They've drafted 11 of them. 1-1 Baker Mayfield 2-52 DeShone Kizer 3-93 Cody "Trust Me" Kessler 1-22 Johnny "Money" Manziel 1-22 Brandon "Old Man" Weeden 3-85 Colt McCoy 1-22 Brady Quinn 3-67 Charlie Frye 4-106 Luke McCown 6-183 Spergon "16 Picks Before Brady" Wynn 1-1 Tim Couch
Not just back into the post season, but win a playoff game for the first time in 26 years against our division rival, who had beaten us the previous two times we met them.
My favorite. Most had him going undrafted. Who could forget Hue Jackson's line when we shocked everyone by taking Kessler in the 3rd round; "Now you're just going to have to trust me on this one." Though personally, I was always impressed how you could bring stats on that guy that would indicate he was among the best in the league. That's a skill few possess.
@SAS I don't remember such reverence when we signed Malik McDowell last year? I'm sure you were aware of his background. Not the face of the franchise perhaps, but not a good guy either. Robert Kraft, Michael Vick, Ben, Zeke, I'm getting tired of people waving their morality flag in my face. Not you, I come here voluntarily to read opinions. I'm talking people in my everyday life. I can't leave my house without someone asking me about this deal. It's crazy right now. Everyone is waiting to pounce all over Browns fans, and I got the bullseye on my chest. I'm a Browns fan. My feelings are mixed, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not excited about the possibilities here, and surely that's obvious. Pro sports is what it is. Andrew Berry's job is to get the Browns a Super Bowl.
I will always wonder how/why this Staff didn't insist Baker get surgery after the AZ game when he was no longer hurt, but actually injured. Where would we be today? I get the feeling the Staff was comfortable with Baker looking like shit, because they had already decided they were not going to go forward with him the next season, if they could make a deal for an elite QB, which is fair enough, but why devalue him? Baker didn't read the tea leaves, and that's on him, but ending the season with surgery ahead, really limited his options. Had he gotten surgery in late October, he'd be throwing now, and prepping for 2022. If the Browns pursued Watson, he'd have a market of potential teams calling. As things worked out, leaked comments that had to have come from our FO, called him "a child" and generally set him up to self implode. Knowing Baker would take the bait, they left him in the dark, inviting him to "tweet" his dissatisfaction, and demand a trade, after the market had thinned out. Masterful manipulation by our FO frankly. He's proven their point by acting childish, and it is just a part of who he is. I took specific note of the Lions game where we won, in ugly fashion, and Baker ran off the field, leaving his team mates on the field to do the expected handshakes and backsplapping, that comes from men who've gone to war, but show their respect for their opponents, and for one another. Baker stormed off, because he'd had yet anohter poor game, and rather than celebrating the victory with his team mates, who were the bigger part of that victory, he ran off and liked his own wounds. That stuck with me.
Regarding the Watson sexual misconduct fiasco. Does anyone else find it odd that all of those cases showed up after Watson declared he wanted out of Texas? I'm not trying to say they aren't true. Most likely they were out there, but not being given any light, but once Watson declared he wanted out, any efforts to keep them "quiet" were stopped. Then one attorney brings 22 suits???? Just seems weird. Not necessarily false, but perhaps something that was rumored, but settled outside courtrooms, and quiet. If we were to assume they were "rumored", what are the odds some of the earlier accusations weren't "dealt with quietly and non disclosure agreements signed", thus no news? Just a thought. Having seen numerous teams discredit a player who wants out, it seems at least "likely" that the Texans, like most other teams kept things 'in house" until the value of doing so evaporated for the team. Then, without doing anything they simply allow the accusations to find an audience, maybe even Busby, who is the attorney bringing the accusations. Had he already represented a client who was given an settlement "quietly", before the team signaled they were no longer going to ante up for Watson, for the sake of the team? If the accusations are true, and serial, how can we believe it wasn't something the team's legal advisors were unaware of? Yeah it's all speculation, but does anyone believe we are going to actually get "the truth" on any of this going forward?
All right... let's clear the air. First and foremost, I won't judge anyone who decides to quit rooting for the team altogether, just as I won't judge anyone who continues to root for the team. Everybody is entitled to their own reaction to this ordeal and no one's choice or decision is wrong. The only issue I take -- and I haven't seen any of this here, to be clear -- is anyone shaming someone else for the decision one way or another. It's a complex, nuanced thing -- I myself am having a very hard time letting four people (Jimmy Haslam, Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, and Deshaun Watson) steal my joy and put in a bad light (for me) something I've loved for 37 years. It's tough. While I don't want to get into a whole lot of 'whataboutism', let's rapid fire those examples... with the exception of Kraft, Roethlisberger, and Vick, none of those guys were "face of the franchise" type of dudes. None of them were heavily pursued the instant it became clear there would be no criminal charges. None of them were rewarded with the richest NFL contract in history. Kraft - I've had issues with Kraft for years beyond the 'rub and tug' stuff. Marrying someone so young they could be his granddaughter mere months after his wife passed away from cancer - which he made a very big deal of with cancer awareness and the Mara Kraft patch, etc. He was far too friendly with Roger Goodell (and indeed was probably his biggest supporter early on) which led to too friendly treatment during what should have been the biggest scandal in the sports' history. I don't think he has any business being an NFL owner and wish he was banned for life. Good luck getting the billionaire class to face any sort of real penalty, though. Vick - was on the team when he got busted and paid a very steep price. Like Calvin Ridley, who'll likely face a steeper penalty this season than DW, Vick was excoriated for gambling and served federal time for it. He missed two seasons and was given a second chance after serving his punishment. Roethsliberger - again, was on the team and I've always had a problem with what Ben did -- or is alleged to have done -- and I gave grief to any Steelers fan because of it. It would be insanely hypocritical of me to not hold DW to that same standard. Elliott - never been a big fan of Zeke either and have had an issue with his incidents. McDowell - DWI, resisting arrest, and attempted assault of an officer. I don't have a high opinion of cops but that is definitely a 'no-no'. McDowell was a 1-year, league minimum prove-it deal and obviously has mental health issues. Talent is always going to find second chances in the NFL and McDowell served both a suspension and jail time for his actions. Hunt - although he wasn't brought up, he's another Brown with some baggage in his past. Now, as with Joe Mixon, I'm speaking here from a place of privledge and cannot adequately relate to the entire situation. Violence against women is never okay. At the same time, use of racial slurs against a marginalized group is also not okay. In Hunt's case, he was cut from his team, despite a surplus of talent, forced to sign a 1-year "prove it" deal with Cleveland, and served an 8-game suspension. Hunt was never charged with a crime, unlike Watson. If by some miracle DW is cleared of everything, I will obviously eat the crow and try to get excited about it. But if even one of the alleged victims is telling the truth, that's one too many and a big problem in my eyes. Just my two cents.
Based on some of the reporting coming out, it definitely seems that the team was ready to move on from Baker even before the 2021 season began. Baker's side approached the Browns about an extension and was never given a response. Baker sought a second opinion (meaning the first doctor told him to shut it down) and decided to play through it to - I guess - show his dedication to the team? His poor play resulted in not only his own value deterioration , but divided the locker room as loses mounted, and worsed an already icy relationship with Stefanski. The Browns themselves in announcing DW noted they were looking into his situation for "several months" which meant they likely started exploring that mid-season. Part of the issue with Baker not being traded is that the Browns are also allegedly asking for a first round pick in return. Not happening given all the circumstances. They can hold his contract and wait for the draft to fall, for the offseason workouts with their usual injuries, and even the preseason to see if a team needs to improve it's QB room in a hurry. Some team will get a bargain but the Browns don't appear willing to just give him away.
Maybe the Browns are asking for a 1st just to aim high, but would settle for a 2nd rounder. Apparently the 9ers are asking for two 2nds for Jimmy G. Both Jimmy G and Mayfield have this injury thing and I think, just a hunch, thet are asking high just to get the best possible return, but ultimately will have to settle for less or just keep the QB and take the loss for whatever that is. I read yesterday that the Panthers arnt interested in Mayfield, so that leaves Seattle. Its getting slim out there. Anyway, I hope the best for Cleveland fans and hope things work out.
Nor should we. With over $20M in cap space even with Bake on the books, the situation is not desperate for Cleveland. Patience could pay off.
For me, this whole notions feels very much like a conspiracy theory. I've got enough Houston fans in my circle that I've heard just about all the excuses... that it was a racist owner (Bob McNair) that Watson heroically took a stand against and decided he wouldn't play for after the former GM shipped his top weapon (Hopkins) away for a pittance and an emminantly qualified black candidate for GM wasn't hired. And it wasn't until DW decided to sit out that the lawsuits were brought forth. Couple of issues with that... you don't hire a notoriously sleazy defense lawyer (who's gotten several high-profile scumbags off scot-free) if you're truly innocent. You don't plead the fifth in criminal case if you're innocent. Another bizarre fact is the number of massage therapists and massages DW was apparently getting. Over 50 women have so far come out and said they performed massages on him at some point -- an unusually high number, confirmed by former GM Andrew Brandt. DW's attorney has said he gets 2-3 massages "per week" -- which some NFL players have even said isn't possible - especially during the season. The way the NFL should handle this is to suspend DW indefinitely until his civil suits are settled. The minimum for the NFL today is six games. An indefinite suspension would allow the civil cases to work themselves out. Keep in mind that a player like Josh Gordon was given an indefinite suspension for weed offenses. Calvin Ridley is getting a year for betting $1,500 on the sport. Greg Hardy was suspended all by one game while his case played out. That ought to be the minimum given the number of accusers and the optics of the entire situation reflecting so poorly on both the Browns and the NFL as a league.
Just wait until they get jumped for Malik Willis and are left holding the bag. They may change their tune.
I don't think so. Even with the supposedly "trash" QB, the Browns have been knocking the Bengals around the last few years... 11/07/21 in Cincinnati....Final score CLE 41, CIN 16
It's an interesting question... I don't think there's a whole roster that's "better" than any other team in the division. The best offense is definitely the Bengals - from play-caller to QB, to offensive weapons. And Cincinnati did their franchise QB a solid and shored up their weaknesses on the offensive line. Defensively... Steelers still have the top pass defense and pass rush in the division. Ravens, who's 2021 season wasn't great as their QB dealt with injuries and the slumped to an 8-9 record (sound familiar?) have the top run defense. So a healthy Steelers team neutralizes the Bengals but a healthy Ravens team neutralizes the Browns? Cleveland is a questionmark. Their head coach / play-caller should be on the hot seat and trading for DW surely had to turn up that heat, no? One thing not being discussed is that they decided they couldn't work with Mayfield and couldn't get more out of him. In 2020 he finished as a Top 10 QB and had a higher QBR than the guy they just traded for -- to me, that says more about the coach than either player. Also with Cleveland, they've weakened the offensive line, reduced the number of passing weapons, and their shiny new QB should be looking at somewhere between 6-17 games missed due to suspension. Tough to project what that offense ends up looking like. Defensively, same as above -- their play-caller is over his skiis. Joe Woods was routinely outclassed by top offenses, surrendering 31.3 PPG last season with a bolstered unit. It's one thing to slow down the Lions, the Ravens littered with injuries, or the Bengals' third string... it's a different thing to go toe-to-toe with the teams they'll face in 2021 (Bengals - 7th, Bills - 3rd, Patriots - 6th, Buccaneers - 2nd, Chargers - 5th) and I'd argue a healthy Ravens team would be a Top 10 offense (7th in 2020) and Steelers would be close if they can get decent QB play out of Trubisky (12th in 2020). That's 10 of their 17 games right there. Woods' record against Top 10 last year (excluding the last Cincinnati game against backups)? 1-6.
Seahawks look to be playing the long game with Browns Baker Mayfield A solid article, and I expect that's where Mayfield will ultimately end up (getting my jersey order in the cart and ready to roll now). But I think the embedded video on Watson (which I couldn't drop here) from Cleveland's own Abby Mueller is exceptional. Well worth the 2-minute watch/listen!
