Ace Davis' Weblog

November 2009 - Posts

• Peeling back old 32

  A balanced look at Jim Brown, courtesy of America's Finest News Source. Posted Nov 27 2009, 07:03 PM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog

• Coaching up coach

  Being a Browns fan these days means awaiting the next, previously-unthinkable new way for a team to meet defeat. Yesterday worthy contribution to this panoply of pathos: blowing a three-touchdown lead to a 1-8 team and allowing a rookie QB to throw for 422 yards (third most ever allowed by the Browns) and 5 TDs, including the one that culminated a stupidity-aided two-minute game-winning drive. Rather than detail all the defensive breakdowns, pan the performance of Terry "Bottlegate" McAuley and crew, or lament the deactivation of two second-round draftees and a running back with a career rushing average 4.8 yards per carry, I'll just focus on the reappearance of something I've known for a few years now. That Hank Poteat sucks? Well, that too. But this time I'm talking about the dubious game-day management skills of Eric Mangini. This caught my attention back on December 9, 2007, when the Browns beat his Jets, 24-18. After all, it's not often that a trailing team will opt for two field goals after the two-minute warning and still lose by 6. (Not impressed? Consider that the second FG, Mike Nugent's 35-yarder, came on first down with 50 seconds and one Jets timeout left, and was followed by a kickoff that went out of bounds at the Cleveland 3-yard-line.) Now after the four years of Romeo Crennel's on-field follies, I thought even Mangini would be an improvement in those executive decisions made in the heat of battle: use of timeouts, kicking versus going for it, etc. Yesterday makes me wonder. Call me a nitpicker, but this is a guy intolerant of player mistakes on or off the field, so it's only fair to point out the following: In the second quarter, the Browns drove to the Lions' 22 and on first down with 58 ticks to go, Lewis ran up the middle for a yard. No problem with the play call. But Cleveland had two timeouts remaining. By the next snap, the clock was down to :25. A timeout should have been called. After the second fourth-down conversion of that drive, the Dawson-to-Furrey fake FG, put the ball on the Lions' 11, there were eight seconds left, according to the video. The gamesheet shows that timeout was called two seconds later. By the Lions. An astute clock manager, or at least an awake one with any interest in scoring a touchdown, would have stopped that clock pronto and taken a shot into the end zone against the league's worst pass defense. Fourth quarter, Browns up 6, milking clock. Lions burn their timeouts, then the two-minute warning. Third-and-five. What's the call? The Browns go shotgun with an empty backfield. Can you telegraph a passing play any better? How about some play action? A bootleg, a rollout, an end around. Go wildcat. Or just stuff it in Jamal's gut again. Nope. Cue the blitz and an off-target, clock-stopping incompletion. Stafford takes over with 106 seconds to go, which proves just barely enough. Any running play in bounds would have drastically lowered the odds of a comeback. After Poteat's pass interference puts the ball on the one with the Lions do-or-die play upcoming, their backup QB trots onto the field cold, since C.J. Mosley's hit knocked the starter out. For godsakes, let 'em sweat it. Make them beat you under pressure. Let the play clock tick. Nope. Mangini calls timeout to get his defense set. That allows Stafford back into the game, and he finds his tight end open between two Browns linebackers. But at least the defense was set. I ain't a hater, and this is no personal attack, chief. Let's just smarten up out there OK? Posted Nov 23 2009, 01:37 PM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: game notes

• A premonition too preposterous to ... oh, wait!

  Guess I was too superstitious to post this earlier, but over the past two weeks the thought came to mind distressingly often. What else could go wrong? The Browns were already 1-7. A national laughingstock. An organizational Superfund site. A national storyline spun off the idiotic idea of a silly, self-aggrandizing fan (boosted by an owner with an otherworldly gift for empowering the unworthy). Both inside linebackers, the team's top two tacklers, lost for the season. The offense, bereft of speed and spirit, flip-flopping quarterbacks like live flounder flailing on a sizzling skillet. What could make it worse? I didn't dare put it into prose. Why reify the already ambient "woe-is-us" attitude? Why take the karmic hit if the fears came to pass? Now, of course, the answer is brutally obvious. What's the most natural extension (meaning, in Browns-speak, preternatural) of how this season could get even worse? Josh Cribbs gets knocked out. But not even my patent-pending catastrophic thinking module (honed over lo these decades of Browns fandom) would dare to specify circumstances so surreal. Toward the stroke of midnight, it was. Browns are getting pasted yet again on national TV by those prodigal sons-of-bitches. This blogger, beset by a flu-riddled family, accedes to the nepenthe of slumber with mere meaningless minutes remaining. Only in dreamland, where the constraints of logic and rationality are delta-waived, could the following be possible. Yet, I find this morning, it actually came to pass that The Browns were apparently granted a fourth timeout, allowing the Ravens' otherwise clock-killing final possession to expire with 20 seconds to go. The Browns offense, previously known for folding its tent at the first wisp of a cloud, suddenly finds itself, relieved of the theoretical possibility of actually winning the game, launching into attack mode. Down 16 points, the obvious downfield target of Quinn on the first two downs is, of course, our beloved #16, Josh Cribbs. Not satisfied with two incompletions, the fateful final fling at a 16-point conversion finds our sole superhero snagging a Quinn pass and flipping it to teammate Robert Royal for a final late-night comedy bit. It turns tragic, as the Browns' heart-and-soul star, its never-say-die dude, somehow (again, I am sleeping through all this) uncharacteristically lets down his guard and gets jacked up by some Raven named (ugh) Edwards. Out comes the stretcher and the ambulance trip to Cleveland Clinic. Thus ends another fine chapter in Browns ignominy and pain. Maybe he'll shake it off. Maybe its only a mildly traumatic brain injury. You can't get staph from treating a concussion, can you? My stupid, silent fear was not actually False Evidence Appearing Real. It was just too preposterous to admit. Which means it fits perfectly into the narrative of Cleveland Browns lore. Which begs the question: what's next? Hmmm. The Browns next travel to Detroit to take on a team that has won exactly one game in its last 26. Ford Field is only 40 minutes from my house, tickets can be had real cheap, and a local TV blackout may well apply. Should I go and be a witness? It could be quite ... something ... But without Cribbs?!? Whatever for? However, if he's on the sidelines, in his concussed state, it's the perfect time for this man of many hats to wear one more. Play-caller. Posted Nov 17 2009, 10:56 AM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: The Team Today, game notes

• Stick a Sporcle in 'em

  Further documenting the woeful whirlwind of Browns football over the last decade, I hereby challenge you with my third Browns-related quiz. Name the 19 men who have led our offensive, defensive, and special teams units since the franchise's resurrection. Go ahead, you know you wanna feel like a winner, someway, somehow. You can do it faster than a Browns three-and-out. Posted Nov 14 2009, 10:26 AM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: quizzes

• Practice players to pluck

  Now that both of the Browns' leading tacklers, inside linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton, are shelved for the season, the active roster stands at 52, leaving one available job, even after this week's promotion of rookie LB Marcus Bernard from the practice squad and signing of veteran LB Josh Stamer as a street free agent. I suspect that poobah-for-now Eric Mangini will round out the roster with another practice squad promotion or tryout player, and the news may come fast. But this is really an optimal situation for raiding another team's practice squad. All you need to do is keep him on the active roster for three weeks. So who's out there? A consolidated, current list of NFL practice squads isn't readily available, so I had to visit each team's official site to get the names below. Based on the positional make-up of the Browns' current active roster, I'd pay special attention to wide receivers, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, and linebackers, in roughly that order. Not that I'd expect any such newcomer to make an instant impact -- indeed, he'd probably be inactive on game day -- but it would provide the coaches a low-risk, up-close, extended look at a player who another team thought worthy of developing in house. The one name that immediately stands out is OT Alex Boone (SF), late of Lakewood St. Ed's and Ohio State. Serious immaturity issues dropped the two-time All-Big Ten selection right off the draft boards last April. That would be a giant red flag to someone like Mangini (and me too), but maybe staying out of trouble for his first half year as a pro makes the risk seem less than the potential upside, especially given the Browns' need to secure a better long-term answer at right tackle. Anyway, who should we snag? Buffalo: Hall, Bruce RB, Mississippi; Harris, Cary DB, USC; Hawthorne, C.J. WR, Hawaii; Hennessey, Nick OL, Colgate; Huggins, Felton WR, Southeastern Louisiana; Mace, Corey DT, Wyoming; Ramsey, Andre OL, Ball State; Waters, Anthony LB 6-3 238 Clemson Dolphins: Tristan Davis, RB; John Nalbone, TE; Nate Ness, S; Andrew Hartline, T; Kory Sperry, TE; Julius Pruitt, WR; Will Billingsley, CB; Ryan Baker, DE Patriots: Titus Adams DT Nebraska; Bruce Davis LB UCLA; Rob Myers TE Utah State; Terrence Nunn WR Nebraska; Darryl Richard DT Georgia Tech; Isaiah Stanback QB Washington; Ryan Wendell G Fresno State Jets: Kenwin Cummings LB Wingate; Jason Davis FB Illinois; Keith Fitzhugh S Mississippi State; Antonio Garay DT Boston College (former Brown); Marcus Henry WR Kansas; Matt Kroul DL Iowa; Ryan McKee T Southern Mississippi; Matthew Mulligan TE Maine Ravens: Drew, Davon TE East Carolina; Gerard, K.J. CB Northern Arizona; Harper, Justin WR Virginia Tech; Mattison, Bryan G/T Iowa; Reitz, Joe T Western Michigan; Riley, Eron WR Duke; Rodgers, Stefan T Lambuth; VanDeSteeg, William LB/DE Minnesota Bengals: Brown, Freddie WR Utah; Hill, Darius TE Ball State; Johnson, James RB Kansas State; McDonald, Clinton DE Memphis; Murray, Rico CB Kent State; Pope, Geoffrey CB Howard; Purify, Maurice WR Nebraska; Shirley, Jason DT Fresno State Steelers: Bright, Eugene TE Purdue; Grisham, Tyler WR Clemson; Harris, Tuff S Montana; McLendon, Steve DT Troy; Redman, Isaac RB Bowie State; Shipley, A.Q. C Penn State; Vincent, Justin RB Louisiana State; Woods, Donovan ROLB Oklahoma State Texans: Bing, Darnell LB USC; Crummey, Andrew OL Maryland; Foster, Arian RB Tennessee; Helms, Brett C LSU; Henry, Chris RB Arizona; Stenavich, Adam T Michigan Colts: Giguere, Sam WR Sherbrooke; Gill, John DT Northwestern; Hall, Devon DB Utah State; Lambert, Terrail DB Notre Dame; Matthews, John WR San Diego; Smith, Taj WR Syracuse; Thomas, Jaimie OG Maryland Jaguars: Bartel, Richard QB Tarleton State (former Brown); Bolen, Brock FB Louisville; Cox, Kennard DB Pittsburgh; Hughes, Nate WR Alcorn State; Navarre, Jeremy DE Maryland; Newton, Cecil C Tennessee State; Potter, Zach TE Nebraska; Stephenson, Cameron G Rutgers Titans: Booty, John David QB USC; Durand, Ryan G Syracuse; Edison, Dominique WR Stephen F. Austin; Rivera, Mike LB Kansas; Schommer, Nick S North Dakota State; Velasco, Fernando C/G Georgia; Williams, Paul WR Fresno State Broncos: Ball, Lance RB Maryland; Branson, Marquez TE Central Arkansas; Carter, Tony CB Florida State; Erickson, Mitch G South Dakota State; Johnson, D.J. CB Jackson State; Kelley, Braxton LB Kentucky; Powell, Carlton DL Virginia Tech; Willis, Matthew WR UCLA Chiefs: Bates, Jackie CB Hampton; Favorite, Marlon DT LSU; Gales, Dion DE Troy State; Greenwood, Bobby DE Alabama; Harris, Darryl G Mississippi; Lawrence, Quinten WR McNeese State; Price, Ricky S Oklahoma State; Williams, Javarris RB Tennessee State Raiders: Bodiford, Shaun WR Portland State; Boyd, Jerome SAF Oregon; Gunheim, Greyson DE Washington; Hubbard, Paul WR Wisconsin (former Brown); Nixon, David LB Brigham Young; Norris, Slade LB Oregon State; Reece, Marcel RB Washington; Schuening, Roy G Oregon State Chargers: Banks, Gary WR Troy; Beckwith, Darryl ILB Louisiana State; Castille, Simeon CB Alabama; Clark, Corey T Texas A&M; Coleman, Andre DE Albany; Latsko, Billy FB Florida; Leman, J LB Illinois; Toledo, Joe OT Washington Cowboys: Bright, Travis G Brigham Young; Carpenter, Rudy QB Arizona State; Chandler, Scott TE Iowa; Dixon, Marcus DE Hampton; Holley, Jesse WR North Carolina; Johnson, Manuel WR Oklahoma; Love, Jamar CB Arkansas; Washington, Chauncey RB USC Giants: Anderson, Vince CB Webber International; Bender, Jacob G/T Nicholls St.; Bomar, Rhett QB Sam Houston State; Broughton, Nehemiah FB The Citadel; Coe, Michael CB Alabama State; Hendricks, Dwayne DT Miami; Pascoe, Bear TE Fresno State; Rashad, Shareff S Central Florida Eagles: Collins, Dobson WR Gardner-Webb; Fanaika, Paul G Arizona State; Ikegwuonu, Jack CB Wisconsin; Langford, Reshard S Vanderbilt; Mailei, Marcus FB Weber State; Norwood, Jordan WR Penn State (former Brown); Reynolds, Dallas G BYU; Rucker, Martin TE Missouri (former Brown) Redskins: Armstrong, Anthony WR West Texas A&M; Bowen, Alvin LB Iowa State; Holmes, Lendy S Oklahoma; Jackson, Rob DE Kansas State; Oldenburg, Clint OT Colorado State; Robinson, William OT San Diego State; Skolnitsky, J.D. DE James Madison; Woodson, Andre QB Kentucky Bears: Asiata, Johan G UNLV; Basanez, Brett QB Northwestern; Bell, Kahlil RB UCLA; Marten, James T Boston College; Raiola, Donovan C Wisconsin; Smith, DeAngelo CB Cincinnati (former Brown); Ta'ufo'ou, Will FB Cal; Turenne, Woodny CB Louisville Lions: Fowler, Eric WR Grand Valley State; Gerberry, Dan C Ball State; Gronkowski, Dan TE Maryland; Heckendorf, Kole WR North Dakota State; Henderson, Robert DE Southern Mississippi; Peerman, Cedric RB Virginia (former Brown); Word-Daniels, Jahi CB Georgia Tech Packers: Brian Brohm QB Louisville; Patrick Williams WR Colorado; Kregg Lumpkin RB Georgia; Trevor Ford CB Troy; Cyril Obiozor LB Texas A&M; Anthony Toribio NT Carson-Newman; Ronald Talley DE Delaware Vikings: Anderson, Colt S Montana; Brown, Patrick T Central Florida; Clark, Chris T Southern Mississippi; Johnson, Ian RB Boise State; Johnson, Tremaine DT Louisiana State; Mills, Garrett TE Tulsa; Perretta, Vinny WR Boise State; Wright, DeAndre CB New Mexico Falcons: Bergeron, Troy WR None; Brock, Eric S Auburn; Bruggeman, Rob OL Iowa; Clark, Jeremy DT Alabama; James, Robert LB Arizona State; Lucas, Maurice DE Colorado; Smith, Antone RB Florida State; Valdez, Jose OG Arkansas Panthers: Birmingham, Decori RB Arkansas; Cantwell, Hunter QB Louisville; Fry, Dustin C Clemson (former Brown); Ivy, Mortty LB West Virginia; Jackson, Dexter WR Appalachian State; Martin, Charly WR West Texas A&M; Pociask, Jason TE Wisconsin; Walker, Marcus CB Oklahoma Saints: Parson, Mark CB Ohio; Herb Donaldson RB Western Illinois; Earl Heyman DT Louisville; Tim Duckworth G Auburn; Renardo Foster T Louisville; Jermey Parnell T Mississippi; Tyler Lorenzen TE Connecticut; Adrian Arrington WR Michigan Buccaneers: Anderson, Brandon CB Akron (former Brown); Cook, Emanuel S South Carolina; Dile, Marc OL South Florida; Evans, Maurice DE Penn State; Huggins, Kareem RB Hofstra; Purvis, Ryan TE Boston College; Robinson, Lee LB Alcorn State; Urrutia, Mario WR Louisville Cardinals: Barksdale, Rashad CB Albany State (NY); Canfield, Trevor G Cincinnati; Collins, Jed FB Washington State; Gant, Edward WR North Alabama; Harrington, Chris LB Texas A&M; Holmes, Antoine DT North Carolina State; Jones, Onrea WR Hampton; Renkart, Brandon LB Rutgers Rams: Bradwell, Chris LDT Troy; Brown, Marcus RCB McNeese State; Butler, Eric TE Mississippi State; Moore, Jay MLB Nebraska; Ogbonnaya, Chris HB Texas; Parks, Cord LCB Northeastern; Walker, Sean WR Vanderbilt; Young, Eric RT Tennessee (former Brown) 49ers: Barton, Kirk T Ohio State; Boone, Alex T Ohio State; Burnett, Martail LB Utah; Finley, Joe Jon TE Oklahoma; Lattimore, Keon RB Maryland; Miller, Brit FB Illinois; Mitchell, Khalif DT East Carolina; Zeigler, Dominique WR Baylor Seahawks: Goddard, Na'Shan T South Carolina; Heygood, Anthony LB Purdue; Moore, Devin RB Wyoming; Williams, Kyle T USC; Williams, Trae CB South Florida; Willingham, DeAngelo CB Tennessee Posted Nov 11 2009, 12:27 PM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: The Team Today, transactions

• A Phippsian flop

  Via PFR, we find that Derek Anderson had the worst statistical performance of any NFL quarterback in the first half of any of the past 34 seasons. Not since 1975, when the Browns' own Mike Phipps began the year tossing 10 interceptions with nary a touchdown, has the league witnessed poorer play at its premier position. Assuming all eight Cleveland home games were filled to capacity (absurd, I know, but bear with me here!), how much would each ticket-holder have to chip in at each game to equal Anderson's 2009 earnings? $11.10. DA may suck, but who's the loser here? Posted Nov 03 2009, 02:28 PM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: The Team Today

• Parody of parity update

  Yesterday's NFL margins of victory/defeat: 0-9 points: 4 games 10-19 points: 3 games 20-29 points: 5 games 30+ points: 0 games. Slim chance of seeing a game that gets decided late between two equally-matched teams, but this is actually an improvement over last week. For most teams, anyway. As for the Browns, amateur hour continues. The owner glares at his charges in the tunnel and searches for answers. I still say: get ahead of the runaway PR and promise fans a coupon! Posted Nov 02 2009, 06:12 AM by Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog Filed under: Fan Focus