Browns' Week 16 Grades

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Browns' Week 16 Grades
		By The Sports Xchange Posted Dec 29, 2010 Browns' third straight loss leads to another week of bad grades. 1 Comment
The Browns ended the 2009 season with four consecutive wins. They are one game from ending the 2010 season with four consecutive losses. The complete reversal of fortune shows where the Browns are as a team. While fans might lament that Cleveland has played opponents close, the Browns also just as easily could have lost two more games to give them a 3-12 record. Against Baltimore on Sunday, Cleveland scored the first touchdown, then was outscored 20-3 the rest of the game. That is a fair reflection of the Browns, a 5-10 team that is one game against Pittsburgh from repeating a 5-11 season. But while last season ended on an up note, this one is ending on a down note. That is especially true in light of wins over New England and New Orleans in midseason. Those victories raised the bar of expectations, but those hopes were slammed down with losses to Cincinnati and Buffalo. Whether that means the door slams shut on Eric Mangini's future in Cleveland will be decided after the season finale against the Steelers. REPORT CARD vs. RAVENS PASSING OFFENSE: D-minus -- Colt McCoy's three interceptions were killers. The first two led to 10 Baltimore points; the last ended the Browns' last-gasp scoring threat. It was a tough day to throw, with wind whipping through the stadium on the lake, but McCoy made things worse with questionable decisions. It's not unexpected from a rookie facing a very good defense, but it does show McCoy has more growth ahead of him. RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus -- No, Peyton Hillis cannot do it alone. And Mike Bell is not an adequate backup. Hillis has had an outstanding season, but the past month to six weeks, defenses have loaded the box to stop him and double-teamed the tight end. That formula has slowed the offense to a crawl while Hillis has struggled with the beating he has taken all season. The Browns need to hope that Montario Hardesty returns from a knee injury next season, because they need a legitimate complement to Hillis. PASS DEFENSE: C-minus -- Joe Flacco's 102 yards were extremely efficient, with two of his throws going for touchdowns. Flacco struggled when he tried to throw deep, so Baltimore relied on the run and on short passes. It was a smart way to play in the conditions, smarter than the Browns tried to play. The result: a Baltimore win that probably was more decisive than the score indicated. RUSH DEFENSE: D -- Three Ravens backs ran for 145 yards, with Ray Rice leading the way with 92. More important, the Ravens ran 33 times, sticking with the run even if it wasn't producing big plays. Cleveland's run defense the past month has become a liability, as teams have recognized the best way to stifle Rob Ryan's creative alignments on passing downs is to keep the defense weary by running the ball and avoiding third-and-longs. SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus -- The bounce of the football hurt this unit when Phil Dawson's onside kick went out of bounds. That summed up the Browns' season: They try something special, it backfires. With this team, any special teams mistake is magnified, so Dawson's kick -- which should just be one play in a game -- loomed as a big momentum-turner. It's not fair to the dependable Dawson, but that's the game. COACHING: D-minus -- Eric Mangini's clock management at the end of the first half was downright bizarre. Mangini actually let 45 seconds run off the clock in the final two minutes, reasoning he could get some points and not let the Ravens have time to score. Not only was this disrespectful to his defense, it cost the offense. Mangini let too much time run off, which meant the Browns settled for a third-down field goal with six seconds and two timeouts left. Those kind of sideline decisions haunt Mangini, but three losses in a row haunt him more. The Browns have one more chance to find a win, but the finish shows that playing hard is sometimes simply not good enough. Scout.com: TSX: Browns' Week 16 Grades

[BernietheKid]

Poor performances may sink Mangini
Ravens exploit flaws as time ticks down for coach
By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Tuesday, Dec 28, 2010

Say what you want about Browns coach Eric Mangini, but his players have not given up on him.

Despite being eliminated from the playoffs a few weeks ago, the Browns (5-10) are still fighting. Just ask the Baltimore Ravens (11-4). Sure, they defeated the home team 20-10 Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh praised Mangini's men for the resiliency and progress they have shown this season.

Perhaps none of those factors will persuade Browns President Mike Holmgren to keep Mangini for next season, but the players have rallied around their coach.

''Coach Mangini is a very smart coach, and the guys haven't quit on him,'' cornerback Sheldon Brown said Monday. . . . ''What you have to do is go out and play like you want to save his job, not talk about it.

''People are digging, trying to find a reason for us not having success this year. And at the end of the day, it's us as players not making enough plays. That's what the story is.''

The Browns will have one more chance to play for Mangini this season, and it could be their last. To upset the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4), who will be crowned champions of the AFC North with a win Sunday, the Browns will need to correct several flaws the Ravens exploited.

Here is an examination of what went right and what went wrong in Week 16:

OFFENSE: D
• Quarterback: F. In his first encounter with the Ravens, rookie Colt McCoy completed 15-of-29 passes for 149 yards with a career-high three interceptions and no touchdowns for a passer rating of 27. He simply couldn't afford to make risky, deep throws against safety Ed Reed, but he couldn't resist. McCoy was skittish in the pocket. Two of his picks resulted from him feeling heat from the Ravens' pass rush, forcing him to test Reed and Co. McCoy was too determined not to take a sack. As a result, he missed his mark many times and not just on his interceptions. Playing in the cold certainly didn't make throwing the ball any easier for him, either.

• Running backs: C+. On his second carry, Peyton Hillis suffered an injury when Reed hit him in the back. He was in and out of the lineup the rest of the
day, finishing with only 12 carries for 35 yards (2.9 average). Hillis whiffed while trying to block safety Haruki Nakamura, who broke free and hit McCoy as he threw. Reed completed the play with his first of two interceptions. Mike Bell filled in admirably for Hillis, compiling seven carries for 27 yards (3.9 average) and two catches for 48 yards.

• Wide receivers/tight ends: C-. Mohamed Massaquoi had a much better game as a quarterback than he did as a wide receiver. He threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to fellow wide receiver Brian Robiskie on a trick play, but he was targeted on all of McCoy's picks and didn't do enough to fight for the ball at times. He also lost a fumble that set up the Ravens' first touchdown. Wide receiver Chansi Stuckey led this group with four catches for 39 yards, and tight end Benjamin Watson added three receptions for 22 yards. Robiskie made a great diving catch to secure the touchdown. He was also penalized for pass interference in the third quarter, a call that drew boos from the fans but was correct.

• Line: C. Although McCoy didn't take a sack, he had defenders in his face and forced some poor throws. Right guard Floyd Womack collapsed while trying to pass block defensive end Corry Redding, creating a clear path to McCoy. Redding didn't hit McCoy. However, as Redding ran toward him, McCoy released the ball, then ducked and turned his shoulder to brace for impact. The pass was thrown too far inside, and cornerback Lardarius Webb picked it off.

DEFENSE: C+
• Linebackers: C. The Browns defended the run better than they did in losses to the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, they struggled. The Ravens compiled 38 carries for 161 yards (4.2 average). Ravens running back Ray Rice had 25 carries for 92 yards (3.7 average). On the bright side, Rice entered the game with a team-high 62 receptions but had only one catch for no gain Sunday. Chris Gocong and Matt Roth led this group with seven tackles apiece.

• Line: D+. End Kenyon Coleman tied the team lead with seven tackles, and nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin and end Derreck Robinson each added five. Nevertheless, the Ravens pushed this group around and controlled the line of scrimmage. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco didn't encounter much pressure, either.

• Secondary: C+. Flacco completed 12-of-19 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Brown had a rough day in coverage. He was beaten by wide receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Derrick Mason on both of the Ravens' touchdowns. After a disappointing performance against the Bengals, rookie cornerback Joe Haden rebounded. He recorded his sixth interception, the Browns' only takeaway of the game, and five tackles, including a strip sack.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B
If Phil Dawson's onside kick would have traveled 2 more yards, the special teams might have received an A. With his right foot feeling better, Josh Cribbs returned five kickoffs for 126 yards (25.2 average, long of 37) and two punts for 17 yards (8.5 average, long of 17). The Browns' average drive start was at their 33-yard line. The Ravens had one kickoff return for 15 yards and a punt return for 1 yard. Two of Reggie Hodges' three punts were downed inside the 20, and Dawson made his lone field-goal attempt.

COACHING: D
Mangini conceded his clock management at the end of the first half, when the Browns had to kick a field goal on third down with six seconds left because they didn't use timeouts earlier, hurt his team. ''You don't want to kick it on third down, and I thought we were going to have [time for one more play],'' he said. ''I just was wrong.'' Then, the coaching staff seemingly overcompensated for that gaffe by calling an onside kick to start the third quarter. Three plays after it failed, the Ravens extended their lead to 10 points.

Ohio.com - Poor performances may sink Mangini