The Sports Guru

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Browns, with the agent for C Bob Hallen announcing his client will retire tomorrow for the NFL. Nagging back problems are being blamed for the sudden move by Hallen, who was brought in to be the “utility” guy on the Brown’s revamped Offensive Line. All that changed on July 27 when starting Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley was lost for the season with a knee injury. Suddenly Hallen was thrust into the starting role, a role it seems he never really wanted to begin with.

After complaining of back pain after Monday’s practice, Hallen left camp to visit a back specialist on the West Coast, against the will of the Browns and Head Coach Romeo Crennel. Crennel used the term, “AWOL” when describing Hallen’s absence from the team and the Browns traded a late round pick to New England for backup Center Ross Tucker.

The Browns now have two centers in camp, both with little or no NFL experience. Tucker will battle with Alonzo Ephraim for the starters job. Ephraim will get the nod tonite as the Browns open their Pre-Season campaign in Philadelphia.

What once was considered a strength of the 2006 Browns is quickly becoming a major catastrophy. Bentley has been joined by veteran Ryan Tucker, who had his knee scoped and is hoping to return by week 1. Ross Tucker and Ephraim will be tasked with protecting 2nd year quarterback Charlie Frye against some of the best nose-tackles in the game. Casey Hampton of the Steelers, Sam Adams in Cincinnati and 1st Round pick Haloti Ngata in Baltimore.

It doesn’t take a Guru to figure out the Browns need to make a move to get a more established center and there should be a few available by the end of the pre-season. One name to keep your eyes on is former Ohio State standout Alex Stepanovich, who went to High School about 100 yards away from the Browns’ training facility in Berea. Just a hunch…..

Projected Record

8-8, 3rd Place AFC West

Projected Schedule W/L
@Oakland (L)
Tennessee (W)
@Baltimore (L)
Pittsburgh (W)
@San Francisco(W)
@Kansas City (L)
St. Louis (W)
Cleveland (W)
@Cincinnati (L)
@Denver (L)
Oakland (W)
@Buffalo (L)
Denver (L)
Kansas City (W)
@Seattle (L)
Arizona (W)

Marty Schottenheimer has been a head coach for 20 years. He has 186 wins, more than the likes of Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan. He has taken 3 teams to the playoffs, Cleveland, Kansas City and San Diego. He has double-digit victories in 10 of his 20 seasons and has had a losing season only twice. As Marty heads into his 5th season, he is on the hot seat. He is coming off a disappointing 9-7 season and has watched his starting quarterback head to New Orleans. There are rumors of a bad relationship with Chargers GM A.J. Smith. The Chargers are expected to win, though they’ll turn the keys over to Philip Rivers, who has yet to start an NFL game. Marty probably deserves better. A brutal schedule that saw 5 trips to the East Coast last season ruined the Chargers last year. So did some bad losses, at home to the Dolphins, at Philly when a field goal was blocked, run back for a TD in the last 3 minutes. The head coach takes the hit for losses like that. The expectation is they make the playoffs and make a run. Marty had better start to sweat.


Team Strengths – Early in the 2005 season a funny thing happened in San Diego. They forgot they had one of the most explosive players in all of football. Ladainian Tomlinson is a home run hitter. For the Chargers to have success he needs the ball in his hands. 25+ carries, coupled with 5 catches a game, minimum. When that happens the Chargers are extremely hard to beat. They are moving the ball and controlling the clock. Antonio Gates is a dangerous weapon and will become a safety valve for Rivers. Wade Phillips has installed the 3-4 defense and they have a star in Shawn Merriman. When you look at the roster on paper it’s is hard to find reasons this team doesn’t win.

Team Weaknesses - I have to go with Phillip Rivers at quarterback. Drew Brees is gone to New Orleans and the job has been handed to Rivers, the #4 pick in the 2004 draft. Reports out of camp have been extremely positive however, but I need to see it to believe it. There isn’t much talent at the Wide Receiver position, with an aging Keenan McCardell leading the way. The offensive line took a step backward last season after a great 2004 season. They will need to play better for the Chargers to get where they want to go. The defense is fast and talented, but it is designed to get off the field. They are undersized and can get worn down by big offenses and during extended drives. Can Marty win a big game/ Until he does his big game coaching has to be a weakness.

Best Case Scenario – The Chargers play up to potential and win the games they should. This is the team that went to Indianapolis and beat the unbeaten Colts. They know how to beat the best teams in football and have the talent to have a huge season. An easier travel schedule this season should help the Chargers.They only head east 3 times, and the trips are well distributed throughout the season. After a sub-par season for L.T.(by his standards) he is primed to have a huge season this year. Rivers has the tools to be better than Brees and if the reports out of camp are true could be the difference for the Chargers.

Worst Case Scenario – The Chargers aren’t especially deep, especially at the skill positions. Rivers has to stay healthy, with A.J. Feely and Charlie Whitehurst backing him up any injury to Rivers could be disasterous. It goes without saying that L.T. needs to be on the field as well, and Marty needs to remember that in most games he is the best player on the field. If the Chargers struggle out of the box things could get very hot in San Diego.

My Opinion – Based on history, the Chargers are going to lose 2 games on their schedule that they shouldn’t. That is the difference between a team that is 10-6 and 8-8. In this case it is going to be the difference between the Chargers getting to the playoffs and missing them. It is also the difference between Marty keeping his job and finding a new on after the season. The first 6 games will tell the tale - 4 road games(Oakland, Baltimore, San Francisco and Kansas City) and a home game against Pittsburgh. If the Chargers are 3-3 or 2-4 after that stretch it might be a long season. If they can win a couple of those games then the momentum may carry them through to a big season. With a new quarterback there are going to be some struggles and teams are going to force Rivers to beat them. Without much outside other than Antonio Gates, that may be easier said than done.