Kosar Weathering a Stormy Season : NFL: Cleveland fans aren’t used to losing, and quarterback seems to be taking the fall. The Rams are up next.

And the Rams thought they had it tough.

Before last week’s victory in San Francisco, quarterback Jim Everett, who had thrown only one touchdown pass in a month, began to bend under the pressure of a 3-7 start. For a couple of days, he refused to talk to the media.

After the Cleveland Browns fell to 2-9 last Sunday, quarterback Bernie Kosar declined to answer questions and instead issued a prepared statement, like a guy about to face a grand jury.

In L.A., there were stories in the newspapers discussing whether Everett was in a slump. In Cleveland, the day after Coach Bud Carson was fired, one anonymous team source was quoted as saying Kosar was “a coach killer.”

Clearly, this playoffs-to-patsy slide is not a fun ride. And it appears to be especially nauseating in Cleveland.

After five consecutive playoff appearances, the once-proud Browns are reeling. Kosar figured he knew why. So, after Sunday’s 30-13 loss to Miami, he issued this statement:

“I really think that we, as players and coaches, really have to do a lot of soul-searching, each person within himself, to really see if they’re able to look at themselves in the mirror and say they’ve given everything, 100%, and everything throughout the course of the week.

“Naturally, everybody’s going to try to play hard on Sunday afternoon, but in the NFL, you don’t win games on Sunday afternoon. You win them in preparation, in what you do off the football field and on the football field through the course of the week. And I really question what type of work ethic and dedication that we have to this organization and for the pride we should have in playing for the Cleveland Browns and playing professional football. Thanks.”

Bernie’s Blockbuster had the intended effect. “Kosar Rips Teammates After Loss” screamed the headline in one Cleveland paper.

Many of his teammates applauded Kosar’s little speech. “All great leaders are willing to take a risk,” tight end Ozzie Newsome told the Cleveland Plain Dealer this week. Some wished he had left his opinions in the team meeting the Browns held after the loss to Miami. But everybody in Cleveland is talking about it.

“I think it’s got to be helpful,” said Coach Jim Shofner, who replaced Carson. “I didn’t read the statement, but we’ve been talking for three weeks about how we want to practice and how we want to prepare ourselves to play. I’m sure he doesn’t feel that people are not trying, that’s not the point.

“What gets in press is usually different than what happens behind closed doors. I mean it’s not a misquote or anything, but it just usually comes out a little differently.”

Kosar probably had a good idea how it was going to come out. Why else would he go public with his complaints after already speaking his piece in the meeting moments earlier?

“Obviously, here, there’s been a ton of talk about it,” Kosar said. “It was just something I felt needed to be said. I spoke to some of the guys beforehand and also got their feelings after it came out, and I’ll tell you, I really think it has had a positive effect on the players. And that’s the main thing. I think we all realize we need to focus in and work a little harder when things are going like they have been.

“It’s disappointing and frustrating to be in this position, especially after being one of the top teams in the league the last few years. You just can’t tolerate this as a player. It has to make you sick to lose games like this.”

Kosar insists the statement was not borne of the frustration of the moment, but rather a well-planned state of the disunion address. It was desperate call for concentration.

“I’d been observing things for a while and, you know, we have so many new faces this year,” he said. “It’s a fine line between winning and losing in the NFL, and I really believe that preparation is one of the main things that makes a difference.

“The tempo of practice has really picked up this week, so I think that’s a good sign.”

A lot of Cleveland fans have been suggesting that Kosar need only hook a finger into his crew neck and look inside his own uniform if he’s searching for the source of the Browns’ problems. Middle linebackers aren’t the only ones who revel in quarterback bashing. And fans have short memories.

“OK, so you’ve led this team into the playoffs in each of your five NFL seasons and won four division titles, but what have you done for us lately?”

Certainly not enough. Kosar has thrown for 1,898 yards with only seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season. That makes Kosar, who entered the season with the sixth-best career quarterback rating in league history, one of the least efficient quarterbacks in the game. No. 26, to be exact.

It’s enough to turn a former favorite son into the favorite target of a guy ready to fling a dog biscuit.

“There’s no question that it’s difficult,” Kosar said, “but as a quarterback, as a veteran player and as a leader of this team, it’s my responsibility to assume a lot of the responsibility. Even though, quite frankly, a lot of times it isn’t justified.

“I’ve been around. I think I’m better able to handle criticism than quite a few of the other people on this team.”

It’s been a season wrought with rejection for Kosar. On Nov. 4, the day before he was fired, Carson benched Kosar and started Mike Pagel against Buffalo. It was the first start Kosar had missed in 24 games and the first time since his rookie season that he didn’t start when he was healthy.

Pagel completed 16 of 38 passes with no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions, and the Browns suffered the worst shutout defeat in their history, 42-0.

Shofner’s first move was to put Kosar back on the top of the depth chart. Shofner, who was in his first year as Carson’s offensive coordinator, has a pretty good feel for what it takes to be an impact quarterback in the NFL. Cleveland’s Brian Sipe, Dallas’ Danny White, St. Louis’ Neil Lomax and San Francisco’s John Brodie all had the best seasons of their careers with Shofner as quarterback coach.

And Shofner says Kosar can look unblinkingly into his own mirror, despite his less-than-impressive numbers.

“Bernie means an awful lot to our team,” Shofner said. “He’s one of the most disciplined quarterbacks I’ve ever been with, and I’ve been with some very good ones. He knows how to prepare himself to play. His work ethic is really outstanding.

“He hasn’t had the kind of year he would like to have, but I think that has a lot to do with me. It was just another change for the guy. It’s difficult for this offense to really know what we’re about. He hasn’t had one coach, one offensive coordinator for (any length of time). I think he’s suffered from that.”

Kosar has also suffered--literally--along with the growing pains of an inexperienced offensive line. He has been sacked three or more times in four games. During the regular-season opener against Pittsburgh, the Steelers’ defensive front steam-rolled him seven times.

“There’s no question that was a problem early in the year, but the line is playing much better now,” Kosar said. “There’s also no question that there have been other factors that have not been a help to this team. Sure, nobody likes to have a drastic change like (a coaching change) in the middle of the season, but the decision was made and we just have to go on from there.

“It’s like I said to the team. That stuff is not in our hands. It’s out of our control, and what we have to do is focus on ourselves. We can’t stop and worry about excuses.”

Kosar might of surprised a lot of people, teammates included, with Sunday’s outburst, but he says it was not really that big of a deal.

“I think, unfortunately, we’ve become a team that really lives and dies with what’s in the paper,” he said. “Things are a lot smoother when you’re winning, and this is the first time in my career here where we’ve had a losing streak of this nature. So that’s why things are more magnified.”

Jim Everett can relate to that. Even in the sunny, laid-back Southland, where the heat is never as hot.