Month: October 2020

It’s another Victory Monday and the Browns are 5-2. They won without Odell Beckham, Nick Chubb, Wyatt Teller and Austin Hooper. That’s impressive. Also, lets face facts, Bengal QB Joe Burrow is really, really good. But so is Browns QB Baker Mayfield. Last week, at this time, Browns twitter was ready to run Mayfield out of town and start all over again with a new quarterback. Bottom line, the Browns are 5-2 and head coach Kevin Stefanski looks like the real deal. Lets start with the positives.

After the first quarter, where Mayfield went 0-5, 0 yards and an interception, he went 21-22, 297 yards and FIVE touchdowns. The Browns scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives. 11 plays for 75 yards, 9 plays for 75 yards, 8 plays for 79 yards, 7 plays for 75 yards and 5 plays for 75 yards. The last drive took only 55 seconds and resulted in the game winner. The only incompletion was a spike to stop the clock on the last drive. Amazing. Mayfield threw two touchdowns to a fourth round pick, Harrison Bryant and the game winner to a sixth round pick, Donovan Peoples-Jones. The running game only had 82 yards, but still was utilized enough to keep the Bengal defense on their heels. Mayfield saw the whole field and let it rip. The Bengals did the same thing the Steelers did with their safeties, but Mayfield saw it and adjusted. He was reading the defense and throwing the football. The offensive line did their job, Mayfield wasn’t sacked. Glad to see WR Hollywood Higgins have a great game. Six catches for 110 yards. He and Mayfield have a chemistry and it’s working really well.

HC Kevin Stefanski did a great job tweaking the offense. Mayfield was in the shotgun more, which gave him extra time to read the defense. I love the flat passes to RB Kareem Hunt. It didn’t work every time, but on the second to last touchdown drive, it worked twice. The first was a 12 yard pass to get the ball to the Cincinnati 11. Then after a short run, another flat pass to Hunt for the touchdown. Opposing defenses keep trying to put a linebacker on Hunt on those passes and it’s still not working for them.

On defense, DE Myles Garrett is on a different level. Two more sacks and one was a strip sack. After seven games, Garrett has nine sacks and four strip sacks for turnovers. CB Kevin Johnson played well as did S Ronnie Harrison. He batted down a pass that resulted in an interception and recovered a fumble after the strip sack, before it rolled out of bounds. CB Denzel Ward also had a great game. Knocking the ball out of the hands of Bengal WR A.C Green in the end zone forcing a Cincinnati field goal at a key moment late in the game.

As for the negatives, Mayfield has thrown an interception on his first pass of the game in consecutive weeks and on his first drive in three straight weeks. The running game wasn’t working again, but the Browns still found ways to use Hunt. This team misses RB Nick Chubb. On defense, the Browns blitzed way too much. All Joe Burrow had to do was throw the ball in the direction of where the blitz was coming from and he was very successful. This team has so much money invested in the DL, you would think they could pressure without all that blitzing. If you’re going to blitz, how about more than one guy when the opposing QB is attempting a hail mary pass. Safety Ronnie Harrison should start every game for the rest of the season. Period.

The worst news on Sunday was the injury to OBJ. Torn ACL and he’s out for the season. Of course Browns twitter is saying it’s Mayfield’s fault OBJ got hurt, Mayfield plays better without OBJ on the field and the Browns need to trade for a receiver. No, No and No. If you want to blame anything for OBJ’s injury, blame the turf. It looks like he got his foot caught. As for Mayfield playing better without OBJ, go watch the Cowboy game again. And the Browns don’t need to trade for a WR. KhaDarel Hodge is due to come off the IR this week. Problem solved. If the Browns are going to trade for a player, please make it a defensive lineman or a linebacker.

One more game before the bye, the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are similar to the Cowboys, great offense, terrible defense. With the exception of a handful of teams, every team in the NFL has a terrible defense including the Browns. Hopefully TE Austin Hooper will be back for that game, but I doubt it. No need to rush him back with the way Bryant and Njoku are playing. Wyatt Teller and Nick Chubb should be back after the bye. 6-2 at the bye would be great. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

I’ve waited 48 hours after a Browns loss, as I always do, so here goes. Despite what Browns twitter says, it’s not as bad as it looks Browns fans. Yes, I hate losing to the Steelers, but right now they’re an elite team, just like Baltimore and the Titans. Do all three have holes? Yes. Can all three be beaten? Yes. Hell Kansas City and Green Bay were supposed to be elite teams until they lost to the Raiders and Tampa. The Browns are currently 4-2 and weren’t going to go 15-1. They’re still on pace, baring major injuries, to make the playoffs. Something this team hasn’t done in 18 years. They’re still a good team. So what went wrong Sunday.

First of all, QB Baker Mayfield should have never started the game. I love head coach Kevin Stefanski, but that was a bad decision. I know people will say, the Browns went into the game with no third string quarterback because the Cowboys poached QB Garrett Gilbert off the Browns practice squad last Monday. Still if Mayfield’s ribs were sore, he can’t effectively throw the football. I know QB Case Keenum isn’t the season long answer, but for one game announced on Sunday morning as the starter, maybe. At least the Steelers couldn’t have game planned for Keenum. As for Mayfield, I’m not ready to throw in the towel. Is he a franchise QB right now? No, he’s still a work in progress. The Browns are six games in and they’re 4-2. They played a bad game, it’s that simple. Mayfield was good in college and his rookie season 2018. He didn’t forget how to play football. I don’t count 2019, because his head coach was Freddie Kitchens. The Steelers mixed up their coverages, especially their safeties and brought the pressure on every play. They were ready for the Browns.

On Monday, HC Kevin Stefanski took the blame for the loss, He said, “There’s plays we ran yesterday that I wouldn’t run again. I learned a lesson in a hard way.” This is how a coach handles a team after a bad loss. Hopefully he won’t make a t-shirt out of it. Unfortunately, moving forward, opposing defenses now think they have a blueprint against Baker Mayfield and the Browns. How do the Browns keep that from happening? More rollouts, because Mayfield is much better when he’s on the move. More screen plays to keep the defense honest. When Kevin Stefanski was the offensive coordinator for the Vikings, they used the screen play very effectively and the Browns have the tight ends, running back and offensive line to execute this play call.

On defense, the Browns need to get healthy at the safety position. Karl Joseph and Ronnie Harrison have to play. Since CB Kevin Johnson has been healthy, opposing slot receivers have been covered. Now get your safeties healthy and the middle of the field is covered. The linebackers have been good, however getting Jacob Phillips back would help. The defense needs to get the linebacker group involved in pressuring the opposing quarterback. After six games, the linebackers have no sacks. Other defensive linemen besides DE Myles Garrett, also need to start to apply better pressure. No sacks in the last three games. The one thing that bothered me Sunday, the Steelers as the game went on, were very effective throwing to the outside against Denzel Ward and Terrence Mitchell. By this time in the game, the defense was exhausted. Just remember the Browns defense hasn’t been completely healthy for the first six games.

Looking forward, and as those who know me, I don’t like to look forward, the Browns have two winnable games prior to the bye. The Bengals and the Raiders. The Browns will be favored to win both. Personally, if the Browns had beaten the Steelers, the Bengal game would have been the perfect trap game. Beat Cincinnati and Las Vegas, the Browns are 6-2 going into the bye. I’ll take that any day of the week. The Bengals can put points on the board and QB Joe Burrow appears to be the real deal. Against the Colts Cincinnati had a 14-0 lead and just didn’t have the team to hold the lead. As for the Raiders, I know they beat Kansas City, but like Browns/Steelers, that’s an old time AFC rivalry game. The Raiders play at Tampa this weekend. Which Raider team will play in Cleveland on November 1, the one that beat Kansas City or the one that lost to the Patriots and Bills?

To win these two games, the Browns need to stick to the winning formula, Run the ball, don’t ask Mayfield to do too much and play great defense. The Browns are 40% of the way to ten wins with ten games to go. 10-6 gets this team into the playoffs. Since 1999, all I’ve wanted was for the Browns to have a winning season and make the playoffs. They did it once in 2002 and now it’s time to get another winning streak going. Learn from the loss to the Steelers and come out and put a slap down on the Bengals. Everybody stay safe and GO Browns. On to Cincinnati.

It’s Victory Monday again. I could get use to this. The Browns are now 4-1. The last time the Browns started 4-1 was 1994. The Browns dropped 32 points on the number one defensive team in the NFL. That’s four straight games scoring 30 plus points. That hasn’t happened since 1968 when the Browns scored 30 plus in seven straight games. Currently the Browns are number 2 in offense, number nine in defense and 27th in special teams. As you can see, this is new territory for many Browns fans.

Lets start with the positives. QB Baker Mayfield was 21 for 37, 247 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. However with Mayfield it was a tale of two halves. In the first half, he was 19 for 29, 228 yards with two touchdowns. Mayfield had to step up in the first half because the Colts run defense is legit. The Browns did rush for 124 yards, but 28 of those yards came on D’Ernest Johnsons game clinching first down run late in the game. RB Kareem Hunt finished with 72 yards on 20 carries. I love how this team keeps running the ball as the game goes on. It was good to see Rashad Higgins make it out of the witness protection program and walk the red carpet after his touchdown reception. And his block helped on Johnsons 28 yard gain. Of course, Landry, Beckham and Hooper were their usual selves. RG Wyatt Teller gets hurt early, Chris Hubbard steps in and the offensive line didn’t skip a beat. Colts DT DeForest Buckner was held to his worst Pro Football Focus grade since week one of 2019. For the third week in a row, the Browns scored before the end of the first half. What’s amazing was the amount of time left for the other team. Week three, 7 seconds, week four, 5 seconds and this game, 32 seconds. That’s good play calling.

One defense, it all starts with DE Myles Garrett. Another sack and his seventh pressure leading to a turnover. To put that in perspective, last year two players led the league in turnovers off of pressure and they were tied with six apiece. Again this week individual players stepped up. LB Sione Takitaki, LB Jacob Phillips, LB Malcolm Smith, S Ronnie Harrison and S Sheldrick Redwine. The defense is slowly getting better. Last, the Browns committed two penalties, TWO. When’s the last time that happened?

As for the negatives. QB Baker Mayfield in the second half. He was 2 for 8, 19 yards and two interceptions. HC Kevin Stefanski admitted today the play calling was at fault. This team has to keep the offensive pressure on all game. Baker Mayfield’s QB rating per quarter, 1st qtr. 77.3, 2nd qtr. 91.5, 3rd qtr. 51.9 and 4th qtr. 7.4. Yikes. The defensive play calling in the middle of the field is horrendous. Opposing WRs are open way too much. They had so much time, I could’ve sworn I saw Colts WRs filling out change of address forms. The safety positions did improve with Harrison and Redwine playing. Harrison had a PFF rating of 79.6 and Redwine with nineteen defensive snaps had a PFF rating of 93.6. The special teams are a mess on kickoff returns. K Cody Parkey was perfect again and P Jamie Gillan kicked a perfect punt to the Indy four that led to the safety.

Injuries are starting to pile up. Mayfield (ribs), Teller (calf strain), Harrison (concussion), Jordon Elliott (knee) and Olivier (groin). Today the Browns finally put CB Greedy Williams on Injured Reserve and will miss at least three games. Mayfield and Teller will get X-Rays today, we’ll have to wait until the injury report on Wednesday to find out anything on the other players. Hopefully Harrison and Larry Ogunjobi will be back for the Steelers game. The defensive line is starting to get a little thin.

It’s Steeler week. I watched a little of their game against the Eagles. Their offense is still totally generated by Big Ben. The Steelers offensive line is average, so disrupting Ben Roethlisberger is the key. On defense, if I’m the Browns, I target former Brown CB Joe Haden. He has definitely lost a step. Eagle rookie WR Travis Fulgham burnt him for ten catches, 152 yards and a touchdown. The Browns offensive line has already faced two of the better front fours in the league in Washington and Indy, so keeping Mayfield upright is a must. On defense, the Browns have to clean up the middle of the field. The 4-1 Browns head to Pittsburg to play for first place in the AFC North. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s Victory Monday and I’m loving it. I had some confidence the Browns would win based on how horrific the Cowboy defense is playing, but 49 points? I did not see that coming. The Browns are now 3-1 for the first time since 2001. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has won three games in his first four. To put that in perspective, former HC Hue Jackson won his first three in 40 games. The Browns are currently first in these categories, -1st in rushing yards (818) -1st in yards per carry (5.9) -1st in rushing TDs (8) -1st in defensive takeaways (10) -1st in turnover differential (+6). The Browns redzone efficiency is 80%. What a difference a coaching staff makes.

First the positives. I love how this team commits to the running game and stays with it. The Browns rushed for 307 yards against the Cowboys. Even after RB Nick Chubb went down with MCL strain, D’Ernest Johnson comes in and runs for 95 yards on 13 carries. The offensive line is a well oiled machine right now. Even the wide receivers are blocking in the running game. I saw Donovan Peoples-Jones man handling the Cowboys secondary. Running the ball in the NFL is a mentality and right now the Browns have that mentality. For the second straight week, the Browns got WR Odell Beckham, Jr. into the flow of the games early. He had five catches, three went for first downs and two went for touchdowns. When Beckham and QB Baker Mayfield get into a rhythm, there’s no defense that can stop this team. Speaking of Mayfield, he was a lot smoother in this game. He was 19 of 30 for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Second straight game without an interception.

On the defensive side of the ball, DE Myles Garrett is a beast. Two sacks, one a strip sack and a fumble, his third in three games. Garrett is playing like a game changer. The defensive line was again dominant. The Cowboys rushed for 85 yards. I saw better linebacker play this game. It was good to see both LB Mack Wilson and LB Jacob Phillips playing. The outside cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Terrence Mitchell had good games. After the Cowboys scored twice in the first quarter, the Browns confused Dallas for the second and third quarter.

Which leads me to the negatives. HC Kevin Stefanski needed to keep the offensive pressure on Dallas. The Browns could have scored 60 Sunday. The combination of taking the foot off the offensive gas pedal and the defense going into a prevent, allowed the Cowboys back in the game. Dallas has too many offensive weapons and they showed it by scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter. The safeties on this team are not very good. I know this is because the Browns lost S Grant Delpit to a season ending injury in training camp, but you can’t tell me S Ronnie Harrison isn’t better than S Andrew Sendejo. He only had eleven snaps and his Pro Football Focus rating was 91. Of course the worst news was the injury to RB Nick Chubb. He is going on injured reserve and will miss at least three games. The NFL Network is reporting he’ll probably miss six games, but HC Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t commit to that timeline. Chubb is known for quickly recovering from injuries. The Browns could promote RB John Kelly from the practice squad if needed. The good news on the injury front, TE David Njoku came off the injured reserve. Another weapon added back.

This weekend the Browns will host the 3-1 Colts. The Colts have the best defense in the NFL and have not allowed a 100 yard rusher after four games. On offense the Colts feature 107 year old Phillip Rivers and a very good offensive line. It will be strength verses strength on both sides of the ball. Like Mayfield, Rivers is still learning the Colts offense, so catching them now is good test. If Stefanski keeps calling games like he did in Dallas, then the Browns should win. I’m really impressed. The Browns have a plan, they are prepared and they implement the plan. Let me leave you with this stat, the last two teams to score 49+ points against the Cowboys in Dallas went on to reach the Super Bowl (2004 Eagles, 2013 Broncos). Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.