Surprise 1: The Browns' defense did a number on Broncos lead back Phillip Lindsay, who has been tearing everybody else he plays up.
The Fantasy experts all saw the Browns' defense's crappy ranking vs the run, and recommended drafting Lindsay.
I personally expected the defense to do better this week, since Sanders was missing from the Broncos lineup, and Case Keenum would have a hard time trying to carry that offense.
But I never thought they'd limit Lindsay to 24 rush yards and 1.7 ypc!
Joe Schobert was a big part of that. He almost beat Lindsay to the handoff a couple times.
Surprise 2: Baker Mayfield was off his game. He missed several passes. He looked kind of like Sam Darnold (tee-hee).
But he did deliver in the clutch, and with Nick Chubb's help (20 rushes/100 yards), he got the job done.
Duke Johnson was more involved too, as he rushed 4 times for 28 yards, and caught four passes for another 25.
Surprise 3: Callaway caught more passes than everybody else (5 for 35). He's become very reliable.
The Broncos passrush made running the ball and getting rid of it quickly mandatory, and Callaway was running short patterns a lot.
Callaway has some things to iron out. He probably could have caught a second touchdown pass if he had stopped and jumped for it to screw up the two guys covering him.
That was a perfect pass, by the way. A needle-threader.
There's really no way to play any Browns' wide receivers in Fantasy, because Mayfield spreads the ball around evenly; to six receivers this time.
Defenses can't key on anybody, either.
It didn't surprise me that Baker had time to throw at times, or that Nick Chubb was able to run the ball. The late interception and 4th down sack by Peppers was no surprise.
It's amazing how a couple of Coaches and a quarterback have replaced those gloomy storm clouds with psychic sunshine as the clock ticks down in a close game.
I last felt this way in the 1980s, when Brian Sipe was the Browns' quarterback.
Now, some of you need to get over Hue Jackson.
It's fun to compare Hue's record with Gregg Williams', but the 2018 portion of that was on Todd Haley.
Jimmy Haslam was compelled to retain Hue Jackson for political reasons, but he hired Todd Haley and gave him the offense.
Hue of course made it sound like his own idea, but I'm pretty shocked that anybody actually believed that.
What you should have believed was what Hue said: "I'm handing (Todd Haley) the keys to the offense".
When Dan Fouts suggested that maybe it would be smart to incorporate some elements of the Oklahoma offense to help Mayfield along, Hue said "I agree".
Why can't you people figure this out? Does he have to spell out that he had no authority over Todd Haley, and that Mywayorthehighway wasn't listening?
Hue agreed that importing some Oklahoma stuff would have helped. Dan Fouts needs to track down Todd Haley and ask his opinion.
It's not that I'm a Hue Jackson apologist. I'm just irked by the fact that Haley skates out of this!
Hue badly mismanaged the quarterbacks in general, and DeShone Kizer in particular, in 2017, along with the offensive line (all power man, no zone blocking)...Vertical---don't get me started he was a bad Coach so stipulated.
But Todd Haley was WORSE.
Also lost in this easy-target shuffle is offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who has been nothing short of brilliant.
Gregg Williams this, Gregg Williams that...Freddie who?
Kitchens runs half this team, you know! Gregg Williams isn't monkeying around with that side of the ball.
Gregg certainly deserves credit for changing the Browns from one of the most penalized to one of the least penalized teams, and maybe for getting the receivers to stop dropping balls too (instantly...the week he took over).
Some of the analysis of the Browns' coaching situation and prospects is absurd.
If you retain Gregg Williams, you presumably retain Freddie Kitchens. You basicly just keep what is happening now going.
"Offensive minded" "Quarterback Guru"--what the hell are you people talking about? Williams is 4-2 and Mayfield is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL NOW.
Williams/Kitchens/Mayfield are winning now.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A penny saved---nevermind.
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