What Has Gone Right And Wrong For Browns To Date

The Cleveland Browns enter the bye week and the halfway point of the season simultaneously this season at 5-3, better that almost anyone could have hoped for going into the year.

Coming into this COVID-19 affected season, with a shortened training camp and no pre-season games, you have to give GM Andrew Berry and new head coach Kevin Stefanski great marks in putting together a plan that has resulted in winning football, something that hasn’t been seen in this town for a long, long time.

So, since we are at the halfway point, let’s examine what went right or wrong for the brown and orange in an overall surprising first half of the 2020 season.

What went right? First, the Browns haven’t had any issues with the coronavirus to date. They had a scare with some false positives right before the regular season started, but to this point, the Browns have been safe and healthy.

The Browns have been one of the highest scoring offenses in the NFL to date, ranking 9th in points scored, despite being held to single digits in three of their eight contests (the three they lost).

There were questions about the offensive line going into camp because 3/5th of the unit had changed, but it has emerged as a strength. Jedrick Wills has been solid as a rookie, although he’s had some first year moments, and we knew Jack Conklin would be solid at RT, but the huge bonus was RG Wyatt Teller.

Teller, who came from Buffalo with a 7th round pick for a 5th and 6th round pick last year, has become one of the league’s best offensive linemen. With Teller starting, Cleveland ran for at least 124 yards in each game.

They haven’t reached that figure since he’s been shelved with a calf injury. The hope is he’ll be back for the game against Houston on November 15th.

We understand the greatness of Nick Chubb, but thank goodness then GM John Dorsey took a chance on Kareem Hunt last season. Hunt was battled through injuries to rank 5th in the league in rushing and touchdowns.

Hunt has been criticized by some because he’s not Chubb, but he’s still a top flight back in the NFL, and the offense is better with both weapons available.

What went wrong? No one was counting on the Browns’ defensive to be a dominating unit, but injuries have really crippled (no pun intended) them.

The team had big expectations for rookie S Grant Delpit and starting CB Greedy Williams, but both have been out all season, forcing the defensive coordinator Joe Woods to go to his depth.

The best linebacker play has come from Malcolm Smith, picked up as a free agent during camp, and free agent signee B.J. Goodson.

Outside of the tremendous season Myles Garrett is putting together, the defensive line has been a huge disappointment. Really, no one outside of the former overall #1 pick has been able to generate any pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

As a result, only the Cowboys and the lowly New York Jets have allowed more points than the Browns this season.

What is expected? Looking at the remaining schedule, the Browns should remain in playoff contention unless there are injury issues. There are three games against what anyone would consider the bottom echelon of the league in Jacksonville, and both New York teams, as well as winnable contests vs. Houston and Philadelphia.

Of course, the Browns need to play well to win, but with the returns of Teller and Chubb coming soon, it should bolster the offense enough to get to at least 9-7 or 10-6.

Browns Can Make Playoffs, But A Defensive Trade Would Give Them A Push

There is no question that fans of the Cleveland Browns, and maybe all professional football teams, are a different lot. Every time they lose, someone must be held responsible.

According to many, the 16-6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was due to Kevin Stefanski being out-coached or it was because of a frequent scapegoat, QB Baker Mayfield.

In reality, the reason for the defeat was the 208 yards rushing by the Raiders. As Browns’ fans saw first hand in wins over Cincinnati in week two, and Dallas in week four, when you gain over 200 yards on the ground, you usually win.

The best defense for a good offense, and the Browns have scored over 30 points in all five of their victories this season, is to keep them off the field. The Raiders did that to Cleveland on Sunday, keeping the ball for 37 minutes, compared to 22 for the brown and orange.

Stefanski wasn’t out-coached by Jon Gruden, but the latter’s team out executed the Browns. Mayfield has just six drives for the game, and he had chances to score on three of them, and had the ball in Las Vegas territory when rookie TE Harrison Bryant fumbled in the first quarter.

The difference was Gruden’s defense was kept fresh and got a couple of stops, and in one case where Jamie Gillen was called upon to punt, it was after David Njoku dropped a pass for a first down and a drive could have continued.

As for Mayfield, he wasn’t spectacular like the prior week in Cincinnati, completing 12 of 25 passes for 122 yards in very tough conditions, and he added 29 yards on the ground. But again, he only had six opportunities.

No, the problem was the defense. Actually, they had been decent against the rush coming into the game, ranking in the top ten in the NFL, but you wonder if that had more to do with the fact it is so easy to pass on the unit, that opponents don’t attempt to run.

Opposing teams are going to start considering not suiting up their punters, as the Browns’ defense has forced just one punt over the last two games.

We understand that there is no trade available which is going to make Cleveland a top 10 defense, but perhaps upgrading in a couple of spots will make that unit a little less sieve-like.

This team isn’t a Super Bowl contender, because they aren’t on par with the Chiefs, Steelers, or Ravens, but after 18 seasons of pretty miserable football, a playoff appearance should be the goal. And being able to get off the field defensively now and again, would make that achievement more attainable.

The bigger goal should be a Super Bowl berth, so we wouldn’t make any move involving high draft picks. We’ve seen serviceable players going for 6th and 7th round picks in the past couple of weeks, and certainly that is a reasonable price to pay to get an upgrade right now.

Someone not named Myles Garrett who can put pressure on a quarterback would be nice, as well as some help in the secondary. We understand the defense has had some devastating injuries, particularly to rookie S Grant Delpit and starting CB Greedy Williams.

And DT Andrew Billings opting out of the 2020 season didn’t help the depth of the unit.

The bye week is a perfect time to add some talent and get the players up to speed for the second half of the season, and presumably a playoff push. So, while we wouldn’t say GM Andrew Berry should go all in, he should dip his toe in the trade waters.

Why We Are Critical Of Tribe Ownership.

As an homage to Terry Pluto, we are talking to ourselves this week.

Why do you dislike the Dolan ownership of the Indians so much?

Because we believe there is a trust that when you buy a professional sports team, the agreement with the fans is that you will try to win.

We believe the fans of Cleveland understand the market size and the way baseball is structured the large media markets have an advantage, but we feel a payroll in the $100-110 million range should be sustainable.

And when you have a pair of young superstars, both in their prime years, and a very affordable young pitching staff, you should do want you can to win a world championship.

If you don’t want to make the financial commitment, then sell the team. No one is making anyone own a professional sports team.

Do you believe the Indians’ owners are losing money?

We do not believe any owner of a professional sports team is losing money. With the revenue from media contracts and merchandising, we think all owners of professional sports teams are making money, despite what they try to tell us.

If they were losing money consistently, and knew that by selling the team they could triple their initial investment, they would sell. Everyone would.

Do you think the Dolans miss the cash influx of former minority owner John Sherman?

Certainly, and don’t forget it was reported that Sherman had an option to buy the team. Do you think he would want to do that if the team was hemorrhaging cash?

We would have to believe Sherman knew the profit and loss statement of the Indians. And you know wha t he did? He bought another major league team in a smaller market. Unless Mr. Sherman is into burning money…

What about the low attendance at Progressive Field despite the success of the team?

True, it could and should be better. However, we believe it is on the front office to find out why fans don’t go to the park. In the past three years where fans were allowed in Progressive Field, attendance is at its highest level since 2011.

Remember, gone are the days the Tribe can draw more than 3 million fans. With the remodeling of the park, if the Indians sold out every game, attendance would wind up being just a little over 2.8 million fans. If Cleveland drew at the same percentage of capacity in 2019, they’d have drawn 2.1 million.

No one is obligated or forced to attend games. The front office needs to find out why fans don’t go and fix the problem. Have they? We don’t know.

What do you see for 2021 around baseball?

No doubt Major League Baseball teams lost revenue during the shortened 2020 season with no fans. Will teams be forced to make tough decisions on veteran players who are making big cash? Without a doubt.

However, we do not feel all teams will be in a cost cutting mode.

Remember one thing. The CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) end after the 2021 season. Complaining about lost revenue and reducing salaries could be a negotiating tactic. Remember, the owners have been found guilty of collusion before.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?

Yes. One thing we do not understand is the defense of the Dolan ownership and their cost cutting ways by some fans. Why do folks not want the ownership to spend as much as they can? Are they part of the accounting department for the team?

One fear they have is that a new ownership group will move the team. Why don’t the current owners extend the lease agreement with the city for Progressive Field?

Keeping the team in Cleveland is the lowest bar for an owner. Would everyone believe these people would be happy with a team that finishes last every year as long as they are still playing in Cleveland.

What about the moves this week?

Very predictable and actually, we have no problem with them. We didn’t think the Tribe would pick up the options on Brad Hand or Carlos Santana, although it wouldn’t be a shock if the latter returned at a lower salary.

If the front office was going to use the money saved here to upgrade in other areas, that would be fine, but instead fans can apparently look forward to their star shortstop being moved in a deal, and perhaps along with the longest tenured Indian, starter Carlos Carrasco.

Hard to imagine the Indians will be a contender for a playoff spot in 2021.