You all know me, I can't stay away...however, I am not going to get in the silly back and forths that I usually do. I don't have the time or energy to deal with it. MY OPINION is that we (that includes you SAS) better get on board with Kizer because Hue has hitched his wagon to him. I believe this regime has hooked their wagon to him and you will not see another QB drafted in the first two rounds of 2018. If they draft another QB, this regime will not last to year 4...and they know it. I still believe this team needs continuity and growth, that is the only way they become a unit that competes week in and week out. Starting over after 2 seasons, well, that is where I will give up on this franchise (and the rest of you "fans") for good. That will be the last straw for me. I am hitching my wagon to this team with the hopes that more talent and weapons will be added to this team that will grow together. Because frankly, I am sick of starting over and I am sick of coming onto these boards and listening to the same drivel over and over...."we need to be patient with this team and grow. They need to be given at least 4-5 years to see what they can actually build"(preseason)..."We need to burn the roster, most of these guys suck(after their first 2-3 games as pros), the coach sucks (with talent that has less than two years of game experience), they just need to start over and get it right this time"...It's the same sorry shit over and over. Many of the fans are just as bad as the ownership with their rhetoric. Putting something down in writing doesn't make it real. It is just an opinion that something current will stay current with no chance for change.
FYI... Kizer to ALL receivers (includes backs and tight end) without Britt: 65 of 120 (54.2%), 643 yard (5.0 YPA), 2 TDs (1.7%), 6 INTs (5.0%), 54.3 QB rating
If you don't love it, leave it. This team quit on its head coach in Week 4 of the regular season. These fans quit on their team, most of the stadium emptying at halftime. How can you blame them? What hope have they seen that it's getting better? What progress have we seen? You're dead wrong when you insist that Kizer - and the team overall - isn't regressing by the week. And most distrubingly was the head coach who, after his worst game to date, said Kizer played "lights out", played "his best game yet", and "improved dramatically". Again, for a refresher course: 16 of 34 (47.1%) for 118 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 3.5 YPA, 43.5 QB rating ... a game in which he was benched!
SAS, you are entertaining with all of your memes, but you need to change your moniker.. "less of a profit, more of a humorist" Everything you say is irrelevant until this team has more talent and has more experience. Put any other QB on your list with this roster and it will be the same outcome. Put Kizer on a more experienced roster and a coach that doesn't abandon the run and/or put the offense into 3rd and long constantly and he may well be looked at more promising as well. You are really going against the main stream in saying he has no chance to get better, or saying he is terrible, etc... Maybe you will turn out to be right, but I can say you are wasting some negative energy, because this regime is going to let it play out. Barring injury, they are not going to replace him with a back up talent, whether it's Hogan or Kessler. Put Hogan or Kessler on ANY ROSTER IN THE NFL, including ours...and you will be forever searching for their replacement.
And again, we are talking about someone who has been coaching his entire adulthood, vs. some guy who sits on his armchair and recites stats. Kizer came from a ND team where the coaching was abysmal. He NEEDS a lot to get to the next level, and then will need a lot to get to the next level after that. This is not an overnight cocoon to butterfly scenario. What you see is only surface deep. You have absolutely no idea what they asked Kizer to work on in this game. They could have been "teaching" both receiver and QB to get on a timing pattern of comeback routes, as I saw the vast majority of the throws short this week compared to past weeks and the receivers all coming out of their routes on comebacks, some worked it better than others. But if you watch the game a little more closely, that seemed to be what was happening. This team is so young, every game is a learning opportunity for this coaching staff. They don't get enough time preseason any more. That may very well be what Britt meant by, this offense will be scary good come November and December. It's sounds like their plan has stages. It will probably look ugly to the lay man...well, pretty much to everyone. But, that doesn't mean there isn't more going on there than a stat line. Kizer may have done everything the coaching staff asked him to do...which could garner a "best game yet" tag. Last week it seemed they were working TEs and backs more, this week it was the WRs more it seemed. It looks more like practice reps than actually game plans if you break down each week. The one thing I do think would help is maintaining a running attack that can gain momentum. Shutting it down after a single score by the opponent doesn't help anyone grow, imho. This offense has looked pretty bad, but it has also looked very predictable...which makes adjustments easy for a defense.
Hogan has appeared twice already this year, and he has played better than our starter...Maybe he is a career back-up, but right now, he gives us a better chance to win. Kizer is trying to do too much. Sure, it does have to suck as a QB, when the last thought that passes through your head as you throw the ball is, "Geez. I hope I don't hit him in the hands."....but it is what it is. I know coach said he's NOT going to sit Kizer, but IMO that's just another big mistake by Hue...
Replace Kessler with Hogan, I don't care. #AnyoneButKizer FWIW... Hogan: 5 drives, 17 points (3.4 per drive) Kizer: 44 drives, 46 points (1.0 per drive) Kizer is on track to score 184 points on the season. The Browns scored 264 last season going 1-15 with a worse roster. Kizer is also on track for a QB line like: 283 completion, 597 attempts, (47.3%), 2,891 yards (180.7 YPG), 11 TDs, 37 INTs, 21 sacks, 41.6 QB rating
Hue and the Browns need to prioritize wins at this point. To hell with Kizer's development. I said two years to begin with that he needed to be developed. After seeing him through four games, I (A) believe he'll never get it, but (B) will take at least four years of development to be NFL-ready.
I would simply explain to Kizer that this isn't all on him, and I'd give him a game or two on the bench to regroup.. This is a collective team failure. The QB gets most of the blame. That's football.....He's a big boy. I'd think he'd be expecting it.... All I know is I can't watch anymore of this product. The entertainment aspect is long gone. A quarter of the season is behind us and we haven't found ANY offensive rhythm whatsoever. Nothing. It's been a fest of penalties, drops and shitty passes. Am I missing anything? We've had ONE standout on offense in Duke Johnson...And that's been mostly receiving. The running game hasn't been seen since last October. I'd give Hogan a shot...Clearly Kizer isn't ready. and I don't expect it to happen...Hue seems determined to go down in flames.
Tight ends group has been silently really good... Hue prefer deeper, more vertical routes - throws our QB simply cannot make with any accuracy. If he were a better offensive coordinator, he'd develop game plans that featured the tight ends and running backs. More of a game management approach while everyone got on the same page. You could lean on the running game. And it would help to mix in rhythm and timing passes with a short- to intermediate-route tree that a QB with above-average accuracy could OH MY GOD IT'S CODY KESSLER AGAIN!! I can't help it, he's just so damn dreamy.
Pretty simple to explain, Kizer is being built to be a starter in the NFL. Hogan is a backup. When a backup comes into the game the plan goes to a much simpler version. It is sustainable for a game or two, but game film would ruin Hogan as a viable starter against a team that game plans against him. Hogan does not have the make up of a successful starter in this league. You would not accelerate anyone's growth by using him as the starter. Kizer is doing too much...it's part of the rookie curve EVERYONE expected when he was named starter. Nothing has changed since week one, except for the reality that the rookie curve exists, instead of talking about it and secretly hoping it wouldn't pertain to Kizer.
Okay, so after some diversions let's get back to your original premise, @TopDawg... Where Do We Go From Here Hopefully, Jimmy Haslam calls an "all-hands" meeting with coaches, coordinators, and front office folks. They need to have a round-table discussion with their grievances, immediate asks, and things they can immediately fix. One-by-one, go around the table and listen to all the voices. Gregg Williams - what can you fix immediately and what do you need? Immediately stop playing the safeties 20+ yards deep on all plays. This is not necessary and is taking defenders completely out of the play. It's understandable you don't trust your cornerbacks completely let, but the linebackers do not have the range to cover the short middle all the way to deep middle. You do this, and we can try to give you what you need - a suitable cornerback on the roster. We'll reach out to Los Angeles and try to wrangle Trumaine Johnson away from them, even at the cost of a second round pick. Hue Jackson - what can you fix immediately and what do you need? Immediately script running plays heavily through the first two quarters. Your offensive approach with this quarterback is atrocious. Will you bench Kizer? Hue: *unequivocally no* Fine... then this is on you. We can't help you until you take the ball out of your quarterback's hands. If you agree to shift in offensive identity, we can try to get you a new pass catcher. We can't cut Kenny Britt but maybe we can add a Jarvis Landry or even Odell Beckham for the right price. But if we do this, you must get production out of Kizer. Front Office - what can you fix immediately and what do you need? We can make these trades happen, but we need buy-in from coaches that they'll execute these fundamental changes in their gameplans. We need to be clear that if we get these coaches what they want and they continue to flounder, the assumption of risk is on them. Our jobs must remain safe before we open up the purse strings. Haslam:
Is that your "Expert" opinion? Prioritize the need for 2-3 wins? Because that is what you will get with backups playing QB...Kessler was 0-8 and you NEVER called for his head. Where was the prioritization at that time for wins? They are trying to build a team that will be ready to contend for a Super Bowl in a few years, not prioritize winning 3 games to appease the fan base for 3 weeks out of the 16 week season. That's an asinine comment..."To hell with Kizer's development".
You think DeShone Kizer is a viable NFL quarterback. Ergo, My Opinion > Your Opinion I hope you realize the extreme irony in this sentence. Kessler was supposed to be the QB being developed for future success. Hue Jackson pulled the plug after the worst QB mismanagement we've seen since Couch/Holcomb. Does someone else want to tell him? If Hue Jackson doesn't win some games this year, he's not coming back. If Hue goes, so does DeShone Kizer. Kizer is regressing daily and at this point, nearly any other QB available would be a dramatic improvement. Jackson, if he wants to keep his job, needs to prioritize wins and develop a quarterback - Hogan, Kessler, heretofore unnamed free agent - who can be groomed to get them there. Spoiler Well, you would know.
