Month: November 2023

Denver has always been a house of horrors for Browns teams, and it was again yesterday. Today is blame head coach Kevin Stefanski for losing the game by calling one play. One. Just a small reminder, the Browns are 7-4 because of Kevin Stefanski. They’ve won games with three different quarterbacks and next week against the Rams it could be four, depending on the injuries to quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robertson. He’s in concussion protocol and has a shoulder injury. Memo to Mark Sanchez, yes that was roughing the passer and yes launching yourself helmet first into another player is a dirty hit. That’s the second Fox broadcast of the Browns I’ve had to watch, and the announcers were wearing the other team’s jerseys. The 49ers broadcast was the first. It seems the Broncos teach their players to lead with their helmets, because the hit on wide receiver Amari Cooper was also a dirty hit. A reminder, head coach Sean Payton was once suspended for a year by the NFL for a head-hunting plan to hurt opposing players. The Denver fans aren’t any better, heckling DTR as he headed to the locker room after getting injured. Very classy. I wish nothing but bad karma on the Denver Broncos.

Going into the fourth quarter, this was a winnable game for the Browns. From the time the Broncos made it 14-0 to the DTR injury, the Browns were the dominate team. At the beginning of the game, the Bronco defense loaded the box and dared the Browns to run. When they tried, they had little success. It was when the passing game started to click, the Denver defense had to back out of their stacked box and the running game started to shine. The problem prior to that was dropped passes. I know David Njoku apologized last week after the Steeler game for dropping so many passes, but he was at it again against the Broncos. I was very impressed with wide receiver Cedric Tillman. Strong hands and good route running. And his run blocking was much better. The team might need him next week if Cooper misses time, but according to Kevin Stefanski, the x-rays on his ribs were negative. Speaking of Cooper, you have to catch the two-point conversion try, have to. I hope DTR can play next week, he’s getting better with every game. Besides I see Joe Flacco as a break glass in case of emergency quarterback.

Another Browns road game and another 14-0 lead for the opposition. I don’t know why they can’t be ready to go from the start like they do at home. As always, after the second quarter starts, they step up their game. Hopefully this won’t happen this week in Los Angeles. Because Browns fans will absolutely take over that stadium, it might have the feel of a Browns home game. It’s very obvious the Browns missed cornerback Denzel Ward yesterday. Greg Newsome is a great slot defender, but he gave the Bronco wide receivers way too much space. I really thought defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz would play a little more zone to protect the secondary. But what the hell do I know, I’m just some fan. JOK had better be named an All-Pro, he played one hell of a game. As for defensive end Myles Garrett, he went into the game with a sore left wrist and left with a sore left shoulder. As I write this, we are all awaiting the news of an MRI he’s supposed to have today in L.A. Finally, would someone please show DE Alex Wright where to line up? Thank you.

No PFF grades today folks, I’m currently still out of town and need to start packing up the car to head back home. But I’ll leave you with a rooting guide for next week courteous of a great twitter follow, CLEology (@_CLEology). Week 13 #Browns Rooting Schedule: CLE over LAR AND TEN over IND, ARI over PIT, HOU over DEN*, JAX over CIN *Both outcomes are good but Denver would jump us with a win and a loss by us. Houston cannot jump us with a win due to a worse conference record (4-3 vs 5-3). As well as playoff position. AFC playoff picture heading to Week 13. The #Browns cannot slip out of a playoff spot heading to Week 14 (with a loss Week 13) due to tiebreakers. The Broncos could jump the Browns, but we’d hold the tie break over Indy and Houston. No one else is within a game. Stay safe, hope for the best on injury news and Go Browns.

Happy victory Monday Browns fans. The team is 7-3 and a half of a game behind the Baltimore Ravens. They are 3-2 in the AFC North with one game remaining against the Bengals. Is this a playoff team? Yes, but they need to stabilize the quarterback position. They’ve signed Joe Flacco to the practice squad and after he worked out on Friday, they gave him a playbook to start studying over the weekend. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has already announced DTR will start against Denver. It’s unbelievable the Browns have won games with three different quarterbacks. They are 4-0 in games decided by three points or less and this was their fifth victory with a game winning score coming in the final two minutes of regulation. Just as the Baltimore game was improbable, the final drive for the score was the same. DTR was four for four for forty yards. Amazing for a rookie quarterback going against the Steelers. Pittsburg has now lost to two rookie quarterbacks in the same season.

It was obvious the Browns decided to have the rookie stick to the short passing game. They wanted him to get the ball out of hand quickly, so he didn’t go through a lot of progressions. He threw to the first and sometimes the second receiver. The Browns didn’t run the ball very well, but Stefanski didn’t stop trying to run. If you look at DTR’s stat line, it doesn’t look that good, however he had seven dropped passes. The Browns even turned the ball over, but the defense stopped the Steelers from doing what they’ve done all season, score after an opponent turnover. Hidden underneath all the talk of this game is penalties. The Browns only had one penalty.

If the Browns can get the quarterback position figured out, they have one of the best defenses in the NFL to lean on. Sure, they’ll occasionally give up a big play, but opposing teams just can’t sustain drives. Through 11 weeks, the teams who have allowed the fewest first downs: 2023 Browns (10 games) 125, 1993 Steelers (9 games) 126 and 1999 Buccaneers (10 games) 128. Defensive end Myles Garrett not only has to be the front runner for defensive player of the year, but also needs to be mentioned in the MVP race. GM Andrew Berry fixed this defense in one off season. Amazing.

Pro Football Focus rankings. Offense, RG Wyatt Teller, 80.9, TE Harrison Bryant, 75.3, RT Dawand Jones, 68.9, C Ethan Pocic, 66.7 and WR Elijah Moore, 61.6. Defense, DE Myles Garrett, 90.2, CB Martin Emerson, Jr. 77.0, CB Denzel Ward, 76.8, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo, 70.8 and CB Greg Newsome, II, 68.7.

Finally, the team has lost safety Rodney McLeod for the season with a bicep’s injury. A very valuable piece of this defense. Hopefully Juan Thornhill will be able to play against Denver. If not, next man up. Stay safe and Go Browns.

That was amazing., another victory Monday. This team has the heart and the will to beat anyone. Down by fourteen points, they never gave up. I didn’t have a good feeling going into this game, but still thought the Browns had a chance to win. In the fourth quarter, the Browns trailed by fifteen points, fumbled a punt return, had an interception called back because of a penalty and a missed extra point and still won. The best part, besides beating the hated Ravens, Cleveland still has a shot to win the division.

The field goals in the first half kept the Browns in the game while the defense finally started to stop Baltimore. I agree with the call not to try a 60-yard field goal at the end of the first half. I’ve seen enough blocked kicks returned for touchdowns in my lifetime. In the second half, both Kevin Stefanski and Jim Schwartz made the right adjustments and it showed. They decided to beat up the Ravens and they did. Three drives in the second half, twelve minutes, fifteen minutes and twelve minutes. Controlled the clock after Baltimore had taken a 24-9 lead. The defense made the MVP quarterback look silly. Sacked him three times and hit him six times. I always maintain a QB hit is just as good as a sack. The defense was so good, Lamar Jackson completed one pass in the fourth quarter. One. Defensive end Myles Garrett had two sacks, but his best play was stopping Lamar Jackson from making a first down when he was scrambling down the sideline. It forced the Ravens to punt, and Jackson didn’t see the field again.

On offense the run game was working and the short passing game as well. Incredible runs by running back Jerome Ford and tight end David Njoku. The “pile run” to set up the last field goal describes this team to a tee. Baltimore made first contact at the 38 and the ball ended up on the 26. The Ravens had not allowed more than one touchdown at home in nine straight games. Quarterback Deshaun Watson had a bad first half, he didn’t seem comfortable in the pocket. But in the second half, perfect, 14 for 14, and made plays that made the difference with a bad ankle. Running back Kareem Hunt has scored in five straight games. Not bad for a guy who started the season sitting on his couch.

Pro Football Focus grades. Offense, WR Amari Cooper, 75.5, TE Harrison Bryant, 70.6, RB Jerome Ford, 69.6, LT Geron Chistian, 69.6 and LG Joel Bitonio. Defense, CB Greg Newsome, 79.6, CB Mike Ford, 76.8, DE Za’Darius Smith, 72.4, LB Sione Takitaki, 69.6 and DE Myles Garrett, 68.9.

Next up is a home game against the Steelers. If the Bengals can beat the Ravens on Thursday night, Sunday’s game could be for first place in the AFC North. Do the Browns control their own destiny? Not yet, but they’re heading in that direction. Stay safe and Go Browns.

I could get used to this. The Browns are 5-3 and have their starting quarterback playing again. He was a little rusty in the first half but found his timing in the second half. He’s still holding on to the ball too long and isn’t going through all his progressions, but all in all it was a great warmup game for Baltimore. He also answered two media driven questions, arm strength and desire to play. Watson’s arm looked pretty good to me and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, he looked like he was having fun. He needs to continue to play loose and not overthink everything. Over his last two full games (Tenn. & Ari.), Watson is completing 73% of his passes averaging 8.1 yards per attempt, has a 6.4% touchdown percentage and zero interceptions.

Speaking of turnovers, the Browns didn’t give the ball away once and they forced three turnovers. Great work by the offense and the defense. First shutout since November 2005 against the Dolphins. The defense started strong and ended strong. The Cardinals didn’t get into the redzone once. Very nice. They allowed the fewest net yards this season (58), 1.2 yards per play, seven first downs and had seven sacks. Now they need to do the same thing against a good quarterback and will get their chance this week against Baltimore. On offense, I was a little concerned about the running game, but the good news is head coach Kevin Stefanski kept running the ball. The Browns ran 40 running plays and 30 passing plays. Stefanski is growing as a head coach. This might be his best season as a head coach.

Pro Football Focus ratings. Offense, RG Wyatt Teller, 78.8, QB Deshaun Watson, 78.5, WR Amari Cooper 78.5, LG Joel Bitonio, 74.5 and TE David Njoku 66.8. Defense, CB Cameron Mitchell, 91.3, DE Myles Garrett, 89.6, DE Za’Darius Smith 87.9, CB Denzel Ward 86.1 and DT Dalvin Tomlinson 85.4.

Moving forward, there are still some areas that need improving. On Offense, Watson needs to get through his progressions quicker and start throwing the ball to someone besides Cooper and Njoku. Those two caught nine of eleven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Find another wide receiver to throw to, they’re there and they’re open. Also, more Pierre Strong please. The Browns defense is this team’s floor, how Watson continues to play is the ceiling. Finally, I think the team has a punt returner. It’s amazing what can happen when a team can return a punt, punt and pin your opponent deep and have a field goal kicker. I love it when the Browns have great special teams. Stay safe and Go Browns.