I live in Savannah, GA so I get to see the Browns on average, about twice a year. I was really excited about 3 of the first 5 of their games being on national television. After all 3 I can’t help but be disappointed. Here’s what I’ve observed.

1. We run the ball far less than we should.

- Nick Chubb is extraordinary. Highly under utilized and it’s mainly why we’ve struggled offensively.

2. We press after big plays.

- The other team scores, there’s this inexplicable need to get it all back in one play. That mindset leads to injuries and even worse turnovers.

3. Our Offensive Line is God Awful at pass blocking.

- For the type of plays being called, Baker has no time to allow the routes to develop.

- Reminds me of when Mike Martz was running the Bears offense with Jay Cutler. Too many down the field plays with a line that can’t hold up for as long as needed.

4. We could use an actual fullback.

- The Niners demonstrated why that is last night. They help create seals for the running game, help in the pass game as a blocker and/or receiver. If you’re really lucky they can run the ball every now and then.

5. Baker should concentrate more on the game itself vs. what everyone else has to say.

- Cool it with all facets of the media

- Put in extra time on technique & film study

- Enough endorsements already, winning should always be the priority.

6. The defense found out what it’s like against a coach that knows how to hurt you. They’ll be fine but they were due for bad game.

7. Higgins needs to get back on the field fast.

These are what come to my mind the most. Would love for you guys to add what your observations are.

@texasag1969 said:

I find it somewhat ironic that Garrett is on pace currently for a 40 sack year, but did not score well here. Do they account for the double and sometimes triple teams that began after the 3rd sack?

I would think penalties affect the grades too. If not, that grade is surprising.

@the-gipper said:

Anyone who had played five years ago would now be a candidate for the Hall of Fame. That doesn’t mean they’re gonna come close to getting in. I fully expect him to be ignored by the HOF voters . Who in history has ever made the Hall of Fame purely as a kick returner

I’m with you. Besides I think Metcalf should be considered before Josh. Josh was awesome but Metcalf did more as a runner and receiver.

@oldbrownsfan said:

Good morning. We’re a lot closer on this than you think. I have not suggested condoning or excepting this lifestyle. Nor have I suggested that people of this lifestyle hold positions in a church. 

I understand that those positions are for those of spiritual authority. Authority not achieved by leading a sinful lifestyle.

Telling brethren they cannot hold positions in the church while leading this lifestyle is a layup because it’s in such contrast to our fundamental beliefs. That sort of rejection is justified  because it’s based on inalienable truth.

My concern is for the ones completely shut out from the study of the word and spiritual guidance. Anytime that happens, we miss an opportunity to save a lost soul.  With the end of days coming, we cannot afford to squander those opportunities.

I’ll close with, thanks for this stimulating fellowship and discussion. I pray you got as much out of this as I have.

I’m just saying there are people claiming to be Christians that are acting in a manner that is the direct opposite of Christ’s teachings. They are modern day Pharisees and Sadducees. 

I never once said their lifestyle was acceptable because we all know it is not.  On the other side of that coin they should not be hated for it. I’m saying minister to them with same level of conviction as any other lost soul. I see and hear very little of that going on. In a general sense not talking to anyone in particular.

I reiterate wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular. However, I’ve seen people of that lifestyle treated unfairly and been subject to cruelty by people claiming to be Christians.

They are regularly kept out of churches or if even if they’re allowed in, they’re not welcome. I’ve witnessed this, in not just one church but many.

About the militants you spoke of. Yes, they go too far. The wedding cake thing was just insanity. As it is with Chic fil A. Those aren’t the persons, or entities I’m talking about. I’m talking about the people that blatantly mistreat these people in the Lord’s name.

While I recognize the Old Testament is a driving force against homosexuality. The New Testament’s central theme is about Salvation through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We have to teach them that. Then we must have faith that Jesus will take care of the rest however that may happen. Rather it’s through his guidance of us or by their own study of the word and prayer.

If we do our part and do as Solomon did, ask God for wisdom and discernment we can turn this around. Throwing scripture at them is not enough especially since the word is already foreign to them. We must ask God for his guidance to put the word into context they can understand. So that they see what they are doing is wrong through lenses they’ve never used before.

I do feel that Christianity is under attack. I also feel as if Christians have failed to do Christ justice in some ways. Until we accept that the shortcomings of our approach to people of this lifestyle, we will continue to fail to reach them on a grand scale.

@oldbrownsfan said:

My wife babysat for a gay lady for years. We became friends. There was a bridge we could never cross and that was acceptance and condoning of her lifestyle. We accepted her not her sin.

There is a militant type of gay activism  that is bent on forcing acceptance that you are not recognizing . If a Christian's conscience will not permit them to bake a wedding cake for a gay marriage they will sue and try to drive them out of business. If Drew Brees makes a video about bringing a bible to school and it is sponsored by a Christian organization that believes what the bible teaches about gay marriage and homosexuality then he belongs to a hate group and should be punished. Chick fil A must be boycotted. A CEO must be driven from office for supporting traditional marriage.This is the battle I am speaking of and I will take the position of Joshua .."If it seems evil for you  to serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord". 

The saying that we are not to judge is heard all the time today yet we absolutely are told to judge. Jesus warned us however many times we don't have all the facts so be cautious in judging. The word of God itself judges us. When Jesus forgave the woman caught in the act of adultery remember he never condoned or accepted her sin and told her to "go and sin no more".   

No churches I know of keep gay people from attending. They do rightly keep them from any positions in the church as they are openly living in sin. The problem is not Christians standing at the door keeping out gays the problem today are militant gays that want to see bible believing Christians punished for believing what the bible teaches about traditional marriage and homosexuality. 

@oldbrownsfan said:

What the LGBT crowd is demanding is approval and acceptance and that will never happen with Christians who believes what the bible teaches. What we are seeing with Drew Brees is not unusual but we are seeing it all across the country. What the LGBT crowd are clearly demanding is acceptance and approval or else you will be targeted and punished.  It is not enough they want to be left alone to do as they wish but they are demanding everyone approve of their behavior or else. In Drew Brees's case they would likely go after sponsors and endorsements. With others it could be lawsuits (Christians who refuse to make gay wedding cakes), public shaming and attempts to get people fired for having biblical beliefs that condemn homosexual behavior and not condone it. 

I understand what they want, approval shouldn’t happen because it’s contrary to our beliefs. However accepting them isn’t too much of a stretch. Acceptance as followers of Christ or (potential) followers of Christ. We are to hate the sin and not the person. Teach them the story of Jesus Christ and share our personal journey with him all in effort to lead them to Christ. The rest is between them and God.

Rejecting that community, is counter intuitive and counter productive. It’s similar behavior to that of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We tell people to confess their sins to Jesus and God and normally under any other circumstances welcome them. 

Yet with the LGBTQ Community, we stand at the door of the temple, do not not allow them to enter; and because of our blind rejection we sin and we ourselves do not enter.

I know this is a touchy and uncomfortable topic. I’m simply saying driving them from God by rejecting them is not the way.

??? For a brief moment I forgot this was the political board. Duh!!! ?

@oldbrownsfan said:

There was also another reason why the early church's form of socialism worked. The Apostle Paul had a rule if a person didn't want to work then then they shouldn't eat. That took care of the dead beats who would be content to let others work to support them. If you were able bodied you were expected to work. 

2 Thes 3:10

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you: that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

There it is again, human nature. Working is not the path of least resistance. Basic survival instinct dictates the safest path is the one the with the least resistance and least risk. Certain occupations, even back in the times of the Apostle Paul were not only hard but were dangerous too.

Suffice to say, Christ knew that the hardest fight for us in life was against our own nature. He knew our own nature is what Satan exploits the most. This thing called life is a fascinating venture.

@oldbrownsfan said:

I know too many good ministers who take a Christ like approach but it gets them nowhere with the LGBTQ crowd. Anyone who takes the biblical view of traditional marriage and believes what the bible teaches that homosexuality is a sinful lifestyle will get targeted

Trouble is, the problem isn’t the ministers (in most cases) it’s the congregation. Without the congregation, it very difficult for a ministry to be successful.

@oldbrownsfan said:

The battle lines are being drawn right now in Christianity. There is a form (deception)  of Christianity that is acceptable on the left and biblical Christianity that isn't. The problem in this case is the bible condemns homosexuality as a sin but if a Christian believes that or is part of an organization that believes that then the left is going to come after them to shut them down. Drew Brees posted the video  for a bible believing organization called Focus on the Family that does believe the bible and that puts them in the cross hairs of the militant left.

https://www.redstate.com/streiff/2013/12/24/the-gaystapo-and-the-delegitimization-of-religion-and-logic/

https://www.crossmap.com/blogs/gaystapo-the-tolerance-in-homosexual-activists-is-so-intolerable.html

https://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2015/07/06/beware_of_the_gaystapo.html

As much as I agree with you. I feel that some of us, the so called “faithful” have missed the mark when it comes to certain topics. We often take a less than Christlike approach and that hurts us too. In a way, we make our battles hard to fight because we try to counter worldliness with worldly responses. Sometimes finesse beats blunt force trauma (figuratively speaking of course).

@westside-steve said:

That's completely true. Where you been Marcus?

WSS

Been busy with work and being a dad and husband. But I’m going pop in more often.

@gorka said:

And I bet you got a D or an F.

You would be wrong sir. I got an A as I did mostly through school. It was back when going to college taught you things like independent thought, reading people, and open mindedness. You know those days you were probably ? 

@hoorta said:

We're not even going to  name  him. Let's just say it's a  lot more  peaceful  around here now that we don't have to  put up with his BS. Hint- has been  kicked off  of every  football  Board  he's ever posted on. 

Tracking....

@oldbrownsfan said:

Selfishness. It is why socialism fails in the world. It is why in communist countries you end up with ruling elites lording it over over the masses.

The early church practiced a form of communism with churches who had abundance sharing with churches that lacked (spreading the wealth around). They succeeded because they were not selfish but they were not the norm.

You got it stud. We as human beings are inherently selfish. Call it basic survival instinct, but is much more difficult to be selfless than it is to be selfish.

@oldbrownsfan said:

Only shows in our "information age" how uneducated and ill informed too many are. If more people knew the downside of socialism the pied pipers of the democrat party  socialist's message would not be so popular.

Socialism in theory sounds good. In fact the early Christian church practiced a type of socialism but in the world socialism is a proven failure. It makes the ruling elites the rulers of the masses and doesn't make anyone wealthier just makes all of us more poorer.

I wrote a paper in college about this. It detailed human nature as the catalyst for the failure of socialism and communism. 

It would require a level of unity that this country or any other is simply not capable of. 

@oldbrownsfan said:

The 'Cancel Culture' Targets Drew Brees After Discovering the QB's Association with Focus on the Family

"To sum up, one of the NFL's most admired ambassadors of goodwill and philanthropy is being attacked for his religious views. To be clear, the religious views that he's being attacked over aren't even what he expressed in the video. Even if it were, though, the fact that Christians are no longer allowed to hold to Christian beliefs is frightening.

Drew Brees' job is safe. There is less than a zero chance that the New Orleans Saints will take any action over this. However, the boldness with which he is being attacked is telling. If a man who is almost universally admired can suddenly find himself facing the online guillotine of the SJW mob, it won't be long before Christians all over this country find themselves being asked to renounce their faith or face consequences like public shaming and losing their job."

https://pjmedia.com/faith/the-cancel-culture-targets-drew-brees-after-discovering-the-qbs-association-with-focus-on-the-family/

I don’t see a thing wrong with this. He’s just reinforcing a staple of the Christian faith. Sharing your journey as a follower of Christ is what we are supposed to be doing. 

So about Freddie’s presser... pretty much what you’d expect approaching Week 1. But I’m really looking forward to the season. 

I think we’ll be rolling by week 5. I say 3 wins maybe 2 hard fought losses.

@hoorta said:

In defense of Gipper, I was pretty high on Mitch- but not at #1. Looks like another Hoorta big QB screw up.

Let's not forget Mr.Knowitall (the banned guy) knew Mitch was going to go high. That was revisionist history. If Hue truly didn't want Trubisky, it was one of the very few things he ever got right. 

I’ve been away for a while. Who got banned?

Far from a cake walk but a winnable game. Really excited to see the season begin. I won’t get to see the opener but will catch all the nationally televised games. GO BROWNS!!!’