Is the Team Rebuilding Yet?
William Wodka
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Sports
As most of you know the Cleveland Browns are having a rough season to say the least. Going into their bye week the teams' record is 1-7. As if that was not enough, the team has gone through a flu crisis and none of the receivers seem to be able to catch the ball. Is there anything that the team and the owner could do to upstart this team out of a bye week and into some wins?
This past week it was reported the Browns dismissed General Manager George Kokinis. Kokinis, a friend of Coach Eric Mangini, was recommended the job by him. According to ESPN analyst Adam Schefter who has been following this story, the Browns did an investigation into Kokinis to find reasonable cause to fire him so the team would not have to pay him for the rest of his contract. Some fans are starting to think Mangini should be the next one out. When asked if Mangini would be next to get the axe Schefter said "his ship in Cleveland seas is sinking." I am not a football genius but I do think there are some ways the Browns could get back into the mix.
I would start with the quarterback position. Derek Anderson had some good games for the Browns, particularly when the Browns went to the playoffs a couple of years ago. But Anderson has been lacking zip on his passes and is immobile in the pocket of late. Not to mention last week his passer rating was a 10.5.
If you take out Anderson, then the team is left with Brady Quinn. Quinn looked to be promising during the preseason but his inexperience has caused many problems. He is having a hard time reading defenses and is never on the same page with his receivers. My suggestion is to dump Anderson, he had his time and now it is time to move on. The team needs to look for a quarterback that is not only experienced but can also mentor the young Quinn. Two QBs I see for the role are Jake Delhome and Kerry Collins.
Next priority position is Wide Receiver. Fans watched as Braylon Edwards dropped pass after pass the last couple of years. The Browns did make the right move by trading Edwards, but just like the flu, drops are contagious. Forget the long throws: none of the receivers can catch the easy dump passes for two yards. Since the team cannot invest in sticky glue to put on the players' hands the only solution is to practice harder. There are plenty of drills that test the quickness of the hands as well as accuracy.
This past week it was reported the Browns dismissed General Manager George Kokinis. Kokinis, a friend of Coach Eric Mangini, was recommended the job by him. According to ESPN analyst Adam Schefter who has been following this story, the Browns did an investigation into Kokinis to find reasonable cause to fire him so the team would not have to pay him for the rest of his contract. Some fans are starting to think Mangini should be the next one out. When asked if Mangini would be next to get the axe Schefter said "his ship in Cleveland seas is sinking." I am not a football genius but I do think there are some ways the Browns could get back into the mix.
I would start with the quarterback position. Derek Anderson had some good games for the Browns, particularly when the Browns went to the playoffs a couple of years ago. But Anderson has been lacking zip on his passes and is immobile in the pocket of late. Not to mention last week his passer rating was a 10.5.
If you take out Anderson, then the team is left with Brady Quinn. Quinn looked to be promising during the preseason but his inexperience has caused many problems. He is having a hard time reading defenses and is never on the same page with his receivers. My suggestion is to dump Anderson, he had his time and now it is time to move on. The team needs to look for a quarterback that is not only experienced but can also mentor the young Quinn. Two QBs I see for the role are Jake Delhome and Kerry Collins.
Next priority position is Wide Receiver. Fans watched as Braylon Edwards dropped pass after pass the last couple of years. The Browns did make the right move by trading Edwards, but just like the flu, drops are contagious. Forget the long throws: none of the receivers can catch the easy dump passes for two yards. Since the team cannot invest in sticky glue to put on the players' hands the only solution is to practice harder. There are plenty of drills that test the quickness of the hands as well as accuracy.
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