I don’t give a fuck how much you all make fun of me and my blind fandom. I’ll miss that guy. He left EVERYTHING on the field. We’ve endured the shirt with the long list of QB names on it. I don’t know that any one has any argument with the fact he is the best one of the ridiculously long list. It took 19 years to get to him. Hard telling how long it will be to find another one as good as he is, even if he isn’t one of the top QBs in the entire league.
My sentiments exactly. Well put Irish. How quickly they forget. I have to remind myself all the time that not everyone is as passionate about Browns football as I am.
The irony (or maybe lack thereof) is that the Browns leadership decided to conduct this bungling expedition on the Ides of March. Et tu, Berry?
Unfortunately, @beachbum, what it means is they place winning above everything else they claim to stand for. The move to court Watson isn't a long-term plan. It isn't part of the "Smart, Tough, Accountable" mantra they feigned to believe. It's a despate 'win now above everything else' move. Imagine the teams' leadership having to go to Houston, present a trade package which was required to include no fewer than three first round picks and possibly impact players as well to be approved by the Texans before even allowing them to meet with the quarterback. Then, Browns leadership had to wait on Watson to finish a deposition on sexual assault allegations before groveling at the QB's feet to come to a place he had already strongly rejected. That is the single most pathetic image of the Cleveland franchise since ESPN announced Modell was moving the team... maybe worse. Andrew Berry: "Where's Deshaun?" Watson rep: "He's running late answering questions about 26 credible claims of rape and sexual assault." Andrew Berry: "Cool. Should we talk to any of the accusers while we're down here?" Kevin Stefanski: "No." 2021 showed us this roster, coach, and team was not close to the best the AFC has to offer. Baker's play and injuries aside, this team struggled throughout the season to put together a full, complementary game. They did once (Cincinnati, first meeting) where they beat the Super Bowl runners-up 41-16 in their own stadium. In every other game, some area of the team let them down. The defense struggled at times and is now set to lose Jadeveon Clowney - one of the biggest contributors to their success. The offensive line was abysmal and has already lost J.C. Tretter, and will likely be without Jack Conklin for at least some period of time. The receiver room saw departures of Odell Beckham Jr. (ultimately a blessing) and Jarvis Landry with the addition of Amari Cooper via trade. Cooper's career best season: 79 rec, 1,189 yards (15.1 YPC), 8 TD Landry's best season with Cleveland: 83 rec, 1,174 yards (14.1 YPC), 6 TD I like the move, but let's not pretend we replaced Jarvis with Cooper Kupp. We replaced Jarvis with a younger, more athletic (more expensive) Jarvis. Our maligned secondary played better once Joe Woods pulled his head out of his backside and played to the strength of his players, but this is a team that was already thin at safety and just lost a very good player in M.J. Stewart and does not intend to resign Ronnie Harrison. That leaves Grant Delpit (who played well but fought through injuries) and John Johnson on the last year of his deal with second-year man Richard LeCount as our options. The only potential upgrade they've made to the team thus far has been swapping lameduck LB Mack Wilson to New England for Chase Winovich who's more of an edge player. So at least we have a body at the position besides Myles Garrett.
Browns being the Browns, I'm afraid. The anti-Baker crowd is out there in force today running their victory laps, despite the rumor already that Deshaun turned Cleveland down (again). "AB has a plan" they'll say. Great - what is it? Plan A: woo a serial sex offender who doesn't want to play for you Plan B: run it back with the QB you have been waiting to move on from all season Plan C: trade for Jimmy Garoppolo? Plan D: sign Marcus Mariota Plan E: start Case Keenum? Bro... a healthy Baker is a Top 10 dude on this team. You went from a Top 10 guy to trying to get a what... Top 5 guy? Maybe... he hasn't played organized football in 437 days and will be over 600 days when the season finally starts. He finished 2020 as the #3 QB (per PFF.com) and had gaudy stats but the team went 4-12 and he produced zero 4th quarter comebacks and zero game-winning drives (including a loss to Baker Mayfield's Browns).
Cleveland front office just set the team on fire while trying to convince another QB to come here. "Hey Deshaun! Our QB got critically injured and our team went 8-9 and wasn't mathematically eliminated from playoff contention until the second-to-last game. We decided to burn that bridge with Baker while he was still under contract and we just doused the whole damn thing in gasoline and lit a match. Want to come over here?" Deshaun:
Imagine that. Everytime this team starts to build something, the owner cannot help his worst impulses and injects himself into the situation, meddles, destroys it, and then has to blow it up because it "wasn't working". From Banner to Pettine to Johnny to Hue to Sashi to John "Buddy Boy" Dorsey to Berry to Watson. Embarassing. Just sell the team already, Jimmy.
Damn, I'll be honest, I don't remember this. I would have to know the details before passing judgement. My judgement on Watson is 22 individuals with similar/corroborating statements to what he has done. It is extremely hard to dismiss 22 individuals.
Realistically, here are the options if we don't land Deshaun: Sign Marcus Mariota Gardner Minschew Jameis Winston Trade Jimmy Garoppolo Rostered Baker Mayfield* Case Keenum *pretty apparent they're moving on without Baker in 2022 How are any of those guys going to upgrade the position? Maybe Jimmy G. plays better within Stefanski's system? He's a true game manager and might mesh well with the coach, but we know this system isn't geared to outduel the Josh Allens and Pat Mahomes of the world -- and Jimmy G. isn't that kind of QB. But if Watson falls through then San Francisco knows you're desperate and the price tag just went up.
Well, at the very least, when they were discussing bringing Kareem Hunt on board, they sent Dee Haslem to do the background on it to show they were covering all angles. When SHE (at least looks wise) signed off on it, which blunted the addition. In this case, I haven't seen that she has been involved at all and it has been confirmed that no one has contacted the oppositions legal counsel or any of the alleged victims. NOT doing their due diligence.
None of it makes any sense. What's next? Twenty minutes of uninterrupted hardcore porn being broadcast throughout the team facility? Oh wait.
Have to wonder... Browns are clearing up an awful lot of cap space with these moves. The Saints were able to clear $80 million in cap space without releasing a single contract. Browns have cut Jarvis Landry ($14M), J.C. Tretter ($8M), traded Mack Wilson ($2.5M), and now Hooper ($9.5M).
