The evaluations I've heard of the first game in Pittsburgh are devoid of context.
The most common question I hear is "will we see the first half Browns or the second half Browns". Sounds as if it's a coin flip!
First game. New coaches, players, and systems. Any reasonable person expected some miscommunication and some blown assignments.
Don't get me wrong here: That whole first half was WAY worse than what I'm talking about, and utterly inexcusable, ok? Those weren't bumps in the road--they were land mines, and these guys somehow managed to hit every one of them. Rediculous. Intolerable. The deepest level of suckdom.
Reasonable people should also have expected some improvement in the second half, since they couldn't possibly be as bad, let alone worse. But here again, they surprised us and exceeded expectations going the other way.
Wow.
Ok first off, Shanahan's offensive system might well be the most complex in the NFL. The quarterback doesn't get and pass on playcalls--they get and give lectures. This is one of the biggest reasons why Johnny Selfie needs more time. Andrew Luck would have trouble learning all this crap.
And now I'm pretty sure I know what Kyle and RG3 argued about.
But it is what it is, and Shanahan's track record says it works, so this is not to bash the guy. It's just that even for Hoyer, it's still new, and he's not used to it yet. (Did I mention first game, etc.? Seems like I'm the only one who noticed that little detail.)
For the offense, it was the hurry-up in the second half. This was Hoyer reading what he saw and making his own calls. I told you the guy was smart. Kyle and Mike deserve some credit for setting him free and seeing what would happen.
As Hoyer and others said, they really hadn't practiced it much in camp, so this took some guts.
The Stoolers were no doubt expecting a one-dimensional attack. Down that many points, an offense typically leans heavily on the pass. I'm not sure (I missed the game and nobody else thinks it matters enough to tell me), but I'm guessing that the Steelers fielded some sort of Big Nickel defense, and Hoyer immediately locked them into that personnel grouping, which is partly why the run worked so well.
I was really happy with the balance--an even mix of pass and run.
Are we going to see the good offense, or the bad offense? Probably niether, but you'd have to be mentally challenged to think it's a coin-flip. It was the first game, and they learned a lot in that second half. Young players proved things to themselves and eachother.
The coaches learned some things, too. The confidence gained, and these lessons, will improve the offense for week two. DUH.
The biggest thing for the defense was tackling, pure and simple. This was corrected in the second half. Do you really think it's even possible that they won't keep that up vs. the Saints? What are you smoking?
More on Hoyer: Although he fell short, this is the second time Hoyer has rallied from behind. He did it in his first start last season vs. the Vikings. That time, there was no running game at all to help him.
Yet writers persist on repeating the mantra that Hoyer isn't the answer. While I'm personally not convinced that he is, I find the flat verdict that he isn't pretty damn ignorant.
People are already making statements about his "ups and downs" based on this one game! As if he's played twelve or thirteen games like this one, when this was the fifth start of his whole career! Some of these same mow rons also repeat the "small sample size" mantra. Well, it sure seems like they've seen enough to judge him, no?
Now other teams have to prepare for the hurry-up as well as for a Manziel package.
Where's that guy that said "That running game isn't going to scare anyone"?
The Saints offense is scary, and Gilbert needs some work. If the Browns can hold those guys under 20 points, I'll be happy. I suspect that they might just put Desir on Graham. It might work...sometimes.
Where THESE Browns have a chance against any team is running the ball. That's just plain blunt force. Ryan can scheme and plot all he wants, but if our guys can push their guys around, he can't stop it consistently.
The Browns have a good chance at controlling the clock and wearing them down. I believe that they should run some hurry-up in each game, just to beat up and gas the defense. Unfortunately, most coaches think that the time not taken off the clock gives Drew Brees more time for his surgery, so they don't do it.
On Gordon, I'm disturbed that Adam Shefter said that the "drug deal" would only reduce his suspension to eight games. Shefter is almost always right about everything, so I can't doubt it.
But I don't understand why, aside from the fact that he's a Cleveland Brown. The newer (and more realistic) levels put his sample below the threshhold, period. The procedure was patently arbitrary and questionable in the first place.
Hell, the Gordon case and the threat of a civil suit was likely the catalyst for getting this new deal done! Wouldn't it just figure that Gordon could get this deal finally done and still get screwed out of eight games?
One of Adam Shefter's league sources probably said this to him: "When we get it done we'll have to let a bunch of guys off the hook, but we'll somehow find a way to stick it to the Browns."
Josh: If they do that to you, SUE!
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