Terry's Talkin' Browns, Tribe and Sam Rutigliano.
Jerome Harrison got nine carries against the Buccaneers last week, former coach Sam Rutigliano says Harrison should get about double that number of carries per game.Question: If you coached the Browns this week, how would you handle the 17-14 loss to Tampa Bay?
Answer: I'd talk about Kansas City, a lot about how we beat Kansas City [last year]. I'd show a lot of tape of the good things we did. And the Browns did a lot of good things in Tampa. This is a better team than a year ago.
What about the turnovers?
Yes, I'd show them, but I would not dwell on them. Jake Delhomme is an intellectually honest guy. He knows he made a bad decision. I'd tell the guys that we'll get four to five opportunities to score in the game, and we need to convert on at least three of them. I'd also say the offense is good enough to do that.
How do you deal with the "Here we go again" syndrome, given all the losing since 1999?
I don't. I do what Paul Brown would tell his team in something like this: Just go out and win a game. You win a game, it stops. You win a game, it puts you in position to win another game because you are getting some momentum. I don't spend much time on how we should have won in Tampa; I push them to win this game.
How do you beat Kansas City?
People have been saying that Jerome Harrison has to be more involved, and he has to be more involved. Nine carries are not enough. This team won games last year by running the ball. Get him 18 to 25 touches.
If the Browns lose this game, then they are 0-2 with Baltimore, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Pittsburgh . . .
You don't talk about that. Just win this game, period.
Are you worried about Kansas City?
A coach worries every week. Kansas City has people Eric [Mangini] knows well. He worked with [General Manager] Scott Pioli. Romeo Crennel was his defensive coordinator in New England, and he has that job in K.C. It's the right job for Romeo. Charlie Weis was in New England when Eric was there. You use the knowledge that you have from working with those guys, but you don't want to make it personal.
Former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano.How do you feel about Seneca Wallace?
So much in the game comes down to the quarterback. As a coach, you can second-guess yourself and beat yourself up. But if Jake [Delhomme] doesn't throw that interception at the end of the first half, at the worst, it's 14-3. Even if [Peyton] Hillis fumbles to start the third quarter, it's still 14-3. Seneca has to be smart. He's mobile. He's got a decent [passing] touch. He can be difficult to defend.
So what's the bottom line?
This is the home opener. The fans are looking for something to get up and cheer for. Do something good early, get the crowd into the game. Then win it. Then you are 1-1, no worse than the day you walked out of training camp.
ABOUT THE BROWNS . . .
1. Knowing the Browns want to run, Tampa Bay put at least eight defenders near the line of scrimmage, daring the Browns to throw. Feeling confident after Jake Delhomme's strong training camp, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll went to the air -- with success for most of the first half. But the Browns never established the running game they needed after Delhomme fizzled. Making matters worse, Peyton Hillis fumbled twice (losing one) when running the ball.
2. The Chiefs will do the same: Try to entice the Browns into throwing. The Browns have to remember how they found a way to win five games last season, completing a grand total of 33 passes. They don't want to play caveman football again, but this is a running team.
3. The offensive line struggled against Tampa Bay, which sometimes had a strong rush from the left side -- where tackle Joe Thomas and guard Eric Steinbach usually keep order. Center Alex Mack also was pushed back on some plays. Fans can dwell on John St. Clair (two penalties) at right tackle, but more is needed from the left side. When rookie Shawn Lauvao's ankle heals, he'll probably start at right guard, with Floyd "Porkchop" Womack replacing St. Clair at right tackle. Womack received the highest marks of any Browns offensive lineman from the coaches last week. Tony Pashos also could see some action at right tackle.
4. Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita also drew praise from the coaches grading films. They think Gocong can be an impact player at inside linebacker. Overall, they were very pleased with the linebackers, and the defensive line was respectable. Tampa's running backs had only 84 yards in 28 carries.
5. The coaches have been trying to break Joe Haden out of the habit of looking back when the receiver slips past him. That's what the rookie did when he was on the wrong end of Micheal Spurlock's 33-yard touchdown catch. When you are beat on a play, don't peek over the shoulder for the ball -- run for your life to catch up with the receiver.
6. Look for more of Evan Moore as a slot receiver. Brian Robiskie was a nonfactor: one catch for 6 yards. They only threw two passes to him in the first three quarters.
ABOUT THE INDIANS . . .
1. If there is any hope for the Indians being at least a .500 team next season, it comes from this stat: The team has a 3.78 ERA since the All-Star break, fourth best in the American League. It's also why the Indians were 26-32 since the break heading into the weekend. It's happened as veterans Jake Westbrook, Austin Kearns, Jhonny Peralta and Kerry Wood were traded for prospects, none on the Tribe's roster right now. It also happened with rookie catcher Carlos Santana needing knee surgery.
2. Considering all that, can manager Manny Acta's critics now admit that he has done a decent job with this team in flux? It's also a team that will finish the season with a $60 million payroll, the lowest in the American League. When Acta's former team -- Washington -- started fast this season, I received e-mails from fans wondering if Acta is the problem. But the Nationals also have had some injuries, and they entered the weekend with a 62-84 record, 23-34 since the All-Star break.
3. We can dwell on the Grand Canyon-size hole at third base . . . somehow, they have to sign a veteran for 2011 who can catch the ball at that spot, giving Lonnie Chisenhall time to develop. There are other positions that need help. But good pitching is the great eraser.
Tribe closer Chris Perez is one reason to be optimistic about next season's pitching staff. He is 20 of 24 in save situations this year.4. If the Indians can make progress next season, it's because they have an emerging ace in Fausto Carmona and a real closer in Chris Perez. Those are two keys to a solid staff. Perez entered the weekend with an 0.71 ERA and 13-of-14 in saves since the All-Star break. Overall, he is 20-of-24 in saves. Carmona is 12-14 this season with a 3.81 ERA. His 26 quality starts (three or fewer earned runs in at least six innings) is fifth best in the American League. He is finishing strong, a 1.13 ERA in September.
5. Carmona has refined his change-up, which has helped him against lefty hitters. In 2008-09, lefties batted .320 against Carmona. This season, it's .280. The next area where he needs to improve is holding base runners, as opponents are 26-of-32 in steals. Only two other AL pitchers have allowed more stolen bases.
6. OK, right now some fans are screaming: "The Indians stink. The owners are cheap. They trade all their stars." Yes, I can write something like that every week. But it tells you nothing that you don't already know. Looking to 2011 in terms of the current pitchers is something a bit different, and it's not all false optimism.
7. A year ago, I never thought I'd be writing that Carlos Carrasco looks like a big-league starter. He was totally overmatched last September with the Tribe, and not all that impressive in the first half of this season at Class AAA Columbus. But at 23 with a 93 mph fastball, excellent control and a sharp slider he can throw at any point in the count, he seems ready to take a prominent spot in next season's rotation. That would be a real blessing after it seemed the Cliff Lee deal would yield only role players in Jason Donald and Lou Marson.
8. Since the All-Star break, Justin Masterson is 3-4 with a 3.84 ERA. Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin both show real promise. A concern is Mitch Talbot, who is 1-4 with a 6.23 ERA since the All-Star break. The Indians think his decline is because of some back problems last month and now shoulder fatigue. He will come into spring training with a spot in the rotation, but if he pitches poorly -- and others are impressive -- he may not be a starter. The Indians think Talbot or Tomlin could help in long relief if either fails to win a spot in the rotation.
9. Since the All-Star break, the Indians have been getting production from Raffy Perez (2.77 ERA), Tony Sipp (2.67) and Joe Smith (3.86) in the bullpen. Give pitching coach Tim Belcher some credit for helping to not only revive Carmona, but to get Smith and Raffy Perez back on track. Both really struggled early in the season.
10. The Indians plan to send Jayson Nix to Puerto Rico to play third base every day. They think he can help next season at that spot, but he seems better suited to be a utility player. Nix is hitting .251 (.683 OPS) with five homers since the All-Star break. He is an acceptable second baseman, but he has been horrible at third.
11. Marson is emerging as one of the better defensive catchers in the league. He has thrown out 36 percent of stealing base runners, the best in the AL for anyone with at least 50 starts. He is doing a much better job blocking pitches in the dirt following some early-season problems. He has some athletic gifts as he's 8-of-9 in stolen bases. But he's hitting only .197 (.573 OPS), and the real problem is that he's hitting .161 against right-handers. The Indians prefer Santana to catch four to five times a week next season then play first or DH in other games -- with Marson as the backup.
12. Never thought I'd write this, but Michael Brantley (.241) seems destined to finish the season with a higher average than Matt LaPorta (.220). Since the All-Star break, it's Brantley (.288, .709 OPS) compared to LaPorta (.188, .604 OPS). All of this is very encouraging about Brantley being a starter next year, but LaPorta has to be considered one of the Tribe's big disappointments. Since the All-Star break, he's fourth in the team in at-bats, so he's playing every day and not doing much with the opportunity.