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.

Having Taylor Means Browns Can Take It Slow With Baker.

By nature, Cleveland sports fans are a nervous lot.

Do the Indians have enough pitching, particularly in the bullpen. Will LeBron James leave the Cavaliers in the off-season?

For Browns’ fans, the worry is always the quarterback position. That comes from not having a franchise QB since Bernie Kosar was given his release by Bill Belichick in 1993.

When the Browns draft a rookie at the position, the front office and the fans invariably want to get him on the field, sometimes at the detriment to the player.

Tim Couch was supposed to be the foundation for the Browns when they returned to the NFL in 1999. He came into the first game he suited up for, and started the second game. Behind a makeshift offensive line, it was an expansion team after all, Couch took a beating and lasted just five seasons.

He did guide the Browns to a playoff spot in 2002, however.

Last season, DeShone Kizer was thrown into the fray before he was ready, and the result was an 0-16 season that everyone would like to forget.

So, now the attention falls upon first overall pick Baker Mayfield, and already some fans and media alike are wondering when he will start for the Browns.

Here are the arguments they use, and our response:

The Carson Wentz/Deshaun Watson Factor: Both of those QBs were picked in the first round and started right away, and if they could, why can’t Mayfield?

In Wentz’ case, the Eagles traded away Sam Bradford for a first round pick, and the alternative was Chase Daniel, who had (and still has) started just two NFL regular season games, and had thrown 77 passes total.

And for Houston, it took just one half of football for Bill O’Brien to decide Tom Savage shouldn’t be his starting passer, a job given to him with two NFL starts.

Even Russell Wilson beat out Matt Flynn, signed to a big contract as a free agent after, you guessed it, two NFL starts.

By contrast, the QB the Browns plan to open the season with, Tyrod Taylor, has started 42 NFL games, has a winning record in those starts, and guided the Buffalo Bills to a playoff spot last season.

This isn’t to say Taylor is an All Pro. But he is a professional quarterback with a proven track record. And for a team that has won one game in the past two seasons, that’s very appealing.

His Age. Mayfield is 23 years old, hardly an advanced age. Aaron Rodgers was 25 years old when he started his first NFL game. Brett Favre was also 23. Russell Wilson was 24 years old.

The point is this–if Mayfield sits this season, he could still wind up as the Browns’ starting QB for 12-15 years, based on how long players like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Favre have started.

The Bust Factor. If Mayfield doesn’t start right away, clearly he is a bust. Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs picked Patrick Mahomes in the first round and he started one game, the last game of the year after KC clinched a playoff spot.

Is anyone saying he’s a bust?

Look, if the best veteran QB the Browns had was Brian Hoyer or Brock Osweiler, we could understand being upset if Mayfield couldn’t beat them out.

That’s not the case here.

If Mayfield overwhelms Todd Haley and wins the job by being better than Taylor, then so be it. Otherwise, why not let the future franchise quarterback, learn how to be a professional by observing both Taylor and Drew Stanton, two guys who are pros.

Relax, Browns’ fans. There’s no rush here.

If the Browns are 4-8 with four games left, then they can let Mayfield get a chance to show what he has learned.

But, here’s a novel approach. Why not try to win some football games? It doesn’t mean you are stunting Mayfield’s growth, nor does it mean the Browns blew the first overall pick.

Note To Hue Jackson: Run The Football, Protect Your Young QB

The Cleveland Browns are searching for a quarterback. We believe everyone would agree with that statement.

As we are so often reminded, in the past two NFL Drafts, the Browns passed on picking what a lot of experts felt were blue chip prospects.

In 2016, Cleveland could’ve picked Carson Wentz, but traded out of the pick, obtaining a lot more draft choices.

This past April, the Browns were in position to take Deshaun Watson from the national champion Clemson Tigers, but again traded out of the slot, and in the second round took DeShone Kizer.

However, in watching last Sunday’s game against the team that drafted Watson, the Houston Texans, a few things stood out.

The first and most glaring was how Texans’ coach Bill O’Brien has taken care of his rookie, in sharp contrast to how Hue Jackson has handled Kizer.

Watson made very few throws outside the numbers. O’Brien gives him a lot of easy throws, short passes over the middle, with an occasional deep ball, like the 39 yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller.

He has completed 61.5% of his passes, and he does have a security blanket in WR DeAndre Hopkins, who has caught 37 passes on the season, for an average of 10.3 yards per reception.

Kizer doesn’t have a wideout like Hopkins, the Browns’ leading receiver is RB Duke Johnson with 26 catches. The wide receiver position is like a revolving door, with Ricardo Louis having the most catches with 18.

The biggest benefit for Watson is the Texans’ running game, which ranks second in the NFL in both number of attempts and yards gained.

Cleveland ranks 18th in attempts and 17th in yards. But do you know what the difference in yards per carry is between the two teams? Houston averages 4.4 per rush, and the Browns are at 4.2.

That’s right, 0.2 yards per carry.

Yet, the Texans have run the ball 49 more times on the season than Cleveland.

It’s not much different for Wentz’ Eagles, who sit atop the NFC East at 5-1. Philly ranks 5th in the league in rushing yards, and 4th in attempts. Average yards per carry? The same 4.4 figure the Texans own.

The top ten in rushing is pretty much a list of surprise teams or teams with young quarterbacks.

Jacksonville (3-3) with a mediocre to this point in his career, Blake Bortles, is first. Houston (3-3) with a rookie in Watson is second.

Another rookie guided squad, the Bears (2-4), led by Mentor’s Mitch Trubisky, is third.

Others in the top ten are the Eagles (5th), the Vikings (4-2) despite an injury to Sam Bradford is 7th, the surprising Rams (4-2) with second year QB Jared Goff are 8th, and the Jets (3-3) with aging veteran Josh McCown, yes, that Josh McCown, round out the top ten.

Unfortunately, the Browns seem to go into each game intending to run the ball, but as soon as they fall behind by ten or more points, even if it is still in the first half, they go away from it.

Cleveland should be able to run. They have two backs, who at least can be considered solid in Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson.

They invested money in two free agent offensive linemen this off season and still have the incomparable Joe Thomas and Joel Bitonio.

And as previously stated, it’s not like they average 3.5 yards per carry.

Do the people who bring up Wentz and Watson think those passers would have the same success running the offense the Browns are currently running?

It’s time for Jackson to adjust his offense to the talent he currently has, including DeShone Kizer. That would be the best thing for his development.

Failure To Run Not Doing Kizer Any Favors.

With the Cleveland Browns struggling once again this season, and rookie QB DeShone Kizer playing like, well, a rookie, another tradition has surfaced among fans and media alike.

That would be bringing up all of the quarterbacks the franchise has passed on in recent history.

However, no one is taking into account the circumstances that Kizer is dealing with to date.

When Kizer was named the starter in the pre-season, we (and just about everyone else) assumed Hue Jackson would protect the youngster, emphasizing the running game and the defense.

Only four teams right now have averaged less rushing attempts per game this season, and outside of Green Bay (3-1), the other three teams have combined for one win (by Miami) on the season.

Now, there are those who say because those teams are losing, they have to throw the football, but the teams who have accumulated the most rushing yards on the season right now are Jacksonville (a surprising 2-2), Denver (3-1), Philadelphia (3-1), Houston (2-2), and Tennessee (2-2).

What do all of those teams have in common? They all are playing relatively young quarterbacks, including two that the Browns passed up on, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson.

It’s almost as if a good recipe to win with a young quarterback is to run the football.

Would you be surprised if we told you Cleveland averages more yards per carry as a team than the Steelers, Bengals, or Packers? Well, they do, which makes it more curious as to why Jackson seems to give up on the run so easily.

Even Mike Pettine knew not to give up on the run.

Remember Pettine’s first game as head coach? The Browns trailed the Pittsburgh 27-3 at halftime, but instead of throwing the football all over Heinz Field, he stuck with the run, using 13 running plays in a third quarter where his team cut the lead to 27-17.

It can be done.

The lack of commitment to the running game is also hurting the defense. The Browns had the ball for 31 minutes in the opening day three point loss to Pittsburgh.

That number dropped to 26 minutes in the week two and three losses to Baltimore and Indianapolis, and reached a season low 24 minutes in Sunday’s defeat by the Bengals.

It’s not like the passing game is working either. Cleveland’s average yards per pass attempt of 5.0 ranks 29th in the NFL. And, of course, the nine interceptions thrown by Browns’ passers is three more than any other team in the league.

Jackson’s team has thrown the third most passes in the NFL, behind just Arizona and the New York Giants and tied with Green Bay. Those three teams all have veteran signal callers, two of them winning Super Bowls.

If Jackson wants to keep playing Kizer, and he should because once he was named the starter there was no turning back, he needs to protect him.

Commit to running the football even if you fall behind by two touchdowns early. Why not line up in two or three tight end sets, utilizing TEs Seth DeValve and David Njoku in the passing game?

And running the ball would control the clock, keep your defense fresh, and shorten football games. That’s what teams that lack talent should do.

It’s time for the Browns to take care of their rookie quarterback. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff is interested to doing just that.

Browns Media Continuing QB Envy

Yesterday, Cleveland Browns’ executive Sashi Brown returned to his lawyer roots and basically sidestepped any question thrown at him by the media.

As usual, what did they expect him to do? Did they really think Brown was going to tell them exactly what the Browns were going to do in free agency and in the draft?

Brown even said the team would be interested in listening to offers for the first overall pick, and of course, he should listen. What if Indianapolis offered QB Andrew Luck for the choice? You would have to take it.

Now, that’s not likely, so the probability is Cleveland will keep the first overall pick, and should take Texas A & M pass rusher Myles Garrett.

To be sure, this will offend the wacky members of the media here who are obsessed with the quarterback position. We have often said these people’s jobs don’t depend on making good choices in the draft, so they are always in favor of picking a QB.

In our opinion, one of the top three quarterbacks available this year (Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, or Deshone Kizer) will be there at #12, when the Browns have their second pick in the first round.

So, you can still get a first round passer and also get the guy most scouts/draft experts think is the best player in the draft.

Does anyone else think it’s funny that the people who believe you have to use a first round pick on a QB are also enamored with potential free agent Kirk Cousins? Cousins was a fourth round pick. How did he overcome that status to become a productive starting quarterback in the NFL?

We also don’t believe for a minute that Jimmy Garoppolo is off the market. Our guess is no one is offering the first round pick the Patriots thought they could get for Tom Brady’s back up, so they are trying to drive up the price.

Remember the Patriots traded Jamie Collins to the Browns because they didn’t want to pay him big money. If Brady wants to play three or four more years, they aren’t going to pay huge cash on his back up.

That means New England is motivated to move the former Eastern Illinois product, which puts another QB on the market.

Add to that mix, Tyrod Taylor and possibly Colin Kaepernick, although we don’t know how much interest there will be in him because of his recent performance, and now you have five quarterbacks who are out there for teams in need.

Most draft gurus say besides the Browns, the following teams drafting before Cleveland need QBs: San Francisco, Chicago, New York Jets, and Buffalo.

We don’t believe that all four will choose quarterbacks, because at least a couple of teams will feel the same as the Browns and determine none of the college guys are worth a top five or top ten pick, and will either trade down or wait until round two.

So, in our opinion, there is no need to trade up or take a QB with the first overall pick. Someone will be there at #12, hopefully Watson or Trubisky.

As for the Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta? They aren’t going to say anything worthwhile.

Browns Need To Address QB…Now!

If you have read this site in the past few months, you know that we are not in the group who believe the Cleveland Browns need to take a quarterback with the first overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.

We will stand by our opinion that Texas A & M pass rusher Myles Garrett should be the pick at #1.

However, that doesn’t mean the Browns should not address the quarterback position before the 2017 season starts, either.

We have had the opinion in the past that the Cleveland Browns are like the sign in a bar, “free drinks tomorrow”. The front office has told you in the past that they will be good next year.

However, he have heard some in the media saying the Browns should go defensive in this draft and put off looking for a passer in the 2018 draft.

No, no, no, no, no, NO!!!!

Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta will never, repeat never, have more draft capital than they have right now. They have five choices in the first 65 picks in April. One of them should be used to draft a QB, or at least used in a trade to get the signal caller this franchise can build around.

Perhaps it would be dealing the first pick in the second round to New England to get Jimmy Garoppolo. We realize some in the media would give up the first overall pick to get Tom Brady’s back up, but we believe #33 and perhaps a pick in the first three rounds of the ’18 draft would be enough to get the former second round pick.

Or, the Browns could use the #12 overall choice to draft Mitch Trubisky or Deshaun Watson from the college ranks, and start to develop the selection as the guy to build the franchise around.

In that case, you start the regular season with Cody Kessler as the starter and bring along the rookie to be able to hit the field in the second half of the regular season, or perhaps the beginning of the ’18 campaign.

Those would be our preferences.

Why not a guy like Tyrod Taylor or Jay Cutler? It’s simply a factor of the known vs. the unknown.

Garroppolo, Trubisky, or Watson may turn out to be busts, but they also could wind up being top ten QB’s in the NFL.

The reason people have made for Taylor and/or Cutler is that they are better than the current Browns’ quarterbacks. That’s not setting the bar very high, and if you have five picks in the top 65 selections in the draft, you have to have the mindset that you are going to find the right guy.

Taylor is 27 years old, and is a great athlete. But is he a difference maker at QB?

He’s started 28 NFL games and has had one 300 yard passing game.

His average yards per attempt ranked 22nd in the league in 2016, although he was 11th in 2015. His reputation is that he makes a lot of safe throws and doesn’t turn the ball over. Thus, the dreaded “game manager” label.

The point on Taylor and/or Cutler is if you ranked all of the NFL quarterbacks, they would probably both rank in the bottom ten in the league.

If you are going to take a shot on getting the QB, you have to aim higher than someone who will be in the bottom third of the NFL.

It may not work out, but you have to take the shot.

And you have to take the chance now. No more postponing the decision for another year. It’s time to get the guy who can lead the Cleveland Browns in the future. They have the picks to get it done now.

Our Annual Plea…Take Best Player With First Overall Pick.

Many people call the period between the college all-star games and the actual NFL draft the silly season because of all the rumors and draft speculation that is posted and talked about.

In Cleveland, the silly season usually manifests itself in many media members talking about getting a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And if you think the Browns should not take a QB with their first pick, which this year happens to be the first overall choice, then you are supposedly kidding yourself because the Browns will never win unless they get the franchise signal caller.

So, we would like to debunk a few myths.

First, we would not pick a QB with the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but there is no question the Browns need a quarterback. Our premise is the same as it has always been, if you have the first pick, you should take the consensus best player, which by all accounts is Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett.

By the way, Cleveland has needed a pass rusher for virtually 50 years. So, you can’t go wrong there.

Second, while it is true that outside of Houston, all the teams that made the playoffs had very good passers, having a good QB doesn’t get you into the playoffs.

New Orleans has Drew Brees, did they get in? What about the Giants, who have Eli Manning? The Chargers have Philip Rivers, surely they got in, right?

The answer in every case is no.

Again, we aren’t saying having a very good quarterback isn’t important, we are simply saying that you need to build around the guy too. So, you need to have other good players besides a QB to win in the NFL.

The most ridiculous argument we hear is that if the Browns really like a certain player, then they should just draft him first overall. They forget that the draft is like a game. You judge where a player may be available, and take him as close as you can to that pick.

We are sure that the Patriots liked something about Tom Brady, otherwise they wouldn’t have selected him at all, but they didn’t take him with their first round pick.

Besides, the Browns have a ton of draft picks to move up if they get nervous about the player they want being chosen.

For example, we happen to like Deshaun Watson from the national champion Clemson Tigers as a QB. No one has him being the first overall pick, so it would be a mistake to take him there.

All you are doing is pushing good players down to the better teams.

Maybe Sashi Brown and Hue Jackson can take him at #12, we would be alright with that. But if they see or hear a team at #9 or #10 is interested, they have the picks to move up to #7 or #8 to select him.

And they would still have the consensus best player coming into the NFL this spring.

Perhaps their intel says Watson would be taken at around #25. Then, they could take the best player on their board at #12, and then move up from the first pick in the second round to grab Watson at let’s say, #23.

You just don’t go crazy and pick the 25th best player in the draft with the first overall pick because you need a quarterback. That’s a recipe for staying mediocre.

How many teams move up to a spot early in the draft to get a top notch quarterback anyway?

We know that Brady with a sixth round choice. The Steelers got Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th overall pick, they didn’t trade up.

Matt Ryan was the third overall pick, but Atlanta didn’t trade up for him. And the fourth team in the conference championships, Green Bay, got Aaron Rodgers because he famously fell to them in the draft.

The Redskins gave up a king’s ransom to get Robert Griffin III in 2012. How did that work out for them? The Rams and Eagles moved up to get Jared Goff and Carson Wentz last year.

The jury is still out.

The Vikings (Christian Ponder), the Jaguars (Blaine Gabbert) and the Bills (E. J. Manuel) all reached for quarterbacks in recent years, trying to get “the guy”. How has that worked out?

We have every expectation that the Browns’ front office will upgrade the quarterback position by the end of the NFL draft, whether by taking a guy they really like, or trading for a young, up and coming player, like Jimmy Garoppolo.

They don’t need to use the first overall pick to do it. In fact, in this year’s draft, it would be the dumbest thing they could do.

Browns Not Tanking, Just Using Common Sense

Last week, we started hearing it, the dreaded “T” word.

Tanking. Mostly, you hear about it in the NBA, when the prize for getting the first pick in the draft is a player like LeBron James or someone like that.

In basketball, having a superstar is a huge advantage because there are only five players on the court.

Both the local and national media alike are claiming that the Cleveland Browns are tanking, trying to lose purposefully to gain the first overall pick in next spring’s draft.

Our question is if the Browns are tanking this year, what have they been doing for most of the last 16 seasons since they returned to the NFL?

Face it, the Browns aren’t tanking.

What they have been doing to getting rid of veteran players who have no upside and played for a team that went 3-13 a year ago. And that just seems like common sense.

Have we fallen asleep and not realized Cleveland unloaded Tom Brady, J.J. Watt, and Jim Brown in the off-season?

No. They pared the roster of a lot of players over 30 years old who were on the downside of their careers, or rid themselves of players who didn’t produce much in the time they were here.

You could make a better case that Ray Farmer was tanking when he let Jabaal Sheard and T.J. Ward flee the team in free agency.

We have said it time and again, the only thing worse than being a bad team is being a bad, old team. Why not start playing a bunch of younger players, who may get better with experience, and see where the chips fall?

If you are tanking, the coaching staff tends to not play the best players. We don’t see any indication of that, unless you are a member of the media, and you still have a love affair with Josh McCown.

The Browns have tried a lot of different ways to improve their fortunes, but they haven’t tried going with a bunch of young players and let them develop, so why not give that a shot?

What’s the worst that can happen? In three years, they are still putting together 5-11 seasons? If that’s happening, then once again, Jimmy Haslam will be looking for a new coach and a new general manager.

The coaching staff and the players will want to win, and hopefully the young players will improve as the season progresses, and finally the Browns will have a foundation on which to build something.

If they were tanking, then Jackson would announce that Cody Kessler is the starting quarterback and they would have traded players like Joe Haden, and maybe even Joe Thomas.

Now, once the season starts and you are let’s say 2-10, you may not go out of your way to play veterans, so you can get an extensive look at more young players, the ones who haven’t been in there all year.

On the other hand, with all of the young players on the field, you hope to see improvement as the season goes on, and hopefully the Browns can be in a position to win those late season games.

The tanking issue is ridiculous. This was a bad football team a year ago, and they weren’t tanking then.

The Browns are trying to build something that will grow over the next few years, and doing it with young players is the way to do it.

When you really think about it, it’s just common sense.