Looking Forward to the 2019 AFC North

Don't beat yourself up over "what ifs". He could have just as easily cashed his check, then went into preservation mode to stay healthy for the 2019 free agency period. That guy is nuts.

 

There's bound to be at least one less familiar face in the North next season...

Good luck getting a trade out of that. There's plenty of other tier-2 (and 3) receivers hitting the market this offseason.

 

I can't believe they are willing to have 21 or 22 million in deal cap space for just one player. Although Brown is pretty much forcing their hand.
Plus something like this lowers his value imo on the trade market.

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-to-grow-up-browns-wont-make-playoffs-in-2019

lol! If you ask me, Colin Cowherd needs to grow up and admit he was wrong about Mayfield....Instead, he's just gonna grasp at straws, and dig deeper...smh. What a jackass.

 

Keep in mind they are carrying over the 14.5M they had earmarked for Bell this year. In total they will carry 18.2M into next season and they have a lot of cap flexibility this year with extensions (Ben, Haden, Dupree) and cuts (Gilbert, Burnett, Boswell).

 

Extend Dupree? I'd say both he and Burns are more likely to be included in the "cut" column. In Dupree's last SEVEN GAMES COMBINED, the guy had a TOTAL of 15 tackles, 2 for loss (both sacks), no pass break ups, no tipped balls, no INTs. That just isn't getting it done. Nor does it come close to being worth the $9.2 million the guys is scheduled to make next year on his 5th year option. While I don't necessarily think they can get anyone any better in free agency or via the draft in another rookie, some things are about PRINCIPLE. Just because you can't get someone better quickly, doesn't mean you don't cut bait. If anything you send the message that the level of play is unacceptable. Just like I don't think they necessarily could have gotten anyone better than Boswell on a whim..........guy should have been released after the Oakland game, if not sooner.

In my opinion, all of the following should be cut this off season before March:
-Gilbert ($4.9 mil) - Pro Bowl caliber RT when he plays, but guy just can't stay healthy enough long enough. He's just too unreliable now.
-Dupree ($9.2 mil) - Guy is a complete liability against the run and in coverage, and below average pass rusher. Just hasn't developed enough to justify keeping.
-Burnett ($3.6 mil) - What a bad experiment this was. Guy only play half the time, and below average when he does. Just not the answer as dime corner/safety. Too many penalties, subpar play vs pass, which is specifically why he was brought in.
-Boswell ($600k hit) - Just unacceptable, not sure what happened but guy is a head case now, and that seldom ever resolves itself for kickers. Can't trust him.
-Burns ($1.7 mil) - Not sure if he improved any given limited play, but was league's WORST RATED corner............in the entire league. Had a perfect passer rating against him the first half of the season. Not sure I've ever seen a high draft pick of theirs regress so quickly and to the depths he has in two seasons times after a shaky but decent rookie year. Guy just has no confidence and horrible technique. I've seen some suggest trading him.......problem is he has no trade value.

This represents another $19 mil in cap savings on top of the $27 mil they currently show. Rebuild the defense with a PROVEN vet or two, then focus the entire draft on the back half of the defense. Find a STARTING caliber ILB (or two), and another corner. Trade for one if you have to, but you have to get three starting caliber defenders via free agency or the draft. If AB is traded, use that pick (1st or 2nd rounder) to draft his future replacement.

 

I think if you're trying to separate the good and elite pass rushers in the league sacks are a useful stat. Otherwise, it can be very misleading for several reasons, not the least of which is how teams and the shield are protecting these QBs.

Are Bosa and Ingram shitty pass rushers because they didn't get so much as a whiff of Brady yesterday? Of course not. They never had a chance to get to him because so many teams are now focused on getting the ball out of QBs hands and even when they do hold it the league has essentially legalized holding.

I've never seen it like it is now with so few holding calls. That has to be league driven. If you're rushing between the tackles they seem to pay attention more but the guys on the outside are just getting mugged routinely. And if they do break through they have a 6 inch window to make a hit.

Dupree is never going to be an All-Pro but 9M isn't what it used to be. It's less than half of what the elite guys are getting and he played better this year. My larger concern is his ability to avoid injury. He played the 2nd half of the season with a torn pec. Naturally his production is going to go down.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

 

But you're irrationally excited by just about anything and everything Browns.........Sashi, Manziel, Hue, Savage, Farmer......

I just hope you're dead on the money this time. I'm tired of all the irrational excitement in this Browns fan's lifetime....

 

To be fair...

Sashi - yes
Manziel - yes
Savage - yes, until he extended Anderson and kept Brady Quinn on the bench

Oh yeah...

Quinn - yes

Hue - no
Farmer - no

 

Careful what you wish for...

The opposite of irrational excitement is dire futility...That's something none of us want entering a new Browns league year.

 

You forgot;

Kessler - yes

And, initially, we were all excited about Hue.

 

Of course we were. Three years ago, we had every right to be...What kind of a fan are ya, if you don't support your team when they make a major move like hiring a new HC? Dude talked a great game. We were gonna finally get it turned around at the games most important position. Hue was the "QB whisperer". I thought for sure he was gonna identify and develope a QB that Browns fans would be thrilled with.

Turns out, Hue was a phony, and another HC fail in Cleveland...Live and learn. Just like with Farmer and Savage and Manziel and every other bad decision this franchise has made.

 

I just want to get rid of the "irrational" part of that sentence for once. Every new flavor of the month/year/day/etc. has been cause for irrational excitement with little to no production in their jobs. I'm just plain old excited having watched Kitchens immediately produce at OC and while I may not be quite sure he's ready for HC, I have seen what he can do with the play on the field and I'm ready to have him get his shot. He's gotta be better at his job than any other HC that has "graced" the doors at First Energy Stadium since 1999 just from what I've seen him do in 8 games.

 

Okay. Whatever you say, TD.

But don't you EVER question what kind of fan I am. E V E R .

 

Give Jimmy Haslam credit for the hire of John Dorsey. Since he made that move, everything has been falling into place. Now we have our quarterback AND our coach. And it just feels right in every way. The strategy with which they went about the hire, for once, seemed like it was done properly from start to finish. I believe Dorsey wanted Freddie all the way, but he was diligent in his search, and made sure he had the right guy...I just couldn't be more pleased with the way our GM goes about his business. He leaves no stone unturned. The Browns are in very capable hands, and it's SO refreshing to say those words....

Haslam took a chance on Dorsey. Dorsey took the chance on Baker....Both of those decisions look like homeruns, and I believe the Browns just hit a grand slam yesterday with the Freddie Kitchens hire, that's gonna bring the us Super Bowl championships. That's the "trifecta" that I spoke about in another thread when we were talking about NFL dynasties. To have a dominant run of success, and start stacking the trophy case with Lombardi's, ya have to have the great GM/Ownership, Head Coach and Quarterback...

I truly believe we are about to embark on an era of Cleveland Browns football that Browns fans have deserved for a long time...

 

What the hell are you talking about Lym?

 

Is this what you are referring to, Lym???

Paranoid much? Did you actually think I was accusing YOU of not being in support of Hue, or any other Browns coaching hire for that matter? lol! Get a grip.

It's a phuqing generalized statement meant for ANYBODY that has every had a favorite sports team...smh