Week 2 Grades

Needless to say, Sunday’s loss to the Broncos was disappointing. OK, maybe it was beyond disappointing. Is it too much to ask that the Browns at least be competitive for four quarters each week? I don’t think so. Especially against a team that’s really not that great, despite it’s 2-0 record.

I’d also like to point out, not to toot my own horn or anything, I’ve been saying all along that the prolonged QB competition by Mangini was a brilliant play to keep the media focused on that, instead of other problem areas on the team.

Case in point, this article now surfaces. Hmm, why wasn’t there a media outcry during training camp about the lack of improvement to the run defense? Maybe it's because the media fell hook, line and sinker for Mangini’s QB Derby façade.

OK, that’s enough of that. Let’s pass out some grades.

Offense
Offensive Line — The O-line’s performance was, in a word, pathetic this week. Elvis Dumervil, who sacked Quinn four times, manhandled John St. Clair. FOUR TIMES!!! We’re not talking about Quinn scrambles out of the pocket after going through all his check and is chased down by Dumervil kind of sacks either. We’re talking about Dumervil bum-rushes the backfield and gets to Quinn as soon as he gets the snap kind of sacks. The run blocking was terrible too.
Grade: F

Tight Ends — Let’s see here … did we even have any tight ends in the game? I can’t seem to recall any tight ends having any spectacular receiving numbers or even being open down-field, and it’s quite obvious there weren’t any tight ends blocking on the line. So puzzling. If only the Browns had a stud, Pro-Bowl caliber tight end ... Oh, wait, they did.
Grade: D

Wide Receivers — Nice job by Braylon Edwards, who pulled in six catches for 92 yards … and that’s about it. I think, and I’m going out on a limb here, perhaps the biggest problem with the lack of production from the offense stems from the fact that Edwards is OUR ONLY RECIEVER. Seriously, who else is Quinn going to throw to? Cribbs? I think we all see how well that works.
Grade: C (for Braylon)

Running Backs — With the way the line blocked on Sunday, I can’t really fault Jamal Lewis too much for gaining only 38 yards on 14 carries. I still believe Adrian Peterson wouldn’t be the Adrian Peterson we know today if the Browns would have drafted him instead, because even he couldn’t run behind this line.
Grade: C-

Quarterbacks — Quinn didn’t play great, that’s obvious. He was just 18-of-31 passing for 161 yards and a QB rating of 58.7. Pretty bad. Say what you will about me just being a Brady Quinn fan, but I still don’t think it’s fair to declare him a failure after these two games. Quinn plays a smarter, safer game than Derek Anderson. Quinn takes what the defense gives him, and with just one real wide receiver, the defense doesn’t give him much. Critics say he has a weak arm and cannot throw the ball more than 3 yards. Bullshit. He’s got plenty of arm strength. The problem is, there’s no one downfield to throw it to. People simply like to complain. Already, people have forgotten the interceptions that come with Anderson’s cannon arm and willingness to throw the ball down field for anyone to grab. Yes, Quinn could have played a lot better — even he admits that — but I don’t know a QB in the NFL who could win with no blocking, no receivers and no running game.
Grade: D

Summary — No touchdowns. Only 200 total yards of offense. Only one trip to the red zone. Enough said.
Grade: D

Defense
Defensive Line — How about that Shaun Rogers? Five solo tackles! And that, Blawg Pounders, is the highlight of the defensive line.
Grade: D

Linebackers — Andra Davis had 10 tackles, including two for a loss … oh, wait, he doesn’t play for us anymore. D’oh! Well, our guys did OK too.
Grade: C-

Safeties & Corners — Let’s see here: Gaffney had three catches for 82 yards, Stokley had five catches for 70 yards and Marshall had three catches for 34 yards. Hey, way to hold Marshall to just 34 yards!
Grade: D

Summary — Obviously, there are some problems on defense. We can’t stop the run, and we can’t cover the long passes. Sure, it’s difficult to place so much blame on a unit that spends so much time on the field because the offense is so inept, but it’s not like we were keeping Peyton Manning out of the end zone for three quarters.
Grade: D

Coaching\Special Teams
Special Teams — How sore do you think Dave Zastudil’s leg is this week? Six punts for 272 yards is a pretty good workout. On the bright side, Phil Dawson connected on both his field goal tries and Josh Cribbs learned to take a touchback on a kickoff. Also, how about that fumble recovery on the opening kickoff? Pretty sweet, huh?
Grade: B

Coaching — I thought the play calling was a little bit better this week, it was the execution that failed. Also, no Wildcat Offense, so that’s a major plus in my book. As a whole, the team only had four penalties for 43 yards, so that’s not so bad. Defensively, I liked the blitz packages, but it really left the secondary vulnerable. In the end, though, it’s still a loss.
Grade: C-

Intangibles — Two words: Brown pants. Terrible.
Grade: F

Summary — Game 2 of the Mangini Era did not fair any better than Game 1. In fact, it was worse. I’m not ready to throw in the towel on Mangini yet, though. I’m far from it. He’s not panicking, so I’m not either. At this point, Romeo Crennel would have shown signs of confusion as to what needs to be done. Mangini is the complete opposite. Whether he’s telling the truth or not, he says he knows what the problem areas are, and that they’re fixable. As I’ve said again and again, I don’t expect a Super Bowl; I only expect marked improvement each week. I didn’t see any against the Broncos. Here’s hoping we see some next week.
Overall Grade: D

Go Browns!

---