Browns Appear Disinterested In Latest Debacle

Let’s start with the good stuff about the Browns lopsided 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Mainly because that will be quick.

The great Myles Garrett had 1.5 sacks to bring his season total to 21.5, one short of the all-time record for a single season, currently held by Michael Strahan and T. J. Watt. With the next two games at home, Garrett is set up to break the record in front of the home crowd, which frankly will be the highlight of this miserable season.

And Andre Szmyt kicked a 50-yard field goal in the cold, windy conditions. We know we wanted him to be cut after missing what would have been the game winning kick in the opener vs. Cincinnati, but he has been solid, making 18 for 21 overall and hitting four of five over 50 yards.

He’s looks like a keeper.

Now, for the rest of the mess.

The game started with a 52-yard kickoff return by Devin Duvernay. The special teams have reached comical status at this point. They are dreadful, but sure, Bubba Ventrone is a solid coach.

Apparently, QB Shedeur Sanders had the wrong wristband with the play sheet when the game started, which resulted in him being very confused by the plays being sent in. Probably because they weren’t on the sheet.

At halftime, the score was 14-0 in favor of the Bears and our thought at the time was it might have been the most uncompetitive 14-0 game ever. The Browns were never in this one.

After the Titans’ game (reminder Tennessee has won two games this season), many pundits wanted to give credit to coach Kevin Stefanski for the progress made by Sanders this season. And we agree he has made progress. He seems to be better in each game.

However, the loss to the Bears should remind everyone why the franchise should do a full cleaning of the front office and coaching staff (except for Jim Schwartz) after the season. This is a team devoid of so many things: talent, leadership, character, etc.

And that last comment should tell you that GM Andrew Berry has to go as well.

One other mark against Berry should be WR Jerry Jeudy, who did the seemingly impossible task of turning a touchdown into an interception when he let Sanders’ pass go through his hands, bounce off his chest and into the hands of DB Jaylon Jackson.

Sanders didn’t have a good day, completing 18 of 35 for 177 yards and had two other interceptions which were his fault. However, we would still like to see how he can play in a halfway decent offensive system.

We agree with Daryl Johnston, the analyst for the game that the QB has tunnel vision at times for fellow rookie Harold Fannin, who did catch seven passes for 48 yards. Our guess is he doesn’t have a lot of trust for anyone else out there.

That said, the two long passes to Isaiah Bond, one for 47 yards and the other for 42 yards, were beautiful throws.

And we are on record that if you can’t get newly named Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who we think is the best QB in the draft, then draft an offensive lineman and a wide receiver with the two first round picks and run it back with Sanders next season.

We also thought it was funny the telecast talked about the Bears’ commitment to improve the offensive line last off-season. The Browns, of course, said we’re good.

It’s a disaster.

Three more games in this torturing season remain. Hopefully, Browns’ fans will get to see Garrett break a record.

A Mixed Bag Of Thoughts On Browns’ Latest Loss

A lot of unpack about the Browns’ latest defeat, this one to a team that came into the game with one victory, the Tennessee Titans.

First, if you are happy with the loss because it helps the Browns’ draft position, stop it! Tanking doesn’t work. The organization tried it once within the last ten years and got two playoff appearances and one post-season victory. It doesn’t work.

Instead, the Browns need to learn how to win. It’s a learned skill; one this team and coaching staff doesn’t have.

Next, we understand the season is almost over, but why Bubba Ventrone is still employed is mind boggling. A long kickoff return to start the game. Gage Larvadain muffed his third punt in the last two games. And another blocked punt, the second of the season, the first time that happened to the Browns since 2018, which frankly is way too recent.

Watching football as long as we have, a person can go years watching an NFL team and not see a punt blocked. Twice in one season? Ridiculous.

Shedeur Sanders played well, but we aren’t going to get too excited about it because of the opponent. The Titans are a bad football team. That said, he did complete 23 of 42 for 364 yards and three touchdowns, but one interception.

Again, we want to see more and we will. A better test will come next week against Chicago, but it’s pretty clear the rookie has some talent, and we can’t say this enough: Drafting two quarterbacks in last year’s draft was silly considering the other needs this offense has.

And we understand people get QB crazy when it comes to the draft, but outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and perhaps Oregon’s Dante Moore, there isn’t one worthy of a high pick next spring.

So, let’s see how the Sanders thing plays out. Use the two first round picks to draft offensive help. The Browns need linemen, receivers, and running backs.

The defense wasn’t great and gave up way too many yards on the ground, but they still held the Titans under 300 total yards. We are sure Jim Schwartz isn’t happy with the performance, but the fumble of Dylan Sampson did set up the Titans inside the 10 yard line and the blocked punt handed the visitors a field goal.

The two gash runs by Tony Pollard (65 and 32 yards) hurt, but no defense stifles opponents every week. This is still a playoff ready unit.

Why did Kevin Stefanski go for two after the Sanders’ TD run which made the score 31-23? We are sure there is some “analytic” that says it’s the right move, but it was dumb. And to be clear, if the coach wanted to go for two and the win after the Browns’ last touchdown, we’d have been okay with that.

The Browns were 3-9 (now 3-10), go ahead and play for the win instead of going to overtime.

The remarkable Myles Garrett had a sack giving him 20 on the season, just 2.5 behind the NFL record. At least that gives us all a reason to watch the remaining four games on the schedule.

The next three games should be a great test for Sanders with playoff contenders on the horizon. Perhaps quarterback won’t be the huge need people seem to think with more good performances.

Special Teams Just One Problem For The Browns

A few weeks ago, after another loss, there was a discussion about accountability and as an organization, do the Cleveland Browns have it? We are sure that talk will be raised again after a 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.

The Browns are now 3-9 this season and since they made the playoffs in 2023, they have lost 23 of their last 29 contests.

The special teams have been a problem all season and have cost the Browns football games. There was a missed field goal in the opener. A blocked punt in week two against Baltimore. Two kick returns for touchdowns in a loss to the Jets. And then more problems against the Niners.

A 66-yard punt return set up the first San Francisco touchdown. There were two fumbled punts by Gage Larvadain, the latter, which was recovered by the 49ers, setting up a short field for the last TD for the winners.

And perhaps the worst gaffe was Malachi Corley fielding a kickoff that was clearly headed out of bounds on the 6-yard-line right on the sideline. Instead of getting the ball on the 40, it was a self-imposed 34-yard penalty in reality.

So, it’s not just one bad game by the special teams, it’s been an issue all season, and even last year as well. Bubba Ventrone might be a solid football coach, and clearly what he is teaching his players isn’t getting through or he is unwilling to change personnel on his units. Either way, he shouldn’t be coaching for the Browns this weekend.

It’s easy to talk about firing coaches, but it’s difficult, after all, these are people. That’s why we don’t generally make knee-jerk reactions to take that action. But a change needs to be made.

Shedeur Sanders played okay, completing 16 of 25 passes for 149 yards and did not have a turnover on a challenging day to throw. The 49ers QB, Brock Purdy threw for only 168 yards, so guessing the wind was a factor.

On the other hand, the Browns only scored eight points. The fact is simply this. The Browns have only scored more than 17 points, a very reasonable number for any NFL team to put on the scoreboard, just three times this season. They only accomplished this four times last year, meaning in the last 29 contests, they’ve put up more than 17 just seven times.

Just this past week of games, 20 teams accomplished this. It’s just not that difficult.

The New York Jets aren’t a good team, right? They put up more than 17 points in seven games this year! Tennessee is 1-11 and they’ve scored more than 17 five times. The 2-11 Giants? Nine times.

We get the offense has weaknesses. The tackle situation is just a mess. They have one solid running back. The best pass catchers are tight ends. But you should be able to put together something to score 20 points.

We think Stefanski has overcorrected. Last year, the Browns turned the ball over way too much, so this year, he’s coaching to not turn it over. And that in turn means not taking any risks. And as Bruce Arians used to say, “no risk it, no biscuit”.

The reason the Browns don’t score more than 17 points is they are coached not to score more than 17 points. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And Andrew Berry shares the blame because while he has stacked the defense, he’s ignored the offense. You can’t be strong on just one side of the football and expect to win consistently.

Will there be a coaching change after the season? With this organization, who can be sure. But running it back with this staff and front office next season seems to be a poor choice.

And wasting two years of an elite defense just adds salt to the wound.

Sanders Wins His Debut, Garrett Was The Star Again

We never criticize any team for beating a bad team. Our usual response when someone pooh-poohs a win like the Browns had over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday is asking that person if they would rather have their team lose?

Of course not. The Raiders are a mess right now and the Browns’ defense put on an incredible show and the offense, led by rookie Shedeur Sanders contributed enough big plays to end a road losing streak for Cleveland with a 24-10 victory.

Yes, the Raiders did have 268 yards of total offense, just two less than the Browns, but make no mistake, the Cleveland defense dominated this game, recording 10 sacks, three by the incredible Myles Garrett and 2.5 from Maliek Collins.

Garrett appears to be on his way to the NFL record for most sacks in a season, which is 22.5. He now has 18 with six games remaining. Incredibly, he has 13 in his last four games. There is no question he is the best defensive player in the history of the franchise and should also win his second Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Offensively, the Browns did enough. They had the splash plays that were missing all season long. Sanders’ three longest completions, the 66-yard touchdown on a screen pass to Dylan Sampson, the rollout toss of 52 yards to Isaiah Bond, and the 39 yarder to Jerry Jeudy, which he fumbled, were the three longest pass plays of the season for Cleveland.

There is something to be said for that.

All in all, Sanders was fine, completing 11 of 20 for 209 yards with an interception. In his appearance against Baltimore and in the preseason, he had issues retreating in the pocket when he was pressured, but as we recall, he did that only once in his first start. That has to be considered progress.

Moreso, he looked like an NFL quarterback. He has more size and a better arm than Dillon Gabriel, and although we feel the most important thing for a QB is the ability to read defenses, those things matter too.

We know Kevin Stefanski didn’t name a starter yet for next week against the 49ers, but logically, it should be Sanders getting another shot, and this time it will be against a good team.

The Browns have a playoff defense, and we think it doesn’t reflect well on the front office that all of the best players are on the defensive side of the ball. Look at Cincinnati, who seemingly put all their resources on the offense. Guess what? Their record is the same as the Browns at 3-8.

Why Andrew Berry decided to do this should also be brought into question. You can’t be successful just being good at one thing in any sport. Going back to Garrett, think about the narrative if Cleveland was 7-4 right now? He would be a league MVP candidate for sure.

And let’s not forget Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit. Ward is a perennial Pro Bowl player and has been in just three playoff games and he will be 29 next season. Will he still be a productive player when the Browns are playoff contenders again?

We know in the NFL things can change quickly, but we have also said with all of the holes on offense, can the Browns be a team that gets back to winning as early as next season.

And that’s the biggest question surrounding this franchise.

The Weird Ways Of The Cleveland Browns

From time to time, we have discussed the management philosophy of the Cleveland Browns and have found fault with it. The head coach and general manager, and the owner when he is available talk about the “collaborative effort” the team uses.

We don’t believe a committee is ever a good way to run anything and feel the Browns need to make someone, preferably with a football background, the ultimate hammer.

This comes up again because of the quarterback situation. There was a lot of conversation about the four QBs all during camp, and as we have pointed out before, that whole situation was created by the brass.

Coming off a 3-14 season and drafting a quarterback in the third round, someone should have said “no” when the subject of Shedeur Sanders came up in round five. That’s not a rap at Sanders, who we think has potential as an NFL QB. It’s more of why you want to create a situation where you bring four passers to training camp.

If Kenny Pickett didn’t get hurt, it is difficult to see how you could have picked up a read on either of the two rookies.

Then, the Browns traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders last week, leaving a rookie that they picked in the third round, Dillon Gabriel, as the primary back up.

Did they not learn a lesson just three years ago when they traded Josh Dobbs at the end of camp, leaving rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the back up? And when Deshaun Watson was injured prior to a game against the Baltimore Ravens, they had to put him on the field, pretty much sacrificing that contest?

Listen, we understood taking a chance on Pickett, a former first round pick, why not see if you can salvage something there, but they decided on Joe Flacco, presumably because he gives them the best chance to win.

But what if Flacco gets hurt early in the season?

Obviously, the Browns have to see what they have in Gabriel and Sanders at some point this season, but is it wise to put either on the field prior to say, the 11th game of this season? Why not give both the time to settle into the NFL and watch and learn before playing them?

That plan is out the window. So, the mode for the Browns changes instantly from trying to win games early with a veteran QB to a rebuilding mode with two rookies at the controls?

Why not get another veteran on the roster, unless that’s the plan with Bailey Zappe.

This is an organization that doesn’t seem to value character and/or leadership. They brought in Dionte Johnson, a player who has quit on teams because he once produced. It was a waste of time and other reps for other wide receivers because Johnson was cut.

How many players have been signed to one-year deals and were made captain? Maybe Carson Schwesinger is the answer there, but haven’t we all wondered who is the team leader?

Remember, just last season, the spokesperson for the offense seemed to be the BACKUP quarterback.

It Was Always Going To Be Flacco, And Other Stuff…

The least shocking news of the week came on Monday when Browns’ coach Kevin Stefanski named Joe Flacco the starting quarterback for the season opener against Cincinnati. This was inevitable since the team signed the 40-year-old veteran in the spring.

And again, for all of those you want to see Kenny Pickett as the starter, or for the Browns to repeat their awful recent history by starting a third round or fifth round rookie behind center, remember the Browns have a lot of accomplished veterans on the roster.

Make no mistake, not starting Flacco, who we would bet has the confidence of most of the team, would erode the trust players like Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, and David Njoku among others, had in the head coach and for that matter the entire coaching staff.

Dillon Gabriel got his chance last weekend against the Eagles and did okay, completing 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards, really a similar type of performance to what Shedeur Sanders did in week one. The big difference was the two turnovers, whether or not whose fault it was, the Browns turned the ball over way too much last season, and they can’t have it this year.

The bottom line is Gabriel was out there for two series where the offense turned it over. Fair or not, that has to be taken into consideration.

While everyone wants to talk QB, if this team is going to exceed the not-so-great expectations the experts have put on them, it’s going to be because of the defense. It was encouraging to hear about the pass rush in the organized practices against a pretty solid Eagles’ offensive line.

Remember, they will start two rookies in DT Mason Graham and LB Carson Schwesinger. If the secondary can hold up their part of the bargain, the defense will keep the Browns in most games.

One guy we continue to watch is running back Ahmani Marshall, who gained 25 yards in six carries against Philadelphia. If you want to have a power running game, which Stefanski likes, we would rather have bigger backs, and Marshall, an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State, is 6’1″ and 225 pounds.

The unsigned second round draft pick, Quinshon Judkins, weighs 221 lbs. The other rookie runner Cleveland drafted, Dylan Sampson is a smaller, “change of pace” back, listed at 5’8″, 200 pounds.

The incumbent, Jerome Ford, is kind of in between Judkins, Marshall, and Sampson at 5’10” and 210 pounds. Remember, Nick Chubb was listed at 227.

We get the whole pre-season thing, and we’ve never been a fan of Ford because although he’s a home run threat, he does get the four or five runs in between the tackles, but maybe you can get a draft pick for Ford, who is on the last year of his contract anyway.

Only one more of these games left, although this week we will likely see all four quarterbacks get some playing time because Flacco wants to play a series or two. After that, fans will likely see a lot of players fighting to make an NFL team.

Then the Bengals come in to start the season.

Thoughts On Sanders And The Four QB Carousel

If it is August, fans in northeast Ohio are generally talking about who should be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns in the first game of the season.

In last week’s first pre-season game, rookie Shedeur Sanders got the start and completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. It was a solid performance, but again we remind you although Carolina did play their starters in the first couple of series, Sanders got most of his work against backups.

On the other hand, he played with mostly reserves. Jerry Jeudy did not play and neither did the entire starting offensive line, including TE David Njoku.

Our comment on Sanders is simply this. He looked good and we want to see more. Hopefully, we will this weekend against the Eagles. But, he remains a solid NFL prospect and in no way shape or form should the Browns consider starting the rookie anytime before the halfway point of this upcoming season.

Unfortunately, he will likely not play this week due to an oblique injury. That doesn’t help his situation.

The Browns have tried to force rookies under center before they were ready before and how has that worked out? Remember, the only reason Baker Mayfield saw the field in the second game of the year in his rookie season was an injury to Tyrod Taylor.

Presumably, the Cleveland front office brought Joe Flacco in and traded for Kenny Pickett in order to start the season with a veteran at quarterback.

And that’s the correct and the smart move. We would assume if Pickett still cannot get on the field this weekend, then you have to figure Flacco will start against the Bengals on September 7th.

We advocated for that anyway, because he has the most gravitas in the locker room. There is no question the veteran leaders on the team, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio, Njoku, will the 40-year-old signal caller gives them the best chance to win.

Dillon Gabriel also missed the first game with a hamstring issue, but seems ready to see the field this week, and if he can go, our guess is he will start.

And the Browns need to see what the other rookie can do as well. At the very least, they spent a third round draft choice on him and have to do their due diligence. You have to think there was a reason Cleveland picked him two rounds before they took Sanders.

The whole situation is exactly what the franchise signed up for when they drafted two rookie QBs in the last draft. That no one saw it was going to be difficult to get two rookies integrated in the offense and get a veteran ready to play when the regular season starts.

Perhaps that’s why Flacco was signed, because he has seen it all before and probably can be ready with minimal reps.

We still believe the Browns will find a way to keep all four quarterbacks on the regular season roster to start the year. They almost have too much invested in each one to make any other decision.

Unfortunately they didn’t have the foresight to see this coming last April.

Sanders Give Us A Reason To Watch Exhibition Football

Tomorrow night the annual rite of fall begins as NFL exhibition play begins. We know the league like to call these games “pre-season” contests, but more and more, these games are filled with players who will never play a regular season NFL game.

So, it’s an exhibition. Teams basically conducting tryouts to players. Yes, some starters might play a quarter in the first game, but if you are buying a ticket to this, be prepared not to see your favorite players.

And with more and more teams conducting “organized practices/scrimmages” with their opponent for that week, that’s where the real action is. The starters do play in these controlled environments.

It’s okay. Franchises have to find out which players do have some talent and it’s difficult to tell when both the offense and defense know what is coming, which is what happens on the practice field.

As for the Cleveland Browns fans, it couldn’t have worked out any better from an entertainment standpoint, because rookie Shedeur Sanders will start against Carolina, and our guess is he will play the first half.

Yes, we know Joe Flacco wasn’t going to play any way and probably won’t see any action until the regular season opener on September 7th, nor should he play. Flacco has been around a long time and the coaching staff knows what he can do, and he also has the confidence of the veterans in the locker room.

Sanders was going to get some snaps in the first pre-season game, but now he will play with a handful of starters and the balance being second team guys, and more importantly, will be on the field against some starters from the Panthers, instead of a bunch of players who will likely be cut before the first regular season game.

With everyone healthy, we would guess Kenny Pickett would have started, and probably played the first quarter, followed by Dillon Gabriel and then Sanders, dividing up the last three quarters. But Pickett and Gabriel have hamstring issues, so Sanders gets a great opportunity.

There are many people who believe Sanders was gifted this opportunity, but really, who cares? Players never know when they are going to get their chance and if he performs well Friday night, perhaps he gets a longer look as the exhibition schedule progresses.

It’s really no different than how players like Mohamoud Diabate or Ronnie Hickman made the team as undrafted free agents. They took advantage of the chance they received in these late summer contests and earned more opportunities.

Also, this is the time for Sanders and Gabriel for that matter to play. There should be no rush for either of these quarterbacks to get in regular season games until at least the halfway point of the season, and we haven’t changed our opinion from the days they were both drafted.

The Browns have a history of putting quarterbacks on the field before they are ready, and they should have learned from it by now. That’s why Flacco should be the starter in week one and why Pickett is here as well. They should play until it is obvious to everyone the season is going nowhere.

We know the skeptics will say we know that now, but again, the front office and coaching staff owe it to the veterans to play the QB who gives them the best chance to win each week.