Bumbling Browns

Yecccch.

Sunday's 28-10 loss by the Browns at Baltimore was ridiculous -- inexcusable on many levels. Fans are harping about Derek Anderson -- and yes, he was bad -- but the whole team looked lethargic and undisciplined. After an early drive showed such promise and resulted in a touchdown (and a 7-0 lead), the Browns simply frittered away the remainder of the game. You can cut the defense a little slack -- after all, they were handed impossible situations more than once thanks to DA's interceptions -- but, once again, this was a team that appeared to be woefully unprepared and terribly outplayed. The longer the game went on, the worse it got, and it became difficult and disappointing to watch.

And it comes down to coaching. There's simply not much being said, at any level, about Romeo Crennel's genius as a football coach. People more knowledgeable than I are not exactly leaping to his defense, which confirms my suspicions that there's a problem at the top. The fact is, the Browns have played seven games this year and lost them all: four in the preseason, and three in the regular season. It's been ugly, frustrating and shocking, all at once. Fans came into the season with enormous expectations. There was, no doubt, some wishful thinking involved, but 0-3? That's simply inexcusable.

While we're on the subject of Romeo Crennel, I want to scream when he refuses to refer to players by name during press conferences. This time he talked about getting more reps at quarterback for "the other guy" -- instead of referring to Brady Quinn by name.

Here's a suggestion for Phil Savage and Randy Lerner: How about, real soon, you refer to Crennel as "the former coach?"

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

Random Notes

The LeCharles Bentley era in Cleveland ended before it started. A mysterious tour with the Browns came to an abrupt halt Wednesday when he asked for, and was granted, his release. Go figure on this one. Bentley didn't say much, and neither did the Browns. What was said was rather cryptic, on the part of all parties. GM Phil Savage called it "a chapter that finally comes to an end," said the team had "some closure" and acknowledged that it "just didn't work out." Asked by the Plain Dealer's Marla Ridenour if he had requested his release, Bentley replied, "Why would I do that?" OK, we get it, everybody's saying the right things. But this had to be one of the weirdest odysseys in Browns history. Well, it's over. Good luck to Bentley, and Go Browns. . . .

2008 has gradually shaped up to be a season that Victor Martinez would rather forget. A .278 batting average, with no homers and 21 RBIs? Hardly Martinez-like numbers. He strained a hamstring on Opening Day, and it's clear he's never been 100 percent since. Now he's scheduled to have an MRI on a right elbow inflammation that forced him out of Wednesday's loss to Minnesota. It flared up after an awkward swing in the first inning. Manager Eric Wedge later revealed that the elbow has been an issue for Martinez for a while. The question now is whether the combination of the hamstring and the elbow might land Martinez on the disabled list. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, a tip of the cap to Aaron Laffey. The young lefthander moved into the starting rotation when Jake Westbrook was lost to injury. Laffey was honored as the AL Rookie Pitcher of the Month for May, when he was 3-2 with a 0.79 ERA. Opponents hit just .220 against him over 34 innings during the month. Overall he's now 3-3 with a 2.98 ERA, and has most likely cemented his stay in Cleveland. . . .

Apparently Stark County's Kosta Koufos made a wise decision when he chose to leave Ohio State for the NBA after just one season. Word is his stock continues to rise and that he's looked good in personal workouts for NBA teams. Winning the MVP while helping lead Ohio State to the 2008 NIT Championship was a stroke of timing genius. Todd Porter of the Canton Repository recently wrote that NBA teams are focusing on wingspan more than height when it comes to big men in the draft. In other words, the fact that Koufos is a shade over seven feet tall is one thing; but the fact that his wingspan is almost 7'6" is more significant. Koufos has excellent skills for a post player, including his ball handling and his outside shooting ability. A number of mock drafts have Koufos going in the first round -- in at least one of those, to Cleveland. He'd be an intriguing pickup for the Cavaliers, who will need to groom a replacement for Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the next couple of years. If he falls to them in the draft, it could be another gift from the basketball gods for the franchise. . . .

An interesting side note to the NBA Finals is the presence of Ira Newble on the Lakers' roster. The former Cavalier, traded to Seattle in the deal that brought Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to Cleveland, later signed with the Lakers and is enjoying a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. He's mostly a practice player and has logged a grand total of one minute in the postseason for L.A., but he's admittedly got the best seat in the house for the grand stage, and, if nothing else, he can boast of playing with the two best players in the league -- LeBron James and Kobe Bryant -- over the last two seasons. And Newble isn't alone as a former Cavalier enjoying the ride -- Chris Mihm is still with the Lakers, also in a benchwarming role. The two were teammates in Cleveland during the 2003-04 season.

A Look at the Browns' Offseason Activities

While Clevelanders wring their hands about what Danny Ferry should do next to improve the Cavs, or what Mark Shapiro should do now to improve the Indians, Browns GM Phil Savage has somehow been flying under the radar as he has quietly added some key players to a team with high expectations for next season.

Think about it: You know the Browns are better. But you also haven't been giving it much thought, preoccupied as we all are with the other teams in town. Well, don't look now, but Savage has taken the Browns' newfound status -- and 2008 schedule -- seriously with some shrewd moves.

Start with the most significant of all. Faced with the prospect of losing Derek Anderson and forcing Brady Quinn into the starting role prematurely, Savage preempted other suitors and locked up Anderson with a three-year deal. I wrote about it in my May 16 post. It's a solid move because Anderson responded so well when given the opportunity last season. Nobody expected the Browns to click like they did, and few honestly expected it to be with Anderson at the helm. I know I didn't. When someone steps up and performs the way Anderson did, they deserve the trust and confidence that comes with it. I remain curious about what Quinn will contribute when his time comes, and I suspect it could be very good. But I have a good feeling about Anderson, and am intrigued to see what 2008 will bring.

If signing Anderson was offseason move number 1, then signing Jamal Lewis to a new three-year deal was move 1a. What's not to like? Here's a guy who has rushed for more than 9,000 yards in seven seasons. He's never gained fewer than 900 yards in a season. Doesn't exactly make you long for William Green, does it? Lewis showed up, suited up, and plowed his way to more than 1,300 yards (fifth in the league) and nine touchdowns in his first season in a Browns uniform. Running behind a revamped offensive line, Lewis helped propel the Browns rushing attack to 118 yards a game, tenth in the league. Gone are the days of Browns fans lamenting the lack of a running game.

Suffice it to say that having Anderson and Lewis on board stabilizes an offense that got even stronger with the signing of Donte Stallworth. Here's a legitimate NFL receiver, a complement to Braylon Edwards' emergence as a true number one guy. Joe Jurevicius wanted a reduced role, as his body can no longer withstand the rigors of a starting position. Stallworth's still can, and he's a solid option as the number two wideout, with excellent speed. Opposing defenses will have to pay attention to him, which will open things up for Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Stallworth has his doubters, in part due to reports that he is in the NFL's substance abuse program. CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco has already labeled Stallworth as the Browns' most overrated player -- this without having played a snap in the orange and brown -- because of his "inconsistency." Well, 279 catches and 31 touchdowns over six seasons will fit into the Browns' offense very nicely, I think. And with Jurevicius still around -- not to mention Josh Cribbs -- the receiving corps is that much better.

Shoring up the offense, Savage added Rex Hadnot to an already formidable offensive line. He was a sixth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2004 and has missed only one game in his career, logging time at guard and center. And that's the key. His versatility enables Romeo Crennel to use him at multiple positions on the interior line. That's already become important, because Ryan Tucker went down early with a hip injury that threatens his availability for training camp this summer. The projected line during organized team activity practices this month included Joe Thomas at left tackle, Eric Steinbach at left guard, Hank Fraley at center, Tucker at right guard and Kevin Shaffer at right tackle. The addition of Hadnot, and the offseason re-signings of Seth McKinney and Lennie Friedman, give the Browns veteran depth up front.

On the defensive side of the ball, trades in February and March brought defensive linemen Corey Williams from Green Bay and Shaun Rogers from Detroit. There's no question the duo will immediately upgrade the defensive line. Williams and Rogers had seven sacks apiece last season, and Rogers has recorded 29 sacks in his seven-year career. Williams will likely pair with Robaire Smith on the ends in the Browns 3-4 scheme, while Rogers will share time with Shaun Smith at the nose tackle position. Crennel has said, however, that Rogers may also see time at defensive end.

Continuing to focus on the defense, Savage quickly tried to offset the loss of cornerback Daven Holly to a season-ending injury by signing veteran Terry Cousin to a two-year deal. Cousin has appeared in 156 games, with 68 starts, in 11 NFL seasons. He'll likely backup Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald and see time in the Browns' nickel packages. Cousin's experience includes a Super Bowl XXXVIII appearance with Carolina, one of six teams he played for before signing with Cleveland.

As for the draft, Savage claimed linebacker Beau Bell from UNLV and tight end Martin Rucker from Missouri with his remaining top picks, both fourth-rounders. Bell had 320 tackles during a four-year career at Las Vegas and earned 2007 Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Mountain West Conference. He's known as a hard hitter, something the Browns felt was lacking on defense last season. Rucker's numbers improved each year at Missouri, capping off with an All-American season that included 84 catches, 834 yards and eight touchdowns his senior year. He caught 203 passes during his four years with the Tigers.

In all, it's been a productive offseason for the Browns, one that was needed considering the schedule they'll be facing in the fall. Non-division foes include: the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, plus Dallas, Washington, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Tennessee, all of whom finished above .500 last year; Philadelphia, who was 8-8; and Denver and Buffalo, both of whom were 7-9. The Browns were 10-6 a season ago, and the road to that record or better won't be as easy this season. But the new additions to the roster give them a much better chance to enter the ranks of the NFL's elite in 2008.