Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien on Browns ‘short list’ for head coach

Some bad information given to Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien could be part of the reason he is being wooed by the Cleveland Browns.

O’Brien, in his first year at Penn State, took over a team that was in flux and led them to a successful 2012 season.

However, O’Brien could be eyeing a return to the NFL as soon as 2013, he’s a hot coaching candidate and some bad information given to him before he took the Penn State job could quicken the process.

O’Brien was told that the Sandusky scandal was a criminal violation and the school football program wasn’t going to be penalized.

Significant penalties against Penn State and its football program included a $60 million fine and a four-year postseason ban, in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal involving the former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

O’Brien thought he wouldn’t have to work under a restricted program, thus taking the job.

However, with NFL teams calling O’Brien is the one calling the shots. All indications are O’Brien is on a few teams short list and could be interviewing as soon as the NFL season is over according to Greg Rosenthal of NFL.com.

http://www.60maxpowero.com/patriots/content/penn-state-head-coach-bill-o%E2%80%99brien-browns-%E2%80%98short-list%E2%80%99-head-coach

Cleveland Browns beat Baltimore Colts to win NFL championship on Dec. 27, 1964

Forty-eight years ago today the Cleveland Browns beat the Baltimore Colts, 27-0, to claim the NFL Championship, the last time a Cleveland team has won a championship in any of the major sports.

Charles Heaton was covering the game for The Plain Dealer, and wrote of the team's performance:

"The Browns are the National Football League champions after what well may be the best performance ever in the sparkling history of this football club.

"They stifled the Baltimore Colts, highest scoring team in the league this season, 27-0, before 79,544 on a windy, chilly afternoon at the stadium yesterday."

According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, the Browns finished the 1964 season with a record of 10-3-1 while Baltimore went 12-2. The Colts and Browns were ranked 1st and 2nd respectively in total points and were the only two teams in the league to tally 400 or more points.

Baltimore was led by Johnny Unitas, the AP and UPI Most Valuable Player and the Bert Bell Award winner for the Player of the Year, and Lenny Moore, the Newspaper Ent. Assoc. MVP.

The Browns were paced that season by Jim Brown's 1,446 rushing yards and Frank Ryan's 2,404 passing yards.

But, according to Heaton, it was the defense that won the day for the Browns:

"Despite the fact that he had a hand heavily encased in a cast, Galen Fiss played what must be the finest game of his career. The captain and linebacker from Kansas made tackles that rattled the teeth of fans in Row Z.

"And if there was any doubt about this defensive showing being a team effort it was dispelled in the jam-packed Cleveland dressing room. You'd congratulate Larry Benz and he'd mention Jim Houston. Houston would mention Ross Fichtner and Ross would mention Vince Costello.

"So it went right down the line."

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/12/cleveland_browns_beat_the_balt.html

BROWNS FANS SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL “OK I WAS A BIG WEEDEN SUPPORTER. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT”

“He just plain out sucks!” That is starting to be the consensus in the Cleveland Area. Fans that jumped on the Brandon Weeden band wagon are ready to jump off. They didn’t like the ride and they have seen nothing but regression coming from the 29-year-old failing quarterback who already failed to make a career for himself in major league baseball. The Cleveland fans were let down by the Browns management once again. Mike Holmgren who is the former President of the Cleveland Brownsforced Tom Heckert to take Brandon Weeden with the teams 22nd pick in the 2012 draft. Holmgren was relieved of his duties as team president as soon as Jimmy Haslam took control of the team. Some think taking Weeden with the teams 22nd pick helped seal the fate of Homgren. Mike Holmgren filled the fans with empty promises coming into the 2012 season. He promised the fans and the media the team would be far better than the 2011 Browns.

Brandon Weeden is failing to find his way in the N.F.L., his performance in his last game showed he continues to struggle when faced with pressure. The Cleveland Browns have started Brandon Weeden in 14 games, why is anyone’s guess. Weeden’s T.Q.R. has him listed at 35 of the 37 guys listed. Weeden is the worse of the Rookies playing in the NFL this season. Andrew Luck who many try to compare Weeden to has a T.Q.R. of 65.5 which is a far cry from Weeden’s 26.1. RGIII has a T.Q.R. of 71.3, Tannehill has 52.5 and Russell Wilson who was drafted in the 3rd round 75th overall hase a T.Q.R. of 68.7. No other rookie quarterback has played worse than Brandon Weeden.

The Browns are one of the most supported teams in the N.F.L. when it comes to the fans. They gave the fans another losing season of football and now they are left wondering why Pat Shumur just gave the starting quarterback spot to Brandon Weeden when it was clear that Colt McCoy was playing better coming into the 2012 season. Is Shurmur’s own personal feelings towards Colt McCoy more important than giving the fans of the Cleveland Browns more wins? We all can see the answer to that question, all you have to do is look at the teams record.

If you compare Colt McCoy’s number from 2011 to Brandon Weeden’s numbers in 2012 you will see in every category McCoy has an advantage over Brandon Weeden. McCoy only played 13 games in 2011 and he had a overall quarterback rating of 74.6. Weeden has a rating of 72.4 after 14 games. McCoy threw 14 touchdowns in the 13 games he played and Weeden has thrown 14 touchdowns in 14 games played. It took Weeden one more game to tie McCoy’s 2011 number of touchdowns. McCoy only threw 11 interceptions in 2011 and Weeden has thrown 17 this season.

Colt McCoy didn’t have the supporting cast that Weeden is surrounded by this season. McCoy had no running backs that were healthy. Weeden has had a number one draft pick a healthy Hardesty and the use of Chris Ogbonnaya. Brandon Jackson has also been available and healthy too, why Shurmur hasn’t played him this season is anyone’s guess. Weeden has also had the benefit of a better offensive line than McCoy had in 2011. The line has protected Weeden far better and given him more time to find a receiver than Colt McCoy ever had.

It is no wonder Browns fans are starting to see the light. The facts are the facts and Brandon Weeden shouldn’t be the Browns starting quarterback. Why a guy who gets paid a ton of money to be a head coach in the N.F.L. couldn’t see it is one more thing that should seal his fate as a head coach. Not only do the Cleveland Browns need to correct Mike Holmgren’s poor choice of a head coach, they need to correct his awful choice of a starting quarterback too…..

http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/browns_fans_see_the_writing_on_the_wall_ok_i_was_a_big_weeden_supporter_i_have_seen_the_light/12492694

Browns Brandon Weeden Takes A Severe Beating By A Colt McCoy Clone Named Kirk Cousins

Browns 29-year-old rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden showed the home town fans who attended the last home game of the regular season he still can’t win the tough games. Weeden did something most fans thought he outgrew, he threw a couple of interceptions in the game that helped the Washington Redskins in their cause to make the play-offs this season. The fans who wished to see Colt McCoy this season got the next best thing today. The fans were able to witness first hand the kind of play McCoy would have been capable of this season. Kirk Cousins another guy who has huge success in his college career was able to roll out of the pocket all day long to find his open receivers while doing his McCoy impersonation.

Weeden struggled again in the first half of the game. The Browns defense which has played great in the 2012 season help the Browns do something that Weeden failed to do, they got the Browns into the red zone to help Richardson score the first of his 2 touchdowns. Weeden continues to show he is incapable of making good decisions. He struggled against a defense that is not rated very highly this season in the NFL and Weeden continued failing to convert on 3rd down. The Browns were only 4-12 in 3rd down conversions.

Brandon Weeden fails to demonstrate the kind of consistency it takes to win in the N.F.L. Weeden who was drafted 22 overall in the first round of the 2012 N.F.L. draft was out played by a guy that wasn’t taken until the 4th round in the 2012 draft. In his first rookie start at quarterback, Kirk Cousins outplayed Brandon Weeden by leaps and bounds. Cousins out played Weeden who has started every game this season for Cleveland. This is a further example of why Tom Heckert didn’t want to take Brandon Weeden as the Browns other first round draft pick. Weeden got beat by a back up rookie quarterback that was starting his first game.

It was almost humorous to hear the television commentators talk about the Cleveland Browns being in the hunt for the play-offs. Obviously they haven’t see Mr. Weeden play in a game when he has tough competition.  Sure the Cleveland Browns won three games in a row, the competition level was no where near what it was today.

Brandon Weeden is a great athlete, he has already failed at a M.L.B. career and he continues to struggle with his N.F.L. career. He can’t compete against a well organized team that doesn’t make a ton of mistakes to hand the Browns the win. Weeden continues to miss wide open receivers and his accuracy that we heard about leave little to be desired. There is a reason Brandon Weeden couldn’t make it as a M.L.B. Pitcher and we continue to see that wildness with his throws in the N.F.L.

Yes Brandon Weeden is a rookie. He faced a rookie today that hasn’t even started a game until today. So wake up people and realize there was a reason Heckert didn’t want to take Weeden. We are seeing in every game when the going gets tough. Brandon Weeden only completed 21 of the 35 passes he threw for 244 yards. The guy is not the future of the Cleveland Browns offense.

He has 13 more starts than Cousins and he still couldn’t get his team a win when it mattered. His mistakes continue to coat the Cleveland Browns wins….To sum it all up Weeden made major mistakes today, those mistakes just cost the Browns a run at the play offs…..

http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/browns_brandon_weeden_takes_a_severe_beating_by_a_colt_mccoy_clone_named_kirk_cousins/12447292

There's plenty of pleasure in watching these Cleveland Browns grow up: Terry Pluto

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the Browns, it's three wins in a row. So let's not talk about who should be the coach or general manager next year. At least, not this week.

Let's consider this fact: The Browns are one of the NFL's youngest teams, playing hard for a coaching staff with huge question marks next to their futures. They've won three in a row, are 5-3 in their last eight games and are 4-3 at home.

This game began with Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles bolting 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage -- and the Browns scored the next 30 points.

That's right, it was a blowout on this gray, sometimes soggy, Sunday afternoon on the lakefront. By the middle of the third quarter, the Browns owned this game. They treated Kansas City like a 2-10 team as the Chiefs didn't cross midfield in the second half until fewer than nine minutes were left.

Are the Browns a playoff team? Not yet. Not with a 5-8 record. But they made Kansas City look like a bad team. They will force any opponent watching tape of recent games to pause and think, "These guys are dangerous."

They are a team packed with rookies and second-year pros who think they should win every week.

"I knew when I came here two years ago, there would be some tough days," said coach Pat Shurmur. "But once you see [winning] happening over and over, you begin to think, 'We can do this.' It's an easier sell [for the coaches]."

Or as quarterback Brandon Weeden said, "We don't have a bunch of knuckleheads. ... We have good guys."

You can pick at the performance. The Browns should have scored even more points. They spent much of the game in the Kansas City end of the field. But one of the key themes coming out of this season is that while the Browns were losing games, the coaching staff never lost the team.

This Sunday, the Browns not only won -- they won big. They won big with a defense that racked up five sacks on former teammate Brady Quinn, and they hit him nine other times. They won big by holding the Chiefs to 1-of-11 on third-down plays. They won big with a deep defensive line, and an emerging secondary.

Did you see that sweet interception by Tashaun Gipson, the undrafted rookie from Wyoming? Or the franchise record 93-yard touchdown punt return by Travis Benjamin, another rookie. He was the No. 100 pick in the last draft.

Rookie Josh Gordon had eight catches. Rookie Trent Richardson had a rough day running the ball (42 yards on 18 carries), but still scored two touchdowns. "He has a nose for the goal line," said Shurmur.

Richardson has nine touchdowns rushing, another one on a pass.

"When [Richardson] gets the ball in his hands, he's on a mission to get across the goal line," said Weeden.

One of the most exciting developments is second-year receiver Greg Little, who went from dropping passes most of last season and early this year to a very dependable target in the last six weeks. He had four catches Sunday, and ran the ball for 17 yards on a pitch.

Offensive coordinator Brad Childress and Shurmur had fun paging through the playbook. They ran two wildcats for Josh Cribbs. They ran a reverse for Benjamin and a pitch sweep for Little.

Second-year running back Montario Hardesty had 52 yards on 10 carries.

"We continue to march forward," said Weeden, who had a solid day with 17-of-30 passing for 217 yards.

The Browns continue to march forward.

Who would have dreamed anyone would say that after this team started 0-5?

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2012/12/theres_plenty_of_pleasure_in_w.html

Joe Thomas completely rips Peyton Hillis

by Paul Jackiewicz

“I think it was better for both sides (that he left),” said Thomas. “At that point the situation with him here was toxic, and he didn’t want to be here and players didn’t want him here. It was better for a fresh start at that point.”

Thomas attributed it all to Hillis’ botched attempt at trying get a new deal.

“It was just the fact, he decided his contract was more important than coming out and playing and helping his team win, and it left us without a running back and then we had a few injuries that hurt us further, with Montario (Hardesty) being down and Brandon Jackson, losing him in training camp.

“(Hillis) went about trying to get a contract a certain way, and it ended up hurting the other 52 guys in the locker room. That was his decision.”

Thomas told reporters in training camp that if the team chose up sides, no one would choose Hillis.

“He wasn’t real popular around here the way he went about his business,” said Thomas. “Not that they didn’t like him as a person, but just the way he hurt the team from not coming to play.”

Was that out of character?

“Yeah, no question, he was everything people knew about him: hard-working, blue-collar tough,” said Thomas. “The next year all he cared about what trying to get his new contract. I think he was getting poor guidance on how to go about his business. The way he chose it really hurt the team.”

Thomas said: “I don’t know, you guys tell me. I don’t know if strep throat and whatever other injuries he had should keep you out of an NFL game or several. All I know is Alex Mack’s appendix blew up and he played. A lot of guys tried to help him and give him guidance, and he wasn’t listening.”

Thomas added: “It was a strange year. Everyone here is glad we’re beyond it, and I’m sure Peyton’s glad he’s past it too because it was a strange season.”

What’s really sad is that Hillis ruined a opportunity to get the one big contract every NFL running back desires and now he’s on a short-term deal with the Chiefs and making noting compared to what he would have receive if he had just behaved in Cleveland.

Is this the beginning of a Browns running committee?

December 3, 2012 By Craig Lyndall

The NFL really doesn’t seem to care a lot about the lives of fantasy football “owners.”  How else can you explain the multiple teams that seem to run the ball almost exclusively without exclusivity? Running by committee is a clichéd statement around the NFL, but the committee has pretty much completely avoided Cleveland since 1999. Even when it seemed like the Browns had accidentally found their way into two running backs with breakout performances by Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis, it seemed that the Browns could never find a way to mix and match the opportunities for both backs. Yesterday with Montario Hardesty and Trent Richardson, it seemed like the beginnings of something that might just take hold if the Browns’ coaching staff trusts in it.

I made a Twitter joke after Montario Hardesty sat with one carry for 19 yards for an extended period of time. Hardesty came in on the first drive of the game for the Browns and followed up Trent Richardson’s nine yard gain with a much speedier 19 yard run around the left side. The joke, of course, was what the Vegas odds were that Montario Hardesty would complete the game with one carry for 19 yards. My joke was almost completely based in truth. After Hardesty’s 19-yard run in the first quarter, he didn’t receive another carry until giving Trent Richardson a break in the fourth quarter. What a break it was.

Hardesty ran on first down from the Browns’ 22 for 4 yards. He followed that up with a 13-yard run, and then a 3-yard run. Yes, Weeden was sacked for an 11-yard loss on 2nd down and the Browns failed to convert on 3rd and 18, but Hardesty is the point here. All said and done, Hardesty gave the Raiders a different look and the contrast was successful. In the end, Hardesty finished with five carries for 39 yards and a 7.8 yard-per-carry average. Even more than the numbers, the contrast looked obvious on TV like when Pedro Martinez could dial up mid-90′s fastballs before hitting you with the 78 MPH changeup. Well, maybe not that good, but you get my point.

Trent Richardson is still far and away your number one running back. He had a workmanlike day with 20 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown and three receptions for 23 yards. His 3.6 yard-per-carry average isn’t gaudy and neither is his 9-yard long.  And if we’re being quite honest, eight of those yards came when Shawn Lauvau practically willed Richardson eight yards with the game on the line in the fourth quarter.

But Richardson is still a guy that teams have to worry about and account for at all times. Even when they’re successful doing so, this is where the committee comes in. If the Browns can turn to Montario Hardesty, a speedier option, it gives the Browns a contrast in their attack that will only serve to make everyone more effective.

They say when you have a quarterback controversy between two quarterbacks, it really means you don’t have any good quarterbacks. As a follower of the Browns, I couldn’t possibly agree with that more. That isn’t the case with running backs though. When it comes to running backs more is better provided the coaching staff believes in it and can effectively dole out the workload. With Sunday’s successes, here’s hoping Shurmur will continue to pepper Hardesty in. Done well, it could make the Browns entire offense – including Trent Richardson – more effective.

And to think, some fans wanted to see Hardesty cut at various points since he was drafted…