Trent Dilfer, Trent Dilfer, Jeff Garcia for Dilfer...hmmmmm

I was stunned, no very puzzled by the machinations that more or less traded Jeff Garcia and Kelly Holcome for Trent Dilfer. Living in Florida I have seen a lot of Trent Dilfer at QB for the Tampa Bay Bucs. Not very much of it was good. But I have to give him credit for winning the Super Bowl formerly known as The World Championship of football, for the Baltimore Ravens. At the time I wondered why Dilfer wasn't the Ravens starting QB from then on since he earned it winning that Championship game for them; but then the Ravens were owned by Art Modell whose expertise is television soap operas rather than football. Terry Pluto's article this past week was a particularly appropriate and insightful one. Here is the Browns organization after a close call being relieved to have Dilfer as their starting quarterback. It reminds me of when YA Title retired after I intercepted the last pass of his great career, a 12 1/2 yard out pattern to Frank Gifford as duly noted and chronicled in great detail in the book, Broadway play, and movie Man In A Glass Booth by Robert Shaw. Shaw wrote "All his heart was in that pass." Incidentally YA, Gifford gave the pattern away. You threw a perfect pass, because I knew it was coming and it still took a hell of catch and a hell of a play to intercept it and run it back 50 yards or so. Title's retirement left the NY Giants with a QB named Gary Woods. The "LEAGUE" quickly arranged a three way trade that sent our Mike Lucci to Detroit and Earl Morrall to New York and Erich Barnes to Cleveland. The "LEAGUE" had to have a contender in New York and the Giants needed a proven quarterback. Sort of like "fixing" the "LEAGUE."

Here's my quick view of the Browns rebuilding program. So far I rate unloading Courtney Brown (+), trading Gerald Warren (+), Anthony Henry (+),Robert Griffith (-)(he tackled people), signing Patriot's guard Joe Andruzzi (++), signing Cosey Colman (+), adding linebacker coach Mike Haluchak (+). Aquiring the defensive back from Baltimore Gary Baxter who is supposed to be the Ravens 3rd best tackler last season, probably a (+) if it is true.

Browns Safety Sean Jones being hurt in quarterback camp doesn't speak well for him (-). If Chris Crocker takes some tackling lessons he could do well if not he will be a minus. Coach Andrew Patterson's endorsements of Warren and Brown are somewhat suspect, like when Lombardi would call Blanton Collier on the phone and tell him "You can't keep playing that wide side of the field zone defense" and Blanton would listen to him and try to get me to reduce using it. Why would Lombardi want to help us play better defense? A few years later they moved the hash marks in toward the center of the field because that wide side of the field zone was blanketing the offenses and the owners wanted more scoring.

Rip Scherer was hired by the Browns as a "second" quarterback coach? That's puzzling. Hmmm...Trent Dilfer is now the Browns starting quaterback??? At this point that is puzzling me too? Don't know quite what to make of it yet. I'm thinking about it.