Week 9 - 2014 - Tampa Bay

 

At the halfway point of the 2014 football season, the Cleveland Browns are 5-3.  That is their best record at this point since 2007, and they are about 2 plays away from being 7-1, which is amazing.  Their first year head coach has handled himself well, the starting quarterback has a 2.5 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio, and they've weathered losing 3 Pro Bowl players for portions of the season.  The worst case scenario is that they are 5-5 and in the playoff hunt when they get Josh Gordon back from suspension.  Be happy my friends.

The Browns beat Tampa Bay at home on another beautiful fall afternoon, 22-17.  The schedule stiffens up soon, and so will the wind, so the Browns need to find their footing on offense, suffering again from the inability to grind the ball on the ground against the Bucs.  However they pillow fought their way through 3 games against the bottom feeders of the NFL in the Jaguars, Raiders, and Buccaneers, going 2-1 and seemingly playing down to their competition in each.  Now the real challenges come, starting with the Bengals on Thursday in a huge game. 

Tampa Bay is not very good, but neither is Oakland and neither is Jacksonville.  Winning is winning and the Browns won.  The offense didn't have it's best day.  The defense was pretty good all things considered.  And the special teams was really good.

This offense is built on the running game.  It's hard to look pretty when you're offense is based on running the ball but you can't effectively run the ball.  It is easy to point to the loss of Alex Mack as the reason the Browns can't run, but it is more than that.  Yes, Mack's injury hurts, especially since replacement Nick McDonald had a ROUGH game.  Gerald McCoy was dominant, and is an awesome player.  But there are other problems, starting with the fact that Ben Tate isn't very good.  He has no explosiveness.  In the past three games, he has 41 carries for 65 yards.  That is AWFUL.  Isaiah Crowell has 8 carries over those three games, including NONE against Tampa Bay.  There has been no explanation given for Crowell's lack of action, but it makes little sense.  It's possible that the fumbles against the Steelers have something to do with it but I'm not sure.  Terrance West had a solid game.  The best the running game looked this season was with West in the lead with Crowell coming off the bench.  The worst it has looked has been in the past 3 games, with Tate as the lead back.  The other problem is that teams are stacking the box against the run and making Brian Hoyer beat them.  Hoyer is best operating off play action, and in order to run play action you have to run the ball.  To Shanahan's credit despite the ineffectiveness of the running game he has not gone away from it, but the best way to defense the Browns is to load up the box on first and second down and make Hoyer beat you on 3rd and long.  And teams are trying to do just that.

To Hoyer's credit, in spite of some spells of inaccuracy, he has been able to do that in the past two games.  Geez the guy doesn't look pretty doing it all the time but he's 6-1 at home as a starter.  He was missing a Pro Bowl tight end in Jordan Cameron and an All Pro wideout in Josh Gordon.  And I admittedly get frustrated watching at times but again it's a results business and Hoyer has gotten it done.  Taylor Gabriel is developing into a really nice player.  Hawkins is tough, and Miles Austin has been a pretty good free agent signing.  Hoyer is the first Browns quarterback to have over 200 yards passing in the first eight games since Brian Sipe. 

The defense has not faced a murder's row of offenses in the past 3 weeks, but they have been much improved since the start of the season.  Joe Haden has looked the part of shutdown cornerback the past few games.  Des Bryant had a really nice game against Tampa, and Paul Kruger has been outstanding really the whole season.  Whitner and Gipson seem to be the perfect safeties for Pettine's defense.  It seems like it takes a series or two for the defense to settle in, but they are starting to force turnovers and turnovers win football games.  They are still missing an interior pass rusher, and maybe when Phil Taylor gets healthy he can help.  I really thought the Browns defensive line would dominate this game, especially with that bum Oniel Cousins starting for the Buccaneers, but they turned it on when they needed to.  Tampa only managed 17 rushing yards in the second half, and when the defense needed to make a stop with the game on the line they did.  One thing you can say for Coach Pettine is that these are games that previous versions of the Browns would have lost.  Pettine has them not making the critical mistake, and that is important especially against lesser teams.

Even the special teams got in on the party, with an amazing blocked field goal by Billy Winn and a critical punt block by Craig Robertson.  Both those plays were huge, it really is amazing the impact good special teams has on a game.  That's why I'm so critical of Tabor.  Bad special teams play loses games, and good special teams play wins them.  Tabor had his guys going on Sunday, and the Browns won. 

So halfway through the season the Browns are right in the middle of it.  They are 5-3.  Mind you that they've won 5 or less games in the previous five seasons.  They'll be getting their stud wide receiver back.  The coach is clearly still learning on the job but has done a pretty good job all and all.  And say what you will about Hoyer, but he wins games.  So enjoy this victory Monday, Cleveland.  Be happy.  There have been way too many lost games and lost seasons not to be.


Random gifs

GRONK LEGEND

Backup Buckeye quarterback huge hit dot gif

This funny lady tho

Bonus pic everyone at IU should run out and get that Fuchs jersey

Week 1 - 2014 - Steelers

The hours before the season opener (besides the draft our Super Bowl) are usually the best time as a Browns fan.  Nothing awful has happened yet.  There is a glimmer of hope that maybe this year is our year.  Maybe the balls bounce our way this season, maybe we finally have a competent and functional organization, maybe this year's opener will be different then the last 9 (all losses) and 14 of the 15 since we've been back.  Maybe Mike Pettine will be a diamond in the rough and turn into a great head coach, maybe Brian Hoyer will write the hometown hero story, or maybe Johnny Manziel will take over and wreck this league.  There is hope, optimism, anticipation.  And then the games start and it's the same old same old, poor quarterback play, poor tackling, poor coaching.  It's the same play with a different cast of characters.  And yesterday, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, ultimately the result was the same.  A loss, which makes it ten (10!!!!) straight opening day losses for the Browns, who fell to the Steelers 30-27.  Only this time, the second act played out a little differently and may have kept hope and optimism flowing in this town for at least another week.

The game was really a game of two different halves.  Really different halves.  The first half caused this guy to make this, (warning - foul language alert) and I was right there with him.  It was an unmitigated disaster that made the Pat Shurmur coached Browns look like the 1964 championship team.  It was bad.  It was really really bad.  They couldn't block.  They couldn't tackle.  They couldn't execute simple football plays.  The punter got kicked in the face.  The Steelers racked up nearly 370! yards and staked out to a 27-3 lead.  It was Shock and Awe. 

It was clear to me anyway that Hoyer was not comfortable throwing in the first half, and was afraid to get hit.  Everything was off his back foot.  He did not trust his knee and did not want to get hit in it.  Travis Benjamin also did not want to get hit, jumping out of bounds short of first downs and fair catching punts with ample space in front of him.  Benjamin was awful in my opinion, but I suppose it's worth noting that he too is coming back off of an ACL tear.  The defense was embarrassingly bad.  The tackling was wretched.  Special teams was a disaster.  I don't even want to list the players who were awful in the half because they all played so bad.  All of them.  They were all horrible.  It seemed like Daryl Ruiter's prediction may not have even been safe.

This will be the first time in 3 years that the #Browns will return from Heinz Field and not fire their head coach after
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) September 5, 2014

Something happened though at halftime that has rarely happened in the recent history of the Browns.  The Browns decided they weren't going to get bullied anymore.  The Browns have LEADERSHIP in their locker room this year, and those leaders were not going to let them lay down and take it.  I honestly don't think they've had that in a long time.  They came back out ready to fight.  And they took it to the Steelers in the second half.  The offensive line was dominant for the most part.  The no huddle was effective (SHOCKING).  Hoyer looked far more comfortable.  The receiving corp that everyone was complaining about got open and caught the ball, and that was without Jordan Cameron.  And back the Browns came.  All the way back, behind the running game and offensive line and smart decisions by Hoyer.  Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West looked awesome.  Andrew Hawkins looked great.  Kyle Shannahan was in a groove calling plays, and never abandoned the run *cough cough Norv Turner*.  It all clicked.  Defensively, the Browns looked like an entirely different team.  They stuffed the run.  They rushed the passer.  They came back and forced a 3 and out after Pittsburgh converted a fake punt.  Jabaal Sheard played great.  Paul Kruger probably played his best game as a Brown.  They came all the way back to tie the game 27-27.  But they couldn't close the game out.  And a loss is a loss.  That's why I feel weird about the game.  The outcome was obviously not what they want but it's hard not to be encouraged by what they did in the second half.

And they probably could have won, but for a couple of calls that can be second guessed in hindsight.  The first was in the fourth quarter with the game tied, on a third and seven from the Pittsburgh 37.  The line had been outstanding and they were just outside of field goal range.  They had a tired Steeler defense on the ropes and all the momentum.  If they were out of Cundiff's range then the smart decision would have been to run the ball and either kick or go for it on 4th down.  They passed incomplete and ultimately punted (!!!) into the endzone.  If the kicker on your team can't kick a 54 yard field goal in perfect conditions then why is he on your team?  Honest question.  Not that he's automatically going to make it but that he doesn't even have the leg to try?  Disappointing.  The second decision was on the Browns final possession, after the sack on first down.  And I know Schwartz is going to take flak for giving it up but it looked like a three step drop and that ball should have been out.  They should have run the ball on second down and played for overtime.  Pettine is a rookie head coach.  He needs to learn how to win.  But there were encouraging signs, even in a loss.  And yes that pains me to think that way.

And I don't want to hear about what a great special teams coach Chris Tabor is.  I think he's terrible.  I've thought it since he got here.  Constant coverage breakdowns, Tank Carder is still on the team and he SUCKS, penalties, he left a gunner wide open so Pittsburgh could convert a fake punt.  He's terrible.  They better get that unit right they are not good enough to win if they lose on special teams.

And Justin Gilbert, it's hard to play cornerback in the NFL.  But boy oh boy you are a work in progress.  Hopefully there will be better days ahead for the rookie.

So the maybe the play that we've all seen so many times will be different.  Right now it looks the same, they are 0-1 in a bottom line business.  But this cast might play it out differently this time.  At least we get to keep our hope for another week. 


Random gifs

So this happened.......




Ouch Dez...



Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers everybody



Bonus Pic cereal guy is my new favorite fan.  Nice work buddy, sneaking in a box of Frosted Flakes.

Preseason Game 1

I hate the NFL Preseason, it's an incredible tease.  However, it's football, and football kicks ass, and garbage football is better than no football, so FOOTBALL.

It's hard to know what exactly to takeaway from exhibition football games, even ones with Johnny MFing Football making his debut, but here's what I gleaned from the Browns 13-12 loss to the Lions in the famed GLC, the greatest of all meaningless preseason football games.

Sorry Brian Hoyer fans, but this will be Johnny's team, and soon.  We all know what Brian Hoyer is.  He's the girl next door.  Somewhat attractive, nice, friendly, easy to like.  Johnny Manziel is the stunner, the beauty queen.  Supercharged, smokin hot.  There's a chance he'll break your heart, but if you have the beauty queen you don't take out the girl next door. 

Hoyer had some decent moments, as he should as a 6 year vet in a preseason game with Josh Gordon to throw to and two pro bowl linemen in front of him.  He wasn't pressured.  He still doesn't look like he fully trusts his knee to me, but he looked exactly as he should, maybe a little better coming of the ACL tear.  And that's not to say that's a bad thing.  With the trash I've had to watch at quarterback the past few years I'd take it.  But Hoyer has a problem - Manziel can do things that Hoyer can't, and (probably soon, based on the rate he's supposedly picking up the offense) can do everything Hoyer can.

Manziel has plenty to learn, and was still pretty quick to take off when his primary read was covered, but it was tough to gauge with the trash playing offensive line in front of him.  Everything looked disjointed while he was in, and he was still able to move the ball.  (CATCH THE GD BALL WILLIE SNEAD)  He showed a live arm, quick feet, and after a couple of hits, figured out to slide and get out of bounds on two separate runs.  The game will slow down for him.  It will be his team soon though.

Manziel needs some time with the ones, with the starting o-line in front of him, to fully evaluate his comfort level within the offense.  But rest assured Brian Hoyer, Johnny's coming for you, and soon.

Speaking of the second team offensive line, they are terrible.  The problem in the NFL is that there are more roster spots around the league than there are good linemen to fill them.  Offensive line depth is an issue with most teams for that reason.  It's hard to find good linemen. 

At running back, you have to like watching Ben Tate see the hole and hit the hole.  Terrance West had some decent runs as well.  The Browns look to be in pretty good shape with those two.  Dion Lewis fumbled, and probably won't be on the final roster.  Edwin Baker or Chris Ogbonnaya should fight it out for the third running back spot.  MarQueis Gray is above average at fullback, a decent pass catcher who at least gives you that option off play action.

The wideouts dropped way too many passes, across the board.  Miles Austin and Josh Gordon both should have caught big passes from Hoyer.  Willie Snead and Jonathan Krause may have played their way off the roster.  Charles Johnson is an intriguing prospect who is worth watching more as the preseason goes on.  It should be noted that Jordan Cameron, Nate Burleson, and Travis Benjamin all didn't play.  I'm a big Andrew Hawkins fan.  I think he's going to be very good in this offense.  Gary Barnidge stinks.  But these guys need to catch the ball.

Defensively, the line is stacked.  Armonty Bryant is a stud, he's going to be hard to keep off the field.  With Rubin on the nose and Taylor, Winn, Des Bryant, Hughes, Kitchen the Browns are in really good shape.

Paul Kruger just does nothing for me, he did his classic hesitate, then slam into a blocker move a couple times and it was as ineffective as it always is.  Sheard and Mingo should be out there.  Robertson and Kirksey are going to battle it out to see who starts next to Dansby, both guys played pretty well.  Depth at linebacker is a concern, Tank Carder was embarrassing himself out there.  I'm rooting for you Justin Staples.

Come back soon Tashaun Gipson, I do not want to see Jordan Poyer as my starting free safety.  And welcome to the NFL Pierre Desir, you aren't at Lindenwood anymore.  He's clearly a work in progress.  It would have been nice to see Justin Gilbert out there.

I would have like to see what guys like Connor Shaw and Isaiah Crowell could do, but it's possible that the Browns are going to hold them back to sneak them on their practice squad and don't want to give other teams a look at them.

Also, NFL officiating still SUCKS.  And so does Soloman Wilcots GIVE ME BACK MY BERNIE!!!!!!!!!

The best thing that happened in this game is that no one got injured.

All and all it was a typical Browns game, a bunch of field goals until they find a way to lose in the end.  But Manziel is coming, and so are touchdowns and playoffs and excitement.  Hey it's early but we can dream, right?

Draft Thoughts Day 2......

 

I don't have a lot of time this morning but wanted to get a couple thoughts out there.  First of all, Thursday was a great night for the Browns.  Don't forget that.  Friday had the sheen stripped off with the Josh Gordon report, and I fell into it as well.  I was pissed.  What an idiot, if that is true.  Seriously he must be one of the dumbest humans on the planet.  Whether or not the punishment fits the crime (if it's for marijuana it doesn't, but he HAS to know better) he just threw away millions and millions and millions of dollars.  I'm not going to dwell on it, all I'm going to say is we don't know all the facts.  And there is not a 3rd round receiver that is going to come in and take the place of an All-Pro wideout, so save that outrage.  It is what it is.

Regardless, the Browns got better on Friday.  Joel Bitonio was the pick at 35, and he is a perfect fit at guard for Kyle Shanahan.  He should come in and play.  He played tackle at Nevada and played outstanding against fellow draft picks Anthony Barr and Demarcus Lawrence.  He's got the right amount of nasty in his game, he can get out and move, and he instantly upgrades the line.  Almost every scouting report says the same things.  Nasty, strong, smart, and tenacious.  Sounds like a great offensive linemen.  A scouting report here, this is a great pick.

In the third the Browns took Christian Kirksey, linebacker from Iowa.  He'll play the weakside backer in the Browns 3-4, next to Karlos Dansby.  He was an every down player at Iowa, and was versatile enough to take on linemen in the run game and play one on one coverage against slot receivers.  This is nice.

When one of your ILBs has the versatility to play press-man on slot receivers, it really gives you flexibil... https://t.co/YZytF6AJL5
— Brendan Leister (@BrendanLeister) May 10, 2014

He can run, he's more of a sideline to sideline player than a physical thumper.  He was a two time captain at Iowa and his intangibles are off the charts.  He has a lot of fans on draft twitter, a lot of people like the pick.  He should step in and immediately upgrade the linebacker spot that Craig Robertson occupied last season, opposing quarterbacks will undoubtedly miss throwing at him.  Pretty thorough write up here.

And at the tail end of the third the Browns moved up, giving up their 6th rounder this year to select Terrance West, the running back from Towson.  If you do any research on this guy you'll find it nearly impossible not to root for him.  Good quick read here.  He was a man amongst boys at Towson and fits the AFC North bill of big power backs.  The best way to counter a possible Josh Gordon suspension may be to run the hell out of the football, and now with Ben Tate and West you have a couple horses to ride.  His game against Eastern Illinois in the FCS playoffs is the stuff of legends.  Highlights here.


So as easy as it may be to be upset about Josh Gordon, it is undeniable that the Browns and Ray Farmer are killing it in this draft.  They are left with 2 picks today, a 4th and a 7th.  I'm still holding out hope for Jared Abredderis, and I wouldn't be shocked if they took a flier on either another wideout, corner, or quarterback in the 7th.  This team is on the right path, and I'm in the minority but I'm happy that Ray Farmer didn't jump off the path after the Josh Gordon news.  Keep taking good players, that's the way to build a team.  Go Browns.