No I’m not talking about Jermaine Whitehead’s tweets. It’s been 48 hours, so lets get to it. So according to the head coach of the Cleveland Browns the first eight games don’t matter. Really? They sure as hell mattered to me and a ton of Middle Tennessee Browns Backers I know. The key word in practice this week wait for it…is execution. The Browns had ten drives and seven of them reached inside the Denver 30 yard line. Seven. Execution or play calling? The red zone execution and play calling in this game was horrendous. Might as well call the Browns red zone the dead zone. Why on third and short is the best player on this team on the sideline? I like Hilliard as a player, but Nick Chubb, even as a decoy, is better than Hilliard. And again for another game, where the hell is Higgins?
In the third quarter on fourth and one from the Denver four yard line, instead of bringing out your most important offensive weapon, Austin Seibert, you go for it. Kick the field goal and the score is 17-15, in the THIRD QUARTER. Kick off and hope Wilkes has the right defense to stop the Broncos and get the ball back. No, our fearless leader calls a sneak and then challenges the spot, wasting another time out. Put Chubb out there on third down and roll the dice. Look at Carolina, OC Norv Turner rides his stud running back Christian McCaffrey, and the Panthers win. Turner did the same thing in Dallas with Emmett Smith.
Is Freddie in over is head? Could be, but first year head coaches in the NFL struggle. Only one has a winning record this year, but he has Aaron Rogers as his quarterback. My worry is what this is doing to Baker Mayfield. You can ruin a young quarterback in a season like this. If Freddie is retained, which I think he will be, new coordinators need to be hired, starting with an experienced quarterback coach. Mayfield is thinking too much. Sure defensive coaches are throwing the kitchen sink at him, but the offense has to find a focal point and let Mayfield feed off of that focal point and that focal point needs to be Nick Chubb.
The offense needs to find a handful of plays that Beckham is successful at and run them at key points in the game. I saw this online from Paul Hembekides, OBJ on 3rd & 4th down this season: 83 routes run, 42 rec. yards, 17 targets, 7 receptions, 3 first downs and 2 drops. Not acceptable and that’s play calling and execution by the quarterback. Mayfield just hasn’t come through in the clutch. The end of the Rams game, the Seattle game and Sunday against the Broncos. Where’s the QB that beat The Ohio State in Columbus and the guy who played against Georgia in the playoff game.
The positives: Only 5 penalties and zero turnovers. Apparently, whatever they did in practice last week worked, so lets do the same with play calling and execution this week. Remember in the preseason when we all worried about the kicking game? Seibert has been great and the special teams has been the only prepared unit on this team. Another positive for the Bills game is the return of Kareem Hunt. I hope this coaching staff uses him correctly and doesn’t screw this up. I want to see both Chubb and Hunt on third down this week. PLEASE.
I’ve seen a lot of talk about the season being over. I’m a very optimistic kind of guy and still have hope. But as all Browns fans know, when the wheels fall off this team, it’s usually in a spectacular way. To make the playoffs, 10-6 is the safest way to make it happen. History lesson time, the last time the Browns had a winning streak, Eric Mangini won the last four games of his first season as coach. He was rehired and guess what, the wheels fell off. The franchise record for a win streak was six games in 1972. So to achieve a 10-6 record this team has to win eight in a row. Can it happen? Sure. In 2016 the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat a 72 win Warriors team on the road. I know, Lebron isn’t walking through that door, but maybe the football gods will look down on us and the Browns will win their first home game of the season against the Bills. (What, are you kidding me, November 10 would be the first win at home?) Sorry, still can’t believe it. Lets start that eight game winning streak this weekend, right Browns fans? Next home game is against Buffalo. GO BROWNS.
One last thing, the first college football rankings come out tonight and The Ohio State University better be in the top four. My top four are 1) LSU, 2) The Ohio State, 3) Alabama and 4) Penn State. This weekend will clear up LSU/Alabama and a week from Saturday will clear up The Ohio State/Penn State. Whoever wins LSU/Alabama will make the playoffs because there is no team in the SEC east that can beat either in the SEC championship game. If The Ohio State runs the table, they’re in the playoffs no matter who they play in the Big Ten championship game. Go Buckeyes.