Where is the belief in Believeland?

  Well it's the first Tuesday after the regular season in the NFL, and that means that the Browns are on the search for their 8th head coach since 1999, and their 16th coach since 1968. The latest victim of Clevelanditis was poor Rob Chudzinski who only had one year to try to turnaround a team that has been a loser since 1968(first year of Super Bowl). They have been the worst franchise in the NFL since that point, 0 Super Bowl Appearances, 8 division championships, and a sad 13 measly Playoff Appearances. Now let us go to the Polar opposite of the Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since 1968 the Best Franchise in Football has had 3 head coaches, 6 Super Bowl Championships, 8 Super Bowl appearances, 20 Division Championships, and 26 Playoff Appearances. Now the key thing to point out here is the Steelers have had 13 less head coaches. Consistency with that man on the sideline is the cornerstone to a successful franchise. Put that with a Franchise or HOF QB and you have yourself a Dynasty, Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw(4 Super Bowls), Brady and Bellichick(3 Super Bowls), Bill Walsh and Joe Montana(3 Super Bowls). Now their are other current franchises that aren't technically dynasties but are still successful, Sean Payton and Drew Brees(1 Super Bowl), Mccarthy and Rodgers(1 Super Bowl). Now look at the Panthers who about fired Ron Rivera last year and now they have a first round bye under him. Patience is key, it is definitely not the easiest thing in the wold to become an NFL coach and succeed. It is much harder to be asked to do it immediately. In Bill Bellichick's first season with New England he went 5-11, now what if the Patriots would have done what the Browns did. Football history would be drastically different, there is too much parity in this league to analyze anybody by one season.
  However I do realize that sometimes it is just time to move on as a franchise, the greatest example of that is the Colts releasing Peyton Manning arguably the best QB ever to transition quickly into Andrew Luck. It was a genius move, They have 2 straight playoff appearances and their QB of the future. They waited and made the correct move at the correct time. Peyton Manning went 2-14 in his first year, if that were the Browns they would have traded him and looked somewhere else, but it was the Colts who waited and didn't get another losing season from Manning. The Colts were prepared for the same futility in the First year with Luck, they would've waited and placed complete trust in Pagano and Luck. That is why they are successful, patience. Something the Browns have
lacked in for over 40 years.
  Now many ask the question why is it that the Browns are so impatient, well if you haven't been successful for over 40 years that is usually the reaction. A nice analogy would be if let us say you bought a pack of light bulbs that you knew took a while to get to full light. So you screw in the first one and it stays dim for 2, 3, 5 and eventually 10 minutes. So correctly assuming the light bulb is broke you throw it away. You try the next one, it stays dim but this time you only wait 8 minutes, so you throw it away. Try the next one same result but you only wait 6 minutes, this cycle continues on and on until eventually your throwing the light bulb away after 5 seconds, completely forgetting that they will take a while to heat up. So in this frantic search of bright light you may have been through some bad bulbs but your anger and impatience most likely caused you to throw away a bulb that works. That is the phase the Browns are in now, just praying that a bulb burns brightly quickly. To finally become relevant the Browns must find patience. They need to follow a model of past franchises, and they must realize that to have longevity in this league as a Playoff team you must show resiliency and patience in which the Browns do not have. Big free-agent splashes won't get you to the top, only good drafting by one coach with one goal and one path to get there shared by the whole organization will. One Organization working as one mind that orchestrates the quality of patience. A clear fallacy with the Browns. I repeat the title Where is the belief in "Believeland"?
  Until this attitude ceases in the Cleveland Browns from the Front Office to the Fan base they will always be the Losers of the NFL. So my message to Cleveland comes from Star Wars, Patience my young padawan, patience.

Week 9 Picks

Last weeks record 9-4.
  Week 9 of the NFL season is upon us and here are my picks.
Cincinnati @ Miami
 The 6-2 Bengals come off a blowout statement win by putting up 49 points against a top 10 defense in the Jets. The Dolphins are in shambles after starting 3-0, they are on a 4 game losing streak thanks to their horrendous offensive line who has let Tannehill get hit way too much. This O-line wont get a break against the Cincinnati front 7, look for the Bengals D to cause Havoc in Miami and force some more turnovers against another young QB. Bengals win 31-17
Chiefs @ Bills
  The Bills just cant catch a break, after losing their QB versus Cleveland they face a surging Bengals team, then two weeks later they play the Saints now they play the Chiefs. Thad Lewis has been good but this Gauntlet of a schedule is tough even for the best of them. THe Chiefs are 8-0, but a very ugly 8-0. They head into Buffalo to face a solid Bills team, however the Chiefs D will be too much for Thad Lewis as the Chiefs eek out another one 17-14.
Vikings @ Cowboys.
 Minnesota heads into Arlington to face the Cowboys who blew another one late to the Lions. However the 'Boys are still a first place team at 4-4, and they catch a break hosting the Vikings lead by, who knows? The Cowboys are a .500 team but the Vikings are abysmal, Watch Dez Bryant see the ball a lot in a blowout. 'Boys win 38-14.
Saints @ Jets
 The Jets and Geno Smith's up and down season continued as they were blown out of the water by the Bengals. Geno threw 2 more picks, both of them ran back for TD's. However I look for a defensive duel as Rob Ryan meets Rex Ryan it will be a low-scoring affair but I look for Drew Brees to outplay turnover happy Geno late, Saints win 21-17
Falcons @ Panthers
 If it weren't for the Giants and Vikings the Falcons would be the runaway favorite for disappointment of the year. People were picking the Falcons at 13-3 including me, however the team lost games late early and now Matty "Ice" is throwing 4 picks as he gets desperate. The Panthers are coming in strong  as Cam Newton hits his groove The Falcons will move to 2-6 as Carolina wins 24-17.
Titans @ Rams
 Two young teams with young QB's and high hopes coming into this season meet in St. Louis, but injuries have left both of these teams without a QB. The Rams put up a tough fight against Seattle, and Tennessee comes off their bye. It will be ugly as two essentially hopeless teams meet but I have St. Louis 13-10
San Diego @ Washington
 RGIII keeps looking more and more like his former self as they had the Broncos on the ropes before Peyton Manning exploded in the 4th. The Chargers come off the bye trailing those same Broncos and Kansas City in the West. Mike McCoy has gave this team new life and they look solid, Phillip Rivers looks great and the Chargers have their eyes set on the Wild Card. Two solid offenses meet weak defenses in D.C and I see the Chargers come off the bye and send the Redskins to 2-6 31-28
Eagles @  Raiders
 The Chip Kelly experiment that started so well obviously does not work without a QB. The Eagles were flying high until Mike Vicks injury, but now they have only scored one TD in two weeks. They lost to a Giants team and missed their oppurtunity to move into a tie for first place in the East. While in Oakland Terrele Pryor is set to be the QB of the future, he has immense talent and showcased that versus the Steelers outrunning the "elite" defense for a 93 yard touchdown. While the playoffs look grim for the Raiders they still have an opportunity to not have double digit losses. Look for Matt Barkley and the Eagles offense to falter again on a tough West Coast trip, can someone sign Vince Young please? Raiders win 21-10
Buccaneers @ Seahawks
 After being nearly upsetted in St. Louis the best team in the NFC in Seattle comes home sweet home to face the worst team in the NFL in the 0-7 Buccaneers. Greg Schiano is awful, Mike Glennon is awful, this team is just awful. Seahawks 24-0
Ravens @ Browns
 The Super Bowl champs come off their bye looking way up at the Bengals in the North, they have struggled mightily all year. However if they want to stay in the hunt for the Division they cannot lose this game in Cleveland. Jason Campbell did great for Cleveland in their close loss to the Chiefs, however a desperate Ravens team coming off a bye will be too much for Cleveland. Ravens win 21-17
Steelers @ Patriots
 The Steelers come off a very tough loss to the Raiders and their disappointing season continued. The Patriots are getting it done but in a very ugly way, Brady looked like a 3rd stringer last week as the Pats somehow came back to beat the Dolphins. However Brady has a week to heal his injured hand and the Pats D has been solid enough to be able to handle the Steelers abysmal offense. The Steelers D keeps them in the game but their offense just isnt good enough to pull it through. Pats 21-10
Colts @ Texans
 The Texans start Case Keenum on Sunday Night against the Colts who come off their bye week oozing with confidence after beating up on Peyton. The Texans are another Playoff team in shambles, however they match up well to stop Andrew Luck. They have a good pass D and with Andrew Luck's favorite target Reggie Wayne out for the year it looks like there is a chance for Houston. However the Colts are just too much they win 24-14
Bears @ Packers
 The red hot Packers host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night in one of the better match ups of the Week. Chicago comes off the bye to face their number one rival, the Packers have not lost since a heart-breaking defeat to Cincinnati. Aaron Rodgers even without his main weapons continues to put up points. They have a great run game and are one of the better offensive teams in the NFL. The Bears in their most recent game gave up 45 points to the 'Skins and have the 27th ranked defense as Brian Urlacher's absence is apparent. With Jay Cutler hurt for the Bears and their defense reeling look for the Pack to blow away the Bears 45-27.

NFL Week 8 Game Picks

    Week 8 in the NFL approaches the middle of the season is upon us, it has been a good season so far but the best is still to come. So here are my Week 8 picks.

    Carolina @ Tampa Bay

The Thursday night football clash between NFC south rivals Carolina and Tampa Bay is a clash of underachievers. The Bucs look for their first win against the 3-3 Panthers who still have Playoff hopes. I have Cam Newton leading the Panthers to a winning record and sending the Bucs to 0-7, how long until Greg Schiano gets fired? Carolina 27 Tampa 13

    Dallas @ Detroit

Two 4-3 teams meet at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday. Detroit was 4-2 due to a favorable schedule and was beat by a superior Bengals team, however Calvin Johnson came out of his shell with 155 Yds. and 2 Td's. The Cowboys are coming off an ugly win against the Eagles, as they held Chip Kelly without a touchdown for the first time in his Career. Look for two prolific passing offenses to shoot out against each other against weak defenses. I have the Cowboys winning 37-30

    San Fran @ Jacksonville

Do I really have to analyze this one? niners roll 34-3

      Cleveland @ Kansas City

With Jason Campbell going into Kansas City leading a lethargic offense for his first start of the year against arguably the best defense in the NFL, it does not look good for the Brownies. The Chiefs are too good defensively to give up too many points against the Browns, especially in their own house which rivals Century Link field this year. However don't look for a blowout, the Browns D is not too shabby itself. Chiefs win comfortably but not easily 17-6.

      Miami @ New England

Both of these teams come off shocking losses from their Division rivals as the Bills defeated the Dolphins and the Jets beat the Pats. The Dolphins are reeling a little bit but still remain wild Card contenders, However they go into Foxborough against an angry Pats team who had a victory stolen by the "push" rule and who have Gronk back for another Week. New England wins 28-21

     Bills @ Saints

The Saints come off their bye after a heart-breaking defeat to New England to meet Thad Lewis and the Bills. Mr. Lewis has been a pleasant surprise holding his own in Buffalo however with Rob Ryan given 2 weeks to prepare look for his run to end and the Saints to go to 6-1, 24-17

     Giants @ Eagles

The New York Giants will not go 0-16! However they will lose to a bad, albeit better, Eagles team that is in the Hunt in the Weak NFC East. Eagles win 24-21

     Steelers @ Raiders

Two 2-4 teams meet in Oakland Sunday afternoon, The Steelers have won 2 in a row and their fans have regained fruitless playoff hopes. Their favorable schedule continues as they play Terrele Pryor and the Raiders. However it will not be easy to make a West Coast trip and expect a close game. But the Steelers find a way to win 13-10.

    Jets @ Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals just keep rolling along as they defeated the Lions in dramatic fashion again. they are 5-2 and have the AFC North in their grasps. they meet a Jets team who is riding high under a strong defense and late-game heroics of Geno Smith. However the inconsistencies of Mr. Smith will showcase again against the best front 7 in the business. Andy Dalton will continue his roll and The Bengals will go to 6-2. 21-10.

  Falcons @ Cardinals 

The Atlanta Falcons are 2-4 and are very disappointing thus far. However the Atlanta team is running into a weak cardinals team this week. Matt Ryan and the 3rd ranked passing attack will easily outplay Carson Palmer. Falcons win 24-21

   Redskins @ Broncos 

RGIII is coming into form and the Redskins are looking good after a victory against the bears. The Broncos looked Human against the Colts, but don't look for the Broncos to lose two in a row. Watch Peyton tear up a defense that gave up 41 points to the Bears. Broncos win 45-21

   Packers @ Vikings

The Packers put a whipping on the Browns last week as they go into Minnesota to face arguably the Worst team in the league in Minnesota. Minnesota is in shambles with Josh Freeman having a concussion and rumors of an A.P. Retirement. Injuries to Green Bay won't slow them down as they win 35-21

    Seahawks @ Rams

The Seattle Seahawks are the favorite in the NFC, and the Rams don't have a QB. Easy pick Seahawks on Monday Night victorious 34-13

Bengals: Good, Bad and the Ugly

     The Cincinnati Bengals are 4-2 after Week 6 of the NFL season and in sole possession of First Place in the AFC North. This team has been the prime example of non-consistency, they comeback to beat the Packers then don't score a TD against the Browns. Then they hold Tom Brady without a TD pass for the first time in 52 games followed by  blowing a 14 point 4th quarter lead with a practice squad QB at the helm.
Yet this team finds itself at 4-2? It is because of the immense talent on this team, top to bottom, offensively and defensively this is a top 3 team in the NFL. A secondary wide receiver has emerged in Marvin Jones, Giovani Bernard has been everything he was hyped up to be.

        Geno Atkins continues his interior domination while Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap have had great years. Maulauluga seems to have improved from his terrible 2012, Vontaze Burfict leads the NFL in tackles. Terrence Newman has been playing out of his shoes. Aj Green is just being Aj Green. 

        However the one weak link is Andy Dalton, now I don't harp on him as much as others but he needs to find a much more consistent form. In the last two weeks he has thrown interceptions that make you want to throw rocks at the television. But then he will make a great play in the pocket get first downs, make beautiful throws. He is too inconsistent to run anything other than a west coast offense. Short quick passes is the road to success with this team, yet could you imagine if the Bengals had a Kenny Anderson or a Boomer Esiason throwing the ball with the talent around him. Cincinnati would easily be the #1 contender to the Broncos if not better than them. However Andy Dalton will have to suffice, he can win a Super Bowl, he is the winningest QB in bengals history with at least 16 starts. Joe Flacco is not that special yet he pushed his team to the Super Bowl. 

      The Bengals have the talent to win it all, now they just need to find the consistency, they have an extremely favorable schedule ahead. Which includes the Jets,Browns,Vikings, Steelers, Chargers, Dolphins and the Lions. The closest thing to an elite team they face is the Colts and the Ravens. Both of which are beatable teams. I see the Bengals finishing 12-4 with a division championship and a first round bye. However if the inconsistent ways continue they will be a 10-6 wildcard team, and if they want to win a playoff game another away bout in the Wildcard round isn't the way to go.