Reality Therapy for a Hyperactive and Insane Cleveland Browns GM

The Dez Bryant insanity continues.  Incredibly, John Dorsey is determined to keep Calloway off the field and kick Ratley to the curb.  And sure enough, Dorsey is low-balling Bryant.  That’s brilliant! Sign a sloppy route-runner whose best days are behind him onto a timing offense for one year, when 3-4 wide receivers are better than he is, for chump change.

Bryant would START OUT resentful and angry at Dorsey.  Next comes Todd Haley:  Haley won’t put him ahead of Gordon or Landry, and probably not ahead of Callaway or Duke either.  Give it one week into the regular season before Dez loses it.

He’s 29 years old, trying to salvage his carreer so he can sign for some money in 2019, but he can’t get on the field!  And you know Todd Haley, right?  He’ll tell Dez point-blank that the other guys are better and this aint the Salvation Army!

What if people get hurt and he does play?  Well, if he can’t be trusted to be where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there, or to get separation, and drops passes (led the NFL in drops in 2017) they won’t throw to him DUH, so now THEY are “against” him too!

My God the Rooneys must be laughing their asses off!  They couldn’t think of a better way to stifle their rival’s resurgence than exactly what Dorsey is doing right now!  Dorsey LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE!

BULLSHIT Dez Bryant would help this team at ANY price!  At least not nearly as much as he could HURT it!  Just stop monkeying around—what are you a spazz or something?  Didn’t you see what Ratley did?  You think Dez is scarier than Callaway?  Ask your fkng quarterbacks about fkng Higgins!  ANYBODY HOME IN THERE JOHN?  You’ve done a great job so far—why are you trying so hard to fk it up?

Hey why didn’t you try to sign Adrian Peterson?  We only have three running backs, and he was cheap too!  (Oh yeah: AP isn’t controversial enough—that must be it!)

Anyway I haven’t read much analysis of the third preseason game vs the Eagles, but am sure some of it is dumb. Both defenses dominated both offenses, period.  Pundits in both cities will be in a panic over how bad their respective offenses looked, but the fact is, both defenses were just plain that GOOD!

For the Browns, the overall news is a little better, because Todd Haley brought a new offensive system with him.  Bitonio moved to left tackle two weeks ago, Corbett is a rookie, Rango is filling in, and Hubbard is new.  Damion Ratley got some of the first-team reps.  

That Philly defense is easily in the top five, and possibly THE best in the NFL.  

Overall, this was a veteran (Championship) team vs a 0-16 team in transition.

The offensive line will continue to “mesh” and improve.  There might be 3-4 other teams in the NFL who can generate that much pressure with seven guys in coverage, and the only one in the AFC North is the Browns.

Why is anybody surprised by Genard Avery?  I told you less than a day after they STOLE him in the fifth round that he’s a faster (and of course cleaner) James Harrison, and that Gregg Williams would use him in that role as a rookie.  “Special teamer” my foot!  He can COVER too!

Then, when Dorsey nabbed Kendricks, I told you how similar he is to Avery, and predicted situational 3-4 alignments to get one (or even both) on the field in certain passing situations.

Avery is a certifiable freak.  He is physically stronger than most offensive linemen. He can run circles around them, or just get under their pads and jack them up.  I still can’t believe he was still there in the fifth round!  Because he’s only 6’ tall?  I generally defer to the real experts, but this height fixation is just plain stupid, especially in a sport in which leverage matters so much, and in which James Harrison has already blazed that trail!

Jamie Collins got himself an interception, which is a good sign. Pluto and MKC reminded me that his injury was pretty bad, and he might not be fully recovered yet.  It does seem like Gregg Williams is using him in coverage a lot, while “sending” the short guys (Avery and Kendricks) (see earlier posts yeah I predicted that too).

Jamie matches up to tight ends much better than Avery or Kendricks (or ANY OTHER LINEBACKER) because he’s nearly 6’5”.

You have heard from Terry Pluto, MKC, and Tony Grossi that the Browns still can’t cover tight ends.  That’s because they assume that Gregg Williams will “go by the book” and match up the WIL or strong safety with them.

That’s funny.  Why the hell would Gregg put short guys on skyscrapers when he has a skyscraper of his own who overmatches them physically?  It’s not complex.  It’s obvious.

Zone/man more on this later...okay it's later: Gregg Williams won't man-cover any tight ends with anybody but Collins (or possibly Simeon Thomas down the road apiece).  The short guys cover in zone.

Zinggg so much for common sense okbye.