Ace Davis' Weblog

I guess the closer you get to the beltway, the nearer you approach bizarro-world. From the Baltimore Sun: "For Ravens, character counts."

Very interesting read, if you can put aside (or be amused by) the favoritism toward the dreaded Crackmorons. For one thing, the writer thinks it's a positive that only 25% of their first-round picks had already been in trouble with the law.

Read it to see how the Ravens' braintrust decides whether they just want a Rat or will take a Dirty Rat too. Winston Justice, Ernie Sims, Broderick Bunkley, and Jimmy Williams are among the draft prospects mentioned.

"We have a great structure here to deal with some of those types of things, but we're not a rehab organization." No, we know what kind of organization you are.

Each year I update a little spreadsheet of Browns stats since their 1999 return. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's so I can, in excruciatingly exacting detail, understand just how it is that I am still waiting for a return to championship football, and just how soon that glorious, as-yet-mythical campaign might manifest itself on the grid.

While we're here, we might as well pass along some of least uninteresting notes unearthed in this annual update on the "New Browns" (a phrase still offered, though with increasing currents of sarcasm):

Brady Quinn's career passer rating actually rose slightly in 2009. The glaring statistical negative: he was sacked on 6.9% of his dropbacks last season, compared to 1% in his limited action in '07-'08.

Derek Anderson ranks 7th and and Quinn 8th in Browns career passer rating among the 12 QBs with 50+ attempts since 1999. Top gun? Kelly Holcomb.

Brodney Pool's four picks ties him with Daylon McCutcheon and Leigh Bodden at 12 for fourth on the New Browns interceptions list, led by Earl Little with 18.

Eric Wright doubled his career interception total, tying both Pool for the season leadership and Brandon McDonald, his fellow 2007 draftee, on the career list with eight.

By scoring just once in 2009, Jamal Lewis would have broken a four-way tie for third most total touchdowns (15). Instead, he'll forever share that stat line with Quincy Morgan, Dennis Northcutt, and Andre' Davis.

Josh Cribbs, with 14 TDs, is now the Browns' active career leader.

Braylon Edwards was traded 139 yards shy of Kevin Johnson's New Browns career record of 3,836 receiving yards.

That list, by the way, includes Steve Heiden in 6th place. Assuming the veteran tight end doesn't return, Mohamed Massaquoi, fresh off his 624-yard rookie year (13th), would be the Browns' active career leader in receiving yardage.

Before getting reinjured, Heiden did score once in 2009, forever taking the lead from Kellen Winslow in touchdowns by tight ends (12).

In 11 years, 11 rookie WRs have gained at least 100 receiving yards. Brian Robiskie barely made that list.

Lewis leads all New Browns in rushing yards with 2,806. Jerome Harrison's late-season surge vaulted him to 5th, just 14 yards behind 4th-place Jamel White. Josh Cribbs' ranking went from 16th to 8th after he more than doubled his career rushing total in 2009.

Last season was only the second time in 11 years (first since 2003) in which four Browns rushed for at least 200 yards.

The Browns' fifth-leading rusher last year, Brady Quinn, would have ranked second on the 2005 team.

2,087 rushing yards in 2009 was the most of any New Browns team. Still, they surrendered 14 yards more per game to their opponents on the ground.

Kamerion Wimbley took the lead on the sacks list, topping Kenard Lang and Jamir Miller. The top five names on that list were all first-round draft picks.

Even if he never again can answer the bell, Brodney Pool should be glad to know that he is the only defensive back in all of Browns (official) history to sack a quarterback in four different seasons.

The 2009 team's ten interceptions were its lowest total since the expansion squad of 1999 managed only eight.

Sure, the Browns' 2009 passing attack wasn't much. But was the first time in these 11 years that as many as nine players gained 100 or more yards receiving.

On the other hand, 220 receiving yards by Harrison was enough to rank second on the 2009 team. That's way beneath the previous low for the team's second leading receiver (428, Kellen Winslow, 2008).

Sudden death overtime was a great idea for its time. The invention of former commissioner Bert Bell (who, incidentally, suffered his own sudden death at the first game he attended following the epic 1958 NFL championship) added excitement to the sport by reducing the all-too-common kiss-your-sister anticlimax of two teams slugging it out for 60 minutes and then heading home having tasted neither victory nor defeat.

It worked well back in the age when field goals were much dicier propositions than they are today. But now, teams play overtime just to get into field goal position, scarcely risking a deeper advance toward a touchdown when any points will do.

That diminishes the drama and the platform for competition. It also deflates fans who held fast for four quarters of even battle, then often see their team lose the coin toss, surrender a few first downs, and start shaking hands after the ball flies over the crossbar.

My quick research shows that the Browns have taken 31 games into overtime, going 16-14-1. Of those contests, just eight ended with a touchdown.

Those rare game-ending TDs have included a fake field goal, three interceptions returns, and a flea-flicker.

While sudden-death has increasingly become a jockeying for field goal position, the system does have the advantage of being straightforward. So how best to improve the spirit of full, fair competition without unduly doctoring or lengthening the game?

Here's my proposal:

-- The winning team would be the first one to score five points in overtime.

-- For regular season games, if neither team scores five in the 15-minute overtime, whichever team is ahead wins. If neither team is ahead, the game would end in a tie.

-- Rather than tossing a coin, the visiting team would get first choice of a) kicking off or receiving, or b) picking which goal to defend.

-- In the regular season, the entire overtime would have the same clock stoppage rules that apply during the final two minutes of the first half and five minutes of the second half (i.e. going out of bounds keeps it stopped until the next snap).

-- In the regular season, rather than getting two timeouts, teams would carry over whatever timeouts remained from the second half. The two-minute warning would remain.

Such a system would greatly increase the incentive for teams to go for the gusto rather than settle for field goals (especially before fourth down). Eliminating the coin toss and the automatic two timeouts would help mitigate the lengthening of the game caused by requiring more points and stopping the clock on out-of-bounds.

These changes, unlike the NCAA's artificial system, would still involve all phases of the game -- offense, defense, special teams, and coaching (including clock management). They would improve the odds that each team would have an offensive possession, while keeping fan interest alive throughout, as any single play could still be the game's last.

And that last play, more often than not, would be a touchdown.

Nice piece of Browns history research here, with images you've likely not seen before, concerning the legendary "CB" logo that might've maybe almost nearly adorned (or befouled) the Browns' orange helmets in 1965.

In his pursuit of the story, the author interviews former quarterback Frank Ryan, one of my favorite Browns-I-was-too-young-to-see-play. See him in action here:

It can't be the Browns' worst season if they beat Pittsburgh.

Three games remain before we can say where the 2009 Mangini weenies will rank alongside 1975, 1990, 1995, and the six teams winning five or fewer games in the latest decade. Could they still be the worst squad in the Browns' long history?

Nah.

This win changed that.

We ran and stopped the run.

We made very few mistakes, in turnovers, sacks, blown coverages. Connecting with the wideouts was challenging, but the Browns never gave away the field position with a gaffe.

Josh Cribbs amply showed why he's not only one of football's best ever returners, but also one of the sports most exciting and likable players. We've known that for five years now, and in terms of the Browns pantheon, I put him right up there in the Dub Jones, Bobby Mitchell, Eric Metcalf neighborhood. With five more healthy years as a Brown, he would deserve consideration as one of the team's top 10 players in history. He's already the MVP of the "new" era, hands-down.

It was Rob Ryan's defense and not Dick LeBeau's that was more consistent and creative.

The Browns just played harder. Harder than the Steelers, and harder than they've played all year.

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In games they have won, the 2009 Browns have more QB sacks on defense than completed passes on offense.

The Browns have not won a game in which they have allowed a touchdown since Nov. 17, 2008.

Cribbs now is #2 in Browns rushing yardage this season, leapfrogging Jerome Harrison. Gaining 305 yards at a clip of 7.3 per, he already has the highest total for any Browns #2 rusher since 2004.

Career QB rating: Quinn 69.2, Anderson 69.6. The six other Cleveland QBs to start openers since 1999 all had better ratings here.

Still scratching my head at Mangini accepting the holding penalty that gave Pittsburgh 3rd and 18 rather than 4th and 8 at the CLE 34. It worked out because the back dropped the checkdown, but really?? With the Steelers down 7, under 12 minutes to go, declining the penalty almost forces them to go for it, giving you a bigger upside if they don't convert. Pushing them back gives them an extra chance to either make something happen or pin you deep.

Gameballs to Cribbs, Alex Mack, Eric Wright, and Corey Williams.

Will this game become the signature win, marking the (delayed) launch of the Mangini Era of tough, smart, mistake-free football, capable of vanquishing even foe most foul? Or will it merely serve as the high-water mark for a mismanaged team due for new and better leadership? We'll see, but whatever it was, it was a fine and rare sight to behold.

A balanced look at Jim Brown, courtesy of America's Finest News Source.

• 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.

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.

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

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?

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!

In the face of network blackouts and fan "brownout" demonstrations, I have a specific suggestion for Randy Lerner during this most disheartening time. Read the full piece here.

So here's my far-fetched but heartfelt proposal to the Browns brass: give me victory or give me ... um, a coupon.

Ridiculous? Maybe, but we're beyond that now. Besides, Randy Lerner's an old credit card guy. Just call it a Loyalty Reward. Fans attending the games regularly shell out more than is delivered back to them. So if the team can't do it on the field, the front office ought to do it through the mail.

Here's how it could work: whenever the Browns lose at home in regulation and fail to score even a single touchdown in the process, the team should recognize that fans did not get anything passably close to what they paid for. Fourth-quarter scores that don't narrow the deficit to within 14 points don't count. Ticket stubs should be redeemable for $30 toward a future ticket purchase.

Yesterday's NFL margins of victory/defeat:

• 0-9 points: 2 games
• 10-19 points: 4 games
• 20-29 points: 2 games
• 30+ points: 4 games.

Average score of a 2009 Browns game:
Cleveland 10, Anyone Else 26

Average NFL ticket price: $75.