Picking on the Cleveland Browns

Some criticisms of Hue Jackson and the current front office are legitimate.  At least they're fixable.

With Hue, it's outsmarting himself.  His playcalls at the goal line vs the Steelers were everything but a handoff.  This is actually a season-long tendancy.  Hue needs to dumb it down a little, and be more "predictable".

Isaiah Crowell has fumbled five times in two seasons.

A note on this: Some smart people have suggested that RG3 is partly culpable.  He had options to change the plays, or improvise by running it himself.

Terry Pluto makes some good points on the front office, following Joe Thomas's blunt-as-always statements about retaining good young free agents.

As always, Terry bleeds over into previous front offices, which clouds the issue, which is THIS front office.

THIS front office let Mitchell Schwartze walk.  The other departures weren't that bad.  No they weren't.  Were not.

Ok Alex Mack is getting massively overpaid, and the Browns can't set that precedent.  In 2015, he was statisticly average.  He is older.  Not beating Atlanta's offer was almost imperative.  That's business.

Schwartze was different.

Speaking more generally, Joe and Terry make another great point:  The team should extend young players BEFORE they reach their free agent seasons.  Kirksey and a few others fit that category.

Hyperinflation is a constant in the NFL.  You can "overpay" a guy a year early.  Then, when he goes to the Pro Bowl and stuff the next season and the caps go up again, you find out he's pretty cheap!

Terry doubts that the Browns can sign both Collins and Pryor.  Sounds like math wasn't his best subject, as the Browns have way more cap space than they need.

Collins loses a little leverage off of "taking plays off" accusations, and Pryor...

Apparently, Terrelle Pryor has alienated a bunch of former teammates, and the bashing he gets from opposing players is something to behold.

People change, and TP seems to be doing ok with his current teammates, but GMs who consider trying to steal him have to consider that, alternative free agents, and draftables before they throw jillions at this player who, after all, is on his best behavior in a contract year.

I respect Brian Hartline, but he went overboard on the talent side.  Pryor is an unmistakable number one who has a thousand yards and is still learning on the job.

As I mentioned during preseason, Pryor was developmentally ahead of Corey Coleman.  We saw this in Pittsburgh.  Pryor knows when to come back to the quarterback.  Coleman doesn't.

Yet.

Hue, it's okay to run the ball on first down on the two yard line.  Honest.  Sashi, talk to Kirksey and Bitonio's agents now, please!