Month: November 2025

Or chose your narrative day, which ever works for you. I’m just glad the Browns won. Two of the three phases, defense and special teams, were the major factors for the victory. You heard me, the Browns special teams were a big factor in the win. I notice no one is complaining about the kicker anymore. I did notice on kickoffs; the Browns are trying to get the ball inside the five-yard line. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. But all in all, a long punt return that sets up a touchdown is greatly appreciated.

What can you say about the defense. That was incredible. Ten sacks. Five at halftime and Myles Garrett didn’t have one. He got his to set a new franchise record of eighteen and he’s on pace to break the record of 22.5. Hell, the defense of the Bengals have a total of fifteen. Maliek Collins had 2.5 sacks giving him 6.5 on the season, a career high. He’s had five three times. Best off-season signing by the Browns. Raider quarterback Gino Smith is one tough player; besides the ten sacks, he was hit another ten times. The Browns had an additional six tackles for loss. It was a good thing the pressure was great because wide receiver Tre Tucker was able to get behind the defense a few times. Defensive end Isaiah McGuire had ten pressures playing in absence of newly signed Alex Wright. Can we just give the NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year to both Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger. Add Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin and URFA Isaiah Bond and this rookie class is outstanding.

The elephant in the room is quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Yes, he did some good things. His footwork was a little better, by the way his one sack was his fault, he kept his eyes downfield, and he was able to play within the system the coaching staff set up for him. He stretched the field when necessary. The long pass to Bond forced the Raider defense to backoff on their blitz schemes and that’s why offenses take shots down the field. For the game he was 11 for 20 for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a QBR of 87.3. In the first half he was 7 for 11 for 127 yards, no touchdowns and one interception for a QBR of 65.3. Not the greatest, but way better than the Ravens game. The interception he threw was also his fault, a defensive lineman dropped back in coverage, and it confused him. Get used to it kid. His highs were good, and his lows were concerning, but in the end, the win matters.

Among the complaints this morning are Stefanski’s locker room speech, which was not unusual. It’s on brand, but the “Sanderites” still are under the impression that the coach hates Sanders. No, he didn’t deserve a game ball. The next complaint comes from the post-game news conference, where Stefanski didn’t name a starter for the next game. He didn’t and he shouldn’t. Players love to play for Stefanski because he doesn’t throw them under the bus or embarrass them. I’m sure he would like to talk to both Gabriel and Sanders when he makes that decision. Finally, the coaches weren’t showing disrespect to Sanders by taking him off the field when the Browns run the “Wildcat” near the goal line. They did the same with Gabriel against the Dolphins twice and it works. It works because without the QB, the offense has eleven on eleven not ten on eleven. Besides, Quinshon Judkins is very good.

I fully expect the Browns to start Sanders against the 49ers, and he should. Again this week, the Browns will get a team coming off a short week, but this time the other team has to travel to the other side of the country. It’ll be a home game, which should be packed, and the Browns need to know what they have in Sanders. The 2026 NFL draft might be in the balance. Stay safe and Go Browns.

I’ve never seen so many experts on NFL team’s practice habits. But it’s to be expected. Just because you have the internet, you can’t tell career NFL backup quarterbacks they don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s standard practice for the backup QB not to get first team reps. Yes. Gabreil got some first team reps when he was the number two QB because of two things. He was a rookie, and the starter was 40 years old. Attention whores looking for clicks.

Yes, Sanders looked bad, but there were times when you could see the talent. Andrew Berry got great value taking him in the fifth round. Could he become the starter Browns fans desperately want, yes. I hope so, because in next year’s draft, the Browns can focus on the offensive line and wide receiver. Before you say it or think it, yes Andrew Berry will be drafting the players and Kevin Stefanski will be the head coach. If this kid proves he deserves to start in this league, then Berry should get the credit.

Can Sanders beat the Raiders? Sure, if the gameplan is right. He holds on to the ball too long; his footwork is terrible and his first response to pressure is to drift backwards. All can be corrected with a simple passing attack. Design plays for a quick release, use draw plays and RPO. Throw in an occasional screen play. All this would help set up the long passing game. But first and foremost, the Browns have to run the ball. This game screams for Judkins to get 25 carries. It can be done against a bad Raiders team.

The Browns haven’t won a game out west since 2012. They haven’t won a road game since week two of last season. If Sanders can pull off a victory, then he deserves to start the rest of the season. I know the old saying, players shouldn’t lose their starting position because of injury, but this is different. The Browns need to win games. If Sanders can do that, then you don’t need to draft a QB high in 2026. Besides, right now, the 2026 QB draft is average at best. There’s Mendoza and a bunch of guys. The 2026 off-season should be spent fixing the offense, both in free agency and the draft. It took the Lions two off seasons to fix their team, why not the Browns. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Not with the Browns, as for now, but in my life. To do podcasts and write this blog, I have to watch the Browns. Besides I’m a Browns fans and always will be. I won’t give up on this team. No, my new life decision is to turn off Cleveland sports talk. They have no knowledge of what’s going on in the building in Berea. They’re not journalists. They have no sources telling them inside information. They present to the loyalist fanbase in the league, garbage. On Monday they were convinced Kevin Stefanski was going to be fired that day. So they yelled and screamed. When he wasn’t, they yelled and screamed. Today, they’re yelling and screaming about fictional conspiracy theories as to why Shedeur Sanders isn’t playing. Too much yelling and screaming. If I wanted someone to yell and scream at me, I’d call my ex-wife. But I’m not stupid, so I won’t. The same goes for Cleveland sports talk, gone out of my life. I turned it off last week when some idiot suggested the Browns should hire Lane Kiffin. Sure, let’s hire someone who quit on an NFL team when he was a coach. Makes perfect sense.

I still have contact with the people who’ve been giving me information since 2002. They are people who actually know what they are talking about and actually have sources in the building. They still have sources because they are very careful and don’t whore out their information for clicks and fame. Since Andrew Berry was hired as the GM, no information is leaked out of the Browns front office. None. If you hear someone say or write, “sources tell me”, they’re giving you an opinion or just out right lying to you. I’ve nurtured this relationship because if he tells me something and tells me not to repeat it, I don’t. And he knows this.

So let’s talk about Kevin Stefanski. The owner was not happy after the game Sunday, but then again neither was I. If, and I still think this is a big if, any move away from Stefanski happens it will happen after the season. I still don’t see it happening only because of the owner’s involvement in the Watson trade. Berry, Stefanski and Haslam all agreed the trade should happen, but it was Haslam agreement of the draft capital and his decision to guarantee the contract. Both Berry & Stefanski will be given one more year to fix the problems. The only way the head coach gets fired any earlier is if he loses the locker room and he hasn’t.

I don’t understand the media’s obsession with playing Deshaun Watson. He’s not going to play this year. He won’t be activated and will stay on the PUP list in 2025. As for 2026, he’ll either be the third string QB and not be activated each week or be on the roster and not activated. Either way, he’s not going to play for the Browns again and he’s agreed to this plan.

Finally, the Stefanski haters for sharing a video of the owner saying three wins weren’t going to cut it in 2025. First of all, he said this early in training camp. At that time, Kenny Pickett was going to be the starter. I argue if he started, the Browns would have won the Bengals game and the Vikings game. He probably would have given the team a better shot at the Jets game despite the two returns for touchdowns by New York. You have to look at things in the situation they were given and the context they were applied. At the beginning of training camp, six to seven wins was a realistic goal with Pickett starting. Maybe better because no one knew how good the defense was going to be. The blame for the Jets game falls squarely on the special teams. The only coaching change I see right now after the season is over is a new special team’s coach. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The Cleveland media started yesterday speculating on a Myles Garrett trade which wasn’t going to happen. Then they were clutching their pearls about the reports the Browns were going to be buyers at today’s trade deadline. Now they’re back to firing everyone in the building at Berea. I’m glad they all had a restful bye week. Later in the day, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced he was going to have offensive coordinator Tommy Rees start calling plays. The local media’s knee jerk reaction was expected. He’s trying to save his job; he’s throwing Rees under the bus or ownership told him he had to do something. Let’s talk.

First of all, I’ve told you from the beginning Garrett wasn’t going to be traded. If they did, because of the way his contract is structured, the Browns would have zero spending power over the next three years. Enjoy being the New Orleans Saints. Next, if there’s a young player who has a friendly contract that another team doesn’t want, like a wide receiver, then the Browns, if it’s a team friendly deal, would be buyers. A prime example is the trade they made for Tyson Campbell. Two years left on his contract and a perfect fit for Jim Schwartz’s defense. I’m still thinking a wide receiver, but it takes two teams to make a trade. It won’t be Garrett Wilson because of the contract extension he recently signed doesn’t fit for the Browns. It won’t be Chris Olave because he’s a piece a team builds around, and his contract is friendly for the Saints. The only way the Browns trade pieces away is if, and this is a big if, another team overwhelms them. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Browns don’t do anything.

As for the play calling duties, it’s not a desperation move. Stefanski is not being fired. Let’s look at this logically, something the local media has no concept of, if you knew you were going to be fired why in god’s name would you put your future employment in the hands of someone else. If you thought you were being fired, you would do all you could to keep your job, not hand it over to a coworker. People who hate Stefanski will twist logic into what they want to see, it’s human nature. Because the owner of the Browns knows the swing and a miss (his words) on the Watson trade was partially his fault, both Berry and Stefanski are safe.

Finally, two first round picks for the Jets Sauce Gardner? Talk about desperation by the Colts. I bet the line moves in the Browns favor prior to Sunday. Stay safe and Go Browns.