As anyone who attended games last year can attest – Mr. Wolverine was not booed at all last year even though he led the league in dropped passes.  And why might that be?  Could it be because he still made more plays than he didn’t and that the team was winning?  Can’t he see that his drops coupled with the overall horrid team performance are pushing fans over the brink?  They’re booing your performance Braylon, not your alma mater.  Leave it to none other than fellow U of M alum Leroy Hoard to bring a little levity to the situation:

“Sometimes when you're disappointed and frustrated with yourself, you want to lash out.  You want it to be somebody else's fault. The reality is, it happens to everyone and you have to be humble about it. If you're doing everything you can to correct it, then you have to be satisfied with that and say ‘I'm just having a tough time of it right now’.  Your mouth put you in this situation and your ability has to get you out of it. Shut up and play football and do what you can do and you'll be fine."

The bigger issue here is that Braylon wants out.  He always has.  The very reasons everyone thinks Lebron wants to leave the Cavs are the exact reasons Braylon can’t wait to get out of town.  As far back as ’05 and ’06 he has been making noise about not wanting to be a Brown, not liking the team colors, etc.  The sad thing is that I had higher hopes for him since he is a Midwest kid from a blue collar town (Detroit) and could potentially relate to, and understand, the passion of the Cleveland fans.  I guess his dreams of being the next Tiki Barber and using football as a stepping stone to a successful Hollywood-type career are more important than simply being a Pro Bowl caliber receiver.  The Black Hammer, indeed.

In protecting his future career, the Black Hammer is making his teammates look worse.  On Dorsey’s third interception, Braylon simply stopped his route short as he knew if he tried to make a play on the ball he was going to get nailed by the two Bengal DB’s in the area.  The ironic part of him letting up was that he got popped by Ndukwe anyway after Hall picked off the pass.  Of course, Braylon had it coming as Ndukwe got blindsided (legally) by Braylon earlier in the game and had to be looking to return the favor.

But again, this highlights the problem with him, and most NFL diva receivers:  if they can do something positive that gets them a highlight (diving catch, devastating block) they will do it, but they are just as likely to not do the needed dirty work that goes unheralded by broadcasters and clip shows.  If the potential new GM of the Browns makes any splashy moves in the off season, please trade this enigma.  Get him off the Browns and out of Cleveland.  Consider it your birthday gift to the Voice of Reason.

If we all thought this past week’s game was bad, it will be nothing compared to the season finale.  Bruce Gradkowski gets the honor of his first start in a Browns uniform in Pittsburgh against an angry team coming off a loss.  With Pittsburgh having clinched a playoff spot, one would expect many key starters to get some much needed rest - don’t be so sure about that.  They have a first round bye and are attempting to rebound from a loss where they were dominated and made numerous mistakes.  The Voice thinks that they would be wise to play most starters for the duration of at least the first half and work out the kinks in what looks to be equivalent of a pregame walk-through before bringing in the second string.

The intriguing subplot to this game will be the rarity of four former MAC quarterbacks seeing the field in the same game.  Of course there is Gradkowski, Cribbs, and QB #7 but we should be seeing Byron Leftwich make an appearance as well.  I don’t know what this means, but it most likely has never happened before.  So, if you can, make the time this weekend not to view the inevitable Browns loss, but to witness this historic event that you can share with your grandchildren some day.

The best part about this game is that it’s the last one for the Browns this season.  That’s right, there are only 4 days left for the 2008 edition Browns.  So get out all of your frustrations and venting before Sunday, because as of 4:00 pm EST hope springs eternal for Browns fans everywhere as we begin to look forward to 2009.  The Voice of Reason can’t wait to close the book on this putrid season and start pretending that it never happened and is sure he can’t be the only one.  Have a Merry Christmas everyone and be sure to save your empty gift boxes for Romeo – he’s got some packing to do.