Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Showing little fight in game, Browns look inward for tussle
Monday, November 27, 2006

BOB HUNTER

</IMG> NEAL C . LAURON DISPATCH Quarterback Charlie Frye (9) might say he and Braylon Edwards "are fine," but the same can?t be said for a franchise showing little improvement.

</IMG>

CLEVELAND ? The Battle of Ohio has taken on an entirely new meaning. Browns vs. Bengals suddenly seems more like water bug vs. steamroller. Yesterday, the Browns vs. the Browns was much fiercer.
The most fight Cleveland exhibited in losing 30-0 to Cincinnati was on the sideline where receiver Braylon Edwards argued first with running back Reuben Droughns and then with quarterback Charlie Frye. Edwards grabbed Frye by the jersey and angrily gave him a what-for, and the two were quickly separated.
If the Browns had exhibited onethird as much fight on the field, the game might not have been such a snoozer. But then, this has practically become the status quo for this series. It was the Bengals? fifth consecutive victory over the Browns. Their 47-point margin of victory over the Browns in two games this season is the most ever.
"I can say this," Frye said, "our biggest opponent right now is us."
Or, to put it another way, the Browns have become the old Bengals, which is about the worst thing one can say about a team.
If this game emphasized anything, it was the difference between Carson Palmer and Frye, between Chad Johnson and Edwards and between the two offensive lines. It also reminded us again that coaches Marvin Lewis and Romeo Crennel have had very different results in their quests to revive two floundering franchises.
Crennel is in only his second year as Browns boss, but his team?s 3-8 record figures to get worse before it gets better. Lewis? Bengals were 8-8 in each of his first two seasons in Cincinnati. They were 11-5 last season and are 6-5 today. As it stands, it?s hard to imagine Crennel having enough time to accomplish that much.
Crennel didn?t have any answers after the game, other than to say his team wasn?t "very good." Anybody with a pair of eyeballs could have seen that much.
"We couldn?t stop them on defense, we couldn?t move the ball on offense, we couldn?t score any points, and as a result the game got away from us," he said. "We had turnovers, penalties, busted coverages, defensive breakdowns on third down in the red zone, we had sacks and protection problems. You put all that together ... it?s not very good."
"Not very good" doesn?t cover it. Edwards? unacceptable sideline demeanor came on the heals of ripping teammate Brian Russell last week for a hit the Browns safety made on Johnson nine weeks ago, a hit that Johnson himself didn?t complain about. Edwards refused comment yesterday, and Frye simply said "me and Braylon are fine."
Former Browns great Jim Brown, the team?s executive adviser, was disturbed enough by what happened that he spent a long time answering questions in the locker room afterward.
"The game was an abysmal exhibition of football, so that?s what we have to look at first," Brown said. But it wasn?t long before he made it clear that something needs to be done about all the extracurricular stuff.
"Romeo is the boss, and he has a methodology of correcting his players," Brown said. "It?s not asking too much for your players to adhere to the role and rules of your leader. A cow don?t run the ranch and a tail don?t wag the dog."
The dog reference is perfect for a team that didn?t show up for a game it should have had a shot to win. In part because of four Frye interceptions and four sacks, the Browns offense got shut out by a defense ranked last in the NFL in yards allowed and that only two weeks ago gave up 49 points to San Diego.
"We?re not going to give up," Frye said. "We?ve just got to keep working, keep fighting, trying to get this thing right."
Fighting? Hmmm.
Based on how the Browns are going, you can take that any way you like.

Bob Hunter is a sports colum nist for The Dispatch
.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Debacle leaves Browns with issues
Monday, November 27, 2006
James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



CLEVELAND ? The Browns? performance in a 30-0 drubbing by the Cincinnati Bengals brings everything into question.
Do they have the right quarterback?
Did the general manager assemble the right players?
What about the coach?
It?s officially open season for everyone in the organization.
Cleveland, which fell to 3-8, has five weeks to prove it is making progress. At this point, no one outside the team is likely buying that.
The Browns spent nearly two years assembling this team. Now they need to win three of the next five games just to match last year?s record of 6-10.
Yesterday, they showed no signs of being capable of pulling off such a feat.
"We all have to take the blame? because there is no one element (that?s failing)," executive adviser and Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said.
The debacle was as ugly as the final score.

? Cleveland?s defense gave up three touchdown passes to Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer and allowed four touchdowns in five visits to the red zone (inside the 20-yard line).

? The Browns were shut out by the NFL?s lowest-rated defense. They gained 203 total yards and never reached the Bengals? red zone.

? The special teams had a kickoff return for a touchdown by Joshua Cribbs called back, and kicker Phil Dawson missed his only field-goal attempt.
In October, the team wanted to "hit the reset button" after the firing of offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon. The Browns had been 2-2 since, but it appears they have hit bottom again after putting forth their worst performance since a 41-0 loss to Pittsburgh last year.
"We took 10 steps back and we can?t have that," fullback Terrelle Smith said. "The coach (Romeo Crennel) doesn?t deserve it, the fans of Cleveland don?t deserve it, and we just have to get better."
It was up to Crennel to have his team mentally prepared after a heartbreaking loss last week to Pittsburgh, but the players did not appear motivated.
Quarterback Charlie Frye, who has been in the hot seat the past few weeks, had one of his worst games in his young career. He threw for 186 yards, was intercepted four times and had a passer rating of 40.9.
It was Frye?s 16 th NFL start, which means he now has a full year under center. Experience is becoming less and less of a crutch, and Frye admitted that the next five games will be important for the entire offense.
"This is a bottom-line business," Frye said. "That?s how this offense is going to be judged in these next five weeks: how many games we win."
The Browns also face an internal problem. Losing often tears teams apart, and if yesterday is any indication, the Browns are now beginning to fight among themselves.
Receiver Braylon Edwards had words with several teammates on the sideline, most notably Frye.
"We?re not unraveling. I think that it?s just a few players speaking their mind," Smith said. "We have to do that in-house instead of outright. I?ve been in that situation before, and I learned from it. It doesn?t make it better, it only makes it harder."
[email protected]

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Braylon, quit your wailing

Browns receiver ought to spend time on bench for outburst in 30-0 loss to Bengals

By Terry Pluto

I don't want to hear how he really wasn't yelling at Charlie Frye when he grabbed the Browns quarterback's jersey during the 30-0 loss Sunday to Cincinnati.
I don't want to hear that he was screaming at the overwhelmed offensive line to block better and keep Frye's shirt clean.
I don't want to hear that the receiver is a ``competitor,'' and that he's ``fiery,'' and that he ``was trying to make a point.''
Those were the words from Coach Romeo Crennel.
While Crennel said ``that doesn't make it right,'' he failed to say what he planned to do about it.
What I wanted to hear Monday is Braylon Edwards would not play in the next game, period. Maybe that will happen, as Crennel said he'd talk to Edwards (again), but would not make public the outcome of the conversation.
Crennel is the coach. This is his team. His future is on the line. If he wants to keep things private, that's his call. He has to understand, however, that fans think (for good reason) that things are not under control, that Edwards seems to be following his own agenda.
That's why Edwards should have a week to spend on the bench. The Browns lost 30-0 to the Bengals with Edwards, so it can't be any worse with Dennis Northcutt and Joe Jurevicius in Edwards' place Sunday.
A week away from the game doesn't doom his career with the Browns. It could save it if he responds the right way.
For Edwards, this was not an isolated incident. Most fans know about the ridiculous comments he made last week about Brian Russell, how Edwards didn't like the hit the Browns' defensive back delivered to Bengals receiver Chad Johnson.
That game was nine weeks ago, and Edwards implied something was wrong with Russell slamming into Johnson -- a move that didn't draw a fine from the NFL or criticism from the Bengals receiver.
Oh, Edwards also fired away at the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson in that same interview. Then he wondered why it became a headline. Even a 23-year-old Michigan man should be able to figure that out.
Crennel just finished discussing this matter with Edwards, and a few days later, the receiver was ranting and screaming at teammates on the sidelines during Sunday's game.
It doesn't just look bad; it is bad.
That's why Crennel should have said Edwards will sit for a week.
He could have said it's a chance for Edwards to mature, to understand there are consequences to criticizing teammates -- even if Edwards didn't intend his remarks to be taken that way.
Edwards has been in the NFL for two years and was paid more than $18 million before his first pro game. He came to the Browns with the attitude that he was a great player and a sense that his opinions matter, that he's a team leader.
He's not; he's just paid like it and that does not give him credibility with his teammates. It's easy for some of them to resent his sense of entitlement.
Why say anything about Russell in public? Why bash the offensive line? Those guys already know they are getting their brains beaten in. That's why Frye shook off Edwards' attempt at show-and-tell. No quarterback wants to berate a teammate in public -- especially the guys blocking for him.
Frye knows the linemen may not be great, but they are his lineman, his teammates.
``All I did was show passion for the game,'' Edwards told reporters Monday. ``It's not like I fought anybody.... I grabbed his jersey in reference to something else.''
What Edwards may think is leadership looks and sounds like selfishness.
It doesn't matter that Terrell Owens, Keyshawn Johnson and other receivers have said outrageous and sometimes destructive things.
At some point, all of us learn that not every thought has to be expressed -- and that no one is bigger than the team, especially a team that's 3-8.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Edwards calls outburst 'passion'
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
By Steve Doerschuk REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

BEREA Is Braylon Edwards so full of himself that he?s cracking the locker room walls?
Or does a team that laid an egg large enough to lodge in Michigan Stadium need more players with his fire?
Such questions churned a day after Edwards got caught on camera grabbing Charlie Frye and yelling in animated streams late in the Browns? 30-0 loss to Cincinnati.
The team spent a good chunk of Monday playing damage control. After waving off reporters Sunday, Edwards had plenty to say Monday, not necessarily making some issues clearer than mud.
This is how last year?s No. 3 overall draft pick opened after sliding through a media crowd waiting for him: ?The behavior I showed on the sidelines was unparalleled for myself. I?ve never been that type of guy to be a distraction to the team.
?The biggest thing I was trying to do was show how compassionate I was about the game.
?I mean, this isn?t a soft sport. We don?t play chess. This isn?t swimming. This isn?t one of those kind of sports. It?s football.
?It takes a man to play this game, and to play this game you have to have passion.?
Why did Edwards grab Frye? One inside view is he was angry about the team?s blocking, and specifically with injury replacement tackle Kelly Butler.
?The emotions I showed was not toward Charlie Frye at all,? Edwards said. ?I grabbed his jersey in reference to something else. But like Charlie said ... as Romeo (Crennel) said ... we?ll keep that in house.
?But my actions were definitely not against Charlie. I don?t want you guys to think I was selfish trying to get the ball or mad about something Charlie did. It had nothing to do with that.?
An issue with blocking, then?
?It might have been,? Crennel said.
DISCIPLINARY ACTION?
Crennel refused to say if Edwards will be fined or suspended. That topic got Edwards going.
?To be honest,? he said, ?I don?t understand why I would be disciplined or suspended. All I did was show that I care about the game.?
After Edwards grabbed Frye, running back Reuben Droughns engaged him in conversation as they walked away from the quarterback.
?At that point we were losing 30 to zip, and all I did was show compassion for the game,? Edwards said.
The Bengals, with the league?s No. 32-ranked defense, posted the franchise?s first shutout since the Boomer Esiason era. The strange game came a week after the Browns led Pittsburgh until the final seconds.
?I don?t think we played worth anything yesterday,? Edwards said. ?The path that we were on, and all that we talked about during the week, and how we were progressing and how this was a chance for us to get back, and this was a (division) rival, and blah, blah, blah ... for us to go out there and play like that, you know, it made everybody mad.
?But I was one of the only ones that got so frustrated that I said something, or I showed actions about. It?s not like I fought anybody. It?s not like I gave the bird to somebody in the stands, or things like that.?
Edwards was referring to Michael Vick?s gesture to Falcon fans after Sunday?s loss to the Saints. Edwards was no saint Sunday, in Crennel?s view, but the coach couched criticism of his young receiver.
?Braylon was trying to make a point, and he really wasn?t talking to Charlie,? Crennel said. ?He wanted his message to go elsewhere. He was using Charlie?s jersey to get that point across. Was it the right way to get the point across? No it wasn?t.
?Braylon was frustrated because we were losing. He?s a competitor, but that doesn?t make it right for him to rant and rave on the sideline. I like my players to show more composure and be professionals in the their job.
?We are going to talk to Braylon and get him to the point where he will be a productive member of this team.?
OTHER REACTIONS
Butler, the young tackle, said, ?People get frustrated in the heat of the moment. That?s what that was.?
Left tackle Kevin Shaffer talked around the Edwards incident, but in general terms said, ?I don?t blame anyone for being upset. Yesterday was one of the worst games I?ve ever seen and ever been a part of. It?s a bad day at the office. That happens. They just beat us. They beat us bad.?
Edwards questioned whether some teammates want to win badly enough.
?If you?re losing close games or you?re losing and you feel like you?re giving everything, that?s one thing,? Edwards said, ?but when you?re just flat out not playing, that?s another.
?And that?s something guys around here don?t like ... But not every guy feels that way.?
Edwards amplified the point when asked why, if many Browns were passionate about facing Cincinnati, the game turned out so badly.
?Obviously,? he said, ?not everybody feels that way.?

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Edwards? tantrum is more than an everyday NFL test
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT TODD PORTER

BEREA The Browns are cracking at the seams, and Romeo Crennel has become a seamstress.
This is a season that has gone from bad to awful to brutal to a mess, and Crennel has become the janitor. But as General Manager Phil Savage would say, if Crennel is going to get fired, he?s going to get fired his way.
So Crennel spent Monday morning, maybe his worst since becoming the next victim in the Browns head coach?s seat, trying to convince fans he has control of this team.
He said he isn?t worried about job security, and Braylon Edwards? tantrum during a 30-0 pounding by the Bengals wasn?t a test.
?Every day is a test for a head coach in the NFL,? Crennel said.
If Crennel really believes Sunday?s slop was an everyday test, then he doesn?t get it.
What happened Sunday ? and how Crennel responds to it ? wasn?t just a test. It?s a defining moment in his tenure as Browns head coach.
?Some people might think that?s the case,? Crennel said. ?Time will determine that. The things that happen in life at a particular moment, you don?t know the impact until somewhere down the road. ... Of these many different things I have to deal with, which one is the most important? They?re all important. Which one gets elevated to the level you?re talking about? I?m not sure where that is.?
Crennel faced his toughest news conference since taking over. He should have.
The authority of this team was questioned by a guy who helped get this season off to its customary losing start. Remember the pass Edwards dropped that was ultimately picked off in the opener against New Orleans?
Perhaps one of the linemen should have gone to Edwards with palms facing out to say, ?Here is the part of the body to catch the ball with.?
Edwards became part of the problem with inconsistency. He threw kerosene on a raging fire Sunday with immaturity and a lack of professionalism.
Crennel doesn?t believe the tail is wagging the dog as Hall of Famer Jim Brown said Sunday.
?You?re talking about one guy, two guys? If we had 45 guys doing that, then you could say that,? Crennel said. ?We?ve got one guy who is a fiery competitive guy talking to another guy trying to make a point.?
A commanding leader wouldn?t have one guy.
That?s what was most embarrassing about Sunday.
Forget that owner Randy Lerner had to sit through that sad excuse for a football game. What about you fans?
You have sat through loss on top of miserable, sorry loss for seven seasons. Sunday was the moldy cherry on top.
The game was bad enough. Nine first downs? Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang manage that much.
When the underproductive and overprotected Edwards laid hands on his quarterback, that was the kick between the legs after the punch in the gut. Edwards? tirade was an apparent attempt to show the offensive line what part of Charlie Frye?s jersey needed to be kept clean.
He didn?t throw his quarterback under the bus. Just five other players, who, by the way, are the most close-knit group on any football team.
Crennel said the coaches and veterans need to educate Edwards on how and when to approach a teammate. Does he need Crayolas and a coloring book, too? That?s elementary.
Crennel disagrees.
?You?ve got young guys and veteran guys, and it?s all ... a learning process,? Crennel said. ?The way guys become good veteran leaders is they have to go through the inexperience, youth and growth to become good leaders down the road.?
He cited Keyshawn Johnson as an example. Last I checked, ?Throw Me the Damned Ball? didn?t have admiral in front of his name. If Keyshawn Johnson is the example of leadership Crennel is holding up, someone better erase all those pictures of Gen. George Patton in the history books.
Crennel has five games to prove he is in command of his team and that he hasn?t lost the locker room. He believed both to be true Monday.
To his credit, Crennel handled himself well. He didn?t get upset or angry. He never lost his composure. How can he preach to his players to remain composed and lose his?
Crennel maintained that any discipline Edwards may face will be handled behind closed doors, the way Edwards should have handled his concerns.
?It?s family business, and that?s the way it gets handled,? Crennel said. ?We will handle it, take care of it, and we?re going to go forward.?
One stitch at a time, maybe even on his own players.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Ex-Browns voice dies
Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Cleveland sports broadcaster Casey Coleman tosses a ceremonial first pitch during the Cleveland Indians opener in April. Coleman, who did play-by-play for the Cleveland Browns and covered the city?s other sports teams for nearly 30 years, died Monday. He was 55.​

CLEVELAND Casey Coleman wore many hats as a Cleveland broadcaster, but as Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel pointed out, ?There was a definite love for the Browns.? Coleman, who did play-by-play for the Cleveland Browns and covered the city?s other sports teams for nearly 30 years, died Monday. He was 55.
Coleman died at his home of pancreatic cancer. Bill Wills, who co-hosted WTAM?s ?Wills and Coleman in the Morning? show, announced Coleman?s death on the air. Coleman?s wife, Mary, had called the station to tell his colleagues about his death.
Coleman was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago, and continued to work until the last few months.
He was in a tough spot in 1994, when he succeeded popular Nev Chandler as the Browns play-by-play radio voice.
Chandler himself was claimed by pancreatic cancer.
Yet, Coleman had a deeper background with the team than all but a few. His father, became a radio voice of the Browns in 1952, their third NFL season. In 1954 and ?55, Ken Coleman was the lone game-day TV voice of the Browns during their final two NFL championships under Paul Brown.
In 1955, Ken Coleman teamed with retired quarterback Otto Graham in the TV booth. As the decade progressed, Casey was a Browns ball boy.
In recent years, Casey Coleman was a Browns sideline reporter. He had highs and lows in his struggle with cancer, but got to the team complex as often as he could.
He seemed at peace when he was able to make it to the stadium for games early this season, although he did not have the strength to stay.
The flag flew at half mast outside the team complex Monday.
Coleman also worked at WJW-TV, where he won four local Emmy Awards as the station?s sports anchor. Coleman began his broadcasting career in the Boston area before coming to Cleveland in 1978.
He is survived by his wife, daughters Chelsea and Kayla and stepdaughters Jackie, Kate, Carly and Taryn McDonell.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Confidence in Frye eroding?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
By STEVE DOERSCHUK

BEREA Assume for a moment that Romeo Crennel will return for a third season as head coach of the Browns.
Does he hand the keys to Charlie Frye again?
?You do what you have to do to give your team the best chance to win,? Crennel said Monday in the wake of a 30-0 loss to Cincinnati. ?If Charlie is the guy, Charlie is the guy.
?There is always a possibility of bringing someone else in and if he?s better than Charlie, he?s the guy who will play.
?Sitting here today, I don?t know if we?ll bring someone else in. Sometimes you bring people in, and sometimes you don?t bring people in.?
On the surface, Frye had an OK Sunday: 18 of 29 for 186 yards. On 10 other drop-backs, though, four resulted in sacks, four turned into interceptions, and two became scrambles netting 5 yards.
His red-zone struggles against Pittsburgh weren?t a factor because he never came within 10 yards of the Bengals? 20-yard line.
?He didn?t have a very good game yesterday,? Crennel said. ?Going forward, we hope that he plays better.?
Frye?s passer rating dropped to 69.5, 31st in the NFL, just behind freshly benched Jake Plummer (70.5), rookie Mid-American Conference product Bruce Gradkowski (70.1) and rookie Round 2 pick Matt Leinart (69.6).
The Browns trailed 23-0 before Frye got his hands on the ball in the third quarter. He said a ?nothing-to-lose? mindset came into play on at least one of his three interceptions after that.
?Before Sunday,? Crennel said, ?he had stopped turning the ball over.
?We got back into that trend trying to force the ball down the field. On two of those plays that were intercepted, he was hit when he threw the ball.
?If he wouldn?t have been hit, we might have had a chance to make the completions. If we can get him back to not throwing interceptions, I think we?ll feel good about his future.?
Two of Frye?s targets gave him a vote of confidence Monday.
?If we get it together, I mean, I see Charlie doing nothing but going up,? wideout Braylon Edwards said.
Tight end Steve Heiden added, ?I think everyone sees he has ability.?
What would get Frye going?
?Just start winning some games, give him some confidence,? Heiden said. ?I think confidence is huge in this game. Momentum is huge.?
Frye hasn?t led a touchdown drive as long as 50 yards since the final moments of the Nov. 5 game at San Diego. He hasn?t led a touchdown drive of any length in the last two games.
He is heading into a set of two games (Chiefs, Steelers) within five days.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

BROWNS REPORT
Tuesday, November 28, 2006


WHAT ABOUT TUCKER Head Coach Romeo Crennel didn?t indicate whether right tackle Ryan Tucker will play again this season. Tucker missed the second half with the same undisclosed illness that cost him games earlier in the season.
ON HIS JOB Crennel on his own job security: ?The only thing that I can worry about is trying to win a football game and get this thing together. That is what I worry about.?
AND DROUGHNS Crennel didn?t indicate whether running back Reuben Droughns will reclaim his starting job after being used sparingly, coming off a foot injury.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Edwards apologizes for sideline antics
Crennel downplays impact of receiver?s actions
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> TONY DEJAK ASSOCIATED PRESS Receiver Braylon Edwards yells toward the bench as he and quarterback Charlie Frye leave the field Sunday after a Browns drive stalled.


BEREA, Ohio ? Dressed in a blue, pinstripe sports coat and wearing large diamond-studded earrings, Braylon Edwards entered the Cleveland Browns locker room yesterday and expressed remorse for his actions during Sunday?s 30-0 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Whether the Browns organization and his teammates allow Edwards? antics to go without penalty is unknown.
Edwards yelled at teammates on the sideline following quarterback Charlie Frye?s third interception of the game in the third quarter.
It appeared that Edwards was screaming at Frye, but Edwards and coach Romeo Crennel clarified the situation yesterday. They said Edwards grabbed Frye?s jersey to make a point to offensive linemen that they were not keeping the quarterback?s jersey clean.
"I feel I embarrassed myself a little bit, and I feel like I embarrassed this organization to some extent," Edwards said. "So I wish I could do it (over) but I can?t."
A fine or a suspension is possible, although the Browns would not comment on any disciplinary action. In the past week, Edwards also criticized the team?s offensive playcalling and questioned teammate Brian Russell?s hit earlier this season on Bengals receiver Chad Johnson.
How the Browns handle the situation could be a defining moment in coach Romeo Crennel?s two-year tenure with the team. Edwards? actions and tight end Kellen Winslow Jr.?s criticism of former offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon give the perception that players are starting to run amok under Crennel?s watch.
"Braylon was frustrated because we were losing and he?s a competitor, but that doesn?t make it right for him to rant and rave on the sideline," Crennel said. "Me, personally, I like my players to show a little bit more composure and be pros about the job that they do and the way they conduct themselves.
"We?re going to talk to Braylon, and we will get Braylon to the point where he will be a good, productive member of this team."
There is no doubt that Edwards is causing a distraction, but teammates say they are trying to move on, especially the offensive linemen.
"People respect somebody who takes responsibility for something they did and then they move on," said Browns offensive tackle Kelly Butler, who exchanged words with Edwards on Sunday. "Once you acknowledge that it was a mistake, then we?ll respect you more. ? I think we?re all trying to win."
In the midst of the turmoil, Cleveland (3-8) has to play another playoff contender Sunday in the Kansas City Chiefs (7-4), winners of five of their past six games.
Meanwhile, the Browns are heading in the opposite direction.
"Some people will wonder is the team fragmented, have you lost the team and all of those kinds of questions," Crennel said.
"On every team there are some issues that you have deal with, and you deal with them. But I think that you?ll see that this team will stay together. This team will fight and compete and go forward. And part of my task is to make sure that we do that."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Browns OL Tucker to miss rest of season with illness

11/28/2006, 8:59 p.m. ET
The Associated Press


CLEVELAND (AP) ? Browns right tackle Ryan Tucker will miss the rest of the season because of an undisclosed illness.
Tucker was placed on the non-football illness list Tuesday after missing the second half of Sunday's 30-0 loss against Cincinnati.
Tucker, a team captain, started nine games this year but missed two because of the illness: Oct. 29 against the New York Jets and Nov. 5 at San Diego.
The 31-year-old Tucker wouldn't reveal what the nature of his illness was after returning to the team Nov. 8, saying it was irrelevant. He had said he was back to normal.

Tucker had been Cleveland's steadiest member of an offensive line that has been in constant flux because of injuries and personnel changes in recent years. He made 62 starts over the past four seasons.
The Browns also made a series of other moves.
They placed defensive lineman Ethan Kelley on injured reserve, signed free-agent defensive lineman J'Vonne Parker, signed offensive lineman Rob Smith from the practice squad and signed defensive lineman Alvin Smith to the practice squad.
Kelley injured his knee Sunday against Cincinnati. He appeared in 11 games and had 22 tackles.
Parker was waived at the end of training camp by the Browns and was claimed by Dallas, where he appeared in two games before being waived Nov. 7. He played in four games for the Browns last year.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

As Browns flounder, so does Crennel


Tuesday, November 28, 2006 Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Columnist

Romeo Crennel talks like a teacher, not a principal.
Delivering Braylon Edwards' head on a stick to placate Jim Brown, the media or the fans wouldn't suddenly transform Crennel in anyone's eyes any more than Maurice Carthon's departure did.
Crennel is what he was for so many years before owner Randy Lerner hired him and made him part of an unproven management team with frequent-flying General Manager Phil Savage. A good guy. An accomplished defensive coordinator. And . . . did we mention a good guy?

Crennel thought Edwards needed to be "educated" last week when the Browns wide receiver dragged teammate Brian Russell through the muck. That was the time to fine or bench Edwards to get his attention.
Instead, Crennel accepted Edwards' lame excuse that he was speaking on behalf of wide receivers as if they were spotted owls.
When Bill Belichick was a first-time head coach in this town, he erred on the authoritarian side. That was in his character. It was much easier for Belichick to soften than it will be for Crennel to slide toward him on the scale.
You can see Crennel's steady-as-she-goes optimism in the way he analyzes losses. The sky must fall as it did last Christmas Eve and again Sunday to see any change in him.
Head coaching is a big job. Demanding professional conduct from players is only part of it. Crennel's flaws lie elsewhere. He waffled on Trent Dilfer and Charlie Frye last year. He let himself get saddled with a kid quarterback and no Plan B this year. He tolerated the friction surrounding Carthon until the situation became untenable. And he looked weaker for it.
The bigger indictment of Crennel happened in front of him again Sunday, not behind him. The Edwards blowup in the context of a 30-0 loss was more symptomatic of the slow crawl of progress in Berea than it was a crack threatening to divide the team.
Kellen Winslow Jr. started out the season gesturing toward Carthon on the sideline. Crennel isn't suddenly a better coach because Winslow is happier with his offensive share. It's not as simple as that.
Crennel balked at the suggestion that Edwards' sideline antics were a reflection on him, wondering correctly why the professional conduct of 50 other players isn't also seen as a reflection on the head coach.
But the reason why it gets tied to him is that he had all week to impress upon Edwards the need to show up with an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude. Whatever "educating" the head coach thought he did last week apparently got lost in translation when he turned his back to watch Sunday's game.
On the field, the Browns looked just as poorly schooled after a shortened practice week. That was the clearest reflection on Crennel. Remember, they got Monday off after their near-win (otherwise known as a loss) against Pittsburgh.

For Cincinnati, Crennel trotted out a 1,200-yard rusher who split time but played on special teams. Charlie Frye spent the day shell-shocked, running into as many sacks as he avoided. The Browns' defense looked unprepared for the Bengals' no-huddle for the second time.
The offense, under the second play-caller of 2006, got shut out by the 32nd-ranked defense. No, sorry, Edwards' mouth isn't close to the No. 1 problem Crennel has to fix to restore belief that he's not the next ex-coach of the Browns.
To reach Bud Shaw:
[email protected], 216-999-5639
Previous columns online:
cleveland.com/columns

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

BROWNS INSIDER
Possibility of passer with more ability next season


Tuesday, November 28, 2006 Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter

Coach Romeo Crennel left open the possibility that the Browns will bring in a quarterback to challenge Charlie Frye next season.
Frye, who threw four interceptions against the Bengals, has dropped to 31st in the NFL with a quarterback rating of 69.5. Heading into the game, he was 26th with a rating of 73.8.
"You do what you have to do to give your team the best chance to win," Crennel said.
"If Charlie is that guy, then Charlie is the guy. If you want to bring someone else in, which there's always that possibility of someone else coming in -- and if he's better than Charlie, then he's the guy who plays. Sitting here today, I don't know if we're going to bring someone else in or not."
Crennel said Frye reverted back to his old ways of throwing interceptions against the Bengals after going two games without one. He's also near the bottom of the league with only nine touchdown passes, and the Browns have gone almost 11 quarters without an offensive TD.
"He didn't have a very good game [Sunday]," Crennel said. "Going forward, we hope he plays better. On two of those plays that were intercepted, he was hit as he threw the ball. If he's not hit, I think we've got a chance to complete those balls. If we can get him back to not throwing interceptions and not turning the ball over, I think we'll feel better about Charlie and his future."
Tucker uncertainty:
The Browns have no idea if right tackle Ryan Tucker will be back this season. He left the game at halftime with a recurrence of his undisclosed illness that caused him to miss two recent games.
Crennel admitted that it might be hard to count on Tucker even if he does return.
"It might be tough with the track record right now," Crennel said. "All we can do is go by what the medical people tell us. If they tell us that he's good to go, then he'll go.
Kelly Butler, who was part of the heated exchange with Braylon Edwards on Sunday,-RD%> is expected to continue to replace Tucker.
Crennel on Brown:
Crennel was aware of Jim Brown's remarks that the leadership of the team, specifically Crennel, needs to clamp down on Edwards to keep him in line. Brown is an executive adviser and has the ear of Browns owner Randy Lerner.
"Jim and I talk," Crennel said. "We have a good, open line of communication. Jim has his opinion on how things should be done. We don't always agree on those things. But what we both have at heart is what's best for the Browns."
Droughns' situation:
Crennel said Reuben Droughns' benching was partly because of his sprained foot and partly because Jason Wright hit the holes well against Pittsburgh. Droughns carried the ball twice and was relegated mostly to special teams.
"In trying to get those guys to the game, I told them that they have to do more than just carry the ball on whatever package they're in," Crennel said.
"All of them are playing special teams."
Will Droughns be back as the starter?
"When his foot heals, we'll see if that's the case," Crennel said.
Extra points:
Crennel said he didn't think defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's candidacy for the Michigan State job was a distraction. . . . Orpheus Roye and Ethan Kelley suffered knee injuries in the game and their status will be updated Wednesday.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4670

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

BROWNS: Players supporting Crennel
Thursday, November 30, 2006
By Steve Doerschuk repository sports wRITER

CHIEFS AT BROWNS Sunday, 1 p.m.
Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV Channel 19


BEREA Might Romeo Crennel be made a scapegoat if a season with a gash in its side keeps sinking?
"That's ridiculous," tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. said Wednesday. "Romeo ... Coach Romeo ... has nothing to worry about. That's ridiculous."
If it's ridiculous, it's real. NFL head coaches with Crennel's record get fired in any given January (see chart).
After going 9-23 in the final two years Butch Davis began as head coach, the Browns are 9-18 under Crennel.
Crennel, 59, has said all along he won't keep the job if he doesn't win. He was not taken aback Wednesday when the theme of his press conference turned from the Braylon Edwards soap opera to his own future.
At one point, Crennel said matter of factly, "If I believe what some of you seem to believe, I may not have a future."
Crennel's situation is far more complex than managing a young player blowing a fuse during a 30-0 loss.
Owner Randy Lerner wants continuity and growth, but many of his customers are at wit's end with losing in general, this year's 1-5 home record in particular, and a pitiful defeat fresh in their minds.
Coming off a 6-10 year, though, Crennel and a staff of mostly no-name assistants have been unable to create any momentum.
Crennel shows no signs of losing his appetite for the job. Asked to identify his vision, he said:
"I want this team to be competitive within the division and have an opportunity to play for the division championship.
"I would like to get to the playoffs and have an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. That's probably not going to happen this year, but that doesn't mean that it can't happen next year.
"If I have the opportunity to continue, I'll plan to do that next year."
He concedes he doesn't know everything Lerner and General Manager Phil Savage say to each other about him, but he talks to both regularly and thinks they have a good dialogue.
The Browns are 3-8. Crennel knows losing out would be harmful to his professional health.
"I've been 3-13 before," he said, referring to a stint as Browns defensive coordinator in 2000 that preceded his run to three Super Bowls with the Patriots. "I'm not there yet.
"We have five games left. We are going to try to win all five of them, and we are going to play them one at a time. That's the way you have to do it and that's the way it's always been done."
Perhaps it works in Crennel's favor that no recent example of a quick coaching change includes a story in which a franchise lit up under a new regime.
Working against Crennel is a climate of patience worn thin in a city that has seen a franchise move and just two seasons better than 7-9 in the last two decades.
Several players defended Crennel on Wednesday. One was Edwards, whose sideline tirade Sunday raised questions about Crennel's ability to control the team.
"There's a lot of talk right now," Edwards said. "There's a lot of media hype. But in actuality, I don't think Romeo's going anywhere, and I don't think he needs to go anywhere."
Linebacker Willie McGinest, who has played for Crennel in New England and Cleveland, said, "For 'RAC' (Crennel's nickname) to be ridiculed for what went on and what's going on is ridiculous.
"The man's a decorated general in this game, a captain. ... The man knows how to win. He knows how to get guys together. He was my D-coordinator on all those Super Bowl teams.
"RAC has a lot of respect across the league."
Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. said Crennel is "not the problem at all."
"Everybody loves Romeo," Winslow said.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail [email protected]



Leaving so soon?
Recent examples of teams making quick head coaching changes:
? The 49ers divorced Dennis Erickson after he went 7-9 and 2-14.
? Steve Spurrier left the Redskins after seasons of 7-9 and 5-11.
? Bill Callahan got to a Super Bowl in his first year and got the ax the next after the Raiders dove to 4-12.
? Marty Mornhinweg (2-14, 3-13) and Steve Mariucci (5-11, 6-10, then replaced by Dick Jauron during a 5-11 year) wore out quickly in Detroit.
? After seasons of 9-7 and 5-11, the Bills had enough of that (Mike) Mularkey.
? Butch Davis didn't last two full seasons after Randy Lerner inherited the Browns from his father.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns: Edwards? goes to OSU game, runs late to team meeting
Thursday, November 30, 2006
By Steve Doerschuk repository sports wRITER

BEREA Browns wideout Braylon Edwards thought, "Go Blue." Romeo Crennel thought, "Stay home." Edwards chartered a helicopter so he could watch his alma mater, Michigan, in its historic battle at Ohio State two Saturdays ago.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance," Edwards said.
Crennel and some Browns veterans thought it was a chance Edwards should pass up, with the Browns facing Pittsburgh the next day.
"It bothered me," Crennel said.
The Browns stay as a team at a downtown hotel the Saturday before home games. Did Edwards ask for Crennel's OK to fly to Ohio Stadium?
"He doesn't have to have permission," said Crennel, who thought veterans had talked Edwards out of the idea.
The wideout was required to attend an evening team meeting in the team hotel, which meant he had to hustle back from a 3:30 p.m. game.
Crennel was dismayed that Edwards was late.
"I got to the O-State game on time," Edwards said. "I left on time ... just something happened when I got to the airport, but there's no excuse.
"I was late. That's that. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I took a shot.
"I was off by a little bit. So, I do apologize, and Romeo and I have already talked about that.
"I was two minutes late to be exact, but late is late."
Against the Steelers, Edwards posted season highs in catches (seven) and yards (137).
Crennel still didn't like it that Edwards went to Columbus.
"We had a major game to play and we put a lot of effort into it," he said. "It takes energy to go somewhere else."
The situation came to light on a day Crennel refused to say how Edwards was disciplined for his sideline outburst during Sunday's 30-0 loss to the Bengals.
"We've addressed it in-house and we've dealt with the situation," Crennel said. "It's going to remain in-house."
Crennel refused to say whether Edwards has been fined or will lose playing time Sunday against Kansas City.
Edwards explained how he will respond to his recent troubles.
"Main thing ... just keep playing hard," he said. "There are a lot of things that have gone wrong around here, but I can't control all that. My college coach told me something that should always hold true. Worry about what you can control.
"All I can control is ... is Braylon Edwards getting open? Is Braylon Edwards blocking? Is Braylon Edwards where he's supposed to be on time?"
How does he think he will be greeted by fans Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium?
"It really will be interesting," he said.

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Drama, questions build with Edwards, Crennel


Thursday, November 30, 2006Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter
Romeo Crennel's control of his 3-8 team remained the hot topic on Wednesday when it was disclosed that Braylon Edwards arrived late for a team meeting the night before the Pittsburgh game after helicoptering to the Ohio State-Michigan game without permission.
Crennel wouldn't say if Edwards was fined. One thing is for sure: The receiver's playing time was unaffected.
"It bothered me. It did," Crennel said of Edwards' decision to attend the game against the advice of some teammates.
"We had a major game to play that week, and we put a lot of effort and energy into it. To fly down to a game like that and have the stress of possibly not getting back in time, that takes energy away from the job you have to do on Sunday.
"With that being said, he had a pretty good game on Sunday." Edwards had a career-high 137 yards on seven receptions in the Browns' 24-20 loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 19.
Crennel said players typically have about eight hours of free time between practice and meetings on the Saturday before a home game.
"What they do in that time, I have no control over," Crennel said.
"I can't hold their hands."
According to the NFL collective bargaining agreement, the most Edwards could be fined for being late for a meeting is $5,000.
Edwards said he was two minutes late for the meeting. He said he apologized to Crennel, but would not confirm he was fined.
"We're grown men. We make decisions and we have to stick by decisions," Edwards said. "I made the decision that I thought I was going to get back on time. I didn't need permission. I'm not a kid anymore. It just didn't happen. I don't regret it, don't at all. I wish I had been back on time."
There are some who suspect Crennel's lax reaction to Edwards' gambit to Columbus indirectly influenced Edwards' bold actions the following week.
That's when Edwards made news by blasting teammate Brian Russell, criticizing play-calling and then venting at quarterback Charlie Frye on the sideline during a 30-0 loss to Cincinnati.
Crennel said he would not disclose whether Edwards was fined for anything said or done last week.
Asked if Edwards would lose playing time Sunday against Kansas City, or even be suspended for the game, the coach said, "No comment."
The handling of Edwards, coinciding with the dismal performance against division rival Cincinnati, has turned up the heat on Crennel. A program host on the team's flagship radio station, WTAM AM/1100, said Tuesday that Crennel would be fired if the Browns laid another egg on Sunday.
So the question hangs over the team every day, much like it did in Butch Davis' final days. Is Crennel's job on the line from game to game?
"I think that's kind of far-fetched. I think RAC's [Crennel's nickname] doing a good job," said linebacker Willie McGinest.
"For RAC to be ridiculed or prosecuted for what went on and what's going on, I think it's ridiculous. The man's a decorated general in this game, a captain. He's won more championships - he's right there with [Bill] Belichick and [Bill] Parcells.
"The man knows how to win. He's been part of a lot of successful teams. He knows how to get guys together. Guys have a lot of respect for RAC and RAC's got a lot of respect around the league."
Quarterback Charlie Frye said: "We all think that Romeo's a great coach. He's our leader. We just have to play these five games out and see where the chips fall at the end of the season."
Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. said: "It's a joke if he's on the hot seat."
To his credit, Crennel on Wednesday maintained his composure and class, as usual, during another day of uncomfortable interrogation about his job status.
Crennel admitted that discussions he had with other head coaches don't adequately prepare a man for the unexpected events that cross the desk of an NFL head coach.
This year alone, Crennel lost his new Pro Bowl-caliber center on the first day of training camp practice, headed into the season without an experienced backup quarterback while breaking in a virtual rookie, watched his offensive coordinator resign under pressure, lost two of his top three cornerbacks to season-ending injuries, lost his best offensive lineman to an undisclosed illness and watched his top receiver alienate himself in the locker room by dancing to his own beat.
"You know it's tough, but until you sit in the seat, you really don't know what they're talking about," Crennel said.
Neither owner Randy Lerner nor General Manager Phil Savage has rushed to support Crennel publicly - and that has contributed to the perception that his days are numbered.
"If I didn't have their support, I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you," Crennel said. "So I'm assuming I have their support. Until I'm told otherwise, I feel I have their support."
Savage is expected to address the media today in a news conference scheduled weeks ago.