Month: September 2020

Happy victory Monday Browns fans. The Browns did what they had to do to, win. The Washington Football team isn’t very good and the Browns were expected to win this game, but all Browns fans know, nothing with the Browns is a certainty. Especially after a terrible third quarter which saw Washington score thirteen unanswered points and grab the lead late in the third quarter. Lucky the Browns scored on the next drive and were given short fields because of Washington turnovers which led to another touchdown and a field goal. Game over.

First the positives. This offensive line is fantastic. Sure rookie LT Jedrick Wills had a couple false starts, but for this group to mesh so quickly is a testament to Offensive Line coach Bill Callahan. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are the best running back duo in the NFL. The Browns had 158 yards rushing. Any time a team can run for 150 yards or more is a good day. Wide receiver Odell Beckham only had four catches, but they all went for first downs. Beckham’s best play was as a defender, knocking down a sure interception. QB Baker Mayfield had a good day, but still looks a little impatient in the pocket. It could be he’s still learning the offense. The one thing I love about this offense, it plays perfectly into Mayfields strengths.

On defense, the defensive line is getting the job done. DE Myles Garrett had two sacks and a fumble recovery and DT Sheldon Richardson added another sack. The Browns got five turnovers including three interceptions. One by S Karl Joseph, one by LB Malcolm Smith and one by LB B.J. Goodson. All three interceptions led to Browns touchdowns. That’s how you make the opposing team pay for their mistakes. For the second week in a row, key players on the defense stepped up and made plays when they had to.

I was glad to see kicker Cody Parkey kicking the ball out of the end zone on kick offs and was perfect on two field goals and four extra points. It was refreshing. I know it’s only his third game as a head coach, but nothing seems to bother Kevin Stefanski. Even though the running game wasn’t working at the beginning of the game, he stuck with it and it paid off.

As for the negatives, Mayfield almost threw another interception and again had an intentional grounding. He was sacked twice, but Washington has one hell of a defensive line. As for the Browns defense, they seemed to disappear in the third quarter. Too many wide open receivers for Washington. Hopefully the Browns will get injured players back this week. CB Greedy Williams needs to get healthy for Dallas. You could tell LB Mack Wilson and CB Kevin Johnson were still knocking off some rust. Finally, wide receiver/kick returner Jo Jo Natson has been lost for the year with a torn ACL. It could be Donovan Peoples-Jones time.

Now it’s on to Dallas. The Cowboys are 1-2 and could easily be 0-3 if not for a Falcons team who still hasn’t gotten over their historical loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Browns defense will need to play a complete game because the Cowboys are loaded on offense. As for the Dallas defense, they have trouble stopping teams who use a lot of play action and right now the Browns are doing exceptionally well at play action. Dallas has allowed 126.6 passer rating in the secondary, worst in the NFL. Enjoy being 2-1 Browns fans. Everyone stay safe, Go Tribe and Go Browns.

It’s victory Friday. Four days after a humiliating loss, the Browns coaches had the team ready to play. Before you say, “but they gave up 30 points to the Bengals”, I have a news flash for you, QB Joe Burrow is very good. Cincinnati needs to figure out a way to protect him better, he’s going to get killed before the season is over. The Browns did what they had to do to win. More importantly, every time the Bengals scored, the Browns answered. So lets start with the negatives.

The defense was average, maybe below average, but made plays when they had to. They still can’t cover an opposing tight end. Raise you hand if you’ve ever heard of Drew Sample and C.J. Uzomah. I didn’t think so. Besides CB Denzel Ward and CB Terrance Mitchell, the back seven was erratic. LB Mack Wilson, CB Greedy Williams and CB Kevin Johnson can’t come back soon enough. None of them have shown up on the short-term IR yet, so it appears they’ll all be ready for week three. The tackling by the defense was terrible. The special teams were not special at all. Note to kicker Cody Parkey, kick the ball out of the back of the end zone. The kick off coverage was non existent. I’m sure pre-season games would’ve helped but this is what happens when your best special team players are starting on defense. On offense, RG Wyatt Teller had two stupid penalties. That’s it, that’s the offensive list.

Now for the positives. The offensive line was fantastic. Rookie LT Jedrick Wills allowed only one QB pressure. One. The OL allowed no quarterback hits, no sacks and 6.1 yards per rush. RT Chris Hubbard started in place of Jack Conklin and you did not hear his named called once. I loved how HC Kevin Stefanski started the game with play action and rollouts. The Bengals were completely caught off guard and it allowed QB Baker Mayfield to get in a rhythm early. Is there a better running back duo in the NFL right now? No there isn’t, the Browns rushed for 215 yards. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt ran though and over the Cincinnati defense. FB Andy Janovich was on the field more this game and he was a blocking machine. That’s what Browns fans call “fullback porn.” This is how a wide zone offense is suppose to work.

On defense, the defensive line had three sacks, seven QB pressures and eight QB hits. DT Sheldon Richardson was disruptive all game. DE Myles Garrett made a big play when the team needed it, forcing a fumble which was recovered by the Browns on the one yard line. DE Porter Gustin was in the back field constantly. As mentioned earlier, Ward and Mitchell played very well. Cincinnati star wide receiver A.J. Green was targeted thirteen times and only had three catches. Now I know why the Browns signed K Cody Parkey. Having a kicker who can make an extra point is refreshing. The Browns need someone who is reliable from 40 yards out.

The Browns now get ten days of rest and recoup. Hopefully injured players will heal and safety Ronnie Harrison and linebacker Malcom Smith will have fully learned the defensive scheme. The Browns need both to start against Washington. The kick coverage team needs a lot more practice time. Enjoy this one Browns fans. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s been 48 hours, so here goes. I didn’t expect the Browns to blow out the Ravens and hoped, HOPED, they could win. I did, however expect a better showing. Let’s face facts, installing a new offense with no pre-season games showed why this was a major uphill climb for the Browns. I never thought I would wish there were pre-season games. The Browns now have four days to get ready for the Bengals. The only thing that makes this a positive is Cincinnati also has four days to get ready for a road game with a rookie quarterback. Lets start with the negatives from Sunday.

A fake punt from your own 31 yard line? Really? In the first quarter? Stupid, just plain stupid. Six carries for Kareem Hunt and six carries for Nick Chubb in the first half? I know when the game got out of hand, the Browns had to abandon the run, but the running game was working. The two averaged 5.5 yard a carry for the game and 6.5 yards a carry in the first half. Less play action pass. If the running games is working, which it was, call more play action pass. Stefanski needs to move QB Baker Mayfield outside the pocket more. He is much better on the move and will have less passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. OBJ and Mayfield are still not on the same page. Some of it’s Mayfields fault, some it’s ObJs fault, but one thing is certain, Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey owns OBJ. A third down an 41? That’s almost half a football field. Stop with the stupid penalties.

On defense, the defensive line was uninspiring. Myles Garrett had one tackle. ONE. Safety Andrew Sendejo looked lost. Hopefully the Browns can get S Ronnie Harrison up to speed by Thursday. The secondary was a mess as a whole. The injuries to cornerbacks Greedy Williams and Kevin Johnson were painfully evident. The decision not to invest in the linebacker position in the off season was also painfully evident. Can the Browns please find a defender who can cover the opposing tight end, please.

Now for the positives and yes there were positives. The offensive line looked really good, both in pass blocking and run blocking. Left tackle Jedrick Wills played pretty good and made a few rookie mistakes, but all in all had a good game. Right guard Wyatt Teller had an outstanding game only giving up one quarterback pressure verses a damn good Ravens defense. When QB Baker Mayfield is in a flow, he’s a pretty good QB and you saw that on the touchdown drive. It was great to see the Browns line up on the goal line with three tight ends and fullback in the formation. Now they just need to get to the goal line more often. On defense, defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was the only bright spot. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the highest rated DT in week one. Now DC Joe Woods needs to get the rest of the defense to play.

As for injuries, both OT Jack Conklin and OT Jedrick Wills got a little dinged up, but both are expected to play on Thursday night, but OT Chris Hubbard did take all the snaps at RT today. LB Jacob Phillips is expected to miss some time with a knee injury and might end up on the Injured Reserve. Both Greedy Williams and Kevin Johnson might be ready for week three verses Washington. Unfortunately TE David Njoku was placed on IR and will have to miss three games. Could we see a return of TE Pharaoh Brown? The Browns made one move, they signed kicker Cody Parkey off the practice squad and waived kicker Austin Seibert. Of course, today the Bengals signed Seibert, but will he be able to kick on Thursday night? He still has to go through Covid-19 testing. As for Browns twitter going into complete meltdown about OBJ and Mayfield, stop, just stop. It’s just one game.

Now the Browns host the Bengals. I’m going to be really interested in how this coaching staff reacts to the loss. Calling more play action and roll outs for Mayfield would be a good start. Commit to the run and stay with it would be another. The Chargers had great success running the ball against the Bengals, they had 150 yards rushing. The Browns need to get QB Baker Mayfield into a rhythm and attack the middle of the Cincinnati defense. TE Austin Hooper/Harrison Bryant anyone? On defense, show some exotic fronts to confuse rookie QB Joe Burrow. The Bengals use a lot of two and three wide receiver sets, so the secondary better be ready. CB Denzel Ward has to shadow Bengals WR A.C Green all game long. The Browns defense against Baltimore, put more pressure on the quarterback than any other team in week one. It made no difference because it was against the reigning NFL MVP, QB Lamar Jackson. However on Sunday in Cincinnati, when the Chargers put pressure on QB Joe Burrow, he had a quarterback rating of about 40. Pressure, pressure pressure. The Chargers DE Joey Bosa was a game wrecker in the first half. Myles Garrett needs to be disruptive all game long.. I just hope the Bengals tight end doesn’t have a record setting game. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

The time has come, Browns fans, It’s game week. The roster is set, the practice squad is set and the team is game planning for the Ravens. I never thought this week would come. Lets talk about the roster first. The good news is that center J.C. Tretter is practicing again and is determined to play on Sunday. I thought rookie Nick Harris did a good job and felt confident in his ability if he had to play on Sunday. But having Tretter back would give the Browns a better chance in Baltimore. Also returning to practice was cornerback M.J. Stewart, which will definitely help the defense. Questions still remain about CB Greedy Williams, LB Mack Wilson and CB Kevin Johnson. I have heard that Williams injury is not as bad as everyone thinks and Johnson is ahead of schedule on his injury. I’ve heard nothing on Mack Wilson and I’m checking the injured reserve list everyday. I guess we’ll have to wait for the first injury report this week.

A quick note on the new injured reserve rules for 2020. If a player was placed on the injured reserve by last Sunday September 6, they are required to sit out the entire 2020 season. At some point, and I’m not sure when, the Browns can designate players for short-term IR. This requires a player to only sit out the first three games. This option still might be possible for Mack and Johnson. Finally unlike in years past, there is no limit to how many players can come off short-term IR. Last year only two players could be re-activated from the injured reserve. I’m also glad to see the Browns stashed OT Alex Taylor on the this years IR.

Besides the final roster, the Browns made some major news. GM Andrew Berry solidified the safety position by trading for Ronnie Harrison. It only cost the Browns a 2021 draft pick and Harrison is under contract for the Browns for two years. Berry found the defensive line depth he’s been searching for by signing DT Vincent Taylor and DE Joe Jackson. Both are veterans. The biggest news came yesterday when the Browns signed RB Kareem Hunt to a two year contract extension for $13.25 million. Word is the offer came from Hunt and his agent. Hunt is so grateful the Browns took a chance on him, he offered a hometown discount. Just when 2020 keeps getting weirder by the hour, a star player in the NFL offers to stay with the Browns on a discount.

Back to the Hunt signing, Browns twitter is now convinced the Browns won’t resign RB Nick Chubb. I beg to differ. The Browns new offense is a run heavy, tight end driven offense, so I could see the Browns extending Chubb after the 2020 season. The problem for the 2021 roster is WRs Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry will be owed collectively about $ 30 million. Could one or both restructure? Sure. I’m really glad the Browns resigned Rashard Higgins and drafted Donovan Peoples-Jones. Plus the Browns have to decide on the fifth year options for QB Baker Mayfield and CB Denzel Ward. You have to give Andrew Berry credit for one thing, with all his signings and drafting, he’s not only thinking about this year, but also five years down the road.

As for the practice squad, thirteen of the sixteen players signed spend this year with the Browns at training camp. They already know the system and would be ready to go if called upon because of injury. The Browns filled the last two spots on the PS by signing OL Greg Senat and RB John Kelly. I’m curious why the Browns signed K Cody Parkey. Competition or insurance? Only Andrew Berry knows.

So, it’s game week and the Browns are on to Baltimore. I expect a heavy dose of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Not only to control the game and the clock, but to also protect rookie offensive tackle Jedrick Wills. The less pass plays, the better. The players on the defense are faster and the defensive line needs to control the Ravens offense. I just wish S Grant Delpit hadn’t gotten hurt. I have a feeling he would’ve been shadowing Lamar Jackson all game. Neither team has played a game, so they’re both in the same boat. It’s going to be an uphill climb for our Browns, but stranger thing have happened, remember it’s 2020. Stay safe everyone and Go Browns.

NFL cut down day is Saturday September 5 at 3:00 PM central. Time to play every Browns fan favorite game, the 53 man roster projection game. I’m basing my projections on the new roster rules of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement which have been modified due to Covid-19. If you are unaware of the new rules, I recently wrote an article on this subject for http://www.CLEsportstalk.com. Just click on the Browns tab in the upper left of the page and look for “Cut Down Day – The New Practice Squad And Roster Rules.” So here goes:

Quarterback (2). Baker Mayfield/ Case Keenum. Pretty easy, Garrett Gilbert to the practice squad, hopefully, and he is the Browns emergency QB.

Running Back (4). Nick Chubb/ Kareem Hunt/ D’Ernest Johnson/ Andy Janovich. I know Dontrell Hilliard has more experience, however I think Johnson has outplayed him in training camp.

Wide Receiver (6). OBJ/ Jarvis Landry/ Rashard Higgins/ Donovan Peoples-Jones/ KhaDarel Hodge/Jo Jo Natson. Hodge barely outplayed Taywan Taylor in training camp, however Hodge is a better special teams player. Peoples-Jones and Natson give the Browns better options in the return game.

Tight End (4). Austin Hooper/ David Njoku/ Harrison Bryant/ Pharaoh Brown. I hope they can sneak Stephen Carlson onto the practice squad.

Offensive Line (9). Jedrick Wills/Joel Bitonio/ J.C. Tretter/ Wyatt Teller/ Jack Conklin/ Chris Hubbard/ Kendall Lamm/ Willie Wright/ Nick Harris. Alex Taylor and Evan Brown are players who could make the practice squad. although I worry Taylor won’t make it through waivers. If Tretter isn’t ready for game one, Wright can be the back up center to Nick Harris.

Defensive Line (8). Olivier Vernon/ Larry Ogunjobi/ Sheldon Richardson/ Myles Garrett/ Porter Gustin/ Jordan Elliot/ Eli Ankou/ Adrian Clayborn. Looks like the Chad Thomas era comes to an end in Cleveland. Gustin has had a better training camp. Ankou is a big body the middle of the defensive line needs.

Linebacker(6). B.J. Goodson/ Malcolm Smith/ Jacob Phillips/ Sione Takitaki/ Tae Davis/ Willie Harvey. Davis and Harvey are great special teams players, so they make the roster. Solomon Ajayi and Montrel Meander to the practice squad. Mack Wilson to IR.

Secondary(11). Denzel Ward/ Greedy Williams/ Kevin Johnson/ Terrance Mitchell/ M.J. Stewart/ Tavierre Thomas/ Donovan Olumba/ A.J. Green/ Andrew Sendejo/ Karl Joseph/ Sheldrick Redwine. This position group is the only one that has a lot of questions. What is the health of Greedy Williams and Kevin Johnson? Why only three safeties? There’s obviously isn’t a veteran safety free agent that GM Andrew Berry is interested in, or he would have signed one. If Greedy Williams has to go on the injured reserve, then I think Robert Jackson makes the roster. Jovante Moffatt, J.T Hassell and Donnie Lewis, Jr. to the practice squad.

Specialists (3). Austin Seibert/Jamie Gilliam/ Charley Hughlett.

So there’s my Browns 53 man roster. As explained in my article, the practice squad has expanded from twelve to sixteen and each week during the season NFL teams can protect four players. I fully expect GM Andrew Berry to scan the waiver wire on Saturday and into Sunday looking to fill the bottom of the roster, so the practice squad will be in flux all weekend. Stay safe and Go Browns.