Pluto reads Barking Hard

[Greythan]

Yup, this guy has always gotten it and he gets it still:

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/...g_befuddl.html

[golfer704u]

Pluto has always been the best of the Cleveland Browns Media. Course that isn't saying much.

[Riffer X]

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There are times when I watch the Browns and have no idea what to say.
Like now, after the Browns lost, 13-12, to St. Louis on missed 22-yard field goal with just over two minutes left.
I say "the Browns," and not Phil Dawson. He had very little to do with this defeat -- and Dawson is the only reason they scored at all with four field goals. They lost because Ryan Pontbriand's snap glanced off the leg of Alex Mack and bounced to holder Brad Maynard -- by then, Dawson's timing was shot, and the kick was shanked.
Mack -- the starting center -- was at left guard on the kick team. He either slipped or was pushed backyards as the play began, putting him in the path of the snap. He was at guard because in the 6-3 victory over Seattle, the Browns had two field goals blocked when a Seattle defender went over Jason Pinkston and another Brown who split the guard duties.
Can you say this stuff didn't happen when Eric Mangini had Brad Seely running the special teams over the last two years? The current Browns don't want to hear that, but it's a fact. This is not to turn the back-to-back 5-11 Mangini regime into the Paul Brown era, but the special teams were indeed special when he was here.
Meanwhile, the Browns lost at home to a one-win team, that has scored more than 13 points only twice all year. They lost because they were trying to win their second home game of the season without scoring a touchdown.
Think about that for a moment. There is a general rule in the National Football League -- no touchdowns, no victories.
Consider that the Browns had the ball on the Rams 19, first down. On the next six plays, they ran the ball. Six plays, not one shot at the end zone. Four runs to Chris Ogbonnaya. One to Owen Marecic.
Six plays, which included a handoff to Alex Smith! Yes, the tight end was in for his first carry of the season -- and fumbled. Fortunately for the Browns, they recovered.
"We tried to hand the ball to him and he dropped it," said coach Pat Shurmur.
For the record, Alex Smith has been in the NFL for seven years covering 86 games -- and never carried the ball until Sunday. Nor has he worked on taking handoffs in practice. He was at fullback because starting fullback Marecic was shaken up on an earlier play.
OK, Marecic was hurt, but why hand the ball to Smith? Just give it to Ogbonnaya again if you are determined to run it.
Back it up, the Browns had the ball on Rams' 9. Ogbonnaya ran the ball ... zero.
Smith fumbled ... Joshua Cribbs recovered for a sloppy and scary 2-yard gain.
Ogbonnaya ran the ball ... three yards.
Botched field goal. Loss.
Not once did Shurmur allow McCoy to throw the ball anywhere near the end zone. McCoy had a decent day with 20-of-27 passing for 218 yards and no interceptions. He's had only six passes picked off all season. So it's not like he's a walking interception waiting to happen.
"We wanted the points," said Shurmur, explaining the conservative play call and taking the game out McCoy's hands.
Shurmur did show some creativity with his play calls, as the Browns had five plays of at least 20 yards. But when it came time to trust his quarterback to take at least one shot at a victory -- the coach took the ball away and played for a field goal.
It cost him and the Browns what should have been a victory.

[Brown Warrior]

It was some weird, fucked up playcalling.

[Greythan]

I simply can't get over it. I'm flabbergasted by it.

[next2nothing]

But when it came time to trust his quarterback to take at least one shot at a victory -- the coach took the ball away and played for a field goal.

That is the most damning sentence of the whole article.

McCoy hasn't lit it up this year like we all hoped he would but he also isn't playing awful and has kept his INT's low. McCoy was playing good today but he didn't get one chance in the end to win the game.

In the words of Vince Lombardi;

"What the hell's goin on out here!?"

[nickers]

Just awful...I was at the game...My Brother and I were like WTF!....Sorry, I know Ive cut Shurmur some slack but damn that was plain unjustified in My view...Colt deserved to take his shots...sheeze!

[Brown Warrior]

Again... Shurmur can end the chicken/egg shit and we would argue a lot less here. Take the diapers off.

[mikeyP]

People in Tampa at the Browns Backers' bar ged and went on drinking heavily. It seems expected at this point.

Bottoms up.

[Inspecta]

I hear ya Mikey, that was pretty much my reaction, which is how I know apathy is creeping in my fandom of the Browns...

[next2nothing]

Originally Posted by Inspecta

I hear ya Mikey, that was pretty much my reaction, which is how I know apathy is creeping in my fandom of the Browns...

At least you're not where my buddy is at.

Guy made a huge bonfire after the game and burnt all his Browns stuff.

[hiwaygal]

probably not the best time to ask this question...but which is worse:

1 - the suck ass team we've had since 1999

OR

2 - 1996-1999


Sorry, I'm gonna take option #1 every damn time.