Looking Forward to the 2019 AFC North

Just to be clear... the quarrel is that I should have said "Top 4" versus "Top 3"?

 

I probably should have done this four pages ago.

*hits user ignore*



#TrollFreeLife

 

No idea what you were doing in the few hours you weren't posting here but I'm sure it wasn't brushing up on your comprehension skills.

 

If I needed to win a game today and was only concerned about today...these are my top 5 QBs...

1. Tom Brady
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Drew Brees
4. Russell Wilson
5. Andrew Luck

I'll just repost this.....my sentence above could also be translated as these are the guys I think are the best at what they do right now.

 

That looks like an easy pick6 to me

 

Never change, gid.

 

Get it done, Dorsey!

 

what? You want Dorsey to fire him?

 

Does anyone REALLY think that Baker and Freddie are going to let the "BROWNS HYPE TRAIN" run roughshod right over them?

Sorry Steelers and Bengals and Ravens, but that's NEVER gonna happen...

 

These guys have it under control...


new era in the AFCN....

 

Wrong tweet. Here was the pick 6...

 

You guys do realize how obnoxious these boards are going to be over the next several years right?

 

Aw, let the Yinzers have their fun now. I've been practicing my obnoxiousness for when they're looking up at us in the standings year after year after year.

 

To be fair you guys have accomplished nothing yet and are acting like we should worship the ground the Browns walk on. As confident as you are I am equally as confident the Steelers win the division this year.

 

Get outta here. lol! Not true at all beach. "worship the ground the Browns walk on" That's pretty deep. Maybe later. We have to kick some ass and take this division down with authority, before all that happens. In due time....As for now, we're just happy to finally have a dog in the hunt. Browns are legit contenders for this division for the first time in decades. As for the enthusiasm that Browns fans will display this year, you haven't seen nothing yet. As Dorsey likes to say, "Buckle up buddy-boy, the sleeping giant has awakened". Might as well get used to it.

 

You're right, Beach. We haven't accomplished anything yet. But . . . for the 1st time since their return to the NFL 20 years ago, we now have a front office that appears to actually assess the roster makeup and address the weaknesses both in starters and depth. When Dorsey arrived;

• He had a QB room that consisted of Kizer, Kessler and Hogan. I think even you will agree he has adequately addressed that position.
• They couldn't stop anyone's running game and could only pressure the QB from one side (Garrett). He has now added Vernon and Richardson and (by all reports) came close to adding McCoy. Can't blame Dorsey for McCoy wanting to stay south of the Mason Dixon line.
• The defensive secondary was suspect at best. Traded Kizer for Randle, drafted Ward and drafted Williams. (More on Peppers later.)
• He inherited a LB corp that consisted of Kirksey, Schobert, Avery and Collins. Collins rarely played up to his contract and was sent packing. He has since drafted Takitaki and Wilson. Don't be surprised if he continues to add talent here.
• As shitty as the QB room was, the WR corp wasn't much better. He traded oft suspended Gordon for a draft pick (and Gordon finds himself suspended again). Traded for Landry, traded for Beckham, drafted Calloway and retained Higgins. The bottom line now is that this is a group where it will be very hard for someone to even make the 53 man roster. The loss of Peppers was more than made up for by the addition of OBJ.

It didn't stop at simply filling the roster either. Dorsey has now positioned himself as the sole owner of football operations. Last year he witnessed first hand a major disconnect in the coaching staff. Their refusal to involve Chubb in the running game resulted in his trading Hyde and forcing Haley and Jackson to use Chubb. Then, when the disconnect continued, both Haley -and- Jackson were fired on the same day. The hiring of Kitchens has John Dorsey written all over it.

It hasn't been all sunshine and roses. IMHO, the O-line is perhaps the weakest link. Joe Thomas' retirement, while well earned, couldn't have come at a worse time. The success or failure of the Browns' this year revolves around the O-line. I personally wouldn't have given up Zeitler in the Vernon trade. But, apparently, Dorsey feels it's easier to find an effective RG than a DE. To that end, he added a number of O-linemen in the off season in the event that Corbett doesn't develop. The same could be said about LT Robinson.

So, yes . . . We are all excited about the upcoming season. Combine the above when we look around the AFCN and we see a Ravens team that was virtually gutted defensively and is all in on a QB that (IMHO) will be lucky to survive a full season due to his style of play. And then we see the Steelers who missed the playoffs without Shazier and Bell and then ended the drama surrounding Big Ben and Brown by trading Brown. Time will tell if the addition of Bush will offset the loss of Shazier. But you can't tell me that the absence of both Bell and Brown won't be missed even with Juju and Conner. Make no mistake, Ben is still a formidable QB. But the fact remains he was, at least, partially responsible for some of last year's drama and he is getting older and it showed in his play last year.

 

When the season begins we are always looking up because they list the teams alphabetically, but by the end of the season we are always looking down because the games have been played.

 

Personally I think the swiftness with which Dorsey has operated could backfire like it has with so many other teams that tried to buy their way to relevance. Or it could go the way it went for the Broncos in their most recent Super Bowl run.

Only time will tell but the roster still has holes and there are still question marks - which puts them even with most clubs.

And that's the thing. Dorsey has made a lot of pretty aggressive moves just to get in the conversation and most of the Browns fans in here are talking division dominance and dynasties.

Win one divisional title, beat the Steelers and then we'll take the effort more seriously.

As to the Steelers, no I don't think for one second they will miss Bell. What's to miss? He didn't play last year and his replacement went to the Pro Bowl and outperformed him. And I actually think Jaylen Samuels might be better.

I won't pretend losing AB isn't a concern but in a lot of ways it could be a positive development. They still have plenty of weapons and it might be better for the offense to force Ben to scan the field. Developing WRs is something they've never had a problem with.

Defensively they are the best defense in the division and they'll prove it. Barring a string of injuries they should pick up right where they left off at the end of the year when they held down Brady and Brees. The off-season additions on that side of the ball should step in and produce immediately.

Also helps to have the best edge defender in the division in Watt.

 

The swiftness with which Dorsey operated in K.C. didn't backfire did it?

Every NFL roster has holes in it . . . including the Steelers.

Agreed. Some Browns fans are thinking divisional dominance is a forgone conclusion. After waiting 20 years for something - anything - to happen, I can't and won't blame them. I'm not one of them. I personally believe the AFCN is going to be won by either the Browns or the Steelers. Pittsburgh is still a formidable opponent. But, based on what I saw last year combined with what has transpired so far this year, I like our chances.

If loosing Bell last year, (even with Conners having a better year), didn't impact how is it you guys lost the division title to the Ravens?

We both know Brown and Juju benefitted from each other. If Ben wouldn't or couldn't scan the field with those two options, what makes you think he will miraculously begin now?

We'll simply have to disagree on this part. There's no doubt in my mind that the Ravens had the best defense in the division last year. But they were gutted in the off season. No doubt that Watt is a premier player and is now joined by Bush. Unfortunately for us, they both attack at our weakest point.

Generally speaking, I don't think the Browns will win too many low scoring slugfests. Conversely, I don't think the Steelers will win too many high scoring shootouts.