First I'll refer to Terry Pluto's article, and tell you he's right, as usual. If you expected a team with 15 rookies, many of whome started including the quarterback, to beat the Baltimore Ravens, you are or should be institutionalized.
If you are demanding even a winning record this season "or else", you should never supervise anybody else, including children.
Braylon Little's drops directly prevented the Browns from beating the Eagles and the Ravens; two elite teams considered candidates for the Superbowl. He did more damage in the other games, and it's possible he cost the Browns one of those, as well.
Cutting him would be an idiotic overreaction, and even benching him could be problematic. After all, he does get open, and has made some plays. His replacement would have to match his productivity.
Benjamin shows promise. Weeden hasn't worked with him as much, and has been a tad short on the deep throws to him. Travis being such a little shrimp, he can't out-leap or overpower anybody, and has a limited reach. Throwing to him (or Norwood) deep, Weeden needs exceptional timing and accuracy.
Josh Gordon is still learning, but is a much bigger target who seems to have good hands. He's a long strider and will never be very sudden out of his breaks, and, like Benjamin, is still getting used to the West Coast system.
Weeden has worked with Massequoi and Little much more than with any of the aforementioned guys, none of whome has proven much yet. But all I can say is, I hope there is workable way for Shurmer to park Braylon Little's choke-handed ass on the bench, at least for awhile.
Because Weeden did everything he could to win two or three games. His passes were on the money. Even when he was downright horrible, as he was in Philly, he hit Little in a microscopic window on the four yard line, and it bounced off him and into Philly's hands.
Thursday night was Boomer Esiason's first view of Weeden, and he loved him. He threw passes that few NFL quarterbacks can throw. Boomer even blamed the interception on Shurmer or Childress. In Boomer's opinion, when you throw across the field on third and long, you're asking for trouble. Defenders are waiting to jump that route, and Weeden is a rookie who probably won't recognize that yet.
Rich Gannon and Jim Miller agree with Boomer. The Browns finally have a stud quarterback.
That doesn't matter to Adam Schein, who argued with Miller about it, insisting that the Browns are the worst team in football. He considers close games vs. elite teams just an excuse. He cites a culture of losing.
Here, the blind squirrel is right. But as Miller pointed out, the way to overcome that is for them to win a game. Adam mentions Richardson, Weeden, Jauron, the defense (leaving out Thomas Mack Schwartze Jackson Haden Ward Sheard etc.), and finishes with it's just the worst team in football period. He doesn't believe the Browns will ever win a game this season.
This level of ignorance is profound. The Browns had the Eagles and Ravens beaten, and one player prevented both wins. Adam believes that Little will never make those catches. That Gordon will never make them either.
What team do the Browns play this season that's as good as the Ravens or the Eagles?
The three ex-quarterbacks, Pat Kirwin, and most other analysts now see the Browns as a young and rising team. Some still expect a 1-15 or 3-13 record, but as Kirwin explains, how many years have they sucked? Nobody will believe it until they have already won. Even then, he said, they'll never give the Browns credit for it. They'll say the other team had a bad game.
That's hard for me to swallow not because I'm a Browns fan, but because I used to be an intelligence analyst, and this is irrational.
Like Terry Pluto, I was heartened by the Browns road performance against the Ravens. They're using Richardson like they once used Earnest Byner. Quick passes to him on the perimeter to get him in space. I'd been waiting for that. Richardson is bigger, faster, and more elusive than Byner, and that's scary.
Weeden is getting his feet under him. He was as bad as I'd ever seen a QB be in his first game, but after that he's been getting better. Sure, he backslid a little vs the Bills, but you could see that he was working his way through it. That was more about the Bills getting quick heat on him than it was his fault.
How bout that Billy Winn? I knew the guy was a sleeper, but he exceeded my expectations. The guy was all over the place! Oh, man, wait til Phil Taylor returns to that rotation!
I wasn't able to watch the game, but I bet the Ravens tried to get a center or guard on Jackson, and couldn't handle the rookie man-on-man. This is great. that's what Taylor did, except Taylor can beat double-teams too.
Buster Skrine looked better. A guy his size can only do so much vs. Anqwan Boldin. The defense got heat on Flacco and slowed Rice down. The Ravens had to blitze to create pressure, and Weeden burned them a few times--a significant sign of progress.
I'm not too worried about Norwood's drops. He was reliable as hell all of last season with McCoy and Wallace. He's hardly worked with Weeden at all, and his last real game was last season. Unlike Braylon Little, he'll be fine.
Losing Massequoi will, but shouldn't be, ignored. MoMass was, as I told you he would be, the Browns most reliable wide reciever. Also, as I told you, he can make big plays. Finally, as I told you, when he's healthy he's pretty damn good.
Too bad he pulls a hammy at the exact time that I as coach would bench Braylon Little. He might not be able to do that now.
But maybe yes. Maybe Gordon is ready. He's showed some great signs in limitted playing time.
I'd personally make that move right now, and use the longer week to get Weeden all the practice reps with Gordon and company I could.
I've completed my analysis of the latest information a little early this week, and am updating my win/loss prediction to 12-4.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
That Sucked BUT
The Bills are an underrated young team similar to the Bengals. They played a great game.
Oh, the Browns still should have won, yeah. But without even looking, I know that a lot of fans will be calling for everybody's head, and to launch yet another rebuild in perhaps the toughest division in football.
After his great performance against the Bengals, all the MM's immediately forgot that Weeden is a rookie. 320 yards and 2 TD's became what they expected and demanded every week.
This week was a reality check, and here's a news flash: The Browns have a rookie quarterback.
Nor is he to blame for this loss. Certainly he helped with his two late interceptions, but for most of the game, he played pretty well.
Those who wanted McCoy to start cited all the drops last season as one reason. It wasn't his fault. But now, they don't want to say the same thing, with five drops in one game. Wide-open, big-play, inexcusable drops for big gains and maybe touchdowns.
The recievers took points off the board.
Prior to the fourth quarter, Weeden's throwing mistakes were microscopic. The long bomb to Benjamin on the sidelines was no more than one yard short, forcing Benjamin to slow down and let the beaten cornerback catch up for the deflection. He likewise missed Gordon by inches on a crossing pattern.
His accuracy with Massequoi and Little was better. He's worked with them longer; they're the starters, and they're veterans. See the pattern here DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Richardson didn't have a bad day. The offensive line had a bad day. The Bills have a great defensive line and stacked the front.
There was no double-coverage. Shurmer was determined to pound the ball. His playcalling has been questioned before, and I've defended him. Now I agree with Pluto: When something's not working, try something else.
Another issue with Weeden: For much of the game, he held the ball too long. The line did it's job passblocking more often than not, but Weeden couldn't find a target. Was that on Weeden, or the recievers? I lean towards the recievers.
The passing game was functional with Rodney Massequoifield, but when he went down, it got worse. Gordon and Benjamin are rookies, and they're still learning.
Little has no excuses, which is why Shurmer finally came down hard on him. The easy pass he dropped was huge. Nobody was anywhere close to him. He's a converted running back and he had so much space--he had five vertical yards in front of him before any defender could get close enough to threaten him! He would have, at the very least, nailed down a field goal!
The defensive front four got heat on Fitzpatrick, but in addition to being mobile, he also got rid of the ball quickly. Jauron had seven in coverage most of the game, and (you don't have to like this) they did pretty well vs. the pass (after those first two damn TD's). Fitzpatrick was just exceptionally quick and accurate.
They sucked against the run. This was partly over-pursuit and disciplinary breakdowns, but also partly the D-Line getting pushed around and interior linemen locking up the linebackers. They just got outplayed.
Well, now it's the Ravens...
Updated prediction: 13-3.
Oh, the Browns still should have won, yeah. But without even looking, I know that a lot of fans will be calling for everybody's head, and to launch yet another rebuild in perhaps the toughest division in football.
After his great performance against the Bengals, all the MM's immediately forgot that Weeden is a rookie. 320 yards and 2 TD's became what they expected and demanded every week.
This week was a reality check, and here's a news flash: The Browns have a rookie quarterback.
Nor is he to blame for this loss. Certainly he helped with his two late interceptions, but for most of the game, he played pretty well.
Those who wanted McCoy to start cited all the drops last season as one reason. It wasn't his fault. But now, they don't want to say the same thing, with five drops in one game. Wide-open, big-play, inexcusable drops for big gains and maybe touchdowns.
The recievers took points off the board.
Prior to the fourth quarter, Weeden's throwing mistakes were microscopic. The long bomb to Benjamin on the sidelines was no more than one yard short, forcing Benjamin to slow down and let the beaten cornerback catch up for the deflection. He likewise missed Gordon by inches on a crossing pattern.
His accuracy with Massequoi and Little was better. He's worked with them longer; they're the starters, and they're veterans. See the pattern here DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Richardson didn't have a bad day. The offensive line had a bad day. The Bills have a great defensive line and stacked the front.
There was no double-coverage. Shurmer was determined to pound the ball. His playcalling has been questioned before, and I've defended him. Now I agree with Pluto: When something's not working, try something else.
Another issue with Weeden: For much of the game, he held the ball too long. The line did it's job passblocking more often than not, but Weeden couldn't find a target. Was that on Weeden, or the recievers? I lean towards the recievers.
The passing game was functional with Rodney Massequoifield, but when he went down, it got worse. Gordon and Benjamin are rookies, and they're still learning.
Little has no excuses, which is why Shurmer finally came down hard on him. The easy pass he dropped was huge. Nobody was anywhere close to him. He's a converted running back and he had so much space--he had five vertical yards in front of him before any defender could get close enough to threaten him! He would have, at the very least, nailed down a field goal!
The defensive front four got heat on Fitzpatrick, but in addition to being mobile, he also got rid of the ball quickly. Jauron had seven in coverage most of the game, and (you don't have to like this) they did pretty well vs. the pass (after those first two damn TD's). Fitzpatrick was just exceptionally quick and accurate.
They sucked against the run. This was partly over-pursuit and disciplinary breakdowns, but also partly the D-Line getting pushed around and interior linemen locking up the linebackers. They just got outplayed.
Well, now it's the Ravens...
Updated prediction: 13-3.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Fan Expertise
I got lucky here in Columbus. Found a bar run by a Browns fan. I checked it out last night and will watch the game there today.
Thing is, in as many sentences, he came out with three or four things I disagreed with. I know a lot of fans share his opinions, so I will here attempt once again to enlighten the reactionary:
1: Colt McCoy could have won the Philly game.
I agree.
2: Weeden should have been yanked from the game.
Wrong. Right here, after game one, I personally expected Weeden to fail and be replaced by McCoy after a few more games. But I understood management's commitment to give the TWENTY EIGHT YEAR OLD rookie as much real experience as possible before pulling the plug on him.
This is not about finishing third instead of fourth in the AFC North this season. This is about contending for the Superbowl next season. No, not two seasons from now. Next season.
They believe that because of Weeden's stronger arm and performances against the best college teams, he can do more than Colt McCoy. We may or may not agree, but this is why you don't put a short leash on Weeden.
3: McCoy has great accuracy on deep passes and excels when throwing on the run. Weeden is inaccurate and made some of the same mistakes in game two as in game one.
Now here, this guy sounds like an Obamabot. He's seeing what he wants to see. Like me, he started out as a big McCoy fan. Unlike me, he committed to him and stopped really thinking.
McCoy can't throw low-trajectory darts into small windows like Weeden can. On these throws, his balls get to the reciever faster than Colt's. The defensive backs have less time to react and close on the reciever, so the reciever has a better chance of making catches without interference, and going somewhere with the ball.
McCoy in season one excelled while scrambling, but, for whatever reason, did badly while scrambling last season. It seemed to me like he couldn't find an open reciever, and when he did, he missed.
I repeat that with all the drops, Hillis, Momass, and Watson down more than up...and Little dropping every fifth pass--Colt's "regression" had more to do with the new system and literally everybody else than with him. I repeat that McCoy IS (not just can be but IS) a good starting quarterback with upside left.
But Weeden threatens every part of the field, and DOES have a much stronger arm than McCoy does.
3: It was idotic to dump Hillis.
I sort of agree, but don't know the whole story. The notion that it was because he didn't show up and give the rest of his team the flue when he was puking his guts out and would have sucked, or even that he got married on a wednesday, had much to do with it. Soap Opera and "Survivor" fans just shouldn't watch or report on football.
One legitimate issue with Hillis was that he was getting hurt a lot. As awesome as the guy was, the fact is that the only way defenders could get him down was to attack his legs.
I myself loved the guy, and felt that they certainly should have added a few bucks to the KC offer, BUT fully expected him to be injured, again and again. And then, the fumbles. Really, some people go overboard with that, but he did fumble more than he should have.
Finally, he could make some pretty big plays, but wasn't a home-run hitter.
4: They're using Richardson wrong. They should get him the ball outside.
Right/wrong. The Browns rebuilding hasn't been (read couldn't be in the real world) perfect. Mack is a better drive-blocker than most centers, but isn't as good in space. Pinkston, despite trimming down to 305, remains more of a right guard than a left guard--he's not really quick enough to pull to the outside.
The Browns are working with what they have in a man-blocking scheme. Richardson is quick to the hole and can break tackles, and the offensive line is better at just ramming defenders back than at getting cute, and they certainly should be able to get tough inside yards with Richardson.
Moreover, inside runs wear a defense down. They let the linemen be the aggressors and force the defenders to react.
This offense must threaten the inside run. If Richardson didn't go up the gut at least half the time, the defense could blanket the intermediate middle of the field and stop the slants and crosses. Play-action could never work. Defensive tackles could sell out and shoot gaps, rather than worrying about Richardson sneaking around them.
The guy didn't mention this, but I will--(and thank you Terry Pluto for digging the useful stats up): Shurmer has been running on first down at least three out of four times. Predictably. This is GOOD.
In the first game, it rarely worked. In game two, it worked well. The Bengals were looking for it, but it didn't matter. Richardson got some yards, and I think the worst result was second and eight or nine. More often, it was second and five or six. The defense had no way of knowing what came next.
Smashmouth wears a defense down, and think about it: If you're a defender and you know and prepare to stop what's coming, and still fail, what does it do to you? If you lose your battle when it's just plain brute force, how do you feel about that?
Ok I think the Browns will beat Buffalo, and have updated my win/loss prediction to 14-2.
Thing is, in as many sentences, he came out with three or four things I disagreed with. I know a lot of fans share his opinions, so I will here attempt once again to enlighten the reactionary:
1: Colt McCoy could have won the Philly game.
I agree.
2: Weeden should have been yanked from the game.
Wrong. Right here, after game one, I personally expected Weeden to fail and be replaced by McCoy after a few more games. But I understood management's commitment to give the TWENTY EIGHT YEAR OLD rookie as much real experience as possible before pulling the plug on him.
This is not about finishing third instead of fourth in the AFC North this season. This is about contending for the Superbowl next season. No, not two seasons from now. Next season.
They believe that because of Weeden's stronger arm and performances against the best college teams, he can do more than Colt McCoy. We may or may not agree, but this is why you don't put a short leash on Weeden.
3: McCoy has great accuracy on deep passes and excels when throwing on the run. Weeden is inaccurate and made some of the same mistakes in game two as in game one.
Now here, this guy sounds like an Obamabot. He's seeing what he wants to see. Like me, he started out as a big McCoy fan. Unlike me, he committed to him and stopped really thinking.
McCoy can't throw low-trajectory darts into small windows like Weeden can. On these throws, his balls get to the reciever faster than Colt's. The defensive backs have less time to react and close on the reciever, so the reciever has a better chance of making catches without interference, and going somewhere with the ball.
McCoy in season one excelled while scrambling, but, for whatever reason, did badly while scrambling last season. It seemed to me like he couldn't find an open reciever, and when he did, he missed.
I repeat that with all the drops, Hillis, Momass, and Watson down more than up...and Little dropping every fifth pass--Colt's "regression" had more to do with the new system and literally everybody else than with him. I repeat that McCoy IS (not just can be but IS) a good starting quarterback with upside left.
But Weeden threatens every part of the field, and DOES have a much stronger arm than McCoy does.
3: It was idotic to dump Hillis.
I sort of agree, but don't know the whole story. The notion that it was because he didn't show up and give the rest of his team the flue when he was puking his guts out and would have sucked, or even that he got married on a wednesday, had much to do with it. Soap Opera and "Survivor" fans just shouldn't watch or report on football.
One legitimate issue with Hillis was that he was getting hurt a lot. As awesome as the guy was, the fact is that the only way defenders could get him down was to attack his legs.
I myself loved the guy, and felt that they certainly should have added a few bucks to the KC offer, BUT fully expected him to be injured, again and again. And then, the fumbles. Really, some people go overboard with that, but he did fumble more than he should have.
Finally, he could make some pretty big plays, but wasn't a home-run hitter.
4: They're using Richardson wrong. They should get him the ball outside.
Right/wrong. The Browns rebuilding hasn't been (read couldn't be in the real world) perfect. Mack is a better drive-blocker than most centers, but isn't as good in space. Pinkston, despite trimming down to 305, remains more of a right guard than a left guard--he's not really quick enough to pull to the outside.
The Browns are working with what they have in a man-blocking scheme. Richardson is quick to the hole and can break tackles, and the offensive line is better at just ramming defenders back than at getting cute, and they certainly should be able to get tough inside yards with Richardson.
Moreover, inside runs wear a defense down. They let the linemen be the aggressors and force the defenders to react.
This offense must threaten the inside run. If Richardson didn't go up the gut at least half the time, the defense could blanket the intermediate middle of the field and stop the slants and crosses. Play-action could never work. Defensive tackles could sell out and shoot gaps, rather than worrying about Richardson sneaking around them.
The guy didn't mention this, but I will--(and thank you Terry Pluto for digging the useful stats up): Shurmer has been running on first down at least three out of four times. Predictably. This is GOOD.
In the first game, it rarely worked. In game two, it worked well. The Bengals were looking for it, but it didn't matter. Richardson got some yards, and I think the worst result was second and eight or nine. More often, it was second and five or six. The defense had no way of knowing what came next.
Smashmouth wears a defense down, and think about it: If you're a defender and you know and prepare to stop what's coming, and still fail, what does it do to you? If you lose your battle when it's just plain brute force, how do you feel about that?
Ok I think the Browns will beat Buffalo, and have updated my win/loss prediction to 14-2.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Signs of Life
1: Sans Joe Haden and Sheldon Brown, Dick Jauron opted for a conservative (soft) coverage scheme intended to force short passes and prevent big plays. Patterson and Skrine did screw up, but it wasn't a matter of coverage, but poor angles and missed tackles.
They were lining up as many as twelve yards upfield, forcing Green and company to come to them. They were supposed to close on the recievers while the ball was in the air and try to force a breakup or at least nail them where they caught it. The receptions were schematicly ceded.
2: Trent Richardson might or might not have been rusty in week one, but his poor showing was due to an aggressive, stacked, swarming Philly defense and poor blocking.
In Cinci, Weeden improved, forcing Cinci to pull back and cover all parts of the field. Even the deep underthrow to Travis Benjamin out of the gate was a factor. It said "He's not afraid. He'll go for the throat. No short leash. That made me nervous".
Amidst all the hype surrounding Richardson, I wasn't sure how good he really was. The highlight tapes I saw of him were certainly impressive, but so were those of the other top backs.
After last sunday, it looks to me like Heckert made absolutely the right move.
One thing that separates him from most of the others is his ability to get open and catch the ball. We saw that, didn't we? Marvin Lewis compared him to Jamal Lewis, and that's pretty cool, but Richardson is much more elusive and I think a little faster.
3: Rich Gannon still can't talk about the Browns without first mentioning the bad recievers. For Rich, Josh Gordon and Travis Benjamin don't exist at all, Massequoi 's leading reciever performance (with 16 YPC) doesn't register, and Little is a permadropper who will never get better. Even 320 passing yards didn't make a dent in his made-up mind.
In reality, to date the '12 recieving corps has been pretty average, but not even that bad.
Sure, they looked horrible against the Eagles, but much of that was Weeden, and the offense's inability to run the ball. Probably, all Rich Gannon probably looked at was Little's inexcusable drop on the Eagles four yard line. Gannon is an expert on all of last year's playoff teams. He'll sleep through Bills vs. Browns. Front-runner.
As Gordon improves and works more with Weeden, as Benjamin gets more reps, and IF Little quits dropping passes (no drops last sunday--I think!!), they'll be pretty damn good THIS season.
4: The front four are generating pressure, but Jauron is mixing in blitzes, and the blitzes all seem to work. Against the Eagles, he sent safeties and corners off the edge, and vs. the Bengals he sent Jackson up the gut. Jauron is one smart cookie!
The Bills scare me because of CJ Spiller, who is tailor-made to run all over this defense. This defense can slow down a big back, but a jitterbug can really screw it up. This is more due to the tendancy of young players to over-pursue and open cutback lanes than to any lack of speed or talent. They can be disciplined 3 times and contain the little sucker, but all he needs is for one guy to sell out too early, and all bets are off.
However, Jackson is their main recieving threat, without much of a complement. Despite what happened to him last week, Buster Skrine can actually cover this guy, as long as the Jauron's defense gets on Fitz early and often.
The Browns front four (front eight, really), are making enemy quarterbacks miserable. They're bull-rushing and penetrating. Maybe they can force Spiller to dance around back there and give the rest of the defense a chance to converge. Maybe they can beat him to the handoff.
He's going to make some big plays, for sure, but if they can offset those with some negative ones, and beat the crap out of Fitzpatrick, they can stifle this offense enough to win.
The Browns offense is now balanced in a way it hasn't been for several years. While slants and crosses dominate, they'll attack any part of the field at any time. In week three, the timing should be improved.
Jordon Cameron could get some time if Alex Smith is held out, and Josh Gordon might start getting on the same page with Weeden.
Last week, Weeden barely missed Gordon more than once. You can see how close they are. Bearing this out, Massequoi is his current favorite, Little is there for the ball, and Alex Smith too. He's worked with these guys more, as Watson has been held out with injuries.
This is very encouraging. Weeden shows a clear pattern of synching with his recievers fairly quickly. Gordon could take a little longer since he's learning on the job.
The Bills have a truly scary big-play offense, and a decent defense, but the Browns can and should win this game!
The problem is, young teams find ways to lose. They get close, but don't close. Until Weeden or Richardson get that last touchdown, or somebody that last interception to end the game, it's still just a project.
As Marty said, winning is a habit. They have to close one before they start truly expecting to win.
Maybe this is the week.
They were lining up as many as twelve yards upfield, forcing Green and company to come to them. They were supposed to close on the recievers while the ball was in the air and try to force a breakup or at least nail them where they caught it. The receptions were schematicly ceded.
2: Trent Richardson might or might not have been rusty in week one, but his poor showing was due to an aggressive, stacked, swarming Philly defense and poor blocking.
In Cinci, Weeden improved, forcing Cinci to pull back and cover all parts of the field. Even the deep underthrow to Travis Benjamin out of the gate was a factor. It said "He's not afraid. He'll go for the throat. No short leash. That made me nervous".
Amidst all the hype surrounding Richardson, I wasn't sure how good he really was. The highlight tapes I saw of him were certainly impressive, but so were those of the other top backs.
After last sunday, it looks to me like Heckert made absolutely the right move.
One thing that separates him from most of the others is his ability to get open and catch the ball. We saw that, didn't we? Marvin Lewis compared him to Jamal Lewis, and that's pretty cool, but Richardson is much more elusive and I think a little faster.
3: Rich Gannon still can't talk about the Browns without first mentioning the bad recievers. For Rich, Josh Gordon and Travis Benjamin don't exist at all, Massequoi 's leading reciever performance (with 16 YPC) doesn't register, and Little is a permadropper who will never get better. Even 320 passing yards didn't make a dent in his made-up mind.
In reality, to date the '12 recieving corps has been pretty average, but not even that bad.
Sure, they looked horrible against the Eagles, but much of that was Weeden, and the offense's inability to run the ball. Probably, all Rich Gannon probably looked at was Little's inexcusable drop on the Eagles four yard line. Gannon is an expert on all of last year's playoff teams. He'll sleep through Bills vs. Browns. Front-runner.
As Gordon improves and works more with Weeden, as Benjamin gets more reps, and IF Little quits dropping passes (no drops last sunday--I think!!), they'll be pretty damn good THIS season.
4: The front four are generating pressure, but Jauron is mixing in blitzes, and the blitzes all seem to work. Against the Eagles, he sent safeties and corners off the edge, and vs. the Bengals he sent Jackson up the gut. Jauron is one smart cookie!
The Bills scare me because of CJ Spiller, who is tailor-made to run all over this defense. This defense can slow down a big back, but a jitterbug can really screw it up. This is more due to the tendancy of young players to over-pursue and open cutback lanes than to any lack of speed or talent. They can be disciplined 3 times and contain the little sucker, but all he needs is for one guy to sell out too early, and all bets are off.
However, Jackson is their main recieving threat, without much of a complement. Despite what happened to him last week, Buster Skrine can actually cover this guy, as long as the Jauron's defense gets on Fitz early and often.
The Browns front four (front eight, really), are making enemy quarterbacks miserable. They're bull-rushing and penetrating. Maybe they can force Spiller to dance around back there and give the rest of the defense a chance to converge. Maybe they can beat him to the handoff.
He's going to make some big plays, for sure, but if they can offset those with some negative ones, and beat the crap out of Fitzpatrick, they can stifle this offense enough to win.
The Browns offense is now balanced in a way it hasn't been for several years. While slants and crosses dominate, they'll attack any part of the field at any time. In week three, the timing should be improved.
Jordon Cameron could get some time if Alex Smith is held out, and Josh Gordon might start getting on the same page with Weeden.
Last week, Weeden barely missed Gordon more than once. You can see how close they are. Bearing this out, Massequoi is his current favorite, Little is there for the ball, and Alex Smith too. He's worked with these guys more, as Watson has been held out with injuries.
This is very encouraging. Weeden shows a clear pattern of synching with his recievers fairly quickly. Gordon could take a little longer since he's learning on the job.
The Bills have a truly scary big-play offense, and a decent defense, but the Browns can and should win this game!
The problem is, young teams find ways to lose. They get close, but don't close. Until Weeden or Richardson get that last touchdown, or somebody that last interception to end the game, it's still just a project.
As Marty said, winning is a habit. They have to close one before they start truly expecting to win.
Maybe this is the week.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Joe Twelvepack's Keys to the Game
I've been reading some analyses on the Browns and realized I can do just as good as those people, so here goes:
1: Tell Brandon Weeden to stop throwing interceptions and getting stripped. When this happens, the defense gets the ball, which makes it hard for the offense to score. It also gives the other teams's offense a chance to score.
2: Tell Gregg Little to stop deflecting passes to the defense on the four yard line. Because the Browns didn't have the ball any more, they couldn't kick a field goal or score a touchdown, which is bad.
3: Tell Trent Richardson to stop getting stuffed by half the defense.
4: Tell the offensive line to stop letting half the defense converge on Trent Richardson at the line of scrimmage.
5: Make Travis Benjamin taller.
6: Tell Joe Haden to stop getting suspended.
7: Tell D'Qwell Jackson to intercept and return more passes for touchdowns.
8: Tell Pat Shurmer to stop calling plays which require the quarterback to throw interceptions, the running back to get stuffed, and the recievers to drop the ball. Everybody knows that's not a good way to win a football game.
1: Tell Brandon Weeden to stop throwing interceptions and getting stripped. When this happens, the defense gets the ball, which makes it hard for the offense to score. It also gives the other teams's offense a chance to score.
2: Tell Gregg Little to stop deflecting passes to the defense on the four yard line. Because the Browns didn't have the ball any more, they couldn't kick a field goal or score a touchdown, which is bad.
3: Tell Trent Richardson to stop getting stuffed by half the defense.
4: Tell the offensive line to stop letting half the defense converge on Trent Richardson at the line of scrimmage.
5: Make Travis Benjamin taller.
6: Tell Joe Haden to stop getting suspended.
7: Tell D'Qwell Jackson to intercept and return more passes for touchdowns.
8: Tell Pat Shurmer to stop calling plays which require the quarterback to throw interceptions, the running back to get stuffed, and the recievers to drop the ball. Everybody knows that's not a good way to win a football game.
Friday, September 14, 2012
George Armstrong Weeden
Wowzers! I don't think I've ever seen a quarterback play that bad! Not Anderson, or Quinn, or Spurgeon Wynn, and certainly not McCoy!
Every writer is quick to whip out the cliches: It wasn't all his fault. Well yeah, there are ten other guys, but I want to point out that none of them were throwing the ball, okay?
Little helped a lot by letting a ball bounce of his neck and get intercepted on the Eagles four freaking four yard line (on the money in a tight window, I need to mention). The offensive line made their contribution by getting stonewalled by the Eagles on runs. Don't look at Richardson on this! He had nowhere to go! He can only break one or two tackles at a time, for crying out loud! No push! No gaps! Adrian Peterson would have been stuffed the same way. Or Jim Brown.
But Weeden was just absolutely horrible.
HOWEVER, Shurmer was right to stick with him. I do feel that McCoy would have won, but then I kept thinking that Weeden would get his head out. I kept remembering that this was Weeden's first-ever real NFL game.
Most importantly, they have made a commitment to Weeden, and believe in him. They knew there would be growing pains, and had resolved in advance to stick with him. If they yank him in the first game, now there's a real controversy, especially if Colt wins.
They believe that Weeden's stronger arm and accuracy deep threatens the entire field in a way that McCoy can't. They believe that Weeden will be better in the long run, and they have to stick with him, at least for a couple more games, to give him the chance to get better under fire.
They might be wrong. I don't pretend to know. But I give Shurmer credit for sticking to his guns.
Rich Gannon said that no quarterback would do much with this offense. Okay I'm sick of Rich Gannon, ex-Superbowl MVP or not. They just got Josh Gordon, Trent Richardson, and--I won't recite the whole list, but if you go by talent, it's at every position, in the trenches and at the skill positions.
Duh...no quarterback could dump it off to Richardson or hit Watson or Cameron or even Smith in the seam or Gordon deep or crossing and oh yeah who's that Massaquoi guy? Bullcrap Rich Gannon do your damn homework.
Armani Tumor said Weeden should have been yanked, because guys in the locker room would be wondering if the goal really was to win. He said it's hard to play for a team that you know isn't trying to win right now.
He might be right, but I wonder if players are really that shallow: Isn't their common goal to win a Superbowl, or at least a Division Title? Does Armani really think the Browns players are dumb enough to think they have a shot at that this season? That they can't comprehend that an experienced Weeden might give them a better shot at it when it's within reach?
If the players are that dumb, we really are in trouble! How could somebody that dumb run a correct route, or pick up the right passrusher?
The topic on NFL Radio all week was how rusty Micheal Vick was, and how the Eagles should have run the ball more. Many statements began with "Give the Browns defense credit, but..."
Skip the "but" dammit. Why are they so damn determined not to give the Browns any credit? Ask them about Dick Jauron, and they'll tell you he's great! But his defense last week just sort of lucked out, because the Eagles offense just sort of had a bad day.
No, Browns defenders (especially TJ Ward and cornerbacks) spent more time in the Philly backfield than Shady McCoy did. They covered well, and beat the snot out of Vick.
I'll admit that the Browns offense was as bad as any offense I've ever seen. Why won't these "objective" guys admit that the Browns defense is pretty damn good? Do you see the negative bias here?
The linebackers especially are looking shockingly good. LJ Fort and Robertson are still just puppies, and played great, just like in preseason! See how well they covered, compared to Scott Fujita? Did you notice how they were actually close to the reciever?
Pat Kirwin last week talked about how important Fujita was in the Browns nickle and dime packages. Pat knows his stuff, so I've got to assume that Fujita has indeed been on the field in those situations. These must have been the times when I saw every tight end he faced catching passes two steps ahead of him.
I need to tell Pat that he might be on the field, but he's not important if he can't cover anymore. But then, Pat thinks Ray Lewis is stiil great, and the Stoolers will be fine no matter what.
The Bengals just got stomped by the Ratbirds. Based on this game, I won't change my mind about the Bengals being the better team yet, but I was impressed.
Ross Tucker, even before that game, slapped me awake about the age of their defense. While Reed and Lewis are indeed old and decrepid, they're the only two over thirty! I was full of crap. I was too lazy to do my homework and relied too much on gossip. My bad. Ross Tucker is a great analyst. Thanks.
Also I knew that Flacco was a very good quarterback, but didn't expect him to be THAT good.
Anyway, Dalton will get rid of the ball quicker than Vick did, and the Browns defense might not look as good as it did vs. the Eagles. Haden won't play, and covering AJ Green will be tough.
Weeden and the offensive line can't possibly be as bad as they were last week, so they have a chance. But that's all I can say. A chance.
In re the offensive line, one analysis I read said that they released from their blocks too soon on runs. Everybody wanted to freeze the guy they initially blocked and get downfield linebacker/safety-hunting. They "left too early" and their first targets were able to launch and dive behind them to get a piece of Richardson.
I hope that's right, because it's easily correctable. Get Richardson the first couple yards, and let him worry about the rest.
The ideal West Coast offensive line has a Fanika-type left guard who can pull and excels in space. The Browns don't have that. Pinkston has lost weight and has good feet, but is still more of a man-blocker. They're trying to work with that.
This offense will not be like other West Coast offenses in several ways. It needs to run with authority, and that's much more important with a rookie quarterback than it will be later.
Weeden will get better, of course. How much better, or how quickly, is a mystery. But if, by the third or fourth game, he's not at least adequate, they'll have to consider giving Colt a fair shot.
And that wouldn't bother me a bit.
Guys without strong arms: Montana, Young, Sipe, Pennington, Orton, Nelson, Stabler...
Every writer is quick to whip out the cliches: It wasn't all his fault. Well yeah, there are ten other guys, but I want to point out that none of them were throwing the ball, okay?
Little helped a lot by letting a ball bounce of his neck and get intercepted on the Eagles four freaking four yard line (on the money in a tight window, I need to mention). The offensive line made their contribution by getting stonewalled by the Eagles on runs. Don't look at Richardson on this! He had nowhere to go! He can only break one or two tackles at a time, for crying out loud! No push! No gaps! Adrian Peterson would have been stuffed the same way. Or Jim Brown.
But Weeden was just absolutely horrible.
HOWEVER, Shurmer was right to stick with him. I do feel that McCoy would have won, but then I kept thinking that Weeden would get his head out. I kept remembering that this was Weeden's first-ever real NFL game.
Most importantly, they have made a commitment to Weeden, and believe in him. They knew there would be growing pains, and had resolved in advance to stick with him. If they yank him in the first game, now there's a real controversy, especially if Colt wins.
They believe that Weeden's stronger arm and accuracy deep threatens the entire field in a way that McCoy can't. They believe that Weeden will be better in the long run, and they have to stick with him, at least for a couple more games, to give him the chance to get better under fire.
They might be wrong. I don't pretend to know. But I give Shurmer credit for sticking to his guns.
Rich Gannon said that no quarterback would do much with this offense. Okay I'm sick of Rich Gannon, ex-Superbowl MVP or not. They just got Josh Gordon, Trent Richardson, and--I won't recite the whole list, but if you go by talent, it's at every position, in the trenches and at the skill positions.
Duh...no quarterback could dump it off to Richardson or hit Watson or Cameron or even Smith in the seam or Gordon deep or crossing and oh yeah who's that Massaquoi guy? Bullcrap Rich Gannon do your damn homework.
Armani Tumor said Weeden should have been yanked, because guys in the locker room would be wondering if the goal really was to win. He said it's hard to play for a team that you know isn't trying to win right now.
He might be right, but I wonder if players are really that shallow: Isn't their common goal to win a Superbowl, or at least a Division Title? Does Armani really think the Browns players are dumb enough to think they have a shot at that this season? That they can't comprehend that an experienced Weeden might give them a better shot at it when it's within reach?
If the players are that dumb, we really are in trouble! How could somebody that dumb run a correct route, or pick up the right passrusher?
The topic on NFL Radio all week was how rusty Micheal Vick was, and how the Eagles should have run the ball more. Many statements began with "Give the Browns defense credit, but..."
Skip the "but" dammit. Why are they so damn determined not to give the Browns any credit? Ask them about Dick Jauron, and they'll tell you he's great! But his defense last week just sort of lucked out, because the Eagles offense just sort of had a bad day.
No, Browns defenders (especially TJ Ward and cornerbacks) spent more time in the Philly backfield than Shady McCoy did. They covered well, and beat the snot out of Vick.
I'll admit that the Browns offense was as bad as any offense I've ever seen. Why won't these "objective" guys admit that the Browns defense is pretty damn good? Do you see the negative bias here?
The linebackers especially are looking shockingly good. LJ Fort and Robertson are still just puppies, and played great, just like in preseason! See how well they covered, compared to Scott Fujita? Did you notice how they were actually close to the reciever?
Pat Kirwin last week talked about how important Fujita was in the Browns nickle and dime packages. Pat knows his stuff, so I've got to assume that Fujita has indeed been on the field in those situations. These must have been the times when I saw every tight end he faced catching passes two steps ahead of him.
I need to tell Pat that he might be on the field, but he's not important if he can't cover anymore. But then, Pat thinks Ray Lewis is stiil great, and the Stoolers will be fine no matter what.
The Bengals just got stomped by the Ratbirds. Based on this game, I won't change my mind about the Bengals being the better team yet, but I was impressed.
Ross Tucker, even before that game, slapped me awake about the age of their defense. While Reed and Lewis are indeed old and decrepid, they're the only two over thirty! I was full of crap. I was too lazy to do my homework and relied too much on gossip. My bad. Ross Tucker is a great analyst. Thanks.
Also I knew that Flacco was a very good quarterback, but didn't expect him to be THAT good.
Anyway, Dalton will get rid of the ball quicker than Vick did, and the Browns defense might not look as good as it did vs. the Eagles. Haden won't play, and covering AJ Green will be tough.
Weeden and the offensive line can't possibly be as bad as they were last week, so they have a chance. But that's all I can say. A chance.
In re the offensive line, one analysis I read said that they released from their blocks too soon on runs. Everybody wanted to freeze the guy they initially blocked and get downfield linebacker/safety-hunting. They "left too early" and their first targets were able to launch and dive behind them to get a piece of Richardson.
I hope that's right, because it's easily correctable. Get Richardson the first couple yards, and let him worry about the rest.
The ideal West Coast offensive line has a Fanika-type left guard who can pull and excels in space. The Browns don't have that. Pinkston has lost weight and has good feet, but is still more of a man-blocker. They're trying to work with that.
This offense will not be like other West Coast offenses in several ways. It needs to run with authority, and that's much more important with a rookie quarterback than it will be later.
Weeden will get better, of course. How much better, or how quickly, is a mystery. But if, by the third or fourth game, he's not at least adequate, they'll have to consider giving Colt a fair shot.
And that wouldn't bother me a bit.
Guys without strong arms: Montana, Young, Sipe, Pennington, Orton, Nelson, Stabler...
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Art Modell
Ever since Uncle Artie allowed Head Coach Bill Belichick to replace Bernie Kosar, you couldn't tune in a sports talk show without hearing him bashed. And I'm talking about deep, profound hatred. It was like he'd sold out to the KGB. Like he was a child molester.
It was disgusting, especially since Bernie Kosar DID have diminished skills, and had ever since having his right elbow injured in Kansas City. Moreover, Kosar's offensive line was being bashed relentlessly...nevermind that most of the sacks Kosar took were over five seconds after he'd taken the snap.
It was emotional; irrational-insane. They hoped Modell would die soon. Modell was incompetant. The worst owner in history. A traitor. And idiot.
Meanwhile, the Indians and Cavaliers got new facilities. Municipal stadium was built on a landfill. Methane percolated up through the soil when in rained. The plumbing leaked. Grass couldn't be kept alive, so they used green paint.
The Democratic city fathers refused to help Modell as they had the Cavs and Indians. For years.
Art Modell was colorblind, and pioneered integration. Before Jim Brown, there was Marion Motley. Most of the other owners were shocked.
Art Modell bailed out the Cleveland Clinic. Without him, it would have been gone before most of you ever heard of it. He was generous to a fault, giving away way too much of his money to various charities.
By the time he finally threw up his hands and took the Baltimore deal, he was in real trouble.
It's true: He HAD NO CHOICE.
If you want to burn somebody in effigy, why not the sports media and city government who FORCED him to move the team?
You're a lynch mob. You need an easy, simple target. Your mind is made up and that's that. I'm from Cleveland, and you embarrass me.
Art Modell was a good person, who always tried to do the right thing. And he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
It was disgusting, especially since Bernie Kosar DID have diminished skills, and had ever since having his right elbow injured in Kansas City. Moreover, Kosar's offensive line was being bashed relentlessly...nevermind that most of the sacks Kosar took were over five seconds after he'd taken the snap.
It was emotional; irrational-insane. They hoped Modell would die soon. Modell was incompetant. The worst owner in history. A traitor. And idiot.
Meanwhile, the Indians and Cavaliers got new facilities. Municipal stadium was built on a landfill. Methane percolated up through the soil when in rained. The plumbing leaked. Grass couldn't be kept alive, so they used green paint.
The Democratic city fathers refused to help Modell as they had the Cavs and Indians. For years.
Art Modell was colorblind, and pioneered integration. Before Jim Brown, there was Marion Motley. Most of the other owners were shocked.
Art Modell bailed out the Cleveland Clinic. Without him, it would have been gone before most of you ever heard of it. He was generous to a fault, giving away way too much of his money to various charities.
By the time he finally threw up his hands and took the Baltimore deal, he was in real trouble.
It's true: He HAD NO CHOICE.
If you want to burn somebody in effigy, why not the sports media and city government who FORCED him to move the team?
You're a lynch mob. You need an easy, simple target. Your mind is made up and that's that. I'm from Cleveland, and you embarrass me.
Art Modell was a good person, who always tried to do the right thing. And he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Objectivity and the AFC North
On NFL Radio, the consensus among those who actually know what they're talking about is that the winner in the AFC North is between Stoolers and the Ratbirds.
They naturally attach extra weight to the quarterbacks, but also overweight history and heros. Yes, the smartest guys in football are guilty of emotional thinking. I believe this time I've got them, right in their own back yard.
The BENGALS are the team to beat in the AFC Central, and there's a real good chance that the Browns will help them out by beating these two teams at least once each.
1: Andy Dalton was a rookie last season, and that offense used less than half it's playbook. Dalton should take a big leap between his first and second seasons, whereas Flacco is late in his growth curve and Big Ben might even begin to decline. Ben has been hurt a lot, and:
2: The Stoolers offensive line has been a sore spot for awhile. This season, they drafted Mike Adams and David DeCastro to fix it. Well, DeCastro is on IR, and Mike Tomlin proved that he's NOT smarter than just about everybody else in the NFL by trying to make Adams an NFL LEFT tackle. NOT.
3: Ed Reed, Saint Ray Lewis, Casey Hampton, Brett Kiesel, Troy Polumalu, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark, Cheapshot Harrison, Larry Foote, Anquan Boldin, Bryan McKinnie, and Matt Birk are all OLD. Many have been beat up; notably Polumalu. In the REAL world, you can't marry NAMES, because players DO decline physicly, and these two teams are declining.
Now, Pat Kirwin would be quick to point out to me that these two franchises are famous for finding and developing young players who are ready to step in, and tend to do great (you know, like Heckert?). BUT, these teams are hitting critical mass, and they're not going to replace all these guys all at once. Eventually, all the lower draft picks catch up, and a team fades.
Next, he'd point out guys like Ngata and Pouncy, who are in their primes. But why not MOST of the Bengals roster?
4: The two best running backs in the division play for Cleveland and Baltimore (so stipulated). But the Bengals have a strong rushing attack, too. The Stoolers have problems with (typicly) overrated and injured talent, and mediocre blocking. Because of Tomlin's failed attempt to make a right tackle into a left tackle and DeCastro going down, that won't change, and might even get worse.
They'll have to pass a lot. Everybody knows it. That's bad.
5: In addition to their defensive stars going over the hill, the Ravens lost their top passrusher for at least most of the season to injury. And Harbaugh doesn't DARE replace either of his old icons, even as it becomes clear that he should. He might get lynched!
OK--Reed is still dangerous, because he's so smart, devious, and sneaky. But he won't be as good as ever. Nope. And my favorite part of the Browns vs. the Ravens is Ray Lewis on his back.
I believe that the Browns had the best draft in this division, but I can't fight those who'd say the Bengals out-did them. They got arguably the second-best cornerback in this draft (Kirkpatrick), a very good starting guard in Zietler, a solid defensive lineman, a good reciever in Sanu to help complement Green, among other things.
6: Adam Schein reluctantly conceded that the Browns might win one game. When asked who they might beat, he picked the Bengals.
I rest my case.
They naturally attach extra weight to the quarterbacks, but also overweight history and heros. Yes, the smartest guys in football are guilty of emotional thinking. I believe this time I've got them, right in their own back yard.
The BENGALS are the team to beat in the AFC Central, and there's a real good chance that the Browns will help them out by beating these two teams at least once each.
1: Andy Dalton was a rookie last season, and that offense used less than half it's playbook. Dalton should take a big leap between his first and second seasons, whereas Flacco is late in his growth curve and Big Ben might even begin to decline. Ben has been hurt a lot, and:
2: The Stoolers offensive line has been a sore spot for awhile. This season, they drafted Mike Adams and David DeCastro to fix it. Well, DeCastro is on IR, and Mike Tomlin proved that he's NOT smarter than just about everybody else in the NFL by trying to make Adams an NFL LEFT tackle. NOT.
3: Ed Reed, Saint Ray Lewis, Casey Hampton, Brett Kiesel, Troy Polumalu, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark, Cheapshot Harrison, Larry Foote, Anquan Boldin, Bryan McKinnie, and Matt Birk are all OLD. Many have been beat up; notably Polumalu. In the REAL world, you can't marry NAMES, because players DO decline physicly, and these two teams are declining.
Now, Pat Kirwin would be quick to point out to me that these two franchises are famous for finding and developing young players who are ready to step in, and tend to do great (you know, like Heckert?). BUT, these teams are hitting critical mass, and they're not going to replace all these guys all at once. Eventually, all the lower draft picks catch up, and a team fades.
Next, he'd point out guys like Ngata and Pouncy, who are in their primes. But why not MOST of the Bengals roster?
4: The two best running backs in the division play for Cleveland and Baltimore (so stipulated). But the Bengals have a strong rushing attack, too. The Stoolers have problems with (typicly) overrated and injured talent, and mediocre blocking. Because of Tomlin's failed attempt to make a right tackle into a left tackle and DeCastro going down, that won't change, and might even get worse.
They'll have to pass a lot. Everybody knows it. That's bad.
5: In addition to their defensive stars going over the hill, the Ravens lost their top passrusher for at least most of the season to injury. And Harbaugh doesn't DARE replace either of his old icons, even as it becomes clear that he should. He might get lynched!
OK--Reed is still dangerous, because he's so smart, devious, and sneaky. But he won't be as good as ever. Nope. And my favorite part of the Browns vs. the Ravens is Ray Lewis on his back.
I believe that the Browns had the best draft in this division, but I can't fight those who'd say the Bengals out-did them. They got arguably the second-best cornerback in this draft (Kirkpatrick), a very good starting guard in Zietler, a solid defensive lineman, a good reciever in Sanu to help complement Green, among other things.
6: Adam Schein reluctantly conceded that the Browns might win one game. When asked who they might beat, he picked the Bengals.
I rest my case.
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Young and the Restless
Some of the comments I've read have been making me wonder how anybody could be that dumb and still be semi-literate.
I want to ask Judge mental and the other barstool GM's which vedderrunn menntorrzzz should have been brought onto this 4-12 team to bump which young players onto the streets.
Who should be brought in to make sure that Jordon Cameron, Josh Gordon, Travis Benjamin, John Hughes, James Micheal Johnson etc. never get a chance to play? How do you develop a young player by keeping him on the bench? For that matter, which veterans were even available that were better than any of these guys?
And why? You are the same goobers who are throwing tantrums over this team probably finishing in the basement again this season. So what would a few overpriced geezers do? Get them closer to almost third place? What's your point?
And I have to insert this: Don't say "three years" anymore, ok? It won't take another three years. Why would it? Heckert's first rookie class is entering its third seasons this year! How long do you think it takes for a player to develop? Another suggestion: Quit posting. I feel dumber just reading that crap!
Anyway, you clowns need to pick your poison. Which is more important: Talent, or experience?
How does a young guy get experience, and develop into a veteran? By sitting on the bench? By getting CUT?
Would you like the Cleveland Browns to be like the Eagles, Stoolers, Ratbirds, Ravens? Then shut the hell up, because Heckert is building his team the way those teams were built!
And quit bashing Shurmer's playcalling based on PRESEASON for crying out loud! Can't you even wait for the first real game?
STICK A FORK IN YOURSELF, YOU'RE DONE (and stand corrected).
I want to ask Judge mental and the other barstool GM's which vedderrunn menntorrzzz should have been brought onto this 4-12 team to bump which young players onto the streets.
Who should be brought in to make sure that Jordon Cameron, Josh Gordon, Travis Benjamin, John Hughes, James Micheal Johnson etc. never get a chance to play? How do you develop a young player by keeping him on the bench? For that matter, which veterans were even available that were better than any of these guys?
And why? You are the same goobers who are throwing tantrums over this team probably finishing in the basement again this season. So what would a few overpriced geezers do? Get them closer to almost third place? What's your point?
And I have to insert this: Don't say "three years" anymore, ok? It won't take another three years. Why would it? Heckert's first rookie class is entering its third seasons this year! How long do you think it takes for a player to develop? Another suggestion: Quit posting. I feel dumber just reading that crap!
Anyway, you clowns need to pick your poison. Which is more important: Talent, or experience?
How does a young guy get experience, and develop into a veteran? By sitting on the bench? By getting CUT?
Would you like the Cleveland Browns to be like the Eagles, Stoolers, Ratbirds, Ravens? Then shut the hell up, because Heckert is building his team the way those teams were built!
And quit bashing Shurmer's playcalling based on PRESEASON for crying out loud! Can't you even wait for the first real game?
STICK A FORK IN YOURSELF, YOU'RE DONE (and stand corrected).
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