There’s really nothing to say about this one that isn’t obvious from the score. The Browns are inept, and the Bears are good enough to exploit the Browns’ ineptitude at home.
Whether the Bears are good enough to finish the month with more than two more wins against the Cardinals, 49ers, Eagles, and Vikings remains to be seen.
Most encouraging for the Bears was the return of the running game.
Then again, they played the Browns.
And the Browns are the ones who must figure out what, if anything, can be fixed during the bye week. Charley Casserly of CBS suggested Sunday that the Browns will reassess the quarterback position, possibly giving the ball back to Brady Quinn.
At some point, frankly, we think that the “other” Brett from last year in New York -- Brett Ratliff -- will get a chance to show what he can do.
But the real question becomes whether owner Randy Lerner will take drastic steps to improve his dreadful team. It sounds like he’s thinking about hiring a Bill Parcells-style executive to oversee the entire operation. Since Parcells is operating under a “cash and carry” arrangement in Miami, whereby he can leave at any time and carry the balance of his cash with him, Lerner’s public musings might have been intended to send a tamper-free message to the Tuna.
Either way, something needs to change. But for a muffed punt by Roscoe Parrish late in Week Five’s game between the Browns and the Bills, Cleveland could have been winless at the break.
Based on their schedule, they might dig out a bit in the second half, courtesy of games against the Lions, Chiefs, and Raiders.
Still, that adds up to another 4-12 finish at best, and it could mean another thorough house cleaning for a place that has been infected over much of the past decade not only by staph, but also by suck.