MINNEAPOLIS - If you're a Cleveland Browns fan, games like this have to bother you.

Not just because your team was spanked 24-12 by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

But because there were points in the game when it seemed they had no idea what they were doing. Then they sounded like they had no clue after the game, when they couldn't even make a reasonable attempt to explain some of the confusion.

How does this happen 11 games into the season?

How do the Browns have consecutive false-start penalties in the final 12 seconds of the half?

First, it was receiver Antonio Bryant jumping offside; then it was receiver Braylon Edwards. Two snaps, two flags, no plays, 10 yards lost in a crucial part of the game.

This came after the Browns wasted 27 seconds when they had the ball on the Minnesota 5-yard line.

Hey, guys, the score was Minnesota 10-0.

You are in the final minute of play. You have only one timeout left. How about running up to the line of scrimmage and spiking the ball into the turf to stop the clock and regroup?

Instead, they were like a bunch of guys playing flag football at a picnic, maybe sipping some Pepsi and nibbling a few nachos while in a leisurely huddle.

They nearly were called for a delay of game.

Instead, Bryant was flagged. Then they huddled, and Edwards was flagged.

Coach Romeo Crennel should have been outraged by the clock mismanagement and the general lack of urgency.

Perhaps he was, but you couldn't tell after the game.

Not once, but twice he said he "couldn't remember" what happened during those wasted seconds and the unnecessary huddle.

Quarterback Trent Dilfer simply said he was doing what he was told - huddling up.

The following players said they had no idea what was going on, but the problem was not on the field: running back Reuben Droughns, center Jeff Faine, tight end Steve Heiden and backup quarterback Charlie Frye, who was on the sideline.

Here's a guess: One of the coaches messed up.

Here's another guess: Crennel didn't want to point the public finger of blame at a member of his staff.

Here's a fact: Whatever happened, the team practices all week, has had more than a month of training camp, 11 regular-season games and a veteran quarterback on the field.

You gotta do better than that.

The Browns eventually settled for a field goal after they lost 10 yards to the two penalties. Had they somehow scored a touchdown, it's doubtful they could have won this game. But it would have been nice to see them at least try to cut that halftime deficit to 10-7.

Yes, they were on the road. Yes, the dome is loud. Yes, you might not want to use your final timeout with 47 seconds left.

But this was inexcusable. So were the back-to-back penalties that followed, and you have to wonder if the uncertainty about the huddle situation led to the penalties.

It's the job of Crennel and his coaches to have their team prepared exactly for something like this, as chaos and clock tick, tick, ticking away is a part of football every week.

Understand that the Vikings are suddenly a very hot team, having won four in a row. The defense was a mess early in the season, and now it's the strength of the team. What Viking fans see is their team getting better.

What Browns fans see is that you never know what will happen from week to week with this 4-7 team.

On this Sunday, they saw their offensive line savaged by a bullish Vikings rush. They saw Dilfer get sacked five times, fumble twice and have four passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. They saw offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon forget about determined running back Reuben Droughns in the second half.

They saw receivers with some discouraging drops. Bryant had one go through his hands that brought back memories of Quincy Morgan. Edwards had a ball bounce right off his bright orange gloves and directly into the hands of Akron native Antoine Winfield for an interception. You get tired of the receivers whining about wanting the ball thrown in their direction, then failing to make plays when they get the chance.

There was much more, but you get the idea.

After the game, Crennel talked about "taking a step back." It felt more like they fell on their face.

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