Month: October 2025

I haven’t been this excited about a bye week in my life. Writing, podcasting and watching the Browns is exhausting. But I haven’t given up. Yes, the AFC North is a joke. Because of quarterback play and defense. The other three teams in the division, (Pittsburg, Baltimore and Cincinnati) all have terrible defenses. The Steelers are rated 28th, the Ravens are rated 30th and the Bengals are rated 31st. according to Fox Sports. The Browns are rated number one. Baltimore and Cincinnati have QBs who can’t stay healthy. Lamar Jackson has been hurt three out of the last five years and Joe Burrow always seems to be hurt. I think his last healthy season was when they went to the Super Bowl. In Pittsburg they have a 41-year-old quarterback probably in his last season. The Browns on the other hand, don’t have a QB. I honestly think if Kenny Picket had not been hurt, he would have been the starter in 2025, and the Browns right now would be in better shape.

So let’s talk about the stupidity that’s circulating in the local media and on social media.

1. Deshaun Watson is going to play another game for the Browns. This is the dumbest take I’ve ever heard. First, he needs to be activated from the PUP list, he was eligible after week four. If that happens, which it won’t, then the Browns would have five weeks to activate him to the 53-man roster. If none of this happens, then he stays on the PUP list for the 2025 season. He might be the third string QB in 2026, or the Browns will do what the Texans did in 2022, keep him on the roster and never play him. He’ll be gone when the league years starts in 2027. They’ll designate him as a June 2 cut and spread his cap hit over 2027 and 2028.
2. Salary Cap. Right now, according to Over The Cap, the Browns have over $23 million in cap space. Do a few salary restructures, carryover the unused 2025 salary, have salary added back because Joel Bitonio retires, (about $13 million) a big increase in the 2026 cap (it will always get bigger) and the Browns should have around $50 million in cap space in 2026. That includes Watson’s contract. So to say the Browns don’t have cap space is a statement made by someone who is clueless about the salary cap.
3. Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski. They’re safe only because the owner (and he’s said this) approved the Watson trade. In 2026 the Browns need to concentrate on the offense. It will start in free agency, with a starting tackle and possibly a starting wide receiver. If the team needs to resign Teven Jenkins and Cam Robinson for depth, great. I would even consider resigning Wyatt Teller on a one-year deal. Draft a tackle and a wide receiver in the first round. So far, I’m not impressed with the current 2026 quarterback class with the exception of Fernando Mendoza, but I’m going to wait to see if Indiana plays Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game.
4. As for the trading deadline, Mayles Garrett isn’t going anywhere because of his contract. The Browns recently signed a couple of tight ends and now the media is convinced the team is going to trade Njoku. I think they signed them for their blocking ability not to trade Njoku. The Browns don’t want to trade him, but if a team offers up a deal you can’t refuse, then you have to do it. This team needs to fix the offense in one off-season and high draft picks are the answer.
5. Could there be a change in the starting quarterback after the bye? Sure, if Sanders is healthy and ready why not? Right now, the plays are on the field, but Dillon Gabriel is not seeing them. Get Sanders ready and give him a shot. Is he the answer in the future? The Browns won’t know until he plays.
6. Are there still winnable games on the schedule? Yes. The next game against the Jets, depending on Jackson, the next home game against the Ravens, at the Raiders, a home against the Titans, possibly at the Bears, at home against the Steelers and possibly at the Bengals. If the offense can be average, the home games against the 49ers and the Bills might be interesting. Stay safe and Go Browns.

But it didn’t. All last week everyone in the Browns organization was supposed to be fired. Everyone. Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, Jimmy Haslam (really?) and Paul DePodesta. To be honest with you I don’t think of DePodesta until some paranoid Browns fan brings up his name. The facility in Berea would have empty offices, the fans and the media were going to run the team, because after all they know best. It’s simple, I’ll just run it like a fantasy football team. Forget that NFL teams are billion-dollar businesses. Forget how complicated contracts and the salary cap are. Forget you can’t fire an owner. What fans saw on Sunday was one team playing for their head coach and another team who’s given up on their head coach. Can you guess which one was which? If you’re honest with yourself you can.

Let’s start with Andrew Berry. Prior to this year he’s been average, but that’s right where the league is. The success rate of GMs in the NFL is about 48%, based on a study from 2020 to 2024. But this year, with a full complement of draft picks, Berry has been top tier. He’s also added undrafted rookies who are contributing. In free agency, signing Malik Collins was genius. To top it off, he’s made the Jaguar’s GM look foolish in two trades. Before you try and based your argument on individual draft picks from the past to try and prove your point. Jedrick Wills was drafted because Bill Callahan wanted him, Sika Ika was drafted because Jim Schwartz wanted him and David Bell was drafted because Stefanski wanted him. As I said earlier, Berry’s been average prior to this year.

Kevin Stefanski still has the locker room. Yes, sometimes he calls plays that make up scratch your head. Against Miami there were a few. I wish he would get rid of the tight screen for a while, it isn’t working. He did get creative with the wildcat close to the goal line and it worked. But I’ve seen other so called great coaches call bad games. Explain to me how Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur thought it was smart to snap the ball on third and one with time running out in the third quarter only to have his quarterback sacked forcing a punt. Or how Mike Tomlin is 2-9 on Thursday night with an eight-game losing streak to divisional rivals. He’s lost four of those games to the Browns. When the Browns are leading at halftime at home, Kevin Stefanski is 32-5. This team has beaten teams by 25 points four times since 1999, three of those were under Stefanski.

As for Jimmy Haslam and Paul Depodesta, like I said you can’t fire the owner. He’s let Berry do his thing. He’s also given Berry and Stefanski a pass on the Watson deal because of his own involvement. He’s said so himself. As for DePodesta, he collects data, that’s all he does. He makes no discissions and he’s not a puppet master pulling strings in the background. Who knows, he may have provided data telling the team NOT to trade for Watson. Basically, if you don’t know what someone’s jobs is, why bring them up. Besides, for the last five years his main concern has been the new stadium.

Finally, I really don’t see Dillion Gabriel being benched anytime soon, despite what a certain radio host says. And he’s a radio host, not an insider. Gabriel’s first three games were quite difficult, and he wasn’t the reason the Browns lost two. As he gets more comfortable, he’ll get better. All he needed to do Sunday was not be the reason the Browns lost, mission accomplished. I’m still hoping the only one fired after the season will be Bubba Ventrone, way too many yards on returns by the Dolphins. Stay safe and GO Browns.

Yep, that goes without saying. The team is 1-5, the offense is terrible, the special teams are a mess, and the defense is oh so close to making vacation plans. Maybe the fans should have listened to the experts prior to the season who pointed out this team was going to be bad. Every sports fan goes into their favorite’s teams’ season with expectations and high hopes. I’m included in that list. But this is truly bad. The offensive line can’t block; the receivers can’t catch and the blunders on special teams are insurmountable. Pittsburg heard all week how their run defense is below average and running back Quinshon Judkins was the next Nick Chubb. So they loaded the box and dared the rookie quarterback to beat them. Well, Dillon Gabriel was sacked six times and pressured thirteen times, so the Steelers plan worked.

Penalties are unforgivable but can be overcome. Well, some penalties. The Browns had six penalties, while the Steelers had ten, but their penalties were easier to overcome. Wednesday’s practice should be all about lining up correctly and learning not to hold. I’d have a whole day of practice for just special teams. Of course, they bail out the Steelers by running into the punter. After that mistake Pittsburg went down the field and scored a touchdown.

Last week I heard Kevin Stefanski was safe. Now I’m hearing if this continues, the offensive offense, he might be in trouble. And by trouble, fired. I think Andrew Berry is safe mainly because of the great draft he had. It’s amazing what you can do with all your draft picks. This Sunday, the Browns play Miami in only their third home game. After that they go to Foxboro and play the Patriots. Both of these games are winnable. Then they have their bye. After that they play teams like the Jets, the Raiders, the Titans and the Bears. Add to this they could play the Ravens without Lamar Jackson and the Bengals without Joe Burrow.

This team was never going to make the playoffs, and I never thought that, but I thought the Browns would be watchable. Right now, they aren’t. If they had made one kick against the Bengals and one more first down against the Vikings, we wouldn’t be having this drama. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Before I start my rant, a little breaking news, the Browns have traded QB Joe Flacco and a sixth-round pick to the Bengals for a fifth-round pick. This is the first ever trade between the Browns and the Bengals. Before you ask, no Deshaun Watson will not be activated to the roster and I’m going to assume Bradley Zappe will be the backup and Sanders will still be QB3. But tomorrow’s practice will help make that decision. If Sanders seizes the moment, then he’ll be QB2. Hear that Sanders fans he’s going to have to earn it just like any other job in the NFL. I’m also sure there will be some on Browns twitter who will hate the trade, only because they hate Andrew Berry.

I understand people are tired of seeing the Browns lose, but what the hell did you expect this year? They’re coming off a three-win season where the quarterback position sucked. Did you expect a winning season? Or the playoffs? Let’s fire the coach because a certain section of the fanbase have unrealistic expectations. I’m tired of the losing, but I also tired of the endless rebuilding where the front office and the coaching staff wouldn’t work together and be at each other’s throats. The back biting and the stupidity. The team actually had a GM who texted the coaching staff during a game to tell them to play his preferred quarterback. Or a power-hungry GM who kept a coach who went 1-31 and replaced him with a guy who he knew he could control. The ” what have done for me lately” crowd doesn’t remember and they won’t bring it up because it goes against their preferred narrative.

Both Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski have gotten a free pass because of the owner’s involvement in the Watson trade. The owner admitted it and took responsibility for it. His statement also tells you Watson will never play another snap for the Cleveland Browns. But of course, there will be those on social media and in the local media who will try and tell you different for the clicks. Now if Stefanski loses the locker room, then that’s a different story. And he has NOT lost the locker room. Let me repeat that for the Stefanski haters, He’s Not Lost The Locker Room.

Right now, anti-Stefanski fans are flooding the zone with all relative and unrelative talking points. Points to justify their means. They’re screaming for the head coach to take responsibility for the play calling at the end of the game. I hate to spoil your fun, but he did. But that won’t satisfy the pitchfork crowd because he didn’t beg for their unjustified forgiveness. As for Andrew Berry, he’s had three good drafts and this year’s is excellent.

Yes, the play calling was conservative, but remember, they had a rookie QB making his first start on a short week of practices. It was a short week because the team had to take a day to travel overseas. Could things get better against the Steelers? Sure, right now the entire league is playing bad football. Did you see the Cardinals/Titans game. Pittsburg lost a game because the rookie running back didn’t know the kickoff rules. Last night the Chiefs had a penalty on every kickoff, and they’re supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. The vaunted Baltimore defense looks like a college team.

Finally hating a coach and GM because they’re smart is the laziest argument I’ve ever heard. I don’t know about you, but I want smart people running my favorite pro football team. And just one more thing to point out, analytics have been around since Paul Brown, and he used them to full advantage. So get used to it because it’s used by every team in the league. Stay safe and Go Browns.