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How Close We are

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  • Not sure why this happens so often through different coaches/GMs/players/owners.....but the end of the season swoon seems to always hit the Browns.

    Sometime decent....but then 2/3rds through.....the wheels fall off and they lose like the last 4-5 games of the season.

    Except for one-two years (mangini year?) where they won the last 4-5 games of the season.

    In fact, here it is for the last 10 seasons:

    2006 lost last 4 games

    2007 went 10-6 won 3 of 4 last games...but critical loss to Bengals

    2008 lost last 6 games

    2009 Went 1-11, then won last 4.....the aberration?

    2010 started 5-7, lost last 4

    2011 lost last 6

    2012 lost last 3

    2013 started 4-5 lost last 7

    2014 started 7-4 lost last 5

  • I'll guess injuries were a significant factor...

  • Not sure why this happens so often through different coaches/GMs/players/owners.....but the end of the season swoon seems to always hit the Browns.

    Sometime decent....but then 2/3rds through.....the wheels fall off and they lose like the last 4-5 games of the season.

    Except for one-two years (mangini year?) where they won the last 4-5 games of the season.

    In fact, here it is for the last 10 seasons:

    2006 lost last 4 games

    2007 went 10-6 won 3 of 4 last games...but critical loss to Bengals

    2008 lost last 6 games

    2009 Went 1-11, then won last 4.....the aberration?

    2010 started 5-7, lost last 4

    2011 lost last 6

    2012 lost last 3

    2013 started 4-5 lost last 7

    2014 started 7-4 lost last 5

    @the-gipper said:

    Not sure why this happens so often through different coaches/GMs/players/owners.....but the end of the season swoon seems to always hit the Browns.

    Sometime decent....but then 2/3rds through.....the wheels fall off and they lose like the last 4-5 games of the season.

    Except for one-two years (mangini year?) where they won the last 4-5 games of the season.

    In fact, here it is for the last 10 seasons:

    2006 lost last 4 games

    2007 went 10-6 won 3 of 4 last games...but critical loss to Bengals

    2008 lost last 6 games

    2009 Went 1-11, then won last 4.....the aberration?

    2010 started 5-7, lost last 4

    2011 lost last 6

    2012 lost last 3

    2013 started 4-5 lost last 7

    2014 started 7-4 lost last 5

    A 10-6 record usually gets a team into the playoffs but not in 07. I remember that a win by the Colts would have put us in the playoffs but going into that game was the concern the Colts would sit out some of their starters against the Titans being the last game of the season with nothing to play for. I thought the worse case scenario if Manning doesn't play the Colts might have enough talent to win anyway. LOL. A guy I worked with at the time was a Colts fan and warned me how bad the Colts back up QB was and he didn't disappoint.

  • The browns weren't playing in a horseshoe league.

  • The browns weren't playing in a horseshoe league.

    @pumpkin-eater said:

    The browns weren't playing in a horseshoe league.

    There's a "Manziel - leaner" joke in there somewhere.......

  • ... but where is our "ringer"?

  • The browns weren't playing in a horseshoe league.

    @pumpkin-eater said:

    The browns weren't playing in a horseshoe league.

    Seeing how close you are to being a play off team is a gauge, a measurement stick. Where to put the last pieces of the puzzle together to get a ringer.

  • I'll guess injuries were a significant factor...

    @tour2ma said:

    I'll guess injuries were a significant factor...

    Yes, but it doesn't explain everything.

  • Mack is the MVP of this team.

  • @tour2ma said:

    I'll guess injuries were a significant factor...

    Yes, but it doesn't explain everything.

    @the-gipper said:

    Yes, but it doesn't explain everything.

    Explained the death of 2014 as far as I am concerned. I would agree that it might not explain every year you listed, but I'd bet it would the majority of them.

    2014 - Mack

    2013 - Hoyer

    2012 - Fujita

    2011 - Ward/ Fujita

    2010 - Fujita/ DQ

    2009 - DQ/ Jamaal/ Pool/ Rogers

    Pro-Football-Reference doesn't have records earlier than 2008, '08 was almost certainly on Crennel's exodus.

  • Game 1 at Pitts. Win if D shows up 1st half. Game 3 vs Balt. Damn you Billy Cundiff. Game 6 at Jax. A QB from Mich. playing RB ran all over us inexcusable and O. That would have made us 9 and 0. That's how close.. Be Consistent Week to Week both side of the ball period. Uncle Moe mentum would have carried us the rest of the way to playoffs..

  • Game 1 at Pitts. Win if D shows up 1st half. Game 3 vs Balt. Damn you Billy Cundiff. Game 6 at Jax. A QB from Mich. playing RB ran all over us inexcusable and O. That would have made us 9 and 0. That's how close.. Be Consistent Week to Week both side of the ball period. Uncle Moe mentum would have carried us the rest of the way to playoffs..

    @gumby73 said:

    Game 1 at Pitts. Win if D shows up 1st half. Game 3 vs Balt. Damn you Billy Cundiff. Game 6 at Jax. A QB from Mich. playing RB ran all over us inexcusable and O. That would have made us 9 and 0. That's how close.. Be Consistent Week to Week both side of the ball period. Uncle Moe mentum would have carried us the rest of the way to playoffs..

    Cundiff cost us in the Colts game too. A kicker has got to make the field goals they are supposed to make. I like this Hartley they brought in but from what I have been told his leg strength is questionable. The turning point of the season may have been when Mack went out injured or it was just a coincidence after he went out our running game vanished? As for our play off hopes I think the killer game was against the Colts. For myself at this point I had lost patience with our offense inability to score points. We should have won this game.

  • The biggest dysfuntion was Shannahan. He is gone. The veteran players absolutely are buying into Pettine's philosphy. If you didn't see it in the Raven's game you weren't watching.

  • Yes, we are close. It sucked losing the last 3 home games- good teams protect the home turf.

    My concern for 2015 besides the QB is learning yet another offensive scheme. I'm not worried about the schedule at all- if they're good enough they'll win.

  • On the schedule - while teams stay roughly the same, there are always teams like Hosuton, Washington, Atlanta, etc. that go from playoff team to bottom feeder in one offseason. All it takes is for the QB to develop a case of the Schaubs, or the D to not work anymore, for example.

  • I think there are good arguments to be made for resigning Hoyer, naming him the starting QB and letting Manziel try to beat him out in preseason and work on the defense and maybe another O lineman and WR. There are good arguments to try and get a QB like Mariota. Good arguments to get a veteran QB. There may not be a right or wrong answer at this time (hindsight is always 20/20) but whatever we decide maybe we will get lucky. We are due.

    Actually take luck out of it. I hope they just weigh all the options out and make the decision based on that.

  • @douche-nozzle said:

    When you count the close losses as possible wins you also have to count the close wins as possible losses.

    I think it's because somewhere around the 2/3 mark the dysfunction starts to be visible to the players. They can't buy the rah rah stuff anymore because they see the cluster fuck around them and without that spark of hope they simply lose out.

    Well, I agree that the dysfunction starts.....but I don't think you have a clue as to what causes it any more than anyone else. Injuries do come into play, but also a general ennui seems to descend.

  • @gumby73 said:

    Game 1 at Pitts. Win if D shows up 1st half. Game 3 vs Balt. Damn you Billy Cundiff. Game 6 at Jax. A QB from Mich. playing RB ran all over us inexcusable and O. That would have made us 9 and 0. That's how close.. Be Consistent Week to Week both side of the ball period. Uncle Moe mentum would have carried us the rest of the way to playoffs..

    Cundiff cost us in the Colts game too. A kicker has got to make the field goals they are supposed to make. I like this Hartley they brought in but from what I have been told his leg strength is questionable. The turning point of the season may have been when Mack went out injured or it was just a coincidence after he went out our running game vanished? As for our play off hopes I think the killer game was against the Colts. For myself at this point I had lost patience with our offense inability to score points. We should have won this game.

    @oldbrownsfan said:

    Cundiff cost us in the Colts game too. A kicker has got to make the field goals they are supposed to make. I like this Hartley they brought in but from what I have been told his leg strength is questionable. The turning point of the season may have been when Mack went out injured or it was just a coincidence after he went out our running game vanished? As for our play off hopes I think the killer game was against the Colts. For myself at this point I had lost patience with our offense inability to score points. We should have won this game.

    Spot on with Mack, lead to Hoyer not being accurate with no time and no running game ask JF in Natty and for your Colt game again, Damn You Billy (all you got to do is kick) Cundiff...

  • @oldbrownsfan said:

    Cundiff cost us in the Colts game too. A kicker has got to make the field goals they are supposed to make. I like this Hartley they brought in but from what I have been told his leg strength is questionable. The turning point of the season may have been when Mack went out injured or it was just a coincidence after he went out our running game vanished? As for our play off hopes I think the killer game was against the Colts. For myself at this point I had lost patience with our offense inability to score points. We should have won this game.

    Spot on with Mack, lead to Hoyer not being accurate with no time and no running game ask JF in Natty and for your Colt game again, Damn You Billy (all you got to do is kick) Cundiff...

    @gumby73 said:

    Spot on with Mack, lead to Hoyer not being accurate with no time and no running game ask JF in Natty and for your Colt game again, Damn You Billy (all you got to do is kick) Cundiff...

    Nobody has said anything about our kicking game just our special teams in general but does the club need to go out and get a kicker? I think when a kicker misses field goals they should make (40 yard and less) that is a huge momentum stopper. A team drives down the field to at least earn the 3 points they deserve and come away empty. Hartley at least makes the ones he should.

  • How close are we? I think with a top 10 quarterback we'd have had a lot more success. We'd have most likely won the earlier close games and had a bigger margin in the close losses. The Indianapolis game? Yes Billy Cundiff should have made the field goal. But while we are pointing fingers maybe a couple more complete passes would have helped too.

    WSS