Usually when something starts to turn, “brown” it means it is going stale. Most fruits and vegetables tend to get that way when they are about to expire. Apparently when football goes bad it also turns “brown” as in the Cleveland Browns. Can you just imagine this Craigslist ad in Cleveland, Ohio under Free Stuff: “Free stuff not needed, first come first serve. We need to unload all Quarterbacks, Half-Backs, Wide Receivers, Line-backers etc. Everything must go by April 22nd. Will also accept your unwanted draft picks. For details contact MikeH@ClevelandBrowns.com”.

No, that is not a real ad, but you kind of get the feel that the Browns would like it to be. As rapper Eminem once sung, new Browns president Mike Holmgren seems to be “cleaning out his closet” and unloading everything the Browns had looked to build around in the past. This past Sunday, Holmgren dealt former first round pick Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos in exchange for 2 late round picks and Full-back Peyton Hillis. Then later dealt away top sack guy Kameron Wimbley, another former first round pick, to the Oakland Raiders for a third round pick. This coming after the Browns released another QB in Derek Anderson, along with some key starters from last years team such as Steve Heiden, Mike Furrey, Rex Hadnot, Brodney Pool, Corey Williams and Michael Gaines.

This seems to be a trend for the Browns. it is not just Holmgren and this years team that needs to be blamed. Last season the team waved bye to some of its other key players such as Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards, Jamal Lewis and Sean Jones. Is it making sense to dump the small bit of talent you have left to pile up draft picks? Can someone tell me a name of a Cleveland Brown that is better then Winslow, or Edwards or any other of the players dumped? This is a team that managed to go 5-11 last year and have been a very poor club over the years.

Some people want to rush to the Browns defense and say “yes but look who they brought in”, oh yes, please lets! 2 washed out QB’s in Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, both of which could not keep a starting job on dismal teams. Tight End Ben Watson, who caught a whopping 28 passes last year with the high powered Patriots offense. Tackle Tony Pashos, who may have some future here, and linebacker Scott Fujita, fresh off his Super Bowl win, much like Willie McGinest was when the Browns ruined his career with a free agent signing. Is it time to play “name the pro bowlers” yet? Where is the progress here, who is the star on this roster? Okay, yes they managed to re-sign Josh Cribbs, but boy does he need to re-evaluate his situation.

On the other hand the guys that left all have an upside to look forward too. Quinn goes to Denver with Josh McDaniels, a very good offensive minded coach who helped Kyle Orton to a career year last season nad also worked with a guy named Tom Brady in New England. If Quinn has any sort of true NFL game in him, McDaniels will find it. Wimbley makes his way to Oakland, who despite some odd draft pics and signings are actually progressing. Wimbley will be used as a major part of the Raiders pass rush attack. Braylon Edwards found his way to a very good Jets team that is expected to only get better this year, and have been rumored to be looking at Brandon Marshall to team up at WR with Edwards, now that’s progress. TE Kellen Winslow is with Tampa, who is also rebuilding, but he looks like a focal point in that offense. Sean Jones is in Philly, and played his first playoff game last year. We still are waiting on what will happen to Jamal Lewis. So you see, there is life after Cleveland, a very good life one could say.

So let’s say you’re a player and you are drafted by the Browns come this April. Are you really going to get excited about joining footballs black hole? Can we really expect to hear kids saying “I’m excited to be part of the Browns?” Quinn thought it was going to be exciting, um see ya! Anderson had thought he found his destiny, um good-bye. Braylon Edwards was on the verge of becoming an elite receiver, um thanks for stopping and so on, and so on. Heck even head coach Eric Mangini seems to be doomed here. The Browns seem to be set on losing, and losing well for the next few seasons, and the fall guy will be Mangini.

So Mike Holmgren comes in, brings in his people for the front office and now is rumored to be bringing in his West Coast offensive scheme too. I can’t believe that working the sidelines in Seattle was actually worse then this! Holmgren no longer has a Brett Favre offense and Reggie White defense on his side. He no longer has a Shaun Alexander and stellar offensive line to pave his way. Now the so called “guru” will have to put his nose to the grind and find talent, and find it fast. Who does he think he is, Bill Parcells? Cleveland, Ohio you should still be looking to lynch Art Modell. Look at what has become of your football lives. As your former hall of fame player Ozzie Newsome betters the Ravens as it’s GM, you are subjected to this mess. Clearly the fans call it the “Dog Pound” because ownership is quickly turning it into “Dog SH-ut your mouth”

The Detroit Lions may not be the leagues only team to go through a season undefeated. This sad bunch seems to be ready to sink its teeth into the challenge. You feel for its very few bright spots, like new found running sensation Jerome Harrison, and the aforementioned Cribbs. Imagine going to work everyday for a company that was last in sales in its field. Try and give your all to a store or business that will never get a customer because it is outsold by every other competitor. Yes, these players make millions, but do you think it means they don’t want to win? I find it unlikely.

Yes no salary caps in the NFL this year, which also means no minimum either, allowing some teams to freely tank and hope to still turn a profit and gear up for next year. It is the NFL after all, and in a devoted city like Cleveland the people sadly will still come no matter how bad the product on the field is. Maybe they don’t need a proven QB, perhaps Cribbs can return kicks, punts and run a Wildcat style of offense? Figure with him and Wallace they can at least add a run dynamic at QB. Hm, somehow I can’t see an old dog trying a new trick. Holmgren has as much desire to run a Wildcat offense as Peyton Manning does. Time to install yet a new system, which will be the fourth new system in 4 seasons.

With all apologies Cleveland Browns fans, I wish you well. Look on the bright side, this team has to have loads of cash saved up for 2011, right?

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Check out the NFL Film Classics – Legends of Autumn, Vols. 1-3 DVD by clicking here.

Order the 10-DVD set, NFL: Philadelphia Eagles – 10 Greatest Games by clicking here.

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

These NFL weeks are going faster now with the addition of the Thursday Night Game. It seems like yesterday that Bill Belichick went for it on 4th down and gave Peyton Manning another opportunity at an NFL memory. After two weeks of Rodgers vs. Favre and Brady vs. Manning rivalries, there are no juicy quarterback matches on the docket this week. Yet for some NFL teams, the playoffs start this week with must-win games.

The first game with huge playoff implications pits the undefeated Indianapolis Colts against the 5-4 Baltimore Ravens. After coming out gangbusters, the Ravens have hit a bit of a slide recently. The Week 10 games for both of these teams couldn’t have been anymore different. The Colts squeaked by once again with a win against the Patriots while the Ravens laid a smack down on their division rival on Monday Night Football. I expect something in between this week.

The big x-factors here are the injuries. Both teams are missing key players, the latest being Terrell Suggs on the Ravens who will miss the game. Of all the players missing this game, I think Suggs is the biggest loss for either team. The book is out on Peyton Manning and you need to bring pressure to beat him. The Ravens have been hot and cold on Manning over the years. Last season, the Colts torched them for 31-3 in a game that I guarantee you that Ray Lewis hasn’t forgotten.

The Ravens are the kind of a team that you talk about every year that could have won the games they lost. Three of the Ravens four losses came by less than a touchdown. Joe Flacco has hit a bit of sophomore slump, but the emergence of Ray Rice as a premiere running back in the NFL has made this team very difficult to keep down. Just when you think you have the Ravens beat, Rice breaks off a big run or pass play for seven and turns the momentum completely around. He will need quite a few of those to hang with the Colts.

The Colts are 9-0 and had to fight until the final minute for every win the last few weeks. This is a tired and beaten up team right now. The timing is perfect for the Ravens to come in and play a physical game against the Colts. The Colts have a very difficult schedule over the next several weeks. They aren’t going to run the table and I will predict a big upset here by the Ravens. The Ravens have a new kicker, will make their field goals, and pull out yet another squeaker.

The grudge match of the day takes place in New England. The Patriots will play their second grudge match in a row as they host the New York Jets. These teams don’t like each other one bit and it goes further back than “Spy Gate.” The Jets talked a lot of trash earlier this season and backed it up with a huge upset over the Patriots in Week 2. Well an upset in most places, but I did pick the Jets here on CamelClutchBlog.com. Can the Jets do the unthinkable and sweep the Pats? I don’t think so.

These two teams were in very different places from Week 2. For one, the Patriots won’t have to worry about Leon Washington. Washington averaged 31 yards a kickoff return in their first meeting. Two, Tom Brady was out of rhythm and still getting used to the speed of the game. Quite frankly, Brady was terrible. Three, Belichick had no book on Mark Sanchez or Rex Ryan. Finally, the momentum is in the Patriots favor as the Jets have lost some very close games in ugly fashion. The heat is already on in New York and in New England, 4th and 2 will be a distant memory at kickoff.

I look for a big win here. I look for Belichick to run the score up on the Jets. Belichick was already mad at the Jets and after last week, he is just mad at the world. Tom Brady will look to prove something here after that poor effort in Week 2. Not too mention the fact that after last week’s loss, the Patriots need to win out for any hopes at home field in the playoffs. I love the Patriots here and in the end, I don’t think it’s even close.

Another game with playoff implications for both teams features the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears in a Donovan McNabb homecoming game. Jay Cutler will look to rebound from his Jake Delhomme impersonation in a Sunday Night Football headliner. McNabb and the Eagles will look to try and convert a short yardage situation at the goal line and give Philly fans some playoff hopes. This is one of those games that features two of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL in a situation where you just have no idea what either team is going to give you on a week to week basis.

Jay Cutler has been horrendous in night games this season. The bulk of his interceptions this season came in his two night games. The Eagles have gone 1-1 in night games, but Donovan McNabb hasn’t had his best moments in either one of them. I do like Donovan in Chicago. McNabb is a Chicago native and has had big wins in Chicago. He just loves coming home and playing in front of friends and family. Unfortunately, the Eagles defense is going to make it very difficult for him to continue that great stretch of winning games in Chi-Town.

The Eagles are just decimated by injuries and personnel problems on both sides of the ball. The offensive line is a mess and Brian Westbrook is out for the game. On defense, they could be without several starters depending upon Sheldon Brown’s status at game time. As an Eagles fan I hate to say it but this game is tailor-made for Jay Cutler. I look for Cutler to have a huge game here and give him and Greg Olsen high fantasy recommendations. The Eagles will have to surprise the Bears with a run game here and that isn’t going to happen with Big Red. I look for a big Bears win and another embarrassing Eagles loss in prime time.

Quick Hits - The Detroit Lions have hung with all of the big boys yet lost to the Rams. Look for the Lions to smash it up against the Browns. Jake Delhomme looks to be back and he’ll have big opportunities against the Dolphins. Are the Broncos still on a bye week? Remember the Favre-Young games? Well this week’s game is going to be far from it. I am curious to see what kind of changes that the Giants make coming off of the bye week. Who would have thought four weeks ago that this Monday night’s game between the Titans and Texans would be this big? The Vikings struggled a bit against the Lions, but will have a great matchup against the Seahawks who are terrible on the road. Is it even possible for the Saints to struggle this week against the Bucs? Oh how I would love to see Washington beat Dallas at home this Sunday.

Fantasy Fix - If you have followed my fantasy recommendations since Week 1, I have given you at least one sneaky sleeper every week. Last week, all four of sleepers hit for lucky fantasy owners. I recommended Ricky Williams last week who gave you double-digits, Braylon Edwards who had 79 receiving yards, Matthew Stafford who had 14 points last week (only two less than Drew Brees), and Jamaal Charles who had a big day as predicted against the Raiders. I won’t hit on all of my sleepers every week, but I have hit on at least two a week. You won’t find the obvious names like Peterson and Manning here. I do the work, look at the numbers, and find you the guys under the radar that you can plug in for a quick fix. Here are this week’s sneaky sleepers you likely won’t be seeing anywhere else but here on the CamelClutchBlog.com.

Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers - I can’t believe I would ever recommend Jake the Fake, but I love him this week. Delhomme is getting Miami on a short week and the Dolphins are struggling on defense. The Dolphins give up over 30% more fantasy points than the average team to quarterbacks. Delhomme and the Panthers are rolling and the guy is getting hot. The Dolphins will be without Ronnie Brown and the running game won’t be the same. The defense is going to get tired from the Stewart-Williams machine and open up some spots for Delhomme and Steve Smith. If you need a quarterback fix this week, go with Jake…for this week only!

Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears - I know his quarterback is an interception machine, however the Eagles are the absolute worst team in the NFL against tight ends. The Eagles give up a whopping 76% more points to tight ends than the average team on a weekly basis. The Eagles will also be without several key defensive players, including Sheldon Brown who is questionable. Olsen gave me seven points in one league last week and was Cutler’s go-to guy in the end zone (although those targets wound up being interceptions). I own Olsen specifically for this week. I don’t think Olsen lets me or you down if you play him.

Jacoby Jones, Houston Texans - I may be a bit too bullish on him here, but I really like him if you need a fantasy fix. We saw our first glimpse of the Schaub-Jones connection before the Texans bye week. Everyone expects Kevin Walter to step up and so will the opposing defenses. This leaves Jones some opportunities to make some big plays down the stretch. The Titans give up a lot of points to wide receivers and will be spending all game defending Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter. I look for Jones as a sneaky play this week.

Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants - Talk about a huge fantasy football bust this year! Jacobs was starting to get on a bit of a roll before his last game against the Chargers. He has a great matchup this week against the Atlanta Falcons. Jacobs has been bothered by injuries this season and will be fresh off of the bye week. Unfortunately for whatever reason, most of his better games have come on the road and he plays at home Sunday. The Falcons give up 4.6 yards a carry and are ranked 26th overall against the rush. Play Brandon Jacobs with confidence this week.

Bonus – Ricky Williams, Miami Dolphins - Don’t forget as I pointed out last week, he has double-digits against all of the Dolphins NFC opponents. NFC teams didn’t spend a lot of time preparing for the Wildcat in the off season and won’t start now. Injuries to the Panthers defense and a returning lineman for the Dolphins make Williams a very appealing play.

CamelClutchBlog.com Fantasy Football Standings

Division 1
Dusty’s RedBellySpot 7-3 (Eric Gargiulo)
Havertown Spoilers 6-3-1 (Bryan Reigel)
Team Nuetral Zone 4-5-1 (Brett Clendaniel)
Team We Own You 4-6 (Erik Espenberg)
Team Wheelhouse Radio! 3-7 (Jeff Peck)

Division 2
Team The Nice Guys 9-1 (Jeff Porrini)
…Not You!!! 7-3 (John Yomtov)
1st Place 4-6 (Derek Sabato)
The Kings of Krista 3-7 (Josh Usher)
Team Rowland 2-8 (Justin Rowland)

NFL Week 11 Picks!

I had a huge bounceback week going 10-5 last week. More importantly I had both the Redskins and the Packers in games that were considered upsets. Unfortunately, I never predicted that Belichick would give a game away and the Eagles would continue to struggle in the red zone. I am 94-50 overall on the season. Now for the NFL Week 11 Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

Miami Dolphins vs Carolina Panthers
Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys
Cleveland Browns vs Detroit Lions
San Francisco 49ers vs Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs
Atlanta Falcons vs New York Giants
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Indianapolis Colts vs Baltimore Ravens
Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams
New York Jets vs New England Patriots
Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers vs Denver Broncos
Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago Bears
Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans

Place your NFL bets with Bodog.com or BetUs.com.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.

One fantasy football player’s nightmare could be your fantasy football dreams come true. If there is any bright spot to losing a fantasy football game, it is the fact that you will get top dibs on the waiver wire. This may be the best week of the season for players with running back needs to get a quick fix. Four starting running backs went down in NFL Week 10 which means that there are four potential starting running backs on the waiver wire this week. Let’s check out some quick fixes and long term solutions as we near the fantasy football playoffs.

Justin Forsett - Of all the running backs I will suggest this week, he may be your best long term option here. Forsett came into the game Sunday for Julius Jones and had over 100 yards and a touchdown against a very good rushing defense. Jones has a bruised lung and could be out longer than any of the other running backs who got hurt over the weekend. Forsett was a really good back in college and is the kind of small, fast running back that could give defenses fits the rest of the way. Don’t be scared of the Vikings rushing defense, Ray Rice had a very good game against them and Forsett is a lot like Rice. Not too mention, the Seahawks have games against the Rams, the Bucs, and the Titans down the stretch who all give up big points to running backs. Jim Mora loves to run the ball and Forsett could really thrive in his West Coast offense in both the running and passing game.

Ricky Williams - The only downside here is that while Ricky hasn’t technically been a starting running back, he is probably unavailable in your league. In the Wildcat offense, Ricky has thrived this season and is putting up better numbers than half of the starting tailbacks in the NFL. Ronnie Brown is hurt and likely out for this Thursday’s game. Williams is a very good one-week option, and quite honestly is one of the best flex players in fantasy football even with Brown in the lineup. The Panthers are a good running defense, but an even better passing defense. Pat White and Lex Hilliard will allow the Miami Dolphins to continue the Wildcat offense, with Williams getting the bulk of the carries. Grab him if you can, and keep him even if Brown comes back in the near future.

Jason Snelling - The verdict is still out on Michael Turner’s injury, but it doesn’t look good. Turner’s primary backup Jerious Norwood is hurt also. The Falcons have a great schedule for running backs the rest of the way. Snelling got a touchdown Sunday against the Panthers, who once again have a terrific running defense. Keep in mind that while Turner is down, his offensive line isn’t going anywhere. The Falcons have a great line and Snelling will get his holes down the stretch. Turner’s injury didn’t look good and I would be shocked if he comes back anytime in the next three weeks. Having a starting back in this offense for Weeks 11, 12, and 13 in fantasy football could make the difference in whether you make the playoffs or not.

Leonard Weaver - Unfortunately, Weaver would probably be your worst option here. However, with Brian Westbrook’s future in serious doubt Weaver will get carries. I tend to lean more towards Weaverthe course of the season than LeSean McCoy, because Weaver is likely to get the goal line carries. At the same time, Andy Reid never runs and rarely ever wins in short yardage situations. Both of these guys are low recommendations, but if you need some improvement at running back Weaver could give you numbers throughout the season. In the end, I have a feeling that Weaver is in line for a big fantasy game.

Jake Delhomme - Lord strike me dead for recommending Delhomme, but I kind of like him if you need help at quarterback. I think the worst is over for Delhomme and he and Steve Smith actually look like they are starting to get in sync with each other. Quarterbacks can be really streaky and just when you think they are done, they can turn it around and run the table with great games. For starters, he has a great matchup against Miami on Thursday. The Dolphins give up a lot of points to quarterbacks and I don’t expect things to be any different on a short week. Should Delhomme remain hot, he has two great quarterback matchups in Weeks 15 and 16 which are your playoff and championship weeks. Look for Jake as a high recommendation this week in my NFL preview column.

Brandon Gibson - At wide receiver, Gibson is a good waiver wire add if you are desperate for some receiver depth. Gibson’s role is expected to increase due to Keenan Burton’s injury. Like Delhomme, Marc Bulger is on the verge of turning it around and getting hot. Gibson had 7 catches for 93 yards against one of the best passing defenses in the NFL on Sunday. Gibson has some tremendous fantasy matchups in the coming weeks against the Seahawks, Bears, Cardinals, and Titans. As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, I watched Gibson in the pre season and I liked him a lot. He made some really difficult catches and was just simply a casualty of numbers in Philadelphia. I look for big things from him in the future and they could come as soon as this Sunday against the Cardinals.

I won’t hit on everyone, but if you have followed this blog you have gotten some very productive fantasy players off of the waiver wire. Jamaal Charles, Vince Young, Ryan Moats, Shonn Greene, Mike Wallace, Vernon Davis, Sidney Rice, and Ladell Betts have all been suggested here and have all had some big weeks since then. I look at upcoming matchups, situations, coaching habits, and breakdown their fantasy opponents before I make a high or low recommendation. They all won’t hit every week (nobody will not named Peterson or Jones-Drew), but read closely what I am saying and when to play these guys. Take Jamaal Charles for example. I recommended him solely for the Raiders game and he hit as expected Sunday. So use this information wisely and get a step ahead of the players in your league with some diamonds in the ruff.

Make sure to check out my NFL previews every week for the not-so-obvious high fantasy recommendations.

Place your NFL bets with Bodog.com.

Get your NFL jerseys discounted now on Amazon.com by clicking here

Play and Win Fantasy Football with the National Football Post – Buy Now

Use Fantasy Football Commissioner for all of your FF needs at www.fflcommish.com/.

Your favorite NFL teams and players gone big – Fathead.com

Order the Madden NFL 10: Official Strategy Game Guide by clicking here.