Ryan Tucker noticed Big Dawg's slumping shoulders last week in Cincinnati. He saw Bone Lady's sullen face, and the Charlie Frye Guy looking as if he had just lost his best friend.
So before leaving the field following a 34-17 loss to the Bengals, Tucker, the Browns' steady right offensive tackle, personally delivered a message to three of Cleveland's most outrageous and most loyal fans sitting behind the Browns' bench.
``Stick with us,'' Tucker told the diehards. ``We need you.''
Right now, the Browns (0-2) may need a whole lot more than just their fans sticking by them.
Two weeks in, Cleveland's season is teetering on the edge of disaster. The Browns return home Sunday desperate for a victory as they host the Baltimore Ravens (2-0), one of the NFL's early-season surprises whose defence is spitting fire again and whose offense has been sparked by new quarterback Steve McNair.
If last Sunday's dismal showing against the Bengals wasn't enough to swallow, Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel spent the past week sorting through a laundry list of other problems.
Crennel had to first address critical comments by tight end Kellen Winslow, who vented his frustration to the media for not being on the field for key third-down plays against the Bengals.
Without naming names, Winslow called out ``some of the coaches'' whom he claims are holding the Browns back and not getting the ball in the hands of playmakers.
Crennel diffused the issue in a meeting with Winslow, who admitted his comments were a mistake and has since declined interviews.
Also, Crennel came to the defence of Maurice Carthon, his embattled offensive coordinator who hasn't been able to establish an identity for Cleveland's sputtering offense. One season after the Browns scored a league-low 232 points in Carthon's first year calling plays, they are ranked No. 29 in offensive output and are 19th in scoring.
Despite the woes on O, Crennel said he has not lost confidence in Carthon.
``I think when you lose, it's hard to have the kind of confidence that you want to have on the team, period,'' Crennel said. ``We've lost two games. Some people want to say the season is over. I say we're going to play the next game and try to play better, and then we'll see where they lead.''
On top of that, the Browns could be missing as many as four starters _ including their best running back (Reuben Droughns), their best linebacker (Willie McGinest), and their best defensive lineman (Orpheus Roye) on Sunday.
Tucker has been through some high times, but mostly low ones, during his first four seasons in Cleveland. He's seen enough to appreciate Crennel's ability to remain calm during an unusually turbulent start to the season.
``Romeo has been coaching a long time, and believe me, he's had good and bad like a lot of us have,'' Tucker said. ``He's handling it like a head coach should. The losses hurt and time is something that none of us have this week.
``When you lose, they bring new people in. When you win, everything is kosher until something bad happens and then they get rid of you. Romeo's not letting anything distract him from what we need to do on Sunday and for what he needs to do to be a leader of this team. I think he's doing a great job.''
If the Browns had their pick of opponents this week, the Ravens would not be choice No. 1.
Baltimore's defence is top-ranked in the NFL overall and against the run, allowing just 32.5 yards per game. The Ravens have not yet given up a touchdown, beating Tampa Bay 27-0 in the opener and routing Oakland 28-6 last week. They also lead the league with nine takeaways.
Those numbers don't bode well for Browns second-year quarterback Charlie Frye, who led Cleveland to a 20-16 win over Baltimore in the finale last season. But the Ravens' defence Frye faced that day didn't have Ray Lewis _ or momentum like it's riding now.
Lewis sat at home and watched the Ravens lose on Jan. 1. He's confident things will be different this time, but not overconfident.
``That (loss) didn't taste good in my mouth,'' he said. ``But, forget their 0-2 start, this is one of those rivalries, that Cleveland and Ravens thing. We don't worry about them being 0-2, we just want to go in and try to play Ravens football and come out with a victory on the road.''
Tucker's concern is about giving restless Cleveland fans something to feel good about.
The Browns are just 18-39 at home since returning as an expansion team in 1999. Long gone are the days when Cleveland was an intimidating place for opponents, who had to dodge dog biscuits flying from the Dawg Pound.
``We are in the entertainment business,'' he said. ``Guys wait all week and look forward to the game to make them feel good. If we don't perform up to expectations, fans get upset. And when you're a true fan like we have here in Cleveland, it disrupts their whole week, and I don't like to have everyone ticked off all the time.
``You go into a grocery store and they cuss you out wherever you go.''
