OK tough way to lose game one, but Tyrod and the Texans are coming What are your thoughts? Feels like a "get right" game to me.
My immediate thought, at least from the gambling perspective, is that the 12.5 point line on the game seems like a big number...I fully expect the Browns to handle their business, but I'm staying away from the wager because that's a lot of points. I can see Cleveland building a nice comfortable lead in this one, and then when it gets to "garbage time" giving up a score or two to sink the bet.... I agree that this feels like a get right game.
Browns by 25. We out-played the 2020 Super Bowl runner-ups and were a muffed punt away from winning the game in Week 1 with eight new starters on defense. Yes, Houston won their game -- against a team so bad they'll probably end up losing Urban Meyer before than they win a game. I like the "get right" idea -- we need to see everyone in rythm and eliminating the dumb stuff. I can see both backs over 100 yards in this one and hopefully Baker getting 3-4 TDs through the air. Browns 35 Texans 10
The O line questions are an issue, and now Walker, our defensive signal caller is out for 3 weeks +/-. Not great, but with the schedule, it's not the worst time. I only worry about the impact of "not playing as a unit". OBJ is being kept of ice for now, and again I don't think he's critical for this game, but we need him incorporated sooner rather than later, for the sake of the extra long season ahead. Njoku is looking like another Gronk to me. Too big for corners and most safeties, too fast for linebakers, too tall and athletic to not be able to pull down contested balls, and too strong to be taken down by a single Dback, most of the time. He is a weapon, beyond anything Hooper can hope to offer. Hooper is good, Njoku has game changing abilities. I'd like to see him targeted more. I expect we'll see a heavy dose of Chunt, and play action giving Baker plenty of opportunity. Last year we saw IMO a very conservative game plan with the lead, and I don't expect that to change this week, but I'd like to see the team take the lead and never allow Texas to breathe. I'd like a "laugher" of a victory. No last minute "hold your breath" moments. I don't want to fear a fumbled punt snap or an bizarre turnover to be a concern.
Watched an interesting podcast from Quincy, where he pointed out some intriquing stats on Tyrod. He's very conservative when operating in the game plan / will forgoe the deep ball for checkdowns most of the time. Oddly his worst passing ratio is on plays that go according to script (no pressure). Under duress his passer rating goes up, and when scrambling it's even higher. The polar opposite of nearly every other QB. It suggests the Browns D should look to keep him in the pocket, as opposed to an all out effort to sack him. He handles blitzes very well, so it makes more sense to focus on coverage, than pressure. Not sure that's the approach Miles and JaDaveon will take, but it's interesting. GMF pointed out this is Tyrod's revenge tour: Playing against 4 different teams he's played with previously: Buffalo, Cleveland, the Chargers, and Baltimore. I'm hoping we don't let him start his revenge in Cleveland.
What say you Browns brethren? I had to watch the game from my phone, while picking up my grandson on Columbus and take him home in Kentucky, just south of Cincy. Because of that, I couldn’t get a real good beat on this game. I would love to see some insight into your thoughts. Im hoping to see a replay on NFLN sometime this week. It seemed like we controlled the tempo of the game pretty well, but with the phone locking up intermittently it was a little tough to gauge.
