That Sucked

That Sucked.

Ps: I had thought that after the Pittsburgh game, Brian Hoyer could finally play well more than half the time, or at least only require a 3-point deficit to wake tf up.

But the pattern continues, only now on a larger scale.  For most of the Steelers game, he looked great.  Then for most of the last game, he sucked.  Still 50/50.  It's incredible, really.  Half mediocre/bad, half good/great.

Per the pattern, next week he tears the Raiders a new one.  Then nose-dives a week later.

Well, we'll see.  It's way too early to color Hoyer the new Anderson.  The Jags shut down the run, and somehow muffled Cameron too.  McQuistan lost his lunch money, and he got really pressured for the first time all season.

Hoyer has earned his starting gig, and you don't pull the rug out from under him based on his first truly bad performance.

HOWEVER...well, he needs to get it and KEEP it together, or Johnny should  get his shot.

My friends are threatening to excommunicate me for heresy, but it is what it is.  I'm on Brian's side too, but that's my heart.  My head says if the starter starts failing, you replace him, period.

I don't expect this to happen.  Brian Hoyer has showed us too much, and this was only one game.  Even the Hall of Famers have all had crappy games.  So go Brian.

Or else.

I overestimated McQuistan.  I believe McDonald is the fast-track guy.  They want their top four right guard back at right guard, so the center is the key position here.

Knocking Pettine for his trick plays and fourth down attempts is silly to me.  Three points wasn't going to mean that much, and he was trying to light a fire.  Nothing was going right.  They needed a spark; a real lead to shake the run loose.  

Just beat the next two.  Josh Gordon is getting closer.  See those (shouldn't have tried it/lucked out) bombs to the microbes?  Put Gordon in that defensive back sandwich, and see what happens.

Bad Fantasy Advice

On satellite Radio, I heard these two fantasy football "experts" advising everybody on how to lose their asses.

They were discussing a tight end alternative for Jimmy Graham.

They named four or five guys.  Jordan Cameron wasn't one of them.

Then they talked running backs.  No Ben Tate.  For that matter, Isaiah Crowell gets in the end zone a lot, and he was persona non-stop grata as well.

Brian Hoyer wasn't mentioned.  Well, he gets about one td per game and not very many yards, so maybe that's not so ignorant.  But I guess these guy's advice can be summed up like this:  Don't play any Cleveland Browns.

More idiocy.  While even Pat Kirwan has stopped snickering at the mention of Brian Hoyer's name, some people are always three or four weeks behind.

My pal Bub, poor guy, is stuck with Ben Tate.  My heart bleeds.

Jaccobi McDaniel is no slouch.  This is the guy who tore it up in pre-season.  It's hard to predict how well he'll do today, but I guarantee you he won't suck.

Justin Gilbert has improved too.

I really like Blake Bortles.  He'll wind up being better than Big Ben, because he's much faster.  Ben is hard to take down, but shambles, whereas Bortles actually runs.  Fortunately, he's a rookie, and still making rookie mistakes.

I love how the coaches and players (notably Hoyer) are stressing harder work and a serious attitude.  We're all sick of Browns teams flying too close to the sun and turning into comets.  With guys like Dansby and Whitner, and even Hoyer, I don't see that happening.

And come to think of it, I bet McDaniel nails Bortles at least once.

They'll win.

Hoyer or Manziel

It's premature to speculate on what's going to happen here between these two, but since everybody else is doing it, well...

If I'm Brian Hoyer, I can let my salary determine my decision.  If the Browns pay me starter money, then they must either start me or trade me. 

If Hoyer merely continues as he has, he can rightfully demand on the high side of 14 mil/year. Probably more.  A bunch of teams will be after him.  He'll be a proven winner.

The Browns can't pay him that much unless they intend to start him, and should Johnny Selfie beat him out anyway, then they'll have made a mistake.  Hoyer won't get a better deal anywhere else.

He's not afraid of Johnny.  He believes he'll remain the better quarterback, and if he's paid like the starter, it means the team agrees.

The team could easily recoupe a first round pick, and probably more for a first round pick, signed cheap for three more years, with a year in the NFL behind Hoyer and under Shanahan.  This would give them THREE first round picks next year.  They could shop for yet another quarterback of the future to eventually succeed Hoyer.  Or wait.

On the other hand, what if they feel that Johnny can be all that?  He's much younger.  He'll cost much less.  He can do more, and even his arm is stronger.

Much as I love Hoyer and have been irritated by Johnny, I'm not objective unless I consider this possibility.

If I'm Ray Farmer, I'd consider signing Brian Hoyer for starter money.

I know that this would upset the Selfie camp.  Linta would probably ask for a trade the next day.  Johnny isn't here to wait for a 29 year old quarterback to retire.

But I (Ray Farmer) have saved a bunch of cap money, and can afford to pay both quarterbacks for one season. I would indeed seek to trade Johnny, but only for a real profit.

A shallow analyst would think I'd given up my leverage with other GMs, but I'd tell them what I just told you: my worst-case scenario is having two great quarterbacks for one season, and then getting MORE  in a trade for one or the other in 2016.

More likely, I get a top 15 pick for Johnny, and a fourth rounder too.

But all this is indeed premature. What if Hoyer gets hurt?  Will Johnny get a chance to show suitors what he can do?  What if they sign Hoyer and Johnny does beat him out?

Oh yeah.  Blockbuster trade.  Nevermind.

Slow Starts, Playoffs, AFC North

This great article on the Bleacher Report did a great job breaking down several probable reasons for slow starts by Brian Hoyer and the defense.  The article is so good, I can't add much to it.

Another article asserts that the Browns could make the playoffs as a wild card. I agreed with that last week, but now?

The Browns can win this Division.

Ya know, I can already hear you: Don't put the cart before the horse.  Let's not get too excited.  Who do you think you're talking to? In my last article, I called the Bengals the bull of the AFC North woods, but upon further review I've got to throw the challenge flag on my ruling.

The Bengals don't have a better offensive line. In point of fact I believe the Browns have the better quarterback, running backs, and tight end. Upon Josh Gordon's return, even the wide receivers match up.

I respect the Bengals defense, but think the Browns' defense is better.

Marvin Lewis is overrated.  I'm sorry.  If he were white, nobody would blink at that.  He's solid, and that's it.

As for the Ravens, they have the quarterback, and certainly other talent scattered around, but the Browns outgun them in general.  They have a great coach too, but at this point I can't give any opposing coaches a big edge over ours.

Inexperience is a consideration, but the Browns may have gone past the "thinking" stage after five games, and should now improve rapidly. Especially with the next three opponents as preliminaries to the tougher fights.

I do worry about Hoyer starting out slow again, but thanks to the article I opened up with, I may understand it better and feel better about it.  If this writer is correct, he's simply unwilling to take any risks until he has "felt them out".

The next three games are games they should win, and just as importantly, they're "reps" for the new players. By the time they meet the tough guys again, they should be clicking.

Remember this: The Browns by game 9 should be noticeably better than the team that just gave the Steelers a swirly, stuffed them in a locker, and took their lunch money.

If they sweep the Bengals, they can win the Division.

And yes, they can.

Late note on Mack:  Rich Gannon, for one, made the loss of Kevin Mack sound disastrous.  Here again, Rich isn't interested enough in the Browns to do more than superficial research on them.

John Greco isn't as athletic as Mack, and no center has a quicker right hand.  But Greco is a good player with experience at center.

McQuistan isn't as powerful as Greco, but is more athletic, and in this scheme will do well at right guard.

Sans Mack, the Browns' offensive line might not be the best in the NFL.  They might only be the fourth or fifth best.  Oh.  The humanity.

Wow

Great reason for optimism.  Just keep in mind, this was just the Steelers.

The Browns are the more talented team, and the rest is hype.  Finally, they just seem to have realized that. This wasn't an upset.  It was winning one of those games you're supposed to win.  They should win most of the rest of their games as well, despite the painful loss of Alex Mack.

Whoever said that this offensive line lacked depth isn't paying attention.

Finally, the defense played up to it's potential.  The Steelers are overrated, but this was a talented and balanced offense.

Hoyer again got off to a slow start, but this time only needed a three point deficit to wake tf up.

The biggest surprise about this team is the fact that these wide receivers aren't just okay-they're pretty good.

Kyle threw three tight ends at the Steelers, a LOT.    Is it starting to sink in that none of them are here strictly to block?

Three tight ends, often lined up next to and behind each other, mandated a base defense, forcing the Steelers to bunch up their own counterparts on one side and outside the tackles. One of those had to be a Since Shazier wasn't playing, LaBeau really couldn't match up in coverage.

One or both of Cameron's deep catches came out of this bunch, the Steelers were forced to weaken one side of their formation, while the Browns could still run at both sides.  Kyle Shanahan is one smart cookie!

This was an in-your-face offense.  The Brown's just loaded up and punched them in the face, repeatedly.  Then took their lunch money.

The Bengals are the bull of these woods.  The Ravens are better than the Steelers, but not as good as these Browns.  Now the players KNOW how good they are, and that was the most important thing.

They should stomp the Ravens almost as badly, and they'll have a great chance against the Bengals.  Oh yeah...Gordon is coming.

I pity the fools.

Browns Favored Over Steelers!

This is awesome and scary for long-time Browns fans.  You know why.  In the past, every single time we had reason for optimism, well...

But I'm sticking to my logical view.  New coaches, systems, players.  What happened before this season doesn't matter...unless, of course, we ARE cursed...

This betting line reflects the national perception of the Browns, and not "Vegas" or the oddsmakers.

It is a good game to FIX in favor of the Steelers, which does make me nervous.

I read another ignorant analysis of this game on the Bleacher Report.

I could accept giving the Steelers the edge at qb, wr, and maybe even te, since Miller is kicking butt and Cameron is not.  But this clown gives the Steelers the edge at rb based on Bell's total yards, while ignoring the combined yards of the Browns THREE backs.

He gives the Steelers front seven the edges "by a wide margin". To this guy, all that matters is the surface.

A real analyst includes all relevant factors: one is age.  The Brown's front seven has a bunch of players in their first three years, meaning they are improving.  The Steelers are older, and declining.  They've wheeled gramps Harrison out of the retirement home!

The Steelers system is old and established. The Browns' is new, and the players to-date have been learning it.  The Steelers are static, and the Browns are ascending.

It's a wash, maybe, between the units with talent, age, and system newness considered, but fools overstate things.  By a wide margin?  Pure idiocy.

Even the tight end thing: This guy is apparently a doctor, as he's determined that the shoulder condition is chronic due to Cameron's lack of production last week.  And who is Pitt's second tight end?  I won't even ask who's third.

You want "by a wide margin"?  I give you the Browns' offensive line.  Big Ben got sacked nine times in the last two games.

The guys on NFL Radio have, as far as I've heard, universally picked the Steelers.  I understand that.  The defense has been absolutely horrific more often than not.  At least Pat Kirwan only mentioned that, and not the Steelers way -gag-.

I personally waver.  I believe the Browns will win, and have good logical reasons for it.  The biggest single reason is talent.  When you get past the religious zealotry and hype, the Browns are the more talented team.

...But I can't count on a head extraction by the defense in one week.  This has not been a bend-but-dont break defense.  It has been the bend over defense.

That's the thing: They should be crushing people!

The whole Phil Taylor thing is being overblown.  He wasn't having a good year, and people are just stuck on his name.  Kitchen, Hughes, and A. Bryant should combine to fill that gap.  It won't even matter.

Kitchen and Hughes are good against the run, and Bryant can penetrate and disrupt.  Kitchen might even have sneaked up and become a top-notch true nose tackle.

I hope Phil comes back healthy and regains his mojo, but as-is, no biggie.

Oh, all right: The defense has intermittently been dominant, and is overdue to play well for a whole game.  The Steelers don't have the people to stop Cameron.  Hoyer thrives on pressure, and this time will feel it from the first snap on.

He can be the savior of his hometown team.  He can become great, in this one game.

Browns 97, Steelers minus 4.

Kardiac Kidz

Didn't you expect Brian Sipe...I mean Hoyer to wake up and rally the team?  Isn't this sample size large enough to tell you that this is who this guy is?

The word "identity" is overused, and many have picked on the Browns for not having one.  But they do.

They're the schizophrenic team!  Jekyll and Hyde.  The offensive line, tight ends, backs, and receivers are all consistently good.  The quarterback and defense are symbiotically bad or good.

This isn't quite fair to Hoyer, though.  He's either very good or mediocre.

That is sort of remarkable.  Hoyer deserves credit for piling up all those points, but the defense was half of that  comeback.  They rose to the occasion as well.  Had they surrendered so much as a field goal in the entire second half, this win is far less likely.

For that matter, don't forget that safety!  

So this was the whole team.  But Hoyer remains the key: As the NFL guys say a lot, without genuine confidence in that quarterback, a team can't summon the...call it fire... to pull a long rally off.

Hoyer has already showed us that he's at his best when backed into a corner.  He's also been inaccurate earlier in games, which is maddening. 

But there is hope.  Vs. Cincinnati last season and New Orleans this season, he played well without first digging himself into a deep hole.  As time goes on, he should turn into at least a top ten guy.  Technically, he already is, but few expect him to stay there.

I just heard Russell Wilson kick butt again.  Some say that Johnny Selfie isn't that.  It's true.  But he could become like Wilson. The difference is that Wilson had twice Johnny's college experience, and ran pro style offenses. He has all the same tools, including the arm.

The microbes excelled. While Miles Austin did little, the three smurfs were practically uncoverable.  This has become another element of the offensive identity.  The Browns will bludgeon you with big running backs, then use microscopic speed demons like an ice pick.

The defense, I repeat, is too talented not to improve dramatically, and like Hoyer has been stellar in the comebacks.  This proves that they have it in them.

I can't wait for Josh Gordon.  Those long bombs might well have worked.  If they can stay above .500  til he gets back, look out.

Arrow Pointing Up

Pat Kirwan picked the Browns today. I know that was hard for him.

The new coaching staff has shown uncommon sense...along with the fan base.

Continuing with Hoyer seems like a no-brainer, but as we know, many coaches (or meddlesome owners or gms) would have forced the new guy in no matter what.

Some commentators have said "You have to start that first round pick right away".  Here I don't care who said this: that's idiocy. Manziel was picked LOW in the first round and is paid on the rookie scale.

Nor is picking a quarterback high necessarily repudiation of the current starter. Manziel was a value pick and a calculated risk. Pettine said there would be competition, and there was. Hoyer won.

Andrew Hawkins had been buried on the Bengals wr-rich roster, and we thought what we now had in him was a really good slot receiver.  We got more.  He has been playing the x-slot; the top slot on the outside, and succeeding.  Just imagine now when Gordon returns! 

Jordon Cameron has been hurt, but should return healed and ready.

Starting Ben Tate also makes sense.  He won't miss a blitze pickup, and is a polished reciever.  The new guys have kicked butt in his absence, but Tate did nothing to lose his place.

There's also the fact that rookie running backs hit a wall late in the season.  Taking carries off them now will help with that.

As for the atrocity which has been this defense, it simply can't continue to suck.  Pettine is too good, and there is a boatload of talent here.  Several of these guys 
are first and second year players who should be better by the game.

I have to watch the game on sirius radio again. Thank god for Jim Donovan.