As per my usual lunch ritual, I warmed up some grub and then went to CNNSI.com to do some reading. I'm a big fan of the Truth and Rumors section but always peruse the headlines.
What I saw today made my lunch taste no so good, really fast.
In consecutive order, three headlines in a row:
Browns bench Quinn, will start Anderson at QB
Disappointing season dooms Wedge in Cleveland
FanHouse: The six best, worst NFL organizations
I'll give you a *(!@#$ guess as who was voted the next to WORST NFL Organization out there? That's right, the lonely Cleveland Browns.
Three headlines. In. A. Row. They could've added Delonte West's remake of the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto, where he strapped himself with three loaded guns and drove a 3 wheel motorcycle at damaging speeds.
At least they spared us that, right?
Now, as if it weren't bad enough that the Browns were voted the next to WORST NFL Organization out there, guess what TWO other teams were in the top 3?
None other than the hated Pittsburgh Steelers (#2) and the Baltimore Ravens (#3). Our biggest rival and the city that stole our team and organization? I mean, what gives? Steelers, as much as I've always hated them, have always been a ship to envy. They draft well, they play well, and they hire well. We haven't seen them hire a ton, but when they have, they've made the right calls.
As for the Browns? Here's what CNNSI had to say about them;
31. Cleveland: Why did Randy Lerner jump so quickly to hire Mangini, who treats his players like high school kids? The Browns are are 54-110 since returning to the NFL in 1999. Enough said.
Good question...damn good question. I'll admit, I wasn't anti Mangini. I guess I also didn't realize how high on his horse the guy was.
Think about this: The Jets didn't make the playoffs with Mangini last season. He was then FIRED. He had a Hall of Fame Quarterback by the name of Brett Favre and a solid team around him.
The Jets FIRED him. They hired a new coach and drafted a ROOKIE quarterback by the name of Mark Sanchez. They are 3-0.
The Browns are 0-3 and the laughing stock of the NFL. Hell, the Lions won last week. THE LIONS WON LAST WEEK! I just typed that. Twice. Had to be sure it was correct.
Here's what was said about the other teams...thugs.
2. Pittsburgh: Continuity means three coaches over 40 years, with a record six Super Bowl wins. Dan Rooney, his son Art and the rest of the front office has hired superbly and drafted well. They know luck plays a part -- if the Giants hadn't been able to trade for Eli Manning, they would have drafted Ben Roethlisberger and maybe the Steelers wouldn't have won two titles in four years. But they get premier players with low picks and develop talent -- when it doesn't gel at first, it still seems to work in the long-run, like with James Harrison, cut and re-signed a bunch of times until he developed into the league's most dangerous pass rusher.
3. Baltimore: One title this decade and little change at the top, other than the dismissal of Brian Billick after the 2007 season. Who replaced him? John Harbaugh, who fans didn't know and wasn't on anyone's "hot list.'' Record so far: 16-6. The continuity comes from Ozzie Newsome, who has been running the personnel operation since 1996 after going straight from a Hall of Fame career on the field to the front office. Twenty-five teams passed on Ray Lewis before Newsome took him and 23 passed on Ed Reed. Joe Flacco looks like the next great QB (if Matt Ryan isn't already it).
Awesome, huh? As if we didn't hate both of them enough as it is. That being said, it's hard to argue with anything they typed above, it really is.
Back to my lunch.
1 comment:
Totally agree with ya here. Really hate reading all that garbage, but in this case, the garbage is so, so true. It really sucks having to resort to old memories in order to get pumped up for each game. And its ironic that the Browns jersey I wear so proudly most Sundays is #82 and has the name "NEWSOME" on the back.
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