Whew! I was worried that we weren't going to get our 5 wins

Whew! I was worried that we weren't going to get our 5 wins

 

Nothing like a QB controversy on our way to a meaningless season....

Our defense and special teams won that game.  It also helped that we were able to run the ball effectively.  Johnny Manziel did make two nice throws on those deep balls, but I think he still has a lot to prove.  Take away those two throws and he was 6-13 for 62 yards.  He really didn't do anything for the entire middle of the game.

oakland beat the ravens -- should be fun next week!

 

 

Ummm.....he looks like he might be what we used to call "mildly retarded"....though I guess it could be alcohol it doesn't look like it.

Our defense and special teams won that game.  It also helped that we were able to run the ball effectively.  Johnny Manziel did make two nice throws on those deep balls, but I think he still has a lot to prove.  Take away those two throws and he was 6-13 for 62 yards.  He really didn't do anything for the entire middle of the game.

 

Take away those two throws? That's like saying "take away what Johnny does and you get...." Those plays were vintage Johnny Football. On the first bomb to Rabbit, he ran a convincing play-action fake and drew the safeties in toward the LOS (still don't think a convincing running game can produce an explosive passing game?). On the second, his rollout left Orakpo panicked "Oh sh!t" and the safety was sucked in to stop Johnny from running. Johnny said when he saw that, he knew he could get a big play.

He hit on two of three deep balls he threw.  I gave him credit for making great plays on those two, but he's not going to hit on those every game.  I'm more worried about the three quarter stretch in between where he did next to nothing and cotninued to show he needs to learn to protect the ball.

 

 

 

Even with those two bombs, he only threw for 173 yards.  I'm not saying he played a bad game, but all of a sudden my Facebook feed was blowing up with people thinking he's once again the savior of the franchise, and that game was surely not deserving of that reaction.  It was a mediocre performance at best (which is better than what he had seen out of him up to that point).

He hit on two of three deep balls he threw.  I gave him credit for making great plays on those two, but he's not going to hit on those every game.  I'm more worried about the three quarter stretch in between where he did next to nothing and cotninued to show he needs to learn to protect the ball.

 

 

 

Even with thos etwo bombs, he only threw for 173 yards.

 

But after we built our lead early in the 1st quarter, our offense was tailored to rely overwhelmingly on the run.

But after we built our lead early in the 1st quarter, our offense was tailored to rely overwhelmingly on the run.

 

For the most part, but he still didn't do much when we needed him to.  6-13 and a fumble in that stretch is not very good.  And we were only up 7-0 after the first TD.  It's not like we went into the "prevent offense" at that point.

But after we built our lead early in the 1st quarter, our offense was tailored to rely overwhelmingly on the run.

 

For the most part, but he still didn't do much when we needed him to.  6-13 and a fumble in that stretch is not very good.  And we were only up 7-0 after the first TD.  It's not like we went into the "prevent offense" at that point.

 

Because of the way teams go about preparing a starting QB in the pre-season (which is stupid imho) I think it's understandable how a young backup might go through these kinda bad stretches.

 

I said this upthread a while back, much of the Browns failures can be blamed on complete lack of chemistry. Their offense hasn't had much of any consistency in ages.

Ah, the time-honored tradition of giving up points before half.

Ah, the time-honored tradition of giving up points before half.

 

Followed by the fleeting glimpse of hope, ending with a kick to the nut$ at the end.    This my friends, is Browns football. 

Playing not to lose almost cost the Raiders.  Had they kept the throttle open, they probably could've hung 40 on the Browns defense.

To state the obvious, if you want to be a team that runs the ball and stops the run, you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run.

To state the obvious, if you want to be a team that runs the ball and stops the run, you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run.

 

Give that man a post-game interview!    You got the chops! :)

Congrats Browns. You just went 1-2 in the "easy" part of your schedule. Wake me when it's over.

This team just seems loaded with players who can't win one on one matchup's.  Haden is getting owned weekly by other team's #1 WR, Shelton can't get a push, Mack can't get a push, Whiffner can't tackle in space, nobody can beat their man in a pass rush, Mingo gets dragged around the field, RB's can't break a tackle, etc, etc..

 

Until they get some difference makers at ANY position, they'll remain bottom feeders.

This team just seems loaded with players who can't win one on one matchup's.  Haden is getting owned weekly by other team's #1 WR, Shelton can't get a push, Mack can't get a push, Whiffner can't tackle in space, nobody can beat their man in a pass rush, Mingo gets dragged around the field, RB's can't break a tackle, etc, etc..

 

Until they get some difference makers at ANY position, they'll remain bottom feeders.

 

Perhaps the next national article will be about the Browns new philosophy of how to win while being disadvantaged at every position.

^ thank you, the whole qb issue pales compared to those talent level problems.

Please, who cares about the score. HOW ABOUT THAT SCOREBOARD AND FAN EXPERIENCE!

This team just seems loaded with players who can't win one on one matchup's.  Haden is getting owned weekly by other team's #1 WR, Shelton can't get a push, Mack can't get a push, Whiffner can't tackle in space, nobody can beat their man in a pass rush, Mingo gets dragged around the field, RB's can't break a tackle, etc, etc..

 

Until they get some difference makers at ANY position, they'll remain bottom feeders.

 

B-b-b-but Haden is an elite corner and our secondary is the best in the league.  Above anything else, the DB's completely delusional confidence is the most infuriating.

^B-b-b-but he is according to people who know the game a helluva better than anyone on this board.  How many of Cooper's catches and yards were actually against Haden?  Is Haden to blame when they run Cooper across the defense and he burns our slow-footed strong safety for 43 yards?  Is he to blame when a perfectly thrown ball is caught at its highest point like Marshall's TD in week one where Haden had it defended as good as it could be defended?  Do you have any clue how difficult a job modern day CBs have under these new rules which flag them for breathing too hard on the WR?  For sure, Haden is probably not an all-time great CB, b-b-but there isn't one team in this league that wouldn't take him.... n-n-not one.  He's elite amongst CBs playing today.

 

Haden and Gipson are great.  The rest of the secondary, not so much.  Whitner in particular is getting picked on this season.

 

^ thank you, the whole qb issue pales compared to those talent level problems.

 

I disagree.  It all starts with the QB play.  Good QBs make the talent around them better.  And they keep the offense moving, which allows the defense to stay rested and off the field.  I know this is an extreme example, but take Tom Brady off the Pats and they are a below .500 team.  With him, they are SB contenders.

 

We have to solve the QB issue.  If we do, everything will fall into place.  There aren't too many losing teams, if any, with elite QBs

^B-b-b-but he is according to people who know the game a helluva better than anyone on this board.  How many of Cooper's catches and yards were actually against Haden?

 

Pretty close to all of them?  Our corners play man coverage, not zone.  Haden was Cooper the entire game barring the few plays he sat out due to injury.  Therefore almost all his catches were against Haden.  Same with Brandon Marshall in week 1.  You can go back and review the game.

 

EDIT:

Josh DubowVerified account

‏@JoshDubowAP

Per @PFF, Carr threw at Joe Haden 6 times. All 6 were completions to Amari Cooper for 87 yards

 

 

EDIT #2: Sorry, I'm not even seeking this stuff out - I'm just coming across it on my Monday postgame article routine:

 

"2. Joe Haden Has A Long Way To Go To Get To “Elite”

Yesterday, Derek Carr threw 6 passes into Joe Haden’s coverage. All six were completed. Haden, on the season, has given up as many touchdowns as he has passes defended. On the year, Haden has received an overall -6.0 rating from PFF. Quarterbacks passing in his directions have an average of a 137.0 rating (out of a perfect 158.3), and 71.4% of all passes thrown at Haden have been caught.

 

He is nowhere near approaching elite, and even if he bounces back this year, this pattern of him being awful for the first 4-5 weeks of the year is getting really old."

http://www.dawgpoundnation.com/2015/09/28/3-quick-takes-from-browns-vs-raiders/

 

Is Haden to blame when they run Cooper across the defense and he burns our slow-footed strong safety for 43 yards?  Is he to blame when a perfectly thrown ball is caught at its highest point like Marshall's TD in week one where Haden had it defended as good as it could be defended?  Do you have any clue how difficult a job modern day CBs have under these new rules which flag them for breathing too hard on the WR?  For sure, Haden is probably not an all-time great CB, b-b-but there isn't one team in this league that wouldn't take him.... n-n-not one.  He's elite amongst CBs playing today.

 

Haden and Gipson are great.  The rest of the secondary, not so much.  Whitner in particular is getting picked on this season.

 

I empathize with DBs given the new draconian rules.  That said, Haden got absolutely bullied by Brandon Marshall and Amari Cooper all game and I suspect we will be seeing more of that this season.  Go back and watch the tape.  If you're 5-11 and 195 lbs soaking wet, you aren't ever going to be able to consistently set the tone with a receiver who's 6-4 230lb - even if you have "ELITE" tattooed across your eyeballs.

 

Joe Haden is a marketable player.  A good player on an otherwise barren team.  He has an affable personality and is very active on social media.  He sells jerseys and he's a fan favorite.  The media (local and national) like him a lot and give him huge props.

 

Therefore he gets the "Elite" title without having the play to back that up.  He's an good, serviceable corner but nothing close to "Elite."  Saying that other teams would take him doesn't prove much either.

 

Tashaun Gipson has tremendous talent, however.  He moves excellently in open space and has shown an ability to read plays.  I would peg him as the most talented DB on this team b-b-b-by far.

^ thank you, the whole qb issue pales compared to those talent level problems.

Agree, thinking that ANOTHER new college QB will instantaneously make this team better is Jr High'ish thinking.

 

All of the winning teams (with now good QB's) now were solid "teams" when they drafted their QB's, whether it be late 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round, 6th round, etc..

 

The Patriots, Packers, Ravens, Steelers, Seahwaks, Giants were all good teams that could do the basics like block, tackle, cover, etc., unlike the Browns and other teams who have repeatedly tried to fix their bad teams by pinning all their hopes on one rookie QB at the top of the draft like the Rams, Redskins, Tampa, Tennessee, Jacksonville.

 

The Browns need difference makers wherever they can get them, at any position, players that can beat their man, cause mismatches, create an identity, etc..

 

A good QB will eventually be needed to get this team over the top, but QB #25, #30, or #40 will fail like all the others until a solid team is built.

^ thank you, the whole qb issue pales compared to those talent level problems.

 

I disagree.  It all starts with the QB play.  Good QBs make the talent around them better.  And they keep the offense moving, which allows the defense to stay rested and off the field.  I know this is an extreme example, but take Tom Brady off the Pats and they are a below .500 team.  With him, they are SB contenders.

 

We have to solve the QB issue.  If we do, everything will fall into place.  There aren't too many losing teams, if any, with elite QBs

 

no, everything else would most certainly not fall into place. maybe a win or two at best with this team. i dont think a good qb would raise all the brown's ships, its more like many of the brown's ship positions need to be raised right along with the qb level. just look at the o basics for example, 14 carries for 39yds rushing is not the qb's fault. the coaches obviously know this if they are asking our very poor qb's to throw 49 times in a game.

Poor QB play can hurt the run game by allowing defenses to focus on it.  The Raiders added Carr and Cooper to a flimsy offense and suddenly they're getting 50 yard fullback runs.  I don't think we can afford to build one aspect of the offense at a time.  And in 2015, if you're going to favor something, it needs to be passing.  Every single trend in the NFL points that way.

true and i know what you are saying about passing dominating of course, but you still have to be able to run the ball much, much better to do that well. now if only the qb and the running game were the only issues.

The Raiders couldn't run in their first two games this year, they only ran on the worst run defense in the league Browns.  And McFadden, Bush, & Fargas all ran the ball well for the Raiders over the years without Carr & Cooper.  Adrian Peterson hasn't had a QB most of his career and the Vikings haven't had trouble running the ball.  There are plenty of other examples of teams with nothing at QB that could pick up 1st & goals from the 1 on a regular basis.

 

The Browns can't run, can't stop the run, can't rush the passer, and can't protect their own QB, all the basics.  So yeah...let's draft another QB.

Sure, we could use a great QB.  But we have much bigger problems than that.  Our defense looks pretty bad, and we have absolutely no running game.  It's not like the old days when we couldn't run OR pass and would end each game with 150 yards of offense and a couple field goals.  Josh McCown passed for 341 yards (inluding 2 TD passes) and we rushed for 39 yards.

 

McCown isn't a great QB, but I believe he's good enough to do well with a good offense.  A lot of times the difference between an average QB and a good QB is the team around them.

It's not like the old days when we couldn't run OR pass and would end each game with 150 yards of offense and a couple field goals.  Josh McCown passed for 341 yards (inluding 2 TD passes) and we rushed for 39 yards.

 

In that light the team has certainly come a long way from having the QB sacked on hand offs. Or throwing passes for -2 yards. Still, at the glacial rate the expansion Browns are on they will be making  the playoffs sometime around 2027.

We just used a first round pick on a backup interior lineman, so it's not like we don't invest resources in the trenches.  Seems like the Browns have drafted for the running game as much as anyone has.  Personally I'd like to swing it the other way now and see what happens.  Next year add a WR and a TE at least.  And none of this H-back nonsense, I mean a real modern TE.

they haven't drafted a wr in the first round since edwards in 2005.  They haven't drafted a quarterback in the top 20 since Couch.  maybe don't have any good skilled position players because they don't draft them...

Interesting. I actually like Davis. Made some rookie mistakes, but also made some eye-opening plays...

 

Austin Davis signs 2-year extension with Cleveland Browns

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13776281/austin-davis-signs-2-year-extension-cleveland-browns

nice starting drive to this game. uuuggghh.

welp tons 'o stoopid penalties, but they are hanging in there. lots of chargers injuries are helping and the usual 3 and outs and rivers tricky hard count are hurting.

awww - leave it to the browns to find a brand new idiotic way to lose!  :whip:

 

I've been boycotting the Browns all season, and my Sundays have drastically improved because of it. Within that time span, my feelings towards the Browns have become quite negative overall. Not just because they suck, but also because they have been the most dysfunctional organization from top to bottom in the last 16 years that I've ever seen. After the Indians game was over today, I have to admit, I watched the end of the Browns game. I actually found myself rooting against them. And when they lost, I just laughed. It seems weird to me to root against a Cleveland team, being such a hard core Cleveland fan and advocate, but you know what? It seems like the best way to deal with this absolutely pathetic franchise. I'm not going to pick another NFL team to root for, and deep down I'm always a Browns fan, but until they have at least a >.500 season, I'm completely done. Go Cavs.

I really enjoyed that Browns game. Now excuse me while I get some cookies out of the oven.

 

Time to let the Browns move to LA, demolish First Energy Stadium and provide something that's actually usable more than 10-12 days a year and certainly more enjoyable. How about a nice lakefront park?

In the past, these games would upset me to no end. Yet I'm just not that upset anymore. I've come to expect it. I spend more time watching other football teams. I couldn't even tell you who the Browns' team leaders are in various categories (passing, receiving, rushing, etc). I used to really pay attention to this stuff. I haven't looked at Browns team stats in a couple of years. What's the point?

^McCown, Benjamin, Crowell

^McCown, Benjamin, Crowell

 

Who, f*cking, cares.

The reason for the Browns loss captured in one picture:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/spooky-nfl-photo_56129b08e4b0af3706e15f32

Time for kickoff.  Please new Browns, at least keep it entertaining against the OLD BROWNS.

The reason for the Browns loss captured in one picture:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/spooky-nfl-photo_56129b08e4b0af3706e15f32

 

yikes -- 2spoopy4me!

 

 

 

oh and as if anyone cares - almost at the half:

 

browns: 6

old browns: 14

HE CAUGHT IT WITH HIS ASS!!

Thrilled we beat the hated Ravens but, remember, this is a very bad Baltimore team that really should be 0-5.  McCown looks like the real deal (we've found a quality old guy to QB!), however, and guys like Barnidge and Crowell stepped up; but our D is still a very weak point.

I'm really glad we beat the Ravens, too, and I think McCown has been playing very well, even in our losses.  However, our run game is pitiful and our defense only slight better.