DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Optimism: Why this time it’s DIFFERENT!!!!!

j/c:

I think some of you guys missed my point. We don't have that many guys ranked very high in terms of talent. Guys like Julio Jones, L. Bell, Zeke, Gurley, A. Brown, Gronk, etc are ranked very high.

Why?

Because they have more talent and are almost certainly going to be more productive than our guys.

People can laugh at the national media and the fantasy angle, and in fact, they do every year. However, it almost always turns out that those guys are far more right than some fans who are homers of one particular team.

And again...............when reality sets in, the same "optimists" will be calling for heads.

And the Isle of Optimism where the waters are always blue and warm may very well turn into the Inlet of Doom, where the waters are red w/the blood of it's latest victims.

Its where the sky is always blue and the water is always warm ...

All I ask is that u please get it right if your going to mock it ...

And bro .... almost all fantasy sites suck at there predictions .... i play a lot and have for years ..... on this subject ... your the blind squirrel looking for the nut ... ...

If u want to use the power rankings ... no problem ... if u want to be fair u need to acknowledge that last year they had the SB winners at around 25 and another member of the final 4 was around 27 ....

Thats relevant info if u want to use their predictions from this year as a reason we should be “more realistic” ...

U see here’s the problem u and the classless one have ...

I’ve never been burned before as I’ve always been right along side u guys telling the rest of the board they were way overrating our talent ...

U guys can’t put me in that nice neat little been burnt by unrealistic expectations box u put the rest in .... rightfully so i might ad ... me, i don’t fit in that box ....

And no worries bro ... i’m Optimistic not stupid ... we have plenty of shelter a battle carrier group with nuclear subs and all ... we’ll make sure the water stays passable and everyone stays safe in case we have to weather a storm ....

I run a tight Isle bro ...

I wasn't mocking you at all. I was having some fun at the end. I thought you would get the humor. My bad.

As far as the fantasy rankings, I don' think they are that far off.

I agree w/you that this team has much more talent than it did the last two years. However, we were so freaking far behind that it is not illogical to think we still have a ways to go.

We are young. We are dumb. We have question marks at QB, RB, WR, TE, OL, DT, and both safeties. Heck, we are not even sure if the corners are all that.

We're growing, bro. We might indeed make a huge jump, but it would be foolhardy to count on that.

We also have a couple of Huge potential problems that are on the horizon. Those storms could completely wipe out the Isle of Optimism.

I know you don't want to hear it, but there are a lot of folks who are looking for reasons to criticize Hue. He's given us all some reasons to criticize him, but there are a lot of people who want his blood. There are also a lot of people who just love them some Baker Mayfield. Combine that w/an brutal early schedule and there could be an epic storm on the shores of Lake Erie that will completely devastate the Isle of Optimism and leave it in ruins.

I hope that doesn't happen, Diam. But, there is a pretty good chance it could.

That's deep bro... I like it!

Yeah, except I said "it's" instead of "its."

Yeah you screwed up there, forgetting that doo-hickey thing.

my question is...do the Browns have a player on either side of the ball that can take over a game when the occasion calls for it?
Josh Gordon if your talking about that 2014 season.
but even last year Gordon was a non factor in the offense.
but Gordon isnt on the team now so.i cant consider him.
on the d side..who Garrett?
Ive seen him yet to become a one man wrecking crew...but the potential is there.
the Browns are the NFLs best team based on potential this year.
funny Im watching the ESPN Live Fantasy Draft.
not one Brown taken in 3 rds.
not even the over rated Duke Johnson
or 400.catch WR Jarvis Landry.
neither guy is a end zone machine.

3-13 maybe 5-11 just remember who the hd coach is

10-6 calling it now.

According to Taco, from The League, that doo-hickey is an upper case comma.

Corbett will be fine. Geez ... he has only been @LG for a week and is still a rookie.

Way to swing for the fence.

Go Browns!

You're starting to act like a pesky ex-girlfriend.

Starting to??

starting too? what the hell does that mean... is that like Fixin Too ?

That's what we say in Texas

Never mind ...

That is where I am. Six wins should be the standard for the success of this year. Anything above that is gravy, and anything below that gives me reason to pause on some of the hoopla.

With absolutely ZERO regard for the 2 or 3 plays in a said game that can dictate a Win or Loss?

Putting a NUMBER on Wins is insane.

Friday we will get a really good gauge as to what we have. That Bills D is no joke and their O is taking form. I am very excited to see what these guys can do against a playoff caliber team.

Judging from last year... nop... pre-season games are just glorified practice, means nothing....

Not really. It depends - like everything - whether you look at something at face value or dig a little deeper. Other than game 3 - the 2nd and 3rd teams play the majority of each preseason game. In game 4 the starters barely play a series.

Looking at last year we had "wins" against the Giants in game 2 (10-6) and Tampa in game 3 winning 13-9. The starting offense struggled to score points in every game ... I don't think they scored a TD. . . . so if you look only look at the W/L record last year you might think it didn't mean anything. If you look at the anemic production from the starting O it was indeed a reflection of what happened during the rest of the season.

If Baker Mayfield continues to play at an outstanding level - it will mean something.

If Tyrod continues to show command of the O and ability to get rid of the ball to the right reciever quickly - it will mean something.

If MG continues to show the ability to beat the Bills starting OT then it will mean something.

The "result" that's based on 70% play by 2nd and 3rd team players might not mean much - but there are take aways from the game.

Yep, preseason games are for evaluating personnel and packages, rather than evaluating the team.

It's why I use these games to key in on players who I expect will impact reg season games. I like to see what our base O & D look like against the opponents' base packages.

Also... I'm not student'geek enough to watch the 2's and 3's with as much interest as I do the 1's. I'm just not there yet. I know I should, because chances are good that those guys will see some time during the reg season (injury/disciplinary/etc)

"I like the over all day. I have them at 8." - Joe Thomas on Browns win total this season

https://twitter.com/andrewperloff/status/1030446888514936832

Joe will be making guest appearances n the Isle ....

In case anyone’s interested ...

Yeah, well.... he also said that Shon Coleman would be a good LT too.

Sometimes we have to recognize blind optimism when we see it.

I already picked him up.

He's got Umbrella Cocktail in hand.

Thanks dawg ... your the best ....

U que up vers’s Music yet ... he’s inching closer he just don’t know it yet ... *L* ...

Big night tonight ... theres gonna be action on the Isle this evening ... just not sure if folks will be coming or going ... *L* ...

Tell Joe I’m happy to see he knows theres LEGITE REASONS FOR THE OPTIMISM and that’s why this year is DIFFERENT than the others ... cause its NOT JUST BLIND OPTIMSM this time ...

Why I’m excited about the Browns this season

Everything is turning up Cleveland’s way.

By Chris Pokorny

It’s easy to get excited about any season, even the ones in which the Cleveland Browns ended up going 1-15 and 0-16 over the past two years, respectively. Fandom often clouds our judgment before a season, even when we are trying to be fair outside observers for a second.

But this season is different. I know — you can go ahead and start up the laugh track if you want, but the vibe surrounding the 2018 Browns seems to be trending upward, and here are just a few reasons why:

When it came to replacing Joe Thomas, the team may have dragged their feet a bit on finding a solution, but give credit for Hue Jackson recognizing early in camp that it just wasn’t working at the position with Shon Coleman there. Joel Bitonio has made the quick transition over there and has played well, while also allowing rookie Austin Corbett to join the starting lineup at left guard.

Cleveland now has a potent offensive attack. Last year, one could argue that Duke Johnson was the only credible threat on offense. This year, Jarvis Landry has had an excellent offseason, and despite the few issues still remaining with Josh Gordon, there is optimism to believe he will still be able to contribute to this team all year long. David Njoku, now in his second year, is already being utilized better by Todd Haley. And Tyrod Taylor ties everything together with smart play and not turning the ball over.

Defensively, the first-team unit has been darn-near lights out in camp and during the first two preseason games. One big key is that almost everyone has stayed healthy (knock on wood). Myles Garrett has been disruptive on the defensive line, Mychael Kendricks has been a playmaker at linebacker, and the secondary has held their own.

Last, but not least, Hard Knocks has helped build my excitement by seeing the way Hue Jackson is able to operate the team. Todd Haley gets to focus on being the offensive coordinator, and that opens Hue up to thinking more about game strategy, or observing from a distance to make better personnel and coaching decisions on the fly.

Tell us, Browns fans — what has made you excited about the Browns’ 2018 season?

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2018/8/20/17762102/why-im-excited-about-the-browns-this-season

I hate to be a downer and I am not saying I am right, but, we have two--maybe three-- huge issues.

1. Our QBs look awful to me. Both hold the ball too long. Both are short. Both don't throw w/anticipation. I know Baker can improve, but man, I think our QB position is going to be a huge weakness this particular year.

2. The Hue Hate Club is comprised of members of the media and the fan base. When Taylor shows who he really is, the ranting for Baker to start will skyrocket. This will lead to more negative talk about Hue. And that is not a good thing, no matter how you slice it.

--The Josh Gordon issue sounds fishy to me. I do not buy into the Hard Knocks excuse like you do.

General thought.

If pre-season meant anything for quarterbacks, Eric Zier would have been a household name in Cleveland in 1991?.

I am a little optimistic because it's a brand new day, and new season.

I'm pessimistic because I think the fact of letting so many players from last years team, veterans even if young, go away, has just continued the chaos and each week the Browns will be going up against a team with more continuity and experience playing together as a group.

^ Kind of a common thread tieing every abysmal season since 1999, with a couple exceptions, maybe the years they were competitive.

Which players do you think we will miss?

It's not even a matter of missing players. look, The team was maybe 3 plays away from beating the steelers in week 17 last year.

I look at memories that, like it or not, I specifically remember Kenny Britt and Corey Coleman were the starting wideouts opening day last season.

(another way,.. any memories of the professional nba players joining the Olympics in the early 1990's for the first time, the dream teams that continued for two decades and how they may have struggled with teamwork verses even European teams that had been together for longer periods of time.)

If I had to narrow it down to 2, I think Corey Coleman and Danny Shelton will be most missed.

I don't think it's necessarily a player for player thing as much as I think several (most) (maybe almost all) other NFL teams, routinely, are in a situation where their groups of contributors stick around with each other and develop chemistry, learn nuances, over time.
and if not, At least in the AFC North.

I'd put Joe Haden, Terelle Pryor, and Travis Benjamin on the list of missed if it's more than just last year,
and McCourty and Taylor.

Oh and who doesn't miss Phil Dawson, he may have been giving the Browns 2 wins a year.

I think that a lot of bad teams can point to "2 or 3 plays" separating them from good to great teams ........

The difference is that good to great teams make those plays, and the bad teams do not.

J/C

I'm optimistic about the team, more so than in a long time, but I'm not sure it's going to result in wins.

Firstly, the Steelers and Ravens look scary again. Both are going to be contenders in the AFC.

That alone accounts for four very difficult games.

The Saints are Superbowl contenders, with excellent talent on both sides of the ball.

That's five very difficult games in which I think it would be wild to expect victory.

The Chargers, Falcons, Chiefs and Texans are all almost certainly going to be scary teams. I wouldn't be surprised to see any of them in the playoffs. They have excellent rosters surrounding two talented young quarterbacks, or already have franchise quarterbacks in place.

So that's nine pretty tough games.

The Buccs (A), Jets, Raiders (A) and Panthers are all certainly winnable, in my opinion, but three of those teams have veteran franchise quarterbacks and certainly aren't devoid of talent. The Jets lack a clear answer at quarterback (Darnold, obviously, but we face them in week 3) but they might have the strongest overall roster of these teams.

Denver and Kentucky are three games in which I'd hope the Browns can at least match up strongly against. Both are somewhat rebuilding teams who aren't pushovers but I would like to think aren't clear favourites.

TLDR - I'm feeling really good about the Browns roster. I like this young team, I expect a leap and the building blocks of a bright future to be established, but this is a difficult schedule. The AFC North, NFC South and AFC West are all strong divisions.

This is the type of schedule in which the Browns could play fantastic football, better than we've seen in years, but still come away with a 5-11 season.

In fairness, the Browns walking away from the year at 8-8 or 9-7 would be an even more exciting result because it would come against strong competition. This is a great time for this roster to prove themselves; not to excuse losing, but to acknowledge a great challenge in winning efforts.

I still have my eyes on the future. The Steelers and Ravens are getting older. So too are some of the more fearsome quarterbacks in this league.

I don't mean to excuse losing: I do, however, have my eyes on the NFL landscape after the likes of Brees, Brady, Roethlisberger, etc, play their final snap.

No offense, man, but I've read that TEN times and I just don't think ANY of those things will hinder us.

In other words, if those are the only ones that concern you, you're in good shape.

Diam, he's in such good shape I think I'm going to make him SWIM out to the boat. Lol.

He's been a hard sell.

Enjoy this Vers. It's the beginning of a great ride.

Two other concerns I have thus far:

- Our special teams have been pretty bad
- Penalties continue to haunt us