SB Nation User Blog: NickFantana

Our old friend Coco Crisp traded to the Royals

NickFantana — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:02 -0000

Our old friend Coco Crisp traded to the Royals

Coco Crisp has been traded to the Royals for Ramon Ramirez.

BREAKING NEWS: Brady Quinn to Start against Broncos this Thursday (UPDATED AND CONFIRMED)

NickFantana — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:30:00 -0000

BREAKING NEWS: Brady Quinn to Start against Broncos this Thursday (UPDATED AND CONFIRMED)

UPDATE: That was quick. The Plain Dealer has it from a "Browns spokesman." The link now points there.

My thoughts are inside, as I'm sure Chris' will be soon. Yours are welcome as well.

BREAKING NEWS: Winslow Suspended for Jaguars Game

NickFantana — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:10:56 -0000

BREAKING NEWS: Winslow Suspended for Jaguars Game

Winslow's been suspended for a game for conduct detrimental after his Sunday night comments. Honestly, my first reaction is shock. The Browns finally stood up to some foolishness by one of their best players.

Knowing Kellen's temperament, I wouldn't be surprised by anything for the rest of the year, including him holding himself out in protest. Who knows.

Game Thread: NLCS Game Three

NickFantana — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:22:13 -0000

Anybody around for a NL Game Three thread?

I'm working and don't want to.focus on it.

As a bonus, we can also discuss the Patriots/Chargers game, if that's more your speed.

Or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. APV ducked my questions about his couch on Friday night. Don't think I forgot, dude.

I don't even know what's on CBS, but I'll assume it's about murder/crime.

And then there's cable.

Any and all such discussions welcome inside.

Indians "Likely Would Have Won Central Divsion if they had Resisted Urge to Dump Sabathia"

NickFantana — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:30:04 -0000

Indians "Likely Would Have Won Central Divsion if they had Resisted Urge to Dump Sabathia"

This links to a new ESPN feature of one-minute blurbs of opinion. In the 10/7 edition, Dan Davis rips the Indians front office for not re-signing CC to a long-term contract and for giving up on him mid-season. It's almost as if our best two hitters and second best pitcher never missed time this year.

Ryan Fitzpatrick to Start for Bengals

NickFantana — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:52:27 -0000

Ryan Fitzpatrick to Start for Bengals

Apparently, Palmer's elbow injury will hold him out of today's game. Certainly, you have to like the Browns chances a lot better now.

Jim Brown Seems to think Quinn's the Starter (UPDATE: What Jim Brown Thinks Doesn't Matter, Anderson named Starter.)

NickFantana — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:05:32 -0000

Jim Brown Seems to think Quinn's the Starter (UPDATE: What Jim Brown Thinks Doesn't Matter, Anderson named Starter.)

From a football radio show I've never heard of. Basically, he says that the front office was meeting about the issue all day on Tuesday and came to the same conclusion, which he seems to imply is to start Quinn. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

UPDATE: Crennel announced before practice today that Anderson will start in Cincinnati. Interesting that this seems directly contrary to the wishes of, to hear Jim Brown characterize it, everybody.

Friction between Savage and Coaches?

NickFantana — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:48:39 -0000

Friction between Savage and Coaches?

Interesting rumor from PFT today regarding the Browns. I expect these are the sort of grumblings that anyone would expect to hear after a 0-2 start at home. What's most interesting to me is that the source characterizes the unrest as mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Tucker's been the D-Coordinator for two games, is it him grumbling or is there a grumpy assistant coach?

Regardless, the stakes keep rising for this game in Baltimore on Sunday.

BREAKING NEWS: Sean Jones out for several weeks

NickFantana — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:12:30 -0000

BREAKING NEWS: Sean Jones out for several weeks

Jones will be having arthroscopic knee surgery and miss several weeks. This is a huge blow to the secondary and really concerns me. I doubt we'll be able to effectively cover a slot receiver or tight end until Jones and Pool are both healthy. At this point, that may be next year.

The Browns are Offensive

NickFantana — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:50:41 -0000

In the wake of the Browns opening day loss to the Cowboys, most of the reaction has centered on the abysmal performance of the defense. Indeed, the defense deserves as much criticism as they've received for seeming to be ill-prepared, out-of place, and confused about assignments. And all of that before you consider the obvious gap in physical ability that matchups with Terrell Owens and Jason Witten usually provide.

The stark reality of Sunday's defensive performance has inspired calls for the Browns to acquire players such as Roosevelt Colvin and Fernando Bryant. Last week, we mourned the "lost opportunities" of Deltha O'Neal or Dominique Foxworth. However, consider the following tables.

Average Offensive Performance - 2007

Points

Total Net Yards (per game)

351.3

Fumbles (per game)

1.1

Third Down Efficiency

86/204, 42.2 %

Derek Anderson

237 yards, 56.5% completion,

7.2 yards per attempt

Braylon Edwards

5 catches, 80.5 yards, 1.2 drops

Offensive Performance v. Dallas - September 7, 2008
Points	10
Total Net Yards	205
Fumbles	2
Third Down Efficiency	3/9, 33%
Derek Anderson	114 yards, 45.8% completion, 4.8 yards per attempt
Braylon Edwards	2 catches, 14 yards, 4 drops, 2 penalties

With the notable exception of the second drive, the offense was almost non-existent against the Cowboys. In fact, if you remove the second drive numbers from the overall numbers, you're left with 127 total yards of offense against a team that surrendered an average of 307 yards last year and whose best cornerback was out with an injury.

More than anything, what Browns fans learned on Sunday was that if the Browns intend on being competitive, their offense must lead them. There are no quick defensive fixes that will suffice to make the team competitive on that side of the ball. This judgment is supported not only by the Browns 2007 season or this year's first game. It's supported by the decisions made by the Browns front office over the past 5 years.

Here's why:

Browns Top 10 Cap #'s for 2008
Player (pos.)	Cap Number
Joe Thomas(OL)	$9,460,000
Eric Steinbach(OL)	$9,266,666
Braylon Edwards(WR)	$7,993,750
Jamal Lewis(RB)	$6,500,000
Kevin Shaffer(OL)	$5,016,041
Ryan Pontbriand(OL)	$4,975,000
Kellen Winslow(TE)	$4,599,584
Ryan Tucker(OL)	$4,317,975
Willie McGinest(LB)	$3,666,668
Source: cnnsi.com

Of the Browns top ten cap numbers for the 2008 season, eight of them belong to offensive players. This number is likely to increase in the near future, as both Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn are due to receive a sizeable roster bonuses after the 2008 season while Winslow, Edwards, and Josh Cribbs have all made noise about new contracts.

Of the eight offensive players listed above, the Browns drafted three, each with a first round pick, in 2004, 2005, and 2007, respectively. In addition, the Browns first round pick in 2008 and second round pick in 2007 were both traded to acquire Brady Quinn.

Over the past 5 years, the Browns have invested a disproportionate amount of their resources in their offensive side of the ball. This not only includes the draft picks and free agent salaries listed above, but also the multi-year extension the Browns gave to Rob Chudzinski after the 2007 season. That extension makes him the second highest paid offensive coordinator in the league behind Cowboys head-coach-in-waiting, and serial sweatshirt-wearer, Jason Garrett.

Happily, these investments help to explain the offensive explosion of 2007 and further indicate that 2007 wasn't a flash in the pan but the beginning of the return on those investments. Unhappily, it also means that the defense has been neglected to such an extent that defensive performances such as the most recent against the Cowboys should not be terribly surprising.

As previously mentioned, if the Browns intend on being competitive in 2008 or, indeed, in the next three years, it is their offense that must lead them. When we as fans dissect a loss like the one suffered this past Sunday, it's customary to bemoan the lack of a dominant defense, the sort that our archrivals always seem to field. However, there is no acquisition the Browns can make between now and the fourteenth that will help defeat the Steelers. In fact, I'm arguing that there's no fixing the defense this year or next, because what's required is a sustained investment to match the one made over the past few years in the offense. This reality will mark the Browns current run as a competitive team in the NFL. There is a good chance that by the time the current young defensive players and those yet to be drafted have matured, a significant part of our current offensive nucleus will have moved on. (In fact, in Winslow's case, it might not be much longer until retirement becomes a real possibility, given his injuries.)

When I watch this weekend's game, I'll be looking for the offense to be more consistent and to finish drives. I'm also hopeful that Coach Crennel will step up the aggressiveness just a little and take a chance on one or two fourth downs. I am confident we can beat the Steelers and position ourselves for a division title this year but I can tell you that it will happen because we outscore opponents, not because of a quick-fix defensive addition in Week 3.