Coach Killers, W5: Browns Pass-Catchers

Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business.

Derek Anderson is by no means Tom Brady. Matter of fact, as far as quarterbacking skills go, he's probably just a notch above Kyle Brady. And when you lead your unit in posting such a pitiful day -- six points, 193 yards, 3.3 yards per play, 22 net passing yards on a 2-for-17 performance -- you're at least partially to blame.

That being said, in the Browns' 6-3 win over the Bills, Anderson got by with no help from his friends. He sang out a tune, and his pass-catchers stood up and walked out on him.

The Bills were missing three starters -- Leodis McKelvin, Donte Whitner and Bryan Scott -- from its secondary, as well as starters from a front seven that could also conceivably make Anderson's job harder. While the Bills' pass defense has been very good thus far, a legitimate offense would exploit such a wounded unit.

Instead, the Browns -- who jettisoned Braylon Edwards earlier in the week due at least in small part to his inconsistent hands and trumpeted Mohamed Massaquoi as an emerging player -- saw its pass-catchers drop nine of Anderson's 17 pass attempts, according to most unofficial counts.

Let's pause for a second to remember Edwards' stellar debut with the Jets the following day -- nine targets, five catches, 64 yards, a remarkable touchdown, another catch that was originally ruled a touchdown before being determined out of bounds a couple of yards short, and a 49-yard pass interference penalty drawn that led to a go-ahead field goal. In fairness, if he was putting up performances like that in Cleveland, they probably wouldn't have traded him (his penchant for swinging away at puny, well-connected civilians aside). But the team obviously doesn't have anyone behind him to step up and do anything. According to Football Outsiders, Mike Furrey is the team's most reliable receiver with just a 52 percent catch rate, and the heralded Massaquoi is only pulling them in at 44 percent.

While 11-for-17, assuming all nine of those drops are caught, isn't exactly a prolific day either, it would have obviously made an impact in the team's fortunes. Especially considering that two of the drops came from Robert Royal -- one on a 3rd-and-5, and another a sure third-quarter touchdown that Mangini lamented after the game as "a beautiful throw." Royal's playing with a broken finger, but if you're on the field it's assumed you can make plays.

"Some of the throws could have been better. Some of them were a function of not looking the ball into the tuck, trying to run," Mangini said. "That was a couple times, guys were more worried with what was going to happen after the catch than securing the catch. There were some throws that were right on target, we had great opportunities and we didn't bring it."

There's already speculation that the seat is hot for Eric Mangini in Cleveland. While it's not his fault Edwards burst onto the New York scene (he had to trade the player he had, not the player at his most idealized), the unfair reality is that the immediate returns on the trade, the duality of its impact on each team, makes him look worse. (Though it can be argued that, given all of the ham-fisted dictatorial stuff he's pulled so far, he's still to blame because of the bad karma he's brought upon himself.)

The simple fact -- contrasts to Edwards the Jet aside, the Browns' pass-catchers have to catch the ball. But that contrast exists, and the early results show the Browns offense, and Mangini, as failures.