Team MUTM Loses Week 11 Pick'em

Hat's off to the SteelSkins, they went 39-9 in the week 11 Pick'em Competition to continue their dominance over team MUTM. It's always close though, as we went 33-15. Well done SteelSkins! Now if you could've just beaten Dallas and the New York Jets...

Too Good -- Check out #81's reaction!

Karma is one Vindictive Bitch

After watching one of the most interesting finishes to a game ever, one thing is clear: If you compose your franchise of a selfish owner, a complete ass of a coach, and a murdering middle linebacker, eventually Karma will take a nice bite out of your ass. In honor of the Browns miraculous victory, I have produced my own ditty of Karma Chameleon by the Culture Club.

Enjoy.

Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Chameleon

You Come and Go

You Come and Go

Your selfish actions will prevent you from going to the hall of fame,

and your to blame, your to blame.

Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Chameleon

You come and go, you come and go

Your coach is so arrogant and such a colossol prick,

now your 4 and 6

dont kick to number one six.

MUTM's Week 11 Pick'em Picks

Well, let's be honest...things aren't going well for Team MUTM on the pick'em front. We've lost pretty much every week but one so far to the Steel Skins. But things aren't so bad in the rest of our lives. For starters, we all have beautiful wives. We're all doing pretty much what we want to for work, and best of all, we all root for a team that's on the verge. So, there's not too much to complain about. As of this week, I'm officially going to stop allowing my dog to make my picks and we're going to get serious on the bi-team web site. BOOYAH!

Bird's Picks
Cincy
Cleveland
Tampa Bay
New York Giants

Philadelphia
Minnesota
Whales Vagina
Indianapolis
Texans
Packers
Steelers
Rams
Cowboys
NE
Denver

Maxx's Picks
Tampa Bay
Arizona
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Oakland
Cleveland
Green Bay
New Orleans
Philadelphia
New York Giants
Pittsburgh
Dallas
San Francisco
Seattle
New England
Tennessee

Top Dawg's Picks
JAX
CLE
NYG
NO
GB
INDY
MINN
PHILLY
TB
CINCY
PITT
WASH
STL
CHI
N'ENGLAND
TENNESSEE, T, T, T, TENNESSEE.

Dawson Wins It!

Thank God for instant replay. I thought this one was over when the kick came out. But thank God for instant replay! What a kick, and what a great call. You gotta love it when the calls go our way. It seems to be happening more and more this season. And we're reaping the benefits. Despite some pretty atrocious line play on passing downs, and some jittery play by DA, we managed to eek this one out. What a great game by Jamal Lewis. And can we say enough about how Cribbs puts us in great field position almost every time. Remember when we had Northcutt back there? He was good, but Cribbs is something different all together. His goal is the house every time, and at the very least he expects to get to the 40. That's unreal. It's an amazing advantage we have over many teams that I don't think gets talked about enough. What a great win today. Go Browns.

Cribbs interview on Clevelandbrowns.com

If you haven't seen it already, it's worth your while to check out the Josh Cribbs post game interview on ClevelandBrowns.com. It's hilarious. I love this kid. He's dancing on the stage showing how be ducked and dodged would be tacklers, which, after a loss like that would make most people angry, but Cribbs is so sincere you love him for it. He also talks about the team and how much they care about each other. It makes you pretty psyched about the future of Browns football, and about our chances to rebound against Baltimore this coming Sunday.

Mediocraty is OK

The Common Man


Maybe mediocrity isn’t so bad. I look at myself. I have always had a good head on my shoulders, but I’m not Harvard (pronounced Hahvahd with a snooty accent) material. I have done well in my career, but I’m no where near independently wealthy. I have always been pretty good at sports, but rather limited due to my body type (Think skinny extremities with a tire around the waist). Like Joe Walsh (from Cleveland by the way) "I'm just an ordinary average guy." And still, I like who I am. So maybe mediocrity is OK. The way I see it, it could be worse. I could be a high school dropout, unemployed, and always the kid picked last in gym class. So, maybe having the Cleveland Browns, (who blew a chance to establish themselves as one of the NFL’s ‘good teams” yesterday), arrive at mediocrity in the league is good enough. Lets be honest, the alternative, (last years pathetic 4-12 record) just sucks. To be able to be Phil Dawson’s lame 49 yard capacity leg away from beating a very good Steelers team in a finally meaningful game is a huge step for me and the city of Cleveland. We finally found a way to win a close game against a good team last week. Recently, in this rivalry against the Steelers, we have taken it on the chin worse than any late night cinemax starlet, and here we were again with a chance to do something special for the city of Clevelend. I had nightmares about this week. The Browns have come into games like this in recent years, with the city behind them, and serious momentum, and took a collective dump on us by laying an egg. They fought real hard yesterday, and for that, I applaud them. We have a real shot at being in the wild card hunt, and after last year’s pathetic season, that’s a huge step. So, I am proud of my mediocrity and of the Cleveland Browns. And the Tribe, and the Cavs, and my job, and my men's league hockey talent. All good but not great.

Let’s talk about the game now. I watched the game on the speed replay on the NFL ticket so I didn’t hear any commentating and didn’t see any replays. I think this allowed me to see the game in a new light without any outside opinions. Here are my thoughts.

After all of these years of drafting and developing special team’s players, it has finally paid off. We have had a team full of special team caliber players for the past few seasons. Now, we have a more complete bunch, and these kids can play. Mike Adams is making great tackles. And Josh Cribbs had probably one of the finest plays in the Browns history yesterday turning a disaster into a beautiful run. Watching him smoke those first two defenders at the ten, and then watching the entourage direct traffic and escort the man to the end zone was a thing of beauty.

Eric Wright is a fine player. Great play in the end zone in the first half. Some of the finest tackling on the team. He doesn’t go for the big hit, but tackles smartly and confidently. His tackle on Rothlisberger was just awesome. Unfortunately, stopping Heath Miller on 3rd and 18 wasn’t such a nice play for anyone involved.

The Jamal Lewis fumble should have been whistled for forward progress.

Sean Jones needs to start leading. Too many times during defensive breakdowns, he is yelling and bitching at other players. That has to stop. On the other hand, I love his intensity at the end of the game on the kneel down to leave a tough taste in the mouth of the players for next week.

The Browns defense played tough in many spots today. They were flying into the line of scrimmage, and generally attacking. Brodney Pool's int was evidence of that. However, too many mistakes and big plays on 3rd down. That 3rd and 18 was disgusting. Willie McGinest was atrocious. We also got caught on play fakes like crazy as a result of our aggressiveness. I would rather keep up the attacking nature though. Sitting back and watching our DB’s try to cover for 7 seconds is unbearable.

I don’t know about the hold on Dinkins, but the refs really let the Steelers get away with a lot. On that 3rd and 18, Peek was tackled as he was about the get to Big Ben. I saw Wimbley get absolutely dragged down on a few plays. Don’t know how obvious that was on replays, but could have used a few of those calls.

Finally, welcome to reality DA. He didn’t throw one good pass today. Even the easy ones across the middle were low, behind, or in the dirt. He just sucked. Plain and simple. He had more time than any Cleveland QB has had against the Steelers that I can remember, and he was shaking in his size 17’s.

Next week is another chance to prove ourselves. Maybe this mediocre bunch can do something that resembles greatness.

I Can't believe it.

I literally can't believe it. I watched it. The whole game. And still it doesn't make sense.

What a let down. I can't really write more right now because I'm so pissed. Great run by Big Ben at the end though, damnit.

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He's all heart

Browns better than Week 1

Dear Metcalf Up the Middle:

It’s good to be back. I probably post on this site more than on my own blog, but that’ll happen.

So guess what’s going on this Sunday? You’ll never guess. Guess yet?

That’s right, it’s just as you feared.

5-4 isn’t that bad. Still above .500, still respectable, still a sign that Derek Anderson is playing out of his mind, even if he did get sacked 6 times and was picked up and carried into the end zone and body slammed by up and coming Ohioan James Harrison.

So you got that going for you.

You’ll nurse your injuries, and then beat Baltimore for sweet, sweet revenge. You’ll get over it. You’ll probably even make the playoffs. The Wild Card is an accomplishment! Don’t sell yourself short! I mean, Kellen Winslow’s a soldier. He really is. Dr. Z even feels sorry for him. May I quote:

"The Browns' Kellen played in pain the entire way, made big catches to set up two touchdowns, including the final one. A correspondent who was in the postgame locker room described the scene as follows: "Someone asked him, 'Is this your sweetest day as a pro?' He put his head down for a few moments. When he looked up there were tears running down his face. 'I'm sorry,' he said." You think that after something like that, I'm not going to raise the Brownies to the top 10?"

Yeah! You are in the Top 10, Way to go Girl! I hope—really—that game will not be your sweetest game as a pro. Because that would be sad. Really.

Good luck Sunday. You’re gonna need it. Don’t let this be you!




Posted By SteelSkins

Browns Ranked in TOP 10...Among Winning Teams!

Ahh...WHAT? Holy Cow! How did this happen? It's all too much too soon if you ask me. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but geez...top ten? On SI.com Dr. Z's NFL Power Rankings, (who I can't believe still has a job solely based on how bad his pre-season picks usually are) the Cleveland Browns are ranked 10th in the league! And it gets better! On ESPN.com Mike McAllister's Power Rankings has the Browns at 9th in the league! Here are some of the teams that are ranked BELOW us! The Saints, Jaguars, Redskins, CHARGERS, Eagles, Bears, Broncos, and Bengals! Um...hello! Because the jaded, beaten little boy of a Cleveland fan will always have a strong voice inside me this whole thing just gives me the willys. It's like that good looking girl (most of you can feel free to take out the "good looking" part, and some of you "good looking" and "girl".) you meet in college who you hook-up with and the next thing you know she's talking about going to watch the school's soccer team the next day followed by dinner with her friends and maybe seeing a movie in her dorm. Um...this was pretty sweet for a bit, but now you're just freaking me out. I had sleeping in till noon, playing PS2 and hitting the bong on my schedule...got to go. It's too much too soon. Why can't we stay under the radar a little bit? Just have us float around 16th or 18th for a few more weeks. Maybe meet up a few more times and see if this thing has legs? I know our record says we should be where we are, but I still feel very uncomfortable with it. I'm definitely not used to the feeling that we're supposed to win games. And how about actually coming back to win a game? It's like we're suddenly a real team. But I just can't believe it, not yet. If we beat the Steelers, then yes, I believe. But for now I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. As sad as that is, it's the truth.

MUTM Week 9 Pick'em Picks

Bird
Kansas City
Detroit
Cincinnati
Atlanta
Carolina
Arizona
Washington
New Orleans
San Diego
Cleveland
Oakland
Indianapolis
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh


Top Dawg
Green Bay
Denver
Cincinnati
San Francisco
Jacksonville
Tampa Bay
Washington
New Orleans
San Diego
Cleveland
Oakland
New England
Dallas
Pittsburgh


Maxx
Tennessee
Tampa Bay
Washington
Jacksonville
San Diego
San Francisco
Green Bay
Denver
Cincinnati
Cleveland
New England
Houston
Dallas
Pittsburgh

Steel Skins Boast Post...

Since the SteelSkins (http://steelskins.blogspot.com/) have handed yet another loss to Metcalf Up the Middle (http://www.metcalfupthemiddle.blogspot.com/), we thought we’d honor this occasion with some foreshadowing: Don’t worry NFL, the Steelers (once again) have got your backs.

What the dismal Browns (albeit, at 4-3 they’re not as dismal as they usually are) failed to do back in Week 5—what some pundits are now calling for (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/29/AR2007102902167.html?sub=AR)—the Steelers sell in dime bags.

Yes, it’s about time we take the pundits seriously. Finally, people are calling for Tom Brady’s knees (http://kissmesuzy.blogspot.com/2007/10/effective-immediately-bounty-on-tom.html). And why not? Belichick and his cheating (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI_zhsVWyAU) Patriots have now run up the score on all 8 of their opponents (what, with their fancy fake spikes and keeping their starters in despite a 42-point lead). And while Cleveland, along with the rest of the league, failed to do much of anything to their former coach while happily accepting their 34-17 defeat, the Pittsburgh Steelers have never failed to excel in the “accidental low hit” category.

You may ask, why the Steelers, and why not the Browns? Excellent question. And to be honest, we here at SteelSkins are equally stumped as to why the Browns’ veins, which normally flow with red vengeance toward the countless teams that have embarrassed them (insert Broncos, insert Steelers, insert Art Modell, insert…the league), why were those same veins flowing with pink pansy goodness during Week 5 against the Pats? The Brownies should have been foaming at the mouths for the opportunity to crush Tom Brady and give their former coach his first loss of the season. It just goes to show, if it’s Brown, flush it down.

The Steelers, on the other hand, proved two things this pre-season (http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0807/451055.html): 1. You don’t need a fatty named Kimo von Oelhoffen to put a quarterback’s season in jeopardy; and 2. Just like Charlie Hustle in an All-Star game (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/07/10/SP51494.DTL), we always go all out.
So let this be a warning to you, Coach Belichick: If you keep up the shenanigans, you’ll pay a hefty price, come Week 14. A price not paid since Ralph Macchio last met up with Billy “Sweep the Leg” Zabka.

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Romeo is tied with Marinara, Tomlin, and McCarthy.

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Parcells on Browns and Crennel

Although this seems a little forced, it's nice to see the Browns are starting to turn some heads around the league!

MUTM loses to Steel Skins in W7

Boy this was a tough one. We lost to the Steel Skins this week 27 wins to 28. Our scores were:

MUTM: 27-15

Steel Skins: 28-14

It's obvious the guys at Steel Skins are into performance enhancing drugs. I've got a good feeling about this week though, and we gladly await their post. Below are Team MUTM's individual scores.

Maxx: 10-4

Overall Record: 46-25

Bird: 9-5

Overall Record: 40-31

Top Dawg: 8-6

Overall Record: 39-32

Team MUTM: 125-88

MUTM Week 8 Pick'em Picks

Bird's Picks

Cleveland

New York Giants

Philadelphia

Indianapolis

Chicago

Cincinnati

Tennessee

Tampa Bay

New York JETS

San Diego

New Orleans

New England

Denver

Maxx's Picks

Chicago

Pittsburgh

Tennessee

Cleveland

New York Giants

Minnesota

Indianapolis

Buffalo

San Diego

Tampa Bay

New England

New Orleans

Denver

Top Dawg's Picks:

Chicago

Pittsburgh

Indianapolis

Tennessee

Cleveland

New York Giants

Minnesota

New York Jets

San Diego

Jacksonville

New Orleans

Washington

Denver

Bitter Taste

Here is good read about the Indians collapse. One quote stands out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/columns/story?columnist=bryant_howard&id=3073814

"If sport is to have any value at all, the road traveled, even when it leads to a dead end, should always be a trip worth taking. Without the pain, the champagne, when it finally flows, will have no taste."

My concern is that I won't be thirsty when I finally get to take a sip.

MUTM W7 Pick'em Picks

Top Dawg
Houston
Tampa Bay
New England
New Orleans
New York Giants
Baltimore
Washington
Oakland
Cincinnatti
Philadelphia
Seattle
Dallas
Denver
Jacksonville

Bird
NE
Wash
NO
Baltimore
Dallas
Giants
Tampa Bay
Houston
Oakland
Cincy
Chicago
Seattle
Pitt
Indy

Maxx
Baltimore
Tampa Bay
New England
NO
NYG
Washington
Tennessee
Cincinnati
Kansas City
Dallas
Philadelphia
Seattle
Pittsburgh
Indy