MiddletownJournal.com

More evidence of a season gone sideways

By Sean McClelland | Friday, October 10, 2008, 04:48 PM

It’s shaping up as one of those seasons when everything that can possibly go wrong will.

The latest: Tight end Kellen Winslow will spend his second night in the hospital with an illness the team is saying very little about.

Profootballtalk.com, citing an anonymous league source, reports Winslow landed in the Cleveland Clinic because his testicles “swelled to the size of grapefruits.”

At a press conference, head coach Romeo Crenell tried to allay fears by saying it’s not like Winslow’s arms and legs are falling off.

Wouldn’t put it past Winslow to get out of the hospital bed and catch a couple of touchdown passes Monday night in a stunning win over the Giants, but considering the Browns’ luck this season, it’s probably not a good idea to count on it.

Concern here is for Winslow, obviously, especially as the Browns continue to be so tight-lipped, which only leads to speculation, which only leads to fearing the worst.

Winslow is listed as “questionable” on the injury report, meaning there’s a 50-50 chance he’d play. But that would seem optimistic now, so get ready to see more of Steve Heiden, who used to be pretty good when they threw to him, and Darnell Dinkins. Fourth-round draft choice Martin Rucker is not an option, apparently still recovering from minor knee surgery.

Winslow missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, then was hospitalized Thursday evening.

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Take me out to … the Obama rally

By Sean McClelland | Thursday, October 9, 2008, 09:48 PM

Professional athletes tend to vote Republican, mainly because of their extreme wealth.

So it came as little surprise when Browns quarterback Brady Quinn endorsed John McCain the other day, or that offensive tackle Joe Thomas joined him at a rally in suburban Cleveland.

Wonder if the McCain camp knew Quinn was a backup. On second thought, it probably didn’t matter. Even if starting quarterback Derek Anderson had volunteered for this duty, he likely would have been rejected, such is the level of community discontent with him after four games.

And given the economic climate, the last person McCain needed to be rubbing elbows with was a guy about to lose his job, as it seems Anderson might if he and the offense don’t pick up the pace Monday night against the New York Giants.

Quinn at least appears to be on the rise, offering hope for the future. Ironically, much like Barack Obama.

These were just a few of my scattershot thoughts as I headed over to the Obama rally in downtown Dayton on Thursday morning, braving the chill air and navigating a gauntlet of Obama supporters trying to sell me T-shirts, hats and posters with their candidate’s face on them. “Hey,” one pleaded, “I’ve even got one in YOUR size.” (Hope that guy’s not planning a career in sales.)

As far as I could tell, there were no pro athletes in the crowd of thousands, but I did hear Obama thank the Dayton Dragons for the use of Fifth Third Field, which seemed a perfect venue. And good job by the Dragons not turning it into a cheap publicity grab.

I listened to enough of Obama’s speech to confirm that I like this guy. And won’t it be nice to have someone in the White House who can pronounce the word “nuclear?” Sarah Palin can’t, by the way, if you’ve noticed. Must be a Republican trait.

The concession stands were open, but they weren’t offering pizza. So after stomaching as much of the speech as I could, I walked over to Flying Pizza, which teemed with rally-goers. Many probably should have been in school, but they seemed excited not to be.

Two cheese slices and a medium Pepsi later, I felt I had done my part for America. I mean, what sports writer does anything at 11 o’clock in the morning? Obama should give me something for that. Like a Cabinet post.

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Anything’s possible Monday, right?

By Sean McClelland | Thursday, October 9, 2008, 02:10 PM

Would it stun anyone if the Browns were to beat the defending Super Bowl-champion and currently undefeated New York Giants on Monday night?

I’m sure it would stun even those diehard fans who attend every game without fail.

That’s how far expectations have fallen. That’s what a 1-3 start does. It saps the life out of a fan base, even one so legendarily loyal.

But I’m here to tell you not to lose hope, that anything can happen week to week, that a decent record at season’s end can be achieved.

Or am I just trying to convince myself?

See, that’s the riddle. Intellectually, you know teams have bounced back from these kinds of slow starts before, but you also have seen with your own eyes how bad this team has looked — and how brutal the rest of the schedule appears.

In a previous post, I outlined five reasons for optimism, but I’m afraid one of them needs amending. At the time, it seemed as if nobody was running away and hiding in the AFC North, but that was before the Pittsburgh Steelers went into Jacksonville and came away with a hard-earned victory over the Jaguars that pushed their record to 4-1.

I did not think the Steelers would win that game. Thought they’d be 3-2 going into their bye week. That was some victory, considering they were down to their third-string running back and had just lost starting guard Kendall Simmons for the season.

Wish I could have seen it, but Time-Warner Cable in Dayton apparently no longer carries an NBC affiliate so I can’t watch the Sunday night game without leaving home. Can you believe that? The irony is that there’s nothing else you want to watch on NBC but the Sunday night game.

And if you still have any doubts that Ben Roethlisberger is an elite quarterback, you need to follow a different sport.

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A few reasons for optimism

By Sean McClelland | Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 02:47 PM

Even though their only victory has come against a bad team whose starting quarterback didn’t play, I’m optimistic about the Browns, and here’s why:

1. They don’t play this week. Now that wasn’t meant to be funny, it’s just that the bye week comes at a good time, allowing everybody to take a deep breath, regroup, put their heads together and figure this thing out.

2. The defense isn’t playing badly. Up front, the Robaire Smith loss looms large, but Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams seem to be doing the job. Rookie linebacker Alex Hall, a seventh-round pick out of St. Augustine, is looking like the steal of the draft and safety Sean Jones (knee surgery) should be back in a couple of weeks. Plus, it seems like Kamerion Wimbley is now out of the witness protection program.

3. I’m not giving up on the offense. And, yes, that includes quarterback Derek Anderson, who is nowhere near as bad as he’s looked. Sure, it was against the Bengals, but he actually seemed to be developing some sort of rhythm late in Sunday’s game, and a 17-point fourth quarter is not to be sneezed at.

4. Receiver Donte Stallworth might return. He’s saying he should be on the field for the Monday nighter against the Giants. So far, the Browns have gotten nothing from their top offseason free-agent signee due to a quadriceps injury. If he’s healthy, he can make a difference on crossing routes and in terms of giving defenses something else to worry about.

5. It’s still early. And nobody’s exactly running away with the AFC North. The Steelers had offensive line issues even before losing guard Kendall Simmons for the season. QB Ben Roethlisberger often seems impervious to pain, but he’s taking some brutal shots as he tries to make plays down the field. The Ravens have looked good early, but are you sold on that offense?

6. I’m optimistic by nature. OK, that’s not true, but if you don’t have hope, where are you? No, that wasn’t meant as a shot at the Bengals.

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Imagine if they lose this week

By Sean McClelland | Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 05:48 PM

Congratulations to Dayton Daily News Bengals beat writer Chick Ludwig and everyone else who cynically predicted such a calamitous start for the orange helmets.

Makes you wonder what 0-4 might look like.

At 0-4, will Romeo Crennel be getting paid not to coach, perhaps replaced by Rip Scherer, who holds the title of assistant head coach, lest we forget, in addition to quarterbacks coach?

Will Brady Quinn be named the starting QB going into the Monday nighter against the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants (as, gulp, Ludwig predicted)?

I doubt Crennel buys it with a loss at Cincinnati, especially if the game’s competitive. But you never know. Maybe high-level adviser Jim Brown whispers to owner Randy Lerner that it’s time for a change and maybe Lerner communicates this to General Manager Phil Savage and that’s how it happens.

But I don’t think Savage will hatch this plan by himself, especially because I don’t see him as the knee-jerk type. He’s more the don’t-panic, let-things-run-their-course type.

Besides, who’s available at this point? Doubt Bill Cowher’s leaving CBS right now, if that’s what you’re thinking. After the season? Well, that’s another story. You can start that rumor right now.

Elevating a coordinator doesn’t even appear to be an option, given the youth and inexperience in those positions. OC Rob Chudzinski’s been in his job for one full season and this is DC Mel Tucker’s first.

Scherer would be a Jim Shofner-type of option, harboring no hope of rising above interim status. Shofner, of course, finished up in 1990 after Bud Carson’s firing, just before Bill Belichick’s arrival.

Patient as Savage is, community outrage (if not Lerner) could force his hand, especially if the same problems keep plaguing the team. And for a sampling of that outrage, just turn on the radio in Cleveland. (National hosts such as ESPN’s Colin Cowherd just keep patting themselves on the back for being right.)

On WKNR-AM (850), the main sports-talk station in town, mid-morning host Tony Rizzo (a native Clevelander who would rather be a cheerleader but generally tells it like it is) blasted the team Tuesday, then welcomed linebacker D’Qwell Jackson and kick returner/receiver Joshua Cribbs into the studio, where they took calls.

One caller began ranting and raving about the 0-3 start and Jackson responded, “How do you think we feel?”

And how do you think those network TV execs feel after anointing the Browns the team to watch — literally — and giving them five prime-time appearances this season, four of which remain.

We know how the fans feel. They feel confused, maybe somewhat cheated. This was supposed to be their team’s year. Almost everyone said so. But now there’s a snowball effect at play and it could get worse (0-4?) before it gets even marginally better.

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Steinbach the latest casualty

By Sean McClelland | Thursday, September 18, 2008, 05:04 PM

This is getting ridiculous, wouldn’t you say?

According to reports, left guard Eric Steinbach did not practice for the second straight day Thursday and could be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game at Baltimore.

Steinbach strained his shoulder in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh.

Apparently Ryan Tucker is ready to play, though, after missing the first two games while still recovering from surgery on a fractured hip in May.

Also Thursday, head coach Romeo Crennel said wide receiver Braylon Edwards is dealing with an injured shoulder and running back Jamal Lewis is nursing ankle and hamstring injuries.

Steinbach is at least the 16th Browns player this season to be dealing with an injury that has kept him out of practices and/or games.

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New Ravens coach is no genius

By Sean McClelland | Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 03:29 PM

We published this quote from first-year Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in the Wednesday edition of the Dayton Daily News. The sheer stupidity speaks for itself:

“Art Modell has become a mentor, and we’ve had a chance to spend some time with he and his wife Pat. So we’ve had a chance to go through some of the history, and I grew up with the history just like you (media) did.

“I’m proud to be a part of this organization now and be in Baltimore. He’s a hero in my mind.”

Now, I don’t generally use this space as a forum for name-calling. That would be wrong, generally.

That said, I didn’t realize the new coach of the Ravens was such a dolt.

My favorite line: “He did everything he could to keep the franchise in Cleveland, and providence didn’t make that happen.”

Once and for all, had Art Modell desired to stay in Cleveland, all he needed to do was hold open the possibility of moving the team. Civic leaders, state leaders and any other relevant leaders would have been tripping over each other making sure a new stadium with all the amenities was built somewhere. It would have happened because, if it didn’t, the politicians would have been the ones blamed for not getting it done.

Instead, the slimy Modell agrees to a renovation of old Cleveland Stadium, then places a moratorium on any further discussion, thus lulling the community into a false sense of security.

Meanwhile, he’s on a tarmac in Baltimore with Governor Hee-Haw (as the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Bill Livingston memorably dubbed Maryland Gov. Paris Glendenning) signing off on a deal to rip the hearts out of people who supported him in good times and bad for more than 30 years.

Here are the only relevant facts:

1. Modell wanted to move the team because he saw an economic windfall in his future and couldn’t wait to greedily grab it.

2. Actually, after that first fact, what else is there?

No genius, this Harbaugh. Guy needs a history lesson.

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