Yes True that Dan.........and Browns have a not so easy 3 games left.......and the Bills end with The FISH.......that will be a HUGE game. AP Press writers will look at the schedule when they make their Votes ......I think it will go down too the Wire......McDermitt could win it.
Obviously the D was the issue last night, and while Lamar is a unique beast, he's in our division and we "have" to be able to stop him from blowing up games. Is it Joe Woods? How much talent beyond the D line does he have? Delpit drafted to start - out. Ward our lone shut down corner - out. Greedy Williams, Ward's counterpart - out. We knew we'd have a weakness at LB, but expected to have strength up front and in the coverage zones. Didn't happen. Could / should Woods have been able to overcome all of that? I don't know, but I do know he hasn't, so far. That said, one turnover, one extra possession, and we win this one. If Baker hadn't thrown the INT......? Then there's the other side on the coin, Lamar doesn't leave the game for 2 possessions......? A hell of a game. Can't be ashamed of our Browns performance, and for me at least, what do we do next? Don't let up and get upset by either NY team and we're home free. Cannot be disapointed in this season. I'd like to get one W in the post season. That would be beyond anything I could have hoped for this year. Last night was a massive let down, but as long as it doesn't derail the team's steady growth, I can live with it.
I believe the Browns will exercise his 5th year option. That said . . . A "Franchise QB" has to be consistent, play to play, week to week, year to year. He also needs to be committed to improving every time he steps onto the practice field or game field. There's only one way to answer that question.
I would agrue that he has done just that. Since Pittsburgh, he's only gotten better. Last night was a big test. A high pressure D, and a team who scored quickly. He was up to the challenge IMO. Do I want to see that repeated? Of course, but IMO he has shown more and more each week. No one is perfect, but given less than two minutes with the game on the line he did it again. I'm liking what I see. I'd take Baker over Lamar (don't believe his style of play lasts, long term). Josh Allen? That is a different question, but Baker, on his 4th HC, is showing he can learn and grow, and as he does his talent shows.
I’ll preface this by stating that I enjoyed - I was edified by keni’s qb musings. This is not intended to counter anything he wrote. I’m just picking up one thing he wrote and spinning it in another way. Specifically, talking about who you’d rather have at qb? I think fans get caught up in the trap of endorsing or deriding a draft pick without putting things in proper context. The easiest case may be to compare KC and Buffalo. The Chiefs drafted Mahomes with a pick traded by the Bills and he obviously has been worth the price (#10 OA for #27 and a first the next year). Would Buffalo have been better off picking Mahomes instead? (Let’s forget that the Bills hit it big with both of the picks they got back.). I would argue that Mahomes would not have had an MVP & a SB ring if he had a flying bison on his hat. Baker may not have performed up to the level of other qb’s selected after him. But, he had a lot less to work with than others. Darnold, on the other hand, has been dealt a bad hand that could see him relegated to bust. But if Allen had gone #3 and Darnold were a Bill then their respective careers to date could have been the opposite of how it’s worked out. Certainly talent and leadership mean a great deal, but circumstances can sometimes prevent them from ever manifesting them. As a Bills fan, I’d rather have Allen because he perfectly matches up to the personality of the community. Allen just belongs in Buffalo. I believe Baker has shown enough to deserve to have his option year offered. He hasn’t done enough to merit Mahomes money - but no one else hasn’t either. It’s kind of a bummer that one or two plays didn’t go the other way; cause it could easily have been the Browns fans who are shouting. But I think he’ll be winning games in Cleveland long after Big Ben is gone, and he may well have a better career than Lamar.
That could be a big game for multiple reasons. Cleveland may be on the outside looking in if they don't win out at 11-5 with 7 playoff teams. WTF!
