Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[osugrad21]

CPD

A season in distress: Error-prone Browns manhandled by hard-hitting Ravens, 28-10

by Tony Grossi Sunday September 21, 2008, 10:00 PM


John Kuntz/The Plain DealerRay Lewis delivers the key hit of Sunday's game, dislodging the ball from Kellen Winslow's grip on a third-down play deep in Browns territory. Chris McAlister caught the ball for an interception, and the Ravens eventually took the lead for good en route to their 28-10 victory at MB&T Stadium.
BALTIMORE -- Who could have foreseen the Browns falling out of the playoff race before the leaves fall from the trees? Autumn officially arrived today with the Browns in last place in the AFC North with an 0-3 record after their second straight division loss, 28-10, to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday in M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore took over first place at 2-0.
Expecting to slug it out with the Pittsburgh Steelers all year, the Browns instead have joined the company of the lowly Cincinnati Bengals. The 0-3 teams meet Sunday in Paul Brown Stadium with sole possession of the cellar at stake.
For the record, only two teams since 1993 have started a season 0-3 and made the playoffs. Of the 78 previous 0-3 teams, 68 ended with a losing record.
The Browns have been 0-3 on only four other occasions since 1950 and proceeded to lose 11 games (twice), 12 and 14 in those seasons.

Usually, the exhibition season is long forgotten by now. But the Browns' 0-4 record in the preseason continues to haunt them as a grim precursor. The Boys of Summer, they are not.
"This hurts big time. Oh-and-three is pathetic," said running back Jamal Lewis, who thought the team should have run more.
"This [stinks]," said center Hank Fraley. "Before we blink, we could be 0-4 and looking to rebuild."

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Browns Insider: With Edwards, Winslow stymied, offense labors to find options

by Mark Kay Cabot Sunday September 21, 2008, 11:28 PM


John Kuntz/The Plain DealerRay Lewis led the Ravens defense in its second-half assault on the Browns. Lewis was credited with four tackles, and his hit on Kellen Winslow led to Chris McAlister's interception to start the second half.
The Ravens made Pro Bowlers Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards seem like rumors during their 28-10 victory over the Browns Sunday. Edwards caught only three passes for 27 yards and Winslow caught only two for 14 yards. That's 41 yards and no TDs from the team's two biggest offensive stars.
"Teams are closing down on K2 and Braylon," said receiver Josh Cribbs.
With injuries and a lack of depth at receiver, the strategy has been effective. Derek Anderson completed only 14 of 37 attempts for 125 yards, with one TD and three picks.
Winslow had the ball knocked out of his hands by Ray Lewis, and Chris McAlister picked it off. Later, Edwards had a pass intended for him picked off by Samari Rolle.
"They played it pretty smart," said Anderson. "They rolled guys to Braylon and beat Kellen up pretty good and got their hands on him. One time, I know Kellen kind of got pulled going for a ball across the middle. We were going to get a catch out of it I felt like. They had a good gameplan for us."
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[osugrad21]

CPD

Anderson admits starting job at risk after loss

by Mark Kay Cabot Sunday September 21, 2008, 10:41 PM


Nick Wass/Associated PressDerek Anderson seldom had much time in the pocket Sunday, as he was sacked five times by the Ravens while completing 14 of 37 pass attempts.
BALTIMORE -- Derek Anderson acknowledged after Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Ravens that he's fighting for his starting job. "I'm not going to say I'm not, because I'm not playing good," Anderson said. "I've just got to keep playing. I'll continue to work and I'll come through it and be fine, but I've got to continue to get better."
Coach Romeo Crennel made it clear Sunday that everyone's job is on the line after tumbling to 0-3.
"I told the guys we're going to look at everybody in every position and then we're going to do what we think is the best and try to improve this team," he said.
Even the quarterback?
"I said all positions," he said.

Anderson had a dismal performance -- especially in the second half when he threw all three of his interceptions. He finished the day 14-of-37 for 125 yards with one touchdown and the three picks for a 22.9 rating -- the second-lowest of his Browns career. He was also sacked five times and hit several other times after the throw.
His season tally is two TD passes, five interceptions and a 43.5 rating -- a far cry from the 91.5 rating he had in his first 10 starts of last season.
So, did Crennel consider going to Brady Quinn when the Browns were trailing in the second half?

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Ravens relishing their Browns beatdown

by Bradley Schlegel, Special to The Plain Dealer Sunday September 21, 2008, 10:31 PM


John Kuntz/The Plain DealerDelirious Ravens fans celebrate with Ed Reed after the Baltimore safety intercepted a Derek Anderson pass and returned it 32 yards for a score in the third quarter Sunday.
BALTIMORE -- Ray Lewis dropped an interception just before halftime. Early in the third quarter, Baltimore's inside linebacker delivered the pivotal hit. His collision with Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow led to Chris McAlister's interception and triggered a 21-point flurry to help the Ravens rally for a 28-10 victory Sunday.
The play energized Baltimore's defense, which notched three interceptions and registered five sacks against Browns quarterback Derek Anderson. Lewis, a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, added four solo tackles.
"Were ya'll shocked?" said Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who posted two sacks. "I knew it was coming. It was just a matter of when."
Down, 10-7, Baltimore was forced to cope with watching a teammate, safety Dawan Landry, strapped to a gurney and carried off the field late in the second quarter. At halftime, Lewis rallied the team, according to Suggs.
"I don't think there is a more vocal leader, and just a leader, period, in the NFL than Ray Lewis," Suggs said. "He knew we had to make a play."

Three plays into the third, with the Browns facing third-and-3 on its 17, Lewis struck. He hit Winslow, who was running a seven-yard in route in the middle of the field. The ball fell into the arms of McAlister, who returned it to the Cleveland 12. Four plays later Le'Ron McClain scored on a one-yard touchdown run to put Baltimore ahead for good.
Lewis said he didn't think Anderson would make that throw.

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Tony Grossi's edge for Browns-Ravens

by Tony Grossi Sunday September 21, 2008, 9:58 PM


Offense: Donte Stallworth must be a future Hall of Famer. Without him in the lineup, Browns look incapable of getting the ball to Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Browns were fried by two Derek Anderson interceptions in span of three minutes in third quarter. Long before then, Jamal Lewis wanted to run more. EDGE: Ravens.
Defense: Ravens pounce on offenses that make mistakes. Lewis' hit on Winslow, causing Anderson's first interception, was the play of the game. From that point, Ravens teed off on Anderson and ended up sacking him five time

s and intercepting him three times. EDGE: Ravens.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

Postgame scribbles from Browns-Ravens

by Terry Pluto Sunday September 21, 2008, 9:28 PM


You can talk injuries, you can talk tough schedule, you can talk about it until you run out of rationalizations by the start of the 2009 draft -- but the 0-3 Browns are the biggest disappointment of this young season. Suppose Donte Stallworth had been healthy. Or if Sean Jones/Brodney Pool had played every game together. Or if some others were healthy, but also remember every team has some injuries. Consider the poor quarterbacking, not stopping the run, some questionable coaching and too many penalties. Until they play smarter, more disciplined football, they are not ready for prime time -- no matter what the television networks think.
I also don't think signing an older receiver such as Joe Horn would make much of a difference. There is a reason he is still available, and I also think the Browns do have some options on offense that have not been used. Here is the weekly plea for more Jerome Harrison. Before Sunday in Baltimore, the last time Harrison touched the ball it was for 23 yards in a screen pass. That was against Pittsburgh, where he was on the field for only three snaps. This week, his first touch became an electric 19-yard TD after a short pass from Derek Anderson.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

QB quandary: What's wrong with Anderson?

by Terry Pluto Sunday September 21, 2008, 8:36 PM


John Kuntz/The Plain DealerAfter another hard rush from the Ravens defense that knocked him to the turf, Derek Anderson was left with his thoughts during another Browns loss.
BALTIMORE -- Derek Anderson stood on the Browns' goal line, hands on hips, staring, shaking his head, looking like a man who just watched someone steal his car right out of his garage -- because he left the keys in the ignition and the motor running. That's what happened near the end of the Browns' 28-10 loss to Baltimore, when Anderson threw his third interception of the afternoon -- right into the hands of Samari Rolle.
It was a lousy pass, like too many in this game.
And too many this season.
Anderson has been alternating between being fixated on a single receiver and throwing in that direction regardless of the coverage -- or sometimes hopping away from a pass rush like a man in bare feet trying to escape a pack of fire ants.
Not everything wrong with the Browns is the fault of Anderson, but there are enough problems with the quarterback that should raise some serious questions at the team's practice facility this week.

Anderson missed three weeks of training camp (and three preseason games) with a concussion. He also had a significant concussion in college. He is a totally different quarterback than a year ago, when Anderson helped transform the Browns into a winner by doing two things:

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[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns are hapless ? and probably hopeless ? after 28-10 loss to Ravens
Monday, September 22, 2008
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
[email protected]

BALTIMORE The great expectations are all gone, replaced by worst-case tribulations.

The Browns are 0-3 after a rag doll of a 28-10 loss to the hated (perhaps not enough by them) Ravens.

"Oh-and-three? It's pathetic," said ex-Raven Jamal Lewis, whose short time in Cleveland is getting old. "I don't know what else to say."

When it was 21-10, Baltimore ...

After two brutal interceptions to start the second half ...

On a horrific string of plays on which Braylon Edwards was flagged for an illegal block, a delay-of-game penalty was called, the quarterback was sacked, and Mike Adams was nailed for a cheap shot during a punt ...

That early, in the third quarter of the third game, it seemed time to wonder ...

Is the Derek Anderson era over?

The Romeo Crennel era?

The Phil Savage era?
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[osugrad21]

Canton

Todd Porter: Forget the playoffs, because these Browns are done
Monday, September 22, 2008
BY TODD PORTER
[email protected]

BALTIMORE

There wasn't even a hint of chill in the fresh Baltimore evening when the Browns walked off the field at M&T Bank Stadium. It was, other than the sullen looks on Cleveland players' faces, a perfect last day of summer.

And the Browns ? full of hope, promise and optimism for a change ? still don't have a win. The calendar changes today.

So do the expectations.

To quote, almost, Dennis Green, the Browns aren't what we thought they were.

They're so much worse, and looked every bit of it Sunday evening after a 28-10 loss to Baltimore.

"We can't panic, but we can't go 0-and-four, I'll tell you that," center Hank Fraley said. "I thought we'd be 3-0 right now."

Huh? Fraley's a nice guy, but did he check the schedule? Someone pull his Wunderlic score.

Ravens fans, positioned near Cleveland's locker room tunnel, said many of the same things Browns fans were thinking. They compared Derek Anderson to a vacuum's function. They let 325-pound Corey Williams know his girth was wide and he was still 0-and-3.

The Browns looked at the heckling the same way they have their first three games: Oblivious to all of it. After the last of the players ? Kellen Winslow Jr. ? exited the field, Baltimore's corny-looking mascot, an oversized Raven named Poe, danced like he was on the streets of New Orleans.

He might as well have been dancing on Cleveland's grave. The Browns are done.
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[osugrad21]

Canton

Anderson knows job may be in jeopardy
Monday, September 22, 2008
By TODD PORTER
[email protected]

BALTIMORE There was a bandage on Derek Anderson's right forearm. His face had a foggy look to it after being sacked five times and knocked to the ground a handful more.

After the worst game of his professional career, it was difficult to tell what took more of a beating: Anderson's body or his psyche. Cleveland's starting quarterback, who played in the Pro Bowl in Honolulu last season, has led the Browns to an 0-3 start.

After the Ravens finished wiping up Cleveland, 28-10, Sunday night, Anderson was left to wonder if he is still the Browns' starting quarterback. Does Anderson, whose passer rating is 43.5 after three games, worry whether he's fighting for his starting job?

"Every day," Anderson said. "I've got to keep playing. I'm not going to say I'm not (concerned) because I'm not playing good. If I ... play well and continue to work hard and come through it, we'll be fine. I've got to continue to get better."

Anderson has struggled in his last six games dating back to the final month of the 2007 season. In the 6-foot-6, 230-pounder's last three games, he has completed 92-of-185 passes (50 percent) for 945 yards, five touchdowns and 10 picks. He's taken 11 sacks, and his passer rating is under 60.

Those numbers aren't the kind he put up in his first six games as Cleveland's starter a year ago. Anderson threw for 1,560 yards and completed 106-of-181 passes (59 percent) for 16 touchdowns and seven picks.

It appears that Anderson's confidence has taken a hit. His position in the starting lineup may be next.

"We haven't done anything," Anderson said. "It's hard to be (confident) with nothing to hang your hat on right now. We've got to keep finding our way. Right now, we're going back and forth, we're wishy-washy and you don't get into a rhythm that way."

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[IronBuckI]

1. Fire Crennel.

2. DA gets ONE more week. The first INT really wasn't his fault, but my God those other two were pathetic.

3. There seems to be a general lack of toughness on this team. the no contact pre-season seems to confirm that.

4. Donte Stallworth needs to earn his contract.

1. Agreed
2. Yes it was. DA hung Winslow out to dry.
3. Agreed (See "Fire Crennel")
4. Agreed

The good news here is that 4-12 or 5-11 will get us a better draft pick, and Crennel will likely be gone. Hopefully Chud is ready, or Cowher is tired of TV.

 

[tsteele316]

i've sat back and given romeo crennel a lot of rope.

well, he's hung himself and all browns fans with it.

i refuse to believe there is such a lack of talent on this team for something like this to happen. this team looks undisciplined and unprepared.

 

[Crashcup]

I just wish they could pick up a couple of TSUN's decommits.

 

[Bleed S & G]

As a BROWNS fan, I hope they continue to lose.. fire Romeo and hire Bill Cowher.

 

[LitlBuck]

I am really at a loss as to what to say. I don't want the Browns to continue to lose because I have followed them for so long but with the remaining schedule if they win more than 6 games I will be very surprised. Romeo needs to go just to get rid of the bad taste in my mouth. I also said last season that Anderson I did not think Anderson was the answer but after watching Brady play in the preseason I really don't know if he is the answer either but I think it is time to give him his chance after the bye week. It might be a little unfair because we will have some of the players back who are currently out but Anderson has just thrown to many stupid interceptions over the past two seasons.

The injuries to Stallworth and Joe J. have really hurt this team because they do not have a legitimate #2 WR. Steptoe has no business being on the field as a WR but I think most of you know that. I would almost move Winslow out to WR and put Heiden as the TE because Winslow can't block anyhow that well when he is in a tight formation.

I would also like to know if there was Romeo's or Savage's idea to go out and get Corey Williams. It is very difficult for some players to switch from playing the 4-3 defense to the 3-4 and I think Williams is one of those players. I would also like to know what has happened to Winbley over the past couple seasons. He doesn't make many tackles and he certainly isn't putting any pressure on the QB. In fact, we really don't have any outside linebackers even if Peek wasn't out for the season.

I don't know. It is just very frustrating and even more disappointing since we thought this team was going to make a run at the playoffs this season. R has to go but I do not know if Cowher is the answer. He would bring a mental toughness to the team but you have to remember that both of his coordinators are now head coaches in the NFL. I guess just to get rid of Romeo almost anyone would be worth it.