Here We Go Again...

Here we go. September 7, 2025 and the Cleveland Browns are about to launch yet another campaign of ineptitude, incompetence, dysfunction, and ultimately… failure. Try as I might (and I genuinely do) I cannot find too many bright spots in this iteration of Cleveland football. The starting quarterback is 40 years old, and when we last saw him he threw back-to-back interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in a playoff game. Fan favorite and all around nice guy Nick Chubb was unceremoniously not re-signed by the Browns, although it could've been for dirt cheap. Myles Garrett demanded a trade, then quickly capitulated when ownership threw bags of money at him. In the meanwhile he got his umpteenth speeding ticket going over 100 mph this year. And then they announced they are going to move the team to Brookpark, which is largely an industrial wasteland near the airport. So yeah, not much to pin your playoff hopes on this year.

More than all of that, they are coming off a 3-14 campaign, finishing the year by scoring 26 points total in the last 4 games. That kind of record isn’t on accident, take your pick on the various reasons they were so bad:

• They have had only 3 picks in the first round of the draft in the past 6 years. (Thanks to the Watson trade, and it’s still unfathomable that they didn’t fire Andrew Berry) It’s impossible to build depth without good drafts.
• The pass-catchers were garbage, but to be fair they were trying to catch passes from Watson, Jameis Winston, DTR, and Bailey Zappe. Not exactly future hall-of-famers.
• The defense was bottom 5 in total points allowed. I’m unclear why people think this unit will be good this year. Maybe because of our wildly exciting first draft pick on an interior defensive lineman. (We could have had Travis Hunter, widely believed to be the most exciting player in college football and will certainly change the Jaguar offense considerably)
• Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback. We haven’t had this position nailed down since the 80’s. Insult to injury, we could have kept Baker Mayfield on a cheap contract, all he did was throw 41 touchdowns last year.

In any case, the reason they stink is an amalgam of these reasons, plus some others. The larger point is that the roster isn’t appreciably different from last year, except for Geriatric Joe. (That being said, I love Joe. I think he’s a super nice guy, looks like a proper QB, but just thrown picks as often as TD’s. I root for him to be successful this year, because I just want to see points scored for the Browns.)

So that brings us to week one, at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. Weirdly, these games have been entertaining, with lots of points scored. The Bengals are led by Joe Burrow, who despite the fact that he always looks a little high, can really "spin it”, as the kids say. They have a high powered offense, and we can expect 35-40 pass attempts from Burrow. A few years ago, the Browns had the better of the Battle of I-71 having won 4 straight, but Cincinnati has won four of the last six, very convincingly. The Bengals are historically slow starters (Burrow is 1-9 in weeks 1 and 2 in his career), but I feel like they will play like their hair is on fire. They are too good of a team to start 0-2 again. I do think the Browns are going to throw the ball all over the field, but nobody would be surprised if Flacco throws three touchdowns and three picks.

I think the Bengals are going to get a road win something along the lines of 34-20. (So bet the over). The following week on Cleveland Sports will be a repeat of every other year after a week one loss, and even the Orange and Brown Report will have a hard time spinning this one.

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.

What a difference a year makes...

A year ago, the excitement across northern Ohio was palpable. The Browns were coming off their first playoff win in literally a lifetime, and the mood across Cleveland was superbowl or bust. At the time, it wasn’t wildly optimistic to suppose that Cleveland would not only make the playoffs, but go on a run and earn a chance at history. In week one, Baker Mayfield gave the Browns a chance to win a huge game against the defending champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, and we were all talking about locking him up for 5 years with a big contract. Of course, everything unwound (as it tends to in Cleveland) and the Browns limped their way to a 8-9 finish, missing the playoffs and leaving the fans with more questions than answers.

After a turbulent off season, the Browns made a run at Deshaun Watson, only to be initially rebuffed. Owner Jimmy Haslam dug a little more money out of his couch cushions, and offered Watson 230 million dollars, fully guaranteed. This offer, of course, was way too much to turn down and low and behold, a serial sexual predator became the face of the franchise. (You can read here my full opinion on the signing, how I think it will cripple the Browns in the near future, and why I don’t care if this signing somehow results in a superbowl victory.) This of course meant that Baker had to go and finally the Browns convinced the Carolina Panthers to take him, even going to the great lengths of agreeing to pay 10.5 million of Baker’s salary. So in a way the Browns are paying Baker mayfield to beat the Browns in week one later today. Such a Cleveland scenario.

Which brings us to today’s game. Since the aforementioned criminal quarterback is suspended for 11 games, it will be journeyman Jacoby Brisset under center for the Browns today. He is now playing for his fourth team in seven years, and by all accounts isn’t that terrible. He seems like the perfect guy to be a backup quarterback, his claim to fame is his incredibly low number of interceptions compared to pass attempts. That’s great and all, but one has to wonder why he has bounced around for so long in the league. Since the new broke about Watson a couple of months ago, I have moved the Browns way down the list of things to read about, so I can’t really say much about how Brissett and the offense looked in preseason. I listened to a little of the Orange & Brown report today, and my sense is that the passing game is terrible in Cleveland right now, despite having acquired pro-bowl receiver Amari Cooper. The number 2 receiver for the Browns is Anthony Schwarz, who did nothing but drop passes throughout the entire preseason. I think it could be a long afternoon for Jacoby Brissett throwing the ball.

Of course, the Browns have a very good offensive line, and Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt can go the distance every time they touch the ball. But I think we’ll see Carolina do what some teams did last year against the Browns and stack the line of scrimmage to slow down the run game. Theoretically, the Browns pass catchers should have some single coverage opportunities, but then you’ve got to count on Brissett getting rid of the ball quickly and accurately. I’m not very optimistic that the Browns will have much going in the air today.

Fortunately for the Browns, the defense ought to be awesome this year and definitely should be able to overwhelm the Carolina Panthers when they have the ball. Rookie left tackle Ikem Ekwonu will be lining up against Myles Garrett much of the day, and I think we count on a couple of sacks resulting from that match up. The wild card in this game is none other than Baker Mayfield, who has major beef with every aspect of the Cleveland Browns. (He probably would try to fight the peanut vendor in section 236 given the opportunity.) Baker in his career at times has been brilliant (2018 and 2020) and at times has been terrible. (the rest of the years) My opinion is that we can largely disregard last year because of the nature of that shoulder injury, but nonetheless it is hard to predict how his year will go this year. His supporting cast (outside of Christian MacCaffery) is very “meh” and Baker's task is going to be to make those guys look good. Without a doubt, nobody wants to win this game more than Baker Mayfield, but I’m not sure that will be enough.


Predicting NFL in week one is really more like throwing darts, it’s not as if the preseason is any indicator of what we might see happen. The Browns are historically bad to start a season losing 17 straight games in week one. I for one think that’s relevant, whereas most pundits do not agree. I think this game is going to be low scoring, and I bet dollars to doughnuts it will be tight midway through the fourth quarter. Despite my disappointment with the front office, I am not going to actively root for this team to lose, I’m just indifferent. The Browns are the team I know the most about, and I am going to continue to write about them, but with a much different tone this season. Anyway, I think Baker Mayfield is going to come out on fire today, and lead the Panthers to a win, something like 20-19. The city of Cleveland will promptly implode, and it will be a very difficult week in Berea for everybody in the organization. Including the peanut vendor in section 236.

Time to Press Pause on the Cleveland Browns

It really wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Maybe an outsider would think it would be more painful for me to put almost 40 years of fandom on a shelf for a few seasons. People that know me well can testify to my stalwart support of this team, even with infuriating decisions, terrible signings, and horrific coaching hires. I survived the team moving to Baltimore as well as a 1-31 stretch over two seasons. I have watched 30 different starting quarterbacks since 1999. If anybody has fan credentials, it’s me. I even wrote a blog about the Browns that was read by about six people each week. But, because the owners have decided to make serial predator Deshaun Watson the face of the franchise, I’m going to have to sit out the next few seasons.*

For those unfamiliar with the story, Deshaun Watson has been accused by 24 different massage therapists of things ranging from harassment to assault. While it’s true that no criminal charges were filed, there is extensive corroborating evidence that support the allegations of these women. I don’t really want to write about the specifics about the lawsuits, but here is a good read from Deadspin about the entire situation. (Caution: it’s a very detailed account of the allegations, and also contains some of the interviews with two accusers.) In my mind, there isn’t a question of whether or not these things happened, there’s just too much smoke for there not to be fire. Yes, I know it’s a slippery slope to assume guilt in this type of situation, but I did a lot of reading from Cleveland writers, Houston writers, and national media and there is a very clear pattern of behavior from Watson. I also think it is meaningful that he tried to settle out of court with these women over a year ago, and only recently is trumpeting his “victim” status. Anyway you slice it, Deshaun clearly has victimized dozens of women and yet seems to have zero remorse for his actions, or even an understanding that what he did was wrong.

The Browns claimed to have done their due diligence, that they interviewed all sorts of people close to Deshaun going all the way back to his days at Clemson. But you know who they didn’t interview? The attorney representing the women is these cases. It seems like that’s one of the first phone calls you would make, even though it would likely be rebuffed because it’s an ongoing situation. I think one of the most disturbing aspects of the signing was the bizarre press conference where Deshaun Watson said he “doesn’t regret a single thing” over the past few years, and that he is eager to get to work on “improving his brand”. He made it very clear that he has no qualms about trampling on people and moving on without an ounce of accountability.

I think it is safe to say that the world of sports was shocked when he was rewarded for his behavior with the largest ever fully guaranteed contract (230 million dollars) nearly a quarter of a BILLION dollars. The NFL has had monster contracts before, but they are often loaded with incentives and options for either party to end the contract. For example, the total value of Patrick Mahomes’ contract could be 502 million dollars, but only 141 million is fully guaranteed. To add to the sleazy nature of the signing, the contract is structured in such a way that Watson’s salary for the upcoming season is just over one million dollars. The Browns are anticipating a suspension, and bent over backwards to soften the penalty for Watson as an enticement to come to Cleveland. For example, if the suspension is 6 games, it will cost him about $350,000. If his salary was on par with other quarterbacks, that 6 game suspension could be as much as 10 million dollars. That fact, along with such a huge amount of guaranteed money, has other NFL owners beside themselves because the Browns just shifted the entire market of the NFL.


Aside from the aforementioned issues, this signing is problematic in many other ways for the Cleveland Browns organization. For example, in 2023 Deshaun Watson, Myles Garrett, and Amari Cooper will count for 107 million dollars toward the salary cap. The Athletic predicts that the 2023 cap will be 225 million, so these three players will account for a little less than half of the money that can be spent on an entire roster. So how in the world can the Browns afford any other decent starters? They will have a little over 100 million dollars to spread amongst 19 other starters, and it is difficult to see how they can structure contracts to get a high level of talent on both sides of the ball.

To me, I think this means the Browns are going all in for the 2022-2023 season and they truly think they can win the Superbowl. They are counting on the fact that winning a title will override 4-5 years of upcoming salary cap hell and very few draft picks. (It cost them 6 picks, including 3 first rounders, to get Watson.) Some aspects of the Cleveland Browns will certainly be better; Watson is a far better QB than Baker, Amari Cooper is a dangerous receiver, and the defense should be very good in the second year under Joe Woods.

However, we’ve seen star receivers disappear when coming to Cleveland, it’s difficult to predict how the offensive line will play, and special teams was a dumpster fire last year. And of course, the likely suspension of Watson means that Jacoby Brissett could start the first 6 games, and quite frankly… he stinks. Not to mention that the AFC North is a tough division with superbowl runner-up Bengals and the perennially good Baltimore Ravens. (Nothing to fear from the Steelers, they’re staring at a 6-11 season.) I’m also anticipating a tremendous amount of attention will surround this team, and I don’t think this team is well-equipped to handle the constant questions about Watson, especially if they get off to a poor start. All of this points to my unequivocal opinion that there is no way possible the Cleveland Browns even get to the Superbowl. A much more likely result would be a 10-7 season and that’s really only likely if they get lucky and avoid injuries. So this team will have sold their soul for Deshaun Watson, only to end up a few games better than last season and still without a Superbowl trophy.

While I won’t be supporting the Cleveland Browns this season, I will keep tabs on them, mostly in a “I told you so” sort of way. And I’ll be counting down the days until Watson goes somewhere else. If management and ownership ever seem to be committed to doing things the right way, I’ll gladly dust off my Browns gear and return to being a fan. Maybe I’ll fill the Sunday evening gap with some other sport; cricket, rugby, or extreme pogo sticking. Continue to visit this space for my rambling thoughts on the world of sports.

* I’m not the only one taking a break from the Browns, Cleveland Royalty Jim and Andrea Thome canceled their season tickets. I wish we could access the critical emails, voicemails, faxes, letters, and telegrams that the Browns received in the wake of this signing. I’m sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who feel the same as I do.

The Dream's in the Ditch*

Wow. That was tough. Like dropping a huge can of beans on your toe kind of tough. Like two hours after gas station sushi kind of tough. Like a medieval blacksmith kind of tough. Everything in the world had lined up against the Browns this week; a couple of dozen players on the COVID list, no head coach, and some bad-luck injuries. But plucky Nick Mullens gave his all and put this team in a position to win this game, only to have the defense in the last 60 seconds of the game play softer than 800 thread count Egyptian cotton bed sheets. (Side note: I’ve been to Egypt and I don’t recall anything special about the sheets. However, crystallized in my memory are the after effects of drinking the water in Egypt.) Anyway, you can take your pick at the actual point the game was lost. It might have been running Chubb three straight times and not accumulating 10 yards late in the game, Zay Jones’ easy 15 yard catch putting them in field goal range, or maybe the Browns going three and out five times in the game. At the end of the day, the Browns only managed to put up 14 points, and that’s rarely enough offense to win a game. And certainly that futility is not unique to this game, it’s been the theme of the season for the Cleveland Browns.

While it’s probably true that with our starters and coach we would have won this game, I by no means would have assumed we would beat the Raiders. Derek Carr is a far better quarterback than anybody Cleveland has had since Bernie Kosar (not hyperbole), the Raiders have a great pass rush, and the Browns are offensively anemic. I’m sure the Browns would have been favored by a touchdown, but how could anybody in their right mind have confidence in the Browns looking at the last 6 weeks? My point is, this loss probably knocked Cleveland out of the playoffs, but really the Browns didn’t beat a good team all season. (Maybe the Bengals could count as a “good win”.) You can point to a lot of moments, decisions, and mistakes that all made that playoff window this season a little more narrow. Coming off a season that produced 11 regular season wins and a playoff win against a rival, this season is an abject failure, and that sentiment could be seen on the players faces after the game. And that failure harkens from a series of missteps along the way in 2021.

There will be plenty of opportunities to assemble a long list of things to fix before September of 2022. (quarterback, receivers, play-calling, a new peanut vendor in section 236, etc.) But for now, the Browns are on a super-short week as they get ready to play the Packers, in Green Bay, on Christmas Day. That would be a tough assignment if you knew which players are available, but the COVID list is still in flux for the Browns, so the coaching staff are planning in the dark, so to speak. Frankly, there aren’t a lot of options to shake things up when you’ve got 4 days to prepare, let alone prepare for the best team in the NFC with all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Once again, the Browns will have to lean on their shorthanded defense, and try to keep it close into the fourth quarter. Stop back later in the week for a more detailed preview of the Christmas day clash as well as my thoughts on all things Wisconsin including bratwursts, The Bodeans, and ice fishing.

Go Browns.

*Thanks the band Deer Tick for providing the current soundtrack for the Cleveland Browns

The Playoffs Are Here!!!!

November 7, 1999, a date that certainly does not live in infamy. The Baltimore Ravens made their first ever trip to play in the hostile confines of Cleveland Browns Stadium. It’s hard to believe that that game wasn’t a primetime nationally televised contest, who wouldn’t want to watch a 1-7 team take on a 2-5 opponent. Must see TV for sure. The Browns came into the game red-hot (sarcasm intended), coming off their first win of the season against the Saints by a score of 21-16 one a last second touchdown pass from Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson. Having finally gotten off the schneid, the Browns were prepared to vanquish those poetic bastards from Baltimore. However, three hours laters, Baltimore delivered a 41-9 beatdown and the chance for an actual win streak went up in smoke. Like 14 other times that season Cleveland Sports Radio erupted on a Monday morning about all the things wrong with the Cleveland Browns. Alas, the Browns would have to wait another year to try and beat the Baltimore Ravens. (Actually they had to wait 2 more years.)

Anyway, it is the year 2021, and for all intents and purposes (or intensive purposes, or in tents with porpoises) the Cleveland Browns are in the playoffs right now. Granted, it would be better to play win-or-go-home games in January rather than week 14. But the Browns very squarely have their collective backs against the wall. Really, the only route to the playoffs is to win the division, and they have to win today in order to do so. Although they’d never admit it, I think the team and coaches are pleased to be completely and singularly focused on just this game. The list of things to be concerned with just got a lot shorter, and it is as simple as one play at a time, do your job, all that cliched football stuff. The entire organization (including the peanut vendor in section 236) are aware of the importance of this game. So much hangs in the balance; the possibility of the real playoffs this season, Baker Mayfield’s status with the team, and the mental health of all of Northern Ohio.

I wrote last week about how Browns-Ravens in week 12 wasn’t the disaster that many would describe afterward. Yes the offense was terrible, and we were the first team ever to get 4 interceptions and lose. But, despite all that, we were in a position to win that game, and with one tiny piece of luck the outcome could have easily gone the other way. So in a way, the Browns can carry some confidence into this game. The defense was great, right now Baltimore is reeling and seems to have no answer for a strong pass rush. (our strong suit) Also, the Browns finally had a bye week, and I’m sure Stefanski and his crew went back to the drawing board to design some offense that will actually function. Hopefully that means we see some sets with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb on the field together, it seems like that unpredictability could pay dividends. The Browns don’t need to score 35 points to win today, really 20 points might do it considering the way the defense has been playing. So it is really a question of figuring out how to get enough going in the passing game so that the Browns can lean on their running game. Last week, Baltimore loaded up against the run, and effectively shut it down. With no downfield passing game from Cleveland, the Ravens could afford to put 8-9 guys on the line of scrimmage and bottle it up. (And they did that very effectively, the Browns averaged only 24 yards per carry)

I’m not sure what to expect from Stefanski and offensive play calling today. My confidence in him has wavered in recent weeks, but what I am sure of is that he will roll out something different today, things that Baltimore hasn’t seen us do this season. I’ve been critical of his conservative nature this season, but I’m sure with the week off, he will work in some creative plays and make the Ravens respect the passing game a bit. Also during the bye week, presumably some of Baker’s 17 different injuries improved. I expect that today Kareem Hunt will be a lot more involved, and I think he’ll catch 6-7 passes. There are some problems at tight end for the Browns today (Njoku and Bryant are both out) so that will be a challenge for the Browns as well as trying to bolster the offensive line now that Jack Conklin is out for the season.

Despite the problems facing the Browns, I believe the Browns are going to come out like a house on fire and overwhelm the Ravens early. They just watched the Steelers sack Lamar Jackson last week 7 times, and they are confident they can disrupt that Raven offense. I hope the Browns win the coin toss, and take the ball first to try to score right away and set the tone. Whatever happens today, I hope the Browns come out and do something unexpected, whether it’s a fake punt, some direct snap stuff, whatever. The sense of urgency is at an all-time high for this team, particularly for Stefanski and Baker, and I think that will translate to a high energy performance today. I would love to make a prediction that the Browns win by double digits, but it feels like it’s going to be a close game in the fourth quarter. I like the Browns to win something like 23-20, and keep the dream alive of winning the AFC north.


Go Browns.

In Cleveland, things are never as bad or as good as they might seem

There is a special kind of knee-jerk reaction that only occurs in Cleveland Ohio. Recency bias doesn’t even begin to describe how quickly fans and even sportswriters can vacillate between “we’ve got a championship caliber team” and “we’re in the toilet”. It’s a town that only cares about what you’ve done for them lately, as in yesterday. Forget about last week, last month, and god forbid you consider past seasons as reference points to evaluate a current organization. My point is that for the better part of two decades, the Cleveland Browns did not play a meaningful game in the month of December. This is a team that averaged four wins a year over the span of 15 seasons. This is a team that Terry Pluto would optimistically pick to go 6-10 every year. We all craved relevance more than anything, we wanted to see the Browns in the first couple of stories on Sportscenter as Christmas approached. The 2017 season is not ancient history, and nether is that stupid 0-16 parade at the stadium. So take a second, recognize the Browns are 6-6 and in the hunt for a playoff spot.

I get that it’s difficult to objectively assess a team after an inexplicable loss like last week to Baltimore. It’s mind boggling that the defense had four interceptions, held a team to 16 points, and still managed to lose. The Cleveland offense was terrible, and there’s a litany of columns you can find on cleveland.com about all of the details about why that was. The game was a huge opportunity for Cleveland to stick their toe in the playoff door in the AFC, and instead they stepped in a St. Bernard-sized pile of dog poop. 

So of course it was all doom and gloom across the sports landscape in Cleveland last week. Granted there are some valid concerns; Baker’s creaky shoulder, dropped passes, and the complete lack of a downfield threat, and the paltry 2.4 yards per rushing attempt. However, I wonder how the conversation would have gone if just one play had gone the other way. (Like if Lamar Jackson doesn’t make that crazy TD pass to Andrews, or if Austin Hooper actually catches a pass.) Listening to Cleveland sports radio this week, you would think that the Browns were completely outplayed in every facet, and that it was totally a one-sided affair, when in fact it was not. The Browns were in position to win the game, and very nearly did, although that’s not the takeaway you would get from any article or podcast. It is true that the offense was anemic, and the play-calling bizarre, but with all that went wrong, it’s not a stretch to say the Browns could have won that game. I can only imagine how that would have been on Monday morning across Cleveland. This team is gritty, they’d say, they didn’t play well but they gutted out a road win against a rival. Or something like Baker played hurt, was willing to put it all on the line for a win. It would take about 12 seconds to jump right into playoff talk, Hey we won at Baltimore, we can beat them again, and be in the mix to win the division. But the thing is, it’s the same players, the same coaching, and 56 of 57 plays would be the same. So the outcome of a single play changes the narrative by 180 degrees. Such a fickle bunch, these Clevelanders. I heard everything from cutting Baker, firing Stefanski, to replacing the peanut vendor in section 236. There are five games to go, and three are in Cleveland, the situation isn’t as dire as some would have you believe. The bye week couldn’t come soon enough, and although the fan base didn’t take a deep breath and relax, hopefully the coaches, players, and peanut vendors did.

The truth is that this team is definitely good enough to beat Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati, there is no question about that. We are not going to be overmatched in any of those games, and we match up well with those teams and I expect that games will all be close in the fourth quarter. Hopefully, we get a play that goes our way late in the game, and we keep the playoff hopes alive one more week. I’m happy to go into this last stretch with the defense playing out of their minds, and with Stefanski using the bye week to reinvigorate the offense. Regardless of how it shakes out with the playoffs, the Browns are probably at worst going to finish 9-8, and for how many seasons would we have all been delighted at finishing over .500?

Go Browns.

 

Off to Baltimore for a Primetime Showdown

Way to go NFL schedule makers. It’s absurd to play the same divisional opponent in back to back games, I’m not sure I can ever remember that happening in the NFL. Turns out that it hasn’t happened since 1991 and maybe I was too busy waiting in line for tickets to Silence of the Lambs to pay close attention to the Chargers schedule that year. Granted there is a bye week sandwiched in between the games, but what a “Cleveland” thing to have happen to us.

Regardless, Cleveland heads to Baltimore for a primetime game against the Ravens tonight, kickoff at 2:20 AM CET, so I’ll be reaping the benefits over the overpriced NFL gameday package in the morning. What a wild ride it has been for the Browns this year. Like many people across Northern Ohio, I had sky high expectations coming into this season. Not the superbowl necessarily, but I felt like it was reasonable to expect the Browns to make it into the AFC championship game. I thought the defense was retooled, a proper training camp would help this season to get off to a good start, and they would build on the momentum from last year. I thought the offense could be counted on for at least 28 points a game. But here we are with a team that hasn’t scored more than 17 points in five of the last six games. We’ve got a war-torn quarterback with a cranky attitude, a head coach that hasn’t been rolling out great game plans as of late, and every other week we seem to give up 40 points. And we even had a resounding chorus of boos at home last week in a win (albeit anemic) over the Lions. Suffice to say, this season hasn’t gone like we anticipated.

With six games remaining on the schedule, the Browns have work to do to try to win 10 or 11 games to try to squeak into the playoffs. In addition to 2 games with the Ravens, the Browns have tough road games at Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Green Bay. The point is, we’re sort of behind the eight ball right now, our backs are against the wall, or whatever cliche you prefer. I think the silver lining in all of this is that the Browns are absolutely forced to play each week like a playoff game, they can be singularly focused for a week at a time. That keeps the to-do list short in a way, and maybe they can filter out a lot of the noise and focus on what is right in front of them.

The Ravens are a tough team to figure out. They have great wins against the Chiefs and the Chargers, but they’ve also lost to the Dolphins and Bengals. The defense is nothing special, and actually they are dead last against the pass. They are no longer the unit with Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, and you can see that some teams have taken advantage of that. Of course, I thought Baker Mayfield and the offense were going to feast on the Lions and run up the score, but they couldn’t sustain drives, and Baker threw a couple of interceptions. (And followed up a shitty performance with middle school behavior by skipping the post-game press conference.) On paper, the Browns ought to be able to move the ball against Baltimore, plus Kareem Hunt and Jack Conklin are back tonight and that could inject some much needed energy into the offense. On offense, Cleveland ought to be able to control the ball with its power running game, and keep Lamar off the field. I think if they can stay committed to the run, and spice it up just enough with deeper throws, the Browns have a chance at scoring on this Ravens defense. As far as slowing down Lamar Jackson, it sure seems like a ton of blitzing and pressure is the way to do that. Miami blitzed him 35 times and completely derailed the Baltimore offense a few weeks ago. However, the Browns are not a team that blitzes all that much, but I’m sure Joe Woods is aware of how crucial that could be in this pseudo-playoff game tonight.

When the dust settles, and the Browns leave that awful city, I think we will have seen an inspired Cleveland offense, and a defense that was just barely good enough to contain the Ravens . It’s probably a stretch, but I like the Browns to come out a winner by a score of 27-24 tonight, and then enjoy a much needed week off to heal up and get ready to play the Ravens again.

Go Browns.

The Emotional Roller Coaster Continues

 A Visit to Cincinnati Moves the Browns to 5-4

I really take a weird personal satisfaction when the Browns beat the Bengals, and I’m not sure why that is. Despite being in the same state and sharing an interstate, it’s not really a rivalry like you would expect, it’s not nearly the delight I take in beating the Steelers. Maybe my dislike for Cincinnati goes back to Sam Wyche’s famous address to the crowd in 1989, or maybe it’s my disrespect for their bizarre chili concoction. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Cincinnati is more Kentucky than Ohio, sort of like a red-headed step cousin that you see once a year. The Browns have now beaten them 4 straight times, averaging 35 points a game, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Not a lot of game notes to mention, the Browns absolutely trucked the Bengals. The tone was set early on after Denzel Ward ran back an interception for 99 yards, and Cincinnati never got on track. Baker had a perfect QB rating for the first half, and the offense (again) looked much better with Odell Beckham mucking it up with temper tantrums and pouty sideline behavior. Good Riddance. All in all, a fun time was had by all in a 41-16 win over the hapless Bengals.

A Trip to New England is the Stuff of Nightmares.

It all started out so promising, the Browns received the kickoff, and marched 84 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. My man D’Ernest Johnson rushed for 61 yards on 5 carries, but Austin Hooper had the score and it looked like the Browns had a solid game plan for the patriots. However, as you are well aware, the Browns couldn’t get out of their own way for the remaining 55 minutes of the game and the Patriots rattled off 45 unanswered points. It is as one-sided a loss as maybe I have ever watched, and I am including those garbage teams immediately after 1999. Inexplicably, after all of the success running the ball on the first possession, the Browns only ran twice for the remainder of the first half. That’s squarely on the coaching, from my perspective Stefanski had a rough game calling plays. (I’m still unclear on why you have an offensive coordinator if he doesn’t call plays on game day. What really is Alex Van Pelt’s role?) But the defense also had a nightmare day as New England tortured them with screens and reverses all day. Rookie quarterback never really broke a sweat as he went 19/23 against the Browns swiss cheese pass defense.

It wasn’t just the defense and the coaching staff who had a bad day, Baker was as bad as I have ever seen him, missing guys by a few yards when they were wide open and generally running for his life. I think the thing that Browns fans might have observed most prominently was the performance of Mac Jones. We saw him do everything we wished Baker could do. Quick outs, deep throws, incredible touch, delivering the ball with different speeds. (Baker is 100 mph regardless of if the throw is 6 yards or 60) Mac Jones was drafted in the middle of the first round, and time will tell if he turns out to have a fruitful career, but so far he looks like a gem that Patriots stumbled across. However, it’s worth noting that Baker had a great rookie year, but in subsequent offseasons, it looks like NFL defensive coordinators have caught up to him. We all know that Baker has a serious injury in his (non-throwing) shoulder as well as various other bumps and bruises, and while we respect that he wants to play hurt, maybe it’s not worth it. Look for the Baltimore preview where I detail the tough decision Stefanski has if Baker stinks it up in the first half. Also, mid-week I’ll publish a piece about the problem surrounding Baker’s contract status.

Oh yeah, we also played the Lions.

Detroit made their way to Cleveland in week 11, and despite a plucky effort, they managed to maintain their winless record. You would think that the Browns could play relaxed, Nick Chubb was coming back, Detroit has a terrible run defense, and a winless team is winless for a reason. However, Lions head coach Dan Campbell has managed to get his guys to play very hard each week, and sure enough it was close down the stretch. With the Browns leading 13-7, Baker threw an interception and everybody in FirstEnergy Stadium got pretty nervous. Thankfully, Coach Campbell inexplicably kicked a field goal to make it 13-10 with nine minutes left in the game. Lions fans are right to be angry about that, when you don’t have a win and it’s mid-November, I would think you do everything possible to get a win and avoid a winless season. Detroit ended up with another possession, and ended up punting with 2:36 remaining, which also is tough to explain. Regardless, the Browns find themselves at 6-5 after a bizarre month.

Big Ben crushes dreams (again) and the Browns head to Cincy

Yikes. Not sure I can summarize the loss to the Steelers any more concisely than that. On the long, long list of deflating games that I was excited about for a week, this is by far the top of the list. (At least since 1999) I didn’t expect the Browns to roll over the Steelers, and full disclosure, I knew my 27-13 prediction was wildly ambitious. First off, it was legitimately difficult to stay awake during the 1930’s style football that was on display in the first half. (The only other game I can recall with less scoring was when the Browns beat the Bills 6-3 in 2009 in what was widely regarded as one of the most atrocious games ever played.) All week long, I was talking myself into believing that Nick Chubb returning would be impactful (it wasn’t) and that the Browns would be able to throw against Pittsburgh (they weren’t). If my wildest dreams are realized, then that’s the last time we see Roethlisberger play in Cleveland. He has absolutely owned the Browns for the better part of two decades, and he did it again with relative ease last week. It’s unreal how many different ways he’s done it; high scoring shootouts, defensive battles, massive blowouts, and once he led the winning drive while eating a Primanti Brothers sandwich. So honestly, perhaps nobody is surprised by the result last week.

Regardless, there are some talking points from this game to address. Jarvis Landry had a terrible game, and he knows it. Two clear drops and a fumble were likely the difference between winning and losing this game. It was a very uncharacteristic game from him, and I’d bet the mortgage he has 12 receptions and a touchdown against the Bengals this week. He’s a fiery guy, hates losing, and can inspire a locker room. (Cue Hard Knocks from a few years ago.) Baker wasn’t terrible, he just wasn’t anything special, and yes that could be partly due to his surrounding cast. But when the Browns got the ball at their own 40, with 3 timeouts, down by 5 points, I told my editor that this is where good teams go on to score and put a game away. It started out promising, but fizzled after a false start put us in 3rd and 16. Baker threw a 4 yard pass for some reason, then on 4th and 12 Landry couldn’t catch a ball that hit him in both hands. At that point, it was all over but the shoutin’.

The other major talking point could be a source of optimism. The defense played well, holding the Steelers to 9 points through the first three quarters. They held Pittsburgh to 4-13 on third down, and did their part to give the offense a chance to win the game. The defensive line is playing well as a unit, and probably the best aspect of this entire football team. The secondary struggled at times, I still can’t figure out why they get picked apart each week. They’ve given up 17 passing touchdowns in 8 games, which is third worst in the league. They seem more talented and athletic than that, I wonder how much of it is the scheme that Joe Woods is trying to roll out. It might be worth noting that if you take out the 47 points the Chargers scored on us, the Browns are allowing 19 points a game. (That type of dodgy statistical analysis is very similar to when my students are quick to dismiss an “outlier” in the data from the lab.) Point being, the defense is putting the offense in a good situation most weeks, and the offense only needs to be a little above average to start stringing some wins together.

Despite a loss and the Browns slipping to 4-4, by far the biggest story of the week was the release of Odell Beckham Jr. I guess the reason it is such a big story is because at one point, OBJ was a potential superstar like maybe we’ve never seen. But his actual list of accomplishments isn’t really that remarkable. The thing everybody knows about OBJ is the crazy one-handed catch against the Cowboys, in a game the Giants actually lost. He has played in one playoff game (a loss) and caught 4 passes for 28 yards. His numbers since coming to Cleveland are not even mediocre; in 29 games he has 1500 yards and 7 touchdowns. I don’t know why it didn’t click with Odell and Baker, but there is no question about it. The front office has seen enough, and the video Odell Sr. posted pushed OBJ right out of Cleveland. I bear no ill will to Odell, he is an incredible athlete, and a threat every time he touches the ball, but it’s just not meant to be here in Cleveland. I hope he has a great career somewhere else (hopefully in the NFC).

Next up Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Obviously I have used the phrase “the biggest game in recent memory” many times on this blog, but it’s not hyperbole to apply to this game. There are only 9 games left in the season, and it’s going to take 10 wins to make the playoffs, so the Browns have almost no room for error. They play the Ravens twice, they travel to Green Bay on Christmas day, and they play at the Patriots as well. So The Browns are going to have to really find a way to grind out 6 wins the rest of the way. Stefanski says the right things, about focusing on this week's opponent only, and all that, but surely that locker room knows that the playoffs probably hang in the balance of this game. And there are story loans galore in this game. Baker Mayfield desperately want to refute the implication that he isn’t a good enough quarterback to play with OBJ, Stefanski needs to come up with a game plan that will play to Baker’s strengths (something he hasn’t done particularly well), and I need a plan to stay awake until 10:30 CET time to see the end of the game. (Not as easy as it sounds with sick toddler all weekend) It’s hard to get a read on the players reaction to OBJ being released, I’m sure there’s a number of guys that think he gave the Browns a better chance to win when he played. (Turns out that is not statistically supported.) But winning cures all ills, so if the Browns can go out and score a bunch of points on the Bengals, they can go into preparing for the Patriots feeling a little more relaxed. It’s not often that I think it is necessary to score “style points” (I get it, a win is a win is a win.) But the Browns anemic passing game desperately needs a jump start, and I think everybody will breathe a little easier if the Browns can score 4 touchdowns. That’s definitely not a long shot, last year the Browns won both games 35-30 and 37-34. Of course, the Bengals are fired up for the game because two weeks ago they were the darlings of the NFL, and they promptly got beat by the one-win Jets. The Bengals offense is productive for sure, averaging 28 points a game, so I’m expecting fireworks today. Other things I’m expecting: David Njoku scores, Myles Garrett has a strip sack, Landry has 100+ yards and a touchdown, and the staff at 4338 makes it until the end of the game. I think the Browns are going to come out on top, by a score of 34-27.


Go Browns.