Cleveland Browns Preview: Who's Watching This?

It’s safe to say if the Browns get blown out this weekend, it’s going to get UGLY at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

I’m suspending my official “Looking Ahead” previews until I can find a reason to look forward to a Browns game. I’m not talking about matchups or passing and running games. We don’t have either, so why waste the time.

The coaching staff, more than the players, are under the microscope this week for their actions since the regular season began. Should they continue to implement ineffective offensive schemes, especially in light of the quarterback change, the blame will fall squarely on the heads of the coaching staff.

Head coach Eric Mangini preached discipline and making steady improvement during training camp, yet he didn’t heed his own mantras. Instead, he pulled Brady Quinn after 10 quarters and has showed no discipline in his offensive schemes.

Quinn has not played well, there’s no arguing that. However, the play calling from offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is bad enough to make Peyton Manning and Tom Brady look bad.

Mangini’s job in this situation is to fix the problem. Work to your strengths and get the ball downfield. He should be working a lot closer with Daboll to get this guy’s performance more up to a professional level.

While reviewing Daboll’s resume this week, it’s apparent Daboll hasn’t done much to earn so high a promotion as he got this year. He spent the last two year’s as quarterbacks coach for the Jets under Mangini.

If you look at the last two years, he probably didn’t have much to do with Brett Favre’s performance last year. I know, I know, hard to believe.  The year before that the Jets went 4-12 and Chad Pennington was benched.

Prior to that, Daboll spent three years as an offensive assistant. So I ask again, what exactly has Daboll done to earn a promotion to offensive coordinator?

Of particular concern to most Browns fans last week was the call for the quarterback sneak on first-and-10 after Jerome Harrison had just completed a 17-yard run.

While speaking to the press this week, Mangini said he had Quinn go for the quarterback sneak on first down in an attempt to catch the Ravens with 12 men on the field. Mangini even invoked the Right Honorable Peyton Manning as some form of justification for the call.

Here’s an idea, why don’t you worry more about your own mistakes and stop worrying about other team’s mistakes.

If the Ravens were in the middle of substituting players, that would’ve been a good opportunity to just try and get the ball downfield and try and catch the safeties napping.

But back to Mangini, because that’s where the buck stops. Mangini deemed a quarterback change necessary 10 quarters into the season. He said it was to provide a “spark,” and try and convert more third downs.

I’m now going to quote my brother here because he absolutely NAILED the situation the Browns find themselves in right now. This is from an email I received just prior to writing this column.

“If we couldn't see fit to give the ball to (Joshua) Cribbs in creative situations with Jamal Lewis out of the last game, then why would we start being creative now?”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

The bottom line here is we have a coaching staff that has decided to implement schemes regardless of the talent on the field instead of taking the talent on the field and implementing schemes that complement that talent.

As for the Bengals, they appear to be a team on the rise. They won’t be taking this game lightly and I don’t have high hopes for a surprise victory from the Browns.

Like Shaun Rogers said this week, if the team can at least go out and be competitive for four quarters, that would be progress.

It’s sad it’s come to that, but sometimes the truth hurts.