The Browns should rest Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme for the next three weeks and return to caveman, run-the-ball football for their games at Pittsburgh and New Orleans.
There will be little excuse for the Browns not to utilize Josh Cribbs and the wildcat offense while the team is without a healthy Jake Delhomme or Seneca Wallace, says Terry Pluto.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talking to myself about the Browns...
Question: What does Mike Holmgren think after the two veteran quarterbacks who he brought to the Browns couldn't stay healthy for five games?
Answer: Not sure if the new team president has recovered from watching Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme suffer severely sprained ankles, but I bet I know what most Browns fans are thinking.
Q: What's that?
A: As my wife said, "Welcome to Cleveland, Mike. You ain't seen nothing yet."
Q: Did your wife really say that?
A: She did say the "Welcome to Cleveland" part. She also said, "Poor Eric Mangini."
Q: Do you blame the coaches for this?
A: For both quarterbacks being hurt? For Wallace never having a severe injury in his seven-year pro career before Sunday? For Delhomme looking all of 35 and shaky, as he did at Carolina last season? As Holmgren said, the quarterback decisions are purely his call.
Q: So you blame him?
A: I don't blame anyone. OK, Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach had a miserable day in the 20-10 loss to Atlanta. The left side of the line was mauled. On one play, Thomas was thrown into Delhomme by the Falcons defense.
Q: So what should the Browns do next?
A: They play at Pittsburgh and then at New Orleans. Then comes the bye week. For the next three weeks, no Wallace, no Delhomme. Don't even think about it. Delhomme was not ready to relieve Sunday.
Q: Should the Browns have played Colt McCoy after Delhomme looked so bad in the second half?
A: The pure second-guess answer is yes. Obviously, the coaches don't think McCoy was ready to be thrown into the middle of a game. But it's the rookie's time this week at Pittsburgh. Or maybe they'll start Brett Ratliff, who is back again with the team after being the No. 3 quarterback a year ago.
Q: Who should start?
A: McCoy or Ratliff? Neither appeals to me right now. Neither has ever taken a regular-season snap. But the Browns had better spend a lot of time preparing Joshua Cribbs and the wildcat. They have only one choice -- it's back to caveman, power-run football.
Q: Do you think it will work?
A: At Pittsburgh or New Orleans? Probably not. But I doubt Air McCoy or Ratliff will work against the two Super Bowl contenders. The Steelers will blitz either quarterback. Throwing won't work.
Q: But aren't the Steelers ranked No. 1 in rushing defense?
A: Why are you using facts to wreck my plan? The Browns still have to play the game. As Tribe manager Manny Acta said when his team was banged up, "No one sends you a sorry card in this league."
Q: So now what?
A: Cribbs lives to play the Steelers. In their 27-14 loss at Heinz Field early last season, he had a 98-yard touchdown return. Out of the wildcat, he carried the ball six times for 45 yards. In the 13-6 victory in a blizzard late last season, Cribbs ran the ball eight times for 87 yards. Chris Jennings carried it 20 times for 73 yards, Jerome Harrison seven times for nine yards.
Q: What's with Harrison this season?
A: No clue. I just know that 19 of 31 carries have been for two or fewer yards. I wouldn't be surprised if Jennings shows up this week, or perhaps another running back -- especially if Peyton Hillis is still hurting.
Q: Do you think Hillis will be out?
A: If he's not fairly close to 100 percent, he should sit. At this point, one of the goals should be to get the team reasonably healthy for after the bye week.
Q: Wait a minute, they play New England after the bye week. And in the next three games, they face quarterbacks who have won six of the last nine Super Bowls.
A: Is there a question in all that gloom and doom?
Q: Not really, so let's try this -- the Browns are 1-4, just like last year, right?
A: Frustrated fans understandably don't want to hear this, but the Browns are better. Their four losses last season were by an average of 17 points. Their next four losses were by an average of 20 points. They were getting drilled.
This team plays hard. It's four losses are by a combined 22 points.
Q: Are you auditioning to be Mr. Sunshine?
A: I'm just saying they are improved. But they also need to face facts. The quarterbacks are hurt. The schedule is a nightmare. About all they can do for a few weeks is rest injured players and try to regroup for the second half -- or there will be nothing at all worth watching this season.