CHICAGO — Derek Anderson was mad about everything, including his 10.5 passer rating and being benched with three minutes left.

Eric Mangini scowled at his players in the middle of the locker room as they got dressed.

Jamal Lewis unexpectedly announced he’ll retire following the season after questioning the team’s direction, chemistry and plan for winning.

The Browns have plenty to discuss during the bye week.

They capped the first half of the season with a 30-6 loss to the sloppy Chicago Bears (3-4) on Sunday at Soldier Field. Mangini is 1-7 in his first year as coach.

“We’re going to get the right combination of people out there, the right combination of things from a scheme perspective and improve,” Mangini said. “Because that’s what has to be done.”

Scroll down for more photos from the game.

Lewis isn’t confident the coaching staff knows how to do that.

“What are we trying to do? I think that’s what everybody is trying to figure out,” Lewis said. “We all got to move in one direction. I’m talking about where are we trying to go and what are we trying to accomplish.

“Once we figure that out then hopefully we can put it all together.”

The issues on the Browns are stacked as high as the Sears Tower. At the top of the heap is the quarterback situation.
Anderson went 6-for-17 for 76 yards, two interceptions, a 1-yard touchdown run and a 10.5 rating. He played nearly the entire game, despite going 2-for-9 for 13 yards with an interception and a 0.0 rating in the first half. He was finally yanked after left tackle Joe Thomas missed a block, Anderson was hit while he threw in the back of the end zone and Charles Tillman returned the interception 21 yards for a touchdown with 3:14 left.

Anderson ran straight to the bench and Brady Quinn began loosening up.

“I’m not happy about anything,” Anderson said. “I’m not happy to be pulled out, I’m not happy we lost, I’m not happy about anybody’s play, my play, nothing. Haven’t been happy.”

Anderson’s three-game stretch before Sunday was statistically the worst in the NFL in more than 20 years. He only got worse on a perfect day on the shores of Lake Michigan.

In the last four games — which include the 6-3 win over Buffalo — he’s 29-for-87 (33 percent) for 320 yards, a touchdown, five interceptions and a 25.1 rating.

The numbers beg the question: Why did Mangini wait so long to go back to Quinn, who was 1-for-3 for 9 yards in one series?

“Because I thought we actually moved the ball at points earlier,” Mangini said.

He didn’t commit to a future starter and said quarterback would be part of the team-wide evaluation during the bye.
“We’re going to look at everything,” he said. “We’re going to look at the coaching, we’re going to look at the playing, we’re going to look at the personnel.”

Even when the Browns scored a touchdown — they’re up to five on offense in eight games — they found a way to screw it up.

After Anderson sneaked in from about 4 inches — he has both of the team’s rushing touchdowns — Phil Dawson’s extra-point try was blocked.

Such is life for the Browns. After wins Sunday by Tennessee and St. Louis, only Tampa Bay is winless, so the No. 1 overall draft pick is back in play.

Maybe the future Browns savior wouldn’t throw an interception or fumble at a crucial time. The Browns committed five turnovers, which led to 20 Chicago points.

“You can’t turn the football over five times and win,” Mangini said. “There’s no magic formula for hanging onto the football.”

After the Browns cut the lead to 16-6 early in the third quarter behind four Lewis runs for 29 yards, they forced a pair of punts and had the ball near midfield. But tight end Steve Heiden fumbled after a catch that would’ve been a first down. Matt Forte (90 yards, two touchdowns) scored on a 10-yard cutback run four plays later.

“To me that was kind of the changing point in the game,” Heiden said. “The hardest part is letting your teammates down, coaches down.”

He wasn’t alone. Lewis picked up the team’s first first downs at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second quarter, then never got a grip on a handoff and the Bears recovered. Mohamed Massaquoi, who went long when Anderson expected him to cut in on the first interception, caught a perfect out in the fourth quarter, only to get stripped.

It’s never good when the left tackle is credited with two tackles.

“You see a lot of guys fumbling. That’s because guys are trying to go above and beyond the call of duty and that’s when fumbles happen,” receiver Joshua Cribbs said.

The battle of the great returners never materialized.

The Bears punted away from Cribbs and corralled him on kickoffs. Chicago’s Devin Hester wasn’t quite as quiet, but the Browns averted disaster when punter Dave Zastudil saved a touchdown with a good open-field tackle early and a touchdown was called back by a holding penalty in the fourth quarter.

The score doesn’t show it, but the defense played hard and kept the Browns in the game for as long as it could, despite shoulder injuries to inside linebacker Eric Barton and cornerback Eric Wright. Jay Cutler was sacked four times, hit seven and bloodied when Kamerion Wimbley hit him under the chin, drawing a roughing penalty and forcing Cutler to bite his tongue.

The defense forced three first-half field goals inside the red zone and had a goal-line stand from the 1 in the fourth quarter. Veteran outside linebacker David Bowens moved inside and called the plays after Barton left.

“We did a better job on defense today, but at the same time we didn’t get a win so none of that matters,” defensive end Robaire Smith said. “Ain’t no positives when you lose, period.”

The Browns have been outscored 209-78 for the season and 61-9 in the last two weeks. At least the fans won’t be subjected to another blowout next week.

Bring on the bye.

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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