Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

8:30 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Cleveland -4.5,  Over/Under: 41

With no hope at the postseason in sight, bitter rivals simply play the feud as the Cleveland Browns host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.  The NFL may seriously want to take a look at flexing some of their Monday Night Football slate of games, so that we the viewing public aren’t subject to suffering such a matchup, but to be completely honest, we’re not quite sure what the league was thinking when they put this one together back in the Summer.  Outside of the fact that the Ravens used to be the Browns before moving to Baltimore in 1996 (with folks in Cleveland still holding quite a grudge), there really isn’t much appeal in seeing these teams slug it out on what is expected to be a very cold, and perhaps snowy night in Northern Ohio.  Think about it; tonight’s combatants are currently languishing in Third and Fourth Place in the AFC North, sporting a cumulative record of 5-15, and are much closer to securing the No. One Overall Pick in May’s NFL Draft than an ever-growing distant chance at the Playoffs.  And that’s taking into account the muddy mediocrity that has embodied their group of contemporaries in the chase for the Wild Card spots.  So with that said, let’s take a look at how these teams arrived to this point, shall we?  For many folks in the Charm City, the 2015 campaign will be remembered for it’s potential, and how as December approaches, the offseason couldn’t come fast enough.  There were some in the media that boldly prognosticated Baltimore (3-7, 3rd in AFC North) would represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLX, which wasn’t so far-fetched given the team’s track record; since Head Coach John Harbaugh and Quarterback Joe Flacco arrived the Ravens have been one of the most consistent teams in the league, amassing a stellar 72-40 record between 2008 and 2014, qualifying for the postseason in all but one season (2013), and hoisting a Lombardi Trophy in 2012.  In a conference that has been dominated by the triumvirate of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and occasionally Ben Roethlisberger, Flacco and Co. haven proven to be the outlier.  So with uncertainty gripping the AFC heading into the current term, this vested, hard-nosed team was a shrewd pick to take advantage of all the chaos, right?  Well, that brings us back to that dreaded word potential.

With Flacco out with a torn ACL, Schaub must now step in and carry the team through a dreadful season.

“Oh, what could have been…”, “If only we caught a break a here or there…”, and “This wouldn’t be happening if we were healthy…” have been just a few of the many clichés that have escaped the mouths of folks in Maryland this year.  And though it’s pointless to project, they do make a valid point.  All ten of Baltimore’s fixtures this season have been decided by eight point or less, with a staggering five of that number holding the difference of a three points or fewer.  Two of those games were also decided in Overtime to boot.  So in a league where parity rules the day the far too often, it would be reasonable to expect the Law of Averages to prevail and adorn the Harbaugh’s outfit with a 5-5 record, give or take a victory.  So again, how the hell have they managed to land on the losing side of so many of those proverbial close calls?  Well, the biggest factor has been the team’s relative health, which in no kind words has been @#$%ing dreadful.  Owner Steve Bisciotti may want to take a long hard look at his Strength and Conditioning Department for it would be easier to tell you who isn’t playing for his team these days than who is.  Ten games into the campaign and a ridiculous fourteen players have landed on Injured Reserve, the highest total in the league at the moment.  As is usually the case when talking injuries, it’s been equal parts quality and quantity; eight of that number are starters, including arguably the four most important players on the team, with Flacco (knee), Steve Smith (Achilles), Justin Forsett (Arm), and Terrell Suggs (Achilles) all done for the year with their respective maladies.  Suggs, the last remaining link to the dominant defenses that are so synonymous with the franchise, tore his Achilles in the season opener at Denver leaving a unit without their unquestioned leader and his 106.5 sacks.  Smith was the next domino to fall, as the veteran Receiver had been shouldering the brunt of the passing game despite playing through fractured ribs and vertebrae for weeks; a play after entering the league’s all-time Top-Ten in receiving yards, the 36-year old tore his Achilles as well, ending his season and perhaps his career.  However, no worse was last week’s tilt, a bittersweet 16-13 victory over the visiting St. Louis Rams.  On a day in which their defense channeled the spirit of their predecessors, the Ravens relegated their opponent to a mere 213 yards of offense, while forcing four turnovers, and viciously knocking Rams’ Quarterback Case Keenum out of the game with a concussion late in the Fourth Quarter, before Justin Tucker won the day with a 47-yard Field Goal, his third of the game.  Unfortunately, the losses of Flacco and Forsett would overshadow the triumph; the former suffered tears to both his ACL and MCL on the game’s final drive, while the latter sustained a broken arm in the early stages of the contest.  Forsett led the team in rushing (64.1 yards per game), while Flacco was the force that kept them in so many games.  So, now what do they do?  Harbaugh and his staff will be starting Matt Schaub tonight, the former Pro Bowl Quarterback late of Houston Texans.  It’s been quite the fall from grace for Schaub, who in seven largely successful seasons in Houston, was traded to Oakland where he was benched in favor of then-rookie Derek Carr on the eve of the season opener, and released altogether in the Spring.  The 33-year old was 46-42 as a starter for the Texans, appearing in two Pro Bowls, while tossing 124 touchdowns to 76 interceptions.  Surely there are worse Quarterbacks to choose from, right?  All jokes aside, Schaub should at the very least provide a steady hand as the Ravens continue to play out the string.  Look for Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman to craft a fairly conservative gameplan with so many of the so many players injured at the skill positions and along the Offensive Line; Tackle Eugene Monroe (shoulder) and Guard Kelechie Osemele (knee) are both listed as Doubtful for tonight’s outing, along with Wideout Marlon Brown (back), while starting Center Jeremy Zuttah (pectoral) is officially joining his Quarterback on IR.  With so many players dropping like flies, perhaps Harbaugh can do his best Dick Vermeil impression and host open tryouts and sign the next Vince Papale.  After all, Invincible was a pretty good film…

Meanwhile, cheer up Ravens’ fans, for as terrible as 2015 has been for your team, you’re not in even in last place in your division.  That distinction, folks, belongs to the Cleveland Browns.  It’s been yet another case of As the World Turns… in Cleveland, for the Browns (2-8, 4th in AFC North) have once again been a disaster, as the hand of Ownership looks to be inevitably creeping ever-so closer to the reset button.  While, canning Head Coach Mike Pettine and General Manager Ray Farmer after just two seasons may sound a bit premature, or even rash to some, it may be for the best… for all parties involved.  Browns’ Owner Jimmy Haslam my still be paying off former Head Coach Rob Chudzinski, but relieving Pettine and his Staff of their duties may appear to be a mercy killing.  Simply put, nothing this current regime has done has worked as planned.  The Draft has been a mess; both 2014 First Round Picks Justin Gilbert (8th Overall) and Johnny Manziel (22nd Overall) have been benched, the former due to poor play, while the latter has continued to exhibit his incredible maturity issues.  So has Management’s views on a number of prominent players who were nearly sold off for draft capital shortly before the Trade Deadline; a virtual who’s who of the Browns’ top players was reportedly available, as Left Tackle Joe Tomas, Center Alex Mack, Pass Rushers Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo we all made available to other teams, with some (Thomas) very nearly leaving the franchise altogether.  When you’re trying to improve after seven consecutive losing seasons, selling off the few good players that can be found on your roster seems very counterproductive to us.  After all, aren’t fire sales baseball’s shtick?  And that’s just chaos in the Front Office, for we haven’t even gotten to dumpster fire that’s been on the field.  It’s hard to find much improvement from the previous year to the current one, which could ultimately spell doom for Pettine and Co.  Cleveland still can’t run the football (75.6 yards per game) and has been even worse defending it (138.8 yards per game), while the Offense can’t take care of the football (20 turnovers), and the defense can’t keep the opposition from reaching the End Zone (27.7 points allowed).  Waitaminute, isn’t Pettine supposed to be a defensive guy?  With numbers like these, he’ll soon be an unemplouyed guy…

McCown has been a steady hand for a Franchise that’s perpetually been in chaos.

Now we apologize if we’re coming across as  harsh, for we’re sure that Pettine will get another shot somewhere.  We thought he was a good hire two years ago, and with his resume and pedigree he has the makings of a solid coach.  However, instead of getting his hands dirty and rebuilding the product on the field, he’s unfortunately been a victim of crisis management, which is something we blame solely on the Front Office.  With all the problems we mentioned earlier, how in the hell can anyone justify that they’ve given this man the requisite tolls to turn this miserable, downtrodden franchise around?  There has been very little evidence of a concrete plan in Cleveland, which is now appearing to be embodied by their current plight at Quarterback.  After drafting the polarizing Manziel in 2014 only to see the former Heisman land in rehab before his rookie season ended, Management made the choice to bring in Josh McCown to help stabilize the offense, while also serving as a mentor of sorts to his troubled understudy.  Through Training Camp and Preseason it became very clear that the 36-year old would be the starter, no matter how many people in the building longed for Manziel to earn the job.  In just about every way, McCown is the anti-Manziel; the thirteen-year veteran has beaten out far better Quarterbacks, and has clearly made the Browns’ offense far more respectable when he’s under Center.  In seven starts, he has completed 65.0% of his passes for an average of 271.0 yards per game (7.5 y/a), throwing eleven touchdowns to just four interceptions, while picking up another score on the ground.  Despite a 1-6 record, the team has been much more competitive when he’s on the field, with four of those starts being decided by seven points or less.  However, it was just a matter of time before Management would push for his benching in favor of Manziel, who after all they’ve invested so much in.  So when McCown suffered fractured ribs in a 34-20 loss against the Cardinals, the call came down to Pettine to put Johnny Football in starting lineup, and use that as an excuse to leave him there.  Cleveland wanted to see what they had in this kid, and needed an answer so that they could formulate another plan for the offseason.  The sophomore would start the following two games, losses at Cincinnati (31-10) and Pittsburgh (30-9) respectively, before news broke of a video in which the controversial Quarterback was partying with many celebrities, while appearing to be inebriated and holding a champagne bottle.  Now we’re going to go out on a limb and say that after your employers expend their resources to put you into rehab for drinking, that starring in something akin to a Drake music video isn’t going to go over well with said employers.  Lying about when it occurred probably isn’t going to help matters either.  So with the Manziel circus in full swing, Pettine has decided to go back to McCown for the foreseeable future, injured ribs be damned.  After all, if your job was on the line, would you stake your livelihood on No. 2?  Anyways, going back to McCown is a very logical choice with Baltimore on tap, for when he faced the Ravens earlier in the season, No. 13 had arguably the best game of his career; the good solider torched Baltimore’s beleaguered defense to the tune of 457 yards on 36-of-51 passing (70.6%), with three touchdowns, including the one we mentioned earlier that he ran for.  Something tells us that if Pettine had his way, this guy would have been starting under Center all season.  And with that said, this Manziel Experiment needs to end, and though this team is going nowhere in 2015, and virtually everyone we discussed will probably be in a different organization this time next year, the Browns will continue to be the Browns, until somebody in their Front Office crafts a solid plan and has the fortitude to see it through.