3 Browns Takes

-I am jacked, gitty even, that Charlie Frye will be making his triumphant return to Cleveland Browns Stadium this weekend as the starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. The kicker to all of this? Because of Brady Quinn's injury, the Browns will be starting Derek Anderson. The same Derek Anderson that yanked the starting QB position away from Mr. Frye after a disastrous 2007 opening day. Including Quinn, the last three failed Browns quarterbacks will all be in attendance in Cleveland this Sunday. Imagine David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, and that guy from Extreme all being on stage at a VanHalen show. Tell me you wouldn't pay for that? Well being that I am in town and tickets in the Dawg Pound are $12 on Stub Hub, I just may have to. Back-Up Bowl 2009.

-Pay Josh Cribbs whatever he wants. I don't care if you have to rename Cleveland landmarks after him. (most of them have crap names anyway, Public Hall, Public Square, The Euclid Corridor, Tower City, the Galleria?????). The un-drafted free-agent from Kent State returned two kickoffs 100 yards for touchdowns. The previous week, Cribbs beat the Steelers on his own utilizing an offense last seen in Cleveland during the High School City Championship games circa 1964. Josh Cribbs, along with Joe Thomas, and Shawn Rodgers are the only untouchable players on this team. To be honest, with the recent play of 6th round pick Ahtya Rubin, Rodgers may not be completely untouchable.

-Which brings me to Mike Holmgren. For the first time since the Browns came back to town in 1999 the organization has a football person, with real and significant NFL experience making football decisions. I'm not saying the word savior, but I am saying the word hopeful. My only concern, I was just as hopeful when the Savage/Crennell team was announced. I'm not going to get into what I think Holmgren will do, Holmgren himself doesn't know yet. But, I do know one thing, Holmgren looks legit. That look is great, the "eat your oatmeal" guy after a 10 hour flight in coach look, it just bleeds football legitimacy. Of course there also is his resemblance to a certain sea mammal, which reminds me of another former great Northeast Ohio tradition. When Sea World Ohio was open, the Sea Lion and Otter show always closed with the walrus swimming out of nowhere to save the day. The park closed in 2004, the animals moved throughout the country, but I hope the walrus can once again come out of nowhere and save the day.