Let's go back to Ben Roethsenberger's rookie season:
The Steelers had had mediocre quarterbacks for several seasons, and hadn't done much, despite having good overall talent.
They drafted Ben, and won a Superbowl.
For a lot of people, that proves that the quarterback is everything, and the team doesn't matter. But a knowlegable Steelers fan will laugh at that.
Ben was on a strict "pitch count" in every game, rarely throwing over 16 passes. He was a "game manager".
The Steelers offense steamrolled everybody (threw them under the Bus, as it were), and enjoyed an excellent defense.
Indeed, in the playoffs, Ben's wheels just about came off, and he was pretty bad. It was the running game and defense that won that Superbowl.
This is just to make the point: A talented, well-coached team can win a Superbowl with a questionable quarterback DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Number Fire's Jim Sannes wrote a great article on why Fantasy owners should check out parts and pieces of the Browns offense.
Jim is mainly talking bargain-hunting in the lower rounds here, because they're being underrated. Isaiah Crowell might be the top semi-sleeper here, but he mentions Rodney Brittfield, Rodney Kesslerfield, and Njoku:
"It's hard to find any component of this offense who isn't worth their price, because they're all so insanely cheap".
I've got a slow connection, so I might not have got that quote exactly right, but I know I got the word "insanely" right. Amen Jimbo!!!
PFF (Mark Chichester) writes another great article on Seth DeValve. I myself was oblivious to his YAC yards, but the rest of it should sound familiar to my readers. I just want to point out that DeValve did what Mark describes as a smaller, slower rookie buried under Gary Barnidge (who I wish great luck to btw wherever he plays).
NFL Spinzone (good ole Peter Smith) breaks down the Browns defensive line expertly, as usual.
I really hardly need to read Pete's articles, because he is almost as smart as my humble DaVinci-like self, and rarely makes a mistake. Still, I do, because he goes into film study and detailed stats, and still teaches me stuff I didn't know.
In general on these three articles, I need to make a few corrections:
1: Njoku is "the rage" now, but Seth DeValve is, in reality, ahead of him. Even once Njoku learns the ropes, he won't be significantly better. Of the two Browns 2017 tight ends, DeValve is the one fantasy bargain-hunters should look at first.
Everybody knows, you can't trust rookie tight ends.
DeValve isn't the rookie.
2: Danny Shelton will play almost exlusively between RIGHT guard and center in this defense.
But I love how Peter Smith goes deeper, in matching up Browns defensive linemen with Browns offensive linemen to illustrate how competition in practice will hone their respective skills.
Garrett vs Thomas what you kidding me? (Of course Joe gets those days off, so really this will mostly "hone" Joe's backups).
How about Ogbah vs the right tackle? Peter was discussing the defensive line in this article, but Ogbah (and Orchard, and Nassib, etc) will certainly separate the wheat from the chaff at right tackle.
Speaking of which, Thomas Moore quotes Myles Garrett in making a case for Shon Coleman as the frontrunner. This is another great article---where have all the dumbasses gone?
3: Unless Josh Gordon comes back, Kenny Britt is the only true X receiver on this roster---and he is a true X.
I'm annually amazed at how many otherwise really smart people don't get this:
The X is the "number one" receiver in any conventional offense. He needs to be tall and physical, because defenders try to mug him at the line of scrimmage, and then put a free safety on top of him.
The Steelers love confusing dumbass Browns fans, as the 5'10" Antonio Brown is maybe the best wide receiver in the NFL right now. But he disappeared when Big Ben missed time.
He would disappear as a Cleveland Brown, too. As much crap as I'll get from Black Cloud for saying this, Big Ben is an exceptional quarterback who makes the most of him.
For normal quarterbacks, a number one needs to be a big tall deep threat with a big catch radius who can haul in not exactly perfect deep passes with defensive backs glued to their spines. He has to be able to slow down without getting accidentally/on purpose knocked off-balance, or leap or dive, or turn and reach; he needs to be physical.
Remember Travis Benjamin (btw great guy good luck to him too)? Earlier coaches who should remain nameless put Travis at X for Hoyer, Campbell, McCown et al.
They threw long passes to him (commonly "back shoulder throws"), but they almost never worked, even when they were right on the money.
That's because he was too light and short. Most cornerbacks actually had a reach advantage on him, and despite his impressive speed, he rarely got any separation on vertical routes.
Don't get confused here:
1: Antonio Brown is not a deep threat. He does almost all his damage on short and intermediate routes, just like Jerry Rice did.
2: What do Randy Moss, Josh Gordon, Brandon Marshall, Megatron, Green, Jones, Britt, etc have in common?
...ok (sigh) they're tall and physical. An ordinary quarterback can trust them deep.
3: A true number one receiver MUST BE a reliable deep threat.
Now, that's not Corey Coleman, or (for that matter) Antonio Brown. Or Steve Smith.
But I digress: Hue Jackson makes the most of what he has. I paid attention when Al Saunders, when asked to compare Terrelle Pryor to Kenny Britt, said that Britt was more "physical".
Hue will run a two-tight end BASE offense, with DeValve and Njoku as primary tight ends, and Britt and Coleman *when fkng available* as wide receivers.
This maps out a really punishing, brutal offense, considering Hue's announced determination to run more in 2017.
Nobody else sees this yet. The two primary tight ends are "Y's" or (I'll take competant) in-line blockers, and H-backs, and can line up wide, and attack outside, and should be exceptional blocking in space.
Kenny Britt isn't an ideal number one, but is above average in that role (shut up that's just the truth). He also excels in YAC yards, and blocks extremely well too. If Gordon comes back...wow.
I found out (I'll try to find the guy to give him his props) that Isaiah Crowell averaged 5.9 ypc vs EIGHT MAN ("stacked") Fronts!!!
Ok do the math. C'mon man do I have to spell everything out?
Oh yeah quarterback. No franchise QB we're all gonna die good grief ok I give up.
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