Author: admin

Another victory Monday feels pretty damn good. Well, that was the ugliest win by a Browns team that I’ve seen in a while. But it was a much-needed win. I kind of figured quarterback Deshaun Watson would struggle early because he hasn’t played in 700 days, but to have his worst overall game of his career was unexpected. Or as the Browns fan in me says, it figures. Watson wasn’t comfortable in the pocket all game. He had happy feet and didn’t look like he was sure about any play call. Thankfully, head coach Kevin Stefanski abandoned the passing game in the second half and went with what the Browns do the best, run the ball. I was also glad to see Kareem Hunt running the ball well. He’ll be needed the next five games. Finally, the offensive line has to play better, probably their worst game so far.

It was also very nice to see the defense and special teams step up and bail out the offense. I think the Browns have found their punt returner. Linebacker Tony Fields picked the perfect time to have the game of his career. Moving forward he’ll have to step it up because linebacker Sione Takitaki will be placed on IR with a torn ACL. I think defensive coordinator Joe Woods has found his defensive line rotation. The Browns didn’t sack Texans quarterback Kyle Allen, but they put the pressure on him all game. Cornerback Martin Emerson impresses me more every game I watch. It also seems linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has finally hit his stride.

What really concerns me going into the Bengal game this week is the offense needs to be more diverse. There were no screen passes thrown yesterday and a screen pass is a quarterback’s best friend, as are short passes thrown to the tight end. Did Watson even look towards a tight end? Hopefully David Njoku will be back this week. To beat the Bengals again, the Browns will have to employ more run-pass option. On defense, they’ll have to find a replacement for Takitaki, who been playing his best ball since moving to middle linebacker. Deion Jones will get more playing time because I don’t expect Fields to play like that every week.

As for the playoffs, the teams in front of the Browns for the seventh spot are 7. Jets (7-5), 8. Patriots (6-6) and 9. Chargers (6-6). Cleveland is tied with the Steelers (5-7) and the Raiders (5-7). The Raiders win the tie breaker over the Browns due to a better conference win record, 4-5 versus 3-6 and the Browns have the tiebreaker over the Steelers due to their victory over Pittsburg. Unfortunately, the three teams in front of the Browns have the tie breaker due to their victories over Cleveland. I hope the Jets game doesn’t come back to haunt the team. Finally, it was just announced the Ravens @ Browns game has been scheduled for Saturday December 17 at 3:30pm CST. Stay safe and Go Browns. On to Cincinnati.

Happy victory Monday. That was a complete team win and much needed. Tom Brady coming into this game was 218-0 when leading by seven points with two minutes or less left in regulation. Now he’s 218-1. Currently the Browns have a 4.8% chance to make the playoffs and are ranked twelfth in the AFC. The top seven teams make the playoffs. Ahead of the Browns are, 7. Jets (7-4), 8. Patriots (6-5), 9. Chargers (6-5), 10. Colts (4-6-1) and 11. Jaguars (4-7). I know its wishful thinking talking about the playoffs right now, but with QB Desaun Watson returning for the last six games, anything is possible.

After the total destruction by the Bills last week, I didn’t see this one coming. When WR Anthony Schwartz has a great game, you know you’re not planning to do doughnuts in a golf cart at FirstEnergy Stadium. Tampa isn’t the best team in the league; however, they have a very good defense and Tom Brady at quarterback. The Browns played well enough to win in all three phases of the game. After allowing 56 yards rushing in the first quarter, the Buccaneers ended up with 96 for the game. Because of the Browns run defense, Tampa went away from the run. This allowed DE Myles Garrett to make a difference late in the game and in overtime. The Browns even lost the turnover battle and still won. For the fourth time this season, RB Nick Chubb had twenty or more carries (26) and the Browns won.

Besides a missed field goal, the special teams played well. RB Jerome Ford had two kick returns for 67 yards (33.5 average) and WR Donovan Peoples-Jones had five punt returns for 75 yards (15.0 average). The last time the Browns had comeback win when trailing by seven or more points was against the Titans on October 5, 2014. The most important thing about yesterday was QB Jacoby Brissett goes out with a win. In eleven games he was 236 of 368, (64.1%) 2608 yards, 12 touchdowns, six interceptions and QBR of 89.1.

Now the Browns turn to Deshaun Watson at quarterback and his first game will be against his former team the Houston Texans. Talk about drama. No one knows how he’s going to play after almost two years of not playing in an NFL game. Let’s all hope the Browns have turned a corner and will continue to do the little things in games to keep winning. Please no repeat of what happened after the last win over the Bengals. Stay safe and Go Browns.

As a Browns fan, deep down in your soul you knew that was going to happen. The Bills are one of the good teams and the Browns are one of the bad teams. Cleveland could’ve won because NFL games hinge on three to six plays. To beat Buffalo, the Browns had to win each of those plays. They didn’t. Bills kick returns for long yardage, tight ends dropping sure touchdown passes in the end zone, missed tackles, blocked field goals, etc. Should Kevin Stefanski be fired? No. He has a top ten offense with a career backup quarterback starting. Does he need to give up calling plays so can focus on the team as a whole? Yes. Alex Van Pelt can call plays. Get your head out of Cheesecake Factory menu you carry around and watch the game.

The problem comes with the Browns defensive and special team’s coordinators. Could the Browns fire them both before the season is over? Yes, they could if the owner told Stefanski to do it. But he won’t. Linebackers coach Jason Tarver has been a DC before, so why not? As for special teams, Stephen Bravo-Browns is the assistant special teams’ coach, let’s give him a try. It would send a message to the players that things have to change. If they wait till after the season is over, for DC I would hope the Browns are considering Mike Zimmer, Brian FLores, Kris Richard or maybe Jim Schwartz. As for the special teams coach, I have no idea, but right now anyone would be better.

Like I said last week, GM Andrew Berry also carries some blame. A lot of Browns fans are pointing out none of his draft picks have made the Pro Bowl, I don’t care about post season awards, I care about winning games. It’s a chicken and egg situation, is it the defensive players or the defensive scheme? A little of both, changing defensive coordinators right now sure would bring clarity to the situation.

This week’s game against Tampa is yet another important game. Not for the playoffs, but for easing Browns fans pain. Being 4-7 before QB Deshaun Watson returns would help. It would be so Browns for the team to be 3-8, then go 6-0 with Watson, be 5-1 in the division and miss the playoffs at 9-8. Yep, that would be so Browns. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and Go Browns.

I’m getting to the point of apathy with this year’s Cleveland Browns. I’ll still watch and stress over every game, but yesterday was disgusting. I’d start looking at mock drafts, but I have to remind myself the Browns don’t have a first-round pick. Also, I’m now on the fire Joe Woods train. It won’t happen until after the season, because Kevin Stefanski won’t do it, but I hope someone in the front office is vetting defensive coordinators. They started vetting quarterbacks last year after Halloween, so hopefully the process has started. If they’re smart, they’ll make a serious run at Brian Flores. Head coach Kevin Stefanski will save his job with how well quarterback Deshaun Watson plays the last six games of the season. Here’s good news, starting today Watson can start practicing with the team.

The blame can’t just be laid at the feet of the coaches, GM Andrew Berry also has to except responsibility for not addressing the defensive tackle position in the off-season. Before you ask, there’s no player available right now that will help. Currently the Browns have eight draft picks in 2023. A second, a third, two fourths, two fifths, one sixth and one seventh. They also have $ 32.9 million in cap space. If they don’t spend it, they can roll it over into next year’s salary cap. The estimated cap space for 2023 is $ 225 million and the Browns, based on the current roster, have $6.2 million in space. I fully expect them to restructure Watson’s contract, so they could be in the $ 50 million range for the off-season.

As for the game, the lack of effort was stunning. You had two weeks to get ready and that’s the effort you put forth. The only good things that happened was the opening drive and the special teams didn’t cost them the game. After the opening drive, the Browns gave up 30 consecutive points. The Dolphins scored at will and it felt like they could’ve scored on every drive. Does Miami have a punter? They never punted the ball the entire game. I have no idea who the Buffalo Bills starting running back is, but he’s going to have a career day next Sunday. It felt like the Dolphin defense knew when the Browns were going to run and when they were going to pass.

Now it’s on to Buffalo and the only hopeful stat I can find is from Andrew Siciliano of @NFLResearch,”Josh Allen’s Bills are 2-8 in games decided by one score since 2021.” Pray for a close game. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Sorry I was unable to write my review of the Bengals game, I had to go out of town on family business, but I’m back and still happy about the Monday night game. I was absolutely stunned head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t call any pass or run plays to the tight ends. Stunned. By the way, his trick play assortment has suffered and is need of an upgrade. Don’t let WR Amari Cooper throw another pass. I was also stunned to see RB Nick Chubb and RB Kareem Hunt on the field at the same time more than once. The play calling, game management and play selection was vastly improved. Nick Chubb had 23 carries and the Browns won. They are now 3-0 this season when Chubb gets at least twenty carries. Amari Cooper is an excellent route runner, for those who still didn’t know. Both WR David Bell and WR Donovan Peoples-Jones had excellent games. All in all, the offense was very good. Not bad with a career backup as your starter.

On defense, you could see the changes defensive coordinator Joe Woods made. It starts with safety John Johnson calling the defensive plays. He has a good command of the defense, communicates well and is more engaged. Playing LB Sione Takitaki at the middle linebacker spot proved important. I don’t know if the Browns can get away with that versus other teams, but it worked against the Bengals. LB Deion Jones had more playing time and that was a good thing. The safety coverage over the middle was excellent until late in the game when it didn’t matter. The secondary made QB Joe Burrow hold on to the ball more, which created pressure and sacks. CB A.J. Green needs to play more and rookie CB Martin Emerson, Jr. looks like a third-round steal. The special teams played better than average, which is all I ask for right now.

Moving forward, it’s time to heal up and get ready for the final three games with a very surprisingly good Jacoby Brissett as the Browns starting quarterback. At 3-5 the Browns still have a chance to make the playoffs, but these next three games will have a lot to do with it. Going 2-1 against Miami, Buffalo and Tampa Bay would help and it’s possible. Being 2-1 in the AFC North also helps. The starting quarterback for the Browns in their last three divisional games will be Deshaun Watson. He is due back week eleven against his old team the Texans. I think he has that game circled for extra motivation. I’m going to sit back today and enjoy a stress-free Sunday. I hope you do the same. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Sundays are currently my worst day of the week. It’s tough watching and covering this Browns team every week. At 2-5 the Browns now have a 6% chance of making the playoffs. Can they still make the playoffs? Sure, but the fat lady is warming up her vocal cords. There were reports of yelling in the locker room after the game. Good, but there should have been yelling after the Jets game. Let’s get to it.

The Good. The defense played much better. Lamar Jackson was held under two hundred yards of total offense and only completed nine passes. All pro tight end Mark Edwards didn’t have a reception. They sacked Jackson three times. They still gave up too many rushing yards again but forced a turnover when they had to have one.

The Bad. The offense. Sure, Nick Chubb had 91 yards, one touchdown for 5.7 average. Jacoby Brissett played well, 22 of 27 for 258 yards. Yes, he fumbled twice, but I put that on play calling and game management. I’m looking at you Kevin Stefanski. The Ravens get the ball first after the half and the defense forces a three and out. Defensive adjustments were made at halftime. The Browns get the ball back and start throwing the ball. Run the damn ball. It worked on the first drive of the game, by the way, the first opening drive points allowed by the Ravens. It worked on the last touchdown drive. Finally, you get the ball back with about three minutes left in the game and where’s Nick Chubb?

The Ugly. The un special teams. They gave up a 46-yard punt return which led to Baltimore points. RB D’Ernest Johnson attempted to run out a kick return and did get to the 24-yard line, but a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 12. Speaking of penalties, costly penalties at the wrong time. A holding penalty on safety Grant Delpit after the defense had stopped the Ravens on third and seven. Left tackle Jedrick Wills had a false start on the second series and holding penalty on a 14 fourteen-yard gain by tight end Pharaoh Brown. Finally, don’t put your team in a position to let the officials decide the game. They’ll screw the Browns every time.

Another game the Browns should’ve won. The is no room for error with this team. None. Now they face a Bengals team that seems to have found itself. The Bye can’t get here quick enough. Stay safe and Go Browns.

I would like to thank the Cleveland Browns for ruining another Sunday. The last two games were frustrating, this one was pathetic. Let’s get to it.

The Good. Kicker Cade York made all his kicks.

The Bad & The Ugly. The Cleveland Browns. The Browns have the best running back and the best rushing offense in the NFL and you start the game by throwing the ball. Not just once, but twice. By the way, Nick Chubb had twelve carries, twelve. I’m mystified by the play calling in this game. Instead of having both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt on the field at the same time, the Browns are throwing to their number three tight end. It was only 10-6 at halftime and that lead seemed insurmountable. Out played, out hustled and definitely out coached. On defense, the miscommunications continue. This team is a mess. A hot mess. They made a fourth round; third string quarterback Bailey Zappe look like a world beater. The Patriots are an average team, they had 12 penalties for 92 yards and the Browns defense and offense couldn’t take advantage of it. The offensive line gave up four sacks and the Browns had four turnovers. Pitiful. On the Patriots first drive, the defense got Zappe in third and long three times and he converted each one. Pitiful.

Now the Browns go to Baltimore and play an angry Ravens team who are looking to fix their problems, then return home and play a Bengals team that seemed to have righted the ship. They need to fix this. I’m not calling for the coaches to be fired because I’m not in the mood for another rebuild. This team needs to get angry and beat the crap out of the Ravens and the Bengals, because after the bye they play Miami, Buffalo and Tampa. Here’s hoping for something positive to happen. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Another wasted opportunity, another frustrating game. Welcome to the 2022 Cleveland Browns. Let’s get to it.

The Good. The offense. The Browns are fifth in the league in offensive efficiency. Yes, the head coach does show moments of bizarre play calling, but considering the team is starting a career back up, I never thought this offense could be this good. Sometimes I think Kevin Stefanski over thinks things at key moments. The fourth down call when you have a QB who so far this year was a perfect eight for eight on quarterback sneaks and 95% successful for his career, don’t handoff the ball. The Utah pass to Njoku was a great call at the right time. That’s how you run your tight end. Njoku, Amari Cooper, DPJ, the offensive line, Kareem Hunt and of course Nick Chubb all played great. Jacoby Brissett keeps wasting great play with throwing interceptions at the wrong time.

The Bad. The not so special teams. They are ranked 14th in the league in efficiency. The one bright spot is returner Chester Rogers. I no longer sweat bullets when the other team punts. Kicker Cade York missed his first two field goals of the season. All of his misses, both field goals and extra points, have come at home. He might need to head to the stadium on his off day and practice. I’m not giving up on him, he’ll win games for the team in the future.

The Ugly. The Browns defense is ranked 30th in the league in efficiency. Prior to the season, I thought the offense would struggle and the defense would carry the team. I know GM Andrew Berry went out last night and traded for a good linebacker, but it’s time to invest in the interior defense with a tackle. The two starting defensive tackles for the Browns are ranked last and next to last in the NFL rankings for their position. Can’t stop the run the last two games. Over that span, I had never heard of three of the four running backs who were running all over the Browns defense. Still can’t cover a tight end, still can’t shut down an average wide receiver. All the fans want Joe Woods fired, but who is going to replace him?

All is not lost, but you got to figure the Patriots and Bill Belichick will come into Cleveland Sunday and try and run the ball the down the Brown’s throat. Adjustments need to be made and made immediately. The Browns can still make the playoffs if Brissett can win five to six games, but that quest starts on Sunday. Stay safe and Go Browns.

That was a very frustrating and embarrassing game. I knew Atlanta had a pretty good offense, but really, Atlanta? You lose to Atlanta? The perfect scenario to take over sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Oh well, no one said being a Browns fan was easy. Let’s get to it.

The Good. From one ten-yard line to the other, the offense worked well for the most part. Nick Chubb had 118 yards on 19 carries (6.2-yard average). WR’s Donovan Peoples-Jones and David Bell had some great catches. The defense played well in the second and third quarters, considering they were missing three quarters of their starting defensive line. Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts and Drake London didn’t go crazy. However, the game is four quarters.

The Bad. Play calling inside the ten. Head coach Kevin Stefanski needs to get over the desire to score touchdowns every time in the red zone. On the first drive, kick the field goal and take the points. Don’t give momentum to the other team. I can understand going for it early, but a pass play. Then your starting QB throws the ball out of the endzone. A misdirection play might have worked, or maybe running the NFL’s leading rusher. Speaking of play calling, an end around with the tight end? The Browns need veteran depth at the defensive tackle position. Tommy Togiai isn’t cutting it. Game four and the Browns are still having communication issues in the secondary.

The Ugly. Why do All-Pro players commit stupid penalties? Seven penalties for 51 yards and they come at the worst moments. That’s coaching. Speaking of coaching, did I mention the Browns tried an end around with a tight end? Isn’t this why the team has WR Anthony Schwartz? The defense lost to a quarterback who completed seven passes. Seven.

I know it’s only four games and the Browns are still in first place due to the other coaches in the AFC North having brain farts during games, but this was supposed to be the easy part of the schedule. I still have faith, but like I said, being a Browns fan isn’t easy. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s victory Friday and I’m here for it. No one should’ve doubted it because head coach Kevin Stefanski is 12-3 after a loss and the three loses were last year. I enjoyed the broadcast, but which Browns fan pissed in Al Michael’s cereal when he was a kid? Nothing positive to say about the Browns and when something was said, he just laughed under his breath. Let’s get to it.

The Good. Can we stop with the firing of Stefanski. He outcoached the god of coaching Mike Tomlin. The last touchdown drive was a thing of beauty. An eleven-play drive, ten of those plays were running plays. Punched the Steelers defense in the mouth. The last series was even better. Worked time off the clock, giving Pittsburg no time to create a miracle, despite the help from the referees. QB Jacoby Brissett was 21 of 31 (68%) for 220 yards and two touchdowns. After three games he’s 61 of 92 (66.3%) for 596 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. WR Amari Cooper caught seven passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. He’s had back-to-back 100 yards games, the first Browns wide receiver to do that since Josh Gordon in 2013. Tight end David Njoku caught nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Running back Nick Chubb rushed the ball 22 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. After three games he has 341 yards, the second most in Browns history after three games since Jim Brown in 1963. As for the defense. they allowed three points in the second half, despite losing key starters to injury. Nice adjustments by the coaching staff. LB Jacob Phillips stepped up big time and CB Martin Emerson is getting better with every game.

The Bad. Two twelve men on the field penalties? Two. All Browns fans know, versus Pittsburg the referees aren’t going to give the Browns a break, but let’s not help. There are still communication issues with the secondary, but after a short week, things were better. The run defense in the first half was bad and you can really tell Myles Garrett misses Jadeveon Clowney. The Browns need to reevaluate their inside pass rush. The injuries were brutal last night, but players did step up.

The Ugly. The not-so-special teams. Never bring the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs. Nothing good happens. A semi-blocked punt. For once a missed extra point didn’t come back to haunt the Browns. Right now, if I’m a future Browns opponent, I’m trying onside kicks all game long. Thank God, WR Anthony Schwartz had the good sense to knock the ball out of bounds. What the hell was WR Donovan Peoples-Jones doing on that play? At least I’m not worried about the punt returner anymore.

I was thinking about that game all day long yesterday. Trying to reason a Browns victory. You know what I mean, if you’re a Browns fan you did it as well. It wasn’t necessary last night because for once against the Steelers, the Browns had the better head coach and the better quarterback. I hope everyone stays safe and Go Browns.