Looking over photos from last night's game, this one stuck out to me.

The photo was taken by Phil Masturzo, quite possibly the greatest photographer under the sun (or moon). See more his Browns shots here.

The movie Groundhog Day featured comedian Bill Murray as a meteorologist who keeps reliving the same day over and over again as a chance to re-examine his life and priorities.  Murray's character takes advantage of this day to lead a hedonistic life at first, but rarely making the appropriate changes to his life.  Romeo Crennel and the Cleveland Browns appear to be stuck in a similar situation, except without the groundhog present.

For the second time in five days, the Browns are seeking to pick up the pieces of a fourth quarter meltdown.  In both games they were up by two scores, only to see both their offense and defense collapse.  On a Thursday instead of Sunday this time, the offense lost the ability to gain yardage and drain out the clock, and the defense could not stop the other team from scoring.  Thursday's collapse against Denver felt so much like Sunday's against the Ravens that if you went down to Mall C on Lakeside, it's possible Barack Obama was hosting a rally to support his election to the Oval Office. 

Facing a beaten Denver team, the Browns appeared to be clearly in control through three quarters with a nice lead.  As the Browns continued to nibble, stumbling on good drives that ended in field goals, the Broncos were just warming up on offense.  Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler ended the game throwing for a career high 447 yards and three touchdowns.  All three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, including a 93 yard strike to Eddie Royal.  Cutler had been playing with no threat of a running game, as rookie Ryan Torain and second year veteran Selvin Young both left due to injury, forcing them to play rookie fullback Peyton Hillis at tailback. 

On a battered Denver defense, playing without Champ Bailey, Marlon McCree, DJ Williams, and for part of the game Nate Webster, they were able to produce key stops in the second half that slowed down the Browns offense.  Denver's defense produced key third down stops that didn't allow the Browns once high powered passing attack to be effective in the second half.  The forced fumble of Kellen Winslow by Dre Bly lead to the go-ahead touchdown. 

Despite the loss, the Browns were finally able to see what second year quarterback Brady Quinn was made of.  He had an efficient day, completing 23/35 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  Quinn took the loss on his shoulders afterwards, in particular the pass thrown to Winslow on the final drive that resulted in a drop.

"I told everyone, this one is flat on me," Quinn said. "I know I am good enough that I can make a play at the end and win. I felt comfortable out there, it's my home away from home."

Let's hope next week breaks the Groundhog Day cycle. 

Game Balls

Offense:  Brady Quinn, QB – Quinn's first regular season NFL start was positive.  Quinn was efficient, completing nearly 70% of his passes for a good majority of the game.  He was able to make quick decisions with the ball, and his mobility aided him in keeping plays alive.  His start was not perfect though, as he was throwing balls low for most of the night.  Quinn's performance should continue to improve as he wears off the rust.

Defense:  Willie McGinest, OLB – The wiley veteran played a strong game against both the run and the pass this week.  McGinest also had a key hit on tight end Nate Jackson that stopped a third quarter Denver drive.  McGinest isn't the player he once was, but he still plays mistake free football. 

Special Teams:  Joshua Cribbs, WR – The past two games it's been hard to determine Cribbs's bigger impact, on coverage units or as a return man.  Cribbs had three special teams tackles this week (two solo), and averaged 27 yards per kick return.  His impact alone on returns seals his value, but he is improving his play as gunner on coverage.  Cribbs is easily the best overall special teams player in the league.

Turning Point

The Broncos had matchup problems with Kellen Winslow all night long.  Their safeties, particularly Marquand Manuel, were physical enough to make the stops on him, but couldn't run with him down the seam.  The fourth quarter drop which sealed the Denver win was heartbreaking, because it was a catchable ball.  Despite having a productive day, between that play and the fourth quarter pass interference penalty which negated a fifteen yard reception by Braylon Edwards, Winslow killed two key drives.  His play on the field is starting to represent the off-field distractions that have plagued him this season.  Winslow is a talented, but emtionally charged player.  He needs to play under control and more naturally, or else he will continue to struggle.

Last Straw

Blow a fourth quarter lead against the Ravens, and Derek Anderson loses his job.  Blow a fourth quarter lead against the Broncos, what will the fallout be this week?  No matter how well Quinn plays, he cannot save Romeo Crennel's job unless the team starts winning.  Finishing games is an issue, along with losing games in the division have haunted Crennel's Browns.  Crennel has to prove he's an NFL head coach, despite having five Super Bowl rings as an assistant.

Who were your thoughts on the game?

After another disappointing the loss, the Browns have turned to Brady Quinn.  He will start against the Broncos on Thursday this week.  Most pundits, including myself, will conclude that the time for change is now. Rather than go over thoughts on this battle, let's focus on another aspect.

Interestingly enough, John Clayton posted an article a short time ago covering Quinn's elevation that caught my attention.  This section, from former Browns starting quarterback Trent Dilfer was particularly interesting:

"Public opinion has made this decision for the Browns," said Dilfer, who was Cleveland's starter in 2005 before he lost his job to Charlie Frye. "I have spoken to coaches who have said, 'This is not Derek Anderson's fault.' In fact, at times he's played better than his statistics have showed. This is a function of the defense not getting off the football field; Braylon Edwards, a superstar receiver who's supposed to make all the plays to make you better, having 14 drops at least. It's about their playmakers, Kellen Winslow, not being there, not being dependable. It's about people not being at their best and Derek Anderson burdening the responsibility for this."

Dilfer is a fairly outspoken guy, but this screams sour grapes.  Dilfer has been benched or demoted in every stop he's had in the NFL, from Tampa Bay to San Francisco.  Let's not forget the bad blood between him and Browns management after his demotion from the starting job.

So my question to you the readers, is Dilfer right or just making excuses for one of his quarterback bretheren?  Comment and let us know.

Things are not looking good for Joe Jurevicius.  The local prodcut will likely be on put on IR today, ending his 2008 season due to staph infection in his surgically repaired knee.  On a team that leads the league in dropped passes, it will hurt to not have the steady Jurevicius.  Who knows what will happen with him at the end of this season, as he had originally planned to retire.  He's under contract through the 2009 season.

What's eating Jamal?  His lack of carries against Baltimore earlier this year.  This quote from head coach Romeo Crennel is particularly troubling:

"If it were as simple as, 'Give it to Jamal 20 times,' the first 20 plays of the game would be handed off to Jamal. But they would load up the box and never have to worry about a pass play. Then you see if that 20 would get you a win or not. Generally, your ability to run the ball keeps the defenses off balance because it opens up your play-action pass."

Stats speak loudly and this is one case where Lewis is probably closer to right than Crennel.  The coach is oversimplifying that particular statistic, while clearly ignoring the importance of Lewis' contribution.  Then again, is anything else to be expected from Crennel?

The Orange and Brown Report did a good preview of Sunday's game with the Ravens.

Ryan Tucker fans (like Dan and I) may have to wait yet again for the veteran offensive linemen to return from his knee injury.   With Kevin Shaffer playing average, it would be helpful if Tucker could get back on the field, but he hasn't practiced this week. 

Sunday will be a homecoming for Ravens rookie Haruki Nakamura, who is from Elyria, OH.  Nakamura is a huge hitter, and his highlight reel on YouTube is some of the most enjoyable hitting I've ever seen.  With Cribbs less than 100% and struggling this season, it could be a dangerous game for him with Nakamura lurking. 

Finally, while this is a bit old, it's still interesting.  The Browns supposedly turned down an offer of 2009 and 2010 first round draft picks from the Minnesota Vikings for Brady Quinn.  There is no clear cut source here, but it seems to be either wildly untrue, or a sign of how important Quinn is to the Browns.  John Clayton reports that Quinn is the Browns quarterback of the future and doubts the discussions went very far.

About a month ago, I came up with some daffy ideas to make Browns games more watchable. Looking at them now, some of them don't seem so bad. Let's review a few of those:

3. Get Jerome Harrison and Alex Hall in the game more. Everyone has touched on this one. Well, except the coaching staff. Zing!

This one still makes sense for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Harrison can mix it up with Jamal Lewis. Against the Redskins, Hall was in the middle of at least three stops on special teams. This guy gets after the ball and should be in the game more. I'd be fine if he took some snaps away from Kamerion Wimbley, who has been bad again this year.

7. Line Anderson up at receiver and Josh Cribbs at quarterback. If Cribbs is so good in the open field, creatively get the ball in his hands. And clearly what worked against Mid-American Conference defenses would work against NFL defenses.

Not only did the Browns do this one, it actually worked. Here's a hint for Rob Chudzinski: Do it more. It worked and excites the fans.

I took the most important one out of order and put it at the end here because I want to expound on it further.

2. Start Leon Williams. Unless Williams did something none of us have been made aware of, he's probably the team's most physically gifted inside linebacker. Sit on it, D'Qwell Jackson.

This one would absolutely help the team's awful run defense. Jackson just isn't a starter at inside linebacker in a 3-4. Williams, who is much stronger and athletic, would be perfect for it. He's a player similar to Mike Vrabel of the Patriots. He can probably play any linebacker spot and do well. For some reason, though, he never gets anything more than spot duty.

Clearly, after giving up 175 yards to Clinton Portis Sunday, the Browns have trouble stopping the run. Instead of trying something different, the coaching staff has stayed the course. Ultimately, that could end up being what gets them fired.

One other suggestion: Play Brady Quinn. He can't be any worse.

Joke of the week: Braylon Edwards couldn't even catch a staph infection!

The state of pro football in the state of Ohio is a mess.  If you're a Browns fan you can complain non-stop about the offense, Romeo Crennel, and Phil Savage's alleged black-hearted nature towards Kellen Winslow's staph infection.  If you're a Bengals fan and it's Week 7, you're used to the season being long over.  For Browns fans, there has been glimmers of hope.

So where do you turn for inspiration?  The safest and most likely bet is Brady Quinn, who very well may be the next Aaron Rodgers.  After Anderson did his best to lose his job against the Redskins, Quinn is going to be on high alert for this week's game with the Jaguars. 

Another source of excitement is the Browns defense, which has been improving this season after the blowout loss in Week 1 to Dallas.  Redskins head coach Jim Zorn said that the Browns were "…so good on defense."  That's high praise for a unit that was thought to be the biggest weakness of the team heading into the season.

The Browns young corners have been beating expectations also.  Second year veteran Brandon McDonald made some good plays in coverage on Sunday.  Eric Wright also has started to play more consistent football. 

Defensive, and possibly team MVP, Shaun Rogers continues to dominate. 

So what has excited you about the Browns so far in 2008?

For those of us who religiously watch the NFL Transaction Wire, it was a bit of a surprise today to see the Browns part ways wide receiver and former Bowling Green standout Steve Sanders.  The team released him, along with deleting rookie Travis Key from the practice squad. 

Replacing Sanders on the 53-man-roster was former Bronco safety Hamza Abdullah.  Abdullah is a veteran who started eight games in 2007 for Denver.  He's pretty much the same as the other safeties the Browns have right now:  special teams players with limited coverage skills.  It would be surprising if he finishes the year on the Browns.

In other less than thrilling news, Kellen Winslow is sick, and not in the good way.  The Browns star tight end has missed two practices and was sent to the doctor.  It's possible it's just the flu or some other bug, so don't go overboard with this one.

And finally, are you unsure of what to vote for?  Brady Quinn and Joe Thomas say vote John McCain.  The 2007 first round picks were at a rally in Strongsville, OH to support the Republican Senator.

Since the Browns lost to Dallas and Pittsburgh to begin the season, man fans have angrily been calling for the firing of head coach Romeo Crennel and the benching of starting quarterback Derek Anderson.

So, with having two weeks to prepare for Monday night's game against the Giants, should Crennel be gone if the Browns drop to 1-4? If Anderson continues to complete less than 50 percent of his passes and throws more interceptions than touchdowns, does he automatically get benched?

During the Browns' week off, that is all I've been able to think about with the team. Not how Ryan Tucker will probably play his first game of the season. Or how Browns cornerbacks will do against Plaxico Burress, who is probably motivated after coming off suspension. I haven't even thought about how the somewhat sluggish offensive line is going to stop the renowned New York pass rush.

Nope. It's been whether or not we'll be seeing the last of Crennel and Anderson this season. This may not necessarily a rub off of the loser mentality most Cleveland sports fans have, but it sure seems like it.

Notes…
Patrick McManamon checks in with his weekly 1st and 10. Always a solid, quick read.

McManamon also had a really good column today on penalties in the NFL and how it relates to the Browns.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository gives this season a kick in the pants, and I don't mean the back side.

Hey, by the time I wrote that all out, I had a new thought about the Browns! They were losing 30-3 in the second quarter of the preseason game against the Giants. Oof.

We've all lived through the horror that has been the past three weeks.  Underlying throughout each game was the sub-par performance of Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, with the second lowest QB Ratio so far this season in the NFL, 43.5  As a point of reference, an average quarterback should have around 83.0 as their rating.  Anderson's last rating in a single game over 83.0 was against the Jets in Week 14 of the 2007 season

Last year's surprise player has been in a funk that reaches back to Week 15 of last season.  The bad weather was partially to blame last year, but this year he's played in two games with beautiful weather.  Surprisingly, his best statistical week this year was the wind-swept Week 2 loss to the Steelers.  Realistically, Anderson's short leash could come to an end this week if under performs against the Bengals.  Last season's Week 1 debacle against the Steelers showed that head coach Romeo Crennel is not afraid to pull a quarterback mid-game. 

So what are they saying out there?

ESPN (James Walker):  Making the switch to Quinn is the right thing to do.

Sporting News (Bill Bender): Anderson will be benched within a week.

Baltimore Sun (Mike Preston):  Savage should have told Crennel to make a choice:  Anderon's job, or his. 

Akron Beacon Journal (George Thomas):   Quinn keeps on working like he's the starter.

CBS Sportsline (Pete Prisco):  Brady Quinn time is nearing. 

Who do you think should be the quarterback?  Comment!