Friday, July 19, 2019

Baker Mayfield Like Warner, Rodgers. Browns Rankings. And Stuff.

There's finally some more interesting stuff about the Browns, including the Baltimore Sun's Jonas Shaffer's rankings of the AFC North's defensive position groups and special teams.

Jonas ranked the respective offenses a few weeks ago, and he doesn't let his Ravens affiliation corrupt his objectivity.

Jonas ranks the Browns interior Defensive Line third behind the Steelers and Ravens units.

Yes, that bothers me too, but Jonas backs it up with hard statistics and facts, and the fact is, 3 of the 6-7 best interiors in the NFL probably reside in the AFC North.

The Steelers' noses and tackles combined for almost 20 sacks, and were in the top 5 against the run in 2018.  It's hard to argue with that.

The Browns win the edge-rusher contest, with the Bengals coming in 2nd and the Ravens last.  Check.

Jonas ranks the linebackers Browns-Ravens-Steelers, and excuse me, but I'm not exactly sure about that, as the Steelers added Mark Barron and Devin Bush to TJ Watt in the offseason.

But it's close enough that I can't raise a fuss.

Jonas ranks the Ravens secondary 1st and the Browns 2nd.  As much as I want to disagree with that, this writer is correct about the question mark at strong safety.

The Ravens have stud players at every nickel position, so no fuss about that either.

Jonas has the Browns special teams ranked last.  I see why he says that but feel it's probably just incorrect:

1: Mike Preifer has never failed to have at least an above average special teams unit, and most recently has had top 5 units.

2: Hue Jackson prevented high-profile starters from participating in special teams, whereas Freddie Kitchens told Preifer to use anybody he liked.

3: I don't know about this Seibert kid, but nobody else seems to realize that Greg Joseph only had one bad game, and it was his first.

4: I love Britton Colquitt, but this "Scottish Hammer" Jamie Gillan kicks the seams out of footballs, ya no?  WOW.

I don't know much more about him yet, but he's Scottish so he's a real soccer player too, and most likely can "place" the football where he wants to (like the coffin corner) as well.

Jake Burns agrees with Gil Brandt that former Chiefs safety Eric Berry would look good in Brown and orange err...for the right price.

Berry has missed all but a couple games over the last couple seasons with a torn hamstring and then a heel, but as Jake points out, when healthy, Berry was one of (if not THE) best in the business...and it looks like he is healthy now.

Jake says Berry's best position is free safety, but he's still pretty good in the box, or manning up on tight ends, and would certainly fit somewhere in Steve Wilks' nickel.

My inner-GM worries about the heel injury, as (unlike the hamstring) it could have permanent effects...but also bets that Berry will either retire or play for peanuts...for a contender.

You know us greedy capitalist pigs!  Maybe we can get Berry for a mere paltry 2 mil or so (poor guy!)

Dan Labbe wonders how good Antonio Callaway 2.0 will be in 2019.

The Cliffnotes version is he'll be awesome.  As I have repeatedly repeated, Callaway hardly played at all in college.

Check my posts when they drafted Callaway: I called him a "project"!  But he became a starter and made a significant impact as a rookie!

I've more recently compared him to OBJ himself...except Callaway doesn't have those phenomenal hands.

By the way I have to disagree with Jake Burns about "hands":

Jake thinks that it's like Quarterback accuracy, and you either "have it or you don't."

Well, Jarvis Landry and OBJ practiced catching with one hand as teammates at LSU, and let me tell you something:

If you get used to catching a FOOTBALL with one hand, you have drasticly improved your handS, ok?

Jake is right about the QB accuracy thing.  A quarterback can learn to re-set his feet and re-establish a stable throwing platform and stuff (like Tom Brady the rookie did btw), but accuracy is mostly ennate.

Nick Wright imitates Captain Obvious (no offense Nick) in guesstimating what Baker Mayfield 2.0 will do in 2019.

Look:  There are a lot of different quarterbacks, but in my humble opinion, the best (Montana Rodgers Marino Brees Kelly Sipe Fouts Warner etc) spread the ball around, with superior accuracy and touch.

Baker Mayfield is one of these.  These guys don't need a Randy Moss, Julio Jones, Josh Gordon, or whoever.

They read coverage and deliver quickly, and they hit what they aim at.  They never hesitate, or favor any one receiver...

Do you get this?  The free safety rolls to OBJ, who is by design the primary target.  OBJ will break off underneath as he sees this, right?

Well, most quarterbacks would just throw a bullet at OBJ, who should catch it, right?

But Mayfield, you see, will throw to Callaway or Njoku instead, as they are going where that Free Safety aint, and beating single coverage DEEP, see?

Returning to Antonio Callaway here, he is the likely starter opposite OBJ on the outside; the official "number two" wide receiver.

As Jake Burns notes, with the bloodthirsty Baker Mayfield at QB, opposing defenses will be in trouble all the time.  

...this is a whole new couple posts worth of cans of worms I opened up here, really, as I've ignored Nick Chubb and Njoku...(oh yeah and Landry) here.

Seriously, the concerns over the Oline are legit, but it will do in 2019 with Mayfield, Chubb, and Kitchens (Chubb over 4.7 YPC after contact good grief is any of this sinking in yet?)

Cliffnotes:  The 2019 Browns offense will be a juggernaut.  Lots of big plays.  Smashmouth as required.

I'm tempted to compare the 2019 Browns to Kurt Warner's "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams offense, but that's not accurate enough:

The Quarterbacks are comparable, except Mayfield might be a tad more athletic.

Marshall Faulk is the big difference here.  Faulk was a freak.  Chubb, Hunt, or Duke can't do everything Marshall Faulk did for the Greatest Show on Turf.

No bigee: Kurt Warner didn't have the lethal weapons at WR and TE that Mayfield has, and I think he could scrape by with Chubb/Hunt too.

You people really need to comprehend that Baker Mayield=Kurt Warner, and the rest is kinda irrelevant.

What? Comparing Mayfield to Warner is nuts?

I feel sorry for you.

Baker broke the NFL record for TD passes by a rookie in 13.5 games, and broke a bunch of team records as well (in 13.5 games).

Real analysts separate Baker's R O O K I E performance into pre and post-Haley sections, and find his rankings by Madden et al amusing, as they DEMOTE him from where he finished 2018!

Baker Mayfield is OBVIOUSLY comparable to Kurt Warner, Aaron Rodgers, etc unless he gets hurt.

...This is obvious, isn't it?

Pearls before swine (and thieves)....okbye










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