Gordon ran the same way last year when he was the best receiver in the game. When he gets 150 yards, no one cares. When he has a QB that can't get him the ball, he is regarded as not finishing routes...He admitted he ran a couple of wrong routes, that's going to happen when you have been away from the ever expanding playbook for 10 weeks. That's on him... Gordon hasn't changed as a player, he will continue to grow every week...I fully expect him to be one of the best once again in 2015 with Manziel throwing him balls. This year, he should grow by the week and it should actually help him installing a new offense for Manziel as everyone should be on the same page learning the new aspect of the playbook. I am one excited Dawg!!!
If this team wins out, I wouldn't want to be the team that has to play them in the playoffs... 3 weeks to ramp up this offense, with not only Manziel, but Gordon playing at MIDSEASON form, not having a end of season body to contend with...and Jordan Cameron back fully...This offense SHOULD be at it's peak level by then... NOW ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WIN BROWNIES!! WOOF WOOF!!
One game at a time, Irish. One game at a time..... They need to show more consistency in all phases. I don't think they've played more than one game where all three phases did well. And have we poop-canned Cundiff yet? He's going to cost us another win if it's a close game and he needs to make a game winning FG.
So, here?s your shot, Johnny. You get three games and this first one is a must-win. Good luck. The prospect hung over the Cleveland Browns ever since that fateful Thursday evening last May. And now Sunday it is reality: Johnny Manziel will start at quarterback for the Browns. At this point, after all the JFF T-shirts have been printed and sold, the money signs signaled and intense debates held, it can either turn into a spectacular failure or unbelievable success. Trust me, it won?t end up somewhere in the middle. So, here?s your shot, Johnny. You get three games and this first one is a must-win. Good luck. Unlike other ceremonial first starts for Failed Browns Quarterbacks Past ? Couch, Frye, Quinn, McCoy, Weeden ? the Browns have a good team. At 7-6 they are still in the hunt in the crowded AFC North. It may take three wins and a miracle for the Browns to get in the playoffs, but it?s December and this team is playing meaningful football. What kind of football will Manziel play? No one has any idea and that?s why Sunday is must see TV. Barring the small chance Manziel plays lights out, the Browns go 3-0 and make the playoffs, the offseason debate will commence. Is three games enough of a sample size? Did Manziel do enough to show he is the quarterback for the foreseeable future? What is this guy?s ceiling? At least the team won?t be searching for a new coach. (Maybe.) Manziel is an athletic freak. He did unbelievable things in college and the Browns are banking on him translating it to the professional level. On one end of the spectrum you have Robert Griffin III. Also a Heisman Trophy winner who was lights out in college, he flamed out quickly with the Washington Redskins. An unbelievable rookie year saw too many bumps and bruises and coupled with his reported resistance to work on his weaknesses, he now appears to be on his way out of D.C. Meanwhile, you have Russell Wilson who was unheralded in college, but came to Seattle, earned the start right away and in two years he was a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Wilson doesn?t dazzle in the passing game but is just enough of a threat running the ball ? and avoiding contact when he does run ? to be an tough quarterback to defense. So where on the spectrum does Manziel reside? Maybe he won?t be comparable to either quarterback. Maybe this will be an epic failure. Maybe this is finally the franchise quarterback the Browns have so desperately needed. All those maybes are what makes this so intriguing. The off-the-field noise that surrounds Manziel won?t matter if he performs in these final three games. If he does and the Browns do well, those off-the-field things are ?quirky.? If he doesn?t play well, suddenly those off-the-field issues become ?problems? or ?concerns? for the Browns moving forward. With two first-round picks in the 2015 NFL Draft and some good quarterbacks coming out of college, perhaps three games are enough of Manziel Mania for the Browns. Manziel?s athleticism instantly adds another weapon to a Browns offense that is slowly accumulating playmakers. In recent weeks the offense has grinded to a halt thanks to a poor running game coupled with poor decisions by Brian Hoyer. These are must-win games for the Browns beginning with a team they dismantled earlier this season on the road. Since that win it hasn?t been pretty and the offensive production, especially from Hoyer, has been on a downward spiral. We saw how Hoyer responded to the challenge last week. He failed. Can Johnny avoid a similar fate? If he does, look out NFL. He will quickly be a player who talks the talk, walks the walk and is hated by 31 teams, but beloved by Browns fans. If he doesn?t, well, we know the drill: Keep calm and draft on.
During the preseason, Johnny Manziel drew a $12,000 fine from the league for responding to taunting by Washington players by flipping them the bird. Coach Mike Pettine doesn?t want to see more of the same from the rookie now that he?s the starting quarterback in Cleveland. Pettine said that Manziel has to expect the same kind of response from opponents that he saw in the preseason and that he has to let it roll off his back rather than issue the same kind of digital response he did during the summer. ?I guarantee that anyone who sacks him will stand over him and give the money sign,? Pettine said, via ESPN.com. ?That?s the price that he has to pay for who he is and the reputation that he brings with him to the NFL. He already got a taste of it in the preseason. ? When a play is over, it?s over. You have to move on to the next one.? Manziel did a good job making light of Bengals coach Marvin Lewis?s jab about his height and a similar response to any on-field attempts to get under his skin would serve him well now and in the future because Pettine is surely right about what?s coming for a player who will get his first chance to make reality equal the hype this weekend.
Extra Points ? Johnny be ready: If nothing else, Marvin Lewis? ?midget? comment about Johnny Manziel reinforces the belief that Manziel wears a bulls-eye whenever he takes the field. Manziel sloughed off the comment and laughed about it. And that?s pretty much how he handles the fact that he is a marked man in a game. ?I don?t think it affects him,? coach Mike Pettine said. ?He?s not a stranger to it. It?s the price he has to pay for being who he is and the reputation he brings with him. He got a taste of it in the preseason.? In the preseason, Rams rookie linebacker Michael Sam, an SEC rival, mocked Manziel after a sack with Manziel?s money sign gesture. Against Washington, it was a veteran, linebacker Brian Orakpo, who got under Manziel?s skin enough to prompt Manziel to flash his middle finger to the Redskins? bench. Manziel was fined $10,000 by the NFL for that no-no. ?Everybody?s gunning for him,? Pettine said. ?I guarantee you everyone who sacks him will stand over him and make the money sign. That comes with it. His best thing is not to get caught up in it. When a play?s over, it?s over.? Mingo magic: Linebacker Barkevious Mingo has taken a lot of criticism in his two years for not living up to his No. 6 overall pick draft status. But the Colts? game was a good example of why he has earned so much respect this year. Playing with his right arm still partially immobilized by a shoulder harness, Mingo was credited with one sack of Andrew Luck, four additional quarterback hits and a pass defense. It was Mingo who first met Boom Herron on the game-deciding fourth-and-1 handoff at the end. Because Mingo was not able to wrap him up, Herron spun free and plunged forward for the critical play to set up Luck?s game-winning pass on the next play. I asked Pettine about the challenge of playing a linebacker in critical situations who practically has the use of only one arm. ?I?d say it?s a little bit more than one arm, but that?s hard,? he answered. ?You just look at what our options are. There?s a kid who?s toughed through it, and he?s been productive. You want him to make that play, but it?s difficult given the circumstances.? Payback: Lost in all the storylines of Manziel?s debut, et. al are the comments made by Bengals rookie Jeremy Hill after the Browns dominated them in Cincinnati, 24-3, on Nov. 6. Hill?s start against the Browns came after a 154-yard debut as a starter the week before. After he was limited to 55 yards by the Browns and coughed up a fumble, Hill said, ?They?re probably worse than I thought. They didn?t do anything special to me.? Yes, those comments have been posted in Browns defensive meeting rooms this week. Linebacker Craig Robertson said, ?Of course, of course. He made comments and we?re definitely going to use those comments as fuel to the fire.? Added cornerback Joe Haden, ?We?ve got them up. It?s bulletin board material. You see what he felt about us. They?re coming in here with something to prove. We went into their house on ?Thursday Night Football? and did what we did to them. We know they?re coming in here wanting to do the same to us, so we?re ready for their best shot. We just feel, at the end of day, we?re not getting the respect we want so we have to go out and keep doing it.? Miles to go: Receiver Miles Austin is back with the team after suffering an injury to his kidney in the Buffalo game and four nights in a Buffalo-area hospital. He said his kidney suffered a small cut, but he was in no pain and the injury is not career- or life-threatening. Austin said he can?t do any running or lifting or anything physical until another CAT scan in four weeks. Austin, 30, has probably made more clutch catches than any Browns receiver this year. He said he wants to keep playing. ?Definitely, it?s something I want to do,? he said. ?I?ve had such a great experience with the guys here. I just have to heal up and make sure everything?s right.? Brownie bits: The club is sticking with kicker Billy Cundiff, who has missed field goals in five straight games and is 22 of 29 on the season. ?One of those things he?s just fighting through,? said special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. ?We just got back from the stadium and I think he kicked the ball as well as I?ve ever seen him. If he strikes the ball the rest of the season like he did today, we?ll be in great shape.? ? Tabor on Travis Benjamin?s 37-yard punt return in the Colts game: ?I think the Rabbit is out of his hole.? ? Pettine said linebacker Karlos Dansby (knee) could play Sunday after a four-week layoff ? The coach also gave encouraging updates on tight end Gary Barnidge (ribs), safety Tashaun Gipson (knee) and defensive lineman John Hughes (knee). If the Browns keep alive their playoff hopes with a win, those reinforcements could be back for the Dec. 28 finale in Baltimore ... Cornerback K'Waun Williams (hamstring) missed his second day and could be a scratch for Sunday.
Sure, but Cundiff kicking the best you've ever seen him kick is to the tune of 22 of 29 and missed 5 in the last 5 games. What the hell is wrong with the front office and coaching staff?!?!?!? Anybody they sign can do just as well, if not better. FIRE THE BUM!!!!!!!!! (grumble, grumble, grumble)
That's the problem, they have tried out 4-5 other kickers the past two weeks and they COULDN'T kick better...You can't wait to the end of the season to find a starting kicker in the NFL. I would not be upset in the least if the Browns found the best college kicker in the draft and spent a 4th round pick on him...
Can Manziel kick, too? Give him a shot. Or, Hoyer's not doing anything now other than holding a clipboard, give him a shot.
PLAYER FGM FGA PCT LNG 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ XPM XPA PCT Brad Craddock, PK MD 18 19 94.7 57 0-0 3-3 4-4 9-9 2-3 41 41 100.0
Cleveland TV Station sent Lil' Jon Rinaldi (of "Big Chuck and Lil' Jon" Cleveland area fame) to the Wednesday Marvin Lewis press conference..... Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, while not humorless, is also a relatively no nonsense kind of guy. So when his "midget" comment about Johnny Manziel caught fire, it was basically his worst nightmare during an important week as the Bengals prepare to face the AFC North rival Browns. Lewis has since apologized to the Browns, Manziel and little people everywhere. End of story, right? Fox 8 in Cleveland made sure that wasn't the case. They sent Lil John Rinaldi to Lewis' news conference on Wednesday. Watch their exchange below. [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3AK2jp77h0[/video]
We'd better hope Manziel pans out for us. Barring draft prosepects, the list of free agents isn't very good. Here's an article from Sporting News:
Crazy Crex?s Musings: *WRITE* Hope you have enough excitement for many of us Irish. *DRINK* *DRINK* I am still skeptical. I am not convinced that JF?s skillset will translate to the next level. I certainly hope he does adapt and becomes the QB you believe he can be. I?m not ready to jump onto that bandwagon just yet. My hope for this weekend is that JF plays within the playbook and Shannahan?s system. I don?t want to see any of that school yard adlibbing that he was known for at A&M. I want him to stand tall in the pocket, make his reads and deliver accurate passes to the WR/RB/TE. No winging it up deep down the field hoping that his WR wins the jump ball. The Mike Evans safety net is not on the Browns Roster. JF has few Rushing yards than either Crowell or Tate. More passing TD's than Rushing TD's. I do believe that if JF executes the offense and doesn?t turn the ball over the Browns have a good chance of winning out this season and possibly make the post season. As long as they don?t have to rely on Cundiff to win it from 30+ yds out. *REF* It?s beer thirty Lounge Houndz? *DRINK*
That's how Josh Gordon made his living last season...He has the capability if it's within his reach..
I get the sense that there's a gorilla in the Lounge. It's time to show him the door. It's no secret that I am not a big fan of Johnny Manziel. I have nothing against him as a person, I simply don't think his skill set will translate to the NFL. It's also no secret that I tended to bristle every time Brian Hoyer got bashed. Again, I have no personal attachment to Brian. I'm sure he's a fine young man. However, Brian (as of late) clearly demonstrated that he is not an NFL caliber starter. I only bristled because - at that time - he was the starting Quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. OUR Cleveland Browns. Well, as of this week, Johnny Manziel is the starting Quarterback of OUR Cleveland Browns. Lets get behind the guy and give him the chance to prove all of us doubters wrong. The worst case scenario is that we were right and the Browns will go about the business of finding their next "franchise quarterback". We've all been there before and its not the end of the world. But what if he does prove us wrong . . .
Fear not Lym I'm behind the Browns and the 11 players on the field at any given time. I DO hope that JF proves me and others who have reservations about how well his skills would translate to the NFL level wrong. So very wrong.
