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Victory Monday. 2-21-1 may not sound good to your average NFL fan, but it sure sounds good to me, as does 1-0. The Browns finally did something they haven’t done since 2004, win their opening game. Browns fans can now exhale and focus on the rest of the season starting with game two versus the Jets. Here we go.

The Good. The running game for about 95% of the game. Late in the game, the Browns started to get a little pass happy. Hey coach, run it till they stop it. QB Jacoby Brissett was average (18 of 34 for 147 yards and a TD) but put the team in the position to win. Everyone was worried about the wide receivers, but they got open, it’s just that Brissett was slow to see them. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones made some great catches and WR Anthony Schwartz made a big third down catch. As for the defense, they played well for about 95% of the game. Two blown coverages are two too many. The defense seemed to get sack happy late in the game. Speaking of sacks Myles Garrett had two and John Johnson, Ronnie Harrison, Jadeveon Clowney and Tommy Togiai had a half sack each. The defense also batted down five passes, Clowney with two, Garrett with one, Perrion Winfrey with one and Alex Wright with one. According to PFF, the highest graded offensive players were Wyatt Teller 85.9, Nick Chubb 79.3, James Hudson 76.0, Peoples-Jones 68.0 and Schwartz 67.6. On defense Garrett 94.4, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah 78.3, Clowney 76.3, Anthony Walker 73.4 and Togiai 71.7. Kicker Cade York, four field goals, 26, 34, 36 and of course the game winner from 58 yards. Most importantly, no injuries.

The Bad. The other 5% of both the offense and the defense. Now that this team has learned to win week one, they need to learn to put bad teams away. The punt return situation is scary. Rest of the special teams were very good, but why don’t we try someone else to return punts, like maybe rookie RB Jerome Ford. Hopefully, the coaching staff will work with Brissett to speed up the offense. They were late getting out of the huddle and seemed to be a little chaotic. Smooth the rough edges on the offense and fix the blown coverages on defense.

The Ugly. Nine penalties for 71 yards, the carryover from the preseason continues. Before I die, I hope the Browns will learn to cover an opposing team’s tight end. This team makes average players look like pro bowlers.

Game one is in the books, it wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. The Browns will host the New York Jets in their home opener this Sunday. One final note, my wife and I had a great time watching the game very our fellow members of the Middle Tennessee Browns Backers. It’s the official club in Nashville TN and there was a great crowd on hand, over 240. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

The preseason games are finally over and after three games we can determine absolutely nothing. The only major injuries last night were DE Chris Odom, who was carted off the field with a knee injury and Browns fans who had to watch WR Anthony Schwartz attempt to catch a pass. Odom was probably headed for the practice squad and Schwartz’s future is unknown. So, let’s get to it.

The Good. Yes, there was good last night. On offense, QB Josh Dobbs, RB Jerome Ford, WR Javon Wims and WR David Bell. Dobbs again showed good decision making and the ability to rally a team. He is not better then Jacoby Brissett, and he will not start in Carolina. While some Browns fans will argue Dobbs is better, Brissett didn’t have the entire starting offensive line, RB Nick Chubb, RB Kareem Hunt and WR Amari Cooper. I think they would’ve made a difference. Besides Dobbs was playing against guys who will be selling insurance next week. Ford continues to impress. If a running back is traded (Hunt or Johnson) he’ll step in and contribute right away. Bell is going to be a playmaker this year. Wims may have just forced Schwartz off the roster. On defense, defensive tackles Jordan Elliott and Taven Bryan showed up last night. They’re your starters. Defensive ends Isaac Rochell and Alex Wright are making the strongest cases for backing up Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett. In the secondary, D’Anthony Bell and Shaun Jolly may have made the roster.

The Bad. I know it’s preseason and the Bears played 95% of their starters in the first half, but I thought the offense would be a tad more creative. Another head scratching performance in the first quarter. WR Anthony Schwartz needs to see a psychologist at this point, because he has the worst case of the yips I’ve ever seen. On defense, it seems CB Greedy Williams forgot how to cover receivers. He might be trade bait. DT Tommy Togiai also seems to have forgotten how to play football. The only way he makes the team is because he was drafted by GM Andrew Berry. Unfortunately for Togiai, Andrew Berry doesn’t think that way.

The Ugly. When I started watching the game, I had penalties in the bad section. They quickly moved to the ugly section. Mental errors will kill any good NFL team, and the penalties last night were brutal. Bad mistakes at the worst times. And speaking of penalties, Alex Taylor over the last two years showed great promise, after last night, yikes. David Njoku and Harrison Bryant are the Browns starting tight ends. As for tight end number 3, I thought it might be Miller Forristall, nope. If the Browns carry three tight ends, that player will come from another team after Tuesday’s cutdown day. Speaking of after the cutdown day, I hope Andrew Berry can find a punt returner.

Like I said earlier, the Bears played 95% of their starters in the first half, so the Browns defensive performance doesn’t alarm me. Remember Garrett, Clowney, Newsome and Ward didn’t play. I think those four would’ve made a difference. Now it’s on to Carolina and former Browns starting QB Baker Mayfield. Unfortunately, fans have to wait two weeks. Two weeks of the revenge of Mayfield and the reminder the Browns are 1-21-1 in season openers since 1999. Don’t forget to tune into ESPN for the annual showing of “The Drive.” Good times. Everybody stay safe and Go Browns.

Now that the Browns are no longer under the dark cloud of a Deshaun Watson suspension announcement, it’s time to concentrate on what happens on the field. Well, it was a preseason game where hardly any starters played, but it was a Browns game. As for the Watson 11 game suspension, he’ll return to play against his former team and fellow lawsuit waiting to happen, the Houston Texans. Who said the NFL doesn’t have a sick sense of humor? The league only cares about money, optics and ratings, and the ratings for that game will be through the roof. On to preseason game two.

The Good. QB Josh Dobbs, WR David Bell, WR Mike Hartley, Jr., K Cade York, RB Jerome Ford, OL Michael Dunn, OL Hjalte Froholdt on offense. On defense, LB Tony Fields, II, DT Glen Logan, LB Willie Harvey, LB Jordan Kunaszyk, DE Isaac Rochell and DE Alex Wright. Dobbs continues to impress me and living in Nashville Tennessee, I saw enough of him when he played for the University of Tennessee. I know the play calling is very vanilla this time of year, but his decision-making ability is very impressive for a third string QB, but then again, pro football isn’t rocket science, (you know I had to sneak in a rocket science joke). Bell and Hartley, especially Hartley, played very well. York, even though he missed a 55-yard field goal, it hit the top of the pylon. Ford will continue to push for a roster spot. The Browns may have to keep four running backs (Chubb, Hunt, Johnson and Ford). Felton will be listed as a wide receiver. Dunn and Froholdt showed their versatility, which will come in handy when deciding how many offensive linemen to keep, (nine or ten total). On defense, LB’s Tony Fields, Willie Harvey and Jordan Kunaszyk really stepped up. Harvey and Kunaszyk are locks to make the roster on special teams. Rochell and Wright improved from game one and Logan may sneak himself onto this roster because of the lack of talent at the defensive tackle position.

The Bad. I should list WR Anthony Schwartz as average, but there is no good, average, bad and ugly. He improved, that’s all I can say, but not to the point of a WR3. Yes, the penalty situation got better, but some of those penalties happened at the worst times. DT Perrion Winfrey is struggling. He was blown off the ball in running plays all night long. And speaking of the defensive tackle position?

The Ugly. Browns fans had better hope some average to good defensive tackles shake lose during cutdowns. After Jordan Elliot & Glen Logan, It’s truly ugly. I had such high hopes for Tommy Togiai. Josh Rosen was nothing more than a camp arm during pre-season, so I’m not surprised by his play on the field. The Browns could probably sneak him onto the practice squad, but I don’t’ think that’s a quality idea. GM Andrew Berry will wait for the final NFL cutdown to bring in a QB3.

Another glorified practice bites the dust. Tomorrow the Browns have to cut five more players to get the roster from 85 to 80. The next totally unnecessary game will be Saturday August 27 against the Bears. Check your local listings for this barn burner. Everybody stay safe and Go Browns.

Browns Training camp is finally here. Players report this week, and it couldn’t have come soon enough. There are still a few lingering questions, but soon the interweb will be full of videos, analysis and opinions. Well, there’s already too much analysis and opinions, but at least the promise of actual games is right around the corner. However, there is still some unfinished off-season business.

Deshaun Watson Suspension. After the league leaked, they would be happy with a twelve-game suspension, the NFLPA leaked if they felt the suspension was too long, they are prepared to sue the league. There are predictions on the suspension from a year to no games and a heavy fine. Judge Susan Robinson is reportedly going to take her time with a ruling, but a decision could be announced by the end of this week. In other words, no one knows anything, except for Judge Robinson.

Perrion Winfrey’s Contract. Winfrey remains the only Browns draft pick not signed. Both the team and Winfrey’s agent are in contact and both sides hope a deal will be finished by the time the players report this week. Because of the NFL’s slot system for rookie deals, Winfrey is due to receive an estimated $4.6 million, four-year deal with around $1 million signing bonus. The hang up appears to be an additional $25,000 workout bonus the Texans gave their fourth-round pick running back Dameon Pierce.

As training camp starts, I’m most interested in watching how the defensive tackle and wide receiver positions shake out. There are plenty of bodies at both positions, but the experience needs to improve. According to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap-space, the Browns have the most cap space in the league, over $48 million. So, signing a veteran is not out of the question. I would feel better if the Browns signed another DT (Ndamukong Suh?), but I’m also eager to see how the players already on the roster perform. Like Taven Bryan, Jordan Elliot, Glen Logan, Tommy Togiai and Perrion Winfrey at defensive tackle. At wide receiver, my eyes are going to be glued to David Bell. There are also reports that DE Tak McKinley’s rehab is ahead of schedule and both he and the Browns have a mutual interest.

By this time next week, there’ll be shaky cell phone videos from Browns reporters, and I’ll watch every freaking one of them. It’s time for some Browns football. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

I’m waiting for training camp to start, I’m waiting for Baker Mayfield to be traded, I’m waiting for a Deshaun Watson decision, I’m waiting for twitter to enter the seventh level of hell after the Deshaun Watson decision. The good news is June was the last month this year without football. So, I got that working for me. When it’s this quiet, it’s hard to find something to write about, lists are apparently very popular. If you want my thoughts on how I think Judge Susan Robinson will rule in the Watson case, here’s a link, https://clesportstalk.com/my-thoughts-on-the-watson-case/. It amazes me how some Browns fans have determined this was their last straw for the fandom. I think about all the bad quarterbacks and draft picks since 1999. I think about the endless head coach/GM turnover since 1999. I think about 1-31. I think about how I’ve stayed loyal all those years, waiting for the payoff. The payoff is here.

Sure, you can say the team sold their soul for the Super Bowl by trading for Watson, but the same people wanted them to sell their soul for Aaron Rogers or Russell Wilson or Jimmy Garoppolo. Or worse, trade for Matt Ryan or Marcus Mariota and draft another rookie quarterback high in the 2023 draft. Does Doug Peterson, Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer ring a bell. The never-ending cycle of dysfunction. This is a very talented team and I root for this team. I want the Browns to win and will always want the Browns to win. I root for Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Kareem Hunt, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, JOK, Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome and John Johnson, III.

I’ve seen this before. When I was president of the Middle Tennessee Browns Backers, Art Modell (crook) moved the Browns to Baltimore. For three years myself and a group of very loyal Browns fans held the club together waiting for the team’s return. Did the club lose a few members over those three years? Sure. But when the team came back, the club gained far more. That’s what makes Browns fans special and the most loyal fan base in the NFL. You can kick us, demean us, punch us in the stomach, but we’re still here. When Browns Backers gather for game one of the season, it’s a community. After two years of Covid, I’m looking forward to watching the Browns with my fellow Middle Tenness Browns Backer. There’s nothing like it.

Browns training camp starts July 27. By then we’ll know if Watson is suspended, Baker Mayfield will be on another team, (as I write this, Mayfield was traded to Carolina) and I’ll be watching videos posted on twitter of training camp. Despite a minority of fans who have switched teams and sold their season tickets, I’ll still be a Browns fan. Go Browns.

Details on the trade:

The Browns are trading Baker Mayfield to the Panthers for a 2024 conditional 5th-round draft pick, per

@RapSheet

Mike Garafolo

@MikeGarafolo

More: The #Browns will pay Baker Mayfield $10.5 million this season, which means they trimmed over $8 million in cash and salary-cap space. The #Panthers will pay Mayfield ~$5 million. Mayfield agreed to trim ~$3.5 million off his base salary.

It’s over and if anyone tells you this isn’t value, they don’t know what value is or they’re a Baker Bro. I guess some members of the national media are disapointed he won’t be playing for the Browns.

Not really. In the world of the NFL, it’s 365 days of the year. So, let’s get started. According to Mary Kay Cabot, RB Kareem Hunt would like to sign a contract extension with the Browns. I love Hunt and he’s an important cog in the offense, but the team just drafted his replacement, Jerome Ford. Sorry Kareem, I wish there was a way it could happen, but it won’t.

Appearently the front offices of both the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks get paid by the hour. Last week it was reported the Panthers were doing extensive research on trading for Baker Mayfield. This week it’s being reported that the Seattle Seahawks and doing extensive research on trading for Baker Mayfield. Go watch your current quarterbacks at practice, research over. Between the two teams, Seattle has the draft capital and Carolina has the cap space. It’s being reported, again, the Browns are willing to pay half of Mayfield’s salary ($9.5 million). It’ll get done before training camp.

The Deshaun Watson news is starting to get better. Watson and his attorney have settled 20 of the 24 civil cases, with the last four being settled soon. It’s been reported each case was settled for $150,000. The people who hate Watson will call this an admission of guilt; the fans who love Watson will say it’s not. I say it’s putting this situation behind us. Over the last month, this has turned from an issue that’s not talked about enough to a Sh*t Show. The best part about this news, since Tony Buzbee’s announcement of the settlements, both attorneys have shut up. Silence is golden.

As for the potential Watson suspension, no one knows anything. Opinions are like a certain area of your body in the lower regions, everyone has one. I do know this will be the first Personal Conduct Policy case heard under the new arbitration system. If the arbitrator, retired judge Sue Robinson, suggests a lengthy suspension, the players union will sue. The PCP applies to all players, coaches, front office staff AND owners. Daniel Snyder, we see you. The union has retained attorney Jeffery Kessler to represent them and Watson against the league. He successfully sued the league on behalf of Tom Brady over “deflategate” (later appealed by the league resulting in a four-game suspension a year later) and represented the United States Womens Soccer team in their fight for equal pay.

Finally former Brown Joe Haden has caused a stir on his Instagram account. Is he thinking about signing with the Browns? Or is he going to sign a one-day contract and retire a Brown? Only Joe knows. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.