DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Are the Browns on schedule ?

Curiosity has me asking this question ?

What were your thoughts on the Browns heading into the season did you think we would come out of the gates swinging or did you think we would struggle early?

My thoughts;

With the emergence of Bake and the overall improvements in the WR core I think we are way ahead of schedule. We started out with some tough overtime games and loses, and then we ran into a few teams that have had huge advantages on us in terms of time playing together. I actually see that as the biggest advantage teams like the Steelers, Chargers, and KC have on us, as the time we have playing together increases we have seen improved play in all quarters of this team, but especially offensively. Where ironically they have had the least amount of time playing together, not to mention they feature no less then 3 rookies that are key contributors to this team.

At this juncture of the season all 3 of those players are no longer rookies and NOW we are beginning to see what this team is going to look like and man am I ever thrilled.

I think they are well ahead of schedule and are taking the steps I believed they would take as the season unfolded. It's for that reason that I believe this team is NO mirage, gone are the days of being out talented we can hang with anyone. Or at LEAST I think so.

I say ahead of schedule or right on schedule !

I'd say we're a bit ahead, mostly because of the three rookies: Chubb, Baker, and Ward. They're three good players at key positions

We have a good wind in our sails. We are headed where we want to go.

We should be right on schedule thanks to finally getting baker on the field. We are still going to need to get our head coach this offseason. But that's only a small part...

We should challenge for the division and make the playoffs next year, possible super bowl run next or the following year. Eagles won the super bowl in Wentz' second year and Rams are one of the favorites this year.

We are right on schedule. Hue may have set us back, but we'll be fine.

We will never know how good we could have been this year. We wasted the year. With that said, there are many bright years ahead and we should be one of the better teams in the league next year.

Yes and yes. No need to cry over spilled milk. We should be one of the better teams for the next decade. The future is bright.

edit: I'm actually going to leave this post where it was originally

I’ve watched a number of GW’s pressers and I really enjoy them. The guy obviously loves football, respects the game and is very knowledgeable. On more than one occasion he had alluded to the great structure “upstairs” which I assume means FO and compared it favourably to his tenure in Buffalo. He also referenced the patterns and behaviours in place before he got to Cleveland. What we are seeing is the fruits of the tear down. We have drafted well. Last draft was very good based on current returns but guys like Schobert, a 4th round pick, Ogunjobi, a 3rd, Kindred, Johnson, Higgins, etc - they are the foundation.

Mayfield lit the blue touch paper.

Another quality DB, rotational rusher, WR1 and OT and we are set. Plus picking up great depth in the mid to late rounds.

We are on schedule.

Those three have exceeded expectations.

There have been a few vets who disappointed as well. It balances out to some extent for this season, but bodes well for the future.

We could still use a good bit of help with consistency, but overall, I think we are in pretty good shape.

Shore up the trenches on offense (Tackle) and defense (also Tackle, we have been wearing big Larry down to a nub this season with an obscene snap count for a 310 lb man) and we should be solid.

Actually that's a rather loaded question. I think one could say yes and no. I actually thought we started the season pretty well. But as time went on we seemed to actually regress. It's true that with a new O with so many new players you expect a slow start. But at the same time you expect a sense of steady progress. That isn't what I saw as time went on.

Then came the coaching changes. We actually look like a different team on the field. It seems I am seeing a much higher sense of urgency. More focus and drive from our team. Better execution with less penalties. The difference is night and day.

So if your question is are we where we should be at this moment, my answer would be yes. If you're asking if we have been where we should be throughout the season my answer would be no.

Talent wise we are a good off-season away from contending. If we could replicate the huge success Dorsey had in the last draft - I'd think we could go deep in the playoffs, but that is unlikely. But an average/decent draft and off-season will see us have a chance to win the division.

The bigger question for me is the coaching staff .... getting the right call there is crucial - a miss-step will set us back and could easily undo the progress. The 'easier' decision is Kitchens. If he continues to demonstrate an ability to game plan for opponents and move the ball successfully and score points ... he's almost becoming a no-brainer. Williams is a tougher call - he's done way way better than I expected. But it's still a leap of faith to give him the keys to the kingdom ... But if the team continue to play with discipline and execute ... he's earning serious consideration.

I understand the caution on Williams. However, evidentially, this team has transformed under his charge. Unless we implode rest of the way, it would take a strong counter argument not to let Williams and Kitchens continue. Man, we gave Hue a 3rd season after the dark dark ages. IChange doesn’t guarantee success. We know that better than most.

Williams has always been considered a very good defensive coach and man manager. A young team feeling it’s way seems to be a decent marriage.

Regardless, I just want us to keep building and not look back.

Right on schedule if the plan was to be successful in 20 years...

Seriously, a corner seems to have finally been turned.

I've seen far too many coordinators who couldn't seem to make the transition to HC to support upsetting the apple cart by making Kitchens the HC. IF Haslam and Dorsey decide to keep the current coaches, don't change anything.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You would think our fan base has seen enough disappointment to not mess with what's working.

I think defensively the league has changed. We give up yards but the D is great on 3rd down and in the RZ; plus turnovers. The NFL is geared towards offense. It’s about stopping the other team WHEN YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY. Plus, take away the ball. I will also say Williams’ scheme needs depth at CB with a MIKE who can effectively QB. It’s no coincidence we looked bad when our corners and then Schobert went down. It’s a feast or famine but the league encourages feast.

I'd say we're pretty much on schedule, perhaps a bit ahead of schedule. This relates to my Team Growth thread, and where we are in that growth. We have to lament the fact that there was clear and obvious dysfunction within the organization prior to the firings of Hue & Haley. Who's to say where we'd be if both of those coaches had the team's best interest at heart instead of their own selfish agendas.

Having said that, we competed fairly well early on, and but for a crappy kicker and some terrible refs would likely have a much better record at this point. We've done some things that have shown true growth, playing as a team, stringing together two wins in a row, winning on the road against a division rival, getting two division wins, and so on.

But, the Falcons and Cincy can be considered average at best. The question is. now can we beat a good team? Did we lose to Pittsburgh because we were dysfunctional or did we lose because they're the much better team and they simply kicked our butts?

This game against the Texans will tell a lot. We do know that we're getting good QB play from our #1 pick, something we were supposed to see this year. We know we have an excellent running back. We've seem improvement by the WRs. We've seen improvement on the O-line. We've seen improvement on D. The team seems to be playing loose, executing well, and having fun. Those are all positive signs. We have real talent at some key positions, with the potential to add more this offseason. So yeah, I'd say we're on schedule or maybe a bit ahead of schedule. Now let's see how we handle a road game against a good team.

This is one place we agree to a point but also disagree overall. Let's take the Raiders game for example. Maybe you'll find this a more acceptable place for such a debate.



The Raiders are a terrible team. As has been shown, given the talent we have, we should never have been in a position that a few bad calls should have decided that game. So while I do agree that those calls did sway the outcome of that game, against such a terrible team we should never have been in the position to put the results of that game in the hands of the ref.

It's my contention that you have to look at the entire game in order to see the reason your team lost. And in this situation I feel it was the overall poor performance that led to this loss. Was it the calls that were the final blow? Yes. But that's only one part of the overall story here.

Our offense put up at least 21 points for the faiders ....

Our D from some point in the 3rd quarter on double not stop them ... i would venture to guess we gave up more yards on D from 1/2 through the 3rd q of that game til they put us out of misery than we have in some entire games ... that was by far our worst stretch of D and theres been some other real clunker chunks mixed in including the entire chefs game ...

Then the refs ... OH VAY ...

And that's pretty much the point I was making. The refs were certainly the icing on the cake. But the cake really sucked too. lol

I don't know one would show caution towards Williams more than any other choice.

The guy runs a tight ship, yet the players respect him because he is consistent and fair.

He has been a head coach before. Obviously his record didn't allow him to keep the job, but I don't know what the deal was in Buffalo. What I do know is having that experience has given him time to reflect back on things he would change if given another shot.

I am not saying he is the guy at this point, but I wouldn't be any more cautious with him over other candidates. On the contrary, Dorsey knows the guy by now. I think we don't have to be cautious at all. We are seeing what he has done in 3 weeks on the job. The guys are playing hard, they are playing with some rage, and they are playing with discipline.

I don't think we should get ahead of ourselves.

Stay healthy, hope they get the coaching decision right, and enjoy the ride.

Anything is possible with a legit QB.

We Are Ahead of Schedule IMO, We Were 1-31 the Last 2 Years, This Was Dorsey's 1st Draft and FA if He Repeats His Work in the Draft and FA This Team Will Compete Not Only for A Playoff Spot But For the Division Title

I don't disagree. My opinion is simply that refs should never be allowed to insinuate themselves into the process of determining game winners and season outcomes. When you continually have "but for that" situations involving bad calls, then there is a problem with the system. If the refs can't get it right on the field, (because of incompetence, inexperience, corruption, sun in their eyes or whatever) then everything should be reviewable. And while it is only part of the story, it is the part that matters most because "but for that" we would have won.

I agree that in a perfect world humans never make a mistake. But we all know that's an unrealistic goal. When you help put yourself in a position where a terrible team can beat you based on a couple of calls by the officials, you are a huge contributor to your own fate.

I have to agree with pitDawg here.

Many teams who make a HC change mid-season, struggle to do much. We not only changed HC, we also changed OC, and this team has played better since, than anytime in the last 10 years.

That is a compliment to the coaching staff as well as the team leaders to step up after what is usually perceived as a death nail for many teams mid-season.

I'm not talking about a perfect world, am I? Did I mention I expected perfection? What I said was, if the refs can't get it right, and they clearly can't, for whatever reason,(and I'm not just taking about the Browns, egregious calls are epidemic) the calls should be reviewable. At this point you're simply arguing a side of the coin I'm not disagreeing with for some unknown reason. Enjoy the game.

I'd say that we are about 1/2 season behind schedule. If we had the same, effort, accountability, focus, and determination in the first half of the season, we would be farther along right now and probably locked into a playoff spot.

Yes

Don't feel like we are behind schedule. Because our schedule only started when the coaches were fired. It was all toxic bs before that.

Todays game was a huge step back, we are moving away from the run game and that is a huge mistake, IMHO.

We should be a run first team.

today's first half was i agree

I somewhat agree. They needed to better balance the run/pass. Chubb was underused today and they need to design more plays for him. I really like short passes to him.

But at the same time we were playing from way behind and when you have a QB with Baker's talent, it's really tempting to throw. Especially to stop the clock if it's not caught.

So, they just gotta get calls better/scheme better.

Sorry, but we were behind almost the entire game. We ran the ball plenty but needed to pass to catch up. Besides, did you see all the flack for running the ball for almost two quarters last week to burn clock? Your reaction seems knee-jerk in light of the situations. Overall, Freddie has kept the offense fairly balanced and leaned heavily on the run when possible. To say we are "moving away from the run game" just isn't accurate.

I love Mayfield, and I think hes the guy (finally), but I have also seen a lot of rookies get into their second year and fizzle. Continued improvement this year, and a strong start next year will be important.

Continue to put talent on the roster via FA and draft.

I don't see why either of those two things wont happen, but until they do - I hold this team to what it is. Right now, we are still a top 10 pick in the draft.

Was it the Atlanta game where he literally ran the ball an entire series?

I certainly agree with what you're saying but in the case of Mayfield, my concerns about that aren't as high as they may otherwise be. Even yesterday we saw him come back in the second half looking much better than he did in the first half.

He seems to be a kid who is a student of the game. One who will only learn from his mistakes. Who has the drive and ability to grow as time goes along. So we agree on what he needs to do but in his case I don't see that as a problem.

If not for a holding call and a fumble inside the 10 we are going to be back in the game the 2nd half ... Baker is not one that will quit on any game and the team is following his lead

I agree.


I'm sure this has been brought up somewhere else I'm not seeing, but I'm conflicted with winning the coin toss and kicking off to start the game on the road. I mean, I certainly understand it. And I think we did fine holding them to just a FG, but I believe we had the ball to start the game against the Bengals and drove down and scored a TD very easily.

As a defensive coach, I could see wanting to set the tone of the game with your defense... but put your trust in Baker. I think the fans were fired up when they saw how well they moved the ball and although it was only a field goal, we were behind early.

I don't know that it was a good idea to put your rookie QB in that position early. If your defense doesn't hold the opposing team's offense in either of the 2 first drives, we could be behind by double digit points before your quarterback has even adjusted to playing in this new, hostile environment. And that's exactly what happened... Being down 10-0 the fans smelled blood and their defense, their very good defense, their excellent defense was fired up...

I thought it was odd to kick off to start the game... I would have put the ball in Baker's hands and tried to march down and score like we did in Cincinnati. I feel like this was an error by the HC and pretty much set the tone early in this game. But that's just me....