Peyton Hillis' future, the struggling Browns offense and even a Tim Tebow question sneaks into this week's mailbag.
Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerWhat to do about Peyton Hillis? That's dominating many fans' minds as the second half of the Browns' season begins. Hey, Tony: As good as it looked to get Peyton Hillis in a trade for Brady Quinn, how bad would it look if Hillis walked away and we got nothing in return? Knowing now what we do of the WCO, if you could call a mulligan and maybe just tweak last year's ground and pound instead of completely switching schemes, would you? This upcoming draft could either make our defense elite or make our offense watchable, what direction do you choose? -- Eliot Clasen, Cape Coral, Fla.
Hey, Eliot: You're forgetting the two sixth-round draft picks the Browns received in the trade, too. It's possible they could receive a compensatory draft pick if Hillis leaves in free agency. That wouldn't be until 2013, however. Last year's ground-and-pound evaporated in the last month of the season. The offense needed a complete overhaul. Unfortunately, the changes haven't been effective. The Browns know they have take offense in the upcoming draft.
Hey, Tony: Why do the Browns continue to display Al Lerner's initials on their uniforms nine years after his death? -- Tom Riggs, Athens, Ohio
Hey, Tom: They are honoring him. Is there supposed to be a time limit on such things?
Hey, Tony: For the past two seasons, everyone has defended Josh Cribbs saying that he was not 100 percent. It has now been over two years since he returned a kick or punt for a TD. Now what are the excuses for his lack of performance? -- Mark Hall, Avon Lake
Hey, Mark: Cribbs has had at least five big returns this year on kickoffs and punts. None has gone for a touchdown but each has had a profound impact and led to a score. Usually when he rips off a big return the opposing team stops kicking to him.
Hey, Tony: Why does Pat Shurmur start every game with a run up the middle, which yields no gain, and then pass on second down? The defense expects those calls and on second down they tee off on Colt McCoy so he has no chance. Then we don't convert on third and long. This sets the tone for the whole game. When is this incompetent coach going to change? -- Frank Huemmer, Brecksville
Hey, Frank: You are over-generalizing, of course. But your point is well made about the predictability in play-calling. I think it will change starting on Sunday.
Hey, Tony: I read that the Browns are second in the league in dropped passes. This seems to be a problem every year, regardless of who the receivers are. Was the receivers coach held over from the previous regime(s)? And do you think the problem is the coaches or the players they bring in? -- Brian Wheatley, Alliance, Ohio
Hey, Brian: Mike Wilson is the receivers coach and he was brought in by Shurmur. Dropped passes have been a problem with different receivers and it's been a problem with different coaches. It's emblematic of a bad team.
Hey, Tony: If the spread offense always beats the Steelers, why don't the Browns use it? -- Joe Schmidt, Pittsburgh
Hey, Joe: You're referring to a comment I made in my prediction the Steelers would lose to the Patriots. Enjoy.
Hey, Tony: How possible is it that all the Hillis drama may turn out to be a blessing in disguise? If he can refocus himself on football, he may have saved himself for the second half of the season so the team can maybe finish strong instead of wearing out like last year into the usual late season swoon. -- Larry Emerson, Mentor
Hey, Larry: Hillis has to get healthy and back on the field for that to happen. Personally, I think his season is close to being totally blown. However, I'd like the ending to this drama to be Hillis returning for a strong finish -- as you suggest -- and running wild in the division games at the end. Quite a story, that would be.
Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerBrian Robiskie was never a problem in the Browns' locker room, even as his playing time disappeared, says Tony Grossi. Hey, Tony: What was Brian Robiskie like in the locker room? He seemed like a good kid that just didn't work out in Cleveland. As a Buckeye fan, I hope he finds success in the NFL. -- Vinnie Cupoli, Atlanta
Hey, Vinnie: Robiskie was well-liked in the locker room, never a problem and always a hard worker. This season he was very quiet with the media. We kind of dropped back and gave him his space rather than besiege him with the same, nagging questions that hounded him his first two years.
Hey, Tony: The question is no longer will the Browns win or lose. For me, it's will we see the Browns' offense click for at least three quarters in one game this year? I am setting my expectations to 75 percent. Is my expectation too high?-- Steve Hersh, University Heights
Hey, Steve: At this point, would you settle for a touchdown in the first quarter?
Hey, Tony: I'm amazed at the accuracy and longevity of Phil Dawson. Do you think he has any chance to make the Hall Of Fame? -- Dan Williams, Akron
Hey, Dan: No. Unfortunately for Dawson, he has never been selected to the Pro Bowl during his outstanding career. When a player is not judged to be the among the best of his era, he has no chance of being selected among the best of all time.
Hey, Tony: Do you believe that Peyton Hillis is a franchise-caliber back like Ray Rice or Frank Gore? As much as I like him, I would say no. I'm sure he'll be an asset to another team after he leaves, but Cleveland fans should just let go and cheer for the players that want to play here. -- Hoa, Los Angeles
Hey, Hoa: I think Hillis is a player who's had one good year. I believe he will leave as a free agent after the season.
Hey, Tony: Trading away multiple premium draft picks for Brady Quinn is obviously one of the reasons the Browns are lacking in talent. Do you ever think about how much worse it would be if, instead of taking Joe Thomas, Phil Savage would have traded away even more to acquire the awful JaMarcus Russell? -- Spike, Tampa, Fla.
Hey, Spike: I have enough trouble looking out and reporting the product on the field. I don't want to speculate on "what if's" that would have made it even worse.
Hey, Tony: How many more years of Tom Heckert's drafting before we can look forward to being consistently competitive? -- David King, Joelton, Tenn.
Hey, David: Look at this way. They need to find playmakers at the running back and wide receiver positions and they have to upgrade the tackle position. They need a couple young linebackers, another cornerback and a safety. Did I mention quarterback, too?
AP file photoThere have always been critics of Phil Dawson's kickoffs, but most Browns fans have taken their longtime veteran kicker to heart. Hey, Tony: I've often wondered if you and your crack staff can tell us since '99, how many games has Phil Dawson won for the Browns? -- Jason Parsons, Hilliard, Ohio
Hey, Jason: After your question arrived, we did a magnificent story on Dawson in Friday's Plain Dealer. He has 15 game-winning field goals in his Browns career.
Hey, Tony: What will be the call when someone is tackled by their long hair? Is the hair considered part of the body, just as an arm or leg? I would think it would be a legal tackle. -- Mike Kriausky, Rotonda West, Fla.
Hey, Mike: It is a legal tackle. I can tell you from covering NFL meetings over the years that some in the league believe the only way to get players to cut their hair would be a couple of well-executed, hair-pull tackles.
Hey, Tony: What do you make of Michael Lombardi's report of an ex-NFL guy being able to predict the next Browns offensive play based on the down and distance with 95 percent accuracy? When Lombardi left the Browns, was it ugly or do you think his criticisms are derived from just wanting them to improve? -- B. Schaffter, Casper, Colo.
Hey, B.: If Lombardi said today was Sunday, the first thing I would do is check my calendar.
Hey, Tony: I know the season is not over yet, however, I was thinking about next year's draft. What do you think about the Browns drafting running back Trent Richardson from Alabama and then receiver Michael Floyd from Notre Dame with their first two picks, and then grabbing an OT and shoring up the rest of the defense with the remaining picks? -- Brian Aikens, Richmond Heights
Hey, Brian: Sounds good. Now, what about the quarterback position?
Hey, Tony: I am wondering what your thoughts (and those of the Browns staff) are on the Hillis situation? How could someone go from cult hero to prima donna so quickly? Are we being too tough on him or is he a victim of a series of unfortunate events? -- Scott S., Philadelphia
Hey, Scott: Personally, I think Hillis' one good year went to his head. Winning the popularity contest for the Madden NFL 12 cover didn't help. The contract dispute, the strep throat game, the mid-week marriage on an off day, the hamstring injury, the football throwing contest in pre-game warmups in San Francisco, the snub of the charity event on Halloween -- these were not media-driven events. I think he's gotten some real bad advice, too.
Hey, Tony: If the Browns have been fed up with Hillis and his antics, why didn't they trade him earlier this year? At least they could have gotten something for him then. Now he will simply walk in free agency. Isn't this a very notable mistake by a regime that has still yet to prove itself? -- Rob Hill, York Township
Hey, Rob: At the time, nobody could have predicted Hillis would be missing so many games with a hamstring injury. Trading him without a suitable replacement would have been irresponsible. As it turned out, Montario Hardesty went down with an injury, too, and the running back situation was left in shambles. They will lose Hillis in free agency for nothing in return, except possibly a compensatory draft pick in 2013.
Hey, Tony: I know this is going to bring some heat but I just have to ask! Tim Tebow, it seems that the Broncos coach John Fox doesn't want him, even though the fans do. Is there a chance we could get him in a trade? Also maybe bring Urban Meyer in to not coach cause we all know he will never coach again but give him a role with the team to work with Tim and other guys on the team. -- Tim Umpleby, Toronto, Ohio
Hey, Tim: Pass the Maalox, please.
Hey, Tony: Are you pleased with the current regime? Based on what you've seen, would it have been better to start a third year in the same system vs. what the Browns currently have? -- Mike B., Dover, Ohio
Hey, Mike: Am I pleased with the way things have gone this year? Absolutely not. Did I welcome a change after two 5-11 seasons with a very old team? Absolutely. The Browns' bumbling ways this season are helping to make Eric Mangini a mythical figure in the minds of some.
Hey, Tony: Regarding Joe Flacco, a couple of years ago, you mentioned the Browns were the only team in the AFC North without a franchise quarterback (when Carson Palmer was still in Cincinnati). You consistently heap praise on Flacco as if he is destined to be a longtime stud in the NFL. Well, he's in an offense that features Anquan Boldin, Ray Rice, Lee Evans, and speedster Torrey Smith yet he's on pace to have the lowest completion percentage and most interceptions of his four-year career. Let's be honest with ourselves, all this Flacco kid has on our own Colt McCoy is a stronger arm. Nothing else. You fall in love with the big arms, don't you Tony? -- Joshua Jones, Fullerton, Calif.
Hey, Joshua: Did you watch Flacco outplay Ben Roethlisberger in the Ravens' win in Pittsburgh on Sunday night? Flacco has won playoff games on the road. Don't look at his stats. Watch his spirals pierce the wind and hit his receivers in the hands. Not his fault they often drop the ball. Flacco is a big-time quarterback.
Hey, Tony: You have mentioned on a handful of occasions that the current Browns leadership just doesn't value a kicker all that much. Given that the offense is allergic to the end zone, Phil Dawson is perhaps the only threat the Browns have to score points. Of course they expect the offense to improve, but why not suck it up and pay Dawson? -- Andy H., Chagrin Falls
Hey, Andy: The answer lies in your first sentence. They don't value a kicker all that much. Maybe they will franchise Dawson another year. They decided not to extend him a new contract offer.
Hey, Tony: My advice is for the Cleveland writers to make more excuses for McCoy. They can then add some more excuses for the inept coaching. When that is finished, they can tell us how great the defense is. I suggest they take a break and tell us how wonderful the GM and the president are. After all, we just need to give them more time. We should watch this garbage next year, and the year after, and the year after. Great job to all. -- Tom Rogers, Philadelphia
Hey, Tom: Thanks for the advice.
Hey, Tony: Do you foresee any way that we do not use one of our two first-round picks next year on a WR? If they use one on a receiver, what position do you think they'd address with the other first-rounder? -- Josh Reed, White Oak, Pa.
Hey, Josh: Wide receiver, offensive tackle, quarterback, running back. They need them all.
Hey, Tony: Do you think Mike Holmgren is trying to out-think himself? Eric Mangini was on to something, he gets fired and the offense disappeared just like Pat Shurmur will, I hope. -- David Taras, Parma
Hey, David: Out-think himself? I just think Holmgren wanted an offensive-minded coach and didn't believe the team was advancing under Mangini. You can debate whether or not Shurmur was the right replacement. I don't think a coach who goes 5-11 and 5-11 with a team of retreads hand-picked by himself is "on to something."
Hey, Tony: After enduring the Texans game and watching everyone but Josh Cribbs giving up, do you think Shurmur is loosing the locker room? Secondly, at least twice, TV color commentator Dan Fouts said that there is no "hot receiver" concept in the Browns' game plan. Why would a team with no pass protection, no running game and trying to implement the WCO not have a hot receiver when the defense is blitzing on every play? Lastly, do you think we're once again witnessing a "runaway train" in Cleveland? P.S.: All my Browns stuff is officially back in a box in the garage. -- Steve Jones, Youngstown
Hey, Steve: Losing the locker room? No. No hot receiver? Unfathomable. Runaway train? Let's hope not. I've been on that ride before and it ain't pretty.
Hey, Tony: Do you agree that the Browns' offense is getting worse, to the point of setting the team back indefinitely? Also, after this season, how much do you think McCoy's "evaluation" will be affected by all the garbage-time prevent defense yards and points he was responsible for? I think that we should all tailgate until the start of the fourth quarter, then file in. -- William Deverse, Sandusky
Hey, William: I think the team and the offense is at a critical juncture. If it doesn't show improvement in the next two games, the season could deteriorate badly. McCoy's evaluation will not be affected by the garbage time yards and points. I think his evaluation is nearing completion, and it is not looking good.
Hey, Tony: In your opinion, at this halfway point of the season, how would you characterize the impact thus far of Phil Taylor? Personally, I'm underwhelmed. -- Marty Cutter, Jersey City, N.J.
Hey, Marty: Taylor had an impact earlier, but certainly has leveled off. It's a long season for a rookie and he could still have another surge before the season's over. I don't know what everyone expected from a nose tackle who didn't dominate at Baylor.
Hey, Tony: I watched a good part of the first half against Houston until I couldn't stand it any more and turned it off. As best I can recall, the Browns called a running play on every first down. I thought the WCO was supposed to be more imaginative than that. Am I wrong? -- Mike Ristau, Sylvania
Hey, Mike: I'm at a loss to explain their game plan. They must have felt with two young and relatively new players at running back that they were severely limited in what they could call.
Hey, Tony: Will Randy Lerner ever address the fans? Obviously Tom Heckert has failed in two drafts. Mike Holmgren obviously is past his prime. His hiring of Pat Shurmur is a joke. Lerner should refund season-ticket holders. This franchise embodies ineptitude at all levels and they don't even seem to care. Why is that? Obviously the only chance for us to succeed is to force Lerner to sell the team. -- James Heneghan, Swedesboro, N.J.
Hey, James: Somebody once told me, "Never chase away a billionaire."
-- Tony