Tonight's challenge should be interesting.
keets
Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
Will you be watching MNF tonight?? I know I will and for the first time in a long time I'm optimistic about the fortunes of the Cleveland Browns, a fortune that will be addressed by this game against the Ravens and next Sunday's game against the Giants. Only a few short weeks ago the Browns were on the outside looking in, sitting at 5-3 and in third place behind two Teams they struggled with. Now by a strange twist and some solid play they are actually within reach of not only making the Playoffs but also having a realistic chance of winning the AFC North Division.
I was speaking with one of my closest friends this week about the way the schedules are lining up. He's a Pittsburgh fan and was worried that the Steelers would wrap things up, sit their key players for the last few games and lose their edge. That changed last night!! Now Game 16 in Cleveland looms large and depending on what happens in the next few weeks, pivotal.
FromMyLoftyPerch, I still don't think Cleveland can beat Pittsburgh but I do think they can beat the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants. For discussion, I think the Browns have improved to the point where they can beat most NFL Teams, the exceptions being:
Buffalo Bills
Kansas City Chiefs
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints
I think they'll make the Playoffs but probably lose their first game, it's just too high of a hill for them to climb in a single season. An interesting side-bar to the Playoffs --- the current Cleveland Browns stadium is the only NFL stadium that hasn't hosted a Playoff Game. If, by some remarkable twist of fortune and some consistent play, that would end if Cleveland could win their division and host one of the Wild Card Teams. 
Al H.
Comments
I for one will be pulling for the browns. I just hate the Ravens
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Buffalo got their signature win last night after so many experts kept shrugging them off as pretenders. If Cleveland is for real and the team is for real they need to break the psychological hold Baltimore and Pittsburgh has on them. On paper Cleveland has the better QB, better RB's and good defense. They just can't beat the two teams that they have to beat. Maybe it starts tonight. But will the 38-6 fiasco haunt them? They can beat the Steelers. The Steelers can't run the ball. Ben on two bad knees can't scramble and all his 4-5 yard passes can be defended.
The formula for beating Baltimore is simple. Don't let Jackson get outside your end. Don't rush head long. Make him throw.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
right now there is one glaring weakness for Cleveland, their Defensive Backfield. as long as they can keep Lamar Jackson from going off on the running plays they have more than an equal chance to win. I agree with making him throw, he is too erratic. sometimes he looks like Tom Brady, sometimes he looks like Mason Rudolph but most of the time he looks like something between the two. losing tonight won't be the end of the season for Cleveland and winning won't ensure a Playoff run.
I hope they win but even more I just hope they play solidly whatever the outcome.
I'm just glad the Browns do not have to change their name as per the Indians. Somehow the Cleveland Whites or any other color wouldn't ring true. I would not mind seeing the Browns advance. A close friend of mine who passed years ago was a devout Browns fan despite being a New Yorker. He will be "watching".
Baltimore wins tonight
Cleveland’s glaring weakness their DB’s won’t play a factor. If it was KC or Buffalo that’s huge. Cleveland needs to stop the run and keep Jackson in the pocket. Regardless after considerable thought this is still the same Browns that are 4-21 in the last 25 against the Ravens. This is the Browns who lost 38-3 opening day to the Ravens. Not yet Cleveland, not yet. Ravens 30-14
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
galaxy and 'dueces, I will hold you both to that.
one thing that confuses me about defending against Baltimore and Jackson is that more Teams don't employ the tactic the Pittsburgh Steelers used against him: they had T.J. Watt shadowing him on those RPO's he's so good at, with Watt ignoring the Running Back and zeroing in on Jackson. in the last game I think Watt wrapped up on Jackson around 7-8 times with the Steelers winning.
that's an "old school football" tactic usually having a Linebacker shadowing a Runner or double-teaming the dominant WR and the thinking is clear --- that guy isn't going to beat us. Baltimore might beat the Browns but they probably shouldn't let Jackson do that with his legs. I expect the Browns to do that tonight. a good strategy might be five down on the line, Myles Garrett focusing on the run/pass rush and Olivier Vernon "shadowing" Lamar Jackson with the others filling the gaps.
I also don't see the "vaunted" Ravens defense slowing down Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt with Mayfield on blind bootlegs to his left.
@keets I stated above Cleveland clearly has the better team on paper but if the can’t shake the ghosts it’s the same old results. This is the game to show they are for real
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
baltimore is a fraud team and actually so is pittsburgh
the friggin patriots beat baltimore
not much to say about this game, there was outstanding play on both sides and as many games do, it came down to the kickers, though an improbable 55 yard Field Goal isn't what I thought would win it. Cleveland's kicker should feel pretty bad now, that end-of-the-game safety notwithstanding, he cost his Team four points and the game.
oh well, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I will never forget the ending of this game.
That game showed the importance of the QB position.
http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/
Ralph
That game showed the importance of the QB position.
That game showed the importance of the Place Kicker position. there Brick, I fixed it for you.
what's that?
I'm certainly biased as a Cleveland Browns fan, but that game should be near the top of the "Monday Night Football" classic game heap. many recent games have been forgettable , this one stands alone with the shot of Lamar Jackson running in from the locker room and doing what he did after the back-up QB goes down. then the Brawns actually score too fast, imagine that.
what a finish!!
They played well last night. Reminds me of the Bills last year against the Patriots. Almost. Cleveland makes the playoffs and will be a tough out for most teams. Against pass first teams they’ll struggle. The key to Baltimore is contain Jackson. Both teams will be tough outs.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
quick takes...
a fun offensive light show, but neither one of those teams has a defense that can take them to the promised land
L Jax (who was superb last night) receives a lot of flak for his passing, but to be fair he has one of the worst receiving corps in the league. Andrews is a nice TE, but the cupboard is bare after that. yeah Hollywood Brown can blaze, but if he's forced to run a route across the field i certainly wouldn't hold my breath on him catching the football
Justin Tucker may be the best kicker ever. Cody Parkey, not so much
Cleveland has some serious studs on the OL. 4.9 on the ground and kept Baker's jersey clean all night long
whoever wagered on that game last night either took off their pants and ran down the street in jubilation, or were coaxed off the ledge. the line in that game hovered around Balt -3. no doubt millions of degenerates moved it slightly. now go watch the final play of the game again
for years I was against the Browns annual Lottery for a QB in the draft. as a matter of fact, when they drafted Mayfield it really pissed me off. my thinking was that they needed to use their picks on Offensive Lineman, either via the draft or by trading to other Teams at contract time. now, by some strange twist of fate, they have accomplished both goals.
it's taken Baker Mayfield a few years to "arrive" and the players in front of him have gelled, both from the draft and trades. simultaneously, they have plucked the other parts of the Team needed for success. watching them every week shows them as solid at QB, OL, RB's, TE, WR's on Offense, DL's and LB's on the other side of the ball. their achilles heel right now is the Defensive Backfield, an area I'd expect them to seek Free Agents and high draft picks in 2021.
to that end, I really think they are ahead of the rest of the North Division. Baltimore is lean at RB and WR and their defense is close to their peak. Pittsburgh is a mess with a QB who could retire, no running back and a defense that is almost solely dependent on the blitz. Cincinnati is similar to Cleveland, on the way up, but plagued by injuries and getting old at some positions. they'll be hard to judge because some key players won't be ready for awhile.
also, Coaching counts, and if the trends continue as they are it might not be a big surprise to see the Steelers and the Ravens making changes. Mike Tomlin especially should be on the bubble. he's a guy that's had a boatload of talent for a long time and hasn't really done anything with it. as for Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson can only bail him out for so long. he needs to re-unite with his failed brother in Michigan and head to the College ranks.
tomlin is an awful coach
he has nude photos of someone
If that game was played 10 times it might be 5-5. But it’s only 1 game in the playoffs that matter. Has Mayfield arrived? Maybe. Last night they asked him to do more than he’s had to all season long and he responded. But it’s takes more than 1 game to answer that question. Cleveland has had the personal all along. Looks at all the #1’s because of terrible records and high drafts. Pittsburgh has been exposed. Baltimore is a one trick video game QB pony. Cleveland defense made him look like last years mvp. Besides Dallas last week he’s been below average. I’ll say it again until Cleveland sheds their ghosts and proves they belong I can’t count on them. That’s the only reason I bet Baltimore. I desperately wanted Baltimore out of the playoffs. Now Baltimore’s schedule is a cream puff and virtually a shoe in for the playoffs. Week 17 could be a turning point for Cleveland. We’ll see.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
why do you care about baltimore? Afraid Josh will revert to Mr Shovel pass in the playoffs?
https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/30525720/last-play-safety-baltimore-ravens-cleveland-browns-game-swings-millions-sportsbooks
that multi-lateral fiasco at the end of the game was embarrassing.
the NFL should be ashamed of the fact that they have removed the "Kick-off Return" as a part of the game. absent that it was a foregone conclusion that the Browns would take the touchback and try one desperation play or Hail Mary pass. it's ridiculous that two of the most exciting moments in pro-football, Kick-Off returns and Punt returns, have been all but eliminated.
I listened to ESPN radio last night on commentary about the game. The point spread was discussed. Host said a man in Vegas had bet on the Browns earlier and got +4 1/2 points. The bet was 40K. Hope he was not in a tall building at the end of the game.
Everyone is dangerous in the playoffs. No I doubt Allen makes the mistakes this year. He’s learned not every play is the last play of the Super Bowl. He has a playoff game under his belt and let’s face it the bills are much better this year than last. Buffalo is the only team that matches up with KC and if they played tomorrow Buffalo wins.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
it would do the Chiefs well to lose in the next week or two. heading into the Playoffs on an 11 game win streak isn't ideal.
I think they'll be playing but not tomorrow.
In the course of every human endeavor since the dawn of time the risk of human error has always been a factor. Including but not limited to field goals, 4th down attempts, or multiple paragraph ramblings on a sports forum authored by someone who shall remain anonymous.
Last year I think they won their last 8 or 9 regular season games heading into the playoffs.
In the course of every human endeavor since the dawn of time the risk of human error has always been a factor. Including but not limited to field goals, 4th down attempts, or multiple paragraph ramblings on a sports forum authored by someone who shall remain anonymous.
they tried to lose to Miami 3 times in one game. If I'm a chiefs fan and they win the next 5 superbowls I think I will still have pulled all my hair out over Andy Reid's clock management
I’ve been a Browns lifer. Has been a very trying last 26 years. Right now they have built a very competitive offense. Defense needs some work at least at the DB positions. They did have multiple backups playing but that’s part of football with injuries. The coaching has been the biggest improvement this year with play calling and developing schemes that work for them. Baker is getting groomed and taught game management. He went 3 or 4 games with no passing TD’s and he didn’t care because it’s about the team. I knew they scored too fast that last drive with Tucker standing across the field. The Ravens only needed to get around midfield to have a shot. It was a great game and I went to bed feeling good that the Browns are a good team at the moment. They need to progress and beat the Giants and move forward a game at at time. With Stefanski at the lead they have a great chance at doing just that. Playoffs will make it an awesome season. Period.
well, that was an interesting Sunday night game. the Browns had seven possessions and scored three TouchDowns, two of them long, time consuming 95 yard drives. they didn't run as efficiently as they usually do against a pretty stout D-line but the passing game and protection looked pretty good. on the defensive side of the ball, nothing new, really, Cleveland needs to draft heavy for DB's or be one-and-out till they do.
I'm really satisfied that the Browns are finally able to do the things I've watched the rest of the NFL do for the past 15-20 years. in the past, their Offense was severely limited in play calling, leaving them needing to be flawless or fall behind in games. now they can get ahead, come from behind and overcome mistakes. I mentioned in the OP the Teams I didn't think they could beat and I still believe that. they can score against those Teams and probably hang, but their pass defense just isn't capable of slowing the better Teams.