BUCKLE UP BROWNS FANS!!! This is the season we've been waiting for

Don't shun me fellas - but Beach is spot on. The sum of the individuals rarely exceeds the sum of the whole.

Do we have valid reasons to be excited about the upcoming season? ABSOLUTELY! There's an entire generation of Browns fans that have never seen a roster in Cleveland as talented as this one. But, listen to Kitchens and Dorsey. This team hasn't won anything yet.

 

I don't dissagree with either of the last two posts, but the issue basically comes down to media coverage, and it's simply "not news" that Pittsburgh continues to be a "good team" too.

The Browns are "news", precisely because of their history of ineptitude, because of their record leading up to last year, because of their charismatic QB, their "Good ol boy" coach, their aggressive, gum chewing square jawed GM, and the talented group of players, some of which come with unquestioned talent, but historically questionable backgrounds.

That's a media wet dream, and yeah it might not work, but the stories write themselves.

Many of those things can be found to one degree or another on any NFL team, but it's Baker that draws the attention. He's was the underdog, smallish kid who carried a chip on his shoulder all his life. He authored his own story with his unconventional path through college, winning the Heisman, and unapolegetically celebrating his team's successes, in ways that were "not classy". With the reputation of being a lightening rod, he comes in and is relegated to "back up QB" which was announced as an accomplishment by his tone deaf head coach. Then he takes the field down 10 points, lighting up the stadium, and leading his team to it's first victory following 18 games without one, and the fire is lit.

The fire still burns, call me an arsonist, but I love it. Get your marshmallows. This is going to be fun!

 

Very true. I certainly haven't lost sight of it. This team has to go out and prove it on the football field. I think that's being drilled into them every day....Freddie won't let the "hype train" run over them, and neither will Baker.

 

No shunning Lym, I think you are spot on...

The only thing I want to add is this...

Throwing talent on a roster does not breed success, I agree 100% @beachbum. What does sustain yearly expectation of playoffs and Super Bowl contention is a top talent QB. While Baker has only 14 games under his belt, HE is the main reason for all the excitement in Cleveland and nationally. There is a genuine belief by the majority that he is the real deal, if that comes to fruition, the Browns will be considered contenders for a long time. It isn't JUST about throwing a bunch of talent at this roster, it's about giving Baker all the tools he needs to be successful at the peak of this league. We have Baker AND we have a talented roster... That's a recipe for disaster for the rest of the AFC North, imho.

 

I want to see it week one before I go all in. I’m concerned about the personality types if we start slow.

 

Close.

13-3 and beating the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl 54.

 

Okay.

#13-3

 

2016 - 2017: "We don't have the talent to compete."
2018 - Present: "We have too much talent to win."

 

Not too much to win, too many personalities to blend into a championship winning team.

 

I don't think personalities is a problem, but a blessing in disguise... that's where Kitchens and company come into play. The raw talent on Cleveland is real and yes they have many 'personalities', but so did other SB winners (see the 85 Bears).

With the right coaching and mentoring from the coaching staff, I think things can be put in check and a well orchestrated team can be the result. Sometimes you cap a volcano, sometimes its best to sit back and let it blow, lol.

I like the teams with a spring in their step, not cocky or brash, but confident with a winning attitude. Nobody on the Browns should be thinking in the back of their minds, anything less than the Super Bowl, but an intelligent player knows it all starts and goes through, week 1, period. One step (stone) at a time and I think they will do well, but they must stay in reality and live in the now and the 'now' is week 1.

 

By too many personalities I assume you mean Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham, Jr?

Mayfield has the same personality today as he had during his collegiate career. That netted him a Heisman Trophy, a #1 O/A draft pick spot and the opportunity to back it up by breaking the NFL record for TD's thrown by a rookie QB (in only 13 1/2 games). His attitude is infectious and was sorely absent from every one of his predecessors. He still plays every snap with a chip on his shoulder. All he wants to do is compete and win.

The first thing OBJ did when he arrived in Cleveland was to lose that "look at me" dyed blonde hair. There hasn't been a single report out of training camp that even remotely hints of him playing the diva card. Quite the contrary, he appears to be quite excited about lining up next to his LSU running mate, Jarvis Landry. Speaking of Jarvis Landry . . . He's another fierce competitor who isn't afraid to get in a team mate's grill if they aren't giving it all they have on every snap.

Nick Chubb? You could probably park your ass next to him at an airport gate, strike up a half-hour conversation with him and end up walking away not knowing he's a starting running back in the NFL.

Myles Garrett? I challenge you to find ONE report of him (on or off the field) that doesn't reflect his desire for himself and for the team to get better every time they take the field either in a game or a practice session.

Denzel Ward? See Myles Garrett.

Greedy Williams? He's all ready had his humbling "welcome to the NFL" moment against the Redskins. Will he have more? Probably.

Who did I miss ???

 

Loved the whole post Lym!

Not being a stickler, but that blown coverage was in cover 2, so Greedy wasn't the one that missed that one, it was fellow rookie Sheldrick Redwine, who was supposed to take the receiver from Greedy in cover 2. Overall, I think Greedy looked the part of a starter in this league.... ahh, if only pre-season football was a true predictor of reality, lol.

 

It's 53 man roster. Every team has lots of personalities. You just can't let them take over. You need a strong leader, and so far I've been impressed with Freddie Kitchens. He's no pushover. Freddie is demanding and he commands respect from all of his players....I've got a good feeling that this group meshes well.

 

No one will give a shit about "personalities" if they are winning. But lose a few in a row...? That's when they surface and often in a bad way. I'm excited to watch them this year. Was disappointed Mayfield didn't get any snaps this past weekend.

 

That certainly buys you a window but as already discussed in here you will eventually have to start paying talent and then you end up in the same boat as many of the teams you hope to emulate - teams that compete every year. And that all assumes the coaching staff is up to the task. Only time will tell. You guys seem to be giving Freddie a free pass. He has work to do.

 

Bold of you to assume they're capable of losing a game.

 

Mayfield's on a rookie deal, so he's got four more seasons until he's up. That's plenty of time to win 3-4 Super Bowls*.

*Only reason I have to give a range is because 2020 could be a strike-threatened season with no Championship game to play

 

Excuse me for giving a guy responsible for a stark turnaround in the team after following...

Hue Jackson
Mike Pettine
Rob Chudzinski
Pat Shurmur
Eric Mangini
Romeo Crennel
Terry Robiskie
Butch Davis
Chris Palmer

So far, all he's done is kept a slue of "personalities" in line, turn-around a stagnating offense, produced the second-most productive wide receiver group in NFL history over his eight games last season, hit all the right notes with the fans and media, and continued to coach with a savvy outlook way past his actual years as a head coach.

He screws this thing up and sure, I'll hold his toes to the fire. Right now, he's kept being awesome.

 

Finally!

 

Preseason Game 3.
Not our finest hour on Offense. The D looked terrifying.

The #1 concern IMO coming into the season was the O line, and game 3 underscored that for me. Tampa's D line is no joke, but there was a lot of pressure on Baker. True we didn't have OBJ, Jarvis, Njoku, or Chubb, but it felt like nothing worked. I hope the heavy pass, pass, pass approach was just an effort to see some of the guys in live reps, but we need to run the ball too. Having Kareem Hunt in the backfield can't be considered a "drop off" so what's the problem?

I have to admit it dampened my enthusiasm some, seeing passes missed (some poor passes, some poor hands), especially after last season's numerous pass snagging efforts. No need to panic, but it was certainly less than expected.

Does Freddie want to see his first team guys again in the final preseason game? Do you?

Haven't seen much in the way of reaction to that final "tune up". Any other takes????