clarinews@clarinet.com (BOB KEIM, UPI Sports Writer) (01/17/90)
CLEVELAND (UPI) -- This habit the Cleveland Browns have of coming within sight of the Super Bowl only to fall flat on their collective faces is just hard to get used to. Since the NFL started deciding its champion in the Super Bowl, the Browns have played for the right to get to that game five times. Counting Sunday's Mile High Massacre, the Browns are 0-5 in those games, 0-3 against the hated Broncos. This AFC Championship game loss proved that whether they attack or prevent, the Browns are unable to stop John Elway in the playoffs. They know how to do it, mind you, they just can't execute. So while the Denver Broncos contemplate the New Orleans nightmare they are likely to encounter when they face San Francisco in the Super Bowl, the Browns will go back to doing what they always do this time of year, which is trying to figure out what changes are necessary to make next year ``The Year.'' There is a tendency after losing a game as badly as the Browns lost Sunday to call for drastic changes. That feeling results more from frustration than common sense and is understandable for fans who have waited a generation for a championship. Major changes, however, are not needed. First, it is unrealistic because there will not be enough quality players available in this year's Plan B free agent lottery to adequately fill the roster. For every Robert Banks and Tom Gibson the Browns signed last year, there is a Barry Krauss, Ray Butler or Kerry Glenn that failed to stick. The draft, in which the Browns do not have a No. 1 pick, rarely yields immediate help. Remember also that the defense was one of the best in the AFC for most of the year and the offense played the whole season with a rag-tag offensive line and without a healthy, legitimate fullback. Examine the problem areas exposed by Denver and you find spots the Browns knew long ago they would have to address this winter. Age on defense, injuries and inadequacy on the offensive line were apparent during training camp and are no surprise to the Browns' front office. The real problem is the offensive line. With guards Ted Banker and Dan Fike out with serious knee injuries, the Browns must make this area their No. 1 concern. The consensus is Marc Trestman will be fired or demoted as offensive coordinator. If Bud Carson relieves him because he wants to hire his own man, a coach who more closely reflects his own philosophies and one he feels more comfortable with, then more power to him. But don't blame Trestman for Sunday's performance. Open receivers either dropped the ball or watched it sail several feet over their heads, and Eric Metcalf several times was in position to make a big play but the Browns couldn't get him the ball. The play calling has improved greatly since the return of Kevin Mack. The one question is why Mack did not handle the ball more Sunday, and Carson, while admitting that was a mistake, emphasized that there was so much open in the Denver secondary it was hard to pass up. The Browns have a good nucleus. On defense, Michael Dean Perry, Mike Johnson, Robert Banks, Thane Gash and David Grayson will get better. Offensively, Metcalf and Lawyer Tillman will improve, Gregg Rakoczy played better down the stretch, and Kosar is just 26. Carson says the Browns will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit to improve. At the same time, however, the Browns must not forget what brought them to the AFC Championship game. The Browns need to make some changes, but that is true of every team in the league. The key to making those changes successful is to not let the final game of the year obscure the rest of the season.