It could happen by winning 3 out the last 5. The problem is the Bengals with that stinking tie. Here's one possible scenario; Browns: lose to Buffalo (away) and Indy (at home). Beat Cincy (at home, Carolina (away) and Baltimore (away). They end up at 10-6-0. Steelers: Beat the Saints (at home), beat Cincy (away), Lose to Atlanta (away), lose to the Chiefs (at home), Beat Cincy (at home). They end up 10-6-0. Ravens: Beat San Diego (at home), lose to Miami (away), Beat Jacksonville (at home) and lose to the Browns (at home). They end up at 10-6-0. Bengals: Beat Tampa Bay (at home),lose to Pittsburgh (at home), lose to the Browns (away) lose the Broncos (at home) and lose to the Steelers (away). They end up at 8-7-1. In this scenario, the Browns, Steelers and Ravens all end up at 10-6-1. Cincy is eliminated. 1st tiebreaker (3 clubs tied) = Head to Head. All three teams were 1-1 against each other. 2nd tiebreaker (3 clubs) = Win % w/i Division Cleveland = 4-2-0 Pittsburgh = 4-2-0 Baltimore = 2-4-0 Eliminated 1st tiebreaker (2 clubs) = Head to Head. Again both teams are 1-1 against each other. 2nd tiebreaker (2 clubs) = Best Win % w/I the Division. Both teams are 4-2-0 3rd tiebreaker (2 clubs) = Best Win % in common games. Pittsburgh = 10-4-0 Pit's two unique games were both loses (Jets and Chiefs) Cleveland = 9-5-0 Eliminated - but could still earn a Wild Card berth. So . . . all of this could be avoided by simply beating Buffalo instead of losing to them.
It is really hard to imagine winning out. Buffalo is one of the lynchpins, because we simply have to beat our divisional rivals or all bets are off. Figuring Carolina won't have played meaningful games for a couple weeks and looks like they want to phone in the rest of the season, we "should" win that one. Buffalo represents the next most winnable non divisional game, and thus is a must. We "could" beat Indy, but I wouldn't put anything on winning that one. Hoyer can't have brain farts like last week or we go down in flames. Run the ball! then Run the ball. If we keep pace with our opponents, and don't give them filed position, I like our chances. That has become a big IF lately (I'm talking to you Brian and Isiah). Also our recievers need to know when it's time to play defense (off target throws), and help avoid game changing turnovers too (Josh, a little effort please). I don't know how they conitnue to play D with all the "outs" but we are not being trampled, and still can get TOs, so if that carries through, we get our shot. Speaking of shots.......... set em up Duff. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Before they played the Jets in Detroit on Monday night, Bills president Russ Brandon said there were ?no red flags? standing in the way of the team returning to Ralph Wilson Stadium for their Week 13 game against the Browns. On Tuesday, Brandon made it official. ?We will play the Browns at Ralph Wilson Stadium,? Brandon said, via WGR550.com. ?There?s been an enormous amount of progress over the last few days. While we had a difficult hand from Mother Nature last week, Mother Nature certainly assisted this week and with the heat wave that we somewhat had here in Buffalo, and the great efforts by [vice president of operations and guest experience] Andy Major and his staff over the last few days.? There is some damage to the stadium, but Major said none of it is structural and that fans would not be restricted from any of the normally accessible areas of the stadium. There will be a bit less parking because of the need to pile up snow removed from the stadium and seating bowl, but it seems like it will otherwise be business as usual in Buffalo this weekend.
According to ESPN Cleveland, signs point toward Jordan Cameron (concussion) playing in Week 13. Cameron has suffered three concussions since 2012, but has been assured by doctors he's not putting his long-term health in jeopardy by continuing to play football. He practiced on Friday and is expected to practice this week before suiting up against the Bills. With Josh Gordon back to clear out the middle of the field, Cameron is trending up at the razor-thin tight end position. He needs to be scooped up off waivers if he was dropped in your league.
Redskins HC, Jon Gruden, has benched RGIII in favor of (wait for it) . . . . . . . . . . . . Colt McCoy.
Brian is very difficult on himself,? Pettine said. ?He?s a competitor. He?s a perfectionist, and I just think in a sense he felt that he was really felt like he was letting his teammates down with some of the plays that he had made." Brian Hoyer was very vocal after the Browns last second win over the Falcons last Sunday regarding his play. Despite leading the Browns to a game-winning field goal in the last 44 seconds, Hoyer lamented his poor decisions in the fourth quarter that almost cost the Browns the win. Despite throwing for 322 yards and the final drive, Hoyer couldn?t get past the three interceptions he threw. ?I think the guys realized that we certainly wouldn?t be where we are right now without Brian and that nobody?s perfect,? Mike Pettine said. ?When you see a guy that is that hard on himself and is that much a perfectionist and it means a lot that they?re going to play hard for him. I just think that?s what one of the biggest reasons why we are where we are. Guys care about each other, and they realize that they?re part of something bigger than themselves. I think that when you?re involved in a team sport and you have that you have a chance to be special.? Hoyer led the Browns on a 61-yard drive by completing four passes in the final moments. Andrew Hawkins said Hoyer was completely in control on the final drive. ?Well, guys were just taking it one play at a time,? Hawkins said. ?The noise and the crowd, sometimes it works to your advantage because it doesn?t give you time to think about how big the situation is, which is cool. ?Brian was super poised, and before we went out there he said, ?C?mon guys, let?s go down there and win this,? ? he said. ?You know when Brian says that he means it so guys just stepped up to the plate. It was a great team victory.? Despite leading the team to the win, after the game Hoyer couldn?t get past the two costly interceptions he threw in the final five minutes of the game. ?Brian is very difficult on himself,? Pettine said. ?He?s a competitor. He?s a perfectionist, and I just think in a sense he felt that he was really felt like he was letting his teammates down with some of the plays that he had made. Sure, it obviously affected him, but I just think the way he handled it was outstanding - the resolve. People said the look on his face when they made the field goal was, ?Hey, it?s time to go out there and see if we can get this done.? ?Again, it?s a testament to his mental toughness and the team?s mental toughness,? Pettine said. ?There are going to be a handful of games every year that come down to the last drive, and we?ve been fortunate that...we haven?t come up on the positive end in all of them, but certainly did it in more situations than we haven?t.? In the 14 games that Hoyer has started for the Browns, he has led the Browns back to wins on five occasions. Hawkins said the team is totally behind Hoyer, despite Hoyer being so hard on himself. ?Brian?s a competitor,? Hawkins said. ?I won?t lose sleep about Brian being able to hop back. Brian knows that ? not just me ? the entire team has so much confidence in him. If that waivered when someone made mistakes, I think that?s an indication of not a very good football team or a close football team, and I think we are a close football team. I don?t think anyone is batting an eye from a couple of mistakes here and there because we?re all going to make mistakes. ?We have made mistakes, and they probably won?t stop at this point for anybody because the game of football every week is won on one of two teams making too many mistakes,? he said. ?Like I said, I won?t lose any sleep over it. I think Brian?s a competitor. He?s a seasoned veteran so he has his process. I?m going to go with whatever his process is. Like I said, I haven?t lost a bit of confidence in Brian.? Hawkins said the entire offense believes that Hoyer will make the plays that are needed to win the game. ?I?ve said it before: I don?t think there?s ever a time during a game when we think we?re out of it because we have No. 6 (Hoyer) running the show,? Hawkins said. ?It?s not just him. The guys around him are all busting their butts, but there?s no question about it, he?s the leader on offense. When you have confidence in your leader and he has confidence in himself and the rest of the team, the sky is really the limit on any given Sunday.?
must add in FFB .. in all fairness Colt did play well for them this year .I think the benching came more from RGME comments throwing teammates under the bus more than crappy play . he hasn't played well either . so who trades for him this off season ? Dallas maybe ?
Browns / Bills both fighting for a playoff spot this late in the season ..when was the last time this happened ? maybe late eighties or the 94 season ? all I know is it feels great ! no matter how the rest of the season plays out we have real hope for the future . RIP MR Ralf Wilson ..this old dawg will never forget what you did for us Browns fans during the dark years of 96-98 when we had no football . 1.. you voted against the rat bastard Modells move *ROSE* 2.. you bussed a bunch of Browns fans up to Buffalo for a game usualy against a AFC North opponent all on your own dime and set up a mini Dawg pound then brought us back . A Big heartfelt thanks
Here, Here! But Ralph, don't take it personally when we put a hole in the Buffalo balloon this weekend. We still love you.
On the contrary, Bluez. From what I've read and heard, Gruden was just about to bench him "for performance issues". The throwing his teammates under the bus was just icing on the cake. Wouldn't it be ironic if the Rams picked him up?
Browns v. Buffalo Bills Sunday, 1 p.m., in Ralph Wilson Stadium; Orchard Park, NY Record: 6-5. Last game: Defeated N.Y. Jets, 38-3, Nov. 24, in Detroit. Coach: Doug Marrone, 11-15, second year. Series record: Browns lead, 12-7 (counting post-season). Last meeting: Browns won, 37-24, Oct. 3, 2013, in Cleveland. League rankings: Offense is 24th overall (23rd rushing, 20th passing), defense is 4th (4th rushing, 8th passing) and turnover differential is plus-8. Offensive overview: They have struggled to adjust to a running game severely weakened by the loss of C.J. Spiller (broken collarbone) for the last four games and recurrent groin problems suffered by Fred Jackson. Anthony (Boobie) Dixon and Bryce Brown have been on-and-off replacements and production has suffered. Veteran quarterback Kyle Orton gave them a spark when he took over in Game 5. Overall, he is 4-3 since replacing ineffective E.J. Manuel. Orton?s experience has stabilized the position. He has protected the ball, doesn?t panic, avoids negative plays and can still sling the ball. Orton?s lack of mobility presents a problem against aggressive defenses. They generally compensate for the rush by adapting to a quick drop, short passing game, using the backs. When Orton has the time, he?ll try to get the ball to rookie playmaker Sammy Watkins. Lately, wideout Robert Woods has helped to take double coverage away from Watkins. Defensive overview: Former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz replaced Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator and switched Pettine?s 3-4 defense into his traditional 4-3 format. Everything starts with the defensive front of Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes. They are physical and athletic and among the top five defensive lines in the NFL. Schwartz? ?wide 9? alignment applies all pass pressure from the defensive front and seeks to funnel the running game inside to be devoured by the tackles. Schwartz? defense is on pace to break Pettine?s franchise record for sacks in a season set last year. Of the team?s 46 sacks, 35.5 have come from the front four. Schwartz doesn?t blitz, so he can leave seven in pass coverage. The secondary overall is good, but the loss of McKelvin put Corey Graham in a starting role at cornerback and he has been shaky. Special teams overview: Kicker Dan Carpenter is 23 of 26 on field goals with a long of 58 yards. Kickoff specialist Jordan Gay ranks 13th with 33 touchbacks. Punter Colton Schmidt is 26th in gross average (44.0 yards) and 18th in net (39.4). The return game has been rendered negligible with the injuries to McKelvin (punt returner) and Spiller (kick returner). The coverage units are excellent. Anthony Dixon has two blocked punts. Players to watch: 1. Defensive end Mario Williams: Feeling comfortable back as a traditional defensive end instead of a standup linebacker, he has sacks in three straight games, including 5.5 in the last two, for a season total of 12 ? one behind the league lead. 2.Wide receiver Sammy Watkins: The Browns? No. 1 player on their draft board who delivered two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick in trade leads the team with 48 receptions for 684 yards and five touchdowns. Among rookies, he is fourth in catches, third in yards and fourth in TDs. 3. Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus: The No. 3 overall pick of the 2011 draft has lived up to his billing, leading all defensive tackles with 28.5 sacks since he was drafted. In his fourth season, he leads all tackles with 10 sacks and has 12 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits and one forced fumble. Injury report: CB Leodis McKelvin (ankle) and RB C.J. Spiller (collarbone) are out. WR Marquise Goodwin (rib) was inactive against the Jets. TE Chris Gragg (knee) left the game and did not return. Small world: Defensvie coordinator Jim Schwartz was a Browns scout from 1993 to ?95 ? Tight end MarQueis Gray spent the 2013 season and ?14 training camp with the Browns ? Defensive line coach Pepper Johnson played for the Browns in 1993-95 ? Offensive line coach Pat Morris is a Cleveland native.
That could happen . it will go down as one of the all time bad trades in NFL history . the Rams fleeced the Skins and we got lucky on that one . ..bout time luck went our way .
Happy Turkey day everyone . enjoy the day .be safe in your travels and remember turkey day is family dysfunction at its best . just think in another month you get to see them again . then more than likely you wont see them much until next year ..if your lucky
There's a couple of things here I want to mention. 1. Yahoo had articles on the JF fight this weekend. He did not throw the punches and he wasn't charged. But this is the 4th column that hey have had on this, this week. Man, the media hates this guy! But you know what, I LOVE IT! He thrives under this type of chit. From his play in college against big schools he thrived. But can these people please wait until he at least gets arrested first! Haters! 2. The very next article was about Hoyer. It basically said how bad he is doing and he might be benched. Then they praise Manziel. It also talked about Petitte saying he is confident in #6. He has poise. Whats he going to say! He freaking sucks! This is not only a huge game for Hoyer but the Browns. I have the Bills defense in fantasy. They are not that bad. They can get after the QB. Our line will be tested this week. Plus we get a real close look at the WR we passed on. Sammy Watkins! I still think we should of took him though. Gilbert is killing me right now. To me this is the first of the games the Browns MUST WIN! Buffalo, Cinncy and Baltimore. Those are must win games. Cinncy & Baltimore because those are division games. Buffalo because they are with us right there in the wild card. Indy is wining that division. Carolina is out of it. Those 3 wins will punch our ticket. Hoyer has to perform in this game. One game at a time.
I'm not sure anyone will trade for RGIII, he only has one year remaining on his contract, so it would have to be for a fairly low draft pick.
Takes time for a rookie CB to adjust. Gilbert has done better these last3 games in my eyes. Give it a little more time. I am confident what we get out of these picks will be of more value than Watkins.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon told his good friend Nate Burleson in an interview for NFL Network that he's felt alienated by some of his former friends in the Browns organization since being suspended again for violating the substance-abuse policy. "The lowest point of all this I think was the disassociation from a lot of friends you thought were close or you thought you were kind of cool with really not checking on you anymore, [not] hitting you up anymore, [not] wanting to hang out,'' Gordon says. "As far as even people in here (with the Browns), I don't want to throw names around, but I can see it. "I'm definitely really observant so I see how people might just be more standoffish (than) they were before. It's kind of like a disease. People they want to see it, but they don't really want to touch it." Gordon opened up to Burleson because the two became friends when Burleson was with the Browns from April until he was cut Aug. 30. The quote is an excerpt from that interview, which will air at 9 a.m. on NFL Network's NFL GameDay Morning. Gordon returned to the field in Atlanta following his 10-game suspension, and caught eight of his 16 targets for 120 yards. But two passes intended for him in the final five minutes were picked off, including one in the back of the end zone by Desmond Trufant that he didn't fight hard enough to catch or prevent Trufant from swiping. In an interview Tuesday with ESPN's Mike and Mike, coach Mike Pettine acknowledged that Gordon needs to step it up on some of those plays. "I don't know if I've ever seen anybody just make it look so effortless, but he's a guy that he still knows he's got to get some things cleaned up and when there's some 50-50 balls down the field, we're going to work on having him go attack the ball a little bit more,'' said Pettine. "But we know it and he knows it as well that there are things he needs to improve on, but we couldn't have asked for a better start for him coming off of his suspension.'' Gordon acknowledged that being back with the Browns "means the world'' to him and that it's "what I live for and what I work for.'' He stressed that he's on a mission to help get the Browns into the playoffs this season. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam spoke to Gordon in the locker room after the 26-24 victory over the Falcons. Haslam has been supportive of Gordon throughout his ordeal and occasionally embraced him at training camp. In the days leading up to the game, Gordon's teammates praised him and expressed their excitement for having him back. The only indication that the Browns were preceding with caution on Gordon was an interview last month with general manager Ray Farmer, who stressed that Gordon would have show he fits in with what the Browns are trying to do and that they wouldn't upset the applecart to accommodate him. "Do you disrupt what you do offensively just to make sure that you throw the ball to Josh Gordon?'' Farmer said. "I don't know if that's really the right way to operate. Is he a phenomenal talent? Sure I'd tell you that he is a talented young man and he can do a lot of good things. "But do you kind of disrupt what you are to just make sure that one person gets the ball? I think that teams win. Talent doesn't. It's really about building a team and people have to find a way to fit into the team and I think that's what we're looking for here is a championship-level team.'' He added that "there's no slight on Josh. There's no intimation that I said that he was suspect or he wasn't doing anything that he was asked to do. This is more of everybody that comes through our football team, it's not based on talent, it's based upon can you fit into what we're going to do short and long term." Gordon said he agreed with Farmer that he has to prove himself all over again to a new staff and some new teammates.
I would like to send a hearty welcome back to Josh Gordon accompanied by a loud and boisterous "No Shit Sherlock". I mean, you acted completely selfish by knowingly breaking rules that you had been reprimanded for breaking already, then broke more while pleading with the NFL for a reduction in the suspension you were already tagged with. You left your men hanging, and you expect them to not miss a beat in their feelings for you? He should get a trophy for that..... A golden bong inscribed, "it's all about me". EDIT Also, who would want to put their careers on the line to associate with someone that clearly did not care enough about them to follow simple rules so that he could line up with them on game day? And if was so damned observant, he could have used a little of his time to observe the rule book. Possibly observe a speed limit sign, or not get a DUI.
Safety Donte Whitner and the Browns will travel to meet the Bills on Sunday and Whitner?s not heading for the happiest of welcomes in the town he called home for the first five years of his career. Whitner made a crack on Twitter over the summer about the Bills moving to Toronto, which made former Bill Darryl Talley quite upset and the bad feelings haven?t died down in Buffalo. Running back Fred Jackson said Wednesday that Whitner will ?never get my respect? for what Jackson felt was talking down to people in Buffalo and in the organization. ?That?s just him being him,? Jackson said, via ESPN.com. ?Donte is a guy that likes to ruffle feathers. He found any way he could to try and ruffle Buffalo?s feathers, knowing he had to come up to us. It?s just dumb for him to do, and talk about people like that, and talk about the city of Buffalo like that. But at the same time, you?ve just got to take it with a grain of salt and say it?s just some dude that?s being an idiot about some stuff.? Whitner said he?s expecting a chilly reception from the fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium, but that he doesn?t care about hurting feelings if it might help the Browns win a game. ?[The Toronto Bills comment] wasn?t excessive. It wasn?t a joke. I knew that it would get to them. I knew it would ruffle a feather. If they?re over there talking about this, maybe we are in their heads. Maybe I?m in their heads. Maybe. We don?t know, but the goal is to go 1-0, the goal is to get them talking about things other than football, and I guess that?s what they?re doing.? Whitner and Jackson should meet up at some point when Jackson gets hold of the ball and it will be interesting to see whose feathers are the most ruffled on the other side of a collision.
