October 3, 20213 yr Hoping this was just a bump in the road for the offense. Ugly ugly game even with Chubb gaining plenty of ground. It is concerning.
October 3, 20213 yr True. Even so, that shows the Browns strength as a team, even without Baker at his best.
October 4, 20213 yr 16 hours ago, CleveFan said: Great defensive performance today - but, wow did Baker seem off on most of his throws. That game could’ve turned into a loss when the Browns clearly dominated. I haven't seen his actual stats, but that had to be Baker's worst game since his rookie season? Thankfully the running game and defense stepped it up. That's what good teams do, so I'm told!
October 4, 20213 yr I have some concerns about Stefanski as well. Particularly related to adjustments, and perhaps outsmarting himself (like he didn’t seem to do last year). Even after it was clear that Baker was off, he didn’t adjust. In particular, several times he did something I find strategically dubious (at best) to begin with, tried to get more than twice the needed yardage on 3rd down. The throw to Beckham on the last drive was particularly irksome as it saved Minnesota a time out.
October 4, 20213 yr On a more positive note, I suspect I know why we see more of Kareem early and Nick late. It also explains using the longer passing game more than might be ideal with a run game like ours. A back like Kareem, and frequent passing, is more tiring to the defensive line and linebackers. A back like Nick, with fresh legs himself, is extra effective against a tired defense. So we’ll see Nick more at the end of long drives, and late in the game.
October 4, 20213 yr On 9/13/2021 at 8:19 AM, YABO713 said: Give me 24 hours and I'll give you all my full analysis. Overall, I'm still pretty damn pumped - but I need to let the sting fade first before I give an objective opinion lol Where have you been yabo? I’m missing your fantastic post game commentary!
October 4, 20213 yr 19 minutes ago, mkeller234 said: Where have you been yabo? I’m missing your fantastic post game commentary! Here ya go guys - Offense I was actually tweeting with @KJP about it earlier (respectfully, of course, as Ken is my guy!) ... nonetheless, I think everyone piling on the "RUN MORE" commentary to Stefanski is unfair and a bit spent at this point. In particular: We have the most rushing attempts, yards, and YPG of any other team in the NFL. If we run any more, we run the risk of becoming one-dimensional. Our entire offense is predicated on run, boot, and RPO (even our screens are often play action or boots). You cannot have one without the other. In order for Stefanski's offense to be successful, you won't see us get much outside a 55/45 or 45/55 run-pass ratio, absent a superhuman performance from Baker/OBJ/Chubb/Hunt.. Wills is hurt - he needs at least a week to rest or his ankle won't get better - dude is clearly paying through some pain and limited range of motion. I personally love our play calling. Our issue has been execution. You couldn't have gotten OBJ more open to ice the game on that play call in the 4th quarter, and Baker puts that ball on him 95/100 times. If I have a gripe with Stefanski at this point, it's that we don't utilize zone schemes enough in the run game. I think Hunt, in particular, does better finding lanes organically, as opposed to having them assigned to him. But that's a small gripe. I also love that Stefanski lines OBJ up in the slot frequently. When teams man up, if we flex Chubb or Hunt wide, they'll either have to assign a safety to OBJ, or a linebacker to Chubb or Hunt - and that favors us 9/10 times. Defense Joe Woods has been calling fantastic games thus far. In particular, his ability to utilize zone blitzes to the field (albeit sparingly) has been impossible to diagnose (the vast majority of zone blitzes come from the boundary). He trusts our secondary, and it shows. Delpit and JOK are DUDES. I could not be more impressed with both of them. JOK is equally capable blowing up a guard as he is covering a TE in space, and that's rare. He's the "heavy honey badger", and I absolutely love that he's out there on special teams too. What he's better at than anyone on our team is "setting the fence" - even if he can't make the play, he's giving his all to beat the ball carrier outside and force it back inside. Our front four (and any combination thereof) have been great. McDowell is a fantastic story and I'm really happy he's found his groove here. I've been really happy with Takitaki too, guy's tackling has improved DRASTICALLY. Special Teams Scottish hammer needs to stop going to so many Bernie Moreno fundraisers and focus on punting McGlaughlin has done an excellent job - if he can keep up this pace, I think we've got our kicker! On the Whole: Guys, we're 3-1 - with our only loss to the defending AFC champs, and we've really only played 2 to 3 quarters of all around good football. We are very, very good. The Vikings were a good team, record be damned, and we found a way to beat them on the road in a game most other teams would have lost. THERE. IS. NO. SUCH. THING. AS. AN. UGLY. WIN.
October 5, 20213 yr Annnnd suddenly just like that the Chargers look to be the best team in the AFC. Tough road ahead for the Browns.
October 5, 20213 yr I've been watching clips of them, especially JOK, and getting all the feels.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 5, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, KJP said: I've been watching clips of them, especially JOK, and getting all the feels.... Only thing he possibly could've done better is wrong shoulder the block. But phenomenal no less.
October 5, 20213 yr 9 hours ago, surfohio said: Annnnd suddenly just like that the Chargers look to be the best team in the AFC. Tough road ahead for the Browns. We're good now. We should expect to be in the AFC Championship / Super Bowl. These are the kind of games we need to get under our belt. It's exciting going into a game against an undefeated opponent and not dreading it! As an aside, I personally know 41 people going to that game Sunday in LA. Unless I'm just a major outlier, I think there's going to be a BIG contingent of Browns fans there.
October 5, 20213 yr My reason for wanting the Browns to run more is because of the injuries to Baker and the offensive line. Baker isn't going to come off the field unless his throwing shoulder got separated too. And Wills needs to sit for a week or two. He's a statue with that bum ankle. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 5, 20213 yr 42 minutes ago, YABO713 said: We're good now. We should expect to be in the AFC Championship / Super Bowl. These are the kind of games we need to get under our belt. It's exciting going into a game against an undefeated opponent and not dreading it! As an aside, I personally know 41 people going to that game Sunday in LA. Unless I'm just a major outlier, I think there's going to be a BIG contingent of Browns fans there. Huge contingent. My brother and 10 of his friends are going.
October 5, 20213 yr I wish the Chargers were still in SD. It sucks that LA has to have two of everything.
October 5, 20213 yr 2 hours ago, LibertyBlvd said: I wish the Chargers were still in SD. It sucks that LA has to have two of everything. They'll be back in SD by 2030
October 5, 20213 yr 5 minutes ago, YABO713 said: They'll be back in SD by 2030 That's a bold statement. What makes you think so? All the money Kroenke and the NFL have to pay St. Louis?
October 5, 20213 yr 10 minutes ago, YABO713 said: They'll be back in SD by 2030 2 hours ago, LibertyBlvd said: I wish the Chargers were still in SD. It sucks that LA has to have two of everything. How to Kill Off a Team's Fanbase by Dean Spanos (with foreword by Jerry Jones)
October 5, 20213 yr FWIW.... NFL Power Rankings Week 5: 1-32 poll, plus the biggest surprise for every team https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32333691/nfl-power-rankings-week-5-1-32-poll-plus-biggest-surprise-every-team
October 5, 20213 yr 50 minutes ago, Ineffable_Matt said: That's a bold statement. What makes you think so? All the money Kroenke and the NFL have to pay St. Louis? No - I actually know some people on SD's staff and front office. SD and Orange County are both expected to submit stadium proposals by 2025. And to your point, LA is a Rams and Raiders town before Chargers. Edited October 5, 20213 yr by YABO713
October 5, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, freefourur said: Let's bring the Rams back to Cleveland! The Rams have moved more than any other NFL team, right? Cleveland - LA - St. Louis -LA.
October 5, 20213 yr 15 minutes ago, LibertyBlvd said: The Rams have moved more than any other NFL team, right? Cleveland - LA - St. Louis -LA. Tied with Raiders. OAK - LA - OAK - LV.
October 10, 20213 yr Two missed PATs by the Chargers! 😮 And they apparently released the other guy that they had competing for the job: https://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/story/2021-08-31/tristan-vizcaino-is-chargers-new-kicker-as-michael-badgley-is-released Even with the other guy released, I wouldn't put great confidence in Vizcaino's long-term future with the Chargers after this.
October 10, 20213 yr Well, victory covers a lot of ills, so maybe he lives to see another day. He should be very glad that his defense forced a three and out against us on the next series and they were able to punch it in for the win since we couldn’t get out of bounds to save our lives on our final series.
October 11, 20213 yr 21 minutes ago, stpats44113 said: The officiating in that game was absolutely horrific. They Browns gave up Forty Seven points. Officiating is not the real problem.
October 11, 20213 yr I agree - bad calls against the Browns - especially that huge interference call.....But, can I complain about a couple coaching points? 1). The conservative offense when you know you HAVE to get a first down (maybe two) are super frustrating. To me, that's where you can ice that game. Knowing how Herbert is carving up your secondary - it's almost a certainty that L.A. will get the go-ahead score if you give them the ball back with 3 minutes to play - especially if they start at their 35 or 40 yard line. Do something like a quick slant, a screen - something just a little unpredictable that's not too hard for Baker and gets you those 10 yards. 2) Find a way to disrupt the Chargers on a 4th down where they're going for it again. Even if it means burning a time out - give them a different look on defense - do something to stop that offense. 3) Time management at the end of the first half. Browns were incredibly leisurely there - yea, they got the field goal - but had Hunt not dropped a pass - they would've probably run out of time. Today, I think we saw the current major weakness of the Browns - if they are in a shoot-out where there's not enough time to run the ball - and you need a quick score - do you have confidence in Baker to make the big throw downfield? Maybe it's the shoulder injury - but the passing game is just not at a high enough level right now. Good thing this game was in week 5 - there's time to learn from it, and, importantly, time to get healthier. But if we want to get to the big game - we're going to have to overcome some adversity and address some weaknesses. Edited October 11, 20213 yr by CleveFan
October 11, 20213 yr 32 minutes ago, stpats44113 said: The officiating in that game was absolutely horrific. Chargers were gifted that ridiculous pass interference call on 4th and long. That was huge.
October 11, 20213 yr 1 minute ago, CleveFan said: 1). The conservative offense when you know you HAVE to get a first down (maybe two) are super frustrating. To me, that's where you can ice that game. Knowing how Herbert is carving up your secondary - it's almost a certainty that L.A. will get the go-ahead score if you give them the ball back. This was just so obvious to everyone on planet earth....except for Kevin Stefanski.
October 11, 20213 yr What was with all the dinking and dunking over the middle with 1:30 left and 75 yards needed to get a TD?
October 11, 20213 yr That too.. At least work your sideline pass game and your two minute drill offense… Edited October 11, 20213 yr by CleveFan
October 11, 20213 yr With 1:31 left to go in the 4th and us being out of time-outs, was I the only person who believed Baker could get it done? I said, "Well, there's enough time to get down the field. Let's go Baker, make it happen"- only to waste maybe half of that time trying to get the next first down without being able to stop the clock. I like Stefanski- I really do. I think this team has a great future with his leadership. But dammit- I don't know what to make of that last drive. There had to be a play to get out of bounds and stop the clock with no time-outs. Any play. There's lots of blame to go around for this game. Sure- the Refs sucked, and our D struggled. But that game was winnable on that last drive. Baker could have gotten it done but wasn't given the chance. He's due for one game saving drive- I feel he has it in him.
October 11, 20213 yr 5 minutes ago, Oldmanladyluck said: With 1:31 left to go in the 4th and us being out of time-outs, was I the only person who believed Baker could get it done? I said, "Well, there's enough time to get down the field. Let's go Baker, make it happen"- only to waste maybe half of that time trying to get the next first down without being able to stop the clock. I like Stefanski- I really do. I think this team has a great future with his leadership. But dammit- I don't know what to make of that last drive. There had to be a play to get out of bounds and stop the clock with no time-outs. Any play. There's lots of blame to go around for this game. Sure- the Refs sucked, and our D struggled. But that game was winnable on that last drive. Baker could have gotten it done but wasn't given the chance. He's due for one game saving drive- I feel he has it in him. I also worry about the second to last drive, when we still had the lead. Baker seems to struggle when we just need a first down or two to grind out the clock. We have the best running game in football. I don't understand how we can't grind it out. But at the end of the day Baker put up 42 and the D gave up 47. There are issues well beyond Baker Mayfield. They need to find that balance of the Vikings game vs the Chargers game and become a complete championship team.
October 11, 20213 yr 43 minutes ago, Cleburger said: I also worry about the second to last drive, when we still had the lead. Baker seems to struggle when we just need a first down or two to grind out the clock. We have the best running game in football. I don't understand how we can't grind it out. But at the end of the day Baker put up 42 and the D gave up 47. There are issues well beyond Baker Mayfield. They need to find that balance of the Vikings game vs the Chargers game and become a complete championship team. I think people forget how injured the defense was. We pretty much were using backup corners and we were missing one of our best linemen against one of the most prolific offenses in the league. The safeties looked terrible though, can't explain that one.
October 17, 20213 yr Ouch. I feel like with all the injuries we were watching the season end today. Hoping they can turn it around!
October 18, 20213 yr Cliché to say - but - injuries are a big part of the NFL - Browns have got to work through them - grind out some tough wins. It’s not going to be easy making the playoffs but if we can do that - and assuming we get healthy again - I think the Browns are much more than a .500 team. Baker is kind of a microcosm of the team right now. It feels like there’s plenty of blame to go round from coaching on down. Super short week to try to turn things around against a good Denver team.
October 19, 20213 yr WOW "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 22, 20213 yr On 10/20/2021 at 1:28 PM, LibertyBlvd said: So this could be another ugly loss. It wasn't! HA. The Brown's earned a "W" on TV. I'm happy! After giving up a ton of points last week, I'm glad the defense was present. Lets hope more healthy body's return to the line up in the next few weeks!
November 2, 20213 yr Wow silence here at UrbanOhio on the Browns… says a lot. So here's something... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 2, 20213 yr Most people I’ve talked to are still traumatized by that Jackson-era performance. My hovercraft is full of eels
November 2, 20213 yr 1 hour ago, roman totale XVII said: Most people I’ve talked to are still traumatized by that Jackson-era performance. Analytics: When the Browns go for it on 4th down I know it's time to start doing something else for the next few hours/days.
November 2, 20213 yr 18 minutes ago, surfohio said: Analytics: When the Browns go for it on 4th down I know it's time to start doing something else for the next few hours/days. When it works, it's a great decision. When it doesn't work, it's a stupid decision.
November 5, 20213 yr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 5, 20213 yr Last year, it was stated that the "disconnect" between Baker and Odell was due to the lack of a real training camp. When things came together for Baker and the Browns had to do with having the bye week to work on schemes. The timing of Odell getting hurt and being out of the lineup just happened to be at the same time. Now, it will be interesting to see with Odell's departure if the offense is better. Based upon some "off the record" statements, Odell being open had much more to do with him running whatever he pleased regarding pass routes (as he also did with the Giants). When the quarterback has only so much time to attempt to make a pass (especially having to face an increased rush due to offensive linemen injuries), he doesn't have the time to try to figure out where his receivers might be instead of where they should be. It also helps if the receiver actually catches the ball.
November 5, 20213 yr 4 minutes ago, LifeLongClevelander said: Based upon some "off the record" statements, Odell being open had much more to do with him running whatever he pleased regarding pass routes (as he also did with the Giants). When the quarterback has only so much time to attempt to make a pass (especially having to face an increased rush due to offensive linemen injuries), he doesn't have the time to try to figure out where his receivers might be instead of where they should be. It also helps if the receiver actually catches the ball. I can definitely see that. So in that case OBJ had better have a Patrick Mahomes or Russel Wilson at QB. Like, guys who are ridiculous at avoiding the pass rush and extending plays. Edited November 5, 20213 yr by surfohio
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