5 things that went wrong

Quarterback quagmire

The collapse of the first half can’t be blamed solely on the quarterbacks, but that’s where it starts.

Coach Eric Mangini was set on holding a fair competition in training camp, and the balance in reps, playing time and situational work proved detrimental. Brady Quinn didn’t look ready when the season started and Derek Anderson has been unable to find a rhythm since taking over in Week 3. Halfway through the season, Mangini is again debating who to start at the sport’s most important position.

After the 2007 season, the Browns appeared to have one of the best quarterback situations in the NFL. Twenty-four games later, they’re neck and neck with Oakland for the worst. The quarterback of the future is playing in college somewhere.

Any given day

In Browns Town, something can go wrong at anytime — not just on Sunday afternoons from 1-4. The on-field woes have been magnified by a series of missteps off the field.

Since June, the Browns have drawn a series of negative headlines for:

• A mandatory 10-hour rookie bus trip to work coach Eric Mangini’s camp.
• A $1,701 fine of an unnamed player for failing to pay for a $3 bottle of water in the team hotel.
• Rookie James Davis lost for the season with an injury suffered in a post-practice drill. Mangini was cleared of any wrongdoing.
• Rookie Coye Francies throws a punch at veteran Abram Elam after being drenched in a prank.
• Braylon Edwards allegedly fights a friend of LeBron James outside a nightclub. He’s traded two days later.
• Eric Wright totals his Mercedes in a one-car wreck.
• General manager George Kokinis is fired after eight games.

A little help, please

Read more
Browns at the bye: Embarrassing first half puts future in flux
Randy Lerner can’t afford to get it wrong again
5 things that went wrong for Browns, 5 things that went right and 5 keys to turning it around

Twenty-five of the 53 players on the roster were brought in by Eric Mangini. Where’s the impact?

Mangini signed or traded for 10 ex-Jets, and the biggest contribution has been made by linebacker David Bowens. He has half a sack but has shown the flexibility to play inside when injuries dictate.

Mangini knew the positions of weakness when he took over, yet has made few significant upgrades. Tight end, right tackle and outside linebacker remain problem areas, and the addition of safety Elam has had little impact on the secondary.

A roster overhaul only works if the players brought in are better than the ones they replaced.

Daboll disaster

Five touchdowns in eight games were enough to save coordinator Brian Daboll’s job. Eric Mangini said he won’t make a coaching change despite the anemic numbers that include 9.8 points and 221 yards a game.

Daboll is in his first year calling plays, and the results haven’t been good. Too many predictable duds on first and second down, not enough third-down conversions. He abandoned the no-huddle offense that was a focus of the preseason and has been uneven using the Wildcat formation.

Daboll hasn’t gotten much help from the quarterbacks or receivers, but he’s the man in charge and must have a better plan.

Welcome to the NFL

Center Alex Mack has played every offensive snap and no longer looks overwhelmed. That’s the good news when it comes to the rookie class. The final report card on Cleveland’s 2009 draft won’t be in for two more years, but the early returns aren’t promising.

Second-rounder Mohamed Massaquoi had an eight-catch game against Cincinnati, but has been silenced since taking over the No. 1 receiver role after the trade of Braylon Edwards. The trade cleared the way for fellow second-rounder Brian Robiskie to start, but he has one catch — total.

D’Qwell Jackson’s season-ending injury opened up a starting spot at inside linebacker, but the coaches feel more comfortable with Bowens, who’s spent most of his 11 years outside. That leaves fourth-rounder Kaluka Maiava and second-rounder David Veikune in minor defensive roles and on special teams. Sixth-rounder cornerback Francies has also been slow to see the field.

If these guys can’t play for a bad team, that’s not a good sign.

5 things that went right

(For obvious reasons, this list doesn’t deserve the same amount of space as the previous entry.)

• The 6-3 win at Buffalo. A win is a win is a win, no matter how ugly.
• Left tackle Joe Thomas has had a Pro Bowl season, including shutting down Minnesota’s Jared Allen.
• Defensive end Robaire Smith has bounced back nicely from Achilles’ surgery last season, including a 12-tackle performance against Green Bay.
• Outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley has five sacks.
• Billy Cundiff went 6-for-6 on field goals while Phil Dawson was injured.

5 keys to the second half

Hire the right man

Owner Randy Lerner is searching for someone to run his organization — again. He needs to get it right this time.

Lerner has been through two general managers — George Kokinis was ousted Monday — and is on his third full-time coach since 2004. He’s yet to prove he knows how to make a good hire.

Once again Lerner is revamping his idea of what the organizational structure should look like. This time, he wants to bring in an experienced executive to oversee the entire football operation and hire the next general manager.

Lerner doesn’t have a timetable, but the new hire must be in place in time to evaluate coach Eric Mangini and be ready to move on when the season wraps up.

Play Brady

There’s no longer any good reason not to start quarterback Brady Quinn.

The spark anticipated with the move to Derek Anderson fizzled quickly. The $11 million in playing-time bonuses for Quinn can’t be reached. He deserves more than six starts over two years before being labeled a bust.

If Quinn can shake off his early season struggles and revive the offense, he could re-enter the mix as a possible long-term answer and give some relevance to the second half of the season.

Rookie watch

For the sixth time in seven years, the second half of the season is all about the future. Ideally, that means lots of quality playing time for the young players on the roster.

Rookie receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie are already the starters, but the production has been minimal. The second-rounders need to make a contribution sooner rather than later to remove one position from the offseason shopping list.

Rookie linebackers David Veikune and Kaluka Maiava are in the same boat. They were drafted to fill a need, but have yet to make an impact.

They have eight games to change that.

Contract contact

The lack of a general manager doesn’t stop the NFL calendar from flipping. Free agency still starts in March, the draft is still in April and Joshua Cribbs, D’Qwell Jackson, Phil Dawson and Brodney Pool still want new contracts.

For Jackson and Pool, their status as a restricted or unrestricted free agent depends on the collective bargaining agreement. Eric Mangini has raved about Jackson, even after his injury, but it will take a fair deal to keep him. Pool will have to play better in the second half to regain his starting spot and earn a new contract.

Cribbs and Dawson have years left on their deals, but feel like they’ve outperformed them. Any progress made by former general manager George Kokinis might’ve been erased by his departure.

String some wins

Wins aren’t the only way to measure progress, they’re just the best way. And they will be the only way Eric Mangini gets to keep his job beyond this year.

It’s uncertain how many victories it will take for Mangini to return, but it seems safe to say he’ll need three or four out of the final eight games. The Browns play five of the eight at home, including four of the last five. Road trips to Detroit and Kansas City, visits from Oakland and Jacksonville and home prime-time matchups with rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore offer plenty of opportunities for victories.

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

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