Well...good game my friends! I wasn't available to watch the game live, so I just finished watching it. I thought that it was going to be an absolute blowout after the first half, but the Browns showed some real heart in the second half and almost won. Very well done. I don't know what the future holds for Brian Hoyer, but the kid has heart and he makes smart decisions. Hope Ben Tate is okay...haven't had a chance to read about his injury. See you in a few weeks!!
PITTSBURGH (92.3 The Fan) ? The Cleveland Browns lost yet again to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but in a way they might have won ? some self-respect. Although they fell to 0-1 for the 15th time in 16 years after week 1, but halftime of the 30-27 loss could be looked to as a turning point for the team if they?re able to make something of the 2014 season. But that is up to them and a big ?if.? Shockingly it wasn?t head coach Mike Pettine, nicknamed ?Blunt Force Trauma? by former players and colleagues, who delivered the wake up call at intermission either. ?As much as I would like to say it was a fire and brimstone speech, it really wasn?t,? Pettine said. ?The leadership on this team stepped up. At halftime, the coaches really didn?t have to say much.? At least 5 veterans ? Brian Hoyer, Joe Thomas, Joe Haden, Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner ? all got up and said enough was enough. They were not the same old Browns. And they weren?t going to keep looking like them either. ?Everybody was saying the same message, this isn?t us,? Haden said. ?We?re not the same old Browns? We came out at halftime, down by 24 and were fighting, scratching and playing hard.? After completely embarrassing themselves in the first half and looking like the same rag tag team from the previous 6 years, they got it together in the second half and scored 24 unanswered points to tie the game at 27 early in the fourth quarter. ?I think we just decided as a team to just go out and give it everything we got,? Hoyer said. ?The biggest thing is now we showed ourselves what we?re capable of and you just have to go out and do it for four quarters. You can?t wait. It?s too hard in this league to do otherwise.? Unfortunately the hole was a tad too deep and they ran out of gas at the end. ?We gotta just start faster,? Haden said. ?You can?t get in a hole like that, being down by 24, no matter what team you?re playing, especially playing against the Steelers. We didn?t play like ourselves in the first half and we just can?t start off like that. ?We did a really good job in the second half fighting and you can see what this team can be, but you can never dig a hole like that.? In the first 30 minutes of play Pittsburgh racked up 364 yards of offense to the Browns? 101. The Steelers racked up 16 first downs and converted 4 of 6 on third down compared to 3 first downs and 1 of 7 on third down for Cleveland. Hoyer bounced back from a 4 of 11 for 57 yards first half to complete 15 of 20 for 173 yards and a score in the second half. ?We just said, ?Are we going to lay down and die or are we going to battle back,?? Hoyer said. ?I told those guys at the end of the game that I?ll take that team to the end of the Earth if we?re going to fight back like that. ?Obviously we don?t want to have to always do that, but if you have the heart and character to battle back against that team and get back to where we were, I?ll take that team any day.? Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger torched the defense for 274 yards through the air en route to the 24-point advantage. His favorite target was Antonio Brown who had 5 catches for 116 yards and a score. ?He looked like?the same Roethlisberger I?ve always known and played against,? Haden said. ?He?s just able to elude pressure and keep the play going. He?s never really down. He?ll make the first guy miss.? To complicate matters running back Ben Tate left the game in the first half following a 25-yard run and he did not return. In the second half rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell picked up the slack. West carried 13 times for 91 yards to finish with an even 100 on the ground. ?I?d turn all my yards in for the win,? West said. ?It?s all about winning. We just came up short. But it?s a learning process. We can?t start off slow in the NFL. We gave up 24 points. We can?t start like that. If we come out like we did in the second half against anybody, we can?t lose.? Crowell, who wasn?t in the original game plan, added 32 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 5 carries in the second half. ?I feel like me and Terrance have a lot to prove just because we?re rookies but I feel like we can be a good combination and we?re going to do real good this season,? Crowell said. His first NFL carry went for a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter that cut the lead to 27-10. He then added a 15-yard TD less than 4 minutes later. ?It was really exciting. Very exciting,? Crowell said. ?Just would?ve been more exciting if we would?ve gotten the victory.? How bad was the first half? Even punter Spencer Lanning got kicked in the face by Brown, who tried to jump over him, during a big punt return in the second quarter. He was flagged for it and it wasn?t intentional, but it merely added insult to injury. ?It was just like getting run over by somebody,? Lanning said. ?I guess he felt he couldn?t juke me so he tried to over me.? It took a last second 41-yard field goal for the Steelers to win a game they thought they had wrapped up. But as Pettine said, there are no moral victories and they?re 0-1. Again. But if they can respond for the final 15 games like they did after the first 30 minutes, maybe 0-1 turning into another 4-12, 5-11 season can be avoided. Maybe. It?s on the veterans to keep it from happening again
please walk out in traffic pooper . that first half was just plain ugly . little Johnny couldn't have changed a thing . let the little maggot earn it for a change . he has had things handed to him his whole life
The fake punt won the game....I'm seriously worried about Justin Gilbert. Not sure if he is "pressing" or what, but I am sure that he looks absolutely awful. He can't cover or tackle, appears to be totally unprepared, and his decision making sucks. Other than that, he looks solid....
Hey bluez, what does me walking out in traffic have anything to do w my statement....he said all week we have packages for this and that, but we all knew he was blowing smoke cause after the pitiful display in the 1st half there is no way u culdnt pull the guy if there was a package. Great Hoyer did a great job when Pitt culd careless until the 4Q and then they tighten up and win the game.
And you've told us your a High School coach who sends kids to Div 1 schools. We're used to bullchit around here.
The Browns' discussions to deal troubled wide receiver Josh Gordon last year were curtailed at the request of owner Jimmy Haslam, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, serving in essence as a tie-breaker between the front office and coaching staff. Gordon, who the San Francisco 49ers in particular expressed continued interest in last season, was recently suspended for a year based off his latest failed drug tests this offseason. Gordon's pattern of behavior and decision making dated back to his erratic college years, and, with him progressing through the NFL's drug program and subject to increasingly stiff penalties, Cleveland's former regime, led by ex-team president Joe Banner, was very open to dealing the youngsters even in the midst of 2013's breakout season. Former Browns coach Rob Chudzinski worked diligently with Gordon, on a personal level, and was heavily invested in seeing him flourish, sources said, and he and his staff were not nearly as willing to entertain dealing Gordon. Ultimately, Haslam put an end to any lingering trade discussions leading up to last October's trade deadline, sources said. The 49ers, who lost out to rival Seattle in trading for receiver Percy Harvin earlier in 2013, were most committed to landing Gordon (receiver Michael Crabtree was hurt at the time and San Francisco's offense was sputtering in what it hoped would be a Super Bowl season), sources said, with ongoing inquiries. Other teams expressed interest as well but once things progressed to a point where the 49ers established a second-round pick, in addition to other players, on the table. But when the Browns reached a point where they would have to engage in more than surface-level talks to complete a trade, Haslam's trepidation about dealing such a gifted player ? on an offense generally bereft of talent ? effectively ended the process. The Browns attempted to incubate Gordon as best they could last season following his return from a drug suspension. They worked with the Cleveland Clinic, performed an exhaustive search to find young sports psychologists to work with their more troubled players on a daily basis and brought in specialists like Dr. James Bell, a performance specialist from England who had done extensive work with that country's cricket team, to also help oversee the process. Gordon flourished on the field, but struggled again with his issues when no longer in the facility, facing a DUI charge from the offseason as well as the latest failed drug test for marijuana.
+ 1 . also worried about Gilbert . it was his man he left totally uncovered on the fake punt . BUST Alert for Gilbert
I'd be more worried about the huge gains conceded to 5'11" Markus Wheaton. The issue with the fake punt should have been spotted by the sideline and a timeout promptly called to adjust.
I can't fathom a possible reason for the hate in this statement towards either of these two people. One's a fan and one plays for your team. Chill.
This is bull. There was only one thing that brought them back in this game and it was discarding Shannahan's awful, mouthy play calls in favor of the hurry-up offense. We can't consistently run the hurry-up, but we can get rid of the antiquated 20-plus word plays.
Easy there, "I'm leaving at half time because this is the same old Browns"... Bust alert after a single game for a rookie is negligent. Geez, I know the is the win now league, but you guys have absolutely no patience when it comes to player development. And I mean NONE!! Keep it up bluez and we are going to have to change your name to Stopper Jr. 1 Houston Texans Jadeveon Clowney DE South Carolina Played 1 quarter and is now out for 4-6 weeks injured 2 St. Louis Rams Greg Robinson OT Auburn a guy many on these boards were pining for, not starting 3 Jacksonville Jaguars Blake Bortles QB UCF Not starting 4 Buffalo Bills Sammy Watkins WR Clemson 3 catches 31 yards (Browns, 2014 FA Hawkins 8-87 yds) 5 Oakland Raiders Khalil Mack OLB Buffalo 6 tackles 6 Atlanta Falcons Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M started in win against Saints 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike Evans WR Texas A&M 5-37 yards 8 Cleveland Browns Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State ~ played poorly, but led all DBs with 7 tackles 9 Minnesota Vikings Anthony Barr OLB UCLA 7 tackles 10 Detroit Lions Eric Ebron TE North Carolina YTP MNF 11 Tennessee Titans Taylor Lewan OT Michigan Not starting 12 New York Giants Odell Beckham Jr. WR LSU YTP MNF 13 St. Louis Rams Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh 4 tackles 14 Chicago Bears Kyle Fuller CB Virginia Tech 5 tackles 15 Pittsburgh Steelers Ryan Shazier OLB Ohio State 6 tackles 16 Dallas Cowboys Zack Martin OL Notre Dame started for an offense that gave up 3 sacks 17 Baltimore Ravens C.J. Mosley ILB Alabama 7 tackles 18 New York Jets Calvin Pryor S Louisville 4 tackles 19 Miami Dolphins Ja'wuan James OT Tennessee started RT in win against Patriots 20 New Orleans Saints Brandin Cooks WR Oregon State 7-77 yds 1 TD, 2nd best 1st rd draft pick performance 21 Green Bay Packers Ha Ha Clinton-Dix S Alabama 5 tackles, 1 sack 22 Cleveland Browns Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M not starting 23 Kansas City Chiefs Dee Ford DE Auburn not sure if he even played, not starting, no stats 24 Cincinnati Bengals Darqueze Dennard CB Michigan State injured DNP 25 San Diego Chargers Jason Verrett CB TCU YTP MNF 26 Philadelphia Eagles Marcus Smith OLB Louisville not starting, no stats 27 Arizona Cardinals Deone Bucannon S Washington State YTP MNF 28 Carolina Panthers Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State 6-92 yards 1 TD, best 1st rd rookie performance 29 New England Patriots Dominique Easley DT Florida 1 tackle 30 San Francisco 49ers Jimmie Ward S Northern Illinois 1 tackle 31 Denver Broncos Bradley Roby CB Ohio State 7 tackles 32 Minnesota Vikings Teddy Bridgewater QB Louisville not starting So, by your standards, there are 28-30 on "BUST ALERT" based on 1 game, opening weekend of their career?
I agree with this except for: There may have been TWO things, not only one...It is being reported Mike Pettine may have taken over defensive calls in the second half. If true, I hope he continues to do this, whether it emasculates his d-coordinator or not. The Steelers didn't have an answer to the defense in the second half until there was under 2 minutes to go, then Ben became, well "Ben Browns Killer"
Gilbert got torched all day long . not what you want out of your first round pick . I hope he gets it starting this week ! I agree on Shannahans 20 words for one play .to much . they play the first half like they did the second half the Browns win . that was as ugly of a half of football as I have ever seen . just tired of losing tired of crappy football
I thought Pettine was always going to make the defensive calls? I had to Google who the Browns' def. coordinator was and then re-Google Jim O'Neil to find out who he was.
Browns coach Mike Pettine provided no update on Ben Tate's knee injury at his Monday press conference. Pettine also had no update on Jordan Cameron (shoulder). We may have to wait for Wednesday's injury report to get further word on either player. Both left Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh and did not return. Speaking very generally, players who leave a game for good don't typically play the following week.
The Cleveland Browns may cut back on the number of plays given to rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert. Gilbert was on the field for 59 of the 71 defensive plays, sixth highest on the team and the same as linebacker Chris Kirksey. (Joe Haden, Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner never left the field for the defense). But Ben Roethlisberger found Gilbert again and again, and victimized him twice on the game-winning drive. A glum Gilbert said after the game that he has no time for a learning curve, that he has to play. Coach Mike Pettine agreed, saying he would not bench Gilbert, but might cut back on his reps. "There's no substitute for live reps, but then you put yourself at the mercy of his learning curve," Pettine said. Gilbert has been aggressive and active in practice, but he's not taking the same approach to games. The Browns believe in their young corner, but they also know they can't let his development hurt the team. One injury that hurt the Browns was the unspecified knee injury that sidelined cornerback Isaiah Trufant for the season. Pettine had planned on using Trufant as the nickelback, which then would have allowed him to bring Gilbert along slowly as the fourth corner. Trufant's injury has the ripple effect of moving Gilbert up the ladder. Also, rookie Pierre Desir was out on Sunday, and undrafted rookie Robert Nelson was inactive. That left the Browns with Haden, Buster Skrine, Gilbert, Aaron Berry and K'Waun Williams at corner. Williams got six plays, meaning the bulk of the time the Browns' nickel package included the two starting corners and safeties and Gilbert. Any rookie is going to be targeted. It happened with Leon McFadden last season; it has happened with others. Gilbert has had practices where he stood out, but until he gains his confidence, opposing quarterbacks such Drew Brees will pick on him endlessly.
