Dec 9th 2008 6:30PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Coaching
We’re heading into Week 15, the Browns have already lost nine times, and head coach Romeo Crennel has pretty much guaranteed that he won’t be back after the season. But with three games left on the schedule, he’s still — to borrow a phrase — playing to win the games.
You see, it only took three-and-a-half months to figure out that maybe Cleveland’s sputtering offense could use more Joshua Cribbs and less everybody else. Browns coach Romeo Crennel said the Browns will use Josh Cribbs more to try to jump-start the offense.
“It looked like Cribbs was a spark, and so I think that we’ll have to give him a chance to be more of a spark and try to manage his other duties as well,” said Crennel. “That’s what I think we can do there.”Spoken with all the conviction of a temporary worker nearing the end of his contract. Why Crennel didn’t hatch this plan back in October, when the Browns were beginning their descent to awfulness, is a mystery, and one he’ll probably have plenty of time to contemplate in the coming weeks.Continue Reading
Dec 7th 2008 12:30PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, Jets, NFL Coaching, NFL Media Watch, NFL Rumors
Romeo Crennel is probably going to get fired from his job in Cleveland. Sure, maybe all of the FAIL isn’t is fault — there have been injuries, certainly — but he’s taking the fall and he’s probably not going to be around next season. Actually, as Chris Mortensen reports on ESPN today, there’s a rumor that Cleveland could be ready to replace Romeo with Marty Schottenheimer.
So, yeah, “rumors swirling” is an understatement. So much so, in fact, that there is already discussion of where Romeo might work next year. Ridiculous, I know.
Crennel, likely to be fired as the Browns’ coach, is a proven defensive coordinator who goes way back with Eric Mangini. They coached together with the Jets (1997-1999) and the Patriots (2001-2004), where they won three Super Bowls on Bill Belichick’s staff.
The Jets are ranked 19th in total defense under Bob Sutton, but they’ve been leaking oil the last three weeks. The last three quarterbacks they’ve opposed, Matt Cassel, Kerry Collins and Jay Cutler, have passed for a combined 1,000 yards.
Or perhaps ridiculous. This is, after all, a legitimate article in a legitimate newspaper and frankly, the rumor (which is total speculation) makes a ton of sense for everyone involved. We almost certainly that the Browns will dump Romeo and we can most certainly assume he would rather have a job next year than not have a job.
And if Mangini can convince his bosses that Romeo’s defense can take the jets to the next level, well, there’s a pretty decent chance that this could actually happen. And let’s not forget — failing in Cleveland hasn’t, at least to this point in history, created any sort of permanent taint on a coach’s career.
Dec 7th 2008 8:25PM by Bruce Ciskie (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Coaching, NFL Rumors
Earlier, my superbly awesome colleague Will Brinson offered up some rumors about Romeo Crennel’s future, which obviously will no longer include being the Browns’ head coach. After all, we are fully aware that he is to blame for the Browns’ myriad of injuries, as well as Braylon Edwards’ inability to catch a football.
You’re bound to hear interesting rumors at this time of year, as we get closer and closer to the NFL coaching “silly season” (apologies to NASCAR for use of their term there). Sunday’s juiciest nugget came from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. He reported that the Browns have their eye on a familiar face to take over the team after they fire Crennel.
Yeah, that guy.
Obviously, the speculation continues to swirl around Bill Cowher making a return to coaching with the Browns. However, Mort says the Browns aren’t stupid. They know it’s not a mortal lock that Cowher will want to coach again. Clearly, they want an experienced coach.
Hopefully, if they go the way of Marty Schottenheimer, they let him hire his own staff. I’m not a big fan of retread coaches. Marty’s regular-season record is amazing, and his playoff meltdown in San Diego was gripping. I understand he has experience, but how many chances is he going to get to prove he’s not what we all think he is?
(By the way, major props to our boy Michael David Smith, who called for this move in February of 2007. Simply amazing.)
Dec 7th 2008 10:56PM by JJ Cooper (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, Titans, AFC North, AFC South
It wasn’t the prettiest win the Titans have every picked up, but who cares. Tennessee wrapped up the AFC South, nearly got a pair of 100-yard rushers and chewed up and spit out another offense with an easy win over the Browns.
The Titans didn’t need long to figure out that Ken Dorsey couldn’t beat them. The Browns’ third-string quarterback was able to relatively accurately dink and dunk on short-yardage passes, but he couldn’t throw deep. And the Browns’ running game was completely stuffed by the Titans front seven.
So with nothing to worry about deep, and no running game to keep them honest, the Titans defense just needed to make sure they tackled well and flooded the short zones. Yeah the Browns may have taken an early 6-0 lead, but when the Titans went ahead on an Ahmad Hall touchdown catch, this game was already over.
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Dec 3rd 2008 1:45PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, AFC North
I don’t think anybody in the Browns organization would care much if commissioner Roger Goodell just announced that he was canceling the rest of the season. The last three months have been an unmitigated disaster in Cleveland, and the sooner we can put it in the rearview, the better.
Unfortunately, it looks like they’ll be required to play out their schedule, which means four more weeks of utter ineptitude and disappointment. Silver lining: fans won’t be able to blame Derek Anderson because he’s out with a knee injury. And with Brady Quinn also on the shelf with a boo-boo on his throwing hand, Ken Dorsey is now burdened with the job over the next four weeks.
Head coach Romeo Crennel is understandably underwhelmed by the prospect. “He’s a very smart quarterback and he’s a competitor,” Coach Romeo Crennel said. “He probably doesn’t have some of the physical skills some other quarterbacks in the NFL have. I think that’s probably been the biggest drawback.” Which is the NFL equivalent of saying Dorsey has a great personality. To be fair, it’s not like the former University of Miami quarterback has had the benefit of playing on an NFL team that wasn’t completely unwatchable. As the ’s Jeff Schudel rightly points out, “Whenever Ken Dorsey has had the opportunity to start an NFL game, he has had the misfortune of stepping into a difficult situation surrounded by teammates who are underperforming or not very good.”
Truer words, Jeff, truer words. Still, I don’t expect the remaining teams on Cleveland’s schedule to give Dorsey a break because of his unbelievably crappy luck. But the Browns are 4-8, so, really, who cares.
Dec 1st 2008 10:45AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Fans
The last time Browns fans cheered their starting quarterback going down with an injury the team went to the playoffs. It was 2002, and then-face of the franchise Tim Couch was in the process of getting “Wally Pipped” by Kelly Holcomb. History repeated itself on Sunday, except this time, there will be no postseason. Just a bunch of guys limping through the final month of the season.
Yesterday, some fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium happily voiced their pleasure after Derek Anderson crumpled to the turf and suffered what looks like a season-ending knee injury. Predictably, neither Anderson nor his teammates were impressed.Continue Reading
Nov 30th 2008 10:30AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, Lions, AFC North, NFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Coaching
I think it’s safe to say that Browns fans seen enough of Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage. The “We Want Cowher” chants midway through last Sunday’s demoralizing home loss to the Texans confirmed as much.
If owner Randy Lerner can’t lure Bill Cowher out of retirement — and there’s no indication that Cowher would want the gig, particularly if he doesn’t have full control over personnel decisions — the ’s Marla Ridenour offers another suggestion. If Lerner is leaning toward firing coach Romeo Crennel and General Manager Phil Savage and trying to get Cowher is Plan A, he needs to be developing Plan B, as well. And that means finding the moxie to go after New England Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli.
Lerner could have tried to land Pioli in 2005, but didn’t ask the Patriots for permission to interview him. With just two full seasons in charge since his father, Al, died in 2002, Lerner might have feared offending his friend, Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Pioli is the guy behind the guy behind the guy in New England, and he’s largely responsible for putting together the rosters that led to three Super Bowl victories this decade. And while there’s no doubt that Pioli would improve the Browns’ front office, hiring former Patriots employees isn’t a magic elixir for success. Just ask Notre Dame and, hell, the Browns.Continue Reading
Nov 30th 2008 2:30PM by Matt Snyder (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, Colts, AFC North, AFC South
It’s only halftime, but the Cleveland Browns have made it through a half against the Indianapolis Colts’ high-powered offense, and they’ve only allowed a measly three points. The Colts have moved the ball reasonably, as they’ve outgained the Browns 141 to 100. A lost fumble by Joseph Addai on the game’s first possession and being stuffed on fourth and goal from the inch line were the two main reasons for the Colts’ inability to put more points on the board.
The fourth and goal play was especially exciting. As Peyton Manning tried to sneak through the defense for the six points, he lost control of the football. Dallas Clark recovered in what appeared to be a touchdown. Of course, the fourth down fumble rule dictates that in this situation (less than two minutes, fourth down) the only person who can recover the fumble for a touchdown is the person who fumbled it. The play was correctly ruled a hold for the Browns defense.
Also of note, we almost had the chance to see a free kick field goal attempt. The Colts received a punt just inside the 50 yard-line with less than ten seconds left. Unfortunately, Keiwan Ratliff did not fair catch it. I guess the hail mary interception thrown by Manning was the better end to the half.
Manning has been intercepted on the first possession of the second half.
Nov 30th 2008 8:00PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, Colts, AFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Injuries
The final four games of this season were supposed to serve as an audition of sorts for Derek Anderson, the Browns quarterback who came out of nowhere in 2007 to lead the team to 10 wins before getting benched earlier this month.
Brady Quinn, Cleveland’s latest submission for franchise quarterback, was shut down for the year after doing more damage to the broken index finger on his throwing hand during the Week 12 loss to the Texans, which opened the door for Anderson to get another shot at the gig.Continue Reading
Nov 30th 2008 9:45PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Fans, NFL Coaching, NFL Rumors
I wouldn’t blame Romeo Crennel if he just went through the motions for the next month; after a promising 10-win campaign a year ago, and all the preseason hype this summer, the Browns are 4-8 and one of the most disappointing teams of 2008.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, it’ll take an act of God to keep Crennel in Cleveland after Dec. 28, the Browns’ final regular season game. Specifically, Mort gazes into the ol’ eight ball and surmises that, according to sources, “Crennel will need a miracle finish to save his own job.” You don’t say.
The big guy has the support of his players, but the same can’t be said for general manager Phil Savage, who sorta sold Crennel down the river earlier this week.
As to Crennel’s possible replacements, ESPN.com cites Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, and coordinators like the Jets’ Brian Schottenheimer, the Giants’ Steve Spagnuolo, the Titans’ Jim Schwartz, the Falcons’ Mike Mularkey and the Ravens’ Rex Ryan.
I think it might’ve been easier to just tick off the guys the Browns aren’t considering.
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