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Ravens coach dedicates victory to Art Modell
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Monday, Nov 03, 2008
CLEVELAND: The Browns blew a game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
It's very possible they blew a season as well.
Leading the Ravens by 14 in the third quarter, playing a team that did not seem to have a come-from-behind offense, the Browns' defense folded and the offense gave away possessions with dropped passes and interceptions turned into touchdowns.
This was a team collapse that changes the entire outlook of a season.
And everyone shared in the responsibility — except Joshua Cribbs, who almost single-handedly kept the Browns in the game.
The Browns came off a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a chance to insert themselves into the AFC playoff race.
The Browns fell flat on their faces.
What was the problem?
Maturity? Heart? Talent? Concentration? Coaching?
Yes to all the above. When a team blows a game like the Browns blew that one, everyone shares.
From Braylon Edwards, who dropped a huge deep pass late, to the defense, which gave up big plays.
It was brutal.
Pick an adjective, any adjective.
Any and all apply.
''If y'all saw the game, you know what happened, that's pretty much it,'' said nose tackle Shaun Rogers, who then turned, put on his jacket and left.
''I don't have a lot of excuses. We didn't do what we're supposed to do,'' linebacker Willie McGinest said.
''I don't know what it was; it happened so fast,'' linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said.
Edwards? The guy who had a crucial drop on a play that could have changed the outcome?
He left the locker room without commenting.
That drop, incidentally, came with the score 27-27. Quarterback Derek Anderson had not found his first receiver and avoided the rush by moving to his right. He stopped and threw deep down the middle to Edwards, who was past Evan Oglesby.
The ball went through Edwards' hands and plopped to the ground.
Pro Bowl receivers who dare to be great catch that pass, and mature players stand up and discuss it after the game.
Neither happened.
Instead of a big play to set up at least a field goal, the offense seemed deflated.
From that point, Anderson completed two of his final 10 passes — for 18 yards with an interception returned for a touchdown.
Fans were chanting for Brady Quinn, but this was not a game Anderson lost. Jackson put it on the defense, which bears as much responsibility as anyone.
Too, had Edwards caught that pass, Anderson's day would have been different. There's no excusing the quarterback's late miscues, but there's no excusing the Browns' dismal effort in a dismal loss that never, ever should have happened.
In truth, though, this was a team collapse. And it was as bad as any since 1999.
With 6:07 left in the third quarter, the Browns led 27-13. The Ravens had a rookie quarterback on the field and a starting running back on the sidelines.
The Browns forced the Ravens to a third-and-16.
Joe Flacco threw to Derrick Mason for 20 yards, the Ravens drove for a touchdown and scored the final 24 points.
Edwards dropped his pass.
The immortal Ray Rice broke free on a 60-yard run.
Anderson threw the worst screen pass in the history of screen passes and Terrell Suggs intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
As far as collapses go, it was complete and thorough and potentially far-reaching and it leaves the Browns, coach Romeo Crennel said, looking at an ''uphill battle'' the rest of the season.
And Mount Blanc has a slight incline.
At 3-5, the Browns are behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Ravens and are 1-3 in the division. A 7-1 finish gives the Browns 10 wins, which wasn't even good enough a year ago.
Miracles happen, but there's no time for a trip to Lourdes before Thursday's game to fix what ails this inconsistent team that either underachieves or is grossly overrated.
Want inconsistency? The Browns showed maturity early in turning a 10-0 deficit into a 27-13 lead.
But they showed a complete lack of maturity and everything else good in blowing that lead.
Realistically, talking playoffs for this team at this point borders on the absurd.
Not with the lack of everything the Browns showed Sunday.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh only added to the calamity by dedicating this football game to ''Mr. Art Modell.''
''He deserves this more than anybody,'' Harbaugh said.
Yes, vinegar does hurt when poured in a wound.
Running back Jamal Lewis said when the Browns were ahead by 14 he told players on the sidelines — including Edwards — to make sure not to let up and be sure to ''finish.''
They didn't.
Now the Browns might be finished.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
CLEVELAND: The Browns blew a game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 05:31 AM, 11/03/2008
Crennel must go!
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 06:43 AM, 11/03/2008
Start by firing Crennel and starting BQ at QB next game. Trade Edwards & Winslow for draft picks.
This season is lost anyway. It's over for the Browns once again. What started with much promise after last season has turned the team back into the NFL non-playoff sewers once again.
newport, NC
Posted 06:53 AM, 11/03/2008
S.O.S. HELP, MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!! Phillie think they had a long drought, ha!!!!!!!!! talk about Bye Polor. We do have a nice stadium, good mustard.
youngstown, oh
Posted 06:58 AM, 11/03/2008
One of the few stories I've read that accurately fixes the blame on the whole team, not just RAC or DA. Why is Stallworth or Tucker even on the roster? These guys seem to invent new reasons not to be active.Let's see in2006 a mental illness, last year a steroid violation and this year played in one game. Stallworth a quad injury that takes forever to heal. Where are the real athletes that play through pain? BE admits he doesn't like to go over the middle. Well there are things at work I don't like to do either but I shut up and do them.And he drops almost as many as he catches. Again where are the real athletes that used to compete years ago?? This game is going downhill fast!!
Posted 07:18 AM, 11/03/2008
Pat, the talk of playoffs is not only over for this year, it is not a reality ever. I guess youre too young to realize, but any Cleveland fan over 50 knows that. Game ball to Modell? Being humiliated? So what else is new. See Super Bowl 2000. See Belicheck. See Charlie Manuel. I could go on and on. Other cities have rings. Cleveland has embarrassment. That is our past, present and future and Quinn, LeBron or Sizemore will never change it.
Posted 07:20 AM, 11/03/2008
Super bowl! Super bowl! Super bowl! Wait, this isn't the start of training camp?
Akron, OH
Posted 08:06 AM, 11/03/2008
Why WAS Stallworth out, anyway? K2 actually stepped up, which is more than I can say for the majority of this "team," so give him a break. DA isn't a good quarterback, but he can't make our defense tackle or block, so don't put that on him. If Crennel starts Anderson on Thursday, I'm not watching the game. We need to see what BQ can do... we have nothing to lose... it can't get much worse...
Posted 08:33 AM, 11/03/2008
Crennel who is supposed to be strong on the defensive side of the ball rushes 3 on a 3rd and 16 after it was evident any pressure on Flacco was key to stopping him. Rush even four and get some pressure on Flacco and he likely doesn't have time for a route that long. A stop there and the outcome of the game is very different.
Posted 08:46 AM, 11/03/2008
Cleveland Clowns.
Port Saint Lucie, Fl
Posted 09:07 AM, 11/03/2008
Put these guys in a Steelers uniform and they probably win.It's all in the perception of who you think you are.When losing permiates the sub-concious,your comfort zone becomes one of mediocrity.You play a great game,ie.the Giants and the sub-concious kicks in and subtly says,"hey your not that good"and you fall back into your "comfort zone",LOSING.Time to send in a "sports shrink".
Wooster, Oh
Posted 09:31 AM, 11/03/2008
Crennel will likely finish out the season but I wonder if Savage is putting the mechanism of a coaching search into place. How about it, Pat, can you get us the inside story?
Posted 10:11 AM, 11/03/2008
Where do you start. I'm 55 and this game is actually one that fits well with the Cleveland pro sports tradition. Humiliating loss, more humiliating given the opponent, and even more humiliating than that with the game ball given to Modell. Let's see, Modell leaves town and wins a Super Bowl; Belicheck gets run out of Cleveland and becomes the greatest coach in a generation; Manuel gets dumped by the Tribe and wins a World Series with another franchise formed by futility.
See a trend here? Face it, other teams and other players have those great moments in sports that are forever burned into the sporting subconscious in photo or film, and usually the "other" team on the field is from Cleveland. Our past, our present and sure to be our future.
Posted 10:15 AM, 11/03/2008
And BTW, firing Crennel, or starting Quinn, or channeling the spirits of Vince Lombardi and Paul Brown won't make a whit of difference. If you root for a team from Cleveland, you will never, ever, in your lifetime and likely the lifetimes of you children AND grandchildren, ever see a championship banner fly over the city regardless of the sport, the players, the coaches, the owners or the circumstances.
Posted 10:15 AM, 11/03/2008
Where do you start. I'm 55 and this game is actually one that fits well with the Cleveland pro sports tradition. Humiliating loss, made more humiliating given the opponent, and made even more humiliating than that with the game ball given to Modell. Let's see, Modell leaves town and wins a Super Bowl; Belicheck gets run out of Cleveland and becomes the greatest coach in a generation; Manuel gets dumped by the Tribe and wins a World Series with another franchise formed by futility. I could go on and on, but we all know the history.
See a trend here? Face it, other teams and other players have those great moments in sports that are forever burned into the sporting subconscious in photo or film, and usually the "other" team on the field or on the court is from Cleveland. Our past, our present and sure to be our future.
Posted 10:24 AM, 11/03/2008
And BTW, starting Quinn, or firing Crennel, or even channeling the spirits of Lombardi and Brown won't make a whit of difference. As is our history, so will be our future, and it can be said with absolute certainty that if you root for Cleveland team, you will not experience a championship moment your lifetime, the lifetime of our children, and the lifetime of our grandchildren regardless the sport, the players, the coaches, the owners or the circumstances.
akron, oh
Posted 10:45 AM, 11/03/2008
Pat don't your feet hurt allison good you should be in the kitchen making coney dogs anyway. what a sad bunch of fans
Posted 10:51 AM, 11/03/2008
A name to file: Tennessee D-Coor Jim Schwartz, one of the brightest minds in the NFL and possibly its next great head coach discovery.
That Balt was able to score as much as it did with its meager offensive arsenal speaks volumes about its being well coached. Highly efficient.
Missing both CBs, the entire right side of its OL, a SS, its starting RB yet overcame such a deficit and now claims two wins over the Browns this year says a lot about rookie head coach Harbaugh and his band of assistants.
That a game like yesterday's can occur to the Browns, conversely, says a great deal about Cleveland's staff, as well as about the disparite intangibles of those on the respective rosters.
calgary, AR
Posted 10:59 AM, 11/03/2008
Why not bench Edwards move Winslow to WR Start Heiden at TE start BQ at QB and fire Crennel and name sarah palin head coach she would show more initiative than the present HC.
Posted 11:25 AM, 11/03/2008
I agree BQ should get a start coming up but NOT Thursday. Give him the benefit of a full week of practice. This story is totally diffrent if Edwards catches any of those 3 HUGE drops. On the bomb He probably scores or at least 1st and goal then we are all commenting on how DA fought back and is a gunslinger,etc, etc. Bottom line Edwards catches those balls we win PERIOD then the screen pass never happens.
Posted 11:27 AM, 11/03/2008
MEMO TO BROWNS MANAGEMENT:
When you wake up and realize (hopefully soon) that you are going to have to replace our head coach, please do not replace him with any more unproven college coaches, offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, special teams coaches, linebacker coaches, quarterback coaches, water boys, towel boys, friends/family or anybody else that does not have one iota of experience as an NFL Head Coach. Only hire an NFL Head Coach, past or present, who has experience winning in this league and knows how to win consistently. Go find him. He's out there.
Posted 11:52 AM, 11/03/2008
SUPER BOWL!!! SUPER BOWL!!! SUPER BOWL!!! ??? Wait, this isn't the opening of training camp? never mind
Posted 12:07 PM, 11/03/2008
Michael, you are so right. RAC was a DC in New England, but we all know who the defensive genius was. You guessed it, Belechick. So what did Romeo do in NE. I know Lerner got sold a bill of goods by hiring RAC. I am not sure if Savage is any better. Time to clean house, and it might as well be now, from the top down!
Posted 12:47 PM, 11/03/2008
How about selling the team to Al Davis and inserting Jerry Glanville as the head coach :)
Posted 12:48 PM, 11/03/2008
It is amazing how many people still care. Does that make Cleveland fans the best, or the most-easily duped? I vote for the latter.
Posted 12:49 PM, 11/03/2008
Pat, that line about the screen pass...I have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.
Posted 01:18 PM, 11/03/2008
You are doing a good job of removing the comments by Browns fans. It is a good way for us to vent. We see that many of us feel exactly the same way. I am left without words today and one of my co-workers is a rotten Ravens fan! Right now I am very angry would love in my lifetime if i could at least see this team be consistent and be a contender again. Is this asking for too much? Now we are left with 1/2 season to evaluate this team it's players and it's coaches. The one thing that i will say is the fans are the greatest! Again we need a coach with a heart and a quarterback who can be consistent what is left now but to give Brady his rightful chance!
Posted 01:39 PM, 11/03/2008
Art Modell hall of famer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Thanks for the team. Go Ravens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 01:41 PM, 11/03/2008
Art Modell should be in the hall of fame!!!!!!!!!Thanks for the team!!!!!!!!!! Go RAVENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 04:56 PM, 11/03/2008
I'm not even going to worry about it, because I already know what the outcome of all this will be: Crennell won't get fired and Anderson will start next weekend. Those are the two changes that will need to happen before this team can get underway with a playoff run. Until then, they're just patching up holes.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 05:01 PM, 11/03/2008
Braylon Edwards is a joke. He can't catch when it's important
akron, oh
Posted 05:04 PM, 11/03/2008
Firing Romeo will help a lot if they find a coach who can do basic subtraction.
Quick, ask him home much 1:14 minus 40 seconds is.
He is stupid and got his job for reasons other than football. You can decide what I mean, but I will just say that affirmative action also landed Bobby Cutts a job on the Canton Police Department.
Why a quarterback would rush to the line and THEN, 14 seconds later, call time out...... That is 2 pass plays that could not happen because once again, genius Crennell can not subtract.
He is a stupid old man who needs to go.
Cleveland, OH
Posted 01:53 AM, 11/04/2008
So Browns announce BQ will be starting. Cleveland fans get their wish. Another poor decision in a blunderful season.
The Clowns have way too many probs to stick BQ in and expect a turn around. You paid DA the big bucks now make him earn it by letting him take the abuse and punishment of a season in which you cannot recover. If you want him to get experience then put him in the game here and there during a situation you want him to learn from.
This Steeler fan thinks it is a big mistake. I want the old Browns back. They made the game more exciting.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:02 AM, 11/04/2008
I'm sorry, Mike, what was the point of your comment? I didn't have time to be in the kitchen on Sunday anyway, I was too busy tailgating in the Port Authority lot and cheering the Browns on in the Dawg Pound. Anything else you'd like to say? Clown.
akron, oh
Posted 11:08 AM, 11/04/2008
please stay home and make me a samich on thursday GO BROWNS
A, O
Posted 08:41 PM, 11/06/2008
They have some talent on offence and very little on D. The big problem is the management and coaching. They could be somewhat better than they are if the were coaced some dicipline.
Forget about all the big names at QB and receiver. Trade all these players now. These players are fairly common now a days. They still need alot more good young players on the O and D lines and linebackers. These are the positions that win and lose games. It dosent take a alot of knowlage about the game to know this. You have to build a team from the inside out.
