Soup Is On
Sep 15, 2008
Author: Soup

As a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan transplanted to Pittsburgh, you can only imagine the embarrassment I feel yet again this year. I am here to help you get respectable football back in Cleveland so that I can wear my jerseys with pride in Pittsburgh rather than try to hide in shame. Here is my list, which if it isn’t followed will result in years of citywide shame.

1. Fire Romeo Crennel. I was a big fan of Crennel and a big advocator of continuity. We are now 4 years into his coaching and for the 4th straight year have awful use of time outs and the worst clock management at the end of halves/games in the NFL.I forgave it year 1 and 2; being that there’s been no change and we are in year 4 he’s not going to learn so it’s time to move on. Dare I bring up the late field goals against Dallas and Pittsburgh? Nah, too obvious to anyone who has seen the game of football just once in their lives that those were terrible decisions.

A. Suggestion number one is giving Marty Schottenheimer as much money as it takes to bring him backs to Cleveland. He brings hard-nosed and intelligent football everywhere he goes. No more stupid mistakes. Bring Marty home to win a Super Bowl and finish what he started with the last good teams we’ve had.

B. Suggestion number two is Bill Cowher unless he demands GM duties. Living in Pittsburgh I know people close with the organization that know the ins and outs. He had a pick he got to use in the draft each year. The year they took Palamalu, he picked Alonzo Jackson in round 2. I don’t believe he’s in the NFL anymore. A year or two later, again in round 2 he took Ricardo Collogue who couldn’t make this Browns secondary. In his final year in round 3 he chose Willie Reid after they took Antonio Holmes in round 1. Reid is on the Eagles only because their top 2 wide receivers are out. While Cowherd is a great motivator and coach, he’s an awful talent evaluator.

2. Fire Rob Chudzinski as the offensive co-coordinator. He has called 10 horrendous games in a row. We are in Cleveland, yet he refuses to run the ball. Over the past 2 years we are 9-0 when handing the ball off 25+ times (this does NOT include QB scrambles). We are 1-8 when handing it off less than that. I’m not in the mood to go back and research, but since 2005 we are in the vicinity of 18-0 when handing it off 25+ times and 2-30 when handing it off less than that. It has nothing to do with the score like most people want to believe (see the 2nd Pittsburgh loss last year where we lead 21-9 at half and see the St. Louis win where we were down 14-0). On top of that, he never runs screen passes versus aggressive defenses. We ran 2 in two games this year against 2 of the most aggressive defenses in the game. He also doesn’t run counters to get the aggressive defense to start out going the wrong way. This is Cleveland, we should be running the ball and then utilizing the play action pass to the tight end, Winslow is easily the best in the game. We need a clone of Norv Turner for an offensive co-coordinator.

3. Make Derek Anderson the back up. It’s where he belongs, as he doesn’t have the QB intelligence to play the game at a championship level. At least 4 times watching the Steelers game I yelled at the TV prior to the snap to audible the run the other way because of the blitz. Every time, including Chud’s lone counter play, he left it alone right into the blitz for a loss or no gain. At the end of the first half he threw an interception with no time outs and 8 seconds left. You know what really bothered me about the play? (I’ll reiterate) there were no time outs and 8 seconds left and Anderson threw the ball short of the end zone. He’s a 4th year NFL QB, just like Aaron Rodgers. He should NOT be making those mistakes. Finally, with around 2 minutes to go in the game the Steelers had the ball and they cut to a shot of Anderson laughing and smiling on the sidelines. They then cut to Winslow who isolated himself and looked ready to go kick a puppy and eat a baby because of his anger, passion and want to win. Let me take a moment to say, thank you Kellen Winslow for understand Cleveland’s passion for football and disdain for the Steelers. It does not go unnoticed. Derek Anderson does not have the mental capabilities to be a championship quality starting NFL QB. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning both have cannons for arms, however, they have a thousand times the QB intelligence and fire than Derek Anderson. That’s why they have 5 Super Bowl appearances between the two.

4. Fire Mel Tucker. Mel has no idea how to run the 3-4 defense. Against the Cowboys we spent the majority of the day dropping 8. Against the Steelers we rushed 4 most of the day. Someone needs to tell Mel Tucker that the 3-4 is an attack defense. Rushing 4 is not attacking, it’s playing a base 4-3 defense. We should be sending 5 or more on 85% of the plays, 4 on 14% and 3 on 1% of the plays (they call those hail mary’s).

When you play not to lose you will forever be a losing organization. It’s time to change and play to win. Be aggressive on defense and pound the ball on offense. Hold the ball for 6 minutes a drive and be methodical. Don’t heave the ball 30 and 40 times a game, especially in 40 MPH winds. If you don’t make these changes, this organization will be forever in the land of pathetic football. All Browns fans may not agree with what I have written, but I guarantee you that they all agree being 0-2 in 2008 and losing 10 in a row to the Steelers is an embarrassment on the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Browns fans who are the greatest in all of sports. What other perennial losers sell out every game over a 10-year span?

Embarasssed yet again in Pittsburgh,

Soup

Back to DawgBones.com