DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Baker was locked in on Odell

He literally completed 20+ consecutive passes, after Odell was out of the game. Look at the Phoenix Suns, chemistry is everything.

I’m not saying it can’t work, it just needs to.

This has been talked about for quite sometime now.

The overwhelming belief is that the fault for the failure of OBJ lies with Bake. I think Bake took huge steps last season particularly in the second half of the season in becoming a great NFL QB.

I would be shocked if Bake and OBJ together don't have great years. Bake had to and needed to learn to pick his spots where he used OBJ. More so then getting OBJ involved Bake needs to stay focused on getting the ball to whomever is open and has favorable coverage matchups.

Teams last year and I would assume this year as well will concentrate on 2 things when dealing with the Browns offense. Taking away Chubb and OBJ, what Bake needs to do is make them pay for over committing to taking these guys away by hitting other players for chunks. I look for Njoku to become a huge weapon this season for the Browns, enough so to draw away some of the coverages from OBJ and from there we rock other teams worlds.

I think Baker has progressed to the point that just because a player might be the #1 target on a play doesn't mean he will force it to him.

Last year forced him to do that some, and possibly forced the play calling to go that way as well.

On any given play, somebody is bound to be open. Hopefully Baker sees in pre read and at post snap he sees who is most likely to have a 1 on 1 or who has the best chance to drop in a zone gap.

Your post was both clear and accurate. Now that Stafanski's offense is in its second year the team can be more varied in its attack. Baker's comfort with and command of the offense will allow him to distribute the ball wherever it needs to go.

The myth that OBJ's ego is a problem will be buried this season. With all the weapons the Browns have he'll get his touches in the natural flow of the offense.

Time will tell if Baker can spread the ball around and not just lock in on OBJ. Hopefully, so.

It will.

I think last year forced Baker in to doing just that. Now that he has a comfort and trust level with other receivers on the field, and a better understand of reading defensive alignments, he isn't going to simply lock in on one guy unless it is some sort of quick hitter pass with the goal to gain 2-3-4 yards to get a 1st down or quick TD .

Yes. This isn't OBJ's Team, or Jarvis's Team, or Chubb's Team, or Garrett's, Ward's, or anyone else's... this is and needs to be Baker's Team. We aren't going far if Baker doesn't take charge. I'm excited not only for this season but for the future of Browns football.

When did he start playing on the defense? There are two sides to football. It's not "insert players name" team. Football is the ultimate team sport where everyone is relying on everyone else.

I think Freddie drilled the 'get the ball to OBJ/playmakers' thing into Baker's head and I honestly think that resolved itself last year when the lights finally came on for Baker. I expect that we will pick up right where we left off by game two. Game one is a toss up for me, we will either come out ballin or be the same old Browns who lose the first game every damn year.

I think Baker is now mature enough, comfortable in not only the system but his locker room clout, that it will now be up to OBJ to earn the touches. Or more pointedly, he will get open more often because we have too many weapons for defenders to double-team him all game.

If it were me I’d rarely throw to him deep - we have other guys who can stretch the field - I’d get him the underneath stuff and let him go to work.

OBJ will not get his 90 catches, I suspect. Thusly, he will have to accept - and maybe he already has - that he is a spoke in the wheel now - he ain’t the whole wheel.

j/c

I think the Baker focus on OBJ was simply a factor of everything being new...AGAIN...there being a shortened off-season of contact...and a fallback thought process of getting the ball to an elite athlete when nothing else is making any sense in the chaos of the flow.

I don't think that was the design and I don't think OBJ was whining about touches...I think that was the symptom of a different issue. JMO.

I think if you all go to the expectations thread and see the video Guard Dog posted and do a bit of addition you will find the culprit that has held Bake back.

This truly isn't complicated Bake was the victim of poor coaching and now he is about to be the benefactor a good coaching.

Mark my words Baker and OBJ are going to light it up this year, just you watch.

I can get onboard with this assessment. I'm not concerned with OBJ as some. I have friends tell me they're worried about the OBJ and Baker connection as well as I read it constantly on social media and Browns twitter. On that note it is fun to see how many people really don't know how good we really are... we aren't going to be stopped unless we do it ourselves.

Vegas odds probably have OBJ, over under years in Cle at 1.5

I’ll take the over, and it’s absolutely because of Jarvis.

As long as OBJ is a team player and not being a diva WR, I'm good with him on the team. Of course I would like to see more production out of him, but I don't lay that 100% on OBJ or Baker. I think a combination of crap coaching, injuries, and both players getting on the same page at the same time have been the issues.

Now if they can't sync up this year and be productive (barring injury of course), then I would have to start looking at shipping OBJ.

I think Jarvis and Odell have to restructure their deals, to hit that over 1.5 years.

I don’t see them not playing together in 2 years, I think it means that much to them.

Kevin will sort all this out.

OBJ will have to realize he isn't our only weapon.

OBJ wasn't throwing the ball to OBJ.

This is one of my bigger concerns going into this season … OBJ’s chemistry with the offense (and vice versa). We simply haven’t looked good with him on the field (save a few flashes here or there).

We have to figure a way to make him organically fit into the success that we have on the ground, in PA, etc

Just keep locked in on Higgins, lol.