Here we go again. Sunday mornings used to be the highlight of my week. Now they feel as if I have a funeral to attend later in the day. In his preview of todays game, the Rhino breaks down Herm Edwards' Chiefs, and also takes some time to examine the Browns schedule ... which has been brutally tough so far. And notes that in addition to be being bad, the Browns have also been pretty unlucky.
This week, the NFL's answer to a slow motion train wreck takes on the
Kansas City Chiefs. Before I brighten your Sunday morning with my witty
banter about how the Browns will get their heads handed to them yet
again this week, I think we've reached a point in the season where a
digression into something that's bothered me all year is appropriate.
That
something is the Browns' schedule. The Browns were 6-10 last season, a
record they shared with the Baltimore Ravens. Since both teams are in
the same division, how is it that the Browns ended up with a schedule
that is so much more difficult than the one the Ravens were handed?
Here's
what I'm talking about. The teams that the Ravens have faced have a
combined record of 57-65, and six of those teams (Tampa Bay, Oakland,
Cleveland, Tennessee, Atlanta and Pittsburgh) are below .500. In
contrast, the Browns' opponents have a 69-54 record, and only three of
those teams are below .500. Do I think the disparity in schedules is
part of a big conspiracy? As much as I'd love to suggest otherwise, I
don't think so. It's just another illustration of the fact that while
the Browns have made plenty of bad decisions over the years since their
return, bad luck has also seemed to dog every step that they've taken.
That's a hell of a combination, isn't it?
Anyway, today's dose
of bad luck comes in the form of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are
a team that fortune has smiled upon this year. Lose Trent Green? Not a
problem-- Damon Huard will come in and keep you in playoff contention until Green returns. Lose Priest Holmes for the season? Ever since Larry Johnson arrived, it's been "Priest who?" in KC anyway. Oh, and Tony Gonzalez's shoulder is healed as well. His pride, however, still appears to be smarting
from some of Mr. Winslow's ill-considered early season remarks, and I
expect that Gonzalez will make the Browns pay a price for those this
afternoon.
Looking at the numbers, this appears to be a
particularly bad matchup for the Browns. First of all, the Chiefs are
on a 5-1 run, so they are coming into this game on a high note, while
the Browns are still licking the wounds from their 30-0 shellacking at
the hands of the Bengals. Larry Johnson leads the NFL in rushing, and the Chiefs rank third overall
in the AFC in that offensive category. Unfortunately, the Browns have
yet to figure out a way to stop the run, and their defense ranks a
pitiful 24th in the league against the rush.
While
things don't look so good for the Browns' defense this week, I'm
actually guardedly optimistic when it comes to the offensive side of
the ball. Sure, Cleveland's offense ranks 31st
in the league, but I truly believe that if Charlie Frye plays within
himself, the team will usually be successful in getting the football
into the hands of Cleveland's most potent offensive weapon, punter Dave
Zastudil. I will also go way out on a limb and predict that because the
team will be fired up to help save their beloved head coach Romeo
Crennel's job, they will, in fact, score an offensive touchdown this
week.
But they'll miss the extra point. Kansas City 24, Cleveland 9.