BUCKLE UP BROWNS FANS!!! This is the season we've been waiting for

The Browns have waived Jermaine Whitehead after his Twitter meltdown following yesterday's loss to the Donkeys.

 

Finally! Now we can start winning.

 

Y'all... I've sat and thought about it -- this is all I've got:



I don't want to come off negative or give fodder to the trolls... I'm going to try and contain some frustration. But the reality is now at 2-6, the Playoffs are gone. If they continue to play like they did last night against Denver, @Lyman's prediction is right... probably looking at a 5-11 finish, at best.

I don't know why an offense with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and Odell Beckham Jr. can only score 19 points and lose against the 2-6 Broncos.

I don't know why a defense with Myles Garrett, Joe Schobert, Greedy Williams, Denzel Ward, Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson, etc. surrender 24 points (ties a season high for Denver, BTW) to a third-year, sixth-round, thrice-cut QB making his first NFL start, and first real game action in over 1,400 days.

I don't know why KhaDarel Hodge is receiving snaps ahead of Rashard Higgins. Or why Jermaine Whitehead (RIP) is seeing the field ahead of Damarious Randall, Eric Murray, or Juston Burris. Why Nick Chubb is on the sidelines on third-and-one and then the following fourth-and-one.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's likely that Freddie Kitchens will be fired in the offseason... what does that fix? Who's the back-up plan? Promote Wilks? Monken? Get a new guy from outside the organization who'll want to (most likely) re-staff the coaches? What good does that accomplish?

So... that's a lot of "I don't knows". Begs the question... what do I know? (pipe down, @beachbum)

One. The offense looked better with Freddie Kitchens calling the plays out of Todd Haley's book versus Freddie Kitchens calling the plays out of his and Monken's playbook. This *has* to be the first and most pressing concern. I didn't expect a learning season in 2019, but it's reasonable that we could need one -- but what we can't have is #6 regressing as he has.

Two. The defense has been a liability in all but one game - the Jets. That's a big disappointment from a group that boasts an *elite* front four (at least on paper), and a highly paid back-end. The Browns' defense (outside of New York) is allowing 28.8 points per game. When you've got an offense struggling to find second gear on a 10-speed, that's not going to get it done.

Three. Freddie Kitchens is over-matched. Now, part of it is probably all the turnover that keeping him led to, strange as it is. Only Adam Henry (wide receivers) and Ryan Lindley (former running backs, now quarterback coach) are the constants from 2018 offensively. Every single position coach on defense has changed from 2018 to 2019.

Four. It falls on John Dorsey. May be unpopular, but it's the truth. In his haste to re-make the team and roster in his image, including getting some "real football players", he created too much turnover in too short a time. He put perceived talent ahead of cohesion but failed to hire a coach who could manage that. And honestly, this isn't sub-commenting on Odell Beckham -- he hasn't been a problem in his time here.

 

You can go out and hire a coach in the offseason... you cannot punt on the No. 1 overall pick QB after 20 NFL starts.

 

Alternate headline for this article...

"Sashi >>> Dorsey"

In all seriousness, this article is spot-on. We cut guys like Seth DeValve, Emmanuel Ogbah and Genard Avery (trade) to bring in guys like Demetrius Harris, who have no business playing in the NFL or Oliver Vernon, who's under-performing Genard's 2018 output at a salary 5,136.5% higher than Avery's 2019 number.

Dorsey seems to be playing games with Damarious Randall and Rashard Higgins, mysteriously 'injured' and inactive on gameday during contract disputes.

He completely voided the safety position in the offseason and brought in Morgan Burnett, Jermaine Whitehead (for a minute), Eric Murray, etc. who're playing so horrendously that safety has to be a selection in the first two or three rounds in 2020. He's refused to re-sign J.C. Tretter, meaning that's a hole to fix in the offseason.

He goes out and trades for Wyatt Teller, Taywan Taylor, Eric Murray, Justin McCray who're anything but "real" football players. Teller and McCray specifically have led to big-time offensive line issues.

 

This is what happens when a cranky old fart looks ahead to the rest of a lost season:

• Put Kareem Hunt under center with Nick Chubb as your RB and run the wildcat as your base offense.
• If you absolutely need to throw a pass, pitch the ball to either Beckham or Landry.
• Let Baker Mayfield call the plays from the sideline.

 

File under: "Give credit where credit is due". Sashi Brown was a genius at accumulating personnel assets.

However, he absolutely sucked at talent evaluation. Myles Garrett was his only real hit and that was a no brainer. Recognizing that hindsight is 20/20, perhaps Dorsey isn't that much better.

 

I remember you and I having a discussion around this exact topic while Sashi was still in Cleveland. I still think, ideally, that having someone come in to be the head of football operations that would have worked with Brown to keep the model of rebuilding through asset acquisition while being the final decision maker on which players to select would have been the best path for the Browns to take.

Sashi could have put all of his focus on the bartering to increase value in the draft while his superior could have worked with the scouts to make decisions on targeted players.

I think doing both was ultimately too much detail for one person to manage effectively, especially without a background in scouting or coaching.

 

Not trying to dim his shine, but Dorsey's 2018 class isn't looking all that great in hind-sight.

1.1: Baker Mayfield - no-brainer and he's still my ride-or-die. That said, he's 32 of out 33 qualifying QBs in 2019.
1.4: Denzel Ward - without a doubt one of the worst players on the defense right now on the off-chance he's healthy enough to suit up.
2.33: Austin Corbett - 10 career snaps with Cleveland, traded for a 2021 late round pick
2.36: Nick Chubb - NFL's best pure running back who's being wasted right now by this team.
3.67: Chad Thomas - very low-quality starter who's producing nearly nothing in stats and encouraged former teammate Jermaine Whitehead on Instagram to shoot his detractors; on the flip side... he makes some fire beats.
4.105: Antonio Callaway - untrustworthy waste of talent, marginal production.
5.150: Genard Avery - promsing pass rusher traded for a late round 2020 pick.
6.175: Damion Ratley - special team receiver, at best.
6.188: Simeon Thomas - cut, currently on his third team as a practice squad guy.

 

I've always believed things are never as good (or bad) as they seem. Which is why I predicted an 8-8 season this year with a rookie coach. And I still think they'll end up there. They'll make a little run at some point because they have enough impact players to win. More importantly, they need to stick together and keep the train on the tracks. Good teams fight through the adversity. This season could be the foundation from which they build future seasons. It could be a really good learning experience if they just stick together.

 

I like it! Sure to be more effective than our current red zone offense.

 

And too think I had the Browns at 10-6 and making the playoff's.........There Back Yahoo.

WOW what a disappointment............

 

What was Denzel Ward thinking on that TD pass that he was in perfect position to defend? Good lord that was awful. I've watched that play like 20 times, and I still can't believe he allowed Sutton to get that football. They don't teach that at Ohio State, so he's picked up some "browns habits" already in his short tenure. smh

 

We're in that classic Browns' dysfunction cyclone. Gregggg Williams lobbied hard for Jabrill Peppers and Denzel Ward because they fit his scheme. The Browns drafted those players and they played well to very well, respectively, in the system.

Pepper became expendable when a great trade offer hit the table and Greggggg hit the road.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Ward moved (because he's been awful in Wilks' system) for the right offer (31-year old, oft-injured Trent Williams was *not* that offer, obviously).

But it's the same routine of the Browns' management putting scheme ahead of players.

 

Baker had six multi-touchdown games in the second half of 2018. Six out of eight.

This year, he has zero. Despite...

• A full offseason as "the guy"
• Odell Beckham Jr.
• A positive head coach and play-caller relationship

His best game (from a QB rating standpoint) was Baltimore -- 20 of 30 for 342, a touchdown, and a pick.
Denver was probably his second-best, a loss, which saw him go -- 27 of 42 for 273 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions.

Offense can't be *changed* mid-season, but major course-corrections are needed.

 

Seriously... this playbook needs burned in a trash fire.

 

Glad we went hard for Demetrius Harris and *checks notes* Pharaoh Brown.

 

Game day personnel choices are maddening. In what universe has Calloway earned starting time over Higgins? Why is Genard Avery no longer here. Why is Nick Chubb being held back in a game when the season is on the line. What's with the left tackle shuffle?

Passing targets are also perplexing. It seems clear Odel is being ignored by either Baker or Freddie in favor of Hodges, Seals Jones, other unnamed JAG. I don't get it. Decisions making is confounding in the coaching stagg, IMO.

It simply feels like there is no plan, no cohesion, and no player development going on at any level on this team.

Freddie isn't capable of handling the HC responsibilities, and is getting more defensive, and more incapable of it because of the pressure he's feeling. Dorsey has to do something to relieve the pressure, so Freddie can focus. I don't know what that something is, but Freddie and the team will continue to fail if they don't make some kind of changes.

The lack of a clear plan is going to, if it hasn't already, cause players to fracture and start protecting themselves over protecting the team, and then things will really go south.

 

Like Gregg Williams or not his no nonsense, disciplined, "I'm not here to be your friend" approach worked, and allowed Freddie to work the O, showing a real flare for it.

That is what appears to be missing: the foundational discipline and accountability that "should" always be the underlying basis for success. It's missing, and Freddie has shown no ability to demand it. The inmates are running the asylum.

What's worse is Freddie clearly doesn't have the capacity to handle the HC job and maintain his genuis for Offense, and simultaneously won't recognize that fact, and re-shuflfe responsibilites to correct his shortcomings.

Of course we can fire Freddie, and quite possibly should, but then there's the "same old Browns": break it up and do it again, pattern. One we are painfully aware of and know how that story ends, or maybe more to the point: doesn't end.

I hate to say it, but this may be the path we "need" to take. Let Freddie and Baker suffer this year, to knock the shine off, and accept the reality of what it takes to truly become a team.

IMO the team never got past the "new America's team" label they were given in the off season. They'd already been crowned, so it would be easy with all this talent. Wrong! I think that's finally setting in, and we have half a season to learn how to become a team, and understand the vital fact that winning on the field is the result of "hard work", selflessness, and discipline.

Tough lessons, but ones the rookie HC, and 2nd year QB haven't learned. Classes continue this week, bring your pad and pencils.

 

Chalk this up under "Not surprising, but still embarrassing Browns notes";

They mentioned this on NFL Network last night, and they included the names, though I looked away in disgust and didn't note them. The last 5 times the Cleveland Browns have faced a QB making his 1st ever NFL start, you guessed it, the Browns are 0-5!....smh. Obviously one of them is Brandon Allen. I don't really care who the others are. It doesn't matter. That's embarrassing no matter how you look at it.