Browns: Bear-ly competitive

BY TONY GROSSI

the Plain Dealer

CHICAGO — The scent of change hung in the air as the Browns slinked into their bye week with a 1-7 record after a 30-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Outside the locker room, owner Randy Lerner talked of his despair and the need to add somebody to fix his organization.

In the post-game interview room, coach Eric Mangini vowed to “look at everything across the board ... coaches, players, personnel.” Asked if he were angry or frustrated, the coach barked, “You can choose any of those emotions and they fit.”

In a hallway, Mangini had an animated lecture with beleaguered offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Then Mangini prowled the locker room with a pronounced scowl so long that players took a double take.

Running back Jamal Lewis questioned the direction of the team, saying, “Where are we trying to go and what are we trying to accomplish?” The future Hall of Famer said he is so distraught with the way this season has gone south after “everybody bought in” in training camp that this would be his last season of playing.

“Period. Point blank. I’ve done what I needed to do,” Lewis said.

Was that just frustration talking?

“When I talk, I mean what I say,” Lewis shot back.

Quarterback Derek Anderson used words like “ridiculous” and “stupid” when discussing the team’s five offensive turnovers — two Anderson interceptions (one for a touchdown), a fumbled exchange with Lewis, and brutal fumbles after catches by tight end Steve Heiden and receiver Mohamed Massaquoi.

Anderson, who accomplished the feat of producing his lowest passer rating in a game this year (10.5) — worse than his 2-of-17 effort in Buffalo — was irate after a pass thrown from the end zone was intercepted and returned 21 yards for a touchdown by cornerback Charles Tillman.

Anderson’s second interception of the game, sixth in five games as a starter and ninth overall on the season, resulted in a Brady Quinn sighting with 2:57 left in the game.

“I’m not happy about anything,” Anderson said. “Not happy to get pulled out. Not happy that we lost. Not happy about anybody’s play — my play, nothing. Haven’t been happy.”

Anderson completed 6 of 17 passes for 76 yards — his second straight sub 100-yard game and third in his last four starts. He threw 12 times to wideouts and completed five.

The fumbles by Heiden and Massaquoi occurred after the Browns drove for their only touchdown on their first series of the second half to cut the Chicago lead to 16-6. Though the extra point was blocked, the momentum seemed to be shifting. The defense was beating up Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler and seemed to be on the verge of being rewarded.

Heiden’s fumble led to a 10-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte, making it an insurmountable three-score deficit for the Browns.

“To me, that was the changing point of the game,” said Heiden, who missed the last two games because of an ailing knee that had major surgery in December. “Anyone can hold on to the ball. I didn’t and it cost the team dearly.”

Anderson termed the snowballing mistakes “ridiculous.”

“If it it’s not one guy, it’s another guy,” he said. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another thing. Obviously, we control it and we have to control it. But it’s stupid.”

Quinn only got in for three plays and failed to produce a first down as his third-down pass was dropped by Heiden.

Mangini, who has adamantly refused to play Quinn since yanking him at halftime of Game 3, said he inserted him “to give him some reps.”

Why not earlier?

“I thought we actually moved the ball at points [of the second half],” Mangini said. “And then Mohamed had the fumble, Steve Heiden had the fumble. I thought we were moving the ball relatively effectively.”

As for who will start at quarterback after the bye, Mangini said, “We’ll look at it. At everything. We’ll look at every single position.”

The Browns’ foibles obscured the physical beating administered on Cutler by the defense.

The Browns sacked Cutler four times and hit him seven other occasions, according to the official game book. Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley bloodied Cutler’s chin with a helmet hit that drew a penalty and probably a fine later this week. Nose tackle Shaun Rogers pancaked Cutler another time, landing his 350 pounds squarely on the quarterback on the way down.