I agree and take Hue w him...hes making a complete mockery out of coaching now w this nothing 2 lose mentality like he doesnt care....NOBODY goes 4 it in the 1st Q at their own 20 something yd line...also Bluez Im not sure who is more of a ME player RG or Pryor....what an embarrassment that was in the huddle
Team is a total train wreck . rumors of hee haw shopping them . I would be okay with that . maybe that's why the crooked hill jack hasn't spent shit on the team ???? No improvements from the bazillian rooks they kept from day one?? GARBAGE !!!
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer Email the author | Follow on Twitter on December 11, 2016 at 5:30 PM, updated December 11, 2016 at 5:32 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talking to myself?after the Cleveland Browns 23-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium: Question: OK, Nostradamus, didn't you pick the Browns to win this game? Answer: Who is Nostradamus? Q: Don't avoid the question. A: Yes, I picked them to win. I picked them to win because I'm sick of writing about a team that loses every week. I picked them to win because this team does play hard, and seems to have a good group of young men in terms of their wanting to do the right things. Q: So you really didn't think they'd win? A: I still believe they'll win a game this season. And I thought they had a chance Sunday. Q: Well, you thought wrong. A: I'm not going to beat up the Browns. They came into the game with an 0-12 record, and they started a quarterback who hadn't been on the field for three months. The game opened with snow flying, the wind chill at 16. It was the absolute worst conditions for Robert Griffin III to make his first start since the opener. Q: Are you going to make excuses for him? A: No. I'm not a big fan of the Griffin experiment with the Browns. But he didn't start a single regular season game for Washington in 2015. He then broke a bone in his shoulder in the 29-10 opening loss to Philadelphia. Q: Don't those sound like excuses? A: Under the best of circumstances, Griffin was probably going to have a hard time. The Browns are missing two guards (John Greco and Joel Bitonio) who started the opener when Griffin was last under center. The weather made it difficult to throw. Q: I repeat, don't those sound like excuses? A: Eight minutes into the game, the Bengals had a 13-0 lead as the defense looked very distracted. It was 20-0 at the half. The defense pulled itself together in the final two quarters, but the verdict was very close to being final after the first two quarters. Q: Are you going somewhere with this? What are you trying to say about Griffin? A: Griffin was 12-of-28 passing for 108 yards. Too often, he seemed to fixate on one receiver. If he didn't throw it to that man, he scrambled around for a long time. You often hear it said the game "was too fast" for a young player. At times, Griffin looked like a guy on a runaway training, hanging to the caboose with one hand. Q: What does that mean? A: On a lot of plays, he wasn't sure what he should do. And part of that was due to his lack of playing time. Hue Jackson said Griffin "showed poise ... he held his own out there." The coach talked about how it's impossible to simulate game conditions in practice, especially this late in the season. But I do think Griffin at times really struggled with the quickness of the game. Q: Would you start him next week at Buffalo? A: Why not? If he can stay healthy for the final three games, play him. In fact, if he can make it through all four games healthy -- that's progress for Griffin. Jackson admitted as much when he said Griffin "protected himself." He added, "(When Griffin) did get hit, would he get up? He did. That's important." Q: Isn't that a low standard? A: The theme of the season is to find out about some key players. Griffin obviously is one of those. I have major doubts about his durability. Someone once told me, "Part of ability in football is durability ... you have to stay on the field." Q: How was the offensive line? A: They run blocked well, the Browns rushing for 169 yards. Jonathan Cooper made a few good blocks on long runs by Isaiah Crowell (113 yards, 10 carries).? It was Cooper's first start for the Browns. He replaced the injured Greco at right guard. Griffin was sacked three times. He was knocked down on four other plays. But it was not an unrelenting beating that we've seen some Browns quarterbacks endure this year. Q: OK, Mr. Sunshine, what else? A: Emmanuel Ogbah had 1.5 sacks. The second-round draft pick is making an impact since the Browns are playing him strictly at defensive end, instead of also having him at linebacker. Jamie Collins was all over the field with 15 tackles. That showed me a lot, his hustle on a frozen field for a team that's winless -- especially after being traded from New England at midseason. Q: Are you really going to write about this as if it were an exhibition game? A: In some ways, it is ... because it's about evaluating players. But it's a better test than those preseason games because the opponents are playing to win. The Browns are facing real game plans. It's a very unforgiving atmosphere and a good testing ground. Q: You expect the fans to pay attention to this? A: Most of the fans understandably dressed as empty orange chairs at FirstEnergy Stadium. In other words, lots of empty seats. It was a miserable day to watch a game -- especially the worst team in the NFL. I'm not going to fault them for staying home. It's a hard year for anyone who loves the Browns.
How can a winless season get a lot worse? When the owner gives sworn testimony in a controversy that could still result in an indictment ? and all the various things that may follow. Via the Associated Press, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was due to be questioned under oath on Tuesday in a?lawsuit?arising from the rebate scandal at Pilot Flying J, the truck-stop company owned and operated by Haslam. The action involves the parties that opted out of a nationwide class action. Technically, Haslam agreed to submit to the deposition. But that came at a time when he was in the process of being forced to comply. ?Mr. Haslam?s deposition is not warranted by the facts in these cases and plaintiffs? pursuit of his deposition is nothing more than harassment,? attorney Steve Brody said.??Mr. Haslam is nevertheless eager to put this gamesmanship behind him and therefore voluntarily agreed to sit for deposition by the remaining civil plaintiffs.? With the possibility of criminal charges still looming, Haslam may have to decide whether to invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. That would significantly harm the company?s interests in the civil litigation, and it would potentially destroy Haslam?s standing in the court of public opinion. Multiple employees and executives of Pilot Flying J have pleaded guilty to federal charges based on the failure to properly provide rebates to companies deemed to be not sufficiently sophisticated to realize what has happening.
Man, I am kinda glad that I have been unable to watch games. The box scores look bad enough. I was following the gamecast on ESPN a little bit. I keep seeing people say "how good the Browns ran the ball". Off the top of my head, I thought they ran the ball good in the second half...when they were down 3 scores....and Cinci was most likely playing exclusively pass D. Here's a drive breakdown: Q1: Drive 1: No RB carry Drive 2: Johnson 2 for 2 (9 yarder wiped out by holding); Crow 1 for 4; Total 3-6 Drive 3: Colemand 1-1; Crow 1-2; total 2-3 Q2: Drive 4:INT Drive 5: Crow 2-21 1st half: 7-30 Q3: Drive 6: 0 run Drive 7: Crow 3-48 Drive 8: Crow 3-38 Drive 9: Johnson 1-21 Like I said, I didn't watch the game, just the stat line, so maybe they were playing the run, it just wouldn't make sense given the score. We'll see going forward if Cooper and the rest of the young guys can run block when it matters.
I don't think it was a bad first half of running, rather a bad first half of play calling..Crow was 4 carries for 28 yards in that half...I think the travesty was the fact Crow only had 4 carries at half time...Then again, he only had 6 carries in the second half. The Bengals scored on the first two possessions...TDs to boot...and the game plan went flying out the window. This defense has to find a way to get off the field to begin a game...otherwise, no strides will be made. I believe in rust on an athlete when they have an extended injury, however, what RGIII did on Sunday goes well beyond that I think. I hope that he makes HUGE strides this weekend, if only for a weekend to try and get that elusive victory...but I am less and less hopeful that he can come back from the dead and become a starting QB in this league. I was very happy with the signing, but he continues to run the ball with abandon. I think he believes if he just goes through his career injured, he will not be remembered as a failure...the only thing I can think of for him to continue diving head first into defenders. Could we sell the farm and backroom talk Kirk Cousins agent into not accepting a contract extension from the Redskins? I'm ready to make him the highest paid QB in the NFL, give him $28M per year average for 6 years, with $80M guaranteed. Including a $35M first year salary. That is something no other team in the league could touch, because it is batshit crazy...BUT, it would give you the QB of the future and the salary cap just keeps rising. It is currently being projected to rise by over $10M this year and we already have $64M in cap space in 2017. You could sign a Kirk Cousins, Terrell Pryor and Jamie Collins and still have plenty of room for your 20 rookie signings. I know that is pie in the sky lubricious ideas, but isn't that what this thread is for? I don't think there is a QB in this draft that can come in and start...the closest thing to it is Deshawn Watson and he has so many question marks, he may be available at our #33 pick. This abyss will be never ending until we find a QB.
When you're from the country, your perception is a little different...... A Missouri farmer in his pickup, drove to a neighbor's, and knocked at the door. A boy, about 9, opened the door. "Is your Dad home?" "No sir, he isn't; he went to town." "Well, is your Mother here?" "No sir, she went to town with Dad." "How about your brother, Howard? Is he here?" "No sir, He went with Mom and Dad." The rancher stood there for a few minutes, shifting from one foot to the other, and mumbling to himself. "Is there anything I can do for you? I know where all the tools are, if you want to borrow one, or I can give dad a message." "Well," said the rancher uncomfortably, "I really wanted to talk to your Dad. It's about your brother Howard getting my daughter, Suzie, pregnant." The boy thought for a moment. "You would have to talk to Dad about that. I know he charges $500 for the bull and $50 for the hog, but I don't know how much he charges for Howard."
Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR. Lake-effect losing: This week, Buffalo defensive tackle Marcel Dareus guaranteed the Bills would not be the team to lose to the 0-13 Browns. But it would not be a stunner if they did. The Bills and the Browns have a history of shared misery that produces unpredictable results. The Browns haven?t made the playoffs since the 2002 season. Guess what? The Bills? drought is longer. They haven?t seen the postseason since 1999 ? and that is the longest playoff absence in the NFL. Cleveland and Buffalo are roughly 190 miles apart on I-90. Both cities are toughened by Lake Erie winter blasts, relentless lake-effect snowfall and decades-long economic doldrums. Because of their proximity, the Browns and Bills were frequent training camp partners in the 1980s. Two memories of those summer scrimmages in neutral-ground Edinboro (PA) University linger: Rookie Bills defensive end Bruce Smith absolutely terrorizing rookie Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar in 1985, and Bills coach Marv Levy blitzing the unexpecting Browns in a 1989 scrimmage against rookie coach Bud Carson. Carson vowed revenge on Levy that day, and had the last laugh ? a 34-30 playoff victory in January. That would be Buffalo?s last AFC postseason loss before Jim Kelly & Co. went on their run of four straight Super Bowl appearances. I also recall Bill Belichick disparaging Levy in a mid-week offhanded remark during the 1995 season ? something about the ancient Levy favoring the ?single wing? offense ? only to see the Bills prevail, 22-19, in front of 76,000 in Cleveland Municipal Stadium and an ABC?s ?Monday Night Football? prime-time TV audience. Go root for Buffalo: The Bills were the opponents in two of the five most memorable Browns regular-season games I?ve seen in 30-plus years covering the Hundred Years War. The first was the Snow Bowl game of 2007. A December blizzard dumped 2 inches of snow during the game and 40 mph wind gusts made clearing the field impossible. This was one of those games where officials guessed the line of scrimmage throughout. The Browns won, 8-0, on two Phil Dawson field goals aimed outside the goalposts and blown through the uprights, and a safety on a wind-blown long snap. The game ended with Chaun Thompson tackling Fred Jackson at the Browns? 10-yard line. It was the last Browns? shutout win. The victory improved the Browns? record to 9-5. The next year, the Browns edged the Bills in Orchard Park, NY, 29-27, on Phil Dawson?s career-long 56-yard field goal. It was also Brady Quinn?s first career win as a starting quarterback. Less than an hour after the ?Monday Night Football? affair, then-embattled Browns GM Phil Savage, while sitting on the team bus, responded to an angry fan?s email by typing the infamous message: ?Go root for Buffalo-f#@* you- ? Savage was fired the day before the season finale in Pittsburgh. But that wasn?t as memorable as the Browns-Bills game the following October. In 30 mph winds, the Browns outlasted the Bills, 6-3, on a day when Browns quarterback Derek Anderson completed 2 of 17 passes for 23 yards. Yes, he was the winning quarterback. ?NFL record,? noted left tackle Joe Thomas this week. ?One of my many records in the NFL that I?m proud of.? Thomas said the Browns celebrated in the locker room as if they?d won the Super Bowl. It was Eric Mangini?s first win as Browns coach after four losses in a row ? a modest losing streak by Hue Jackson?s standards. The Johnny era: The last two Browns-Bills games have been epic franchise-changers. In 2013, Buffalo arrived in Cleveland for a Thursday night affair with the Browns riding a two-game winning streak behind the unsuspecting leadership of third-string quarterback Brian Hoyer. Hoyer tore his ACL early in the game, and the Browns went on to win, 37-24, in Brandon Weeden?s last moment of glory. When the Bills returned to Buffalo, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was so moved by Hoyer?s devastating injury that he penned a letter to the Cleveland-native quarterback expressing his admiration of him.\ Lo and behold, Pettine became the Browns coach the following season, and he tabbed Hoyer as his starting quarterback over Jimmy Haslam and Alec Scheiner anointed revenue-machine Johnny Manziel. But by the time the Browns played Buffalo in Orchard Park at the end of November, Hoyer was slumping badly and Pettine was feeling the pressure inside the building to play Manziel. With his team at 7-4, Pettine inserted Manziel in the second quarter of a 26-10 loss to the Bills. ?The beginning of the Manziel era ? for better or for worse,? Thomas said. Starting with that Bills game, the Browns have lost 31 of their next 34 games. Which brings us to Sunday in snow-blown Orchard Park once more. ?The unexpected always happens in the NFL,? Thomas said. ?Nobody knows what?s going to happen from week to week. You can?t ever take for granted if you?re on a team that?s winning because it is so difficult. ?The difference between winning and losing is very small. And the difference between being on a winning organization and on an organization tanking for years is very small.? So they meet again. The Bills are 6-7 and coach Rex Ryan is fighting for his job. The Browns are 0-13 and coach Jackson is said to be safe. Lake Erie drama.
What could be worse than rooting for the 0-13 Cleveland Browns? It would be rooting for the 6-7 Buffalo Bills. The Browns - on talent - are about a 1 or 2 win team this year. The Bills should win 11 games based on talent. It's hard to pull for a team that is such a monumental underachiever. That would be the Bills. When we consider the history between these two clubs, the dysfunction and distrust in the Bills organization, and the fact that Buffalo gains nothing from lousy weather game conditions, I will not be surprised if Buffalo finds a way to lose on Sunday. In fact, I somewhat expect a Browns victory.
C'mon man.... That's just hard to fathom kenny. lol! How many Browns games have you watched this year? I'm not trying to knock my team, but you haven't seen dysfunction at the level my Browns can produce... Buffalo has 6 wins this season. They shutout the Brady-less Pats (still impressive). The beat Cincinnati, a team that handled us twice with ease. I haven't seen the Bills play a lot, but I did see them a few weeks back against Seattle and I thought they looked pretty good, albeit in a losing effort....The way Cleveland has played over the last month and a half, I'd say it would be HUGELY shocking to see the Browns come out of Orchard Park with a win......There is a reason why we are double digit dogs this week my friend...Anything is possible I suppose, but it's really hard to find a reason to be optimistic about the Browns right now...
To be clear, top dog, I want the Bills to win. It's what Bills fans do - just like Browns fans - we maintain our allegiance even after a millennium of suckitude. My comments were directed at the relative distress the Bills have caused their fans this year. I doubt that many Cleveland fans past the sophomore HS level expected much more than a 2-4 win season. Bills fans legitimately could have expected 10-12 wins. One team is underperforming expectations this season, and they'll be playing at home tomorrow. In many respects I have come to look at Browns-Bills matchups in the same way as AFC East games. Regardless of record, the unexpected often occurs. I do not want the Browns to win, but I won't be surprised if they do. Meanwhile, it can only be up from here, (it obviously cannot get worse - by definition), for the Browns. The Bills are at serious risk of reentering extreme murkiness with several FA's possibly bolting and a very tenuous coaching and QB situation. To me, it is more difficult to maintain enthusiasm for my team when they are gross underachievers, and are entering a period of high uncertainty. The Browns are making rookie mistakes, and it is a virtual certainty that they'll be better next season. You'll have amnesia about this season soon enough; Bills fans will be suffering ulcers because of this season for awhile. (Oh, the name is Dan Kilkenny is the place in Ireland.)
Fair enough....That was very well put Dan. Sorry for messing up your name. Heck, I thought it was a "South Park" reference. lol! Truthfully, I'm usually much more optimistic about my Browns. They just seem so outmatched this year, it's hard for me to imagine them actually winning against any team. I was just looking at it straight up Browns versus Bills, but you are absolutely right about the unpredictable outcomes that often result when these teams hook up. I know you want Buffalo to win, and I get exactly what you are saying about the disappointment that Bills fans are experiencing after understandibly having high expectations this season. I'm 47, so I can actually remember a time when the Browns were not a train wreck, and I know exactly that feeling that you described so well, when expectation are not met......I'm hoping we can pull the upset today, but sadly, I fear we are on a mission to take Detroit off the hook as the only team to pull off an 0-16....
I have a soft spot for the Lions, too. I want them to keep all their records unblemished. First, my cat is a huge Lions fan (well, my cat is a dope). Second, Ralph Wilson was from Detroit and he is the opposite of your former owner (I do not speak the name, either), in that he had plenty of offers to move the Bills for the sake of more money. Ralph maintained his loyalty to Buffalo. Anything to do with Detroit and football is alright by me. BTW, the Bills first season, the team wore blue & silver unis. I swear Ralph must of had hand-me-downs from the Lions. While I was alive then, I was too young to remember that image myself. Still, in the end, I hope the Lions get to keep their record 0-fer all to themselves.
Here's a rather glaring stat for today's game: The Bills lead the NFL in rushing yards and rushing TD's. The Browns lead the NFL in giving up rushing yards and rushing TD's....So, good news for those that have Lesean McCoy in the ol fantasy line up today...I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict a solid performance from him this afternoon...
I have the upmost respect for MR Wilson . he was a stand up guy . he voted against the Browns move ..ROT IN ETERNAL HELL MODELL YOU PHUQUING RAT BASTARD !!! During the Browns absence he bussed up a few Browns fans to set up a DAWG pound in Buffalo all on his dime . I myself have a soft spot for the Lake Erie teams myself . my father sold for Ford .I have a bunch of Lions players autographs from the sixties / seventies .most of them are on bar napkins ..yes my old man liked to have a good time *DRINK* Good luck to the Bills ..after today !
Browns futility continues in Buffalo Fred Greetham 1:49 PM The Browns lost their 14th game of the season, 33-13 to the Buffalo Bills The march continues--the march to the bottom, that is. The Browns dropped their 14th-straight game of the 2016 season and 17th overall, dating back to Dec. 13, 2015 with a 33-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Browns only have two chances left to avoid being the only the second NFL team to go winless in 16 games. They play host to the San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve and then close out the season on New Year's Day against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.? The Browns will have no lower than the third draft pick in the 2017 NFL Draft as the San Francisco 49ers (1-12) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12) are the only two teams that could have a worse record than the Browns.? In the loss, the Browns have now given up 30 or more points for the seventh time this season. The fewest points the Browns have given up all season is 23, just last week against the Bengals. The Browns have not score at least 20 points in nine games and haven't scored more than 13 points in six-straight games, since Oct. 30 when they lost to the Jets, 31-28. The same things that have plagued the Browns all season continued to show up. When the offense was able to get something going, the defense couldn't get off the field. When the defense would make a stop, the offense could do little. The Bills rushed for 280 yards and had 451 yards of total offense. Buffalo came into the game as the number one rushing offense in the NFL, while the Browns were the 31st ranked rush defense.? The Browns had one good drive in the first half and moved to the Bills five-yard line after a Duke Johnson run, just after Isaiah Crowell had a 25-yard run. However, Crowell was dropped for a two-yard loss and then back-to-back sacks on Robert Griffin III forced the Browns to kick a 35-yard field goal by Cody Parkey to tie the game at three, with 3:50 to play in the first quarter. The Bills answered with two long touchdown drives, including a 91-yard touchdown drive just before halftime to take a 17-3 lead at the half. ?Most of the drives were led by LeSean McCoy, who was gashing the Browns defense all day. McCoy rushed for 153 yards, including two touchdowns and went over the 1,000 yard mark in the first half.? The Browns had a glimmer of hope after the first drive of the second half when they drove 80 yards with Griffin scrambling out of the pocket for an 18-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17-10 with 8:58 to play in the third quarter. The big play on the drive was a 33-yard pass from Griffin to Andrew Hawkins on third-and-11 to the Bills' 35. Johnson had a 13-yard run around left end on the next play and then two plays later, Griffin was flushed out of the pocket and was able to dive in from three yards out.? However, similar to a week ago when the Browns closed the gap with the Bengals, the defense allowed the Bills to go right down the field for a McCoy touchdown to extend the lead back to two touchdowns, 24-10 with 5:50 left in third quarter. Danny Shelton roughed Taylor which moved the ball into the Browns territory and then Tyrod Taylor scrambled for 35 yards to set up McCoy's touchdown run. Taylor rushed for 49 yards, as well.? The Browns had a promising drive on the next possession shot down as Joe Thomas was called for holding after Griffin run to the five-yard line. The Browns big play on the drive was a 28-yard pass to Gary Barnidqe, followed by a personal foul on Zach Brown for hitting Griffin in the helmet taking the ball to the Bills' 13. After stalling, Parkey kicked his second field goal to make it 24-13 with 1:32 to play in the third quarter.? McCoy scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter to make it 30-13 with 12:38 to play in the game. ?The Bills tacked on a 34-yard field goal with 7:21 to play to close out the scoring.? Extra Points RG3: Robert Griffin III vowed that he would have much better production against the Bills in his second start. Griffin was a little better, but the results were the same for the most part. Griffin scored the Browns only touchdown of the game on an 18-yard scramble. Griffin finished with 48 yards rushing on eight carries, including the touchdown. He was 17-of-28 for 196 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and a rating of 81.8. Griffin was sacked five times.? Ogbah Sack: DE Emmanuel Ogbah picked up another sack in the second quarter to give him 5.5 so far in his rookie season. Ogbah had 1.5 last week and now has 2.5 in the last two games. Other than that, The Browns had very little pressure on QB Tyrod Taylor once again and had just one sack. LB Demario Davis and LB Christian Kirksey led the Browns with eight tackles.? Nothing to Crow About: RB Isaiah Crowell talked about wanting to rush for 1,000 yards this season. He needed just under 300 yards to reach the 1,000 yard plateau before season's end, but had just 28 yards on eight carries. Crowell had a 25-yard run in the second quarter, but had just 29 yards in the first half. In the second half, Crowell had minus one yard.? Duke's Day: RB Duke Johnson had four carries for 29 yards and caught five passes for 62 yards.? One for the Road: WR Andrew Hawkins had just one catch for 33 yards. Two for the Road: TE Gary Barnidge ?had two catches for 35 yards.? Three for the Road: WR Corey Coleman had three receptions for 24 yards. Four for the Road: WR Terrelle Pryor caught four passes for 19 yards.? Change Plans: When the Browns have won the coin toss to open the game, they have deferred all season and started on defense. However, after giving up opening drive scores frequently, they elected to take the ball on the opening kickoff against the Bills. After a holding penalty by OL Jonathan Cooper killed the drive they punted and the Bills drove for a field goal on their opening drive. Super Mario: The Browns signed WR Mario Alford to their practice squad early in the week and then promoted him to the active roster on Friday. He was active on Sunday and returned punts and kickoffs. Alford had four kickoff returns for 74 yards (18.5 avg.) and two punt returns for 23 yards (11.5 avg.). Haden, Telfer Hurt: TE Randall Telfer was hurt in the second quarter, but returned. DB Joe Haden left in the second half and did not return.? Hue Cannot Find the Flag:H?Hue Jackson had so much clothing on he couldn't find the challenge flag for several moments when he wanted to challenge whether !B Robert Griffin III stepped out of bounds or not. However, after Jackson finally found the flag and challenged, the officials said the play couldn't be challenged Griffin clearly didn't step out of bounds before he was able to throw the ball away, but the officials ruled Griffin down for an 8-yard sack.