Johnny, Be Good (Please): Browns – 49ers Preview

The 2015 Cleveland Browns season can be summed up in two words: “déjà vu.” Cleveland’s football team seems trapped in an inescapable Groundhog Day. The quarterback uncertainty brings back memories of Brandon Weeden in 2012. The head coaching hot seat harkens back to Eric Mangini. The defensive incompetence has been a steady stream of white noise for the past few seasons. It just doesn’t matter who takes the field; the results continue to disappoint. With the underwhelming San Francisco 49ers (4-8) coming into town to clash with the cellar-dwelling Cleveland Browns (2-10), draft order may be at a higher premium than wins at this point in the year.

Familiar Faces

G/T Alex Boone, Ohio State. A graduate of St. Edward High School and Ohio State, Boone has played in the NFL since the 49ers added him as an undrafted free agent in 2009. In Columbus, Boone excelled at opening holes on the Buckeye offensive line. Twice named to the All-Big Ten First Team, Boone also received All-American honors as a senior in 2008. Fun fact; as a freshman I took the same class as Boone: Physics of Sports. My only recollection of him in that class was at one point he stepped out during a review session because he needed to refresh his dip.

RB Carlos Hyde, Ohio State. Hyde enjoyed a prolific running career as a Buckeye. In four seasons he recorded 3,198 yards and 37 rushing touchdowns. As a senior, Hyde won the Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year Award. Hyde began 2015 with a bang, rushing for two touchdowns and 168 yards in Week 1. Unfortunately a foot injury has sidelined Hyde since Week 8, and he is not expected to play against the Browns.

Last Win: Week 17, 2007. Browns 20 – 49ers 7

The last time San Francisco flew to Cleveland, the Browns were a very different team. Josh Cribbs took a punt 76 yards to the house. Braylon Edwards hauled in a touchdown pass from Derek Anderson. Phil Dawson polished off the scoring with a pair of field goals. Fans were treated to a surprise in the second quarter when head coach Romeo Crennel sent in rookie Brady Quinn for a series. While he did not blow anyone away, the rookie did not make any huge mistakes in his first few passes either. When the final gun sounded the Browns laid claim to a 20-7 win and their tenth victory of the year. Sadly, their playoff hopes died later that night when Tennessee defeated Indianapolis, giving them the tiebreaker over Cleveland.

Last Loss: Week 8, 2011. Browns 10 @ 49ers 20

San Francisco last hosted Cleveland in 2011. Colt McCoy led the brown and orange into Candlestick Park and threw for 241 yards, a pick, and a touchdown. McCoy tossed a score to Josh Cribbs, and Phil Dawson booted a 52-yard field goal. San Francisco, however, proved a bit more efficient on the day, with two David Akers field goals, a Frank Gore rushing score, and a Michael Crabtree touchdown catch accounting for their points. With the loss, the Browns final record at Candlestick Park settled at 4-4.

On Tap:

Between 2011 and 2013, the San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a remarkable string of success. Over those seasons the Niners went 36-11-1, appeared in three NFC Championship Games, and lost Super Bowl XLVII to Baltimore. Since then, the club has begun deteriorating. Following last season’s 8-8 finish, head coach Jim Harbaugh fled for Ann Arbor, Michigan. New head coach Jim Tomsula inherited a decrepit team and has not been able to reverse the tailspin. Colin Kaepernick struggled through the first nine games and during the club’s bye week was placed on injured reserve with a bum shoulder. Former Jaguar Blaine Gabbert relieved Kaepernick under center and has turned heads by playing remarkably well for San Francisco. With two wins in four games, Gabbert has thrown for 963 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.

The game also serves as a homecoming of sorts for San Francisco kicker Phil Dawson. The Texas alum kicked on the lakefront from 1999 to 2012. After appearing in a long-overdue Pro Bowl in 2012, Dawson signed with San Francisco as a free agent. Dawson made an immediate impact in the Bay Area; he kicked the game-winning field goal against the Packers in the 2013 NFC Wild Card Game, and added on three more field goals against Carolina in the Divisional Round. Sadly, his five total points were not enough to beat Seattle in the NFC Championship Game that year, but Dawson soldiered on. He turns 41 in January, but remains as accurate as ever; in 2015, he is 18-of-19 on field goals and 14-of-15 in extra points. I fully expect the Cleveland crowd to give him a warm reception on Sunday.

With the playoffs well out of reach, the Browns still managed to make major headlines during the week. Head Coach Mike Pettine benched rookie Cam Erving in favor of guard Austin Pasztor. The Browns inked Gary Barnidge to a three-year, $12 million deal. And, oh yeah, the Browns named Johnny Manziel the starting quarterback…again. At this point the rhetoric on Manziel is dizzying. Proponents argue that the Browns owe it to themselves (and the fans) to play Johnny to see what he is made of and decide if he can be a capable professional football player. Opponents contend that he has had, and wasted, his chances while his party boy persona has revealed a deep immaturity and lack of respect for the game.

As for head coach Mike Pettine, he did his best to quash any rumors that he is not in Manziel’s corner. “I’ve heard that that people paint that as he’s not ‘my guy’ and I wasn’t involved in picking him and just all of the things that come with that, and that’s just simply not the case”, the coach said. No one knows for certain if Johnny will still be with the Browns in 2016, or playing football anywhere, but the next four weeks can hopefully provide some answers.

So what do the Browns need to break out of their seemingly infinite funk? A franchise quarterback would certainly help. Would a new head coach make the difference? A new GM? Unlike Phil Connors, Cleveland fans do not want to wait nearly 34 years for their football team to figure it out. It seems that no immediate relief is forthcoming. What should we expect for the rest of the season? I think Phil Connors said it best.