"The Browns should have signed Tony Jefferson". I agree. "They should have out-bid the Ravens". They did. Jefferson took less money to sign with the Ravens.
I can't get too upset at the guy, because I can't hate people who don't sell out for that last 2-4%, like Albert Belle, Jim Thome, and seemingly every other guy who gets paid millions to play a kid's game for a living.
It is not rational. You are guaranteed around 20 million bucks. You can buy businesses, invest, buy rental property. You're set for life if you have a brain. And because somebody offers you one more million, you move your family to that city, and play for that team.
But I digress: Jefferson (well, I hear his wife had a strong voice) chose Baltimore and the Ravens over Cleveland and the Browns.
It could be because they have family around there, or so they can live near a coast. That's fine. But if it's because Jefferson thinks the Ravens have a brighter future than the Browns do, well...that was dumb of him.
In reality, the Wizard has not been all that Wizardly over the last few drafts and offseasons. He had to pay Joe Flacco after his monster Superbowl season, and I told you then: Stand by for a mass-exodus 25-27 year old stud players Ozzie won't be able to afford to hold onto.
I assumed at that time that Doctor Evil would continue to have great drafts, and delay his team's talent drain, but he swung and missed.
Harbaugh is a great Head Coach, and Flacco a very good quarterback, so he had that going for him. In signing Jefferson, he might have just created the best safety tandem in the NFL (dammit).
I just tried to research the Ravens offseason for more details and got sick of trying. I know Jefferson and Weddle will be pure hell to deal with. I know they freed up cap space by dumping several geezers...
At 16 overall they drafted cornerback Marlon Humphrey, so that's suddenly looking like a great back end. They held onto Smith right? If they have anything like a decent pass rush, it's going to be very, very hard to throw on these guys, and (dammit) they took LB Tyus Bowser in the second round to replace the departed Dumervil. This guy will just be a pain in the butt.
They'll probably attack the right tackle with him, and force max-protect to keep a tight end in (nevermind I'll go X and O later). Anyway, Bowser is scary-good as a passrusher dammit.
In the third round oh for crying out loud Chris Wormley OOOZZZIIIIEEEE @#×+=?:!! Chris Wormley is a defensive end who got a lot of press during the last week of the draft. He played at Michigan, for Harbaugh's brother, so they knew exactly who they were getting.
Wormley isn't an elite athlete or passrusher, but just a solid total package player. Gramps Suggs was pretty good last season, so Ozzie was Ozzie and held onto him, but nobody else on his defense produced much pressure on quarterbacks.
Wormley will help that a little, but is just a very solid all-around player that Ozzie got cheap low in round three.
In the 4th, he got passrushing linebacker Tim Williams. Ozzie's first four draft picks were all defense, with two passrushing linebackers and a tough cornerback (who can get burned deep btw😉).
Then he drafted a guard, tackle, and defensive back. Since this isn't the Browns, I won't dig into this further, but in this draft the guard might be pretty good, the tackle a project, and the defensive back...might be terrific (amazing DB depth in this draft!)
Well, I know that a lot of what I read is crap written by the clueless, but I read that the Ravens needed help at wide receiver and running back...
Ok I checked. They signed Danny Woodhead, who is old but still effective (I think), but generally lost more than they gained. They might well sign LeGarrette Blount, once he gets real with his salary demands.
Ok I've got a rough tactical map scetched out here on the Ravens:
Their defense should be very good. Certainly in the top ten, and maybe in the top five. Dammit.
However, they seem to lack scary wide receivers or running backs. Pitta is a major PIA, Flacco is damn good (doesn't get credit for his escapability and improvization)...I don't have a bead on their offensive line at this point--I think it's not great, but doubt that it's below average (Ozzie would never let that happen).
Ok now I can rough out a Browns vs Ravens game:
Well ok: The Ravens defense knows Hue wants to run to protect his quarterback and avoid what they do best, plus they can trust either safety single high, so they stack the box and blitze inside ("run-blitze").
This is their best move, since Hue isn't Marty, and is as likely to pass as to run on first down, because he sees the stacked box and extra heat coming.
They know that Kessler will get rid of it quick most of the time, but that he might be hitting guys 3 yards downfield, or even behind the line of scrimmage. They hope to bat a pass in the air, or for one of their safeties to slam a receiver and dislodge the ball in that case.
If it is a handoff or pitch-out, they know the inside blitze could blow it up or force it wide, and that an unblocked safety could stop it short.
They won't bother challenging Joe Thomas. They'll send a linebacker under or over the right tackle from the edge. That's a mismatch, and the conventional answers are to run a two-back and keep the fullback in, or to run two tight ends and use one to at least chip the linebacker.
...ok a "chip" block does two things:
1: It deprives a passrusher of his outside angle; it forces him to either try to blow close by the tackle, or bull-rush, or cross his face to get between him and the guard (avoiding the tight end entirely).
2: Unless the passrusher crosses inside, it stops his momentum.
Generally, a well-executed chip-block (actually the tight end's hands punching the passrusher's shoulderpads from the side to knock him off balance) wins a lot more than it loses.
The tight end is usually nearly as big or sometimes bigger than the defensive end or linebacker, and just as athletic, so trying to go around him outside is unthinkable. That's why it utterly neutralizes the passrusher around the edge.
Well, see, the less athletic offensive tackle knows all this, so he can position himself to stop only a bull-rush or something across his face.
Now: A chip-block is just a punch. The passrusher is colored neutralized once it's executed, as it's assumed that the tackle now has his huge hands on the passrusher, hence will overpower him, see?
But the tight end is now free.
ENTER NJOKU (or, actually Seth DeValve, as I have read reports of him showing up bulked up to 260 lbs which is mind-boggling if true).
All defensive coordinators know this stuff, and that they can't cover the tight end after the chip. They still force the chip because it delays the tight end from getting downfield as a receiving option, and from lining up outside to spread the defense out.
They just figure that if the quarterback throws to him, he won't be too far downfield, or even up to full speed, and the little guys can stop him where he catches it.
This is why Njoku was drafted, and Barnidge released. Expect Njoku to line up on the strong side, in-line, often. Njoku can chip, get 5 yards upfield quickly, catch a dart (instead of a lob), and wreak havoc.
Barnidge couldn't do that. He'd be a third or fourth option, because he'd be 3 yards downfield, and a linebacker or safety would already be closing on him. The quarterback wouldn't have a direct sightline to him through the traffic, and would have to lob the ball over all the skyscrapers.
This is how this Browns offense could burn that Ravens defense. And the Ravens defense couldn't neutralize it without backing off...
Meanwhile, the Ravens offense is no match for the Browns 2017 defense. Gregg Williams will send five, every down. The Ravens will double-team Garrett (btw he might be aimed at their right tackle too, hoping to make Pitta chip).
Flacco is a scary deep passer, but...He can hand off to...
You will see this: Joe Flacco can't win single-handed. No quarterback can. Quarterback is the most important position in football, but when the Browns play the Ravens, you will see that the other 21 players matter gdammit!
Brownss 33, Ravenss minuss 6.
I've got to go back to Seth DeValve here: 260 lbs.?! What I read was "bulked up to", and not "fat".
I haven't looked into this yet, so I'm just being optimistic right now ok?
If this is true, it could make DeValve a viable in-line blocker, as well as a glorified wide receiver. It would also explain Gary Barnidge's summary execution.
Ok well, DeValve is verticly-challenged at under 6'3", and never blocked like that before, and blocking isn't simple or easy, so I can't get overly optimistic here...
But damn, if this kid did hit the weights that hard over the offseason, it says something about him! He has committed to being a real tight end (and blocking fullback btw. At any rate, if this is true, he intends to block, see?)
I hope he hasn't lost any speed.
But if this is true, the Browns BASE offense might be a two-tight end!
I'll have to study on this. I'll get back to you later.
For now, put away the rabbit's feet and voodoo dolls. The 2017 Browns will be better than the 2017 Ravens.
DeValve update/correction: Yeah he's 260 lbs.
He has not gained 15 lbs since the draft. He did not expect to be released. He will still be able to flex out. Njoku can play in-line.
Njoku will be the top tight end, but DeValve should be on the field a lot, both in relief and opposite him. He'll now just run over defensive backs instead of around them.
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