7
Sep
2009
Mangini’s mystery wrapped in a riddle, inside an enigma
Per beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini will not reveal his starting quarterback for Sunday’s home opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
Cabot reports that Mangini will “tell the two quarterbacks in the ‘near future’ in separate conversations with each of them. He said he’ll explain to them why and how the decision was made. He said as a defensive coordinator, it’s difficult to prepare for an offense when the quarterback is unknown… He said he expects both quarterbacks to prepare as though they’re the starter.”
Quinn or Anderson? Who cares. Stopping this guy is the issue.
This is dangerous territory. We doubt the Minnesota Vikings are in awe of either quarterback. Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson combined for one touchdown pass in the preseason–it’s not as if the Vikes are game planning for Joe Montana, only to discover, moments before kickoff, that Steve Young is starting.
The bigger concern for Cleveland is containing Adrian Peterson and finding a way to rush for more than 30 yards against Minnesota’s blistering defensive front. These head games equate to nothing, and Minnesota’s feathers are unruffled by this mystery.
4
Sep
2009
Derek Anderson to the Patriots?
As mentioned earlier today, we’ve been hearing chatter regarding a series of potential trades in the National Football League–including one that may permanently end the QB debate in Cleveland.
In the wake of the Cutler debacle, there was talk about Josh McDaniels pursuing a trade with the Browns for QB Brady Quinn. It never went down. Meanwhile, speculation about a Derek Anderson trade dates back to January 2008.
Tonight, on the eve of the 2009 season, the New England Patriots are without a solid backup for Tom Brady. With only two quarterbacks on the roster, something has to change.
There’s chatter all over the grid that Mangini’s decision to sit both Quinn and Anderson last night had a purpose: resting Quinn for the starting role in Week One, and positioning Anderson for a trade that will happen over the next 48 hours. People speculate that the Browns and Pats couldn’t be talking–the Belichick/Mangini feud would prevent that, right? Nonsense. If the deal makes sense for both coaches and both teams, the trigger will be pulled.
While Derek Anderson is far from perfect, he’s young with a cannon arm, and may appeal to Belichick in the same way Vinny Testaverde did in 1993, when Belichick made the decision to release Bernie Kosar, much to the horror of the entire city. (People forget that Vinny wasn’t even healthy when Bernie was cut, but he figured into the coach’s plans for 1994, and he helped lead the Browns to an 11-5 season and their most recent playoff win–over Bill Parcells and the Patriots, of all teams.)
Derek Anderson recalls, in some ways, the imperfect--but dangerous--skillset of Vinny Testaverde.
People ripped on Vinny for his perceived lack of intelligence–and his knack for throwing costly interceptions. Belichick loved his arm, and fawned over his athleticism. Inherent to Anderson are some of those same strengths and weaknesses–when he thinks too much, and gets tight, he suffers. When he’s loose (we’ve said before that he should drink about three beers before every game), the guy just guns the ball all over the field. Anderson can be frustrating beyond comprehension–but he’s downright dangerous when he’s on. Besides, he’s toiled on a team that’s been in flux since the Reagan era. What would happen to Anderson under the guidance of Belichick and the Patriots? It’s a scary thought.
DEVELOPING…
1
Sep
2009
Things get worse in Denver…
With news leaking that Kyle Orton has suffered an “open dislocation” to his finger (meaning, essentially, that the bone split the flesh, requiring an abundance of stiches), will the Broncos be willing to start the season with a backup leading the way? Potentially slated to start: 2009 sixth-round selection Tom Brandstater.
At this stage, we're rooting for McDaniels to get through the 2009 season.
Or, is it time for Josh and the boys to make a move? Assuming that Orton is not the long-term solution in Denver, will the Broncos sit patiently, or pursue a capable signal caller from another team? Perhaps Minnestota’s Sage Rosenfels or Cleveland’s Derek Anderson have been mentioned in the past, but Anderson doesn’t fit well into McDaniels system.
It would be intriguing to watch the rookie head coach start his career with a rookie signal caller. We found this video of Tom B. (Brandstater, not Brady) talking strategy:
29
Aug
2009
Quinn will be named starter in Cleveland…
While Head Coach Eric Mangini hasn’t made the official announcement–and may continue to hold his tongue–everyone knows what’s coming: Brady Quinn will be named the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. In no way did Quinn decisively vanquish Derek Anderson (who seems like he’d be much better with a few beers in him at gametime, loose and frenzied, just gunning it across the field like it’s his backyard), but he took care of business tonight in the team’s third–and most critical–preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. Check out the highlights here.
It’s questionable whether or not these preseason games provide adequate ground for a true quarterback competition–especially one as flimsy as this–it’s simply been a stage for the inevitable. Anderson, as always, flip-flops between white hot and ice cold. Meanwhile, we have no idea what Quinn can do over the course of a season, but he’s more Mangini’s style: controlled, orderly, and methodical.
In the eyes of many, Anderson needed to wipe Quinn off the field to win this job–he didn’t even throw a touchdown pass. Tonight, Quinn did, and while nobody in Pittsburgh is shaking in their shoes just yet, he will lead this team in 2009.
Case closed.
The Browns last four opening-day starters at the quarterback position were almost as funny as these guys--Quinn can do no worse.
29
Aug
2009
Living in oblivion
Because you care: My fantasy football draft gets underway in 2 hours and 28 minutes.
There’s an undercurrent of self-defeat in all of this.
After last season’s debacle, I promised to never to play fantasy again.
Reason #1: My teams have sucked horribly, painfully, year after year. Some of the worst fantasy teams ever assembled—last season ended with somebody named Chet Orley-Francine at quarterback and Aunt Jemima running the ball.
Reason #2: I just couldn’t get past the fact that I was a 35-year-old man who was regularly unsettled about my “team,” it’s riddled lineup, and inability to “win football games” on my computer.
As my contingent of oft-injured, mid-tier clowns tanked week after week, I felt my rich disdain for the entire operation bloom.
One thing about fantasy: it seems to me that if you get out of the gate slow, with a bunch of players unable to find themselves, you have about as much a chance at outshining your peers as Lauren Conrad at a Mensa convention.
"LC" and fantasy football contribute equally to this society.
My 2008 fantasy start was grizzly. I lost my opening three games by a combined four points–two of those games were lost by a fraction of a point. The scoring system was such where a runningback, for instance, could score 22.7 points in a game (suggesting–to me, at least–that this entire process took itself far too seriously). By Week Four, it was over: I lost by 70 points, the victim of my own poor administration (I was out of town for the weekend, and mistakenly started three bye players, a mid-malaise Chad Ochocinco, and Chelsea Clinton). Sitting at 0-4, looking up at a flock of 4-0 and 3-1 teams, my Matt Schaub-led band of hobby horses spiraled violently downward.
This Schaub guy (who I’m told, again, is a “sleeper”) drove me to drink. Week after week, he sabotaged my fake team: I’d play him and, in real life, he’d get the flu ten minutes before gametime, leaving the quarterback slot VOID. Thanks, Matt. So, I’d sit him, and he’d come in—randomly—and throw three touchdowns. I’d fall for it, play him the next week, and he’d burn up the field for 47 yards. By Week 8, I was floating.
I have a hard time imagining my grandfather, fresh out of World War II, deciding to spend his fall playing fantasy football. It certainly speaks to the complete ease most of us live in today. I’ll get flamed for suggesting that we’re in “languish” mode—yes, yes, I know: many adults who spend way too much time twiddling around with their fantasy football lineup also hold successfully hold down full-time jobs, engage in relationships as parents and spouses, and contribute to a local charity (or tavern). That said, I just can’t get past the absurdity of it all. Human beings were meant for more than this.
22
Aug
2009
( ( ( LIVE GAME BLOG ) ) ) Browns vs. Lions
The Browns 10-year rebuilding plan continues today!
And we are here to follow the action. After a dismal showing against Green Bay last Saturday, will the Browns have their act together today in Cleveland Browns Stadium? Will Eric Mangini‘s team be different than those coached by Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, or Romeo Crenell–or is this just more of the same?
Aspects of the game the Browns need to improve:
- Every aspect
There’s an incredible amount of attention on the QB battle between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, but the reality is that neither of these guys has separated from the pack. Neither has shown they can play consistent football week to week (or even practice to practice). The “quarterback controversy” here, in my opinion, is the fact that we’re going into the season for the eleventh time since the Browns return to the league WITHOUT a clear-cut starter–and minus a true leader at the position.
Here are two problems that suggest disaster for this team: (1) They cannot run the football; (2) They cannot stop the run. That’s the recipe for a painful, long season. This team that has to get tougher, smarter, and refuse to lie down. Winning or losing preseason games is not of core importance–but playing well, gaining confidence, and nailing down Mangini’s new system are critical.
Will the team get their act together today? We’ll post throughout the game, right after the jump…
31
Mar
2009
Tuesday evening notebook
As posted earlier this evening, the Broncos have made the decision to trade their overly dramatic quarterback Jay Cutler (who doesn’t mix well with their seemingly overhwhelmed head coach). Per PFT, interested teams appear to be the Jets, the Browns, the 49′ers, the Bears, the Lions, the Redskins, and the Bucs. Pat Bowlen is fuming.
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/03/31/six-teams-and-counting-interested-in-cutler/
The Lions obviously have a need. But if they pull the trigger, they’ll most likely be forced to deal the first pick in the draft (what else can they POSSIBLY offer). Recent reports suggest that they’re impressed with Georgia QB Matt Stafford. Would Denver then turn around and pick up Stafford? (Is Stafford honestly worth the number one pick?) (With Chris Simms on the roster, if Denver went a different route in the draft, it could potentially shake up the top five quite considerably.)
Option two: There is a steady stream of whispers suggesting that Brady Quinn will be shipped to Denver for Cutler in a multi-player, or player-picks swap. This seems feasible, especially considering how deeply enamored Mangini was with Cutler when he entered the league. If they join the fray, the Browns will give up much more than Quinn, no doubt. Additional scenarios suggest that a third team would be involved in the trade (one rumor had the Browns giving away Quinn to Denver, the Broncos shipping Cutler to Washington, and the Browns somehow ending up with Jason Campbell and a coffee maker.) (Editor’s note: I will stab myself if the Browns do something like this.)
Instead of Quinn, would the Browns ever ship Derek Anderson in a trade? Would the Broncos ever fall for this? Unlikely. Anderson had a sensational 2007 season, and showed what he can do with a solid offensive line and some weapons on offense, but he was horrid in 2008, and sunk swiftly with the rest of the team. In relief, Quinn showed grit and promise, but ultimately failed to turn the ship around before getting injured. That said, Quinn appears to have more promise–or, at least, we’re not sure he’s a bust.
The question that needs to be asked is whether we view Cutler as a guy ready to lead an NFL team into the future. Physical skills aside, his self-centered behavior, and flashes of immaturity over the past three years, leave you wondering if he can suddenly become a stable and team-oriented presence in a new lockerroom.
26
Mar
2009
From the East Emerges Mangenius
This is intergalactic bounty hunter IG-88:
This is Mangenius:
Mangenius has left the metallic storefronts of New York for the football epicenter of the nation—Cleveland, Ohio—to reinstall toughness into a roster that has floated for a decade.
Mangenius from the East.
This is 4-Lom:
4-Lom is a bounty hunter hired by Vader for his technological coldness. The guy has never been comfortable in his own skin (obvious to the reader).
This is Brady Quinn:
Quinn—at this hour—hangs on the fringe. He is full of promise, largely untested, entrenched in a beguiling quarterback duel with the erratic and gangly Derek Anderson. Neither have proven a thing to anyone. Wildly strange times. Ego battles. Bland animals emerging from the forest. A press corps longing for a subject. In the end, it is a scuffle that may amount to nothing, if the team (once again) refuses to compile more than four wins in 2009 and—per the norm—implodes upon itself for the tenth time in a row since returning to the National Football League in 1999.
This is Bossk:
Bossk has spread a wide net across the star system. He is out for blood. (He is also a food critic.)
Circa 1987. This is the Lovely Elizabeth with Randy “Macho Man” Savage:
She is gone—lost to a home-brewed, drug-fueled cocktail. He is elderly now—a memory to all, snapping vaguely into a Slim Jim.
Bounty hunters cross the galaxy as you read this.
Mangenius hovers above a meadow in central Iowa.
King Kong Bundy floats motionless in water.
The autumn looms.
