Even With Braylon Edwards and Jamal Lewis Going Right, Cleveland's Upside Down

The Cleveland Browns are a team that many had already written off after the Vikings game in Week One.

The deceiving part was their decent play in the first half against the Vikings (and Broncos) which looks like it was more of the Vikings trying to find their groove rather than the Browns playing good football.

The picture above kind of says it all, the Browns are completely upside down right now.

I have tried to be very positive all training camp, preseason, and after Week One, but with a disastrous four quarters against the Broncos, I find myself looking at a Browns team that has more negatives than positives right now.

Here are the few positives.

Joe Thomas is the best player on the entire team.

First he shut down the Vikings pass rushing specialist in Jared Allen, then he was solid against the Broncos on Sunday, by not letting a single defender through to get to quarterback Brady Quinn.

Jamal Lewis still has gas, but he is not used properly.

Lewis' gas will run out quickly this year is the Browns keep sending him into the middle and right side of the line which cannot open up holes for him.

Here's an idea, send Lewis and the other running backs to the left side of the line (you know where Thomas blocks) and perhaps the Browns will have a running attack.

Lewis has a burst that hasn't been seen since 2007 and he can still power through defenders, even with three or four guys hanging off of him.

What happened to Mangini saying that he wants to be a run-first style of grind it out offense?

There has been next to no commitment to the running game in the first half of both games while the Browns were still competing in both games.

Braylon Edwards can play when he wants to.

Edwards had six catches for 92 yards and he did not drop a pass.

Not much more needs to be said than the fact Edwards did not drop a pass.

Now on to the negatives...

Brady Quinn is not a decisive quarterback.

This goes back into accounts of training camp practices, and can now be seen in games, but Quinn cannot pull the trigger and throw the ball down the field.

How many times did Quinn just stand in the pocket and pump his arm like he was about to throw, but then pull it back and just settle for a dump off pass to a tight end or running back.

Also, Quinn needs to throw the ball to a player who is past the first down markers, not to a players who is five yards short of the first down especially on third down plays.

Most of the drop backs were either three of five step drop, but Quinn still could not let the ball go, if Quinn is going to succeed at the NFL level, then he will need to learn to just throw that ball so that his receivers have a chance to make plays, too.

He may not be solely to blame, because Quinn does not call the plays, but that leads to...

...Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll is a horrible play-caller after two games.

Where's the screens that were so successful in the preseason?

Why are running plays not run to the left side (strongest side) of the offensive line?

Why are third and long plays, that are called, not putting receivers past the first down markers?

If the play-calling was this bad against a below average Broncos defense, then what's going to happen against the top tier Ravens defense in week three?

The right side of the offensive line is really bad.

Mangini wanted to beef up the right side by adding John St. Clair and "Porkchop" Womack, but either those two are not on the same level or those two are just really bad offensive lineman.

The Broncos defensive line tore into the Browns right side play after play and it got to the point where the Browns had to pull Womack and put Hank Fraley in at guard, but that was too little too late.

Josh Cribbs is not a No. 2 caliber wide receiver right now, and where are the rookies?

Cribbs asset to the 2009 Browns should be more on special teams and as a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver.

He seems like he cannot get open when he is covered by good cornerbacks and is he cannot, then that will put more pressure on Edwards on the other side of the field.

A No. 2 receiver should compliment the No. 1 receiver on a football team and right now Cribbs does not do that for Edwards.

This past draft, the Browns spent two second round picks on wide receivers Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, but they are buried in the depth chart right now.

Maybe it is time to get both of them more playing time which may not only help Quinn, but it may also give the Browns a little advantage because the opposing defensive backs have never played against them before.

Also, regarding rookies in general, I find it ironic that Mangini is not playing any of his rookies (except Alex Mack), just like former coach Romeo Crennel.

Other teams play their rookies and sometimes those rookies actually contribute to their team, but if you don't play them, then they cannot contribute...play them already.

Defensive tackling is worse than it has been in a long time.

First the Browns can't tackle Adrian Peterson, which is understood because he is one of the hardest players to tackling in the NFL, but then they cannot tackle Cornell Buckhalter...that's how you know there's a problem with tackling.

Where are the halftime adjustments?

With two games in the books, the Browns can play a decent first half (and they have in both games), but the problem is with the coaching staff's adjustments (of lack thereof) during halftime.

The Browns have imploded in the second half of both games.

Is it lack of talent? Or is it lack of coaching?

Let that debate begin with comments please.

This looks to be a very long season unless something can change soon, but let me know what that something is.

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)