There it is Browns fans! We are officially in Step 1 of the Bi-annual firing spree in Berea, Ohio. The move comes with very little surprise. Sashi Brown was the architect of a 1-27 football team. Something had to give sooner or later. Hue seems to have lobbied his way to winning the power struggle between the front office and coaches. Hue’s main gripe was that the Front Office did not provide him with the players needed to win. I couldn’t disagree more.
In the end, I think the quarterback position was Sashi’s eventual downfall. They piddled around hoping that lower value picks (Kessler, Kizer) would boom big. Neither are a total bust, as both have shown that they could play in the right situation. The kicker is Wentz, Goff, and Watson. At some point in the last two drafts, Sashi had a chance to pick any of those three. Goff doesn’t technically count, as the Rams traded up to #1 overall to take him. There is no excuse for the others. They did not believe Wentz was a top 20 quarterback. He will likely be an MVP finalist this year. They didn’t love the lack of arm strength in Deshaun Watson. If Watson stays healthy, I have little doubt he would be the Offensive Rookie of the Year in the AFC.
Personally, I have the gut feeling that they are cutting the chord too early. Sashi had some blunders in his two years at the helm that’s for damn sure. He let Taylor Gabriel walk, he let Mitchell Schwartz walk, he let Tashaun Gipson walk, he cut Joe Haden, and many more. All of those pieces would help this team drastically (minus Haden). Sashi traded veteran linebacker Demario Davis to the Jets for Safety Calvin Pryor. Pryor is currently on the Jaguars practice squad, while Davis is playing every snap on defense for the Jets. There are some obvious blunders which any executive will make. Even with those blunders,Sashi did well in his short time heading the talent acquisition department.
Here's Sashi Brown's last two NFL Drafts. Our of his 24 picks, 20 might be multi-year NFL contributors. That's an ABSURD success rate.
Plus, they have 2018 Draft 1st and two 2nds coming.
I just think this was not the solution to the problem. If anyone should have been fired it was Hue. Sashi has put the organization in a spot to succeed. He built up draft capital to an absurd degree. The Browns will have 5 seasons worth of drafts in the next three drafts. Not to mention the boat load of young players already picked. The team is young, raw, and inexperienced. But, they 100% should be able to win some games. They aren’t being coached properly, and it shows week to week. The public discord between the two sides obviously took a tole on the team as well. Two weeks ago in Cincinnati a picture was taken that sealed the nail in Sashi’s coffin. Haslam and Hue swapping spit with A.J. McCarron, after the failed trade.
Going to be a short one this week, as I wasn’t able to catch the whole game. The Browns lost again this week. Cleveland traveled to Los Angeles for their scheduled loss. Last season on Christmas Eve, the Browns managed to shit out a win against the Chargers. They were not as lucky this year.
There really isn’t much to write about when it comes to this game, but I will reluctantly give you an update as best I can. The Browns defense certainly came to play on Sunday, as they held the Chargers to 0 first quarter points. The Chargers added two field goals in the second quarter to make it 6-0.
The Browns rallied, and Kizer lead a 65 yard touchdown drive in 5 plays. David Njoku caught a 28 yard pass for the score. Hey! A lead! With the extra-point, the Browns lead 7-6. It did not last long, as Philip Rivers lead an 11 play drive into field goal range. Ex-Brown Travis Coons hit a 22 yard field goal to help the Chargers re-gain a 9-7 lead.
The second half was a snoozer. Keenan Allen caught a 7 yard touchdown pass, and Travis Coons added another field goal to make it 19-7. The Browns could only muster another field goal. The game ended with the limp dick score of 19-10.
5 Positives:
Josh Gordon came back and was fantastic. Josh lead the team with 4 catches for 85 yards. He wasn’t necessarily dominant, but he looked every bit as good as he was before. It will take some time to knock the rust off, but he looked fantastic.
Defense is DOMINANT. They can stop any offense, and due to the lovely 0-12 record nobody really speaks of the Browns defense. They held a formidable Chargers offense (Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates, Travis Benjamin) to only 19 points. If there was any pulse on offense they might have a few wins.
Only 4 more weeks until this season is over.
Only 4 more weeks until Hue Jackson is fired.
David Njoku had his best day as a pro. Having Gordon lead to more open looks for Njoku, and he certainly capitalized. Njoku was able to haul in the Browns only touchdown pass of the day.
Next week the Browns will welcome Brett Hundley, and the Greenbay Packers to town. I’d love a thank you in advance from Packer fans. Looks like my beloved Brownies will be instrumental in keeping their playoff hopes on life support.
I am going to end it here with some highlights of Josh Gordon’s 2018 sober debut. Enjoy!
#Chargers CB Casey Hayward said on @SiriusXMNFL that #Browns WR Josh Gordon has been his toughest matchup all year. Hayward has faced Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant, Brandin Cooks, Demaryius Thomas, Michael Crabtree, Tyreek Hill, and Alshon Jeffery all his season.
Bear with me for a minute while I explain the point of this blog will yah? If you’re reside in the Boston area like myself, theres a lot of pole smoking for Boston Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens. Rightfully so, he’s done a fantastic job with the Celtics over his tenure. He is consistently praised for being a brilliant mind, and coaching up players to exceed expectations. Now, lets all take the green schlong out of our mouths for a second, and take a look at the job Bruce Cassidy has done with the Boston Bruins.
Almost a year ago the Bruins were treading water. Their long tenured coach Claude Julien had won a cup here, and been to another finals appearance two years later. They had an oldish roster that still, on paper, should be making the playoffs. In February of 2017 the team had stalled. It was Juliens 10th year at the helm, and the message had gone stale. The Bruins were on the outside of the playoffs, and played un-inspiring hockey on a nighty basis. On Super Bowl Monday Don Sweeney finally announced that Claude Julien had been fired, and Bruce Cassidy would be named interim head coach. Cassidy had been head coach of the Bruins top minor league affiliate Providence Bruins, and was only promoted to Bruins assistant in 2016. The Bruins got killed for their decision. How could they do their Stanley Cup winning coach dirty? Well, it was the best decision the organization ever made. At the time of the coaching change the Bruins were on pace for 80 or so points. 80 certainly is not going to get you into the playoffs in todays NHL. Hell, they had missed with 97, and 96 points consecutively.
Cassidy came in and immediately the team showed a change on the ice. They played free, creative, and fast. Those three attributes are absolutely imperative in todays NHL. All of the good teams are young, and fast. Claude refused to change his ways. His young skill players had a tough time dealing with Claude, because he would enforce a strict defensive system. As soon as his fat ass was sent packing the team sprung to life. It wasn’t short lived either, Cassidy lead the B’s to the playoffs for the first time in 3 years. Injuries derailed the hopes of a run, but Cassidy’s Bruins busted their balls. All but 1 game in the 6 game series went to overtime. The Senators would make it to within 1 goal from the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost to the Penguins in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
What has Butchy done this season you ask? Well, it’s still very early, but the Bruins currently sit in third in the Atlantic Division. So what? Considering what the Bruins have had to deal with this season, it’s a goddamn miracle. From the very get-go the B’s have had a rash of injuries. Not only are they injured, they’re icing a minor league outfit. Take a look at a list of Bruins players that have missed time this year:
Patrice Bergeron
David Krejci
Ryan Spooner
Brad Marchand
David Backes (Notice that’s your top 4 centers. Theres 4 total on the team).
Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin
Frank Vatrano
Noel Accari
Anders Bjork
Jake DeBrusk
Torey Krug
Matt Beleskey (doesn’t really count he sucks anyway)
Peter Cehlarik (Just when he was creating chemistry with Krejci)
All of these guys haven’t been out at the same time, but at some point their spot has been filled by a call-up. Bruce Cassidy continues to keep the Bruins competitive despite so many injuries. They refuse to wilt to the city of Boston not caring about them (record low viewership), and the media asking them to tank/pack it in for the year. Cassidy has inserted young players that bust their ass night in night out. Some of the young kids are a real bright spot for the Bruins, and it is exciting. Danton Heinen has emerged as quality winger that can play on your third line, or first. Anders Bjork has been a dangerous offensive weapon when healthy, and showed great chemistry with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Brandon Carlo is continuing to develop into a top 4 shut down defenseman. He won’t wow you with offensive stats, but the guy is becoming a rock in his own end. Calm with the puck, good skating for a guy his size, and has a bit of nasty in his game. When healthy, Peter Chelarik has shown that he and his Czech buddies Krejci, and Pastrnak have fantastic chemistry. Chelarik’s passing vision is amazing. He fits so well with Krejci, who likes to slow the game down, and make plays passing the puck.
Cassidy inserted AHL journeyman Jordan Swarz when they had no centers left, and Swarz filled in admirably. The guy hadn’t sniffed the NHL in his career until this season. Hell, an uncle of mine plays in a fucking mens league with Swarz. That’s how depleted this team is.
Perhaps the most controversial decision he’s made was benching 7 million dollar man Tuukka Rask. Rask has been underperforming so far this season, so Cassidy turned to journeyman Anton Khudobin between the pipes. Dobby went out, and won four in a row. The team overall has won 5 of 6 games. They survived arguably the toughest test in the NHL, the California Gauntlet. The B’s dropped the first game of the trip to the Anaheim Ducks. Things looked bleak. Brad Marchand, and Anders Bjork were sent home due to injury. The boys bounced back with massive wins over the LA Kings, and San Jose Sharks. They then took down the New Jersey Devils in a shootout shortly after. The Devils were the Eastern Conference’s best team at the time. The Bruins then took care of the two time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and most recently took down the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are currently the best team in hockey.
Cassidy has groomed arguably the Bruins best prospect since Raymond Bourque. Charlie McAvoy is the B’s best player at age 19. It’s not even close.
#NHLBruins stat of week: 10 of top 11 individual time-on-ice performances by rookies this season belong to Charlie McAvoy, including his individual game high of 29:47 (10/28 vs LAK). He is averaging 23:42 TOI per game. No other rookie is averaging more than 20 minutes per game.
The kid is the real deal. I can’t imagine a prospect showing the kind of ability Chaz has consistently. The Bruins have had some highly touted prospects too. Joe Thornton, Tyler Seguin, Phil Kessel, or Douglas Hamilton ring a bell? None, I repeat none of those names had the impact year one quite like McAvoy. He wows you passing the puck, has a rocket shot, can skate around you, and best of all he’ll line you up and take your head off. Chaz is a staple on the Bruins top d pair. Credit to Cassidy for letting the reigns off the kid. Claude Julien would have a tough time giving Mac the freedom Butchy does.
(Skip to the 10 min mark for McAcoy) Bottom line here is, Bruce Cassidy is doing a fantastic job with the Bruins. It’s a shame no one gives him any credit. The team is a complete shit-show, yet they’d have home ice in round 1 if the season ended today. The Bruins still have an uphill battle to get into the playoffs, but considering the circumstances I am more than content with where they’re at. They’re young, and there’s going to be stretches of rough play, but with Cassidy at the helm I have complete faith this young team will be a cup contender in two seasons.
Another one down. 5 losses to go. We are well on our way to 0-16, and each week it gets more miserable. This past week the Browns traveled to Cincinnati for their annual beating.
This game came down to the Browns being fucking IDIOTS at the worst possible time. Penalties, missed blocks, drops, turnovers. The list goes on. It’s another game, where in the third quarter the outcome was on the table. One team had to go out and get the win. Of course, it was the Bengals who stepped up.
The Browns kicked off the scoring with a Zayne Gonzalez field goal early in the first. DeShone Kizer moved the offense 66 yards in 11 plays. Andy Dalton came right back, and lead the Bengals to a TD. Dalton hit Tyler Boyd for an 8 yard score.
In the second quarter the Bengals added three straight field goals to make it 16-3, but the Browns never quit god love em. Towards the end of the half Kizer lead a 75 yard 11 pay drive ending in a Browns field goal. The score was 16-6 going into the half.
In the third, the Bengals added another field making it 19-6. Kizer again drove the Browns into scoring range. Zayne Gonzalez added another field goal making it 19-9. After a big defensive stand Kizer marched the Browns 89 yards on 15 plays. He capped it off with a 3 yard touchdown run.
With a chance to tie the game or take the lead with a stop, the officials called one of the most BRUTAL targeting penalties I have ever seen. It came on 3rd down, and Andy Dalton threw a deep sideline pass to Josh Malone who caught it. Peppers came over and leveled Malone causing the ball to pop free incomplete. The officials flagged Jabrill 15 yards extending Cincinnati’s drive. It was the most egregious 15yard could I’ve seen since Terelle Pryor was flagged 15 yards for dropping the ball after a catch. Peppers struck Malone right in the chest. It was a clean hit, and it would’ve given the Browns the ball back with a chance to tie the game, or even take the lead. It was for not, the officials fucked us. The game was officially over after that call. Joe Mixon finished off the Browns with an 11 yard run for 6. 30-16 was the final.
5 positives:
DeShone Kizer put in his best day as a pro in my opinion. He lead the team up, and down the field all day. The Browns couldn’t capitalize when they needed to most. He ran for a score, and had a beautiful TD pass taken away from him because Corey Coleman couldn’t close his arms.
With injuries to major pieces on defense (Ogbah, Collins) the Browns defense can still keep them in games. One side of the ball is nearly figured out.
Theres only 5 more games left this season.
Josh Gordon comes back next week.
Josh Gordon hasn’t failed any drug tests this week (Knock on wood).
Tune in this Sunday to catch the return of Josh Gordon to NFL action. Hopefully it leads to a few wins. It won’t, but a guy can dream. The Browns take on the Los Angeles Chargers. They’ll likely kick the shit out of us, but hey Josh is back. Lets go Brownies!
Andddddddddddddddd it moved. Seriously though. All along there was always this notion that it was too good to be true. This was an annual thing, I had seen it before. Josh Gordon post rehab, clear mind, clear blood stream. It was always for not. Generally ending in an indefinite suspension. Last week, when Hue Jackson announced Josh was on course to practice on 11/22, I almost didn’t believe him. The mentality I took each year was let me see it, and I’ll believe it. Well today, my wish was granted. Josh returned to the practice field for the first time since training camp in 2015-16. All I needed was visual confirmation.
Hard to really judge what kind of shape he’s in considering I’m a disgusting slob, but that looked pretty good! Seems to be the general reaction from the team after today. Hue Jackson was quoted in saying, ” He’s something. It was a good first day….”. The sounds coming from the media, and coaches echo what I have been saying about this guy. Dude is a natural talent. The rumblings from the beat writers that troll this team are that Josh was easily the best receiver on the field in practice. It’s just practice but, my god am I excited to have a real offensive weapon to watch!!
Say what you want, but today was a win for the Browns. They get a guy back who could be a massive difference maker. Hopefully Josh is the spark the offense needs. Josh coming back should take some pressure off Kizer in the 5 or so games he is eligible to play. He forces defenses to devote extra man power in stopping him, leading to other wide receivers being open, or more opportunities to run the ball.
Josh is eligible to play in his first game next week against the San Diego Chargers. The remaining schedule looks like so:
Week 13: @
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16: @
Week 17: @
It’s so great to have Josh back for the playoff push. You heard me:
The Cleveland Browns are 0-10 but they can still make the playoffs.
In all seriousness, this is not the easiest slate of games especially since we suck. Hopefully Josh can help bring us a few wins. We’re getting into, “JUST ONE WIN PLEASE” territory. I’ll say Josh brings the Browns 3 wins. Gordon, Coleman, Duke, Crowell, Njoku, Devalve is a unit of skilled offensive players that should be able to win 1 or 2. Lets get rolling.
Oh dear lord. I can’t really tell if I have a gut feeling, or reaction to this news. I’m numb at this point. La Canfora Reports, “Browns owner Jimmy Haslam’s interest in having Peyton Manning join his franchise in a prominent team president/top executive role is very strong and sincere, league sources said, with the owner desperate to find ways to put a winning football operations and coaching staff together. The Browns are winless this season and have just one victory since the start of the 2016 season, when coach Hue Jackson was paired with general manager Sashi Brown, and Haslam is hoping his long relationship with Manning can lead him to Cleveland.”
I think I should probably be excited by this potential move, but I’m not. I’m more or less thinking of ways it would fail. A lot of the time, the ol’ player turned front office executive fails miserably no matter the franchise. Peyton would certainly bring a healthy resume on the field, but it’s as an executive that he’s done absolutely nothing. That worries me. I would hope that Peyton would not be diving head first into GM duties. I would feel more comfortable with him as “Director of Football Operations”, or some other bull shit label. Give him a position where he has input on personnel decisions. I have zero doubt in my my mind that Manning knows what it takes to win, and the qualities winning teams need to possess. His input would be extremely beneficial. As long as he wouldn’t have final say on roster decisions.
Last week, it was Mike Singletary coming into Cleveland with interview binders and now we got the goober Peyton himself rumored to be on his way. It’s well known that Browns Owner, Jimmy Haslam is a prominent booster for the University of Tennesse. While his relationship goes way ack, and brings some validity to this rumor, I think there is less than zero percent chance he would come here. I would feel so much better about the QB, but this just seems so outlandish. I doubt Peyton is going to leave his cushy advertisement gigs, to have his named tarnished in Turd Brown.
0-10! Perfection baby! Another Sunday, and yet another loss for the Cleveland Browns. Chalk this up as another game they could’ve, should’ve won. The Browns defense did their part. Hue Jackson, DeShone Kizer, and the rest of the Browns offense are 100% to blame for yet ANOTHER loss.
The game started off mellow enough with the Browns forcing the Jaguars to punt after an anti-climatic opening possession. Directly after the punt Kizer threw his first pats DIRECTLY to Jaguars linebacker, Melvin Smith. Smith intercepted the ball around the Jaguar 45 yard line, and returned it all the way back to the Browns 30. A few plays later Blake Bortles floated a 10 yard touchdown pass to veteran tight end, Mercedes Lewis.
After exchanging three-and-outs, DeShone Kizer decided to throw on his big boy pants, and lead a fast touchdown drive. The drive was capped off by a Duke Johnson 27 yard touchdown catch. From here on, there is absolutely nothing to write about. The offense couldn’t do dick. 70% of the game was played at a 10-7 score, and these fucking stiffs couldn’t manage three fucking points. Couldn’t even tie the game for a measly few minutes. Hell I’d take a tie at this point.
After Kizer’s impressive TD drive, the Browns offense was done for the afternoon. Kizer finished the game 16 of 32, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. The game ended with Kizer getting strip sacked at his goal-line, and the Jags falling on the ball in the end zone. 19-7 was the final. 0-10 we go.
Much like the all the previous losses, this one hurt bad. I mean, your defense battled it’s ass off to win. They put you into position to win a football game, and you shit down your leg. Granted, it’s a fantastic defense in Jacksonville. They attack the QB with lineman, linebackers, and defensive backs. I understand it was going to be tough, but you couldn’t manage another 3? This game just screams, “GET US A VETERAN”. Imagine if the benched Tyrod Taylor played today? I guarantee the Browns make it up the mountain to score at least 3 more points. It is frustrating to watch.
Moving towards the end of another miserable year, it is time to start evaluating the Browns roster, and identify spots in which they need to add depth during the offseason. There is no position more glaring than Quarterback. Or is there?
Kizer’s rookie stat line is not pretty at all. No Browns Quarterback since Bernie Kosar has had a pretty stat line, but that’s neither here nor there. The problem with evaluating Kizer, is the fact that Hue gets trigger happy, and yanks from some games.
Hue likes to call one of the more complex offensive schemes in the NFL. That doesn’t help. It’s a hybrid of the West Coast offense, which is pass heavy. Hue loves to motion 7 guys pre-snap, have a billion fakes, and make it so Kizer has defenders on his throat faster than most.
It doesn’t help that DeShone has the worst collection of offensive skill players in the league. This past weeks game was Kizer’s best. He was 21 of 37 for 232, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He rushed for 57 yards, and a score on the ground.
It was a performance that I had expected from Kizer for most of the season. After his strong start against the Steelers, I expected similar performances games with around 200 yards, a score, and an interception.
Browns officially activated WR Corey Coleman off IR.
Hopefully in the coming weeks Kizer’s game can grow. Help is on the way with Corey Coleman back this week, and Josh Gordon along the horizon. I would LOVE to have Kizer play the full 7 games remaining. Lets see if he’s got anything in him. If they compete to win 2, 3, maybe even 4 games roll with the kid in 2018. Use the draft to re-stock the talent pool, and build on what you have. If he goes 1 win or less it’s time to move on. BY move on, I mean bring either a vet in, or draft a rookie high. Kizer would then be relegated to backup duties, and I think it would make a for a fantastic backup plan.
What scenario do I want to see play out? Well, I would love to end the QB discussion in one foul swoop. Enough, is enough……..
Kirk fucking Cousins. That’s right. You hate Dan Snyder? Oh no worries! Our team sucks so bad we’ll have over $70 million in cap space to offer you a monstrosity of a contract. I am as big of a Kirk Cousins supporter as there is out there. He gets the job done on mediocre teams. Hell, last year on a bubble playoff team he threw for nearly 5,000 yards. I’d love to throw a whole shitload of money at him, and use our absurd number of picks to build on the talent already in the room. Couple that with a few more free agent veterans to supplement the rookies Hell, maybe we could kick the tires at a Terelle Pryor return to Cleveland?
Kirk brings experience, leadership, and continuity to the Browns QB room for the first time in years. If he somehow doesn’t pan out, you’ve got Kizer in the wings as an insurance plan. Not bad at all.
Backup plan if he re-signs in Washington, or is traded out west? There was a very good Quarterback relegated to the bench this past week in Buffalo. Tyrod baby. Most of all the same logic applies. He would be less money, but still a healthy amount.
I mean look at those stats? Buffalo is benching a guy with an overall QBR in the 90’s. I would absolutely love for the Browns to kick the tires on him if he hits the open market. I wonder what the Browns record would be if we had a Quarterback with that stat line?
When it comes to the 2017 draft class that was hyped to be a god send, I would love to stay away from it. We passed on Wentz, Goff, Watson, Trubiski, Mahommes, and others. Again I think it would best for all parties involved, to not draft a QB high. It allows the Browns to sign a vet, and develop what they have int he system already. What is the point of drafting a guy from college who has a high probability of becoming a bust? Sam Rosen? Pass. Sam Darnold? Since when has USC EVER developed a good to very good NFL QB? Palmer is the only one the comes to mind. Whats John David-Booty up to these days?
If the Browns draft a QB, I would love to see them take a shot on Baker Mayfield, but I admit he will be boom or bust. He’s a 6’2 220 lb Manziel.
FINAL VERDICT: Cousins, or Taylor coupled with sophomore DeShone Kizer.
Un-fucking-believable. According to Will Burge, Mike Singletary was hanging around Berea interviewing with the Browns. It is still unclear what exactly he was interviewing for. All that’s known is he had a huge binder with interview material. Not good. Definitely not good.
^ This is good news. Singletary turned himself into a complete laughing stock as Head Coach of the San Francisco 49ers. His record as their head coach was 18-22. Not bad, but certainly nothing to write home about in any way. He is probably more known for his media rants than wins and losses.
So what exactly could this clown be interviewing for? Well, there are a few theories being workshopped on the matter:
Singletary was a Defensive Assistant with Gregg Williams for the Los Angeles Rams in 2016. The Browns could be looking to hire him in the same capacity.
There seems to be a gap between the Front Office and Coaching Staff. The two Front Office Guys (Depodesta, and Sashi Brown) are not from a Football background. It is possible they are hiring a “Football Mind” to be the bridge from Front office to the coaching staff.
Head coach is still a possiblity- or maybe coaching in the interim capacity, if Jimmy and Dee Haslam decide to axe Hue Jackson.
Perhaps Hue Jackson will be fired, and Gregg Williams will be promoted to HC, while Singletary takes over as DC.
Personally, I see the second option being the most plausible. The reports of the gap between the two groups within the two groups inside the organization have been damning. I believe the Haslam’s are working to hire that “football mind” that would be able to work with both the Geek squad, and Hue and co. I can sadly see options 3 and 4 being legitimate as well. Lets hope for the best here, but I have a sinking feeling.
Another week, another loss for the 2017 Cleveland Browns. The Browns traveled to Detroit this Sunday to make some NFL history. They haven’t won a game on Sunday since, well a long ass fucking time.
The Browns have set an NFL record with their 26th consecutive loss on a Sunday. pic.twitter.com/aeuuwfs1X5
Last years win over the San Diego Chargers was on a Saturday, so that one doesn’t count. The Browns have failed to win on a Sunday since 2015. Miserable is the only way to describe it. Being a fan of a bad team is hard. Being fan of a team as bad as the Browns? 1000 times harder. It flat out sucks.
This one started out great. The Browns got up on the Lions early. The defense dug in to make stops, and the office was able to piece together two scoring drives. It wasn’t pretty, but they were up 10-0 through the first quarter of play.
At the end of the first quarter Matt Stafford engineered a field goal drive to cut the lead to 10-3. Later, Ameer Abdullah rushed 8 yards to tie the score at 10. Just like that the lead was gone. On the ensuing possession, Seth Devalve caught a laser from Kizer, cut up-field, and Lions defender Kevin Lawson punched the ball from Devalve’s arm. The ball bounced right back into Lawson’s hands, and he took it 44 yards up the sideline to the house. 17-10 Lions.
Things seemed like they could be different on this Sunday, as rookie DeShone Kizer lead a two minute drive down to the Detroit 2 yard line with about 20 seconds left in the half. What happened next cannot even be made up. The Browns were out of timeouts, it was second and goal, and Kizer decided to sneak it up the middle. He was stuffed. Not only was he stuffed, but there was a massive pile of players on top of him. The clocked ticked as the wreckage cleared. They were not able to make it back to the line of scrimmage in time to spike the ball. 31 of 32 NFL teams manage points in that situation. The Browns got 0. 17-10 Lions at the half.
Still, all was not lost. In the second half the Browns continued to fight hard. They even regained the lead at one point in the third quarter. With the Browns up 24-17 the Lions rattled off 21 straight points to close the game.
This one hurt. They all do, equally. Each loss adds weight to the pain. There is a silver lining for some fans who want the number 1 overall draft pick, however fuck that. I don’t want the number 1 pick. I want a competitive football team that can win some fucking football games. It’s definitely nice to have high draft selections, but teams like the Patriots, and Steelers continuously prove that you can draft in the 20’s-30’s consistently and win.
5 positives:
Defense is still decent enough. They struggled at times in this one, but in general made enough plays to get a win. Jamie Collins got an INT, and Jason McCourty continued his Pro-Bowl calibre play. (Th
DeShone Kizer registered his best performance as a pro. He went 21-37 for 232 yards, and 1 touchdown. Kizer also added 57 yards, and 1 td through the ground.
The ground game got going a bit. Crow registered his best game of 2017 with 90 yards on 16 carries. He averaged a shade under 6 yards a carry.
Kenny Britt caught a touchdown pass? I guess that was cool?
Hue Jackson apparently fell on the sword for his young rookie QB. Hue took responsibility for the QB sneak debacle. After the game Seth Devalve was quoted in saying, “”We had a different play called, and DeShone took it upon himself to sneak it,” DeValve said. “That wasn’t a bad thing to do, but we didn’t get it and that’s unfortunate.” How nice of you Hue.
To finish it off lets take a quick glimpse at what hurts the most for a Browns fan after another brutal loss:
Lions S Glover Quin, in explaining why the game was so close, said the Browns have better athletes than probably 24 of the 32 NFL teams
WHAT THE FUCK MAN?!? I think Glover needs to be checked into one of those sideline medical tents. I think being in the top 8 is a bit of a reach, but seeing other compliment on the teams overall talent in this way makes me sick. What the fuck is it then?
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Office Chatter 