SB Nation - Joe Thomas

Interview: Daily Norseman stop by to give us knowledge on the Vikings

Kirkendall — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:01:58 -0000

Some are already looking towards week 15 against the Chargers as the biggest game of the year for the Bengals, limiting the importance of this weekend's game against the Minnesota Vikings. However, in an odd world of things, both the Vikings and Bengals have proven very little against winning teams this year. If it wasn't for the Packers, neither team would have won a game against a team that has a winning record at this point in the season. So while Sunday's game has little to do with playoff implications, it does have a lot to do with proving that they belong with the NFL elite. Confidence is a big thing in the NFL and from Cincinnati's perspective, they'll need to beat the Vikings to prove that they can travel to California and beat the Chargers with the second seed in the AFC on the line.

But what about these Vikings? What should we expect? I sat down with Gonzo from Daily Norseman, who gives us some knowledge on our opponent this weekend, in a game that features two teams with a combined 19 wins this year.

1) The Vikings have played the Packers twice already. This is significant because before losing to the Cardinals, the Vikings had only beaten one team with a winning record. Then they lost by 13 to the Arizona Cardinals during last week’s Sunday Night football. Is there a feeling that the Vikings have a lot to prove against the Bengals, who are the third-ranked team in the AFC?
This week's game against the Bengals is, in my opinion, the most vital game of the season for Minnesota, because it could really set a tone for the team the rest of the way. If they beat the Bengals, it becomes easier to write the Cardinals' game off as simply a one-time bad performance, which I'm sort of under the impression it was. A loss to the Bengals, however, means that we could end up completely out of control going into what should be a relatively easy final three games of the season. The Vikings DO have a lot to prove against the Bengals this Sunday, and I think they'll be more than up for the challenge. I'm of the opinion that Sunday night in Arizona was the perfect storm of the Vikings coming out flat, the Cardinals being fired up, and Minnesota putting together their worst game of the season. I would be shocked if they played as badly against the Bengals as they did against Arizona.

2) Brett Favre is arguably having his best statistical season in his career. It seems that he’s willing to check down more often. Are there any concerns that Favre could take a downward spiral late in the season like last year when he played through an injury with the Jets?
With a guy Favre's age behind center, the concern obviously has to be there, but I don't think it's completely warranted. As you stated, last season Favre got injured during the course of the season, and it affected his ability to throw the football. As anyone this year that's watched Favre can see, his ability to physically throw the football is as good as ever. He's not playing through an injury this year or anything like that. What worries me more than that, however, is his admission that he let his emotions get the better of him against the Cardinals, which led directly to one of his interceptions. He can't afford to have that happen if the Vikings are going to continue to play well in the regular season and the post-season. He needs to continue playing smart, solid football, check it down when he has to, and just do what he's been doing through the first 3/4 of the season.

3) How will losing E.J. Henderson impact the defense?
The loss of E.J. Henderson is a significant one, to be sure. After he missed most of 2008 after dislocating his toes, it looked like he was finally back to being the old E.J. Henderson. Henderson is also one of the linebackers in the nickel package for the Vikings, as well as the defensive signal caller. Ben Leber will most likely take over Henderson's responsibility on both those fronts, and Jasper Brinkley, Minnesota's fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft out of South Carolina, will man Henderson's spot in the middle on first and second down. Brinkley has a world of potential, and with the Williams Wall in front of him, hopefully there won't be a lot of drop-off for Minnesota.

3a) The Vikings have one of the best rush defenses in the league. We’ve argued at Cincy Jungle that the Bengals need to attack the Vikings secondary. What would you say is the weakness in the Vikings defense this year?
Minnesota's front seven can compete with any team in the league, but the secondary has been no better than average for most of the year. More specifically, the safety play for most of the year has bordered on atrocious. Granted, the team has been without Antoine Winfield since Week 7, and you obviously have to change up your schemes when you lose someone of that caliber, but it doesn't excuse what we've seen from Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson for most of the year. (Johnson is unlikely to play on Sunday, and he'll likely be replaced by Jamarca Sanford, the Vikings' seventh-round pick in the 2009 Draft out of Ole Miss.) But the safeties are definitely the weak link in the Minnesota defense, because I think the Vikes have been pretty solid at CB for most of the year despite the loss of Winfield.

3a) Reports suggest that Antoine Winfield could return this week after missing the previous six with a foot injury. What does his return mean to the secondary?
Winfield's return is huge, particularly when you're lining up against a team with one of the most talented receivers in the league. Winfield goes back to being the #1 guy, which allows Cedric Griffin to go back to the #2 spot and Benny Sapp can go back to being the nickel guy instead of starting. Winfield's presence in stopping the run also can't be underestimated, as there's no better run-support corner in the NFL, in my opinion. Every account I've read says that he's rested, healed, and ready to go, and I hope to heck we see him out there tomorrow afternoon. His presence against the Bengals could be huge, both against the run and against the pass.

4) Jared Allen is a beast. How should the Bengals game plan against one of the league’s best pass rushers?
I think you have to do what the Cardinals did against him... you constantly have to have someone over on his side along with the tackle, whether it's a tight end, a running back, or sometimes both. If you try to block Jared Allen one-on-one for the better part of a game, he's going to beat you unless you have a truly elite left tackle like a Joe Thomas or someone along those lines. You need to double-team him, you need to chip him, try to get him frustrated... and then hope that the rest of the line does their jobs against the Williams Wall and Ray Edwards (who is having a surprisingly good season thus far).

5) Sidney Rice is having a career year, already surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark. However, he only has four touchdowns. Does the Vikings offense tend to look away from their receivers in the red zone?
I'm not sure if it's that they "look away" from Rice in the red zone. . .it's just that Favre has been so good about spreading the ball around to all of the options he has this season that Rice has just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, for lack of a better way to put it. Whenever a Favre-led offense gets into the red zone. . .and it's been this way ever since he was in Green Bay. . .the tight end is the guy he loves to look for, and the nine touchdown catches for Visanthe Shiancoe this season are a testament to that. The go-to guy in the red zone can change from one day to the next. . .it might be Shiancoe, it might be Rice, it might be Bernard Berrian, it might be Percy Harvin...it just depends on matchups and who's open at that particular time. That's the thing that Favre has brought this year, the fact that defenses can't just key on one particular guy in the passing game.

6) Arizona limited Adrian Peterson to 19 yards rushing on 13 attempts. What did the Cardinals find out that shutdown Peterson?
They found out that the Vikings were way too quick to give up on the run, which is something that's been rare this season, and something that absolutely can not happen against the Bengals. As good as Brett Favre has been this season, the Vikings' offense needs to run through Adrian Peterson. Granted, Peterson seems to be a bit more impatient this season than he was his first two years. . .he's not letting his blocks develop at times. . .but he's also not getting a ton of help from the offensive line. According to the folks at Football Outsiders, the Vikings have the most "stuffed runs" in the NFL this season, and after what the Vikings' offense has done on the ground the last two seasons, that's completely unacceptable. I would be thoroughly shocked, however, if Peterson had a performance against Cincinnati as bad as his performance against the Cardinals.

The Future of Matt Hasselbeck is the Future of the Seattle Seahawks, Pt. 3

John Morgan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:59:19 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

In which Seattle signs Jason Campbell to outperform Matt Hasselbeck and maybe he does.

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I hope Mike Holmgren signs with Cleveland. I have selfish interest, namely Seattle not re-signing Holmgren, but I have more noble interests as well. Cleveland has one of the youngest, most talented offensive lines in the NFL. It starts Joe Thomas at left tackle, Eric Steinbach at left guard and Alex Mack at center. Right guard Hank Fraley and right tackle John St. Clair are interchangeable organizational soldier types. It doesn't have great skill position talent, but that's where Holmgren shines. He finds scheme appropriate players that can excel behind a dominant offensive line. Holmgren is also an expert at developing young quarterbacks.

Why start with a tangent? In this scenario, Seattle ditches Matt Hasselbeck and signs free agent Jason Campbell. Tim Ruskell is out and his departure hints at a potential rebuild, but if Seattle can win some down the stretch, and especially if Seattle can win some down the stretch because of its Ruskell built defense, the Seahawks might adapt certain Ruskell ideals even without Ruskell.

Ruskell was risk adverse. He had a narrow definition of "his guy". His aversion to risk may have served him well, but his narrow definition did not. Consider Deon Butler. Ruskell traded into the third round to select Butler because Butler was "his guy". Butler dripped Ruskell: Four-year starter at a major conference powerhouse, undersized but fast, coachable, hard working and quietly productive. Ruskell conflated "his guy" with risk aversion and overpaid for a risky player. Despite his track record and accolades, Butler could bust because he is overmatched by NFL competition.

Ruskell spent big to get his guy, but his guy was never less risky than Juaquin Iglesias, Mike Thomas, Brian Hartline, Louis Murphy, Austin Collie or Johnny Knox - the six receivers selected after Butler. And only Iglesias has underperformed Butler. Ruskell projected his internal bias on the players he drafted. It rarely conflicted with his risk aversion, but when it did, it often spelled failure.

Campbell is a prime target for any risk adverse general manager. His connections to Auburn's unbeaten season might have spoken to Ruskell's personal bias, but his standing as a young, established NFL quarterback speaks to rational roster construction. Campbell has the tools of an NFL quarterback - arm strength, size, mobility - and those tools are NFL tested. He has adapted to multiple playbooks and played near league average football on some very poorly constructed offenses. As we've seen in Chicago and Denver, the quarterback may be the center and most essential part of any NFL offense, but it is not more important than the other ten men that take the field.

This Plan Might Be Enacted Thus:

Seattle trades or cuts Hasselbeck. It wishes him well, gives lip service to rebuilding and is satisfied to see him sign with Cleveland. Hasselbeck joins muscle milk buddy Brady Quinn and assumes the Trent Dilfer role.

Walter Jones retires.

Seattle cuts Patrick Kerney, Deion Branch and Seneca Wallace.

That gives the Seahawks money to burn. Seattle signs Campbell to a frontloaded contract with a third-year buyout clause. Campbell is playing through the last year of his rookie contract and though he's rich, he's not quarterback rich. Seattle buys maneuverability and Campbell's services by stacking his 2010 salary with zeroes.

Seattle could still be a player in free agency after signing Campbell. It will attempt to fill holes and free itself to draft best available talent throughout the draft.

Signing Campbell and cutting dead weight frees Seattle to make a big splash in the NFL draft. It has money to afford another early first round prospect and the picks to trade up. It could take a centerpiece player on defense like Ndamukong Suh. By releasing Hasselbeck and signing Campbell, the burden falls off the offense. Seattle buys itself time. If Campbell struggles in Seattle's still wrecked 2010 offense, he's young and can be released. Campbell has a bad reputation. He hasn't earned Seahawks fan loyalty and we are unlikely to experience the same kind of revulsion and outrage watching him battered to bones as we do watching Hasselbeck torn asunder.

Campbell is signed as a stopgap+. The Seahawks compliment the signing with a project quarterback selected sometime in 2010's epic quarterback draft. A looming correction to the onerous rookie pay scale is encouraging players to declare, and while the draft lacks a Matt Ryan or Peyton Manning, it might be the deepest quarterback draft in modern history. Colt McCoy, Zac Robinson, Sean Canfield, Ryan Mallett, Dan LeFevour, Pat Devlin and Tony Pike will all likely fall deep into the second day. Seattle will have an established starter for 2010 to test its system and offense, and a talented young quarterback developing behind the scenes.

How it works: Seattle successfully moves into the top of the draft and selects a once in a generation defensive talent. That helps push Seattle's cheap, young and talented, but by no means dominant, defense from potential to production. The team is not a contender again in 2010, but it's close.

Campbell outperforms Hasselbeck. He's younger and healthier and continues to play like a league average quarterback. Campbell could also breakout. Seattle is set for either possibility. It builds its offense towards the future by continuing Ruskell's habit of drafting late and mid-round offensive talent and seeing who shakes out. The major rebuild will wait until next offseason. 2010 is about seeing what they have and what they need, something a diminished Hasselbeck has made difficult to impossible this season.

The young defense provides excitement and gives the team a direction and identity. Campbell's arm opens the run game and Seattle executes the grind and smother attack Jim Mora and Greg Knapp seek. The team takes a flier on another young back (or two) and someone sticks, filling out a balanced and productive if unspectacular committee of backs. It's Ground Chuck all over again.

How it fails: Seattle cuts Hasselbeck but doesn't sign Campbell, or Seattle retains Hasselbeck and projects to have one of the worst offenses in football in 2010, or Seattle signs Campbell but Campbell performs no better than Hasselbeck and Seattle's young quarterback is prematurely forced into action. The meat of this is that Seattle does not spend enough on its offense and that offense again undermines the defense.

Contrarily, the defense never steps up. It continues to stifle the run but still cannot stop the pass. Seattle's defensive savior is a rookie and like Aaron Curry, more potential than player. The defense is average, but no better and as the offense putters towards the bottom of the league, the not-good-enough defense shoulders the consequences. Seattle changes the face of its failures but not its failures and what little can be salvaged from Ruskell's roster is older, more expensive and closer to free agency. Campbell is signed to stave off a full rebuild and does. He plays two seasons of league average football and is cleared when Seattle must clean house in 2012.

Even at 1-15, no guarantee the Bucs can get 1st pick.

Niko Houllis — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:25:01 -0000

He is a favorite to go in the top 5 if not #1 overall. Which team wouldn't take him, and which teams would?

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Even if the Bucs commit themselves to having the most losses in franchise history, the Bucs will likely still lose out on the chance to draft with the first pick in the NFL draft. After his performance in the Big 12 championship game, Defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is first on the list for Bucs fans this offseason, to join the Pewter Pirates in April. But even if the Bucs lose out the rest of the year, and end up with a 1-15 record, worst in club history for total losses, (They went 0-14 in 1976) that still does not guarantee them the first crack at picking Suh. Thats because by NFL rules one of the first tiebreakers for the draft is strength of schedule, and the Bucs has been a doozy. Meaning, they are supposed to lose all these games, but the Rams and Browns with their easier schedule should have won more games, and thus they will pick ahead of the Bucs if they both or either finish tied with Tampa Bay at the end of the season.

We have to root for the Browns and Rams.

In as much as we hope for a win this year, that means we need the Brownies and Rams to win twice then! What are the chances of these teams winning one more game and giving us first place in the Suh-weepstakes?

Cleveland Browns- Probably the best chance to win a game here. They play on a short week this Thursday home against the Steelers who have lost 4 straight. After a full 10 days of rest, they play at Kansas City, and return home to finish off the season playing the Raiders in the Bruce Gradkowski Bowl.

St. Louis Rams- This is a little tougher, but its possible. They play Sunday at Tennessee, which is probably going in the Titans favor, but remember the Rams are playing bad teams close. Then they Host the Houston Texans which is winnable. The final game of the year is at Arizona, and you have to hope that the Cards are resting all starters after the regular season playoff spot and division title should be won by that point.

So there you have it.

US? We host the Jets, play at New Orleans who now has a two game lead for the NFC home field, and that game would be the clincher, and then host the Falcons last game of the year...who may still be in it at that point.

Jets are our best chance at a win wouldn't you say?

In 2006 the Bucs beat the Browns and then required a coin toss to determine draft order. Cleveland won the toss, and took Joe Thomas left Tackle. We took Gaines Adams. Lets get Cleveland this time guys.

Is Larry English Ready to Start?

John (obviousman) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:13:40 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

San Diego Chargers' Larry English, right, drags down Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne, left, for a loss. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Larry English will most likely get the start at OLB this week against the Browns, standing in for Shawne Merriman (who has missed very little time considering all of his injuries this season). Since the Chargers are in the second half of their schedule and it's now "Undefeated Month", this is just the right time to find out what kind of player their first round draft pick is.

Let's start out by seeing where English is in comparison to his peers. I'll be the first to admit that I've kept an eye on all three USC rookie linebackers, and they have all impressed me. Brian Cushing is every bit the player he was in college, Clay Matthews uses his speed to fly around and make plays, and Rey Maualuga is the missile-like force we all thought he'd be when we talked about drafting him.

MLB has not been an issue though, so Maualuga can be forgotten about, and we can take out Cushing because he's playing in a 4-3 and not as a pass-rusher. Besides Matthews, the only other 3 first-round pass-rushers drafted by teams running a 3-4 defense are English, Robert Ayers and Brian Orakpo. Let's compare.

Matthews - (541 plays) 29 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 5 defended passes, 1 defensive TD.

Ayers - (297 plays) 14 tackles, 0 sacks, 1 defended pass, 1 defensive TD.

Orakpo - (635 plays) 37 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 defended passes.

English - (338 plays) 20 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 QB pressures, 1 forced fumble. Keep in mind that I got the numbers from the guys above from unbiased stat sites, but I got English's numbers from the Chargers coaching staff (thus the extra "QB pressures" stat). The stat sites have him in about 40 less plays and credit him with only 17 tackles.

Since I like to even the playing field, let's find some averages.

Matthews - .05 tackles per play, .009 sacks per play

Ayers - .04 tackles per play, 0 sacks per play

Orakpo - .05 tackles per play, .01 sacks per play

English - .05 tackles per play, .005 sacks per play

So, has he been the complete bust that Ayers appears to be in Denver? No. When you factor in the way he's been used (sporadically, with very little rhythm), you can say he's actually been pretty good.

This week needs to be his coming out party. I know he'll be going up against Joe Thomas, one of the best LTs in the league, but Larry English needs to make everyone stop worrying about whether or not Shawne Merriman is going to play against Dallas or after that. The storylines we need to hear, heading into the playoffs, are the ones about the Chargers "3-headed-monster" at OLB. English's performance, up to this point, has not lived up to that.

In the past couple of years, the Bolts have been "stacked" enough that their first day picks don't have to make a contribution until towards the end of the season and the playoffs. Eric Weddle came on strong at the end of 2007, just like Antoine Cason and Jacob Hester did towards the end of 2008. Louis Vasquez has been pretty good all season, but with the OLBs dropping like flies it's absolutely necessary for Larry English to start contributing more and soon.

Now, let's step away from the stats a little bit. Allow me to vent. Larry English looks small to me. Not just short, but he seems to have a very short wingspan. That worries me. The more I see him on the field, the more he looks like he should be a MLB instead of an OLB. I stumbled across a pre-draft scouting report on him this morning, and here's what it said (I'll highlight the parts that stand out to me)....

Positives: Solid linebacker build, with more than adequate upper-body strength and legs for the position. Good motor, hustles down or across the field until the play is completed, even if initially blocked. Changes direction in space well. Secure wrap-up tackler when man is in his area. Can use his arms to keep linemen and fullbacks off him when standing up. Stays balanced and upright most times on stretch plays. At times he can bounce off a block using his punch. Has quick, violent hands to stay free. Stays at home on option plays until last possible moment. Able to drop back off the line in zone blitzes and stay with tight ends. Strong week of practice at the Senior Bowl eliminated many of the concerns regarding English's level of competition.

Negatives: Lacks the bulk to play with his hand down in the NFL, which he did in college. Gets engulfed by better left tackles on inside pass rush moves, lacks the strength to bull rush and doesn't quite have the speed to get the corner consistently (but has good closing speed when standing up). Fails to hold his ground when directly out of his stance and can't get off the block quickly enough to get to the ball. Will need to prove he can handle coverage duties against better tight ends and that he has zone awareness. Needs to get lower in his backpedal, as he stands a bit tall.

I don't understand. He can't rush inside, he can't bull-rush and he can't speed-rush. What the heck can he do? Even English's big plays this year came mostly off of plays where the coverage was good and he kept his motor going. As much as I'm rooting for the guy, he hasn't shown me anything yet. The fact that he has good speed, strength, intelligence and linebacker size doesn't make him a good pass-rusher.

You can point to Elvis Dumervil and say "There's a short guy who's getting it done!" Actually, both players ran similar 40 times at the Combine, both are about the same weight and Dumervil is at least 2 inches shorter. So yes, you're right. Larry English I guess has the potential to be Elvis Dumervil, and that would be great. I just don't know if I see that happening. Even Elvis had 8.5 sacks his rookie season.

A look at the Jaguars rookie tackles from Pro Football Focus

Jonathan Loesche — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:45:54 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

This is the only picture of either that doesn't involve draft day. AP, we need more lineman pictures!

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H/T to ESPN's Paul Kuharsky for pointing this out, though I want to look at things a little deeper

The Jaguars two rookie tackles, Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, have been the source of much discussion since they were drafted in April. Pro Football Focus has developed a way to normalize performances of offensive linemen, and when looking at Monroe and Britton, it provides some interesting data.

Amongst other things, Britton's performance against Buffalo was better than any single game by Joe Thomas. In addition, we all know Monroe was beaten badly by Dwight Freeney in Week 1, but I don't think we realized just how bad.

Quick caveats:

1.These guys aren't scouts, nor do they pretend to be. Grades are assigned based on production only, so a lucky break counts just as much as a perfect block.

2. These stats haven't been updated to include the San Francisco game, so who knows where the numbers will go when they are.

3. As far as the grading goes, any game where a player is graded 2.0 or higher would be a good game, 1.9 to -1.9 would be considered an average to mediocre game, and anything lower than -2.0 would be a bad game.

First, we will take a look at the Eugene Monroe. The eight overall pick in the draft came in with a lot of hype and was expected to be great from the get go. However, according to PFF Monroe is the 54th ranked tackle in the NFL. In comparision, Michael Oher ranks 14th and Jason Smith ranks 36th according to PFF.

However, we also have to remember that Eugene Monroe has started at LT every game, while Oher and Smith have predominantly seen their time as RTs. That means Monroe has had to see most team's best pass rush threat, and therefore a stiffer challenge. Well I'll just let PFF's chart tell it for me

That large red bar to start off the chart, that was Eugene Monroe against Dwight Freeney, and as far as I can tell, was perhaps the worst performance by any tackle in any game this season. For comparison, here are Michael Oher's and Jason Smith's charts.

While Eugene Monroe hasn't been setting the world on fire, the wood-shed beating that Freeney gave him skewed his results so far that it would be better if it was just dropped all together. Throwing out that game would bump Monroe all the way up to 27th in the offensive tackle rankings, a very respectable position for a rookie.

If there is anything else to take away from this chart, it is that Monroe is progressing well and is starting to become a legitimate player on the offensive line.

Perhaps the most striking thing with Monroe is that, while he was drafted for his pass blocking prowess, he has developed into a solid run blocker. He has yet to have a negatively graded run blocking performance, and has had several positive grades this season.

Also, another stat of note, after giving up 3 sacks and 12 QB pressures in his first two games, Monroe has given up one sack and two pressures the rest of the season.

The popular perception among Jaguars fans was that Eben Britton had been generally outplaying his first round counterpart. However, the folks at PFF would disagree with that. Britton is the 59th ranked tackle in the NFL according to PFF. Britton's chart is

Britton has not played very well overall at the right tackle spot, obviously. Britton has had two good games and the rest have been stinkers to varying degrees.

The primary reason for that is because of his pass blocking struggles. With the exception of the game against Buffalo, Britton has not had a single game where has been graded out as positive in pass protection.

In fact, the Buffalo game was the only game where he graded out positively run blocking as well.

That all being said, his game against Buffalo is a nice surprise and will hopefully serve as a turning point in his young career.

What can be taken away from all of this? We have two young lineman who are learning their craft on the job. They seem to be progressing well even if they aren't All Pros yet. Though I will be interested to see their grades for the San Francisco game.

Eugene Monroe's PFF page

Eben Britton's PFF page

Thanksgiving NFL Game Day Thread - Browns Fans

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:59:21 -0000

via images.teamsugar.com

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Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Cleveland Browns fans around the world! There are three games that you can sit back and enjoy today as you scarf down some turkey and mashed potatoes.

12:30 PM: Going on right now if the Packers vs. Lions on FOX. The Lions beat the Browns just four days ago, and despite his injury, Matthew Stafford got the start at quarterback and is off to a good start.

4:15 PM: In the afternoon it'll be the Raiders taking on the Cowboys on CBS. The Cowboys' offense was almost extinct last week until Tony Romo threw for a late touchdown. That's all they needed to support their defense in a 7-6 victory. The Raiders can play with some fire though and played much better under QB Bruce Gradkowski last week in a shocking defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals.

8:20 PM: On the NFL Network, it'll be the Giants taking on the Broncos. Both teams are slumping, but the Broncos are really treading into danger zone, losing four straight after starting the season at 6-0. Will Eli Manning have another good week?

Everyone, feel free to list one thing you're thankful for about this year's Browns team. I'll start if off: I'm thankful that we have a franchise left tackle in Joe Thomas to protect the quarterback's blind side each and every week.

Browns Need Efficient Play from Brady Quinn Moving Forward

Chris Pokorny — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:38:30 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

Brady Quinn took some shots earlier this season, but he needs to trust his protection moving forward.

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Besides the two-game stretch against the Bills and the Bengals earlier this season, the Browns have been destroyed in pretty much every game. The blame can be laid on many different players or coaches (receivers dropping balls, cornerbacks getting burned, no pressure on the quarterback, poor use of the Wildcat).

Despite the problems listed above, the Browns have shown the ability to be effective on the defensive side of the ball. There are instances in which the Browns are torched (against Aaron Rodgers), but then there are instances in which Rex Ryan fires back with gems (against Trent Edwards and Jay Cutler). We've lost both of our starting middle linebackers for the season, but veterans David Bowens and Jason Trusnik appear capable of picking up the slack while Kaluka Maiva and David Veikune hopefully start to develop more over the second half of the season.

The Wildcat hasn't been used enough, but we have the right player to run it (Joshua Cribbs - 19 carries, 131 yards). RB Jamal Lewis has a 3.6 yards-per-carry average this season, and he's made it clear over the past two weeks that he's frustrated. Considering how poorly our quarterbacks have played, Lewis has made the most of his opportunities. He clearly doesn't hit the hole very fast anymore and seldom breaks tackles as he used to, and maybe that is because he's tired throughout the Browns' "physically-demanding practice week." That's where Jerome Harrison should be the team's starting back, with Lewis seeing plenty of action as well (8-10 carries per game).

At the receiver position, there are no excuses for dropped passes that are in your breadbasket. When you're wide open for a touchdown and drop it (Robert Royal), or when you're coming free across the middle and you let it bounce right out of your hands (Chansi Stuckey), that's the receivers' fault. For the most part though, more of the blame falls on the inefficient play of our quarterbacks. Quinn generally went with a "safe" approach in his first few games and would fold unbelievably quick any time any form of pressure surrounded him. For the rocket arm that Anderson had, he couldn't even use it to his advantage. Any time he went deep the pass was over- or under-thrown. Any laser over the middle was read easily by the defense for a break-up or an interception. And forget the short passes -- let's wind up and throw a rocket short to a receiver, also leaving them exposed to the defender who is keying in on him.

Besides Derek Anderson's one "miracle" game (which wasn't all that great to begin with) against the Bengals, the Browns have failed to see efficiency at the quarterback position this season. If Brady Quinn can play efficient the second half of this season, then maybe, just maybe, the rest of the pieces to the puzzle won't appear so "weak." The quarterback could be the first domino that causes everything else to come crashing down.

Here are three keys that the Browns need Quinn (and Brian Daboll) to follow to have efficiency at the quarterback position against the Ravens this Monday and the rest of the season:

Trust the Protection: In Quinn's 2.5 games, he was sacked 10 times. Granted, he faced tough defenses (Minnesota, Denver, Baltimore), but his issues weren't a result of the pressure getting to him to early. If Quinn saw any form of pressure, he seemed to panic and fall to the ground or get rid of the ball too quickly (to the inappropriate receiver).

This remained Anderson's only bright spot -- he trusted the protection. Of course, he ended up trusting it so much that he felt he could roll out in Shotgun to Joe Thomas' side for some reason without telling anyone, but that's beside the point.

John St. Clair seemed to struggle a lot more with Quinn under center, whether it be false starts or letting a free man get to the quarterback. Most of those problems came when we were already so behind that the defense knew we had to throw the football. Since Quinn's departure, St. Clair's play has improved dramatically. Hopefully that has more to do with getting comfortable than it does with the person under center.

If Quinn trusts his protection, he will be protected. This is not a Tim Couch offensive line; this is a line that could probably give a few of the contending teams' lines a run for their money.
First Down Passing: A big reason for the Browns' struggles is that the formula on offense is usually the same. Run it with Jamal Lewis on first down. Incomplete pass on second down. Incomplete pass on third down.

Quinn's game supposedly takes advantage of what the defense gives him on short routes. Set up the a single back formation on first down with Lewis in the backfield and pass it on first down for 6-7 yards every so often. The first-down runs haven't been amounting to much, so even if we do have an incompletion on first down, I'd feel more comfortable feeling that we took the chance to set up a second-and-short run play for Lewis to run effectively. Later on in a game, those types of plays can take advantage of the playaction pass, and with Quinn's mobility, he can find the open receiver that rolls with him. It might seem too hopeful, but mixing the play calling up can go a long way no matter who the receivers are, as long as the protection is decent.
The Screen Play: Again, this plays into Quinn's short passing attack. The Browns screened teams to death in the preseason with success. In the regular season, the screen plays have been far and few between. It doesn't matter who we run the plays with -- Lewis, Harrison, or even Lawrence Vickers -- the screen pass should be an integral part of the gameplan week in and week out. For all of the times we have Robert Royal and Joshua Cribbs in the game, the Browns should be taking advantage of their blocking abilities.

Sound simple? It is. With the pathetic excuse of a playbook that Brian Daboll seems to have had all season though, "simple" is what the Browns need to try to manage a score or two and then play defense en route to hoping for a close game in the fourth quarter. Maybe quarterbacks coach Carl Smith will help implement some of the basics, or maybe we'll see the same product we've seen all season. With the serious heat that the coaching staff was under heading into the bye week though, it would take some serious guts to go out there and willingly have the same exact method of playcalling that led to the team's 1-7 start. Something should change this Monday against the Ravens, for the better.

I tried to stay simple in my "three keys" for more efficiency at the quarterback position. Do you agree with my assessment? Do you have different "keys" to the Quinn's success (deep ball, Wildcat, running game, etc)? If so, sound off in the comments section!

Chiefs Checking out Michigan, Wisconsin and Others This Weekend

Chris Thorman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:16:52 -0000

More photos » by TONY DING - AP

3 months ago: Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller (3) is pressured by Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham (55) in the first half of an NCAA college football game with Western Michigan, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

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Believe it not, the college football season is winding down just as the NFL is really gearing up. Each school will play a couple more games and then it's the December hibernation until Bowl game time.

The Chiefs know this, which is why according to Chris Steuber of Scout KC will send scouts to the Michigan v. Wisconsin game and Washington v. Oregon State this weekend.

In order to keep everyone up to date on what's going on the scouting end, I've listed some of the more notable players at each school and a few bits of info on them.

The information and rankings comes from the best draft site out there - NFL Draft Scout. I think it's like $25 for a year-long subscription to the insider info and it's by far worth it.

After the jump, we're talking Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington and Oregon St. Let us know who I missed in the comments.

Michigan

P Zoltan Mesko (Senior)

#1 ranked punter
6'5", 232 pounds
Projected round: 5-6
45-yard a punt average currently
Ray Guy award semi-finalist in 2008 (college football's best punter)
Born in Romania
Father is a former professional bowler. Who knew?

OLB/DE Brandon Graham (Senior)

#1 ranked outside linebacker
6'1", 263 pounds
Projected round: 1
"Scouts will make their way to Ann Arbor to see the next impact short-but-stout defensive end in the mold of Elvis Dumervil, Dwight Freeney, Darryl Tapp and DeWayne White."
"After playing sparingly in 11 games as a true freshman, Graham made his name known among Big Ten quarterbacks by making 8.5 sacks in a part-time starting role in 2006. Given the chance to play every down as a junior, he took his game to a first-team all-conference level in 2008 by making 20 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks."
Graham has 6 sacks and 46 tackles so far this season. He has already tied his tackle total for last season.

OG Steve Schiling (Junior)

#4 ranked outside guard
Projected round: 3
6'5", 304 pounds

Wisconsin

FB Garrett Graham (Senior)

#1 ranked fullback
6'3", 250 pounds
Projected round: 3
"He may not be considered a top 50 selection because he's not overly strong, big or fast, but Graham's solid all-around game puts him in the conversation as a mid-round pick for NFL teams primarily utilizing an H-back or motion tight end in their base offense."

OT Gabe Carimi (Senior)

#4 ranked offensive tackle
6'7", 325 pounds
Projected round: 1-2
2007 accolades: "Earned first letter ... started at left tackle in all 13 games, taking over the position from 2006 Outland Trophy winner and No. 3 overall NFL Draft choice Joe Thomas ... named second-team freshman All-American by Rivals.com and The Sporting News ... honorable mention freshman All-American by collegefootballnews.com ... first-team freshman All-Big Ten honors from The Sporting News ... Academic All-Big Ten ... named UW's co-rookie of the year ... fasted for 24 hours prior to Iowa game on Sept. 22 in observance of Yom Kippur.

C John Moffit (Junior)

#4 ranked center
6'5", 320 pounds
Projected round: 3

Washington

QB Jake Locker (Junior)

#3 ranked quarterback
6'3", 226 pounds
Projected round: 1
2009 stats: 56% completion rate, 2203 yards passing, 14 TDs and 9 INTs

Oregon St.

DT Stephen Paea (Junior)

#5 ranked defensive tackle
6'1", 288 pounds
Projected round: 2

WR James Rodgers (Junior)

#9 ranked wide receiver
5'7", 185 pounds
Projected round: 3
2008: First team All-Pac-10 at kick returner

Okay, AP readers. Those of you with more college football knowledge let us know - Who did miss? Who could the Chiefs be checking out at these schools?

Redskins' Coach Watch: Russ Grimm Might Be Our Guy

KevinE — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:51:07 -0000

The next Redskins head coach? Image via blogs.tampabay.com

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In Part One, we reviewed Mike Holmgren's persona as the next Redskins' coach, which left me far from impressed. Continuing through the classified ads, the next stop is Russ Grimm, who currently holds the following titles with the Arizona Cardinals: Assistant Head Coach, Running Game Coordinator, and Offensive Line Coach. There is a lot to cover with the former Hog, so if you're at work and feel mother nature calling, print it out and take it to the can with you.

Moving on...I spoke with Charles, the Editor of the SB Nation Arizona Cardinals community, Revenge of the Birds (ROTB), regarding Russ Grimm's coaching and talent evaluation skills. After the jump, I reveal my Russ Grimm conversations with David Elfin of the Washington Times, Rich Tandler of Real Redskins, Mark Newgent of the Examiner, and Ben Folson of the Curly R, all who have a lot of knowledge from Grimm from his playing days with Washington and his coaching days in Washington during the Norv era. We had a nice debate with the outstanding concerns, and Mark adds a fantastic Grimm story from his playing days, but first, my chat with the Cardinals' media:

Hogs Haven: Russ Grimm is a fan favorite in DC being one of the original Hogs. As a coach, he has been a winner everywhere he's been (Steelers and Cards Super Bowl run last year). What stands out to you regarding his play-calling, relationship with players, motivations skills that would make him a good or bad candidate for a head coach? He seems to get overlooked as a head coach every year.

ROTB: It is fairly common knowledge that Grimm is well liked and very respected by his players, especially his offensive lineman. He has the knowledge and experience to back up everything that he's trying to teach his guys. He's never called plays (here or any stop in the past) and he's never been a true coordinator. He shares the co-coordinator title which means that he's involved in the development of a game plan throughout the week but his actual involvement during the game is somewhat of a mystery. As a head coach I would envision him as something in between a "players coach" and a "disciplinarian" and I would guess that he'd prefer somewhat of a run-first offense. Some say he's been passed over as a head coach but he's never been a true coordinator and normally the step before becoming a head coach.

Hogs Haven: Did Russ Grimm contribute at all to the draft class this year [for the Cards]? The Steelers obviously have a lot of success with their picks, although ironically not with their offensive line.

ROTB: As far as his prowess as a talent evaluator, your guess might be as good as mine. The only time I've ever heard or read of him "signing off" or "approving" of a draft pick was when they took Levi Brown in 2007. As the story goes, Grimm worked out Brown individually at Penn State's pro day and came away thinking that Brown was better than Joe Thomas. That evaluation looks awful foolish now but that was the Cardinals story after the draft so take it for what's it worth. Despite the drafting of Levi Brown the Cardinals offensive line has improved quite bit so maybe that's a testament to his ability to develop talent.

Hogs Haven: If you were Dan Snyder, would you have any hesitations making Russ Grimm your head coach?

Continue reading this post »

ROTB: That's a tough question. I honestly like Grimm and I think he could build a tough, run-based team that would turn into a winner. That being said, I wouldn't take him over Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher or Mike Holgrem so I'd consider him a fall back option at best. Just to throw a bit of curve ball at you though, if you're interested in Cowher it might not hurt to bring Grimm in as your offensive coordinator.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Grimm is successful everywhere he goes; however, Mangini and Charlie Weis have struggled once they were given full control. No one expects Russ Grimm to be the All-in-One savior though. Mike Tomlin and Mike Singletary both never had Offensive Coordinator or Defensive Coordinator roles in their careers. Why can't Grimm be in the same position as them where the new Redskins GM (not named Cerrato) works with Grimm to pick a good fit.

I emailed the Redskins elite for their opinions:

Mark Newgent (Examiner): As far as play calling experience goes, Grimm doesn't need to be the play-caller--the Ravens brought in Cam Cameron to call plays for Jim Harbaugh.

There's another aspect where I believe Grimm would have an enormous effect: discipline. The Redskins--even under Gibbs 2.0--have played really undisciplined football: stupid penalties, to poor tackling etc... Grimm would put an end to all that.

I remember going to training camp up in Carlisle in 1992, Grimm's first year as an assistant to Gibbs. Just prior to practice players were milling around the end zone catting and joking around. Out of nowhere a huge Ford Bronco--not the little one the big curb stomping mini-monster truck-- drives up right into the middle of end zone. Players scatter and stare. Grimm steps out of the driver's seat, pulls a wad of chewing tobacco from his mouth, chucks it to the ground and says "let's hit it." The players jumped to attention and got to practicing.

That's kind of gravitas Grimm has, and is sorely needed in Ashburn.

David Elfin (WaTimes): While Russ is a legitimate head coaching candidate in the league and a link to Washington's glory days, I would be surprised to see Dan Snyder hire a second straight coach who had never even been a coordinator. The caveat would be if Snyder's millions can lure another big-name coach like Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher to the Redskins.

Ben Folsom (The Curly R): So in all this why did Russ Grimm's phone never ring: simple. Dan Snyder knows Russ Grimm is eventually a loser for him. Russ is a sympathetic character for Redskins fans. No matter what happens, Dan will get the blame for failing and Russ will get credit for winning. Then one day when Dan has to fire Russ, then my friend Dan finds true bottom in the hearts of Redskins fans.

Russ will never coach for this team while Dan owns it, neither will any of Joe Gibbs' proteges, anyone that represents true Redskins football.

Rich Tandler (Real Redskins): While he was a player, he didn't seem to be the type who would become a coach. Primarily, that's because he enjoyed the night life. It wasn't unusual to see Grimm out until all hours around Georgetown, feeling no pain. I know, because I occasionally was in the same bars.

Even when he became a coach, he wasn't seen as a rising star. While some members of Norv's staff went on to become head coaches--Mike Martz, Cam Cameron, Mike Nolan--there never seemed to be any danger of losing Grimm to a promotion elsewhere.

When Norv was fired, there was no discussion of him becoming even the interim coach, much less the head coach. Evidently, he took much better to Cowher than he did to Norval. I have to wonder, though, why Rooney did not hire him when Cowher retired. It was a done deal and he pulled it back at the last minute. Certainly he
hit a home run with Tomlin but, still, I wonder why he didn't pull the trigger on Grimm.

Also, I wonder why Grimm isn't a full-fledged coordinator in his 18th year of coaching. He's had a better shot at it than Zorn in that he's been in the NFL the whole time while Zorn spent time at Utah State and Boise State.

So it seems the only outstanding concern is why did Russ Grimm get over-looked in Pittsburgh, and why did Cowher refer Chan Gailey over Wisenhunt and Grimm? This Steeler's blog listed some likely reasons, but with 3 qualified candidates in Grimm, Wisenhunt and Tomlin, perhaps the Rooney Rule was in full effect? Either way, I really believe Russ should be given a hard look.

Grimm's Coaching Resume:

Washington Redskins (1992-2000)

Tight end coach (from 1992 through 1996, and offensive line coach from 1997 through 2000, during which he was instrumental in the development of tackles Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-2006)

Offensive line coach in September 2000. In 2004 he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line.

Under Grimm guidance in 2005, the Super Bowl champion Steelers averaged nearly 140 yards rushing per game during the regular season to rank fifth in the NFL while also grinding out 181 rushing yards in their Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2006 Steelers offensive line helped pave the way for running back Willie Parker to gain 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries with 4.4 yard avg. and earn his first Pro Bowl selection. Pittsburgh offense finished the 2006 season with the 10th best rushing attack in the NFL, helping to give the Steelers the 7th ranked total offense in the league.
Arizona Cardinals (2007-present)

In 2007, Grimm was hired by the Arizona Cardinals to serve as their assistant head coach/offensive line coach. In Arizona, he serves under head coach Ken Whisenhunt who Grimm worked with under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. In his first season in Arizona, his offensive line allowed only 24 sacks, 6th best in the NFL and the fewest given up by the Cardinals since 1978 with 22. Grimm's offensive line also paved the way for running back Edgerrin James to rush for 1,222 yards, the fifth best total in team history. The Cardinals offense finished with the 5th best passing attack in the NFL and threw for a team record 32 touchdowns.

Thanks again to David, Mark, Ben, and Rich for their input. It is much appreciated and respected.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Grimm,

Poll

Are you For or Against Russ Grimm as the next Redskins coach?

Kamerion Wimbley and Browns Defense Play With Fire Despite 30-6 Loss to Bears

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:49:25 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

about 1 month ago: Chicago Bears safety Danieal Manning (38) picks up the loose ball after a fumble by Cleveland Browns tight end Steve Heiden in the third quarter of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. At left is Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer (92), who forced the fumble. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-7)	WEEK 8	CHICAGO BEARS (4-3)
	VS.
6		30

As far as I'm concerned, the Chicago Bears played no better against the Cleveland Browns than they did against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago when they lost 45-10. QB Jay Cutler supported my point that he's a tad overrated, but he was rewarded nonetheless with a rather easy 30-6 victory over the Browns.

Has a Browns team ever been so helpless on offense? I guess you could technically say we're at the same level as the Oakland Raiders, but that's not the type of competitive comparison I want to be making on gameday. The funny thing is that if our offense would've just taken a knee on every series this week, we probably only would have lost by a score of 10-3 (note: I realize that is not a reality, since the space-time continuum obviously would've resulted in different production for the Bears). Our defense played much better than last week and weren't rewarded for it; as far as the rest of the league is concerned, our defense is still a joke.

Let's get to the sad review of the game...

WEEK 8 - CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. CHICAGO BEARS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

GOAT OF THE GAME:

Steve Heiden & Mohamed Massaquoi: Obviously QB Derek Anderson could go here every week, but it's only fair to spread the wealth. In the second half, when the Browns were actually showing some form of a threat, there were two cases in which Anderson made some of his best throws of the game -- one on a small pass to Steve Heiden, and another on a timing pattern to Mohamed Massaquoi.

For whatever reason, both players coughed up the football. It wasn't even like they were hit by a blindsided poke at the football either; Heiden even seemed to wrap both arms tightly around the ball and it just...fell out. That's extremely frustrating, because Heiden is supposed to be our only "Mr. Reliable" left on offense. He also dropped a pass earlier in the game. For as in-sync as Massaquoi and Anderson looked against Cincinnati, that "chemistry" no longer exists.

AWARDING GAME BALLS:

Kamerion Wimbley: Credit to defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for helping turn Kamerion Wimbley around. He's no DeMarcus Ware, but he's getting to the quarterback a lot more than his last two years under Crennel. With his sack Sunday, he surpassed his sack total from last season. He also delivered a punishing shot on QB Jay Cutler as he released a pass, resulting in a bloody mouth for Cutler (and probably a fine).

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Bears QB Jay Cutler was hit hard all day by the Browns defense, including here by LB Kamerion Wimbley.

In Stride: (Marks calendar) We are 8 games into the 2009-2010 NFL season, and for the first time this season, we finally saw a smart play design for Joshua Cribbs as a receiver (although the execution of it could have been accidental). Derek Anderson was pressured and then stepped up in the pocket.

Before he got to the line of scrimmage, he turned and threw a route nearly parallel to the line of scrimmage at Cribbs, who had motioned out of the backfield and into the flat. Cribbs caught the pass in stride and ran up the sideline for a gain of 23 yards.
By the Numbers: The final line for Anderson is as follows: 6-of-17 for 76 yards and 2 interceptions. His QB rating was a lowly 10.5. Anderson's production level is getting worse and worse by the week. At this point, I think I'd be content going back to watching Quinn get sacked every play.
Applaud the Play Call, Hate the Statistic: The Browns scored their only touchdown of the game near the start of the second half. Taking advantage of a horrible punt by the Bears, Jamal Lewis pounded his way down to the one-yard line. The Browns failed to punch it in on 1st-and-goal from the one, so on second down, Anderson sneaked forward and used his tall frame to stretch the ball over the goal line for the score.

I like the call on second down because we won't lose yardage on it, and if we fail to get in, we'd still have two downs remaining to go back to Lewis or do a small pass play. Afterward though, I was a little sick knowing that I'd still have to hear all of the play-by-play announcers say "the Browns do not have a single rushing touchdown from their running backs this season!"
Injuries Galore: There has to be a correlation between a losing season and the number of injuries that start piling on. After already losing LB D'Qwell Jackson for the season, LB Eric Barton and DB Eric Wright suffered shoulder injuries. Wright returned, but Barton will likely undergo tests to determine the extent of his injury.
Rob Ryan Fired Up: I appreciate the enthusiasm that Rob Ryan shows each week, and unlike our offensive coordinator, Ryan seems to know how to make adjustments after a letdown. Whereas the defense was brutal in giving up 31 points to the Packers, they had one of my favorite performances of the season in giving up 30 points to the Bears (23 when you don't include Anderson's pick six). After the Browns stopped Cutler on a 4th-and-1 from the 1-yard line, Ryan was out on the field jawing at Jay Cutler. I believe the defense is still playing hard because of him.
Wimbley's Knockdown: When Wimbley knocked down Cutler's fourth-down pass at the goal line, it was obviously a bad decision because an interception would've brought the ball out to the 20-yard line. Then, our offense wouldn't have been backed up into seeing Anderson throw a pick six from his own goal line. Granted, it's better that he knocked the ball down than let the receiver catch it, but he knocked it down as if it was a Hail Mary pass attempted from mid-field.
A Little Scared? I think punter Brad Maynard was a little scared of Joshua Cribbs. On 5 punts, Maynard averaged a quite pathetic 30.4 yard average. On the other side of the field, props to punter Dave Zastudil for recording a touchdown-saving tackle on punt returner Devin Hester early on.
Staying With the Play: Kudos to DL Kenyon Coleman for staying home when the Bears tried a reverse with Devin Hester. As Hester was handed the ball, Coleman shot at him like a cannon and took him down. How many times have we seen our defensive players be in position for a play like that, but end up whiffing?

When you see this on TV, chances are the pass is going to be picked.

Francies Sees Action: Finally, we got to see a little bit of Coye Francies. He was subbed in after Eric Wright went down with an injury. On Francies' first play (I think), the Bears ran the ball with Matt Forte, who sprinted to the edge for a 10-yard touchdown. Soon after that, Francies left with an injury of his own, forcing Hank Poteat into the game. (Sigh).
It's About Time: One-third of our payoff for the Braylon Edwards trade finally showed up today, as WR Chansi Stuckey made his first catch of the season as a member of the Browns. He made a few nice moves after the catch to stretch the play to an 11-yard gain.
The Other Third: With the more exotic blitz packages thrown at Cutler, the other third of the Edwards deal was more productive this week. Jason Trusnik sacked Cutler once and also led the team with 7 tackles.
Should've Been a Fumble: When Jay Cutler was hit and the ball came loose for about a 15+ yard loss, the play should've stood. I didn't see any indication that Cutler's arm was moving forward; it was moving laterally at best. His arm was angled that way due to a hit from a Browns defender too. Even with the overturn, who was Cutler throwing the ball to? It might have even hit his offensive lineman, which would be an illegal touch. In the end, the Bears had a comfortable 2nd-and-10 to work with.
Adams and Pool: Whatever the combination was, it seemed to work this week. It seemed like Mike Adams was in mostly on first- and second-downs, with Brodney Pool coming in on obvious passing downs. Pool recorded an interception when he dove to the ground after a tipped pass. As he tried to get up, he was rewarded by being drilled by two or three Bear linemen.
Inserting Quinn Late: The decision is still baffling to put Brady Quinn into the game when he did. We had literally no chance of coming back, and the substitution was made in a half where several offensive players had fumbled the ball. Why not make the change at half-time when Anderson was awful as usual?
Evaluating "the Other Guy": There's not much to fo on. His first pass was located well. He had the right idea on the second play -- getting rid of the ball quickly when they brought the house. A week ago, that's the similar adjustment that Aaron Rodgers made to Donald Driver for a long touchdown. The third down play was another dropped pass. Then, we punted. Booooooooo.
Lerner's Staredowns: I think fans would've rather watched Randy Lerner stare down and scold the players and coaches all game than watch the actual game. If someone has footage of Lerner doing this, it must be seen!
Bad Timing of Wildcat Plays: Yeah, let's run the Wildcat on a 3rd-and-19 play. There just doesn't seem to be a "method to the madness" of running the Wildcat formation. I agree with running it, but we never build off of it or use the formation to our advantage the following play.
Brownies: Welcome back Phil Dawson; you get to join the sad state of the team by having your extra point blocked...Joe Thomas registered two tackles in the game...safety Ray Ventrone had two special teams tackles...former Glenville High School and Ohio State product Ted Ginn Jr. had two kick returns for touchdowns to beat Braylon Edwards and the New York Jets.

Up next, the Browns have a Bye week before coming back home the following week against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. It should be an interesting two weeks though; let's hope that Randy Lerner comes through with some form of positive news, whether it be the firing of Brian Daboll or the hiring of a team president.