Oh Yeah, The Browns Drafted Some Players

Lost in the excitement of the Cavaliers’ playoff run and the Guardians’ surprising start, the NFL Draft came and went a couple of weeks ago and the Cleveland Browns selected six players.

(We say this tongue-in-cheek because we know for many people in northeast Ohio, the Browns are the only professional team that exists. It certainly seems that way listening to local sports talk).

Anyway, this was the last season the Browns were still paying off their trade for Deshaun Watson, so they did not have a first-round pick, and of course, that selection is usually the one that gets the most attention.

And the Browns were a very good team in 2023, going 11-6 and making the playoffs. Really, they had no glaring holes, so for the most part, the players selected in the draft are adding to the depth of the roster.

They took a local guy, Streetsboro’s Michael Hall Jr. out of Ohio State with their second-round selection, and actually he could be someone who could get playing time seeing how defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz likes to rotate his lineman.

Before the draft took place, we were asked whatever happened to the University of Michigan offensive lineman who broke his leg against the Buckeyes. Well, Zak Zinter was Cleveland’s second selection in the third round. With Joel Bitonio now 33, the Browns need a guard that can be his replacement down the road.

Zinter may be that guy. He probably would have been taken earlier had it not been for the injury in his final college game.

The rest of the picks are probably special team type players. GM Andrew Berry fed his need to draft a wide receiver in Jamari Thrash out of Louisville. He’s a big play guy and Cleveland seems to always be looking for a “burner”.

Nathaniel Watson is purported to be a run stuffing linebacker and the buzz around him from the local media seems to be that of a special team ace.

Berry also loves to draft cornerbacks and in today’s NFL that’s not a bad theory. He got one on the second round in Myles Harden from South Dakota, and the reports on him are he should have gone earlier.

And their last pick, DT Jowon Briggs from Cincinnati, provides another defensive lineman for Schwartz and the coaching staff to develop.

We were a little surprised the Browns didn’t draft a running back, even after they signed D’Onta Foreman as a free agent from the Bears. Foreman gained over 900 yards two years ago with Carolina, and we feel Cleveland needs a consistent ground threat, because no one knows what Nick Chubb will be when he is ready to go.

Everyone keeps talking about how Cleveland is going to be pass happy with Watson this season, but at their core, the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski like to have a strong ground game. Frankly, we also think this is the team’s best path to winning.

That doesn’t mean we don’t believe that the Browns’ best chance to make a serious run at a conference championship is having Watson play like he did with the Texans.

The pressure is on the QB and still, giving up three first round picks and paying him a boatload of guaranteed money, it should be.

Here Is Something To Cause Worry For Browns’ Fans

It was reported late last week that the driving force for the changes in the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff, particularly offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, came from on top, meaning owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, and chief strategy office Paul DePodesta.

Of all the things Browns’ fans worry about, and believe us, there are many, this should be the one most concerning.

We realize that NFL owners are very successful people or come from very successful families, but that doesn’t mean they understand football.

Of course, that’s what DePodesta is for, right?

We get there is frustration and nervousness from the top of the organization over the failure of their huge investment, Deshaun Watson to make an impact over his first two years with the Browns.

Our belief is that those two were the driving force behind making the deal. And that’s not assigning blame. We felt Watson was one of the top five quarterbacks in the league in his last season in Houston, and if you can get someone that good at that position, you have to give it a shot.

However, we aren’t sure the problem with Watson was the offensive coaching staff. It’s more about his availability, he’s only played 11 of the 34 games he has been on the roster due to suspension or injury. Van Pelt and coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t create that situation.

On the other hand, in only three of those 11 contests has Watson had a passer rating of over 100. In 2022, it was attributed to rust. Last season? He seemed to turn a corner in week three vs. the Titans but was injured in that game on a designed run.

His next complete games were against Arizona where he had a 107.5 passer rating, followed by the win over the Ravens in which he was tremendous in the second half, but also suffered a season ending injury.

To be fair, teams change coordinators all the time and as we wrote a little over a week ago, a new voice, a different perspective isn’t necessarily bad. Maybe new coordinator Ken Dorsey can bring some new elements to make Watson more like the player he was in Houston.

On the other hand, Watson will be 29 when the 2024 season starts, and perhaps Dorsey should be more judicious in how many designed runs are called for him. After all, Cleveland has a lot invested in him and needs him to be on the field.

The pressure from the top though is certainly concerning. Powerful people own NFL teams and they have large egos. Our theory about no one hiring Bill Belichick for 2024 is that some of these owners would rather have control and lose than give up some of that control and win.

That doesn’t mean Belichick is perfect, but he has proven to be a very good football coach, and if he has talent he will win. We think coaching means more in football than in any other sport. Look at what Jim Schwartz did with the Browns’ defense in 2023.

Maybe Belichick doesn’t deserve control of picking the players anymore, but he should be able to have a comfort level with the person who does.

We have to think the only reason he isn’t coaching is because an owner wants his hands on the operation.

And to that, we come back to the old saying: A wise man knows what he doesn’t know.

Resilient Browns Stack Another Win.

When the Cleveland Browns won their opening game against Cincinnati this season with a dominant defensive performance, we had an inkling this year’s squad was different than the “same ‘ol Browns”.

Yes, the defense has had a few hiccups, but for the most part, they have maintained that standard of play all season, and that alone has kept the Browns in every game they have played this year.

Sunday was no exception as Cleveland overcame three turnovers to beat Chicago 20-17 and move their record to 9-5 on the season.

We will discuss the fourth quarter heroics of Joe Flacco and crew later, but the Bears’ two touchdowns were either set up or the result of turnovers. The swarming defense really allowed just three points on the day.

They held Chicago to 236 total yards, the sixth time this season an opponent has been held under 250 yards. The average NFL team in 2023 gains 331 yards in a game. Jim Schwartz’ unit had 11 tackles for losses, and three sacks as well as holding Justin Fields to under a 50% completion percentage.

And while Myles Garrett is unquestionably the defense’s best player, we have to send some kudos to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who has played at an unbelievable level over the last few weeks. He had two tackles for loss, two passes defended, and a sack this week. He has been the player that was advertised when drafted in the 2nd round out of Notre Dame.

The one criticism of the defense has been its play on the road. The top four games in yardage allowed against Cleveland have been on the road (Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Baltimore) and five of the top six have been away from the lakefront.

We will bet that is a point of emphasis for Schwartz all week heading into Houston on Christmas Eve.

As usual, it was hilarious following social media during the game and reading that the game was over when Chicago led 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

When the Browns are trailing in a game, we get to a point where we think Cleveland has to get the next score to stay in a game, and we were at that point when it was 17-7. Of course, the Bears never scored again.

Flacco had turnover issues, throwing three interceptions, because, well, that’s what the Browns do. They lead the NFL in turning it over. No sense, making it easy, right?

The veteran hit Marquise Goodwin for a 57-yard pass to set up a field goal and awaken the offense. Then, he threw a perfect pass to Amari Cooper who took it in for a touchdown to tie the game.

Then David Njoku took over. After Nick Chubb was injured in week two, we felt Njoku was the next best weapon the offense had after Cooper, and we are happy to say this has been born out. The tight end caught 10 balls for 104 yards and the first Cleveland touchdown.

He now has a career high of 69 catches for 704 yards, also a career best. And his best skill is running after a catch. The man is tough to bring down.

As we said, next week’s opponent, Houston is now tied atop the AFC South standings and the game is in Houston. The Browns’ defense hasn’t been a dominant on the road this season, so this is a big test.

On the other hand, it’s hard to bet against this football team that has already overcome so much this season. All we can say is it’s December football. It’s not supposed to be easy.

Just A Bad Day In Denver For Browns

Even though the NFL has become a passing league over the last 20 years, one thing remains constant, it is still difficult to win when you can’t run the ball and you can’t stop the run.

Last Sunday, the Browns couldn’t stop the run, allowing 169 yards on the ground, and they decided not to run that much, gaining just 107 on only 24 tries. The result was a 29-12 loss to Denver, dropping Cleveland’s record to 7-4.

It wasn’t coach Kevin Stefanski’s best play calling performance, as Denver came into the game with the league’s worst defense against the run, but Cleveland threw the football 42 times, although to be fair, after P.J. Walker replaced an injured Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the third quarter, he threw 13 times as the Browns were behind.

To be fair, at the time DTR left the game, the Browns were very much in it, trailing 17-12 late in the third quarter, and coming off a 13 play, 79 yard drive that ate up 6:24 off the clock. Right after he left came the play everyone is talking about.

Cleveland tried a reverse with the ball handed to Elijah Moore who was to pitch it to Pierre Strong running around the right side. It looked like Strong had a lot of room, but the pitch was mishandled, and Denver recovered on the Browns’ 20-yard line.

We point this out because fans love trick plays, except when they don’t work. How many times have you heard a team’s offense is vanilla, with no imagination. Our point is it looked like a good play call; the execution was just terrible.

As we said previously, it was not a banner day for the Cleveland defense. Denver gashed the run defense, as the Browns allowed the second most yards rushing in a game this season. It was the second straight week they allowed around 170 yards on the ground, and this time, there was no 74-yard run to skew the stats.

There were numerous runs of 10 yards or more, something for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to fix this week.

They did hold the Broncos to just 134 yards in the air, but mostly because they didn’t force Denver into many obvious passing situations. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah recorded the only sack on the day.

Let’s go back to the quarterback spot though. If Thompson-Robinson can’t go against the Rams this week, it very much looks like Joe Flacco will get the start. We would also go a step further and say Andrew Berry should be on the lookout for another QB to replace Walker, who is unplayable.

He fumbled twice in limited time against Denver, raising his total to four on the season. He simply isn’t consistent enough. He did make a beautiful throw to Moore for 28 yards but plays like that are few and far between.

The way Cleveland has gone through quarterbacks this year, we think you have to find someone else. Walker can’t play another down for a playoff contending team.

Besides the QB situation, the Myles Garrett medical report is key. If Garrett has to miss some time, it will force Schwartz to make some adjustments. We have full confidence he can, but missing a player like Garrett is never a good thing.

Workmanlike Win, Big Week Ahead For Browns

Workmanlike. Professional. Those are the words we are using to describe the Browns domination of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Cleveland won 27-0 and moved to 5-3 on the season.

The Cardinals came into the game with a 1-7 record and were starting a rookie, Clayton Tune at quarterback. So, the Browns did what should have been expected by every fan going into the contest. They totally controlled the game.

Still, Arizona is in the NFL but the Cleveland defense held them to 58 yards of total offense and sacked Tune seven times. We didn’t get excited about the performance, but it was still satisfying, if that makes sense.

We wanted Deshaun Watson to play in this game in order to get the rust off before a couple of big divisional games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and he did just that, completing 19 of 30 throws for 219 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

He also ran three times for 22 yards, but there were a couple of plays early when he could have run and instead dumped short passes to Jerome Ford. We thought that was good thinking on his part and something the coaches reminded him of before the game.

However, even with Watson, Kevin Stefanski ran the ball a lot, 40 times to be exact, although that includes the three carries by Watson. Certainly, having Watson available is much better than playing P.J. Walker, but we couldn’t help thinking the Browns are a power run team, even though Nick Chubb isn’t playing.

Cleveland has run for 150 yards or more in five of their eight games and has only been below 100 yards twice, the first two games after Chubb was injured.

Stefanski is still using a lot of not only two or three tight end sets, but he is using offensive lineman Nick Harris at fullback to add another blocker to help the running game. Right now, that’s the Browns’ offensive identity.

Also, this was the first game all year where the brown and orange did not turn the ball over. It was only the second time they won the turnover battle (the Colts’ game was the other) and they are 2-0 in those contests.

That trend will need to continue in the next two games against the Ravens and Steelers. Baltimore allows just 262.5 yards per game defensively, second to Cleveland’s 234.8. It shapes up as a rugged defensive battle.

Remember the Browns started Dorian Thompson-Robinson the first time these two teams met, and Cleveland turned it over three times, gaining just 166 yards for the game. And the 131 yards rushing Baltimore gained was exceeded only by Indianapolis’ 168 in the 39-38 win on the road.

Jim Schwartz knows Baltimore will want to establish the run, as the Ravens are the #1 running team in the NFL and making the job more complicated is having to keep Lamar Jackson in the pocket.

And it would also be nice if TE Mark Andrews was kept in check, he has killed the Cleveland defense so many times in his career, it borders on ridiculousness.

There are now only three teams in the AFC and five overall with less losses than the Browns are we are now into November. The next two weeks should serve as a measuring stick as to where this team, and both its offense and defense are as the holiday season commences.

We are still confident this is a playoff team. Here’s hoping next Sunday doesn’t shake that feeling.

Browns Have To Improve Passing Game…By Trade?

The NFL trading deadline is on Halloween and there are rumors the Cleveland Browns will be active. However, if they are active, what will they focus on.

With Deshaun Watson’s shoulder issues, they should be on the hunt for a serviceable backup quarterback.

The Browns are built to win this year. They have a tremendous defense and GM Andrew Berry spent a lot of salary cap space on that side of the football, bringing in several defensive linemen to help out new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Simply put, the Browns do not have a functional pass offense. Even with Watson playing the first three games, Cleveland ranks second last in the NFL in passing yards, ahead of only the New York Jets.

They won the last two games with yeoman efforts from the defense, not allowing San Francisco to move the ball after an opening drive and creating turnovers against the Colts which led to at least 17 points.

Logic says that is not likely to continue.

P.J. Walker inspires no confidence even though he was at the helm in the last two games. He’s completed just 50% of his passes, hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass, but he has thrown three interceptions.

And it’s not like Walker is a running threat either. He’s run the ball just six times for four yards.

When Watson returns to the field again is anyone’s guess, and that’s not an insinuation that he doesn’t want to play, which we agree is total nonsense. It just seems like this is an injury where he could return next week against the Cardinals or he could be out another month.

No one seems to want to set a firm timetable, and we get that.

Because of that, Berry has to go out and get another quarterback. There is too much at stake for this season.

This may sound contradictory, but we also don’t want to pay an exorbitant price in a deal either. This is because we don’t want to replace Watson, we simply want to find someone better than Walker.

Here is what we mean about having a professional passing attack. The Browns’ opponent today, the Seattle Seahawks have five receivers with 10 or more catches and averaging over 10 yards per reception.

Cleveland has one, Amari Cooper who has caught 24 balls for 389 yards. Donovan Peoples-Jones is averaging 12.1 yards per catch but has just nine receptions on the season.

The Falcons rank middle of the pack in the league in passing yards and they have four receivers who fit this profile.

Elijah Moore and David Njoku rank first and third in terms of receptions for the Browns and both average just nine yards per catch.

Since Watson has been out, Cleveland QBs have not thrown a TD pass and has six picks. That’s just not acceptable, let alone for a team poised to make a playoff run.

Berry has to find someone who can complete simple 10-15 yard passes on a regular basis, something that shouldn’t be difficult to do.

We know coach Kevin Stefanski said he is happy with the quarterback room right now, but really what is supposed to say?

We don’t want to hear about trading Josh Dobbs, because no one was outraged about it at the time, and although Dobbs hasn’t played poorly, Arizona has only reached 20 points once in the last four games.

The Browns and Berry simply can’t take any chances. They have too much at stake to not have a decent passing attack.

Browns Defense Is Best We’ve Seen

If Sunday’s win over San Francisco doesn’t convince people that the Cleveland Browns have a good team, we don’t know what will.

We’ve heard people saying Niners’ QB Brock Purdy isn’t a very good QB, but they weren’t saying that the previous game when they walloped Dallas 42-10. Such is the life of a Browns’ fan, even when they are good, they can’t just admit it.

The critics of Kevin Stefanski also are forced to put a sock in it right now. The “too cerebral”, “non-emotional” coach had his football team ready to play a superior opponent without their starting quarterback and All Pro running back, and All Pro guard.

He had a good game plan, stuck to it, and defeating a 5-0 football team, the first time Cleveland defeated an undefeated team with five or more wins since 1969!

We say that knowing the next time the Browns lose a game, it will be entirely the fault of Stefanski. Such is being a football fan in Cleveland.

And we are sure we will hear some people saying perhaps Cleveland doesn’t need Deshaun Watson after all, because they defeated a quality opponent without him.

However, let’s talk about the defense. We are ready to say this is the best defensive unit the Browns have had since we started following the brown and orange in 1965.

Jim Schwartz’ unit has allowed just 1002 yards in their five games, the first time any unit has allowed so few in 50 years. And because of that, the Browns are 3-2 today despite not winning the turnover battle in any of the five games they’ve played to date.

Last season, we wondered (we weren’t alone) why the Browns played so much zone pass defense when they drafted several cornerbacks who exceled in man-to-man coverage during their college careers. This season, we are seeing that was a huge mistake.

To us, that’s the problem with coaches who have a “system”. That “system” is all they know how to teach and coach. Which pretty much is the opposite of what we feel coaching should be, which is looking at the talent at hand and getting the most out of it.

Yes, GM Andrew Berry added a lot of talent on the defensive line, but perhaps that was at Schwartz’ request. We often said in the past it seemed like the plan was if Myles Garrett can’t get to the quarterback, they needed to rely on the zone coverage.

Schwartz didn’t want to depend on just Garrett. He wanted a bunch of players with the ability to get to the passer. Last season, Taven Bryan was second on the team with three sacks. In 2023, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo already has 2.5 and LB Sione Takitaki has two.

Keep in mind that Za’Darius Smith doesn’t have one yet, and Shelby Harris has just a half sack. You know they will get on the board soon.

Opponents are converting just 23.1% of third downs against the Browns’ defense, which is amazing. The next best rate? Atlanta is holding their opponents to just 31.1%.

Also, opponents have ventured into the Cleveland red zone just nine times, also the lowest in the NFL.

Stefanski told his team in the locker room after the game that the Browns need to start stacking wins and he is 100% correct. They have to follow up a great win over San Francisco by going to Indianapolis and beating a rebuilding Colts’ team.

And stop turning the ball over.

The Browns’ World Isn’t Ending Folks

We understand that 24 seasons of pretty much horrible football has made Cleveland Browns’ fans very sensitive. Three winning seasons since 1999 will do that to you.

However, logic seems to have gone out the window concerning this version of the Browns. Not to ignore the entire history of the expansion Browns, but the last three seasons have resulted in a 28-26 record under the Andrew Berry/Kevin Stefanski regime.

While not great, it’s a far cry from the 4-44 record from 2015-17 or the 27-69 mark from 2008-2013. Cleveland football fans have seen plenty of not just bad football, but historically bad football.

They should know better that that’s not the 2023 Cleveland Browns.

First of all, this team has a great defense, and by the end of the year, we might be able to say it is the best defense the Browns have had since we can remember, which dates back to 1965.

They have an excellent pass rush, led by Myles Garrett, who is the best pass rusher the franchise has ever had. And he has a lot of help in Za’Darius Smith, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Shelby Harris, and Dalvin Tomlinson.

They are good and deep. Jim Schwartz’ unit also has an outstanding secondary. Last year, Martin Emerson and Denzel Ward led the team in passes defended with 15 for the entire season. And only Grant Delpit also was in double figures with 10.

This season, Ward already has 5, Emerson 3, and three other players have 2. We understand the Baltimore game was a disappointment but check again. It was really one bad quarter.

Good defense keeps you in every game and gives you a chance to win. And barring injuries, the Cleveland Browns are very good on that side of the football.

Fans are convinced there is something seriously wrong with Deshaun Watson, and maybe there is, but we doubt it. He won’t play tomorrow, but should be back in a week or two, and let’s not forget he is coming off his best game as a Brown.

If he’s out for a longer period, the team is pretty much screwed offensively. But that’s nothing new, we have been saying that since the end of last season. He is the key to making a playoff run.

Look, the Browns handled the situation poorly. Before the Ravens’ game, we are sure they were betting on Watson’s durability and history of pain tolerance. Once he didn’t play that game, they should have been more transparent. Not doing so, opens the organization up for questions about being secretive.

And if he’s back, look at the rest of the schedule. Now, we don’t like to play the “schedule game”, but it would seem to us that after tomorrow’s game, the schedule isn’t overly difficult.

We also know you have to play the game on the field (which we would also say for today) but we see some teams we would classify as terrible remaining: Arizona (sorry, Jon Gannon), Denver, Chicago, and a Jets team without Aaron Rodgers.

Also, we would consider the games against the Rams, Texans, and Colts very winnable, especially if Watson is playing. If they emerge victorious in those contests, that’s nine wins and that makes them a playoff contender.

Again, there are a lot of variables to consider, especially injuries. However, even with a loss tomorrow, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the Cleveland Browns.

Imagine that…the words optimism and Browns in the same sentence.

Impressive Statement After A Tough Loss For Browns

After Nick Chubb’s injury against the Steelers, we said the offense needed Deshaun Watson to step up.

He did just that in Sunday’s 27-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Watson completed 27 of 33 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns in his best performance wearing brown and orange.

Cleveland’s usual vaunted running attack, which averaged over 200 yards per game after two weeks, was held in check by the Titans, gaining just 78 yards. So, the offense needed Watson to throw the football effectively, and he did just that.

Amari Cooper had a big game too, catching seven balls for over 100 yards and a TD, and Donovan Peoples-Jones emerged again after not being a factor against Pittsburgh, catching the game’s first pass and grabbing three throws for 49 yards.

We would still like to see the Browns use TE David Njoku more, because we believe he might be the most explosive player on offense now that Chubb is out. He did have four receptions, but for just 20 yards.

As good of a game as Watson had, this game was still about the defense, which held Tennessee to under 100 yards on the game, 2 of 12 on third down conversions, and Derrick Henry had just 20 yards on 11 carries.

Jim Schwartz’ unit also sacked Ryan Tannehill five times, with Myles Garrett garnering 3.5, to give him undisputed first place on the franchise’s all-time list with 79, passing Bill Glass’ total of 77.5. Glass did it in 94 games, Garrett beat him with seven games to spare.

The only thing that pauses us from saying this defense is elite is the quality of the opponents they’ve played already.

Yes, Cincinnati has a prolific offense, but the conditions in the season opener weren’t conducive to moving the ball at will. And Pittsburgh and Tennessee don’t have great attacks either, or don’t have great quarterbacks.

Still, the defense is playing at a very high level and are constantly attacking, quite a change from past years when they sat in zone coverage most of the time and the pass rush was solely predicated on Garrett getting it done.

Right now, opponents are averaging just 163.67 yards per game. By contrast, the Browns are RUNNING for 160.67 yards per contest.

The defense seems to have calmed the gambling tendencies of coach Kevin Stefanski, who now takes field goals more often. When you aren’t allowing many points, getting three when you have the opportunity is the correct and safe play.

We also don’t want to jinx new kicker Dustin Hopkins, but the veteran has knocked seven of his eight field goal attempts through the uprights, and they look beautiful as they head near the goalposts, not like the knuckleballs the former kicker seemed to boot.

So, through three weeks of the season, the Browns have two wins of more than 20 points. The last time this happened was in 2014 (team went 7-9 under Mike Pettine) when they beat Pittsburgh 31-10 and Cincinnati 24-3.

And they’ve won both of those games despite losing the turnover battle in each.

That’s not as long as we thought, but it’s still 9 years.

Another divisional game awaits next week when the Ravens come to town and right now, the AFC North has three teams tied at 2-1. Lamar Jackson will present another challenge for Schwartz and this defense.

One thing the defense hasn’t done a lot of yet is turn the ball over, with just two takeaways on the season. If that starts to happen, let’s just say, look out.

An Opening Week Beatdown For The Browns

Last year, the Cleveland Browns were a sieve defensively against the run. At least in week one, the defense run by new coordinator Jim Schwartz solved that issue, allowing just 75 yards on the ground in a dominating 24-3 win over Cincinnati.

And although there is endless talk about Deshaun Watson and how he will do at quarterback, at the Browns’ core they are a running football team, and in most NFL games, if you run for over 200 yards, you will achieve victory.

Cleveland ran for 206 against the Bengals.

It was a day not suited for an aerial extravaganza, and we saw the impatient Browns’ fans on social media complaining that Watson wasn’t any better than last season, in which he only played the last six games, but he was the better QB on the field on Sunday.

Watson hit 16 of 29 passes for 154 yards and ran five times for 45 yards and a touchdown. Yes, he missed some throws, but we are willing to attribute that to playing with a wet football, and we are willing to do that because Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow was just 14 of 31 for 82 yards.

It was only a good day if you were a duck.

No doubt the Browns will need Watson to play better as the season goes on, perhaps as early as next Monday night. But we aren’t going to panic because of the conditions. In fact, at halftime, we thought that Watson has yet to play a game in Cleveland with the Browns where the conditions have been nice.

Overall, this was a day for the defense and Nick Chubb.

The longest play Cincinnati had all day was a 22 yard run by Joe Mixon, and the longest pass play was a 12 yard toss from Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase. Think about that again, the longest pass play was 12 yards.

From an offense run by a player almost universally considered the second best at his position in the league.

Cleveland had only two sacks, by newcomer Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and of course, Myles Garrett, who passed Clay Matthews on the all-time team sack list according to ProFootballReference.com for second place. He needs two more to tie Bill Glass for the top spot in Browns’ history.

The Bengals ran just 56 offensive plays for the contest, gaining a paltry 142 yards.

We wondered watching the game how it may have unfolded with last year’s defensive coordinator.

As for Chubb, what more can we say about the man who should be considered the best running back in the league. By the way, he also caught four passes for 21 yards. When he carries the football, we always think he is about to break one for a long gain.

Jerome Ford did fumble, but also picked up 36 yards and it should have been more except he was bottled up a bit late in the game, when it was basically garbage time. He did have a 17 yard gain, but we will have to see going forward if ball security will be an issue.

So, it’s on to Pittsburgh for a Monday Night game against a team that will no doubt be very angry after getting crushed in their opener. And the Browns will be using a rookie right tackle in huge Dawand Jones, who is now the starter with Jack Conklin’s injury.

Look for T.J. Watt and the Steelers to test the rookie and make life tough on Watson.

We are sure the Browns will be prepared for it.

It wasn’t just the victory that makes us optimistic, it was the dominating nature of the win. But you are only as good as your next performance in the NFL.