Posted on Saturday 27 August 2005 by JEC @ 12:51 pm
Way too many mistakes from a Romeo Crennel-coached team in last night’s 23-20 loss. Granted, a number of those came late in the game when a bunch of third-string hopefuls and longshots were on the field, but the Browns made some crucial mistakes early in the game to extend a couple Carolina drives. Special teams breakdowns were especially damaging, particularly Carolina’s 44-yard kickoff return right before halftime that led to a go-ahead touchdown.
Braylon Edwards was less than impressive, wasn’t he? A dropped pass, a couple pre-snap mistakes, he stepped out of bounds on a play near the goal line, which led to a penalty. Plus, he had a couple chances to make some plays one-on-one but finished with four catches for just 10 yards. He’ll be good (though he has been known to drop his fair share of gimmes), but he’s got a lot of work ahead of him.
Tell me William Green doesn’t look like Ricky Williams. It’s the beard, obviously, but I’m thinking when you’ve got your own history of drug problems with the NFL, Ricky Williams is the last guy you want to be reminding people of. That said, if Lee Suggs can’t go in week one (and right now, it looks like that’s the case), I think Green’s earned the start with his stellar preseason stats and, more important, his newfound dedication. Coaches have been raving about Green all summer and while Reuben Droughns will play a significant role with this team this season, Green deserves to start in week one, and I’d love to see him turn his career — and his life — around.
I love Charlie Frye, and I’m not alone, as all the people chanting “Char-LIE!” last night proved. He’s going to be a good one. He’s got poise, he’s smart, he’s athletic — bottom line, he knows how to play football. Romeo would prefer to have Frye sit the bench all year so maybe Doug Johnson gets the backup job by default, but Frye certainly looked like the better quarterback last night, and in a year or two, he’s going to be a lot of fun to watch. After sitting through Ty Detmer, Tim Couch, Spurgon Wynn, Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia and Luke McCown, I’m definitely looking forward to the Charlie Frye era, though as the PD’s Bud Shaw points out, it’d be unwise to rush Frye.
Could Brian Brennan wedge his nose any farther up Jim Brown’s ass during the telecast last night? It was sickening. At one point, Bob Golic asked Brown if he had any dogs at home because if he didn’t, he could always take Brennan home with him. Of course, Golic’s terrible too, which is funny considering how well brother Mike Golic does on ESPN Radio. In fact, they were so bad last night that I actually began to appreciate the hacks that CBS sends out each week during the regular season to do the Cleveland games, which is really saying something.

I agree that Charlie Frye looks great. Shaw’s column was a little silly, since no one id arguing that he should start over Dilfer. Dilfer looked very good last night, and it looks like he’s the right guy to lead this new era and mentor the young Frye. The real issue is the backup spot. I think Frye deserves that role becasue he’s better than Doug Johnson right now. Also, it will accelerate his development.
Braylon Edwards, on the other hand,had a humbling evening. He had a scared look on his face as well. He’s shown some tremendous ability, but hopefully this game will be a wake-up call. Also, he can’t start dropping gimme passes.
Tune into Jim Donovan on the Browns’ Radio Network. If you want to hear the game, that’s where you go. I can’t stand any of the people on TV. Golic is a hack. The CBS anti-Browns people are nothing but shills for the network and usually fans of the other team. So, turn the TV down, turn up the radio and ACTUALLY enjoy the game.