Cleveland's Unlikely Hero
-
Great signing by the team...Hope he plays the rest of the season because that means we're winning and in the hunt.
Great signing by the team...Hope he plays the rest of the season because that means we're winning and in the hunt.
Ya know- I was seriously bashing McCown- have to eat that batch of Crow. He's been playing really well- considering the pass blocking has been far from ideal, and an ineffective running game on top of it.
Aaron Rodgers he's not. The next few weeks will tell where this team is going. I saw some serious improvement in the offense the second half of the Ravens game. But the realist in me says that was against a Ratbird defense that was decimated with injuries. (saw they brought in a couple new CBs, and put another on IR) I'll jump on the McCown bandwagon should we have a similar performance against Denver this Sunday- we haven't beaten the Donkeys in like forever.
One thing for sure- McCown is a team first, class guy.
-
Great signing by the team...Hope he plays the rest of the season because that means we're winning and in the hunt.
Ya know- I was seriously bashing McCown- have to eat that batch of Crow. He's been playing really well- considering the pass blocking has been far from ideal, and an ineffective running game on top of it.
Aaron Rodgers he's not. The next few weeks will tell where this team is going. I saw some serious improvement in the offense the second half of the Ravens game. But the realist in me says that was against a Ratbird defense that was decimated with injuries. (saw they brought in a couple new CBs, and put another on IR) I'll jump on the McCown bandwagon should we have a similar performance against Denver this Sunday- we haven't beaten the Donkeys in like forever.
One thing for sure- McCown is a team first, class guy.
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
These two jerseys are on their way to the PFHOF in Canton.
-
These two jerseys are on their way to the PFHOF in Canton.
These two jerseys are on their way to the PFHOF in Canton.
Seriously? For team, regular-season records?
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
These two jerseys are on their way to the PFHOF in Canton.
Seriously? For team, regular-season records?
-
I would never call a football player a 'hero'.
-
Hoyer and Benjamin have jerseys in Canton too from the Tennessee comeback last year.
The reason McCown and Barnidge are going to Canton:
"McCown was the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 450 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions while also rushing for a touchdown. He also produced the greatest three game stretch in team history. He has thrown for 1,154 yards and six touchdowns in the past three games.
Barnidge also recorded some team history. He is the first tight end since Ozzie Newsome in 1983 to have touchdown receptions in three straight games for the Browns."
-
McCown is a class act, no question about it. I don't want to be a downer, but I'm expecting him to have a clunker of a game against the Broncos. Their defense is literally THAT good, and he simply can't sustain his production. I guess I shouldn't say "can't", but I believe it to be extremely unlikely. I mean, I find it hard to believe we signed free agent gold that other teams didn't want. McCown had a terrible, TERRIBLE year with the Bucs, no doubt about it. But when you look back at it, the Bucs lost their offensive coordinator right before the season started, and apparently he was asked to be the coordinator AND the quarterback of a team with no offensive line. Difficult for anyone, that much is true.
The problem I have is that when McCown DOES have a poor game, and everybody in the NFL does, what will our defense be able to do to keep us in the game? There is so much pressure on our offense to carry the load because they know our defense won't be able to keep the score low. We don't force turnovers, we don't sack the quarterback, and we don't force enough FG's. We also give up a TON of chunk plays, and nobody knows why other than "we don't execute."
The other side of the coin is that McCown is getting into a groove, and our offensive coordinator is finding ways to get everyone involved. We aren't depending on any one player, and that makes it difficult for a defense. Would I prefer to be a smash mouth running team? Sure, that's my dream offense, but we realize that doesn't work for us, and we're going to use the pass to set up the run later in the game. We'll have to figure out consistent ways to mitigate their immense pass rush, and I would expect a healthy dose of Crow and Duke in the passing game. Both have demonstrated an incredible knack for catching the ball and accelerating down field. I also look for a trick play this game. Not sure what kind...but something deep in the playbook that we've been saving. I haven't seen a reverse this year, and we have several guys that can execute it.
-
McCown is a class act, no question about it. I don't want to be a downer, but I'm expecting him to have a clunker of a game against the Broncos. Their defense is literally THAT good, and he simply can't sustain his production. I guess I shouldn't say "can't", but I believe it to be extremely unlikely. I mean, I find it hard to believe we signed free agent gold that other teams didn't want. McCown had a terrible, TERRIBLE year with the Bucs, no doubt about it. But when you look back at it, the Bucs lost their offensive coordinator right before the season started, and apparently he was asked to be the coordinator AND the quarterback of a team with no offensive line. Difficult for anyone, that much is true.
The problem I have is that when McCown DOES have a poor game, and everybody in the NFL does, what will our defense be able to do to keep us in the game? There is so much pressure on our offense to carry the load because they know our defense won't be able to keep the score low. We don't force turnovers, we don't sack the quarterback, and we don't force enough FG's. We also give up a TON of chunk plays, and nobody knows why other than "we don't execute."
The other side of the coin is that McCown is getting into a groove, and our offensive coordinator is finding ways to get everyone involved. We aren't depending on any one player, and that makes it difficult for a defense. Would I prefer to be a smash mouth running team? Sure, that's my dream offense, but we realize that doesn't work for us, and we're going to use the pass to set up the run later in the game. We'll have to figure out consistent ways to mitigate their immense pass rush, and I would expect a healthy dose of Crow and Duke in the passing game. Both have demonstrated an incredible knack for catching the ball and accelerating down field. I also look for a trick play this game. Not sure what kind...but something deep in the playbook that we've been saving. I haven't seen a reverse this year, and we have several guys that can execute it.
McCown is a class act, no question about it. I don't want to be a downer, but I'm expecting him to have a clunker of a game against the Broncos. Their defense is literally THAT good, and he simply can't sustain his production. I guess I shouldn't say "can't", but I believe it to be extremely unlikely. I mean, I find it hard to believe we signed free agent gold that other teams didn't want. McCown had a terrible, TERRIBLE year with the Bucs, no doubt about it. But when you look back at it, the Bucs lost their offensive coordinator right before the season started, and apparently he was asked to be the coordinator AND the quarterback of a team with no offensive line. Difficult for anyone, that much is true.
The problem I have is that when McCown DOES have a poor game, and everybody in the NFL does, what will our defense be able to do to keep us in the game? There is so much pressure on our offense to carry the load because they know our defense won't be able to keep the score low. We don't force turnovers, we don't sack the quarterback, and we don't force enough FG's. We also give up a TON of chunk plays, and nobody knows why other than "we don't execute."
The other side of the coin is that McCown is getting into a groove, and our offensive coordinator is finding ways to get everyone involved. We aren't depending on any one player, and that makes it difficult for a defense. Would I prefer to be a smash mouth running team? Sure, that's my dream offense, but we realize that doesn't work for us, and we're going to use the pass to set up the run later in the game. We'll have to figure out consistent ways to mitigate their immense pass rush, and I would expect a healthy dose of Crow and Duke in the passing game. Both have demonstrated an incredible knack for catching the ball and accelerating down field. I also look for a trick play this game. Not sure what kind...but something deep in the playbook that we've been saving. I haven't seen a reverse this year, and we have several guys that can execute it.
I'm not counting us out, because the Broncos potentially have some key injuries that may miss Sunday. (Ware, Talib, D. Thomas). Also Manning has shown his age quite a bit and his arm looks like jello this year.
The biggest obstacle is their defense really, I think our D is capable of keeping us in the game. Normally I'd say we have to figure out how to run the ball, but who knows Money McCown looks good when he tosses it up 50 times.
-
McCown is a class act, no question about it. I don't want to be a downer, but I'm expecting him to have a clunker of a game against the Broncos. Their defense is literally THAT good, and he simply can't sustain his production. I guess I shouldn't say "can't", but I believe it to be extremely unlikely. I mean, I find it hard to believe we signed free agent gold that other teams didn't want. McCown had a terrible, TERRIBLE year with the Bucs, no doubt about it. But when you look back at it, the Bucs lost their offensive coordinator right before the season started, and apparently he was asked to be the coordinator AND the quarterback of a team with no offensive line. Difficult for anyone, that much is true.
The problem I have is that when McCown DOES have a poor game, and everybody in the NFL does, what will our defense be able to do to keep us in the game? There is so much pressure on our offense to carry the load because they know our defense won't be able to keep the score low. We don't force turnovers, we don't sack the quarterback, and we don't force enough FG's. We also give up a TON of chunk plays, and nobody knows why other than "we don't execute."
The other side of the coin is that McCown is getting into a groove, and our offensive coordinator is finding ways to get everyone involved. We aren't depending on any one player, and that makes it difficult for a defense. Would I prefer to be a smash mouth running team? Sure, that's my dream offense, but we realize that doesn't work for us, and we're going to use the pass to set up the run later in the game. We'll have to figure out consistent ways to mitigate their immense pass rush, and I would expect a healthy dose of Crow and Duke in the passing game. Both have demonstrated an incredible knack for catching the ball and accelerating down field. I also look for a trick play this game. Not sure what kind...but something deep in the playbook that we've been saving. I haven't seen a reverse this year, and we have several guys that can execute it.
The problem I have is that when McCown DOES have a poor game, and everybody in the NFL does, what will our defense be able to do to keep us in the game? There is so much pressure on our offense to carry the load because they know our defense won't be able to keep the score low.
The other side of the coin is that McCown is getting into a groove, and our offensive coordinator is finding ways to get everyone involved. We aren't depending on any one player, and that makes it difficult for a defense. Would I prefer to be a smash mouth running team? Sure, that's my dream offense... I also look for a trick play this game. Not sure what kind...but something deep in the playbook that we've been saving. I haven't seen a reverse this year, and we have several guys that can execute it.
Last nite the Saints showed that you can never tell when a D will wake up... Hell, we showed that Week 2. But clearly we are an "outscore the other guys" team.
What we have seen the past three weeks is the roll out of the Flip playbook in the hands of a trusted, veteran QB. I do not think any of us were prepared for width and depth of what we've seen. I do not think the performance of our D impacts the approach our O will take. So in large portion I think that mitigates the pressure the O perceives. The way the O will feel added pressure is should it be self-generated through turnovers.
Ditto on the smash-mouth thing... from an NFL Neanderthal. I'll just have to keep the nitro pills handy on Sunday.
Also ditto on the trick play call... So far the throw back to Barn we pulled off last week has been about it. But Flip has been setting up a couple others over the past two weeks. Last week it was Benji in a reverse action.
-
I hope to see the change up game. Get Bibbs to take some of the M. Johnson Reps. Sit Drey or Housler. Get Turpin in the mix & has played against Denver. Flip from Oakland has seen Denver twice a year, Tricks & another great day of calls puts us at 3-3 with the 30th worst defense. Flip at least gets to the Pete Rose's Hall (way).
-
McCown going to make Manning look like a fool. He will start getting the Nationwide Commercials.
-
I believe the Browns defense is ready to step up now.
The Browns turn the corner vs the Broncs.
-
Predict McCown stat line:
38/52 436 YDs 4TDs 0INT
Manning:
12/31 120 YDs 1TD 2INT
A man can hope
-
Broncos 54, Browns 9
-
Reverse psychology?
-
Cleveland's unlikely hero.
Josh McCown probably should have taken his gold watch last year. Nice career, meandering from Arizona to Detroit to Carolina to Hartford of the United Football League to coaching high school football to Chicago to Tampa Bay last year. At 35, coming off a very good five-start stretch for Chicago in 2013, McCown was going to be the Bucsâ bridge to the future. But offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford fell ill before the season, never was right during the year, and the offense was in shambles, and the offensive line was the worst in football, and McCown played poorly. There were his wife and kids in Charlotte, and no one would have thought it odd for McCown to leave the game and go back to coaching.
âBut I just thought, âThis isnât the best I can be. I donât want to go out like that. I donât want to be a one-hit wonder from ChicagoâI know Iâm capable of doing that,â â he said Sunday night. âI just knew I could do it again, and my wife was super supportive.â
So the Browns needed a sort of player-coach to play and mentor Johnny Manzielâor whomever the next quarterback there would be. McCown signed, won the starting job in camp and led the Browns on a 17-play drive on the first possession of the season at the Jets. He was concussed on play 17, trying to dive for the end zone. Johnny Football time. Manziel had some moments, and beat the Titans in Week 2, and the locals were frenzied. Cleveland wanted Johnny. And this, old-fashioned McCown understood.
âI was heartbroken after that long drive against the Jets, because I thought weâd have a big day,â he said. âBut people donât understandâyou sign with a team, and youâre there to serve your team. If youâre called on to play, you play. If youâre not playing, you help your team in other ways. So my job until I played again, if I played again, was to help Johnny be the best. The organization picked this young man in the first round and has high hopes for himâstill does. So I wanted to help him.â
That sounds trite, honestly. Youâre tempted not to buy it. But I know itâs the way McCown feels, because Iâve heard it from him beforeâabout Jay Cutler, about Mike Glennonâand because he has this weird attitude that quite a few players donât. Team guy.
âMy wife and I went to couple of the NBA Finals games here in the spring,â he said. âWeâre walking downtown and we thought, âWouldnât it be great if this would happen with the Browns?â The energy, the passion, the drive. So I promise youâI get it when they chant for Johnny. You know why? They want to win. They want a spark. Give us a win! Make us feel good!â
McCown got his job back in Week 3 and threw for 341 yards, but the Browns lost to Oakland. He kept the job in Week 4 and threw for 356 yards at San Diego, but the Browns lost in overtime. No reason to think Sunday in Baltimore would be different; the Ravens were 13-1 against Cleveland in the John Harbaugh era, and Harbaughâs 1-3 team needed a win badly.
Baltimore up 21-9. McCown, methodical, with 75 and 79-yard drives to put Cleveland up 22-21. The second touchdown came on the strangest TD catch youâll ever see. From the Ravensâ 18, McCown, pressured, lofted one to tight end Gary Barnidge at the goal line. He jumped with a Ravensâ defender, and Barnidge ended up falling, the ball near his feet. As he fell, Barnidge kept the ball off the ground between his legs but not touching his hands; somehow it never touched the ground and he was able to pop it back into his hands while lying on the goal line. The officials couldnât believe it, and no one else could either. Touchdown. Browns up.
They were waiting for replay after the score to confirm or deny when McCown saw Barnidge on the field.
âDid you catch it?â McCown asked.
âYeahâjust not with my hands!â Barnidge said.
âHey, put that on the stat sheet!â McCown said.
The catch counted. But back came Baltimore. They traded touchdowns againâRavens up 27-22, then Cleveland up 30-27âand Justin Tuckerâs field goal with 25 seconds left tied it going into overtime.
Now, the Browns are not set up to be a throwing team. With Josh Gordon suspended for the year and with a solid run-blocking line, coach Mike Pettine was planning to be pretty balanced between the run and the pass. But it hasnât worked out that way in the past three weeks. Since McCown has taken the reins back, Cleveland has called pass plays on a remarkable 72 percent of the snaps. âWhen I came here, I was thinking maybe 30 throws a game,â McCown said. âBut in our quarterback room, we have the attitude that we donât have to be babysitters. We can win the games.â On this overtime drive, there was a key third-and-1, and Baltimore expected run. McCown delivered a strike to Barnidge for 19 up the seam. That got Cleveland near field-goal range. After nibbling at Baltimoreâs exhausted defense a little more, the Browns set up for Travis Coonsâ winning 32-yard field goal.
When it was over, McCown saw the incredible numbers: 36 of 51, 457 yards, two touchdowns, no picks.
The Browns were founded 69 years ago. Through Otto Graham and a succession of pre-â90s very good passers and the Brownsâ rebirth, no quarterback ever had a regular-season game like this one. No other Brown ever threw for as many yards.
âWhen Iâm done,â McCown said, âI think itâll sink in, and Iâll enjoy it. But weâre in the middle of something pretty cool here. We went to San Diego last week and had our hearts broken, and the energy in the locker room was so fantasticâweâve got something good going here. Today we come back to Baltimore, and obviously itâs a team thatâs been tough for us, but the energy was fantastic again. I just love being in there. I love being a part of the team. Thatâs what means something to me.
âNow, we have a quarterback room, and the Browns have these murals on the walls with all the great quarterbacks, back to Otto Graham, and Frank Ryan, Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar. You see the history in there. Itâs cool. And Iâve sat there and Iâve thought, âWouldnât it be cool to be on that wall someday, and have the respect of the next generation of quarterbacks in this room?â That would mean something to me.â
Cleveland's unlikely hero.
Josh McCown
Thanks for sharing that Mark!
Last year, as the national media couldn't get enough of Manziel's good, bad and ugly - the Browns quietly got off to a 7-4 start. Then all the national sports writers who previously questioned our QB situation - suddenly wanted to make everyone aware that Brian Hoyer had a pretty nice story unfolding. Really? You mean like putting a strong running game around QB might actually help a passer be effective? All these national sports media guys that want to invest part of 1 summer day learning as much or as little about the Cleveland Browns are suddenly trying to recruit passengers for their bandwagon. Wasn't it their choice to focus 110% of their attention on a 21 year old Manziel at the time anyway?
This year, the national sports media was very critical of Josh McCown immediately after he was sentenced to Tampa's 31st ranked running game stranded in 3rd and forever behind suspect pass protection. All I read from them was "how is Cleveland supposed to win with their QB situation?" This came from columnists unwilling to see how effective McCown was when Chicago's environment handcuff both hands behind his back. McCown has rarely ever played for good teams reminding us not every QB gets a GM that puts this around the passer: Marvin Harrison, Marshall Faulk, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Edge James, Joseph Addai (most of these guys except for Addai were elite before they played at Peyton's Place). If none of that was necessary - a guy like Polian wouldn't have gone those routes. The next Peyton's Place had DeMaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas plus a willingness to add Wes Welker as well as a former HOF QB understanding what was needed.
While I liked the content and story Peter presented - it would have been nice for him to say MAYBE more critics like himself should have looked at why and when things didn't work for McCown vrs why they did/do. I guess his column heading was as close to owning where he stood as we'llget. That said, what else should we expect from a guy who only dedicated a small part of 1 summer day learning as much or as little as he wanted to about this team? The NFL has always had QBs like Steve DeBerg and Jeff Garcia. One of them blended in with stink around him in Detroit & Cleveland (where he was injured) BUT performed his way to Pro Bowls and playoffs on teams like Philly, Tampa and SF. DeBerg was good on good teams and bad on bad teams. I see McCown in this category, with an ability to outplay/outwin Jay Cutler when given the chance to do so with the exact same teammates. It's an Archie Manning story with a different last name so he doesn't get the same abundance of excuses and alibis. The reality of it all is we might end up with another QB the national media never really cared to get acquainted with emerging as a significant reason we've had chances to win all but 1 game so far. The lone exception, he put together an impressive opening drive until his decision to run through 2 defenders at the goal line ended his day vrs the Jets. IMO, Cleveland always tends to play better when they're not favored or supposed to win anyway so I'll enjoy that silver lining.
-
McCown didn't even have an OC in Tampa either lol, srsly the bucs just suck and have sucked forever.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better đ
Register Login