Month: January 2021

Now that we know the Super Bowl participants, can we all agree that fourth down has been the major topic of this years playoffs. I have never seen a year where fourth down can make or break a good coach’s decision making. Wow. Getting back to the Super Bowl, how close are the Browns from making their first appearance? Pretty, pretty close. If GM Andrew Berry and the Browns front office can do to the defense this year, what they did to the offense last year, the Browns are close. The process begins with the Senior Bowl this week. With the NFL Combine going virtual, the Senior bowl still affords the Browns to personally watch practices and speak individually to draft prospects. The off-season has begun.

Lets start with the schedule. Besides Pittsburg, Cincinnati and Baltimore, the Browns host Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas and Houston. Their road games are the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City, Green Bay, New England and Minnesota. The home schedule is pretty good, while the road schedule is daunting. I’m glad there’s only one west coast trip. The key to this schedule are when the games are played and how they’re spaced out. Due to the Browns success, there will probably be at least four prime-time games. The Kansas City game, if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, has Thursday night season opener written all over it. The amazing thing about the 2020 Cleveland Browns, they never lost two games in a row. That’s preparation by the coaching staff. To make the next step, the Browns need to win their opening game, win their division, beat teams coached by Andy Reid and John Gruden (0-8 vs Reid and 0-6 vs Gruden) and win two playoff games in a season. Sounds simple right?

First, the Browns have to fix their defense either through the draft or free agency. Since free agency starts first, you have to look at the teams who are over the salary cap for potential free agents. With an expected salary cap of $175 million, there are currently thirteen teams over the cap. The Giants ($3.3), the Titans ($7.4), the Bears ($10.7), the Vikings ($12.8), the Texans ($18.3), the Chiefs ($ 18.9), the Raiders ($23.5), the Packers ($28.6), the Rams ($30.5), the Steelers ($ 34.9), the Falcons ($36.3), the Eagles ($53.5) and the Saints ($112.1). That’s an incredible list. The Giants and the Titans could do restructures and get under the cap, but signing free agents would be difficult. As for the other teams, trades would their best option. This puts more players on the market. GM Andrew Berry’s ideal free agent is a player in his mid twenties coming off his first contract. But if Berry feels the Browns are close to the next level, then acquiring a big name defensive free agent has to be considered. Think defensive end or safety. As for the draft, the Browns have nine picks and I do not expect Andrew Berry to use all nine.

For the first time in a long time the Browns return their entire coaching staff and front office. They return their offense in tact and get Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit back from injury. This team has the capacity to handle both a virtual combine and pro days better than most NFL teams. They spent the last three weeks of the season game planning virtually Next week I’ll start my way too early free agent tracker and throw in a mock draft. The future looks bright. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

Well it’s been 48 hours and it’s time to move to the off-season. If you had told me the Browns would hold Kansas City to 22 points, I would’ve thought the Browns would have won. How many Browns fans thought when safety Karl Joseph intercepted the ball in the end zone with about eight minutes to go in the game,” here we go.” I did. This offense was built for a long drive for a touchdown. After watching the game again, I’m comfortable with Kevin Stefanski punting the ball with around four minutes to go. The defense just needed to make a stop. And despite what Browns twitter says about firing DC Joe Woods, stop. Just stop. They lost their number two corner and their starting safety in training camp on the same day. Woods won the Steelers wildcard game with his scheme. The entire year the Browns played cover two defense 1% of the time. In the Wildcard game the Browns played cover two defense 26% of the time. He basically installed a new defensive scheme with one practice and missing his number one corner and his number three corner. Simply put, the players didn’t execute. If the Browns invest heavily in defense this off-season, like they invested in offense in 2020, then the defense will make giant steps in 2021.

The Browns are on to the off-season 2021. The goal is to win the division and advance farther in the play-offs. I have complete faith in GM Andrew Berry and this front office. First there will be no changes in the coaching staff. Nice change of pace, right Browns fans? The Browns have nine picks in the 2021 draft starting with the 26th pick in the first round. Andrew Berry has already proven he lets the draft come to him and knows talent. I still can’t believe I haven’t looked at a mock draft and it’s January. As for the salary cap, the Browns have a little more than 24.6 million in cap space based on a 176 million dollar salary cap. This includes the fifth year options for Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward. The big question will be the wide receiver position. Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry will be owed over 30 million and Beckham’s 15.7 million is guaranteed because of his injury and is due the third business day of the new league year. Because of the injury, he may not be ready till training camp, so trading him now is not an option. This offense does not rely on the WR position, but does need a burner on the outside. Asking Landry to restructure is an option.

First, the Browns need to pick up the fifth year options on Mayfield and Ward. No brainer. Even though both RB Nick Chubb and RG Wyatt Teller are signed through 2021, offer both contract extensions. Ward and Mayfield’s contract extensions aren’t a priority until later in the spring. As for key Browns free agents, try and resign WR Rashard Higgins. I have a feeling he’ll test free agency, but his relationship with Mayfield will help the Browns. I would also try and resign OL Kendall Lamm. He proved his worth this season. As for the defense, I think the Browns will try and resign free sign CB Terrance Mitchell and Larry Ogunjobi, but I think both will test free agency and move on. The Browns do get DT Andrew Billing back, so losing Ogunjobi won’t hurt so much. I would resign LB B.J. Goodson, CB Kevin Johnson and S Karl Joseph. Goodson took over the defense this year, Johnson proved to be a valuable third CB and Joseph played really well down the stretch. A safety room of Grant Delpit, Ronnie Harrison and Joseph is one hell of a great start for next year.

As for other teams free agents, it’s still to early to tell who the Browns will target. But I do know Andrew Berry likes to target players in their mid twenties who are coming off their first or second contracts. Catch players entering their prime. This team is ascending. They have their franchise QB, their franchise head coach and a young and hungry team. Finally, the Browns will become a desirable destination for free agents. Times have changed. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s playoff Victory Monday and those weren’t the same old Browns. No head coach, no OL coach, no assistant OL coach, no TE coach, no WR coach, no All-Pro LG, no number one CB and no number three CB. Then they lost their All-Pro RT and their starting LG. It did not matter. The Browns practiced once last week, once. The first playoff win since 1994. The Browns beat the Steelers twice in seven days. Twice. To make it sweeter, the Browns made Big Ben cry. The Browns wanted this game more than the Steelers. The Steelers had a sack in 73 consecutive games going into Sunday. They did not sack QB Baker Mayfield. I don’t remember the broadcasters saying T.J. Watt’s name once. Mayfield had a Pro Football Focus rating of 90.5. That’s the fourth highest rating by a QB making his first playoff start. He was 21 of 34, 263 yards and three touchdowns. Again no interceptions. The 28 points the Browns scored in the first quarter were the most points scored in the first quarter by a playoff team in NFL history.

All three phases of the game showed up and played. It really helped that the Browns were up 7-0 before the offense got on the field. Michael Dunn, Kendall Lamm and Blake Hance (who?) combined for 68 pass blocking snaps against the league’s best pass rush. They allowed only two pressures. Damn. Here’s a tweet I still can’t believe, “Brent Sobleski@brentsobleski·6mThe Browns will pay Blake Hance $39,706 for driving from New Jersey, not practice with the team, replace injured third-string guard Michael Dunn, survive 14 snaps against Cam Heyward and become a legend.” Because Kevin Stefanski tested positive last week, he and Hance haven’t even met each other yet. Hell, Mayfield introduced himself to Hance before the game. Both OC Alex Van Pelt and DC Joe Woods called great games. The Browns offense kept the Steeler’s defense on their heals and the Browns defense, while not getting a sack, kept the pressure on Big Ben.

Injuries and Covid. RT Jack Conklin (hamstring), LG Michael Dunn (calf) and Robert Jackson (hamstring) are all day to day. As for the Covid list, the Browns reported no new positives this morning. Baring any negative tests, all coaches and players should be back by Thursday. It would great to have everyone back to practice this week for the Kansas City game on Sunday. Speaking of the Chiefs, do the Browns have a chance to beat Kansas City? Yes they do. The Browns need to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball. Pat Mahomes can’t beat you if he’s sitting on the bench. Enjoy this one Browns fans. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

Another Victory Monday, the Browns won and now they’re in the playoffs. Eighteen long years. QB Baker Mayfield was 17 for 27, 196 yards and a touchdown. No turnovers. For the season Mayfield finishes with a 62.8% completion rate, 3563 yards, 26 touchdowns, eight interceptions, a QBR of 72.4 and a Pro Football Focus rating of 81.6. He joined Payton Manning and Andrew Luck as the only players in NFL history with 3500 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of their first three seasons. That’s a franchise quarterback. Mayfield also added 44 yards rushing. The most important on a third down needing a first down to seal the game. This team fought hard all season and especially this past week. I think the facility in Berea was shut down every day. The Browns had a revolving door of players going on the Covid list and coming off the Covid list. They only had two short practices during the week. One on Wednesday and one on Friday. Amazing.

Several players stepped up yesterday besides Mayfield. On offense Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge and Austin Hooper. Landry is the first Browns player since Eric Metcalf (1989) to throw, catch and rush for a touchdown. On defense Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernon, Ronnie Harrison, Karl Joseph, M.J. Stewart and Jacob Phillips. Phillips had his best game of the season at middle linebacker. He, Grant Delpit, Denzel Ward and Ronnie Harrison are the types of players, along with Myles Garrett, you build a defense around. Hopefully Ward will be back for the Wildcard game, because Robert Jackson was abused all day. As for the game, it appeared to me, head coach Kevin Stefanski was holding back some of his offense knowing the Browns would be playing the Steelers again this weekend. The Browns did just enough to win.

Next up is Pittsburg part three. The Steelers will have Ben Roethlisberger, T.J. Watt and Cam Hayward back. I would argue that Mason Rudolph has a better arm for throwing long passes, so the defense will have to be ready for the dink and dunk passing attack of Big Ben. The Browns offensive line will have to play better after giving up four sacks Sunday. I expect some roll outs, a little more play action and Mayfield being in the shotgun more.

Injuries, the Covid list and signings. DE Olivier Vernon ruptured his Achilles and is done for the season and probably played his last game as a Brown. Time for Adrian Clayborn and Porter Gustin to step up. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is in concussion protocol, but said he is okay. On the Covid front, LB B.J. Goodson, TE Harrison Bryant, LB Malcolm Smith and S Andrew Sendejo should be back for this weekends game. Ward might be back, but it will be close. Today the Browns signed Brian Allen off the Bengals practice squad.

Finally, on the above mentioned run to secure the win, Mayfield called out Maserati, Maserati as the play call. Early in his NFL career, known Baker hater Colin Cowherd said Mayfield was a Mazda and Sam Darnold was a Maserati. On a game and playoff clinching play, the Browns are trolling Cowherd. You got to love this team. Everyone enjoy your week and this win. It’s Steeler week again and Go Browns.