So we get the Steelers next week.
Let's keep this in mind: They've been trash for the last month minus two solid quarters against a faded Philip Rivers - I mean, he's openly pondering retirement, the Colts are leaking their interest in Wentz and they're not even knocked out of the playoffs yet. Not exactly a statement win.
It isn't a forgone conclusion we lose next week. Like, at all.
They played a very good game against us today, made some miracle plays and had lady luck on their side. Mason was perfect on deep shots, which Roethlisberger is not. They twice fumbled without losing contact on the ball, which was as lucky as you could get. And we, no doubt, made mistakes we will need to clean up. But, really, that game went about as well for Pittsburgh as they could have wanted it to go. It's not like they underperformed. We beat a good team.
And what about giving everyone the week off. I won't pretend I've never seen that happen in sports and have that blow up. Guys can find themselves out of rhythm and lacking the momentum they had built. Especially a team like Pittsburgh who, again, have taken a step backwards at the end of the season. A lot of the guys sitting are veterans who don't have a whole lot left in the tank.
All the while, we get a chance to get healthier and prepared for a run. To open up the playbook, narrow down what we need and mentally brace for the biggest game played by a Browns unit in almost two decades.
The time is right. I'm convinced we can hit our stride next week and win.
Just had a look myself and, yeah, some people are never happy. Then again, Trump just got caught trying to pressure the mysterious finding of 12,000 votes in Georgia and should probably be immediately impeached or arrested. Rough day for those poor guys when they constantly have to insist their emperor is indeed wearing some form of clothing. It may only be his shit-stained tighty-whities around his ankles, which require the Presidential reaching stick to pull up, but they are indeed clothes.
If you want to know what a week off can do to timing...just look at the WR's in this game. It was NOT pretty...but we still got the job done. And let's not forget, Stef was 'saving' Chubb...he will be full on go for next week.
Was 11 when that happened. About that time that I joined Stan's site. Was posting on Stan's site shortly after that point, I think.
But - get em in, and get a full week of practice with the folks we're starting Sunday, which we haven't had against the Giants game. Bring all comers, and I'll ride with Baker.
- Baker was his 18" to 23" off the mark version today. Good enough but not that laser accuracy. Hurt DPJ, bounced one on an easy first down. It was a 96 PR, so fine... but he'll need to get back where he was before the Covid onslaught.
- Holes were back in the running game. Gotta think it was Teller.
- Jacob Phillips is so obviously our most talented LB and now he's figuring it out. Led us in tackling with 10, plus a TFL and a QB hit. He's the clear-cut keeper and I'd start him every single game for the next five years.
- If we could get Greedy and Denzel both? To go with a healthier Myles, Jacob, and Ronnie? We just might field an NFL defense for once.
I think it's the key to us making a bit of a run. And it's all about coverage. Ben's deep ball is mostly a memory now, so we need to cover the line to 10, mostly. Need safeties and LBs to cover.
- Vincent Taylor looked pretty damn good. Lord, dude is giant. I get the feeling they're easing Larry O. out. The door. With Mack Wilson.
- Pretty clearly pampered Chubb. I bet he runs it 25-30 times next week.
- We can 100% beat the Steelers at "full strength." As Trent said, they've had one good half in the last five games. Mason Rudolph looked better today than Ben has in quite some time, showed off his gorgeous deep ball from college (that hurt).
I honestly think their passing game gets worse next week. And hopefully our coverage gets a lot better. It was lame.
I was going to start a playoff thread, but Trent beat me to it. Well done young man. So here are my thoughts......
I cannot remember enjoying a season of Browns football more since 1994. Everyone who migrated here from BH made that much more enjoyable. If I would have stepped up on a rock back in August and proclaimed we would win 11 games, well - I would have been fitted for a white tie down coat right quick and in a hurry.
Baker said it best in his post game presser. Look at what was accomplished amid world chaos. New coach and staff, new system, no training camp, no preseason..... and yet we are in the playoffs.
What this year did prove was we have the right coach, the right front office, and the right QB. There will be turnover, but this defense will be upgraded. Then the following year, we truly can go with the best player available.
Regardless of what happens next weekend, the future for this team is so bright. Let's enjoy the ride. We have earned it.
Friend went to the game. Said he overheard a player talking to one of the media (off-market) and the player said they were keeping the play book to a minimum. Like I said before...seemed they were playing close to the vest to give them more to play with next week.
BTW, anybody else notice how many times the Browns have run to the line on 4th down only to try the hard count and then call time out? Seems to me that is setting up a surprise 4th go for it all call.
I don't doubt that we were playing pretty simply today.
And yes, DF, we've been doing that hurry up, hard count, on every 4th and sub-5 all year. Or, at least, since October. It's a really cool sign of how strategic coaching matters. When you ALWAYS threaten to snap it on 4th down, you force a defense to be cognizant on every down. If they aren't, you run a play. If they are undisciplined, you get free yards (and a first down).
But either way, you as an offense get an extra look at how they MIGHT defend you on a future 4th down. It's all good info and it puts the pressure on the D.
Robert Jackson got beaten on three key third or fourth downs, and also gave up the late big play. In total it was over 120 yards. I feel bad for the guy, I hate to dunk on depth, but him playing proved problematic. That won't be an issue with Denzel Ward returning.
Also, David Njoku has posted a picture clearly showing he got both feet in bounds on the ruled incompletion prior to our FG which gave us the 10-0 lead. That should have been 14-0, and perhaps Stefanski should have thought the challenge. Alternatively, the officials could do a better job.
We also had four penalties which were uncharacteristic of our OL. We've been pretty disciplined this year, so I wonder if the issues with being unable to practice had an impact.
Overall, I'm so excited and feeling pretty good about our match up next week. We get an influx of talent back. We'll hopefully have put our COVID issues behind us. Some of our recently returned players get another week to find their feet.
Sure, Pittsburgh are getting their rested stars back, but who gives a shit. Over the last few weeks, have we been afraid of seeing them? Nah. I was confident in a potential match up for the North. That hasn't changed just because they played a decent second half against the Colts.
Feels kind of assumed on Denzel returning, not just hoping. Does anybody know why? Is he asymptomatic or something, just assuming he'll test negative soon? It's in Plain Dealer articles and everything, like he's gonna play.
Saw hope on DPJ too. He's feeling much better and the feeling is he'll clear protocol by Sunday.
It would be just amazing to have a whole team for this game, we've rarely seen it this season. Key names will be Denzel, KJ, Olivier, Smith, and BJ. Don't really fret about Sendejo. And who knows on Greedy, he may have just been caught up in the excitement.
OV is such a huge loss. Dude must have stumbled in to the fountain of youth because he was really turning back the clock with his performances.
We can't replace him. Clayborn and Gustin are a clear step down. And with our secondary in a bad state, pressure was our only hope of somewhat hiding that.
Yikes. That's really bad.
Also, that's career over for OV. Not a whole lot of DE's coming back from an Achilles rupture at his age, much less doing so without a decline in ability.
Sadly true, they're all about that push. Jamir whatsisname was our first great pass rusher and he blew out his, too.
Clayborn, Gustin, and Takitaki will have to pick up the slack and we need more up the middle for sure. It's not great, but it's not like losing Myles. Jacob Phillips breakout game might be a balancing effect, really. We were sorely missing his speed. Maybe he can shoot the middle some.
I think the biggest change from last game would be gaining cornerbacks, bigger than losing Vernon. If we can get two from Denzel, KJ, and Greedy, that would be an enormous upgrade. They abused Robert Jackson. He's not up to it.
Starting to seem like AJ Green hasn't shown up as a steal yet. After starting Jackson, they signed the lanky Bengals CB to the active roster.
Starting jobs are most open at DE, CB, and LB. Top two picks and a priority free agent for those three slots. Then keep adding.
Browns snap 18-year playoff drought and put the NFL’s longest-running nightmare to bed
Charles Robinson
8-10 minutes
For a week leading into Sunday, it was hard to look at the Cleveland Browns and resist letting the memory of 2007 creep in — a history lesson of buying into success and change too early, only to find out that it was another cruel mirage in a desert of frustration.
For many who have orbited the Browns over the past two decades, that’s part of what made Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers so consequential. This wasn’t just about securing a spot in the playoffs. It wasn’t just about erasing the incomprehensible loss to the New York Jets. And it wasn’t about rubber-stamping the 2020 season as being demonstrably worthwhile.
No, this was more. It was about exorcising 12 years of football that carried one common thread: If something could go wrong, it did go wrong. From bad quarterbacks to bad coaches to bad ownership to bad roster building. And even when it went right — like the 10-6 season in 2007 that seemed to promise a new dawn in Cleveland — the next horizon was always some kind of embarrassing catastrophe.
Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield worked harder than ever as part of the Browns' build toward a long-awaited playoff berth.
That’s why Sunday mattered so much because in the larger picture in Cleveland, nobody was going to give this franchise any breaks for a late-season swath of COVID-19 issues. You lose to the Jets and then follow that up with a home failure against a stripped-down Steelers team, decades of muscle memory kick in for the critics. With the postseason on the line? Back-to-back losses to subpar teams? To close out a season that was supposed to be the stuff of real cultural change?
To invalidate so much of it now would have been framed as a disaster. Just another teasing 10-6 team that came up empty in moments that mattered, leaving fans to wonder whether they’ve been drinking in a season of change or swallowing a mouthful of sand.
Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. becoming reliable cornerstones? Sand.
Romeo Crennel rebuilding the franchise in the image of the New England Patriots? Sand.
All of 2007. All of that 10-6 promise. All of that sand.
That’s why 2020 had to go further. That’s why it couldn’t collapse on itself right at the most predictable time — in the final two weeks of a season when a playoff berth was so firmly in grasp. If this was all going to be different, change had to be secured rather than promised.
Browns finally put pieces together
And finally, it has been. Cleveland is going to the postseason, having earned its wild-card ticket with an 11-5 record that would have been a wild dream four months ago. All accomplished inside a lesson in how some sensible-but-elusive team ownership decisions can remake a franchise. Hire the right coach in Kevin Stefanski. Pair him with the right general manager in Andrew Berry. And if chief strategist Paul DePodesta must continue to guide this whole thing, align the three together and let them become a balance against the impetuous nature of team owner Jimmy Haslam. Then hope team ownership gets the hell out of the way and lets a rare series of good decisions grow into a dynamic, working culture rather than a fractured, warring one.
The Browns have done this. It’s working. And Sunday’s 24-22 win over the Steelers is an example of it.
Not because the win was anything close to pretty. And certainly not because it was perfect. But because it happened right at the time when history suggested it wouldn’t for this franchise.
In any other season, the quarterback would have cratered under the pressure of a postseason berth. Or the coaching staff would crack with petulant infighting. The rookies would have been too inexperienced; the free-agent acquisitions would have fallen flat; or the moment would have been too big for everyone involved.
We have come to know those Cleveland Browns. But they are a thing of the past.
If you don’t believe that, then you likely haven’t been paying attention this season.
You haven’t seen that aside from second-round draft pick Grant Delpit suffering a season-ending injury, the majority of this rookie class has contributed meaningfully this season. You haven’t seen that the A-level free agents have pretty much all lived up to their price tags when it comes to their fit inside the scheme and what the coaching staff had planned for them. You haven’t seen Stefanski employ a system that has materialized as precisely what the front office believes it would be, creating a spine through the running game and tight ends, and allowing Baker Mayfield to play at his best off of a play-action look that teams have to respect. You haven’t seen Mayfield work harder than ever while keeping his emotions on a more even keel. You haven’t been around to hear the resounding silence of dramatics between a coaching staff and front office that have meshed together in support of each other.
And you apparently haven’t noticed that seemingly even Odell Beckham Jr. — who has never not been a part of some story down the stretch of a season — is suddenly just a deep subplot to something much bigger.
Browns’ durable build is how franchises work
That’s what defines this Browns franchise. And it’s why it didn’t fall apart Sunday after a seemingly endless run of COVID-19 infections and a week without any practice. It’s why it didn’t fall apart when it was the team with all the pressure in the world, while the Steelers could play free and loose and without much worry for the stakes. Losing defensive end Olivier Vernon? Seeing key wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones go down? Watching the Steelers mount a fourth-quarter comeback to the point of a two-point conversation that put seemingly everything on the line in the waning moments? Cleveland weathered all of it.
Again, it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t perfect. But it was meaningful.
That’s why Browns fans can rejoice today. Because this is a franchise that learned to beat bad teams, average teams and playoff-level teams. It learned to win on its bad days and avoid losing on its worst days. It learned to deal with season-ending losses to talented players, and bounce back from losses — never suffering consecutive defeats once this season. Most of all, it learned to take steps.
In the stories of franchises that get themselves right, this is usually the most durable kind of build. One that doesn’t survive on a sugar high of free agency or some kind of lightning in a bottle that can’t last. It leans on running the right schemes for the personnel and having the right kind of personalities working together to keep everything on track. For a long time, these were the characteristics that evaded Cleveland’s ownership. And in turn, lasting success was just as elusive.
Don’t be afraid to drink this in. It’s real. And there will be more to go around.
I didn't like the 300 plus yards the Steelers offense got. Not a good reflection on our defensive back-field and linebacker coverage. jmho We have to find more toughness, intelligence, fierceness, competitiveness and intensity in our back seven defensive players. As stated here yes, the Browns were playing it 'close to the vest' as far a play-book usage goes. Steelers were probably doing the same but, the biggest difference between the two teams I still see is the Steelers are the tougher and bigger of the two teams. In the future, unless we can match up better, we are going to have to play smarter to beat them. jmho End of season team needs to focus on: 1) Defence Pass Rush (DE (1), DL, MLB)
Steelers led the league in passing attempts and were 5th fewest in rushing attempts. That has to be a point of concern given our issues with defending the pass, not to mention now that we will be missing Vernon. Presents a bad match up.
Their yards per attempt was tied for the second lowest at 6.3, but Roethlisberger's yards per attempt dropped to 5.6 yards per attempt through all of December and hasn't had a game over 6 YPA since November 16. Everything was down late in the year - except the shit you don't want up, like interceptions.
The million dollar question is which Roethlisberger we get because the guy has played one good game since mid-November. Their three game losing streak gets the attention but he was average the two weeks before that against a depleted Baltimore and Jacksonville - and before that he had teams like Cinci and Dallas which might have helped hide some of his soon-to-arrive issues.
If he's anything like what we've seen lately, their offense can't function. They can't run the ball, one of the worst in the league, and a quarterback with no arm can't do anything. I'd like to see us come out very aggressive, just like Cinci did. Take away all the short stuff and see if we can get in his head if he can't hit the deep shots.
Even Ryan Clark acknowledged this isn't a championship or Superbowl team because Ben cannot carry them anymore and they can't do enough else right. Their winning experience will help them, they've been in this moment so many times before, but we could fuck with their heads if this is the first time they've been in this moment without a quarterback who can bail them out.
As for us, we have to find ways to keep pressure off Mayfield. They lead the league in sacks and pressures. We can't handle extended down and distance, and Mayfield isn't great when under duress. Personally, I want to see some deep shots early. I rang that bell against the Jets, and I'm ringing it again now. We need to back them up to take pressure off the ground game, because keeping the ground game churning will give Mayfield the play-action where he's utterly lethal - I'm pretty sure he had the highest passer rating in the league on play-action passing, or something close to that.
Give me some Marvin Hall in this one. Force them to place support where we want it because strength vs strength isn't an option here. I'm also about to watch the film from last week because we tried to dial up some shots and nothing came from them, so I want to know where that one went wrong because we'll need them.
Above all, hit them early with everything we've got because I just don't trust Roethlisberger's arm trying to fight his way back. I know he did it against the Colts, but I still don't trust it.
I also checked the forecast and it's freezing temps. No rain or wind, which sucks, but I can't imagine the cold will help with his arm issues, right?
Oh, and feed Nick Chubb. I love Kareem Hunt but there is a drop off when he's on the field. Hunt is a very good running back but Nick is elite.
Phillips was so damn impressive. He really stepped up. So was Mack, actually, and put himself in good position on several plays which helped us. But, Phillips was the guy. Looking forward to getting Goodson back if we can get a repeat performance out of those guys.
Some of the issues which looked like the linebackers making mistakes were, in my opinion, issues with our defensive ends dropping in to coverage. On play in which Mack took heat, it looked like Vernon didn't realise he was supposed to drop in coverage after the tight end motioned to his side. Vernon, Garrett and Clayborn actually played well, they didn't give up much when they did drop in coverage (Myles had a PBU and took away the first read on the Stewart INT) but I'm not thrilled with how often they did drop.
The safeties were much better. There was one play in which a receiver was passed off so effortlessly between three players on one of the early third downs they failed to get. Rudolph wanted him and was almost baited in to throwing after Phillips passed him off to a lurking Redwine. The deep shots we did surrender were predominantly single high, which we played a lot (Even back to back), and I feel like that was almost entirely to see how they would respond because we're going to try and make Roethlisberger make those throws next week. Again, Rudolph went crazy and I swear he hit like 5/8, and I don't see that happening again. Harrison was an especially nice addition. I don't recall him giving up anything.
To repeat myself, the vast majority of our yards were given up by Stewart and Jackson. Seriously, I'd put it at more than 2/3 of their passing yards. They're not supposed to be playing, we just didn't have Ward and Johnson. I'm not shitting on those guys, they played their guts out and both guys came up huge when we really needed it (Stewart with the pick, Jackson with the defend on the 2 pt conversion) but they were an exploited weakness all day.
Our guys deserve credit for how they handled the situation with Rudolph and Dobbs. Very creative by the Steelers, and our guys didn't flinch - which, consider, they've hardly got to practice for the last two weeks.
I'm a little disappointed with our interior. Richardson, Ogunjobi and Elliot never jumped out to me. Vincent Taylor fucking did. I'm expecting an improved performance from our interior next week because film study won't be kind to them - I mean, they did their jobs, but they didn't make a huge impact. That's especially frustrating when Garrett continues to get doubled to such a degree he even saw reps on the interior.
Hear me out:
Chess players, or fans of “The Queen’s Gambit,” understand the intricacies involved in winning a game of strategy, and on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was building a bridge to the playoffs.
During a press conference on Monday, Stefanski shed some light on why running back Nick Chubb, who had an explosive 47-yard touchdown run to start the game, was used less throughout the game—a decision that upset some fans as the game progressed and the score got too close for comfort.
“We're mindful of workload and mindful of getting that win and also understanding that we have another hopefully few games coming up here. So trying to make sure it's the right balance of keeping both those guys fresh and getting the guy in there to get some work done," Stefanski said of Chubb and running back Kareem Hunt.
But Kevin has been to the playoffs before. And they have always run out of firepower too soon. They got blown out in the championship game in 2018, where he really learned you need something up your sleeve. They stalled badly against Shanny last year, beaten at their own game as their run game crumpled.
Kevin learned. He learned that when it mattered most, teams had already figured out a way to defend against him. That's 17 combined points in two brutal playoff losses and the Championship and Divisional round.
If only we had something left up or sleeve.
The last two weeks have been vanilla and boring. Not the magic we once saw for a while there. He was willing to risk losing to the Jets. He was willing to risk missing the playoffs with a loss to the Steelers. He was willing to risk it all knowing his team could still perform without schematic advantages because it doesn't matter - is narrowly missing the playoffs going to hurt more than getting thumped in the Championships?
He's keeping it all up his sleeves. He doesn't want to blow his load too soon. In his ideal world, we ride the momentum and beat Pittsburgh again this week without having to open the playbook too much.
Because if we get past Pittsburgh, we need to win three straight to win it all. Baker has got hot and looked unstoppable for three games. Why can't he do it - it's exactly how Joe Flacco won his final Superbowl.
I want to believe Kevin Stefanski has magic on those pages. Magic he's saved for when he needs it most. We just advanced to the playoffs by calling a short-yardage call we have never called - we couldn't have used that literally the week before? Multiple times throughout the year? A call which caught the opposition completely off guard, named in honour of a "fuck you, we've got this" mentality, and one they couldn't stop despite their best efforts. Nope. Because Kevin is saving himself. He's invited a supermodel over for dinner, and he's not going to rub himself raw in the shower just in case the doorbell rings.
That's what I believe. When we need it most, he's got something. And he's got enough to try and make a run.
Last 6 games, Baker throws at least 27 times in all 6
First 10 games, 4 times
Hard count 4th down...I don't have the humber, but it has to be at least 5x the Browns have rushed to the line in their own territory on 4th down..only to call time out after trying the hard count. Is this a set up for a surprise 4th down attempt in the playoffs?
Nick Chubb usage. Last 4 games, only 1 game (17) more than 15 carries. Previous 8, only 1 non-injury game did he have less than 18.
Many more, but those 3 are interesting and seem to be gamesmanship by Stefanski.
So we get the Steelers next week. Let's keep this in mind: They've been trash for the last month minus two solid quarters against a faded Philip Rivers - I mean, he's openly pondering retirement, the Colts are leaking their interest in Wentz and they're not even knocked out of the playoffs yet. Not exactly a statement win.
It isn't a forgone conclusion we lose next week. Like, at all.
They played a very good game against us today, made some miracle plays and had lady luck on their side. Mason was perfect on deep shots, which Roethlisberger is not. They twice fumbled without losing contact on the ball, which was as lucky as you could get. And we, no doubt, made mistakes we will need to clean up. But, really, that game went about as well for Pittsburgh as they could have wanted it to go. It's not like they underperformed. We beat a good team.
And what about giving everyone the week off. I won't pretend I've never seen that happen in sports and have that blow up. Guys can find themselves out of rhythm and lacking the momentum they had built. Especially a team like Pittsburgh who, again, have taken a step backwards at the end of the season. A lot of the guys sitting are veterans who don't have a whole lot left in the tank.
All the while, we get a chance to get healthier and prepared for a run. To open up the playbook, narrow down what we need and mentally brace for the biggest game played by a Browns unit in almost two decades.
The time is right. I'm convinced we can hit our stride next week and win.
Wandered over to the old joint... swiftly remembered why I left.
Absolute cesspit of misery.
Just had a look myself and, yeah, some people are never happy. Then again, Trump just got caught trying to pressure the mysterious finding of 12,000 votes in Georgia and should probably be immediately impeached or arrested. Rough day for those poor guys when they constantly have to insist their emperor is indeed wearing some form of clothing. It may only be his shit-stained tighty-whities around his ankles, which require the Presidential reaching stick to pull up, but they are indeed clothes.
I’ve listened to that call a few times now. Down here he’d be before the court in 48 hours.
If you want to know what a week off can do to timing...just look at the WR's in this game. It was NOT pretty...but we still got the job done. And let's not forget, Stef was 'saving' Chubb...he will be full on go for next week.
Was 11 when that happened. About that time that I joined Stan's site. Was posting on Stan's site shortly after that point, I think.
But - get em in, and get a full week of practice with the folks we're starting Sunday, which we haven't had against the Giants game. Bring all comers, and I'll ride with Baker.
Some random thoughts:
- Baker was his 18" to 23" off the mark version today. Good enough but not that laser accuracy. Hurt DPJ, bounced one on an easy first down. It was a 96 PR, so fine... but he'll need to get back where he was before the Covid onslaught.
- Holes were back in the running game. Gotta think it was Teller.
- Jacob Phillips is so obviously our most talented LB and now he's figuring it out. Led us in tackling with 10, plus a TFL and a QB hit. He's the clear-cut keeper and I'd start him every single game for the next five years.
- If we could get Greedy and Denzel both? To go with a healthier Myles, Jacob, and Ronnie? We just might field an NFL defense for once.
I think it's the key to us making a bit of a run. And it's all about coverage. Ben's deep ball is mostly a memory now, so we need to cover the line to 10, mostly. Need safeties and LBs to cover.
- Vincent Taylor looked pretty damn good. Lord, dude is giant. I get the feeling they're easing Larry O. out. The door. With Mack Wilson.
- Pretty clearly pampered Chubb. I bet he runs it 25-30 times next week.
- We can 100% beat the Steelers at "full strength." As Trent said, they've had one good half in the last five games. Mason Rudolph looked better today than Ben has in quite some time, showed off his gorgeous deep ball from college (that hurt).
I honestly think their passing game gets worse next week. And hopefully our coverage gets a lot better. It was lame.
I was going to start a playoff thread, but Trent beat me to it. Well done young man. So here are my thoughts......
I cannot remember enjoying a season of Browns football more since 1994. Everyone who migrated here from BH made that much more enjoyable. If I would have stepped up on a rock back in August and proclaimed we would win 11 games, well - I would have been fitted for a white tie down coat right quick and in a hurry.
Baker said it best in his post game presser. Look at what was accomplished amid world chaos. New coach and staff, new system, no training camp, no preseason..... and yet we are in the playoffs.
What this year did prove was we have the right coach, the right front office, and the right QB. There will be turnover, but this defense will be upgraded. Then the following year, we truly can go with the best player available.
Regardless of what happens next weekend, the future for this team is so bright. Let's enjoy the ride. We have earned it.
Friend went to the game. Said he overheard a player talking to one of the media (off-market) and the player said they were keeping the play book to a minimum. Like I said before...seemed they were playing close to the vest to give them more to play with next week.
BTW, anybody else notice how many times the Browns have run to the line on 4th down only to try the hard count and then call time out? Seems to me that is setting up a surprise 4th go for it all call.
I don't doubt that we were playing pretty simply today.
And yes, DF, we've been doing that hurry up, hard count, on every 4th and sub-5 all year. Or, at least, since October. It's a really cool sign of how strategic coaching matters. When you ALWAYS threaten to snap it on 4th down, you force a defense to be cognizant on every down. If they aren't, you run a play. If they are undisciplined, you get free yards (and a first down).
But either way, you as an offense get an extra look at how they MIGHT defend you on a future 4th down. It's all good info and it puts the pressure on the D.
Robert Jackson got beaten on three key third or fourth downs, and also gave up the late big play. In total it was over 120 yards. I feel bad for the guy, I hate to dunk on depth, but him playing proved problematic. That won't be an issue with Denzel Ward returning.
Also, David Njoku has posted a picture clearly showing he got both feet in bounds on the ruled incompletion prior to our FG which gave us the 10-0 lead. That should have been 14-0, and perhaps Stefanski should have thought the challenge. Alternatively, the officials could do a better job.
We also had four penalties which were uncharacteristic of our OL. We've been pretty disciplined this year, so I wonder if the issues with being unable to practice had an impact.
Overall, I'm so excited and feeling pretty good about our match up next week. We get an influx of talent back. We'll hopefully have put our COVID issues behind us. Some of our recently returned players get another week to find their feet.
Sure, Pittsburgh are getting their rested stars back, but who gives a shit. Over the last few weeks, have we been afraid of seeing them? Nah. I was confident in a potential match up for the North. That hasn't changed just because they played a decent second half against the Colts.
Woke up this morning, still had a pulse - good. Checked the net... Browns still in the playoffs. It was not a wicked twisted dream by Roger.
Feels kind of assumed on Denzel returning, not just hoping. Does anybody know why? Is he asymptomatic or something, just assuming he'll test negative soon? It's in Plain Dealer articles and everything, like he's gonna play.
Saw hope on DPJ too. He's feeling much better and the feeling is he'll clear protocol by Sunday.
It would be just amazing to have a whole team for this game, we've rarely seen it this season. Key names will be Denzel, KJ, Olivier, Smith, and BJ. Don't really fret about Sendejo. And who knows on Greedy, he may have just been caught up in the excitement.
OV out with ruptured Achilles
OV is such a huge loss. Dude must have stumbled in to the fountain of youth because he was really turning back the clock with his performances.
We can't replace him. Clayborn and Gustin are a clear step down. And with our secondary in a bad state, pressure was our only hope of somewhat hiding that.
Yikes. That's really bad.
Also, that's career over for OV. Not a whole lot of DE's coming back from an Achilles rupture at his age, much less doing so without a decline in ability.
Sadly true, they're all about that push. Jamir whatsisname was our first great pass rusher and he blew out his, too.
Clayborn, Gustin, and Takitaki will have to pick up the slack and we need more up the middle for sure. It's not great, but it's not like losing Myles. Jacob Phillips breakout game might be a balancing effect, really. We were sorely missing his speed. Maybe he can shoot the middle some.
I think the biggest change from last game would be gaining cornerbacks, bigger than losing Vernon. If we can get two from Denzel, KJ, and Greedy, that would be an enormous upgrade. They abused Robert Jackson. He's not up to it.
Starting to seem like AJ Green hasn't shown up as a steal yet. After starting Jackson, they signed the lanky Bengals CB to the active roster.
Starting jobs are most open at DE, CB, and LB. Top two picks and a priority free agent for those three slots. Then keep adding.
Here is an article from Yahoo I would like to share:
sports.yahoo.com
Browns snap 18-year playoff drought and put the NFL’s longest-running nightmare to bed
Charles Robinson
8-10 minutes
For a week leading into Sunday, it was hard to look at the Cleveland Browns and resist letting the memory of 2007 creep in — a history lesson of buying into success and change too early, only to find out that it was another cruel mirage in a desert of frustration.
For many who have orbited the Browns over the past two decades, that’s part of what made Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers so consequential. This wasn’t just about securing a spot in the playoffs. It wasn’t just about erasing the incomprehensible loss to the New York Jets. And it wasn’t about rubber-stamping the 2020 season as being demonstrably worthwhile.
No, this was more. It was about exorcising 12 years of football that carried one common thread: If something could go wrong, it did go wrong. From bad quarterbacks to bad coaches to bad ownership to bad roster building. And even when it went right — like the 10-6 season in 2007 that seemed to promise a new dawn in Cleveland — the next horizon was always some kind of embarrassing catastrophe.
Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield worked harder than ever as part of the Browns' build toward a long-awaited playoff berth.
That’s why Sunday mattered so much because in the larger picture in Cleveland, nobody was going to give this franchise any breaks for a late-season swath of COVID-19 issues. You lose to the Jets and then follow that up with a home failure against a stripped-down Steelers team, decades of muscle memory kick in for the critics. With the postseason on the line? Back-to-back losses to subpar teams? To close out a season that was supposed to be the stuff of real cultural change?
To invalidate so much of it now would have been framed as a disaster. Just another teasing 10-6 team that came up empty in moments that mattered, leaving fans to wonder whether they’ve been drinking in a season of change or swallowing a mouthful of sand.
Presumed franchise quarterback Derek Anderson? Sand.
Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. becoming reliable cornerstones? Sand.
Romeo Crennel rebuilding the franchise in the image of the New England Patriots? Sand.
All of 2007. All of that 10-6 promise. All of that sand.
That’s why 2020 had to go further. That’s why it couldn’t collapse on itself right at the most predictable time — in the final two weeks of a season when a playoff berth was so firmly in grasp. If this was all going to be different, change had to be secured rather than promised.
Browns finally put pieces together
And finally, it has been. Cleveland is going to the postseason, having earned its wild-card ticket with an 11-5 record that would have been a wild dream four months ago. All accomplished inside a lesson in how some sensible-but-elusive team ownership decisions can remake a franchise. Hire the right coach in Kevin Stefanski. Pair him with the right general manager in Andrew Berry. And if chief strategist Paul DePodesta must continue to guide this whole thing, align the three together and let them become a balance against the impetuous nature of team owner Jimmy Haslam. Then hope team ownership gets the hell out of the way and lets a rare series of good decisions grow into a dynamic, working culture rather than a fractured, warring one.
The Browns have done this. It’s working. And Sunday’s 24-22 win over the Steelers is an example of it.
Not because the win was anything close to pretty. And certainly not because it was perfect. But because it happened right at the time when history suggested it wouldn’t for this franchise.
In any other season, the quarterback would have cratered under the pressure of a postseason berth. Or the coaching staff would crack with petulant infighting. The rookies would have been too inexperienced; the free-agent acquisitions would have fallen flat; or the moment would have been too big for everyone involved.
We have come to know those Cleveland Browns. But they are a thing of the past.
If you don’t believe that, then you likely haven’t been paying attention this season.
You haven’t seen that aside from second-round draft pick Grant Delpit suffering a season-ending injury, the majority of this rookie class has contributed meaningfully this season. You haven’t seen that the A-level free agents have pretty much all lived up to their price tags when it comes to their fit inside the scheme and what the coaching staff had planned for them. You haven’t seen Stefanski employ a system that has materialized as precisely what the front office believes it would be, creating a spine through the running game and tight ends, and allowing Baker Mayfield to play at his best off of a play-action look that teams have to respect. You haven’t seen Mayfield work harder than ever while keeping his emotions on a more even keel. You haven’t been around to hear the resounding silence of dramatics between a coaching staff and front office that have meshed together in support of each other.
And you apparently haven’t noticed that seemingly even Odell Beckham Jr. — who has never not been a part of some story down the stretch of a season — is suddenly just a deep subplot to something much bigger.
Browns’ durable build is how franchises work
That’s what defines this Browns franchise. And it’s why it didn’t fall apart Sunday after a seemingly endless run of COVID-19 infections and a week without any practice. It’s why it didn’t fall apart when it was the team with all the pressure in the world, while the Steelers could play free and loose and without much worry for the stakes. Losing defensive end Olivier Vernon? Seeing key wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones go down? Watching the Steelers mount a fourth-quarter comeback to the point of a two-point conversation that put seemingly everything on the line in the waning moments? Cleveland weathered all of it.
Again, it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t perfect. But it was meaningful.
That’s why Browns fans can rejoice today. Because this is a franchise that learned to beat bad teams, average teams and playoff-level teams. It learned to win on its bad days and avoid losing on its worst days. It learned to deal with season-ending losses to talented players, and bounce back from losses — never suffering consecutive defeats once this season. Most of all, it learned to take steps.
In the stories of franchises that get themselves right, this is usually the most durable kind of build. One that doesn’t survive on a sugar high of free agency or some kind of lightning in a bottle that can’t last. It leans on running the right schemes for the personnel and having the right kind of personalities working together to keep everything on track. For a long time, these were the characteristics that evaded Cleveland’s ownership. And in turn, lasting success was just as elusive.
Things have changed. Regardless of how Sunday’s playoff game turns out in this quick rematch against a fully loaded Steelers franchise, there is no taking away the step that was just taken. This success is real. Soon enough, the franchise will engage in the next phase of building — with the goal of making it lasting. And to once and for all send a message to the fan base.
Don’t be afraid to drink this in. It’s real. And there will be more to go around.
I didn't like the 300 plus yards the Steelers offense got. Not a good reflection on our defensive back-field and linebacker coverage. jmho We have to find more toughness, intelligence, fierceness, competitiveness and intensity in our back seven defensive players. As stated here yes, the Browns were playing it 'close to the vest' as far a play-book usage goes. Steelers were probably doing the same but, the biggest difference between the two teams I still see is the Steelers are the tougher and bigger of the two teams. In the future, unless we can match up better, we are going to have to play smarter to beat them. jmho End of season team needs to focus on: 1) Defence Pass Rush (DE (1), DL, MLB)
Tougher, leader, intuitive backfield
Schemes that work best for team
2) Offence need a lightning fast "Tyree Hill" guy
What to do with Odell
Find a promising young back-up QB
Upgrade OL depth quality
Steelers led the league in passing attempts and were 5th fewest in rushing attempts. That has to be a point of concern given our issues with defending the pass, not to mention now that we will be missing Vernon. Presents a bad match up.
Their yards per attempt was tied for the second lowest at 6.3, but Roethlisberger's yards per attempt dropped to 5.6 yards per attempt through all of December and hasn't had a game over 6 YPA since November 16. Everything was down late in the year - except the shit you don't want up, like interceptions.
The million dollar question is which Roethlisberger we get because the guy has played one good game since mid-November. Their three game losing streak gets the attention but he was average the two weeks before that against a depleted Baltimore and Jacksonville - and before that he had teams like Cinci and Dallas which might have helped hide some of his soon-to-arrive issues.
If he's anything like what we've seen lately, their offense can't function. They can't run the ball, one of the worst in the league, and a quarterback with no arm can't do anything. I'd like to see us come out very aggressive, just like Cinci did. Take away all the short stuff and see if we can get in his head if he can't hit the deep shots.
Even Ryan Clark acknowledged this isn't a championship or Superbowl team because Ben cannot carry them anymore and they can't do enough else right. Their winning experience will help them, they've been in this moment so many times before, but we could fuck with their heads if this is the first time they've been in this moment without a quarterback who can bail them out.
As for us, we have to find ways to keep pressure off Mayfield. They lead the league in sacks and pressures. We can't handle extended down and distance, and Mayfield isn't great when under duress. Personally, I want to see some deep shots early. I rang that bell against the Jets, and I'm ringing it again now. We need to back them up to take pressure off the ground game, because keeping the ground game churning will give Mayfield the play-action where he's utterly lethal - I'm pretty sure he had the highest passer rating in the league on play-action passing, or something close to that.
Give me some Marvin Hall in this one. Force them to place support where we want it because strength vs strength isn't an option here. I'm also about to watch the film from last week because we tried to dial up some shots and nothing came from them, so I want to know where that one went wrong because we'll need them.
Above all, hit them early with everything we've got because I just don't trust Roethlisberger's arm trying to fight his way back. I know he did it against the Colts, but I still don't trust it.
I also checked the forecast and it's freezing temps. No rain or wind, which sucks, but I can't imagine the cold will help with his arm issues, right? Oh, and feed Nick Chubb. I love Kareem Hunt but there is a drop off when he's on the field. Hunt is a very good running back but Nick is elite.
I watched the film and had a couple of takeaways:
Phillips was so damn impressive. He really stepped up. So was Mack, actually, and put himself in good position on several plays which helped us. But, Phillips was the guy. Looking forward to getting Goodson back if we can get a repeat performance out of those guys.
Some of the issues which looked like the linebackers making mistakes were, in my opinion, issues with our defensive ends dropping in to coverage. On play in which Mack took heat, it looked like Vernon didn't realise he was supposed to drop in coverage after the tight end motioned to his side. Vernon, Garrett and Clayborn actually played well, they didn't give up much when they did drop in coverage (Myles had a PBU and took away the first read on the Stewart INT) but I'm not thrilled with how often they did drop.
The safeties were much better. There was one play in which a receiver was passed off so effortlessly between three players on one of the early third downs they failed to get. Rudolph wanted him and was almost baited in to throwing after Phillips passed him off to a lurking Redwine. The deep shots we did surrender were predominantly single high, which we played a lot (Even back to back), and I feel like that was almost entirely to see how they would respond because we're going to try and make Roethlisberger make those throws next week. Again, Rudolph went crazy and I swear he hit like 5/8, and I don't see that happening again. Harrison was an especially nice addition. I don't recall him giving up anything.
To repeat myself, the vast majority of our yards were given up by Stewart and Jackson. Seriously, I'd put it at more than 2/3 of their passing yards. They're not supposed to be playing, we just didn't have Ward and Johnson. I'm not shitting on those guys, they played their guts out and both guys came up huge when we really needed it (Stewart with the pick, Jackson with the defend on the 2 pt conversion) but they were an exploited weakness all day.
Our guys deserve credit for how they handled the situation with Rudolph and Dobbs. Very creative by the Steelers, and our guys didn't flinch - which, consider, they've hardly got to practice for the last two weeks.
I'm a little disappointed with our interior. Richardson, Ogunjobi and Elliot never jumped out to me. Vincent Taylor fucking did. I'm expecting an improved performance from our interior next week because film study won't be kind to them - I mean, they did their jobs, but they didn't make a huge impact. That's especially frustrating when Garrett continues to get doubled to such a degree he even saw reps on the interior.
Hear me out: Chess players, or fans of “The Queen’s Gambit,” understand the intricacies involved in winning a game of strategy, and on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was building a bridge to the playoffs.
During a press conference on Monday, Stefanski shed some light on why running back Nick Chubb, who had an explosive 47-yard touchdown run to start the game, was used less throughout the game—a decision that upset some fans as the game progressed and the score got too close for comfort.
“We're mindful of workload and mindful of getting that win and also understanding that we have another hopefully few games coming up here. So trying to make sure it's the right balance of keeping both those guys fresh and getting the guy in there to get some work done," Stefanski said of Chubb and running back Kareem Hunt.
Chess, not checkers: Browns coach Kevin Stefanski entered Sunday’s game prepared for the playoffs (news5cleveland.com)
Sure, we knew that.
But Kevin has been to the playoffs before. And they have always run out of firepower too soon. They got blown out in the championship game in 2018, where he really learned you need something up your sleeve. They stalled badly against Shanny last year, beaten at their own game as their run game crumpled.
Kevin learned. He learned that when it mattered most, teams had already figured out a way to defend against him. That's 17 combined points in two brutal playoff losses and the Championship and Divisional round.
If only we had something left up or sleeve.
The last two weeks have been vanilla and boring. Not the magic we once saw for a while there. He was willing to risk losing to the Jets. He was willing to risk missing the playoffs with a loss to the Steelers. He was willing to risk it all knowing his team could still perform without schematic advantages because it doesn't matter - is narrowly missing the playoffs going to hurt more than getting thumped in the Championships?
He's keeping it all up his sleeves. He doesn't want to blow his load too soon. In his ideal world, we ride the momentum and beat Pittsburgh again this week without having to open the playbook too much.
Because if we get past Pittsburgh, we need to win three straight to win it all. Baker has got hot and looked unstoppable for three games. Why can't he do it - it's exactly how Joe Flacco won his final Superbowl.
I want to believe Kevin Stefanski has magic on those pages. Magic he's saved for when he needs it most. We just advanced to the playoffs by calling a short-yardage call we have never called - we couldn't have used that literally the week before? Multiple times throughout the year? A call which caught the opposition completely off guard, named in honour of a "fuck you, we've got this" mentality, and one they couldn't stop despite their best efforts. Nope. Because Kevin is saving himself. He's invited a supermodel over for dinner, and he's not going to rub himself raw in the shower just in case the doorbell rings.
That's what I believe. When we need it most, he's got something. And he's got enough to try and make a run.
BDU...you see what I see.
Things that make you go hmmmm
Last 6 games, Baker throws at least 27 times in all 6
First 10 games, 4 times
Hard count 4th down...I don't have the humber, but it has to be at least 5x the Browns have rushed to the line in their own territory on 4th down..only to call time out after trying the hard count. Is this a set up for a surprise 4th down attempt in the playoffs?
Nick Chubb usage. Last 4 games, only 1 game (17) more than 15 carries. Previous 8, only 1 non-injury game did he have less than 18.
Many more, but those 3 are interesting and seem to be gamesmanship by Stefanski.
Stefanski tested positive for COVID. Priefer will be acting HC and Van Pelt will be calling plays against the Steelers.
TE coach and DB coach are out as well.