As good sport Mike Pettine pointed out to him in an interview, Ross Tucker rated the Browns the weakest team in the NFL.
Ross is one of few guys I can't pick on, because he really knows what he's talking about, is objective, thinks with his brain, and does his homework.
He cites questions and weakness at wide reciever. Check. And at quarterback. I personally believe that Brian Hoyer is the Hoyer who beat Cincinnati, and not the career backup, and that Johnny Manziel won't take that long to acclimate. I just can't prove it. Nor can I pick on anybody for assuming the worst.
Everybody seems to stipulate to the defense being very good. It's just that they seem to undersell that. They seem to place it in the top ten, rather than the top five. That exposes a general bias, because anybody going position-by-position will have a hard time finding any of the starters who could be ranked below the top third of their peers, and Pettine has a clear track history.
They also grudgingly stipulate that Jordan Cameron is really good, then quickly move on with the "but--", as if this doesn't matter.
The absolutely dumbest, most idiotic thing I've heard (not from Ross, of course), is that "nobody's scared of that running game".
WHAT? This is like running up the score. Giggling as you keep kicking a helpless person lying on the ground. It's like saying that George Foreman in his prime didn't have fast hands, and lacked power. You just don't know when to quit.
The Browns just added a truly top-notch left guard, added two blocking tight ends and a blocking fullback. ALL of the running backs are new to the roster. Kyle Shanahan brought his historically successful zone-blocking scheme with him, and finds himself with the right set of offensive linemen to run it.
The morons who said this can't even cite this preseason as a reason for it, as Ben Tate has run all over everybody and Crowell just exploded for a fifty yard touchdown run.
If you think with your brain, you also consider that the zone scheme is much more complex than the man scheme, and these guys are still making mistakes that they won't as they get more reps. Nor are they used to the rookie at guard yet.
I'm not surprised that the consensus on NFL Radio off-handedly predicts a Pittsburgh blowout today. Polumalu and Kiesel are as good as ever. Bell and company are all future Hall of Famers.
Well, the fact is that Big Ben has owned the Browns, especially at home, and it does look grim. In earlier blogs, I overestimated the Steelers' decline, and preseason/the wide reciever stuff has given me pause on the Browns.
If it were mid season I'd give the Browns a chance, but right now they're still probably going to make some mistakes as they learn eachother and their systems.
Another concern of mine is tackling. On thursday night, we saw a clinic on tackling by the Seattle defense. They wrapped guys up and dragged them down. The Browns preseason defense was usually in position, but blew the tackles.
If they start tackling like Seahawks, they'll be as good as any defense in the NFL. If they stay the way they are, the talking heads who minimize their talent will be right, and the Steelers WILL blow them out.
What HE said!
Josh: I suspect that Gordon's attorney knew about the drug test deal between the NFLPA and league, and hasn't sued for that reason. If Gordon isn't included (the suspension voided) he'll have even more ammo. The league needs to be smart here...even though Josh is a...Cleveland Brown.
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