Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Andruzzi Gone...Thoughts


"Inneresting, very inneresting!" That's what my 95-year-old grandfather says when something comes up that doesn't make total sense, but for some reason, is OK. That's how I feel about the Andruzzi news. It would seem on paper that having an O-Lineman of Andruzzi's experience and leadership, at the fairly cheap price of 1.5m (this coming season) would be a good thing. Even if he doesn't start, having Joe come off the bench wouldn't be all that bad. That's why this move by the Browns doesn't seem to make much sense on the surface. But at that same time, it feels OK...

The Browns are getting younger, and there must be a reason why they don't want Andruzzi around any longer. Whether it's the fact that the Browns know he wouldn't like coming off the bench, or that they know his skills are declining so fast that staying on the bench is better for the team, (at least they'd know that rusher had no one blocking him) they believe they're better off without him.

After Saturday, I'm inclined to trust Savage. I've always felt the weak link in this management chain has been Crennel. I think that Savage has done a decent job of re-working the Browns roster, and he's given Crennel some decent talent. But, the most telling sign to me is the inconsistency with which the Browns play from game to game. As Savage said the other day, last year "we won some games we weren't supposed to win, and we lost some games we weren't supposed to lose." Of course every team in the NFL does this to some extent, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a team that does it as reliably as the Cleveland Browns. That's coaching. Period.

So maybe it's a good thing that the Browns released Joe Andruzzi. Maybe it means there's no place on our roster anymore for aging, over-the-hill linemen. Maybe we're at a point where the talent level has reached a critical mass, and we'll be able to compete with more consistency throughout the season. (Hey Teddy, you'd better pack a lunch...a big-ass lunch!) But I can't tell you that for sure...so for now it's just "inneresting, very inneresting."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I can finally get that Pontiac GTO ive been waiting for at his new dealership