Derek Anderson insults you on the way out the door

Ex-Browns quarterback Derek Anderson couldn't resist taking some shots at Cleveland fans upon his release yesterday. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter much what an ex-Brown thinks about Cleveland, but it did cause a bit of a stir in the local media. You may recall that Anderson, a Pro Bowler in 2007, stank his way through the next two seasons and lost his starting job to the also-subpar Brady Quinn. After being shown the door yesterday, he said in an e-mail to the News-Herald that Browns fans "don't deserve a winner" and that he never forgot being cheered when he injured himself against the Colts in 2008.

Look, I understand his feelings being hurt that people cheered when he got hurt. That's happened in Cleveland before — see Couch, Tim — and the fans weren't actually cheering his injury, they were cheering because he'd been playing abysmally and his injury meant the backup would get a shot. That's not very nice, but I guarantee it happens in other NFL cities too. Anderson is an adult, and should not have taken it to heart.

The release came a day after the Browns traded a late-round 2011 draft pick for Seahawks backup Seneca Wallace, whom new team President Mike Holmgren knows from his days in Seattle. I'd be a bit surprised if Wallace becomes the starter, but he'll probably get a shot to compete for the job unless they get Donovan McNabb or somebody like that. I don't think Holmgren has much confidence in Brady Quinn.

Quinn not so mighty

So it turns out Brady Quinn hurt his foot on that 24-yard scramble in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Chiefs, and his season is over. Quinn got the starting job out of training camp, then lost it at halftime of the third game of the season, then regained it a few weeks later after former Pro Bowler Derek Anderson was even worse. And so the Derek Anderson era begins again in Cleveland, almost certainly for the very last time. Unless Anderson gets hurt too, he'll start the last two games of the season, and quite likely never wear a Browns uniform again. If he is back next year, he'll probably be the third-stringer, behind Quinn and whoever else Mike Holmgren picks up in the offseason.

Quinn had an uneven year, to be sure. He completed 53% of his passes, throwing eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions. His 67.3 passer rating is 26th in the NFL, sandwiched between down-and-out veterans Marc Bulger and Kerry Collins. But he did improve over the course of the year, according to his coach. Eric Mangini says he was impressed with the way Quinn adapted the no-huddle offense, and of course he did go for a stretch of 150 passes without throwing an interception before having two picked by the Chiefs. And he didn't exactly have Jerry Rice and John Taylor to throw to. Guys like Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie may yet develop into stars, but they're rookies right now, and play like it most of the time. Quinn definitely showed some promise this year, and with just 13 NFL games under his belt, he looks like he could really become something.

Sunday's game against the Raiders will be Anderson's seventh start of the season, and there's precious little reason to expect much out of him. His passer rating of 36.2 would be dead last in the league by a wide margin if he had enough attempts to qualify, and it seems like eons since his Pro Bowl year of 2007. This is his fifth chance to be the starter. The Raiders are pretty bad, so it's possible that he'll luck into a victory the way he did against Buffalo, but I'd be shocked if he does very much.

Pathetic. Just pathetic.

Let me start off by saying I didn't watch the Browns' 30-6 loss to the Bears yesterday. It wasn't some sort of protest or conscientious objection, though if these Browns weren't so terrible, I might have chosen to stay home and watch. But my wife wanted to go to a Chinese auction that was being drawn at 2 p.m. at Windham High School, and that sounded like more fun to me than watching the Browns get the crap beaten out of them yet again. And it was! I didn't win anything, but my wife won a Windham football jersey (No. 8; and I wore it the rest of the day, just for the heck of it), a scrapbook set and a lunchbox set.

As the auction wore on, I was checking in from time to time on the Browns, who were predictably pathetic. They were down 16-0 at the half, by which time Derek Anderson was 2-for-9 for 13 yards with an interception and a lost fumble. He had also been sacked once for an 11-yard loss. Eric Mangini must be a very pig-headed man for not going with Brady Quinn to start the second half. As bad as Quinn was at the start of the year, Anderson has played about as badly as I've ever seen an NFL quarterback play, and I'd frankly rather see Brett Ratliff out there right now. The only thing Anderson has proven this year is that he's got no business running an NFL offense.

Anyway, Mangini stuck with Anderson, who rewarded him with a 4-for-8 passing performance in the second half, for 63 yards, and scored a rushing touchdown that was set up by a shanked punt and four Jamal Lewis rushes. Anderson never threw the ball on that one touchdown drive, which started at the Chicago 30.

Lewis announced after the game that this would be his last season, and if I were one of his teammates, I'd be tempted to join him. It can't be fun to play on a team like this.

Catching passes

I'm busier than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs these days (just changed jobs, and am getting married this Saturday), but I wanted to make a brief observation about the Browns. We all knew they would lose to the Steelers on Sunday, but they made it somewhat respectable, thanks in large part to Josh Cribbs' return TD.

For the second straight week, Derek Anderson put up ugly passing numbers (though not even in the same neighborhood of ugly as the previous week against Buffalo). But, for the second straight week, Browns receivers dropped an appalling number of his passes.

I thought we got rid of the guy who can't catch. The Browns can't win if the receivers can't make receptions. It's as simple as that.

A win for the punt team

Thanks to Dave Zastudil and the punt team, our Cleveland Browns are winless no longer. The Browns' 6-3 win over the Buffalo Bills was due in part to a strong effort from the defense, in part to a strong effort by Jamal Lewis, and in a much larger part to the most outstanding overall effort I can remember off the top of my head from a punt team.

Billy Cundiff's 18-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the game was the decisive play, but it came after the punt team got the offense the ball at the Bills' 16. The play was more a mistake by Buffalo punt returner Roscoe Parrish than it was a great play by the punt team, but still, once Parrish muffed it, Blake Costanzo was right there to fall on it. This followed a 57-yard punt by Zastudil.

The Browns did a lot of punting in this game, and the punts produced the following results:

1. First quarter: Zastudil punts 25 yards, Parrish fair catches at 17. Sure, it wasn't a strong punt, but it gave Buffalo the ball inside the 20, and the coverage was good enough to force the fair catch.
2. Zastudil punts 31 yards, ball goes out of bounds at the 11. No complaints there; Bills were given bad field position.
3. Zastudil punts 54 yards, Parrish fields at the 25 and returns it 22 yards before Nick Sorensen pushed him out of bounds at the 47. Not a great result, but a fine punt that results in a respectable 32-yard net.
4. Second quarter: This is where the fun really started. Zastudil punts 44 yards, and Mike Adams first touches it at the 2, then feels his momentum pulling him into the end zone, so he hands the ball to Josh Cribbs, who is safely outside it. Buffalo ball at the 2.
5. Third quarter: Zastudil punts 42 yards to the Buffalo 13, where the ball goes out of bounds. You'll take that every time.
6. Zastudil's next punt was the punt team's second-finest moment, after the muff recovery at the end of the game. Zastudil punts 43 yards, and Parrish receives it at the Bills' 42. Surrounded by Browns, he tries to get some space by running sideways -- and backwards. Unable to find an opening, he continues to go backwards, the Browns' special teamers in hot pursuit. Raymond Ventrone finally tackles Parrish at the Buffalo 27, for a "return" of -15. The net was 58 yards. Like the fourth-quarter play, this was only made possible because of a serious error by Parrish, but still, give the Browns' punt team credit for making him pay.
7. Fourth quarter: With the game hanging in the balance, Zastudil and his mates continued to turn in some fine work. Ventrone downs Zastudil's 45-yard punt inside the 1, setting up a possible safety situation. (There was no safety, of course, but that's how safeties happen.)
8. Zastudil's 45-yard punt gets the Buffalo offense starting at the 4.
9. Zastudil's ninth punt of the day is muffed by Parrish and recovered by Costanzo.

The box score will say that Zastudil only averaged 42.7 yards per punt, and that's true. But on nine punts, he pinned the Bills inside the 20 on seven; and inside the 5 on three. And the punt coverage guys sure earned their stripes, rescuing two punts before they went into the end zone and only allowing one return for positive yardage.

Derek Anderson was awful -- but he wasn't as bad as the box score indicates. For the game, he went 2-for-17 for 23 yards, which is just pathetic. But the Browns receivers bear the lion's share of the responsibility for that, as they dropped at least eight passes that they should have had. Anderson definitely made some bad throws, but he also made a whole lot more than two good ones.

I don't know what the NFL record is for fewest completed passes by a winning team, but I'll bet the Browns came close today. There probably were a few who completed zero passes in the early days of the league, when there was very little passing, but I'll bet it's been at least 40 years since a team has won without completing at least three. I'm sure someone will have looked that up very soon, and I look forward to seeing what they find.

Better, but still a loss

The Browns played so much better in yesterday's loss to Cincinnati than they had played the first three games of the season, it's almost hard to believe it was the same team. The bottom line is that it goes in the loss column, but there's at least reason for hope.

The Browns and Bengals played five full quarters yesterday, so the numbers have to be regarded with that extra time in mind. Still, Derek Anderson's 269-yard game on 26-for-48 passing is a ray of sunshine. Anderson was a long way from perfect, of course — the interception he threw in the end zone that stopped the Browns' first drive of the second half was a killer, and he misfired a number of other times. And it was disappointing that he couldn't get much of anything going in the overtime period. Still, he moved the offense far better than Brady Quinn ever dreamed of. And the Browns scored two offensive touchdowns in a game for the first time since god-knows-when.

It bears mention that without Shaun Rogers' two blocks of Shayne Graham kicks (a 23-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter and an extra point attempt in the fourth), the game would never have gotten to overtime. Rogers was the Browns' lone Pro Bowler last season, and remains their top talent on defense.

And how about Mohamed Massaquoi? He caught eight passes for 148 yards, giving Anderson a much-needed weapon going forward. Massaquoi got open and made catches, which is more than can be said for embattled would-be superstar Braylon Edwards, who didn't catch a single pass in the game. Edwards had the ball thrown to him a few times, but those dropsies that have plagued him throughout his career surfaced again. I can't help but feel for the guy, since he's always been good at getting open, but dagnabbit, he's got to catch the stinkin' ball.

There were other bright spots too. Jerome Harrison got 121 yards on 29 carries, and Josh Cribbs' 58-yard kickoff return and 50-yard punt return gave Anderson and the offense some good chances to put points on the board.

Yes, a loss is a loss, but this effort against a now 3-1 Bengals team gives us hope for these Browns. I look forward to their next game (Sunday against Buffalo) a lot more than I looked forward to this one going in.

So it's Anderson

I don't have a whole lot to say about the decision to start Derek Anderson instead of Brady Quinn against Cincinnati that I didn't say in my previous post in which I wondered if it mattered much. But I'll give it a shot.

As I first contemplated this, it seemed to me it would be a better idea for Eric Mangini to just keep running Quinn out there unless and until he determines that Quinn is never going to be the quarterback the Browns thought he was when they drafted him. If he's already reached that conclusion, it's a hasty one; if not, my first inclination is to say, give the kid a chance. It's not like the Browns are going anywhere this year.

Anderson's had his shot. But there's a case to be made for him to get another one. As the primary starter, he's produced one Pro Bowl season and one sub-par season. The sub-par season was more recent than the Pro Bowl season, which is why it sticks in our minds more. But this is still the same guy who led the Browns to a 10-6 record two years ago. I don't know where he's been hiding it, but we definitely won't see it again if he never gets another chance.

So I don't know. Wishy-washy enough for you?

My, but these Browns are bad

Browns coach Eric Mangini hasn't decided who's going to play quarterback on Sunday against Cincinnati. My question is, does it even matter?

Brady Quinn has been turnover-prone, as he's thrown three interceptions and lost two fumbles in the first three games of the season. He has thrown one touchdown pass, putting a meaningless score on the board late in the two-touchdown loss against Minnesota to open the season. He went 6-for-8 against Baltimore last week, but for a measly 34 yards. He hasn't been able to convert third downs worth a darn. His 62.9 passer rating is 30th in the NFL. He's still young, so maybe he'll find something if Mangini keeps putting him out there, but right now, this team is going nowhere with Quinn.

Derek Anderson moved the ball a little bit against the Ravens, leading the Browns' only scoring drive in that 34-3 embarrassment. But he also threw three interceptions. Maybe he was just rusty, and can put something together if he gets a chance. He is a former Pro Bowler, after all. But he put up a 30.3 rating in that game, which is obviously pathetic.

And that Browns defense is just as pathetic as the offense. They're giving up more than 30 points a game. They're 30th in the league in total yards allowed, at 412.7 per game. Couple that with an offense that is dead last in the NFL in total yards, at 218 per game. They might do just as well if they send everybody home and rebuild the roster with unsigned free agents.

Even the Lions have a win now. The Browns are in every sense the worst team in the NFL.

Quarterback follies

I know this isn't exactly breaking news at this point, but I just moved over the weekend, so I've been busy. So sue me. (Actually, please don't. I don't want to pay a lawyer.) But anyway, Eric Mangini has declared that he has chosen a starting quarterback, but he won't tell us who it is. The idea is to make it that much more difficult for the Vikings to prepare for Sunday's game, because they have to allow for either Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson to be running the Browns' offense.

The thing we all have to understand is that football coaches are not like the rest of us. They are paranoid men, constantly afraid that the other coach is going to outsmart them. As well they should be; the other coach is doing the same.

I would guess we're going to see Quinn out there on Sunday, but both quarterbacks had good training camps, and really, there is no wrong choice, unless he puts someone like Brett Ratliff or D'Qwell Jackson behind center. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Mangini speaks on SportsCenter

Chris Mortensen's tour of NFL training camps for ESPN's SportsCenter took him to the Browns' camp yesterday, and naturally he spoke to Eric Mangini about the quarterback controversy. Mangini basically said he's going to give both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn every chance to impress him, and that he won't make a snap decision. (Mortensen asked him to bring us "up to snuff" on how the competition is going, which I don't think is quite what he meant to say.)

"At some point, one will make a really strong case that they should be the starter, and at that point, we'll name them," Mangini told Mortensen. "The most important thing to me is not to make a quick decision, it's to make the right decision."

There was no mention of the recent release of Shaun Smith, apparently for being lazy and insubordinate. I have to say I like the way Mangini is running his camp, based on what I've seen. Sure, giving both quarterbacks a fair chance to be the starter isn't exactly brain surgery, but a lot of coaches would have just named a starter by now so they wouldn't have to worry about it. And he's making sure his players know who's boss. It comes to mind that a certain former coach with a Shakespearean name wouldn't have done that.

Browns get better

The Browns made nice moves on both sides of the ball yesterday, signing QB Derek Anderson to a three-year, $24 million contract. Anderson became a free agent at 12:01 a.m. Friday, and reportedly had a deal worked out by 5 a.m. My assumption is that Phil Savage went out and got drunk Thursday night with Anderson's agents, and when the bars closed at 2, they went to Savage's place and sat in the hot tub for a while, drinking champagne and arguing about politics. Finally, at 5, Savage said, "OK, I'm going to bed, but first, let's talk contract. How about $24 million?"

That might not be what happened, but you can't prove it's not.

In all seriousness, this is a darned good thing. Along with the recent signing of Jamal Lewis, this means the same pieces are in place that ran the Browns' efficient offense last year. And if Anderson should falter, Brady Quinn's waiting in the wings.

And Savage improved the defense yesterday too, getting defensive tackle Corey Williams from the Packers for a second-round draft pick, then signed him to a six-year contract. Williams, whose middle name is Dornail (no lie), is 27, and tied a career high with seven sacks last year. Savage has also reportedly finalized a deal with the Lions for D-lineman Shaun Rogers for Leigh Bodden and a third-round pick. That pass pressure should take a lot of pressure off the defensive secondary.

End Zone View reports that free agent wide receiver Donte Stallworth will soon visit Cleveland as well. Die Hard Cleveland takes a more in-depth look at Friday's dealings, noting that the Browns are now without a draft pick until the fourth round next year.

There are some differing opinions on the Anderson deal. The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston still thinks Quinn is the future. That could be, but Anderson's the guy until he proves he's not.

Oh, Romeo

The Browns are negotiating with Romeo Crennel on a two-year contract extension, which would mean that he, Eric Wedge and Mike Brown will have all gotten two-year extensions in rapid succession. The extension is reportedly going to be worth about $4 million a year, which is just further proof that I took the wrong career path.

Crennel got the Brownies turned around this year, his third with the club. They missed the playoffs, but as I covered a few days ago, they deserved to get in more than the Titans did. But let's not forget that Romeo's three-year record is still 20-28. I'm glad he's here, and I look forward to seeing how we do next year with him calling the shots, but I don't think he's the second coming of Paul Brown.

Next year will probably depend more on signing Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis than it will on anything the coaching staff might do. Don't get me wrong — the much-improved offensive line has a lot to do with it too. And Brady Quinn just might be the budding superstar many people think he might be. But an offense needs playmakers, and these guys showed in '07 that they're playmakers.