@the-italian-dawgpound said:

There are several serious mistakes in the playcalling, but come on! How many times do you need to see JD throw the ball on opponents helmets to say he's not the man?

Being in the NFC South, I've seen the good, bad and ugly from JD. I think whatever he had, he has about used up at this point, but I don't think he is the reason you lost this particular game. One thing he does do well is throw it deep. Who was he going to throw it to? Wallace might be the greener grass, but he wasn't lighting it up either. His most memorable completion was the TD to Hillis and that was ALL Hillis. The ball was overthrown.

I'm not saying that you don't need a franchise QB to develop. If that is McCoy now is the time to let him get some PT, if you're throwing in the towel on the season. If not, priority one is to find someone who can get deep and use him. Most of the completions today were glorified screens.

IMO, it wasn't Jake that cost you the game. It was no having any receivers who can stretch the defense. What QB can make plays when the defense only has to cover 10 yds? JMO, as said, but I think you guys are being a little hard on the QBs when they have no weapons to speak of. WR has to be the top priority in the offseason.

Looks like this was a little prophetic. Abraham manhandled Thomas at the end there. It was a tough fought game, though. You guys have a great defense, and Hillis is a monster out there. If you had some receivers, you'd be in great shape. Without anyone to stretch the defense, we spent all day playing 10 yd defense. Good luck going forward. When you meet the Saints, put the beat down on em for us, lol

Yeah, I think you're overreacting. We've been doing what we do when it comes to ball control, but you guys have been tough in the red zone. Until we get a TD, I'm not comfortable at all with our offense. The concern I'd have is, with Jake in the game, is how badly Abraham is schooling Thomas, and I think he's the best OT in the biz...

@massbrownsfan said:

There will be plenty of fire in the chatroom In a Bit I am about 5 beers deep already lol your more than welcome to join us

LOL thanks for the invite. I might cruise thru at some point. Man, I miss going head first into a case of beer on game day. It's diet coke nowadays the doc says. Damn doctors, lol

@alporcini said:

don't disagree that he looks great... but as a SoCal guy, just imagine what Reggie Bush's highlight comps looked like... or Joe McKnight's... the kid is good, but I would have like to have seen his old man's reel... actually I'd have preferred to have had the old man playing in Cleveland... actually would even take Sr. right now (spelling Hillis LOL)

IMO, Barry was the best football player I ever saw play. Period. I used to dream of him in a Falcons uni. He single handedly made some bad Detroit teams contenders. I bet he could still strap on the pads and make some defenders look bad..

Are you guys all still in bed??! Aren't you PUMPED UP to try to beat my FALCONS?!?

Personally, when I look at matchups, most teams in the NFL are almost indistinguishable talent-wise. It's the strength v strength matchups that usually tell the tale. What I see...

Both these teams would rather line up and run it 50 times than throw it. That means the OL that is able to impose it's will on the other is going to have the advantage. I could see the Browns looking good at it early with the Falcons looking good late. The nature of our running games would tend to suggest that would be the case, imo. Truthfully, I think the running is going to be successful for both teams, so one can negate that as a determinate factor in the game. That means the team who can make the most of its passing opportunities and convert/defend on special teams is likely going to get out with a win. Cribbs is the x-factor that I worry about more than anything else going into this game. If we don't get a handle on him, the Browns could pull the upset.

On your side, I would be concerned with our Wrs because we get Michael Jenkins (buckeye you know I'm sure) back this week. Without him our vertical passing has been non-existent. If he is healthy and ready to go, I would not be surprised if we take some shots deep early in this one. With Douglas back in the slot, it will be a tall order to cover everybody for 60 minutes without some breakdowns along the way. The key for your DBs is to keep our WRs in front of you. If they get into open field often, it could get ugly.

All in all, I see a pretty close game, but I think our offensive weapons will ultimately come through in the 4th quarter. Say 24-17 Falcons. You guys are improving and I'm glad, but this game is probably going to be one where you are simply out-talented by a more complete team.

@strato said:

Your offense will not be able to think in our dome... Big Ben "i should be in the pen" aint never heard a crowd like he will....goodluck thinking we cant be an elite AFC team..thats what we want you to think.....

The only thing teams have to do against the 'aints to be in a position to win is run the ball. The 09 defense was successful because of TOs. As I posted on your MBs (saints report) which was then echoed by Jimmy Johnson and Howie Long, the top defenses year in and year out are built on manning up and stopping plays consistently. Without the TOs, your defense is barely even average. Your run defense is horrible.

Your team had a great 09, and props for it, but this isn't 09. All the noise in the world isn't going to change the fact that your team had a nearly perfect combination of performance and luck to make it to the SB title. For instance, one fewer bone-headed passes by Favre and you're watching the SB on tv. Bottom line is, with a struggling offense not carrying the D and a defense that isn't getting all the bounces, your team looks very, very average.

Trying to get the Browns to do the job you couldn't?