The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Browns

Shockey: “LeBron couldn’t play in the NFL”

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:04:06 +0000

Jeremy Shockey isn’t buying the LeBron James-as-a-NFL-player idea and said as much via his Twitter account.

James said Tuesday night that he could be “really good” if he put the time commitment into playing the game, and he was a talented wide receiver in high school.

“I think he should come on down,” Browns coach Eric Mangini said today. “I know he’s pretty busy right now, but if he wants to give it a shot, the guy is gifted. He’s competitive and tough. I’m sure whatever he applied himself to, he’d probably be good in baseball or soccer or swimming.”

But Shockey isn’t convinced.

“Everyone trust me Lebron James could not play in the NFL,’’ he wrote on his Twitter account. “ESPN is crazy to even think he could even make a practice squad. He;s a 4.9 40 time.’’

Shockey must not have seen the Browns performance on Monday night or else he wouldn’t be making such ludicrous statements.

LeBron could play receiver or tight end for the Browns; The Hamburglar could play receiver or tight end for the Browns.

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Quinn, Browns give putrid effort in another putrid loss

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:09:04 +0000

Eleven first downs, 160 total yards and zero points.

After two weeks to prepare for their opposition, that’s what the Cleveland Browns produced on Monday night in a 16-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Nobody should be surprised by the outcome of Monday night’s game in Cleveland. Everyone knew that the Browns were awful entering the game, but to actually watch that miserable excuse of a team stumble over themselves for 60 minutes is rather amazing. It’s like a car wreck – you just can’t look away.

Brady Quinn is bad, so bad that it’s safe to say that he has zero chance of becoming anything resembling a decent starting quarterback in the NFL. I’m fully aware that he has no talent around him, but I dare anyone to watch that kid play for entire game and tell me he has any shot of success in this league. His own coaching staff doesn’t trust him to throw the ball further than two feet and I wouldn’t either. The Monday Night Football crew kept begging for the Browns to throw the ball vertically and whenever Quinn did, he was either picked off or was so far off the mark with his passes that there wasn’t a receiver within 20 yards of where the ball ended up.

Again, I know that he doesn’t have anyone to throw to but there’s just no excuse for being that inept. The Browns didn’t even reach the Ravens’ 40-yard line tonight and don’t forget that this was a Baltimore defense that has struggled at times this year stopping the pass. On multiple occasions late in the game when he was trying to make a feeble attempt at throwing deep, Quinn tossed the ball completely out of bounds. That means he’s so inaccurate with his throws that he can’t even keep the ball in play. He even overthrew a receiver on a screen pass, which is so mind-boggling that it pisses me off just thinking about it.

How can Cleveland trust Quinn to throw the ball vertically when he can’t even complete a simple smoke screen?

I understand that Derek Anderson isn’t much better (he might even be worse), but the Browns can’t start Quinn again after tonight. Eric Mangini might as well start Brett Ratliff or hell, even Josh Cribbs (if he’s even okay after being carted off the field on the game’s final play) because neither Anderson nor Quinn could hit Shaun Rodgers in the ass if they were standing directly behind him. And neither is capable of running the dish washer at night, let alone running an NFL offense.

I just can’t believe that the Browns had two weeks to game plan for tonight and this was the best they could come up with offensively. Defensively they played a hell of a game, but Quinn and the offense were so bad that I might petition that the league strip the Ravens of their victory because it’s not fair that they get a free win and the rest of the league doesn’t.

What a horrible, abysmal, brutal performance by one of the worst teams in NFL history. The moron that decided to put the Browns on Monday night should be forced to watch a replay of that game 100 times as punishment and then whipped repeatedly by a Brady Quinn’s jock strap.

Brady Quinn gets a second chance in Cleveland

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:20:58 +0000

Brady Quinn won the Browns’ starting quarterback job in preseason and then promptly crapped himself as soon as the regular season started. In three starts, his average pass went less than six yards, he threw just one touchdown pass and was intercepted three times. He also had a horrific time with his decision-making and accuracy, and even when he did find ways to complete passes his receivers didn’t have a chance to make plays up field because Quinn couldn’t hit them in stride.

When Eric Mangini decided to replace Quinn for Derek Anderson, some Cleveland fans were elated because at least Anderson had the ability to throw the ball vertically. Sure, he’d throw the occasional interception or two, but at least he could run the offense better than Quinn, right?

Wrong.

Over the past couple weeks, Anderson displayed some of the worst quarterbacking this side of Drew Henson. In six appearances, he failed to throw for over 100 yards in four of those games and threw nine interceptions compared to just two touchdowns. His performance in the past month and a half deserves to be mentioned in the Epic Failure Hall of Fame (EFHoF).

Facing little to no choice given Anderson’s all-around suck, Mangini has decided to go back to Quinn and start him against the Ravens on Monday night. If Quinn doesn’t realize that this may be his final shot to impress in Cleveland, he should. Because if/when Mangini is fired at the end of the season there’s no guarantee that Quinn can fool the next coaching staff into believing that just because he has the size and frame to be a starting quarterback in this league, that he actually should be one.

Who knows, maybe with a better supporting cast Quinn could actually be a decent starter in this league. Unfortunately for him he’s stuck with what’s around him around now and he better make the most of his situation or else people will continue to wonder whether or not he can be a starter in this league. He better make the most out of his second chance.

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Browns to contact Holmgren?

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:26 +0000

Photo from fOTOGLIF

According to a report by ESPN.com, the Cleveland owner Randy Lerner will contact former Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren to run the Browns.

Holmgren is itching to return to football and the opportunity he would have in Cleveland would be an attractive one. Lerner is looking for someone to perform for the Browns the same role that vice president of football operations Bill Parcells performs for the Dolphins. The job, for the time being, is Holmgren’s to lose.

If Holmgren were to take it — and there are some people who think he still would prefer to coach — he would be returning to the Midwest, where he built his reputation as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Holmgren is one of at least four names on Lerner’s wish list, though he is considered the top target. The others are former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay and former Packers general manager Ron Wolf.

Holmgren’s track record speaks for itself. He’s coached three different Super Bowl teams and built the Seahawks into a consistent division winner and playoff contender. He knows how to build a team from the ground up, which is exactly what the Browns need right now.

And if you’re Lerner, why wouldn’t you allow Holmgren to coach if that was the only stipulation in luring him to Cleveland? Eric Mangini has been a disaster to this point and there is little to no hope on the horizon. Lerner should have no qualms about firing Mangini and replacing him with someone with a resume like Holmgren’s.

If Lerner can’t get Holmgren, either Accorsi, McKay or Wolf would be solid choices, although it might be tough to get Wolf, who has had opportunities to return as a general manager and has declined them.

Should the Browns stick with Mangini?

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:05:48 +0000

According to a report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Browns owner Randy Lerner said that Eric Mangini’s job is safe heading into the team’s bye week, but also noted that he was sick about their 1-7 record. Lerner also said that the Browns’ quarterback situation “doesn’t seem sensible” and that he may bring in a team president to overlook Mangini and GM George Kokonis.

Considering Mangini only has one offseason under his belt in Cleveland, he deserves more time. He’s essentially not working with the roster that he wants yet, so it makes sense that Lerner won’t pull the plug on him after only eight games.

That said, Mangini has to get this team to at least be competitive or else nobody will blame Lerner for scrapping the whole thing and starting from scratch again in the offseason. That might sound nauseating to Browns fans, but if Mangini is in over his head, then why waste one or two more years?

The Browns are a putrid 1-7. After giving a good Cincinnati team a run for its money in Week 4, Cleveland has scored a combined 29 points in four games. That’s barely a touchdown a game, which is staggering. Making matters worse, Mangini has already made one quarterback change this year switching from Brady Quinn to Derek Anderson, and may have to make another as Anderson continues to drive the Browns further into NFL purgatory. (He has failed to throw for over 100 yards in four of the six games he’s played in this season.)

Cleveland isn’t going to even sniff the playoffs this season, but what Lerner needs to see is a team that competes. If the players quit on Mangini, he may never get them back and then it’ll be time to make a change. He deserves another offseason to build the roster he wants, but at the same time he better earn it over the next eight games.

Should the Browns fire Eric Mangini?

Big Ben shreds the Browns

Anthony Stalter — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:25:07 +0000

The Pittsburgh Steelers are far from perfect, in fact, they might be the best imperfect team in the NFL, if that makes any sense. But as long as they have Ben Roethlisberger under center, they’re going to have a chance to win most on most Sundays.

The Steelers beat the Browns 27-14 on Sunday in a sloppy game that had little to no flow to it. Both teams combined for eight turnovers and Cleveland didn’t even total 200 yards of offense. Yet through all the muck, Big Ben was 23-of-35 for 417 yards and two touchdowns while helping Pittsburgh gain 543 yards of total offense.

Rothlisberger absolutely shredded the Browns’ secondary, connecting with Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller and Mike Wallace with regularity on plays that gained 25-yards or more. He also rushed six times for 11 yards and once again kept plays alive with his mobility in the pocket. I realize shredding a Browns secondary that is susceptible to giving up big plays isn’t a monumental event for a quarterback, but it’s hard not to appreciate how good Big Ben looked on Sunday.

Tom Brady and Petyon Manning are known for putting their teams on their shoulders and leading them to victory. He’s usually not brought up in the same discussion, but Roethlisberger is definitely on Brady and Manning’s level when it comes to that ability. Granted, he’s often aided by how good Pittsburgh’s defense is, but there’s no denying that he’s an exceptional quarterback. And more times than not, he covers up how flawed the Steelers truly are.

Teams are calling about Cribbs, but are Browns listening?

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:04:25 +0000

Cleveland Scores reports (via NFL.com) that several teams are calling the Browns inquiring about Josh Cribbs. But Profootballtalk.com reports that Cleveland has no interest in dealing the explosive receiver/return man.

This offseason, Cribbs threatened to hold out if he didn’t receive a new contract, but he never made good on his threats. He’s set to make $620,00 in 2009, $635,000 in 2010, $650,000 in 2011 and $790,00 in 2012. Considering his increased role in the offense, he’s highly underpaid and it’s understandable why he would want a new contract.

But the Browns aren’t ready to re-work his deal, which is why teams are calling about his services. The Dolphins seem to be the team that is pursuing him the most, although the Chiefs, Raiders and even the Colts have reportedly shown interest as well.

Cribbs wants to remain a Brown for the rest of his career, but if the team were unwilling to extend his contract, he’d welcome a trade out of Cleveland. Considering the Browns just traded Braylon Edwards to the Jets, one would think that they would pony up to keep a player of Cribbs’ talent. But Eric Mangini and GM George Kokinis have already shown the willingness to trade players from the previous regime, so nobody should be surprised if Cribbs is eventually dealt.