Cleveland Browns

So… is anyone else oddly concerned that the Steelers only managed 13 points… against the Browns… in a game that Big Ben played? That’s… not encouraging. (7-9) Kansas City Chiefs 7

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 17, 2011-12"

(4-8) Cleveland Browns at
(9-3) Pittsburgh Steelers

Okay Cleveland fans, let’s talk some Browns. You’ve got Colt McCoy struggling to impress management, who are almost assuredly need to take a good hard look at drafting another signal-caller come April. Tonight, he gets front-and-center with James Harrison, who has been wrecking quarterbacks with reckless abandon since coming back from injury. Cleveland doesn’t have enough talent on offense to hang with the Steelers at all, especially if Peyton Hills can’t get on the field consistently. They have solid parts on the defensive side of the ball, but they’re not cohesive enough to put up much resistance against Big Ben.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 Thursday Night Preview: ..."

In a week that is full of crap-on-crap and top-on-top match-ups, this game earns a very weak “Trap of the Week” status. At home welcoming a one-win team should be a recipe for success, but the Browns are absolutely woeful on offense. (5-3) Buffalo Bills at

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 10, 2011"

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 6, 2011"

WTF is up with Matt Hasselbeck? He looks like he’s 26 again, ready to tell Brett Favre what he’s going to do with the ball in overtime. Only this time he isn’t throwing interceptions. Even without Kenny Britt, the Titans lit up the Browns. Even Chris Johnson got in on the action with a 101-yard day. Welcome to the NFL  season Chris.(4-0) Detroit Lions 34

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 4, 2011"

(0-2) Miami Dolphins at
(1-1) Cleveland Browns

Last second news on this one, Peyton Hillis is out with an illness. That officially means this game gets nowhere near my television.

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 3, 2011"

Continuing the injury train, Andy Dalton left this one with a wrist injury, giving way to Bruce Gradkowski. Cincy wasn’t supposed to win, but they pulled out a scrapper. Maybe the Browns still need a little work…(1-0) Buffalo Bills 41

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 1, 2011"

This could be ferociously ugly. One rookie quarterback and another with only a few starts under his belt. There’s going to be tons of hand-offs, few risky passes and lots of field goals.(0-0)          Philadelphia Eagles at

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 1, 2011"

Cleveland Browns

In the second year of Team President Mike Holmgren’s tenure, the Browns have a new head coach in Pay Shurmur and a new offensive system. Colt McCoy will be the starter as Cleveland implements the West Coast offense. McCoy showed a lot of potential last season in some pretty significant games, but he’ll have to continue to progress in year two. He’s being protected by Joe Thomas, who’s one of, if not the best left tackle in the NFL. Peyton Hills took everybody by surprise with his play last year, even getting onto the cover of Madden. He won’t get that same luck in 2011 as teams gameplan to slow him down and force McCoy to air it out to his young receivers. Cleveland’s defense has ways to go, but they’re putting solid pieces in place. Drafting defensive linemen Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard makes them increasingly stout up front, a necessary response to the pounding ground games in the division. Their secondary isn’t phenomenal, but Joe Haden is a rising star and Sheldon Brown is a name someone’s heard of, at least. (Not sure what that counts for, but pfft.) They’ll be marginally better, but I’m not jumping on their bandwagon yet.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 NFL Season Preview: The AFC North"

Continue reading "2011 Preseason Recap: Bears 24, Browns 14"

With rosters being trimmed to 53 (down from 80) this week, there are quite a few Chicago Bears who will be fighting for their job on Thursday night. Let’s get to the storylines you should watch for as the Browns come into Solider Field for the last preseason game of 2011.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 Preseason Gameday Preview: ..."

Under president Mike Holmgren and new head coach Pat Shurmur, the Browns needed a solid draft in order to gain even the tiniest of footing in the rough and tumble AFC North. Probably their best move of the draft? Trading back with Atlanta and gathering a whopping five picks between the 2011 and 2012 drafts. For their one pick (6th overall) they brought back Atlanta’s first, second and fourth rounds picks in the 2011 draft and their first and fourth-rounders in 2012. That is a win no matter how you’re scoring. That enabled the Browns to trade up a few spots in round one and take defensive tackle Phil Taylor, a load of a man who will instantly replace the oft-unmotivated Shaun Rogers and plug up the middle in the Browns’ new 4-3 scheme.

Continue reading "The Best and Worst Classes of the 2011 NFL Draft"

More like "Lose Like a Douchebag Every Day."

Cleveland Browns

My prediction: 4-12
What actually happened: 5-11
My result: ****

They showed promise late in the year as Colt McCoy turned heads against stiff competition. The arrow is pointing up, but how far they can go in that division is the big question.

Continue reading "How Much I Effed Up: The 2010 AFC Edition"

Now this game has the trappings of an upset to me. Cleveland has been competitive all year, getting huge wins over the Patriots and Saints in back-to-back weeks. They haven’t been able to mount enough points lately, which could prove troublesome against one of the league’s top defenses, which will have Troy Polamalu back at safety. Still, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steeler offense haven’t exactly lit it up as of late. Keep an eye on this one. It will be physical. (Don’t you hate when someone says that? I mean, it’s FOOTBALL! Of course it’s going to be physical!)(9-6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 17"

(3-10) Buffalo Bills 13
(5-8) Cleveland Browns 6

So all of that slack Eric Mangini had garnered after his tough gritty victories over good teams? It all went out the window when he lost to the Bills on Sunday, only putting up six points. Jake Delhomme is as crappy as he ever was, even though he’s not being asked to throw all that much. Seriously. He sucks.

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Final Drive: Week 14"

Getty Images/ How condescending...

(5-7) Cleveland Browns 13
(6-6) Miami Dolphins 10

So… what’s going on with Chad Henne? Not being able to watch the game, all I saw online was he “out-Delhomme’d Jake Delhomme.” After catching the highlights and getting the skinny, I’ve decided Henne has reached his ceiling. He hasn’t shown signs of improvement or that his wild inconsistency is being tempered. With as little explosion as the ‘Phins have on offense, they can’t afford a turnover-prone QB. On the Cleveland side of life, Eric Mangini may be saving his job for another with tough gritty wins over solid competition.

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 Final Drive: Week 13"

(7-2) New York Jets 26
(3-6) Cleveland Browns 20

Alright, these Browns are legitimately decent. Their record may not show it, but they've managed to play evenly (or better than) some of the supposedly best teams in the league. Hand the reigns to Colt and let him ride. The Jets' ridiculous luck has to run out sometime... right?

Continue reading "Joe's NFL Final Drive: Week 10"

(6-2) New York Jets at
(3-5) Cleveland Browns

As ugly as this game could be (and with these offenses, it could be VERY ugly), the pre-game shenanigans between Rex Ryan and his brother Rob (Browns defensive coordinator) has been extremely entertaining. After knocking off the Patriots and Saints, the Browns could make a name for themselves in the AFC, which isn't easy to do. If they knock off the Jets, we'll have to start taking them seriously. Despite Eric Mangini's mysterious nature, this is Colt McCoy's team from here on out. Anything else would be ridiculous.

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 10"

(3-5) Cleveland Browns 34
(6-2) New England Patriots 14

Oh if only I could have watched this game. I would have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the beatdown Mangini's Browns handed the Pats, who were clearly looking past this game to the Steelers, who they've got next week. Colt McCoy didn't have to do much more than hand off to Peyton Hillis, who is running like every team he faces is coached by Josh McDaniels, the man who traded him. McCoy hasn't been named the starter officially yet, but can you really go back to Jake Delhomme or Seneca Wallace? Please Mangini.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 9"

(6-1) New England Patriots at
(2-5) Cleveland Browns

The Belichick versus Mangini drama has lost its luster in recent years after Mangini was fired by the Jets. Now the league-best Patriots face a Cleveland team that is playing hard and finding any way it can to win games. Hmm... doesn't that sound a lot like the Patriots? How ironic. There are a few teams in the league that can outplay the Patriots for 60 minutes... I just don't think the Browns are one of them.

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 9"

Getty Images

(2-5) Cleveland Browns 30
(4-3) New Orleans Saints 17

Who dat? I mean... go Browns? Did that really happen? A successful fake punt and four interceptions from Drew Brees were the perfect recipe for a Browns win. I mean, Colt McCoy only completed nine of his sixteen passes and they still won! How does that happen? These Saints are clearly not the same team that inspired last season. At this rate, they'll be lucky to make the playoffs.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 7"

(4-1) Pittsburgh Steelers 28
(1-5) Cleveland Browns 10

Speaking of dominant, look what happens when Big Ben Roethlisberger gets back in the starting line-up. With Charlie Batch, this would have been a 14-10 or 13-10 win. With Ben, the defense can take more chances because they know the points are coming on offense. This team is now frighteningly good. In sorrowful Cleveland, Colt McCoy actually looked better than I expected. Two interceptions and several sacks sounds about right against the Steeler defense, but he was fairly accurate and poised in the pocket. Something to look forward to in the Cleveland future?

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 6"

(1-4) Cleveland Browns at
(3-1) Pittsburgh Steelers

This game is all about the quarterbacks. Ben Roethlisberger makes his return to the Steelers while Colt McCoy is forced to start for the Browns after injuries to Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme. Good luck Colt. You'll need it.

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 6"

Getty Images

(1-3) Cleveland Browns 23
(2-2) Cincinnati Bengals 20

It figures that after all the criticism, Carson Palmer's best game of the season comes in a loss. I'd say a majority of his 371 yards came as a result of being behind for most of the game, but that doesn't matter. The fact remains that he can do it if needs be. Terrell Owens' 222 yards receiving on ten receptions proves his worth as a Bengal. But let's give some credit to the Browns, who managed to jump out early and hang on for the win. Peyton Hillis's second-straight 100-yard game gives the Brown faithful hope.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 4"

Cleveland Browns

Winning the last four games in 2009 surely saved Cleveland coach Eric Mangini his job as new team president Mike Holmgren took charge. Now in 2010, Mangini has work cut out for him in a brutal division with far superior teams. The team released Derek Anderson and trading Brady Quinn, instead signing the semi-awful Jake Delhomme to run Holmgren's west coast offense and trading for Seneca Wallace to back him up. Delhomme threw over twice as many interceptions (18) as touchdowns (8) last season in only 11 games. Yikes. James Davis turned some heads last season at running back, but he won't catch anyone off-guard this year. Their receivers are awfully young, with second-year men Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie the likely starters. The always-dangerous Josh Cribbs should get 6-10 touches on offense per game. Coming from a guy who witnessed Devin Hester's decline, Mangini would be wise to not overuse him and waste his special teams energy. While the offensive line isn't putrid thanks to tackle Joe Thomas, they need a lot of work.

Continue reading "Joe's NFL 2010 Season Preview: AFC North"

The preseason is finally over! With the final game in the books (a 13-10 loss to the Browns, if you even care), the Bears have decisions to make before Saturday's 5:00 PM deadline to cut the roster to 53 players. Here's what I saw during this fairly lackluster contest.

Continue reading "Collins impresses in Bears' final preseason game"

Since I'm in a crunch for writing time tonight, this will be a speedy preview of the Bears' fourth and final preseason outing! If you actually like watching scrubs fight for jobs (purest form of competition if you ask me), be sure to tune in tonight and cheer for players you'll never see again! Here's what else to watch for tonight before the roster cuts on Saturday:

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Bears at Browns"

It's finally here. The 2010 NFL Draft is upon us and I couldn't be more excited to hunker down for two nights and another day of coverage. With the new format, tonight will only cover the first round, bringing the drama of the top picks to primetime television. 

Continue reading "2010 NFL Draft: What to Watch for on Day One"

Though it means nothing, I am required by football law to point out I was 7-0 in my Opening Drive predictions for week 17. Woot. Multiple teams lost because they did not keep their starters in while one NFC East leader got railed on. Now, onto the last week of the regular season with this edition of the Final Drive! 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 17"

(1-8) Cleveland Browns at (1-8) Detroit Lions 

This is the 2009 Suck Bowl Rebuilding Bowl. AKA the only game where the Lions should be healthy favorites all season. Say what you want about Detroit, they can put up some points with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. I'm not sure Cleveland is even aware that scoring six points at once is possible. The best part about the game is that one of these teams will reach two victories. (Though how classic and awesome would a tie be?

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 11"

It wasn’t pretty, but I’ll take it. The Bears put down the Cleveland Browns by a final score of 30-6 Sunday at Soldier Field. While a 24-point win against a number of other teams would have been memorable, that margin wasn’t enough for Bears fans who wanted to see domination like they saw in Cincinnati. Instead, they saw Lovie Smith’s squad do little more than take advantage of Cleveland’s never-ending mistakes.

Continue reading "Cutler gets "Jay-Roughed" in Bears' ..."

Unfortunately, the Bears have nothing to be sure about after a 45-10 embarrassment at the hands of Carson Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals. Facing another AFC North opponent, the Bears desperately need a victory to keep pace in the NFC North. A loss to one of the worst teams in football wouldn’t exactly help their league standing either.  

Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Browns at Bears"

(1-4) Cleveland Browns at (3-2) Pittsburgh Steelers 

Is Brady Quinn being traded? Is that why his house is up for sale? Who cares? The Browns suck and will continue to be awful as long as Eric Mangini keeps trading away their best players. “I want to run a ball control offense, so I’ll have Derek Anderson as my starter! Going 2 for 17 is efficient enough for me!” He needs to stop, just like Cleveland’s winning streak will on Sunday. Pittsburgh should lay the wood to these streaking Browns.  

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 6"

(1-4) Cleveland Browns 6
(1-4) Buffalo Bills 3 

Ugliest. Game. Ever. Derek Anderson goes 2 for 13 in a WIN. Mangini should have stuck with Brady Quinn. In Buffalo, things could be even worse after signing T.O. in the offseason. Dick Jauron will lose his job during this season. You can almost lock it in. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 5"

Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-3) 

Can you imagine the Bengals sitting in the driver’s seat in the AFC North at 3-1? Since they’re facing off against the offensively-challenged Browns, that’s becoming an extremely likely scenario. I don’t think anyone in Cincinnati could have imagined a better start in their zaniest dreams. Great job to Marvin Lewis and a defense that has been rightfully much-maligned over the years. Carson Palmer is as close to 100% as we’ve seen since his injury. Cleveland is still awful. Sorry. The players hate Eric Mangini and he can't stand firm on a quarterback for more than six minutes. Derek Anderson may be starting this week, but I don't think Brady Quinn will stay on the sidelines all season.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 4"

(3-0) Baltimore Ravens 34
(0-3) Cleveland Browns 3 

Baltimore could be the best team in the league. Cleveland could have the worst offense in the league. The crazy part came when Eric Mangini benched Brady Quinn in the second half for Derek Anderson only to see Anderson throw three interceptions. Stick with Quinn. 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 3"

Minnesota Vikings 34, Cleveland Browns 20

For Brad Childress’ sake, this should be the formula for every Vikings game this season. All Favre has to do is throw a downfield pass every now and again in between hand-offs to Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. Short accurate passes to Viking playmakers will keep this offense balanced.

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 1"

Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns

Cleveland’s own quarterback drama will be outweighed by the incoming team’s signal-caller. Brett Favre on the Vikings will be a never-ending story until it well… finally ends. But who knows when that will be? With a stout defense anchored by Kevin and Pat Williams (who apparently will not be suspended), all Favre has to do is not make mistakes. Handing off to Adrian Peterson is the best recipe for his success. His experience and threat of downfield passing could be enough to get the Vikings to the postseason.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 1"

If you were watching last night’s Bears 26-23 preseason victory over the Browns trying to catch a glimpse of your favorite Bears, I hope you didn’t blink.

After a Zack Bowman interception on the first play from scrimmage, Jay Cutler took the field and handed off to back-up running back Kevin Jones six times, leading to a Robbie Gould field goal. Matt Forte didn't even play. After those first seven plays, it was scrub time.

Continue reading "Bears Answer Few Questions in Victory Over Browns"

Continue reading "Two Words of Advice for Vick: Reality Series"

This is the year Quinn should be the starter. It's about time the Clevelad Browns start to invest their time into players and make the Browns a legit team. They are always putting players on pedistools them letting them go.

Continue reading "THE BRADY QUINN FACTOR"

Continue reading "What a first day of the NFL Draft ..."

Continue reading "NFL Draft Day One: Bears Trade Down ..."

Continue reading "Crabtree a Brown? Braylon a Giant?"

Cleveland Browns 29, Buffalo Bills 27

At 4-6, the Browns would have to go on a significant tear in order to play in the post-season. Keeping that in mind, beating the Bills on Monday night is a step in the right direction. Having given up double digit leads in the fourth quarter of their last two outings, the Browns looked ready to collapse again as the Bills surged late. Luckily, Brady Quinn calmly led his team to a down the field to set up Phil Dawson for a 56-yard field goal. After the Bills missed on a 47-yard attempt with 38 seconds remaining, Cleveland has momentarily saved its season.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week Eleven"

Cleveland Browns (3-6) at Buffalo Bills (5-4)

In week eleven, the term “must-win” is now open for use, and the Browns know it. Starting Brady Quinn was supposed to spark this team, but all the talk of players quitting during the game can’t help morale. Cleveland is ripe for the picking, so if they can’t put together a winning streak, they can only blame themselves. Romeo Crennel will certainly be on the hot seat if their season ends without a game in January.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Eleven Preview"

Denver Broncos 34, Cleveland Browns 30

With San Diego barely edging out Kansas City, the Denver Broncos needed this game to stay on top of the unimpressive AFC West. Jay Cutler regained some confidence with 441 yards and three touchdowns in the comeback win. Denver’s defense hasn’t improved, but if their offense is reignited they should have no problem staying ahead of the Chargers.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 10"

Denver Broncos (4-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-5)

The Brady Quinn era begins tonight. It’s a strange decision to say the least, as Quinn has only had a day and a half worth of practice for his debut. Luckily, he gets to shine in front of the Cleveland faithful by playing against one of the worst defenses in the league. Now we’ll see how much Derek Anderson was to blame for Cleveland’s woes, or if it was his supporting cast that hasn’t come through. Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, and Jamal Lewis are the Browns’ top playmakers, yet they haven’t made any plays this season. They better step it up, or Brady Quinn’s arrival won’t save them. 

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Ten Preview"

Baltimore Ravens (4-3) at Cleveland Browns (3-4)

Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco certainly hasn’t lit up the league with his play, but he has kept his mistakes to a minimum for the most part. Last week he even caught a 43-yard pass from back-up quarterback Troy Smith. Flacco has his Ravens at an impressive 4-3 and ready to gain ground on the AFC North leading Steelers, who face the Redskins in Washington. If Baltimore can take care of business, they could be sitting pretty tied with the Steelers in first place with another meeting to come in week fifteen.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week 9 Preview"

Cleveland Browns (2-3) at Washington Redskins (4-2)

Each team is coming off strange outcomes in their last games, which were thought to be locks. Cleveland handed it to the Giants, while Washington laid an egg versus St. Louis. The Browns put themselves back in position to make a run at the AFC North since Pittsburgh took their bye in week six. On offense, Braylon Edwards racked up yardage off of crisp Derek Anderson passes. The real surprise was the Cleveland defense, as they snagged three interceptions off of Eli Manning. They’ll need the same focus to stop Jason Campbell and the ‘Skins.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Seven Preview"

Cleveland Browns 35, New York Giants 14

Ending the shock-fest that was week six in the NFL,

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Week 5"

Cleveland Browns (0-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)

Last week we had the Pennsylvania Bowl in the NFL, featuring two great teams. It’s too bad for Ohio that both of their teams are just plain bad. Each of these squads is looking to step on the other as they climb out of the trash heap of winless teams. If Derek Anderson is going to hold off the Brady Quinn chants, he’ll have to beat the hapless Bengals. He won’t be able to do it alone though, as Braylon Edwards needs to stop dropping every ball that comes his way. Cincinnati isn’t looking to be pushed over either, as they offered stuff opposition to the Super Bowl Champ New York Giants last week, forcing overtime. Carson Palmer will be hungry in this game, and a Palmer-led offense can put up 40 on any given Sunday.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Four Preview"

I’ve heard of “playing not to lose”…but thanks to last night’s awkward decision by head coach Romeo Crennel, I’ve also seen “playing not to win.” How else can you really explain his call to kick a field goal late in last night’s game versus the Steelers when his team trailed by seven? Fourth and seven or not, you have to go for the first down there, if not for the touchdown. What do you have to lose if you fail? The situations remain the same, regardless of turning the ball over or kicking the field goal. The Browns would have either turned the ball over on downs at the thirty or kicked off after a field goal which would’ve probably given the Steelers possession between the 20 and 30 yard lines. Either way, the Browns would still need a defensive three and out to regain possession and then they’d STILL need a touchdown!

Continue reading "Browns Play to Lose...and then Lose"

But where was Madden and Michaels? Silent.

------------------------------------

Beating the Cleveland Browns never gets old. For those Browns fans who have lost count, that's 10 consecutive victories for the good guys over the bad guys.

Continue reading "MIC CHECK FOR MICHAELS AND MADDEN"

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-1)

After Pittsburgh’s demolishing of Houston last week, many experts jumped on their bandwagon to front the AFC. Just as many leapt off Cleveland’s, due to Dallas flexing their muscle. Even with the Browns’ new defensive acquisitions, look for Pittsburgh to pound at them with the run and keep Ben in the high teens for pass attempts. Derek Anderson must right the passing game with down-field plays to Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow.

Continue reading "Joey A's NFL Week Two Preview"