Dawgpoundsouth

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.

The word for Monday is frustrating. All the experts told me the Browns have a top five secondary. Not so much. Is it coaching, communication or the lack of playing time in the preseason. All of the above. Let’s get to it.

The Good. After two weeks the Browns are ranked seventh in the NFL in passing efficiency. If you had that stat on your bingo card, can you suggest some lottery numbers. QB Jacoby Brissett was 22 of 27 for 229 yards one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed six times for 43 yards (7.2 average). Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 145 yards and Chubb scored three touchdowns. The Browns are currently averaging 200 yards rushing a game, second only to the Philadelphia Eagles. Brissett and WR Amari Cooper hooked up nine times for 101 yards and one touchdown. The offense isn’t the problem.

The Bad. After two weeks the Browns are ranked 27th in defensive passing efficiency. They have allowed 34 points in the fourth quarter to Baker Mayfeild and Joe Flacco. So far, the defense has given up the seventh most passing yards and the second most passing touchdowns. I can’t wait for the Browns to face Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson and Josh Rosen. If it was the fault of one player, I would hope the coaches would bench him for the next game. But, against Carolina it was miscommunication between Greg Newsome and John Johnson. Yesterday it was miscommunication between Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit. These issues should have been worked out in training camp and in preseason games. Oh, wait, the starters didn’t play in the preseason games.

The Ugly. After two weeks the Browns are ranked 20th in special teams’ efficiency. The fake punt by the Jets gave them life. At that point it was looking like a blowout. Still no reliable punt returner. On kickoffs, let’s kick the ball into the endzone, not to a pro bowl kick returner on the ten-yard line. The kicking team has about a 14% chance of recovering an onside kick. Fourteen percent. Then to add insult to injury, kicker Cade York misses an extra point. How come missed extra points always come back to bite the Browns in the butt?

Thank God it’s a short week. Because it’s a short week, no one will be fired, and no one should be fired. If it happens against the Steelers, then all bets are off. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns, it’s Steeler week.

It’s my favorite time of year, game week one for the Cleveland Browns. The feeling of hope and dread at the same time. On the one hand, the Browns, despite what the talking heads say, have a very talented roster. On the other hand, I can’t get 1-21-1 out of my head. Last year the Browns won eight games with average quarterback play. This year they play eleven games with a career backup quarterback. After the longest preseason in the history of Browns fandom, I’m ready for game day.

For some reason, and I don’t know why, I’m feeling a little optimistic. First, I’m glad the Browns are playing Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers on the road. What a zoo Cleveland would be if this was a home game. Some fans are rooting for Mayfield the first game and the Browns the last sixteen games. Nope. Denounce your Browns fandom on twitter and get it over with. I’m a Browns fan through thick and thin. As for the two quarterbacks, Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett, I’m good with Brissett. Yes, Josh Dobbs looked great in the preseason. But that’s the preseason. When you have a roster this talented, preseason is for the bottom part of that roster. Last year, hardly any of the starters played in the preseason and if not for a terrible decision by the Browns former punter and a Nick Chubb fumble, the Browns would have beaten the Chiefs.

Besides the game, I’m looking forward to watching with my fellow members of the Middle Tennessee Browns Backers. Because of Covid the last two years, I’ve been unable to attend the first game. I’ve missed the atmosphere. Walking into the bar, (Nashville Palace) for the first game. Seeing all the Browns gear, flags and signs. Waiting impatiently as the clock slowly moves to kickoff. Listening to the pregame show as they try and explain how great Mayfield will play against his former team. They’ll forget the Browns have Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, A pretty good offensive line and a pretty damn good defense. But, hey, at least Baker is “Off The Leash.”

Will this be an easy game for the Browns? No, Carolina is not a bad team. Do I think the Browns will win? Yes. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods knows Mayfeild and I expect a few wrinkles to be thrown in just for the Browns former quarterback. Or maybe the Browns defense will just watch tape of the Steeler defense vs. Mayfield. Everybody stay safe, Go Browns and enjoy the game, no matter where you watch.