Tag: Baker Mayfield

Cleveland Browns Coaching Decision and 2018 Season Review.

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Well it’s Super Bowl Week, and in a stunning a turn of events, the Browns have already been eliminated.  That leaves the Rams and Patriots standing in Atlanta.  Sadly the Browns were eliminated quite some time ago.  Week 16 to be exact.  In Week 17 there was still hope of finishing the 2018 season with a winning record (8-7-1).  In a Week 17 showdown with Baltimore, the Browns fell 2 points short of achieving that goal.  The Ravens outlasted the Browns 26-24, with CJ Mosley intercepting Baker Mayfield on the final possession to seal the deal.  It wasn’t all bad for Mayfield, who threw for 375 yards and 3 Touchdowns.  Bakers third TD toss gave him 27 on the year, which surpassed Russel Wilson’s record for the most of any Rookie Signal Caller.

7-8-1 sucks, but clearly is an improvement from 0-16.  If the Browns ducks were in a row last summer, well I think we would’ve been playing at least one Playoff game this year.  Once the coaching dust settled, they showed just how good they could be.  They were one of the most efficient Offense’s during the second half of year.  They could run it down your throat with Nick Chubb, and sling the fucker all over the joint.  In the end, the Defense is just not where it needs to be for this team to reach the Postseason.  In the final game, Lamar Jackson ran for 90 yards and 2 Touchdowns.  Kenneth Dixon rushed for 117 yards, and Gus Edwards added 76.   While they were able to generate a shit ton of turnovers in 2018, the Browns Defense just could not get a stop when they needed it the most.  Priority number 2 this Offseason should be improving the Defense, especially the interior of the Defensive Line.  What is the reason this is only second on the Offseason “To-Do List”?  That’s because priority number 1 this Offseason was to find a new Head Coach to pair with Baker Mayfield.

 

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They wouldn’t have to look to far to find the 17th Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns.  With Sean McVay having so much success out in Los Angeles, and Matt Nagy having similar success in Chicago, every NFL team is trying to replicate that type of hire. These young, offensive minds have captured the hearts of desperate, stupid Owners.

Kliff Kingsbury was hired out in Arizona, for reasons that confuse many. This guy choose Davis Webb over Baker Mayfield at Texas Tech, and was unable to win anything with Patrick Mahomes. He’s seen as this young genius, who has connections to McVay. The Cardinals went as far as to mention it in their Press Release:

You see where Arizona’s Head is at with this hire. They see those McVay connections, and history with Mayfield and Mahomes. It makes owners drool. They see high point totals and Kliff being the media’s darling like Sean himself. Problem is the dude finished under .500 at Texas Tech. Mediocre at best.

Kingsbury is just one example of this type of hire. The Jets hired Adam Gase, a mere few hours after he was fired by Miami. He too, is a young Offensive minded Head Coach.

Matt LaFleur was hired by the Green Bay Packers, who was Sean McVay’s Offensive Coordinator in 2017 out in LA. LaFleur then took over as Titans Offensive Coordinator. The Titans finished 27th in Points Per Game this past year, averaging 19.4 per game. This guy was hired to coach Aaron Fucking Rodgers.

The Browns interviewed a slew of mediocre Coordinators and former Head Coaches for the open position. Names like Jim Caldwell, Mike McCarthy, Gregg Williams, and Dan Campbell were interviewed. Josh McDaniels was linked to the job, mostly due to media speculation. Thanks to his Irish Goodbye from Indianapolis last year he never got an interview, while Patriots Defensive Coordinator, Brian Flores did. Despite having arguably the most attractive job open in the NFL, the Candidates were slim pickings.

All of these factors helped John Dorsey circle back around, and hire Interim Offensive Coordinator Freddie Kitchens as the teams 17th Head Coach. This comes as surprise, as Freddie was just a Runningbacks coach in August. He then was given the keys to the Offense when Todd Haley was told to screw. The results speak for themselves:

The Offense exponentially improved during the second half of the year with Kitchens calling the shots. The Browns Offense went from being one of the leagues most lackluster to most potent. Biggest tell for me is Red Zone Efficiency. From October on, the Browns were fucking money in the Red Zone. Mayfield was surgical inside the 20’s, so much so he was one of the better Red Zone passers in the NFL. You might think it’s easier to score in the Red Zone, but in the NFL it narrows your margin of error. You have to be even quicker, even more decisive in the Red Zone. Mayfield was just that and then some.

The Browns are betting on themselves with this hire. It is very rare a coach rises so rapidly within the ranks. Freddie has been in the league for quite some time, but he came from nowhere to be the most popular candidate. The one time Alabama Quarterback is loved by players and fans alike.

He is nearly impossible to dislike and or root against. Kitchens hails from Alabama, so naturally he’s got a deep Southern Drawl. He’s got a natural sense of humor at the podium.

That natural sense of humor is what helps Freddie connect so well with players. He clearly has a tight bond with Mayfield, and the whole team. He has this belief in the team, a belief that clearly translates on the field. Take a look at the second half of the year. The Browns were running trick plays to show off how good they were, they were breaking 90 yard Touchdown runs, and were slinging it 60+ yards to a first round bust (Perriman). Hell, if Alabama had not beaten Georgia in the SEC Championship, Freddie was going to let Nick Chubb call some plays in the Browns upcoming game. He was serious too. This sort of stuff was impossible for the Browns to ignore.

While I am definitely nervous about this hire, but there is definitely that slim chance this dude pops and the Browns explode to like 11-5 or something . I am certainly skeptical, but this is Dorsey’s guy which makes it all better. What do I mean by Dorsey’s guy?

Jimmy and Dee Haslam keeping their fucking asses out of Football decisions. That’s what i mean. They desperately need to keep watching from the sidelines, keep mouths shut, and sign fucking checks. Sounds harsh but these two do more damage than good. This is John’s team now. John, Alonzo, Eliot, and the rest of the old Packers boys should be making these calls. John Dorsey knows this. Seth Wickersham recently wrote just a fantastic Expose for ESPN on the Browns under Haslam. Regarding the Kitchens hire Dorsey states, “I flexed my muscles and got what I wanted”.

Dorsey paired a cabinet of solid Assistant Coaches with Freddie to help ease the transition.

Todd Monken is taking his talents from Tampa to Cleveland to be Freddie’s Offensive Coordinator. Monken comes of high regard, and was Interviewed for numerous Coordinator AND Head Coaching gigs this Offseason.

Monken is an aggressive coach, who’s philosophy revolves around the Air Raid system. His teams are aggressive, and it showed with Buccaneers this year. Monken is coming in to run the offense, but not call plays. That will still be Freddie’s bread and butter.

On the Defensive side of the ball, Steve Wilks was brought in to run the show. Wilks spent the 2018 Season as Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals. His team was an absolute train wreck. They gutted the roster before he got there, basically hanging the dude out to dry. Wilks is most known for being the Carolina Panthers Defensive Coordinator. If anything, Wilks will be able to help guide Freddie through the Up’s and Down’s of being a Head Coach in the NFL. Gregg’s Defensive scheme had gone stale, and was masked by the unit generate a shit ton of turnovers. Wilks is a highly regarded Coordinator, and the Browns are hoping he can take the Defense to another level.

All that’s left now is to wait for the League New Year for any sort of news. March 13th will be the day Free Agency opens up. Big John has stated he doesn’t have any Jaw Dropping plans, like last years flurry of Trades and signings.

I tend to agree with that stance from Johnny. There aren’t really any Free Agents out there that tickle my fancy. A list of the top NFL Free Agents ranked by Pro Football Focus can be found here. Obviously there are a few names that stand out. Demarcus Lawrence certainly tickles the fancy, but the Cowboys are likely going to re-sign him. Trey Flowers is another one that moves the needle. If he hits Free Agency odds are he won’t want to leave a perennial winner in New England for Cleveland. Still, there are a few D line options the Browns could go after to bolster the Run Defense and Pass Rush.

Shaq Barrett is one to grab on the cheap, as Bradley Chubb outshines him out in Denver. The Browns have been interested in the past, but never got anything done. Maybe they take a flyer? Other than that nothing appeals to me. It’s an older Free Agency class than what we normally see.

2018 being over sucks. I have major Blue Balls for next season. I am not going to sit here and guarantee playoffs or anything though. The Browns are the Browns. Usually when they make strides the next year is hell. While I feel comfortable with Mayfield and Dorsey, it’s still going to be interesting to see how the teams builds of the late season success of this year. Fingers crossed.

I’ll leave you with an assortment of Browns Porn to get you through the Offseason.

Hope 2019 adds a second volume of Browns Porn. I sure enjoy it! Go Browns!

Feelin’ Dangerous.

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Fuckin’ right!  For the first time in years (seriously its been like 3-4 years), the Cleveland Browns beat an opponent soundly.  No barely made field goals as time expired, or a stop on the final drive.  The Browns took a multiple possession lead into the fourth quarter, and closed it out.  The Atlanta Falcons were red hot coming in, having won three straight games.  Didn’t matter on this day, as the Browns finally had their Offense AND Defense clicking at the same time.   The win was a nice glimpse into the future, as two Browns Rookies shined the brightest.  Nick Chubb and Baker Mayfield electrified FirstEnergy Stadium.  For the first time in years, the whole Browns roster played a complete game on Sunday.  Wow that feels good to say!

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I was expecting another loss coming into this one, considering Atlanta was coming in hot.  Stupid of me considering the teams they beat consisted of the New York Football Giants, Washington Redskins, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Browns were coming off an ass-kicking, courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Didn’t matter on this Sunday, as the Browns showed they were ready to play from the get-go.

Both teams exchanged punts to start the game, but on their second possession, the Browns started to march.  Mayfield got it going with a nice 16 yard catch and scamper by Breshad Perriman.   Two plays later from the Cleveland 30 yard line, Mayfield fired an 18 yard strike to David Njoku, and I am still not sure how this dude caught it.

Just an unreal throw from Baker, and a shockingly good awareness/hands from Njoku.  Certainly not one he usually catches.  A 13 catch and run by Nick Chubb, and a 10 yard reception by Jarvis Landry had the Browns at 1st and 10 from the Atlanta 28 yard line.  Magic ensued as Mayfield took a shotgun snap, rolled to his right, and fired a 28 yard strike to a leaping Rashard Higgins.

Just an awesome drive, capped off by Mayfield’s best throw of the afternoon.  Rolling out to his right, pressure coming up the middle and on the edge, and he fired a pill off his back foot.  Just an awesome throw, one Cleveland Browns fans are not used to seeing.  A nice 7-0 lead for the Browns.

Just as you might expect, the Atlanta Falcons came right back down the field on their ensuing possession, as Giorgio Tavecchio nailed a 40 yard field goal.  It capped off a long 15 play, 53 yard drive.  On the ensuing Browns possession, things were looking great again, until Freddie Kitchens got a little too excited.

AHHHHHH fuck guys!  A nice 6 play drive had gotten the ball into Falcon territory, and the Browns got cute.  Never get cute if you’re the Browns.  Coming out in sort of variation of the Wishbone formation, Dontrelle Hilliard (lined up to Mayfields left) took a quick hand-off, and Mayfield took off to the flat on the left sideline.  Hilliard reared back and threw a duck to Mayfield.  It was easily picked off by Damontae Kazee, who ran it back to the Cleveland 45 yard line.   I have no problem with these gadget plays when you’re struggling to find some offense and need a spark.  The Browns were moving the ball at will, and got a little cocky when they didn’t have to.  Six plays later, Matt Ryan found Julio Jones for six.

This is where you start to groan and say, well that’s it!  A costly turnover which the Falcons capitalized on to take the lead.  Its all down hill from here, right?  Wrong.  The Browns responded with a mesmerizing 8 play, 80 yard march to pay-dirt.  On 2nd and 13 from the Atlanta 13, Baker Mayfield found Nick Chubb on a beautifully set up screen pass.  Chub waltzed into the endzone from there.

Beautifully set up screen pass by Mayfield, who stood tall selling all of the fakes.  Even better job by the big uglies on the offensive line.  They set up a nice wall for Chubb once he caught it, and they sealed off the only free would-be tackler.  The Browns would head into half up 14-10.  Baker finished with a perfect passer rating.  Unreal, it’s so beautiful I nearly shed tears of joy.

The Falcons would open up the second half with the ball, looking to take a lead.  Instead, on the third play of the half, Mohamed Sanu coughed up the ball, and the Browns recovered in Atlanta Territory.  Six plays later, Duke Johnson caught a Baker Mayfield check-down, and waltzed into the endzone, similar to Chubb.

So now, I am trying not to get excited.  A two possession lead is normally this teams Kryptonite.    I was fully expecting Atlanta to make it 21-17 on their next possession.  The Browns had other ideas, as they forced Matt Ryan and the Falcons to go three-and-out.  When the Browns got the ball back, they were pinned deep.  Starting from their 8 yard line, I was hoping for a long, clock killing drive.  Nick Chubb said “fuck it”

On 2nd and 8 from the Cleveland 8, Nick Chubb exploded through the line of scrimmage, and it was over from there.  92 fucking yards, and the Browns were up 28-10.  Unbelievable.  Shout out to Antonio Callaway on this play, who I give a lot of shit to.  Helluva play here.  Nowadays everything is damn penalty, so he directs Chubb to the left, and merely creates a moving screen.  Thankfully that Sally did not want any part of engaging Callaway, or trying to tackle Chubb.  Callaway merely stood in the way.  No stupid penalties taken.  The best play Callaway has made all year, and I mean that.  It was a smart, heads up play.

It was 28-10 for the majority of the 4th quarter, as the Browns were trying kill the clock.  So were the Falcons apparently, as they marched at their own pace.  The Falcons marched inside the Cleveland 10 twice in the fourth Quarter.  One trip resulted in a turnover on downs:

The second trip into the Redzone resulted in a Matt Ryan touchdown pass to Austin Hooper on 4th and goal.

BLAH.  Shoulda made that tackle.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda though.  The Browns would in fact sack Ryan on their 2 point conversion attempt, keeping the score at 28-16.  The Falcons would get the ball on last time, and the game ended on sack fumble recovered by Jamie Collins.

When the Browns want to be, they can play with anyone, and they can beat anyone. We are finally starting to see some more disciplined play, since the departure of Hue Jackson.

OH you don’t fucking say?!  Only 4, huh?  Funny how that works.  Remove the common denominator, and good things happen.   Credit to Gregg Williams, as he as instilled far more Football discipline than Hue.  It seems to be a huge problem for Jackson as this same issue constantly plagues the teams he’s coached.

The Browns are off this week, which sucks because you want them to try and ride the momentum of their win.  Two weeks off is dangerous, because they are gonna be hearing how great they are.  Hopefully they continue to build off this win, and don’t get complacent during the Bye week.  The Browns next game will be in two weeks time, in Cincinnati.  Cincy is coming off getting bent by the New Orleans Saints at home to the tune of 51-14.  The Browns can beat these fucking bums.  With two weeks to prepare, I would hope the Browns take advantage of the reeling Bengals, who fired there Defensive Coordinator this past Monday.

More incentive to beat the fucking pulp out of these guys.  Less than two weeks after his firing, Hue Jackson took a Dwight Schrute esque role with the Bengals.  He did a media tour saying “WOE IS ME” and “NOT MY FAULT”, and then takes a job with his soulmate Marvin Lewis.  I have never wanted a win more.  I wouldn’t hate him so much if he had just shut his fucking mouth.  He’s the only coach to basically go on a media tour to plead for another job.  A media tour in which he blamed everyone but himself.  I hope the Browns see this, and get ready to bury that motherfucker.

Says it all right there.  So much lack of respect.  I love it.  I bet there are many more Browns players who feel the same way, and we just don’t know it.  Either way, Hue’s return has made this match-up in two weeks more interesting.  It has certainly made for some classic, memes,  gifs, and other internet jokes.

Two weeks to prepare for this fucking guy.  Two weeks.  Lets hope the Browns build off this last week, and add a few more wins to the total.  I do not think they are going to make a legitimate run at the playoffs this year.  The problem with the Browns winning is…people tend to overreact to them.  It happens so little, every time they win we see articles and tweets about Playoffs.  Could they?  Sure. Will they? You know the answer to that.  They can definitely still play spoiler for other teams like the Bengals and Ravens.  Just enjoy the win for two weeks, and lets see what they’re made of coming out of the Bye.

Go Browns!  Can’t lose this weekend!

Where the Browns Stand Through 2 Weeks of Preseason.

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On August 9th, the Browns traveled down to East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the New York Giants to open up their preseason.  It was a night where the two worst teams from 2017-2018 squared off to see who sucks less.  In the end it was the Browns who outlasted the Giants with a final score of 20-10.  It was nice to win a Football game, but it means next to nothing.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Browns throw the ball, catch it, run for yards after the catch, and score.  Sounds simple, but its true.   Everything looked much more crisp, which is all we can really ask for.

On the first play from scrimmage Saquon Barkley bounced outside the tackles to gash the Browns for 39 yards.  What a wonderful start!    Rough first play for Denzel Ward on the outside there.  Instead of setting the Edge to prevent Barkley from bouncing outside, he gets sucked in, and Barkley has free space out on the boundary.  Thankfully, Eli Manning looked absolutely woeful on this night.  There were a few  passes he threw to absolutely no one.  Now, Odell Beckham did not play, but he still looked like garbage.  After Barkley’s run the Browns held the Giants to a field goal.  3-0 Giants after their first offensive possession.

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The Browns first play from Scrimmage went almost as well as the Giants.  Showing 5 wide right off the hop, Tyrod Taylor hit Jarvis Landry for a 25 yard gain.  Problem is, jawing between Janoris Jenkins and Landry ended up with a 15 yard penalty on the Browns.  Landry must’ve said something to have warranted the flag, otherwise it was just two competitors jawing.  Keep the fucking flags in your pockets, Stripes.  The Browns were unable to move the ball any further on their opening possession, and were forced to punt.

The Giants weren’t any more successful in moving the ball, as they made the switch to Davis Webb at Quarterback.  Davis Webb is so fucking bad I was offended by the fact I was forced to watch him.  The G-Men did absolutely nothing in his time at the helm.  Webb finished 9-20 for 70 yards, no TD’s, and no INT’s.  Meanwhile, in Tyrod’s second series, the Browns started to go No-Huddle. Taylor found some chemistry with Rashard “Hollywood” Higgins hitting him on a quick 6 yard pass, and on the next very next play, he found Higgins again, this time for a solid 21 yard gain.

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That bitch Eli Apple got absolutely worked by Higgins on this one, and the Giants defense was on its heels.  Continuing with the no-huddle on the next play, Taylor hit David Njoku up the seam in stride, Chief made a few miss galloping his way to six.

This is how David Njoku needs to be used.  Straight up the seam exposing a weak match-up.  That Linebacker acting as a human turnstile stood no shot.  This created a small window between the trailing linebacker and Safety playing deep.  Taylor lofted it beautifully into Chief’s hands, who took over from there.

After that possession Tyrod Taylor’s night was done.  He finished 5 for 5, 99 yards, and a touchdown.  Taylor finished the evening with a perfect 158.3 passer rating.  Not a bad start for the bridge guy!

Enter Baker Mayfield. With the score 7-3 at the start of the second Mayfield went 3 and out on his first drive.  Two Nick Chubb runs netted a total of 0 yards, and Mayfield threw an incomplete pass.  It was Mayfield’s second drive where things got going.

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His first completed pass was a beautiful 26 yard, back shoulder completion to Hollywood Higgins.

After a crappy run, an incomplete pass, and a holding call on Spencer Drango, Mayfield hit CJ Board on 3rd and 18 to extend the drive.  Terrible video, but Baker does a fantastic job of climbing the pocket, surveying his reads, and firing it to a wide open target.  While its only preseason, that conversion was nice to see.  But, he still wasn’t done.  On 3rd and 6 from the Giants 27, Mayfield stood in the pocket, scrambled to his left to find an open target, and finally took off for the first down marker.  Mayfield got 7 yards and moved the chains again.

Three plays later, Mayfield and the Browns were looking at a 4th and 2 from the Giants 13, Mayfield got 5 yards on what looked like a designed QB keeper, and an easy first down.  Two plays later Baker fired a 10 yard strike to David Njoku for 6 points.

Exceptional pocket awareness from Baker, who had to move on from his first and second read to find Chief Njoku in the back of the endzone.  Baker put that ball where only the athletic monster that is David Njoku could get it.

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The Browns would go into halftime with a solid 13-3 lead.  Much of the second half was garbage time, but a few key players for both teams continued to see time.  Mayfield played early into the fourth quarter:

After the Giants scored to cut the Browns lead to 3, Mayfield and Antonio Callaway connected on a big 3rd and 7 completion for 24 yards.  Again, Mayfield uses his legs to buy some time outside the pocket.  He threw an absolute rocket on the run putting it low and toward the sideline, and  Antonio Callaway laid out beautifully to haul in the pass along the sideline.  While the Browns did not score on this drive, it was nice to see them pick up a few 3rd and long conversions on this night.

Finally, two drives later Baker hit Antonio Callaway on a short 5 yard slant, Callaway broke a tackle, and he was off to the races.

The game was over at this point with the Browns holding on to their 10 point lead for the rest of the fourth quarter.  Mayfield was done  for the evening with quite an impressive stat line:

It was nice to see the Browns win a game, even though its only Preseason.  Sadly this is no indicator of how the regular season will play out.  They went 4-0 last year in the preseason as we all are well aware.  BUT, these guys need to learn how to win somehow, so if they’re keeping score; win the fucking game.

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The following Friday saw the Buffalo Bills come into FirstEnergy Stadium for the Browns second Preseason tilt.  We saw the Browns sling it all over the joint against the Giants, both Tyrod and Baker.  This past week saw Todd Haley mix up the game-plan to incorporate a heavy dose of Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb.  Week 1 the Browns Offensive Line was absolutely manhandled in the running game.  They amassed only 50 yards on 1.8 yards a rush attempt.  This week went much different.

The Browns flexed their muscle early going on a 9 play Touchdown on their first possession.  Carlos Hyde broke free for a 26 yard rush, and 9 yard rush on consecutive plays.  Haley mixed in some Duke Johnson, and intermediate Tyrod Taylor passing.  Finally the drive ended with a Carlos Hyde touchdown, his first in the Preseason.

The rest of the first half was a defensive stand still.  Neither team could move the ball a lick, and Buffalo even lost a Quarterback in the Process:

Myles Garrett was a force all night knocking out AJ McCarron on this pass rush, and using his speed off the ball to cause another sack:

With McCarron coming out of the game, Rookie Josh Allen came into the game.  He promptly lead a 15 play, 80 yard touchdown drive, culminating in a Rod Streater Touchdown catch.

Allen would lead another Field Goal Drive to end the half, making 10-7 Bills.  Up until this point the Browns were dominating, however stupid penalties along with missed opportunities on defense allowed Buffalo to surge ahead.

The second half continued to be a defensive stalemate.  Baker Mayfield was leading the offense, and unlike his first game, he was stuck with all 2nd and 3rd stringers.  No Callaway’s or Njoku’s.  While, he didn’t light it up as he had against the Giants, he still played well.  He had his moments within the pocket that make you say wow.  His footwork in there is pure wizardy.

Probably Mayfield’s highlight of the night.  3rd and 6, facing a heavy pass rush, moving around the pocket, and firing a pass back across his body to convert on 3rd down.  It was a fantastic display of Mayfield’s best traits as a Quarterback.

The Browns managed a touchdown in the second half, but Buffalo was too much on this night.  The Browns dropped to 1-1 on the Preseason losing 19-17 at home.

 

Decent start so far from this new look Browns team.  They managed to win a game, and each unit has shown flashes of its potential.  In game 1 we saw the passing attack go off for multiple touchdowns, and big yardage.  In game 2 we saw an effort to run the football heavily.  This generated a few big runs, and 2 rushing Touchdowns.  In both games we saw flashes of a young, fast, athletic, physical defense.  In the early stages of the Buffalo game, the Browns had allowed 9 yards on 9 plays.  Hopefully this is a glimpse as to what is to come.

Finally with the most important news of the Preseason:

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Josh Gordon announced a mere hour or two prior to the Buffalo game via Twitter and Instagram he would be rejoining the Browns.  What. A. Relief.  All systems go.  Josh Gordon stepping away from the team for any length of time is never a good thing, but he actually fucking came back.

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It will take some time for the Browns to assimilate Josh back into the offense, but fucking A, we might get Josh Gordon Week 1 against Pittsburgh.  T’s and P’s Joe Haden.    Things keep on rolling closer and closer towards regular season football.  I cannot freaking wait any longer. Tonight the Browns take on the Philadelphia Eagles at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The game will be a National Fox Broadcast at 8pm tonight.  Expect Tyrod Taylor and the rest of the starters to play for a good chunk of the game.  I would estimate 2 and a half quarters.  What am I expecting from the Browns?

  1. Balance.  I’d like to see Todd Haley mix it up with a nice balance of Run and Pass this week.  Week 1 they struggled to run the ball, so they aired it out for the majority of the game.  Week 2 the Offense made a concerned effort to run the football.  Lets see them combine the two in the so called, “Dress Rehersal” game.
  2. Defense.  I want to see the Defense continue to terrorize opposing Quarterbacks.  So far, the first teamers have not generated a turnover.  That was a huge issue last year, in terms of yardage and points the Browns fared well defensively, they just could not generate turnovers.  I’d like to see a few take-ways from the defense.  Show some hunger.
  3. Baker.  I am not yearning for Baker Mayfield just yet, I like Tyrod Taylor, and understand the teams decision to start him over the kid.  That being said, Browns fans aren’t going to have many more opportunities to watch Baker play.  I’d like to see him continue to play turnover free Football, and demonstrate that clear command he has of the offense.
  4. Win the fucking game.  You can only learn how to win by winning.

 

Tune in live on Fox to watch defending Super Bowl Champion, Philadelphia Eagles invade Cleveland.   Hopefully this will be yet another building block for good things in the regular season.  Go Browns!

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It’s Finally Over.

After the month’s and month’s of crap spewing every which way regarding the Browns draft, we finally got some answers.  With the 1st overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, The Cleveland Browns Selected, Baker Mayfield.

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The whole lead up to the draft almost all of the pundits had the Browns selecting Darnold first overall.   Darnold was my preferred option, and the more I look back, the more I believe that had to do with him being the cardboard cutout of an NFL Starting Quarterback.  Despite everything, Baker was always in the back of my mind to be picked.  He intrigued me the most.   This kid is a winner.  He’s not putting up a front like, Johnny Manziel.  He will come in and work his ass off to beat Tyrod Taylor.  That has always been what Baker Mayfield does.  Naturally, the Browns got absolutely ripped for taking him.  Fans were upset that the golden boy from USC was not selected, and the national perception is that the Browns just picked Johnny Manziel again.  It is simply not true.  There is 1 similarity between the two, and that is their both dicks on the field.  Other than that, they are two completely different football players.

Baker Mayfield

Baker comes into the NFL having been one of College Football’s most productive players ever.  The above PFF scores don’t mean dick really, but it helps us compare him to everyone else.  A recent article on SB Nation really highlights the main differences between all of this years top QB prospects,

“In college:

  • Josh Allen was a tall mediocrity.
  • Sam Darnold coughed up gobs and gobs of turnovers.
  • Lamar Jackson had a slight physique and got hit (and sacked) a lot.
  • Josh Rosen got crushed a lot and never had a chance to shine because of iffy line play and a bad running game, not that he can’t become a great NFL QB himself.

The knock on Mayfield is he’s … a little short, I guess? He’s 6’1, which is on the smaller side for a quarterback, but he still had fewer passes swatted at the line than the 6’5 Allen did.” ( Alex Kirshner-SB Nation) 

I knew all of this going in with Mayfield.  I knew how dominant he was in college, and I still didn’t think the Browns would even consider him.  Public opinion of the team is pretty poor obviously, and I just thought the Haslam’s would not have drafted Mayfield after what happened with Johnny Football. That public perception is wrong, and I am glad the team is ignoring it.

On field, Baker Mayfield is more than capable of being the Cleveland Browns franchise quarterback.  He’s deadly accurate.  In his three years at Oklahoma Mayfield had finished with 68.1, 70.9, and 70.5 completion percentage.  That is at 69% on average.  That is insanely good for a 6 ft. 1 Quarterback.  In terms of play style, Mayfield excels within the pocket.  He is going go through his progressions, and fire the ball downfield.  The scrambling you see is mostly a fail safe, not his first instinct.  He would be decent in designed runs, as he is used to the Run-Pass Option offense.  It is not something you will catch him doing a lot of, as he is a gunslinger.

So, Browns fans quit bitching about Baker Mayfield being picked over Darnold.  This guy is money, and is going own being QB one of the Cleveland Browns.  He is going to put his balls on the line for his teammates, and when we eventually see him on the field it will be because he earned it.  Baker’s always earned it.

Fourth overall was also a pick the Browns got unanimously ripped for.  I on the other hand was doing cartwheels.  With Bradley Chubb on the board, the Browns opted to pick the highest ranked corner in the draft.  It woulda sent me up a fucking wall if the Browns pissed away a draft pick on another edge rusher.  Currently our two edge guys are Myles Garrett, and Emmanuel Ogbah.  Ogbah is less known, but is only entering his third season.  Last season Ogbah played in only 10 games due to injury, and was tied for the team lead in sacks with 4.  He played in 16 games in 2016, and finished with 5.5 total sacks.  What exactly is wrong with Emmanuel Ogbah?   He is super young, on a team friendly deal, and has prior success in oh I don’t know….THE NFL.

The Browns may have reached with Denzel Ward, but he was the best Corner in the draft per many outlets.  I haven’t watched this kid play much, but multiple reports say that Ward is one of very few College corners who plays man-to-man.  That is 100% exactly what the Browns need.  The past few years the Browns have trotted out nothing but JAGS in the secondary, and people are still going to bitch?   Would you prefer Tramon Williams? No? Johnson Bademosi anyone? Nah, you’d rather have Buster Skrine. Give me a break. I’ll leave you with Defensive Coordinator, Gregg Williams statement on the pick.  This comes in Josh Edwards Orange and Brown Report Article explaining the pick.

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“Ward. The reason is our need for a press cover cornerback. Denzel probably plays that position as well as anyone I’ve seen in college football in some time. We probably play the most press of any team in the league. There’s another reason. I’ve got a video of 28 snaps of Myles Garrett pass-rushes last year where he gets within two steps or less of the quarterback when the ball comes out. Basically, we aren’t covering long enough to let him get to the quarterback. Myles and others—especially [defensive end] Emmanuel Ogbah—will get more chances because of Denzel.” Ogbah, Williams said, was a major reason why the Browns went Ward over Chubb. “Ogbah’s a rising star in this league,” Williams said. “He’s got a chance to be Chubb.” High praise”  

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Gregg.  Come get some baby!

A full breakdown of the rest of the picks can be found here.   I frankly don’t care about the picks outside of 1 and 4.  I wanted the Browns to identify their guy, and select him at 1.  They did that with Baker.  Now we wait for the new shitheads to arrive, and hit the field.  Go Browns!

With the First Pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns Select: Baker Mayfield.

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This is a time of year that is just the worst for sports.  Football will be over this time next week.  That means we’re stuck with silly Draft hype.  We will be getting slammed with Senior Bowl, Combine, and Pro-Day bullshit until our ears bleed.  Figured now is as good a time as ever to break down the top Quarterbacks in this years draft class.  Let’s kick it off with Baker Mayfield, 2018 Heisman Trophy Winner.  Is he qualified to be selected number 1 overall?

There is something about this kid, man.  I’ve said it a few times, but Mayfield is really the only Quarterback that intrigues me to a high degree.  Darnold, Rosen, and Allen just don’t move the needle for me.  Maybe it is because those guys are more of the “Prototype” Pro Quarterback.  Tall pocket passers with good arm-strength.  Mayfield is anything but tall.  Mayfield stands at 6 feet tall, and 216 ponds.  Certainly not built like most Franchise Quarterbacks.

I certainly understand the risks with Mayfield going in.  Much like Johnny Manziel, Mayfield took the College Football world by storm with electrifying play.  Much like Manziel, Baker is considered shorter than the ideal NFL Quarterback, but still electrifies.  They both have had issues with off-the-field issues in the past as well.  With all the similarities, there are differences to point out.

The first major difference is the way in which Johnny and Mayfield ran their offense.  Johnny was running a college based, read-option offense.  It involved a lot of Johnny improvising, and chucking the ball up to Mike Evans.  Evans was a man playing among boys at that time.

Taking a look at the highlights, it is pretty clear how simple Johnny’s offense was at A&M.  He was a one read and run guy.  He hardly ever stood in the pocket, and made his progressions.  At the slightest bit of pressure, or sign the play was breaking down Johnny took off running.  In the This lead to many highlight reel plays in college, as in the open-field Johnny was so hard to stop.  The Texas A&M offense set him up to fail in the NFL.  It was too improvisational, and he had an NFL ready Wide-Out at his disposal in Mike Evans.

Johnny in the NFL was nothing short of a disaster, particularly outside of Football. The second his name was announced, his time in Cleveland was a media circus.  On-field wasn’t great in 2014. Despite what many will tell you, 2015 Johnny was mostly good on the field.  The only real disaster performance came in his first career start in 2014.

After a tough start in 2014, and entering rehab; Johnny came back strong in 2015. Despite having next to no weapons, or belief from his coaches, Johnny put up solid numbers in his first chunk of playing time in the NFL. He finished 2015 with 9 games played.  He threw for 1,500 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.  He added 230 rushing yards on 37 attempts.  Johnny’s off-field issues took off during the middle of the 2015 campaign, and got so bad he was released in March of 2016.

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With Baker displaying tamer, albeit similar off-field concerns you would think the Browns would scratch him off their QB Short-list ASAP.  Based off the sound bites from this past Weekend’s Senior Bowl, Browns GM John Dorsey is intrigued with the Oklahoma Signal Caller, and maybe enough to take him with the number 1 overall draft selection this April.

First things first, Baker Mayfield is nearly a spitting image of what Johnny Manziel was in some ways.  He’s a fiery competitor, who isn’t shy with words or actions.  Manziel had his patented “Money Manziel Sign”, and Mayfield stuck his teams flag in the middle of Ohio State’s field, which got a lot of heat for reasons unknown.  Grow up you fucking pussies.  Oh, and he’s grabbed his junk on TV clear as day.

Image result for Money Manziel sign     Image result for Baker Mayfield junk

Image result for Baker Mayfield flag

To the naked eye, Manziel and Mayfield look like one in the same.  Mayfield runs a similar offense to what A&M was running in 2012-2013.  It is a lot of read option, run-pass option type plays.  While the offense is similar, Mayfield plays the game completely different than Manziel did.  He has balls.  By balls, I mean he doesn’t take off at the slightest sign of trouble, or his number 1 read is taken away.

Take a look at his 2018 Rose Bowl Highlights.  Mayfield expresses the pocket presence and poise that Johnny never had.  You can see on multiple big plays, Mayfield is in the pocket moving his eyes downfield, and eventually hitting his 3rd/4th option for a big gain.  He doesn’t rely on scampering through College Linebackers once the play breaks down.  He does run, but it feels like he runs more on design, than improvisation.

Baker has done it these past two years with a group of JAGS at Wide-Receiver.  I think this has actually helped himself.  He hasn’t had the downfield options that Johnny did, so he’s had to develop better deep throw accuracy.  I feel like the placement on his deeper throws is far superior to Manziel.  Manziel had the luxury of turning his head and throwing it as far as possible in the direction of Mike Evans.

Mayfield Stats 2

Manziel stats 2

These are the career college stats for both Johnny, and Baker.  Those who have been saying these two are a cut from the same cloth are just wrong.  Johnny caught fire in 2012, and carried it into 2013.  Baker has consistently performed at a high level.  With each year, you can see Baker’s stats grow.  The most impressive growth I see is, Average Yards per Attempt.  Baker’s grew from 10.4. to 12.3, and finally 12.9.  It shows that he developed into a quality downfield passer as he learned the college game.  Manziel’s Average Yards per Attempt was, 8.8 in 2012, and 10 in 2013.  Not even in the same ballpark as Mayfield.  It goes to show you how different they really are.

Should the Browns take Mayfield with the number 1 overall pick this fall?  I think he is as good an option as anyone to be drafted by the Browns this spring.  There is is something about the kid that makes me so intrigued.  He has the desire, and drive to lead his team to victory.  He isn’t afraid of anyone, and it shows on the field.  Is he cocky?  He absolutely is, but you can see how much he motivates his teammates on the field.  Baker has had an off-field incident, but it hasn’t plagued him nearly as much as Manziel’s issues.  Everything about Mayfield leads me to believe he really has the motivational drive in him, whereas the confidence Manziel displayed was more or less a front.

Mayfield has even expressed desire in being the Qaurterback to turn things around in Cleveland (Hey Josh Rosen, he ain’t scared ya fucking pussy). Whether this is just Pre-Draft bull-shit being spewed is yet to be determined.

Will Baker Mayfield be the Browns Quarterback in the Future when they hit the podium in April?   We’ll see…