Cleveland Browns Need To Change Philosophy, Beginning with Mike Holmgren
When a team starts 0-2, it usually means there are some problems with the talent and within the organization.
The Cleveland Browns are suffering from both. The lack of talent on the team still is unacceptably high from any standpoint you want to look at it, and there now appears to be a new disconnect between what head coach Eric Mangini is preaching and what's happening on the field.
Team president Mike Holmgren has his work cut out for him this year, but that's the reason he was hired: to clean up all levels of the organization and put a winning football team on the field.
It's going to be difficult, but there are many areas to break down; here's a look at them.
Holmgren Can't Let an 0-9 Start Force a Knee-Jerk Reaction
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The Browns' schedule through Game 9 will be like running intervals on a 100-degree day: miserable, soul-draining, but something you have to do because that's what you signed up for.
The flaws in the team's preparation and performance already have been exposed in the first two weeks; it's doubtful the next few months will bring any startling new revelations.
Holmgren needs to gather his front office and coaches together and set defined, achievable goals centered around repairing the flaws.
If the Browns can do that, there could be an upset or two down this stretch.
Offensive Planning and Execution Need to Be Addressed
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While a lot of the organization requires baby steps, one area Holmgren should come down from the office and deal with personally is offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
To be completely fair, it appears the Browns threw out a huge chunk of the playbook last week versus the Kansas City Chiefs, but that's no excuse for not using every weapon available to you.
Daboll has proved time and again he is not up to the demands of the job on game day. He falls into the same patterns, is afraid to stretch the field, and doesn't appear to be capable of making on-the-fly adjustments.
Yes, players are not executing, but the Browns simply don't try going downfield enough. Defenses come into the game defending against check-down passes and up-the-middle runs, because that's pretty much all the Browns do, so it should come as no surprise that the same five plays the Browns run are not working.
Bottom line is: These are the players you have, so use them. Throwing up your arms in defeat because a wide receiver dropped a ball or a running back fumbled doesn't do the player or the team any good.
Which brings us to our next point...
If These Players Are So Bad, Why Are They Still Here?
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The amazing lack of talent on the Browns' roster is a reality all Browns fans have dealt with ever since they returned to the league in 1999.
While you can't really turn over a roster of 53 guys in one season, head coach Eric Mangini has been noting some of the main problems in the last two weeks with players not executing.
That's fine, but it seems to be the same players who weren't executing last year, begging the question of how they ended up on the roster this year.
As an example—and I'm by no means advocating the return of Syndric Steptoe—if Brian Robiskie hasn't made any real contributions to the team since he was drafted, why is he here and Steptoe isn't? Looking at Steptoe's 2008 stats, he appears to be a better receiver, even if he isn't a great one.
Mangini said this week he will bench guys who make mistakes. That won't leave a lot of guys on the field.
But again, this is partially a function of who got kept and who got cut, but that leads us to our next point.
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This Team Absolutely Has To Draft Better
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Let's look at a little stat from the Browns' Week 1 opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs started six of their 2009 draft picks, and seven of their eight 2010 draft picks were on the active roster in Week 1.
Compare this to the Browns, who only kept five of their eight 2010 draft picks, and only have four of their eight 2009 draft picks still on the roster.
Of the 2009 draft picks, a second-rounder, David Veikune, was cut at the end of training camp.
It's also important to point out general manager Tom Heckert traded away three draft picks to move up a handful of spots to take a running back, Montario Hardesty, who was not projected to be going off the board anytime soon due to a significant injury history.
Hardesty was injured at the very beginning of training camp before running a handful of plays in the final preseason game. His last play resulted in a torn ACL, and he's done for the year.
Mangini's 2009 draft is looking worse because all his low-round draft picks are already gone, and his second-round draft picks don't look to have bright futures at this point.
The 2010 draft still is a work in progress, but Heckert has to do a better job in 2011. Bad drafts are the main reason this roster is so thin.
So What Can Mike Holmgren Do?
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Holmgren has to be smart and not give in to the urge to just clean house again, because that really isn't the answer.
Sitting outside the Berea complex, it seems from an outsider's standpoint the best thing Holmgren can do is be patient and make a few changes.
1. Fire Brian Daboll. This guy isn't getting any better. He's just not up to the job and he's not developing.
2. No matter how bad the quarterback situation is, stick with Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. Colt McCoy isn't the answer this year.
3. Have a meeting with the coaches and force them to examine what they're doing. Halftime adjustments aren't being made and the lack of offense in the fourth quarter goes beyond Daboll's shortcomings. This is a fixable problem in the short term.
What Can Eric Mangini Do?
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All of Mangini's sermons about playing better, smarter football seem to be falling on deaf ears.
Mangini needs to re-examine how he's going about his practices, and he needs to start putting different personnel in the game like he's threatening to do this week.
Mangini also needs to take a more personal hand in the offense during the game, because Daboll shuts it down at the first sign of trouble.
While trying to avoid mistakes with your offensive game plan is a good goal, Daboll does it at the expense of actually gaining yards.
Mangini's job as a head coach here is to override Daboll when the offense starts moving backwards without the penalty flag being thrown.
Can the Browns Win This Sunday?
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Ummmm, No.
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