Things With Baker Will Work Their Way Out.

We have written about this before but it bares repeating. The Cleveland Browns improved their record to 7-3 with a win over the Eagles on Sunday, but people want to keep talking about Baker Mayfield.

For the third consecutive week, Mayfield completed just 12 passes, which seems pedestrian in today’s pass happy NFL. In fact, the former Heisman Trophy winner ranks 26th in the league in passing attempts and completions.

Heck, he’s behind Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson in both categories, and Jackson’s primary function in the Ravens offense is his running ability.

Yes, the weather has been a factor in the last three games. Severe winds caused both teams to avoid the pass in the contests versus Las Vegas and Houston, while Sunday’s game was played in a driving rain.

Kevin Stefanski understands what the strength of his football team is, and that is the running game, in particular, the running back position.

Cleveland ranks third in the NFL in running the ball, and first among teams without a quarterback who greatly adds to the running game (Baltimore with Jackson is first, Arizona with Kyler Murray is second). Why emphasize something that isn’t your strength?

The Baker-centric focus on this team is remarkable. The Browns have won seven games this season, tied for the most in any season since 2007 (2004 and 2018). Mayfield has been the starting QB in two of those seasons.

Is he a top ten signal caller in the NFL right now? No, but obviously he doesn’t have to be for the Browns to win football games.

Should the Browns pay Mayfield big money as the franchise quarterback? Right now, they don’t have to. Our guess is they will pick up the fifth year option on the former first overall pick, meaning they will have two full years with Mayfield in Stefanski’s offense before making that decision.

The more Mayfield plays, the more comfortable in the offense he should be. He hasn’t thrown an interception in the last three games, and since throwing two in back-to-back games against Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, he has thrown just one in the four games succeeding.

In Sunday’s game, he had his best non-Cincinnati game in terms of yards per attempt at 9.27, throwing for 204 yards in the wet conditions.

Is the weight of the offense entirely on his shoulders? No. But in Russell Wilson’s early career, he wasn’t the focus of the offense, LaGarrett Blount was. The same was true in Dallas, where Dak Prescott’s chief job was handing the ball to Zeke Elliott.

There is nothing wrong with that. You do what you have to do to win.

There should be no rush in determining Mayfield’s fate. Barring injury, Stefanski, GM Andrew Berry, and Paul DePodesta will have 22 games to do just that. Besides, it’s not as though that trio has much of a choice.

Is there a better option available to the Browns? With the help Cleveland needs on the defensive side of the ball, you would think early draft picks will be used on that side of the football. And to get one of the best QB prospects, you will have to use draft capital to move up.

There won’t be a top ten pick in the 2021 draft.

Browns fans, be happy with a 7-3 record. Only three teams in the NFL have a better mark at this point. As Stefanski said a couple of weeks ago, these things have a way of working themselves out.

And stop looking for Baker Mayfield to throw for 350 yards on a weekly basis. That’s not who the Browns are right now.

What Is Altman’s Plan For Cavs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Isaac Okoro, a 6’6″ wing player from Auburn, whose specialty is defense with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft Wednesday night.

We have doubts about picking a defensive player who isn’t a big man or a shot blocker this high in the draft, but let’s see how it plays out. By every report, Okoro has a great work ethic and let’s hope his improves what scouts say is his weakness, his jump shot.

It is very difficult to play offense in the NBA when you have someone on the floor, particularly a wing player, who can’t shoot. The spacing, so important now, is compromised because defenders don’t have to guard the player. They sag off and get into the passing lanes.

However, our real question is the direction of the Cavaliers, led by GM Koby Altman. What exactly is he trying to accomplish?

Certainly, part of the “culture” will be set by coach J.B. Bickerstaff too. But, let’s examine the make up of the current roster.

In two of the past three drafts, Altman has drafted smaller point guards, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, thus duplicating the position. He has also now drafted three wing players in the past two drafts: Dylan Windler, Kevin Porter Jr., and now Okoro.

He also has Cedi Osman and Larry Nance Jr., who was playing some small forward for Bickerstaff when he took over a year ago, on the roster.

If he is trying to build a modern team, one that depends on the three point shot, the problem is none of these guys, excluding Windler, who we haven’t seen yet, but has the reputation of being a good shooter, are exceptional long range shooters.

The league average last season was 35.8% and the wine and gold was 20th at 35.1%. The Cavs’ best players from beyond the arc were Osman (38.3%) and Sexton at 38%. The top 20 in the NBA last season all shot over 40%.

And Okoro’s weakness is said to be his shooting.

Altman certainly isn’t building around size either. With the loss of Tristan Thompson via free agency to Boston, Cleveland has Andre Drummond (6’10”) and Kevin Love (6’8″) as the starters at center and power forward, and Nance as the back up.

Who else? Jordan Bell, who they signed as a free agent? Bell has shown he can rebound, but he’s just 6’8″. Dean Wade is 6’9″, but projects more as a stretch four.

This franchise has seemed to ignore height for years, and we just don’t understand it. Yes, the game has changed to a perimeter one (because of the ridiculous rules against playing defense), but the champion Lakers had big men (Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, and of course, LeBron James), and Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat has Bam Adebayo, Meyers Leonard, and Kelly Olynyk.

You still need big men in the NBA.

What is the direction of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their roster is still terribly top heavy at the point guard and wing spots. They were one of the smallest teams in the NBA a year ago, and have actually lost an inside player in the off-season.

That direction needs to come from the GM and the head coach. Drafting defensive players like Okoro doesn’t give you a “direction” because if the other four players on the floor don’t have the same mindset, it’s not going to work.

Defense is only as good as the weakest defender because good team will find that guy and exploit him.

Right now, the Okoro pick looks like let’s throw another wing out there. Meanwhile, drafting a big man would have replaced Thompson, who was a rotational player who left.

Could it all work out? Of course it could, but now is the time for Altman to come up with an organizational philosophy beyond collecting talent. It takes more than that to win in the NBA.

Focus On Mayfield? He’s Not The Most Important Offensive Player

Whatever the Cleveland Browns do, the talk seems to come back to the quarterback. In the past two weeks, the Browns have played in brutal field possessions, and split the two games at First Energy Stadium, yet people just want to talk about Baker Mayfield.

Right now, Mayfield is doing what the coaching staff is asking him to do, which is take care of the football, and complete some passes here and there. We understand that the sexy thing is having the QB throw for 350 yards and four touchdowns every week, but that’s not the formula for winning in Cleveland.

At least, right now.

In the last two games, Mayfield has completed 24 of 45 passes for 254 yards, statistics that are for one game for most NFL quarterbacks. However, since the Pittsburgh game where the Browns were dominated, the former Heisman Trophy winner has thrown just one interception.

While fans are focused on the play of Mayfield, we believe there is a notable person who is not. And that is Kevin Stefanski.

It’s because as they stand right now, Mayfield may rank third, fourth or even lower in terms of most important offensive players on this Browns’ team.

Stefanski has the Browns being first and foremost a running football team. They rank 4th in the league in rushing yards, behind three teams that all have dual threat quarterbacks (Arizona, Baltimore, and New England).

Thus, you can make the argument that no team relies more on their running backs than the Browns, and with good reason.

Kareem Hunt is 6th in the NFL in rushing yards (633) and his teammate, Nick Chubb is 20th at 461. Chubb is third in rushing yards per game, while Hunt is 12th.

They are the only pair of running backs from the same team to rank in the top 20 in rushing yards.

The offensive line appeared to be strengthened with the drafting of Jedrick Wills and the signing of Jack Conklin at the tackles, but the guy who has emerged as the most important member of the group is Wyatt Teller, who right now may be the best lineman in the league.

When Teller plays, the Browns have run for almost 200 yards per contest (195.5). In the three games he missed? Try 86 yards on the ground.

To be fair, Chubb missed all three games that Teller didn’t play, but it was no coincidence that when both returned last Sunday, Cleveland ran for 231 yards.

We are sure there will be another game on the schedule this season where the Browns will need Mayfield to play at a very high level, much like he did in the Cincinnati game in week seven. But we are also sure, that won’t be the design of the game plan going in.

For right now, this season, the Browns are a ground and pound team. Eventually, the coaching staff should and we believe, will put more on the quarterback’s shoulders.

Even in last Sunday’s game, when Mayfield needed a big throw on a 3rd and 18 situation in the second half, he delivered a 22 yard pass to Rashard Higgins for a drive continuing first down. Cleveland scored its only touchdown on that drive.

Stefanski’s team sits at 6-3, and it’s not because of or in spite of their quarterback. Right now, Baker Mayfield is just one cog in the machine.

And that’s alright.

Is A Revamped Cavs’ Roster On The Horizon?

It will be interesting to see what the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster will look like when training camp opens December 1st.

First, the trading period opened up yesterday, and with the draft coming up tomorrow, will the Cavs be involved in any of the transactions which take place.

Also, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova, heroes of the title team in 2016 are eligible for free agency, and we would place better odds on Delly returning to the organization than Thompson, who would seem to attract a lot of attention from contending teams.

Then, you have the fates of big man Andre Drummond, who will pick up his player option for 2020-21, but it is doubtful he will be looking to sign long term with Cleveland, and Kevin Love, who has a huge contract, but has seemingly been on the market since his first season with the team in 2014-15.

Another player who has been involved in the trade speculation is Larry Nance Jr., which we think makes sense because Nance is a real good player, and will turn 28 years old on New Years Day. Nance’s game is perfect for a playoff contender because he does everything well, and he’s coming off a career high in scoring (10.1), adding a three point shot to his repertoire.

It would seem to us that he is also the kind of player GM Koby Altman and coach JB Bickerstaff would want around to help a very young basketball team.

Cleveland was said to be interested in some free agents as well, players like Memphis’ Josh Jackson, who is 24 years old, and can play either wing spot at 6’8″, and Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr., also 24 years old, and is more of a small forward, and averaged a career high 8.5 points per game last season.

You would have to think since Jones played for Erik Spoelstra in south Florida that he has some idea about defense, which should appeal to the Cavs.

We know we are a broken record (dated reference, we know), but if Thompson leaves, and with Ante Zizic already going back to Europe, the Cavaliers need big people. We wouldn’t mind taking a shot at Nerlens Noel, another free agent who averaged 7.4 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocked shots with the Thunder last season.

Finally, Altman needs to sort out his backcourt, which is cluttered with the drafting of two smallish guards in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland in the top ten the past two seasons. Add in last year’s 30th overall pick in Kevin Porter and another top five overall pick in Dante Exum, and it will be a struggle to get them all decent playing time.

Will one or more of them be moved before camp starts?

Altman is in a tough spot. The Cavs have won less than 20 games in each of the last two seasons, albeit one of them in a 65 game season, and they need to start showing improvement in the win total area.

Trading for more potential lottery picks doesn’t seem like a good idea, getting young players with experience would seem to be a better option.

The biggest thing, though, is finding players who fit together, who complement each other’s game, and can contribute on both ends of the floor. And that’s where Bickerstaff’s influence should come in. It’s his deal, and he should have players he feels comfortable with.

What will the roster look like at the end of the month? Our first clues should reveal themselves this week.

Tribe Infield Likely To Be Way Different in ’21

The Cleveland Indians had an everyday infield in 2020. Each game, either Terry Francona or Sandy Alomar Jr. wrote down the names of four switch-hitters to play the infield, most days batting them in the first four spots of the order: Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Cesar Hernandez, and Carlos Santana.

In 2021, it appears only Ramirez will remain in the Cleveland lineup, another example of how different next year’s Tribe lineup will look different.

Obviously, the impending and likely deal of star shortstop Lindor will hopefully bring back a player or two who could fill at least one of these spots, but right now, here is who Tribe fans should be getting better acquainted with next spring.

First Base: The likely candidates, barring trades, would be Josh Naylor, Jake Bauers, and Bobby Bradley, all left-handed hitters, although we could see Santana brought back at a lower salary.

Right now, Naylor (who will be 24 next year) would be the front runner even though he had a 621 OPS between the Indians and the Padres in 2020. He did have a 719 OPS in 253 at bats with San Diego in ’19, and he makes more contact than the other two. His projected numbers in ’21 (according to Baseball-Reference.com) is 252 at bats, 8 HR, 31 RBI, .254 average, 730 OPS.

Bauers (25) spent all of the ’20 season at the satellite camp, and was a big disappointment in ’19 after coming over from Tampa Bay, hitting .226 with a 683 OPS. In the second half, he batted just .170. His projected numbers?: 210 at bats, .229, 727 OPS, 8 HR, 28 ribbies.

Bradley (also 25) also didn’t see a big league at bat in 2020, and his problem has been contact, striking out 153 times at AAA in ’19, and 20 times in 49 plate appearances with the Indians. The organization seems to have soured on him after that big league stint. His projection?: 182 at bats, .236, 735 OPS, 7 HR, 24 RBI.

Second base: Gold Glove winner Hernandez is likely gone, and the primary replacements would seem to be Yu Chang or Owen Miller, who came over in the Mike Clevinger deal in August.

Chang (25 next year) feels like he has been around forever, and has some pop, but has had contact issues, his strikeouts are more than double his walk totals in his minor league career, and he has just a .251 batting average in the minor leagues. He’s also a candidate at shortstop, depending on the return for Lindor. His projection for 2021 is 189 at bats, .233 average, 702 OPS, 6 HR, 24 RBI.

Miller’s (24) numbers in the minors are impressive. He’s a career .307 batter (808 OPS) and has never struck out more than 86 times in a season. The only issue here is he’s never played above the AA level.

He’s been mostly a SS in his professional career, but has spent time at 2B too. He doesn’t have a big league projection for 2021, but he’s definitely a player to keep an eye on when spring training starts.

Shortstop: Chang and Miller figure into the mix here as well, along with two younger dark horse candidates, and presumably whoever the Indians get back in a Lindor deal.

The two younger players are Gabriel Arias (21 next year) who came over in the Clevinger deal. He hit .302 in Class A in 2019, but hasn’t played at a higher level as of yet. He’s a right-handed hitter, but has had contact issues thus far in his minor league career.

The other is top prospect Tyler Freeman, who will turn 22 in ’21. He also hasn’t played above the high A level, and is a .319 lifetime hitter in professional ball (.379 OBP). He’s been a doubles machine in the minors.

It’s hard to imagine the Tribe going with either of the latter two, as we are sure they would like to see both at a higher level of the minors.

Again, we believe the return for Lindor will have an impact on the infield, because his immediate replacement may be part of the return in the trade. And the front office will be looking for less expensive free agents as a one year stop gap as well.

Fans thought the outfield was unsettled in 2020. They may be looking at 2/3rds of a lineup being that way this upcoming season.

Draft Toppin? That’s Fine With Us.

One week from today, the NBA will hold its draft, about four months later than normal. As we know, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the fifth overall pick.

In the last two drafts, GM Koby Altman has taken two 19-year-old guards with his first overall pick, and last season had two other first round picks, taking a four year college player and another teenager.

Predictably, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr. have gone through a lot of growing pains since they joined the league, and as a result, the Cavs’ record has reflected that, with 19 wins (in 82 games in 2018-19 and 65 games in 2019-20) each year, among the worst in the league.

Since both Sexton and Garland were so young, Altman was banking on potential, and that’s not totally a bad thing.

This year though, it may be the time to step back from that theory. One national writer suggested the wine and gold try to hit a double in this draft instead of going for a home run, and that’s a sentiment we agree with.

That’s why we wouldn’t mind getting Obi Toppin from Dayton, which many mock drafts have the Cavaliers taking.

Saying Toppin is a “double” isn’t an insult, because after all, he was the college player of the year last season. But in recent years, the NBA draft has become an exercise in trying to project the play of young men basically a year out of high school.

Toppin is not that. He’s 22 years old.

To us, being able to put the ball in the basket is the great equalizer in hoops, and Toppin can do that, averaging 20 points a game at Dayton, shooting 68.8% from inside the three point line, and shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc.

If you can score, a lot of bad things can happen during a possession, but if you get the ball to the scorer and he puts the ball through the hoop, the result is the same as if you executed perfectly.

The scouting report on Toppin says he has good shooting fundamentals, a high release point, and can be effective in the pick and roll as well as a spot up shooter. All of those things are in the plus column.

He also has a good basketball IQ and is not a selfish player. Again, those are great traits to have on the court.

The supposed weakness for the 6’9″, 220 pound forward is defense. We don’t think this is a big deal, and here’s why.

First, the late, great John Wooden once said the same skills that make a player good offensively translate to the defensive end. And he has demonstrated that he is a good offensive player.

Second, in the NBA, there is a difference between someone who competes on the defensive end, and a player who doesn’t care or want to play on that end of the court. If Toppin has the desire to play defense, even if he isn’t quick laterally, he can do an acceptable job defensively.

Smart coaching staffs know how to hide players who don’t have the tools to be lockdown defenders, but show the “want to” when the other team has the ball.

We know the tendency is recent years for NBA teams is to take athleticism and hope they develop into basketball players. To us, Toppin is already a basketball player.

The “let’s keep tanking” people will disagree, but it’s time for the Cavaliers to start showing some progress in the win/loss column. We think drafting Obi Toppin can aid in the start of that progress.

Browns Defense Puts A Lot Pressure On Baker

It feels like when people talk about the Cleveland Browns, both locally and nationally, the discussion seems to be about Baker Mayfield.

Either his performance each week is heavily scrutinized, and we get that, he is the starting quarterback of an NFL team, or his long term future is analyzed. Is he or is he not a “franchise quarterback”?

We thought Kevin Stefanski said it best last week on a radio show, saying these things have a way of working themselves out. For example, if the Browns wind up at 10-6 this year and Mayfield plays well in a playoff game, he will be deemed the future signal caller for the Cleveland Browns.

If the team falters in the second half, the questions will remain and will continue throughout the 2021 schedule.

However, the front office hasn’t given the QB much margin for error. We arrived at this notion with discussions of the next two opponents coming up for Cleveland, being Houston and Philadelphia, and the idea both of these games could be shootouts.

Currently, the Browns are 5-0 when they score 30 or more points in a game. What is troubling is that if they scored exactly 30 in every game, their record would be 2-5-1. And you couldn’t blame the offense, but there would be people blaming the losing record on the quarterback.

So the pressure is very much on the offense and Mayfield in particular to keep the production that high if Cleveland is to finish with a winning record and a possible post-season appearance.

First up is Houston, a team with a very good QB in Deshaun Watson, and averaging 24 points per game. A closer look shows over the past four weeks, the Texans have put 113 points on the scoreboard (28.25/game) and scored 30 or more twice in that span.

So, what happens if Mayfield and the offense isn’t electric and only puts say, 27 points on the board and Cleveland loses 30-27? Yes, the defense will get a share of the blame, and rightly so, but the loss goes on Mayfield’s ledger.

This isn’t to excuse the former Heisman Trophy winner’s performance in the two lopsided losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh. In those losses, he completed 31 of 57 passes (just 54.3%) with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He needs to be better in games against the best teams in the division and conference.

But with the defense being what it is for the Browns, the pressure is clearly on the offensive coaching staff and the QB to continue to be prolific if the brown and orange want to keep playing once the 16 game schedule has been completed.

We know the Jaguars, Jets, and Giants are remaining, and Cleveland should be over a touchdown favorites in those contests, but the Texans and Eagles are a different matter. Both those teams are capable of putting up points.

And, of course, there are games vs. Tennessee (imagine Derrick Henry salivating at running the ball vs. Cleveland) and the rematches against the Ravens and Steelers. Right now, we would say if the Browns can’t put up at least 28 points in those games, they won’t be competitive.

Based on this, we would say if Mayfield can get the Browns to the playoffs, he should be considered a franchise quarterback. With the defense being what it is, he’s going to have to be very good game in and game out to get them to 9 or 10 wins.

As Stefanski said, that’s how it will work itself out.

All Prospects Don’t Work Out In MLB.

The news has been expected for months, but it was still difficult to hear. On Thursday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Indians plan to trade star shortstop Francisco Lindor, a free agent following the 2021 season, before Opening Day of that campaign.

This got all fans of the Indians starting to speculate what such a deal would mean. We believe it’s the end of the contention window for this current group of Tribesmen, unless the return for Lindor borders on the incredible.

We think the return will be a player who can/will be in the starting lineup for Cleveland next year, although that player won’t be as good as the one being traded, and a high ranked prospect, albeit likely not the #1 prospect in the system of the team trading for the shortstop.

There are also folks who are optimistic about the Tribe’s chances in ’21, because they believe all minor league players turn out to be studs.

We decided to do a little research. In 2005, the Dodgers were judged to have baseball best farm system, so we looked at their top ten prospects.

The #1 guy was SS Joel Guzman, who played all of 24 games in the major leagues. Second was Defiance, Ohio’s own Chad Billingsley, who had several good seasons for LA, but arm problems had him out of the big leagues by 2016. He made one all star game appearance.

Three through ten were relief pitcher Jonathon Broxton, starter Edwin Jackson, 1B James Loney, pitcher Chuck Tiffany, pitcher Yhency Brazoban, INF Delwyn Young, and catchers Dioner Navarro and Russell Martin. Martin’s four all star game appearances are the best of this group.

So, out of these 10 players in the best system in the sport, how many became great players? We’d say none, although Billingsley, Jackson, Broxton, Loney, Navarro, and Martin played for a long time.

Perhaps the best player in the LA system was their 19th ranked prospect, Matt Kemp.

In 2010, the Texas Rangers were deemed to have the best farm system in baseball. Of their top 10 prospects, we find RP Neftali Feliz, 1B Justin Smoak, SP Martin Perez, 1B Mitch Moreland, and RP Robbie Ross. We don’t think you can find any Hall of Fame type players in this group.

Five years later, the Twins top the prospect rankings and of their top ten, several have made a big impact for a team that has been very good in 2019 and 2020. Names like Byron Buxton (#1), Miguel Sano (#2), Jose Berrios (#3), Jorge Polanco (#8), and Eddie Rosario (#10) have been the foundation for the Minnesota resurgence in the past two seasons.

What about the Tribe? In 2010, their top prospect was Carlos Santana, followed by Lonnie Chisenhall, Nick Hagadone, Alex White, Hector Rondon, Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Nick Weglarz, Jason Knapp, and T.J. House, which actually has been a productive group.

In ’15, Lindor was the top prospect, followed by Bradley Zimmer, Clint Frazier, Francisco Mejia, Bobby Bradley, Justus Sheffield, Gio Urshela, Tyler Naquin, Mitch Brown, and James Ramsey.

Out of those 20 names, how many became starting caliber players in the bigs? We’d say seven, and that is including Carrasco, who is a top of the rotation starter, for sure. If Frazier gets regular playing time, he could make it eight.

The point is not all of these players who make these “top prospect” lists all become stars. The late, great Pete Franklin used to say that until proven otherwise, all prospects should be considered suspects.

This isn’t to say you should never play young players. However, it’s tough to field a team full of rookies and expect success.

It also demonstrates why trading star players for prospects in a contending window isn’t usually a good idea. It also shows when you have a great player, you should probably do what you can to keep them.

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.