Steeler writer Mark Madden (link withheld for your protection) is another guy who is tired of the Browns hype.
That's fair enough, because if I were a Steeler fan I'd feel the same way. The 2019 Browns are undeniably suddenly much more talented, but the 2019 Steelers will better...not worse...than the 2018 version.
One of the few things Corky Madden got right is the fact that Big Ben made Antonio Brown (like Santonio Holmes, Burress, etc), and not the reverse.
But most of the rest of what this guy said was derivitive or simply stupid.
1: Mayfield had a great season. Mark did get some more smart stuff in there, as he pointed out that Ben outperformed Baker by a mile vs winning teams, but then he was...you know...a ROOKIE?
I remember Big Ben's rookie season. He tried to be a game manager, and really sucked throughout the playoffs as the Bus and his Defense carried the load.
Gradually after that, Roethsenberger became elite...eventually.
Baker Mayfield is already significantly better than Big Ben was at the same point in their respective carreers.
2: Just see my last post. I had Corky cut off at the knees before he wrote this garbage.
Speaking of Baker Mayfield, sigh-Jake Burns humiliated me again in re Baker Mayfield.
I've been telling you that Mayfield is as good scrambling to his left as to his right. I was wrong.
Mayfield was under 50% with 2 TDs and 2 picks scrambling left, and good old Jake found most of those mistakes.
I remember Baker kicking ass scrambling to his left because he made several of his best plays doing that.
Anyway, Jake says (and I know) that these errors were more mental than physical, and are highly correctable. (In fact, Mayfield himself should correct the bad reads automatically).
For example, on one of the plays Jake singled out, a cornerback literally ran to a sideline and crouched down 12-13 yards deep.
Mayfield didn't notice him, and saw Seth DeValve open as he broke outside. The sneaky bastard cornerback intercepted the pass.
This was a defense reading a tendancy in a timing offense, and bushwacking an aggressive rookie QB. Mayfield should be painfully aware of it already...he never saw anything like that in college.
Part of Jake's critique was physical too. Two of the passes Baker threw were off-platform and all-arm. In one case, he was inaccurate, and in another failed to elevate the ball over a linebacker.
Jake says these mistakes are highly correctable too.
Needless to say, opposing defenses will see what Jake saw, and try to chase Mayfield to his left.
It's pretty much all they've got.
Fortunately, Todd, Freddie, and Baker see it coming. I'm not too worried about it. I suspect that Baker was running to his left a lot in his offseason workouts with his receivers.
I expect these guys to exploit how the first 2 or 3 defenses will attack Hubbard and whoever wins the Right Guard derby in an effort to stifle Baker Mayfield.
I don't envy defensive coordinators, as they're always "chasing" offenses; REacting to what they've seen...getting deep here but long story short I expect MonkenKitchensMayfield to stay ahead of that curve.
Our cousins in Pittsburgh don't see this. YET.
Dan Justik offers some bandaids "in case" Duke Johnson is traded early.
Dan's top 2 options are the venerable Gramps Sproles or Jay Ajayi.
Dan is a work in progress, so it hasn't yet registered with him that A: a pass-catching RB is less important in 2019 than it was in 2018 B: Dontrell Hilliard EXISTS.
Ajayi is still in his prime, and is a for real bellcow running back.
Dan? Hilliard is Duke's replacement. If Duke is traded, a backup for Nick Chubb is the obvious priority (and I would try for more years on that cheap contract).
But really, even Leonardo De Burns is wrong sometimes when I am right.
If you read this Blog, you expect man coverage outside, no true fullback, zone blocking etc.
If you don't read this Blog, you expect Steve Wilks to use Williams, Ward, and Mitchell as zone corners, Dorsey to...
Screw it. Stay tuned. You'll see.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Friday, July 19, 2019
2019 Steelers Will Sweep the Uppity Browns, cuz...NOT
Simon Chester predicts that the 2019 Steelers will sweep the Browns. It sticks in my craw that after reading the article I can't make fun of it. He makes his case.
Of course he is still wrong, as he lists the volatile OBJ and "unproven" Freddie Kitchens as 2 of his reasons. I have addressed these assertions often and frequently, and won't repeat myself here--but in brief these 2 issues won't trump the talent which Simon stipulates permeates the Browns' roster.
Amazingly, Simon actually refers to the 2018 season opener vs the Steelers as a "should have won" game for the Steelers!
With Tyrod Taylor at QB, Carlos Hyde at RB, and Todd Haley calling the plays, the Browns missed...how many field goals? Simon was a fan with that statement.
He also refers to the horrifically lopsided Steelers domination of the Browns, and shame on him. How many of the Browns on the current roster were even here 2-3 years ago?
And Baker Mayfield might become a good Quarterback? This becomes important, as Simon also points out that nobody on the current Browns has ever beaten the Steelers.
The fact is, Baker Mayfield can't wait for his rematch with the Steelers because it's Big Ben and one of the toughest challenges he will face!
These Cleveland Browns have a Junk Yard Dawg Quarterback and no Stockholm Syndrome! They see no reason why the big bad smirking Steelers should defeat their superior talent.
Don't get me wrong, as to redundationalize yet again, the 2019 Steelers are indeed getting overly dissed, and remain strong Division and Superbowl contenders. They could beat the rebuilt Browns once, or even twice...
Simon is right about a new defensive system, a bunch of players who haven't played together yet, and (I'll give Simon this one) the fact that the Steelers might have the best Offensive Line in football.
Jake Burns has turned me into the President of his fan club here. This time he's found two veteran Defensive Tackles, who remain unsigned, that he feels could insure the depth behind Richardson and Ogunjobi.
These are long-time Chief Allen Bailey and long-time Charger Corey Liuget.
These guys are 30 and 29 respectively, and Liuget has recovered from a quad tear which took the majority of his 2018 season away from him.
Both are long-time starters who were released for cap reasons. They're most likely one year "discount" signings.
I like Liuget a little better because he's bigger and stronger (no problem playing the zero-shade), and there are several nominal "Defensive Ends" on the current roster who can fill in at the "3-technique" (the quick penetrator).
Liuget splits double-teams and knocks guards down on his way into the backfield.
As Jake says, the Browns need better depth inside, and these 2 proven, long-term upper-echelon starters would make terrific bandaids.
Randy Gurzi names 3 rookies to keep an eye on in Training Camp (after Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki, who could each play significant snaps---Wilson excels in coverage more on that someday):
Safety Sheldrick Redwine is a bigee with me as well, since the only questions about the 2019 Browns secondary are 1 Strong Safety and 2 Free Safety depth.
Gurzi is thorough here, and offers an insightful overview of the rest of the safeties and their potentials, but Redwine is a hell of a player.
Randy thinks that Redwine might well see significant time on defense in 2019, one way or another, because he can play everywhere.
Randall's Free Safety backup is unsettled, as is the Strong Safety, and the Wilksian hybrid S/LB...
And of course Damarius Randall, like Joe Scobert, might see his Brinks truck turned away from the dock in 2020; the linebackers and Redwine are potential replacements (nice job John Dorsey!)
Redwine should also be a key special teamer.
Speaking of which, Randy lists Kicker Austin Seibert next...
Seibert was indeed probably the pick of this draftable litter, but really isn't that impressive. Compared to Seibert, Zane Gonzalez was a superstar, and...well...you know...
Last on Randy's rookie list is Greedy Williams.
That one was easy, but Randy: "A solid cover corner"!?!
Good grief. And these issues with his tackling are somewhat inflated by clueless people who expect Steve Wilks to run all-zone all the time.
I've heard this rubber-stamping from Jake Burns too...I guess I'm the only "idea" person in Cuyahoga County or something!
No shut up do you hear me? How STUPID would Steve Wilks have to be to make Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, and Terrence Mitchell cover in zone???
Why am I the only person in Cleveland who...ohmmm...ohmmmmmm.....
Steve Patsco wonders whether or not the 2019 Browns can or will get out of the basement vs opposing Tight Ends.
He offers a lot of hope, as he says that Steve Wilks the Panther and then the Cardinal did pretty well against opposing TE's.
In my not humble expert opinion, it looks great for Steve and the 2019 Browns vs emema Tight Ends too (and you can check with Jake Burns on this...after 4 or so regular season games):
THIS season, Wilks can man up on both outside receivers, because for once he has...you know...the talent to do it duh?
Ok so his Free Safety isn't worrying about the outside receivers so much; not "rolling" to either side (offering the QB an easy read every down), and instead really playing center field, see?
So (like Felix Wright did with Dixon and Minnifield way back when) the Free Safety "flies cover" and reacts to what happens in front of him.
Felix Wright was no bigger than most cornerbacks, but he was a human missile vs running backs and tight ends, and most of his hits are still legal today.
Is any of this sinking in yet? Unless Steve Wilks is as overrated as Mywayorthehighway Haley, he'll adapt his defense to his players. DUH. DUH DUH DUH DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?!
Anyway in re Pokorney's Tight End coverage question, Damarius Randall's freedom/discretion "caps" their seam routes; it should have the Free Safety in position and coming forward in a race for the ball itself on any seam-pass to a Tight End, see?
...nevermind I've lost more than half of you already, but I'll go back to personnel:
Joe Schobert and Mack Wilson are exceptional in coverage (vs RBs and TEs), and it looks like Redwine, Burnett, and Whitehead are also fighting over who gets to cover the running backs and tight ends.
You people don't get this, of course (no offense): You need to disregard the labels here, like "man" and "zone":
Joe Schobert might technicly "man" cover a Tight End, but that Tight End is generally at least 4" taller, 20 lbs heavier, and faster than he is in a dead sprint, see?
A Schobert can hang with these guys for 3 seconds or so (partly because he anticipates their routes and stays deeper), but the passrush is expected to get at the QB before he gets in trouble, see?
Aw the hell with it--it's hairline deep, and I could ramble on for decades.
Anyhoo, I respectfully bet Simon Chester a beer that the 2019 Browns will sweep the Steelers instead of the reverse.
I have to repeat this here: The Quarterback makes the Head Coach more often than vice-versa, and the best Head Coaches get tf out of their QB's way...
For cryin out loud we SAW this in 2018 the instant Kitchens took over!
...nevermindokbye
Of course he is still wrong, as he lists the volatile OBJ and "unproven" Freddie Kitchens as 2 of his reasons. I have addressed these assertions often and frequently, and won't repeat myself here--but in brief these 2 issues won't trump the talent which Simon stipulates permeates the Browns' roster.
Amazingly, Simon actually refers to the 2018 season opener vs the Steelers as a "should have won" game for the Steelers!
With Tyrod Taylor at QB, Carlos Hyde at RB, and Todd Haley calling the plays, the Browns missed...how many field goals? Simon was a fan with that statement.
He also refers to the horrifically lopsided Steelers domination of the Browns, and shame on him. How many of the Browns on the current roster were even here 2-3 years ago?
And Baker Mayfield might become a good Quarterback? This becomes important, as Simon also points out that nobody on the current Browns has ever beaten the Steelers.
The fact is, Baker Mayfield can't wait for his rematch with the Steelers because it's Big Ben and one of the toughest challenges he will face!
These Cleveland Browns have a Junk Yard Dawg Quarterback and no Stockholm Syndrome! They see no reason why the big bad smirking Steelers should defeat their superior talent.
Don't get me wrong, as to redundationalize yet again, the 2019 Steelers are indeed getting overly dissed, and remain strong Division and Superbowl contenders. They could beat the rebuilt Browns once, or even twice...
Simon is right about a new defensive system, a bunch of players who haven't played together yet, and (I'll give Simon this one) the fact that the Steelers might have the best Offensive Line in football.
Jake Burns has turned me into the President of his fan club here. This time he's found two veteran Defensive Tackles, who remain unsigned, that he feels could insure the depth behind Richardson and Ogunjobi.
These are long-time Chief Allen Bailey and long-time Charger Corey Liuget.
These guys are 30 and 29 respectively, and Liuget has recovered from a quad tear which took the majority of his 2018 season away from him.
Both are long-time starters who were released for cap reasons. They're most likely one year "discount" signings.
I like Liuget a little better because he's bigger and stronger (no problem playing the zero-shade), and there are several nominal "Defensive Ends" on the current roster who can fill in at the "3-technique" (the quick penetrator).
Liuget splits double-teams and knocks guards down on his way into the backfield.
As Jake says, the Browns need better depth inside, and these 2 proven, long-term upper-echelon starters would make terrific bandaids.
Randy Gurzi names 3 rookies to keep an eye on in Training Camp (after Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki, who could each play significant snaps---Wilson excels in coverage more on that someday):
Safety Sheldrick Redwine is a bigee with me as well, since the only questions about the 2019 Browns secondary are 1 Strong Safety and 2 Free Safety depth.
Gurzi is thorough here, and offers an insightful overview of the rest of the safeties and their potentials, but Redwine is a hell of a player.
Randy thinks that Redwine might well see significant time on defense in 2019, one way or another, because he can play everywhere.
Randall's Free Safety backup is unsettled, as is the Strong Safety, and the Wilksian hybrid S/LB...
And of course Damarius Randall, like Joe Scobert, might see his Brinks truck turned away from the dock in 2020; the linebackers and Redwine are potential replacements (nice job John Dorsey!)
Redwine should also be a key special teamer.
Speaking of which, Randy lists Kicker Austin Seibert next...
Seibert was indeed probably the pick of this draftable litter, but really isn't that impressive. Compared to Seibert, Zane Gonzalez was a superstar, and...well...you know...
Last on Randy's rookie list is Greedy Williams.
That one was easy, but Randy: "A solid cover corner"!?!
Good grief. And these issues with his tackling are somewhat inflated by clueless people who expect Steve Wilks to run all-zone all the time.
I've heard this rubber-stamping from Jake Burns too...I guess I'm the only "idea" person in Cuyahoga County or something!
No shut up do you hear me? How STUPID would Steve Wilks have to be to make Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, and Terrence Mitchell cover in zone???
Why am I the only person in Cleveland who...ohmmm...ohmmmmmm.....
Steve Patsco wonders whether or not the 2019 Browns can or will get out of the basement vs opposing Tight Ends.
He offers a lot of hope, as he says that Steve Wilks the Panther and then the Cardinal did pretty well against opposing TE's.
In my not humble expert opinion, it looks great for Steve and the 2019 Browns vs emema Tight Ends too (and you can check with Jake Burns on this...after 4 or so regular season games):
THIS season, Wilks can man up on both outside receivers, because for once he has...you know...the talent to do it duh?
Ok so his Free Safety isn't worrying about the outside receivers so much; not "rolling" to either side (offering the QB an easy read every down), and instead really playing center field, see?
So (like Felix Wright did with Dixon and Minnifield way back when) the Free Safety "flies cover" and reacts to what happens in front of him.
Felix Wright was no bigger than most cornerbacks, but he was a human missile vs running backs and tight ends, and most of his hits are still legal today.
Is any of this sinking in yet? Unless Steve Wilks is as overrated as Mywayorthehighway Haley, he'll adapt his defense to his players. DUH. DUH DUH DUH DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?!
Anyway in re Pokorney's Tight End coverage question, Damarius Randall's freedom/discretion "caps" their seam routes; it should have the Free Safety in position and coming forward in a race for the ball itself on any seam-pass to a Tight End, see?
...nevermind I've lost more than half of you already, but I'll go back to personnel:
Joe Schobert and Mack Wilson are exceptional in coverage (vs RBs and TEs), and it looks like Redwine, Burnett, and Whitehead are also fighting over who gets to cover the running backs and tight ends.
You people don't get this, of course (
Joe Schobert might technicly "man" cover a Tight End, but that Tight End is generally at least 4" taller, 20 lbs heavier, and faster than he is in a dead sprint, see?
A Schobert can hang with these guys for 3 seconds or so (partly because he anticipates their routes and stays deeper), but the passrush is expected to get at the QB before he gets in trouble, see?
Aw the hell with it--it's hairline deep, and I could ramble on for decades.
Anyhoo, I respectfully bet Simon Chester a beer that the 2019 Browns will sweep the Steelers instead of the reverse.
I have to repeat this here: The Quarterback makes the Head Coach more often than vice-versa, and the best Head Coaches get tf out of their QB's way...
For cryin out loud we SAW this in 2018 the instant Kitchens took over!
...nevermindokbye
Baker Mayfield Like Warner, Rodgers. Browns Rankings. And Stuff.
There's finally some more interesting stuff about the Browns, including the Baltimore Sun's Jonas Shaffer's rankings of the AFC North's defensive position groups and special teams.
Jonas ranked the respective offenses a few weeks ago, and he doesn't let his Ravens affiliation corrupt his objectivity.
Jonas ranks the Browns interior Defensive Line third behind the Steelers and Ravens units.
Yes, that bothers me too, but Jonas backs it up with hard statistics and facts, and the fact is, 3 of the 6-7 best interiors in the NFL probably reside in the AFC North.
The Steelers' noses and tackles combined for almost 20 sacks, and were in the top 5 against the run in 2018. It's hard to argue with that.
The Browns win the edge-rusher contest, with the Bengals coming in 2nd and the Ravens last. Check.
Jonas ranks the linebackers Browns-Ravens-Steelers, and excuse me, but I'm not exactly sure about that, as the Steelers added Mark Barron and Devin Bush to TJ Watt in the offseason.
But it's close enough that I can't raise a fuss.
Jonas ranks the Ravens secondary 1st and the Browns 2nd. As much as I want to disagree with that, this writer is correct about the question mark at strong safety.
The Ravens have stud players at every nickel position, so no fuss about that either.
Jonas has the Browns special teams ranked last. I see why he says that but feel it's probably just incorrect:
1: Mike Preifer has never failed to have at least an above average special teams unit, and most recently has had top 5 units.
2: Hue Jackson prevented high-profile starters from participating in special teams, whereas Freddie Kitchens told Preifer to use anybody he liked.
3: I don't know about this Seibert kid, but nobody else seems to realize that Greg Joseph only had one bad game, and it was his first.
4: I love Britton Colquitt, but this "Scottish Hammer" Jamie Gillan kicks the seams out of footballs, ya no? WOW.
I don't know much more about him yet, but he's Scottish so he's a real soccer player too, and most likely can "place" the football where he wants to (like the coffin corner) as well.
Jake Burns agrees with Gil Brandt that former Chiefs safety Eric Berry would look good in Brown and orange err...for the right price.
Berry has missed all but a couple games over the last couple seasons with a torn hamstring and then a heel, but as Jake points out, when healthy, Berry was one of (if not THE) best in the business...and it looks like he is healthy now.
Jake says Berry's best position is free safety, but he's still pretty good in the box, or manning up on tight ends, and would certainly fit somewhere in Steve Wilks' nickel.
My inner-GM worries about the heel injury, as (unlike the hamstring) it could have permanent effects...but also bets that Berry will either retire or play for peanuts...for a contender.
You know us greedy capitalist pigs! Maybe we can get Berry for a mere paltry 2 mil or so (poor guy!)
Dan Labbe wonders how good Antonio Callaway 2.0 will be in 2019.
The Cliffnotes version is he'll be awesome. As I have repeatedly repeated, Callaway hardly played at all in college.
Check my posts when they drafted Callaway: I called him a "project"! But he became a starter and made a significant impact as a rookie!
I've more recently compared him to OBJ himself...except Callaway doesn't have those phenomenal hands.
By the way I have to disagree with Jake Burns about "hands":
Jake thinks that it's like Quarterback accuracy, and you either "have it or you don't."
Well, Jarvis Landry and OBJ practiced catching with one hand as teammates at LSU, and let me tell you something:
If you get used to catching a FOOTBALL with one hand, you have drasticly improved your handS, ok?
Jake is right about the QB accuracy thing. A quarterback can learn to re-set his feet and re-establish a stable throwing platform and stuff (like Tom Brady the rookie did btw), but accuracy is mostly ennate.
Nick Wright imitates Captain Obvious (no offense Nick) in guesstimating what Baker Mayfield 2.0 will do in 2019.
Look: There are a lot of different quarterbacks, but in myhumble opinion, the best (Montana Rodgers Marino Brees Kelly Sipe Fouts Warner etc) spread the ball around, with superior accuracy and touch.
Baker Mayfield is one of these. These guys don't need a Randy Moss, Julio Jones, Josh Gordon, or whoever.
They read coverage and deliver quickly, and they hit what they aim at. They never hesitate, or favor any one receiver...
Do you get this? The free safety rolls to OBJ, who is by design the primary target. OBJ will break off underneath as he sees this, right?
Well, most quarterbacks would just throw a bullet at OBJ, who should catch it, right?
But Mayfield, you see, will throw to Callaway or Njoku instead, as they are going where that Free Safety aint, and beating single coverage DEEP, see?
Returning to Antonio Callaway here, he is the likely starter opposite OBJ on the outside; the official "number two" wide receiver.
As Jake Burns notes, with the bloodthirsty Baker Mayfield at QB, opposing defenses will be in trouble all the time.
...this is a whole new couple posts worth of cans of worms I opened up here, really, as I've ignored Nick Chubb and Njoku...(oh yeah and Landry) here.
Seriously, the concerns over the Oline are legit, but it will do in 2019 with Mayfield, Chubb, and Kitchens (Chubb over 4.7 YPC after contact good grief is any of this sinking in yet?)
Cliffnotes: The 2019 Browns offense will be a juggernaut. Lots of big plays. Smashmouth as required.
I'm tempted to compare the 2019 Browns to Kurt Warner's "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams offense, but that's not accurate enough:
The Quarterbacks are comparable, except Mayfield might be a tad more athletic.
Marshall Faulk is the big difference here. Faulk was a freak. Chubb, Hunt, or Duke can't do everything Marshall Faulk did for the Greatest Show on Turf.
No bigee: Kurt Warner didn't have the lethal weapons at WR and TE that Mayfield has, and I think he could scrape by with Chubb/Hunt too.
You people really need to comprehend that Baker Mayield=Kurt Warner, and the rest is kinda irrelevant.
What? Comparing Mayfield to Warner is nuts?
I feel sorry for you.
Baker broke the NFL record for TD passes by a rookie in 13.5 games, and broke a bunch of team records as well (in 13.5 games).
Real analysts separate Baker's R O O K I E performance into pre and post-Haley sections, and find his rankings by Madden et al amusing, as they DEMOTE him from where he finished 2018!
Baker Mayfield is OBVIOUSLY comparable to Kurt Warner, Aaron Rodgers, etc unless he gets hurt.
...This is obvious, isn't it?
Pearls before swine (and thieves)....okbye
Jonas ranked the respective offenses a few weeks ago, and he doesn't let his Ravens affiliation corrupt his objectivity.
Jonas ranks the Browns interior Defensive Line third behind the Steelers and Ravens units.
Yes, that bothers me too, but Jonas backs it up with hard statistics and facts, and the fact is, 3 of the 6-7 best interiors in the NFL probably reside in the AFC North.
The Steelers' noses and tackles combined for almost 20 sacks, and were in the top 5 against the run in 2018. It's hard to argue with that.
The Browns win the edge-rusher contest, with the Bengals coming in 2nd and the Ravens last. Check.
Jonas ranks the linebackers Browns-Ravens-Steelers, and excuse me, but I'm not exactly sure about that, as the Steelers added Mark Barron and Devin Bush to TJ Watt in the offseason.
But it's close enough that I can't raise a fuss.
Jonas ranks the Ravens secondary 1st and the Browns 2nd. As much as I want to disagree with that, this writer is correct about the question mark at strong safety.
The Ravens have stud players at every nickel position, so no fuss about that either.
Jonas has the Browns special teams ranked last. I see why he says that but feel it's probably just incorrect:
1: Mike Preifer has never failed to have at least an above average special teams unit, and most recently has had top 5 units.
2: Hue Jackson prevented high-profile starters from participating in special teams, whereas Freddie Kitchens told Preifer to use anybody he liked.
3: I don't know about this Seibert kid, but nobody else seems to realize that Greg Joseph only had one bad game, and it was his first.
4: I love Britton Colquitt, but this "Scottish Hammer" Jamie Gillan kicks the seams out of footballs, ya no? WOW.
I don't know much more about him yet, but he's Scottish so he's a real soccer player too, and most likely can "place" the football where he wants to (like the coffin corner) as well.
Jake Burns agrees with Gil Brandt that former Chiefs safety Eric Berry would look good in Brown and orange err...for the right price.
Berry has missed all but a couple games over the last couple seasons with a torn hamstring and then a heel, but as Jake points out, when healthy, Berry was one of (if not THE) best in the business...and it looks like he is healthy now.
Jake says Berry's best position is free safety, but he's still pretty good in the box, or manning up on tight ends, and would certainly fit somewhere in Steve Wilks' nickel.
My inner-GM worries about the heel injury, as (unlike the hamstring) it could have permanent effects...but also bets that Berry will either retire or play for peanuts...for a contender.
You know us greedy capitalist pigs! Maybe we can get Berry for a mere paltry 2 mil or so (poor guy!)
Dan Labbe wonders how good Antonio Callaway 2.0 will be in 2019.
The Cliffnotes version is he'll be awesome. As I have repeatedly repeated, Callaway hardly played at all in college.
Check my posts when they drafted Callaway: I called him a "project"! But he became a starter and made a significant impact as a rookie!
I've more recently compared him to OBJ himself...except Callaway doesn't have those phenomenal hands.
By the way I have to disagree with Jake Burns about "hands":
Jake thinks that it's like Quarterback accuracy, and you either "have it or you don't."
Well, Jarvis Landry and OBJ practiced catching with one hand as teammates at LSU, and let me tell you something:
If you get used to catching a FOOTBALL with one hand, you have drasticly improved your handS, ok?
Jake is right about the QB accuracy thing. A quarterback can learn to re-set his feet and re-establish a stable throwing platform and stuff (like Tom Brady the rookie did btw), but accuracy is mostly ennate.
Nick Wright imitates Captain Obvious (no offense Nick) in guesstimating what Baker Mayfield 2.0 will do in 2019.
Look: There are a lot of different quarterbacks, but in my
Baker Mayfield is one of these. These guys don't need a Randy Moss, Julio Jones, Josh Gordon, or whoever.
They read coverage and deliver quickly, and they hit what they aim at. They never hesitate, or favor any one receiver...
Do you get this? The free safety rolls to OBJ, who is by design the primary target. OBJ will break off underneath as he sees this, right?
Well, most quarterbacks would just throw a bullet at OBJ, who should catch it, right?
But Mayfield, you see, will throw to Callaway or Njoku instead, as they are going where that Free Safety aint, and beating single coverage DEEP, see?
Returning to Antonio Callaway here, he is the likely starter opposite OBJ on the outside; the official "number two" wide receiver.
As Jake Burns notes, with the bloodthirsty Baker Mayfield at QB, opposing defenses will be in trouble all the time.
...this is a whole new couple posts worth of cans of worms I opened up here, really, as I've ignored Nick Chubb and Njoku...(oh yeah and Landry) here.
Seriously, the concerns over the Oline are legit, but it will do in 2019 with Mayfield, Chubb, and Kitchens (Chubb over 4.7 YPC after contact good grief is any of this sinking in yet?)
Cliffnotes: The 2019 Browns offense will be a juggernaut. Lots of big plays. Smashmouth as required.
I'm tempted to compare the 2019 Browns to Kurt Warner's "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams offense, but that's not accurate enough:
The Quarterbacks are comparable, except Mayfield might be a tad more athletic.
Marshall Faulk is the big difference here. Faulk was a freak. Chubb, Hunt, or Duke can't do everything Marshall Faulk did for the Greatest Show on Turf.
No bigee: Kurt Warner didn't have the lethal weapons at WR and TE that Mayfield has, and I think he could scrape by with Chubb/Hunt too.
You people really need to comprehend that Baker Mayield=Kurt Warner, and the rest is kinda irrelevant.
What? Comparing Mayfield to Warner is nuts?
I feel sorry for you.
Baker broke the NFL record for TD passes by a rookie in 13.5 games, and broke a bunch of team records as well (in 13.5 games).
Real analysts separate Baker's R O O K I E performance into pre and post-Haley sections, and find his rankings by Madden et al amusing, as they DEMOTE him from where he finished 2018!
Baker Mayfield is OBVIOUSLY comparable to Kurt Warner, Aaron Rodgers, etc unless he gets hurt.
...This is obvious, isn't it?
Pearls before swine (and thieves)....okbye
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Cleveland Browns Reality Check: Business is Business. Reality 102
Andy Benoit writes a good article on the 2019 Browns having no major weaknesses.
It's only a good article because Andy makes some all-to-common mistakes in diagnosing the Steve Wilks Defense:
1: Like nearly every Defensive Coordinator, including Gregg Williams, Steve Wilks prefers not to blitze. They all want four dedicated passrushers who can generate consistent pressure so that they don't have to take people out of coverage and expose themselves to screens and burns.
While they'll all run-blitze (inside) and blitze on 3rd and a mile, none of them want to gamble unneccessarily.
In nearly every case, a DC who blitzes a lot is compensating for not having a front 4 like the 2019 Browns have.
2: Nearly all Defensive Coordinators want to run man coverage on the perimeter. Many--like Steve Wilks in the past--have to run zones on the outside receivers because they have only 1 or zero man (read "cover") cornerbacks.
Like almost everybody other than my humble self, Andy is basing the "Wilks system" on his one year as the Panthers' DC and his one year as Head Coach of the Cardinals.
3: Blitzes don't mean fewer turnovers. In fact, they usually force more.
Steve Wilks has 3 (and possibly 4) man corners, and will NOT waste them and restrict his Free Safety on any all-zone scheme, because that would be...well...stoopid.
He also won't blitze a whole lot, as Garrett and company should do a fine job of terrorizing Quarterbacks without such gimmickry, thank you.
But the rest of Andy's article was insightful, including calling Greg Robinson the weak link.
That's fine with me, because he's probably average, and that's not a major weakness (look up "major" in your dictionary! It's a real word!)
Joel Cade wrote a funny (but smart as usual) article about home boy Kyle Kalis, (who he wants to make sure you know isn't the Klingon legend Khalis).
The guy is just a baddass, ok? I don't know how quick or agile or whatever he is, but he's a fighter, and he's giving Austin Corbett a run for his money at Right Guard.
But Joel erred a little too: Kalis was with the starting unit in the very few practice sessions open to the public, and Freddie Kitchens has no need to lie: The Head Coach said that Corbett was practicing with the ones behind closed doors.
Not that I have a dawg in this fight. My inner-fan roots for the guy who played for St Ed's, but my inner-GM thinks Corbett is the better player...but my inner fan retorts that it would suck if a 33rd overall Dorsey draft pick couldn't start in year 2.
Chris Pokorney makes some more common errors in previewing the Browns Running Backs.
-Sigh- redundancy alert:
Drew Rosenhaus and John Dorsey have a good relationship, which has absolutely nothing to do with Duke staying or going, and:
-Sigh- NOW is the time to trade Duke, and Rosenhaus knows this as well as Dorsey does. Dorsey has leverage now, as potential trade partners know that he is cool with keeping Duke if they don't cough up some real value for him.
Obviously, Kareem Hunt is brought out of stasis week 8, and EVERYBODY KNOWS Dorsey is desperate to get something for this third wheel.
Trade him now for a third round pick or something, or trade him midseason for a bag of freaking Doritos hmmm....
Chris did a great job of pointing out all the reasons the Browns should keep Duke (til midseason anyway), but he simultaneously told 31 other GMs why they should trade for him (and pay up).
Pokorney also kind of brushed Dontrell Hilliard off, along with the undrafted guys.
A year ago, Randy Gurzi pointed this undrafted free agent out to me, and I've tracked him since.
In Duke's absence during OTAs, Rodney Hilliardfield filled Duke Johnson's role, and the Coaches kinda raved about him.
It's tough to project Hilliard as a Duke Johnson 2.0 here, as Duke has exceptional hands as a receiver, and averages 5 ypc as a runner.
Trading Duke early might represent a depth/3rd down downgrade, but not a huge one.
Business is business, you people: The Monken/Kitchens 2019 Offense will run a lot of Zone-blocking, and a lot more ("one-cut") running backs can thrive in this scheme than in Hue Jackson's G-power man scheme.
This is how Mike Shanahan made undrafted and 5th-round running backs into superstars.
...If Nick Chubb goes down, Dontrell Hilliard can fill in here...or those undrafted guys we never heard of, for that matter.
Hilliard's scouting reports sound similar to Duke's, except he played for Tulane while Duke was a Hurricane. (I mean good scouting reports. Not the one that questioned him as a receiver--link withheld to protect the mentally impaired).
Jeff Risdon says that ESPN's Future (3-year) Power Rankings were dragged down (a LOT) by Rodney Kitchensfield, and this is getting old:
I'm absolutely with Jeff on this: These guys are in "it's the Browns" mode all the way. It's stuporstitious and irrational.
Permabashers and trolls aside, most of US have seen enough of Freddie Kitchens to know he's no "deer in the headlights".
It would be hard to find any Head Coach ever with a stronger supporting cast, but we can see that Freddie doesn't even need it (well aside from the DC anyway).
"All those egos and strong personalities" ooo, scary! Baker Mayfield will handle OBJ and...what Landry? I'm all out of potential troublemakers here...where is all this internal strife supposed to come from?
Seriously, I think there are too many unreality shows, and too many of these guys like Louis Riddick watch them.
A lot of this is pure ignorance (redundancy alert): OBJ NEVER demanded more passes for himself, or held out, or criticized any teammate besides Eli Manning (and that was diplomatic and got blown all out of proportion!)
I don't care that he lost a fight with a kicking net, or is a clown needing attention. OBJ just wants to WIN. If the Browns are 3-5 or whatever by midseason, you expect a mutinee or what?
It's rediculous, with the biggest "ego" of all (Baker Mayfield) between Freddie and any offensive malcontents!
Riddick and company don't comprehend social dynamics, or even basic psychology.
If you listen to Freddie Kitchens answering dumb questions for more than 2 minutes, you (well if you have a brain) know he's a natural leader.
If you grok Baker Mayfield any whatsoever, you comprehend that HE is the ONLY potential threat to Freddie Kitchens.
Baker Mayfield is all-in with Freddie Kitchens, because Freddie lets Baker be Baker. Freddie will never have to deal with any BS from any "divas" while Baker Mayfield is the Quarterback DUUUHHHH!!!!
And 3-5 at midseason is unlikely. I'm not even bothering with the semi-tough schedule...ok I just did and it's brutal...I still think they'll win 4 games...
Todd Gurley has bad health issues, the Seahawks have lost some talent, and as usual most analysts rely much too heavily on "last season".
The AFC North will be a dogfight. Writing off the Bengals is ignorant, as they still have a lot of talent. Writing off the Steelers is downright retarded, as they have more overall talent than they had in 2018.
Ironicly, the 2019 Ravens and Bengals will probably fight over third place.
Sorry this is real intelligent analysis, and I can only give the 2019 Browns a 60% chance of winning the AFC North. Their ONLY challenger is the Steelers. Read it and weep.
In addition to massively dissing Rodney Kitchensfield, there are a bunch of other things that alleged analysts are wrong about in re the 2019 Browns:
1: Baker Mayfield. He will go toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in the pros as he did in college. Ranking Mayfield 12th is understandable (no bashing here), but is still wrong.
Baker was a rookie. He dealt with a hyperblockhead Offensive Coordinator through game 8, and had less to work with than Mahomes...who was a year ahead of him.
Mahomes won't have Kareem Hunt (Mayfield WILL), and Mahomes may not have Tyreek Hill, while Mayfield just got him one OBJ.
Charlie Weiss, Waittilnextyear, and I told you about Baker Mayfield before he was drafted.
In year 2, with the weapons at his disposal, Baker Mayfield will tear the NFL a new one.
2: Kitchens has given new Special Teams Coach Mike Preiffer access to the whole roster, and John Dorsey has drafted and signed several Special Teams studs. We can expect Special Teams to be significantly upgraded.
3: The upgrades on defense are obvious, including at least 3 new starters (quit the pc crap in re Greedy Williams ok?)
Indeed, I repeat that Schobert and Randall are on the block, and Kirksey could get released, but I digress:
Avery, Takitaki, and Wilson fit Steve Wilks better than they would Gregg Williams.
Why doesn't anybody else GET this?
...OMFG I just saw on TV "do you think Baker Mayfield is telling the truth when he says he is 'blocking out the haters'?"
How CLUELESS! And who cares? Baker Mayfield wallows in Baker-bashing! This guy...
Well actually most of you get this already okbye.
It's only a good article because Andy makes some all-to-common mistakes in diagnosing the Steve Wilks Defense:
1: Like nearly every Defensive Coordinator, including Gregg Williams, Steve Wilks prefers not to blitze. They all want four dedicated passrushers who can generate consistent pressure so that they don't have to take people out of coverage and expose themselves to screens and burns.
While they'll all run-blitze (inside) and blitze on 3rd and a mile, none of them want to gamble unneccessarily.
In nearly every case, a DC who blitzes a lot is compensating for not having a front 4 like the 2019 Browns have.
2: Nearly all Defensive Coordinators want to run man coverage on the perimeter. Many--like Steve Wilks in the past--have to run zones on the outside receivers because they have only 1 or zero man (read "cover") cornerbacks.
Like almost everybody other than my humble self, Andy is basing the "Wilks system" on his one year as the Panthers' DC and his one year as Head Coach of the Cardinals.
3: Blitzes don't mean fewer turnovers. In fact, they usually force more.
Steve Wilks has 3 (and possibly 4) man corners, and will NOT waste them and restrict his Free Safety on any all-zone scheme, because that would be...well...stoopid.
He also won't blitze a whole lot, as Garrett and company should do a fine job of terrorizing Quarterbacks without such gimmickry, thank you.
But the rest of Andy's article was insightful, including calling Greg Robinson the weak link.
That's fine with me, because he's probably average, and that's not a major weakness (look up "major" in your dictionary! It's a real word!)
Joel Cade wrote a funny (but smart as usual) article about home boy Kyle Kalis, (who he wants to make sure you know isn't the Klingon legend Khalis).
The guy is just a baddass, ok? I don't know how quick or agile or whatever he is, but he's a fighter, and he's giving Austin Corbett a run for his money at Right Guard.
But Joel erred a little too: Kalis was with the starting unit in the very few practice sessions open to the public, and Freddie Kitchens has no need to lie: The Head Coach said that Corbett was practicing with the ones behind closed doors.
Not that I have a dawg in this fight. My inner-fan roots for the guy who played for St Ed's, but my inner-GM thinks Corbett is the better player...but my inner fan retorts that it would suck if a 33rd overall Dorsey draft pick couldn't start in year 2.
Chris Pokorney makes some more common errors in previewing the Browns Running Backs.
-Sigh- redundancy alert:
Drew Rosenhaus and John Dorsey have a good relationship, which has absolutely nothing to do with Duke staying or going, and:
-Sigh- NOW is the time to trade Duke, and Rosenhaus knows this as well as Dorsey does. Dorsey has leverage now, as potential trade partners know that he is cool with keeping Duke if they don't cough up some real value for him.
Obviously, Kareem Hunt is brought out of stasis week 8, and EVERYBODY KNOWS Dorsey is desperate to get something for this third wheel.
Trade him now for a third round pick or something, or trade him midseason for a bag of freaking Doritos hmmm....
Chris did a great job of pointing out all the reasons the Browns should keep Duke (til midseason anyway), but he simultaneously told 31 other GMs why they should trade for him (and pay up).
Pokorney also kind of brushed Dontrell Hilliard off, along with the undrafted guys.
A year ago, Randy Gurzi pointed this undrafted free agent out to me, and I've tracked him since.
In Duke's absence during OTAs, Rodney Hilliardfield filled Duke Johnson's role, and the Coaches kinda raved about him.
It's tough to project Hilliard as a Duke Johnson 2.0 here, as Duke has exceptional hands as a receiver, and averages 5 ypc as a runner.
Trading Duke early might represent a depth/3rd down downgrade, but not a huge one.
Business is business, you people: The Monken/Kitchens 2019 Offense will run a lot of Zone-blocking, and a lot more ("one-cut") running backs can thrive in this scheme than in Hue Jackson's G-power man scheme.
This is how Mike Shanahan made undrafted and 5th-round running backs into superstars.
...If Nick Chubb goes down, Dontrell Hilliard can fill in here...or those undrafted guys we never heard of, for that matter.
Hilliard's scouting reports sound similar to Duke's, except he played for Tulane while Duke was a Hurricane. (I mean good scouting reports. Not the one that questioned him as a receiver--link withheld to protect the mentally impaired).
Jeff Risdon says that ESPN's Future (3-year) Power Rankings were dragged down (a LOT) by Rodney Kitchensfield, and this is getting old:
I'm absolutely with Jeff on this: These guys are in "it's the Browns" mode all the way. It's stuporstitious and irrational.
Permabashers and trolls aside, most of US have seen enough of Freddie Kitchens to know he's no "deer in the headlights".
It would be hard to find any Head Coach ever with a stronger supporting cast, but we can see that Freddie doesn't even need it (well aside from the DC anyway).
"All those egos and strong personalities" ooo, scary! Baker Mayfield will handle OBJ and...what Landry? I'm all out of potential troublemakers here...where is all this internal strife supposed to come from?
Seriously, I think there are too many unreality shows, and too many of these guys like Louis Riddick watch them.
A lot of this is pure ignorance (redundancy alert): OBJ NEVER demanded more passes for himself, or held out, or criticized any teammate besides Eli Manning (and that was diplomatic and got blown all out of proportion!)
I don't care that he lost a fight with a kicking net, or is a clown needing attention. OBJ just wants to WIN. If the Browns are 3-5 or whatever by midseason, you expect a mutinee or what?
It's rediculous, with the biggest "ego" of all (Baker Mayfield) between Freddie and any offensive malcontents!
Riddick and company don't comprehend social dynamics, or even basic psychology.
If you listen to Freddie Kitchens answering dumb questions for more than 2 minutes, you (well if you have a brain) know he's a natural leader.
If you grok Baker Mayfield any whatsoever, you comprehend that HE is the ONLY potential threat to Freddie Kitchens.
Baker Mayfield is all-in with Freddie Kitchens, because Freddie lets Baker be Baker. Freddie will never have to deal with any BS from any "divas" while Baker Mayfield is the Quarterback DUUUHHHH!!!!
And 3-5 at midseason is unlikely. I'm not even bothering with the semi-tough schedule...ok I just did and it's brutal...I still think they'll win 4 games...
Todd Gurley has bad health issues, the Seahawks have lost some talent, and as usual most analysts rely much too heavily on "last season".
The AFC North will be a dogfight. Writing off the Bengals is ignorant, as they still have a lot of talent. Writing off the Steelers is downright retarded, as they have more overall talent than they had in 2018.
Ironicly, the 2019 Ravens and Bengals will probably fight over third place.
Sorry this is real intelligent analysis, and I can only give the 2019 Browns a 60% chance of winning the AFC North. Their ONLY challenger is the Steelers. Read it and weep.
In addition to massively dissing Rodney Kitchensfield, there are a bunch of other things that alleged analysts are wrong about in re the 2019 Browns:
1: Baker Mayfield. He will go toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in the pros as he did in college. Ranking Mayfield 12th is understandable (no bashing here), but is still wrong.
Baker was a rookie. He dealt with a hyperblockhead Offensive Coordinator through game 8, and had less to work with than Mahomes...who was a year ahead of him.
Mahomes won't have Kareem Hunt (Mayfield WILL), and Mahomes may not have Tyreek Hill, while Mayfield just got him one OBJ.
Charlie Weiss, Waittilnextyear, and I told you about Baker Mayfield before he was drafted.
In year 2, with the weapons at his disposal, Baker Mayfield will tear the NFL a new one.
2: Kitchens has given new Special Teams Coach Mike Preiffer access to the whole roster, and John Dorsey has drafted and signed several Special Teams studs. We can expect Special Teams to be significantly upgraded.
3: The upgrades on defense are obvious, including at least 3 new starters (quit the pc crap in re Greedy Williams ok?)
Indeed, I repeat that Schobert and Randall are on the block, and Kirksey could get released, but I digress:
Avery, Takitaki, and Wilson fit Steve Wilks better than they would Gregg Williams.
Why doesn't anybody else GET this?
...OMFG I just saw on TV "do you think Baker Mayfield is telling the truth when he says he is 'blocking out the haters'?"
How CLUELESS! And who cares? Baker Mayfield wallows in Baker-bashing! This guy...
Well actually most of you get this already okbye.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
"Wait a Minute!": Browns-Bashing 106. Mayfield's Mediocrity.
As Randy Gurzi never fails to catch Colon Cowturd is sort of doubling down on his Browns-bashing.
While he's admitting that despite their undraftable, "mistake-prone" Quarterback, "nobody" Head Coach, and talent, the 2019 Browns should make the playoffs, only to implode (fall apart and get massacred).
This isn't just click-baiting either. I'm pretty sure that Colon really believes this garbage.
Apparently, Madden Football thinks there are 11 NFL Quarterbacks who are better than Baker Mayfield.
I can see Brady, Big Ben, Mahomes, Brees, Rodgers, Watson, Wilson, Wentz, and...well nobody else (no not Cam Newton either) being considered better than Mayfield.
I would disagree with a few of those, but there are valid arguments in their favor...but who are the other 3 guys (besides Cam, who just gets defaulted in there no doubt)?
Baker Mayfield did more with less as a rookie last season than most of these seasoned veterans did.
Njoku was in his second season, Callaway a rookie. Truly, Jarvis Landry is super-reliable and Rashard Higgins truly underrated (like by Madden, as Gurzi also points out). Yes, Chubb is a monster too (Madden stiffed him too by the way).
But you saw how Baker did under Mywayorthehighway Haley, with Chubb collecting splinters. One HELL of a lot better than Tyrod Taylor--but he still took 20 sacks in about 5.5 games!
It was when Freddie Kitchens took over the Offense (thank you interim Head Coach Gregg Williams for staying in your lane) when the 2019 offense became a scary force.
Freddie Kitchens, still using Haley's playbook, merely picked out the plays that suited his uber-talented Quarterback best.
Any reasonable analyst will throw out Baker Mayfield's first 5.5 games, and ONLY use the last half of his ROOKIE season. On that basis, Baker Mayfield has to at least be in the top 10 on any sane board.
People say stuff like Mayfield may eventually become as good as Russell Wilson, but he was already comparable to Russell in those last 8 games.
Did Wilson set any rookie records, like for touchdown passes? Lord knows Big Ben didn't (he SUCKED)!!!
No you people I'm not star-struck. You are!
The best comparisons for Baker Mayfield here on Earth are Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner, and Pat Mahomes, for cryin out loud!
He has a stronger arm than Drew Brees, and isn't as athletic as Wilson (plus is 2" taller).
Pat Mahomes and Baker Mayfield are good freinds (and arch-rivals going way back). They have a ton in common:
1: Great memories, and a near-vertical learning curve.
2: Great "football intelligence". Pat Mahomes got sold short on most of his scouting reports here (even more than his fellow "air-raider" Mayfield). But they both read coverages quickly pre-snap, and then post-snap (they're hard to outsmart).
3: Both excel at improvising. Both scramble to buy time for a pass, and only run when it gets too easy, or as a last resort. Both can throw off-platform with their feet moving.
Baker Mayfield left Texas A and M for Oklahoma when Patrick Mahomes displaced him as the starting Quarterback.
Those who see Baker Mayfield as an egocentric troublemaker need to check with Patrick Mahomes, because obviously, Baker didn't take it personally, and remained Pat's good freind, even as they duked it out as opponents.
John Dorsey draft pick Mahomes got to "park it" under none other than Alex Smith for the first 15 games of his rookie season, then went apeshit, right?
Context matters, you people! Compare the 2018 Browns' offense to the 2018 Chiefs offense DUH!
Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, Mitchell Schwartz? Andy Reid all season vs Mywayorthehighway for the first half then Freddie?
Verily, Hunt got himself kicked to the curb, and Chubb is at least as good as he is...Njoku shows great promise, but wasn't yet like Kelce; ditto Callaway vs Hill. And in my opinion the Chiefs Offensive line was better on the outside...you know...with Schwartze? (Dumb move Sashi! Yeah I blame Sashi Brown because I can't believe that DePodesta would have withdrawn an offer like that).
But I digress: In 2019, we should see these 2 Quarterbacks either on an even playing field, or one tilted in Mayfield's favor.
Tyreek Hill has his own off-the-field issues, and may be suspended (or released, like Hunt). The Chiefs haven't replaced Hunt, and can't do everything they could without him.
Ironicly, Mayfield will have Hunt for the last 8 games, and Chubb is better than the Chiefs Running Backs. OBJ is BETTER than Tyreek Hill, and Njoku should at least narrow the gap on Kelce.
I focus on this because, for Baker and Patrick, this is very important:
While each of them has to focus only on the next opponent first, and then on winning their own Division etc., underlying this is these two guys competing with eachother.
Niether Pat nor Baker will ever say this in public, but they agree that if they compete with eachother, they will both kick ass, and the rest (ie wins) will fall into place.
DeShaun Watson is in this mix, as well. These are the 3 real "young guns", and they KNOW it.
Wentz and Goff (oops yeah Goff could be another legit guy ahead of Mayfield sorry Jared!) are dangerous, but in my opinion not like Mahomes, Mayfield, or Watson.
Oh no Dak Prescott! Ok he's really good too...ok I officially accept that the Madden people aren't a bunch of dumbasses, as they no doubt rank Goff and Prescott higher than Mayfield too. Oh yeah Andrew Luck...
They're just wrong.
But Sam Darnold? Comrade Rosen? Trubisky will be terrific, but not like these guys--nor Josh Allen.
...I have to admit that the NFL is experiencing a Quarterback renaissance. Only 2 seasons ago, over half the NFL had mediocre Quarterbacks, but now...well I am accepting Madden's (incorrect) ranking of Baker Mayfield as their 12th-best QB as non-idiotic.
I've left out Nick Foles...jeez Andy Dalton is a good Quarterback but looks like shit!
Remember when Hue Jackson wanted to trade high draft picks for AJ McCarron and Sashi Brown blew the deal? Remember, he didn't submit the paperwork in time? How "incompetent"!!!
I bet Jimmy Haslam paid him extra under the table for sabotaging a huge mistake he approved.
Can you imagine what would have happened if Hue Jackson had had his way and started AJ McCarron in 2018? I might dig into the draft picks he'd talked Jimmy into surrendering...
I was wrong about Hue Jackson. I was thrilled when Haslam landed him in a bidding war, as he had been a Head Coach, and broke even with a bad team, then excelled as a Bengals OC, and everybody wanted him as a Head Coach.
But the attempted McCarron trade was sheer idiocy...
Ok Jimmy Haslam has made some mistakes, but he's much smarter now.
For the first time under Jimmy, the Browns have a proven, elite GM and a Head Coach that GM chose. RETAINED is one Paul DePodesta, who is in Jimmy's "other" ear (ie not subservient to Dorsey, who has not managed his CAP as well as he could have)...
I'm not surprised that Cowturd and others haven't yet talked about the inevitable unreality-show war between DePodesta and Dorsey, since they're simply too dumb to notice DePodesta's existance as Chief Strategy Officer.
Colon Cowturd is superficial. He expects OBJ to demand more passes, Landry and him to piss on Mayfield's shoes, Kitchens to stumble around, overwhelmed by all these strong personalities, and Mayfield to...be "mistake-prone"?
In fairness, Colon talks about all sports, and is (optimistically) better at everything other than football, but he's still...well...I will give him "moron" (*not LOW GRADE* moron) status in re the NFL.
PFF seems unimpressed by the Browns projected starters as well, but they're wrong about some of them, and as Gurzi points out, Larry Ogunjobi is massively dissed...as are several other Browns.
...Honestly, it seems as if superstitious people are trying to tell us that the 2019 Browns will lose, because they "always do".
I'm sick of this idiocy; this permabashing.
Mayfield is THE best QB the new iteration of the Browns have had (with respect to Tim Couch, who was a stud who got screwed by his elbow and a bad Head Coach, and to Kelly Holcolm, who likewise got pounded under).
Baker Mayfield is like Patrick Mahomes...
No I mean AS GOOD AS Mahomes!
You people need to get a grip here (like Madden Football should have):
Mahomes and Mayfield will both kick ass, obviously...but Mayfield ranked 12th?
I'm glad that Baker Mayfied is insulted (again). Baker Mayfield loves being an underdog;
He is more accurate than Mahomes, but not as...the hell with this: Baker Mayfield IS a match for Patrick Mahomes. If you rank Mayfield more than 2 slots lower than Mahomes, you are a DUMBASS.
...okbye.
While he's admitting that despite their undraftable, "mistake-prone" Quarterback, "nobody" Head Coach, and talent, the 2019 Browns should make the playoffs, only to implode (fall apart and get massacred).
This isn't just click-baiting either. I'm pretty sure that Colon really believes this garbage.
Apparently, Madden Football thinks there are 11 NFL Quarterbacks who are better than Baker Mayfield.
I can see Brady, Big Ben, Mahomes, Brees, Rodgers, Watson, Wilson, Wentz, and...well nobody else (no not Cam Newton either) being considered better than Mayfield.
I would disagree with a few of those, but there are valid arguments in their favor...but who are the other 3 guys (besides Cam, who just gets defaulted in there no doubt)?
Baker Mayfield did more with less as a rookie last season than most of these seasoned veterans did.
Njoku was in his second season, Callaway a rookie. Truly, Jarvis Landry is super-reliable and Rashard Higgins truly underrated (like by Madden, as Gurzi also points out). Yes, Chubb is a monster too (Madden stiffed him too by the way).
But you saw how Baker did under Mywayorthehighway Haley, with Chubb collecting splinters. One HELL of a lot better than Tyrod Taylor--but he still took 20 sacks in about 5.5 games!
It was when Freddie Kitchens took over the Offense (thank you interim Head Coach Gregg Williams for staying in your lane) when the 2019 offense became a scary force.
Freddie Kitchens, still using Haley's playbook, merely picked out the plays that suited his uber-talented Quarterback best.
Any reasonable analyst will throw out Baker Mayfield's first 5.5 games, and ONLY use the last half of his ROOKIE season. On that basis, Baker Mayfield has to at least be in the top 10 on any sane board.
People say stuff like Mayfield may eventually become as good as Russell Wilson, but he was already comparable to Russell in those last 8 games.
Did Wilson set any rookie records, like for touchdown passes? Lord knows Big Ben didn't (he SUCKED)!!!
No you people I'm not star-struck. You are!
The best comparisons for Baker Mayfield here on Earth are Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner, and Pat Mahomes, for cryin out loud!
He has a stronger arm than Drew Brees, and isn't as athletic as Wilson (plus is 2" taller).
Pat Mahomes and Baker Mayfield are good freinds (and arch-rivals going way back). They have a ton in common:
1: Great memories, and a near-vertical learning curve.
2: Great "football intelligence". Pat Mahomes got sold short on most of his scouting reports here (even more than his fellow "air-raider" Mayfield). But they both read coverages quickly pre-snap, and then post-snap (they're hard to outsmart).
3: Both excel at improvising. Both scramble to buy time for a pass, and only run when it gets too easy, or as a last resort. Both can throw off-platform with their feet moving.
Baker Mayfield left Texas A and M for Oklahoma when Patrick Mahomes displaced him as the starting Quarterback.
Those who see Baker Mayfield as an egocentric troublemaker need to check with Patrick Mahomes, because obviously, Baker didn't take it personally, and remained Pat's good freind, even as they duked it out as opponents.
John Dorsey draft pick Mahomes got to "park it" under none other than Alex Smith for the first 15 games of his rookie season, then went apeshit, right?
Context matters, you people! Compare the 2018 Browns' offense to the 2018 Chiefs offense DUH!
Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, Mitchell Schwartz? Andy Reid all season vs Mywayorthehighway for the first half then Freddie?
Verily, Hunt got himself kicked to the curb, and Chubb is at least as good as he is...Njoku shows great promise, but wasn't yet like Kelce; ditto Callaway vs Hill. And in my opinion the Chiefs Offensive line was better on the outside...you know...with Schwartze? (Dumb move Sashi! Yeah I blame Sashi Brown because I can't believe that DePodesta would have withdrawn an offer like that).
But I digress: In 2019, we should see these 2 Quarterbacks either on an even playing field, or one tilted in Mayfield's favor.
Tyreek Hill has his own off-the-field issues, and may be suspended (or released, like Hunt). The Chiefs haven't replaced Hunt, and can't do everything they could without him.
Ironicly, Mayfield will have Hunt for the last 8 games, and Chubb is better than the Chiefs Running Backs. OBJ is BETTER than Tyreek Hill, and Njoku should at least narrow the gap on Kelce.
I focus on this because, for Baker and Patrick, this is very important:
While each of them has to focus only on the next opponent first, and then on winning their own Division etc., underlying this is these two guys competing with eachother.
Niether Pat nor Baker will ever say this in public, but they agree that if they compete with eachother, they will both kick ass, and the rest (ie wins) will fall into place.
DeShaun Watson is in this mix, as well. These are the 3 real "young guns", and they KNOW it.
Wentz and Goff (oops yeah Goff could be another legit guy ahead of Mayfield sorry Jared!) are dangerous, but in my opinion not like Mahomes, Mayfield, or Watson.
Oh no Dak Prescott! Ok he's really good too...ok I officially accept that the Madden people aren't a bunch of dumbasses, as they no doubt rank Goff and Prescott higher than Mayfield too. Oh yeah Andrew Luck...
They're just wrong.
But Sam Darnold? Comrade Rosen? Trubisky will be terrific, but not like these guys--nor Josh Allen.
...I have to admit that the NFL is experiencing a Quarterback renaissance. Only 2 seasons ago, over half the NFL had mediocre Quarterbacks, but now...well I am accepting Madden's (incorrect) ranking of Baker Mayfield as their 12th-best QB as non-idiotic.
I've left out Nick Foles...jeez Andy Dalton is a good Quarterback but looks like shit!
Remember when Hue Jackson wanted to trade high draft picks for AJ McCarron and Sashi Brown blew the deal? Remember, he didn't submit the paperwork in time? How "incompetent"!!!
I bet Jimmy Haslam paid him extra under the table for sabotaging a huge mistake he approved.
Can you imagine what would have happened if Hue Jackson had had his way and started AJ McCarron in 2018? I might dig into the draft picks he'd talked Jimmy into surrendering...
I was wrong about Hue Jackson. I was thrilled when Haslam landed him in a bidding war, as he had been a Head Coach, and broke even with a bad team, then excelled as a Bengals OC, and everybody wanted him as a Head Coach.
But the attempted McCarron trade was sheer idiocy...
Ok Jimmy Haslam has made some mistakes, but he's much smarter now.
For the first time under Jimmy, the Browns have a proven, elite GM and a Head Coach that GM chose. RETAINED is one Paul DePodesta, who is in Jimmy's "other" ear (ie not subservient to Dorsey, who has not managed his CAP as well as he could have)...
I'm not surprised that Cowturd and others haven't yet talked about the inevitable unreality-show war between DePodesta and Dorsey, since they're simply too dumb to notice DePodesta's existance as Chief Strategy Officer.
Colon Cowturd is superficial. He expects OBJ to demand more passes, Landry and him to piss on Mayfield's shoes, Kitchens to stumble around, overwhelmed by all these strong personalities, and Mayfield to...be "mistake-prone"?
In fairness, Colon talks about all sports, and is (optimistically) better at everything other than football, but he's still...well...I will give him "moron" (*not LOW GRADE* moron) status in re the NFL.
PFF seems unimpressed by the Browns projected starters as well, but they're wrong about some of them, and as Gurzi points out, Larry Ogunjobi is massively dissed...as are several other Browns.
...Honestly, it seems as if superstitious people are trying to tell us that the 2019 Browns will lose, because they "always do".
I'm sick of this idiocy; this permabashing.
Mayfield is THE best QB the new iteration of the Browns have had (with respect to Tim Couch, who was a stud who got screwed by his elbow and a bad Head Coach, and to Kelly Holcolm, who likewise got pounded under).
Baker Mayfield is like Patrick Mahomes...
No I mean AS GOOD AS Mahomes!
You people need to get a grip here (like Madden Football should have):
Mahomes and Mayfield will both kick ass, obviously...but Mayfield ranked 12th?
I'm glad that Baker Mayfied is insulted (again). Baker Mayfield loves being an underdog;
He is more accurate than Mahomes, but not as...the hell with this: Baker Mayfield IS a match for Patrick Mahomes. If you rank Mayfield more than 2 slots lower than Mahomes, you are a DUMBASS.
...okbye.
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