THE CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-7) SHOULD BEAT THE BALTIMORE RAVENS (4-4) MONDAY NIGHT!  Even though the Browns are an 11-point underdog, they should beat the Ravens…IF…Browns head coach Eric Mangini calls a team meeting to discuss running back Jamal Lewis’ comments to the press that Mangini was “working the team too hard.” By allowing a team to provide feed-back to the coaching staff, players unload psychological baggage and at the same time enhance their feelings of self-worth. The result will be that they will perform close to their skill levels. In Jamal Lewis’ case, if he is healthy and plays, he should have a 100-yard game. What also will help the Browns is the fact that Ravens LB Ray Lewis is constantly in the face of his teammates which, from my perspective, doesn’t sit well with them but most are afraid speak up since they fear him.

Post Game Note:  Good first half but then everything went awry.  Coach Mangini must not have held that team meeting.  And I also feel relatively certain he doesn’t understand the importance of tapping into his players’ belief systems.  What they believe to be true is true for them, regardless of what the coach thinks.  I would not be surprised if Coach Mangini doesn’t finish out the season, unless he backs off and eases up on the intensity of team practices leading up to game time.  Since posting this they’ve won three straight games so he must be doing something regarding acknowledging team feelings and issues.