Shallow analysis really messes things up. Not until I read this article did I realize that Texas AM wide receiver Damion Ratley caught 17 passes for 387 yards in his last five games as a Senior.
All I'd heard about him before was about his lack of production in college. He was labelled strictly a deep threat, and I echoed that tripe myself.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Well, I stand corrected: This guy now looks like a steal. His earlier production (or lack thereof) means a lot less than his last five games, during which he became a key/core player for his team, and was as productive as any wide receiver in this draft class.
This is called "trending up". Ratley cited "lack of trust", rather than his own ability, as the main reason he wasn't targeted so often earlier, but the reasons don't matter.
Ratley does need to pack more muscle on his skinny frame, so he probably won't jump right into the starting mix at wide receiver, but his chances of sticking around are really good.
22 yards per catch.
I just read one of the most ignorant articles ever written:
The fool who wrote this found the notion of Josh Gordon counseling Antonio Gallaway "idiotic", and expected everybody to agree with him.
Gordon has been sober for over 20 months, but this guy goes back and documents his whole history with substance abuse...
He cites all this as reasons why Gordon should not counsel Callaway!
Obviously, as AA will tell you, the more similar a sponsor's history is to that of a new member, the better. Gordon is just about the best sponsor for Callaway on Earth.
But that's just AA---what do they know? Or all those psychologists? Or Tim Montgomery? Or all those people with three digit IQs?
For several years, it's been great fun to make fun of the Browns. If you didn't join in, you were uncool.
But now, the real experts are impressed by the Browns offseason moves, and the talent they've amassed. Ed McCaffery even picked them to come in second in the North, and win at least eight games.
But some people didn't get the memo. This article was just another attempt to be "cool" by pointing out something idiotic they are doing.
This is the guy who, when everybody is having great fun picking on a nerd for big teeth, glasses, voice, etc., says "Haha an I boinked your mother last night haha".
Everybody just stares at him, and walks away shaking their heads.
That's what this article was.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Underrated: Nick Chubb, Howard Wilson, Desmond Harrison
I was wrong about both Nick Chubb and Carlos Hyde as receivers. That's what I get for trusting amatuer pundits and not doing my own homework.
While PFF does cite a high drop-rate for Hyde, he was a productive receiver for Kyle Shanahan out of the backfield.
I discovered that as a freshman, Nick Chubb caught 18 passes (and averaged 11.8 yards per catch). For a guy that young, that's impressive.
I told you that Chubb would "learn to" be a good receiver, which was really stupid.
After Chubb's gruesome season-ending injury in his sophomore year, Sony Michel emerged as a terrific receiver. When Chubb returned, he found his role "downsized" as Michel remained the main pass-catcher.
Amatuers (and dumbasses like me who trusted some of them) looked at his latest stats and decided Chubb "needed work" as a receiver.
In finally doing my diligence on Chubb, I'm more impressed than I was with him. This guy averaged around 6.7 yards per carry as a freshman and sophomore, up until his injury.
He wasn't the same as a junior (that's to be expected: full recovery can take 18 months or longer).
He was also dinged up and played hurt as a Senior, but came on very strong at the end (ask Baker Mayfield!)
Laquon Barkley overshadowed some really good running backs in this draft, but Nick Chubb might be the best of the rest.
A small minority of real experts weren't big Barkley fans, either. Bucky Brooks felt he bounced outside too often, and was "too greedy", so to speak.
Rather than lower his pads and hammer out a tough yard or two, he fooled around looking for a big splash play, and sometimes left yardage on the field.
Barkley's (running) stats vs Chubb's aren't much different overall, but as Brooks pointed out, Barkley had a few clunker games, while Nick Chubb set a record for consecutive 100 yard games.
Every scouting report says that Chubb has great vision, and sometimes pauses to allow blocks to develop (like Laveon Bell; he's patient). At he same time, he's very quick to the hole, and always falls forward at the end.
Bucky said that this sort of hard-nosed attitude is what's required in the NFL, and he felt that Chubb, among others, projected better to the NFL than Barkley.
I didn't agree, because Barkley is a very smart guy, and adopting a "harder nose" shouldn't be a problem for him. Barkley will tear up the NFL, and put the Giants right back in contention.
But Nick Chubb matched him with 29 bench press reps, was 3 inches under him in the high jump, and pretty close in the broad jump.
In Pat Kiwan's "explosive" ratings, Barkley was over 80, but Nick Chubb was over 78. (70 is the threshold. Over 80 is rare. 78 is exceptional.)
Kirwan was a track coach as well as an NFL Personnel guy, and uses these three combine tests to measure "quick-twitch" traits.
Yeah, Barkley also clocked a 4.36(?) 40 and a faster 3-cone drill, but Chubb was no slouch there either. Barkley is an inch taller and six pounds heavier.
You can't call a high second round running back a "steal", but I do think that Dorsey might have nabbed the second-best running back in this draft class.
Nick Chubb draws comparisons to Marshawn Lynch and Laveon Bell. Think about that.
While you're thinking, think about Howard Wilson. Wilson was injured, not killed, in his rookie season, and Sashi Brown draft pick or no, he will be in the mix to start as a perimeter cornerback in 2018.
Howard will remain 6'1", and be the tallest defensive back (besides Montrel Meander and skyscraper Simeon Thomas) on the roster.
He clocked a pedestrian 4.57 at the combine, and only weighed 186 lbs. These were the main reasons why he wasn't a first or second round pick.
Well, ok-his vertical jump was downright putrid too--he must have sucked on Kirwan's explosive ratings. However his short shuttle and 3-cone drills were exceptional (and these are especially important for man cornerbacks).
If you read the scouting reportS on him, his 40 time and vertical jump didn't bother the scouts.
They felt that Wilson just needed to get bigger and stronger. Count on that Hanz and Franz mission having been accomplished.
For you whippersnappers, let me tell you, clock-times can be deceptive in re man corners. They don't start out of blocks on the football field.
Hanford Dixon had a slow 40 time too. He wasn't a great jumper either.
Now, Howard Wilson may not start over the two veterans and fourth overall pick in front of him in 2018, but he's 6'1", and Gregg Williams will probably find uses for him.
A lot of you still don't understand press/man coverage. There's a lot of technique involved. The corner sets up slightly inside the wide receiver "inside leverage", depriving him of any immediate in-cut, and forcing him outside. He extends his hands to try to knock the receiver off-balance, even as he turns to run with him.
The receiver (certainly vs Wilson/Dixon) tries to blow by the cornerback, but to do this, he has to avoid him, ie angle towards the sideline.
While the rules say that "contact" is restricted to within five yards from scrimmage, that doesn't mean that cornerbacks aren't allowed to run side-by-side with recievers, and kinda bump into them (without using their hands) as they race downfield.
The receiver is acutely aware of the sideline, and (no matter how fast he is), can't run at full speed due to the jostling and friction.
He can stop unexpectedly, and shake the cornerback for a cut inside, but this is the only way for him to get open.
If he doesn't do this, the man corner jostles him towards the sidelines, and remains between him and the quarterback.
Naturally, that stop/start in-cut can toast the man corner if the quarterback anticipates it, or if he does get a step or two ahead of him verticly, but the very deep free safety knows this too, and anyway---get real: if you expect perfection, there is something wrong with you.
Anyhoo, Hanford Dixon got toasted here and there, but generally didn't. Howard Wilson can do what he did.
Dan Justik (Dawg Pound Daily) lists four undrafted free agents he thinks have a shot to make the final roster.
He might have read my Blog to find offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, and to project what might happen with him, but he's obviously correct. Desmond has a puncher's chance at left tackle in 2018, but a good chance at sticking around somehow. (Just read my earlier post. Dan didn't copy everything verbatum and I got deeper).
Dan likes Devon Berry's chances, and he makes sense. Eric's younger brother is being converted to WR from safety. He was a lethal returner on special teams. Whether or not the wide receiver thing works out, he has a good shot to make the team in 2018.
Dan's analysis is kinda shallow here, and he ignores Callaway too: As a safety, Devon should excel in coverage on special teams as well.
DT Trenton Thompson really could be a diamond in the rough, and is indeed in Caleb Brantley's face. But Dan, like everybody else except me, hallucinates a "need" at defensive tackle which does not exist.
However, Justik makes a good case for Thompson overall, including the fact that he's undersized now, but will of course get bigger and stronger, and has proven himself as a passrusher from DT (lots of upside here).
But Thompson is a "3-technique" penetrator, period. Dan suggested that he could knock Jamie Meder off the roster.
I admit that this is possible, but it would signal a major departure from the norm for Gregg Williams.
As I've told you before, almost every 4-3 defense in the NFL features one "penetrating" defensive tackle, and one two-gap big stong defensive tackle.
As it stands, Meder is the obvious two-gap guy, although the other three guys can do that too.
John Dorsey has overloaded the Browns with defensive ends who can "play inside" as well.
I don't think Jamie Meder is going anywhere. Jamie Meder is a "real football player" who is better than anybody else on this team in his little niche.
Gregg Williams will want him for every obvious run or goal line situation, and as a rotational player on neutral downs as well.
Nice problems to have.
Pokorney read an article in USA Today and agreed with it: the Browns have a shot as a Wild Card in 2018.
DEAL with it.
This just in: Baker Mayfield himself seems okay with parking it for awhile behind Tyrod Taylor.
Baker refers to the time he had to sit (per NCAA rules) after walking on at Oklahoma. He said that was good for him.
That's a relief. Some fans will be lobbying to kick Taylor to the curb no matter how well he plays, but Mayfield himself won't join that chorus.
And just stop asking what if Taylor plays great. He's leaving in 2019. Mayfield started a ton of games in college and is mechanically perfect already, and the Browns can't afford to pay Taylor long-term starting money in order to keep him on the bench.
Ross Tucker decries trading a valuable top third round pick to "rent" Tyrod for one season instead of paying AJ McCarron a lot less money, and signing him longer-term.
However, at the time, people were expecting McCarron to command even more money than Taylor (read: starter money).
Hue and Jimmy had already forced Sashi Brown to attempt to trade a third and fifth round pick for McCarron, in the last year of his contract, late in 2017.
That massively inflated McCarron's percieved value.
AJ's market collapsed because the Browns went with an experienced veteran in Taylor. Until then, he wasn't going to accept less than starting money, long-term, from the Browns.
While yeah, that almost second-round pick stung a little, it was critical that Dorsey find a proven starter to stop the bleeding ASAP.
Marty Schottenheimer said that winning is a "habit". Well, so is losing.
This is where we go beyond analytics. This team has to stop suiting up for every game expecting to lose, and that is urgent. Tyrod Taylor can do this.
Besides, look at all the very young players on this team, the flood of veteran free agents Dorsey brought in.
In context, Dorsey could afford that draft pick, just as he could the 16 mil. Stop the losing. NOW.
Ralax, Ross. It's no biggee.
While PFF does cite a high drop-rate for Hyde, he was a productive receiver for Kyle Shanahan out of the backfield.
I discovered that as a freshman, Nick Chubb caught 18 passes (and averaged 11.8 yards per catch). For a guy that young, that's impressive.
I told you that Chubb would "learn to" be a good receiver, which was really stupid.
After Chubb's gruesome season-ending injury in his sophomore year, Sony Michel emerged as a terrific receiver. When Chubb returned, he found his role "downsized" as Michel remained the main pass-catcher.
Amatuers (and dumbasses like me who trusted some of them) looked at his latest stats and decided Chubb "needed work" as a receiver.
In finally doing my diligence on Chubb, I'm more impressed than I was with him. This guy averaged around 6.7 yards per carry as a freshman and sophomore, up until his injury.
He wasn't the same as a junior (that's to be expected: full recovery can take 18 months or longer).
He was also dinged up and played hurt as a Senior, but came on very strong at the end (ask Baker Mayfield!)
Laquon Barkley overshadowed some really good running backs in this draft, but Nick Chubb might be the best of the rest.
A small minority of real experts weren't big Barkley fans, either. Bucky Brooks felt he bounced outside too often, and was "too greedy", so to speak.
Rather than lower his pads and hammer out a tough yard or two, he fooled around looking for a big splash play, and sometimes left yardage on the field.
Barkley's (running) stats vs Chubb's aren't much different overall, but as Brooks pointed out, Barkley had a few clunker games, while Nick Chubb set a record for consecutive 100 yard games.
Every scouting report says that Chubb has great vision, and sometimes pauses to allow blocks to develop (like Laveon Bell; he's patient). At he same time, he's very quick to the hole, and always falls forward at the end.
Bucky said that this sort of hard-nosed attitude is what's required in the NFL, and he felt that Chubb, among others, projected better to the NFL than Barkley.
I didn't agree, because Barkley is a very smart guy, and adopting a "harder nose" shouldn't be a problem for him. Barkley will tear up the NFL, and put the Giants right back in contention.
But Nick Chubb matched him with 29 bench press reps, was 3 inches under him in the high jump, and pretty close in the broad jump.
In Pat Kiwan's "explosive" ratings, Barkley was over 80, but Nick Chubb was over 78. (70 is the threshold. Over 80 is rare. 78 is exceptional.)
Kirwan was a track coach as well as an NFL Personnel guy, and uses these three combine tests to measure "quick-twitch" traits.
Yeah, Barkley also clocked a 4.36(?) 40 and a faster 3-cone drill, but Chubb was no slouch there either. Barkley is an inch taller and six pounds heavier.
You can't call a high second round running back a "steal", but I do think that Dorsey might have nabbed the second-best running back in this draft class.
Nick Chubb draws comparisons to Marshawn Lynch and Laveon Bell. Think about that.
While you're thinking, think about Howard Wilson. Wilson was injured, not killed, in his rookie season, and Sashi Brown draft pick or no, he will be in the mix to start as a perimeter cornerback in 2018.
Howard will remain 6'1", and be the tallest defensive back (besides Montrel Meander and skyscraper Simeon Thomas) on the roster.
He clocked a pedestrian 4.57 at the combine, and only weighed 186 lbs. These were the main reasons why he wasn't a first or second round pick.
Well, ok-his vertical jump was downright putrid too--he must have sucked on Kirwan's explosive ratings. However his short shuttle and 3-cone drills were exceptional (and these are especially important for man cornerbacks).
If you read the scouting reportS on him, his 40 time and vertical jump didn't bother the scouts.
They felt that Wilson just needed to get bigger and stronger. Count on that Hanz and Franz mission having been accomplished.
For you whippersnappers, let me tell you, clock-times can be deceptive in re man corners. They don't start out of blocks on the football field.
Hanford Dixon had a slow 40 time too. He wasn't a great jumper either.
Now, Howard Wilson may not start over the two veterans and fourth overall pick in front of him in 2018, but he's 6'1", and Gregg Williams will probably find uses for him.
A lot of you still don't understand press/man coverage. There's a lot of technique involved. The corner sets up slightly inside the wide receiver "inside leverage", depriving him of any immediate in-cut, and forcing him outside. He extends his hands to try to knock the receiver off-balance, even as he turns to run with him.
The receiver (certainly vs Wilson/Dixon) tries to blow by the cornerback, but to do this, he has to avoid him, ie angle towards the sideline.
While the rules say that "contact" is restricted to within five yards from scrimmage, that doesn't mean that cornerbacks aren't allowed to run side-by-side with recievers, and kinda bump into them (without using their hands) as they race downfield.
The receiver is acutely aware of the sideline, and (no matter how fast he is), can't run at full speed due to the jostling and friction.
He can stop unexpectedly, and shake the cornerback for a cut inside, but this is the only way for him to get open.
If he doesn't do this, the man corner jostles him towards the sidelines, and remains between him and the quarterback.
Naturally, that stop/start in-cut can toast the man corner if the quarterback anticipates it, or if he does get a step or two ahead of him verticly, but the very deep free safety knows this too, and anyway---get real: if you expect perfection, there is something wrong with you.
Anyhoo, Hanford Dixon got toasted here and there, but generally didn't. Howard Wilson can do what he did.
Dan Justik (Dawg Pound Daily) lists four undrafted free agents he thinks have a shot to make the final roster.
He might have read my Blog to find offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, and to project what might happen with him, but he's obviously correct. Desmond has a puncher's chance at left tackle in 2018, but a good chance at sticking around somehow. (Just read my earlier post. Dan didn't copy everything verbatum and I got deeper).
Dan likes Devon Berry's chances, and he makes sense. Eric's younger brother is being converted to WR from safety. He was a lethal returner on special teams. Whether or not the wide receiver thing works out, he has a good shot to make the team in 2018.
Dan's analysis is kinda shallow here, and he ignores Callaway too: As a safety, Devon should excel in coverage on special teams as well.
DT Trenton Thompson really could be a diamond in the rough, and is indeed in Caleb Brantley's face. But Dan, like everybody else except me, hallucinates a "need" at defensive tackle which does not exist.
However, Justik makes a good case for Thompson overall, including the fact that he's undersized now, but will of course get bigger and stronger, and has proven himself as a passrusher from DT (lots of upside here).
But Thompson is a "3-technique" penetrator, period. Dan suggested that he could knock Jamie Meder off the roster.
I admit that this is possible, but it would signal a major departure from the norm for Gregg Williams.
As I've told you before, almost every 4-3 defense in the NFL features one "penetrating" defensive tackle, and one two-gap big stong defensive tackle.
As it stands, Meder is the obvious two-gap guy, although the other three guys can do that too.
John Dorsey has overloaded the Browns with defensive ends who can "play inside" as well.
I don't think Jamie Meder is going anywhere. Jamie Meder is a "real football player" who is better than anybody else on this team in his little niche.
Gregg Williams will want him for every obvious run or goal line situation, and as a rotational player on neutral downs as well.
Nice problems to have.
Pokorney read an article in USA Today and agreed with it: the Browns have a shot as a Wild Card in 2018.
DEAL with it.
This just in: Baker Mayfield himself seems okay with parking it for awhile behind Tyrod Taylor.
Baker refers to the time he had to sit (per NCAA rules) after walking on at Oklahoma. He said that was good for him.
That's a relief. Some fans will be lobbying to kick Taylor to the curb no matter how well he plays, but Mayfield himself won't join that chorus.
And just stop asking what if Taylor plays great. He's leaving in 2019. Mayfield started a ton of games in college and is mechanically perfect already, and the Browns can't afford to pay Taylor long-term starting money in order to keep him on the bench.
Ross Tucker decries trading a valuable top third round pick to "rent" Tyrod for one season instead of paying AJ McCarron a lot less money, and signing him longer-term.
However, at the time, people were expecting McCarron to command even more money than Taylor (read: starter money).
Hue and Jimmy had already forced Sashi Brown to attempt to trade a third and fifth round pick for McCarron, in the last year of his contract, late in 2017.
That massively inflated McCarron's percieved value.
AJ's market collapsed because the Browns went with an experienced veteran in Taylor. Until then, he wasn't going to accept less than starting money, long-term, from the Browns.
While yeah, that almost second-round pick stung a little, it was critical that Dorsey find a proven starter to stop the bleeding ASAP.
Marty Schottenheimer said that winning is a "habit". Well, so is losing.
This is where we go beyond analytics. This team has to stop suiting up for every game expecting to lose, and that is urgent. Tyrod Taylor can do this.
Besides, look at all the very young players on this team, the flood of veteran free agents Dorsey brought in.
In context, Dorsey could afford that draft pick, just as he could the 16 mil. Stop the losing. NOW.
Ralax, Ross. It's no biggee.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Maximizing Talent, the Obvious, Duh, and the 2018 Browns Offense. Duh.
People keep repeating that John Dorsey is getting rid of all the players he inheritted, and will continue to.
Nah! He traded Shelton, let Telfer and McCourty go, and some deep depth guys like he will again this time next season.
Dorsey has thus far retained the bulk of the higher profile players he was "stuck with" by the incompetent (you wish) Sashi Brown.
Who will be the next to be purged? Well if you said Corey Coleman, maybe you got me there. Dorsey might well want to trade him.
But one thing here: DeShone Kizer wasn't Coleman's fault, any more than he was Gordon's. And Josh was all the way back, and he looked like just "a guy".
But if rumors are true that Coleman is late to meetings and lacks dedication...well that's different.
But after Coleman, who (and Higgins/Louis don't count) gets purged next? Ogbah? Kirksey? Kindred? Duke? Ogunjobi? Bitonio? Tretter? Zietler? Shobert? Collins? DeValve (ok maybe him...I mean if Dorsey gets somebody better...which is unlikely).
Forget about Dorsey's brief stint as Hue Palmer's press secretary and saying the Browns lacked "real football players" okay? That was political, and he knew it was bullcrap when he spewed it. He underestimated (some of) us Browns fans. He backed off in a hurry.
The reality is that he can't go around cutting good players (until he finds better players), and he's still working on that.
Callaway is certainly right in Corey Coleman's face. Avery probably already kicked 1-2 depth linebackers to the curb. I forgot about DeShone Kizer (Tyrod) but for Damarius Randall that was an easy trade to make.
Chris Smith and Chad Thomas are here to duke it out with Nassib and Orchard. Whoever wins can probably be called real football players!
Austin Corbett isn't going to start inside in 2018, but will for sure kick a quality offensive lineman to the curb, and demote another one, because he's likely to start at offensive tackle sometime in 2018 (right or left we don't know yet).
New topic:
1: Spencer Drango is NOT a left tackle candidate. See 2017. He's not going to get better. He won't get any reps there. (I'm not bashing him: He made a valiant effort, but simply lacks the physical tools. He's a good player.)
2: Drango might be the odd man out if Corbett doesn't win the left tackle derby. Corbett can play all five offensive line positions, and is better than Drango at all of them.
3: Austin Reiter has a good shot to stick around as Tretter's primary backup (and possible successor) at center. Reiter is a real athlete who is smart and can block in space. Hanz and Franz have been pumping him up for two years now too.
You can't draw a lot of conclusions from the rookie minicamp, but the coaches worked Corbett at center as well as left tackle (and maybe other positions, for all I know).
I'll be watching to see how they use him when real training begins:
Every left tackle candidate will need reps there, of course, so it's fine with me if Austin Corbett practices at other positions (letting veterans not waste their time and risk injury), but he should be zeroed in on left tackle.
4: Nobody will "replace" Joe Thomas. As Pat Kirwan explains, Big Joe never needed help. In 2017, Drango needed a LOT of help.
This meant that a tight end had to line up left a lot to chip a lot, and defenses knew and predicted it.
Much has been made of Shon Coleman's penalties and surrendered hits and sacks in 2017, but part of this was because he was "on an island" so often, and the opponents used their best passrushers against him...
And he's not Joe Thomas either.
5: Hue Fisher could have used two tight ends more to fix this, especially before Josh Gordon came back, and when the wide receivers were Corey Coleman and guys named Joe but noooo!
6: Todd Haley isn't Hue Palmer, and runs this offense. THANK GOD.
How would Hue handle the offensive personnel the Browns have right now? Almost exactly the same as he handled a much different group last year.
What will Todd Haley do with them?
It starts with the quarterback(s) (and get real Drew Stanton doesn't count):
Run/pass options are obvious. (I get this now): It's a lot like the read-option except that if the quarterback keeps it, he's going to pass instead of run.
It's kind of a glorified play-action fake, except sometimes it's not a fake, and it doesn't require a conventional "pocket", since the quarterback and running back are moving laterally in lockstep (and the offensive line is aware of this...while the passrushers are not).
Nick Foles won the Superbowl partly doing this, and partly from the pocket (it was a brilliant Doug Peterson game-plan, customized just for Foles...Hue would have lost, for sure).
But I digress; anyway, both the read-option and run-pass option work with zone-blocking, since the offensive line is already moving laterally (and being aggressive...I'm leaving stuff out here, but you should get it:
They aren't sure if it's a pass or a run, since the quarterback has to decide that after the snap, see? And since they're moving laterally in the direction the quarterback and running back are going, their opposite numbers have to move with them.
It's not as complicated as it sounds, ok? The passrushers are supposed to out-quick, outmaneuver, or bull-rush offensive linemen, or else to meet them head on and read and react.
The run-pass option blows this up. Defensive coordinators are adapting to it, of course...probably with an extra-deep free safety (hmmm) and more emphasis on athletic linebackers and stuff (hmmm...)
But there's really no answer. Axe Lord Insideous in New England.
But I digress again: The offensive line gets to block it as if it's a run. If the defenders attack a "pocket" which was never intended to materialize in the first place, some are way out of position, and some are ear-holed oh, the humanity!
But (unless an offensive coordinator is dumb enough to abandon conventional pockets and power/man altogether), they can't sell out to stop the RPO either.
Todd Haley has Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield now. He has an athletic (and "nasty") offensive line. Two athletic freak tight ends (and Darren Fells; a BIGGER, BLOCKING freak).
He has what looks to be at least a slight weakness at left tackle (well I mean in a Hue Palmer offense that is)...
He has Jarvis Landry, Duke, Hyde, Chubb...
This is all obvious to me already, but it's past last call here, so I'll need to spell the rest out to you guys later.
Stay tuned.
Nah! He traded Shelton, let Telfer and McCourty go, and some deep depth guys like he will again this time next season.
Dorsey has thus far retained the bulk of the higher profile players he was "stuck with" by the incompetent (you wish) Sashi Brown.
Who will be the next to be purged? Well if you said Corey Coleman, maybe you got me there. Dorsey might well want to trade him.
But one thing here: DeShone Kizer wasn't Coleman's fault, any more than he was Gordon's. And Josh was all the way back, and he looked like just "a guy".
But if rumors are true that Coleman is late to meetings and lacks dedication...well that's different.
But after Coleman, who (and Higgins/Louis don't count) gets purged next? Ogbah? Kirksey? Kindred? Duke? Ogunjobi? Bitonio? Tretter? Zietler? Shobert? Collins? DeValve (ok maybe him...I mean if Dorsey gets somebody better...which is unlikely).
Forget about Dorsey's brief stint as Hue Palmer's press secretary and saying the Browns lacked "real football players" okay? That was political, and he knew it was bullcrap when he spewed it. He underestimated (some of) us Browns fans. He backed off in a hurry.
The reality is that he can't go around cutting good players (until he finds better players), and he's still working on that.
Callaway is certainly right in Corey Coleman's face. Avery probably already kicked 1-2 depth linebackers to the curb. I forgot about DeShone Kizer (Tyrod) but for Damarius Randall that was an easy trade to make.
Chris Smith and Chad Thomas are here to duke it out with Nassib and Orchard. Whoever wins can probably be called real football players!
Austin Corbett isn't going to start inside in 2018, but will for sure kick a quality offensive lineman to the curb, and demote another one, because he's likely to start at offensive tackle sometime in 2018 (right or left we don't know yet).
New topic:
1: Spencer Drango is NOT a left tackle candidate. See 2017. He's not going to get better. He won't get any reps there. (I'm not bashing him: He made a valiant effort, but simply lacks the physical tools. He's a good player.)
2: Drango might be the odd man out if Corbett doesn't win the left tackle derby. Corbett can play all five offensive line positions, and is better than Drango at all of them.
3: Austin Reiter has a good shot to stick around as Tretter's primary backup (and possible successor) at center. Reiter is a real athlete who is smart and can block in space. Hanz and Franz have been pumping him up for two years now too.
You can't draw a lot of conclusions from the rookie minicamp, but the coaches worked Corbett at center as well as left tackle (and maybe other positions, for all I know).
I'll be watching to see how they use him when real training begins:
Every left tackle candidate will need reps there, of course, so it's fine with me if Austin Corbett practices at other positions (letting veterans not waste their time and risk injury), but he should be zeroed in on left tackle.
4: Nobody will "replace" Joe Thomas. As Pat Kirwan explains, Big Joe never needed help. In 2017, Drango needed a LOT of help.
This meant that a tight end had to line up left a lot to chip a lot, and defenses knew and predicted it.
Much has been made of Shon Coleman's penalties and surrendered hits and sacks in 2017, but part of this was because he was "on an island" so often, and the opponents used their best passrushers against him...
And he's not Joe Thomas either.
5: Hue Fisher could have used two tight ends more to fix this, especially before Josh Gordon came back, and when the wide receivers were Corey Coleman and guys named Joe but noooo!
6: Todd Haley isn't Hue Palmer, and runs this offense. THANK GOD.
How would Hue handle the offensive personnel the Browns have right now? Almost exactly the same as he handled a much different group last year.
What will Todd Haley do with them?
It starts with the quarterback(s) (and get real Drew Stanton doesn't count):
Run/pass options are obvious. (I get this now): It's a lot like the read-option except that if the quarterback keeps it, he's going to pass instead of run.
It's kind of a glorified play-action fake, except sometimes it's not a fake, and it doesn't require a conventional "pocket", since the quarterback and running back are moving laterally in lockstep (and the offensive line is aware of this...while the passrushers are not).
Nick Foles won the Superbowl partly doing this, and partly from the pocket (it was a brilliant Doug Peterson game-plan, customized just for Foles...Hue would have lost, for sure).
But I digress; anyway, both the read-option and run-pass option work with zone-blocking, since the offensive line is already moving laterally (and being aggressive...I'm leaving stuff out here, but you should get it:
They aren't sure if it's a pass or a run, since the quarterback has to decide that after the snap, see? And since they're moving laterally in the direction the quarterback and running back are going, their opposite numbers have to move with them.
It's not as complicated as it sounds, ok? The passrushers are supposed to out-quick, outmaneuver, or bull-rush offensive linemen, or else to meet them head on and read and react.
The run-pass option blows this up. Defensive coordinators are adapting to it, of course...probably with an extra-deep free safety (hmmm) and more emphasis on athletic linebackers and stuff (hmmm...)
But there's really no answer. Axe Lord Insideous in New England.
But I digress again: The offensive line gets to block it as if it's a run. If the defenders attack a "pocket" which was never intended to materialize in the first place, some are way out of position, and some are ear-holed oh, the humanity!
But (unless an offensive coordinator is dumb enough to abandon conventional pockets and power/man altogether), they can't sell out to stop the RPO either.
Todd Haley has Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield now. He has an athletic (and "nasty") offensive line. Two athletic freak tight ends (and Darren Fells; a BIGGER, BLOCKING freak).
He has what looks to be at least a slight weakness at left tackle (well I mean in a Hue Palmer offense that is)...
He has Jarvis Landry, Duke, Hyde, Chubb...
This is all obvious to me already, but it's past last call here, so I'll need to spell the rest out to you guys later.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Ogbah vs Chubb, the Real Gregg Williams, Defense 101.
I can't find the article, but somebody wrote a good one on Ogbah ready to break out in 2018.
I haven't talked a lot about Ogbah because it just seemed so obvious that I thought that even most of you guys had to see it.
But with the persistance of the caterwalling over Ward instead of Chubb, obviously a lot of people didn't get it.
Emmanuel Ogbah vs Bradley Chubb:
Similar production, and nearly as good combine numbers. Chubb may be better than Ogbah, but only slightly. In fact I suspect that Ogbah is physically stronger.
I got on the Chubb train because I loved the idea of a Chubb/Ogbah/Garrett rotation, and not having to sweat EDGE for ten years. NOT because Ogbah doesn't belong right there with Chubb.
A few pundits thought Chubb was better than Garrett. I really doubt that. And they're not "clones". Find some body fat anywhere on Garrett. Go ahead I dare ya! Chubb's not like that! He's more like...US!
The Ogbah/Garrett combo traded injuries, and wasn't on the field a whole lot last season. When it was, it was pretty hard on opposing quarterbacks, despite (see last/earlier posts) Gregg Williams having to play zone and concede short/quick receptions...because he didn't have press/man corners...like Denzel Ward...)
Everybody knows that offenses will have to pay extra attention to Myles Garrett, which will help out Ogbah.
Anybody who has read this blog for awhile knows that means tight end chips and sliding protections to Garrett's side...
I'm fuzzy on terminology here, but I do know that in one case, the left guard shifts to his left to deprive Garrett of his inside move option, letting the left tackle focus on keeping him from getting around him on the outside.
In another case, the center loops back around the tackle to...
Forget the X's and O's (I'm sorry) but if Garrett is a 10, Ogbah is a 9.25 okay? Not that much less explosive, almost as fast, as strong or stronger. He can't get low and "bend" like Garrett, but niether can Chubb!!!
Dorsey has brought in edge guys to challenge Nassib and Orchard in free agent Chris Smith and draft pick Chad Thomas.
The two players are remarkably similar. Both are tall and athletic. They're good vs the run, and have shown "flashes" or signs of passrushing ability.
I can explain this (again): Gregg Williams doesn't care where pressure on quarterbacks come from. Everybody ELSE is fixated on the latest fad "EDGE" guys, but Gregg doesn't care.
In a Gregg Williams defense, the defensive ends have to set the edge and stop the run...he needs REAL defensive ends, and not one-dimensional "edge" guys.
And this applies to his defensive tackles as well. His four "real" defensive tackles can all two-gap or one-gap (well except Meder, who should 2-gap only).
All are good vs the run, but all (except Meder) can penetrate and chase quarterbacks out of the pocket too.
Dorsey signed and drafted two defensive ends who could "play inside" (at defensive tackle) as well.
Yup! That's about obvious passing downs! Gregg Williams wants a "Nascar Package" (ie four passrushing defensive ends to overmatch the guards and center).
People misunderstand Gregg Williams. He's creative and adaptable, but he's not a maniac.
He wants a front four consisting of "real football players" who can generate a passrush and stop the run first.
He wants a field general middle linebacker second, at least one press/man shut-down corner third, and only after that does he mess around.
Gregg does blitze a lot, but many of these blitzes are inside "run"- blitzes.
His oft-criticized "angel" safety is actually his insurance policy! The guy lines up deep for a reason!
Gregg Williams is unique, but his roots are fundamental. Protect the edge. Stop the run. Prevent the big play...then kill the quarterback, force turnovers etc.
Listen to him! He ran zone in 2017! HE chose Ward over Chubb!
T H I N K! Gregg Williams knows what he's doing. Instead of second-guessing him, listen to him and try to keep up with him! It's a lot less embarrassing for you.
Williams is ahead of the curve defending this run-pass option trend too; it's partly why he's more 4-3 than ever and loading up on real defensive ends, and...
But that's for a later post.
I haven't talked a lot about Ogbah because it just seemed so obvious that I thought that even most of you guys had to see it.
But with the persistance of the caterwalling over Ward instead of Chubb, obviously a lot of people didn't get it.
Emmanuel Ogbah vs Bradley Chubb:
Similar production, and nearly as good combine numbers. Chubb may be better than Ogbah, but only slightly. In fact I suspect that Ogbah is physically stronger.
I got on the Chubb train because I loved the idea of a Chubb/Ogbah/Garrett rotation, and not having to sweat EDGE for ten years. NOT because Ogbah doesn't belong right there with Chubb.
A few pundits thought Chubb was better than Garrett. I really doubt that. And they're not "clones". Find some body fat anywhere on Garrett. Go ahead I dare ya! Chubb's not like that! He's more like...US!
The Ogbah/Garrett combo traded injuries, and wasn't on the field a whole lot last season. When it was, it was pretty hard on opposing quarterbacks, despite (see last/earlier posts) Gregg Williams having to play zone and concede short/quick receptions...because he didn't have press/man corners...like Denzel Ward...)
Everybody knows that offenses will have to pay extra attention to Myles Garrett, which will help out Ogbah.
Anybody who has read this blog for awhile knows that means tight end chips and sliding protections to Garrett's side...
I'm fuzzy on terminology here, but I do know that in one case, the left guard shifts to his left to deprive Garrett of his inside move option, letting the left tackle focus on keeping him from getting around him on the outside.
In another case, the center loops back around the tackle to...
Forget the X's and O's (I'm sorry) but if Garrett is a 10, Ogbah is a 9.25 okay? Not that much less explosive, almost as fast, as strong or stronger. He can't get low and "bend" like Garrett, but niether can Chubb!!!
Dorsey has brought in edge guys to challenge Nassib and Orchard in free agent Chris Smith and draft pick Chad Thomas.
The two players are remarkably similar. Both are tall and athletic. They're good vs the run, and have shown "flashes" or signs of passrushing ability.
I can explain this (again): Gregg Williams doesn't care where pressure on quarterbacks come from. Everybody ELSE is fixated on the latest fad "EDGE" guys, but Gregg doesn't care.
In a Gregg Williams defense, the defensive ends have to set the edge and stop the run...he needs REAL defensive ends, and not one-dimensional "edge" guys.
And this applies to his defensive tackles as well. His four "real" defensive tackles can all two-gap or one-gap (well except Meder, who should 2-gap only).
All are good vs the run, but all (except Meder) can penetrate and chase quarterbacks out of the pocket too.
Dorsey signed and drafted two defensive ends who could "play inside" (at defensive tackle) as well.
Yup! That's about obvious passing downs! Gregg Williams wants a "Nascar Package" (ie four passrushing defensive ends to overmatch the guards and center).
People misunderstand Gregg Williams. He's creative and adaptable, but he's not a maniac.
He wants a front four consisting of "real football players" who can generate a passrush and stop the run first.
He wants a field general middle linebacker second, at least one press/man shut-down corner third, and only after that does he mess around.
Gregg does blitze a lot, but many of these blitzes are inside "run"- blitzes.
His oft-criticized "angel" safety is actually his insurance policy! The guy lines up deep for a reason!
Gregg Williams is unique, but his roots are fundamental. Protect the edge. Stop the run. Prevent the big play...then kill the quarterback, force turnovers etc.
Listen to him! He ran zone in 2017! HE chose Ward over Chubb!
T H I N K! Gregg Williams knows what he's doing. Instead of second-guessing him, listen to him and try to keep up with him! It's a lot less embarrassing for you.
Williams is ahead of the curve defending this run-pass option trend too; it's partly why he's more 4-3 than ever and loading up on real defensive ends, and...
But that's for a later post.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Gregg Williams' Defense, Tyrod, Baker, Ogbah, and the Browns
Dan Justik wrote a good article explaining how, with the addition of three new cornerbacks and Damarius Randall, Gregg Williams can actually run his kind of defense again.
A couple corrections before I continue: Dan seems not to be a Sashi Brown fan, so he takes some shots at the talent Gregg had to work with last season.
Well, prior to the season, a fully healed Joe Haden was expected to return to his Pro Bowl form. Jamar Taylor was coming off the best season of his carreer. Howard Wilson was drafted, but his season ended before it began with an injury (blame Sashi for that too?) Jason McCourtey was signed, and turned out to be the best cornerback on the team.
Dan also refers to the "safety lining up 20 yards off the ball" stuff as if it's not something Williams wanted to do, but had to. No, that's a Gregg Williams thing, and he doesn't care if Dan or anybody else thinks it's dumb.
But Dan nailed the rest of it down pretty well (maybe he reads my blogs and pretends he thought of this stuff himself too):
Gregg found himself without press/man cornerbacks, and had to play zone. Zone can work, but that's not Gregg's thing.
Attacking defenses in general need press/man cornerbacks to disrupt timing and keep the number one and ideally number two receivers covered for as long as possible.
As Gregg himself said, he counted about 26 instances last season where Myles Garrett was a couple feet away from quarterbacks when they threw the ball (quickly).
Zone or off-man coverages force recievers to run shorter routes, and work better against the run. It's very hard to throw bombs against zones, but unfortunately the trade-off is that quarterbacks can get rid of the ball quickly, and every receiver is actually open for at least the first five yards.
Now, Denzel Ward will be on opposing number one receivers, and (as of now) EJ Gaines will be on the number two. Since Gaines played for Williams before, we can assume that he's a "Williams signing" and that he will start as a press/man corner.
Nickel corner was never a problem here, as Briean Boddy-Calhoun is just outstanding there.
Digression alert: Nickel corner is actually tougher to play than perimeter corner. The nickel doesn't have the sidelines to help him. The slot guy can break to either side. You really can't jam him the way the outside guys can, so you have to play at least a little off to keep him in front of you until he commits. End of digression.
That takes care of the outside guys and the slot guy. Dan goes on to correctly, for once (good job Dan!) put Jabrill Peppers at linebacker/SS hybrid.
When he isn't blitzing, Jabrill can cover tight ends or running backs. He has the speed and quickness for it, even though vs tight ends he's at a big height/reach disadvantage.
Joe Haden in his prime shut down AJ Green, Megatron, and other skyscrapers with his quickness and intelligence, and Peppers has a chance to be effective covering tight ends.
People forget that Jabrill Peppers was a linebacker (predominantly) in college.
Derrick Kindred was doing a lot of this last season, but was not very good in coverage. We can expect him to improve at least a little in that area, but he was great against the run, and as a blitzer.
Now we come to Damarius Randall, the projected "angel" safety:
Dan doesn't seem to get this, but Gregg Williams sometimes lines his free safety up very deep.
There are several reasons for this:
1: He can "read" the entire offense, and ideally see what they're up to before he takes any false steps.
2: He can deceive the quarterback by drifting one way or the other, but has plenty of time to break to, and stay "over" the real target.
3: If a receiver shakes loose early, he will see it, and aim at that receiver, who will usually make the catch before he can get there, but he can still de-cleat him, and maybe force a fumble.
4: He is always moving towards the line of scrimmage. Everybody else is scrambling around trying to stick with guys, but the angel is not in that hot mess. But he's coming forward looking for big hits or interceptions.
If you didn't know why Gregg Williams played Jabrill Peppers at free safety in 2017 before, now you do.
But Peppers had never played free safety, and he took bad angles, and "took too much bait".
Damarius Randall is a different story. He was a free safety in college. Green Bay used him at cornerback, and he was very good there, but he is a safety first (haha get it? "Safety first" ok nevermind).
Randall's size (5'11", under 200 lbs) isn't relevant. His judgement and instincts are all that matter, and he has a real chance here, because he is an experienced center fielder, now with highly refined coverage skills.
The "angel" was, and will be, used only 30-35% of the time. The free safety will otherwise play a more conventional role.
Randall should be fine there.
How this should work is that opposing quarterbacks are forced to hold the ball for over four seconds, which is more than enough time for a passrusher or three to reach them.
This is partly mental and psychological (Gregg is just da MAN!): Rodgers and Brees are rare birds. No other quarterbacks (well except Mayfield...ahem...) think so fast under pressure.
Most of them can't get past their second, or maybe third "read" before all bets are off and they're in survival mode.
The best of the rest throw it away (if they can---sometimes you can't because somebody will bat it up in the air or grab your arm or something).
A guy like Russell Wilson or Tyrod Taylor might run like hell and salvage the play, but make no mistake: their prescribed "reads" are shot to hell, and they're just looking for a bailout guy or just running.
Gregg Williams wants opposing quarterbacks in panic-mode on every passing down. He wants them desperate and flustered.
That's why he always sends four passrushers, and blitzes a fifth as often as not on neutral downs.
Oh, I hear you: Wouldn't Bradley Chubb have helped that out a lot?
Not that much. Williams called Ogbah a "rising star", and if you don't agree with him, you're wrong. Chubb might be somewhat better than Ogbah, but not by the margin you hallucinate.
Williams explained the Ward over Chubb pick, and I get it now. If opposing quarterbacks have to hold the ball for another 0.5 seconds, Nassib, Chad Thomas, etc (along with three of four defensive tackles) come into play right behind Garrett and Ogbah.
I remember the Kardiac Kids. Clay Matthews was a beast, but Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, and Felix Wright bought him something like half his sacks. The Raiders of that era were similar.
I'm glad Gregg spoke up for Ogbah. Emmanuel Ogbah's combine numbers and college production are comparable to Bradley Chubbs'. This is no doubt why Gregg Williams said he can be Chubb!
Ah somebody I can bash! I included the link because these are just fans, and not actual pundits I could hurt by humiliating:
One guy thinks they could have drafted Barkley first, and still got Mayfield at four. Wanna bet? Don't believe everything you read: Baker Mayfield was the best quarterback in this class, and the Jets knew it too.
These fans also all called Mayfield a "risk". No, the best quarterback was not a risk. He was the safest pick.
The general perception among the unwashed masses seems to be that Mayfield is a scrambler and improviser who isn't as fast as Russell Wilson and is too short and stuff.
LISTEN CAREFULLY: Baker Mayfield is a pocket passer who has made most of his big plays from the pocket.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Why is Russell Wilson relevant?
A couple of these misguided souls mentioned Drew Brees, except only to imply that Mayfield isn't as good as this other short quarterback.
Who says?
Darnold and Allen were both punked by top level opponents, while Mayfield always piled up big numbers, and usually found ways to win.
Mayfield lost his top two receivers to injury and kept on truckin, so don't even start with those rationalizations.
Why THE HELL are people even calling Sam Darnold the safest quarterback in this draft class!?!
Ohmm...ohmmm...
Ok I get it, but it's shallow and superficial:
Darnold is big and tough, and his lack of experience combined with his success implies great upside/potential. He's very smart. He makes great, accurate throws on the run (to his left, as well as to his right).
But dammit, aside from their respective sizes, Mayfield does everything Darnold does, and is more accurate too!
How can you call Darnold "safer" than Mayfield here?
Go ahead, go back and compare Baker Mayfield to Sam Darnold from their first respective starts. You will see that Mayfield was always much better.
And quit grading on a curve here! I know it's hard to beat 70% completions in the NFL, but what makes you think Sam Darnold or anybody else can even get close to Mayfield in accuracy? You think they can learn that?
Mayfield is the best, and will stay the best. Mayfield played great "under the lights" vs elite competition, including Bowl games. He NEVER had a "bad game".
...and Sam Darnold was a safer pick?
I don't hate Darnold at all, or Rosen (except personally), or Josh Allen.
Darnold was the second-safest pick. He really is amazing in several ways, and his inexperience does imply lots of upside.
Rosen is an ahole, but his talent is irrefutable. But he's strictly a pocket passer with two concussions. If not for those, he would be even safer than Mayfield.
Allen is just a freak. A prototype. He will become more accurate, and at least "not suck".
But Baker Mayfield was a "can't miss".
You really need to understand this:
The greatest quarterbacks in history come in all shapes and sizes. Joe Montana, possibly the best ever, was short, with a popgun arm.
What separates them from the rest is between their ears.
Baker Mayfield is that guy! Laugh at me now but believe me later: 3-5 years from now, Baker Mayfield will remain the best quarterback out of this draft class.
The Tyrod Taylor extention thing is unlikely. Tyrod isn't interested in being a backup, and won't accept backup money.
Dorsey won't offer him 22 mil/year either (not that Tyrod would accept it anyway, if he's to become a backup again).
Tyrod will use this season as an audition for teams that need a starter.
So Tyrod is almost certainly a GMF in 2019.
Some of this BS is fueled by uncertainty over Mayfield. Disregard that. Baker Mayfield is not a "project". He might be better than Tyrod on opening day (if not sooner).
I like Tyrod too, but Mayfield in 2019 is a lock.
I can't fathom all this doubt about this kid! You people need to get unstuck from this height obsession -snap-snap- ...ok pretend Baker is 1 3/8th inches taller (6'2")...
Okbye
A couple corrections before I continue: Dan seems not to be a Sashi Brown fan, so he takes some shots at the talent Gregg had to work with last season.
Well, prior to the season, a fully healed Joe Haden was expected to return to his Pro Bowl form. Jamar Taylor was coming off the best season of his carreer. Howard Wilson was drafted, but his season ended before it began with an injury (blame Sashi for that too?) Jason McCourtey was signed, and turned out to be the best cornerback on the team.
Dan also refers to the "safety lining up 20 yards off the ball" stuff as if it's not something Williams wanted to do, but had to. No, that's a Gregg Williams thing, and he doesn't care if Dan or anybody else thinks it's dumb.
But Dan nailed the rest of it down pretty well (maybe he reads my blogs and pretends he thought of this stuff himself too):
Gregg found himself without press/man cornerbacks, and had to play zone. Zone can work, but that's not Gregg's thing.
Attacking defenses in general need press/man cornerbacks to disrupt timing and keep the number one and ideally number two receivers covered for as long as possible.
As Gregg himself said, he counted about 26 instances last season where Myles Garrett was a couple feet away from quarterbacks when they threw the ball (quickly).
Zone or off-man coverages force recievers to run shorter routes, and work better against the run. It's very hard to throw bombs against zones, but unfortunately the trade-off is that quarterbacks can get rid of the ball quickly, and every receiver is actually open for at least the first five yards.
Now, Denzel Ward will be on opposing number one receivers, and (as of now) EJ Gaines will be on the number two. Since Gaines played for Williams before, we can assume that he's a "Williams signing" and that he will start as a press/man corner.
Nickel corner was never a problem here, as Briean Boddy-Calhoun is just outstanding there.
Digression alert: Nickel corner is actually tougher to play than perimeter corner. The nickel doesn't have the sidelines to help him. The slot guy can break to either side. You really can't jam him the way the outside guys can, so you have to play at least a little off to keep him in front of you until he commits. End of digression.
That takes care of the outside guys and the slot guy. Dan goes on to correctly, for once (good job Dan!) put Jabrill Peppers at linebacker/SS hybrid.
When he isn't blitzing, Jabrill can cover tight ends or running backs. He has the speed and quickness for it, even though vs tight ends he's at a big height/reach disadvantage.
Joe Haden in his prime shut down AJ Green, Megatron, and other skyscrapers with his quickness and intelligence, and Peppers has a chance to be effective covering tight ends.
People forget that Jabrill Peppers was a linebacker (predominantly) in college.
Derrick Kindred was doing a lot of this last season, but was not very good in coverage. We can expect him to improve at least a little in that area, but he was great against the run, and as a blitzer.
Now we come to Damarius Randall, the projected "angel" safety:
Dan doesn't seem to get this, but Gregg Williams sometimes lines his free safety up very deep.
There are several reasons for this:
1: He can "read" the entire offense, and ideally see what they're up to before he takes any false steps.
2: He can deceive the quarterback by drifting one way or the other, but has plenty of time to break to, and stay "over" the real target.
3: If a receiver shakes loose early, he will see it, and aim at that receiver, who will usually make the catch before he can get there, but he can still de-cleat him, and maybe force a fumble.
4: He is always moving towards the line of scrimmage. Everybody else is scrambling around trying to stick with guys, but the angel is not in that hot mess. But he's coming forward looking for big hits or interceptions.
If you didn't know why Gregg Williams played Jabrill Peppers at free safety in 2017 before, now you do.
But Peppers had never played free safety, and he took bad angles, and "took too much bait".
Damarius Randall is a different story. He was a free safety in college. Green Bay used him at cornerback, and he was very good there, but he is a safety first (haha get it? "Safety first" ok nevermind).
Randall's size (5'11", under 200 lbs) isn't relevant. His judgement and instincts are all that matter, and he has a real chance here, because he is an experienced center fielder, now with highly refined coverage skills.
The "angel" was, and will be, used only 30-35% of the time. The free safety will otherwise play a more conventional role.
Randall should be fine there.
How this should work is that opposing quarterbacks are forced to hold the ball for over four seconds, which is more than enough time for a passrusher or three to reach them.
This is partly mental and psychological (Gregg is just da MAN!): Rodgers and Brees are rare birds. No other quarterbacks (well except Mayfield...ahem...) think so fast under pressure.
Most of them can't get past their second, or maybe third "read" before all bets are off and they're in survival mode.
The best of the rest throw it away (if they can---sometimes you can't because somebody will bat it up in the air or grab your arm or something).
A guy like Russell Wilson or Tyrod Taylor might run like hell and salvage the play, but make no mistake: their prescribed "reads" are shot to hell, and they're just looking for a bailout guy or just running.
Gregg Williams wants opposing quarterbacks in panic-mode on every passing down. He wants them desperate and flustered.
That's why he always sends four passrushers, and blitzes a fifth as often as not on neutral downs.
Oh, I hear you: Wouldn't Bradley Chubb have helped that out a lot?
Not that much. Williams called Ogbah a "rising star", and if you don't agree with him, you're wrong. Chubb might be somewhat better than Ogbah, but not by the margin you hallucinate.
Williams explained the Ward over Chubb pick, and I get it now. If opposing quarterbacks have to hold the ball for another 0.5 seconds, Nassib, Chad Thomas, etc (along with three of four defensive tackles) come into play right behind Garrett and Ogbah.
I remember the Kardiac Kids. Clay Matthews was a beast, but Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield, and Felix Wright bought him something like half his sacks. The Raiders of that era were similar.
I'm glad Gregg spoke up for Ogbah. Emmanuel Ogbah's combine numbers and college production are comparable to Bradley Chubbs'. This is no doubt why Gregg Williams said he can be Chubb!
Ah somebody I can bash! I included the link because these are just fans, and not actual pundits I could hurt by humiliating:
One guy thinks they could have drafted Barkley first, and still got Mayfield at four. Wanna bet? Don't believe everything you read: Baker Mayfield was the best quarterback in this class, and the Jets knew it too.
These fans also all called Mayfield a "risk". No, the best quarterback was not a risk. He was the safest pick.
The general perception among the unwashed masses seems to be that Mayfield is a scrambler and improviser who isn't as fast as Russell Wilson and is too short and stuff.
LISTEN CAREFULLY: Baker Mayfield is a pocket passer who has made most of his big plays from the pocket.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Why is Russell Wilson relevant?
A couple of these misguided souls mentioned Drew Brees, except only to imply that Mayfield isn't as good as this other short quarterback.
Who says?
Darnold and Allen were both punked by top level opponents, while Mayfield always piled up big numbers, and usually found ways to win.
Mayfield lost his top two receivers to injury and kept on truckin, so don't even start with those rationalizations.
Why THE HELL are people even calling Sam Darnold the safest quarterback in this draft class!?!
Ohmm...ohmmm...
Ok I get it, but it's shallow and superficial:
Darnold is big and tough, and his lack of experience combined with his success implies great upside/potential. He's very smart. He makes great, accurate throws on the run (to his left, as well as to his right).
But dammit, aside from their respective sizes, Mayfield does everything Darnold does, and is more accurate too!
How can you call Darnold "safer" than Mayfield here?
Go ahead, go back and compare Baker Mayfield to Sam Darnold from their first respective starts. You will see that Mayfield was always much better.
And quit grading on a curve here! I know it's hard to beat 70% completions in the NFL, but what makes you think Sam Darnold or anybody else can even get close to Mayfield in accuracy? You think they can learn that?
Mayfield is the best, and will stay the best. Mayfield played great "under the lights" vs elite competition, including Bowl games. He NEVER had a "bad game".
...and Sam Darnold was a safer pick?
I don't hate Darnold at all, or Rosen (except personally), or Josh Allen.
Darnold was the second-safest pick. He really is amazing in several ways, and his inexperience does imply lots of upside.
Rosen is an ahole, but his talent is irrefutable. But he's strictly a pocket passer with two concussions. If not for those, he would be even safer than Mayfield.
Allen is just a freak. A prototype. He will become more accurate, and at least "not suck".
But Baker Mayfield was a "can't miss".
You really need to understand this:
The greatest quarterbacks in history come in all shapes and sizes. Joe Montana, possibly the best ever, was short, with a popgun arm.
What separates them from the rest is between their ears.
Baker Mayfield is that guy! Laugh at me now but believe me later: 3-5 years from now, Baker Mayfield will remain the best quarterback out of this draft class.
The Tyrod Taylor extention thing is unlikely. Tyrod isn't interested in being a backup, and won't accept backup money.
Dorsey won't offer him 22 mil/year either (not that Tyrod would accept it anyway, if he's to become a backup again).
Tyrod will use this season as an audition for teams that need a starter.
So Tyrod is almost certainly a GMF in 2019.
Some of this BS is fueled by uncertainty over Mayfield. Disregard that. Baker Mayfield is not a "project". He might be better than Tyrod on opening day (if not sooner).
I like Tyrod too, but Mayfield in 2019 is a lock.
I can't fathom all this doubt about this kid! You people need to get unstuck from this height obsession -snap-snap- ...ok pretend Baker is 1 3/8th inches taller (6'2")...
Can you see how silly you are? The width of three fingers overrides everything else? Is any of this sinking in yet?
Okbye
Saturday, May 5, 2018
The Team Sashi Built, and Stomping the Steelers in Game One
There is a fifth entrant in the Left Tackle Derby: Desmond Harrison. An undrafted free agent. He was projected to be drafted around the fourth round.
There are a few reasons he wasn't drafted, like two drug suspensions, and getting booted out of Texas for them. He was out of football for two seasons, but returned to dominate low-level competition for one season.
He's had weight issues: He's had trouble keeping his weight up. After an illness, he weighed 279 lbs at the Senior Bowl, then in the 290s at the Combine.
Everybody he's dealt with, including the very Texas coach who kicked him out, love his character, work ethic, and talent.
With so little experience, Harrison is obviously raw, but has absolutely elite physical tools.
He's a real longshot to start at left tackle in 2018, but not so much in 2019 and beyond, as he is now THE most talented left tackle on this roster. I'll bet he's here to stay.
He's a former star basketball player, and moves like one. He blew the speed and agility drills up. He's 6'7" with lots of room on his frame for Hans and Franz to pump him up.
And I said longshot--not no shot in 2018. He is that talented.
The first rookie practice didn't mean much, but the highlights were fun to watch.
Baker Mayfield went right after Denzel Ward several times. Ward should have had an interception, and knocked at least a couple more down, but Baker burned him a few times with pinpoint passes too. (I guess Denzel's arms were too short!)
While Mayfield had some misses due to his unfamiliarity with all the receivers, his footwork and release were impressive. He can't run with Tyrod, but he can dance like Fred Astair.
The real star here was Antonio Gallaway! I take back some of what I said in comparing him to Corey Coleman; he's just as sudden and quick as Coleman.
He caught a touchdown bomb. I'm not sure that was over Ward's head, but I think so. Perfect pass---a trailing corner has no shot to stop that without interference.
Some people seem to have the impression that Denzel Ward "has a lot to learn", and will lose his lunch money to the wiley Antonio Brown in game one.
First, he played for Ohio State. Second, he is a press/man cover corner. At least 75% of the time, he just ignores everything and everybody else and stays on top of one receiver.
AB will no doubt have some dirty tricks ready for the kid, and will probably make some catches (Brown burns everybody). But he won't run away from the kid.
That's where Antonio Brown does the majority of his damage. He catches shorts and intermediates and turns them upfield for massive gains.
On "Takes by the Lake", Doug Lesmerisis interviewed four fans with very different opinions on the draft, and the state of the Browns. I only listened to the first very smart, technically savvy Denver attorney, (I know this because she agreed with me on everything), and most of a guy who didn't like the draft.
I won't knock this guy, but since this is a "slow news day", I'll paraphrase some of his comments and respond to them:
1: He preferred Josh Allen to Baker Mayfield. He cited the bad weather and AFC North and the usual stuff, and felt that with just a little work on his feet and mechanics, Allen should be fine.
I can't say anything without repeating myself yet again, but I have no choice:
Dorsey can't gamble at quarterback or first overall, and Allen was a projection. And you can't pick a quarterback based on physical attributes while ignoring psychology, decision-making, accuracy, production, etc etc etc (etc cubed).
2: This guy wanted Chubb over Ward. So did I. But when he sticks to that after Gregg Williams explained it, he became unreasonable. Gregg Williams knows what he's doing, and it's his defense.
3: He hated the Callaway pick. He doesn't want to worry about off the field stuff. He just wants to focus on the games.
The object of playing those games is to WIN them. Callaway can win games, and you rarely find guys like that in the fourth round.
It's worth repeating this: Callaway is a terrific punt and kick returner, and might well play the other side of the kicks and punts as well.
He's the instant front-runner for these roles, so even if he's a third or fourth receiver initially, he can still make a major impact in 2018.
This guy's opinion is based on emotion, and that's rarely a good thing.
A lot of people called Sam Darnold the "safest" pick, but Baker Mayfield was.
The vast majority of pundits think that in 3-5 years, Darnold and Allen will be better than Baker Mayfield.
They're almost certainly fulla beans. Baker Mayfield will remain Baker Mayfield. You can't learn to think at lightspeed under pressure. You can refine leadership skills, but you can't learn charisma. You can refine your mechanics and improve your accuracy, but only so much.
Check out darts! Do you know how much precision the best ones have? I personally became pretty good at darts, but no matter how much I practiced, I kinda stagnated at "pretty good".
The best of them are born with it. Like Baker Mayfield. These other quarterbacks will never be as accurate as Mayfield is now.
Only Josh Allen has a stronger arm. Darnold is merely bigger. Rosen is merely taller. Allen is also the best runner. None of these are nearly as important as the elements I've listed.
Nobody seems yet to have passed up Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers. They've gone up against a lot of prototype quarterbacks, but at the end of the game? They deliver!
Baker Mayfield is like them. The most important inches are those between their ears.
I need to revisit the Tim Couch story here:
Tim came out of college with chronic tendinitis in his right elbow.
While it's true that Head Coach Chris Palmer, much like Hue Jackson, refused to adapt his offense to Couch's skill-set in any way whatsoever, and he was forced to start for an expansion team immediately, Couch did an amazingly great job, until he got injured (thanks again, Chris).
Everybody says that Couch was subsequently "pounded out" of football, and certainly he took a sload of hits.
But in reality, the tendinitis got worse. He tried to adjust his throwing motion to compensate, and there went his shoulder too.
Tim Couch's right arm just kinda wrecked itself. Tim was one super-tough SOB. He took that lickin and kept on tickin, but he couldn't overcome that tendinitis.
I salute Tim Couch. If not for that damn elbow, he could have overcome bad receivers and coaching and been a great quarterback.
For you whippersnappers, this is why I sometimes call Hue "Hue Palmer". He did this to Kessler and then Kizer.
Hue isn't even as good as Chris Palmer, because at least Palmer tried to run the ball, and did allow a few short passes.
DeShone Kizer isn't done yet, and if you judge him by his rookie season, you need a brain transplant. I doubt that he'll ever be an elite quarterback, but he'll become a great backup, and probably a top 15 starter eventually.
That kid didn't deserve the crap stew he got.
Other writers are finally catching up to me on the real "politics" in Berea.
If Hue Jackson was indeed the "point man" in Todd Haley's recruitment/hiring, it was a matter of self-preservation.
The only reason Hue was retained was because Haslam didn't dare fire him, after firing all those other coaches after 1-2 years.
If that sounds idiotic (1-31?), that's because it is. But Jimmy would have been pillaried and crucified anyway.
Now, he's fishing for a new stadium, or a major face-lift on the old one. Now, he can say "see? I'm patient! I want continuity!"
It's bizarre and irrational, but that's how you gotta handle the media and unwashed masses: If Haslam had fired Hue Jackson, he would have no shot at a new or renovated stadium.
...amazing.
Anyway, Haslam probably told Hue "I've got to fire somebody after you went 1-32, but I don't dare fire another Head Coach...yet. So I have to fire Sashi instead.
"But you blew it. Not Sashi Brown. I'm bringing in John Dorsey as a GM. This is your last chance. You need a good offensive coordinator, and to let him do his thing. You will be a figurehead and front-man, and let your three coordinators do their jobs.
"You can take credit for all the good stuff, and blame them for all the bad stuff, and possibly salvage your career."
LaCanfora et al are already predicting an in-season firing of Hue Jackson (deducing that Haley will succeed him).
They're close...I mean they've obviously read my own previous posts...but they missed again:
They're assuming that the Browns will not win many games early, giving Haslam a good excuse.
They're wrong. The Browns now have quarterbackS, and coaching, to go with a sload of talent, and they can go toe-to-toe with any team in the NFL.
Plus, why would Haslam bother to fire Jackson in-season, since nothing would change? Hue Jackson is really a great front-man!
You people!
Todd Haley might indeed be the crown prince, but you don't kill the king in the middle of a war.
Hue Fisher is probably a GMF after this season, even if "he" engineers a turnaround. Because HE JUST PLAIN SUCKS as a Head Coach and offensive coordinator (with anything less than ideal talent for his system).
It's even possible that he sticks around, since he's so likeable and entertaining. But Todd Haley makes that doubtful, since other teams will be recruiting him as a Head Coach...even if the Browns only win like 6 games. Jackson or Haley? No contest!
Todd Haley is abrasive, abusive, and not a "people person". He is the opposite of Hue Jackson personally. This matters.
Haley has the brains and discipline to (again) be a Head Coach, but could alienate his team (he's all-stick, no carrot).
Just like with quarterbacks, this matters.
But I presume that Haley will have evolved a tad (like Belichick did after Modell fired him), since this was the reason the Steelers cut him loose.
Sorry I got too deep into the future here, and overextrapolationalized, but just make a note and review this post one year from now ok?
Right now, the Browns are in excellent shape coach-wise, from the ground up (well except at the top, but Hue can't screw things up anymore).
Tyrod Taylor won a lot of games with a LOT less talent around him on offense, and even with weaker defenses than he will have here in 2018.
Baker Mayfield is more accurate and decisive (read "processing speed"), but he's not the dual threat that Tyrod is, and lobbing bombs in Josh Gordon's general direction is a luxury he's never had before.
Since Tim Couch, the Browns have never had quarterbacks like they have now.
You people: If Tyrod Taylor had been here in 2017, the Browns would have won at least five games!
Probably more, because the Browns 2017 roster was superior to the roster Tyrod was stuck with in Buffalo!
All this is obvious! All the Browns lacked was a quarterback! All Tyrod Taylor lacked was a team why tf can't you comprehend this!?!
And look at the Bills now! They have A J McCarron as the nominal starter (at 5 mil/year), and Josh Allen!
JFC do you think Sashi Brown didn't deliberately sabotage that Hue Jackson-inspired trade attempt for McCarron late last season?
I couldn't fathom the utter idiocy of that proposed trade in the first place, and am 100% confident that this was Hue Fisher in Haslam's ear persuading Jimmy to override Sashi Brown.
It was idiotic, and I'm almost positive that Brown "screwed it up" deliberately. They should build a Sashi Brown statue. I'm pretty sure that Dorsey thanked him, too...good grief:
MKC and the pundits were taking AJ McCarron as a potential franchise quarterback!!!
Then they bashed Sashi for his "incompetance" for not getting the paperwork in on time give me a break.
You people! Njoku, the Colemans, DeValve, Tretter, Zeitler, Collins, Schobert, Ogunjobi, Brantley, Ogbah, Peppers, Kindred, Boddy-Calhoun, Drango, Garrett, Coley (and don't cash out on Nassib just yet either) and you bash him?
Dorsey just drafted five players in rounds one and two, three of which were courtesy of Sashi Brown, and I guarantee you thatDePodesta Sashi would have drafted Mayfield first overall too!
I've read punditry suggesting that the McCourtey trade was only the beginning of a "purge".
Nah. Every single Sashi Brown draft pick or free agent signing (well okay almost all of them) will stick around.
While I think John Dorsey did a good job with free agents, a great job in the draft, and a good job with undrafted guys, I don't expect a "purge".
Some pundits think that the Browns young roster just got even younger, like this is a major problem.
This is frankly astonishing to me.
Quarterback is critical, and Tyrod is here.
The Sashi Brown picks are entering their second and third seasons (excluding free agents like Tretter, Zietler, Coley, Collins etc (squared).
As I've pointed out already, Denzel Ward is ready to rock. Callaway is an instantly lethal special teamer. Chubb is ready. Avery...wow what a freak!
The hell with this "youth" paranoia. These pundits keep trying to dig up dirt.
On this planet, Njoku will be better than he was in 2017, Gordon should be lethal again, Landry and Duke won't get worse, Tyrod won't regress...
Why tf can't you see the obvious?
That's ok. I'll simplify it:
Game one v the Stoolers:
1: Taylor doesn't thow any interceptions, and gets first downs with his legs.
2: Haley hammers them with runs "when they expect it".
3: Taylor shocks the world by throwing a couple long bombs to Gordon (which he catches).
4: Denzel Ward holds Antonio Brown to under 100 yards (maybe less since Big Ben aint...well...Baker Mayfield.
5: (Ideally) Damarius Randall is Williams' "angel", and blasts Ebineezer Bell before he can do too much damage.
6: The Browns defense in general was decent in 2017, but ought to be much better in 2018, sans this off season, and owing just to the inevitable development of young players.
7: Todd Haley.
8: These 2018 Browns are THE most talented team in the AFC North. They will go to Pissburgh in game one expecting to win.
...If there is any doubt about that, "backup" Baker Mayfield will erase it.
...I'll have to get into that later...okbye.The
There are a few reasons he wasn't drafted, like two drug suspensions, and getting booted out of Texas for them. He was out of football for two seasons, but returned to dominate low-level competition for one season.
He's had weight issues: He's had trouble keeping his weight up. After an illness, he weighed 279 lbs at the Senior Bowl, then in the 290s at the Combine.
Everybody he's dealt with, including the very Texas coach who kicked him out, love his character, work ethic, and talent.
With so little experience, Harrison is obviously raw, but has absolutely elite physical tools.
He's a real longshot to start at left tackle in 2018, but not so much in 2019 and beyond, as he is now THE most talented left tackle on this roster. I'll bet he's here to stay.
He's a former star basketball player, and moves like one. He blew the speed and agility drills up. He's 6'7" with lots of room on his frame for Hans and Franz to pump him up.
And I said longshot--not no shot in 2018. He is that talented.
The first rookie practice didn't mean much, but the highlights were fun to watch.
Baker Mayfield went right after Denzel Ward several times. Ward should have had an interception, and knocked at least a couple more down, but Baker burned him a few times with pinpoint passes too. (I guess Denzel's arms were too short!)
While Mayfield had some misses due to his unfamiliarity with all the receivers, his footwork and release were impressive. He can't run with Tyrod, but he can dance like Fred Astair.
The real star here was Antonio Gallaway! I take back some of what I said in comparing him to Corey Coleman; he's just as sudden and quick as Coleman.
He caught a touchdown bomb. I'm not sure that was over Ward's head, but I think so. Perfect pass---a trailing corner has no shot to stop that without interference.
Some people seem to have the impression that Denzel Ward "has a lot to learn", and will lose his lunch money to the wiley Antonio Brown in game one.
First, he played for Ohio State. Second, he is a press/man cover corner. At least 75% of the time, he just ignores everything and everybody else and stays on top of one receiver.
AB will no doubt have some dirty tricks ready for the kid, and will probably make some catches (Brown burns everybody). But he won't run away from the kid.
That's where Antonio Brown does the majority of his damage. He catches shorts and intermediates and turns them upfield for massive gains.
On "Takes by the Lake", Doug Lesmerisis interviewed four fans with very different opinions on the draft, and the state of the Browns. I only listened to the first very smart, technically savvy Denver attorney, (I know this because she agreed with me on everything), and most of a guy who didn't like the draft.
I won't knock this guy, but since this is a "slow news day", I'll paraphrase some of his comments and respond to them:
1: He preferred Josh Allen to Baker Mayfield. He cited the bad weather and AFC North and the usual stuff, and felt that with just a little work on his feet and mechanics, Allen should be fine.
I can't say anything without repeating myself yet again, but I have no choice:
Dorsey can't gamble at quarterback or first overall, and Allen was a projection. And you can't pick a quarterback based on physical attributes while ignoring psychology, decision-making, accuracy, production, etc etc etc (etc cubed).
2: This guy wanted Chubb over Ward. So did I. But when he sticks to that after Gregg Williams explained it, he became unreasonable. Gregg Williams knows what he's doing, and it's his defense.
3: He hated the Callaway pick. He doesn't want to worry about off the field stuff. He just wants to focus on the games.
The object of playing those games is to WIN them. Callaway can win games, and you rarely find guys like that in the fourth round.
It's worth repeating this: Callaway is a terrific punt and kick returner, and might well play the other side of the kicks and punts as well.
He's the instant front-runner for these roles, so even if he's a third or fourth receiver initially, he can still make a major impact in 2018.
This guy's opinion is based on emotion, and that's rarely a good thing.
A lot of people called Sam Darnold the "safest" pick, but Baker Mayfield was.
The vast majority of pundits think that in 3-5 years, Darnold and Allen will be better than Baker Mayfield.
They're almost certainly fulla beans. Baker Mayfield will remain Baker Mayfield. You can't learn to think at lightspeed under pressure. You can refine leadership skills, but you can't learn charisma. You can refine your mechanics and improve your accuracy, but only so much.
Check out darts! Do you know how much precision the best ones have? I personally became pretty good at darts, but no matter how much I practiced, I kinda stagnated at "pretty good".
The best of them are born with it. Like Baker Mayfield. These other quarterbacks will never be as accurate as Mayfield is now.
Only Josh Allen has a stronger arm. Darnold is merely bigger. Rosen is merely taller. Allen is also the best runner. None of these are nearly as important as the elements I've listed.
Nobody seems yet to have passed up Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers. They've gone up against a lot of prototype quarterbacks, but at the end of the game? They deliver!
Baker Mayfield is like them. The most important inches are those between their ears.
I need to revisit the Tim Couch story here:
Tim came out of college with chronic tendinitis in his right elbow.
While it's true that Head Coach Chris Palmer, much like Hue Jackson, refused to adapt his offense to Couch's skill-set in any way whatsoever, and he was forced to start for an expansion team immediately, Couch did an amazingly great job, until he got injured (thanks again, Chris).
Everybody says that Couch was subsequently "pounded out" of football, and certainly he took a sload of hits.
But in reality, the tendinitis got worse. He tried to adjust his throwing motion to compensate, and there went his shoulder too.
Tim Couch's right arm just kinda wrecked itself. Tim was one super-tough SOB. He took that lickin and kept on tickin, but he couldn't overcome that tendinitis.
I salute Tim Couch. If not for that damn elbow, he could have overcome bad receivers and coaching and been a great quarterback.
For you whippersnappers, this is why I sometimes call Hue "Hue Palmer". He did this to Kessler and then Kizer.
Hue isn't even as good as Chris Palmer, because at least Palmer tried to run the ball, and did allow a few short passes.
DeShone Kizer isn't done yet, and if you judge him by his rookie season, you need a brain transplant. I doubt that he'll ever be an elite quarterback, but he'll become a great backup, and probably a top 15 starter eventually.
That kid didn't deserve the crap stew he got.
Other writers are finally catching up to me on the real "politics" in Berea.
If Hue Jackson was indeed the "point man" in Todd Haley's recruitment/hiring, it was a matter of self-preservation.
The only reason Hue was retained was because Haslam didn't dare fire him, after firing all those other coaches after 1-2 years.
If that sounds idiotic (1-31?), that's because it is. But Jimmy would have been pillaried and crucified anyway.
Now, he's fishing for a new stadium, or a major face-lift on the old one. Now, he can say "see? I'm patient! I want continuity!"
It's bizarre and irrational, but that's how you gotta handle the media and unwashed masses: If Haslam had fired Hue Jackson, he would have no shot at a new or renovated stadium.
...amazing.
Anyway, Haslam probably told Hue "I've got to fire somebody after you went 1-32, but I don't dare fire another Head Coach...yet. So I have to fire Sashi instead.
"But you blew it. Not Sashi Brown. I'm bringing in John Dorsey as a GM. This is your last chance. You need a good offensive coordinator, and to let him do his thing. You will be a figurehead and front-man, and let your three coordinators do their jobs.
"You can take credit for all the good stuff, and blame them for all the bad stuff, and possibly salvage your career."
LaCanfora et al are already predicting an in-season firing of Hue Jackson (deducing that Haley will succeed him).
They're close...I mean they've obviously read my own previous posts...but they missed again:
They're assuming that the Browns will not win many games early, giving Haslam a good excuse.
They're wrong. The Browns now have quarterbackS, and coaching, to go with a sload of talent, and they can go toe-to-toe with any team in the NFL.
Plus, why would Haslam bother to fire Jackson in-season, since nothing would change? Hue Jackson is really a great front-man!
You people!
Todd Haley might indeed be the crown prince, but you don't kill the king in the middle of a war.
Hue Fisher is probably a GMF after this season, even if "he" engineers a turnaround. Because HE JUST PLAIN SUCKS as a Head Coach and offensive coordinator (with anything less than ideal talent for his system).
It's even possible that he sticks around, since he's so likeable and entertaining. But Todd Haley makes that doubtful, since other teams will be recruiting him as a Head Coach...even if the Browns only win like 6 games. Jackson or Haley? No contest!
Todd Haley is abrasive, abusive, and not a "people person". He is the opposite of Hue Jackson personally. This matters.
Haley has the brains and discipline to (again) be a Head Coach, but could alienate his team (he's all-stick, no carrot).
Just like with quarterbacks, this matters.
But I presume that Haley will have evolved a tad (like Belichick did after Modell fired him), since this was the reason the Steelers cut him loose.
Sorry I got too deep into the future here, and overextrapolationalized, but just make a note and review this post one year from now ok?
Right now, the Browns are in excellent shape coach-wise, from the ground up (well except at the top, but Hue can't screw things up anymore).
Tyrod Taylor won a lot of games with a LOT less talent around him on offense, and even with weaker defenses than he will have here in 2018.
Baker Mayfield is more accurate and decisive (read "processing speed"), but he's not the dual threat that Tyrod is, and lobbing bombs in Josh Gordon's general direction is a luxury he's never had before.
Since Tim Couch, the Browns have never had quarterbacks like they have now.
You people: If Tyrod Taylor had been here in 2017, the Browns would have won at least five games!
Probably more, because the Browns 2017 roster was superior to the roster Tyrod was stuck with in Buffalo!
All this is obvious! All the Browns lacked was a quarterback! All Tyrod Taylor lacked was a team why tf can't you comprehend this!?!
And look at the Bills now! They have A J McCarron as the nominal starter (at 5 mil/year), and Josh Allen!
JFC do you think Sashi Brown didn't deliberately sabotage that Hue Jackson-inspired trade attempt for McCarron late last season?
I couldn't fathom the utter idiocy of that proposed trade in the first place, and am 100% confident that this was Hue Fisher in Haslam's ear persuading Jimmy to override Sashi Brown.
It was idiotic, and I'm almost positive that Brown "screwed it up" deliberately. They should build a Sashi Brown statue. I'm pretty sure that Dorsey thanked him, too...good grief:
MKC and the pundits were taking AJ McCarron as a potential franchise quarterback!!!
Then they bashed Sashi for his "incompetance" for not getting the paperwork in on time give me a break.
You people! Njoku, the Colemans, DeValve, Tretter, Zeitler, Collins, Schobert, Ogunjobi, Brantley, Ogbah, Peppers, Kindred, Boddy-Calhoun, Drango, Garrett, Coley (and don't cash out on Nassib just yet either) and you bash him?
Dorsey just drafted five players in rounds one and two, three of which were courtesy of Sashi Brown, and I guarantee you that
I've read punditry suggesting that the McCourtey trade was only the beginning of a "purge".
Nah. Every single Sashi Brown draft pick or free agent signing (well okay almost all of them) will stick around.
While I think John Dorsey did a good job with free agents, a great job in the draft, and a good job with undrafted guys, I don't expect a "purge".
Some pundits think that the Browns young roster just got even younger, like this is a major problem.
This is frankly astonishing to me.
Quarterback is critical, and Tyrod is here.
The Sashi Brown picks are entering their second and third seasons (excluding free agents like Tretter, Zietler, Coley, Collins etc (squared).
As I've pointed out already, Denzel Ward is ready to rock. Callaway is an instantly lethal special teamer. Chubb is ready. Avery...wow what a freak!
The hell with this "youth" paranoia. These pundits keep trying to dig up dirt.
On this planet, Njoku will be better than he was in 2017, Gordon should be lethal again, Landry and Duke won't get worse, Tyrod won't regress...
Why tf can't you see the obvious?
That's ok. I'll simplify it:
Game one v the Stoolers:
1: Taylor doesn't thow any interceptions, and gets first downs with his legs.
2: Haley hammers them with runs "when they expect it".
3: Taylor shocks the world by throwing a couple long bombs to Gordon (which he catches).
4: Denzel Ward holds Antonio Brown to under 100 yards (maybe less since Big Ben aint...well...Baker Mayfield.
5: (Ideally) Damarius Randall is Williams' "angel", and blasts Ebineezer Bell before he can do too much damage.
6: The Browns defense in general was decent in 2017, but ought to be much better in 2018, sans this off season, and owing just to the inevitable development of young players.
7: Todd Haley.
8: These 2018 Browns are THE most talented team in the AFC North. They will go to Pissburgh in game one expecting to win.
...If there is any doubt about that, "backup" Baker Mayfield will erase it.
...I'll have to get into that later...okbye.The
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