Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Clash of the Titans Rogers and Haynesworth are tackles worth weight
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Friday, Dec 05, 2008
BEREA: Browns receiver Donte' Stallworth still recalls a summer workout at the University of Tennessee when he realized the special athleticism of Albert Haynesworth.
He, Haynesworth and John Henderson were sophomores, and Stallworth spotted the two defensive linemen doing ladder drills with the running backs. It was his first clue that Haynesworth and Henderson were destined for the NFL.
In the 2002 NFL Draft, all three went in the first round ? Henderson ninth to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Stallworth 13th to the New Orleans Saints and Haynesworth 15th to the Tennessee Titans ? as 10 Volunteers were selected.
Watching the two big men stepping through the rungs of a ladder lying on the ground, Stallworth said, ''You could see it, these aren't ordinary defensive linemen. [Haynesworth] has got some really quick feet.''
Stallworth said Haynesworth more than held his own with the backs.
''Plus nobody wanted to be in his way, either,'' Stallworth said.
The game Sunday pitting the Titans (11-1) against the Browns (4-8) at LP Field in Nashville has little marquee value except for the matchup of two of the league's best defensive tackles ? 6-foot-6, 320-pound Haynesworth of the Titans against 6-4, 350-pound Shaun Rogers of the Browns.
With players and coaches voting for the Pro Bowl next Thursday and Friday, Haynesworth is certain of his
second consecutive trip to Hawaii, and Rogers has a chance for his third appearance. The results will be announced Dec. 16.
In his seventh year with the Titans, Haynesworth is tied for 12th in the league in sacks (81/2) and has added 64 tackles, six tackles for losses, 19 quarterback pressures, four forced fumbles and a pass defense. In his first season with the Browns after seven with the Detroit Lions, Rogers has notched 41/2 sacks, 62 tackles, seven tackles for losses, 12 pressures, and two pass breakups. He also has blocked two field goals.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Analysis: A rebuilding trio in 2004, have Browns, 49ers and Dolphins found the right track?

by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday December 04, 2008, 7:17 PM

John Kuntz/The Plain DealerAt any point over the last four seasons, an NFL fan could probably decide that the prospects for the Browns, Dolphins or (in this case) the 49ers were topsy-turvy. But have any of these three struggling franchises truly turned the corner?
The three worst organizations in the NFL in 2004 were San Francisco (2-14), Miami (4-12) and Cleveland (4-12). The Dolphins and Browns crawled to the finish line with interim coaches. Each franchise made major regime changes in early 2005. The Browns are the only one of the three not to blow it up and start over. Yet.
The Dolphins have had two re-starts and may have finally broken through in the first year of re-organization under Bill Parcells as imperial football czar. Tony Sparano is Miami's third head coach in four years.
The 49ers took authority away from coach Mike Nolan after two years and finally fired him this season. They are giving Mike Singletary a nine-game trial to win the permanent job.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Browns Insider: Will Cribbs finally 'flash' his stuff?

by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday December 04, 2008, 7:43 PM

NFLJosh Cribbs has yet to get an extended opportunity to show off the Browns' "Flash" package.
If necessity is the mother of invention, then maybe this is the week for the Browns to utilize their "Flash" package for Josh Cribbs. With quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson out with injuries, Ken Dorsey will make his first start for the Browns Sunday in Nashville, Tenn., against the Titans. Behind Dorsey is Bruce Gradkowski, who joined the team Tuesday after spending the entire season auditioning for jobs.
The last time the Browns were this thin at quarterback was late in the 2000 season when injuries hit two of their three passers. They prepared for Game 15 against Philadelphia with only third-stringer Doug Pederson as a natural quarterback.
Long before the "wildcat" formation swept the NFL, former Browns coach Chris Palmer unveiled his version of it on a cold, wet December day in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

On that day Palmer used both receivers Kevin Johnson and Dennis Northcutt intermittently behind center in the shotgun formation.
Johnson, a former high school quarterback, lined up three times at quarterback and threw three times, completing one pass for 23 yards. He was intercepted once.
Northcutt lined up seven times and ran with a direct snap each time, gaining 37 yards.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns worry about Titans' fast back
Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson (28) celebrates his 58-yard touchdown run with LenDale White (25) in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
By By STEVE DOERSCHUK
[email protected]
Posted Dec 04, 2008 @ 09:45 PM
Last update Dec 04, 2008 @ 09:53 PM
BEREA ?
BEREA It?ll be cold Sunday in Nashville, perhaps in the mid-30s, but it won?t be cold enough to snow.

That means rookie Chris Johnson could do some serious skating for the 11-1 Titans.

?His speed is unbelievable,? Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel said before Thursday?s practice.

Not everyone believed he would be a big-time back in the NFL, which allowed the Titans to get him in the bargain zone of this year?s first round, at No. 24 overall.

The payoff has been 958 rushing yards, second in the AFC, and seven touchdowns. His per-carry average in a strong 4.7.

Browns rushing leader Jamal Lewis has rushed 793 yards at 3.6 per carry, with four TDs.

Johnson ran a 10.38-second 100-meter dash as a high school kid in Orlando, Fla. At East Carolina, he rushed for 301 yards in a game against Memphis last year.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Johnson is a more complete back than Cleveland?s Jamal Harrison.

?He?ll block, he?ll catch, and he?s productive without the ball,? Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher said. ?Then, when we get the ball in his hands, he?s got tremendous speed to make big plays.?

The Giants won a Super Bowl with a big-back, fast-back mix. The Titans have their eye on one with Johnson offset by big back LenDale White, the guy who shared the football with Reggie Bush at USC.

White has hammered in 13 touchdowns, but the Browns are more worried about Johnson as an all-day problem.

?We have a chance to be better against a power guy because of the way we?re built,? Head Coach Romeo Crennel said. ?The speed guy will cause us more problems.?

Johnson has been a huge problem for weak defenses.

His three biggest rushing games are 168 yards against the 32nd-ranked Chiefs, 125 yards against the No. 31 Lions and 109 yards against the No. 24 Bengals.

The Browns defense ranks No. 26 overall and against the run.

Cont...

 

[schwab]

Did you hear they've asked Braylon Edwards to appear at Times Square in New York for New Years?

They want him to drop the ball.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Top defensive tackles ready to settle debate

Sunday, December 7, 2008 3:13 AM
By Mary Kay Cabot


The Plain Dealer

BEREA, Ohio -- Titans coach Jeff Fisher has a plan for determining which No. 92 is better: his premier defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, or the Browns' Shaun Rogers.
"What I'm going to do is put Albert at left guard this week, so we'll see how that matchup is and we'll be able to settle this once and for all," Fisher joked. "They're both clearly two of the best at the position in the NFL. They do a lot of the same things, they're very disruptive, they're strong, they're frequently making tackles for losses and they press the quarterback well."
Haynesworth, in his seventh year, is having a career season with 8.5 sacks (tied for first in the NFL among tackles), 19 pressures, six tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. Not only is he up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, but NFL MVP honors are a realistic possibility, as well.

Continued.............

 

[Mac]

ESPN - Sources: Cleveland Browns eye Marty Schottenheimer for 2009

Sources: Browns eye Schottenheimer for potential vacancy

ESPN.com news services
Updated: December 7, 2008, 12:28 PM ET

If Romeo Crennel is fired by the Browns, a familiar name to Cleveland fans could get a chance to return to coach the team.

The Browns are looking very hard at bringing back Marty Schottenheimer to the place where he got his NFL head coaching start, team sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

Schottenheimer has been out of coaching since he was fired by the Chargers after a 14-2 season in 2006.


cont...



hmmm could be a good move

 

[NFBuck]

Three more games in the Crennel era.

 

[billmac91]

Three more games in the Crennel era.

Bringing back Marty would truly suck....I just hope this report is bogus. There are so mnay young, good assistants out there, that understand the game and haven't built their entire resume on Bill Bellichek.

No doubt Marty wins more games, but who wants to watch the Browns lose in the playoffs by running the football 45 times? If not Cowher, please try and find another Mike Smith or John Harbaugh. They are out their to be found....

 

[NFBuck]

Bringing back Marty would truly suck....I just hope this report is bogus. There are so mnay young, good assistants out there, that understand the game and haven't built there entire resume on Bill Bellichek.

No doubt Marty wins more games, but who wants to watch the Browns lose in the playoffs by running the football 45 times? If not Cowher, please try and find another Mike Smith or John Harbaugh. They are out their to be found....

Agree 100% about Marty. He may turn around the win/loss record pretty quickly, but ultimately would lead to more playoff frustration. Plus he's 65 years old, you're looking at another coaching search in 3-4 years in all likelihood.

 

[billmac91]

Agree 100% about Marty. He may turn around the win/loss record pretty quickly, but ultimately would lead to more playoff frustration. Plus he's 65 years old, you're looking at another coaching search in 3-4 years in all likelihood.

bring up a great point in having to turn the reigns over in 3-4 years. Most likely to his son, if he doesn't have a head coaching position filled. I just don't feel like going down this road.

Hopefully Savage and Lerner see it the same way....

 

[schwab]

The way I see it, is we have a habit of replacing coaches every 3-4 years anyways, so if by hiring Marty we would have playoff frustration, then you had me at playoff.

 

[WoodyWorshiper]

Marty always had the knack of not being able to win the "Big One" here. Plus, he's the only Coach in the history of existence to get fired after a 14-2 season. Personally, I'd give Romeo at least another year with Quinn as his #1 to see what he can do. Other than that, I really don't care who they hire as their next Coach, as long as the dude's name isn't Rich Rodriguez. We as Buckeye fans need him where he is now.

 

[Best Buckeye]

At this point in time I figure that you Browns fans would take anyone just to get rid of Romeo. I mean it can't get any worse can it? oh wait ...Nm

 

[schwab]

At this point in time I figure that you Browns fans

BB, I take this quote to mean you aren't a Browns fan. You are here because you enjoy train wrecks? :tongue2:

would take anyone just to get rid of Romeo.

I would answer yes to this. So why not Marty? If we hire some turd that ends up getting canned in 3-4 years, it's a wash. I tend to believe Marty has one last go 'round in him after SD undercut him, and what better place for him to rejuvenate a team, than the place where he almost had it all, a long 20 years ago. Kind of an un-finished chapter in his book.

I mean it can't get any worse can it?

See: Lions, Detroit; Bengals, Cincinnati

This is a great year for the Browns to have a top 10 pick, in my eyes at least. There should be three top 10 picks who played in Columbus, and this could be the year one of them ends up in Cleveland.

Of course, that probably would make too much sense...