DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2018 NFL Season Looking Back Preseason: Browns 17 Bills 19 What do you want to see?

Do I remember wrong that the starters play the first half in the second game? I think I even remember them sometimes playing the first series in the second half.

Am I all out of whack on this? lol

Thats definitely the case in the 3rd game ... 2nd game is usually about a quarter IMO

Yea , game Three is usually the best measuring game of the Pre-season . IE , starters play longer ..

I'd like to see David Njoku keep making catches like he did in the first preseason game. On Hard Knocks? He was dropping too many balls at practice.

J/C .... John Greco wasn't highly thought of when we traded for him. (except, of course, by me)

He didn't fit the Rams, but he wound up fitting here.

I want to see Callaway play the whole game again. He is exciting.

j/c

My main focus will be on run blocking and the running game. I know we aren't set on the OL lineup yet, but I would sure feel better to see some improvement there.

The other area of focus will be stopping the run. Some people believe the game is no longer won and lost in the trenches. I see it otherwise.

It's on live Friday night.. I read the other day that the Browns are the only NFL team that will have all 4 pre-season games shown live nationally.. I think next weeks game (game 3) is on Fox.

It's probably because of the way we dominated the pre-season last year.

It may have been a deal w/Hard Knocks ... drumming up interest.

I've never seen a team get THIS much national attention after having such an abysmal year.

I think it's all about the #1 pick in the draft. The QB position is the #1 attraction in the NFL and the draft is the future of the league. It only makes sense that your average fan wants to see Baker.

I live in the Nashville area and wear Browns gear almost always. EVERY time I go out in public I get "the Baker questions". lol And even though most everyone who asks me about him are Titan fans, you can see the twinkle in their eyes when they say his name. It cracks me up! In a good way I might add.

yeah, there's no doubt Baker brings attention ... add that to Hard Knocks, Dez Bryant situation, Gordon situation, Landry, Tyrod, Myles Garrett.

I mean, with our talent now we SHOULD be contenders for a playoff spot IMO.

(We won't)

Yeah, this needs to happen. At least make his presence REALLY known. To this point, he's mostly "almost" been there and people talk of his potential.

To me, he needs to be the most dominant defensive player in the NFL to justify his selection. Better than Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, or JJ Watt

Breaking down goals Browns hope to achieve Friday in second preseason game against Bills

https://www.ohio.com/akron/sports/browns...e-against-bills


When a team wins just one of 32 games in two seasons, there can never be enough fine-tuning.

Although the Browns provided plenty of reasons for optimism in last week’s 20-10, preseason-opening win on the road against the New York Giants, they’re hoping to build on their momentum by checking off more boxes in the second exhibition game against the Buffalo Bills at 7:30 p.m. Friday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

These are some goals they would like to achieve.

Keep quarterbacks rolling

Tyrod Taylor and the rest of the starters played two series and used a hurry-up offense to produce a touchdown drive during their second possession against the Giants. He finished 5-of-5 passing for 99 yards and a touchdown with a perfect rating of 158.3.

Despite the dazzling statistics, Taylor lamented failing to score on his first series. He stood in the pocket, took a hit and delivered a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Jarvis Landry on the first play from scrimmage, but Landry’s subsequent taunting penalty moved the ball back to the Browns’ 46-yard line instead of the Giants’ 39.

Taylor then connected with Landry for 4 yards, running back Carlos Hyde lost a yard on a carry and Taylor scrambled for 2 yards on third-and-7 when he couldn’t find anyone open.

“We watched the film with a critical eye, myself included,” said Taylor, who was traded from the Bills to the Browns in March for a third-round pick in April’s draft.

Coach Hue Jackson said Taylor and the first unit will play more against the Bills — “a quarter or whatever that is, maybe a little longer,” before rookie Baker Mayfield enters the game. Jackson also wants to play veteran Drew Stanton after he got the night off against the Giants last week.

In seven series during his NFL exhibition debut, Mayfield, the No. 1 overall draft pick completed 11-of-20 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns with a rating of 125.4. He ran three times for 13 yards, picking up a first down each time. One was a sneak, but he would have preferred to throw instead of scramble on the other two plays.

“There were certain reads where I could’ve let the ball go a little bit, but I was able to, luckily, find some lanes to run through and convert some first downs,” Mayfield said. “But other than that, I’d like to see the ball get out a little bit more.”

Mayfield said his priorities are releasing the ball quickly and avoiding turnovers and sacks. He was turnover-free against the Giants but took one sack for an 11-yard loss on a called screen.

“A sack on a screen play is not good,” he said.

Mayfield also hopes to demonstrate better command before the snap.

“There’s some stuff communication-wise in the beginning of the game within the huddle, within getting people in and out off the sideline, we’ve got to be way better at,” he said. “I’ve got to get in the motions quicker, so we’re not cutting it close on time.”

Pare down penalties

In the second episode of Hard Knocks, offensive coordinator Todd Haley yelled the following after someone committed the cardinal sin of knocking down a quarterback (Drew Stanton) during practice: “We hit the quarterback because we’ve got no f****** discipline whatsoever.”

The general lack of discipline was evident when the Browns were penalized 13 times for 141 yards against the Giants, who, by comparison, had four penalties for 33 yards.

“The penalties were very disappointing, and I told our team that,” Jackson said. “We can’t win many games when you have those kinds of penalties.”

Like Landry, rookie cornerback Denzel Ward was flagged for taunting. The No. 4 overall pick’s penalty gave the Giants a first down after an incomplete pass on third down during the starting defense’s first series. Instead of punting, the Giants got a field goal.

“The taunting things are things we have to make sure we continue to work through,” Jackson said. “We are not going to be a team that is undisciplined.”

Receiver Corey Coleman’s return to Cleveland is a storyline to watch because the Browns traded him Aug. 5 to the Bills for practically nothing — a seventh-round pick in 2020. Coleman likes to talk trash, and he’ll be fired up to face his former team, albeit in a glorified practice. Browns defenders will need to resist the temptation to engage in any extracurricular activities if Coleman attempts to push their buttons.

Gain on ground

The Browns had 33 carries for just 50 yards (1.5 average) against the Giants. Haley called two running plays for the starters, resulting in a loss of a yard by Hyde and a gain of 3 yards by Duke Johnson. Behind the backup offensive line, rookie Nick Chubb rushed 15 times for 11 yards (0.7 average).

“We did not have the front-line guys in there for very long, and we have a young group behind them that we are pushing hard to make progress and improve,” Haley said. “They know they have to be better. Our backs have to be better.”

Per ProFootballFocus.com, Chubb had 26 yards after contact, suggesting he got no help from the line. But running backs coach Freddie Kitchens said Chubb “missed a few runs.”

“He pressed a little bit the other night,” Kitchens added. “That was the only thing that I was disappointed in was him pressing. He was still physical when he hit the hole. When he hit the hole, he hit the hole. He started pressing and then maybe did not see as many things as he normally does.”

Break it up

The Browns were credited with six pass breakups against the Giants, but five of them came from defensive linemen and only one from a defensive back — cornerback E.J. Gaines.

“We just have to get our hands on more balls,” defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker said. “I think that is always going to be something that we talk to these guys about.”

Ward, 5-11 and 190 pounds, and Bills receiver Kelvin Benjamin, 6-5 and 245 pounds, will be a matchup to watch.

“He is not a scared player,” Walker said of Ward. “He definitely has some punch in his play. Don’t let his size fool you.”

Another win.

I'm expecting one of our DB's (Ward or Peppers) give Coleman a monstrous "welcome back to The Land" moment that he feels for the next week.

I expect our running game to be better, though I was looking at the stat lines for a lot of other games and noticed that nobody really ran well at all Week 1, so maybe I shouldn't be too concerned.

Sadly, I now have to accept that Gordon will not be there tonight. I held out a little hope that he'd do what it takes to get there, but it is clear that it is on hold for now. It'd be nice if the team/league threw their weight behind things a little and gave the Judge a nudge toward letting things get worked out after the season or something.

I'm starting to think that our FO has no idea when JG will be back

Browns need to assign a lifecoach for Josh, who is with him 24/7, Pays his bills, drives him to and from, brushes his teeth, wipes his Butt ect….., just get to the Greek.

I think what people need to remember is that all they have to go on is what Josh tells them. As long as he is under contract, they have to show support for him in a public setting. All they can do is report what they're being told by Josh. Looking at his history since he's been here, he has lied to the FO and fan base over and over again.

So I agree with you. Not only do they have no idea when he's coming back, they have no idea if he's coming back.

okay, I'll accept as good as LT

Pass Rush and OL (Run Blocking)

nick Chubb busts one tonight!

Some more back shoulder throws would be nice.

Sorry bro, there will never be another Lawrence Taylor.

Well.......since the early 60's I've never seen any teams in our group(Browns, Steelers, Bengals, Oilers, Ravens) be successfull without a strong, terrific, dominant running game win anything............

Hence,

1. A running game.

I've always been of the belief that "the running game sets up the passing game" as opposed to the other way around.

Imo it's an ABSOLUTE NECCESSITY in our AFC North.

yes