Congrats to the Browns

[Seattle1]

Congrats to the Browns for beating the Steelers in Cleveland yesterday, that was great. The Browns sent the Steelers reeling to their 5th straight defeat! I am really starting to enjoy this immensely!

:laughing:

:hyper:

[football junkie]

I don't know if congratulations are in order in this case. That was a cold, nasty game and someone had to win.

That said, Cleveland didn't do itself any favor by winning that game. In all likelihood this pushes them back several spots in the NFL Draft.

If Mangini is gone and Anderson and Quinn are gone after this pathetic season, this win might have cost Cleveland, Suh, Locker, Clausen -- leaving Cleveland picking between an offensive lineman and a safety!

But I guess some people are just happy to see Pittsburgh and New England sputter, after dominating the league for the majority of this decade.

[Seattle1]

That said, Cleveland didn't do itself any favor by winning that game. In all likelihood this pushes them back several spots in the NFL Draft.


I would beg to differ. Having the first pick in the draft is a bit of a curse if you ask me. Too much pressure to get it right, too expensive, etc. etc. I'd much rather drop several spots.

[football junkie]

Well Locker is headed back to college for his senior season, leaving Clausen and Bradford as the best QBs on the board. But if this win cost the Browns a shot at Suh, McCoy, Berry -- that's a real loss.

[Seattle1]

Well Locker is headed back to college for his senior season, leaving Clausen and Bradford as the best QBs on the board. But if this win cost the Browns a shot at Suh, McCoy, Berry -- that's a real loss.

Meh. Never, I repeat NEVER lose on purpose for draft picks. Remember what Coach Edwards always says:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMk5sMHj58I

One other thing I forgot to mention, I would take umbrage with the assertion that the Steelers dominated the league over the last decade. Sure a claim could be made for the Patriots, but definitely not the Steelers.

[football junkie]

Meh. Never, I repeat NEVER lose on purpose for draft picks. Remember what Coach Edwards always says:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMk5sMHj58I

One other thing I forgot to mention, I would take umbrage with the assertion that the Steelers dominated the league over the last decade. Sure a claim could be made for the Patriots, but definitely not the Steelers.

I agree, in principle, not to trade victories for draft position: although I'd never say never [EG the 1968 Philadelphia Eagles were 0-11 going into week 12 when on 28 November and 8 December 1968 the team won two games of no meaning. The Eagles finished the season 2-12. What did those two meaningless wins cost the Eagles? The chance to draft O.J. Simpson -- one of the best running backs ever. Philly drafted Leroy "Who?" Keyes instead.

As for the Steelers' dominance, with two games left in the decade, Pittsburgh is 101-56-1 in the regular season with Super Bowl Championships in 2005 and 2008.

Hines Ward, one of the Steeler's three stellar wide out of the decade (along with Burress, Holmes) has accounted for 9,965 receiving yards on 807 catches, 71 for touchdowns this decade.

Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker were consistently among league leaders in rushing.

Before winning two SB Rings, Big Ben won the AP ROY Award and has since established himself as one of the true elite QBs in the NFL.

James Harrison won an AP Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Kendrell Bell also took a ROY Award at line backer.

In 2002, Tommy Maddox won the 2002 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

If this doesn't stink of dominance, what does?

But I digress, what Cleveland should really be congratulated for is today's hiring of Mike Holmgren as President of Football Operations!

[Seattle1]

I would say if you want to identify who dominated the decade in the AFC it's really between the Patriots and the Colts. You probably have to give it to the Patriots since they won three Super Bowls and went to four. The Steelers XL "win" was not remotely legit for one thing.

In the NFC it's harder to say. You probably can't say there was one dominant team. Giants might be it by default since they had Super Bowl wins in 2000 and 2007. The Eagles were consistent winners of regular season games but never won the Super Bowl. Lot's of frustrating NFCCG losses for the Eagles. The Seahawks were leading the conference in regular-season wins before a screed of injuries of Biblical-proportions demolished their 2008 and 2009 seasons. They were the legitimate winners of SB XL.

[football junkie]

I think you meant to say the Giants appeared in the Superbowl after 2000 and 2007. The Giants were slaughtered in Superbowl XXXV. The Ravens devoured them 34-7. Kerry Collins definitely did not play like a giant in that game, tossing four interceptions to the birds.

I don't know that a legit case can be made for any NFC team for dominating last decade -- even in its own conference.

The Rams started off fast but fell apart even faster when Dick Vermeil split town for K.C. and the twit hired to replace him decided to bench Kurt Warner for the "Great" Marc Bulger -- straight up power play. Twit won, Rams lost.

The Eagles were consistently excellent -- choke artist in the biggest of games.

The Giants appeared in two Superbowls, lost the one they should have won and won the one they should have lost.

The Seahawks were a team to be feared when Shaun Alexander, Walter Jones and Hasselbeck were healthy but that didn't last long.

The NFC has been a conference without a team since Jimmy left the Boys and that was a long, long time ago.

Not that this has anything to do with the Browns! We can establish a couple of facts about that team. Franchise owner Randy Lerner is sill learning on the job. Lerner never should have fired Phil Savage! Hiring Mike Holmgren is smart enough, but why did it take an entire year? I hope Holmgren is smart enough to see through a four game winning streak and fire Eric Mangini and all his staff and start from scratch.

After all, not even Mangini's master Bill Bilichick was able to win in Cleveland!

[Seattle1]

I think you meant to say the Giants appeared in the Superbowl after 2000 and 2007.

Whoops, yes that was a brain fart. I meant they were the only NFC team with two Super Bowl appearances in the decade, winning one and losing one.

And yes back to the Browns: turns out the Browns beating the Steelers was the backbreaker. The loss that kept the Steelers out of the playoffs. So congrats again Brownies. :)