Not trying to channel him by any means, but... Yes... the Browns improved this offseason. Almost every other NFL team (besides the Bills, Jets, and Raiders) did, too. The Browns didn't improve in a vacuum and despite what some people believe, the cupboard wasn't bare in 2017. A.J. McCarron could have gotten us 4-5 wins. I think Vegas has the Browns at 3.5 wins in 2017. With all the upgrades you just mentioned, they have them at 4.5 wins this season. Browns' Pythagorean wins calculation was 3.3 in 2017. I haven't seen it for 2018, but I imagine it's close to that 4.5 number Vegas has on them. If anything, I'm just being consistent. I believe I had the highest win total on the team last season (10) as well as this season (9) on the boards.
I guess you're right... Hue Jackson would still be the play-caller. Tyrod and Todd Haley. Welcome back, friend! How're you doing?
Why not add a few Pro Bowlers on the line and on defense and just assume you went 16-0 and swept through the playoffs? Virtual champions. Never better, thanks for asking.
BWW, if you watched the games you could see that an avg QB lifts this team to the W's that should have been. Hell, I think our starting QB somehow ranked 34th in QB rating. I clearly pointed out how Taylor is basically the league avg QB. So its not completely outside the realm of possibility that if the Browns don't lead the league in red-zone turnovers ::read-have Tyrod at QB:: that could have won more than they lost.
It's not "outside the realm of possibility", but anyone claiming that this team was a QB away from a 10-win team last year must be picturing Aaron Rodgers back there (because we saw the dumpster fire that Green Bay was without him). Me running into *insert celebrity crush here* and us hitting it off isn't "outside the realm of possibility", but it's almost certainly not going to happen. I think it's reasonable to say that the Browns might win in the realm of 5-6 games with a competent QB, last year. What kills me, as a Browns supporter, is that people aren't trying to put the Browns down - it's just that some of the fans here are way over their heads with this stuff. You can't claim that your 0 win team should've won 10, among the many other similar claims here, and not expect (and invite) plenty of criticism. Browns fans should be excited. Let's just keep from getting crazy...
Ten wins probably is over the top. I've already pointed out that the Browns had 8 losses in 2017 that had less than a 9 point differential. The other 8 losses were by substantially more. I didn't have the time to match up the -28 turnover differential with the split of those 8 games either way (nor will I). But its probably safe to assume that the turnover differential in those 8 "close losses" was lower. The fact is, turnovers absolutely killed the Browns last year. Remove the turnover machine (Kizer) and replace him with a QB that rarely turns the ball over and its easy to SPECULATE that the Browns could have gone 8-8. I just don't see a path to 10-6.
QB1. EDIT: First time he was wrong was when Grossi confidently said Tyrod had "come a long way since his days on the practice squad." Tyrod: "I was never on the practice squad. Nope."
I've never seen an "average" QB that could turn 10 losses into wins. I'm sure with better QB play...the Browns actually win some games last season. Maybe if we were talking about Aaron Rodgers or some other elite QB...then we could make some lofty assumptions. But Tyrod Taylor is not a +10 win/loss QB.
He got nine and a Wild Card spot last year with a roster about as bad, top to bottom, as Cleveland's in 2017. Decent article about it, actually: https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...-is-worse-than-most-bills-teams-this-century/
^^^^^ Speaking of teams with bad rosters who'll be lucky to not go 0-16 this year, the Buffalo Bills. Oof. I feel for Bills fans. We spent some of this offseason hand-wringing about getting A.J. McCcaron or Josh Allen. They got both. And Nate Peterman is still QB1 in training camp.
I agree with this. It's not like the Browns were awful defensively in terms of yards allowed...I think they were middle of the pack. So removing a lot of turnovers probably removes quite a few points off the board for the other team.
Actually, no, he got 8 last year and then had a very unmemorable playoff performance completing less than 50% of his passes and turnover the ball over once with no touchdowns. Buffalo was not a good team last season. They got lucky that no teams outside of division winners reached double digit wins. That's not a ringing endorsement of Taylor....this is like trying to credit Matt Hasselbeck because the 2010 Seahawks made the playoffs.
the last time we took that path, we somehow missed out on playoffs anyway....But I think anything is possible. If everyone buys in and plays to their full potential, why not the Browns in the playoffs? After (1-31), I understand the criticism from Bears fans directed at us for having the nerve to think such thoughts, but oh well....Hard Knocks starts next Tuesday night. Getcha popcorn ready.
Wasn't talking about 2018. I was referring to not seeing a path to 10 wins in 2017 even with better QB play. 2018 ??? Who knows? Maybe the worm is starting to turn.
We already established they weren't a good team... who should he have been throwing the football to? Their leading receivers on the season were: a tight end, their running back, a guy they traded, and a tight end. True, that was an ugly post-season game - most of the AFC games were. We'll see how he does this year with a better roster, better offensive coordinator, and a clean slate.
