The Morning Kickoff ? 2014 in review: One in a periodic series reviewing the Browns? season of 7-9 and setting up their 2015 offseason of business. Position: Running backs. Players under contract (through year): Isaiah Crowell (2016), Terrance West (2017), Glenn Winston (2016). Players not under contract: Shaun Draughn. Snaps played out of 1,050 total: West, 401; Crowell, 382; Draughn, 8; Winston, 0. Games started: West, 6; Crowell, 4; Draughn, 0; Winston, 0. Analysis: Waiving malcontent veteran Ben Tate on Nov. 18 put the running game on the shoulders of ?baby backs? West and Crowell. The rookies had their ups and downs. West had 100 yards rushing in his first NFL game, then averaged 35 yards over the next six games, visited the coach?s doghouse, had a 94-yard game, visited the coach?s doghouse, and ended with a 94-yard game. Crowell was less inconsistent, had episodes of fumbleitis, but at his best was a powerful runner with a nose for the end zone. West finished with 673 yards, a 3.9 average and 4 touchdowns; Crowell had 607, 4.1 and 8. Neither was a factor in the passing game, however. They combined for 20 catches for 151 yards and 1 touchdown. After Tate was waived, it was thought that Winston, a September pickup from the 49ers, would eventually earn some reps in the backfield. But it never came about. Instead, Draughn, a young veteran of 20 NFL games with four teams, kept Winston inactive because of his special teams? contributions. Position: Offensive line. Players under contract (through year): OG Karim Barton (2015), OG Joel Bitonio (2017), OT Michael Bowie (2016), OG John Greco (2017), C Alex Mack (2018), OL Andrew McDonald, C Nick McDonald (2015), OL Paul McQuistan (2015), OG Vinston Painter (2015), OT Mitchell Schwartz (2015), OT Joe Thomas (2018). Players not under contract: C Ryan Seymour. Snaps played out of 1,050 total: Thomas, 1,050; Bitonio, 1,050; Greco, 1,050; Schwartz, 1,050; McDonald, 469; Mack, 297; Seymour, 169; McQuistan, 118. Games started: Thomas, 16; Bitonio, 16; Greco, 16; Schwartz, 16; McDonald, 7; Mack, 5; Seymour, 3; McQuistan, 1. Analysis: Mack?s broken right fibula injury on Oct. 12 tarnished the sparkling 31-10 win over Pittsburgh in Game 5 and set the wheels in motion for another losing season. The running game was devastated and, thus, so was the passing game and offense overall. With Mack, the running game averaged 4.43 yards per rush and totaled 8 TDs in 5 games. Without Mack, the average shrunk to 3.12 yards and the TDs tapered off to 9 in 11 games. The Browns were 3-2 with Mack, 4-7 after his injury. The biggest question with the line now is not whether Mack will regain his Pro Bowl form. It is whether the offensive coaching changes after the season will impact Mack?s desire to stay. The transition offer sheet Mack signed with Jacksonville in 2014 and matched by the Browns gives Mack the option to opt out of the deal after the 2015 season. One of Mack?s concerns with returning to the Browns was the constant change in coaches and systems. Now he is dealing with it again. The uncertainty about Mack?s future mandates the club to locate a potential replacement. It was unable to field a competent center in his absence. Nick McDonald, whom the Browns claimed from San Diego while rehabbing a wrist injury, bombed in seven starts, and then his replacement, Seymour, was worse. The Browns tried to minimize the domino effect of Mack?s injury by keeping Greco at right guard after one start at center. That decision backfired substantially. Bitonio proved to be the best of the rookie draft picks and the most valuable acquisition of the year -- the one sure cornerstone addition of the season. Of the remaining starting positions, the oft-criticized Schwartz proved a capable starter at right tackle.
Just thinking about the start of last season, and how for the first time in so many years there was a buzz about the Browns, courtesy of Johnny Football. I wasn't a fan of Johnny, but I have to admit it was nice to hear my team talked about for a change. That, it appears is all Johnny brought to this team: the spotlight. With that came the jokes about Hoyer, and when he was named the starter, everyone just knew he was just going to get a few games to allow Johnny to get the NFL game down, then he was toast. A funny thing happened on the way to the Johnny era, he wasn't "all that", and couldn't wrestle the job from Hoyer. Never did really, just got inserted for the sake of some headlines, it appears, when Hoyer succumbed to the constantly mounting pressure to get pushed out, so that the world could see Johnny. Well one start and the national clamor died quickly with a resounding thud, and the Browns were left to pick up the pieces yet again, on the outside looking in. It appears as if the coaching staff actually knew what they were talking about when they argued that Johnny wasn't ready, and the players knew it too. Now you can certainly argue that Hoyer playing wouldn't have made a difference in their record, but the glare of the media was snuffed out, and success in Brown town has slipped further away with each passing week. So Johnny brought the spotlight, but he also exposed this organization for the stooges they were in 2014. Farmer is going to take the blame, and deservedly so, but does anyone believe Haslam wasn't right there on his shoulder encouraging him or at a minimum not stopping him form his meddling? If we are lucky, and saying that as a Browns fan is stretching credulity, Haslam and his minions, will at least learn from thsir mistakes, and set parameters for each position in the mgt circle, so that we don't undermine the team on the field, the coaching staff, and the loyalty of this remarkable fan base. Realistically, I am not counting on it. I figure most things aren't black and white, so some steps should be made, but we are so far from professionsl in our mgt, that even a big jump can only land us in the middle of the pack at best. Still I will tune in, follow every step and mistep, hoping for the best, as always.
First off, I am done being an apologist for Johnny... He let all of his supporters down when he didn't take the job serious and had little respect for the Browns fanbase in doing so. BUT...make no mistake, meddling or no meddling, Hoyer was in a downward spiral when Manziel was finally given his shot, ready or not. I don't for a second give him a pass because of the mounting pressure as eluded to above...What pressure? He just went out and moved the lowly Browns into a first place position at 6-3, then to 7-4... I really don't want to hear the Alex Mack excuse either...Mack went down in the first qtr of game 5..a game in which the line didn't miss a beat in the 2nd half.. They were 2-2 when Mack went down, moved to 3-2 during the injury...then went 4-2 over the next 6 games without him. I think Mack's injury blew up the running game, I don't take that lightly... But, Hoyer played fine for 6 games without him, THEN had his melt down. Look, I am not enamored with the QB options out there, but anyone that thinks re-signing Hoyer is the answer, best go back and watch him play his final 4 1/2 games of the season, up to his SECOND SEASON ENDING INJURY IN A ROW. I don't have ANY answers at the QB position, none, zich.. But, Hoyer is not necessarily going to be the best option going into 2015 either... ________________________________________________________________________ All that said, I agree 100% that the front office is scaring the hell out of me. I don't know that we will be able to lure ANY free agent here in March...Possibly NO worth while free agent. Then I could add to that, we may have to sign some mid level free agents to ridiculous contracts just to reach the cap floor that will be imposed...I believe they will have to spend around $20M minimum to reach that floor, but I don't know exactly.. We could take care of some other of course...like Tashon Gipson who will be here in 2015 either way. They may have to make a 'splash' deal with a single player to lure him here with money...If that's the case, pick the best possible player and go all out for a year on a front loaded contract. I don't know if this management team will be able to crawl out of despair with their new coaching hires...They are very raw, not much experience in their new positions. I am just very very worried at this point of the off season. Right now, I am hoping and praying I was right about Manziel all along and his alcohol was getting in the way of greatness...otherwise, this is going to be a very long year(s) for us all...VERY LONG...
ESPN Jaguars reporter Michael DiRocco's "best guess" is that free agent Cecil Shorts signs with the Browns. DiRocco is merely connecting dots, but it makes sense. Shorts grew up and went to high school and college in Cleveland and nearby Alliance, respectively. The Browns are in desperate need for receiver help with Josh Gordon suspended for the 2015 season and Miles Austin a free agent. Shorts also won't be expensive after a down year. He could rehab his value as Cleveland's No. 1 receiver.
ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi expects the Browns to let OLB Jabaal Sheard walk as a free agent. Sheard posted a career-low two sacks as a 3-4 outside linebacker under first-year coach Mike Pettine this past season and is best-suited for a 4-3 defense with his hand in the dirt. Despite the poor pass-rushing numbers, Sheard was PFF's No. 2-ranked 3-4 outside 'backer in run defense. Just 26 (in May), Sheard should have a healthy market after posting 15.5 sacks his first two seasons.
Irish, You certainly have a way with words; Downward spiral? Let's take a look at this "downward spiral". Weeks 1 through 7 (6 games) Record 3-3 o Offense: 230.2 passing yards per game. 133.5 rushing yards per game. o Defense: 241.5 passing yards per game. 155.5 rushing yards per game. o Avg points scored per game = 23.3. Average points allowed per game = 23.2 Weeks 8 through 14 (7 games) Record 4-3 o Offense: 248.0 passing yards per game. 97.3 rushing yards per game. o Defense: 222.1 passing yards per game. 107.1 rushing yards per game. o Avg points scored per game = 19.4. Average points allowed per game = 18.7 Weeks 15 through 17 (3 games where all three QB's played) Record 0-3 o Offense: 116.0* passing yards per game. 82.0 rushing yards per game. * Week 16 alone - 144 passing yards of which Hoyer had 134 of them in a little over 2 quarters. o Defense: 196.0 passing yards per game. 194.0 rushing yards per game. o Avg points scored per game = 7.7 Average points allowed per game = 22.3 And then there is this . . . Really? His "season ending injury" came in week 16 and he STILL finished the game. I have to suspect that, had the Browns still been in playoff contention in week 17, Hoyer would have played that game as well. And . . . OBTW, he wasn't the only Browns' QB that sustained a "season ending injury" in that game. Look, I get it, you're not a big fan of Hoyer. But please stop trying to blame the offensive collapse in 2014 on him. There was no downward spiral. That collapse was truly a team effort and, like it or not, it was exacerbated by injuries on the O-Line, the D-Line and the receiving corp.
Did Grossi watch the Browns this year? I didn't see every game but I watched a few and Sheard was playing out of a three-point stance the majority of the time in Pettine's hybrid base defense. He played much better in a two-point stance for Ray Horton in 2013.
[h]HAPPY HUMP DAY LOUNGE HOUNDZ[/h] *YAHOO* First round is on me... A little humor for the post season Brownie Blues... [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-c4cd_Lm-Q[/video] [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvn-tBeLpCk[/video]
I said his final 4.5 games... In those games he was: 81 of 163, or .496 percent.... 1,114 yards or 248 yards per game (which was the only redeeming stat) TWO touchdowns against NINE interceptions... You don't think 9 INTs in 4.5 games had anything to do with that downward spiral? It sure as hell did, when he only made up for it with 2 TDs... NO, I am not a big fan of Hoyer. Honestly, I don't know why any one is... (edit Oh, yeah, since you were showing records, I might add he was 1-4 in those final games...
great stuff Crex...a smokin hottie with beers, and an all time classic sitcom. I was at the local pub the other night and Im not sure how we got on the subject, but everybody was naming off their favorite all time sitcoms, and Taxi was mentioned more than a few times...great show
Irish, I can appreciate your point on Hoyer being part of the problem, with the turnovers. As for the "pressure" well let's see: O line shuffle - I would point to the running game's absence, which no matter who you are adds pressure to the QB's role, also The Cleveland F ing Browns were actually playing for a shot at the playoffs (no pressure there), he loses Austin, then gets Gordon, who clearly doisn't know the playbook (ints), and on top of that he has to be aware of the complete lack of support from the FO. Yeah, I guess you're right, no pressure. Look I am not happy with Hoyer as our QB, but I honestly think he is the equal of any of the options I've heard talked about, with the exception of getting Foles. That move would create another issue going forward, if he turns out to be only marginally better than Hoyer because he is in the final year of his contract this year, and is no certainty to be more than "solid". It just isn't the year to make a big QB commitment. Our best hope then becomes Johnny turning it all around and proving to be the "franchise QB" Haslam thought he was getting. Hey, it could happen, but the odds are very long indeed. A very long year indeed. Frankly, my deepest hope is that the FO gets their poop together and operates as a team. If we can get that going there is hope. It doesn't get us a QB for 2015, but if they can prove to be a positive, united group, it will bring better days. A repeat of what we heard about this past season, and we will be the Clowns into the forseeable future. Help!
The staff is always greener. We are definitely rollling the dice with the first time OC, and a QB coach who's resume peaks as the guy who worked out Johnny? seriously? With that much greenery, i hope we have a good gardener. Gonna need some truly vintage Duff's for this one boys. Fill er up
Josh McCown is now available....gotta be better than his brother Luke. If I didn't think we were so desperate at the position I probably wouldn't even have mentioned him, but I don't know....Obviously he had something going a couple years ago in Chicago, though whatever momentum he had going in the windy city, he certainly didn't carry over with him to Tampa. He's up there in age a bit so I'm not sure what the interest is going to be, nor the cost...He probably would be at the top of the Cleveland depth chart though, if we were to sign him...
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam threw support behind Johnny Manziel on Wednesday, saying he "absolutely" believes Manziel can still be an NFL starter. Tape gurus Ron Jaworski and Greg Cosell believed Manziel was a late-round prospect last May. On Haslam's orders, the Browns drafted him 22nd overall. "I ask that question a lot to our football people -- as recently as today," Haslam said. "'Do we still think he can be a starter in the NFL?' And the answer is consistently yes." Either Haslam hasn't surrounded himself with the right football people, or he's living in denial. Haslam definitely seems to be in denial about Manziel's off-field habits. "Let me say this, I don't know how much of Johnny's personal life was known by everybody then and I don't know how much is known now,'' the Browns' beleaguered owner said. "... It's way too early to give up on Johnny."
