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Do IT this week: Layering
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 09:58 p.m. EDT, Oct 19, 2009
BEREA: Barring a last-minute offer that the Browns can't refuse, backup quarterback Brady Quinn and receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs should remain Browns after today's 4 p.m. trading deadline.
Now speculation has shifted to defensive end Corey Williams.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Sunday that Williams is the most likely Browns player to be dealt.
Williams said Monday he had heard the rumor, but ''it goes in one ear and out the other.''
''You hear a lot of stuff, but I'm not going to [pay] heed to it,'' he said. ''I don't even think about it. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm looking forward to Green Bay. That's the only thing on my mind.''
Williams has earned a reported $16 million in salary and bonuses since he arrived in Cleveland in a Feb. 29, 2008, trade with the Packers. Ex-General Manager Phil Savage then signed Williams to a six-year, $38.6 million contract.
But Williams struggled last season making the switch from the Packers' 4-3 scheme and battled a shoulder injury suffered in the spring that required surgery in January.
Under coach Eric Mangini, Williams has been a backup behind Kenyon Coleman and Robaire Smith. Williams played but was not credited with a tackle in Sunday's 27-14 loss at Pittsburgh. He's has totaled nine tackles, a sack and two pass breakups through six games.
Williams' hefty contract would seemingly make him tough to trade. In 2010, he's due a reported $4.2 million salary and a $1.7 million roster bonus. But depending on how negotiations go for a new collective bargaining agreement, next year could be uncapped. That would allow a team that needs help on its defensive line this year to trade for him, then cut him in 2010 without major cap consequences.
An exhausted-looking Mangini was vague when asked about the trade deadline.
''I haven't really been looking at any of that. This morning's been all Pittsburgh and transitioning to Green Bay,'' he said. ''There's nothing that's imminent. But you never know, things happen. I'm not saying that it is impossible. It's like anything else, a call comes in and you listen. I'm not out there pushing for it with anything specifically.''
When Williams' name came up, Mangini said: ''Corey's played more and more as we've gone here, not just in sub but in base and he's done a good job with things we've asked him to do. Like I said, nothing imminent.''
Mangini has already made two significant trades with the New York Jets, whom he coached for the previous three years. He sent receiver Braylon Edwards there Oct. 7 and made a draft-day deal that allowed the Jets to select quarterback Mark Sanchez fifth overall. On Monday, the Jets learned that nose tackle Kris Jenkins suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament against Buffalo.
If the Browns do make a deal, they might look for players instead of draft picks. Mangini said he was waiting for test results on linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who suffered a shoulder injury late in the first half at Pittsburgh. Cornerback Brandon McDonald has a right shoulder injury, which could be one reason Mangini said receiver/safety Mike Furrey would play more against the Packers, perhaps on defense.
Mangini also desperately needs to find a way to ignite an offense that has produced only four offensive touchdowns in the past 12 games, all coming in 72 possessions this season. In the past two weeks against Pittsburgh and Buffalo, quarterback Derek Anderson has completed 11-of-41 passes for 155 yards with two interceptions and two fumbles lost. But he's had 15 passes dropped, six by rookie Mohamed Massaquoi.
Before Monday night's game, the Browns ranked 31st in the league on offense, 32nd on defense and 30th in points scored.
Even former quarterback Bernie Kosar, who will spend more time around the Browns this season at the request of owner Randy Lerner, deemed them almost unwatchable.
''I've got to figure out what we're doing offensively before I can try to give input,'' Kosar said on WKNR radio Monday. ''There are a lot of guys putting in effort and trying hard, but they're not making plays and they're not scoring points. It's hard to watch.''
On Sunday, Anderson was encouraged by a six-play, 66-yard touchdown drive to start the third quarter, when Massaquoi caught three passes for 60 yards, including a 43-yarder that was the Browns' longest play of the season.
Massaquoi believes the offense will put it together.
''Knowing that it's clicked at certain points, that means it can click throughout the whole game and it can click for the rest of the season,'' he said. ''That point's going to come. Hopefully it can come sooner rather than later.''
Brownies
Mangini said linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and nose tackle Shaun Rogers are the only players stricken with the flu. ''We're taking every measure we can to make sure that we stop it at that,'' Mangini said. A ladder blocked access to Wimbley's locker Monday. Mangini said flu shots were made available two weeks ago. . . . Mangini said the Browns will ask the NFL for ''more clarity'' on the fourth-down measurement at Pittsburgh that gave the Steelers a first down. Spokesman Corry Rush said the league supported referee Walt Anderson's post-game comments. Anderson said the correct call was made and the ball ''touched the plane of the stake,'' despite TV video that indicated otherwise.
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.
BEREA: Barring a last-minute offer that the Browns can't refuse, backup quarterback Brady Quinn and receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs should remain Browns after today's 4 p.m. trading deadline.
Now speculation has shifted to defensive end Corey Williams.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Sunday that Williams is the most likely Browns player to be dealt.
Williams said Monday he had heard the rumor, but ''it goes in one ear and out the other.''
''You hear a lot of stuff, but I'm not going to [pay] heed to it,'' he said. ''I don't even think about it. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm looking forward to Green Bay. That's the only thing on my mind.''
Williams has earned a reported $16 million in salary and bonuses since he arrived in Cleveland in a Feb. 29, 2008, trade with the Packers. Ex-General Manager Phil Savage then signed Williams to a six-year, $38.6 million contract.
But Williams struggled last season making the switch from the Packers' 4-3 scheme and battled a shoulder injury suffered in the spring that required surgery in January.
Under coach Eric Mangini, Williams has been a backup behind Kenyon Coleman and Robaire Smith. Williams played but was not credited with a tackle in Sunday's 27-14 loss at Pittsburgh. He's has totaled nine tackles, a sack and two pass breakups through six games.
Williams' hefty contract would seemingly make him tough to trade. In 2010, he's due a reported $4.2 million salary and a $1.7 million roster bonus. But depending on how negotiations go for a new collective bargaining agreement, next year could be uncapped. That would allow a team that needs help on its defensive line this year to trade for him, then cut him in 2010 without major cap consequences.
An exhausted-looking Mangini was vague when asked about the trade deadline.
''I haven't really been looking at any of that. This morning's been all Pittsburgh and transitioning to Green Bay,'' he said. ''There's nothing that's imminent. But you never know, things happen. I'm not saying that it is impossible. It's like anything else, a call comes in and you listen. I'm not out there pushing for it with anything specifically.''
When Williams' name came up, Mangini said: ''Corey's played more and more as we've gone here, not just in sub but in base and he's done a good job with things we've asked him to do. Like I said, nothing imminent.''
Mangini has already made two significant trades with the New York Jets, whom he coached for the previous three years. He sent receiver Braylon Edwards there Oct. 7 and made a draft-day deal that allowed the Jets to select quarterback Mark Sanchez fifth overall. On Monday, the Jets learned that nose tackle Kris Jenkins suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament against Buffalo.
If the Browns do make a deal, they might look for players instead of draft picks. Mangini said he was waiting for test results on linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, who suffered a shoulder injury late in the first half at Pittsburgh. Cornerback Brandon McDonald has a right shoulder injury, which could be one reason Mangini said receiver/safety Mike Furrey would play more against the Packers, perhaps on defense.
Mangini also desperately needs to find a way to ignite an offense that has produced only four offensive touchdowns in the past 12 games, all coming in 72 possessions this season. In the past two weeks against Pittsburgh and Buffalo, quarterback Derek Anderson has completed 11-of-41 passes for 155 yards with two interceptions and two fumbles lost. But he's had 15 passes dropped, six by rookie Mohamed Massaquoi.
Before Monday night's game, the Browns ranked 31st in the league on offense, 32nd on defense and 30th in points scored.
Even former quarterback Bernie Kosar, who will spend more time around the Browns this season at the request of owner Randy Lerner, deemed them almost unwatchable.
''I've got to figure out what we're doing offensively before I can try to give input,'' Kosar said on WKNR radio Monday. ''There are a lot of guys putting in effort and trying hard, but they're not making plays and they're not scoring points. It's hard to watch.''
On Sunday, Anderson was encouraged by a six-play, 66-yard touchdown drive to start the third quarter, when Massaquoi caught three passes for 60 yards, including a 43-yarder that was the Browns' longest play of the season.
Massaquoi believes the offense will put it together.
''Knowing that it's clicked at certain points, that means it can click throughout the whole game and it can click for the rest of the season,'' he said. ''That point's going to come. Hopefully it can come sooner rather than later.''
Brownies
Mangini said linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and nose tackle Shaun Rogers are the only players stricken with the flu. ''We're taking every measure we can to make sure that we stop it at that,'' Mangini said. A ladder blocked access to Wimbley's locker Monday. Mangini said flu shots were made available two weeks ago. . . . Mangini said the Browns will ask the NFL for ''more clarity'' on the fourth-down measurement at Pittsburgh that gave the Steelers a first down. Spokesman Corry Rush said the league supported referee Walt Anderson's post-game comments. Anderson said the correct call was made and the ball ''touched the plane of the stake,'' despite TV video that indicated otherwise.
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.
Comments
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Akron, Oh
Posted 10:06 PM, 10/19/2009
Please trade Quinn, he deserve a real chance to play with a real team. The Lerner Browns are a joke.
akron, oh
Posted 10:13 PM, 10/19/2009
Why does everything that wrong end with the name Anderson. The referee's last name was anderson. Our quarterback is named Anderson. My Anderson windows cracked at the first sign of frost. There are 13 letters both in the word "interceptions" and the name "Derek Anderson". Coincidence?????
Atlantic City, NJ
Posted 10:21 PM, 10/19/2009
@psychoJ: Very clever,esp. the windows and I would ad Cleveland Ohio to coincidental 13!!!
akron, oh
Posted 10:49 PM, 10/19/2009
Has it ever been known that a referee admitted that he made a mistake?
rmk/akron
Marietta, GA
Posted 02:14 AM, 10/20/2009
How do they justify still playing Anderson, he is the worst QB in the League. Stats dont lie.
Danville, KY
Posted 06:02 AM, 10/20/2009
After 2 1/2 games Brady Quinn was benched for DA. Now DA has had 3 1/2 games that are worse than Brady's. Will Brady Quinn get another chance or is saving the $6 million dollar bonus to him for taking 70% of the snaps more important than winning?
Posted 06:11 AM, 10/20/2009
There's a reason why Mangini traded for Ratliff on Draft Day. I say he starts before the season is over with.
Naples, FL
Posted 07:04 AM, 10/20/2009
alford-m...LOL, one of the facts in sports is that stats DO lie! You really feel BQ with his 10 sacks in 10 quarters would have played better vs the Steelers blitz? Get real.
Posted 07:54 AM, 10/20/2009
DA's problem is he thinks touch is what he does with his wife. How about not rifling dump off passes every time? That might lower the number of dropped passes every week. Of course, not having a bunch of stone handed receivers would help too.
Posted 08:11 AM, 10/20/2009
The facts are, Quinn has never gotten a fair shot at it. Mangini preferred Anderson only because of his arm. Trade either one for Pat White in Miami who is languising on the bench. With Cribbs and White, you could draw up all kinds of plays. I wonder why they haven't tried more passes from the wildcat. Afterall, Cribbs was a quarterback. White had a good camp in Miami and showed a good arm. I don;t think Mangini likes Robiskie either. Get him in the offense, if you don't want dropped passes.
Canton, OH
Posted 08:21 AM, 10/20/2009
can we trade mangini?
akron, oh
Posted 08:36 AM, 10/20/2009
Once again, Mangini blew it. Quinn should have been traded. Mangini has lost all respect from the fans as well as the players. How long it is going to take for the owner of the Browns to fire Mangini.
Posted 08:41 AM, 10/20/2009
They tried a pass from the wildcat on Sunday at it was intercepted. Cribbs wasn't drafted or signed as a QB for a reason.
Anderson is hitting receivers in the hands, which is more than you can say for Quinn. While stats may be a reason to bench DA, they're the reason Quinn was benched too. There is no QB in Cleveland. At least we didn't give up an arm and a leg for DA.
Mike Furrey should be starting at receiver. He's got the best hands out of the bunch. Start Massaquoi on the other side and use Cribbs as a spot RB and in three receiver sets. Line him up in the backfield with Harrison and/or Lewis sometimes.
medina, oh
Posted 08:42 AM, 10/20/2009
Coach, Mangini, now that Derek Anderson has proven he can't play QB in the NFL, who will start next week?
Uh, no comment.
Does that mean you are undecided?
Maybe Anderson. Maybe Ratliff. I can only go by what I see in practice.
Does that mean Quinn is done in Cleveland?
Quinn has diminished skills...ah, no further comment.
What if Ratliff can't do it?
Well, we signed Todd Philcox to the developmental squad this afternoon.
Jefferson, Oh
Posted 08:44 AM, 10/20/2009
There must be internal reasons for why the Browns do not play Quinn or Robiskie as much as you would think they should for a player drafted as high as they were. Are they unpopular in the locker room and are they not as good with handling the ball as originally thought?
Personally, I believe Quinn is in the dog house for vocalizing against the play calling by Dabol. Once that happens, you are done. Quinn did not look good to me in training camp. He and the receivers were just not on the same pages and his passing was sloppy. Who was out-thinking who? Robiskie's situation could simply be lack of "hands" during practice. You have to catch the ball in practice if you want to get into the game. I saw him drop some balls this summer in training camp. We all know that dropping the ball is an important issue with this team now a days. It is strange how many players have the "dropsies" now. Its almost as if the team put so much importance on not dropping the ball and they are worried about it so much that they drop more balls than ever.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:07 AM, 10/20/2009
Dear Fans,
We knew this season was going to be a bust going in. Perhaps you could keep that in mind as we watch the games and as we consider decisions made by coach Mangini.
Perhaps he had a very good reason for starting Quinn but then pulling him in favor of Derek Anderson. Just a guess here, but maybe there was something Quinn was doing that was indicative of a larger problem that needed worked out before he was thrown to the wolves again? Do you remember what happened as we trotted Tim Couch out to be destroyed over and over and over again when he first came to Cleveland? His confidence quickly eroded and any career in the NFL he might have had was ruined.
My hunch is that Quinn showed signs that he needed more work, and they'd rather run Derek Anderson out there to throw interceptions and lose games than risk the confidence and health of a QB like Quinn who might somehow factor into the future.
Englewood, Fl
Posted 09:40 AM, 10/20/2009
Trade Williams Ha! Who wants him ? maybe get a 7th round pick for him. Browns are out of options,maybe we can trade a six pack of ex- Jets for 1 good player. Rams might be only team that hard up. As far as putting Ratliff in there what a joke , this guy stunk it up in preseason. Mangina let Bartel go to Jacksonville, he at least showed he can play. Daboll can't coach or design plays, so it really dosn't matter who's behind center. Let's trade the whole team for 1 good owner....
NorthernWestVirginny, WV
Posted 09:43 AM, 10/20/2009
These receivers SUCK !!! If there are pro receivers catching passes from John Elway and Brett Favre, then Cleveland's problem is on the receiving end not the QB.
If I were the receiver coach, I would hit my receivers in the head with a baseball bat every time they dropped a pass. And if that didn't make them want to catch the ball, then I would start hitting them in the hands with it too.
Posted 10:06 AM, 10/20/2009
Lets get Michael Vick here before its to late...I'm sure he's ready to proove something...the "DOG POUND" coould have a lot fun with it...we're not using Cribbs like we should...if something is broke, fix it...my 8 year old son can calls better plays!
Leesburg, Fl
Posted 10:13 AM, 10/20/2009
It's rather difficult for most NFL receivers, or anyone for that matter, to catch a ball that is thrown with the velocity of a sidewinder missle!
Accuracy is effective when combined with "touch" DA hasn't mastered that yet, if he ever will.
Posted 10:26 AM, 10/20/2009
PLEASE!!!!! KEEP CRIBBS!
Akron, OH
Posted 11:02 AM, 10/20/2009
About referees, umpires, etc. in sports.
The leagues want the refs to appear as very competent, and full of integrity. So when they do stupid stuff (miss easy calls) or crooked stuff (gamble on games or trade info to people who gamble on games), the league offices try to deal with it INTERNALLY. Guys caught in the gambling mix suddenly "retire to spend more time with family."
Watch. You will NEVER see that Anderson fool officiating any big games any time soon, if ever.
Posted 02:27 PM, 10/20/2009
i never thought i would say this but i'm ready to just play both qb's. how much worse can it get? i'm serious, play da for a quarter, play quinn a quarter, hell, play the 3rd guy too and throw cribbs in the wildcat. if one of them gets hot, stick with them. i understand this goes against every convetion held about qb's in the nfl but we have already broken the mold on how to play qb's. why not just go whole hog. we have absolutely nothing to lose because that's exactly where we are headed anyway.
Kent, Oh
Posted 03:08 PM, 10/20/2009
Please trade Anderson please trade Quinn, please fire Mangini please make Randy Lerner sell the team. Please make the Browns uniforms yellow. Please don't let Josh Cribbs run back any more kickoffs. Please let Robiskie play quarterback. Please move the team to Baltimore. Please trade the whole team to Washington. Please make Obama a running back. Please shut up! Go Browns!
Posted 05:34 PM, 10/20/2009
johnsmith2009,
That has got to be the most rational post regarding the Browns that I have read in a while.
To those complaining about how hard DA throws, did you not read the post by the other person regarding Favre? You know how many Packer receiver interviews I heard that talked about how hard the guy threw? How they could break fingers trying to catch the ball. But they still catch it most of the time. Our guys are dropping more than they catch.
As far as Quinn, he isn't starting for a reason. Could be he needs more work and they don't want him to take a beating all year. But I think its more likely that he just doesn't have the skills, or hasn't developed them yet.
And please, stop talking about using Cribbs at QB, or to throw out of the wild cat more. As was stated already, he is not and should not be an NFL QB. Return kicks, cover kicks, some wild cat plays (mostly running, an occasional easy pass on rollout).
akron, oh
Posted 09:46 PM, 10/20/2009
my comment is what is going on with the owner of the cleveland browns he has brought a coach in that anyone can see is not doing a good job he,s not for cleveland he means no good , look at all the trades that he has made all with new york jets were he comes from and the owner of the browns is in it with him we as fans don't deserve this they don't want a winning team this season has been all abought money in there pockets and the NFL should take a good look at this picture, I say the fan who say they are fans should step up and speak up and not go to anymore of there games because you don't have to be a part of this B.S lets get this owner and coach out of cleveland send them to the jets thats where they want to be lets stop them from makeing fools out of cleveland and it,s fans and you fans know this open your eyes up to what,s going on.
San Diego, CA
Posted 10:10 PM, 10/20/2009
@cjohnsonpearl: Try throwing in a little punctuation now and then.
Cleveland, Oh
Posted 09:00 AM, 10/21/2009
Has anybody seen or heard from George Kokinis recently or is Mangenius running the whole show in Brownstown? Kokinis is Mangenius's man puppett, no doubt about that. He's the GM, but for the life of me I dont see what he's actually managing. Mr Lerner you should have forgotten about hiring Kokinis and used the money on a qualified quarterbacks coach. Heaven knows we could use one. And its true DA will not be the starting quarterback by seasons end. Ratliff will get hurt in the next to the last game and they will bring back Ken Dorsey for his last hurrah!!!
Cleveland, Oh
Posted 09:10 AM, 10/21/2009
I'm not quite sure about this but I think we should trade Mangenius to the Jets for 3rd and 5th pick. Oh, thats right they relieved Mr.Mangenius from his duties as a "head coach" before he destroyed that franchise. Lets look ahead to 2010.
There's still a quarterback controversy in training camp but this time its between Ratliff and Ken Dorsey who they brought back because his stats were better than DA or BQ. Josh Cribbs is still ib a contract dispute and George Kokinis has been demoted to ballboy by Mangenius. You gotta be tough to be a Browns Fan!!!!
Posted 10:26 AM, 10/21/2009
RiverDoc56...
Exactly how did he destroy the Jets franchise?
I'm not defending Mangini but I often wonder how people make comments on here. What happened during his tenure at NY that made him destroy the fanchise?
akron, oh
Posted 03:50 PM, 10/21/2009
Mangini had nothing to do with Farve destroying the Jets.
Winslow and Edwards are WINLESS since leaving Cleveland!
We have NO history of drafting good players, and ANY new coach we brought in this year was going to have a bad year. Butch Davis wasted a first round draft pick on William Green, a player NO OTHER team was going to draft, AT ALL. We could have had Green as a walk-on.
We have ruined the careers of MANY potential good players, look at what happened to Kinnard Lang.
Mangini needs 3 seasons to fix this team. It CAN'T be done overnight.
Wichita Falls, Tx
Posted 10:53 AM, 10/25/2009
What is a system QB? Does not every team have a "system"? Can aynone out here in Brownieland envision a spread/wildcat with a real spread QB? Can you say Graham Harrel? I got the honor of watching him play 2 years at Texas Tech. He is a beast, and can play better than what we have now. How about Chase Daniels from Mizzou? Both of the named QB's came out of Dallas high schools, and both won state titles. Will we ever consider them, probably not - Mangenious is hard headed and not the sharpest pencil in the box. Both Ohio & Texas produce alot of the topflight players in the NFL, why can't we get some of that? Wake up Randy, put the soccerball down,and get some topflight help with the drafting and play creation/calling. Welcome back BERNIE - You Da MAN!
