Baker started off the game about as bad as any QB could.
then he completely turned it around and started shredding the bengals defense.
coincidentally, this happened after OBJ went down with the injury.
OBJ is an elite WR. that being said, Baker was forced to play like rookie mayfield, throwing it all over the field to a bunch of different guys.
at this point, if Stefanski hasn't noticed the crazy chemistry between Baker and higgins, he needs his eyes checked. Landry is the best WR on this team, but higgins is MONEY with baker. he needs to be playing over guys like hodge. period.
but yea, saw more 2 TE sets, bryant and njoku making plays left and right.
and man, 2nd half baker.....wow. just freaking wow. he made throw
after throw
after throw
2nd half mayfield looked like the guy we picked #1 overall. that last drive.....smh wow. just wow. the ball placement, higgins and peoples-jones making great catches, it was beautiful.
our defense is hot garbage, except our D line. we gotta do something about the secondary.
but guess what DT???
WE ARE 5-2. yea, its the bengals, but a win is a FREAKING WIN!!!!
If baker could play cincy every week he’d be hof. This offense is resilient but the defense is trash. You have to make some trades before deadline to fix if you even want to dream about playing in playoffs. I think you could get something for njoku and obj. Not enough to fix everything but a couple pieces to help now and some draft capital for later. When you don’t force a single punt against a 1-4 team you have issues
YOU GAVE UP 100 COMPLETIONS TO THIS ROOKIE SON OF DOG QB
1-800- RUNNING - BACK!!!
DID LANDRY PLAY TODAY???
Hunt, can't change direction
YOu are a running team!! With NO Running back,
the 2 3rd stringers didn't do anything
HUNT HAS YET TO GIVE MORE THAN A QUARTER AND A HALF OF REGULAR DUTY CARIES SINCE HE SIGNE LAST YEAR, /PER ONE GAME.
SO NO CHUBB = No RB, for a team that best recipe to win is Run all day long.
UN BELEIVABLE- OIC, ONLY IN CLEVELAND.
5-2 MADE UP NO GROUND IN THE DIVISION.
OIC ONLY IN CLEVELAND.
Unhappy!
It could be so much better, this game shouldn't have been close, it's right in front of your team, and BAM they stare at it like it's a poisonous carrot.
Anyone can say what they want about Baker, but he showed up in that second half in a big way. Big way.
Our defense is all Garrett and at times Ward. Outside that they are garbage. At 49 and grossly out of Covid19-can't go to Planet Fitness to exercise--shape, I think I can do better than Sandejo.
All this talk about getting OBJ in the game, I really think they may be better off without him. It isn't that I think ill of OBJ, just that Baker plays better when he isn't playing and Higgins makes plays all game long. Why force something that ain't there?
Yes so glad at that ending. I've been begging for 2 years to use Higgins and Njoku (although I know a lot of you still don't like him) and it was finally forced by the OBJ injury.
We also started throwing to Hunt in the flat.
I hope Coach can learn from this one cuz because he was forced he was making a lot of boneheaded calls.
Great coaches need to adapt every game and again within each game. You can't just do the same plan over and over.
- Baker completed 22 passes in a row including 5 TDs.
- Baker was a completely different played once OBJ was off the field. His game is night and day w/o OBJ. None of that is OBJ's fault either. He's an amazing talent.
- The Bengals never punted today.
- OL played great all day.
- The back 7 on this team, save for Ward, are absolutely horrendous.
- Hollywood Higgins produces wehn given the opportinuty. 6 receptions on 6 targets for 110 yards. What a hero!
- DPJ with a huge TD and kept his feet in bounds.
- Money Mitchell needs to lose the nickname 'Money'.
- It's the Bengals, but that comeback win will be good for the teams psyche.
I feel with OBJ out Baker didn't have to focus on him, and that made it easier for Baker to look over the field for the open receiver. jmo. Winning games like this is something this team didn't do much of in the past.
Please, Baker Stunk up the first half, and again, threw a dumb pick at the beginning of the game. What Stefanski did was call plays where Baker was making 1 read. Then he lit it up. Also, Stefasnki had Baker hit some check downs....
But the TE's played good and the line gave protection. The D.. that needs work and the DC gotta answer for this.
He had a big or bigger gain in the first half and a couple other catches...but I think Baker had more favorable match ups to throw to, thus Higgins and Hunter coming alive on yeah and DPJ
It was a rough first half but after that was a real crazy game to watch. The rest of the game made me nervous, excited and of course I'm happy we won and didn't blow it at the end. What a pass/catch/TD!
once again, huge shout out to the OL today. they kept baker clean, open up some decent holes for kareem, and just controlled the LoS. another good game by the big guys!
On the radii they just said bekham has majore knee injury and is feared to bw done for season.
Candidate for most misspellings in one post and it’s only one sentence. A masterpiece.
Ok grammer police your still angry i made you look like a fool on the baker thread. You actually said farve and brees started playing football 30 years ago lol. Not to mention you forgot brees still plays to this day lololol
Three wins above 500. I have waited a long time to get here.
Since Baker became the starter I have wanted to see him win a game like this. Be trailing late. Come down the field against the clock and win a game with a TD throw.
It sure didn't start like that. I was ready for Case Keenam.
Still more than half a season to go. I hope we can improve.
The defense was hard to watch. The play at linebacker and safety is atrocious.
Burrow is a impressive young player. His poise under pressure for a rookie is truly something.
I will rewatch this game to really look at things but for now I am thrilled to have won.
On the radii they just said bekham has majore knee injury and is feared to bw done for season.
Candidate for most misspellings in one post and it’s only one sentence. A masterpiece.
Ok grammer police your still angry i made you look like a fool on the baker thread. You actually said farve and brees started playing football 30 years ago lol. Not to mention you forgot brees still plays to this day lololol
I know it might be crazy but does anyone think OBJ is faking? Watching the whole replay a few times I don’t see anything consistent with knee injury
Watch the reply in slow mo and you can clearly see OBJ's ankle get twisted 90 degrees when it got jammed into the turf. That had to put tons of stress on his knee. It looked painful.
Am I the only one that had a problem with the coverage on Hail Mary? I'd rather apply little pressure and not let him just throw it!
I thought he whole last possession was strange .. kicked it short, they returned it to the 45 ... then we just let a free pass to the end zone where they have AJ Green and Boyd waiting
Am I the only one that had a problem with the coverage on Hail Mary? I'd rather apply little pressure and not let him just throw it!
I thought he whole last possession was strange .. kicked it short, they returned it to the 45 ... then we just let a free pass to the end zone where they have AJ Green and Boyd waiting
I know thank God Redwine was behind the play and in front of a Bengal WR
Parkey’s missed PA won me $175 (I needed the Browns to win by 3 or less and nailed a couple other games)!
On the Hail Mary at the end of the game, it looked like the tipped ball was going to a Bengal. I almost wet myself.
Our pass D is trash, please fix this.
I hope OBJ is okay but it doesn’t sound promising. It’s funny how when he left, our passing O started to blossom.
After Baker’s terrible start, I actually thought Keenum might enter the game by no later then the start of the second half.
Then Baker started smashing it, getting time from his OL to throw the rock around the field, looking like the brash and confident rookie of two years ago.
DPJ with his coming out party, what a sensational couple of throws and catches on our final drive he and Higgins had.
Hollywood! PLAY da man, KS! All he does is catch footballs....
I’m happy, 5-2 and soon we’ll have Wyatt and Chubb back. Buckle up, dawgs, it’s gonna be a wild ride.
Lots of issues with this team, but also hope. They don’t give up like they used to, and that is coaching, and that is huge. We need more talent on defense and we need Baker to be the guy. Still much to do and see with this team.
On the radii they just said bekham has majore knee injury and is feared to bw done for season.
Candidate for most misspellings in one post and it’s only one sentence. A masterpiece.
Ok grammer police your still angry i made you look like a fool on the baker thread. You actually said farve and brees started playing football 30 years ago lol. Not to mention you forgot brees still plays to this day lololol
What is happening here?
Lol nice try! Here since you "forgot " lol Originally Posted By: cfrs15
Originally Posted By: slick
Give the kid time. Its his fourth offense in three seasons. San Diego wrote off drew brees as a bust and we all know how big of a mistake that was. Here is a LINK comparing bakers first three seasons to both brees and farve.
Stop comparing Baker’s stats to QBs from 30 years ago. The NFL is totally different.
Lol brees is still playing, and farve retired 10 years ago both have been through the changes in the nfl. Nice try though. Im assuming after looking at how similar the stats were you had no argument so instead you say stop comparing him to qbs from 30 years ago even though brees hasnt been in the nfl 30 years and is still playing lol.
We won in style, with our offense on the field for a game winning drive.
Can I just point out how good Stefanski has done with game and clock management? Did you notice all that he was doing to save time with 8 minutes remaining, knowing that we would likely give up another score and need time on the clock to come back?
So many things, right there for the taking, I feel, could have made it a blowout win.
5-2 is the record that helps get closer to the play-offs. Blow outs are nice but it does nothing to the win / loss column.
Keep in mind, the guy you're responding to said we were going to lose going into this game. Soooo take his opinion with a grain of salt.
I didn't say the Browns were not going to win, (at least in the instance I'm recalling) I said, " You Can't Win!" and included, "if you only win one more all year beat the Bengals in Cinincinnati" It's a motivational read, given your screen name I'd have thought you'd be all over it.
Once again nice try. The sad part is you would rather try to "act" confused then to admit you are wrong like a MAN. You told me to stop comparing baker to qbs from 30 years ago when i posted a link comparing bakers first 3 seasons stats to farve and brees first 3 seasons. Neither one of them played 30 years ago and Brees still plays to this day.
Baker Mayfield outduels Joe Burrow as Cleveland Browns edge Cincinnati Bengals
Baker Mayfield's first quarter Sunday against Cincinnati couldn't have gone any worse.
But from then on, the Cleveland Browns quarterback was perfect.
Literally.
Mayfield rebounded from a 0-of-5 start, including an interception on his first throw, to break a franchise record with 21 consecutive completions, propelling Cleveland to a thrilling 37-34 comeback victory over the Bengals.
Mayfield finished 22-of-28 passing with 297 yards and five touchdowns, with three coming in a wild back-and-forth fourth quarter.
His final touchdown was a winning 24-yard strike to rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones with just 15 seconds remaining. His only incompletion after the first quarter was a spike to stop the clock on the final drive.
Mayfield passed Bernie Kosar (1989) and Kelly Holcomb (2003), who previously shared the Browns' record with 16 straight completions. No other Cleveland quarterback in the past 30 seasons had tossed three touchdowns in a fourth quarter, either, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and none since Derek Anderson in 2007 had thrown five in a game.
Mayfield outdueled Cincinnati rookie quarterback Joe Burrow in a shootout of former Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 overall picks.
Burrow completed 35 of 47 passes for 406 yards, the first 400-yard passing game of his pro career. Despite losing three starting offensive linemen to injury during the game, Burrow also threw three touchdowns and rushed for another. On fourth-and-1, he connected on a 3-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass to running back Giovani Bernard with just over a minute to play, which set up Mayfield's late-game heroics.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first game in NFL history with five go-ahead touchdown passes in a fourth quarter.
What's this weird thing happening between the two of you? I think you all should get a room.
Made him look silly on one of the baker comparison threads. Now he feels the need to take little shots at me about spelling. As I am sure you know its easy to hit the wrong letter when using the touch screen on your cell phone.
- I have been critical of Baker, and the first quarter certainly added fuel to that fire. That pick was pathetic. No accuracy. We were in the 2nd quarter and he completed more passes to Bengals than he did Browns.
- Since that 0-5 and 1 INT start? Completely different player. He was accurate. He was spreading the ball around. He showed glimpses of what we want in our QB.
- Those TD throws to Njoku and #11 (some hyphenated name that escapes me) were where they needed to be. Both were really nice catches by the receivers as well, but the throws were where they needed to be.
- That said, in order for Baker, and this team, to take the next step, we need to beat the good teams. Beating a 1-win team by 3 points does not give me warm and fuzzies about the remainder of the season. Yes we won a game we should have won. This season we have not yet lost a game we should have won and that is progress. It's a good feeling. Next step is to beat good/average teams.
- I can give Baker credit where credit is due. A couple of times we absolutely needed a TD and he delivered. He carried his share of the load this game. 5 TDs, I guess a career best?
- Wondering something. Those of you who excused his play last week (the apologists) and blamed it all on the line. This week the credit for his good play goes to the line, no?
- I really would like to see fewer of the WR runs. It can be a nice play, but I think we run it too much.
- Sandejo, really, needs to go. Every game he has a major negative impact. I am really tired of seeing him chasing TEs from 3 yards behind and then dive on the pile when someone tackles him. That TE from Las Vegas will have a career game next week.
- Takitaki can go as well. He is the LB version of Sandejo.
- I am a fan of Mitchell, but I would not have lost a couple years of my life if he would have held on to that pick. You gotta catch those room-service picks.
- Very glad we did not go into OT. We could not stop their offense to save our lives. They win the toss, it's game. How many 2nd and 10s did they convert?
- Seems like they were getting away with some push offs.
Those two thoughts are TOTALLY UNFOUNDED, He's the #1 on the team, the team gave up too much to get him, and he just had a 3 touchdown day against Dallas, You act like he's in the doghouse, and you haven't even let the ink dry on his KNEE INJURY.
I feel with OBJ out Baker didn't have to focus on him, and that made it easier for Baker to look over the field for the open receiver. jmo. Winning games like this is something this team didn't do much of in the past.
Learning how to win.
It's quite possibly the same dynamic that we saw with Brian Hoyer the year Josh Gordon came back from suspension. The mere presence of such an outstanding talent seduced Hoyer out of that rhythm he'd established by spreading the ball around. Chemistry is sometimes more important than individual talent.
I agree that this team has needed to learn how to win games like this- for years and years. A few more like this could help this young team turn a corner in it's learning curve.
I have to admit, I was looking to have Baker benched early in the game - glad I was wrong.
I wish we had a defense.
Same here, Baker rebounded pretty well. It was a pleasent surprise.
THe defense on the other hand....lol The D-line does their job but outside of that no good words can be spoken other than Denzel Ward. He played a hell of a game, otherwise I just want to throw up. But we won, no complaining here,
Those two thoughts are TOTALLY UNFOUNDED, He's the #1 on the team, the team gave up too much to get him, and he just had a 3 touchdown day against Dallas, You act like he's in the doghouse, and you haven't even let the ink dry on his KNEE INJURY.
What do we have to do to get you acclimated to the idea of OBJ not being on the team. We need to let him go because it messes with Baker's rhythm. If OBJ didn't get injured we lose this game, 100% guaranteed.
Those two thoughts are TOTALLY UNFOUNDED, He's the #1 on the team, the team gave up too much to get him, and he just had a 3 touchdown day against Dallas, You act like he's in the doghouse, and you haven't even let the ink dry on his KNEE INJURY.
I didn't say that brings me joy. I didn't wish a season-ending injury on a very good player. But as I look forward, I see Baker building chemistry with the other receivers. Side-lined OBJ's trade value might look pretty good in the spring.
So, you are blaming Baker's struggles w/reading coverages, not being able to deal w/pressure, and inability to beat the blitz on OBJ?
Again........ridiculous. I have to get off this thread.
You have an agenda and this scenario does not fit said agenda. We can all see that much for sure.
OBJ has never been the end all be all of football in Cleveland. He is a good WR but only gives us glimpses of Elite WR. Baker is much the same, good with glimpses of elite. But both can be play bad at times too.
I personally think OBJ can and has been a distraction to Bakers development at times because he obviously tries too hard to get OBJ involved. Higgins outplayed OBJ today IMHO, and looked good as his replacement. I don't know if that is something that can be a regular thing or not but it looks like we will get to see before anybody ever has to consider trading OBJ or cutting him. So we should just all cool our heels and let the season play out IMHO. Give Baker a break and OBJ, while giving Higgins more reps to see if his and Baker's chemistry is real all the time.
So, you are blaming Baker's struggles w/reading coverages, not being able to deal w/pressure, and inability to beat the blitz on OBJ?
Again........ridiculous. I have to get off this thread.
You have an agenda and this scenario does not fit said agenda. We can all see that much for sure.
OBJ has never been the end all be all of football in Cleveland. He is a good WR but only gives us glimpses of Elite WR. Baker is much the same, good with glimpses of elite. But both can be play bad at times too.
I personally think OBJ can and has been a distraction to Bakers development at times because he obviously tries too hard to get OBJ involved. Higgins outplayed OBJ today IMHO, and looked good as his replacement. I don't know if that is something that can be a regular thing or not but it looks like we will get to see before anybody ever has to consider trading OBJ or cutting him. So we should just all cool our heels and let the season play out IMHO. Give Baker a break and OBJ, while giving Higgins more reps to see if his and Baker's chemistry is real all the time.
OBJ had only two plays before he was injured. Of course Higgins outplayed him. I have read enough from Vers to know he doesn’t have an agenda on OBJ. I will say that the quote you posted was completely wrong. Wait til next year didn’t say any of that stuff.
So, you are blaming Baker's struggles w/reading coverages, not being able to deal w/pressure, and inability to beat the blitz on OBJ?
Again........ridiculous. I have to get off this thread.
You have an agenda and this scenario does not fit said agenda. We can all see that much for sure.
OBJ has never been the end all be all of football in Cleveland. He is a good WR but only gives us glimpses of Elite WR. Baker is much the same, good with glimpses of elite. But both can be play bad at times too.
I personally think OBJ can and has been a distraction to Bakers development at times because he obviously tries too hard to get OBJ involved. Higgins outplayed OBJ today IMHO, and looked good as his replacement. I don't know if that is something that can be a regular thing or not but it looks like we will get to see before anybody ever has to consider trading OBJ or cutting him. So we should just all cool our heels and let the season play out IMHO. Give Baker a break and OBJ, while giving Higgins more reps to see if his and Baker's chemistry is real all the time.
OBJ had only two plays before he was injured. Of course Higgins outplayed him. I have read enough from Vers to know he doesn’t have an agenda on OBJ. I will say that the quote you posted was completely wrong. Wait til next year didn’t say any of that stuff.
I agree, Vers doesn’t. He also thinks OBJ is great and I’d have to agree.
As to all the talk about Baker being better without OBJ... I think there is something to it. It has nothing to do with OBJ’s play. I just think Baker is better when he spreads the ball around. Baker does fix on his primary receiver a lot and seems slow to me to move onto the next read. I believe OBJ leads in targets and definitely defenses key on him. Now that OBJ is injured we will see how the defenses adjust their coverages and Baker’s reaction to it.
I neither like nor dislike OBJ the player. I'm not crazy about some of his antics off the field, but he is good on the field most of the time.
Unlike others, I don't see him as great and elite because he has not been that here other than in flashes and practice (one hand grabs). But OBJ and Landry are easily the most talented WRs on the team IMHO. And without being on the team, in daily practices and games, we really have no idea what other dynamics are at play. Higgins should be playing IMHO, but why is he sitting so much? Is it because he is the back up for OBJ? Is it because others outshine him at practice? Is he still in some kind of doghouse over whatever happened last year? We have no idea what all is going on behind the scenes.
It sucks if OBJ is done for any extended period of time.
But I love seeing Higgins in the game. I am still lost as why he didn't get some playing time going back to last year. All he does is make plays.
Going forward, we have to do something with our defense. Isn't there somebody out there we can get to bring in for Sendejo and Taki? Sendejo has just been horrible.
After a bad start, probably the best game Baker has played here-he was money from the first quarter on.
On a side note, I had to go somewhere and wore my Browns jersey the first week against the Ravens and we got trounced. I didn't wear any Browns gear for 4 weeks-went to take the dog to the park before the steelers game and wore a Browns shirt and coat and got crushed.
So far-No Browns gear on game day 5-0 Wearing my gear on game day 0-2
A lot of injuries in this game...Good pass protection...but definitely was not the best run blocking day...way too much penetration allowed in the run game...Garrett is a beast...love Richardson's motor but the rest of the DLine needs to step up...Our biggest problem on D is at safety. LB is an issue...but they have been adequate...you can win with their play...love BJ Goodsen's leadership...But our safeties are a big issue. You cannot place it all on Sendejo...I like Harrison's promise...but overall we are picked apart by our safeties...most of the plays attacked them and the LB's. The LB's play ok...but with our safety issues ok isn't going to cut it...I actually like our corners between Ward, Mitchell, and Johnson...any catch against them is usually well earned...Wow...not the best of starts for Baker...but that last drive was special...the play I remember most is that first one...about to get dragged down and he side arms it down the middle....actually every play in that drive was memorable...lol...Praying for OBJ...I don't see the selfish player the media make him out to be...but then...I don't trust the media in anything so...lol...I think O'Dell is an amazing player and can single handedly turn a game....like he did in Dallas...we might be a better team without him...Not because he is a disruptive force on the team...he isn't despite the pundits declarations....but because I think we try to force things his way. Today we let the game come to us...and used TE's and with Landry hurting we found Higgins and DPJ stepping up...we threw to the open man instead of trying to force something...Yes we miss Chubb...But we saw some of what was so special about Hunt in KC...not that we hadn't seen these things...but when people were focusing ON HIM...and he was still slipping tackles and getting large chunks....A better day by the OL and he could have had a stellar day...Man Bryant is going to be a beast...and Njoku holy smokes that was an amazing catch...but he always makes the amazing catches...its the easy ones we need to see him make often...but you have to admit...all has done this year when he is in is exactly what we hoped to see from him...I cant see us keeping hooper Bryant and him...next year...So enjoying it now...
I see a safety in our future come draft time...combine with Delpit..Harrison..Joseph and whomever..whether Redwine or another...and I think we can seriously slow down the numbers thrown against us...
So, you are blaming Baker's struggles w/reading coverages, not being able to deal w/pressure, and inability to beat the blitz on OBJ?
Again........ridiculous. I have to get off this thread.
'sup, Vers? long time/no chat. stay safe, bro.
Clemdawg wouldn't say that at all. What I would say are these things- in no particular order of importance:
1. I think much of what you say about Baker is dead on-point. BM has deficiencies that are apparent and well-documented, not by just you on this board, but also by voices from around the league who know The Game.
2. That said, I wonder how much of BM's inability to read the field can be attributed to always having OBJ in his peripheral vision. In a recent post, I read this article that gave a great breakdown of how a QB is supposed to see the field (somebody could prob find it in about 15 seconds, it was a very recent add here). Patterns, colors and movement trends was what I got out of it. The retired QB being quoted in that article also warned about QB's seeing individual players/elements- citing 'tunnel vision' as the culprit behind a s#many bad QB plays. Just going from memory, and surmising out-loud here.
3. It seemed to me that the playcalling changed after OBJ left the field. It took some time for stuff to get worked out, but early in the 2nd half, Baker settled into a groove. Seemed to me that the tempo was ticked up, the plays were simplified, and...
4. ...other players stepped up, because they knew they were needed. Perhaps the presence of OBJ has an effect on them, as well? I can't prove this to be true- like I said, I'm simply musing with the pack tonight.
I think it's possible for your assessment of Baker's current skill set to be 100% factual and analytically accurate, while we Browns fans also get to watch a game flow through a conduit where his natural abilities are accentuated. I think both things can be experienced at the same time, even within the same game.
In Clemdawg's world, both truths can be valid simultaneously. That's the beauty of a game so simple and complex.
Good to talk with you again.
_______________________________
As I assess Baker's perfomance, both pre- and post-OBJ, I deign to (mis)quote Sir Charles Dickens, when I say:
"It was the worst of times; it was the best of times."
Something changed after the team was forced to reshuffle. That change was, to my eyes, for the better.
Now, before anyone chooses to get triggered by these remarks and label me an "Odell Hater," let me put that to rest right now. I think the guy's fantastic. I love what he can bring to a team, a game, or an individual set of downs. That said, I believe that an outsized talent like his is best put to use on a team that is 1 player removed from a Super Bowl ring. It's incredibly difficult to integrate an individual talent such as this on a team that is still building essential parts of its foundation.
I believe that John Dorsey pulled the trigger on OBJ because talent like his is a no-brainer, but I also believe that a team, operating under a first-year system (yet again... my perennial pet-peeve), under these extraordinary CoVid circumstances, needs to build a foundation that involves all players on all squads.
I hope/trust/pray that Mr. Beckham's test results bring good news. I'm also cognizant of the philosophy: "next man up." In his absence today, Browns fans were given a glimpse into what this team might create for us down the road should we be forced to compete without such a potentially potent weapon.
If Elves can mount a strong run to contend for post-season, a healthy OBJ would be just the addition to the team I described earlier. If he returns next season, he has the chance to become what I originally described as The Ideal FA Signing.
I’ll have to rewatch the game and see what you are talking about when it comes to the oline. From what I saw was the Bengals selling out to stop the run bringing extra guys on running downs. It’s wholly possible that I am wrong.
I think the problem with the OBJ/Baker problem is that Baker has the ability to be unselfish in the huddle. He's not there looking for Odell to get open. He just tries to get it to the open receiver.
But when you have an athlete like OBJ in the huddle too.. not only is he calling that he's open. The Defense is also running doubleteams and rolled coverage his way.
I like OBJ and I like Baker but I see a Baker who somehow reads better ball when there isn't a superstar on the field too
I could be wrong, because I was distracted at the bar...but after Baker's 0/5 and OBJ injury they had Baker go to shorter throws and ditched the long ball.
We know Baker can make all the throws, so I was thinking he had a problem with the long balls due to his rib injury.
We did have some deep passes but it looked like we simplified the offense down to one read for Baker. I don't know for a fact but it looked like that to me. Maaybe that is where baker is at right now.
On a side note, I had to go somewhere and wore my Browns jersey the first week against the Ravens and we got trounced. I didn't wear any Browns gear for 4 weeks-went to take the dog to the park before the steelers game and wore a Browns shirt and coat and got crushed.
So far-No Browns gear on game day 5-0 Wearing my gear on game day 0-2
I know what I have to do
I do the same things, lol. Wear the same shorts, underwear, and socks. The shirt changes depending on if we lose or win.
On a side note, I had to go somewhere and wore my Browns jersey the first week against the Ravens and we got trounced. I didn't wear any Browns gear for 4 weeks-went to take the dog to the park before the steelers game and wore a Browns shirt and coat and got crushed.
So far-No Browns gear on game day 5-0 Wearing my gear on game day 0-2
I know what I have to do
Years ago, on the Old Board, we had a gameday thread entitled: "It's My Fault The Browns Lost."
It contained a crapload of posts from posters who stepped up- to take full responsibility for the most recent (and most typically crazy) Browns loss... and to share their superstitions about gameday fortunes.
That thread has to be at least 15-20 years ago. I'm certain it's lost to the passage of time.
I remember laughing my fool O&B arse off when we made it.
I find that the Browns actually play better when I where their opponents colors. Did it by accident a couple times over the years and it seems that we we win more of those games that we lose. Figure I confuse the football gods and they think that I am rooting for the other team so they make the other team lose
Do you mean Gruden's not going to figure out that one play, that the Bengals' ran, in the 2nd half, where the Wr suddenly makes an open, uncontested catch, 8-13 yards straight up from about 1 yd wide of the tackle box,
and then the Bengals' repeated, again-x-15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 times, and the Browns still didn't show they could stop it, (well they would tackle it, after the 8 yard gain), still didn't show they could stop it by games end.
- Bryant is our best TE. He’s an absolute steal right now. He’s a top 12-15 TE in the NFL. - Lost in the shuffle was Njoku’s TD catch. Heck of a play by him (and throw) - Baker, for whatever reason, is better without OBJ. Whether it’s chemistry, his mindset, the play calling, or whatever ... I don’t know. Strange. - Higgins has the knack with Baker. We’ve seen it for 3 years now since their first TC. - We really, really miss Chubb. It’s funny how nobody in the media really mentions this fact .. he’s our best offensive player. Hunt has been admirable, but having both of them is dynamic. - We need Malcolm Smith on the field as much as possible. - One last thing that was important (and smart/telling) ... the drive BEFORE our last drive. The one where we took the lead (before they took the lead with 1 minute). Stefanski had us at a semi-fast pace. We weren’t trying to take much time off the clock. He was looking ahead knowing one of these things would be true: either they’d score and we’d need time OR they wouldn’t score and we would just have to get one first down. Very smart.
Offensive Players of the Week Baker Mayfield, quarterback, Cleveland. He came through at a crucial point in his team’s season. Mayfield laid two eggs against division rivals in the first six weeks, and he was poor in the first quarter (0-for-5) at Cincinnati on Sunday. Then he came alive, completing 22 of his last 23 throws for five touchdowns, including the best stretch of his young career on his last five drives: a three-yard TD pass to Harrison Bryant capping a 75-yard drive; a six-yard TD pass to Bryant capping a 75-yard drive; a 16-yard TD pass to David Njoku capping a 79-yard drive; an eight-yard wheel route TD to Kareem Hunt capping a 75-yard drive; and, to win with 11 seconds to go, a 24-yard TD pass to sixth-round rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones capping a 75-yard drive. I’m not saying this game will change Mayfield’s career; one game never does that for a player. But it’s a hell of a start to change the narrative on him.
I was wondering if anyone noticed late in the game when we put Karl Joseph in at OLB, I only now saw it on highlights (he made the tackle on Giovonni Bernard) It was in the red zone, so I'm wondering if Woods will look into that further, considering the poor play on D.
Gotta give it to Higgins and Bryant and Jones.... Yikes. when needed they came up big.
No slight on Baker and Hunt and Landry. but those guys were not expected to come in and do what they did....but they did
Honorable mention to Njoku..
A healthy D would be big..
Baker Mayfield can be a field General.. He can be the Stud QB we all want. Not sure what happens to him from time to time. But the stuff is there to be great.
Here's the first line from MKC's lead article in today's Plain Dealer sports page:
Quote:
BROWNS 37, BENGALS 34
BAKER'S JOY
Mary Kay Cabot
CINCINNATI - With the national media calling for his job and his back against the wall, Baker Mayfield - playing with a cracked rib - rebounded in a huge way during the Browns' 37-34 victory over the Bengals on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.
Maybe I missed it, but that's the first I heard about a cracked rib (except for Landry's). As far as I've heard, all the Browns ever released was that Mayfield had "bruised" ribs, or the even more vague "chest injury". If its true he deserves a lot of credit, as well as a little slack from critics, IMO.
Baker vs OBJ - This discussion is ridiculous. OBJ going down didn't magically make Baker play better. The first INT was an AWFUL throw, but the decision to go to OBJ (who was 1-1) was correct. OBJ went down on the first play, but Baker didn't start playing well until around the half. So... the argument is that OBJ going down made Baker a better QB, but it was a delayed effect for that long? ok....
Ward had a good game. Garrett had an awesome game. Everyone else on D was just kinda along for the ride. Hope there are some uncomfortable conversations about that.
Priefer deserves a big pat on the back. I thought our kick coverage was excellent all day (when it was poor earlier). Interesting that we would periodically kick to them so they could run it out.
Hunt was running hard. Hope he gets some props, as his running was of the 'unsung hero' variety. Not flashy by any means, but he did his job. Only 76 yards, but got there at 4.2 per.... Had a bunch of big runs and was dragging their whole D behind him at times.
DPJ... is he REALLY hesitant on kicks? To my eyes, he looks like the complete opposite of catch-read-go.
Landry is a beast. Same with Bryant. Both had monster games. Glad Hunt got in the endzone.
I was less than impressed with Njoku. That TD saved his day, because I didn't see him do much else, and I thought I saw him involved with some less-than-stellar blocking.
Cinci D came to play. Gotta give props to them.Going into the game, I was getting ready to explain away a big day by Mayfield, but that wasn't the case at all. Their DBs played VERY well pretty much all day.
OBJ hurt his knee when he launched himself into our fullback when trying to tackle the DB. Don't want to sound like I'm kicking him while he's down, but that was dumb.
Good point about DPJ on kick returns. Maybe since he’ll be more relied upon in the passing game he won’t return them anymore. IMO we need more speed back there
I saw a great performance from Baker and pretty much all the WR's and TE's yesterday. The chemistry between Baker and Higgins was obvious.
There was evidence of some of the things we have all been looking for. Stepping up in the pocket, looking off his initial target, stringing together a sold game with the exception of that first quarter. Coming through in the clutch and being able to carry the team when the running game won't carry the team. These are all solid signs moving forward.
Circumstances we need to consider here. When your OL is keeping you clean and giving you time, conditions are presented that make it much easier to find a comfort level. If the improvements we saw yesterday by Baker were ever going to materialize, the conditions provided by our OL in this game were the perfect conditions for that to happen.
But confidence breeds success. If Baker can keep that confidence and build on it, this could be the turning point we've all been hoping for. By contrast, it could be that once we face teams with a sold pass rush, making the pocket not nearly as stable as it was yesterday, we may see a return of "Bad Baker".
Only time will answer that question. As I've been conditioned over the decades to be as a Browns fan, I will be hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
Our defense is putrid. We will need to be able to keep putting up a lot of points against good defenses to be able to compete moving forward. I know we've faced some teams, like the Colts, who had a highly rated defense. But that's because they hadn't really played anyone. Only Pitt and the Rats had solid defenses. And we saw how that went.
Here's hoping to see improvement against the toughest teams in our division moving forward. Baker found the zone today. Something we all hope to see continue.
it could be that once we face teams with a sold pass rush, making the pocket not nearly as stable as it was yesterday, we may see a return of "Bad Baker".
Being that teams saw "Good Peyton" or "Good Brett" and "Bad Peyton" or "Bad Brett" when they played different defenses, I don't see why we shouldn't expect ups and downs with Baker. Even fully-developed, fully-"cured and fixed" Baker.
We ARE going to see "Bad Baker" again. The thing to look for is the trajectory of things. If you could plot performances and even individual weaknesses on a graph as points, do the lines move up or at least remain steady over time, or do the negative points tend to dominate the picture?
Hopefully, Coach Callahan will get on Wills for what we see in that first Baldy video. Early on in that video, you can see that Wills over-reached and had too much lean and no leverage, no base. He won the block, but he also almost face-planted. He recovered decently enough, but he shouldn't be leaning out like that in the first place.
DPJ is ranked #5 in the NFL for kick returns. I’m good with that.
That surprised me, surprising stat there. also wonder where he is on punt returns? Don't seem to remember punt returns as it seems opposing team don't punt on us anymore, they usually just march downfield for a score lol
I have no clue why, but the Browns look better with #82 than #13.
I will say that it is easy to look to our opponent as a reason for the success, but the Bengals are a young improving team with a beast at QB, I will take this win.
5-2 - I think we all can agree that over the last decade The Browns would have been no better than 3-4 under the same circumstances and definitely would have lost the game yesterday. This is a good thing. I think a large reason for this is that penalties are down and we are winning the turnover battle. That is a major recipe for not beating yourself in the NFL, and a long time since a Browns team has been this disciplined.
That was a fun game to watch, I was at a Browns backer bar right around the corner from Wrigley. Really fun time. 2 for 1 bombs when the Browns score a TD (ugh)
I thought that was a good response after last week's debacle. No, they aren't the Steelers, but you don't get to brush aside a win like that because it wasn't an elite team. The Browns are still learning how to win, how to finish games, how to play 60 minutes, and this was another show of growth. Tom Brady has plenty of 4th quarter, last minute, or few minutes comebacks in his career, and guess what? Plenty of them were against bad teams too. This isn't college football where upper echelon teams get gimmes half the year. I think the only argument you can make for brushing off a win is maybe against the Jets, who look worse than we did during the Hue Jackson era (yikes), and even then, the Jets kept it close yesterday with a pretty good Bills team. You can't take any of these games for granted, so they absolutely are worth noting.
I have not been able to drop my hot takes into these postgame threads in the last few weeks, but going back to last week, I thought the silver lining in that game was the wake-up call that pittsburgh provided. You are not there yet as a team, but you can absolutely get there. You have so much more season to go, and you will get a chance at those guys at the end of the year, albeit, who knows what the playoff situation will be for either team as it could mean nothing as one or both teams are sitting guys for the playoffs. That last week is a roll of the dice when it comes to what that game will mean. I hope it means something. I want to see them adjust and respond to the tail-whoopin they got last week, and let's not mince words, that was an absolute beatdown.
Going to yesterday, I thought Myles Garrett seems to be doing everything he can to will his team, and his defense. He can't be blocked. He seems to have disregarded people holding him, because he's breaking through holds now too. He's on pace to win the DPOY unanimously.
Denzel Ward seems to be following suit. He was unbelievable yesterday. It may have been his best game as a pro. He is so good. I hope he can continue to stay healthy because we need him out there if we are going to make any kind of run.
I love Kareem Hunt and am glad he's gonna be a Brown for a few more years, but there is an absolute distinct difference between what he brings as a starter, and what Nick Chubb brings. Chubb is so good when he gets to that second level. The vision, acceleration, and his strength make him so dangerous. The Browns as an offense are just that much better when Chubb is 1 and Hunt is slotted as your 2. They have quite a few options for how they want to attack.
Baker was so good after that rocky start. He locked in. That winning TD pass was a thing of beauty. Perfectly placed, and the pressure of it being inside a minute, that is a big time throw. He did all of this with a less than stellar running game. 82 total rushing yards.
The defense has to get better. You cannot just bank on Myles Garrett making huge plays every single down. They are horrible on third down. They forced two turnovers in the first half which is great, but Cincinnati did not punt once the whole game. I get that it's 2020 and teams are scoring at record paces, but you have to get off the field as a defense.
Heard Odell Beckham tore his ACL and will be done for the rest of this year, and may spend quite a bit of time on the PUP list next year. That's awful. He was slowly solidifying a role on the team, and how this huge setback. I am hoping for a good recovery. He's fun to watch and the Browns need him.
I think for now they will be ok. Rashard Higgins can make plays. You still have Jarvis Landry. I think DPJ will see more reps which is great for his development.
Also great to see Harrison Bryant play a really solid game. He was given the chance with Hooper being out and he made the best of it, much like Higgins and DPJ did with Beckham going down. You love to see that. Next man up as they say. Browns are not as deep as they need to be, but they have more depth this year than they have in some time and it showed yesterday.
Joe Burrow is going to be really good. I am impressed with how he is handling this year. The team is a mess and he's keeping them in games. Sucks we will have to see him twice a year for quite some time, because he's going to be a good one. What I wouldn't give for the Browns to play in a crappy division, but they really no margin for error with this AFC North.
Raiders are a good team despite that beatdown yesterday, Browns will definitely have their hands full, I expect another shootout.
I am amazed at this. Is this something he practiced? Something he thought about or did it just happen? Maybe he slipped? I think this could be something others use going forward. Maybe Myles will add it to his repertoire of moves.
This is one of the best innovative plays I have seen in a long time.
I am amazed at this. Is this something he practiced? Something he thought about or did it just happen? Maybe he slipped? I think this could be something others use going forward. Maybe Myles will add it to his repertoire of moves.
This is one of the best innovative plays I have seen in a long time.
Was an awesome play, but when I look frame to frame it looks like he was ducking under the block, and was pushed down, but keeping his eyes on the runner was able to recover and make an amazing play.
I watched it live and had to immediately rewind. It was that moment where you're sure your mind must have played a trick on you... it was just too fluid. Are you freaking kidding me??
I watched it live and had to immediately rewind. It was that moment where you're sure your mind must have played a trick on you... it was just too fluid. Are you freaking kidding me??
That's a pretty impressive breakdown; simplifies things for a layman like me.
One of the things I noticed that feeds into my comment on another thread about penalties just not getting called is the one play he goes over toward the end that was a three-TE set with a run by Hunt that gets blown up ... the TE that misses the block CLEARLY grabs and pulls the jersey of the defender that got past him and the Ref had a CLEAR view of it, but no flag was thrown. So, I'm not sure we're more disciplined this year or if the Refs just aren't taking every available opportunity to screw us like they have in years past.
p.s. Garrett is a FREAK, lol Is he just so much better than everyone else that even a really good played like Sheldon Richardson looks pedestrian by comparison???
x10
x 10 ( Hue's record ^, Open a Beer Can!)
