Oxbow Tantrum

Comments on the Browns' trade of Charlie Frye, as posted on cleveland.com:

I would have rather traded [Derek] Anderson! Hopefully [Brady] Quinn will start this Sunday regardless. The fans deserve something to look forward to. - brownsfan24

Frye still can't decide what to do with the ball. Anderson does. Cincinnati specializes in turnovers, and the offensive line still needs more reps together. Yeah that's a great time to start a rookie QB who missed eighteen practices.

How bad will [Romeo] Crennel and company look if they give Quinn the start on Sunday and he destroys Cincy's defense. That is exactly why they will not start him. - nospin33

And Crennel was the second shooter in Dallas.

Good luck Charlie. You've been rescued from this sinking ship. - DawgHouse7

Dawghouse works for the Simpletonian Institute.

In my opinion, we tossed the wrong guy. The buck stops with the coach, and ours is a BUM. - RageIn216

That remains to be seen, Spazzboy. All the crap that happened last season, the personnel turnover, the new system, the injured linemen and Charlie's indecision were not the Coach's fault. You might be right, but it'll be luck. Write "Blind" in front of your handle.

Too bad we could not have gotten a solid [defensive] back [in return]. - falchoon

This after one game with a rookie starter and a couple blown assignments.

Let's see, our starting QB is pulled out in the second quarter of the first game and traded two days later, then unsigned Ken Dorsey is brought in and could possibly start game two? Boy, Romeo sure knows what he's doing doesn't he? - Jizy

Evidently you don't hate Savage. How convenient for you.

A team is only as good as management. Take a look at the leader. - NeedChg

I am. Let's see how he does with a trace of stability.

What does it tell you that OUR first-game starter is picked up by another team to be their third string QB? - tribefan59

Second string. They're moving the other guy back to WR, genius.

The only people dumber than Browns management are the fools that keep on filling that stadium at $50/seat after all these years of losing! - wwjd2007

Make it stoppleaseplease I can't stand it blahblah wahh-wahh oh God--

If he'd seized the opportunity he was given to establish himself as the undisputed starter, the Browns wouldn't be in this mess. - ksuflash87

WHEW! Intelligent life in Cleveland!

It wasn't all that long ago that the fans were chanting, WE WANT CHARLIE, WE WANT CHARLIE. - MrCommonSens

How long will it be before Brady gets booed of the field by drunken, boorish so-called fans? - bjvjev

About two series, dude! And you said it! Every deflected interception, blindside strip/sack, dropped third down and TD pass, penalty, and coaching lapse will be all his fault. The first time he's down by thirteen and has to force it or die, that will be his fault too.

The line will now have had two whole entire weeks together! Yeah! And Shaffer has a whole game under his belt at right tackle...Thomas at left! Should be a massive improvement and they should just steamroll the Bengals this week, right?

Freakin' idjuts.

YOU STAND CORRECTED.

A Brilliant Stragety by Ray Schennelheiser

Giving the Stealers a false sense of security is pretty smart. I guess when Zastudil wouldn't take a dive, they had him fake an injury and got this other guy to help the rest of the team blow it.

At first, I thought they were just making the Stealers overconfident so they could later crush them in this particular game, but obviously Romeo has a longer view in mind. Now, it will be even more psychologicly devastating when the Browns go smash them at home later this season!

I can't wait!

That was Ray Schennelheiser. Ray Schennelheis...oh JEEZ! You PEOPLE!!! HAHA...get it? Schennel...I give up.

Anyway, I think the best way for me to proceed is to paste a new column by our resident genius, Rich Passen:

If there is any stunning news that came out of Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener, it’s that Romeo Crennel still has a job as head coach of this team.
How many more pathetic, lethargic, unemotional, monumentally boring displays of professional football must Browns fans endure before the plug is mercifully pulled on what this man does for a living?
Recently, Browns General Manager Phil Savage declared there is no Romeo Crennel watch, insisting that Crennel was “the right man for the job.” Wonder if he feels that way today
He also blamed the media for creating the notion that Crennel is on the hot seat and declared that there is no such seat on which his coach sits.

Well, it's unwise to pick out particular buttheads, who shall remain nameless. Rich. Massive injuries and inexperience pretty much cover last year. Coulda been Belichick or Parcells, dumbass.

After Sunday’s disquieting collapse, perhaps it’s time to strike the match and light that fire, Phil, heat that seat and point the finger at the real culprits for putting Crennel there – yourself and the players. It sure looks like a hot seat Crennel occupies with the fans.
“If we get beat, 50-0, in the first six games, that’s a different story,” Savage said. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen.” They’re off to a pretty good start. “There’s no one else out there who could have won more that eight to 12 games with the roster we had” the last two seasons.
Oh yes there is, Phil. And he’s unemployed right now. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Name’s Marty Schottenheimer. Used to be the head coach here at one time back in the days when Cleveland Browns football was exciting and fun and respected.
I can absolutely guarantee you a Schottenheimer team would never, ever have come out as ill prepared as the Browns did against the Steelers Sunday. That team was in no way, shape or form ready to play their bitterest rival. And there is no excuse for it.

Correction: Steinbach and Shaffer hadn't practiced with their teammates, including rookie Joe Thomas. I told you to EXPECT miscommunication and mistakes several months ago, even before they drafted Thomas, as even then it was probable that at there'd be at least two new starters on the offensive line.

A finesse blocking scheme is complex, and takes awhile for any line to master.

I was fortunate enough to miss most of the game on the radio, but I believe there were also blown assignments in the secondary. Wright was burned fair and square (by Ward), but there's no way Santonio Holmes is supposed to be uncovered. This was a mental mistake, probably on the part of an inexperienced Brodney Pool.

Savage said before the season that the defensive line wasn't finished yet. The TEAM is not completely built yet.

The offense is likewise new and complex, and I told you months ago that this would likewise take some time to master.

The contrast between Anderson and Frye was no mistake. I told you a YEAR ago that Anderson gets rid of the ball and is decisive. THAT, you blame on Romeo (or Phil). And keeping Ted Washington while releasing Oshinowo.

Yeah, they sucked. It was murder. Marty might have simplified stuff and only lost by 21 or so points, but you need to get back on your medication.

It was just another litany of turnovers, missed tackles, penalties, botched assignments, dropped passes and lazy football in general by a team that is so poorly coached, it boggles the imagination.

Please don't use that word. Being devoid of imagination, you can't understand what it is. Hey somebody else tell me about the dropped passes--is he just tossing that in there? I do have to admit that I'm pretty concerned about screw-ups myself, but I comprehend that the offense is new and complicated, and several of the players are inexperienced.

The Steelers games can no longer be called a rivalry. The Browns don’t put up enough of a fight in order for it to be given that title. It’s just another two games on the schedule every year until the Browns can fight back.

I concur.

They need someone to kick them hard in the hind flanks. That someone is Schottenheimer.
You can’t outprepare his teams. He knows how to mold winning franchises. You don’t compile 200 career coaching victories by luck. That’s not a coincidence.
We have been told by Savage and his minions that this is a better football team than the one he took over 30-some months ago and has more talent. So if the talent is there, the victories should be close behind, right?

Right. Just as soon as the offrensive system has a chance to get out of it's freaking CRADLE and stumble around a little, along with all the raw, young players...and we have a better QB. How the hell do you think a team is built? He DRAFTED the core. They're still KIDS, nimrod!

OK, we’re waiting.
It’s just one game, some will say. Why the panic?
First of all, it’s not just one game. It’s two miserable seasons and one game. When is enough enough?
The fans are sick and tired of getting kicked in the teeth. This is pure torture if you’re a Browns fan. It soils the wonderful legacy of this team.
Schottenheimer would be the perfect choice to come in here and straighten out a team that has talent, but zero direction. He is a disciple of the 3-4 defensive scheme, had offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski on his staff in San Diego last season and would bring a fresh approach to how to play the game

Hmm...he's staring to convince me. Yeah, with Chud...he wouldn't fire Grantham, either.......

Continuity be damned. This team is headed for disaster with Crennel as the head coach. Keeping him for the sake of continuity is insane. And with Cincinnati and Baltimore lurking in the shadows of the schedule, this season can – and most likely will – get ugly in a hurry.
Schottenheimer critics complain that his teams have never made it to the Super Bowl. Hard to argue that point. But at least his teams play smart football, winning football, creative football. And isn’t that what Browns fans want?
Schottenheimer at least gets to the playoffs. Of course, the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal, but if you can’t get to the playoffs because of poor coaching, what difference does it makes what the ultimate goal is?
He is the kind of a coach who can come in and teach the Browns how to win, which is one more step toward respectability than they’re taking now. And respect is something the Browns haven’t received, justifiably so, since the return in 1999. This team has no clue how to win.
In his 21 seasons as a head coach in the National Football League, Schottenheimer has experienced just two losing campaigns. That’s no accident.
Right now, Cleveland’s Clueless Coach doesn’t know how to win. How else can one explain his 1-12 record against AFC North teams, his 10-23 overall mark and unfailing ability to put his team in a position to be humiliated way too many times?
The players like him. Wonderful. The players respect him. Great. Then why don’t they play for him?
Some will argue that Schottenheimer is too old? So what if he is nearly 64 years old? Age didn’t make a difference when Crennel was hired. Age has nothing to do with it. The guy can coach.
This team has to learn to walk before it runs. And right now, it is staggering around like an inebriated jackass. Four penalties on one play on a punt? Hard to keep from laughing on that one.
Browns fans want to have some fun, some enjoyment when they watch their team. As we speak, this club is just a few losses away from a fan backlash that might surprise the front office, whose inaction on Crennel is nothing short of puzzling.
Savage said recently the Browns were “going to be in good shape with Romeo . . . We’re looking for our offense to be efficient; we’re looking for our defense to be opportunistic and solid and we’re looking for our special teams to be sound.”
After Sunday’s little picnic, the offense is no more efficient than a Model-T Ford, the opportunistic defense got pushed around like a 98-pound weakling and the special teams were anything but sound.
Savage also said he and Crennel “are in the business to create cohesion and continuity.” If this is cohesion and continuity, I want no part of it.
To lust for an old coach to return is to deal with the stuff of which fairy tales are made. There’s only one problem. It’ll never happen.
Schottenheimer back in Cleveland? Not a chance. Savage would never hire him.
The suffering continues. Are you watching, Randy?

This was one game. It was a joke, for sure, and I'm getting sick of it myself. But Rich was saying this stuff last season, when the entire secodary had been wiped out by injuries, the offensive line was playing musical chairs, and Edwards was dropping a bunch of passes.

If you have a brain, you discard the two previous seasons, as (the one before moreso) there was a massive turnover--this team just now NEARING the completion of a total reconstruction.

Marty might indeed be a better option, and Romeo might indeed not be a head coach. But you don't fire the guy until he has a reasonably healthy team, with a stable offense--and a quarterback--and still loses.

Hopefully Cinci is all worn out from it's monday night fight with the Ravens. Don't expect the Browns to win, but...hell, I don't know.

No, I DO know: Last week was an abherration. They'll make a fight of it. Let Anderson work with the first team ALL WEEK every practice, for once, and he should be an improved version of the guy last season.

Now break it up, and go home.

SOLOMON WILCOTTS UPSET SPECIAL: BROWNS OVER SQUEALERS!!!

That's right! Solomon Willcotts, former starting Ben-Gal and Stealer safety and current Sirius NFL Radio analyst, is being kidded by everybody else for predicting that the "worst team in the league" will upset the awesome, unstoppable, dominating Stealers!



Well, to the source: Solly does tend to be rebellious and contrary at times, but he does always pick with his own convictions, and tends to discount HYPE.



All the reasons why the Stealers will dominate the Browns have been repeated ad-infinitum, but let me tell you something: All those people, including the true experts who are ex-players and front office people, looked first at a Stealer victory and then at the reasons why. They had their excrement-colored glasses on. Even so, some of the justifications they cherry-picked were faulty.



First, the legit bad news: Stenbach and Shaffer have missed too much time, and there could well be miscommunication on the O line. Pitt is very strong against the run, and Joey Porter's replacement may well be a better player. Polumalu is too quick for any lineman to pick up. The spread offense plus Parker will make it hell to stop the run--a Little Dutch Boy story.



Now for the corrections: The left side of the Cleveland line, regardless of Steinbach's sabbadical, matches up favorably against their opposite numbers. Both excell at blocking upfield and in space, as well as in handling speedy passrushers. Both have been practicing against Kimerion Wimbley, and HYPE aside, nobody the Stealers have is like him.



What's this "injured journeyman" crap about Fraley? Fraley has emerged into a top-flight total package center! It's TRUE, Oblivia!!!



McKinney's injury is IRRELEVANT. It DOES NOT MATTER. He will play and play well.



Shaffer is better for blocking in space and taking on 3-4 OLB's than Tucker or anybody else, as well. His and Steinbach's return alter and expand the potential blocking schemes, as their preseason replacements couldn't execute the slant-blocks, traps, upfield stuff, and pulls that they can, and the Stealers don't have film on this stuff!



Roethsenberger will indeed test Eric Wright, probably with Santonio Holmes. SO? Wright matches up admirably with Holmes, and man coverage is man coverage. Wright can PRESS Holmes, and catch up to him if he sneaks by him. Are you assuming that little Santonio has any advantage whatsoever over Wright? Are you nuts?



Hines Ward is hell on wheels, but THIS time, it's Leigh Bodden.



Wimbley will have a tough time with Marvel Smith and Fanika, yeah. But listen to me: Smith is vulnerable to Wimbley's kind of speed. He is a good, but NOT an elite, left tackle.



The center and right side of Pitt's offensive line is not what it was last season. The right tackle is more of a goon type and will have a hard time handling Antwan Peek. It was pointed out that Pitt will chip him with a tight end. Well, Pitt's tight end is a major recieving weapon, and if he has to hesitate before going upfield, I'll TAKE that--especially if he's chipping and outside linebacker and leaving a DE one-on-one with a gap.



This defense is much faster that the one that Parker trampled last season, with Wright, a returned Bodden, Pool instead of Wilson, Peek, and increased time for Fraser and the other young DE, plus Smith (vs. Gramps).



Pool can cover this tight end, too. And after Holmes and Ward, who are the other recievers? Certainly, Parker will sometimes set up in the slot and be a pain in the ass all around---well you can't answer every question.



The spread offense has two sides to it. If you blitze through the right gap, you can blow up the run. No lead blocker. No body guard for Big Ben other than Parker. No second tight end to help with Peek or Wimbley. Here, of Ben has to check down and dump off quickly, it'll have to be short, because THIS Browns team has the corners to man-up and still not get burned (much), and opportunistic safeties.



It won't just be Wimbley and Peek blitzing. Everybody will come, all day long. You'd think, from reading about this game, that Pitt is the only team in this game that can do that. This defense will go toe-to-toe and trade punches, and if you go individual-by-individual, those match-ups favor the Browns more often than not!



Don't get me wrong: I'm talking about pass-protection, mostly. Nobody will beat Fannika but everybody else can be had. When Pitt runs? Well...ok that's tough. I really wish Grantham would just let the younger, quicker DE's slant and penetrate and try to blow stuff up. If they two-gap, they won't do that much.



I hope Washington has sandbagged but doubt it.

Idiocy

"The Cleveland Browns might be the worst team in the NFL. I mean, yeah they've got Edwards and Winslow, and Jamal Lewis is looking a lot better than he has the last two seasons, and that rebuilt offensive line is looking like it can really do the job...and they have Wimbley, Peek, and great linebackers overall--and that new secondary--wow! But I just don't think they're going in the right direction."

It speaks for itself. The least this goofball could have done would be to mention the QB question, and the issue of the defensive line and trouble stopping the run--but even then, those two singular factors, even if the sky really WERE falling there, couldn't turn the whole rest of the team into one of the worst in the NFL!!!

Oh, puh-LEEZ!!!

Now for the cuts. Obviously, Phil didn't get my memo about ignoring Romeo and keeping Oshinowo instead of Mt. Washington. I can't be too, too critical about this, since Washington might have been sandbagging in preseason, and is helpful for teaching young guys dirty tricks.

I can't be too critical of keeping Anderson over Dorsey, either--and I'll tell you why later. But first, Romeo said "The guy has to be able to win games." There we go: He means that Quinn is third string and, because he is Romeo, will REMAIN third string all season. But do not be too concerned about this: Savage will intervene if neccessary.

Ok now for the why of it: With the defenses the Browns will be facing in the first five weeks, and the newness of the offensive line (even if Shaffer is back, he's missed a lot of time with these guys), Frye could very well get dinged up. And they don't want Quinn in there that early vs. those top-flight defenses.

Secondly--and this is Phil Savage thinking down the road apiece: If one or both of these guys performs well, their trade-value will shoot up dramaticly entering next season. Even if Anderson never takes a snap, he will still have the experience to elevate his status--or at least make him Quinn's primary back-up after Frye is dealt.

Quit laughing, and proclaiming your ignorance. Last season, both QB's were victimized by poor protection, a weak running game, constantly playing from behind, and Edwards and everybody else except Winslow, Jurevicious and Draughns dropping about every fifth pass--especially on third down and in the end-zone.

Niether consistantly sucked, but rather were up-and-down; at times executing flawlessly and marching up and down the field as well as any QB. Look to Chicago and the lynch-mob going after Rex Grossman for similar reasons. But now look at how expert opinions this season have changed.

Suddenly, they have caught up with me and realized that Grossman is only a third-year player, that his mistakes are becoming less frequent, and that improvement can be expected. While Grossman was a much higher draft pick, it's still pretty dumb to cut him all this slack and keep Frye and Anderson on a leash in the basement.

After all, Grossman had a pretty decent offense with a strong running game. His defense kept it close, so he wasn't always trying to make something happen as his team fell farther and farther behind. HERE, the offense looks a lot better, whereas, Chicago's supporting cast looks pretty similar to last season's.

Roethsenberger: The did, because they COULD, have him throw under twenty passes in a game, while Pitt ran over and strangled everybody. He had putrid games in the playoffs, and at other times, when they fell behind and he had to come back. Now, of course, he'll be and elite QB sans the mistakes--but see? The team around a QB MATTERS!

Frye needn't be spectacular to move this team, and his mobility gives him a great added dimension. While I still say that those first five teams, let alone the rest of the schedule, represent a very, very, extremely huge, massive challenge for an offense in transition and a defense having trouble stopping the run--you may not have the right to blame losses on the QB.

"Winslow caught a jillion passes last season, but they were all for like five yards. They need to find a way to get him the ball downfield."

CORRECTION: Throughout preseason, Winslow has been catching passes at ten to twenty yards downfield. One of the first things Chud did was "find a way" to do that. I wish these clowns wouldn't ignore the Browns that completely. These same clowns will say that Frye has a weak arm again the first time he DOESN'T go 40 yards deep at least three times in a game.

Yeah, so much for opinions from Oblivia.

Savage recently mentioned wanting to get to their nickel/dime defenses. Obviously, of you can stuff a run or two and an offense has to go three-wide and stuff, that's a good thing, but he meant more than that.

The Browns nickel/dime defenses this season will be expremely flexible and adaptable to any offense. The extra DB might be a corner, a safety, or even a linebacker. They have two young passrushing DE's to spell the run-stuffers, and BOTH OLB's can put their hands in the dirt.

In Bodden and Wright, they now have two guys who can press-cover most recievers (for a few seconds) without help, leaving safeties free to blitze, play center field, or man-cover a scat-back.

Also, it's a great chance to get our geezers off the field and to the oxygen-tank. This defense has great depth!

Now for my prediction for the Browns vs. Stealers: The Browns will win if their offense is able to score a greater number of points within the first sixty minutes than the Stealer's offense.

Remember, you heard it here first.

YOU STAND CORRECTED.

Dick LeWho?

The Steelers are doomed-doomed, I tell you!

Ok maybe not. But there has been a lot of good stuff in these last two preseason games. I think you can see that our scrubs are better than Chicago's scrubs, for one thing. (Actually, this is true. The Browns have excellent depth, almost everywhere-and most are youngsters who will mutate into starters over time.)

It's true that the playbooks were held close to the vest, but everybody seems to think that works only one way. The Browns offense showed little of what's in store for real opponents, and Grantham's defense, now entering it's third season and with more appropriate personnel, has yet to show what it can do.

I noticed that both Quinn and Frye--and perhaps Anderson and Dorsey, as well, have thrown behind Jerome Harrison more than once (whereas Quinn has been on the money with everyone else.) This probably only means that he's significantly faster than both the other running backs. They're all pretty short and stocky, and flare-outs and similar passes are a staple. This is easy to fix. Don't worry about it.

Gil Brandt clarified some things for me today on NFL Radio. Quinn was not accurate until his senior year. He was not accurate at his work-out, and in the Browns mini-camp (when he was CHANGING HIS MECHANICS at the behest of the coaches.) He HAS been VERY accurate throughout preseason in real fake games.

This is with many different recievers--the least of which were Winslow and Edwards. He seems to like Josh Cribbs better than anybody else. That TE I told you about--Faulk? Or something. He's adjusted to each of them. That's impressive.

That goober Wilson sure enough dropped an easy pass, but then caught three. Can't give up on him. Northcutt, very sure-handed in college, went through this. Turned out to be a vision probem for him, but for Wilson--by his own admission--it's a headuphisass problem. (Well, he didn't use those exact words.) Chandler won't let him get away with it.

More later.

The Lights Went On!

Denver is an elite and balanced team, and in their third preseason game, they opened up the playbook and meant business. It's true that preseason musn't be taken too seriously, but those who will say that this game meant nothing need head-extraction surgery. (As I've mentioned, stupid people often swing to absolutes.)

Jevon Parker won't drop passes when it counts, so there was luck. On the other hand, it's pretty "iffy" that Jurevicious was out of bounds in the end-zone.

More important were the individual battles. While the Browns defense got trampled, it did pretty well against a pretty potent passing attack. The two-minute defense was atrocious, mainly because it was in "prevent" mode. ("Give them the stuff underneath...under thirty yards. Give them a ten-yard cushion".)

I really doubt that they'll be so soft in the real games. Grantham has never been Martonian like that. He usually sneaks in a safety blitze or something and blows them up, and the cushions are never that rediculous...or...hey, is Romeo....NAH!

The Browns O-line protected and opened holes, even without Steinbach. And do NOT forget: Joe Thomas is brand-spanking new, and absolutely WAS making mistakes that he won't be making even in his next game. This offensive line will be significantly better than the one which pushed the Broncos around, once Thomas gets his reps and Steinbach returns. AND, it will continue to improve throughout the season, as they get used to working as a unit within the new system.

The performance of all three QB's had less to do with their own lights going on (though that was part of it) as it did with improved protection.

I do need to make some corrections: Last week, Shaffer was beaten and Anderson was stripped. The fumble was not his fault. Anderson called a time out because he didn't get the playcall in his helmet. Why do you cretins blame him for this stuff? Because he's just the most obvious target for the mentally-challenged? And in this last game, I read about his "brain-cramp" when he got sacked ON THE FIVE YARD LINE. What--did he endanger the field-goal? Brain-cramp? Huh?

As far as I, or any rational person, is concerned, he's still neck-and-neck with Chuckie. Alas, we're running out of time, and Chuckie did a nice job without any stupidity--and has many more real games under his belt, so it looks like he da man.

What separates him showed up in this game: his ability to take off and run with it. And I hope that his arm-strength won't be questioned again, at least until the next game (JEEZ!)

Quinn? Savage and Crennel are right. As long as the Anderson-Frye survivor is servicable, you NEED to keep him on the bench for as long as possible, despite his stellar performances (this time vs. Denver's first-stringers, as well as a mix of them and backups.) The longer he is kept hungry on the sidelines, watching all the dirty tricks, the better he prepared he'll be when the real bullets fly.

Looks like they'll keep Dorsey and Frye or Anderson (looks like Frye). Dorsey is a good emergency guy, but more importantly has been around for awhile, accepts his role, has the brain of a coach, and will be invaluable in helping a baby QB acclimate.

Yes, Quinn was the best-prepped QB, and I even think that he'd do pretty well if thrown in immediately. But listen: When it's for real, do you know what new and different things the Pittsburgh Steelers can throw at him? And then, there's that thing I talked about before: A rookie QB can kick butt for one or two games, until defensive coordinators have the film to find his weaknesses. Then he gets murdered. He learns from this, and adjust...but it happens again, and again.

Carson Palmer spent an entire season on the bench, and never looked back. Leinart, Cutler, and Smith all came on later in their rookie seasons. ALEX Smith started instantly. NOW, he's highly-respected, but THEN, many felt he was a bust--he was so atrocious. PEYTON MANNING started right away, and HE sucked as a rookie! Check out his brother! Get it?

If Frye or Anderson had continued being putrid, I'd have to agree with you about Quinn needing to start right away--but when you DO have a capable veteran ready to go, you protect the kid. Same as you'd protect a young boxer: You keep him away from the contenders, and let him beat up tomato cans at first. Too fast too soon, and he'll hever recover from the beating.

For that matter, Tom Brady never started until Bledsoe got hurt. Kosar had Danielson in front of him. See it?

But boy, the future looks very bright. Jamal Lewis--wow did YOU know he could be a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield? How you like Chudzinski? And he's really cookin'! LOOKS like he's 27! This guy can break defenses backs. Do you know that Lewis is historicly a slow starter? He's been one of those guys that can be stifled through the firt half (give or take some series), and only starts trampling defenses when they're tired, and he's spotted some weak spots.

But here he is right out of the gate ripping off yardage. Back to the offensive line: THEY did a nice job.

Travis Wilson? Like I keep telling you, he's a bust!

...ok-ok, I said he'd be great. Well, he gets open. How does a guy who never drops anything in college start dropping EVERYTHING all of a sudden? Maybe his vision-he should see Northcutt's optometrist, maybe. Or a shrink. A hypnotist.

But the recievers behind Jurevicious (I like Sanders best) are doing well, and the Browns will have to give one or even two pretty good tight ends their walking papers.

Another correction: The Browns got plenty of pressure on the QB. Which idiot hallucinated a lack of pressure? That's a BOWTBW thing (baby-out-with-the bathwater). Stupid people...like I said. The got ran over, but did well against the pass.

D'Quell Jackson has reached another level. He now knows the defense well enough to stop thinking, and is just all over the place. Chaun Thompson, playing outside where he should be, is likewise excellent. Then there's that very first DE they drafted low and converted to linebacker; the project. Third season--there ya go!

Peek--told you about him, too. He made some of his plays in coverage, too.

Still it's the AFC North, and maybe the toughest schedule in the NFL. On the other hand, both the Steelers and Ravens (the Ravens as usual) are getting overrated.

8-8 in 2007 would be HUGE. Looking at the schedule, all the NFL gurus I know whould be hard-pressed to project even three wins for the Browns. I don't blame them...much.

Edwards Lewis Winslow Heiden Wimbley Wright Jones Pool Jackson Bodden Thomas Steinbach Quinn...I do blame them some. They need white canes and guide dogs, ya know?

OH! How bout Quinn and...whos' that ex-quarterback they turned into a returner and are working at WR? Yeah him. Is it that he doesn't get open, or that they just won't throw to him? Maybe they need to take Quinn aside and tell him not to throw to him anymore. But anyway, you see what a weapon he could be. Maybe.

Oh okbye.

Wellesville, KS

Stuck on I-35 behind a fatal wreck. Southbound truckers describe a grisley scene, with certain fatalities and evidence of same.

Truckers react in different ways. Most are merely impatient, and angry with both the dead and the survivors. Clearly, also, it was all everybody's fault. How DARE they go get carried off in pieces in order to inconvenience ME?

I finally got through all the BS and delivered a load from Van Buren to Wichita. I was on my way to a New York load when, 22 miles from the shipper and 25 seconds away from the wreck, I got into this parking lot.

USA's Qualcom macros are rather irritating. With each pickup, delivery, or hours-of-service report, they want to know how many hours I have left to work, to drive, my mother's maiden name, etc. I'm going to start leaving a lot of it blank and let them slap my wrists, if they must.

On the other hand, I have Pikepass and EZPass for tolls in several states, so I can now blow by tollbooths.

My dispatcher, Matt, is has been there for seventeen years, and is sharp. He seems all-business, which I like. This load--I was to pick it up at 1600 on friday, and deliver late monday, only about 1300 miles away. I think they don't differentiat3e between 75 mph O/O's and their regular 63 mph company guys.

That's ok with me. I'll just deliver early when I can, and take 34 hr. resets when I need to. When I can't deliver early, I'll hit hotels when I have the time to make the most of it. Money isn't everything.

Before releasing me upon the unsuspecting public, all the top company officers had me in for a brief interview. They seemed ok, and this seemed genuine.

There's good and bad to everything. You just make the best of it.

THEY have launched an all-out assault on every single one of my diversified stocks, but are too late. I'm retreating, mopping blood and sweat out of my swollen eyes and covering up. Of course, THEY don't fight fair. Horseshoes on gloves, bottles and bricks thrown by cronies in the crowd...oh I'm free okbye