Staggering Incompetence

The Cleveland Browns are a staggeringly incompetent organization. There's really nothing else you can say about a team that supposedly had been preparing for yesterday's game since last April, and yet managed to turn in a performance that was so inept that it would have embarrassed a Pop Warner team comprised entirely of kids who eat paste.

Consider the following:

• The Browns squandered almost the entire preseason in a fruitless quarterback derby that apparently settled nothing, and seems to have accomplished nothing except to ensure that no quarterback on the team would have an adequate number of snaps to prepare for the season.
  

• New offensive coordinator Rod Chudzinski was supposedly bringing a new style of play to the team, yet the Browns continued to do pretty much the same things they've done in the past -- a point that wasn't lost on the Pittsburgh Steeler James Farrior, who mentioned it in his post-game comments.
  

• The offensive line was completely unprepared for what Pittsburgh threw at it, and was incapable of making any adjustments in response to the Pittsburgh defense. I understand personnel issues, but how is something like this even possible against a team that you see twice a year, every year? Gee, maybe hiring an offensive line coach whose only NFL experience was with the Houston Texans wasn't such a good idea after all?
  

• Then there's Romeo Crennel, who continues to prove both on and off the field that while he's one of the most stand-up guys in the NFL, he's also in way over his head. For example, confronted last week with yet another example of poorly timed anti-social behavior by a key player, Crennel continued his role as team doormat, defending Leigh Bodden's arrest following an alleged obscenity laced tirade against a police officer at Hopkins Airport as "nothing more than a traffic stop."

• Poor preparation for early season games has become a hallmark of Romeo Crennel's teams. Whether it's the loss to the Bengals in 2005, the loss to the Saints last season, or yesterday's debacle, you can always count on Crennel's Browns for an abundance of penalties, turnovers and mental errors in their opener. Those can no longer be blamed on Maurice Carthon or Butch and Carmen's players. It's on the head coach.
  

• But it's not all on the coach. Someone explain to me how the Cleveland Browns managed not to sign a punter until Saturday when they knew that Dave Zastudil might not answer the bell? Phil Savage, you truly deserve a game ball from the Pittsburgh Steelers, because you and the rest of your front office were instrumental in their victory. You know Phil, there's more to being a GM than making headlines on draft day.
  

• Then there's America's number one footie fan, Randy Lerner. What's the deal, Randy? You've been very careful to remain behind the scenes since John Collins attempted his coup back in 2005, but I think it's time for you to start acting like George Steinbrenner with a bad toothache. The time has come for you to very publicly smash some furniture. That is, if you give a damn. By the way, do you?
  

In light of the dismal performance of Frye and Anderson, many fans are already calling for Brady Quinn to get the nod as a starter. The Browns front office -- which is likely to be in full panic mode by now -- may be willing to do that very soon. All I can say is that if they try that, fans ought to storm Berea with hot tar and buckets of feathers. Don't let these fools squander the slim hope for the future that Quinn represents in what is likely to be a futile attempt to preserve their jobs.

For better or worse, Brady Quinn is the team's future. That's something that Phil Savage ensured when he sent next year's first round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for the rights to Quinn. Do you really want to put Quinn behind what is currently a train wreck of an offensive line? If Frye and Andersen can't play this game, then I'd prefer to take my lumps until we at least see some evidence that this team can protect a quarterback.

I still hold out hope that this offensive line may amount to something this year. If it does, then okay, I'll reluctantly agree to throw the rookie to the dogs. I'm only willing to go along with that because the team's dunderheaded approach to the QB derby and their yanking of Frye after a quarter and a half have guaranteed that they don't have any other alternative. The Browns made it painfully apparent to everyone in the league yesterday that they never wanted Frye to end up with the job in the first place, and Derek Anderson spent the balance of the game showing why he couldn't claim the job despite being given every opportunity to do so.

They say it's always darkest before the dawn. I hope that's right, because after yesterday's performance, it's pitch black outside as far as the Cleveland Browns are concerned.