The Winds Of Change Should Blow Through Berea This Week

Today, the Cleveland Browns close out another losing season against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the game will be anti-climactic compared to the 48 hours after the game.

Will the Browns move on from coach Kevin Stefanski or GM Andrew Berry or both? That’s the bigger story.

We have already offered the opinion both should go. It’s been six years and an accumulative record of 44-56 coming into the season finale. There have been two playoff appearances and one post-season win.

There has also been a 7-26 mark over the last two seasons.

If you compare this duo to everyone else who has run the franchise since 1999, they have a pretty good resume. Unfortunately, that isn’t how they should be graded. It’s the rest of the league the Browns have to compete with, not their mediocre past.

And yes, both have had success. Again, two playoff appearances. Two NFL Coach of the Year awards for Stefanski. We aren’t debating that he’s a solid football coach, and the players have respect for him. They continue to play hard. Probably because he has their back. He doesn’t call out players in the media, and they appreciate that.

But where is the coach who came out against Dallas in his first year and had Jarvis Landry passing to Odell Beckham? It seems that he has overcorrected last season’s turnover issue by basically eliminating any high-risk plays. Yes, we know he has rookies playing quarterback, more on that later.

As a result, the Browns have scored the second fewest points in the NFL over the past two seasons, ahead of only the Las Vegas Raiders. Scoring 20 points in game is a chore for this group. And as we point out after most games, looking around the league, it’s not that difficult.

We aren’t doubting Stefanski can go somewhere else, do a self-audit, and change some of the things that have put him in this situation.

As for Berry, yes, the 2025 draft class was excellent. Carson Schwesinger should be the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Harold Fannin looks like a very good player. Mason Graham is a foundation piece, and Quinshon Judkins appears to be a bell cow back.

And maybe, just maybe, Shedeur Sanders can be an NFL starting quarterback.

But one solid draft in six seasons doesn’t cut it. The Browns have a horrible offensive line situation and a bad wide receiver room.

That’s mainly because Berry has done a bad job identifying talent at those positions. He seemed obsessed with Jerry Jeudy for several years and eventually traded for him. That’s a whiff.

And despite a good draft, he mangled the QB position in the past 12 months. Drafting two rookies didn’t make sense. He traded for Kenny Pickett, a former first round pick, but he was injured in camp and traded away.

He signed Joe Flacco as a free agent and the Browns started him in the first four games, and when he was benched in favor of Dillon Gabriel, Berry traded him to a division rival (the division was still up for grabs, mind you) without the head coach seeming to know about it.

So, there was no experienced QB available to guide the rookies.

And don’t forget, the Browns had Tyler Huntley on the roster each of the last two seasons and let him go. Huntley won a big game for the Ravens last week.

Also, don’t forget that Berry is the GM of record on the whole Deshaun Watson debacle.

The Haslam family has proven they can have some stability in the front office after going through head coaches and GMs like people change underwear. That’s good. Now go out, hire a football man first and foremost, and let that man hire a new coach.

Or vice versa.

A Win To Irritate The Tanking Crowd

Well, the “tanking” faithful will not be happy about the Cleveland Browns’ 13-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, but we don’t care. A win is a win and that’s always a good thing.

The Browns are now 4-12 on the season and if the season ended today (it ends next week of course), they would have the 7th or 8th pick in April’s selection process.

We saw a lot of comments about how the victory showed how Kevin Stefanski has not lost the locker room and used that as a reason to keep the head coach going forward.

That’s great and it is good the team hasn’t quit on their coach, but our criticism of Stefanski has nothing to do with whether or not he has the respect of the players, it’s his offense and that problem was on full display in the win.

The offense got off to a great start, a 41-yard drive leading to an Andre Szmyt field goal and an 86-yard drive capped off by a 28-yard TD pass from Shedeur Sanders to Harold Fannin. That’s 127 yards on the first two drives.

It’s also about half of the yardage gained by Cleveland for the entire game.

How many times does this happen? Frankly, it’s a common occurrence. The “scripted plays” generate solid drives, many times resulting in points. After that? They don’t seem to go back to what was working early nor are any adjustments or counter plays called to address what the opponents did to stop the offense.

For instance, when the Steelers put Alex Highsmith over Cam Robinson in the second half, where were plays rolling Sanders away from the constant pressure? They ran one and of course, Highsmith tracked the QB down from behind.

And they scored 13 points, making this the 25th time in the last two seasons where the Browns scored less than 20 points. This past week, 17 teams scored 20 or more points in the NFL.

Our other issue with Stefanski (and the entire organization for that matter) is this: 7-26, the team’s record over the last two seasons. Only three teams have done worse in the league over this span: New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans.

None of those teams’ coaches survived both seasons.

The defense was outstanding again on Sunday, holding the Steelers to 251 yards and amazingly Aaron Rodgers threw 39 times for just 168 yards. Myles Garrett alluded to it after the game, and several national analysts said it as well. Pittsburgh looked like they were more intent on keeping Garrett out of the record book that they were in scoring points.

Having Denzel Ward back helps quite a bit and we thought Tyson Campbell was excellent on the other side as well.

We did shake our heads when analyst Tony Romo quoted Stefanski as saying Raheem Sanders looked like a big old-time NFL running back. If the coach thinks that, why was Sanders inactive for most of the season.

Makes you think…

Next week, another disappointing season ends in Cincinnati with Garrett getting one more shot at the single season sack record. What will happen after the game is probably the bigger source of drama.

Is another house cleaning on the agenda for the Browns. By this time next week, we should know.

Browns Issue Isn’t QB. It’s Everything Else On Offense (Pretty Much)

In the end, the Cleveland Browns showed their fans something in the 23-16 loss to Baltimore on Sunday that dropped the team’s record to 2-8 on the season.

That 2-8 coupled with last season’s 3-14 mark means Kevin Stefanski’s (and Andrew Berry too) team is now 5-22 over the last 27 games. No question that is not acceptable for any franchise.

But we digress. What Sunday’s game showed is even though the Browns have two first round picks in next April’s NFL Draft, they should stay away from their stated goal of getting their “franchise quarterback”.

They simply aren’t ready for that.

The Browns simply don’t have nearly enough on the offensive side of the football for any quarterback to succeed. The line is a sieve. The tackle position was already one of the worst in the NFL, and then both starters, Cam Robinson and the oft-injured Jack Conklin, went out, meaning KT Levenston and Teven Jenkins (bet you forgot he was on the team) wound up playing outside.

They are weak at the wide receiver position. Jerry Jeudy is okay, but he’s not a go to guy. Cedric Tillman has size, something in short supply with the Browns, and really who else?

They have two solid tight ends in veteran David Njoju and rookie Harold Fannin, but because the line is so poor, the former is being used primarily as a blocker, despite showing he can be a weapon in the passing game.

Fannin has been fine but needs to cut down on the number of drops.

Another rookie, Quinshon Judkins has been good, but there is no compliment to him really, and on the 4th and 6 play at the end of the game, he wasn’t on the field. Why? Who knows. He’s probably the best offensive player on the team, so why should he be on the field on the most important play of the game?

And now for the current QB situation. First, the offense really mustered up only six points, as the Browns had a defensive touchdown from Devin Bush and were set up on the 5-yard-line after a fumbled punt.

The passing attack was non-existent as the Browns had just 81 yards through the air. Dillon Gabriel was passable in the first half, completing seven of ten for 68 yards, but couldn’t put the ball in the end zone. And 26 of his yards came on one throw to Tillman, so his other six completions netted just 42 yards.

Gabriel left at halftime due to a possible concussion (maybe not RPOs with a smaller QB), so we got to see Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut which was less than auspicious.

The fifth-round pick completed his first two throws, then went 2 for his next 14 and showed his bad habit of retreating in the pocket and taking huge losses when sacked.

Will he look any better with increased practice time? We may find out this week.

Defensively, what more can you say about Myles Garrett, who had four more sacks and appears headed to his second Defensive Player of the Year Award. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: He’s the best defensive player in the history of the Browns.

And although Berry’s drafts should be criticized and scrutinized, he found a gem in LB Carson Schwesinger, who was all over the field, and gained his second interception. He’s probably the Defensive Rookie of the Year and should be considered for All-Pro honors.

Those two make these games worth watching, and Garrett’s chase for the season record for sacks will continue to make it compelling. He has 15 with seven games to play and the record is 22.5. He is simply incredible.

It’s on to Las Vegas. Can the Browns win? Sure, the Raiders aren’t very good. But the Browns haven’t won on the road since week two of last season. So, we might see a 0-0 tie.

Actually, that might be fun!

Browns Claim To Have A Plan. Do They?

Change in the NFL can come quickly. Check out pretty much every season and a team that finished with a poor record the year prior will rise up and make the playoffs, while a playoff team a year before sinks to the basement.

Last season, it was the Washington Commanders going from 4-13 to 12-5 and ultimately the NFC Championship game, while the Browns went the other way, an 11-6 record in ’23 followed by the 3-14 disaster last season.

The year prior, the Houston Texans went from 3-13-1 to 10-7 while Minnesota went from 13-4 in 2022 to a 7-10 mark the next year.

Yes, many times, it’s about getting the quarterback as with Houston (C.J. Stroud) and Washington (Jayden Daniels) and while that’s true, neither of those teams got their QB with the first overall pick, and the other question is it sustainable.

Other times, you think you have the quarterback, and the fan base thinks they have the guy, but they are wrong. Look at the mess in Miami and Arizona. Both teams thought they had the guy, but it doesn’t appear they were correct.

Look at the Chargers. They drafted Justin Herbert in 2020, and he’s probably a top ten QB in the league, but they’ve gone 7-9, 9-8, 10-7, 5-12, and 11-6 with him under center, making the playoffs twice. So, it’s not just the QB.

We bring this up because our local team, the Cleveland Browns, come up with one excuse after another as to why they don’t/can’t win, despite teams taking big jumps up the standings every year.

First, the team seems to believe they can only win by getting a franchise quarterback, and while that has some merit, the notion you can only get that guy by tanking and having the league’s worst record is simply not true.

Yes, Joe Burrow was drafted first overall, but how many of the other top ten QBs in the sport were taken in that spot? Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff. So, the majority of the best QBs in the NFL were not taken first overall.

And if you do get a chance to take a quarterback early in the draft, wouldn’t you want to surround him with a solid offensive line and some other offensive weapons?

Let’s say the Browns identify a QB in next year’s draft as they will likely have a top ten pick. What are you bringing him into? Your offensive line is aging and not very good. You have no real good wide receivers.

Your best weapons on offense are two rookies, RB Quinshon Judkins and TE Harold Fannin Jr. That’s it. And knowing the franchise, they will feel the need to play the rookie QB before he is ready. Just like they have done with Dylan Gabriel.

For all the front office likes to plan for the future (free beer tomorrow!), the truth is they have set themselves up poorly if the plan is to get the QB with their multiple first round picks next spring.

Based on all the other stuff they have mucked up in the last six years, we guess that’s to be expected, right?

The bigger question we guess is do they think they are fooling fans with their non-sense? They are good at making excuses for not winning. It’s also what they have the most experience doing.

Browns Get A Win Over A Team In More Disarray. Hey, It Still Counts!

The streak is over!

The Cleveland Browns ended their 11-game stretch of not scoring 17 points or more with a resounding 31-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

(whispers…we aren’t going to talk about the defense scoring a touchdown and setting the offense up on the five-yard line on a separate possession, so really, the offense only put 17 points on the board)

Kevin Stefanski’s squad is now 2-5 on the season and did not have a turnover offensively for the third straight week.

(whispers…the Browns showed they are not close to being the worst team in the NFL)

Look, the Browns needed a win bad. The vultures in the media and among the fans were starting to circle over Berea and if the outcome was reversed, we are sure there would have been plenty of things said about Stefanski being able to survive the week.

It was a rainy, windy day on the lakefront, not at all conducive to offensive football. The Browns only gained 206 yards, and Miami was held to just 219. The first scoring drive for Cleveland was aided greatly by Dolphins’ penalties, including two on third down which extended the drives.

The game plan was much like the home game against San Francisco in 2023, a game won by Cleveland. Stefanski basically kept the ball on the ground, had his quarterback avoid any mistakes, and let the defense dominate.

It worked then, and on Sunday, Dillon Gabriel threw the ball just 18 times, completing 13 for just 116 yards. The leading receiver was TE Harold Fannin, who caught four passes for 36 yards. The only other receiver with more than 20 yards on catches was Jamari Thrash, who gained 23 yards on his only grab.

And back were the bootlegs, and Gabriel threw when a Brown was open and otherwise kept the ball and got positive yardage, running four times for a dozen yards.

Putting the game into the hands of the best unit on the team is a good strategy, albeit probably not sustainable.

Jim Schwartz’ defense had three interceptions; one returned for a TD by newcomer Tyson Campbell, and another returned to the three-yard line by Rayshawn Jenkins. When that happens, it makes the offense superfluous really.

The defense also contributed four sacks and even the special teams got involved, forcing a fumble, caused by Grant Delpit and recovered by Jenkins.

It was a good start, a good way to end the losing streak, but the offense has to get better. Stefanski put the ball in the hands of his best weapon in Quinshon Judkins, but it says here the coach still doesn’t trust the offensive line, and with good reason.

He trusts Gabriel to take care of the football, despite some bad throws he still hasn’t thrown a pick, but not to make plays. Sure, you can beat a team like Miami playing that way, but next week it’s New England, and the Patriots are playing well with four straight wins.

Can the offense put up more than 20 points without a big assist from the defense? We understand it seems like we are moving the goalposts, but that’s what most teams in the NFL can do.

The Browns won a game they should have won on Sunday. They were the better team, and they were victorious. Hard to get excited about it.

It’s Simple. Browns Have To Score More. The Defense Is That Good

We get it. Our reason for the Cleveland Browns starting veteran Joe Flacco at quarterback was to make sure people were lined up correctly and to limit the mistakes a rookie would presumably make.

Well, four games into the season, Flacco has thrown six interceptions and lost a fumble. His three turnovers on Sunday great aided the Detroit Lions in a 34-10 loss that dropped Kevin Stefanski’s squad to 1-3 on the season.

Whether or not a change is made at QB, there is pressure on the head coach to put some points on the scoreboard. Cleveland has now gone nine consecutive games without scoring more than 17 points. In today’s NFL, that’s pathetic.

Especially because the Browns have a Super Bowl defense. Lions’ offensive coordinator John Morton said Cleveland hadn’t seen a running attack like his, and in weeks two and three, Detroit ran for 177 and 224 yards. They got 109 vs. Jim Schwartz’ group and the longest run of the day for the home team was 24 yards.

Detroit got just 277 yards of total offense on the day. They won the game because they scored 24 points off of Cleveland turnovers and a punt return for a touchdown. They only had 16 first downs for the game, the same as the Browns.

But the offense is just putrid, and that’s where Stefanski is supposed to have expertise. However, we do think about the decision to not add any offensive linemen in last year’s draft. The unit is aging, but the only move the front office made was to bring in veteran journeyman Cornelius Lucas.

How’s that working out.

We don’t know how that gets fixed. The Browns did trade for veteran Cam Robinson, who has started 102 games in his eight-year career, presumably to start at left tackle. Or they can start a revolving door on the practice squad until you find someone who is an upgrade at the position.

Our fear is that the problem isn’t the quarterback and no matter who Stefanski puts behind center is going to have a problem because the tackles simply cannot block.

There was one bright spot on the offensive side of the ball, rookie running back Quinshon Judkins continues to impress, gaining 82 yards on 21 carries, and catching four passes for 33 more.

It doesn’t help the offense that receivers are dropping the football. Jerry Jeudy continues to struggle in that regard and rookie Harold Fannin has dropped some balls as well. When the QB gets time, the receivers aren’t helping.

Now on to the special teams, misnamed for the Browns. We are only four games into the season, but already the team has had a punt blocked and another returned for a touchdown.

We have heard veteran NFL observers say it is difficult for special teams’ coaches at times because of the bottom of the roster (which is what the special teams are made up of) changes a lot weekly. But that hasn’t been the case with the Browns. To date, the roster has been pretty stable.

Again, the emphasis coming into the year was to eliminate mistakes, and that hasn’t happened. If the Browns could play a clean game, we have no doubt they would be competitive, but it’s difficult to do.

Would switching to Dillon Gabriel help that? He’s a rookie, so the temptation is to say no. On the other hand, this offense simply has to score more points. It’s a shame because the defense continues to be that good.

Did You Really Expect A Win In Baltimore?

We know a lot of Browns’ fans are upset with Sunday’s 41-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which dropped Cleveland to 0-2 on the season. Our question is why? We thought everyone figured Kevin Stefanski’s squad would struggle against a tough schedule early in the year.

Did you really think they were going to win?

Let’s start with some positives. The Browns are not the worst team in the NFL, and it’s not close. They very well could have won the opener against the Bengals, and we know this sound silly, but the loss to the Ravens was not a lopsided as the score indicates.

Also, Cleveland’s defense is very good. They lead the NFL in defense through two games and frankly, they have played two offenses who are led by two of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Oh, and by the way, Myles Garrett has 3.5 sacks after two games.

The rookie class continues to impress. Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger are starters and contributors on that impressive defense. Harold Fannin Jr. and Dylan Sampson look good, and Quinshon Judkins made his debut and carried 10 times for 61 yards and caught three passes too.

But the Browns continue to shoot themselves in the foot. They were tied for the NFL lead in turning the ball over last season and have done so five times (we are including the blocked punt as one) in the first two games.

They need to be able to win games on the margins, and if you keep giving the ball to the other team, that’s something they simply cannot overcome.

We kept hearing about Stefanski’s ground based offense, yet Joe Flacco has put the ball in the air a league high 90 times in the first two games. Hopefully that changes now that Judkins is integrated into the offense, but the coach’s offense also likes to run play action, and you can’t do that unless you can run it.

It appears the team may have overestimated their offensive line. Run blocking is an issue and without that ability, opponents are pressuring Flacco.

They seemed to be fine with Jack Conklin at RT, but over the past few years, he’s missed more time than he’s played. Why not look for a replacement in the off-season? Dewand Jones has been penalized five times in the two games.

Cleveland signed Teven Jenkins as a free agent in the off-season, and he can play tackle, why isn’t he getting some time? Why not take a look at second year player Luke Wypler, who supposedly the brass likes?

And special teams continue to be an issue. In the opener, it was Andre Smyzt missing an extra point and a very makable (by NFL standards) field goal. Sunday, it was having a punt blocked. The Browns can’t afford for the kicking game to be a negative. Just being a “zero” would be an improvement.

As for a change at QB? Let’s hope the Browns avoid making the same mistake they’ve made in the past, that is playing a rookie quarterback before he’s ready. Dillon Gabriel looked good in garbage time, but that’s exactly what it was.

He will start sometime this season, and perhaps Shedeur Sanders will too, but now is not the time. Stefanski needs to fix the other issues the offense has before inserting one of this year’s draft picks.

Browns Did A Lot Of Things Right, But Still Lose

We all know how frustrating it can be to be a fan of the Cleveland Browns. Sunday’s game was just another example.

On a day when you much went right for the team, the Browns still lost to Cincinnati 17-16 and are now 0-1 to start the season with a date in Baltimore against the Ravens next weekend.

This game was lost because rookie Andre Szmyt, in his first NFL game, missed an extra point and a 36-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. Most of the time in the NFL, kicks of 40 yards or less are automatic, they have to be converted.

We would bet the Browns will be looking for a new kicker this week.

They lost because they lost the turnover battle again, giving up the ball twice and not getting any of their own. Joe Flacco threw two interceptions, the first wasn’t a great throw and was batted up in the air by Jerry Jeudy. The second was right in the hands of Cedric Tillman and came with the Browns having a chance to have a go ahead drive in the last two minutes.

Otherwise, a lot went right for Kevin Stefanski’s team and GM Andrew Berry’s draft class. His first two selections, Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger both started on a defense that looked a lot like the ’23 edition which led the NFL in total defense.

Graham had three assists playing in 81% of the snaps, while Schwesinger played on every defensive snap and was in on a team high eight tackles.

TE Harold Fannin Jr. was a big factor, lining up at many spots and catching seven passes for 63 yards, with a long of 22. You can tell Stefanski and Flacco have a lot of confidence in the young receiver.

RB Dylan Sampson had a dozen carries for 29 yards and also caught 8 passes for 64 yards. And for all the talk about Jerome Ford starting the year as the featured back, it was Sampson who got the bulk of the action. The latter had just six carries for eight yards.

Frankly, the Browns did everything they needed to do to win that football game. They controlled the ball, as time of possession favored Cleveland, 35:49 to 24:11 and consider the Bengals had a seven-minute drive to start the game. The Browns had 71 offensive plays to just 49 for Cincy.

It was a blueprint on how the Browns will need to play in 2025 if they want to win, except for the two turnovers.

Myles Garrett had two sacks and Isaiah McGuire had one. And we were also impressed with KR DeAndre Carter who also showed what a veteran returner does. He didn’t run backwards; he didn’t fair catch anything inside the ten.

That’s how it is supposed to be done.

We are concerned about LT Dawand Jones, who had four penalties in the game, although one was a holding call for something that seems to happen to Garrett on most plays. He needs to play a cleaner game.

The lack of a running game is a big concern too. Second round pick Quinshon Judkins signed over the weekend and could be ready to go next Sunday. He was drafted to be the primary workhorse running the ball, and Stefanski is going to need more than 49 yards on the ground for his offense to work.

The Cleveland Browns don’t have a lot of margin for error this season. That’s why the loss on Sunday stung. They could and should have won that game.

Now we see if this style of play is sustainable. Can they do it on the weekly basis? Guess we will find out in Baltimore.

Browns Need Professional QB Play To Evaluate Others

Obviously, living in northeast Ohio the talk about the Cleveland Browns is pretty much non-stop. And having four quarterbacks on the roster without a clear-cut starter leads to even more speculation.

The biggest discussion is when to go to one, if not both, rookie signal callers, because after all, you have to know what you have in both (assuming both make the final roster). And in the deluded minds of the radio sports talk hosts and fans alike, this information is needed because the Browns are going to have one of the top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The latter idea is because many in the media have given the Browns’ front office permission to stink this upcoming season, a bold thought given the 3-14 record this past season.

Apparently, people have used the Men In Black mind erasing wand and thus the 11-6 season just the year prior has vanished from everyone’s memories. Of course, part of that is the organization basically sabotaging the season with coaching changes to aid Deshaun Watson.

This is not to say we believe the Cleveland Browns are Super Bowl contenders this season, but we are certainly sure that Kevin Stefanski and even the front office are going into the year thinking they are gunning for the first overall pick in the draft.

We said it after the trade out of the #2 slot this year, if the Browns have the first overall pick next year, it better be because Jacksonville has had a terrible season.

It is true the Browns do have to find out about Dillon Gabriel and/or Shadeur Sanders and even Kenny Pickett this season. But they also have to find out about running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. They need to know what they have in rookie TE Harold Fannin, and they need to see how the offensive line plays.

And to do that they need to see how these guys play with a real professional quarterback, and that’s why all things being equal, Joe Flacco should be behind center at the beginning of the season.

Solid quarterback play makes a big difference in evaluating the other players and positions. Just last year, what were people thinking about Jerry Jeudy after seven weeks, when he had 21 catches and the most yards he had receiving was the 73 in week two?

That was with Watson at the helm. With Jameis Winston taking the snaps, the Pro Bowl receiver had at least five catches in every game save one, and three 100-yard games.

He finished the year with career highs in receptions and yardage.

We have heard friends of ours refer to the offensive line as hot garbage, and it was early last season. The Cleveland front gave up 35 sacks in the first seven games. After a change in quarterbacks, they allowed 31 sacks in the final 10 contests.

Neither figure is really good, but the first seven games would have to be considered as horrendous, but it also wouldn’t be representative of how the group played thoughout the season.

All we are saying here is not only does Flacco give the Browns their best chance of victory, but he also allows them to do honest evaluations of the players surrounding him.

That’s important too.

Look, if Cleveland starts off 1-6 like many think they will, then see what you have in the younger quarterbacks. Remember, Flacco is 40 and he may not be the same guy he was down the stretch in 2023. He still has to earn the right to be on the field in week one.

Yes, the Browns need to see these young guys, but they also owe the other players on offense to be evaluated based on decent play at quarterback.

That’s something people are overlooking.