Dawgpoundsouth

I’d like to thank the Giants and the Panthers for hiring their head coaches today and leaving the Browns as the last coaching vacancy. Jimmy, DON’T SCREW THIS UP. You have your choice, you have the guy everyone thinks you’ve always wanted available, Josh McDaniels. Again, DON’T SCREW THIS UP. The greatest threat to the Browns hiring Josh McDaniels is the New England Patriots talking him into coming back. Word is the Browns want their next coach to be hired by Saturday, so no Kevin Stefanski because he’s still coaching in the playoffs. The Browns are still going to interview Stefanski and Jim Schwartz on Thursday and McDaniels on Friday. Come on Jimmy, you only have to get this right once for the first time. That noise you hear in the background is my wife laughing and saying “right, the Browns getting it right.” Imagine Josh McDaniels as head coach, soon to be former Washington OC Kevin O’Connell as the offensive coordinator and Jim Schwartz as the defensive coordinator. That’s a home run. Come on Jimmy, let Cleveland sports fans only worry about when Kevin Love will be traded and if the Dolans are stupid enough to trade Fransico Lindor, not a coaching search. This is a layup. Josh McDaniels has lost all his leverage with no other job openings.

If McDaniels really wants to be a head coach again, here’s his chance. Come home and coach the team you rooted for as a kid. Hire Dave Ziegler as the GM, resign Paul Depodesta (his contract expires Saturday) tie them together and lets get this started. Some are wondering why Jim Schwartz? It could be a fall back in case McDaniels doesn’t take the job, he has been a head coach before. My thought is, as I mentioned earlier, hire him as McDaniels DC. He is under contract with the Eagles, that’s why you ask for their permission, but that contract expires on January 14th. He was an intern under Belichick in Cleveland and has ties to McDaniels. Next question, why interview, Daboll, Saleh, Roman and Bieniemy? It never hurts to pick the brains of people from successful teams. You get a better idea of how a winning structure works. And boy do the Browns need to learn how to create a winning anything. Also, it never hurts a coordinator to interview for jobs one year and set up interviews for the next year. It’s a selling point for their agents. And who knows, those agents may represent a free agent the Browns are interested in signing this year. This is all back channel stuff and lets face facts, the NFL has more back channels than the 2016 Trump campaign. Hire Josh McDaniels.

Moving on from the coaching search, the Browns 2020 opponents are now known. We know who and where, but won’t find out when until the week before the draft. The Browns will host the Colts, Eagles, Raiders, Redskins, Texans, Bengals, Steelers and Ravens. They go on the road and play the Titans, Giants, Jags, Jets, Cowboys, Bengals, Steelers and Ravens. Beckham will be in the Meadowlands twice and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Browns here in Nashville again. It wouldn’t surprise me that the Browns will play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving day. As for the NFL draft, I’m very happy the Bama QB Tua Tagovailoa declared for the draft. That’s one more QB in the top ten that will push an offensive tackle down to the Browns. Either Jedrick Wills of Bama or Tristan Wirfs of Iowa are fine by me.

I’m sounding a little optimistic, so it’s time to slam my head against my desk to bring me back to reality. In the end, Jimmy Haslam is the one making the final decision and that’s the major reason to be pessimistic. You know Browns fans, how we usually feel after a front office and or coaching change, which is about every year, right? As my wife always says, besides how much she hates the NFL, “they can screw this up again, can’t they?” Yes honey, they can, the Browns have an idiot for an owner. Hopefully, we’ll all know by Saturday if Jimmy got this right. I’m tired of winning the off season, it’s time to win during the regular season. Go Browns.

If you had align or alignment in the Jimmy Haslam news conference drinking game, are you alright? Do you need to take a nap and sleep it off?Today’s key word was alignment. If you weren’t able to listen, here’s some news that came out of today’s meeting with the Cleveland media. First, the Browns next coach will have NFL experience. So no college coaches. Sorry Lincoln Riley or Urban Myers, which is fine with me. Second the head coach will be hired first and the GM second with the input of the new head coach. Someone outside of the current front office, so no Eliot Wolf as GM. Wolf will stay with the Browns as assistant GM. Personally I like that idea, Wolf is a very talented personnel guy. The new GM and head coach will coexist and both will report to the owners. The two will be “aligned” with the analytics department (Paul Depodesta). Speaking of Depodesta, he will remain as chief strategy officer. and will not run the Browns. Third, the new GM will pick the 53 players on the roster and the coach will pick the 46 who play on Sunday. And lastly, the search committee will consist of Jimmy and Dee Haslam, J W Johnson ( Haslams son-in-law), Chris Cooper (Browns cap guy and the guy who stopped the A J McCarron trade) and Depodesta.

My takes from what Jimmy didn’t say. Former GM John Dorsey had more power than we thought. It sounds like he picked the players who played on Sunday, as well as the players on the roster. Also he had no use for the analytic department. In the current NFL, analytics is a valuable resource to help the GM and the scouting department decide on players. It is not how players are chosen, but a valuable tool in the decision process. Remember two years ago, Depodesta based on analytics, wanted to hire Josh McDaniels or current Bills head coach Sean McDermott. The Browns ended up keeping Hugh Jackson, so I’m all for analytics. Also, it sounds like the owners were not to sure about the Freddie Kitchens hire, but followed Dorsey’s recommendation. After all, he was a football guy. Hiring a head coach first, then the GM doesn’t bother me as long as they are both on the same page. Both the Seahawks and the 49ers did the same thing. In Buffalo, McDermott and the Bills first GM he worked for didn’t work well together. So Buffalo fired him and hired someone McDermott had worked with before and the Bills seem to be doing well. Like I’ve told a lot of fellow Browns fans here in Nashville, Jimmy only has to get this right once.

As for coaching interviews, Mike McCarthy was interviewed today and Greg Roman will be in Berea tonight for his interview. Sunday the Browns will be in San Francisco to interview Roger Saleh and Josh McDaniels has told teams he will be available January 10th for his interviews. I have not heard about when Kevin Stefanski or Brian Daboll will be interviewed. Stefanski did interview last year (another Depodesta recommendation). It’s been reported that the current structure being set up would scare Josh McDaniels off, but I think if he can help pick the GM he works with, that’s a plus. This sounds like the Haslams are finally about to get this right, but we’ll see. The next head coach and GM already have their QB and a very talented roster. Maybe this time the stars will “align” and the dysfunction train will finally be derailed. Or the light at the end of the tunnel could be another oncoming dysfunctional train. Cross your fingers Browns fans (and your toes). Go Browns.

It’s officially the off season and the Browns are in the market for a new head coach and possibly another front office restructure. You have to give Jimmy Haslam credit for one thing, like the true hillbilly he is, he likes to blow things up. The Browns aren’t wasting any time on this search, so far they have asked permission to talk to New England OC Josh McDaniels, Ravens OC Greg Roman, Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski and 49ers DC Robert Saleh. Also they’re going to interview former Packers coach Mike McCarthy. Now that things have settled down today, lets look at each candidate.

Josh McDaniels. Current OC for Bill Belichick. Has head coaching experience with Denver and turned down the Colts head coaching job after he said he would take it. Okay, he was a failure in Denver, but I think he was too young and thought he could be the next Belichick. Sorry there will never be another “Mumbles”. As for the Colts job, there were authority issues between McDaniels and the front office. The Haslams really like McDaniels and so does Paul Depodesta. McDaniels wanted the job two years ago and now feels he’s ready to be a head coach again. The next concern with McDaniels is he’s from the Belichick coaching tree and Bill runs everything. McDaniels has free range to call plays for the Patriots and his offense over the years has fit the players on the roster, what a concept. His hiring may cause a front office shake up. Rumors are if hired he wants his own GM from the Patriots front office. I’ve heard two names, Nick Caserio and Dave Ziegler. So hiring McDaniels might mean bye bye John Dorsey. More on this later.

Greg Roman. It never hurts to talk to your divisional rivals coaching staff when hiring a new coach. Best known for creating offenses for running style quarterbacks with OC stops in San Francisco, Buffalo and now Baltimore. He is very creative, but does the Browns current roster fit his scheme? Never been a head coach, and I really don’t want to go down that road again.

Kevin Stefanski. Another favorite of Paul Depodesta and interviewed last year with the Browns. Has done an incredible job as the Vikings OC with QB Kirk Cousins and RB Dalvin Cook. He runs a wide zone offense and I drool a little thinking about that offense with Mayfield, Chubb, Hunt, Landry and Beckham. His scheme definitely fits the talent on the roster. Would need to hire experienced coordinators, because he’s never been a head coach. one positive, he might keep special teams coach Mike Priefer.

Robert Saleh. A great defensive mind, but with the 49ers defense anyone can have a great defensive mind. Saleh is your Rooney Rule candidate, sorry Eric Bieniemy. Again no head coaching experience.

Mike McCarthy. He would definitely bring leadership and discipline to the Browns. As mentioned in an earlier blog, his offense isn’t geared for the modern NFL. McCarthy would probably keep offensive line coach James Campen and knows front office personnel Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith. I just worry we might get into another Butch Davis, Eric Mangini situation, a coach with too much power.

Of these candidates I’m most intrigued by McDaniels and Stefanski. I think McDaniels gets the job if he wants it, the Haslams want him so that tells you everything. Can Dorsey and McDaniels work together? It’s possible. The restructure I could see is Depodesta as team president, Dorsey as head of football operations and Caserio or Ziegler as GM. Unfortunately the Browns could lose Eliot Wolf, a very good talent elevator. I’ve heard that Alonzo Highsmith might be headed back to the University of Miami to head up their football program. As for the rest of the Browns coaching staff, they have not been fired, but have been told if offered another job, feel free to take it.

As for Dorsey. Yes, I know he pushed for the Kitchens hire and wasted draft picks on Austin Corbett and Antonio Callaway. Also he ignored the tackle position on the offensive line. But he did inherit a 0-16 team, traded for Jarvis Landry, drafted Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb, Baker Mayfield and signed Sheldon Richardson. I still think the Beckham trade was a good trade and will become a better trade in the years to come. I don’t want to see Dorsey go, he’s brought more talent to this team than any other GM in the expansion era, but football is a business.

The Browns have already set up times to interview McDaniels and Saleh. Ron Rivera is close to a deal in Washington. And Matt Rhule is the favorite for the Giants job. Last week the Browns sent out feelers to see if Rhule would be interested and he said no. As for Urban Myers, it’s the Cowboys or nothing. The Cowboys are interested in Rhule as well. John Dorsey has scheduled a news conference for tomorrow. I’ll be interested in what he says and how he answers questions from the Cleveland media. Enjoy this week Browns fans, it’s going to be one hell of a ride. Go Browns.

A late name to add to the list, Bills OC Brian Daboll. The Browns have requested and were granted an interview with Daboll. Just remember, current coordinators whose teams are still in the playoffs, can be interviewed but not hired until their teams lose. So I’m rooting for the Titans this week over the Patriots.

It’s been 48 hours so lets get this over with. The Browns lost this game with 1:18 left in the first half. For 28:32 the Browns played well and seem to confuse and frustrate the well oiled machine that are the Ravens. The Ravens blew through all their timeouts, so they couldn’t stop the clock. When Baltimore trails at the half this season they are 0-2, so a 6-0 lead with 1:18 left in the half looked pretty good. Then Freddie’s play calling threw everything flammable onto the fire. On 3rd and 1 from your own 28 yard line he decides to run a trick play, a half back pass to the tight end. What in gods name were you thinking Freddie? So what happens, the Browns are forced to punt and the Ravens score a touchdown in two plays. Two freaking plays with no time outs. Okay so now the Browns are down 7-6(because of another missed extra point by Seibert) with less than a minute to play and what does that former running backs coach turned head coach do? He tries three straight passes, stopping the clock and 46 seconds later the Ravens lead 14-6 and get the ball first in the second half. Game over. I heard a stat yesterday that blew me away. Against the Browns, opposing teams have scored 53 points with less than two minutes left in the first half. The Browns have scored 7 points in the same situation. There’s your 2019 Cleveland Browns.

The 2019 season has been a waste. Wasted opportunities in the NFL can set a team back. The Browns have to fire Freddie and move on. This coaching staff, from Kitchens, to Todd Monken to Ryan Lindley, have set Baker Mayfield back a year in his learning. I still believe Mayfield is quarterback the Browns need to win, he just needs better coaching.So who’s the next coach of our Cleveland Browns? My choice would be either Ron Rivera or Josh McDaniels. The problem is there might be quite a few openings come next Monday (Black Monday). Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, New York Giants, possibly the Chargers and hopefully the Browns. Washington and Carolina have interim coaches and word is Carolina already interviewed Mike McCarthy. I know Rivera has ties to Dallas, Atlanta and the Giants, so if the Browns want him, there will be a bidding war, which could mean more power for the coach. With all the uncertainty about the future in New England , McDaniels might be ready to move on to a head coaching position. We hear Urban Myers to the Browns and I know a good coach can coach at any level, but I really worry about his health. The NFL is a 24 hour 7 day a week job, just ask Steve Spurrier. Anyway, with Dorsey and Myers, the Browns would average three arrests a year.

The next question, can we trust the Haslams and Dorsey to get it right this time? It sure didn’t work with Kitchens. Word is Dee Haslam wanted Freddie fired after the second Pittsburgh game, but she is also the main reason the Browns kept Hugh Jackson after he went 1-15. This part of the off season scares me the most. The decision making process of this group should scare all Browns fans. You want another scary thought? With Cincinnati assured of getting the first pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the QB’s in the AFC north will be Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger and possibly Joe Burrow. This is why the Browns have to get this hire right. And the new coach has to hire the right coaching staff. This team is close, it just needs a strong hand and someone to bring out the best in Baker Mayfield.

The worst part about Sunday is everything the Browns needed to happen with other teams to keep them in the playoff hunt, happened. The Titans and Steelers lost and the Colts won. A wasted Sunday and a wasted season. This really isn’t a bad team. The Browns have offensive weapons and a good base for the defense. If the Browns add an good return man, their special teams would be top five in the NFL. Before you ask, no I would not trade Odell Beckham. He just needs to show up healthy in the off season and do the work. Besides the coaching decision, this off season the Browns need to improve the offensive line, whether it be in free agency or the draft or both. The Browns also need a safety, defensive tackle and linebacker help. Currently the Browns have the twelfth pick in the draft and have seven picks, one in each round. In future blogs, I’ll get more into the off season, the salary cap, free agents available, resigning current players, potential trades and the draft. But right now, the Browns have one more game to play, at Cincinnati. Lets hope they win and leave Browns fans with a positive attitude as we head towards the off season. I don’t think a win in Cincinnati can save Kitchens and it better not be an excuse to keep him. Go Browns and Merry Christmas.

Well it’s been 48 hours so lets get to it. Disorganized chaos. That’s the only way to describe the 2019 Cleveland Browns. Lets talk about the game first. The Browns won the coin toss and elected to take the ball in the second half. Against a 3-9-1 team with a rookie QB, you take the ball first and force the opposing team to go into panic mode if you score on your first possession. Nick Chubb only had three rushes in the first 18 minutes of the game. Three rushes. He ended up with 17 rushes, 127 yards and a touchdown. I know the Cardinals have the worst passing defense in the league, but by those stats Chubb should have had at least 20 to 25 touches. I thought Mayfield was decent, but he’s still sailing passes as evidenced by his first interception. The only players on offense who looked liked they cared were, Mayfield, Chubb, Hunt and Landry. Please, for the love of god, STOP USING THE SHUTTLE PASS. Third and two, you shuttle pass to a wide receiver and end up losing six yards. And Nick Chubb is standing on the side lines.

On defense, or lack thereof, the only player who played well was Mack Wilson. DC Steve Wilks allowed another rookie quarterback to beat the Browns. RB Kenyan Drake(Who?) rushed for 137 yards and FOUR touchdowns. The defense gave up 445 yards after giving up 451 to the Bengals. Total team lack of effort. No special blitzes, no pressure on the QB and no sacks. Kareem Hunt said Monday, he felt not everyone was giving 110% I am pretty sure he was talking about the defense. As for special teams, another missed field goal and another short punt.

The drama. There were reports that after the game, Browns players, including Jarvis Landry, were yelling at the Arizona sideline to “come get me.” I almost believed it, until I found out that the report was attributed to Mike Silver. I just can’t believe a Hugh Jackson spokesman. He’s so far up Jackson’s ass, that the only way he could see is if Hugh opened his eyes. However, Landry and Freddie getting into a heated discussion on the sideline, gets my attention. When the coach losses Landry, then Freddie has lost the fans. If the players truly wanted out of Cleveland, they would tell their agents. After the game, Mayfield showed up for the post game press conference in a T-shirt. If that doesn’t say I don’t care, nothing does. Also when asked Monday if the players still supported Freddie, Damarious Randall couldn’t answer. YIKES.

The coach. In previous blogs, I’ve stressed not firing a coach after one season because I wanted the cycle of dysfunction to stop. Not any more, Freddie has to go. From play calling, to unexplained player inactives to a stupid T-shirt, I want a head coach who acts like a head coach. It sounds like Freddie has lost the locker room and the team leaders. I just don’t want him to destroy Baker Mayfield and if Freddie is back next year, he will. We don’t need another Tim Couch experience. Word is Jimmy Haslam is ready for a change and Dorsey isn’t. I don’t know yet who I want as the next HC, I haven’t looked at all the candidates yet, but I know I don’t want a college coach. Sorry, no Lincoln Riley, Matt Ruhle or Urban Meyer. An experienced coordinator could work, just depends who is available, Josh McDaniels maybe? The two veteran coaches currently available, Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera both have concerns. McCarthy runs an old offense and couldn’t get along with QB Aaron Rogers. Rivera would want too much power. Remember before Freddie was hired, front office executive Paul DePodesta wanted to hire Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski. I wish, boy do I wish.

The playoffs. Do really want to see this team in the playoffs? It would probably mean Freddie would keep his job. Right now the Browns have a .08% of making the last wildcard seed. Here’s what needs to happen. First the Colts need to win their last two games. They play host to the Panthers and go to Jacksonville. Both are winnable. The Panthers are starting their third string QB and Jacksonville is a bad team. Next, the steelers need to lose their last two games. They are at the Jets and at the Ravens. The steelers don’t know who will start at QB for the Jets game. I can’t wait to see what kind of defense Greg Williams throws at the steelers. As for the Ravens, they might be resting players, but I still think they can beat the steelers. Next the Titans need to lose their last two games. They host the Saints and are at Houston. As under maned as they are with injuries and with the Titans kicking woes, they could lose both. Finally the Browns would have to win their last two games. They host the Ravens and go to Cincinnati. The way the defense played the last two weeks, beating the Ravens looks impossible. But like I said, do you really want the Browns to make the playoffs?

Hard to believe this season has come to this. Like I’ve said before in the off season you acquire talent and in the preseason you build a team. Freddie just doesn’t have the ability to build a team. Hard to believe this team went from Greg Williams (5-3 as HC) coach “come get some” to Freddie Kitchens (6-8 as HC) coach “come get me.” Last home game against the Ravens. Win out and the Browns would be 8-8 and 5-1 in the AFC North. Such a wasted season. GO BROWNS. By the way, 100 days until opening day at Progressive Field.

Victory Monday, at least I think it’s victory Monday. Before I talk about the drama that is the Cleveland Browns lets talk about the game. Offensively, it only took Freddie a half of football to figure out the Bengals rushing defense is the worst in the NFL. Nick Chubb had three rushes and Kareem Hunt had two rushes in the first half. To add to that, you have a quarterback with a bad hand and you come out passing. And your so called best receiver is injured. It looked like to me that Mayfield’s hand was bothering him, because a lot of his passes were high and both interceptions were on high passes that were tipped. The offense just seemed to be disjointed. Njoku seemed a little rusty, but Ricky Seals-Jones made a great catch and run. Nick Chubb is a workhorse and he’s the only player in the NFL with at least 75 yards or more from the line of scrimmage in each game. Chubb and Hunt, who showed his speed on his touchdown run, should have been running from the beginning of the game. More play action please. Jarvis Landry is a stud. The offensive line held their own and didn’t lose the game for the Browns allowing one sack. The Browns only had eight possessions all game and scored on four of those, however two possessions ended in a turnover.

On defense, you could say they didn’t play well because the Bengals rolled up 451 yards of total offense, but they stopped Cincinnati when they had to. The red zone defense was great. I’ll take field goals over touchdowns any day of the week. Richardson, Thomas, Ogunjobi and Cox played very well on the defensive line. Wilson and Schobert are becoming a really good linebacker combo. Extend Schobert now. In the secondary, Ward and Redwine are playing extremely well. Greedy Wilson settled down later in the game, but he needs to just react and not overthink things. As for the special teams Seibert hit all his kicks and even though one punt was affected by the wind, Gilan punted well. Could we please stop running the kickoffs out of the end zone? What surprised we the most, adjustments were made at halftime both on offense and defense, that’s progress.

Now for the drama. Reports that Beckham wants out of Cleveland started to surface last week by a guy on twitter named “Incarcerated Bob.” Beckham was asked about it on Friday and said he wanted to be in Cleveland and loves playing with his best friend Jarvis Landry. On Sunday Jay Glazer of CBS, confirmed this story and now there are reports Beckham during an October game told opposing players to “come get him” in the off season. The opponents in October were the 49ers, the Seahawks and the Patriots. If Beckham wants out of Cleveland then this would be the off season to deal him. All his up front guarantees were paid by the Giants and although he’s signed through 2023, his cap hit this off season would only be 2.7 million. If he’s really hurt that bad, tell him you want to sit him for the Cardinals game and that you really need him for the Ravens game. I would love to see what this offense can do without Mayfield trying to force the ball to Beckham. If he really wanted out of Cleveland, Beckham would shut it down and have the surgery. As for Mayfield’s comments about the medical staff not dealing with Beckham injury properly, I love Baker Mayfield, but sometimes he needs to just shut up.

The Browns playoff hopes are still slight, but there is a way. First the Browns need to win their last three games. That would put them at 9-7, 5-1 in the AFC North and 8-4 in the AFC. The steelers need to lose two games, they still have to play the Bills and the Ravens. The Browns would win the tie breaker because of a better AFC North record. The Colts and the Raiders need to lose at least one game and after seeing them this past Sunday, that’s very possible. Here’s the shocker, the Titans need to sweep the Texans and win the AFC South. The Titans hold the tie breaker with Browns because of the egg the Browns laid week one, but would have the tie breaker with the Texans because of a better AFC conference record. First the Browns need to beat the Cardinals. Against the steelers, the Cardinals either turned the ball over or gave up touchdown killing sacks in the red zone. Time for the Browns to go out west and win a game. Are the Browns a playoff team? Well they have won 4 out of the last 5 and have a 4 game winning streak at home. If Freddie could just get over his obsession about passing the ball when you have two premier running backs on the roster, then maybe the Browns can be a play off team.

Finally as for The Ohio State football team. Based on their resume, they should be the number one team in the country. While LSU was playing Texas A & M and Arkansas, the Buckeye’s were playing Penn State and that team up north. And of their opponents in the championship games, Wisconsin would crush Georgia. This gives Ryan Day a ton of motivation before the bowl game. Bring on Clemson and GO BROWNS.

Over the many years of watching Browns football, I thought I had seen everything. But losing to a third string quarterback named Duck takes the cake. So the Browns this year have lost to two third string QB’s and the current backup for the titans. What the hell. It’s been 48 hours, so lets get this over with. Last week I lamented I wished I would see the Browns play a complete game. This past Sunday was a complete game, all three phases failed. On offense, the Browns got up 10-0 and it seemed like they thought they had already won the game. So, the steelers finally get something going and get a field goal to make it 10-3 and a little momentum shift starts to happen. The Browns get the ball back with 2:56 left in the first half with two timeouts and the two minute warning and they throw the ball instead of running. Three and out and they punt. So, the steelers go down and score making it 10-10. In the first half the Browns ran the ball 18 time for 91 yards and you come out throwing with 2:56 left in the half? Burn the clock, run the ball, take your time and even if you get no points the steelers are down at least 10-3. If you get lucky, it could have been 13-3 or 17-3 and momentum back on the Browns side.

The second half begins with the steelers getting the ball first and they go down and score a touchdown to make it 17-10. The steelers made adjustments and the Browns didn’t. The Browns record at the half this year was 7-4-1. That’s right, if the Browns had carried over the first half score, they would have a winning record right now. No half time adjustments and no killer instinct. That’s coaching. Even down 20-13 with over seven minutes left and after a Browns interception puts the ball on the steeler 30 yard line, you come out throwing the ball. The Browns ran the ball 6 times for 15 yards in the second half and Hunt had no rushes. This is play calling. The offensive line was terrible, McCray, Teller and Hubbard all had bad games. The Browns tried in the first half to help with Hunt and a tight end blocking, but you can’t do this all game. Why is Mayfield handing the ball off from the shotgun? Put him under center and hand it off or how about a draw play every once in a while.

As for the defense, if you don’t know how important Myles Garrett is to this defense then you’re not paying attention. The steelers controlled the line of scrimmage for two thirds of the game. As for the secondary, the corners have to turn and see where the ball is on the long fade routes. This team missed Damarious Randall, but apparently he didn’t practice well enough one day last week and didn’t make the trip to Pittsburgh. What, really? All in all the defense played poorly and have I mentioned they let a third string QB named Duck beat them? As for special teams, I hope the Browns invest in a return man in the off season, because I hold my breath every time the ball is kicked off or punted to the Browns.

So what can be done with this mess? I still don’t think the Browns are going to fire Freddie. You can’t change the culture by continuing to fire coaches. You tell Freddie he has to quit calling plays and either hire a OC or figure out how to use Todd Monken. I still have no idea what Monken does for this team. While the defense hasn’t lived up to expectations, they haven’t killed this team like defenses in the past. For those of you who want to fire Freddie, I suggest you read this excellent article by cleveland.com’s Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2019/12/can-we-have-a-disciplined-discussion-about-fixing-the-browns-before-jumping-right-to-fire-freddie.html. Remember the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.

I don’t want to talk about the draft yet, so lets talk Browns play off chances. Right now the Browns have a slim chance at making the play offs. Hell, I have a better chance of winning both the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries in the same week as the Browns making the play offs right now. But as they said in the movie Dumb and Dumber, “so you’re saying there’s still a chance.” Lets start with this week. Obviously the Browns need to beat the Bengals. Thank god Cincinnati won last week, I would hate to face a win less team. The Bills need to beat the ratbirds. This would take the Browns out of the number one wildcard spot, because with a win, the Bills would clinch and still have an outside chance for the division lead in the NFL east. And the way the Patriots are playing right now, it’s possible. Next the Raiders need to beat the titans. This seem like a long shot, because the titans are playing extremely well and the Raiders have come back to earth. However the titans have always had problems playing on the west coast and especially at Oakland. The Cardinals need to beat the steelers. The Cardinals are currently on a four game losing streak, but they are playing at home. The steelers might have a let down game. Finally, Tampa has to beat the Colts. Very possible.

So right now the Browns chances at making the second wild card slot stands at 6%. If all the above happens, it increases to 63%. I know it’s a lot, but stranger things have happened. Finally as I write this, DE Chris Smith has been released by the Browns to make room for DT Justin Zimmer and the Carolina Panthers fired HC Ron Rivera. First, I don’t understand how you can thin out a position group which is thin to begin with. I wish Chris Smith all the best, after the season he’s had, I hope he catches on with another team quickly. As for Rivera, let the Rivera to the Browns rumors begin. I hope he finds a nice home is Strongville.

One last note, this is the best Buckeye team I’ve ever seen. After their annual beat down of that team up north, The Ohio State is still number one in the playoff rankings. Beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game and they should finish the season as the number one team. Let hope TTUN doesn’t fire Jim Harbaugh any time soon. Lets get ready for Cincinnati and GO Browns.

Another Victory Monday and 1-0 for the third straight week. The Browns were laser focused and it showed. So much for off the field distractions. The Browns now stand at 5-6 heading to Pittsburgh for the rematch. All in all the Browns came out on fire and scored on 4 of their first 5 drives. So lets look at the the game, first the negatives and there aren’t many. The Browns came out a little flat in the third quarter and allowed the Dolphins to have a little hope. I bet everyone reading this thought, Oh-Oh they’re going to blow this. I was at the home of the Middle Tennessee Browns Backers watching the game and that’s what one of my friends said. Hopefully soon, the Browns will put together a complete game. When you have another team down, you have to keep the pressure on. The one trick play the Browns tried failed and could have been disastrous.

Again our defense allowed an opposing quarterback to rush for a touchdown straight up the middle. The good news, Ryan Fitzpatrick was Miami’s leading rusher, five for forty five yards. Still too many silly penalties, seven for seventy yards. The Dawg pound side of the stadium is where field goals go to die. Austin Seibert missed another field goal on that side of the stadium and kickers are now 2 for 10 on the Dawg pound side. The offensive line allowed one sack and Mayfield threw one interception, which could have been a mistake by Beckham. Beckham and Mayfield are still a little off, but are starting to show signs of life.

Now the positives. I have to give Freddie credit for incorporating Kareem Hunt into the offense so seamlessly. Nick Chubb’s touches have not decreased and Hunt has become a serious threat in the passing game. He’s a nice security valve for Mayfield. What can you say about Jarvis Landry, but wow. 10 catches for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nick Chubb again over 100 yards, 21 for 106, 1 TD and Hunt had 8 rushes for 37 yards, 1 TD. Beckham had 6 catches for 84 yards and a great touchdown catch. The offensive line played well, except for Tretter’s bad snap to Mayfield killing a drive. Robinson, since his one game benching, has played very well.

As for the defense, DC Steve Wilks called another great game with three of his four starting defensive lineman out. Sheldon Richardson had one hell of a game as did Chad Thomas and Porter Gustin who got his first career sack. Joe Schobert is a machine. Two more interceptions and is the true leader of this defense. Mack Wilson is all over the place and Takitaki made a great play on Miami’s attempt at a fake punt. Denzel Ward is a stud. I thought both TJ Carrie and Justin Burris played well. Greedy Williams is still making mistakes, but that’s because more teams are throwing his way. If he can tighten up a little in his coverage, both he and Ward could truly be special corners. I was really glad to see the special team looking for the fake punt.

Now on to Pittsburgh. The Browns haven’t swept the steelers since 1988 and this game hopefully won’t get ugly in a bad way. Lets hope cooler heads will prevail. The Browns are the better team and if they play like they did yesterday I don’t see any reason why they can’t win. They already know how to beat the steelers, don’t turn the ball over and play smart football. We know Ogunjobi will be back and hopefully so will Vernon. I would love for the Browns to be 6-6 after Sunday. As for the playoff picture, the Raiders lost to the Jets which helps and the Rams need to beat the ratbirds tonight. The important games for the Browns this upcoming Sunday are of course the Browns at Pittsburgh, Raiders at the Chiefs and Titans at the Colts. If the Browns take care of business and the Raiders lose, the Browns would be one game out of the last wild card spot. The Titans/Colts game helps because one will lose and both are in front of the Browns. So bring on the steelers and GO BROWNS.

Just a couple of quick thoughts on the Garrett situation and the Miami game. As we all know, Garrett’s and Ogunjobi’s suspensions were upheld and Pouncey’s was reduced by one game. I guess Rudolph’s penalty is not having his starting center for the Browns game. Since Garrett’s meeting with the NFL it was leaked that Rudolph called Garrett a racial slur as they were on the ground. First of all, (here comes every Browns fans disclaimer) we all agree what Garrett did with Rudolph’s helmet was wrong and should be punished. However I still have a problem with the swiftness of the NFL in handing downs the punishments without investigations. Hell, when deflate-gate happened, the NFL took months trying to get Tom Brady’s phone. Twelve hours after the incident still seems a little hasty to me.

Concerning the racial slur. I find it interesting that within minutes after it leaked on twitter, Rudolph’s lawyer had a statement posted denying it happened. And the NFL was very quick to say they had no evidence of it happening. First, I have no reason not to believe Myles Garrett. When someone punched Garrett as he sat in his car, he calmly wrote down the guy’s license plate number, instead of jumping out of his vehicle and chasing the idiot down. Doesn’t sound like a guy with a hair trigger temper to me. Now the talking heads are asking why didn’t he mention the slur prior to now? After the game, while standing at his locker, Garrett was asked by a reporter if Rudolph said anything to him and Garrett responded by saying listen to the tape.

Second, the NFL has stated there is no audio of the slur. You’re going to tell me there is no audio of the incident from a prime time game, the only game being played. That the NFL, NFL films or the YouTube show Building the Browns had no audio of the incident? Remember when Ray Rice beat his girlfriend in a hotel elevator and the NFL said there was no video of the incident. Well TMZ investigated and obtained the video. That beeping sound you heard was the NFL back tracking. Third, the NFL claims their officials didn’t hear the slur. I’m supposed to believe that NFL officials have better hearing then eye-site? That’s like asking the get away driver if the other person in the passenger seat robbed the bank. Hopefully in the off season the league will rule time served and let Garrett participate in the off season workouts. Remember when the worst things this team did was when our quarterback supposedly didn’t shake another players hand and stormed off when a Cleveland reporter kept asking a stupid question? Good times.

Now to the game. Miami has a few things going for them. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is 5-1 lifetime verses the Browns, they are the least penalized team in the NFL (I wonder how a rookie head coach manages that) and some experts are calling this a trap game. The only real weapon they have on offense is WR DeVante Parker. Only two wide receivers have more than 80 yards receiving against the Browns, the Rams Copper Kupp and the Titans A.J. Brown. I know the Browns will be short on safeties with Murray being ruled out, but Ward will be all over Parker. Miami’s offensive line is the worst in the NFL against pressure, so the Browns will have to create pressure without Garrett and Vernon. Chad Thomas, Devaroe Lawrence and Bryan Cox are going to have to step up. The Browns just activated DT Brandin Bryant and DE Porter Gustin from the practice squad for depth. The Dolphins are 2-0 when they win the turnover battle and 0-8 when they don’t. So the Browns need to continue the no turnover streak.

As for this being a trap game, I’ve heard the Browns players are mad as hell about the Myles Garrett ruling. I fully expect them to come out firing on all cylinders and take their frustrations with the NFL out on the Dolphins and the win streak continues. Because of the report of the slur, Browns fans again will have to listen to Sunday pregame shows give their expert analysis about Garrett and the Browns. Then after this Sunday’s game, we’ll have another whole week of this prior to the steelers game. Cleveland against the world. GO BROWNS.

Victory Friday? What a mess. Last night I’m sitting waiting till the game is over to pump my fist in the air and do my happy dance when all hell breaks loose. First let me say Myles Garrett deserves whatever punishment the NFL dishes out. You can’t use a helmet as a weapon, period. However, he is not the only guilty party. Steelers QB Mason Rudolph did attempt to rip Garrett’s helmet off as they were on the ground and did kick and punch Garrett in the nether region. Let’s face facts, if Garrett was an average player he would have been cut first thing this morning. And speaking of average players, what in gods name is Larry Ogunjobi doing pushing the opposing QB from behind? This the most immature and undisciplined Browns team I’ve ever seen.

So what happens next? As I write this, Garrett has been suspended indefinitely, Maurkice Pouncey has been suspended three games and Larry Ogunjobi suspended one game. All three have been fined. The NFL states that additional players will be disciplined. All penalties are subject to appeal. For context, the longest fine for an one time on the field incident was five games for the titans Albert Hansworth in 2006. He stomped Cowboys center Andre Gurode in the head after Hansworth removed Gurode’s helmet and caused thirty stitches. He appealed and got it reduced to three games. I fully expect Damarious Randall to be fined for his helmet to helmet hit and for all the players on both teams who left the bench during the fight to be fined as well. In addition both teams have been fined 250,000.00 each for the incident.

Okay, lets talk about the game. The Browns win, they are 2-0 in the AFC North and have defeated both Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the same season for the first time. First the negatives. Kareem Hunt didn’t have a carry in this game. Yes, he and Chubb helped to open up the passing game and Hunt did have some great pass receptions. But Freddie needs to let Hunt carry the ball. He lead the NFL in rushing two years ago. The only steeler touchdown was aided by four stupid penalties by the Browns defense and at the time seemed like the Browns were about to let this game get away from them. Seibert missed two field goals, but it seems the dawg pound side of the field is becoming a field goal kicking nightmare. Kickers are 2 of 9 on that side of the field. Nick Chubb did have 92 yards, but he has started to dance a little before hitting the hole and missed a couple of outside running lanes. And Beckham and Mayfield seem to be playing on different teams.

The positives. Mayfield seems to have found his grove since the bye week. 63% passing, 898 yards, 6 TD’s and 1 Int. And he’s done this against four top ten defenses. After the game, his interview was spot on and proved he is a team leader. Jarvis Landry is a stud, as are Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. I just hope Freddie rediscovers the screen pass. On defense, John Dorsey needs to sign Joe Schobert to an extension right now. He was all over the field and set the tone for the defense. Denzel Ward is back to being Denzel Ward and until they were hurt, Morgan Burnett and Juston Burris were both having great games. Mack Wilson is no longer a rookie and is playing great. Chad Thomas also had a good game as well.

DC Steve Wilks called a great game and the Browns defense dominated the pop gun steeler offense. As I said earlier this week I thought this game would be a great opportunity for the Browns to force some turnovers and boy did they. The Browns doubled their season total for interceptions, however they need turn those turnovers into more points. The steeler defense forced no turnovers as the Browns had better ball control for the third straight game. All in all it was a good game for the Browns.

Moving forward, the Browns are short on safety’s and defensive linemen. The team needs to get both Vernon and Murray back before the Miami game. Luckily they signed Bryan Cox and ten days should be enough time to get him caught up on the scheme. It looks like Burnett maybe lost for the season, so the safety position is a concern. I’m sure the agents for free agent safety’s are calling John Dorsey today. Unfortunately this fight will be on a continuous spool on ESPN and the national talking heads will spit out hate about the Browns for the next ten days. I’m angry the league dished out their punishments in less than 12 hours without further investigation and Mason Rudolph received no suspension. But it sounds like this is bringing the team together even more. So enjoy your Sunday off Browns fans and lets get ready for Miami and hope calmer heads will prevail. GO BROWNS.