@thenew23 said:

This is a fair point about the kicker. Punting though based on who we have, his stats, the field history and the D's performance in the 2nd half punting was the right call. Special teams screwed us on the uncovered gunner. That was likely Gilbert who screwed us enough yesterday to call it an orgy.

@gftchris said:

There's no way going for the FG is the best decision in that situation. Cundiff is pretty rubbish from over 50 yards - you trap the steelers on the 1, and the game is at worst tied. Special teams mess up what should be an easy down at the 1 yard line.

Bingo!

Cundiff is a paltry 7 of 25 (28%) on field goal attempts that are 50+ yards.

@jim_brown said:

The bolded bears repeating! The hurry up was run pretty damn good, and it shows they are capable of running it effectively! If they're smart they keep it going!

@the-cysko-kid said:

Yes. Johnny will just have to wait his turn. As for Crowell....definitely a diamond in the rough. West looked good too.

@bbedward said:

I used to think this too, but I try to tell myself that really it's not the right way to go. I'd rather have players that help win the game by TDs, not FGs. Relying on Dawson to kick 50+ yarders just to get points on the board got you through the moment but was not the answer long term. Would it be nice to have best of both worlds? Sure, but if I have to pick one or the other...

I agree it was best to punt. Recall last year vs Patriots when Cundiff tried a 50+ yarder and although it looked accurate, it fell short. I think that would've been the repeat, at best.

@alwardc4 said:

My hunch is the correct play is to go for it on 4th and 7 from the 35.

Interesting third alternative that honestly never occurred to me. Given the way the drive had stalled would have been a tough call to make, but what 4th down and more than three call with a game on the line is easy?

@gftchris said:

This. It was a good punt, poorly executed down the field. I'd rather have them have to drive the length of the field than give it to them near mid field.

The way our defense was playing in that 2nd half, pinning them at the one seemed most logical.

This is a neat tool to use for 4th down calls. Cool site too.

Of course its not perfect, but it creates a good baseline to make decisions. It has Browns 50% to win by going for it and 53% to win on either kick decision. Obviously, you need to factor in conditions like it being tough to make a FG there. But it looks like punt is ok there according to these numbers.

@calfoxwc said:

My hunch is the correct play is to go for it on 4th and 7 from the 35.

@hx214 said:

No, not expecting Cundiff to make it, just stating that Suisham sucks, so using him as a gauge isn't the best measuring tool.

He hasn't sucked for us.

@mark-o said:

The longest made FG in history at condiment field is 52 yards so you're expecting Cundiff who isn't known for his long range ability anyways, to make one equal to the longest in the history of that stadium? I think the coach made the right choice. If the special teams guys don't fuck it up, the Steelers start inside the one and I'm willing to bet it's a different finish.

No, not expecting Cundiff to make it, just stating that Suisham sucks, so using him as a gauge isn't the best measuring tool.

@thenew23 said:

I'll be excited if Gordon returns... 🥷 He'd make us pretty dangerous, especially paired with Hawkins and Benjamin... Austin looks too slow.

Austin is more of a possession receiver now...

@kvoethe said:

My impressions...i know you care.

Since I agree with every one of them... I care very much...

have a great chance to move a bit and get their own FG.

It's the first game, and the Browns weren't ready for primetime until the second half.

Wait til the next few games when they really get it right.

@mark-o said:

I'm just saying. If you don't have a kicker who can make a 54-yarder to go ahead in the 4th quarter, you need to find a new kicker. Considering Cundiff sucks, it was a good call, but if we had a guy like Dawson (in his day) or the Denver kicker (before his suspension) we'd have had the lead, and they'd have had the same field position, and we'd be up 3 points...

It wasn't the only factor, but scoring points when you can is what great teams do. Even if that means converting go-ahead field goals, not just TDs...

Most of it has already been said, but i like how hoyer looked. Amazed by crowell, loved the adjustments by coaching staff. I see alot of good things, but then im an optimist.

You dont kick that field goal...

Unless its the last play of the game.

Cant wait for next week!!!!!!

@hx214 said:

Ya, but Suisham might be the worst kicker in the league, my cousin is a die hard redskins fan and if you even mention that guys name he goes nuts...

The longest made FG in history at condiment field is 52 yards so you're expecting Cundiff who isn't known for his long range ability anyways, to make one equal to the longest in the history of that stadium? I think the coach made the right choice. If the special teams guys don't fuck it up, the Steelers start inside the one and I'm willing to bet it's a different finish.

@mark-o said:

I agree with this. Especially given that no one seems to make long FG's in Pittspuke. The career long at ketchup field by the steelers own kicker is like 48 yards I heard during the game. Pin them at the one like we did except for the special teams fucking it up.

Ya, but Suisham might be the worst kicker in the league, my cousin is a die hard redskins fan and if you even mention that guys name he goes nuts...

@tour2ma said:

Again... there's the question of how far was Billy hitting them in pre-game. The attempt would have been to the "easy end" of Heinz Field, but the Steelers' much shorter game winner flew as squirrely as hell to the opposite end.

For what it's worth...this is Carucci's take on the FG vs. Punt at the end:

>I don’t have a problem with Pettine opting to punt rather than having Billy Cundiff attempt what would have been about a 52-yard field goal with 4:37 left in the game and the score tied, 27-27. The distance was just a bit out of the range of Cundiff, who is outstanding at long kickoffs but doesn’t have great accuracy on long-range field-goal tries. And a miss there would have given the Steelers the ball near midfield. The Browns thought they would be able to pin the Steelers deep in their own territory, but the attempt to down Spencer Lanning’s punt inside the 1-yard line failed and the kick resulted in a touchback.

I give the Browns a "win" to lose by 3 with 1 second left.

We have become accustomed to da Browns fielding a top defense year after year, in spite of having a new coach every year, but I dunno?

They gave up alotta points.

I know PIT's "D" is a work-in-progress, so I'm not surprised to see the Browns score well against them,