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Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Imagine if they lose this week
Congratulations to Dayton Daily News Bengals beat writer Chick Ludwig and everyone else who cynically predicted such a calamitous start for the orange helmets.
Makes you wonder what 0-4 might look like.
At 0-4, will Romeo Crennel be getting paid not to coach, perhaps replaced by Rip Scherer, who holds the title of assistant head coach, lest we forget, in addition to quarterbacks coach?
Will Brady Quinn be named the starting QB going into the Monday nighter against the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants (as, gulp, Ludwig predicted)?
I doubt Crennel buys it with a loss at Cincinnati, especially if the game’s competitive. But you never know. Maybe high-level adviser Jim Brown whispers to owner Randy Lerner that it’s time for a change and maybe Lerner communicates this to General Manager Phil Savage and that’s how it happens.
But I don’t think Savage will hatch this plan by himself, especially because I don’t see him as the knee-jerk type. He’s more the don’t-panic, let-things-run-their-course type.
Besides, who’s available at this point? Doubt Bill Cowher’s leaving CBS right now, if that’s what you’re thinking. After the season? Well, that’s another story. You can start that rumor right now.
Elevating a coordinator doesn’t even appear to be an option, given the youth and inexperience in those positions. OC Rob Chudzinski’s been in his job for one full season and this is DC Mel Tucker’s first.
Scherer would be a Jim Shofner-type of option, harboring no hope of rising above interim status. Shofner, of course, finished up in 1990 after Bud Carson’s firing, just before Bill Belichick’s arrival.
Patient as Savage is, community outrage (if not Lerner) could force his hand, especially if the same problems keep plaguing the team. And for a sampling of that outrage, just turn on the radio in Cleveland. (National hosts such as ESPN’s Colin Cowherd just keep patting themselves on the back for being right.)
On WKNR-AM (850), the main sports-talk station in town, mid-morning host Tony Rizzo (a native Clevelander who would rather be a cheerleader but generally tells it like it is) blasted the team Tuesday, then welcomed linebacker D’Qwell Jackson and kick returner/receiver Joshua Cribbs into the studio, where they took calls.
One caller began ranting and raving about the 0-3 start and Jackson responded, “How do you think we feel?”
And how do you think those network TV execs feel after anointing the Browns the team to watch — literally — and giving them five prime-time appearances this season, four of which remain.
We know how the fans feel. They feel confused, maybe somewhat cheated. This was supposed to be their team’s year. Almost everyone said so. But now there’s a snowball effect at play and it could get worse (0-4?) before it gets even marginally better.
