Our offense wasn't good, but our defense was horrible.

It's been over 24 hours and I still don't feel much better about this team. I can only hope that much of the schemes and play calling were to evaluated players.

 

Although, I did see something in Manziel's play for the first time. He's still got a long way to go.

 

On a related note I agreed to go to the home opener. I must be a glutton for punishment.

I wish I had been more vocal within in my social circles about my thoughts on Manziel and this team pre and post draft. At least then I could be all I told you so, blah blah blah. But now I just have another season of a crappy football team I supposedly care about.

I wish I had been more vocal within in my social circles about my thoughts on Manziel and this team pre and post draft. At least then I could be all I told you so, blah blah blah. But now I just have another season of a crappy football team I supposedly care about.

 

Peter King is speculating that if the Browns tank the season, they'll have two picks in the top five of the draft.

 

Yeah Cleveland! Just 8 months until the draft woohooo!!!

I wish I had been more vocal within in my social circles about my thoughts on Manziel and this team pre and post draft. At least then I could be all I told you so, blah blah blah. But now I just have another season of a crappy football team I supposedly care about.

 

Peter King is speculating that if the Browns tank the season, they'll have two picks in the top five of the draft.

 

Yeah Cleveland! Just 8 months until the draft woohooo!!!

 

:bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

Still lots of football left to be played. So stay away from the I-480 bridge.

Still lots of football left to be played. So stay away from the I-480 bridge.

 

I still think think Hoyer is going to snap out of this, and show promise once again. Though I am intrigued and kinda want to see Manziel in on certain plays.

 

And I'm actually a Chargers fan....so Coronado Bridge.

our defense was horrible.

 

Only on 3rd down.  In other words, when it counted.  I'm not panicking about the D, though.  We were missing our two starting CBs.  I am panicking about the O.  If the O can't keep the defense off the field, it will make that unit look a lot worse than it is.

our defense was horrible.

 

Only on 3rd down.

 

I'd say mostly on 3rd down.  And I think it's because the problem is mostly our secondary.  And 3rd down was mostly when they exposed our secondary.

^And when the Rams QBs put the ball exactly where it needed to be.  A few of those Bradford throws would've been completed, even with Dion Sanders and Ronnie Lott in double-coverage.  There are indeed times in the NFL when there is literally nothing the defense can do to stop it.

 

Ironically, as well as the Rams played and as awful as the Browns played, I'm still 10x more pissed if I am a Rams' fan following Saturday's game.  We took a beating which no one will remember in a week, but they took a 'beating' which will be felt all year and possibly beyond.

Whatever the NFL ruling is on Josh Gordon (ESPN says it will be announced today), word is that the Browns organization is furious about it. Doesn't sound good.

He's gone for a year

 

https://t.co/N9Wry8mwM8

Statement from #Browns Gordon, through NFLPA:I'’d like to apologize to my teammates, coaches,  Cleveland Browns organization and our fans...

More from Gordon ... I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn’'t exercise better discretion and judgment in my case.

More #Browns Gordon ... I would like to sincerely thank the people who have been incredibly supportive of me during this challenging time.

 

I sure hope Gordon's lawyers were standing on the Cuyahoga County Courthouse steps this morning waiting for the expected ruling. Now that it's out, I hope they file a restraining order and an appeal.

This is NOT a good move by the NFL- talk about bad public relations... Ray Rice anyone?

I understand not giving him the benefit of the doubt but what the hell took 5 months?

Next Josh thinks about firing up a blunt, he should consider beating his lady instead so the NFL will let him keep playing football.

I understand not giving him the benefit of the doubt but what the hell took 5 months?

 

The NFL hates Cleveland. Why the hell did it take three whole years without football to put together that crappy team/organization?

This will be the first time since Jim Brown walked away in 1966 that an @nfl rushing or receiving leader will miss the following season.

Another problem is that we live in 2014 while the NFL lives in 1954.

 

And I'm sure the NFL is going to ban Jim Irsay for a full year too, right? Right??

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but my suspicion is that they pushed this ruling back even further simply to try to put time between this decision and the horrible Ray Rice decision. Either way, the Browns are doubly screwed because this means that Gordon will miss all of training camp and most of the preaseason NEXT year as well.

 

What I don't understand is how the NFLPA could allow the NFL to put the discipline procedure for this type of infraction into writing while it leaves many of the other infractions (such as beating your girlfriend) up to the discretion of the league? Clearly there's a gross double-standard here, but how did this even come about.

 

Regardless, for the lawyers that post here, what might Gordon's chances look like were he to take this to court?

^Not true.  There seems to have been a slight mitigation of the penalty at the time of the original ruling.  The arbitrator had no authority to modify the penalty..... he either had to uphold it or reverse the decision in total.  The mitigation which apparently happened is that Josh can apply for reinstatement as soon as the 2014 season comes to an end.  So he could be officially back on the field during the summer minicamps. 

 

Next Josh thinks about firing up a blunt, he should consider beating his lady instead so the NFL will let him keep playing football.

 

Hell... even a Bill Clinton toke off the blunt is apparently worse than knocking out a woman.

Another problem is that we live in 2014 while the NFL lives in 1954.

 

And I'm sure the NFL is going to ban Jim Irsay for a full year too, right? Right??

How many strikes does Irsay have on him?

How many strikes does Irsay have on him?

 

I don't think owners are addressed by same tiered system as what exists in the CBA. Which is fine as long as owners are held to higher standards, especially when they do worse things than what Gordon has done.

^Not true.  There seems to have been a slight mitigation of the penalty at the time of the original ruling.  The arbitrator had no authority to modify the penalty..... he either had to uphold it or reverse the decision in total.  The mitigation which apparently happened is that Josh can apply for reinstatement as soon as the 2014 season comes to an end.  So he could be officially back on the field during the summer minicamps. 

 

Next Josh thinks about firing up a blunt, he should consider beating his lady instead so the NFL will let him keep playing football.

 

Hell... even a Bill Clinton toke off the blunt is apparently worse than knocking out a woman.

 

Well, the reinstatement timing is good news.

 

Here's a piece on Gordon's potential legal options:

 

http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/08/28/josh-gordon-suspension-browns-nfl-legal-options

Couldn't they find somebody younger than 60 to be his supposed teammate?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0_aBMgBo_k

Couldn't they find somebody younger than 60 to be his supposed teammate?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0_aBMgBo_k

 

Wow....

I think it's a very funny commercial.

The funny thing is that even those women make him look small

I think it's a very funny commercial.

 

Self-deprecating humor goes a long way with me!

JKP - You seem like a reasonable guy.  Why you would block me from the Playhouse Square discussion based on my opinion that there are no people on the streets says al lot about why Cleveland is stuck in the past.  I won't be participating in conversations on this forum any longer.  Good people here but you need an outsider perspective to keep things grounded and clearly you are part of the Cleveland past.

As long as we are out in left field, I would like to mention that you should never criticize someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes.  At least then you are a mile away, and you have their shoes.

Nate Burleson is gone.....

Dion Lewis too.  I'm surprised by both of those cuts

 

Obignaya not so much. Obi is a good football player, but probably not much more than a special teamer in the NFL

^ Chris Ogbonnaya was always solid when we actually used him.

 

Rushing Stats

2013 - 49 att 240 yds 4.9 avg

2011 - 73 att 334 yds 4.6 avg

 

He had some nice long runs as well and was a great receiving option. Sad to see him go. Never really got a good opportunity IMO.

^ Yeah, I don't understand all that either.  When a running back is averaging almost 5 yards a carry I'd think you'd use him.  Instead we relied on a couple of guys averaging half that and whine that we didn't have a run game.

Dion Lewis too.  I'm surprised by both of those cuts

 

Obignaya not so much. Obi is a good football player, but probably not much more than a special teamer in the NFL

Sad to see Lewis go I was a fan of his, and thought he could do well but that broken leg really set him back.

FOOOTBAALLL!!!

I have never been so pleased by a Browns loss. If they play the rest of the season like they did during the second half, the Browns may win a few here and there.

Let's hope Justin Gilbert figures it out. That was one of the roughest first games for a rookie I've seen in a long time.

Let's hope Justin Gilbert figures it out. That was one of the roughest first games for a rookie I've seen in a long time.

I don't get all the attention a guy playing in his first NFL game is getting, while 5-year veteran Haden looked just as bad.  My money is on Gilbert being better than Haden in 5 years.

Haden wasn't good either, but Gilbert was definitely worse.  The out route in the first half he took a bad angle on should have been a touchdown.  He looked like a fool a few other times, including when he ended up on the ground on the last play before the field goal at the end of the game.  But perhaps the play that really cost us the game was when he messed up and didn't cover the gunner that allowed the fake punt to work and cost us field position with 2 minutes left in the game.

Haden looked bad?  He was right there with Brown on each time he was covering him, even making up the ground on that one touchdown after Brown pushed off (with no flag thrown).  He was simply the victim of perfect throws and catches.  The ball was right where it needed to be on each of those..... nearly indefensible.  With these new rules handcuffing the DBs, the smaller, quicker receivers like Brown are going to thrive.  The only way to guard those guys before was to get your hands on them.  I don't care if it is Dion Sanders out there, nobody is staying step for step with the likes of Antonio Brown if you are not allowed to put a hand on him in coverage.  He is too 'jitter-buggy' to cover like a blanket under these new rules.  Brown had a great day, but Haden was right there on him for most of those catches.

Jordan Cameron's shoulder is something to worry about.  If it is an AC joint sprain, those can nag and nag, with continued aggravations, until the proper rest is had.  But it might be something worse.  I was once diagnosed with an AC joint sprain and was basically told to tough it out.  That was in preseason camp.  When it hadn't gotten any better by March, the doctors took a closer look and found a small fracture at the end of my collar bone.  They said it was an injury more typically seen in hockey from players being slammed up against the glass.  Since it had gone untreated for more than 6 months, an arthritic-like condition had formed and they had to saw off about two inches of the bone.  Point being, if they need to shut Cameron down, they best do that, or him leaving the game early yesterday might become a routine.

I don't get all the attention a guy playing in his first NFL game is getting, while 5-year veteran Haden looked just as bad.  My money is on Gilbert being better than Haden in 5 years.

 

Gilbert is certainly more physically gifted.

 

The defense was the biggest letdown for me yesterday. If you score 27 points, you should win an NFL game.

 

Terrance West and Isiah Crowell were the biggest, most pleasant surprises for me yesterday. The fact that this was their first-ever game in the NFL gives me hope for the future.

^Notice how much better the D played yesterday when the offense kept them off the field in the second half?  Going 3-and-out is just as devastating to your defense as it is your offense.

^Notice how much better the D played yesterday when the offense kept them off the field in the second half?  Going 3-and-out is just as devastating to your defense as it is your offense.

 

Yep, but I think it was a combination of things. First, Pittsburgh slacked off. Second, Wynn and Kitchen spelled Taylor and Rubin. Third, the running game gave the defense a blow and the up-tempo offense wore out the Steelers' D.

 

And then....

 

 

So, based on the above:

 

Hit your fiancee - 2 games suspension

Hit an opponent - 4 games suspension

Hit a joint - 16 game suspension

Kick an opponent in the face - Personal foul

Not sure about Kitchen, but Winn played regularly throughout the game.

 

I don't think Pittsburgh "slacked off".  They started playing like they were up 24 points, which they were.  They might have played more conservative, but so would just about every other team in that situation.  Once we cut the lead to 10, the Steelers scrapped that plan, but couldn't get it going.

 

With regard to the kick to Lanning's face, I think that is being waaaaaaay overblown.  Punters are notorious for trying to cut out the legs of a returner.  Brown was anticipating Lanning going lower and was clearly trying to hurdle Lanning.  If his intent was to kick Lanning in the face, while the two were flying at each other full speed on a football field, that was some Bruce Lee type sh!t.  It's, for sure, nothing like the Haynesworth incident 5 or so years ago in that there was no malicious intent.  We'll see what the league says, but my guess is that nothing is done.

I don't get all the attention a guy playing in his first NFL game is getting, while 5-year veteran Haden looked just as bad.  My money is on Gilbert being better than Haden in 5 years.

 

Gilbert is certainly more physically gifted.

 

The defense was the biggest letdown for me yesterday. If you score 27 points, you should win an NFL game.

 

Terrance West and Isiah Crowell were the biggest, most pleasant surprises for me yesterday. The fact that this was their first-ever game in the NFL gives me hope for the future.

Bitonio also impressed me, no coincidence that 3 different RB's ran for 6+ yards/carry.  And agree, 27 points on the road should be enough to win.

Some media reports indicate Josh Gordon could be reinstated as early as today if the NFL votes to adopt the new drug policy and applies it retroactively.

 

The new drug policy would likely take effect retroactively for the 2014 "league year" which began in March. Gordon's failed test was in February. The NFL ruled against him in April. So which one will the NFL account for?

 

EDIT: The NFLPA will meet via a teleconference call tonight at 9 pm ET. Stay tuned.

^There are some rumblings out there that the modification of the policy will only apply retroactively to drug tests failed during the 2014 season.  In that scenario, Welker's suspension is lifted, but not Gordon's

^There are some rumblings out there that the modification of the policy will only apply retroactively to drug tests failed during the 2014 season.  In that scenario, Welker's suspension is lifted, but not Gordon's

 

That would be a PR nightmare for the NFL, to follow up the two weeks vs. one year one.  The white receiver from Peyton's team is not suspended, while the black receiver from the Browns is?