BEREA — Where to begin when discussing the Browns’ frustrating finishes?
We know how they blew double-digit leads in consecutive games at home. Fourth-quarter turnovers and dropped passes on offense, no pass rush and big plays allowed on defense.
But the deeper question is: Why did the season slip away in five fateful days?
Is there something innate in the team or its players that dooms them to failure when success is there for the taking? Do they lack a killer instinct necessary in the cutthroat world of the NFL? Are they mentally weak?
Running back Jamal Lewis says yes.
“This is the NFL, you can’t call it quits until the game is over,” he said Thursday night after a 34-30 loss to Denver. “Some people need to check their egos at the door and find some heart to come out here and play hard.
“This is a man’s game. The way we went out there and played two weeks in a row, finishing the same kind of way, it’s not there. I think there are some men around here that need to check their selves, straight up.”
No one can argue with Lewis’ pedigree — Super Bowl champion, NFL Player of the Year — work ethic or effort on game day. His teammates seem to lack the same intangibles that equate to wins.
In the last two weeks, a number of Browns were in position to make a singular play that would’ve clinched victory. None made it.
The defense allowed a third-and-16 conversion and Derek Anderson couldn’t muster one more drive against Baltimore. Cornerback Brandon McDonald dropped an interception against the Broncos, then the defense failed to stop a fourth-and-1 run after standing up the runner in the backfield. Even Brady Quinn wasn’t exempt in his impressive debut, as he threw two incompletions on the final unsuccessful drive.
Lewis didn’t name names, but one would guess he’s referring to receiver Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow. Both have had off-field issues and seem more concerned with prancing or flexing for the cameras than winning.
If your two most talented offensive players can’t be counted on in the toughest of times, where can a play-caller or quarterback turn?
On the defensive side, inexperience seems to be the major issue. Besides Willie McGinest and, to a lesser degree, Corey Williams, there’s no history of winning. That means doubt can creep in, followed by fear and failure.
Coach Romeo Crennel is ultimately responsible for molding 53 men into a winning group. In what won’t be a surprise to many, he’s still searching for answers.
“People say a good team can finish and do what they have to do to win,” Crennel said Friday. “I know we talked all last week about finishing because we didn’t finish against Baltimore.”
Crennel said the message was reiterated at halftime of the Denver game, when they led 20-10. It didn’t take.
“I don’t think we took anything for granted,” he said. “But in being able to finish, you do what you’re supposed to do.”
Obviously, the Browns (3-6) didn’t do what they were supposed to do. Edwards dropped a deep pass against the Ravens in a 37-27 loss on Nov. 2, McDonald let Denver’s Eddie Royal run by him for a 93-yard touchdown Thursday night and Winslow dropped a fourth-down pass in the final drive to ensure the loss to the Broncos.
Talent, or lack thereof, is certainly an issue. A defense doesn’t allow 993 yards in consecutive home games if it has the personnel of the 1985 Chicago Bears. But talent isn’t the whole problem. Through the majority of both losses the Browns were good enough to hold 14- and 13-point leads, respectively.
So, the question remains: Why can’t they finish?
On the way to 10 wins in 2007, the Browns were 5-4 in games decided by seven points or fewer. The wins over St. Louis and Seattle included fourth-down stops, and the road wins over the Jets and Ravens featured clutch fourth-quarter drives.
Offensive lineman Ryan Tucker, receiver Joe Jurevicius, defensive ends Robaire Smith and Orpheus Roye, linebacker Antwan Peek, cornerback Leigh Bodden and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham are missing from that team. They were either injured, released, traded or fired.
Gone, too, are any realistic playoff hopes. If only the Browns had been able to hang on the last two weeks, they’d be 5-4 and just a game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North.
Instead, they’re all but finished.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. 

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