Browns Best and Worst - 2018 Edition

Was listening to the radio and they were discussing the highs and lows of the Browns 2018. So here's a thread to re-live this last year and remember those highs and lows. Here's a list I came up with.....feel free to add on.

- Best and worst moment

- Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment

- MVP and anti-MVP (worst player on the team)

- Most improved player on offense and defense

- Best non-draft pick newcomer

- Best and worst play on offense and defense

- Most important and most bizarre story

- John Dorsey’s best and worst non-draft pick moves

 

I'll add more of mine later but the anti-MVP was our kicking game.

 

You stole my thunder..

- Best and worst moment
Best, Thursday Night Football win over the Jets to bust open the Bud Light Fridges (Close second, the simultaneous firings of Hue and Todd)
Worst, A tie... Quick whistles..first against the Raiders, calling Carr down. Game should have never gotten to OT..second, Ravens fumble recovery TD that should have been, could have changed the tide for an end of season victory...Those two calls weren't enough to change the playoff outcome, but it does change the outlook of this team. 7-8-1, it will be argued that this team could challenge for a wild card in 2019. 9-6-1 and this team would be seen as a true contender for the AFC North outside of Cleveland.

- Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment
Surprise - Nick Chubb's emergence as a NFL Force, I hope to see this for the next 8 years
Disappointment - utter chaos from the coaching staff. I had hoped with an improved roster, this staff would be competent, they weren't but we are now on the right track so it seems.

- MVP and anti-MVP (worst player on the team)
MVP - Pretty Damn obvious
anti-MVP Zane Gonzalez, who single handily lost the first two games of the season...Missed FG in the Steelers tie, then (2) Missed FGs and (2) missed PATs in the 3 point loss to the Saints.

- Most improved player on offense and defense
Offense - Greg Robinson, though not with us prior to 2018, he was jettisoned by 3 teams in 3 years before landing with the Browns, taking the starting spot due to injury and becoming a top performing LT in the NFL.
Defense - Larry Ogunjobi, he's going to be a force if 2018 was any indication

- Best non-draft pick newcomer
For me, this one is easy, Jarvis Landry is a steady player that helped Baker be Baker. He was a settling force in the locker room and especially the young WR room

- Best and worst play on offense and defense Too many plays to choose from
Best Offense - there were a lot to choose from adding Baker, but the less common form of big play... Chubb's 92 yard TD. That was awesome!!
Best Defense - Peppers sack to defacto end the Broncos game, securing a W.
Worst - Peppers fumble at the end of the Buccs game, allowing them to kick the winning FG.

- Most important and most bizarre story
Most important - Browns defy the mainstream thinking and draft Baker Mayfield
Most bizarre - This one is tougher, I will say the mid-season firings, not because of wins and losses, but because of in house fighting.

- John Dorsey’s best and worst non-draft pick moves
Best - Trading for Jarvis Landry
Worst - hiring Todd Haley

 

Great thread idea Doug...

- Best and worst moment
BEST- Baker stepping in "like a boss" in week three primetime game.
WORST- When the refs took the game away from us in Oakland...I never did get over it. lol!

- Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment
SURPRISE- the emergemnce of Freddie Kitchens
DISAPPOINTMENT- Missing 5 kicks in the dome to blow the upset bid in the bayou...

- MVP and anti-MVP (worst player on the team)
MVP- Baker Mayfield changed the culture.
ANTI-MVP - Placekickers

- Most improved player on offense and defense
OFFENSE: David Njoku is still an ascending player. Needs a little more refinement, but has youth and amazing god given ability on his side.
DEFENSE: Jabril Peppers stepped up in year two...Though wtf were they doing with him in his rookie year? This was no brainer.

- Best non-draft pick newcomer
Jarvis Landry- I love everything he brings to the table...

- Best and worst play on offense and defense
BEST PLAY OFFENSE - So many to choose from. I'll go with Nick Chubb's 93 yard TD run...
WORST PLAY OFFENSE- Carlos Hyde vs Raiders. How dare he leave us open to that ridiculous spot replay at the end. C'mon Carlos!
BEST PLAY DEFENSE- The pic of Roethlisberger at the very end of season opener...Shobert's play should have been the backbreaker and the play of the year.
WORST PLAY DEFENSE- Any deep ball thrown by Phillip Rivers. Take your pick...

- Most important and most bizarre story
MOST IMPORTANT - Firing Hue. Hiring Freddie.
MOST BIZARRE - Porn broadcast throughout team headquarters...

- John Dorsey’s best and worst non-draft pick moves
BEST- Trading Kizer for Damarious Randall
WORST- Predetermining that Baker Mayfield should sit year one...

 

Best and worst moment

Best: Drafting Baker Mayfield

Worst: Golly there were a lot of these, but the quick whistle that negated Jabrill Pepper's scoop-and-score against the Ravens which would have likely changed the outcome of that game and had the Browns at 4-1-1 in the Division.

Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment

Most pleasant surprise: Freddie Kitchens leading the Browns to the second most explosive offense in NFL history after the team tread water through the first eight weeks.

Biggest Disappointment: Carlos Hyde. I had reasonably high hopes for Hyde (said he was talent-wise similar to Crowell but fit the offense better). Not only did Hyde not live up to that billing, he kept rookie Nick Chubb on the sidelines which in retrospect is completely insane.

MVP and anti-MVP (worst player on the team)

MVP: #6

Anti-MVP: I'm not going to say Greg Joseph. Honestly, probably Desmond Harrison. The one rookie the team seemed okay starting from Day 1 was the last guy who probably should have been. And it's not completely on Harrison, he needed development, but the fact that Greg Robinson came in and so solidified the left tackle position really gave a good contrast to how badly Harrison played early on.

Most improved player on offense and defense

MIP Offense: Rashard Higgins. Dude proved himself to be WR1 and was sorely missed those few weeks when he went down with a hamstring.

MIP Defense: Jabrill Peppers. Dude straight-up dominated in the second half of the season and played at a very high level. His blitz to seal the win against Denver is/was an iconic play of the season.

Best non-draft pick newcomer

Breshad Perriman. A lot of choices to pick from here (Jarvis Landry, Greg Robinson) but I'm going with Perriman. Base stats aren't super impressive (16 receptions, 340 yards, 2 touchdowns - 10 games) but the analytics are. He's proved to be a tremendous deep threat, was ultra-reliable (64.0% catch rate), and showed versatility. For a guy who was cast off twice in the season by other teams and labeled a bust... that's pretty good.

Best and worst play on offense and defense

Best Offense: This montage.

Worst Offense: Has to be one of those triple-reverses at the goal line that resulted in us settling for a field goal and then losing the game by a handful of points.

Best Defense: Myles Garret's Week 1 sack against Roethlisberger. One, it was against Roethlisberger. Two, the league had to apologize for getting the penalty wrong. Three, Myles called it before the game. Four, it was the fastest sack (1.97 seconds) since 2016.

Worst Defense: The Texans game, where despite a poor outing by Mayfield in the first half they were still in it. The defense just couldn't get a stop and get the ball back for the offense to have a chance.

Most important and most bizarre story

Most Important: Flies a bit under the radar, but Jimmy Haslam ceding power to John Dorsey from a reporting structure. Clearly, so much of the dysfunction with "You Know Hue" had to do with Haslam's (1) love for him, and (2) the reporting structure he created that further helped silo and undermine the team. A traditional front office structure is likely just want this management teams needs now.

Most Bizarre: Bob Wiley owning two Maserati's and dating super models, probably.

John Dorsey’s best and worst non-draft pick moves

Best Move: Trading DeShone Kizer for Damarious Randall. Imagine two kids in a lunch room talking about trading lunches, except one kid has the works: Luchables Pizza, Gushers, Cheez-Its, and a Capri Sun... and the other kid has a flaming bag of dog sh*t.

Worst Move: Releasing Carl Nassib, who went on to have 6.5 sacks with Tampa Bay while Emmanuel Ogbah and Chad Thomas posted 3.0 combined opposite Myles Freaking Garrett.

 

SAS upped the ante and came with visual evidence!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, he had some good ones in there. I'm in agreement on the quick whistle in Baltimore as most disappointing. That one did hurt more than the quick whistle in Oakland because of game importance and just overall drama...That was an intense moment in the season, and a huge letdown. I don't know how my flat screens survived this season.

 

Whoa...He was improved, but let's not get carried away..

 

When healthy, he showed the traits of that. Problem was health. I don't know if you can call a receiver WR1 until he proves he can be on the field 90% of the time AND show those traits consistently throughout the games. I'd have to go back and look, but I don't recall a "breakout" game from him either. Certainly not saying it can't/won't happen, I really like Hollywood, I hope they get his tender signed! We are still looking for a #1 until we have an established #1....

Honestly, I would be extremely happy with (4) WR2s. Baker can break records with that. We already have one of the best WR2s in the league in Jarvis Landry. Higgins, I believe is a high end WR2, Breshad Perriman showed me things I don't think the league knew he had since being drafted and finally, Antonio Callaway actually showed me the most promise of being a WR1 of the group. He is a solid WR2, but I think he can develop into that player as long as he stays on the straight and narrow and keeps his mind focused.

Honestly, I think we are a spectacular slot receiver away from being an offense akin to the Rams. The best option in this draft FOR US might just be Marquise Brown. I know everyone is touting him as a first rounder, but I don't think so. Teams will be put off by his size and limitations. I think he is a high-mid second rounder. Letting that first round play out, then making a move for him in the second would be a good plan, imho. Personally, as far as burners go, I think teams will fall for Paris Campbell before Brown. But for what we need, I think Brown would do a great job for us and I think he will go after Campbell.

 

I agree that we have a solid group of receivers as it is.. And I agree that Mayfield can work with what we've got and be very effective. We've seen that...

Here's all ya need to know about Rashard Higgins;
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/20...ension-talks-lets-do-it.html#incart_big-photo

I like him a lot, and hope we get him a deal before free agency. He wants to be here, and when healthy he's a solid #2 NFL wideout....

My thought is, if you mix a few really good #2 WR's with a real #1 WR, everybody becomes that much better...Plus I'd love to see what Baker could do with a big bodied high point specialist like Metcalf...He's more than that too. Not just a one trick pony. He can separate and change direction, and he's gonna be a red zone monster. We are really good in the passing game now, but D.K. would take our offense to the next level...

That plan could work too, and I've mentioned him as my second favorite WR in this draft for us. He's not the big bodied "prototype" guy, but that's not a necessity. He's produced big numbers in his time at Oklahoma, and half of those were with Baker Mayfield as his QB, which isn't a bad thing...

I just think adding one more elite weapon for Baker would put us over the top....Looking at what we have on offense, including guys like Chubb and Njoku, if we added a true superstar WR to the mix, this Browns offense will become one of those legendary units that people remember and talk about for generations....And they'll fill those trophy cases in Berea.....

 

Hmmm....I see a potential wager coming on that one.

 

Rashard Higgins' catch rate (73.6%) was good for 11th among all wide receivers in the NFL last season. Only Michael Thomas, Cole Beasley, and Adam Thielen posted better numbers and a higher catch rate (M. Thomas was insane and is clearly #1 WR in the NFL at the moment).

His catch rate obviously led Browns' receivers, and his yards-per-target and touchdown ratio was second only only Breshad Perriman who saw less than half the total targets. Over half of his targets (50.9%) and a majority of his receptions (69.2%) went for first downs, which was again tops among Browns receivers.

Just to state my point... I'm not suggesting he's our version of Michael Thomas or A.J. Green - I'm suggesting he's the top receiver on the roster and should definitely be more featured in the offense. Despite them not being household names outside of Cleveland, a lineup of Jarvis Landry, Breshad Perriman, and Rashard Higgins is actually a very, very good group.

 

Add in Calloway and they have the potential to be better.

Yes, I was wrong about Calloway when he was drafted. {knocks on wood}

 

Agreed! I think Callaway would be best-suited as WR4 and the guy you bring in to create mis-matches. I don't know he's ready for a full-time receivers role (and Perriman proved to be a better deep threat in the second half of the season, limiting Callaway's opportunities).

 

I agree our WR's are pretty good. I've mentioned that I like him, but Rashard Higgins is not a #1 WR, and quite honestly, nor has he proved to be very reliable... JFTR, I don't consider him the best WR on our roster either.

He's a good player, but putting Higgins in the same sentence with Julio or A.J. is not unlike putting Cody Kessler in the same sentence with top QB's in the league....

In fact, the main reason Higgins was as effective as he was, and he will attest to this, is because of the fact he was on the second team getting reps with Baker Mayfield throughout training camp and preseason...They developed a nice chemistry, and when Higgins was healthy, it showed in the regular season...I hope they get a deal done, but it's not like he's gonna command top 5 or even top 10 WR money...At least that's not how I see it.

In regards to whether or not the Browns consider WR early in the draft, I have to believe much depends on if they can get Higgins and Perriman signed. It sounds like they both want to be here, but the bottom line is, they will both be unrestricted free agents...We seen guys that "wanted to be here" head out the door plenty of times over the years...I expect things to be better for us in this capacity, but we'll see how it goes...Money talks.

 

IMO, Callaway is the second best receiver on our roster after Landry....As long as he stays out of trouble off the field, he's going to have a great career as a solid #2 WR, and return ace...

 

I did put them in the same sentence, but said I wasn't equating the two. "Rashard Higgins is not A.J. Green."

That said...

A.J. Green: 77 targets, 46 receptions, 694 yards (15.1 YPC, 9.0 YPT), 6 TD (7.8% rate), 59.7% catch rate (10 games)
Rashard Higgins: 53 targets, 39 receptions, 572 yards (14.7 YPC, 10.8 YPT), 4 TD (7.5% rate), 73.6% catch rate (13 games)

 

Even if Higgins was the #2 receiver (target-wise) on the Browns last season, instead of Callaway, in his 13 games he would have produced: 79 targets, 58 receptions, 853 yards, 6 TDs - all figures that would have been second (or first in touchdowns) on the team.

If he saw the 149 targets Landry got: 110 receptions, 1,612 yards, 11 TDs

That would have put him 7th in the NFL in receptions, 2nd in yards, and t-4th in touchdowns among wide receivers.

 

I know, just wanted to get that Kessler dig in...lol!

I disagree that he's a #1 WR, and the best on our roster...

If there is a guy on our roster with the potential to be a true #1, it's this guy:

 

It appears I'm on an island with the first round WR, so I'm just curious. This probably goes on a different thread, but since we are talking about Higgins here....Let's assume we spend some, but don't sign any of the marquee names in free agency.....If we were to lose Perriman or Higgins or both in free agency, does that change anyone's mind about potentially taking a WR on day 1? Or is it still pretty set on a defensive player in the first round?