Game 1...Good, Bad & Ugly 2017
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I'd like to thank Mud for his very insightful post. Pretty spot-on throughout even the painful reminder about my boy Higgins leaving me looking like Soccer-mom trying to project NFL WRs. I thought I was the only 1 with pom poms for that guy until I saw Calsies. I'm not as worried about RT yet; but that could change (as much as I hope it doesn't). Coleman had 2 receptions that I remember and made what I thought was a nice adjustment to outside leverage that Brock Ostrich threw outside (thank God the Wizard of Os overthrew it or we're talking pick 6sies). Britt made what initially looked likea nice catch on a play Ostrich threw him open; BUT he didn't get the other foot down to drag. Having said that, Mud nailed his assessment of Britt at least for Thursday (meanwhile a highlight of the Terrell Pryor he replaced showed TP dropping a non-contested pass by Cousins over the middle so the 1st game rust was comparable to say the least). I'm going to need more than 1 preseason game for a guy coming off the best reception volume of his career for me to worry about him just yet (that is subject to change as well...) When the QBing improved, Kizer threw open WRs much lower on the depth chart such as Jordan Payton and Richard Mullaney for the 2 biggest pass plays of our W. On 1 of those gems, he had defensive ass breath in his face. Perhaps the reason Payton couldn't do this all last year was we didn't have the QB (just like the numbers of Gabriel reflected here in 2015 when nobody could make him look nearly as wonderful as Shanny and Matt Ryan did in 2016). Of course the best QBing of his career mattered when the sum of 2 years was just 1 TD reception here punctuated by a drop off to just 8.6 yards per catch in 2015. He goes back to a much more talented OC than Flip in ATL and QB than Cleveland's Rent-a-Wreck. He didn't just wake up a better WR in Georgia 1 morning - he had his first access to enabling surroundings.That's what we need here and Kizer could be the missing link that gets Hue back to feeling like he at least has Andy Dalton with a stronger arm to work with.
I also appreciate Cal's passionate post with some good info and the usual sense of humor packed. I don't think Poor Cam wants to suck - he's just had so much practice sucking at every spot we've tried the Farmer 1st round toilet flush at that he's just perfected it. One thing to consider throughout the inconsistencies of our oline the other night is Joe Thomas is a pretty significant scratch when you weigh going from elite LT to one that couldn't start for 31 other NFL teams. Joe is an elite LT (like Garrett is an elite DE) so there was no need to risk his talent getting injured unnecessarily just so we could get Crow looking like he could average the same 4.8 yards per carry he did behind last year's oline. When you have backups like Fabiano, Reiter, Greco, Drango and Sterup - I think we're better than we were last year. I've often thought Hue would like using the bigger back Crow for the majority of carries keeping Duke more as a receiving threat than one carrying the ball. Very similar to his preference for Hill dominate the carries over Gio Benard in Cincy (who just drafted RB Joe Mixon to spell Hill and perpetuate Benard more in a receiving role). That doesn't mean Cincy's WR Corps suck nearly as much as it adds/maintains a reliable prong of attack on 3rd downs when defenses like to blitz. I think the same can apply here especially if we give it more than 1 preseason game.
Gumby, Aggies and Bigalow also gave us good reads. I understand Gumby's Shakespeare a lot better than the broken English from Pittsburgh polluting our board. Plus, Gumby is also a funny dude as is Aggies.
Me and the Warden (who also answers to Lindsay and refuses to answer to Anita Beer except to tell me I have 2 legs and 2 hands) moved to the Largo/Clearwater so I'm no longer downwind of Ghoolie's dirty laundry blowing east like a silent but deadly. I never did have the heart to tell him to try using detergent before pinning his wet laundry up outside like it's the 1960s. Anyway, I went to the Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant where the Pinellas County Browns Backers meet to catch the game live and enjoyed it immensely. I was informed they are up over 160 members on this side of the Causeway from Tampa. The drawback was I missed hearing some of the analyses from the commentators while I was conversing with some of the diehards here. They all seemed excited and intrigued by what Kizer showed as well. The last time we had a downfield arm like that came from a first time starter DA to the tune of 29 TD passes, making life easier on the previously pronounced dead legs of Jamal Lewis for 1300 yards on the ground plus 9 TDs (which also showcased our line could run block and pass block). We're only 1 preseason game old but an improved QB, pass rush/aggressive D that forces turnovers and deeper Oline looks more promising than the doom and gloom that's been well practiced around here. If it still feels like a funeral or tooth pull, I strongly recommend a healthier hobby for those choosing to remain feeling that way. Fan isn't just a prefix of fantastic.
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From being at the game, here's what I think:
1. Garrett is amazing. Spectacular even. He is just beginning, and he's that good. AWESOME.
He has it all. Can stuff a play into the dirt and make it look easy. He's a five star. *****
2. Peppers is going to be a star. His play will inspire his team like Josh Cribbs did back in the day. Come to
think of it - there seems to be a lot of "Josh Cribb"s on this team now.
3. Poor Cam. Started at left tackle, that is a tough assignment, since he's always ? been at center, or
on the right side of the line. I think it's a lack of agility/balance. Seems like sometimes it's his feet,
but other times not. So, I'll go with the lack of agility/balance. Maybe he just doesn't think football, too.
The one saving grace is, he is good at run blocking. My opinion - if you are at the two yard line, and want to punch it in, he's good. But I"ve seen him whiff pass protection badly more than a couple of times at ROG, RT. Too bad.
4. Wide Receivers.... I keep waiting for Higgins to shine. But he's still stuck behind a cloud. Meanwhile, I like Coleman,and Payton. and Lewis. And surprise slot receiver in Duke. That is just brilliant. He will be
a plug and play versatile get defenses confused star.
Maybe it was when I went for a coke that I missed Leslie,but he should stick around for sure.
Who the hell is Mulhaney sp? Nice find. I thought he was a tight end, but he was fast. He faked a cut towards the sideline for just a fraction of a second, then blew past the downfield db that couldn't quite catch up to him on that TD... very, very football smart. That is an instinctive play on the timing.
I'm one to give Britt some slack - I didn't think he had any chance in hades of keeping both feet in bounds. The pass didn't give him the chance. Just my opinion. Early on, they weren't getting open. Don't know who was on the field,but they weren't. That isn't on Osweiler. Britt will be fine. A lot of players are still thinkingat this stage of the season.
5. QB's. Os had a tough time - but the wr's in the game didn't help matters. Cam didn't help matters at all.
However, Os did overthrow a few throws, but did play a bit faster than the Browns scrimmage. Kessler
just has limitations - height and arm. When he has a choice to go downfield, he still checks down. He's
smart and tough, but between a rock and a hard place - defenses can cheat up and play the ground game/short game without much concern. Hogan may prove to be quicker and better than Kessler, but he still has the
arm limitation, although he's a bit stronger.
Then there's Kizer. He wasn't perfect, but he came through. One point - Hue says he gave Kizer two plays to
to run on that game winning TD throw - a go for it, and a safe play. Kizer went going for the win. That's what
we want. The one mistake Kizer made just once - was a wr/te? came way, way open to the right, but Kizer
was only looking to make a play to the left. That is easy to fix. Kizer is very, very smart - he doesn't keep making the same mistakes twice. He has the smarts and the arm to be special. Not ready yet.
6. RB's
Dayes. Mr. Matt Dayes. This guy slipped to the freaking seventh round? apparently because he's 5'8 7/8 ???
LOL
He is the real deal. He showed excellent vision, burst...and strength. To watch him play, you'd think
he was 6' 230 lbs. Wow. I predict he will be known
soon as a STEAL. Seriously, great pick. Crow is crow,
wait til the regular season starts. He is going to
be on a mission to get at least 1000 yards. McGee
seems like a find- don't know much of anything about him.
7. Defense
OMG. The Browns have tough decisions to make. Garrett, Ogunjobe and Danny Shelton lead the way. Add Orchard
to the list at DE. Btw, Danny was occupying two
blockers several times, and still forced past
and got the first tackle of the game... different
role for them - AGGRESSIVE KICKASS DEFENSE>
this is going to be a heyl of a lot of FUN.
Danny Shelton can't be shoved back, but of course,
he can be trap blocked a bit. For maybe two seconds...
Trevon Coley? We heard Shelton and a coach mention him.
But Coley is a major kickass player. Nice !
This defense has FUN playing the game AGGRESSIVELY.
I will mention, however, about the last Saints drive
when they took advantage of the Browns giving them
wide open short throws... and went right down the field... only to have the Browns kick their asses after that...
No worries here, though. It is only the 1st preseason game.
8. Kickers - Gonzalez rocks. He's that good.
a kicker might get traded, I don't believe Gonz
is going anywhere. He will be lost quickly on a practice squad....
9. The entire Browns team is all in, excited to play,
and they play inspired kickass football. They are
a TEAM more than they have been ever before, since
'99.
10. Went to buy a couple of soft pretzels for my
Wonderful Cute Wife, and found out they were
6.25? 6.75? I asked six bucks for how many, and she smiled and said
for each. So, sorry, Hon, I left them there.3. Poor Cam. Started at left tackle, that is a tough assignment, since he's always ? been at center, or
on the right side of the line. I think it's a lack of agility/balance. Seems like sometimes it's his feet,
but other times not. So, I'll go with the lack of agility/balance. Maybe he just doesn't think football, too.
The one saving grace is, he is good at run blocking. My opinion - if you are at the two yard line, and want to punch it in, he's good. But I"ve seen him whiff pass protection badly more than a couple of times at ROG, RT. Too bad.
Interesting take on Cam. Probably the most positive thing l've read about him this year. I recall Schwartz was a little like that his first couple years. Good a run blocking, not so good at pass protection. I remember a fair amount of bitching about him his first couple years too. Maybe there's hope for Cam yet? Mebbe. Mebbe not.
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Did this Good, bad, ugly thing last season too and this years version looks to have more good and less ugly.....I know it's only game 1 of the pre-season and it's very popular(cliche?) to say it doesnt matter....but it does. THATS why we play these games....cause it's how the coaches(and us) can evaluate who looks best in game action. And while many like to say it's vanilla...and it's early...and the team will gel and look different come the regular season, history indicates thats not really true....they typically look and play about the same......so, without further adieu, lets tear into what we witnessed Thursday night......
THE GOOD:
1) We won!!!....and YES, it matters. One thing I preached on last season is that winning matters. Always! Losing breeds losing and winning breeds confidence, which then becomes more winning. So, had we lost, it would have been a mental let down.....especially since Hue stated that was one of our primary goals for this first game. Im glad for Hue that we got the win, because he was playing with fire saying it was his primary objective. Plus, everything "seems" better with a win. So A+++++ on that!
2) The D did look more aggressive and I love D......Ive had my fingers crossed that Williams would get these guys flying around and, so far, looks like he's making a difference. I will say that they did not look great, but will delve into that later.....
3) Some individual players stood out and gave me hope for their futures.....
- Nate Orchard....a guy Ive been hoping gets an honest chance(which he didnt get last season).....he stood out....made plays....was in on 2 sacks....and showed why he should be here. Hue needs to take note and keep Nate around.
- Trevin Coley.....a guy weve been hearing is doing well, but know very little about. Well, he got noticed this week. Looks like a fire plug and I liked what I saw.
- Mathew Dayes....saw very little of him, but he did look good carrying(and catching) the ball.
- Myles Garrett.....I keyed in on him(of course) and LOVED what I saw. This guy will live up to his billing. Gonna give us some excitement and scare the piss out of opposing teams.
- Boddy-Calhoun....looks ike he's picking up where he left off last season....which is good. Our Db's still look awful, so it's encouraging to see a young guy who may step up and be a player for us. If he continues at this rate, Id expect him to challenge Taylor for the starters position before the year is out.
- Kizer....looked better than expected and gives me hope that he could develop into a good one....just one game, but what we saw is a hell of a lot better than seeing shit, then making excuses for the shit we saw. I like rookies who play well immediately(ala Garrett too) and show "why" they were drafted....instead of rookies who play like shit and expect us to wait 3 years before evaluating that shit we saw.....
- Joe Schobert....the complete opposite of what we saw last year. Looked quick and decisive, instead of slow and indecisive. The move to MLB was a smart one. Good for Greg Williams to see this and make the change.
4) Big plays....bottom line......We saw some big plays at exactly the right moments. The D made some big stops, got some turnovers, had a goal line stand.....And the O pulled it out of their ass to get the win.....These are things that have been missing for a while now. They are difference between winning and losing......as we usually give them up, instead of making them. The only negative here is that "most" of this big play stuff happened with the backups and very little(none?) was done by the first team.....more on that later....
So....THE GOOD showed we have some players....some fire....and the ability to overcome adversity and win......a great start for a team that just lost 19 out of 20 games!
THE BAD:
1) Generally speaking....our first team did not look good. Offense or defense......the O was fairly stagnant and the D gave up big chunks, both running and passing.
- The D line was not good and did not stop the run. Shelton and Bryant(2 vets) were basically shut down and allowed them to run at will. Was very VERY disappointed with their performance.
- The offense was about the same. We did not move the ball well....running or passing....and that worries me. Its almost as if we played 2 games.....where the 1st team lost and the reserves won.
2) Wide receivers.....a sore point with me....so I was really hoping to see some flash from Coleman...or Britt.....or Louis(who we've been hearing about).....but, alas, they all looked like shit. Absolute crap. Britt made error after error.....Coleman was invisible and ALWAYS covered.....and Louis did nothing to impress me. Sadly, I am certain we do not have the right guys here and it will be a long season for our QB's, who will be scanning....scanning....scanning....looking for someone to get the ball to. Not good......at all.
Note #1: is Rashard Higgins even on the team?.......I thought this guy was gonna be a star...hahahaha
Note #2: You know things are bad when a RB has to be your 3rd receiver. Its just the truth folks.
3) Tackles.....still extremely worried about our RT position.....Coleman and Erving both played poorly.
4) DB's....another area I think we knew was gonna be weak....and it is. The Saints, under pressure, passed at will....twice marching right down the field....completion after completion. We showed little to no coverage skills.....it was terrible. And we didnt even see Drew Brees. Imagine if it was a good QB playing....reminds me of last year, when the Pack did the same....without Rodgers....
So...in a nut shell....the Bad is that our first team did not do well.....all the good stuff happened later and was done by 2nd - 3rd and 4th teamers.....against the same.....Our DB's and WR's look as terrible as I prayed they wouldnt.....and RT(the same).....
The Ugly:
1) Cam Erving....Why does Hue keep playing this guy?????.....it's insane.
2) Wr's.......see above
3) Penalties.....shit loads of stupid dumb ass penalties.....it was terrible!....Hue needs to fix this immediately.
Summary....overall, I was pleasantly surprised and VERY happy to notch a win. Early returns indicate we (finally) drafted a couple first rounders who will show up. But. clearly, our first team needs to play better and I cannot get excited about how they looked against the Aints first teamers....still.....stepping in the right direction....but seriously deficient in several important areas.....
Lets see how things go against the Giants, as they are a much better team than the Aints....
Go Browns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Who do we think will pick up Erving after we cut him?
I'd bet on the Vikings.
I wouldn't mind if my broncos took a flyer on him. Because of all the complaining I saw, I focused on him when I watched your game and I must say compared to our line, he didn't look too bad. Yes our line is that bad.
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Who do we think will pick up Erving after we cut him?
I'd bet on the Vikings.
I wouldn't mind if my broncos took a flyer on him. Because of all the complaining I saw, I focused on him when I watched your game and I must say compared to our line, he didn't look too bad. Yes our line is that bad.
I wouldn't mind if my broncos took a flyer on him. Because of all the complaining I saw, I focused on him when I watched your game and I must say compared to our line, he didn't look too bad. Yes our line is that bad.
We'll give you Cam'illa for TE Jeff Heuerman.. a Buckeye we know that can block at TE..get the paperwork to Elway by morning
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see ya on the dark side of the moon
You'll have to be more specific as the sun shines on all sides of the moon.
BEING A BROWNS FAN IS A TEST TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN TAKE -
You'll have to be more specific as the sun shines on all sides of the moon.
Are you sure about that? I think it's evident Syd is at least half hammered and rocking out to Pink Floyd.
And l'm pretty sure Pink Floyd was at least half hammered during poignant parts of their songwriting.
And l'm pretty sure that there is a side of the moon that never sees the sun.
And l'm pretty sure l could look this shit up, but l'm very sure it's way more fun to throw wild conjecture and half recollections onto the internet and see what happens.
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You'll have to be more specific as the sun shines on all sides of the moon.
Ah ha you're one of those space nuts, so was my one brother ran the planetarium at Youngstown State for many years. Another brother is driving with a friend from the Cleveland area to Kentucky to see the Eclipse...really.
Nuts.
GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND! -
You'll have to be more specific as the sun shines on all sides of the moon.
Ah ha you're one of those space nuts, so was my one brother ran the planetarium at Youngstown State for many years. Another brother is driving with a friend from the Cleveland area to Kentucky to see the Eclipse...really.
Nuts.
Ah ha you're one of those space nuts, so was my one brother ran the planetarium at Youngstown State for many years. Another brother is driving with a friend from the Cleveland area to Kentucky to see the Eclipse...really.
Nuts.
Can you shoot your brother a text? Is there, or is there not, a dark side of the moon?
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You'll have to be more specific as the sun shines on all sides of the moon.
Ah ha you're one of those space nuts, so was my one brother ran the planetarium at Youngstown State for many years. Another brother is driving with a friend from the Cleveland area to Kentucky to see the Eclipse...really.
Nuts.
Ah ha you're one of those space nuts, so was my one brother ran the planetarium at Youngstown State for many years. Another brother is driving with a friend from the Cleveland area to Kentucky to see the Eclipse...really.
Nuts.
Super! I wish for clear skies for your brother! (and everyone else making the trek too.....of which there are many)
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Did this Good, bad, ugly thing last season too and this years version looks to have more good and less ugly.....I know it's only game 1 of the pre-season and it's very popular(cliche?) to say it doesnt matter....but it does. THATS why we play these games....cause it's how the coaches(and us) can evaluate who looks best in game action. And while many like to say it's vanilla...and it's early...and the team will gel and look different come the regular season, history indicates thats not really true....they typically look and play about the same......so, without further adieu, lets tear into what we witnessed Thursday night......
THE GOOD:
1) We won!!!....and YES, it matters. One thing I preached on last season is that winning matters. Always! Losing breeds losing and winning breeds confidence, which then becomes more winning. So, had we lost, it would have been a mental let down.....especially since Hue stated that was one of our primary goals for this first game. Im glad for Hue that we got the win, because he was playing with fire saying it was his primary objective. Plus, everything "seems" better with a win. So A+++++ on that!
2) The D did look more aggressive and I love D......Ive had my fingers crossed that Williams would get these guys flying around and, so far, looks like he's making a difference. I will say that they did not look great, but will delve into that later.....
3) Some individual players stood out and gave me hope for their futures.....
- Nate Orchard....a guy Ive been hoping gets an honest chance(which he didnt get last season).....he stood out....made plays....was in on 2 sacks....and showed why he should be here. Hue needs to take note and keep Nate around.
- Trevin Coley.....a guy weve been hearing is doing well, but know very little about. Well, he got noticed this week. Looks like a fire plug and I liked what I saw.
- Mathew Dayes....saw very little of him, but he did look good carrying(and catching) the ball.
- Myles Garrett.....I keyed in on him(of course) and LOVED what I saw. This guy will live up to his billing. Gonna give us some excitement and scare the piss out of opposing teams.
- Boddy-Calhoun....looks ike he's picking up where he left off last season....which is good. Our Db's still look awful, so it's encouraging to see a young guy who may step up and be a player for us. If he continues at this rate, Id expect him to challenge Taylor for the starters position before the year is out.
- Kizer....looked better than expected and gives me hope that he could develop into a good one....just one game, but what we saw is a hell of a lot better than seeing shit, then making excuses for the shit we saw. I like rookies who play well immediately(ala Garrett too) and show "why" they were drafted....instead of rookies who play like shit and expect us to wait 3 years before evaluating that shit we saw.....
- Joe Schobert....the complete opposite of what we saw last year. Looked quick and decisive, instead of slow and indecisive. The move to MLB was a smart one. Good for Greg Williams to see this and make the change.
4) Big plays....bottom line......We saw some big plays at exactly the right moments. The D made some big stops, got some turnovers, had a goal line stand.....And the O pulled it out of their ass to get the win.....These are things that have been missing for a while now. They are difference between winning and losing......as we usually give them up, instead of making them. The only negative here is that "most" of this big play stuff happened with the backups and very little(none?) was done by the first team.....more on that later....
So....THE GOOD showed we have some players....some fire....and the ability to overcome adversity and win......a great start for a team that just lost 19 out of 20 games!
THE BAD:
1) Generally speaking....our first team did not look good. Offense or defense......the O was fairly stagnant and the D gave up big chunks, both running and passing.
- The D line was not good and did not stop the run. Shelton and Bryant(2 vets) were basically shut down and allowed them to run at will. Was very VERY disappointed with their performance.
- The offense was about the same. We did not move the ball well....running or passing....and that worries me. Its almost as if we played 2 games.....where the 1st team lost and the reserves won.
2) Wide receivers.....a sore point with me....so I was really hoping to see some flash from Coleman...or Britt.....or Louis(who we've been hearing about).....but, alas, they all looked like shit. Absolute crap. Britt made error after error.....Coleman was invisible and ALWAYS covered.....and Louis did nothing to impress me. Sadly, I am certain we do not have the right guys here and it will be a long season for our QB's, who will be scanning....scanning....scanning....looking for someone to get the ball to. Not good......at all.
Note #1: is Rashard Higgins even on the team?.......I thought this guy was gonna be a star...hahahaha
Note #2: You know things are bad when a RB has to be your 3rd receiver. Its just the truth folks.
3) Tackles.....still extremely worried about our RT position.....Coleman and Erving both played poorly.
4) DB's....another area I think we knew was gonna be weak....and it is. The Saints, under pressure, passed at will....twice marching right down the field....completion after completion. We showed little to no coverage skills.....it was terrible. And we didnt even see Drew Brees. Imagine if it was a good QB playing....reminds me of last year, when the Pack did the same....without Rodgers....
So...in a nut shell....the Bad is that our first team did not do well.....all the good stuff happened later and was done by 2nd - 3rd and 4th teamers.....against the same.....Our DB's and WR's look as terrible as I prayed they wouldnt.....and RT(the same).....
The Ugly:
1) Cam Erving....Why does Hue keep playing this guy?????.....it's insane.
2) Wr's.......see above
3) Penalties.....shit loads of stupid dumb ass penalties.....it was terrible!....Hue needs to fix this immediately.
Summary....overall, I was pleasantly surprised and VERY happy to notch a win. Early returns indicate we (finally) drafted a couple first rounders who will show up. But. clearly, our first team needs to play better and I cannot get excited about how they looked against the Aints first teamers....still.....stepping in the right direction....but seriously deficient in several important areas.....
Lets see how things go against the Giants, as they are a much better team than the Aints....
Go Browns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did this Good, bad, ugly thing last season too and this years version looks to have more good and less ugly.....I know it's only game 1 of the pre-season and it's very popular(cliche?) to say it doesnt matter....but it does. THATS why we play these games....cause it's how the coaches(and us) can evaluate who looks best in game action. And while many like to say it's vanilla...and it's early...and the team will gel and look different come the regular season, history indicates thats not really true....they typically look and play about the same......so, without further adieu, lets tear into what we witnessed Thursday night......
THE GOOD:
1) We won!!!....and YES, it matters. One thing I preached on last season is that winning matters. Always! Losing breeds losing and winning breeds confidence, which then becomes more winning. So, had we lost, it would have been a mental let down.....especially since Hue stated that was one of our primary goals for this first game. Im glad for Hue that we got the win, because he was playing with fire saying it was his primary objective. Plus, everything "seems" better with a win. So A+++++ on that!
2) The D did look more aggressive and I love D......Ive had my fingers crossed that Williams would get these guys flying around and, so far, looks like he's making a difference. I will say that they did not look great, but will delve into that later.....
3) Some individual players stood out and gave me hope for their futures.....
- Nate Orchard....a guy Ive been hoping gets an honest chance(which he didnt get last season).....he stood out....made plays....was in on 2 sacks....and showed why he should be here. Hue needs to take note and keep Nate around.
- Trevin Coley.....a guy weve been hearing is doing well, but know very little about. Well, he got noticed this week. Looks like a fire plug and I liked what I saw.
- Mathew Dayes....saw very little of him, but he did look good carrying(and catching) the ball.
- Myles Garrett.....I keyed in on him(of course) and LOVED what I saw. This guy will live up to his billing. Gonna give us some excitement and scare the piss out of opposing teams.
- Boddy-Calhoun....looks ike he's picking up where he left off last season....which is good. Our Db's still look awful, so it's encouraging to see a young guy who may step up and be a player for us. If he continues at this rate, Id expect him to challenge Taylor for the starters position before the year is out.
- Kizer....looked better than expected and gives me hope that he could develop into a good one....just one game, but what we saw is a hell of a lot better than seeing shit, then making excuses for the shit we saw. I like rookies who play well immediately(ala Garrett too) and show "why" they were drafted....instead of rookies who play like shit and expect us to wait 3 years before evaluating that shit we saw.....
- Joe Schobert....the complete opposite of what we saw last year. Looked quick and decisive, instead of slow and indecisive. The move to MLB was a smart one. Good for Greg Williams to see this and make the change.
4) Big plays....bottom line......We saw some big plays at exactly the right moments. The D made some big stops, got some turnovers, had a goal line stand.....And the O pulled it out of their ass to get the win.....These are things that have been missing for a while now. They are difference between winning and losing......as we usually give them up, instead of making them. The only negative here is that "most" of this big play stuff happened with the backups and very little(none?) was done by the first team.....more on that later....
So....THE GOOD showed we have some players....some fire....and the ability to overcome adversity and win......a great start for a team that just lost 19 out of 20 games!
THE BAD:
1) Generally speaking....our first team did not look good. Offense or defense......the O was fairly stagnant and the D gave up big chunks, both running and passing.
- The D line was not good and did not stop the run. Shelton and Bryant(2 vets) were basically shut down and allowed them to run at will. Was very VERY disappointed with their performance.
- The offense was about the same. We did not move the ball well....running or passing....and that worries me. Its almost as if we played 2 games.....where the 1st team lost and the reserves won.
2) Wide receivers.....a sore point with me....so I was really hoping to see some flash from Coleman...or Britt.....or Louis(who we've been hearing about).....but, alas, they all looked like shit. Absolute crap. Britt made error after error.....Coleman was invisible and ALWAYS covered.....and Louis did nothing to impress me. Sadly, I am certain we do not have the right guys here and it will be a long season for our QB's, who will be scanning....scanning....scanning....looking for someone to get the ball to. Not good......at all.
Note #1: is Rashard Higgins even on the team?.......I thought this guy was gonna be a star...hahahaha
Note #2: You know things are bad when a RB has to be your 3rd receiver. Its just the truth folks.
3) Tackles.....still extremely worried about our RT position.....Coleman and Erving both played poorly.
4) DB's....another area I think we knew was gonna be weak....and it is. The Saints, under pressure, passed at will....twice marching right down the field....completion after completion. We showed little to no coverage skills.....it was terrible. And we didnt even see Drew Brees. Imagine if it was a good QB playing....reminds me of last year, when the Pack did the same....without Rodgers....
So...in a nut shell....the Bad is that our first team did not do well.....all the good stuff happened later and was done by 2nd - 3rd and 4th teamers.....against the same.....Our DB's and WR's look as terrible as I prayed they wouldnt.....and RT(the same).....
The Ugly:
1) Cam Erving....Why does Hue keep playing this guy?????.....it's insane.
2) Wr's.......see above
3) Penalties.....shit loads of stupid dumb ass penalties.....it was terrible!....Hue needs to fix this immediately.
Summary....overall, I was pleasantly surprised and VERY happy to notch a win. Early returns indicate we (finally) drafted a couple first rounders who will show up. But. clearly, our first team needs to play better and I cannot get excited about how they looked against the Aints first teamers....still.....stepping in the right direction....but seriously deficient in several important areas.....
Lets see how things go against the Giants, as they are a much better team than the Aints....
Go Browns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yeah, i guess at least it is a win...i don't think we even won a preseason game last yr. however, its only preseason...you can't tell if the 1st second or third string is in and who they are playing against...its too muddled fly. Lets see how game 3 plays out and even then, to me its still not a good indicator of anything...The big test is of course game 1 vs the steelers...there will be no muddling there....
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Flugels went on and on about WIlliams creating a killer D, and your comments, in conjunction with other writers commemorates a passive D, that looked no more tough and aggressive than last year's.
Not to interrupt your strange chest pounding ceremony here - but your cut and paste of the original post you replied to included this:
2) The D did look more aggressive and I love D......Ive had my fingers crossed that Williams would get these guys flying around and, so far, looks like he's making a difference.
Aggressive is exactly what I expected to see from a Gregg Williams' Defense even if our defense is only 1 preseason game old. It shows up in things like gang tackling and forcing fumbles; so teammates also flying to the ball in the vicinity can recover it in a "see ball - get ball" philosophy. Speaking of "see" - I saw the game I'm actually posting about unlike you. Imagine that!
As for Williams creating a killer D? He's been a DC for 2 different Superbowl teams while many of his defenses have ranked in the top 10 overall so it's safe to say that defense has already been created. The only question I have is how soon we have the right personnel groupings out there for it all to come together. The biggest hurdle I anticipate is inexperience that causes growing pains (ie; Joe Schobert in 2016 and Danny Shelton in 2015).
Speaking of Schobert, how about having a DC that actually knows how/where Schobert is best suited to play? Along the same line, when is the last time we've seen 2nd round pick Nate Orchard play to the level he was at on Thursday Night? I remember posting about how excited I was we landed him as well as attaching highlights of his 19 sack season. Despite 11 starts in 2015, he didn't sack anyone until week 14 (ending the year with only 3 sacks w/ 2 of them vrs SF in a game he didn't start). Then, he went on IR on October 1st of 2016 with a high ankle sprain. Mud wasn't the only one posting he wasn't in a hurry to get rid of Orchard the last year or 2.
Anyway congrats! You assassinated your "positive Ghoolie" personality in just 1 preseason game we won that you didn't even watch. The last time I saw you kick ass like that you were beating anorexia with a sledge hammer.
Not to interrupt your strange chest pounding ceremony here - but your cut and paste of the original post you replied to included this:
2) The D did look more aggressive and I love D......Ive had my fingers crossed that Williams would get these guys flying around and, so far, looks like he's making a difference.
And it was... We even had DL clearing paths for LBs and DBs in both blitz and Goal Line situations... something I have longed for for-seemingly-ever.
Nassib was a fucking wrecking ball in the GL-stand collapsing the right side of the Saints' line repeatedly.
Greg WIlliams is Horton. Just like I told you.Nothing will change. HUE sets the D.
Fucking moronic...
"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
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