DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Duke Johnson, frustrated by his lack of chances, gets a pep talk

Man, it is amazing how hard some people are trying to criticize this team.

We finally have some hope and there is more negative talk than positive talk.

That's cuz the Browns lost the other day, so people are grumpy.

I wish our WR corps wasn't so banged up, but I generally feel good aboot how we've looked, and where we might be headed these next couple years.

Hell I haven't even given up on winning the division!

IMO this week will tell a lot about the character of our team from the coaching staff to the players ... I'm not saying it as hyperbolic (or even saying it's must win)... but IMO it's a MUST PLAY HARD/WELL

I think this team has played hard for their coaches despite losing a ton of games. Yet, all that is apparently being ignored due to one lopsided loss.

I have a hunch that perhaps some players are sick of Baker-mania.

The D gets a bunch of turnovers vs the Jets and it's all Baker, Baker, Baker.

Baker commits four turnovers vs the Raiders and it's all about how bad the Special teams are.

The D holds the Rats to 3 FGs and it how great Baker is.

Baker looks like utter crap and it's about how bad our coaching is and how awful the WRs are.

I am not blaming Baker for this, but man, that kind of talk doesn't play well in a locker room. Jarvis Landry had more receptions in his first 4 years of any WR in the history of the NFL and was off to a good start this year. Now, after 3 games w/Baker at qb, Landry is being vilified by "Brown's fans." Again, that crap is not good for the locker room.

If they're already tired of Baker Mania after only 3.5 games .. then we're in a lot of trouble. This will only get worse IMO, whether Baker plays well or doesn't

Bro, maybe I didn't communicate it correctly. I'm not saying that this is Baker's fault or that they are tired of him. I'm saying dudes in a locker room don't like when one guy gets all the credit for wins and no blame for the losses while the opposite is true for them.

Baker has handled things w/class. I have no problems w/his behavior. It's the fans and media that are bothering me. I know how locker rooms work.

We saw how guys left early last week. Landry was one of them. He was wide open several times and Baker didn't see him. I'm sure he was frustrated and he checked out while his emotions were high. Later, he said that he and Baker will be working hard to improve their chemistry.

I am only putting this out there as a word of caution because so many media members and fans are bad mouthing the team and ignoring Baker's issues while praising him when we win and ignoring others.

And again, I am not blaming Baker for any of that. I didn't like the guy in college, but he seems like a good teammate thus far.

Oh no I didnt think you were blaming Baker. I totally understood your point about guys not liking when one player gets a majority of the attention/credit/etc.

My point is they better get used to it because Baker's only in game 4 of his career .. that attention/credit is only just started. It's going to be that way for his entire career, for better or worse.

I don't think it matters all that much because Baker put the loss squarely on his shoulders.

It would be another thing if he or any player for that matter was deflecting things to other reasons, but they/he aren't.

The only thing I have really beefed about is Hyde getting 95% of the carries. I think both Duke and Chubb can be weapons for the O and the coaching staff doesn't seem to think so. At least their actions make me think that way.

We are only 1 game under .500 in mid October. That is way better than we have been in recent years. I expect a nice rebound this week and collect a win in Tampa.

I think this is the pivotal game of the season because after this we have the Steelers, Chiefs, and Falcons. Those will be tough wins. If we lose them all we will be 5 games under 10 games in to the season where it could spiral out of control. Win this one and win against the falcons at home and we are on our way to a respectable season.

I imagine this is yet another example of me bickering.

Well you didn't make blanket excuses for what some perceive to be God.

Haters going to hate.

I think that some people dig their heels in so much about a person that no matter what they will defend that stance to their last breath, because some people will just never admit they MAY be wrong until they absolutely have too, and some wont even after they have too.

Just the world we live in.

Please stop. tab misrepresented what I said about Baker. I didn't say he was crud. I didn't blame him for the Baker-mania.

I'm tired of people making things up. Please stop!

This is what I said.



That's a far cry from what you and tab are claiming.

I thought he was talking about tab. lol

If I was OC this week I would suit Duke up as a WR and never look back. It's insane not to.

did I name you personally? No, I did not.

I am pretty sure I spoke in a generalities - if you took it as I was speaking about you, well.....

Well, Duke won't be frustrated anymore. Now that Hyde is gone everything is sunshine and roses. Of course, he better produce like a starting RB. He better pound that rock right up there between the tackles and get us those tough yards! NO EXCUSES. Since Duke is SO great we don't need Hyde I better see that on Sunday!

Maybe now we know the long term reason they signed Duke to that contract. Nah, that can't be! lol

Yep, he'll have his shot now IMO. Maybe not with more carries, but I think he'll be on the field more

Duke has always produced. I don't get guys like you who think he sucks.

Two things about Duke worry me.....durability and ball security.....but, with Hyde gone, I'm excited to see how he and Chubb do with a bigger workload..

I don't think he sucks and he is exciting in the open field. But he does not to secure the ball better. He is known to put it on the ground.

Yeah, durability should be monitored ... but I don't think we're suddenly going to run him a ton

he barely reaches the end zone. so he really hasnt produced TD wise.
hes decent between the 20s.

we'll see shortly..

That's because he wasn't called upon to do so. There is no proof he can't. He has in the past.

Still wasn't used enough. . .

And what say you today after the loss? REALLY disappointed that it came down to this. Had we kicked the FG in first half, we win.

The field goal situation at the of the first half meant very little at the end of the fourth quarter. Butterfly effect.....

He has shown ability to make the catch vs tough defense in what appears to be the role of a slot wr, in his past, and he's shown overall the look of a veteran who can avoid mistakes.

Yet it would make more sense if Hyde was still on the team.

It seems like Duke's usage is so obvious ... we need to mix up the downs/distances

Nice guys finish last, time for Hue Jackson to go!
not kicking field goal in the first half and not using a time out before the
last kick is poor coaching.

Im still waiting for the Duke homers to justify his greatness

1 carry for -4 yards....without carlos

Don't buy it. Take points where you find them in first half. Hue frustrates me.

Duke Johnson Jr. is one of the most efficient backs in football, and he’s finally getting the ball

BY AUSTIN GAYLE • CLEVELAND BROWNS • DUKE JOHNSON JR. • NOV 5, 2018


Under the helm of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley in Weeks 1-8, fourth-year running back Duke Johnson Jr. was an afterthought in a Cleveland Browns offense that was desperate for playmakers. He averaged just 5.25 touches per game through the first eight weeks of the season, ranking outside the top-60 NFL running backs.

New leadership, however, took a different approach to Johnson’s involvement in the game plan in Week 9, leading to season-highs for the former Miami (Fla.) product across the board.

Dissatisfied with his offensive-minded coaches, Jackson and Haley, Browns general manager John Dorsey fired the duo following the team’s blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8 and promoted running backs coach Freddie Kitchens to offensive coordinator. Kitchens moved quickly in getting Johnson the football in his first game pulling strings.

After averaging 3.5 targets per game in Weeks 1-8, Johnson caught all nine of his targets – a week-high among running backs – for 78 yards, four first downs and two touchdowns. Two of his receptions went for 15-plus yards, and he totaled 33 of his 78 receiving yards (42.3%) after contact. He also forced two missed tackles and picked up 14 yards after contact on his lone rushing attempt on the day.



Johnson’s two-touchdown, 86-yard performance was in a losing effort against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it’s a sign of brighter things to come for him and the Browns’ offense.

With his efficient outing in Week 9, Johnson now ranks first among all NFL running backs with 50-plus touches in percentage of touches resulting in a first down or touchdown (42.3%) and second in yards per touch (7.62). In terms of creating yards on his own, he ranks fourth among the same group of backs in yards after contact per touch (3.56) and T-12th in forced missed tackles per touch (0.23) – two impressive figures for a 5-foot-9, 210-pound back with limited touches.

Johnson’s 2018 campaign isn’t an outlier, either.

Among backs with 300-plus touches since the start of the 2015 season, Johnson ranks tied for first in forced missed tackles per touch (0.24), fourth in yards per touch (6.45) and third in percentage of touches resulting in a first down or touchdown (32.7%).

Additionally, Johnson leads all backs in total receptions of 15-plus yards with 48 dating back to his rookie season (2015), nine more than any other running back in that span. He also ranks second in yards per route run (1.75) among the 33 running backs with 600-plus receiving snaps from 2015-18, another testament to his receiving ability.

Dorsey signed Johnson to a three-year contract extension prior to the season because he understood his value. Jackson and Haley obviously didn’t; Kitchen seemingly does. With strong early returns from Johnson in Week 9, expect Cleveland to turn a one-week anomaly into a week-to-week norm in regards to his usage moving forward.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pr...etting-the-ball

and





I despise biased and inaccurate reporting. Haley called the plays. Hue did not.

And I have posted the stats for the previous two years that prove [as in a fact] that Hue used Duke a lot, much more than other coaches use backs w/a similar body and skill set.

I even warned everyone that Haley was not going to use Duke as much as Hue did.

I really don't like the way that sport's journalists think that they have a license to lie to and deceive the public.