*DRINK* *DRINK* [:} [:} *DRINK* *DRINK* Wahoo!!! I don't care if that leprechaun keeps his gold this week. BROWNS WIN!!! Tribe in the post season... *DRINK* *DRINK* *DRINK* Drink up Cleveland it's a good weekend!!!
The Cleveland Browns in first place. Let me say that again. The Cleveland Browns in first Place! God that sounds good. Missed the game today, working, but once again caught the half time score on break. Ahead at the half, now for the 4th time in as many games, would they hold on? Tuned in on the way home, scrolling through the dial to find a station that was recapping the early games, and finally heard YES!!!! Not having seen the game I can only react to the final, and man, I am one happy Dogpund Lounger. Set em up Duff, run my card til it melts. Yeah! Win Thursday and we take first alone for at least a few days. SWEET!
I am gaining more and more confidence in Banner & Lomb.... well in Banner anyways . maybe he does know what he is doing . Hoyer is a breath of accurate fresh air . something we haven't seen is a ball coming out as quick and accurate as his does . keep playing like this and we can spend those two first round picks on something we need like a WR / CB/ RG / Safety Lets give Skrine some props as well . he is playing much better . a scrappy little dood he is
Embarrassing:" This was the word used most often by Bengals veterans immediately following Sunday's loss. Defensive tackle Domata Peko compared it to the opening-weekend loss at Chicago. Here's how Pro Bowl offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth put it: "Being a leader and an older guy and all those things, it's embarrassing. It can't happen again and we've got to find a way to correct it and we have the ability and talent that it should never happen." hey Cinncitucky ..SUCK IT!!! *WASSUP*
You'll put Baby in the corner before you run on the Browns... and NOBODY puts Baby in the corner! Loving the Run D!
LB Vontaze Burfict to Cincy writers, as to Jordan Cameron: ?Regular game for me. I don?t even know who he is. Just a regular tight end.? --- I bet the TURD knows who he is now
To all Browns fans, it is now the First Place Cleveland Browns. All is really right in the world. [:}
Mary Ann...no doubt about it! GO BROWNS! Loving that defense! and I'm so glad that I took Jordan Cameron in both my money leagues! WOOF WOOF!!! It starts with Hoyer.....He makes us relevant. He has the "it" factor. Moxie. Swagger. Whatever you want to call it, Hoyer's got it. It's fun being a Browns fan again....Now beat the Bills Thursday and take over sole possession of 1st place in the AFCN....
I just looked and noticed that Ubaldo's ERA was over a quarter run lower than Justin Verlander at 3.30 to 3.59!! Indians in the playoffs, Browns in 1st (steelers in last), Buckeyes are rolling...join the revolution and #Clelieve
Hey TD, you get that oil change I asked you to do? I have a feeling our bandwagon is gonna be full for Thursday night football coast to coast!
In delivering another winning performance for the Browns, 17-6 against the Bengals, Brian Hoyer has changed the team?s quarterback conversation from something to dream about to something that is real. So let?s take a hard look at the Browns? quarterback situation for a moment, shall we? Let?s examine what we would consider the ideal scenario for the future of the position for this team. If that so-called ?franchise quarterback? we?ve been forever hoping the Browns would land were to deliver two victories in his first two starts, we?d be pretty ecstatic, right? If he led the team on game-winning/game-clinching drives in each of those starts, we?d be touting the genius of the team?s talent evaluators, wouldn?t we? And if one of those triumphs came against an AFC North rival that is supposed to have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL and is supposed to be the class of the division, we?d be screaming for joy from the mountaintops, don?t you think? Well, that is precisely what Brian Hoyer has done. He has changed the Browns? quarterback conversation from something to dream about to something that is as real as the fact the team that began the season 0-2 and had so many people feeling a familiar sense of hopelessness, despair, and Trent-Richardson-separation-hostility is now 2-2 and tied for first place in the division. It is fair to say that, at least for now, the Browns? quarterbacking future couldn?t look a whole lot brighter than its quarterbacking present. Although he is only three starts into a five-year career, Hoyer is passing all of the tests. He is showing remarkable poise. He is displaying tremendous intelligence and awareness. And, most of all, he is making plays. Making them when they count the most. Hoyer did that in Week 3, at Minnesota, on an 11-play, 55-yard drive that ended with his short touchdown throw to Jordan Cameron with 51 seconds left to give the Browns a 31-27 victory against the Vikings. He did that again Sunday, at FirstEnergy Stadium, on a 12-play, 91-yard march that ended with another scoring throw, this time to Chris Ogbonnaya, with 4:54 remaining to clinch a 17-6 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. ?I think that?s the biggest key; it?s a divisional game,? said Hoyer, who is the first Browns quarterback to win his first two starts since Mark Rypien in 1994 (against New England, on Nov. 6, and at Philadelphia, on Nov. 13). ?And it?s in your own house. (Division wins) are hard to come by. You?ve got to come out here and fight to the end. ?And this team just does a great job responding to adversity. When we needed to step up, we did. When the defense needed to step up, they did. And when you have that kind of thing going, when you can win games by a full team ? it?s not just the offense, it?s not just the defense or special teams ? you have a chance to do something good.? That applies to having a quarterback playing as well as Hoyer has played the past two games. It took Brandon Weeden?s thumb injury in Week 2 to give Hoyer the opportunity on which he has capitalized in amazing fashion. It will seemingly take a whole lot for Hoyer to relinquish the job, even if, during his postgame news conference, coach Rob Chudzinski wouldn?t officially name him the starter for Thursday night?s game against Buffalo. I?ll go out on a limb and say that Hoyer likely will get the nod. And not simply because he is a Cleveland guy living out the classic dream of starring for the team for which he has been rooting since childhood. And not simply because he is playing exceptionally well. Hoyer is improving, too. Improving dramatically. With each game. With each series. With each play. In his first start, he threw three touchdown passes, but he also threw three interceptions, two of which were horrendous passes and one resulting from a hit to his arm by a Vikings defender. On Sunday, Hoyer completed 25 of 38 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, with zero interceptions, for a career-best passer rating of 103.9. He completed his first nine passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. ?Last week, with the interceptions, I kind of had that in my mind (Sunday),? Hoyer said. ?When you have a defense as good as ours, you just don?t want to screw it up. And getting the call to lead this offense is kind of like getting the keys to a Ferrari. You want to drive it fast, but you don?t want to crash it, either.? Great analogy. And it applies to quarterbacks as well. You have those Ferraris that are selected at or near the top of the draft. Think Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin III (the quarterback the Browns wanted to draft last year, but couldn?t because of their inability to make the trade to give them the second overall choice). Then, you have the Brian Hoyers of the world. Call them the economy models. They?re affordable and available. You sign them to fill out the quarterback depth chart, as the Browns did after Hoyer washed out as a backup with the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. You make them a third-stringer, which is what Hoyer was through the offseason, training camp, and the preseason. Then, you see what the guy can do when you shove him in the lineup, ahead of the guy who had been No. 2 (Jason Campbell), after your No. 1 gets hurt. And he comes through for you with a massive road win that earns him another start at home. He makes quick and good decisions. He throws the ball consistently well. He moves the offense efficiently and effectively. Take that 91-yard drive on Sunday. Holding a tenuous, 10-6 lead, the Browns took over at their 9-yard line with 11:31 left. Hoyer went to work, picking up six first touchdowns along the way, including 31-yard throw to Cameron to the Cincinnati 24 and a 1-yard toss to Ogbonnaya for the game-sealing score. Hoyer was 5-for-5 for 56 yards and a touchdown. In short, he did everything you would want your ?franchise quarterback? to do. Is Hoyer that guy? It?s still too early to say, but it?s not silly to suggest he is traveling on the right path. And even if Chudzinski wouldn?t say he?s starting against the Bills, Hoyer, through his performance and his body language and his words, is looking and sounding as if he has taken ownership of the position. ?I think we did a good job,? Hoyer said. ?There were some things that we probably could have done better, but you fight through it and in the end, when it came down to it, we went (91) yards to cap the game and the defense comes up big and gets a turnover (Buster Skrine?s interception with3:43 left). ?It?s always good when you can end the game taking a knee.? Future or present, that?s the best play your quarterback can make.
CLEVELAND - A couple of things were happening simultaneously on Sunday afternoon, four or five stories apart inside and on the perimeter of First Energy Stadium, and they were things that haven't happened around what used to be called Cleveland Browns Stadium a whole lot. Exiting Browns fans were bouncing down the concourse ramps, high-fiving strangers, smiling widely and breaking into chants -- some even printable, most notably, "Here we go Hoyer, here we go." One of their own, Brian Hoyer, has won his first two games as a starter, making quick throws and riding a ferocious defense to save a season that looked headed a bunch of nowhere just 10 days ago. Downstairs in the Browns locker room, a bunch of football players didn't hear those fans. They were screaming and laughing and hugging, too. Hoyer and Jordan Cameron and that defense played leading roles into smacking the Bengals back to reality, 17-6, for coach Rob Chudzinski's first home win, the Browns first division win, a win that at very least changes perceptions outside that jovial locker room and maybe goals inside it. The AFC North is kind of a mess. The Browns are a part of that -- and that defense is playing like a mess is what it wants. Just four weeks into a marathon, three AFC North Division teams are tied for first place at 2-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are not one of them. The Football Gods work in strange ways -- anyone associated with the Browns certainly knew that already -- and upon this team they've bestowed a new quick-release offense, a nasty front seven and a cornerback in Joe Haden who's playing as well as anyone at the position anywhere, giving a newfound pass rush a chance to harass quarterbacks the way it harrassed Andy Dalton on Sunday. Dalton never had a chance, so neither did the Bengals. "We want people to know this defense...is legit," Haden said. "If people don't respect it, we will just have to keep doing what we do until we get the respect we deserve. We feel like we have one of the best defenses in the league." What the Browns suddenly have, too, is a little maturity, a little leadership and some reasons to believe. Joe Thomas played his 100th game Sunday and has never missed a snap. Thomas was careful not to jump ahead of himself after the game, but he said, "We're making a push in the division. We're starting to win division games and close games. Obviously, the offense is picking up." Thomas hasn't been able to say that many times before. After a disheartening 14-6 loss in Baltimore two weeks ago that could have been a win had the Browns mustered any offense at all, D'Qwell Jackson stood in front of the same guys who were in that winning locker room Sunday and asked them to believe. "Don't go in the tank," Jackson told them then. "I've been through this with some bad teams. We are not that team." Two games, one new quarterback and one shocking trade later, the Browns are a whole new team. They've earned what's long been missing here, some NFL relevance, and with a short week on tap, they're four days from playing another home game against the Buffalo Bills. Because those Bills beat the Ravens on Sunday, the Browns will be playing for first place. Really. This is an ever-changing, unforgiving league. The Browns changed quarterbacks after Brandon Weeden got hurt, traded Trent Richardson because they saw value and have ridden Cameron's big catches and that defense to two wins. They've kept changing -- Hoyer gets rid of the ball quickly; Josh Gordon returned from suspension and the passing game has picked up an almost non-existent running game -- and they've found a way to get on the right side. "We are a young team with a brand-new offense and I think every week we are continuing to get better," Cameron said. "It's learning the game and getting the reps. We are making the corrections, learning from (previous mistakes). "We came closer as a team the last couple weeks. We really just tuned out all the other stuff and focused on us getting better. I think it showed the last two weeks that we are pretty resilient." Yes. Resilient helps, too. Cameron, a backup the last two seasons and a big question mark as early as this season's opener, has five touchdown receptions on the season, tied for most in the NFL. Hoyer had started one game in his career before last week; he was cut twice last season and again last spring. Jackson and Thomas and Haden are familiar names; Paul Kruger, Barkevious Mingo and even Buster Skrine are earning attention now. They're earning it. This moment of celebration, even if it does prove to be fleeting, is also well-earned. Winning just hasn't happened here. This is just the fifth time since Haden was drafted in 2010 that the Browns have won consecutive games. A lot of NFL teams would have a hard time processing that. "It just feels good, man," Haden said. "It feels like the season is important. We feel like we have a really good team. We're moving the ball, we've got (Gordon) back. He's a special player. Hoyer is stepping in and doing what nobody thought he could do. And, our defense is holding strong every week and making plays. Our front seven never lets us down." Right now, Haden Island is one of the NFL's loneliest places. The Browns bandwagon, however, is currently just the opposite.
Based my eye test, I went out and did some research . . . Other than Sipe being drafted by the Browns were Hoyer wasn't, his (Hoyer's) path to the starting gig is quite similar. Both were in the NFL for 5 years prior to becoming the starter (I am assuming that Hoyer is the starter moving forward). Both had little success with spot starts during those 5 years. Just sayin . . .
Sounds like the Cin Kitty tigers have been reading their press clippings Bluez. I am loving it. Being a Browns fan it is hard to shake the "what will happen next" syndrome, but maybe just maybe what's next is sole possession of first on Thursday, with two full days minimum to enjoy it, and 10 days to get everyone healthy again. Getting the sense of the team beginning to believe "they can". Two consecutive weeks where the D didn't make the big mistake, or soften up to allow an opponent to mount a comeback, and the O putting points up when it mattered. Two weeks of kneeling on a W. Awesome! I kind of like the short week for this one. No time to bask in the glory and get big headed. We all know there is little to encourage such behavior, but we have all seen it happen before, to numerous teams. A couple of wins and they think they are "all that", and get upended. So the short week puts them in work mode right away, and doesn't allow a lot of time to smell themselves. SAS got it right. There I said it. What a difference a QB can make. He's had help, but he's been a true leader on the field, and it seems everyone has stepped it up as a result. Skrine deserves credit for his growth, and the D overall is becoming a force. Can't wait til Thursday night. Fingers crossed, mug of Duff's best and years of hope riding on this one. Too much, but that's where I'm at today. Hopeful and anxious.
Belly up all .. Drinks are on the house this week . we have playoff baseball Wednesday night & the Browns on Thursday night football . yes we can be in FIRST PLACE in the AFC North after the Bills game . fire up the grill we are having surf & turf nothing but the best . we deserve it after all we have endured . Feels good doesn't it ..been to long . Roll Tribe Goooo Browns Can a Dawg get a HELL YEAH *BRAVO*
Lyman I am thinking the same thing here .Hoyer has some Brian Sipe in him . Hoyer has a stronger arm but they both have the it factor . just get it done . leadership at the most important spot on the team . they believe and so does this team . we may be onto something very special here enjoy the ride while it lasts . we have had more than our share of doom & gloom
