PFT preseason power rankings No. 31: Cleveland Browns
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Kessler has earned flying fuck all.
Kessler has earned flying fuck all.
LMAO................ Great post man. I have to agree.
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Remember when the Jets had such high hopes during/following that 2015 season?
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Kessler should start, he earned it.
Kessler should start, he earned it.
Whomever earns it in camp should start. New OL, less wounded receiving corps, etc. Whomever blends best with this O in the preseason games/camp should start game 1.
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well, they aren't going to stick their necks out and give the Browns
a good power rating until they start winning.
A lot like placing your bet on the horse after the race....
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And that's why I'm fine with 31. What really hurts about last year was how bad our defense was, and Ray Horton and our players cost us several games. I want to say Cody Kessler started like 3 games or so where he lead the offense to 20 points or more. I could be mistaken, but I know he had us in several games early that we choked away. We can blame the new kicker in the Fins' game, Hue for handing the ball off to the damn fullback against Washington, or our other kicker for the low extra point that was blocked against Baltimore (McCown started that one), but really...our defense just couldn't quite come up with the play or the stop when we NEEDED it. The only game our defense balled out in was the lone victory, and even in THAT game they tried their best to lose it, LOL.
I say all that because I think our defense will be considerably improved from last year, if only because we now have Gregg Williams. I honestly believe he makes us better by just being here, never mind the fact we added some talented draft picks. You never want to rely on rookies to instantly make you better, but it's certainly possible (just never with US, lol). We aren't very deep on our front 7, but our starters are actually pretty damn solid. Williams plays some version of the nickel around 80% of the time, so we'll only have two linebackers for the majority of our snaps. That's fine with me because those two linebackers are probably our best two defenders (Kirksey and Collins). Toss in a rising Danny Shelton, Ogbah, Myles Garrett, and Desmond Bryant (hopefully), and that's not too shabby. Of course, that's only 6, so the "front 7" for us is still up in the air. Does Jabril Peppers start as a Safety/Linebacker hybrid? I think that's the eventual hope, but again, you really can't place your bets on rookies to make immediate impacts.
Even if we had the same crappy QB play as we did last year (and all signs point to something similar, LOL), our defense could be the difference in one victory, versus 4-5 this year. That might sound like piss in the wind, but it's a huge deal. Especially if we get clarity on our QB position. Below is an article about our front 7.
he Cleveland Browns have a lot of potential on defense, but how soon can they turn that into actual production?The Cleveland Browns fielded one of the worst defenses in the NFL under former defensive coordinator Ray Horton in 2016.
Don’t think so because you are getting bad information from Twitter sources? Well, what other conclusion can be drawn after the defense finished:
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2017 Honda Ridgeline2017 Honda Ridgeline RTL-TAd by proctorhonda.com- 31st in the NFL in touchdown passes allowed with 36
- 30th in points per game at 28.2
- 30th in sacks with 26
- 31st against the run at 142.7 yards per game
- 28th in average run per carry at 4.6
The Browns served the biggest problem by replacing Horton with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. They also continued to invest heavily in the defense by drafting Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers, Larry Ogunjobi, Howard Wilson and Caleb Brantley; signing linebackers Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey, and defensive back Jason McCourty; and trading for safety Calvin Pryor.
They join holdovers Danny Shelton, Emmanuel Ogbah and Carl Nassib, among others, to create a defense that is long on potential, but still has to show that in can produce when it matters.
That potential is reflected in the pre-training camp rankings of the front seven, starting with the analytics site Pro Football Focus, which has the Browns front seven as the league’s 24th best unit:
With a full season in Cleveland, LB Jamie Collins could improve this Browns front seven. Oh, and throwing in No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett in there could also help. Collins ranked in the top 12 in both run stop percentage and pass rush productivity among 4-3 OLBs last season, in just his time in New England alone. Christian Kirksey signed an extension with the team after an impressive 2016 season, and DT Danny Shelton rounds out the standouts on the Browns front seven as he finished with the second most run stops (39) behind Giants’ Damon Harrison from the DT spot. Emmanuel Ogbah, Tank Carder and Desmond Bryant should see extended playing time this season as only Ogbah qualified for a ranking with his overall grade of 44.2 – 94th overall among edge defenders.
USA Today also checks in with position rankings, first with the defensive line (No. 23)and then with the linebackers (No. 19):
The last time they drafted a defensive end No. 1 (Courtney Brown in 2000), it didn’t work out. Far more will be expected from Myles Garrett. DE Emmanuel Ogbah had six sacks as a rookie, and DT Danny Shelton is immovable inside. But everyone will be adjusting to DC Gregg Williams’ lofty demands.
Recent investments in Jamie Collins (four-year, $50 million contract) and Christian Kirksey (four-year, $38 million extension) are indicative of the club’s feelings. Will new DC Gregg Williams share the enthusiasm?
Much of the defensive focus has been on Williams, who brings a no-nonsense approach, to put it mildly, to the defense. But it will be up to the players to successfully put Williams’ defensive concepts to work on the field.
And that is a good thing.
Shelton made a major leap in his second year, as did Kirksey in his first year as a starter. After being miscast early in the season as an outside linebacker, Ogbah finished the season strong from his natural position at defensive end. The Browns will also have Collins, a former Pro Bowl player, for a full season.
Adding Garrett – the No. 1 overall selection and one of the most productive defensive linemen at the college level — to that core should help raise everyone’s game to a higher level.
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Thanks for posting that jiggins7919.
- Can I request a <Thank You> button so that I don't have to create a post to thank someone for posting? -
answer - Yes, you can ask. That and a quarter will get you a phone call.
BEING A BROWNS FAN IS A TEST TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN TAKE -
... or you can designate jiggies' post as Best Answer... and give him a point.
Good articles all around...
One thing to remember, these are Preseason rankings. They are not intended to be a projection of where we will be at season's end or mid-season or even the end of preseason. And right now we have:
- a team coming off 1-15 with...
- a starting QB-less Offense with three contenders with 2, 1 and 0 years of playing experience, one of whom will line-up behind...
- an OL that is 3/5ths new with one of the 2/5's returning from a significant injury and...
- a D with at least two holes...
- and another two or more question marks...
- in the midst of a scheme change under a new DC.
Yup... #31 feels about right... right now...
"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 -
... or you can designate jiggies' post as Best Answer... and give him a point.
Good articles all around...
One thing to remember, these are Preseason rankings. They are not intended to be a projection of where we will be at season's end or mid-season or even the end of preseason. And right now we have:
- a team coming off 1-15 with...
- a starting QB-less Offense with three contenders with 2, 1 and 0 years of playing experience, one of whom will line-up behind...
- an OL that is 3/5ths new with one of the 2/5's returning from a significant injury and...
- a D with at least two holes...
- and another two or more question marks...
- in the midst of a scheme change under a new DC.
Yup... #31 feels about right... right now...
... or you can designate jiggies' post as Best Answer... and give him a point.
Good articles all around...
One thing to remember, these are Preseason rankings. They are not intended to be a projection of where we will be at season's end or mid-season or even the end of preseason. And right now we have:
- a team coming off 1-15 with...
- a starting QB-less Offense with three contenders with 2, 1 and 0 years of playing experience, one of whom will line-up behind...
- an OL that is 3/5ths new with one of the 2/5's returning from a significant injury and...
- a D with at least two holes...
- and another two or more question marks...
- in the midst of a scheme change under a new DC.
Yup... #31 feels about right... right now...
What specifically do you see as these 4 holes or ? marks in the defense?
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Thanks for posting that jiggins7919.
- Can I request a <Thank You> button so that I don't have to create a post to thank someone for posting? -
answer - Yes, you can ask. That and a quarter will get you a phone call.
Thanks for posting that jiggins7919.
- Can I request a <Thank You> button so that I don't have to create a post to thank someone for posting? -
answer - Yes, you can ask. That and a quarter will get you a phone call.
Yeah, it was a good post Orion. You can give him a thatta boy or cyber fanny pat. If you look at the bottom right of his post. There's a green square with a white arrow pointing up. You just click on that when you read it and it lets him know 1 person appreciated his post. I just gave him one and now on the bottom right of his post - there's now another green square with a 1 in it. If others do this, the number will change to reflect the inventory of those appreciating his post. FWIW, there's nothing wrong with a quick reply to somebody and adding in a "good post" or similar comment.
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