rjl2621's Thoughts

What do you think? I know, he comes from another team that Cleveland fans love to hate ... but he has experience (something previous coaches we've had recently have not had) and he's been with a team that can win. He's had some bad luck and inconsistency recently, but ... he's still won two Super Bowls. He also shows emotion, something many of you held against Romeo Crennel.

I'm not against Mangini coming to Cleveland either, at least he comes as a former head coach and had some success ... but he, too, had some bad luck and inconsistency in New York. I do like this option because it's a way for Crennel to stick with the team and go back to doing what he had so much success with in New England -- Defensive Coordinator. Maybe with focusing on one aspect of the game, he'll be able to focus his energy and clean up the holes in our defense.

Looks like Cowher is interested in New York, but I'd be curious if he changes his mind with Denver needing a coach and with Denver already being an organization where the coach had absolute control. New York will have to change things in order to "fit" his style.

All I know is I don't want the Browns to settle on someone who lacks experience. This team needs someone with experience ... someone who can light a fire and enforce some sort of discipline. I like Romeo and respect him a lot, but if there is anything I would fault him with is the lack of enforcing discipline with the players ... I think they got away with too much. Other than that, I believe Romeo is a class act and could certainly be a head coach in the future.

Alright. As I predicted in my blog entry in Sept 2007 ... the Browns have now fired Romeo Crennel because of problems with the organization beyond Romeo's control.

Phil Savage, despite his positive personnel additions, deserved what he got. To all those who think otherwise ... his actions this season proved it once and for all. I never liked him and have been calling for him to be fired for years. He lacks the management and people skills to be a GM for any team. It wasn't he who got Baltimore to where they were, it was the players. Ozzie Newsome was the mortar in that organization because he understands the game and is a class act - unlike Phil Savage (Baltimore wasn't sad to see him go ... wonder why?).

Romeo Crennel. First of all, I would just like to tell Romeo I wish him the best of luck in the future. I hope that he gets picked up by a team that has good top level management (something the Browns lack) and repsect for the class act that Romeo is. Had the Browns had Ozzie Newsome as GM and then got Romeo Crennel, we'd probably be looking at a totally different organization ... as long as Randy Lerner kept his mitts off day-to-day ops. Romeo would probably still have his job, and we might have already made a run at the Super Bowl.

Crennel wasn't the problem. The most intelligent commentary I have heard with respect to the coach firings this morning was from Mike Ditka. He was talking about the Jets and Mangini, but he also brought up Detroit and said it isn't the coach's fault. He went on to say that the players are responsible because once they cross the sideline, it's on them ... not the coaching staff. He said because it's easy, we blame and fire coaches ... but the problems go much higher than the head coach. That's why I agree with Savage being removed before Crennel. Besides that, Crennel is a class act. Savage proved his true colors this season and embarrassed the organization. Good riddens Savage.

Now, I mentioned Randy Lerner. Not much is said about him because Al Lerner was so well-respected. Randy, however, is an idiot. He has proven that he only cares about the money flowing in from fans continuing to buy PSLs and season tickets for a team we all love yet are perpetually disappointed with. He won't invest that money to get a quality GM or other key front office positions, including a public relations expert. Not only was Crennel dealing with the play on the field, he was having to be the spokesperson for the organization on all the off-field antics taking place ... including those from his very own boss, Phil Savage!

Had I done what Phil Savage had done this season to my employer's customers ... I would have been fired on the spot ... no questions asked. Instead, he was allowed to remain and cause further distractions to the entire organization.

Browns fans -- if you want to blame ANYONE for the dismal season and performance, blame the owner for his lack of management skills and lack of holding other front office personnel accountable for their actions. If you want to blame Romeo Crennel for the problems, go right ahead ... but in 3-5 years I expect you to be the same ignorant souls calling for the next head coach firing in Cleveland because you don't truly understand where the Cleveland Browns organization's problems lie.

Best of luck Romeo - I hope you find a team that plays like they respect you and fans who appreciate bringing your class act demeanor to their team / city. I look forward to seeing you at another Super Bowl while the Browns continue firing head coaches before they have the opportunity to turn this organization around.

Well, we've finally made it. And not a moment too soon because I am really sick of all the political ads on TV and radio advertising what the other guy is or isn't going to do.

It's common knowledge that no matter who is elected, the things they have been saying they will do won't ever get done and everyone will forget and go back to their day-to-day living without holding them accountable.

That's the problem with our political system, there is no accountability. They all say what they believe is what the majority of Americans want to hear and they end up never doing anything that they said they would ... or very little anyway.

Why does no one ever challenge this after a politician enters office? Once someone is in office, it seems that everyone ignores all the things they "promised". Is this right? I don't think so.

So, my homework assignment to everyone out there is this: Take note of the things you are voting for when you make your selections on Tuesday. When/if your selection takes office, pay attention to what ideas or policies they try to implement. If they don't match up with your notes, speak up. Making our voices heard is the only way we can even begin to hold all of these politicians accountable for their actions (in and out of office).

And lastly, make sure you get out and vote. If you don't, the rest of us don't want to hear your complaints if the candidates you want elected don't end up winning the elections.

I've been one of the few sticking up for the decision to let Anderson continue as the starting QB for the Browns this season because his lack of success was not completely his fault (ie. Edwards dropping passes, O-line protection, etc). However, I've never let him completely off the hook because one thing has been obvious since last season when he simply got lucky --- Anderson makes BAD decisions.

If I have to watch one more game where he throws into double/triple coverage when another reciever is open, lock onto his reciever from the moment the ball is snapped or hold on to the ball too long and then try and force the ball somewhere he never should have tried .... I am going to have to surround myself with soft objects so I don't throw something through my big screen TV.

Everyone wants to blame Crennel. It's not his fault, it's the players. The problem isn't that they are not prepared ... the problem is they simply aren't performing. And the last few weeks, Romeo has gotten visibly angry on the sideline -- which is good, it's something he should get more often. Maybe that's what the players need to get their acts together. There is no excuse for Edwards' dropped passes ... nor any excuses for Anderson's poor decisions.

Braylon ... I don't know what you have to do to fix the problem, but right now you aren't worth the ink your checks are printed with. If you want to be a #1 receiver in the NFL, you need to learn how to make plays ANYTIME the team needs you to.

Anderson ... Defenses are on to you. You can't get away with what you were lucky to get away with last season. Change it up. Learn how to make better decisions or give up the starting job to Quinn. I hate being one of the fickle fans calling for a QB change, but maybe we'll at least have the element of surprise on our side like we did last season.

I know, Tim Russert worked for NBC and this is a FOX-affiliated station ... but the fact of the matter is Tim Russert was a class act both in his work and in his life beyond work.

Whether you agreed with his opinions all the time is irrelevant. Tim showed that the key to successful journalism with respect to one of the most sensitive topics (Politics) was a firm but respectful challenge. He has had some of the nation's biggest and most powerful politicians squirming in their seats and backpedaling on their words -- all because he did one thing in his interviews: held the interviewees accountable.

I didn't watch Meet the Press religiously on Sunday mornings, but I did tune in from time to time to see who Tim had on and what they were talking about. For many people the show is probably boring simply because so many do not understand politics. For me though, I found it fascinating watching as Tim methodically worked through series after series of tough questions that probably everyone wanted to ask but never did. Sure, there were times I disagreed with the points Tim tried to make but more often than not I admired his ambition to get the answers to questions you would never hear from normal press conferences or interviews.

Much more than his work on Meet the Press or other efforts as a journalist, I admired his devotion to family. I have not yet read it, but his book Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life is a perfect example of the importance family was to Tim. He loved his family unconditionally, the way we all should but often times fail to do. Even on air he made it known how important his family was as he talked about his father or about his wife Maureen or son, Luke. My heart goes out to them and I pray for strength for all of them to get past this tragedy in their lives.

To Maureen, Luke, "Big Russ" and the entire Russert family -- Your loss is America's loss. We as a nation have been touched over the years by having Tim as a guest in our living rooms. I hope there is some comfort in the legacy that Tim leaves behind and the lessons he has taught us. I pray that those lessons are realized and that in death Tim can continue to have a profound effect on our great country. He would want it that way, I'm sure.

Rest in peace, Mr. Russert. I think Matt Lauer said it best this morning by closing with a quote you always told him: Pal, Go get'em.
Watch the end of this morning's Today Show (Matt Lauer)

This story is absolutely sick. We all know there is violence in our cities and have had enough incidents to believe it is in our schools too -- but when a teacher is the one who is beaten and hospitalized, there is a problem.

What gets me the most about this story is the woman interviewed (spokewoman or whatever) who sat there on camera stating that the Cleveland schools are perfectly safe and they have no reason to believe otherwise. Hello? You had a suspended student enter a building several months back and begin shooting people and now you have kids in "rival gangs" beating up a teacher who was only trying to do his job -- which as school administrators, they are to protect the kids while they are at school.

Now I know why these days school administration usually tells teachers not to get involved and instead to contact security or the police. Unfortunately, in the time it takes for security or police to get there -- the situation could have already gotten 100 times worse.

I think it is unacceptable for the district to say there is no violence problem and that the schools are safe. Obviously they are not. But, it is also parents' responsibility to discipline their own children when they know they are doing something wrong. Until parents stop letting their kids do whatever they want, the situation is just going to get worse.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/10/tilghman.woods/ind
ex.html

In light of the comment by the broadcaster Kelly Tilghman that the young players should "lynch" Tiger Woods, Al Sharpton is again sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Even though Tiger Woods took the comment in stride, has accepted Kelly's apology and has moved on to more important things -- here comes Al Sharpton to throw fuel on a non-existent flame.

When will this guy (and Jesse Jackson) quit?? Look, if they want to get involved with true racial issues, fine. But don't stir the pot just to stir the pot -- hell, Tiger is not even 75% african-american so why are these guys even interested?

I am sick and tired of these two idiots perpetuating the very thing they claim to be against - racism. Sure, there still exist racists in the world but many issues don't have a race tied to them and yet these two always bring race into issues where race isn't even the point.

"But Sharpton says it is the word -- not the person or their history -- that matters." Yeah, right. Here's a question -- why doesn't he or Jesse Jackson ever get all uptight when something is said or done against a non-african-american person? Hmm.

By the way, anyone who thinks I am being unfair or prejudice is sadly mistaken. I am just fed up with the "race card" that always seems to be played whenever it is convenient, regardless of whether or not the person being defended did anything wrong in the first place.

It's like the guys at the San Francisco zoo who were no doubt there to cause trouble, yet when the tiger (quite obviously with some reason to jump/climb out of the enclosure) attacks them and kills one of them -- people are actually defending them as perfectly innocent. Sad that we will never really know the true story as legal counsel for the two survivors is using the media machine to shove blame back on the zoo. Nice to know that Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have something in common with the sleezy laywers out there who are only out for their own agendas and not justice.

Link to article on Foxnews.com

Okay, my first question in this whole incident is a bit cynical -- but what were those "victims" doing when the tiger decided to get out of the enclosure? It would seem to me that there must have been a pretty darn good reason for the tiger to go through the effort of even attempting to get out.

Also, what were they doing in the zoo at the time it was closing anyway? For there to have been no one around that they had to go to that cafe to find someone to help leads me to believe they were not the most innocent of zoo visitors that day.

I do have questions for the zoo officials as well though, the most significant being where was their trained team that is mobilized in the event they need to tranquilize an animal that has escaped or turned on one of the keepers? Every zoo has a team of individuals trained for just those occassions. Where were they?

The animals in the zoo are all wild, no matter if they were born and raised in captivity or if they were brought in from the wild. The real question should be what might have caused that tiger to react the way it did. Under normal circumstances, they are quite content with staying in their enclosures and not even attempting to escape.

The zoo is no doubt culpable here, but my suspicion is that the "victims" are as well. I would like to see the real answers come out, not these blatent attempts by the victims' lawyer to shift blame on the zoo officials.

Aside from the thoughts and opinions on the Browns, I wanted to make a quick post also to pay tribute to Kevin Everett, his family and his Buffalo Bills teammates.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin and his family during this difficult time. I share in the hopes of many that Kevin will at least partially recover from this and won't be paralyzed from this injury. I pray for all of those involved to have the strength to get through this, but most of all Kevin in order to have a speedy recovery.

Rizz reported this evening that there may be some optimistic signs coming from the hospital and that is certainly good news to hear. Let's hope that turns out true.

Let me start off by saying that I am happy for Charlie for being traded to a good, solid team that he can play with. Good for him!

Now, to all of you out there calling for Brady Quinn to be named the starter -- ARE YOU CRAZY?? Do you want our second 1st round QB draft pick to turn out like the first?

So now it is only a matter of time before you all get your wish and Brady will be tossed in for his NFL debut where he will perform miracles for a game or two before he will have taken so much beating from the opposing defensive lines that he will end up like all other QB's for Cleveland in recent memory. Great.

I guess Cleveland should start scounting the college teams now for the next round 1 QB that we can draft and effectively ruin the career of.

Look, I have always been a Browns fan and I always will be. But when is the front office going to learn from the mistakes that have been made in the short history of our expansion team? Next they will be firing Romeo Crennel when the Browns' problems have nothing to do with Romeo and EVERYTHING to do with our ineffective (and frankly non-existent) offensive line.

The Browns front office needs to wake up and begin managing this team like many of the other teams out there who make progress from year to year rather than going backward. There is no excuse for how horrible the Browns played on Sunday against the Steelers. In my opinion the blame falls squarely on the players -- especially those on the offensive line -- that didn't do their jobs.

Only in professional sports can you collect million-dollar salaries and stick around when you aren't doing your job. (Or maybe it's just with the Cleveland Browns) This isn't a QB thing or a head coach thing -- it is quite frankly a performance issue with our offensive line.

You can't expect everything from these guys though because there are a lot of rookies and relative inexperience on the line. Only there does coaching come into play. But what about the offensive lines coach? What is he doing? He should be cracking into these guys for the horrid performance they put on against the Steelers. If he won't do it, Romeo should. If Romeo won't, then the Browns front office should take action on all involved.

There is no excuse for this team coming out on opening day after all the off-season moves and adds, and looking like a high school football team against Pittsburgh. (No offense to high school teams -- there are probably a number of high school teams that might make the Browns look bad too.)

What I don't forgive is the Cleveland fans who apparently have short memories. Calling for Brady Quinn may as well be calling in the firing squad for the Cleveland Browns. But of course, the Browns front office can't stand up to the fans and rather give in and are going to end up sticking Brady Quinn out there to eventually fail instead of giving him time to grow and learn.

Good job Cleveland. Good job.