A humdrum trip to Florida, and the Giants come to town

Among the many clever, profound, and memorable things that legendary Giants coach Bill Parcells has said, “You are what your record says you are” isn’t one of them. Would you rather be the 2-0 Saints who have scored 62 more points than they have allowed, or the Houston Texans who are also 2-0 but have only scored only 8 more points than they have allowed? Or consider the 2-0 Steelers who have scored a total of 31 points, by way of 1 lonely touchdown and 8 field goals. (To be fair, Parcells’ comment becomes more true as the season progresses and the sample size becomes larger.)1

Regardless, the Browns are not 2-0, rather they sit squarely at 1-1 after a lackluster win over the listless Jaguars last week. It’s probably not fair to criticize the Jags for being listless, it must truly be soul-sucking to be forced to live in Jacksonville, Florida. Despite the occasional excitement that Florida Man brings, there’s really not a lot of options for fun in Jacksonville. (Although I do think there is a combination Applebees/dog track in town.) In any case, Deshaun Watson seems to have progressed from dead last in quarterback rating, to second from last. The scintillating 186 yards with no touchdowns was hard to turn away from, talk about must-see TV. The offense continued to look as disheveled as a hobo in Smichov (The hobo is right to be offended by this comparison). The defense looked good, almost great, although I’m not sure it was against an offensive juggernaut. And actually the Browns only lead 16-13 with 2 minutes to go, when the pride Cerritos College2, Cory Bojorquez, dropped a punt on the one yard line. Trevor Lawrence panicked, and took a safety which sealed the game. So perhaps this game is best described as a win, despite a shaky offense.

This weekend, the New York Giants come to town. Readers of this blog are familiar with the disdain I have for all of New York City, the New York Yankees, their shitty pizza, the stupid rat that tried to eat that shitty pizza, and the endless amount of scaffolding that encases entire city blocks. Probably the Giants are excited to be away from that sewer-like maelstrom on the eastern seaboard and come to Cleveland. However, they bring with them an 0-2 record, and are coming off a brutal last second loss last week. Daniel Jones is the skipper of this (foundering) ship, and is still shaking the rust off after an injury-shortened 2023 season. He is talented (hence the nickname “Danny Dimes”) and there are good pass catchers on this team, most notably Malik Nabers with 193 yards in games. The run game is terrible, and the defense is abysmal, so I’m confident that Cleveland can keep Nabers wrapped up and limit New York offense all day.

However, I really don’t know what to expect from The Browns on offense. Our superstar receiver Amari Cooper has been largely absent and ineffective so far. It could be he’s still irritated with the rumors that Cleveland was trying him over the summer, and he was barely around during training camp. So maybe the chemistry will improve over time. By all means, this ought to be a “get right” game and Cooper should go for 150 yards and 2 scores, and the Browns should control both sides of the ball. But the Browns have been known to brown things up now and again. However, despite my misgivings about this team, the coach, the ownership, the stadium, the peanut vendor in section 132…. I am still going to pick the Browns to win this game, something along the lines of 27-13.

1 It’s worth noting that the Chiefs are 2-0 with a 9 point differential, but teams that make deep playoff runs each year are exempt from this analysis. It’s reminiscent of the Patriots who were usually mediocre in September, only to roll over everybody in December and January. “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” (quote attributed to me in the 1998 Pittsburgh Marathon)

2 Alumni from Cerritos College include Joe Gibbs, Bobby McFerrin, Marcelo Balboa, and John Force.

A Season On the Brink

 I don’t even know where to start this week. I could break down the 17 hits and six sacks that Watson took against Dallas last week. Or discuss the fact that there didn’t seem to be a discernible offensive strategy. Or lament that there isn’t much depth on the roster because we haven’t had a first round draft pick in 4 years. Or point out that Baker Mayfield who makes a fraction of Watson’s salary, threw for four TD’s with QBR of 83.2 in week one. (As opposed to Watson’s career worst performance with one TD, two picks, and a QBR of 13.5.)

But all those things are sort of like toppings on the same pizza. The underlying crust of the pizza is of course the ownership/front office. The cheese must be the fans? And the pizza oven is Cleveland Stadium/First Energy Stadium/Factory of Sadness/ Huntington Bank Stadium. (Perhaps this pizza metaphor is breaking down…or maybe I’m just really hungry.) In any case, the “pizza” that Andrew Berry and Jimmy Haslam have put together is more of an affront to actual pizza than the bullshit-casserole that Chicagoans apparently eat. Mike Lombardi recently made comments alluding to the dysfunction that exists between ownership and the GM, implying that there are too many people stirring the soup. (or pizza sauce). It’s pretty clear that Jimmy Haslam wants to be influential in drafting, signing free agents, etc but it looks like the track record so far is unremarkable. The drafting is probably the easiest thing to point to, Cleveland cannot seem to identify talent in rounds two, three, or four. Other teams can do that, and often have starters for multiple seasons that were drafted late.

Regardless, the Browns find themselves in a tough spot already this season. Unsurprisingly, more controversy is swirling around the Browns as Watson has now been accused (for the 61st time?) of sexual assault. Of course I believe in innocence until proven guilty, and this allegation is from 4 years ago. However, what is inarguable is that this only darkens the clouds swirling around this organization, and once again the focus is not on what’s happening on the field. While they should have been fielding questions about how to defend Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass, they were instead being dragged back into the details of Deshaun Watson’s private life. (I would have liked to hear more about how the team can fix the 8 things that went terribly against the Cowboys in week one.) Additionally, the Browns moved four players to the injured reserve, and it was announced yesterday that the starting tight end is out this week. It’s not clear who can step in for Njoku in terms of catching passes or blocking, but certainly it will be a drop off. The offensive line is in shambles once again, so it is hard to be optimistic about the run game, although weirdly last week they averaged almost 5 yards a carry, but then abandoned the run so Watson could throw 45 terrible passes. (19 total rush attempts for the game) All things considered, the Browns are probably secretly happy to be playing on the road this week. Boos were heard around Cleveland last week as Watson stumbled and bumbled around, and you can bet that the crowd would be calling for Jameis Winston this week early. (Winston comes with own baggage, the least of which is that he is a known crab leg shoplifter)

The Jaguars (sometimes mysteriously pronounced “jag-wires”) come into week two off a brutal loss last week. Travis Etienne was strolling into the endzone and would have made the score 20-7… had he not channeled his inner Earnest Byner and fumbled the ball. The Jags ended up losing on the road to a very mediocre Miami team 20-17. I’m told that they receivers are talented in Jacksonville, and that if Trevor Lawrence is comfortable, he can pick apart most defenses. So it will largely be up to Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith to bring pressure into the backfield. The first quarter should be very telling as both teams are going to try to establish the run game.

The last comment about Deshaun Watson: this game today is a very big deal for this season, and maybe his career. If he is as bad as last week, overthrowing guys by 4 yards and throwing slants to the feet of the receivers, the club might pull the trigger and see what they can do with Jameis Winston. The Browns showed last year they can win with different quarterbacks (Last year PJ Walker, Watson, DTR, and Flacco all won games last season.) So I don’t think the front office believes that they absolutely have to have Watson to win games. They think the defense can carry the day, and that an average performance from a quarterback puts them in a position to win. It’s not hyperbole to say that Watson hasn’t been good since 2020, it is statistically true. If they decide to change gears at QB, it will be in a sneaky manner like claiming Watson has an injury or something. Just you wait and see. 

Prediction time: The Browns defense will come out with their hair on fire and shut out the Jags for the first half. Meanwhile the Browns offense will have mustered 10 points in the half. Later in the game, Watson will account for a costly turnover, and the Browns will end up losing 21-20.

Also, enjoy the newest feature to 4338! Here are some stone-cold, lead-pipe picks for this week (for entertainment purposes only…)

• Browns-Jaguars under 41.5

• Chiefs -6.5  (if you can find a prop with

         KC -9.5, grab it!)

• San Francisco -4.5

• Philadelphia -6

• Take Luke Littler on the money line

            (-165) to beat Michael van Gerwen

            in the World Series of Darts.

Go Browns?

Back on Board

 Let’s get right to it. I very publicly disavowed the Cleveland Browns in June of 2022 after the trade for Deshaun Watson, and I’ve been hate-watching the Browns for most of this season. However, the vitriol has waned week by week. After Watson was finally done for the season (thanks for the 7 touchdowns in six games*) I found myself a little lost about this team. They are after all, the team of my youth, and probably a disproportionately sized aspect of my sports fandom. To be clear, I still condemn the front office for the awful trade and also starting this season without a viable backup quarterback. But I found myself taking a small measure of satisfaction when the plucky Browns overcame injuries and started accumulating wins. The Browns were winning despite the actions of the front office. In retrospect, perhaps I threw out the bath water with the baby when I roasted the team for mortgaging their future to acquire Watson**. After all, there are many players on that team that are incredible athletes and people. Guys like Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Myles Garrett*** are as likable as you’ll find in the NFL. And you’re hard put to find a fan base anywhere in sports that has endured more heartbreak and losing than Cleveland Browns Nation. The point here is that somehow, some way the Browns have found themselves authors of what could be the most compelling story in sports this year.

Fast forward to early December, and The Browns made a curious announcement about signing 38 year old Joe Flacco, who was last seen a year prior throwing interceptions for the New York Jets. Browns fans know him well, all he did was go 18-3 against Cleveland over the course of his career. (Of course, there are many quarterbacks that can make that same claim.) But it was pretty clear that PJ Walker and DTR weren’t ready for the job, so they pivoted to a veteran guy with a Super Bowl ring. Apparently Joe Flacco found the fountain of youth in his time away from the game, because he showed up and started effortlessly throwing 60 yard bombs. All he’s done is rattle off four straight wins with 13 touchdowns, help Amari Cooper set a record for receiving yards in a game, and clinched a playoff spot for the third time in 30 years. If this story was crafted by Hollywood writers, it would be dismissed as far too unrealistic.

I can’t imagine the giddy atmosphere across Northern Ohio right now. My sense is that it’s more than a couple of years ago when Baker Mayfield led the Browns to a playoff win in Pittsburgh. I think that because the Browns defense is other-worldly, there is a confidence that wasn’t there in 2021. And having the best passing attack in the league over the past month helps as well. And incredibly, the Browns still have a chance (albeit remote) to win the AFC north or even the AFC. Realistically, many things need to happen for that to be the case, but fortunately the Browns already played this week so they can sit back and watch what happens. We need Miami to win in Baltimore today, that’s a tall order, but that Dolphins team can score points in bunches, so I do think that’s going to be a close game down the stretch. 

Cleveland football in January is more rare than a glass full of ice in Europe, so Cleveland fans need to cherish the next few weeks and soak up everything that goes along with it. For right now, we are a great story in sports, and not the usual doormat, and there’s no way that I am going to miss out on this.

Go Browns.

*That works out to 6.5 millions dollars per touchdown.

**Here's my break-up post from a while back. I stand by everything I wrote at that time.

***It is true that Myles Garrett did try to murder Mason Rudolph with a football helmet a few years ago.

230 million dollars = 6 wins out of 25 games

So it’s been almost a calendar year since I put pen to paper to offer my cynical insights on the Cleveland Browns. There are many reasons figuring into the hiatus; a new job, a rambunctious toddler, and time spent studying the Klingon language on Duolingo. (Dochvetlh vISoplaHbeʼ) More so than that, it’s often stomach-churning to consider the desperate moves made by the front office in the last couple of years.

The most desperate of which is the quarter of a billion dollars promised to a guy who seems to have assaulted/harassed 60+ women in Houston. Since the Deshaun Watson contract has appeared on the books, the Browns have gone a whopping 12-13. Now maybe you’re thinking “That’s not fair, he didn’t even play in 14 of those games.” And you would be correct. However, with such a titanic dedication of resources sent Watson’s direction, it is appropriate to look at the big picture of team performance as a whole. It’s beyond inexcusable that Cleveland signed him (to the biggest guaranteed contract ever) knowing that he would be missing the majority of the 2022 season. At the end of the day in any business, you need your investments to pay dividends, and so far the money (and six draft picks) have not paid off. They are most certainly going to lose to Baltimore today, which will put the Browns at 5-4 and solidly on their way to a 9-8 finish and once again watching the playoffs from their couch. As it stands right now, the Browns are about 25% of the way through the Watson contract, with very mediocre results, and I cannot believe that there isn’t more criticism of the Browns ownership and front office.*

So, in other words, you reap what you sow. (Thanks Johnny Appleseed for that quote.) Now to the matter at hand… The Browns travel to Baltimore to take on a red-hot Ravens team, coached by the less offensive Harbaugh brother. Baltimore is on a historic tear winning four straight by an average score of 32-12, and they just destroyed Seattle 37-3 last week. (The same Seattle team that beat Cleveland 24-20 a couple of weeks ago.) The Ravens are tough, well-coached, balanced and have absolutely owned the Browns over the past decade. (Not to mention that the Browns have gone 2-11 in Baltimore since 2010.)

The Browns however, come into this clash awash in uncertainty. Nobody is quite sure who is going to start at either of the tackle positions on the offensive line, they all of the sudden can’t stop the run, and they have a quarterback whose shoulder could fall off at any given minute. It’s also worth noting that although the Browns are 5-3, it’s a bit misleading because the combined record of the opponents is 18-24. Also, two of Cleveland’s wins are sketchy to say the least; against San Francisco the 49ers kicker missed a chip shot that would have won the game, and in Indianapolis Cleveland kicked a field goal with 2 seconds left to beat a bad team 39-38. The point is that Cleveland is a whisker away from being 3-5 and a long way away from the caliber of team (and organization) of a team like the Baltimore Ravens.

To any Clevelanders that are making the trip to Baltimore, you might want to reconsider actually attending the game, unless you are just too intrigued at the possibility of eating tater tots covered in crab meat and some Old Bay based sauce. (Now that Klingon quote makes sense) Really, that’s a dish you can get at this stadium, for the low, low price of $18. There apparently are other fun things to do in Baltimore, I just don't know what they are. I’ve been there a couple of times, and it did not leave a favorable impression. The inner harbor was underwhelming, I couldn’t find a place to get a haircut, and there are few things more overrated than smashing crabs with a wooden hammer in order to eat them. Poor crabs.

So… time to pick a final score. It looks like the betting line is Ravens -6.5, which seems low to me, but I guess the wild card is Watson and his presence can make the offense difficult to defend. The Browns defense at times has been absolutely lights out, but this is also the same unit that gave up 38 points to the Colts. The Cleveland defense will be fired up for this game, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a tight game in the first half. Something Stefanski is terrible at is halftime adjustments, and I suspect that Harbaugh and his staff will have a significant advantage in the second half. When the dust settles, I see Baltimore winning this game something along the lines of 26-16.

*The huge disparity between the national perspective and the local slant on the Browns is hilarious. I love the Plain Dealer Browns writers, but listening to them try to describe a path to winning the division or making the playoffs is cringy. (as the kids say). National outlets like ESPN, etc barely mention the Browns, and when they do is often to criticize the Watson deal. The reality is probably between the two, the Browns do have talent, but are riddled with injuries at key positions, and that has all the hallmarks of a .500 team.

And another era begins....

I am always amazed every time I hear that Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States. I once had to spend 36 hours there, and what I mostly saw was miles of strip malls, every kitschy chain restaurant (T.G.I. Friday’s, Applebee’s, et al.) and far too many excessively sweaty people . (I was there in July.) Perhaps the city has brightened since 1998, but I’m not willing to go there to find out. But the Browns travel there this weekend with the Houston Texans' ex-boyfriend in tow.

I’m not going to bother to rehash the details of Deshaun Watson and the many women he harassed/assaulted during his time in Houston. On the long list of egregious aspects to this story, the Houston Texans organization looms large having supplied Watson with nondisclosure agreements to take with him to the various massage sessions they helped him to arrange as well as arranging a membership to an exclusive hotel for Watson where several of the incidents happened. (What sort of hotel has “memberships”? Weird.) The Texans obviously knew the extent of the allegations and immediately made plans to put Watson on the shelf until some dumb team was willing to cough up a king’s ransom for him. And the Browns did just that, six draft picks, including three first rounders. And to top that off, the Browns guaranteed Watson 230 million dollars, the biggest contract ever awarded in pro football.

The Browns did not enter into this situation blindly. They knew they would lose a significant number of fans, and they knew the national spotlight would fall on them in a hypercritical way. They also knew at the time that Watson would miss at least half the season, so they were willing to write off the 2022 season as another lost year. I wonder how season ticket holders feel about supporting a team that the ownership is expecting to lose most of their games, and doesn’t seem to put off by that. Ownership clearly believes that this is the move that will result in a superbowl win in the next few seasons, they have actually said exactly that. They are banking on the fact that a title will right all wrongs, and that championship euphoria will obfuscate the slimy nature of the face of the franchise.

First off, they will not win a superbowl in the next five years. You can bank on that. The way you make your roster better is either through the draft, identifying and developing young talent, or by signing proven free agents, usually to large contracts. To date, this front office has not drafted well. I’m not talking about first round picks, those are almost can’t miss. (except for the Browns who have drafted guys like Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Johnny Manziel, Barkevious Mingo, William Green, and Brandon Weeden.) But since Andrew Berry has been calling the shots on draft day, the Browns have not had success finding guys in rounds 2 & 3 that end up being starters and contributors. The roster is not in great shape right now in terms of depth, and is going to be difficult to improve without first round picks and also have so much money wrapped up in Watson, Garrett, and Cooper. Those three guys will earn 107 million dollars in 2023, and the salary cap for the entire team is 225 million. So they are going to have a tough time attracting free agents, and it is precarious at best to suggest they can strengthen the roster through the draft.

That’s not the only reason they won’t win a superbowl. In case you weren’t aware, it is really, really difficult to get to a superbowl, let alone win it. And when I look around the AFC, I sure think teams like Buffalo and Kansas City are going to be dominant for the next few years. They’ve got more offensive talent than Cleveland, better coaching (Stefanski has had a nightmare year calling plays) and more big game experience. My point is that ownership is all-in on winning a title in the next few years to distract from the dumpster fire that the team actually is. I do not doubt that they’ll make the playoffs here and there, but it won’t be enough for the Cleveland fan base when they fizzle out in the playoffs. Browns fans really ought to be offended that the Haslam’s think they can manipulate the fans into supporting a team led by an actual serial sex offender, on top of throwing away the 2022 season without hesitation. So the absolute desperation shown by the Haslam’s will be for nought, at least in terms of a title. And if by some miracle they actually make it to a superbowl, myself and many other former Cleveland Browns fans won’t be rejoicing, because the price paid will just be too high.

All that being said, the Browns will certainly win this game today. And the Browns apologists will wax poetic about the renewed energy in the locker room, the intensity of the defense as they chased beleaguered Texans QB Kyle Allen around, and commanding presence of Deshaun Watson in the huddle. However, let’s make sure we recognize that the Houston Texans are 1-11 on the season, dead last in yards per game, and averaging a meager 16 points per game. The Browns will be keyed up for this game, and they absolutely should hold Houston to less than 20 points. In addition to the things I have said about Watson, it is also true that he is remarkably talented and is ten times the athlete that Jacoby Brissett is. I wonder if he will be too amped up and overthrow receivers early in the game, probably the game plan is to run Chubb and Hunt 75% of the time to let Watson get in the flow. He hasn’t been tackled in 700 days, so I’m sure he’s a little rusty. But he is a legitimate dual threat, and I think he aims to exact revenge on his former team. Anyway, the Browns will win this game something like 30-16, and cursory superbowl expectations will fill the Cleveland airwaves tomorrow morning. But I wonder if those fans will be as excited in January, when the team is 7-9 and once again watching other teams in the playoffs.

Just one more of many, many lost seasons

Well, here we are again. Another lost season looms large as Browns fans around the world desperately try to find reasons/excuses (are they different?) for football futility. In the many, many ways that the Browns over the years have managed to reach the end of November with five or fewer wins, 2022 might be the trickiest to explain. This was after all, supposed to be a team with a superbowl caliber defense.

However, they are second to last in points allowed per game, teams have run the ball at will against the Browns, and probably I could throw for 250 yards on this secondary. I don’t really want to hear about injuries and so forth, every team has those problems, and they manage to have backups that are at least passable as NFL players. The defense especially seems to have zero depth, and that’s on Andrew Berry. I don’t really need to do a deep dive into recent drafts to know that we can’t seem to find much in the second and third rounds, and the lack of depth on the defense was really apparent this year.

You often hear coaches and analysts talking about a team and their “sense of identity”. I used to coach soccer with a guy who would tell our team that we weren’t often going to be the more talented team on the field, but for sure we will work the hardest, be the most fit, and play the more physical style. When players buy into their sense of identity, anything is possible. One of the many problems the Browns have is a lack of identity. If anything, their identity this year was “let’s just play basically okay until Deshaun Watson comes in and carries us to the playoffs”. Kevin Stefanski preaches about Browns players being “smart, accountable, and tough” but it is pretty obvious that he is the only one who believes that. So with such lackluster coaching, and a clearly souring locker room, it’s no surprise that the Browns find themselves at 3-7 and welcoming Tom Brady to Cleveland later today. And I actually don’t think we’ve seen the worst aspects of this season yet.

In some ways, this has been one of the toughest seasons for Browns fans. [Not me, I disavowed this team last summer when they broke the bank and mortgaged their future to bring in a predator who wouldn't even be able to play until December.] In August, superstar Amari Cooper came to town (he is sensational by the way), the offensive line was healthy, it looked like Myles and Clowney would destroy opposing quarterbacks and everything was rosy across Northern Ohio. But in the blink of an eye, this team was 2-5 and looking at each other for answers. A season can go off the rails so quickly, and before you know what happened, it’s late November and sports radio is breaking down the draft. I expect zero miracles from Deshaun Watson, he hasn’t played live football in over two years, and remember that the Browns defense will still be bad. I remain steadfast in my opinion that the problems with this team were not centered around the quarterback, Jacoby Brissett did everything he could do to put this team in a position to win. But it is difficult to do that when the defense is allowing almost 30 points a game.

Today I think might be one of the special moments of the season for the Browns. This is most likely Jacoby Brissett’s final game as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, and I think that team, the fans, and myself respect the holy hell out of what he tried to do this season. He is incredibly popular in the locker room, and all season long has done nothing but work hard to keep this offense going. I suspect that today this team will gather around him and do everything imaginable to try to send him out with a win, this poor guy definitely deserves it. However, I think Tampa Bay is going to run the ball 50 times for about 200 yards and take advantage of the defensive disarray in Cleveland. I think the Bucs are going to win a close one, something like 24-18.

A season prediction, and here come the J-E-T-S

Everybody calm down. Yes, it's true that the Browns won a game in the first week of the season for the first time in literally decades. I guess that’s worth celebrating, but let’s at least acknowledge it was against a terrible team, and that the Browns needed a last second field goal to win. For Pete’s* sake, this is not a win that will propel the Browns to the superbowl, so let’s curb our enthusiasm a bit. But for whatever reason, the schedule makers gifted Cleveland some terrible teams to start the season; Panthers, Jets, Steelers, and Falcons. So if you think you’re excited now, save a little something if the Browns start 4-0. After that, the next seven games are a gauntlet of playoff teams, and it isn’t inconceivable that the Browns lose all seven. So people of Cleveland, maybe go ahead and celebrate a little right now, because wins will be much harder to come by in October and November.

Usually I write a little season preview on the Browns, but I didn’t really get around to doing it this year. That’s partly due to the fact that organizationally, the Browns are sort of “ewwww… gross”. I wish I was surprised that Browns fans can overlook the Watson trade so quickly, but this is a fan base that is so desperate for a winner that I guess no cost is too high. Enough about that, let’s make some broad generalizations about this team in bullet point form.

• The defense is great. Myles Garrett is like a superhero coming around the end, and the secondary is very difficult to throw against. Team will try to run on Cleveland, but without a ton of success. This unit is good enough to hold teams to 16-20 points a lot of the time.

• The offense only needs to be ordinary to win games. That might be possible with Chubb and Hunt smashing teams in the teeth when they carry the ball. The passing game won’t be great, and lots of weeks won’t even be good. It’s just a very average group of guys actually catching the ball.

• Here’s the problem: Today’s NFL is all about passing and scoring, so there are likely to be a lot of weeks when the Browns need 27-30 points to win, and I think Cleveland could have a tough time doing that, even when their billion dollar predator quarterback returns in week 12.

To me, this all adds up to a very underwhelming year for the Cleveland Browns. At worst, I think they go 3-1 to start the season and the brutal seven game stretch in the middle likely could be 2-5. Then Watson comes back for the last six games of the season. He hasn’t played football in two years, so surely he’ll scuffle a little, I think they’ll be very lucky to go 3-3 in that stretch. That adds up to 8-9, and missing the playoffs and once again fans are talking about next year in Cleveland.

Here are a few quick notes about today’s game. Starting QB for the Jets is geriatric Joe Flacco who threw the ball last week 59 times at the age of 37. He’s likely to have a very long day in Cleveland because the pass rush is going to be better than what the Jets saw last week, and the Ravens managed to pressure him 14 times. The Jets are a little better on defense than most people think, and remember that Jacoby Brissett can barely throw a football. I do think the Browns are going to win this game 23-16, but I think it will be a tied game at some point in the fourth quarter.

* Who is this "Pete"? Why does only his first name live in infamy? Poor guy.