Saturday, July 18, 2020

Real Analysis. Have Smelling Salts Ready. OBJ, Hunt, Trades, Schemes, and Common Sense

OBJ, Nick Chubb, and Myles Garrett are the top 3 Browns players on Madden this year.

'Nuff said on Chubb and Garrett, but OBJ-bashers will be all over that one.

Chad Porto worked OBJ over pretty good a couple weeks ago, and did a lawyerly job of it.  Chad's most telling "exhibit" was the fact that OBJ only had one great season, and has otherwise just been pretty good.

Here's the thing:  He gets hurt a lot, and missed a lot of games.  You can pick on him for that, or imply a lack of effort, or cite targetted catch rates or whatever, but using gross yardage and TDs is invalid.

When he plays, OBJ is one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL.

Obviously last season Mister "Me First" played hurt and still gained over 1,000 yards.  His surgeries were successful, and he will (at least temporarily) be 100% healthy.

He's still very much in his prime, and with Baker Mayfield in Stefanski's offense, he's perfectly set up to do a lot of damage in 2020...until he gets hurt again...which is why I still harbor hope that somebody will offer a first round pick or stud Right Guard or Linebacker or something for him and am still really pist at John Dorsey over that whole compound NYG trade dammit but I digess:

Josh Brown goes over the Tight Ends (behind Hooper) who would be left after a Njoku trade.

Like everybody else -sigh- Josh starts out with a false premis (redundancy alert--I'll be blunt):

I (fingers crossed) expect Kevin Stefanski (or any good Head Coach) to put his 11 most talented players on the field as often as possible.  And excuse me: the 2019 Vikings had different players than the 2020 Browns do.

Josh et al keep zeroing in on the 2019 Vikings offensive scheme and calling that the "Stefanski offense".  

That's just amazing to me!  He had Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith at Tight End, and not great WR depth behind Thielen (who missed half the season) and Diggs.  And he had ONE Dalvin Cook, ok?  

HERE he has Kareem Hunt AND Nick Chubb.  He has shaky WR depth behind OBJ and Landry (except Hunt can line up at any WR position is any of this penetrating?)

Different personnel!  In order to use 2 Tight Ends, the Browns need to take one of the running backs or one of the WRs off the field.

-snap-snap- that's benching Landry/OBJ or Hunt/Chubb for Njoku (or his replacement).  Why the hell would any sentient being do that (except of course situationally)?

As I posted last night, paying for Austin Hooper and drafting a TE certainly implies that Kevin Stefanski does like that 2-TE scheme, but that's for after Kareem Hunt and/or OBJ hit the road duh.

Anyhoo, Josh, after pointing out that Njoku is dumb for asking for a trade based on the "Stefanski 2-TE system", did a nice job of describing the other contenders.

Pharaoh Brown has a better shot than most pundits think because he's a real Tight End who can block (and catch too).

Steve Carlson is like Seth Devalve was at first: a converted WR (he's 6'4" but only 240 lbs).  He's a terrific receiver, but not an in-line blocker yet.

Point of fact: Kyle Rudolph coming out of college was a lethal weapon, like Kittle and those other superstar TEs.  But for much of his carreer he blocked.  The poor guy was also a really good blocker, so he got stuck doing that.

Kevin Stefanski used him that way too, while he let Irv Smith move around and mostly catch passes.

Smith and Rudolph just about split the catches and yardage, but you people need to know that Rudolph was the man in the red zone and an integral blocker too.

Austin Hooper is kinda like Rudolph, but not as good overall.  There are several Irv Smiths here.

Stefanski will exploit "move" Tight Ends, but really wants real Tight Ends first, and most pundits don't get this: If Stefanski had had a lethal third WR or other Running Back in Minnesota, the "Stefanski offense" would have been a 2-back or 3-wide DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

Don't expect more than 5 WRs or fewer than 4 TEs on the final roster.  ONE Fullback, and (imo) 3 running backs.

Kareem Hunt is obviously on the field over 90% of the time if he's not cashed out or traded duh, but the extra Tight Ends are for 2021, and are insurance against a Hunt or Chubb injury in 2020.

More redundancy: If Kevin Stefanski really is almost as smart as my humble self he will run a 2-back offense in 2020 to make the most of Kareem Hunt (and how his presence can screw up and confuse defenses).

Certainly, the 2020 Ravens look like an offensive juggernaut with that freak QB and stuff, but the 2020 Browns can be almost as hard to stop with TWO elite running backs--one of which can line up at any WR position (and ps Nick Chubb is a terrific receiver himself, including from the slot, in 2020).

Baker Mayfield isn't in Jackson's zip code athleticly, but he's more accurate, and maybe better under pressure.

I'm telling you that if you are a Defensive Coordinator, trying to figure out how to stop a Hunt/Chubb wide zone offense will be as hard to do as trying to stop the Ravens' offense.

To me, all of this is obvious--and that's common sense.  Sadly, most of my loyal fans are assholes who steal my intellectual property and regurgitate it to my brothers and freinds who don't read this blog.

Asshose.  F u.  Okbye








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