Brown Close Out... and plan accordingly

OK, so the Browns beat the Bengals and it was an enjoyable performance, if not an overly impressive one. Well Lee Suggs obviously impressed (more on that in a sec) and the DBs had a very good game. The offensive line played pretty well (which is a huge compliment considering) too. But the game also showed the team's deficiencies at times -- the defensive line was spotty, we're still not wuite there at linebacker, and Couch, while playing a smart ballgame, didn't connect for too many big plays. I also thought the offensive playcalling was somewhat lame, especially considering this was the game to pul out all the stops. What is up with calling a SHOTGUN formation on 4th and short? Don't you AT LEAST want to show the run? Or, god forbid, maybe we might actually want to run?

Bruce Arians has lots of time to ponder such questions as he was jettisoned as soon as Monday began. No surprise, I guess, but it was surprising and refreshing to read Butch's comments after the game and regarding Arian's canning. HE TOOK RESPONSIBILITY, mostly. This is the first time he's ever done that with the Browns and it's either going to be a watershed moment or the beginning of the end. Anyway, I'm down with Arians hitting the road; the lack of a fullback and too many wussy end arounds and trips formations was proof Arians offense wasn't meant to win too many Super Bowls (NOTE: If the Colts win it this year, I take it all back).

Lee Suggs indomitable performance in Cincy is very good, excellent. If his spin move on the way to the endzone didn't stir something deep in your football soul, then I don't know what will. When the was the last time the Browns has a back pull off that move and he wasn't named Metcalf? And this dude is pretty big. I don't know if he'll be starter worthy but he's obviously looking better than William Green at this point. In fact, Green is still rehabbing and, if there's a tv wherever he's at, he had to be worried about his starting job cause, frankly, Suggs looked more explosive and aggressive this past Sunday. James Jackson and Jamel White are #'s 3 & 4 rigth now on a list that will only be 3 come next season. I thought White looked almost back to his old self the last couple weeks; if he loses some of the weight that slowed him down (and quite trying to become a starting back) he'd again be a hugely dangerous weapon. James Jackson has, I think, proven his worth.

The big news now is that the Browns will likely keep Couch as the starter next season. What does this mean? First and foremost I think it means the team is going to be committed to RUNNING THE BALL and it probably means the offensive line and maybe a tight end will be targeted in the draft. Why do I think this? Cause Couch has proven himself to be a decent QB qho'll buy into the system, but not a guy with an explosive arm -- if the Browns committ to Couch they are really committing to finishing off what should be a well-balanced offense. Of course, this all also means Couch is going to re-do his deal and it might mean the exit of Kelly Holcomb from Cleveland (for a draft pick, one hopes). But first things first, and we'll have to wait to see how it plays out. So far, though, I'm all for this as 1) blowing mega bucks on a free agent QB is going to be unfruitful, and 2) I deeply feel that this is the offseason the Browns finally draft the trenches on offense. Jeez, I mean, you think Kosar would have made a Super Bowl is they'd done that? We'll never know, but I'm okay with Couch getting a shot.

LeBron

In better news, it's clear now that LeBron James is the real deal. More than that, the guy is already the biggest superstar ever to play for a Cleveland team. And after the last two road wins, it's starting to look to me like James is better than all the hype. And the hype is huge -- there's probably no other player who has ever been subject to such scrutiny and extravagence in their whole career except for prime-era Jordon, Magic, and Tiger. The team may not make it into the playoffs this year but the Ricky Davis trade means one thing -- this is LeBron's team, and everything is about developing him into the type of player who will lead the Cavs deep into the playoffs. He's scoring and a dishing in equally impressive measure now and barring injury I think we'll see a .500 team for the rest of the year. Silas won with a solid but unassuming roster in Charlotte. I think he'll win now with a solid but unassuming cast around James.

Collapse

"It's been a long time since any group has paid more for less. The Browns need to take that very seriously, to appreciate all the fans in the seats. They need to realize how the customers have every right to be angry."

Two newspapers, two columns (Here's the other) calling for the Browns to apologize to fans. Looks like the sentiment of so many Browns fans is finally catching up in the media. I go to games with 3 guys who each have season tickets in 3 different parts of the stadium; they've all been feeling the same way this year -- like they're getting robbed. Heck, last season I think people felt this way (I sure did at times) but the team played so well on the road and got a miraculous playoff birth that it was hard to complain too loudly. But this year.... ugh.

We live in a city that is practically shrinking economically. Certainly many of the season-ticket holders are people who have lots of real-world worries -- like keeping a job. Heck, I wonder how many laid-off city workers were at yesterday's game, wondering what else they could have done with that $600 or so buck they dropped on a season ticket this year. In front of this sold-out crowd the Browns went down with hardly a wimper in the second-half yesterday. In the third-quarter the Ravens KO-ed the Browns on Jamel Lewis' long TD run. After that, the Browns loafed, jogged, and tripped over themselves on their way to their Escalades and Expeditions in the players parking lot. At the end of the day Butch Davis proclaimed how sickened he was with this year's performance, but never did he own up to his responsibility as head of this debacle. I'm eagerly awaiting him to take some accountability and say, "I didn't get the job done." And he should take Terry Pluto's advice and say to the fans, "You deserve better." And it wouldn't hurt if he said these things while on his knees.

Where to start this offseason? See if you can guess what my suggestion is... "Receiver Quincy Morgan expressed frustration yesterday that he's not getting his number called enough - and therefore having trouble when the ball finally comes his way." ARE YOU F*&KING KIDDING ME? I suppose this also explains his complete failure to block on several outside running plays? This guy needs to go back to Kansas pronto.

Arrrrgh. How about this idea -- the Cleveland Browns should round up some long-time season ticket holders, maybe a 100 people, and sit the starting players down in small groups to talk to the fans. Let the fans express what their expectations are. Let them tell these players how long they've been rooting for this team, and what sacrifices they make to be able to come downtown 10 Sundays a year. For that matter, have the coaches and front-office sit in as well. Sometimes I really don't think the Browns realize who they are representing out on the field each week, and how shameful such a lack of effort is.

Couch to Return?

Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch has essentially agreed to rework his contract in the offseason, which probably assures his return to the Browns for 2004, likely as the starter.

Green To Enter Rehab

Good for him, though to be honest I'm not sure rehab is the thing he needs most. I think he needs a mentor, maybe some good friends to show him a way to live that is enjoyable and satisfying. I'm not a pro athlete, but I can envision how losing one's parents and being a great football player might cause one to develop a unique mix of anger + escapism and feelings of great responsibility. Those are tough things to live with too. I really hope William gets what he needs, one way or another.

Ricky Davis Gone

After that wrong-basket-rebound thing last season I don't care if they get nothing for him. But if Battie or Williams can play defense, maybe this won't be too bad. It's all about developing LeBron I guess.

Overdue Fantasy Update

Man, it's been a while since I mentioned this.... FC Brunedogs captured the regular season crown and has now advanced to the championship. Yes, yes, amazing that a team with arguably only one top-shelf running back could do this. I have to admit I'm pretty surprised myself. The last time I mentioned this tpic I was a very shocking 5-0, aided by lucking into a few early season victories. I wound up going a strong 5-3 down the stretch to finish with the league's best record, though not the highest scoring teams. Playoff roster as follows...

QB: Bulger, Hasselbeck
RB: Henry, K Barlow, M Bennett, J White
WR: Harrison, C Johnson, H Ward, S Moss, Muhammed
TE: Gonzalez
K: Longwell
D: CAR, SEA

Obviously the strength of the team is at WR and TE. Frankly, I can't believe my luck at WR. While it was a definitely strategy to get 4 top WRs, picking Moss with the last pick was kind of icing on the cake. While no WR is a sure thing every week, I'll take Harrison and the ability to play the best match-up with the other guys. Tony Gonzalez, as I think I said in the preseason, is easily the best TE for fantasy purposes. Travis Henry has been a warrior and pretty darn consistent on an otherwise crappy Bills team. Bulger and Hasselbeck haven't been consistent but, well, it's nice to have two legitimate options there are well.

We play a 4-team playoff with each round consisting of two weeks. After week one FC Brunedogs was getting smacked 96-69. But this weekend the fantasy gods smiled and granted fine performances from anchors Harrison, Gonzalez and C Johnson and granted me wisdom to select the best performing player from the various options available to me, especially late-season FA addition Kevan Barlow. And the Browns held my opponents duo of Sharpe/Rod Smith out of the endzone to ensure a win. By a 134-87 score we go to the championship with a 203-183 aggregate score. For a while there I didn't want to blog about this in fear of jinxing the season. Now that a strong finish and profitable financial payout is assured, that fear has subsided. Whoo-hoo!

Oh yeah, now with the Bills out of it Henry may not see regular touches. Michael Bennett and the Vikings remains a mystery to me. Ward and S Moss don't feel like sure things anymore. It could be tough to pull a championship out with this group. Stranger things have happened though. Today I'm just enjoy my little victory.

Another Loss That Wasn't As Bad As Feared

While the Browns were falling 23-20 in overtime to the Broncos I couldn't help but wonder what could have been of this season. For a team with many injuries and a decimated offensive line the Browns looked good. Again, the defense showed it was playoff worthy. Lee Suggs showed a little. Couch was okay -- not good enough to win the game, but he kept the team in it, especially with a great toss to Davis for the last TD. Warren had perhaps his best game. Andra Davis looked good too.

While it was unfortunate Michael Lehan lost Lelie on that long pass at the end of regulation, it was at least heartening to see the Broncos have to step up and really gut it out to beat a supposedly hapless 4-9 Browns team. It's proof just how small a margin there is between a good/bad team right now. In the see-saw NFL there's no reason to think the Browns won't make a playoff run in 2004. Sucks now though.

Sunday hopefully underscored to the front office what any Browns fan already knows -- the offseason priority has to be with the offensive line. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a Kyle Turley in free agency and another Faine-caliber player at guard via the draft. You can bet that the Holcomb/Couch saga would have ended much differently had that been the case this season too.

Part of me hates to say it but, overal, I still like this year's team. With the notable exception of the offensive line, I think almost every unit stands to improve in 2004. As of Dec. 15 my ideal offseason goes something like this....

Draft -- 2 OL, 1 QB, 1 DL, 1 DB...
Free Agency -- 1 or 2 OL, 1 S, 1 LB, 1 TE
Internal moves -- Resign Northcutt, retain Couch and Holcomb, retain Warren, release Green, renegotiate/release C. Brown.

I don't believe getting a free agent quarterback is the cure to what ails the quarterback position; I really believe it starts in the trenches, at least in this offense, and that Couch can play the position well enough to win consistently. Keeping/jettisoning Couch is a tough decision in football terms, but it's even tougher in financial terms. My vote is for keeping him. However, drafting a passer in the first 3 rounds would not be a wasted pick. Assuming Holcomb remains the backup, it'd be a good idea to groom a successor.

William Green's situation presents the most potentially damaging problem to this team. I doubt he'll be back, and if he is he won't be a dominant player. The financial impact of releasing him is going to really hurt, but won't be devastating. It helps that James Jackson, Jamel White, and the intriguing Lee Suggs are all signed to reasonable contracts. After last season's tear-inducing spring to the endzone vs. Atlanta I will be sorry to see William go, but the road he faces now is daunting and relying on a big contribution from Green would be foolish.

Something has to give with Courtney Brown as well, though he is a good football player when on the field. Two things have been dissappointing -- his lack of dominance and his tendency to get hurt. Which means he is vastly overpaid and will either be cut or will renegotiate down to a better number. It will probably come down to whether or not Butch Davis sees Brown on this team for the next couple years.

Anyway, to say it again, the offseason has already begun...

New Convention Center Is Just like Our Regional Leadership -- Nonexistant

You know, it's been a tough Browns season but the consternation they've caused me is nothing compared to the super-sad plight of the mythical new convention center. Only a week after a new plan was proposed and seemed to be gaining some momentum, it was promptly scratched because its prospects didn't look good. This sucks. I have serious reservations about being able to live and work prosperously in Cleveland the rest of my life.

I don't blame those involved with this plan for scrapping it -- the timeline was indeed tight, and the initial reactions from the community appeared to be very much opposed. It was clear that it was going to take a significant and well-executed effort to educate the public about the plan. But the general ignorance of people really astounds me. There are several truisms that so many people just don't seemt o get...

1) The urban core of an area is vital; if it is not healthy the region will suffer. You don't have to spend your day in the City to be dependent on it.

2) There's a budget crisis in Cleveland. The only real way to address it is job growth. Everything else is a band-aid.

3) Cleveland's a good place with plenty of marketable attractions, but currently also with a useless, out-of-date convention center. It's amazing how much of what people are saying challenges these two points.

Don't believe me? Check out this community feedback in the Plain Dealer last week. They are the comments of citizens who are just hanging on, waiting for the next handout, waiting for something good to appear out of thin air.

Yes, I know there's a fiscal crisis in Cleveland. Yes I know cops and firemen are being laid off. But it is suicidal for Cleveland to think these problems will be solved by not investing in itself. Without a turn-around in the region's economy we are caught of in an end game, and that end is not a pleasant one for Northeast Ohio.

Fire the Weight Trainer!!! Again!!!

With five more guys shelved for the rest of the year, perhaps Butch Davis can retract a few of his nasty quips about the former conditioning assistant who he'd hinted hadn't prepared players well enough in previous seasons, which resulted in unacceptably high injury totals. There are now 12 players on IR. That's insane. I think it's karma.

Admiring Couch

Yep. I think the guy is a battler. His flaws are well known to Browns fans, but we should be aware of his good qualities -- namely that he usually gives the team a shot, and that he plays better when he's down. There aren't that many good "comeback" players in the NFL, but I think Couch could be one of them. Last season I swore, halfway through the 4th quarter of the last Baltimore game that Couch was finished, that he was horrible... of course the Browns pulled out an ugly win and now, almost a year later, I'm back on the Couch bandwagon, if you can call it that. There is lots of room. I think the Browns should keep him next season. In fact, Couch would probably be my choice over Butch Davis were a choice necessary. Really now, pick one veteran QB who the Browns could acquire this offseason and tell me they'll be better. Who? Brunell?

Flyers

The Dayton Flyers have cracked the top 25 in both polls this week. Congrats. In case you don't know, UD might be the best team in Ohio considering that Ohio State sucks, Cincinnati is well overrated and Xavier is not a sure thing. The Flyers return 4 starters from last year's A-10 championship squad and won the Maui Invitational earlier this season. Now at 6-0 they face several winnable games over the next couple weeks, but few will be easy games. Tonight they fact the Rajun Cajun's of Louisiana-Lafayette, always a tough matchup. IUPUI over the weekend, and they're no cakewalk either. Matchups at Cincinnati, at home vs. a very tough St. Louis squad, and a trip to Laramie to face Wyoming. It's unlikely the Flyers get out unscathed but it's possible this is not the only week they reach a lofty perch in the national rankings. Anyway, first things first and tonight's game will be a tough one. I'm rooting hard for the Flyers to continue their strong start. We'll see.

A Long Night to Begin the Offseason

First Impression: Yuck. Second Impression: It wasn't a bad game, and actually it was a game the browns should have won. What else is new.

The Kelly Holcomb Experiment can officially end now, I think. Holcomb looked confused, downcast, misplaced throughout the second quarter and, with the Rams holding a slim 9-7 lead, he blew the game with two back-breaking interceptions with under 3:00 left in the half. Both resulted in Rams TDs and that was just about the end of the game. Holcomb's line: 1TD, 2 INT, 1 FUM. Bad, bad, bad.

James Jackson, however, ran hard and no one missed William Green. We did, however, miss James Jackson as he went down with an injury, giving way to Jamel White, who promptly ran for 100 yards and a score. In fact, I'd say Jamel looked much better the more carries he got. It's been tough to figure out what his problem has been this seasn as he's the fastest dude on the team but always seemed tentative, sluggish with the ball. Last night he moved with more decisiveness as he got more touches and that seemd to make a big difference. Of course, he's now yet another player who sometimes looks good and often dissappears... How many of those does this team have?

Tim Couch played the second half and almost salvaged a win. He hit Morgan for a nice TD and led another nice TD drive to get it within 6. Now, Couch didn't look great by any means, but he seemed to avoid the killer mistake and make some nice throws. It's easy to rail against his "dink and dunk" tendencies, but it was noticable how Couch was able to hit backs with accurate out and screen passes where Holcomb was struggling mightily. But, as is the story of this year, Couch still made the final mistake getting sacked and fumbling on 4th down on the last posession of the game. I can somewhat excuse the mistake -- "he was trying to make a play" and throwing the ball away wasn't an option -- but it is still emblematic of the season. It is now clear that the big offseason QB decision will not be which quarterback they let go, but which QB they decide to keep.

While the QB debate is of course very significant, last night also was evidence that the team's bigger problem may be with the offensive line. Injuries have shredded what was due to be a decent, perhaps above average, unit. Now we are left with Tucker and a bunch of street free agent types. Worse, the h-backs and running backs missed some crucial blocks. Holcomb's fumble came on a missed h-back block, and another sack was due to a missed Jamel White block. I couldn't tell if the line was picking up the wrong guys or what. But the combined effect was that on multiple occasions the defense had a very easy path to the quarterback. This offseason -- it's time to acquire pieces to the puzzle along the offensive line. It's shameful it hasn't already been done.

I haven't even gotten to the defense, which played admirably. Orpheus Roye had a huge game swatting balls, pressuring the QB and even chasing down Faulk on a screen. Warren had a good game along the line as well. Brant Boyer was a constant presence in place of Ben Taylor. The secondary played very well for the most part and kept the Rams in check. The only TD the defense gave up came on a short field after the last of Holcomb's INTs. The fact that the Browns are now 4-9 despite a defense which has generally played well is just testament to how much the offense has struggled.

Oh yeah, lots of guys hurt last night -- James Jackson, Phil Dawson broke his arm, a few other guys. It's hard to even chronicle though cause the season is spent. :
Since the offseason officially began after last week's loss, here are some early offseason predictions: 1) The team keeps Holcomb because he's cheaper; he hasn't played well enough to justify a large pay increase. Couch gets jettisoned despite the fact he's performed marginally better. I think Couch ends up a winner somewhere else too. Too bad, but it's hard to see the guy doing it in Cleveland with Butch Davis. 2) William Green gets cut. We won't miss him, but we will continue to regret having wasted another draft pick. 3) Browns draft more offensive linemen. They need 1 tackle and 1 guard, or 2 tackles. I would not complain if they spent their top two picks here. In fact, this may be wishful thinking on my part but a guy can dream...

Monday Night Football

OK, so we take on the Rams tonight. It's not the best time for the Browns to be on Monday Night Football, not at all. At 4-8 the team has lost much of it's offensive line, it's starting running back, it's leading receiver, and perhaps both starting cornerbacks. Plus the coach is openly speculating whether the offensive coordinator will return next season and the weather is getting brutally cold. I know of several season ticket holder who will not be in their seats to witness tonight's game. Tonight should be an exciting and very cool time to be a Browns fan, but the general feeling in Cleveland is fear, fear of embrarassment by a 9-3 Rams squad.

I can't say I'm optimistic, but I'm hopeful that it will be entertaining. That's about all I can venture. With Anthony Henry and Daylin McCutheon both hurting it could get ugly. And I'm upset with myself for starting Hassellbeck over Bulger on the fantasy team (which was 10-3 up until this weekend). Lots of Browns fans will be tuned on tonight. It remains to be seen how enthusiastic the crowd at CBS will be.

Newsflash: Drinking + Driving is Not Illegal

Driving while drunk is. There's a big difference, though almost all of the campaigns from groups like MADD deliberately blur the line, sometimes to a degree that is hard to believe. Heck, MADD ceased to have a point in the late 80's when drunk driving was properly repositioned in the public's mind as a bad thing to do. Since then it has basically invented new campaigns to maintain its own relevance and, as a result, is now an organization opposed to alcohol consumption in almost all forms. And they've promoted an environment that makes it very hard for anyone to make a stand against them publicly. Anyway, here's a long but very interesting paper outlining America's movement in this direction. Maybe you don't agree with me, but I think any reasonable person would have to admit that MADD is pretty dishonest about what kind of agenda they are promoting these days.

(Sorry for the non Browns posts, but frankly the Browns are a pretty hard team to write about at the moment.)

Convention back on track, the right way

Ah, finally! A plan for a new conventioncenter is being kicked around and IT MAKES SENSE. Gone are the idiotic riders that would have included funds for all kinds of unrelated programs. Now it's what it should be -- a proposed means of raising money (taxes on hotels + eateries) to build a convention center, and pretty much nothing else. Do you want it? Is it worth the cost to build it? Pretty straigh-forward.

The big potential downside is timing. If this is on the ballot next March, that means it will share a ballot with several other tax-increasing issues, including votes on Cleveland Public Schools. And you know the fiscal crisis within Cleveland City Hall will be in the headlines as well.

My initial opinion is that a convention center must get built. So far this new plan makes sense. If that holds true, then it should be approved. In fact, I'd say it's even more important to Greater Cleveland than any other issue likely to be on the ballot. We need places to work. Without an active business environment the city will always struggle to meet it's crucial obligations. This would be a significant step in the right direction.

BTW, it's shameful that this plan has been pushed and developed by primarily private individuals. I even heard City Hall said they weren't involved because they're occupied with other pressing issues, such as the impending layoff of city workers. I don't discount how delicate that situation is, but we should expect our elected leaders to push for solutions and be proactive. They most certainly have not done so regarding a convention center. And it's been that way for a long, long time.

Green and Gerard, Best Friends Forever

This is insane. William Green IS hanging tight with Gerard Warren. He gave Warren's address to the court as his current residential address. He apparently stayed with Big Money for a few days after surrendering his house to his back-stabbing girlfriend. And he is likely to resume staying with Ole' Money.

But they aren't going to be staying at Warren's house.... because Warren is selling it! They will instead be in a hotel. Am I reading too much into this? Why the hell would a 300 man voluntarily give up his house so he can stay in a hotel room. And why is he trying to sell his house in the middle of winter? This is messed up. Gerard Warren.

"Will is a grown man and he's going to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it," Warren said. OK, let's take Gerard's advice. For instance right now, I would like to leave work and go have a beer at the Willoughby Brewing Company, yet I remain at my job. I must not be a grown man!!! Give me a break!

Here's a simple test to see if you are a grown man: if your wife stabs you in the back with a steak knife, what do you do?
a) take the kids and leave
b) take the kids and leave
c) take the kids and leave
d) say you fell

I realize Green probably has no idea what the heck to do, but you just can't pretend that someone didn't take a knife and stab you. I mean, you have to take action of some sort. For your kids sake, at least.

Green

Man, the vibe surrounding William Green is sounding extremely negative. First, Green is not around for the first day of practice after his 4-game suspension is over. In fact, no one in the entire Browns organization has even heard from him. Then, Policy drops this to the press: If he continually presents himself in a fashion that we can't rely on him when we need him most - such as for the Pittsburgh game - then we will have to move on." Ouch! And Butch Davis added, "When those things are taken care of and resolved, we'll decide exactly what William's future is." Clearly, One Sock William is at the end of the line and he's either going to stumble over or back away and get himself sorted out.

The fact that his own teammates have been calling him for the past 8-9 days and gotten no response is particularly troubling. Obviously Green does not feel close enough to any other players to even discuss his situation with them. And that is precisely what he needs most right now. I'm having visions of Green spending the last week at a dumpy hotel outside Atlantic City with a budy from high-school. I mean, I really, really hope the guy is somewhere better -- say, an in-patient facility for substance abuse -- but nothing seems to suggest that is happening. Hanging around Gerard Warren even seems like an okay idea at this point.

Worst Browns Game in 3 Years

Easily. I'm struggling to think of one player who had a good game but, of course, a few usual suspects had decidedly BAD games.... Quincy Morgan should shut his piehole forevermore. He was called for holding yet again before getting a concussion. I never want anyone to get hurt but can't help thinking that he'd built up a large pool of negative karma and, well, it happened. Holcomb looked absolutely horrendous -- slow, inaccurate, unsure. The offensive line was a complete mess -- and that won't get any better this season either. Fowler shouldn't even be on the field. I'm convinced Jamel White did too many squats during the offseason cause as his legs have gotten bigger his agility and speed has suffered greatly. Gerard Warren made some more stupid plays, this time getting kicked out in the 3rd quarter. Anthony Henry got torn up pretty good after a long stretch of solid games. This season is well over. Maybe they can play some entertaining matches over the last month, but right now it's all about next season.

Next year, by the way, the Browns have trouble.... William Green is a big question and may be cut loose. Neither Holcomb or Couch impressed more than once this season. The offensive line is in tatters and desperately needs an infusion of talent. None of the the linebackers have solidly established themselves as long-term starters. Northcutt is a free agent and, now the KJ has been jettisoned, he's got a pretty good bargaining position I think. Man, it hurts my brain quite frankly. All I know is this team needs offensive line help more than anything, and by a large margin.