Season Lost Time To Look Toward the Future
Nov 3, 2008
Author: DawgBones.com

In a span of 15 minutes between the 3rd and 4th quarters on Sunday the Cleveland Browns saw their possible victory erased and their season collapse. The game was a microcosm of the season the Browns have had. When they are good they look great, when they look bad they remind many of the 1999 Cleveland Browns.

So who is to blame for this collapse? Well the blame does not belong to one, but too many. Head coach Romeo Crennel is now 5-17 against AFC North opponents in his three plus years as Browns head coach. It is a testament in futility like no other in the AFC North. The head coach he opposed on Sunday, John Harbaugh, has three wins in the AFC North this year, his 1st as a head coach in the NFL. Sadly if you cannot win games in your own division you will never be a playoff team.

The Browns were 7-1 at home in 2007 with their loss Sunday their record at home in 2008 is now 1-3. Playoff teams win their games at home, they use their home crowd to their advantage not turn the home crowd against themselves. Sunday, after QB Derek Anderson threw the game clinching interception for a touchdown, the fans booed every incomplete pass he threw after that. That was not when the crowd changed though. That happened when the Browns had a 27-13 lead with six minutes to go in the 3rd quarter and proceeded to see their defense open like Red Sea for Moses. The Ravens went to a hurry up offense and continued to run the draw play from the shot gun to RB Ray Rice. Rice tallied 103 of his 154 yards from that point.

The play calling of both the offensive and defensive coordinators of the Cleveland Browns was terrible Sunday. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski seemed to go into a shell once the Browns went on offense leading 27-20. The Browns went four straight possessions three and out from that point and Anderson finished the disaster with his interception for a touchdown after yep, you guessed it, three plays. To his defense the Browns could have retaken the lead when the score was tied 27-27 when Anderson dropped back and gunned the ball 50+ yards down the field to an open Braylon Edwards. Edwards, once again, failed to make the big play and let the ball go right through his hands forcing the Browns to punt and sucking all the air right out of Cleveland Browns Stadium. Edwards drop was a league leading 11th in 2008.

Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker had just as bad a game as Chudzinki. Wit ha 27-13 lead the team went into a prevent defense, rushing just 3, and were gouged time and time again by the Ravens inside hand offs and no huddle offense. Instead of putting pressure and blitzing a rookie QB in Joe Flacco the Browns, under Tucker, decided to play prevent and to his credit Flacco picked them apart. To Tucker's defense he had no control over the poor coverage and tackling of cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. He also was not responsible for the poor angle and tackling of safety Sean Jones on Rice's 60 yard run in the 4th quarter.

The 2008 Cleveland Browns are consistently inconsistent and it has cost them the season. We know they still have eight games to go and could win all of them like the Titans have done so far, but we would not count on it. What we would like to see now is the future of the football team. That means we would like to see what the Browns have in 2nd year QB Brady Quinn, 3rd year RB Jerome Harrison and rookie LB Alex Hall. No need to continue playing guys like Derek Anderson, Jamal Lewis and Willie McGinest when none of them will be on the team in 2009.

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