Get out SI, nothing to see here
Posted July 25th, 2008 by Dan
Peter King, head football guy for Sports Illustrated, was in Berea Wednesday and Thursday checking out Browns camp. This has led to some speculation that the Browns could be on the cover of the Sports Illustrated football preview.
Much like the members of KISS attempting solo albums, there are several things wrong with this.
The first is the potential for bandwagon fans to hop on for the ride that will be the 2008 NFL season. As if going to games wasn't bad enough, what with all the business-owned seats filled with mute and completely unenthused fans, these faux fans will make it even worse.
Second, I believe greatly in football jinxes. While being on the cover of SI isn't as much of a death sentence as being the Madden cover guy, it's not a good thing (that is, unless you're in a bikini. Then, it's fine. Great, even). Think about it. What happened after Joe Carter and Cory Snyder made the 1987 MLB preview cover? Not even Snyder's wonderful mustache could save that team from losing 101 games. And that was some 'stache!
And yes, the cover jinx is problematic for football players. Consider the following:
- 2000: Vikings quarterback Duante Culpepper proclaims he wants to be the "the greatest ever." The Vikings go on to lose their final three games. Culpepper is currently jobless.
- 2001: Oregon State (Derek Anderson's alma mater) is picked as the preseason No. 1. The Beavs finish the year 5-6.
There are probably several others that I'm too lazy to try and remember. The point is, this attention is no good. As a wise man (re: some Internet philosopher) once said, "great expectations lead to great disappointments." You think about that Browns PR people who would have to approve a photo shoot. You think about that.
Anyway. Notes…
Nice post from ABJ Browns beat writer Marla Ridenour. Also make sure to check out her second camp video. It'll be down by 9 a.m. tomorrow, per NFL rules, so check it out. Hopefully there will be more to come.
Fans are flocking to training camp this year.
Phil Savage should be pleased with the work he has done with the Browns.
Anderson looks like a star according to Fox Sports.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
The city of Cleveland has survived near misses before. In 1995 the Indians were going to be on the cover before SI switched it to Hideo Nomo at the last minute. Thankfully avoiding that curse allowed the Indians to go on and lose the World Series that year. WHEW!
July 25th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
See, but at least they got there. I'm afraid they'll put DA on the cover and he'll end up having an alien burst out of his stomach, or something else just as unbelievable.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
He probably could avoid the SI cover if he wanted to by trying to grow a sweet Cory Snyder mustache.
July 26th, 2008 at 8:06 am
It won't matter. Derek will continue the mis-reads and other miscues that made him look so bad towards the end of the season, especially the dreaded Bengals game and Pro Bowl. By November, a qb controversy will culminate in Brady Quinn being given the job, as Anderson's poor qb performance and a brutal schedule cause the Browns to reverse last year's record to 6-10. Teams this year will simply look at tape of Anderson from last year, note his tendencies, and make adjustments. No more flying under the radar screen.
Look out for 2009, though! They will be a force to be reckoned with!
July 26th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Hey Jim, hook me up with the winning lottery numbers while you're here soothsaying!
July 26th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Well, Dan, down here we don't believe in sugarcoating things. Anderson really looked lost late in the season, and while Pro Bowl performances really don't measure anything, he really looked horrendous. Plus, one thing that bothers me about DA is that he doesn't own up to his mistakes when he really screws things up; he made excuses after the Cincy game (I saw the whole interview on Browns.com) and didn't really come right out and say, "I screwed up; I cost us this game."
The other reality check is the totally brutal schedule. Is there another schedule as brutal as ours? I just don't see it happening.
I'd love to be wrong, though! I'll tell you this- IF they do make the playoffs this year, after all they would have been through, I don't see any team standing in the way of their getting to the Super Bowl.
I really hope I'm wrong about DA. I'll be the first to come and say, "Boy, was I wrong." But he's got to make adjustments to those that the defense will make AND he has to make the correct reads. Do you think he can do that?
July 28th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Jim, I absolutely get where you're coming from, but I'm just trying to check my cynicism at the door. That is, at least until the first two games are done.
Schedule brutality is always an issue to me because the current state of the NFL shows that any team can go from being great to horrible in just a year's time. What may look difficult before the season could be cake by the end of the season.
About DA. You're absolutely right. If he doesn't make better reads, the Browns are screwed. Even with Winslow and Edwards, I think teams will gear more on stopping Jamal Lewis and hope single coverage works against the Browns because of Anderson's somewhat poor diagnosing skills.
You could be wrong. I could be wrong. More that likely, we're both wrong!