FanHouse Brandon McDonald

Browns cornerback Brandon McDonald had a tough go of it in 2008. He was routinely targeted by opposing offenses, got benched, and eventually found his way back on the field because, well, there wasn't a better option.

His play has been less an issue this season. Not so much because he's improved, but because the organization has somehow managed to out-sideshow themselves through nine weeks, and McDonald's weekly performance is pretty low on the list of things fans are concerned about.

Whatever, McDonald, via his Twitter Machine, is apparently already looking forward to 2010.

It was nearly a year ago that then-Browns lost cornerback Daven Holly blew out his knee in organized team activities. He missed the 2008 season, and his absence, along with Gary Baxter never working out in Cleveland, meant the team had to rely on Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright.

Both were second-year players, and although Wright showed promise, McDonald was out his depth from the start. I wouldn't argue that losing Holly opened the flood gates on a four-win season -- Derek Anderson misfiring balls all over the yard gets the blue ribbon for that -- but it didn't help, either.

Remember what I said a few hours ago about an athlete visiting Dr. Andrews is sorta like Joe Six-Pack minding his own business only to see the "Faces of Death" truck pull up? Brady Quinn had an appointment with the good doctor today and, well, prognosis negative.

According to FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer, Quinn's 2008 season is over.

... Quinn is done for the year after doctors revealed that the break to his right index finger has gotten worse since he's tried to play through the injury, sources told FOXSports.com.

Team sources said that Quinn and the team made the decision together earlier today. Sources say that not only has the break in his right index finger worsened, but it is also starting to injure the tendons as well.

Yeah, that sucks. It would've been nice for Quinn to finish out the year, get some experience, and give the front office an idea of what they had to work with heading into the offseason. Instead, Derek Anderson (Sparky!) will get a chance to re-redeem himself. Given how he performed last week, I don't expect much will change.

In the wake of the Browns' demoralizing loss to the Broncos nearly two weeks ago, cornerback Brandon McDonald, who played a big part in the outcome, looked to be headed to the bench.

Well, when Cleveland took the field on Monday night in Buffalo, Travis Daniels, acquired during training camp from the Dolphins, took the field while McDonald watched from the sidelines. It didn't last long -- one play, in fact -- before McDonald returned, and the embattled cornerback went on to have arguably the best game of his career.

He intercepted Trent Edwards in the first quarter (turns out, Edwards was in a very giving mood on Monday, but, hey, it still counts), and made several huge plays in the second half. The lesson: sometimes losing your job is a good thing (J.P. Losman surely disagrees):

Just in case you were looking for more proof that the Browns are a rudderless ship: head coach Romeo Crennel, in the wake of consecutive implosive, demoralizing "shoulda won but didn't ... hey, it happens" losses, hinted that he might make a couple of lineup changes, presumably to give his team the best chance at victory, and to also send a clear message to all the quitters.

When pressed about his plans, Crennel was predictably vague:

"We talked about it over the weekend, and we had a meeting [Monday] morning, but I haven't had a chance to talk to the players about anything yet," he said. "I'm not divulging anything at this point."

Asked if he would classify them as major or minor changes, he laughed and said, "I would classify them as a secret right now."

So take heart, Browns faithful: Crennel has a plan, he's just not divulging the details. National security and whatnot.

The most obvious move would involve strategically placing Brandon McDonald as far from the playing field as possible, but with nobody behind him on the depth chart, that becomes problematic. Although, there is anecdotal evidence that the Browns' secondary wouldn't be any worse if they just played without a right cornerback.

After two demoralizing losses in five days, there's plenty of blame to go around the Browns locker room. And Jamal Lewis is doing his part to spread the word.

The Cleveland running back didn't address anyone by name, but I'm going to wager he was looking directly at cornerback Brandon McDonald when he made his comments to the media.

McDonald spent much of the last two weeks getting burned DeAngelo Hall-style, the only difference being that the Browns didn't promptly cut him after giving signing him to a $70 million contract. They'd probably like to, but he's currently their best option, which must give Crennel all sorts of nightmares.

Concerns about the secondary are nothing new; the team traded Leigh Bodden in the offseason, and while they got Shaun Rogers in return, the secondary was worse for it. Back in August I wrote that "the front office bolstered the defensive line, but unless the front seven can consistently stop the run and generate a pass rush, the secondary could be this unit's downfall."

Former NFL quarterback turned ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer spent much of lambasting the Cleveland Browns for kowtowing to the whims of their fans when they benched Derek Anderson in favor of Brady Quinn. Romeo Crennel took time out from not coaching Brandon McDonald to refute the charges.

Dilfer has now refocused his energies on the 49ers, an outfit in worse shape than the Browns who are also making a quarterback change this week. J.T. O'Sullivan is, thankfully, on the bench, and Shaun Hill, the guy who was supposedly in line for the job in training camp, will finally get his shot.

Despite a solid showing during the second half of the 2007 season (in three games Hill completed 68 percent of his throws, had 5 TDs and just 1 INT) there's plenty of room for skepticism: trou-dropping coaches, Mike Martz's "scheme," Hill's inexperience, etc. Not to worry, though, Dilfer has a good feeling about the move.

Another week, another blown lead that results in a big fat "L" for the Cleveland Browns. Last Sunday, the Ravens overcame a 14-point, fourth quarter deficit that hastened Derek Anderson's return to the bench (but more Brady Quinn for everybody!). and Thursday night Brandon McDonald singlehandedly willed the team to defeat against a defenseless Broncos squad.

Well, enough's enough, apparently. Running back Jamal Lewis would like to get a few things off his chest.

[clears throat]:

As we get ready for week one matchup of the Cowboys and Browns, Ace Davis from his own Ace Davis Cleveland Browns Blog was nice enough to offer some insights on the Browns for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.