The media has been unusually solid in their coverage of the Browns, which is always frustrating for me. I can't even pick on MKC today, as she seems to have beamed back down from the Kizer Nebula (or wherever she was).
Still, she repeated that heading into Friday's scrimmage, Kizer had been outperforming the other quarterbacks, so she hasn't admitted to having hallucinations yet.
Still, progress is progress, and she's ready to let Osweiler sink or swim while Kizer maxes out the reps and keeps trying to catch up.
But for a full recovery, Mary needs to confront her delusions. For me, this would take somebody informing me that Kizer was completing only 52% of his passes. I would say "Oh. Nevermind". But I'm rare like that.
Chris Pokorney was really informative in providing defensive player-by-player stats for thursday's preseason game.
The Coaches will have to consider specific matchups and stuff for the guys lower on the depth chart, but these numbers do offer some good clues to how they're performing.
Chris even broke them down by percentages; how much they played.
By the numbers, Tyrone Holmes actually outplayed Nate Orchard. He played significantly less, and still did more (especially in the opposing backfield).
But again, I think Orchard entered the game earlier, against tougher players, so we can't take that to the bank.
Des Bryant got a "no stats recorded", and I earlier read another article which singled him out in a bad way. Per the writer, he was blown off the ball repeatedly on run plays.
I need to mention here that per PFF, in 2015, Bryant was really weak vs the run. I think he's doomed. Nothing personal.
And in the same article, the writer said the same thing happened to Danny Shelton!
Trevon Coley played 32% of the snaps, but outdid everybody else (I think mainly from left defensive tackle; Shelton's spot). I always credit Sashi Brown for nabbing these guys off other people's practice squads, but Andrew Berry (a "football guy" btw) is the guy who targets them.
Coley and Brien Boddy-Calhoun are really shining bright right now, and they're just the obvious ones.
That was the linemen. Joe Schobert was the Coley of the linebackers. Playing only 19%, he piled up two tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a quarterback hit, a sack, and a pass defended!!! That's just downright amazing.
Sorry, Tank Carder. You just got served. In fact, Gregg Williams is probably trying to figure out how to get Schobert on the field more.
In fact, Christian Kirksey had best watch his back (you heard that here first).
Sadly, a bunch of guys we've never heard of really kicked ass. Most notably, Olugbodi with five tackles (57% though--maybe not enough.)
Olugbodi or Alexander are two guys who, if they're cut loose, will probably start somewhere else. As I've been saying, questioning the Browns' linebacker depth is insane.
At cornerback, Darius Hillary played a whopping 69% of the plays, and got two tackles, but Chris points out that the cornerbacks weren't challenged much, so it's a tad early to start calling guys losers and bumbs.
Everybody who isn't deaf and blind knows Briean Boddy-Calhoun now. That undrafted free agent has just kicked ass ever since he's been here, and is even better now than he was in 2016.
Listen to me here: This guy will challenge Taylor and Haden for playing time. He's just that good! Williams has worked him at free safety. You heard that here first too.
And no, it wasn't just that fourth-down tfl. He covers, gets interceptions, and is in on way more run-stops than you'd expect out of a cornerback. He's like Nate Orchard and Joe Schobert: a "football player".
Nobody really stands out at either safety spot, except Derrick Kindred got 3 tackles playing only 20%. That's actually sad, because he was tackling running backs who ran right tf through the front 6-7.
On that issue (the run defense): Gregg Williams will fix it. Danny Shelton had a bad game. You have to know he'll be fine. Des Bryant never was very good vs the run, and he won't be sticking around. Schobert is better than Carder, and will replace him (no offense Tank I love ya man).
Chris thinks Justin Currie (3 tackles) is making a case for backup safety, and that Calvin Pryor probably won't make it. I concur. I had some hopes for Pryor, but he's not standing out like any older player on this roster needs to.
Williams blitzed everybody from everywhere, which I was glad to see. Williams walks the walk. I don't think you can be on his field if you can't blitze.
Don't misinterpret that; he usually blitzes one guy at a time, except on third and long. But it could be anybody.
That's one of the reasons his players all love him. Playing for Gregg Williams is fun!
I do get to correct some people today, including Terry Pluto:
Joe Thomas (as well as my humble self) has told you, you don't really need to practice run-blocking a lot. Regardless of scheme, it's pretty straightforeward, and every good running back is instinctive too.
The passing game is a lot more complex, and you need all the live reps you can get. This is why Hue passed about twice as often as he ran in this first preseason game. It's that simple. Don't overthink it.
The running game is in the bag.
Speaking of which, I was encouraged by Isaiah Crowell implying that he wants to be paid like Devonta Freeman (around 8 mil/year) because that's a reasonable demand.
I had feared he was looking at Ebeneezer Belle's rediculous situation with the Steelers.
Now that Freeman (now the highest-paid non-franchised running back in the NFL) is signed, contract talks should get moving again for the Crow.
I heard that! No, Crow isn't the best running back in the NFL (yet), but niether is Freeman ok? This has to do with salary cap inflation and the need to lock players down for long periods.
Crow is still young (and improving), has been durable, and has "low mileage" on his tires. I hope Sashi (and Andrew) see the budding "Beast Mode" I do in this guy, and pays the man.
I was stunned when Sashi took Mitchell Schwartze's offer off the table, though, so we can't count on it.
I just saw another breathless headline "DESHONE KIZER PROMOTED TO FIRST TEAM!" Stop it! He and Brock split the reps, like Kizer and Kessler did throughout camp. They've got like a month til their next preseason game, and Hue just wants Kizer to be in tune with the starting skill guys.
Hue, if you listen to him and watch his face, is amazed by all this. I'm sure he expected the intense scrutiny, but the conclusions people leap to shock and amaze him.
He'll probably say in his next interview, for the thousanth time (sigh) "It doesn't mean anything. I'm just spreading it out. It's way too early. He has a lot to clean up why do I have to keep repeating this every goddam day stop it stop it stop it "@%%#÷×>`#;`?!!!"
I guess I might have projected a little there, but I promise you, it's what Hue wants to say.
Even Mary Kay finally gets it.
Mitch Trubisky was amazing in his own preseason debut. DeShaun Watson was pretty good (not as good as Kizer). I don't know about Mahomes yet. But all of these guys are being "protected" so far.
Frankly, Mitch Trubisky actually looks "ready" right now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him starting game one for da Bearss, despite the fact that Mike Glennon is actually pretty damn good.
Permabashers would love that. "Day blew idd again". "Day cooda hadd him"
Yeah for like their entire draft. I like Garrett how bout you? And Peppers, and Njoku et cetera?
Wait three years. Trubisky still won't have Kizer's arm or amazing deep accuracy. He won't get any taller, or much faster. Wait 3 years, and let's see where Trubisky, Wentz, and Kizer are respectively. I can't wait.
Kizer has more physical talent than all of them (although Mahomes and Watson are close). Nobody is 6'4", 236 lbs, or has that arm. (Mahomes is close on the arm).
Intelligence doesn't always translate to live games, but DeShone Kizer is as smart or smarter than all of them. And he is the only one not picked in the first round.
My readers remember me wanting Trubisky, Garropollo, Mahomes, and Watson, and NOT Kizer. In fact I kinda bashed Kizer!
But that was before last thursday.
I hope this time it's real: Right now, it looks like the Browns (especially Sashi) found their guy. Everything he did wrong was due to inexperience, and is predictably (or inevitably) fixable.
Now, nobody else gets this yet, but Hue Jackson had DeShone running early on purpose, to back the defense off.
Cam Newton never had this kind of accuracy. I'm not sure any quarterback has as strong an arm.
Yes, I guess you could say I'm cautiously optimistic about DeShone Kizer.
But I think Osweiler is as likely as not to be pretty good again (we'll see vs the Giants). If he does okay in that game, he should be the starter through game 4, at which point Kizer could indeed take over.
They'll probably keep depriving Kevin Hogan of live reps so they can sneak him back onto the practice squad. If it works out, they can trade Brockytop for an actually decent draft pick, maybe without a significant bribe.
Then Hogan is suited to take over Kizer's offense if he goes down.
Call me Robbydamus.
Okbye.
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