New York for Monday night.''
But it seemed a little bit like the attention was on the wrong thing.
This was a preseason game, and the approach should have been on playing well, playing smart and competing — whether the game was in New York or New Carrollton. The players could have said that, too.
The Browns played like buffoons.
Because of it, they got guys hurt — including their starting quarterback. Derek Anderson left the game after getting his head driven into the turf because of a mishap up front.
It's bad enough when your starting quarterback is hurt in the regular season. It's a mortal sin when it happens in preseason, especially the way it happened, with a guy coming free for a blindside hit.
At this point, not a lot is known about Anderson except that he had a concussion. Given the Gulag nature of pro sports teams with injuries anymore, more might not be known until the bye week.
But any time the words ''concussion'' and ''starting quarterback'' are used in the same sentence, it's at the very least cause for concern.
This game should not be taken as the definitive view of the Browns because it did not count.
But it did highlight just about every concern that exists, starting with receiver depth. Without Braylon Edwards, the offense was a mess — though the guys up front didn't help the cause much.
Then there was the secondary. Hixon is a nice player, but he's not Terrell Owens, who will be in Cleveland for the opener.
Most important, though, was the lack of maturity and proper attention. A team doesn't have to win in preseason, but it sure needs to give a good, smart effort.
The Browns were not a playoff team a year ago. They fell short in Cincinnati when they had a chance to clinch a spot.
They have many talented players, but if they don't approach the games like professionals, if they think they are better than they actually are, there will be problems.
The effort Monday night was not professional or mature.
The TV networks gave the Browns a lot of love, but the cart is before the horse.
The love came on potential, not achievement.
If the Browns forget that fact, it will be a long, long season.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
Remember in past times when some of the TV networks would show those Saturday-afternoon blooper shows?
Baseball, basketball, football, take your choice. They had guys doing silly things, with sound effects playing for each one.
The Browns provided us with one of those blooper reels Monday night, starting with the brown pants. Do those things need to go back to Wal-Mart or what?
In those brown pants, there was Eric Wright playing the most pitiful of pass defense, grabbing Domenik Hixon (aka Jerry Rice) because Hixon was about to toast him for a touchdown.
Then there was Wright watching Hixon catch a touchdown.
Here's Mike Adams grabbing a guy trying to catch a punt before the ball is even on its way down.
And the Browns offense trying to look like an offense.
And a veteran linebacker being penalized for throwing a punch.
And a blocking back actually blocking his own punter's punt.
And a team being penalized for 98 yards in one quarter.
All that's needed at this point is a calliope, or the Joker to go ''ta-daaaa'' and gesture to the crowd.
But there's more. Remember the clip they play in fast motion with the goofy music? The Browns gave us two of them. First was the Hixon return for a touchdown following the safety, then came the fumbled handoff between Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis that led to a Giants touchdown.
We've left out all the whoop, bang and crash sound effects.
Yes, it's a little disingenuous to rip preseason as meaningless, then to rip a team for playing like it's meaningless. But preseason games are about two things: Approach and impressions.
The Browns had an immature approach to this game, and it showed in the impression they left.
How about this play? Wright, who has been toasted all night, gets a gift of an interception because a blitz led the ball to pop right into his hands.
Down 30-3, Wright ran all of 15 yards and high-stepped most of the way. After he scored, he styled a pose.
Do we really need a DeShawn Stevenson on board?
''Unbelievable'' was the word Romeo Crennel used to describe the game.
That was appropriate.
But there are others.
Crennel blamed himself for not having his team practice in pads last week. He cut way back, and he said it showed.
That may well be true. Crennel certainly has been around long enough to know.
But here's another thought:
One thing that can really mess up the Browns this season would be if they approached the season as if they'd made it. It's not like they got five prime-time games after not making the playoffs, is it?
It was kind of bothersome to hear some of the players talk before the game about how excited they were going to New York to play on Monday night.
This could well have been a case of guys just pretty much answering questions in the most routine of ways.
''Are you excited about going to New York for Monday night?''
''Sure I'm excited about going to New York for Monday night.''
But it seemed a little bit like the attention was on the wrong thing.
This was a preseason game, and the approach should have been on playing well, playing smart and competing — whether the game was in New York or New Carrollton. The players could have said that, too.
The Browns played like buffoons.
Because of it, they got guys hurt — including their starting quarterback. Derek Anderson left the game after getting his head driven into the turf because of a mishap up front.
It's bad enough when your starting quarterback is hurt in the regular season. It's a mortal sin when it happens in preseason, especially the way it happened, with a guy coming free for a blindside hit.
At this point, not a lot is known about Anderson except that he had a concussion. Given the Gulag nature of pro sports teams with injuries anymore, more might not be known until the bye week.
But any time the words ''concussion'' and ''starting quarterback'' are used in the same sentence, it's at the very least cause for concern.
This game should not be taken as the definitive view of the Browns because it did not count.
But it did highlight just about every concern that exists, starting with receiver depth. Without Braylon Edwards, the offense was a mess — though the guys up front didn't help the cause much.
Then there was the secondary. Hixon is a nice player, but he's not Terrell Owens, who will be in Cleveland for the opener.
Most important, though, was the lack of maturity and proper attention. A team doesn't have to win in preseason, but it sure needs to give a good, smart effort.
The Browns were not a playoff team a year ago. They fell short in Cincinnati when they had a chance to clinch a spot.
They have many talented players, but if they don't approach the games like professionals, if they think they are better than they actually are, there will be problems.
The effort Monday night was not professional or mature.
The TV networks gave the Browns a lot of love, but the cart is before the horse.
The love came on potential, not achievement.
If the Browns forget that fact, it will be a long, long season.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
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