While We’re Waiting… The Need for a GM, Cliff and the Phillies, and Chinese Investment
December 18, 2009Awkward Moments at Work: Cris Carter Style
December 18, 2009Perhaps it’s akin to the hallucinations mountain climbers experience at high altitudes due to lack of oxygen, but the uber-defensive win over Pittsburgh last Thursday has me thinking positively about this weekend’s game. I had this one circled back in October as one of the Browns’ last/best chances for a victory.
This game will be like that scene in “Face/Off” where John Travolta and Nicholas Cage turn to shoot their guns at each other through a mirror and end up pointing their guns at images of themselves. Deep, I know. These teams have very similar identities, dating all the way back to the days of Martyball. They also both now find themselves struggling to find a footing in a rebuilding program. Offensive yards per game ranks: KC 30th, CLE 32nd; Points per game ranks: KC 28th, CLE 30th. Defensive yards per game ranks: KC 30th, CLE 31st; Points allowed per game ranks: KC 29th, CLE 25th. In other words, it’s going to be a barn burner! Without further ado…
The Browns Will Win If…
Craig: …they can play better offense than last week. The Browns beat the Steelers and we were all happy about it, but they didn’t play particularly well on offense. The passing game was borderline abysmal. Brady Quinn did a good job of not turning the ball over. He needs to do that again, but he also needs to put some productive drives together with the passing game. That means getting the ball in the hands of Massoquai, Stuckey, Robiskie and Evan Moore.
Scott: …they play at the same level they did approximately one week ago. Matt Cassell has shown that he is willing to cough up the football a lot more than Ben Roethlisberger, and isn’t nearly as mobile. Applying pressure on the quarterback works wonders – who would’ve thunk it!? Lock down on Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers long enough to give the defensive linemen time, and we should be golden. Brady Quinn also needs to continue playing mistake-free football and our run game needs to keep clicking whether it’s via Harrison, Jennings or Cribbs. Arrowhead is a tough place to play, but if the defensive effort continues right where it left off, these guys have a shot…
DP: …they pick up exactly where they left off on defense last Thursday against Pittsburgh. The Browns have had some extra time to rest and prepare, and they played defense like their collective hair was on fire last week. If they can bring that kind of QB pressure and overall intensity (I can’t remember a Steelers team ever struggling to run the ball as much against Cleveland…), you have to like their chances against a weak Chiefs team. Likewise, if the Browns again commit to the run, can again get Josh Cribbs involved, and let Brady Quinn simply manage the game, I think they have a good shot to come home with the W. If Marty Schottenheimer shows up, though, who knows what will happen… he’s got more snake-bitten history with these two teams than could possibly be imagined.
Rick: …the turnover trend continues. As Mangini was so eager to point out at his press conference this week, the Browns have been able to hold on to the ball lately. (Fortunately for the Browns, the Steelers committed a penalty on that botched punt return.) In fact, they looked an awful lot like the Buckeyes during that Pittsburgh game. Solid defense and special teams setting us up in good field position, and no giveaways on offense. Isn’t that Tressel-ball? I don’t know if the Browns are talented enough to win with that formula against teams with a dynamic offense, but they aren’t playing one of those this week. Here’s hoping the team doesn’t experience a huge letdown.
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Now, for the other side of the coin. We reached out to a few Chiefs bloggers, and the brothers at Arrowhead Pride were kind enough to take us up on the offer. Arrowhead Pride is run by Joel and Chris Thorman. Joel is the much slimmer, more handsome brother. Without further ado…
The Chiefs Will Win If…
…they don’t turn the ball over as much as the Browns. Making the Browns go 70 or 80 yards each drive is a necessity.
Let’s face it, both these teams are pretty terrible and the one that makes the least mistakes will win.
The Chiefs are solid at times on defense even though their rankings wouldn’t indicate that. OLB Tamba Hali pressures the quarterback often enough that if the Chiefs give the Browns a long enough field, he’ll force Brady Quinn into some mistakes.
The Chiefs offense is equally terrible as the Browns but at times Matt Cassel has been pretty good not turning the ball over. He’s no Brady Quinn the last four games (but let’s face it, who is?) however I suspect if Cassel and Co. don’t turn the ball over once this game, the Chiefs will come winning the game.
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What say, there, fuzzy britches?
28 Comments
1) Stop Jamaal Charles (Don’t laugh, he’s been solid).
2) Get to Cassel and make him make mistakes.
3) Run the ball effectively.
@ Craig – He doesn’t have Worthlessberger’s arm, and the winds were awfully nasty last Thursday. I expect Quinn to be better this week.
Face/Off. One of my favorite terrible movies…
This one has the same potential the browns/lions game had. It could either be a total stick fest, or by some really odd math: Crappy Team + Crappy Team = Best game of the week! Here’s hoping for a good one.
“Oh no, are you going to take his face off, like in that movie Face/Off?”
I actually think the Brownies got it this week.
/aspiration’d
I like the Browns in a laugher.
The Browns are going to go 5-11 when they don’t deserve to. Because they have all these non-sense players who are just playing like there is no tomorrow…because there isn’t. Because they aren’t any good.
This really isn’t good for the organization.
This week the Browns will win this game with the running game. The passing game, via Evan Moore, will also be important for this win too. Long range passing…..no warm feelings on that part of the game.
Of course…Special Teams MUST be the best for this game. GO CRIBBS!!!!
Browns 27 Chiefs 10
THIS TEAM SHOULD LOSE ALL REMAINING GAMES BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE MUCH BETTER FOR THE ORGANIZATION. THERE IS NO CHANCE THAT THESE PLAYERS COULD POSSIBLY BE LEARNING THE SYSTEM AND STARTING TO DEVELOP, DUE TO RECEIVING PLAYING TIME. THEY SUCK AND THAT’S THAT.
/sigh
Anyone remember the Bills game?
On a serious note, this is an extremely important game, as abysmal as both teams are. How the Browns perform after the fairy tale win to the Steelers will say a lot about them and Mangini. If they are still floating on clouds, they’re going to get caught off guard and lose. If they come out and work their asses off like last week, I’d say it looks good.
I’m less worried about the lack of offensive production last week, because let’s face it. Steelers vs. Browns is USUALLY a defensive game. Plus that weather was an offense killer for any team and probably the equalizer that kept us in it and kept the ball out of Holmes’ hands 60 yards down-field.
Chris, that sounds about right. Bravo.
The last time we won two GAMES in a row was last year — on Sept. 28 (20-12 at Cincinnati) and Oct. 13 (the 35-14 Monday nigher against the Giants). The Browns had a bye week in between.
The last time we won two WEEKS in a row was in 2007 — on Dec. 9 (24-18 at the Jets) and Dec. 16 (that epic 8-0 snow game here against Buffalo).
So we’re due for a streak again. Prediction: Phil wins it at the gun.
Browns come out still fired up from last weeks win and take out the Cheifs going away. Final score: Cribbs & Dawson 20 KC 6.
Somebody missed the sarcasm font training.
To my mind the key to the game is Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. The reason the Browns were able to pressure Roethlispuker so much last week was the Wright and McDonald had excellent games covering Holmes and (a gimpy) Ward. If they can approximate that performance against the Chiefs receivers, the Browns will win.
“It’s like looking in a mirror – only not.” Yep, very deep. But that’s what one should come to expect from a Travolta and Cage feature.
And from IMDb’s trivia: “Third of three Nicolas Cage action movies in a row to feature a finale in which he is flung through the air involving an explosion (here a speedboat crashing into a beach).”
Can anyone name the other two movies? No cheating.
@Anthony
The Rock
The key to the game is that I’m going to be there. Game over. Browns win.
According to the rankings in the post, the Chiefs come in as only a slightly less lousy team. So…
If no player on the Browns gets lucky the night before and one player on the Chiefs does get lucky the night before, the resultant energy differential will be the difference that yields a Browns’ victory. At least that’s what Mangini said.
Chris, are you sure that was sarcastic? Are you sure? Really?
You think maybe MY RESPONSE was antagonistic? (behold the many nuanced uses of CAPS!)
See, allow me to explain the subtlety…
…in your annoying ALL CAPS SARCASTIC response, you pretty much hit the nail on the head there. They do suck, and that’s that. This has nothing to do with “learning the system.” Are you telling me that guys coming in and playing for one or two weeks have “learned the system” when another group of starters failed to do that after 12 weeks.
Drafting a difference-maker on defense would certainly benefit this organization. Losing games would make that possible. Now, I can understand an argument in favor of winning. It helps. We need positive energy. We need players to believe. Fans to believe. Potential personnel arrivals to believe.
But please, please don’t say it’s because these players are “learning the system.” What system? The defense has been inconsistent and had another one of their good games against a painfully depleted and divided Steelers squad. And no legitimate watcher of football can sit here and call what we have on offense a system; so surely, ye olde wise-man could not be referring to the “system” on that side of the ball.
Somebody missed the how-to-write-sensible posts seminar.
We’ll be hosting another after the holidays. It can be like a resolution for you this new year – Chris’s note-to-self: “don’t make annoyingly obvious, sarcastic posts and 1) think otherwise intelligent fans fail to see my oh-so-subtle approach to sports commentary when they were really just making fun of the team and me by undermining my own use of CAPS to promulgate my nonsensical thoughts via blunt sarcasm re: the future of professional sports franchises thereby giving myself WAY too much credit 2)react to legitimate thoughts concerning the long-term strategies of a particular organization by way of belittling said legitimate thoughts by way of CAPS SARCASM rather than responding with an argument that makes sense.”
PS – Yours most assuredly does not.
PPS – My apologies. I can understand your eagerness to employ CAPS SARCASM on this blog, given the many hours of training you put in.
Oh, and…um…that was sarcastic.
That was longer than expected. Sorry everyone.
@Anthony
I’m thinking of a movie with an airplane and a hangar out in the middle of a desert and the name of it was…
“Air America”? or is that another movie?
That’s what she said. Or someone said…
Con-Air
Right. Con-Air.
Yeah, the Cage-thrown-by-an-explosion trilogy was The Rock (’96), Con-Air (’97), and Face/Off (’97). He really showed off his range with those three films. *rimshot*
Jack is sounding alot like Isis used to. Hmmmmmmmm.
cle-21 kc-10
browns 21<<
chiefs 20