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What the heck?!
Texans favored by 2 points over the Browns?!
BEREA - What to make of the Browns after Sunday's debacle of a 13-10 loss to the Detroit Lions?
By midday Monday, the winless Houston Texans had grown into two-point favorites to beat the Browns.
Yikes.
Most preseason prognosticators expected to see this kind of team in Cleveland.
The Browns' state, though, is a disappointment because they played so much better earlier in the season.
Players are discouraged, questions are being raised about the quarterback and mistakes are prevalent.
What might be most discouraging is coach Romeo Crennel said he saw no fight in his players in the second half.
``All you have to do is look in their faces,'' Crennel said. ``Look in their faces, and you know.''
He went on to say that his team seemed to lack the energy and sincerity it needed in the fourth quarter, and that he dismissed the possibility that it was a holdover from the negatives of the past.
Some players seemed taken aback by Crennel's comment.
Quarterback Trent Dilfer said he never wants to question the coach.
``You have 11 different personalities on offense starting,'' he said. ``Every guy handles it differently. You can't have 11 cheerleaders. I've never been on a team where it's like that. It's not looking good on Sunday. I'll be the first to admit that. But it's a group that I enjoy going to work with.''
Which leaves the Browns with several issues:
• The starting quarterback.
Questions about Dilfer and rookie Charlie Frye dominated the news conference. Crennel said he has no plans to make a change, but he left the door open.
``You try to give (the quarterback) the benefit of the doubt and not make a knee-jerk reaction,'' Crennel said. ``What is a knee-jerk reaction? How long does it take? That's a judgment thing.
``The coach has to try to decide that. Like I said, once it gets counterproductive, or once I feel like it's going downhill then we'd probably look harder and stronger at doing something.''
Dilfer said he has no reason to believe that he will not start in Houston, and Frye said he's the backup and there to support Dilfer.
• Dilfer's play.
The quarterback assessed his play honestly.
``I haven't played very well on Sundays the last couple weeks,'' he said. ``I need to fix that.''
• The feelings of the team about the quarterback.
Crennel conceded that the message sent to the team has to be considered when a change is made, especially when it's to a rookie quarterback.
``We're only six games into this thing,'' tackle L.J. Shelton said. ``A lot can happen between now and the end of the season.''
• The confidence of the team in Dilfer.
Publicly, there is unity.
``Any time you're in a position of leadership whatever the problems are they get laid at your feet,'' Crennel said. ``The buck stops at your desk. But like I told the players, very seldom on a team is it one player's fault totally.''
``We're a team,'' guard Cosey Coleman said. ``I don't feel as though you can single Trent out and put the blame on him for our offensive woes.''
``I haven't played my best in order to help him do his job,'' Shelton said. ``The quarterback gets a lot of the blame and criticism, but they depend on a lot of people to be able to do their job correctly.''
Privately, the same support exists. Players recognize Dilfer didn't do much to help the team Sunday, but more important, they recognize that he wasn't the only one making mistakes.
• Antonio Bryant.
Bryant, a receiver, has dropped a big pass in consecutive weeks. Sunday, his drop at the 30-yard line cost the Browns a chance to, at least, try a tying field goal.
Kicker Phil Dawson had told coaches that he could make one from the 50-yard line in, heading west, so Bryant's non-catch was crucial -- but the coach said it was crucial because the offense walks too fine a line.
``You put yourself in a situation where you have to make one play. You need to make one play,'' Crennel said. ``That one play, if you don't make it, it gets magnified.''
• The offensive struggles.
The Browns have scored two offensive touchdowns in the past four games. Both came in a 38-second span on long throws from Dilfer to Bryant against the Chicago Bears.
Crennel seemed perplexed that the Browns could start the game with a good drive against the Detroit Lions, but do nothing (four consecutive three-and-outs) in the second half.
``If we can make (plays) in the first half, it seems to me, we should be able to make them in the second half,'' he said.
• Other mistakes.
Penalties ruined the Browns' last drive. A blown coverage gave the Lions a big play. The inability to tackle quarterback Jeff Garcia allowed him to flip a pass to a back and set up a field goal. Little things turn into big things that have cost the Browns.
Now it's on to Texas to face the winless Texans.
``The way that we're playing, we need to be more concerned about Houston than any other team -- than the Indianapolis Colts,'' Crennel said. ``If we go down with the attitude that, because they haven't won a game, we should be able to play well and win, then we'll go down there and lose.''
Texans favored by 2 points over the Browns?!
BEREA - What to make of the Browns after Sunday's debacle of a 13-10 loss to the Detroit Lions?
By midday Monday, the winless Houston Texans had grown into two-point favorites to beat the Browns.
Yikes.
Most preseason prognosticators expected to see this kind of team in Cleveland.
The Browns' state, though, is a disappointment because they played so much better earlier in the season.
Players are discouraged, questions are being raised about the quarterback and mistakes are prevalent.
What might be most discouraging is coach Romeo Crennel said he saw no fight in his players in the second half.
``All you have to do is look in their faces,'' Crennel said. ``Look in their faces, and you know.''
He went on to say that his team seemed to lack the energy and sincerity it needed in the fourth quarter, and that he dismissed the possibility that it was a holdover from the negatives of the past.
Some players seemed taken aback by Crennel's comment.
Quarterback Trent Dilfer said he never wants to question the coach.
``You have 11 different personalities on offense starting,'' he said. ``Every guy handles it differently. You can't have 11 cheerleaders. I've never been on a team where it's like that. It's not looking good on Sunday. I'll be the first to admit that. But it's a group that I enjoy going to work with.''
Which leaves the Browns with several issues:
• The starting quarterback.
Questions about Dilfer and rookie Charlie Frye dominated the news conference. Crennel said he has no plans to make a change, but he left the door open.
``You try to give (the quarterback) the benefit of the doubt and not make a knee-jerk reaction,'' Crennel said. ``What is a knee-jerk reaction? How long does it take? That's a judgment thing.
``The coach has to try to decide that. Like I said, once it gets counterproductive, or once I feel like it's going downhill then we'd probably look harder and stronger at doing something.''
Dilfer said he has no reason to believe that he will not start in Houston, and Frye said he's the backup and there to support Dilfer.
• Dilfer's play.
The quarterback assessed his play honestly.
``I haven't played very well on Sundays the last couple weeks,'' he said. ``I need to fix that.''
• The feelings of the team about the quarterback.
Crennel conceded that the message sent to the team has to be considered when a change is made, especially when it's to a rookie quarterback.
``We're only six games into this thing,'' tackle L.J. Shelton said. ``A lot can happen between now and the end of the season.''
• The confidence of the team in Dilfer.
Publicly, there is unity.
``Any time you're in a position of leadership whatever the problems are they get laid at your feet,'' Crennel said. ``The buck stops at your desk. But like I told the players, very seldom on a team is it one player's fault totally.''
``We're a team,'' guard Cosey Coleman said. ``I don't feel as though you can single Trent out and put the blame on him for our offensive woes.''
``I haven't played my best in order to help him do his job,'' Shelton said. ``The quarterback gets a lot of the blame and criticism, but they depend on a lot of people to be able to do their job correctly.''
Privately, the same support exists. Players recognize Dilfer didn't do much to help the team Sunday, but more important, they recognize that he wasn't the only one making mistakes.
• Antonio Bryant.
Bryant, a receiver, has dropped a big pass in consecutive weeks. Sunday, his drop at the 30-yard line cost the Browns a chance to, at least, try a tying field goal.
Kicker Phil Dawson had told coaches that he could make one from the 50-yard line in, heading west, so Bryant's non-catch was crucial -- but the coach said it was crucial because the offense walks too fine a line.
``You put yourself in a situation where you have to make one play. You need to make one play,'' Crennel said. ``That one play, if you don't make it, it gets magnified.''
• The offensive struggles.
The Browns have scored two offensive touchdowns in the past four games. Both came in a 38-second span on long throws from Dilfer to Bryant against the Chicago Bears.
Crennel seemed perplexed that the Browns could start the game with a good drive against the Detroit Lions, but do nothing (four consecutive three-and-outs) in the second half.
``If we can make (plays) in the first half, it seems to me, we should be able to make them in the second half,'' he said.
• Other mistakes.
Penalties ruined the Browns' last drive. A blown coverage gave the Lions a big play. The inability to tackle quarterback Jeff Garcia allowed him to flip a pass to a back and set up a field goal. Little things turn into big things that have cost the Browns.
Now it's on to Texas to face the winless Texans.
``The way that we're playing, we need to be more concerned about Houston than any other team -- than the Indianapolis Colts,'' Crennel said. ``If we go down with the attitude that, because they haven't won a game, we should be able to play well and win, then we'll go down there and lose.''
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