Dawgpoundsouth

After the joy of beating the Ravens and an offensive explosion (for this team), all three phases of the Browns fell flat on their faces. The not-so-special teams gave up another big return, the defense gave up two long passes because of no communication and the offense was, well offensive. Now the Browns are 2-7 and its roster evaluation time to get ready for the new league year in 2025 and the NFL draft. It’s no surprise the Browns will again start Winston their next game against New Orleans. If you’re going to need a “bridge” quarterback, you might as well find out now. I do expect to see DTR starting later in the season because you have to find out what you have in DTR. For what it’s worth, New Orleans fired their head coach today after losing seven games in a row.

According to Over The Cap, The Browns are currently $3.7 million over the 2025 cap that Over The Cap estimates to be $272.5 million. For 2024, Cleveland is $45.5 million under the 2024 cap. Whatever they don’t use this year they’ll be able to carryover to 2025. Plus, they’ll get back any incentives or bonuses not awarded to players. If someone tells you they’re going to be in cap hell next year, nope. The only thing stupid that could happen is firing Kevin Stefanski and/or Andrew Berry. If you want that, you want disfunction. Will an assistant coach be fired at the end of the season? Sure, it’s possible.

As for the draft, the Browns have eight picks. One in round one, one in round two, two in round three, one in round four, and three in round six. This is a very good draft for offensive linemen, especially tackles, for edge rushers and wide receivers. I’m not thrilled with the quarterbacks. There’s no C.J. Stroud or Jayden Daniels, so if they’re going to pick a QB, they better be right. The Browns front office has to focus on the offensive line and the defensive line, have to. They had several scouts at the Oregon/Michigan game Saturday and there were three DT’s who could go in the first round who played. I’ll dig deeper into the draft in future blogs. Stay safe and Go Browns.

That was fun. When the Browns win it should be fun. The Jacksonville game was not fun, it was painful to watch, but back then we all said an ugly win is still a win. And at that point in the season, after a terrible loss to the Cowboys, it was needed. So was this, much needed. With all that has happened since the Bengals loss, it was desperately needed. I thought Kevin Stefanski would come out after the game and stand at the fifty-yard line and say, “are you not entertained?”

At halftime after the Ravens got a cheap score off of a Winston fumble, I still felt good. Surprisingly, I didn’t think, how are they going to screw this up. The most important thing, you could feel the crowd through the TV. The announcers mentioned it and you could see it in the fans faces. This is how this new offense is supposed to work. A quick passing game allowing the Browns to run the ball against the best run defense in the league. The best example is the thirty yard pass to Jerry Jeudy. A quick pass with yards after the catch. Running back Nick Chubb is close to being Nick Chubb again. You could see the vision and the cutbacks. It’s surprising what an average, healthy offensive line can do to a team. Speaking of OL, Dawand Jones played his first NFL game at left tackle and looked decent. With more practice, he could be the left tackle of the future, and I’d keep playing him even if Jedrick Wills gets healthy.

Can the team still make the playoffs? It’s possible, but they need to get to the bye week with a win over the Chargers before we can even think about talking about the playoffs. The good news is the teams ahead of the Browns for a playoff spot are on the schedule. Kansas City, Steelers (twice), Broncos, Ravens, Chargers, Bengals and Dolphins. But like I said, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now, the team needs to concentrate on beating the Chargers.

Finally, the two players on defense who have been playing at a pro bowl level JOK and Denzel Ward both got hurt yesterday. Ward now has had six concussions, and that’s not good. JOK’s injury was very scary and very concerning. Hopefully both will be ok, but Ward needs to sit down and have a serious discussion with medical professional. He can’t keep getting concussions. Stay safe and Go Browns

That’s the only way I can describe the 2024 version of the Cleveland Browns. Mistake after mistake after mistake. Twelve seconds into the game against the Bengals and they’re already behind by a touchdown. I should’ve turned off the game and found something else to do with my afternoon. But I didn’t, because I’m a Browns fan and I don’t give up on my team. I’ll watch every game from now till the end of the season. I always do.

Did you know that Deshaun Watson over his last four quarters of play was 26 of 29 for 250 yards? Yep, the last half of the Eagles game and the first half of this game, prior to the injury, he was playing well. But that came to an end with what appears to be an Achilles tendon rupture. His recovery from this injury will be at least a year. The Browns did take out an insurance policy on Watson for $14.5 million according to Over The Cap, which will result in about $7 million in cap relief for 2024. If you’re hoping the Browns will move on from Watson because of this injury, sorry it’s not going to happen. Their only opportunity to move on is the beginning of the league year 2026. Then the team can designate him as a post June 1st cut and split his cap hit of $92 million over two years, 2026 & 2027. Similar to what the Broncos did with Russell Wilson this year. By 2026, again according to Over The Cap, the salary cap will be around $300 million and the Browns could still be competitive even with $46 million in dead cap space due to Watson’s contract. I expect him to be on the PUP list at the beginning of 2025.

As for this year, keep an eye on three players who could be traded for future assets. Greg Newsome, Za’Darius Smith and Quinton Jefferson. Has anyone else noticed Jefferson has been a healthy scratch the last two weeks since Michael Hall has returned? Who starts at quarterback will tell you if they’re going for wins or going for talent assessment. If DTR starts, it’s talent assessment and if Winston starts, they’re going for wins. You have to know what you have if your team is picking in the top five in the 2025 draft. Let me also add, Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry aren’t going anywhere. Jimmy Haslem will give them 2025 to fix this roster. If the same thing happens next year, all bets are off. So if you’re a blame Stefanski & Berry type of fan, sorry it isn’t happening this year.

Finally, I know Browns fans have been through a lot over the years. If you’re not my age or older, you don’t remember the last time the Browns won a championship. So you’ve become very anxious with your fandom. We live in an instant world right now, no one wants to wait till next year, people want to have an easy rationale to place blame at the feet of one person. I also understand if you go to the games in person, you’re paying a fortune for that privilege. You should be allowed to boo a bad product, but to cheer when a player gets hurt crosses the line. I don’t care how you feel about that player or what that player has done or not done; you should never cross that line. Then to get mad at the players teammates for calling you out because of the cheering, also crosses the line. Either own up to it or don’t do it. There’s a complicated dance NFL GM’s play with potential free agents every year that fans aren’t aware of, and it doesn’t help the process. Stay safe and Go Browns.

This is the most frustrating Browns team I’ve watched. The only consistent thing about this team is you know they’re going to shoot themselves in the foot at any moment. Last year, you had the feeling they would somehow win, but this year is the opposite. Before you point the finger at a certain player or coach, this a team effort to be this bad, with the exception of Myles Garrett. This guy gives his all, every game.

There’s no easy solution. Sure, the head coach could bench Deshaun Watson, but that’s not on the table right now, but could be in the future. I saw the offense improve in the second half, but stupid penalties, questionable play calling and lack of effort stopped any hope for a comeback. False starts, holding, offensive facemask, yada, yada, yada. A jet sweep on a third and one, kicking a field goal instead of going for the go-ahead touchdown late in the game on what would be your last offensive possession. On defense, Greg Newsome gives up a big play touchdown late in the game it seems like every game. Finally, again there was lack of tackling in key moments in the game. After the superhuman play by Myles Garrett the Browns had a tie at halftime. The Philly fans were booing their team off the field. You had this team right where you wanted them. The team comes out with the ball first and drives the field. The perfect double dip situation. Then comes a third and one and Jameis Winston comes in and they try a jet sweep with Cedric Tillman. Really? How about a simple quarterback sneak. You should know how it works, the Eagles did it to you all game long.

So now what? They’ll keep starting Deshaun Watson. I’ve heard there are some veterans in the locker room who want a change to one of the backups. Stefanski will do everything in his power to force this to work and he has to because of Watson’s contract. Cut him this year and his cap hit would be $119.9 million. Cut him at the beginning of the league year in 2025 and his cap hit would be $92 million. 2026 is the only year the team can cut him and still have money to be competitive. The only relief is if he’s suspended by the league. The NFL is not going to do the Browns any favors.

As for trading players before the deadline, Myles Garrett is not going to be traded. Why would this front office do something stupid like that. The only way he’s gone is if he wants to be gone and he doesn’t want to be gone. WR Amari Cooper would be a candidate for a trade deadline deal as would Greg Newsome. After those two, there really is much value in anyone else.

Now for the good news. Nick Chubb, baring a practice setback, will be activated and play the next game against the Bengals. Will he be the same Chubb? No one knows, but this team needs some kind of boost on offense. The second good news is the Browns are currently slated to pick second in the 2025 NFL draft. Hey, I have to grasp onto something, right? Stay safe and Go Browns.

Yeah, pretty much. Could the Browns go on a long winning streak and turn it around? Nope, not really. When you can’t even put the right number of players in a huddle more than once, it’s over. I’ve seen some bad Browns football teams in my lifetime, that had to be the worst loss. When your alma mater has more effort, drive and physicality on Saturday against the number one team in the country, it’s over. So what’s next?

First of all, this isn’t all quarterback Deshaun Watson’s fault. When your offensive line can’t block, your defense can’t tackle, and your receivers can’t catch the ball, you lose. The entire coaching staff needs to take a long hard in the mirror, because some of these simple things can be fixed in practice. Yes, Watson made mistakes, but I put this complete mess on the coaches. You can’t get the right players on the field? Your offensive line can’t block simple stunts? You can’t tackle an opposing player? I knew this game was over when a punt team player hit the Commanders player receiving the punt after he signaled for a fair catch. Stupid penalty number one of many stupid penalties.

Should coaches be fired? Unless they allow Ken Dorsey to take a shot at calling plays, then he’s probably gone at the bye. I’ll hold judgment on Kevin Stefanski until he has healthy players. Will he be fired? No, and neither will Andrew Berry. This team doesn’t need to go back to fire the coach one year, then fire the GM the next. Will they eventually bench Watson for Winston? Possibly, but expect Winston to be sacked seven times a game and throw interceptions. Changing the QB doesn’t make all the players healthy. And it will be Kevin Stefanski’s call and only Kevin Stefanski’s call.

So now the team heads to Philly as a nine-point underdog. Glad to see the bookmakers finally realizing this team is a hot mess. On the positive side, the Browns are currently picking fourth in the 2025 draft. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Right now, the only team the Browns could beat is the Browns, and they’re doing it every week. They take the opening kickoff, go on a long drive, eating clock, and score. Then the team from the opening drive vanishes and is replaced by a team of practice squad players. I know it’s a new offense and there are backups replacing starters on the offensive line, but I was told the offense would be clicking by now. Cleveland brought back key defensive players, and I was told the team would build on the outstanding defense from 2023. Instead, they can’t stop the run, like last year, and they can’t tackle, like last year. Here’s the scary part, the best offensive player for the Browns Sunday was QB Deshaun Watson. Did he make mistakes again, yes. Did it happen again on fourth down, yes.

Last year the Browns had a top ten offense. It was flexible and adaptable to the different quarterback who started. All five signal callers last year were different, yet the offense worked. The offensive line last year was poor, yet they were able to overcome the mistakes. Can this offense get back on track, I hope so, because this is getting ridiculous. Here’s a notion, how about committing to the run. This game wasn’t a blow out, it was close, so running the ball was still an option. All of a sudden, wide receiver Amari Cooper is inconsistent as hell. If this continues, Cooper is a prime target for a trade.

On defense, the Browns still can’t stop the run. Going into this game, the Raiders were averaging 51 yards per game and a 2.8 average per carry. If your rushing game needs a boost, play the Browns. Las Vegas had 152 yards rushing for a 5.2 average. As I mentioned earlier, the defense can’t tackle. I counted over a dozen misses. Tackling is kind of important in the NFL. CB Martin Emerson can’t cover small fast guys so stop putting him on small fast guys.

Why is the Browns kicker missing important extra points in the fourth quarter? He can kick from the fifty plus but can’t hit an extra point. He did it last year, but the team overcame those misses. The Browns had the opportunity to win that game in the end, three times. The same thing happened against the Giants. Again, they had three opportunities to win the Giants game and failed. I just want the team that starts the game to show up the rest of the game. Stay safe and Go Browns.

That was totally unexpected. Last year the Browns were 8-1 at home, but this is the NFL, where anything can happen. Sunday winless teams won. Besides the Giants, the Ravens, the Broncos, the Colts, the Panthers and the Rams all won. It’s a weird league. Maybe someone should turn off the Browns and turn them back on again.

On offense, the problem is the offensive line. Plain and simple. Add eight more sacks and thirty-six more pressures. The Browns have no offensive identity, none. You have to adjust your offense to the team you are playing. They did it last week against Jacksonville, but for some reason not this week against the Giants. The Browns didn’t adjust to the Giant’s blitz. In the previous two weeks, New York blitzed 25% of the time. The Giants noticed early, the Browns were chipping and doubling certain players. New York adjusted and blitzed 57% of the time. Meanwhile, the Browns offense didn’t go into “heavy” offensive sets and run the ball. You beat the blitz by running the ball. Have you noticed after Cleveland breaks the huddle, the offensive linemen don’t communicate with each other? They don’t set their blocking scheme, adjusting to the defensive front. By the way, Dawand Jones looks slow and overweight.

The Browns also need to get rid of lining up in empty sets. Please keep a back or a tight end in the backfield. Put Watson under center and do some play action pass plays. You don’t have to do it the entire game, just enough to keep the defense honest. Set a game plan that’s designed for the opponent you’re playing, the offensive players you have and to adjust to what the defense adjusts to. Next week the Browns offense has to prepare for Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins on the Raiders defensive line. Yikes.

On offense, the Giants only had two legitimate weapons, running back Devin Singletary and wide receiver Malik Nabers. Both were allowed to go crazy. Browns cornerback Martin Emerson had no answer for Nabers. I know Denzel Ward has a shoulder injury, but when Ward wasn’t covering Nabers, could you have least double teamed Nabers? I’ll give the defense some credit. In the second half, they didn’t allow a point or a third down conversion. They gave the offense the opportunity to come back and win the game.

Finally, yes quarterback Deshaun Watson deserves some blame for this loss, about 20%. But with an offensive line that’s probably going to get him killed, they need to get the majority of the blame for this loss. If you are hoping for the Browns to trade for Joe Flacco, not going to happen. And if hoping for Watson to get hurt, go away, you’re not a Browns fan. Stay safe and Go Browns.

It wasn’t pretty, but there was improvement and effort. A team effort in all three phases of the game. The offense in the first half had three drives all resulting in points, one touchdown on the opening drive and two field goals. The first drive was a thing of beauty, 89 yards, 16 plays, over nine minutes. QB Deshaun Watson was 7 of 8 for 83 yards and a QBR of 109.8. For the half, he was 11 of 15 for 108 yards and rushed four times for eleven yards. He finished the game 22 of 34 for 186 yards and a QBR of 78.8. The start of the second half is when things started to go bad. Head coach Kevin Stefanski got a little cute with his play calling. In the fourth quarter the Browns kept shooting themselves in the foot with stupid penalties. The coaching staff has to clean up these mistakes.

The defense played like they were playing at home. Very aggressive. What impressed me was the red zone defense. Last year they were the worst in the league. Yesterday, they held the Jaguars out of the end zone two of three times. The Jags had to settle for field goals. They just need to hold on to interceptions. They had two right in their hands. Cleveland harassed Sunshine all game. Jacksonville did have 323 total yards, but most of those came late in the game. The defense had four sacks and seven pressures. The Alex Wright sack for a safety gave the Browns an 18-13 lead and the breathing room they needed. The Wright safety was set up by a great punt by Corey Bojorquez.

Other positives, running back D’Onta Foremen may not have had a lot of yards, but the way he ran the ball punished the Jaguars defense and kept running back Jerome Ford fresh. WR Jerry Jeudy stepped up and looked like a number one wide receiver. On defense, LB Jordan Hicks was a great signing. Made the right calls and had a massive sack. The three corners, Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome played very well. Newsome gave up a long pass play, but the Jacksonville WR pushed off on his route and of course it wasn’t called.

The penalties are ridiculous. thirteen for 100 yards, eight on the offense. Last week they had eleven for 67 yards, ten on the offense. Make it stop. This game should have been a blowout. The penalty on kicker Dustin Hopkins cost the Browns points because the Jags return man fumbled the ball. Then to add insult to injury the Jags scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive. The first drive in the second half was a head scratcher. Cleveland didn’t need to score a point, all they had to do was move the ball, get some yards and kill some time off the clock. Finally, two of thirteen on third down will not win you a lot of games. The coaches will be busy this week cleaning up a few things. Stay safe and Go Browns.

That’s how yesterday’s game landed in my mind. Other words like ugly, embarrassing and disgusting could also be used. It was a complete team loss. Every phase of the team sucked. The offense was chaotic, the defense was average, and the special teams were especially bad. And to think we had to wait till 3:30pm CST to watch the game. I wish it was a noon game, so I could’ve gotten the pain over with early. If you’re calling for the team to cut Watson, it isn’t going to happen, well at least not till after the 2026 season. A lot of fans are watching Baker Mayfield on the Buccaneers and wondering what if. Mayfield wore out his welcome by ignoring the play calls and lying to the medical staff about his injury. After watching the Patriots game, why don’t you call for Jacoby Brissett to be the quarterback? Here’s my solution, let Ken Dorsey call his own offense. And no, they won’t bench Watson and start Jameis Winston.

Blame also has to placed on GM Andrew Berry for not drafting a tackle to replace James Hudson. I don’t know if a rookie would have done better against Dallas, but their two rookies on the offensive line did very well. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with Hudson. Because of Hudson and Dawand Jones, who picked a bad time to have his worst game, the team couldn’t run the ball or pass the ball. To add to it, Watson was way to uncomfortable. He seemed antsy in the pocket with his eyes and his feet. Wide receiver Amari Cooper seem to “check out” late in the game.

As for the defense, they seem to have problems with very good quarterbacks and the wildcard game against the Texans seemed to have broken them. Kind of like Kansas City has broken the Ravens. The Dallas defense was doing things I remember from the Texans game that Houston did. At least the defense didn’t commit a ton of penalties like the offense. Eleven for the game, ten on the offense. That’s on the coaches for not having the team ready to play.

The special teams were also a mess. A 60-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the third quarter when the score was 20-3, turned into a 27-3 Dallas lead and the game was over. Cleveland seems unprepared for any kicks. The question now is can this be fixed in a week when the Browns travel to Jacksonville? Yes, it can. But it needs to happen today during team meetings. If the Browns can get a victory against the Jaguars, then the schedule is favorable the next three games. Finally, the Browns will need to sign a veteran tight end because of the injury to David Njoku. He has a high ankle sprain and those take at least five to six weeks to heal. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The waiting is over, it’s game week number one for the Cleveland Browns and it’s a big one. Dallas Cowboys, afternoon start, Fox national game of the week and Tom Brady’s debut in the booth. Just a normal week one for the Browns. No pressure. The Browns are currently a 2.5-point favorite at home. Last year the Browns were 8-1 at home and the Cowboys were 4-5 on the road. While the national media is focused on the quarterback position, I’m focused on the left tackle position. Jedrick Wills didn’t practice again today, but Jack Conklin did. Looks like he’ll be the team’s starter on Sunday. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said today that Wills was getting closer to practicing and didn’t say if Conklin would start. I originally thought he only played LT his freshman year at Michigan State. Nope, most of his college career. Conklin doesn’t seem to be concerned about playing on the left side, so I won’t either.

The other position I’m worried about is the running back room. Because the Dallas pass rush (Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence) will get a ton of attention in the media, a good run game will help take the pressure off QB Deshaun Watson. Dallas last year finished sixteenth (112.4 yards per game) against the run and fifteenth (4.2 yards) in yards per rushing attempt. If the Browns are able to have their quick passing game working, that will also help. Dallas’s secondary is good but will be missing starting corner DaRon Bland due to injury.

Finally, the anticipation for this game will build every day this week. I know a lot of Browns fans don’t like the 1:00pm EST start time, but I do. The late afternoon games are hell on my nerves. There’s pacing and wondering. The game will be played over and over in my head. The good thing, I’ll be able to test out how I’m going to watch games this year at home. I’m leaning towards Streameast. It worked during the preseason, so hopefully it will work during the regular season. One last reminder, I’ll have my preview article for the game on http://@FansFirstSN. Look for it either Friday or Saturday. Stay safe and Go Browns.