Dawghouse Blog

November 2006 - Posts

• Steeler Aftermath

  It was like January 2003 all over again with Buckeyes getting a big win, and the Browns blowing it against the Steelers. Well, almost. Certainly the Browns had many golden opportunities to bury a down-on-it's-luck Steeler team. But the Browns just can't move the ball consistently enough on offense to put points up. They mustered only two field goals all game, though they did move the chains int he first half with some regularity. Am I pissed off? Not really. The Browns aren't that good, obviously. They played a good game defensively until the game really counted. And they needed one big play in the 4th quarter and never got it. Basically, the Steelers met the challenge and deserved the win. A few years back I'd have torn my hair out at the end of a game like this. But, unfortunately, you could see it coming all second half... What is depressing is two-fold -- Sure we lost, but our supposedly "up and coming" team couldn't beat a Steelers squad that abandoned everything they are built to do. The Steelers went 4-wide for the entire 4th quarter and we couldn't stop them despite numerous long 3rd-downs. This is a game the Browns could have won about 10 times. The killer was an inability to get enough pressure on Roethlisberger. Only Wimbley seemed to be a disruptive force with any regularity. Most of the time Roethlisberger had TONS of time, or maybe one guy broke in and Roethlisberger is mobil enough to get away from one guy. Dropping 7 defenders into coverage doesn't work if you don't have a credible rush up front. I keep wondering though if the Steelers are happy with the outcome of this game. They got shut down on the ground and were forced to spread the field to get back into this game. It worked, so of course that's a good thing. But I wonder where they will take this team next season. Roethlisberger = Couch, with a stronger arm. The guy might not be smart but he's competitive and he can make great throws on the run or when a play has broken down. Roethlisberger is not good enough to command a pass-first offense and win consistently, however, so the long-term success of the Steelers still has to come from the trenches and the ground game. There are positive signs for the Browns. The defense is still decent and continues to be a couple impact players away from being very good (of course, such impact players may never arrive). I give credit to Crennel and Grantham for moulding the secondary into a tough group after losing the top 3 CBs to injury. They weren't good enough to win the game, but did more than their share. On offense, it wasn't all bad. Frankly, I think Frye came up short. He just couldn't make the throws when the team needed it. And he took a couple sacks that shouldn't have been. Mostly, it was his inability to threaten through the air that stalled the offense. I would have like to have seen -- A few corner blitzes. The safety blitzes didn't work in the 4th quarter, but pressure from the outside might have. Winslow doing down the field. Frye loves to throw to him on short little out patterns. But what about the occasional post? Or a deep curl? He just doesn't seem to be targeted down the field and I think Frye is really struggling to see the middle of the field. Jump balls to Jurevicius. I don't think there was even one thrown his way, and that's inexplicable against what is the weak spot of the Steelers D. Occasional man coverage in the 4th quarter. I agree that a soft zone is appropriate. But if you don't ever show man coverage you allow the opponent to settle into a groove. Zones work great when the defense isn't able to anticipate whether or not you're gonna play zone. A QB who has enough vision and arm strength to hit the open guy 15 yards down the middle part of the field. I don't know exactly why, but Frye just doesn't seem like he has that. Oh well. It wasn't a blowout I don't think there will quite be the recriminations there were last season. But continually coming up short is weighing on fans and probably everyone else. Patience is running short. I'm starting to think there are two options on the table: 1) finish the season tough. 2) Blow up half this roster all over again. Both could happen.   Note to CBS officials: The Southwest escalator to the 500-leve was no working yesterday. There are only 10 games per year. Is it too much to expect the thing to work those ten days per season? In fact, over the last couple years this escalator has been down more than once in the games I've attended, and I don't go to that many anymore. The busted escalator is a recurring, regular problem. I'm sure escalators can be complicated to maintain. Yet the escalators at CBS seems to break down as often as our pass protection. What is the deal? There is a notable lack of passion amongst Browns fans these days. Sure, people get worked up and cheer. But the number of empty or enemy-occupied seats is alarmingly high. The many, many fans are dangerously apathetic. The crowds in the bars before and after the games don't live and die on the outcome. There aren't many hard-core, Walkman-wearing types intently studying the game. There aren't many fathers bringing their wide-eyed kids to the game. There aren't even that many hard-partying zealots anymore -- just about everyone has that look on their face that says, "I hope they win, but either way I better not over do it 'cause I still gotta work tomorrow." I just don't see the same numbers of people who have clearly planned their week around a Browns home game, and the games are not providing the same level of diversion and escape that they did even 4-5 years ago when the team sucked just as bad. In other words, the thrill is long gone. And if this franchise doesn't figure out how to field a competitive team I think we can expect less-than-full stadiums and blackouts, and serious leng-term damage to the fanbase as a generation of potential Browns fans is passed over. Obviously, there were lots of Steeler fans. I can't blame them. Heck, if I were a Steeler fan I'd rather go to the road game in Cleveland than a home game in Pittsburgh. They own the Browns anymore. And I can't blame Browns fans for selling their seats considering the state of the team at the moments. It's a bad situation. Note to Peter King: Most of the country couldn't care less about the Dallas Cowboys. Seriously. It's not that interesting. No matter how many times you tell me Bill Parcells or Tony Romo is a great story, it's just not that interesting. If they make it to the Super Bowl, fine, but right now they are just another team hoping to make the playoffs. And it is really annoying to see you drool all over them every week. Talk about the Saints instead. Or the Chargers more. Or the Chiefs. I heard four people yesterday at CBS speculate whether Bill Cowher was going to be coaching the Browns soon. You've got to be kidding me, right? I wish someone would ask Romeo why he decided not to wear a suit on the sidelines too. I'd just like to hear is answer. I was going to comment on how Randy Lerner must be really tired of losing, but see that his new soccer cliub Aston Villa is doing quite will in the early going of the English Premiership at 5-7-1 and tied for 4th place with mightly Arsenal. So instead I will say -- I bet Randy Lerner is enjoying his soccer team more than his football team right now. Anyone know if Lerner is even present at Browns home games anymore? Lebanon. Yes, Lebanon. The assasination of Amin Gemayel is complete and utter BS and the Western world should not stand for this crap. Unfortunately, I'm not holding my breath waiting for the UN or the USA to do anything of substance about this situation. It's a complicated thing to comment on here and it's not really what I'm able to write about coherently (I can hardly do that about the Browns), but it's accurate to say that the entire Western world has been either overltly or implcitly enabling Hizbollah to hijack a country that should be the best hope for a Middle Eastern secular democracy. The USA has been better than most in saying the right things, but our actions have been entirely vapid ones. Right now n UN force is guarding the border with Israel and is supposed to enforce UN resolutions to disarm Hizbollah, something that all involved acknowledge will not be done. Then what is the point? All that is happening is that Hizbollah is being protected. Why? How is this even remotely defensible? Who's interests does that serve? Those are only the broadest points in the situation -- I'd encourage people to follow things more closely at sites like and this. It's a long, sad situation, and thing are heading for a crossroads. And as other more publicized events in Iraq and elsewhere stay on the front pages, the history still being played out in Lebanon is perhaps more important and much more likely to be a microcosm of things to come. Posted Nov 21 2006, 01:59 PM by MikeB with 1 comment(s) Filed under: General, Browns

• Random Notes...

  Todd Grantham could be named head coach at Michigan State on Monday. Let me express my opinion on that: IT WOULD SUCK. I really like Grantham as defensive coordinator. While we haven't been good against the run, Grantham has often managed to squeeze out suprisingly good defensive performances. Sure, the team might not win much but it hasn't been the defense's fault very often these past 24 or so games. This despite some obvious shortcomings. And while it's selfish of me to say Grantham shoudld stay, I think it really is in his best interest to do so. Another 4-5 years and some continued improvement of the Browns D and Grantham could get his shot in the NFL. And certainly along the way he could have his pick of plenty of prime college jobs as well. Don't both with Michigan State. In a week where there are LOTS of mediocre matchups in the NFL, John Clayton again proves his own irrelevancy by not considering the Browns/Steelers matchup one of the ten most significant games of the week. Viking@Dolhins? Redskins@Bucs? Seahawks@49ers? Raiders@Chiefs? All are much more significant according to "The Professor." The last matchup Clayton even admits, "The only thing interesting in this one is the return of Trent Green." John, I think it is past time to retire. The more ESPN seems to expand it's coverage of the NFL the less meaningful it gets. And at this point there is literally nothing worth watching on ESPN. Not interesting features. No inside info. No breaking news. Even the Monday Night game is tough to watch due to all the stupid crap they inject into the broadcast. There's nothing in the NFL you can't get better info from the OBR and PFT. Despite a concussion last week, Polamalu will play. This isn't necessarily bad nes for Browns fans. The long-haired one hasn't been playing that well of late. Perhaps his uncharacteristicly mediocre play will prove beneficial to Frye & Co. "I'm in a place where I'm being protected. Up in Minnesota, I didn't feel like I was being protected in a lot of different ways." So says Dante Culpepper, now the benched/hurt QB of the Dolphins. He's right of course. Because Butch Dav--er, Nick Saban MUST insulate Culpepper from the truth. Because the truth implicates Saban and why he pursued and bid against himself for Culpepper. Tribe.... I've been casually following the Indians song-and-dance about how they need to move their Spring Training location somewhere else. At first they wanted upgraded facilities over what they have in Winter Haven (despite the fact that a few years ago they were supposedly "upgraded"). Until recently that seemd to mean moving to another location in central Florida. Then last year they announced a deal to move back to Arizona. That strikes me as very strange. Isn't there a large population of Ohio snowbirds in Central Florida? Is the same thing true for Arizona? It seems counter-productive to move back West, but maybe I'm missing something. Last spring I noted that Jhonny Peralta was probably the most important offensive piece for the Tribe going into the season, and this is importance to the team equaled that of Sizemore. AS everyone knows, Peralta struggled and so did the Tribe. This offseason, the front office is saying the same thing. And they aren't being subtle about it either: "It would be an extreme challenge for us to be a championship-caliber team with Jhonny playing, offensively and defensively, the way he did last year." I'd say Peralta is squarely in the hot seat going into '07. "He has to be better." MLS.... There's a buzz growing that former soccer uber-star David Beckham could be in the MLS next season. It's an interesting dilemna -- Beckham is a very good but no longer great player. Certainly he's have to be paid mega-dollars to come to the US. But on the whole it'd be a great thing for soccer in America, something I'm eager to see develop further. The real story, however, isn't Beckham, but the MLS policy change that will allow teams to sign European stars. It will inject some legitimate start power and excitement into the league, and it will happen whether or not Beckham comes. It's happening gradually, but the MLS is becoming more and more legit. Did you see the MLC Cup recently? The atmosphere at playoff games is real. We'll have to see how well that translates onto televison, which is necessary if the sport is ever to ascend to near-major sport status. My one suggestion there? Make sure venues are good ones (i.e. small, racuous stadiums) and night games on cable tv during the week so the games are in every bar & grill in the country.  Which leads me to the final note of this post, and perhaps the last useful thing Roger Brown will write in the Plain Dealer (and the only sort of item he was ever very good at): "Former St. Ignatius star quarterback and onetime Houston Oilers backup Oliver Luck is a happy man these days. Luck is team president of the Houston Dynamo, which became Major League Soccer champions by winning the recent MLS Cup final. " Luck used to run NFL efforts in Europe, among other duties, and has had a pretty interesting career from what I can tell from a far. Kind of cool. Posted Nov 17 2006, 04:10 PM by MikeB with no comments Filed under: General, Browns, Indians

• Top 10 Ways to Counteract the Terrible Towel

  "The Browns will counteract Pittsburgh's Terrible Towels with orange flags given to every fan at the game, courtesy of AT&T." SIGH.... This is so incredibly lame. I offer the following... Top 10 Ways to Counteract the Terrible Towel 10. Get Dennis Kucinich to organize a press conference either outside CBS or at the I-77 turnpike exit claiming that the Terrible Towel is offensive to... someone and represents a dangerous aggressive, war-like attitude that must be removed from the public discourse. This item is at #10 because, like all of Kucinich's press conferences, it will be entirely ineffective. 9. Give towel-waiving Steeler fans something to use their towels on -- themselves. There hundreds of Steelers fans cleaning up kethup, soda, and nacho sauce accidentally spilled upon them. 8. Send a Terrible Towel to Osama bin Laden and urge him to wear it in his next video. 7. Announce over the PA system that all "Towel Decorations" must be securely affixed to the towel owner. The only allowable towel-uses are as a chestplate, a cape, or a babushka. fans using towels for other purposes will be subject to prosecution. 6. Mop your kitchen floor with a Terrible Towel, then wave the stained-gray towel from the 500 level. 5. Call the Fan Tipline and report towel waving behavior as it is dangerous to bystanders and someone could lose an eye. 4. Show a PSA on the scoreboard from Danny Ferry (Cleveland's all-time greatest towel-waver from his days on the Cavs bench) explaining that if you are waiving a towel, you are implicitly acknowledging that you haven't quite made it in professional sports. 3. Browns fans should stand throughout the game, not allowing Steeler fans room to twirl. 2. Don't sell your ticket to a Steelers fan, thus no towels in the stadium. 1. Do nothing. When your team is represented by a bunch of Towel Twirlers, that is a sad enough statement. Posted Nov 16 2006, 10:15 AM by MikeB with no comments Filed under: Browns

• Browns Vs. Steelers

  I think the Steelers are playing well and will score points. But at this moment the Browns matchup pretty well. The Steelers defense is proving porous, and the Browns do have the skill position players to take advantage of it. The main question is whether the o-line can keep heat off of Frye long enough for him to throw accurately. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers air game is putting up a lot of numbers but also turning the ball over a lot. Despite all the injuries, the Browns secondary and pass defense has generally been playing well and Pool and Jones could have impact performances. The main worry is whether we can keep Willie Parker from breaking off long runs. I like Wimbley's ability to chase Parker on one side. But we could be vulnerable elsewhere. We'll see. This Sunday will be my first and probably only in-person foray down to Browns Stadium this season. I used to go to almost all home games. Alas, no more. But this week I'll have saved up a lot of energy... The Browns win over the Jets looks kind of nice this week. This is the part of the season where, despite the record, I always wonder just how far off we are from being a playoff contender. We're not light years. We're probably about 4 players away. That's a lot, but it's not so much that couldn't be done in one offseason. Unfortunately, 4-players-away is about the high-water mark for the new Browns except for 2001 when the roster was only arguably better and we snuck into a wildcard berth. It's fun to day: The Browns and Steelers have the same record in week 11. This won't be true come Sunday afternoon, however. I'm perplexed by Frye. I like him better than I ever liked Couch, and the thing I like best is that his style of play makes sense. What I mean is that when he makes a dumb play it's an _understandable_ bad play. Don't get me wrong, Frye has made big mistakes and some very unwise throws. But at least you can see what he's thinking, however misguided. With Couch, there were always some completely inexplicable plays and gross miscommunications. At least Frye's head is in the game. I can see Frye hanging on to the starter's position. He'll have to do a couple things to do it: Make the short throws on-target. This has to be like clockwork. He'd got to hit the screens, the short curls and outs and slants. Pick up yardage with his feet. For a lot of QB this is unwise. But for Frye to be successful he needs the defense to be threatened by his mobility. This is also one of his better skills. I'd encourage him to unexpectedly take off running a few times a game. Throw the ball away. Everyone knows that. It's frustrating to watch, but it can make a defense impatient. Attack the defense a couple times a game. I'm a huge believer in throwing deep balls on occasion even when a completion is unlikely. Frye doesn't have a great deep arm, but he's good at throwing 20-30 yards downfield while on the move. Do it with some frequency. Manage the game, which is the biggest test of all. Right now he doesn't seem to have much freedom to audible or freelance. But before the season is over he should get his chance here. If he does the above and looks good managing the offense at the line, then I'm willing to committ to 2007. All are still open questions. But the tools are there. I really hope he can put it together. Prediction for Sunday: Steelers win 27-23. Screw that, Browns win 24-19. Posted Nov 15 2006, 09:49 AM by MikeB with no comments Filed under: Browns