The (Duh) Browns Report: Is that a Chudzinski in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

So, Browns fans, I'm just a tad curious: Did anyone see LeBron James wearing a Tennessee Titans baseball cap down at Cleveland Browns Stadium yesterday?

Hey, fair is fair, I know I certainly wanted to wear a Danny Ferry jersey to Anderson Varejao's contract negotiations a couple of weeks ago...

But enough about that. Let's get right to our beloved Cleveland Brownies. First, I have to say "thank you" because I haven't enjoyed watching the Browns this much since the days of Bernie Kosar and Marty Schottenheimer (in a backwards, Cleveland karma-chameleon sort of way, I guess).

But honestly (all terrific 10-6 records aside), the Browns did not deserve to be in the playoffs after they choked against the woeful (and less superior) Cincinnati Bengals. That was their chance (their one big chance) ...and they blew it.

So, no, I don't want to talk about "Cleveland curses" concerning the Browns or the Colts resting their starters against the Titans. That's about as lame as emailing Jim Sorgi for "help." I didn't have to watch the Colts-Titans game last night to know the dreaded outcome and, quite frankly, I'm done "wishing upon a star" when it comes to Cleveland sports teams and their collective fate(s).

The Cleveland Browns had their chances. Derek Anderson had his chances (all season). So if you, as a professional football team, want to throw away your chances for the playoffs down in Cincinnati, then don't be surprised when the fans are clamoring to see Brady Quinn as your starting quarterback here in C-Town (And a mass emailing to Jim Sorgi in Indianapolis falls flatter than the Brady Quinn football "dropped" by Kellen Winslow in the end zone on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers).

Sure, head coach Romeo Crennel did a better job this year with some more talent around him (thanks to Phil Savage) ...but I'm not sold on him just yet. I just think that newly-acquired offensive coordinator, Rob Chudzinski, did a far better job in moving this team ...forward.

So, yes, a 10-6 record is impressive here in Browns Town, to be sure (and more impressive than the 8-8 record than we predicted here preseason for the Brownies). But I honestly don't want to hear about "rewarding" Romeo Crennel with a contract extension. Here's an original thought here in Cleveland: Why don't we "reward" Romeo Crennel with a contract extension after he gets this talented team into the playoffs - and not a minute before.

Romeo still has two years left on his contract, so let's see what he can do in that time as Phil Savage contiues to deliver the groceries to Crennel's brown-and-orange kitchen. And, hey, if Bill Parcells wants Crennel as his head coach ...let The Big Tuna have him! I'll take the Dolphins #1 draft pick (and Darren McFadden to back up Jamal Lewis) any day, as long as we get to keep Rob Chudzinski in the house.

The local media might not see this ("Gasp! Who knew the Browns were going to be this good?!? I didn't!") as clearly as they "predicted" the Cleveland Indians would be in 4th place in the American League Central last season ("Gasp! Who knew the Indians were going to be this good?!? I didn't!") - as opposed to a MLB playoff contender.

I mean, I'm confused: Do you actually need a Pro Bowl player at EVERY SINGLE POSITION before you could ever possibly make the jump from a 4-12 to 10-6 record ...or what???

Well, apparently some of us "amateurs" knew this much. As well as we know that Brady Quinn deserved a shot to play most of the game against the 49ers yesterday ...for the good of the organization (despite Derek Anderson's hurt feelings). Yes, Anderson got us this far, but not when it mattered the most.

And, hey, let's not forget this: Joshua Cribbs, Jamal Lewis, Braylon Edwards, Phil Dawson, Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach (among MANY others) ...helped out a lot more than Jim Sorgi ever did, too.