Week 8



 

It was an ugly win on an ugly day, but for a young team with a 1-6 record coming in, it's hard to complain about a win.  The Browns out slugged an awful Chargers team 7-6, giving the team it's second win of the season.  Pat Shurmur out-coached Norv Turner.  Just let that soak in for a minute.  Pat Shurmur won the coaching battle.  Yes, it was against Norv Turner, but Shurmur may only be the second worst coach in the league now.  Congrats Pat.

 

 

The conditions were miserable, with 25 mph winds and driving rain, and the Browns came out with a great gameplan.  Feed Trent Richardson.  And it worked early.  Following a 4th and 1 stop (great call Norv - bring in the backup running back) by TJ Ward, who played a great game, the Browns took over and pounded the rock, eventually getting into the endzone for the only time with a great Richardson run.  Shaun Lauvao had an assist on the play, steadying Richardson and shoving him towards to goalline.  That was about it from an offensive highlight standpoint, but Dick Jauron had the defense ready to play.  They gave up a field goal at the end of the half, and another one in the 3rd quarter, but that was it.  A great game by the defense, gotta give credit where credit is due.

 

 

 

 

 

Richardson was the bright spot on offense, along with Weeden.  I know his numbers don't reflect it, but before last week, the Browns had turned the ball over at least once in 23 straight games.  Sunday marked the second consecutive game without a turnover.  To quote Shurmur, that is progress.  Weeden did just enough to win, although again his receivers hurt him with drops.  Three awful ones that I can remember, one by Chris Ogbonnaya on a simple screen pass, one by Josh Cooper on a slant, and one by Greg Little on an out route.  Just brutal, they are always at the worst times.  It seems impossible that NFL receivers can make catching the ball look so difficult.  Right Robert Meachem?  It's like the Browns were playing themselves in a way. 

 

 

 

No Browns game is without questionable coaching decisions and there were a few of them.  Early in the second quarter, after a Billy Winn fumble recovery, Shurmur dialed up a double reverse.  Look I get it, but that play should be reserved for a game where it isn't windy and rainy and possessions won't be at a premium.  It was a dumb play call, regardless.  The Browns also have the absolute worst punter in the NFL.  Please please please cut Hodges and get somebody else in here.  He was typically horrible.  Josh Cribbs made some curious decisions on fielding some punts as well, the team was cursed with horrible field position most of the game.  But they gutted it out and survived a late forth quarter drive by the Chargers.  Typically the Browns lose these types of games, and I thought they were headed for a 9-7 loss.  But the defense held on and stopped the Chargers and they won, and that's what matters.  Again hard to argue with a win, and congrats to Jimmy Haslam on his first win as an owner.  Dude is a pimp by the way, sitting outside in the elements to watch that offensive explosion.

 

 

 

And although it was against the offensive genius that is Norv Turner, wins are so rare in this town that you just have to enjoy them when they come along.  That's two in a row at home.  It's hard (albeit less entertaining) to blast the Browns when they win.  So I won't do it this week.  I'm going positive and upbeat.  A 9-7 loss would have been a meltdown in this spot though, just so you all know.

 

 

It seems like the Browns are headed in the right direction.  Josh Gordon had a nice game, as did Joe Haden, TJ Ward, the entire offensive line.  The two young defensive tackles look like keepers, and Phil Taylor and Rubin should be back this week.  Jordan Cameron looks good.  Weeden and Richardson are for real.  For those keeping score, this team appears to have hit on their 2 first round picks (TRich and Weeden), and their second rounder (Schwartz) from this past draft and their second rounder next year (Gordon).  I'll make my case for keeping Heckert another time, but this team has some talent now.  And it's nice to see these guys win some games.  I've said it before, the Browns control the energy in this town, and a gray and rainy Monday still feels better after a win, 7-6 or not.  11-5 is dead, but 10-6 started yesterday, and continues next week against the Ratbirds.

 

 

 

Random gifs

 

I see you Urban you pimp

 

 

 

 

When asked what the dance was, Gronkowski responded, "That little nutcracker dude that's guarding the house."  GRONK IS A NATIONAL TREASURE

 

 

 

Happy Halloween

 

 

 

 



 



Bye Bye Baseball.  Thanks Walt.

 



Week 7

Congratulations Jimmy Haslam.  You spent one billion dollars on the Cleveland Browns.  In your first game as an owner, you were able to witness firsthand what we've called in Cleveland for the past 12 years "Browns Football".  A horrible 17-13 loss to Indianapolis.  This one had it all.  A team woefully unprepared to play.  Questionable game plans, both offensively and defensively.  Incredibly stupid penalties.  Backbreaking dropped passes.  Special teams gaffes.  And of course, gutless and stupid decisions by the coach.  Welcome to the family Jimmy, you're amongst friends now.

How the Browns could have come out unprepared is beyond me, but that's what they did.  With a bold strategy of sitting back in a soft zone defense against a rookie quarterback, Andrew Luck knifed through the Browns for scoring drives of 11 and 14 plays in the first half.  The Browns answered the first Colts drive with a 16 play touchdown drive of their own, but their worthless punter/holder Reggie Hodges dropped the snap on the extra point.  The Browns had a chance to score some more points at the end of the second quarter, but the Colts fooled Billy Winn (and no one else on the entire planet) by drawing him offsides on a 4th and 1 from their own 23 yard line.  Seriously how do you not have your players prepared for that one, Dick?  That allowed the Colts to run some more clock before punting back to the Browns, who took the ball with 1:42 left in the half.  And in typical Shurmur fashion, he couldn't figure out what he wanted to do.  He ran the ball on the first play, before passing for a first down.  They moved the ball (lethargically) to the 35 before missing two passes, and then ran the ball again.  After a series of awkward timeouts and penalties, the Browns finally took a shot at a hail mary, which fell incomplete.

At halftime Shurmur decided to go with the bold strategy of throwing the ball every play, in spite of the fact that the Colts have one of the worst run defenses in the league and had two guys rotating on their d line that had been with the team for 6 days.  It appeared to work as the Browns took the third quarter kickoff and marched 80 yards in 6 plays for a Weeden to Gordon touchdown.  However Dick Jauron's defense gave up a 17 play drive for a field goal, making the score 17-13.  The teams traded punts until the Browns defense came up with the only turnover of the game, with a great sack and strip of Luck by Sheldon Brown.  The Browns, with the ball at midfield, passed 9 yards to Benjamin on first down.  After an incompletion on second and 1, Shurmur dialed up a play action pass on 3rd and 1.  Weeden, falling away, threw up a beautiful pass right into the hands of Josh Gordon, who took a step with the ball before it unbelievably fell out of his hands.  Josh, you've played well and look the part, but you've GOT to catch that pass.  Un friggin believable.  Here's Haslam's reaction to that one.

Following a timeout, Pat Shurmur decided to punt the ball.  On 4th and 1.  From the Colts 41 yard line.  Down by 4 points.  HE PUNTED THE FREAKING FOOTBALL.  Of all the spineless gutless idiotic garbage decisions Pat Shurmur has ever made this one has to be the worst.  What a loser.  Hate to tell you Pat but your uncle's buddy Holmgren is gone.  You don't have the luxury of time and nepotism anymore.  You are going to have to actually coach to win games you dummy.  Here was Jimmy Haslam's reaction to that decision, which is way more tame the the reaction that took place in my house.

I can't stand watching a loser for a coach anymore.  Please just give me someone who understands basic football management.  According to Brian Burke's AdvancedNFLStats.com the conversion percentage in that situation is 74% (link here).

There is also a 100% chance that you won't look like you have ovaries instead of testicles if you go for it.  If you can't get a foot and a half against one of the worst defenses in the league that's a different problem.  Anyway Pat the genius Shumur punts the ball.  Under the direction of the worst special teams coach in the league, the league's worst punter, Reggie Hodges, boots the ball 21 yards, giving the Colts back the ball at the 20 yard line.  By the way I think there was a penalty on every single punt or kick return.  Great job Chris Tabor, keep up the good work.  You're almost as worthless as the head coach.

The Browns actually stopped the Colts, but their last effort was thwarted when they failed to convert a 4th and 6 from the Colts 39.  Shurmur said he would punt it again, which goes to show what an absolute moron he is.  I can't wait until they fire that clown.  Browns lose 17-13 in one of the few games where they have the more talented team.  Cleveland Browns football Jimmy, welcome to Hell.  Here's hoping you can turn it around.

 

Also it would be unfair to not congratulate Mike Holmgren on earning tens of millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing.  You are as worthless as the coach you hired, but it is impressive that you can make so much money for doing so little.  Tony Grossi sums up Holmgren tenure best here, including a gem regarding Haslam beating Holmgen to work one day.  Haslam's commute started in Knoxville, TN, Holmgren's in Bratenahl.  What a joke, good riddance Mike.  Thanks for nothing.

Random gifs

SuhPlex

German people are insane

Since I was sick and this is a couple days late, here's my apology gif from the Red River Rivalry.

Week 6

It is said that we cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.  In a literal windstorm at Cleveland Browns Stadium, with the figurative winds of change blowing in, the Browns adjusted their sails and won for the first time this season, beating the Bengals 34-24.

Everything seems a little better on Mondays when the Browns win.  The Browns control the energy in this city during football season, and they finally put together a game that Clevelanders can feel good about.  They are no longer the only winless team in the NFL, no longer owners of an 11 game losing streak, no longer winless in their last 12 games within the division.  And tomorrow they will officially have a new owner, one who will be involved and visible.  Maybe just maybe this thing will turn around, but regardless Sunday's game was something to feel good about in a season that hasn't had much of that.

11-5 Starts Today was written on a banner in the end zone.  It was awesome in a hilarious way, and typifies the mentality of the greatest fans in the world, Clevelanders.  It was also noted by multiple players as inspiring following the game, so props to whomever came up with that gem.  The team actually came out firing, holding the Bengals to a 3 and out on their first series and moving the ball when they got it, utilizing Trent Richardson early and often (thank goodness) and converting some long third downs (where has Josh Cooper been all year?).  Unfortunately, it looked like it might be the same old story after a Weeden pass was deflected by Geno Atkins and intercepted by Michael Johnson with the Browns on the move.  The Bengals cashed in on a long touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham, who was isolated one on one with Craig Robertson.  That's not ideal, but only becomes a long touchdown when your strong safety bites down hard into no man's land and your free safety puts his helmet into Robertson's chest instead of the receivers.

The Browns showed some fight though and responded with a tremendous throw and catch from Weeden to Josh Gordon to tie the game.  In the extremely windy conditions, this was a really incredible throw and a great catch by Gordon.  Weeden had time, stepped up, and delivered.  Not sure any quarterback we've had since we've been back can make that throw.  Maybe Frisman Jackson.  Maybe.  And what a catch, one handed by Gordon, who has certainly looked worthy of a second round pick the last two weeks.  He looks like the playmaker the offense has been missing and will hopefully only continue to get better.

The offense stalled after that (for a while in fact), and the Bengals turned a nice punt return into an AJ Green touchdown before the half and led 14-7.  It could have been worse, but the refs and the timekeeper gave the Browns some home cooking when it looked like Dalton spiked the ball with 1 second left on the clock in field goal range, but they ruled time had run out and that was not reviewable.

The third quarter is an odd time in games for the Browns.  According to the NFL the Browns haven't scored a touchdown on their opening second half drive in 30 games.  Yikes.  The offense sputtered but were bailed out by their defense and special teams.  In spite of not gaining a first down, the Browns were able to add 2 Phil Dawson field goals, set up by a Joe Haden interception and a 60 yard Josh Cribbs punt return.  They took the lead for good on a beautifully executed 10 play drive, where Weeden went 4-4 for 43 yards and Montarrio Hardesty (!!) ran like a man possessed and capped the drive with a leaping 1 yard touchdown.  The offensive line dominated the final quarter and a half of the game, giving Weeden time to throw and opening up holes for Hardesty. 

The Bengals answered with a field goal to cut it to 20-17, but the resilient Browns marched down the field again, set up by a great kick return by Cribbs and great running by Hardesty.  Weeden found Jordan Cameron on a 3rd and 1 play for 23 yards, and found a wide open Ben Watson for a 2 yard touchdown on a well designed playaction pass in the red zone.  On the next Bengals play, Sheldon Brown jumped in front of a Dalton pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown, putting the Browns up 17 with 7:50 remaining.

It wouldn't be a Browns game without some dramatics, as the Bengals answered with a Green touchdown that only took about two and a half minutes off the clock.  The Browns ran the ball twice and after a Cincinnati timeout decided to throw on third down, the pass was incomplete and the clock stopped.  Note to Shurmur - you're riding an 11 game losing streak.  That is not the point in the game to get cute.  Make them burn their timeouts dummy.  Bengals get the ball and the Browns let them move down the field, causing the typical hypertension that the Browns generally do.  However this was their day, as Emmanuel Stephens came up with his first career sack, stripping the ball in the process.  Billy Winn scooped it and was heading for a fat guy touchdown, but he was run down just short of the endzone at the Cincinnati 42, and that was essentially your ballgame.

There are many reasons why this is a win to feel good about.  First and foremost, it's a game that they withstood some adversity.  Their starting running back left the game, as did their starting guard.  They were down until the first play of the fourth quarter.  Their offense went seven possessions in the second and third quarter without gaining a first down.  They could have folded, they've done it in the past, but they didn't.  They made plays to win the game.  Sheldon Brown made the interception that LJ Fort couldn't against the Eagles.  Weeden didn't force any bad throws.  There were no killer penalties.  Cribbs made plays on special teams.  It was a team win.  It's how you win in the NFL, and the players need to know it.  Countless guys contributed, the Skrine's, Hardesty's, Greko's, Stephens's.

And it was a win that everyone needed, from the fans, to the players, to the coaches, to the new owner.  The monkey on their backs was becoming an elephant, and it has been removed.  At least for today, they gave us something to feel good about.  11-5 started yesterday, a new era starts tomorrow, and hopefully, a winning streak starts next Sunday against the Colts.


Random gifs

Yeah so just your normal pick 6 off a blocked punt here

Things like this never get old

Go Bills

Week 5

Ahh these Cleveland Browns.  Kings of battling and progress, owners of a now franchise record 11 game losing streak.  It's nearly impossible to pull that off in the NFL, but the Browns and their fearless leader Pat Shurmur have accomplished that feat, and they're now the only winless team in the NFL after a 41-27 drubbing from the New York Giants.  They truly are an absolutely maddening football team, and they are as mentally fragile as their coach, who is incredulous to the media and is absolutely in over his head every game.  Here's hoping Jimmy Haslam III puts him out of his misery after he takes over.  There is nothing to gain by allowing this snide, condescending, incompetent miser lead this football team any longer.  Not only has he made progress and effort acceptable in lieu of winning, he makes a decision or two EVERY GAME that costs this team an opportunity to win.

This weeks edition of the Pat Shurmur school of how to do something incredibly stupid took place in the second quarter of a game the Browns surprisingly led 17-10.  The Browns had turned a Giants fumble on their opening series into a Trent Richardson touchdown.  Richardson was dominant early in the game and is so good he makes four yard runs look like things of beauty.  Anybody still mad we gave up a fourth and fifth rounder to make sure we got him???  Anyway they forced the Giants to punt and scored again on an absolutely beautiful throw and catch from Brandon Weeden to Josh Gordon for a 62 yard touchdown.  After the Giants and Eli Manning surgically knifed through the Browns defense to respond with a touchdown and a field goal, Cleveland was driving again, and faced a third and one at the Giants 25 yard line.  Shurmur, who honestly believes he's really really smart, takes out Trent Richardson for Chris Ogbonnaya.  Was there a soul watching this game that didn't think the Browns were passing now?  Not only does Shurmur take out Richardson, he flexes Ogbonnaya out in the backfield, completely eliminating any threat of a run.  So even if there was an inkling of doubt in anyones head on run or pass, Shurmur eliminated it.  So now the Giants know Cleveland is passing.  Shurmur then rolls Weeden out to the strongside of the field, which turns an entire field into a 10 yard box.  The Giants shockingly are able to cover the 2 receivers on that side of the field, and Weeden makes a bonehead throw back across his body, overthrowing Gordon and falling right into the arms of Stevie Brown of the Giants, who returns the ball into Cleveland territory. 

It sounds crazy to pin a game on one play, but this play turned the entire game around.  Ignoring the 3rd pick in the draft, a guy who was brought in for power running and who was having great success early, is idiotic and inexcusable.  If the Browns get stopped and only get a field goal, at worst they are up by three at halftime.  Instead, they went into the locker room down 10 (!!!!!), after a series of blunders including a fumble by Josh Cribbs and a stupid pass interference penalty by abuse victim Buster Skrine with 4 seconds left in the half.  Buster Skrine wouldn't start for the Toronto Argonauts.  If you don't think that play turned the game around, know that after that play the Giants outscored the Browns 31-3 before Weeden found Gordon again late in the game.

The defense was gashed by Manning and by Ahmad Bradshaw.  The Giants offensive line dominated the Browns in the second half.  Bradshaw had 200 rushing yards, and rookie David Wilson busted a 40 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the game.  He wasn't touched on the play.  When D'Qwell Jackson went out with a concussion, the Browns rush defense went from bad to horrible.  Eli Manning did whatever he wanted in the passing game.  There was no pressure on him.  He went to the line, saw who Buster Skrine was covering, and threw to them.  That's what good quarterbacks do.  The Browns also went with the bold strategy of ignoring Victor Cruz in the red zone, leaving him one on one with Skrine and Patterson.  He only had 5 catches, which is good.  Except 3 were for touchdowns.  The only chance the Browns had was to take the 14 point lead the Giants gifted them and stay ahead.  They failed.

Offensively Trent Richardson is a gamechanger.  When the Browns hire a real head coach he's going to be really good.  As it is, he's underutilized, especially in the second half's of games when power backs should be wearing defenses out.  The Browns offensive line played extremely well, I don't think Weeden was sacked and Richardson had holes to run through.  That's encouraging.  Josh Gordon had two touchdowns and looked like a NFL receiver.  Hopefully the light stays on for him, the Browns need him, because Greg Little is worthless.  He's rapidly moving into Owen Marecic territory on the worthless player scale.  I think Weeden only threw to him once or twice, and never again after he let a slant pass go right through his hands.  I said it last week, I'll say it again, if I was running this team he'd be inactive for a month at least.  He is horrible right now.  And I do like Brandon Weeden but you can't play quarterback in the NFL if you throw interceptions in the red zone.  Two spots where the Browns could've gotten points ended with interceptions, and that's unacceptable.

Special teams wasn't horrible, Cribbs had a fumble which was a killer but also had a 75 yard return.  Tank Carder jumped offsides on a punt on a 4th and 4, which extended a Giants drive and was incredibly dumb.

The Browns don't have the talent defensively to compete with the Super Bowl champion Giants yet.  However this was a game where the offense appeared to be firing on all cylinders, at least early.  When this team wins a game (hopefully this season), it will be in spite of their coach, not because of him.  Joe Haden is back this week, which may allow the defense to play a little more aggressively.  Hopefully the receivers will be back, and hopefully Shurmur will realize that Trent Richardson should have the ball in his hands 25-30 times a game.  And hopefully, next Monday, we can feel good about a win. 




Random gifs

Wow that Matt McGloin is quite an athlete.  And what's with the belt what is Penn State the champion of??

Welcome to the NFL RG3

You too Andrew Luck