The Indians had an early lead but couldn’t sustain it in their 7-3 Tuesday night loss to the A’s. Oakland only had six hits on the night but a grand slam off Cliff Lee in the sixth was enough to beat them. It also didn’t help that the Tribe struck out 17 times, tying a club record for punc outs in a nine-inning game. Shin-Soo Choo fanned all four times he came to the plate as the Tribe have lost six of their last eight.
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Rash as it may have seemed, Kellen Winslow Jr.’s criticism of some of the coaches and the offensive game plan is warranted. It’s about time someone stepped forward. K2 is a player who is as intense and fiery as they come and will say it like it is. Winslow decided to put his foot down and didn’t want to stay silent anymore so he spoke out and vented his frustrations about the offense, mostly the fact that he was taken out during certain third down situations last Sunday.
“I think some of the coaches might just be holding us back a little bit,” Winslow said Monday at the end of the team’s open locker room with the media.
“The Giants run the same system as we do. The Cowboys run the same system as we do. And (Jason) Witten and (Jeremy) Shockey are on the field on third down,” he said of their use of tight ends. “I just don’t understand why I’m not on the field sometimes.”
He didn’t mention names specifically but most of us could assume Winslow was pointing toward the play-calling of offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon. Chances are most of the players in that locker room feel the same way but just don’t want to go public with it. Well, Winslow did, and I can respect him for that.
Listen, the team is struggling right now. We are only two games into the season and it is looking like we are headed down the path of another long, frustrating, and emotionally draining season with the Browns. The team is bad, one of the worst in the NFL, and things aren’t going to get much better if things don’t change quickly. Speaking just about the offense, we all know the play-calling has been atrocious and downright baffling at times. But this isn’t news to us. Carthon has been on shaky ground ever since he took over the offensive coordinator position last season. Up to this point, the team has been riding it out with Carthon calling plays, which has not yielded many positive results offensively.
What Winslow said is right. Especially on third down, you need your best weapons out on the field. Why wasn’t he out there? Only Carthon can answer us that. Browns fans have been growing more and more impatient with this man as the weeks progress, and deservedly so. All I can say is, thank God somebody said something. People may argue that Winslow should just mind his business, keep his mouth shut, and do what the coaches tell him. But the team is winless, has looked awful thus far, and is in need of a good kick in the you know what. Let’s face it, as he says, we really have nothing to lose.
Winslow delivered the message loud and clear, now it’s up to Carthon and the coaching staff to turn things around.
Jake Westbrook picked up his first win since September 1 as the Tribe got off to a good start to their road trip, beating the Oakland A’s 7-2. Other than Jason Michaels, every other Indian in the lineup contributed to the 13-hit night. Victor Martinez got it all started with a two-run homer in the first inning. Casey Blake added a two-run double in the third to give the Indians a healthy early advantage. The Tribe led 7-0 after five innings and cruised to the victory behind the arm of Westbrook, who surrendered one earned run in 7 2/3 innings.
Maybe they just needed a change of scenery. After averaging under 3 runs per game on the homestand, they busted out the bats Monday and showed some offensive production.
Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!
I’m going to put as much time into this blog as the Browns seemed to put into their game plan for Sunday’s game at Cincinnati. The way I figure it, if they’re not going to put any effort into it, why should I force myself to break down a 34-17 loss to the Bengals that wasn’t as close as the score indicates.
1. The Browns weren’t ready for the Bengals no-huddle.
2. Why did it take the Browns three quarters before they decided to throw deep?
3. The Browns gave up 160 yards on the ground, 145 to Rudi Johnson. That’s 310 yards on the ground in two games. So much for that improved run defense!
4. Carson Palmer threw for 352 yards.
5. Braylon Edwards dropped 2 passes, while the team as a whole dropped 5.
6. Maurice Carthon should be fired, his play calling stinks!
7. Why doesn’t Kellen Winslow Jr. stay on the field for every third down opportunity, even if they use him just as a decoy?
8. Don’t look now, but the Baltimore Ravens are coming to Cleveland on Sunday with a 2-0 record, having outscored the opposition 55 to 6. Charlie, I hope you have life insurance!
9. In the AFC North, the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers (as of Sunday) are a combined 5-0…the Browns are 0-2.
10. Team MVP so far…Punter Dave Zastudil!
That’s it. Nothing more needs to be said.
Davis frustrated
“We get paid good money to go out there and make plays,” said linebacker Andra Davis. “The fans expect a lot out of us, and we expect a lot of ourselves. We have to go out there and perform.”
Davis termed the performance “terrible” and “embarrassing.” He said, almost apologetically, “I’m tired of losing, tired of talking” on his way out of the locker room.
Winslow upset
K2, probably the best weapon the Browns have on offense, was inexcusably taken out during a few of the third down plays. Sometimes I wonder. Does Maurice want to lose the game or what?
Winslow caught four passes for 42 yards. He was the subject of the latest controversial brainstorm by coordinator Maurice Carthon – removing Winslow on certain third-down packages.
Winslow was seen jawing with Crennel on the sideline after one third-down screen play to Droughns netted 2 yards in the third quarter.
“I do what the coaches say,” Winslow said. “I look at myself as a playmaker [who] makes things happen. All [the Bengals] ran was cover one – man coverage. Nobody can guard me man to man.”
Frye concurred, “Kellen can’t be guarded. He’s getting open. I’d like to see Kellen [stay in] on every third down.”
The lone bright spot
“I’m real proud of the way our offensive line came back and played [Sunday],” said Frye. “They played really well.”
Baxter disappointed
“We stunk it up today. I did,” he said. “We did as a team. There are a lot of things we should’ve done better. We left a lot of plays on the table. You have to give credit to Cincinnati. They came out and played a great game and they gave it to us.”
Braylon, on not making catches:
“They didn’t draft me to drop the ball,” said Edwards. “I’ve got to catch the ball, that’s what it comes down to. [There are] small things I just didn’t do today, and I hurt Charlie.”
“It definitely was an up-and-down day,” said Edwards. “Obviously, I expect myself to catch everything, regardless of the situation. I blocked well today, and that was a plus. We completed a deep ball, and that was a plus. I dropped the curl, that was not a plus. And I dropped the one that went over the DB’s head. Charlie made a heck of a throw. I didn’t even see him getting it over those two guys’ heads, and he did, and when it came, I wasn’t ready to make the play.”
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