As I launch this post, the Browns are down 35-6 in the late third or fourth quarter. It is possible that the Browns might lose this game.
I have to get my thoughts here down before see the stats and read the post-mortem punditry:
1: The Chargers outplayed the Browns, period. They earned and deserve this win.
2: This game was fixed in favor of the Chargers. When a left tackle stands up and takes a step before the ball is snapped, you can't can't miss it. The referees were not morons. They were corrupt.
That non-call sent me back to the previous Chargers' td in which the Browns defender and wide receiver each had two hands on the ball.
As I said, the Chargers literally beat the Browns here, but a pro-Chargers bias was obvious, and nevermind the meaningless "cover-up" penalties intended to make it look fair.
3: I believe that Baker Mayfield was concussed early in the game, and fooled the guys in the tent.
He held onto the ball and took unneccessary sacks. He failed to spot open receivers. He was still accurate, but not himself. He missed every throw while moving--he looked like Brian Hoyer.
I'm an expert on concussions. Baker Mayfield was "dinged" here.
4: The wide receivers dropped a LOT of accurate passes. This is alarming. It's almost like a viral infection, and is inexplicable.
Jarvis Landry dropped at least two catchable passes, and Duke Johnson had at least one drop himself. Callaway...I gotta check this out with PFF, but I think I saw three drops for him.
That's not a big surprise, considering his suckdom thus far. And you cut rookies like Ratley a little slack, but this is rediculous.
Concussed or not, Baker Mayfield hit a lot of tight windows, and put the ball where his receivers could put both hands on it. And the receivers dropped MOST of them.
I can't find a rational explanation for this. I mean, it's ALL of them, including Landry and Johnson. I can't figure this out.
5: The Chargers offense caught the Browns defense out of position a lot in the running/dumpoff game, and broke a lot of tackles.
Nobody else thus far has managed to contain Gordon III or Ekeler, and if you want to be rational like me, you need to not bash your team's players as much as I know most of you will.
6: The Chargers (not to mention Philip Rivers) are massively underrated. As Terry Pluto pointed out, their only two losses were to undefeated teams.
7: Baker Mayfield had plenty of time. He was well-protected. His sacks were mostly his own fault (see "3").
8: Carlos Hyde is a stud. I predicted that Nick Chubb would start ahead of him early, but I was selling Hyde short. I guess Todd Haley is better at this than me (and everybody else).
9: Desmond Harrison was really good, and probably better than that. I can't say I paid much attention to him here---I just know that Baker had time, and wasn't pressured much from his blind side.
10: Todd Haley will be pillaried for his play-calls, but that's monday morning bullshit. His game-plan and calls were solid.
It's not Haley's fault that Mayfield got his bell rung, or that none of his receivers could catch a cold.
11: Njoku seems to have remembered how to catch passes. Duke and Jarvis will be fine. Butterfingers Callaway has issues, but Dameion Ratley is a natural receiver, and the one drop I saw in this game was marginally excusable, especially since he's a rookie.
12: Mayfield should be Mayfield next week.
This was not, as clueless pundits will posit, an opposing defense "figuring him out". In my opinion, Baker got his bell rung (and all his receivers dropped half of the passes he threw to them), period.
13: Rivers and his offense obviously punked the Browns' defense.
This is alarming, but the sky aint falling. This game doesn't negate the five 2018 games leading up to it.
The 2018 Browns defense is a work in progress. Everybody except Randall, Gaines, Kirksey, Collins, and Kindred are rookies, or players entering their second or third seasons.
The turnover from 2017 is massive. Gregg's "core" players are Randall, Schobert, Garrett, Ogunjobi, and Ward.
Jabrill Peppers is looking like he qualifies as a core player; Rodney Kindredfield should be another, and (laugh at me now but believe me later) so should Rodney Averyfield.
The defense we've seen thus far in 2018 is stacked with inexperienced players, plus veterans new to Gregg Williams' system.
The current Browns defense will. automatically imrove, game by game, in 2018.
Baker Mayfield couldn't win this one by himself, but you know he'll be right back next week. As an expert on concussions, I'm confident that Baker will be Baker.
The Bucs are obviously scary, but they're not as good as any of the Browns' previous opponents (except the Jets).
Is Winston really better than Fitz? Who cares?
The Browns remain more talented than the Bucs, and should win.
In my humble opinion, the better team should win...but that's just me.
The Patriots have been blasted here and there; been projected to go down in flames after blowouts like this one.
This was bad, but the Browns still get to play the Ravens, Steelers, and Bengals again. This aint over.
Wierdly enough, intra-division games often boil down to the quarterback and overall talent.
The Browns remain the most talented team in the AFC North.
If you think the Chargers " figured Mayfield out" here, you are clueless.
A playoff spot is now a longshot for the 2018 Browns, but they will certainly screw things up for 1-2 teams.
...but don't count them out. The 2018 Browns are stacked with young talent.
Baker Mayfield is all that.
I despise Mike Tomlin for encouraging/defending cheap shots, but kudos to him calling bullshit bullshit and eating his 25,000. fine for calling bad calls bad calls.
...ok I just almost upchucked here saying good stuff about Tomlin, so I'm done here okbye
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