DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2018 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 26 Panthers 20 Postgame Thoughts

There were some empty seats no doubt, but we're a damaged fan base. that happens when you win 5 games out of 50 or whatever that ridiculous stat was.

A lot of people including myself drive from a few hours away when we do go. It's a miserable ride home watching loss after loss, it really wears on you never having any fun.

It's gonna take some time but the seats will eventually fill back up.

Baker is used to a college crowd.

Those are generally way more obsessed/rowdy than Browns crowds.

So.....go buy tickets Browns fans.

If you build it they will come.

J/C

Postgame Thoughts:

1. CLE finally has a QB who is a difference-maker. That changes everything. It makes every game winnable.

2. Nick Chubb is The Real Friggin' Deal. He runs with power. He is fast in the open field. He can be shifty in open space. Dude possesses the trifecta. Barring injury, expect big production from this young man.

3. Browns are learning how to win. One of the things I talked about early in the season. Sometimes, learning how to win looks like last week- when we played a half-game, and lost to a very complete team- because this is the NFL. This week, we scrapped to stay even, were opportunistic enough to take the lead in the 4th Q, and never relinquished the lead. This young team learned how to finish a game that looked like so many games that were finished on us since The Return. It was one of those 'ugly wins' that make up so many data points in CLE's record since 1999.

Can't 'win pretty' until you can routinely find ways to 'win ugly.'

4. CLE D gives up too many YAC. I see way too many blown tackles, whiffs, glancing blows (from being out of position), and 4 yard plays that turn into 12-yard chain-movers. I love that we bent/broke/held when we had to, but damn, Hounds... if Browns wanna truly change their culture, it should begin and end with a commitment to stopping the run. We've been soft since The Return in this regard- and in 2018, we still get gashed. The game has truly evolved in the last 100 years, but it IS still football: if you can't run the ball for yardage and downs, you can't win. If you can't stop your opponent from running the ball for yardage and downs, you can't win. D needs to correct bad run pro/ bad tackling, if this team is to become elite.

5. This current coaching staff is making a strong case for their retention/promotion to permanent positions in 2019. If they can sweep/ near sweep the remainder of the season, they will have survived/nailed the most public, high-profile job interview imaginable. If I'm John Dorsey at the end of a ±.500 2018 season, I MUST give serious consideration to keeping as much of this chemistry as I can, when deciding what CLE2019 looks like.

It looks as if a real chemistry is being built here, at a time when previous seasons of similar headlines portended wholesale purges, roster dumps, and ground-level rebuilds. It would be prudent for Dorsey to carefully weigh what we're seeing in '18 with what we might see in '19.

___________________

It has been a long, long time since I have been this positive/hopeful at this point in an NFL season.

I'm not only looking forward to next year's promise, I'm also still looking forward to the remaining games of this season....

...and it's December.
In Browns Town.


How crazy is that?

Going out on a limb, color rush on a Saturday night.

I think we are wearing the color rush unis at our last home game.

I think Carolina's big mistake was going away from CMC the second half. Maybe it was our coverages or whatever, but he was KILLING us and then kinda got quiet

j/c - haven't read the previous comments yet.

I was very annoyed by one thing the refs did. The Panthers had just scored their 2nd TD, and the Browns had 3rd and 1. Bake handed to Chubb who was hit immediately but kept churning forward. While he still had forward progress the refs whistled the ball dead! He never went down, was still dragging Panthers with him when the refs came in, took the ball, and spotted it back a yard to where it was when they blew the whistle.

Starts at 2:16 on this clip.

Browns Red-Zone Offense....

Last 14 trips into?

14 TDs.

That will Win you games.

J/C

Baker Mayfield - wow. Some of the plays he makes are elite level. His pocket awareness, movement and manipulation of the pocket are also elite.

Kitchens is what an OC is who caters to the strengths of his QB. His adjustments were subtle but worked very well. Bar the fumbles, we win this at a canter.

How often do we lose the t/over battle and win? Hell, how often have we won it and lost? This team has progressed exponentially since Williams and Kitchens were promoted. The comms said that Williams builds a culture and that is evident. They win out they have to stay with the status quo. Williams was far more animated yesterday too. I sensed he felt this was very winnable.

Defense still gives up yards but they stiffened up in the 2nd half - again, adjustments. We now have coaches who seem to be able to make adjustments that work.

Garrett is just a beast. Finally gets a few holding calls today but he was beating their LT like a drum most of the game. We need another penetrating DT, a quicker LB corps and depth behind Ward and Mitchell. If we get that, this D will become top tier. It's very close but it needs specific horses.

All in all, a great feeling. Even when we went 10-6 with DA, it still felt a little like fool's gold. This feels genuine. If we can win 2 of the last 3 I see no way Williams and Kitchens cannot be retained. They have the guys believing that they are no longer the "same old Browns". That is what we have been chasing since 1999 and it cannot be understated.

Oh, and Chubb - he's great too.

I love McCaffrey and Kuechly for them. Man, give them to us and we win the division next year.

I forgot about the play with about 2:50 left in the game ... 2nd and 10 from our own 10 ... and we go PA, Baker rolls into our own end zone basically and hits a strike to Perriman ... what a play

A really funny thing came over me yesterday.. I wasn't even beginning to worry about how we would blow it. Thought never entered my mind.. Very strange feeling, not used to it.

Anyway, after the panthers took it down and went in for a TD, My wife said, oh here we go.. I never flinched.

A pass to Perriman and BINGO. Next thing you know, tied 7-7.

Landry, Geez, best game as a Brown.. This was the find of the off season and yesterday he proved why. He's effective on the field and his mere presents in the locker room seems to have helped the whole team.

Ladies and Gentleman, we have a QB. To have a game like he had last week would have taken a most guys and killed them for a while. Not Mayfield. I'm guessing he was feeling Dangerous again LOL

Higgins had another good game. not stellar but for sure good.

Njoku was solid again. Big catches at the right moment.

Chubb didn't have a spectacular day by his standards but good enough.

Who fumbled,, I know someone did but I must have walked away and missed it. Just saw the aftermath.

Did Callaway catch anything, was he even thrown the ball?

Garrett gets another sack.. What's that, 12.5 so far. 3 games to go... Should be fun to watch.

The D bent but in the end, they didn't break. The goal line stand was incredible although I have to say, that last play of the goal line stand was just a poor throw by Newton.. That was way off.... Maybe the pressure made it happen.

Side note, Newton didn't seem like himself. They said his shoulder was a little messed up..

I can get used to this feeling of winning.

Go Browns!

You think? Two catches for 19 yards. He fumbled on the first one, giving Carolina the ball inside the 30. This was immediately after we finally forced them to punt. Led to a Carolina TD.

Then he dropped a catch on 3rd and long that would have given us the first down, if not a TD. He was wide open, hit him in the hands. We got the FG, but that was potentially 4 points he cost us.

I do not see that as a good game.

If you watch the reply (I did), when they show the guys "at the campfire" you can see over their shoulder in the middle of the endzone Baker is jogging over to the group - he was on his way to celebrate with them.

I know it! I actually thought we'd win the game for the majority of it ... and I always feel confident that we CAN score.

I saw that too. He was just coming from too far away.

I agree, I thought it was his WORST game of the year. He cost 14 points (gave them a TD drive with the fumble, and dropped a probable TD)

Just curious - why do you ding Baker's grade when the receivers drop catch-able balls?

Myles Garrett once again led the Browns’ defense. While he only had one sack, he also caused a holding call and chipped in with a few more pressures and a batted pass.

In the first half, the Browns defense struggled with all the different looks the Panthers used in the run game, but in the second half, the Browns defense as a unit tightened up and only two drives went over 20 yards after that.

Baker Mayfield had the throw of the game where he hit Jarvis Landry 50 yards downfield in stride for a touchdown. Throughout the game, Baker showed his ability to make plays downfield in the passing game and looked like the best quarterback on the field.

Jarvis Landry scored the aforementioned touchdown catch from Baker Mayfield, but Landry also was a factor in the run game as the Browns gave him the ball twice and he was able to take one of those runs for 50 yards.

Keys to the Game
Carolina: The Panthers had every chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but Cam Newton was unable to lead the team to victory.

Cleveland: The Browns defense did just enough in the second half to secure the victory, but the star performer of the game was Baker Mayfield, who made plays when the Browns needed a play.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pr...eland-browns-26

Now I would have preferred a first down on that last drive and take the game out of the hands of the defense. But we got the job done!

Miles Garrett was a beast...It wasn't even fair. I think he should have been credited for that sack/strip...As the announcer said....I agree with the call but disagree with the rule...

We were trying to strip the ball too much and not tackling in the first half...I understand the mindset...But can't focus too much on either...right???

Landry was ridiculous!!! What a freaking catch on the 51 yarder. 3 guys draped on him and he had amazing focus to make that catch! Although...I bet he was razzed that he was caught from behind by a Middle Linebacker...LOL Of course...that LB is pretty much Superman...even more than his QB...LOL

I love TJ Carries attitude and enthusiasm for the position...But dang that guy holds longer than Super Glue!!! LOL

I was a little ticked about the pancake block that was called for holding....

If you take the stats for the last half of last game and the first half Stats of today's game...Mayfield threw for like 529 yds...3 TD's...and a 137+ rating!!! freaking ridiculous!!!! I have to admit...I wasn't the most excited when he came here...I wasn't sure of his maturity...and How much can you believe in the presses report of how a team rallies to him without seeing it yourself? His arm strength surprised me...Now I feel we have what could be a Brees clone with a bigger arm and the moxy of Brett Favre...People are talking about our rag tag bunch of receivers...seriously...before the season...everyone outside of Landry was thought of as 3rd tier or worse...But now people are talking about this great young group...That is because of Baker.

Speaking of receivers...Is Breshad Perriman a nice surprise or what? He has been nothing as advertised....and that is a good thing!!! It will be nice to see him get an off season under his belt. With Landry, Perriman, Callaway, and Higgins...I am not in a hurry to add WR to the must needs.

What more could be said about Nick Chubb that hasn't already been said? I was excited we picked him up. I actually liked him better than his running mate Sony Michel...Imagine he three headed monster we would have had had we made the decision to fire Haley and Jacskon earlier. Chubb would have gotten his carries and Carlos Hyde would not be in limbo in Jacksonville. He would be a part of this, which is what he wanted.

Someone mentioned that it felt like the "Old Browns" for a sec there...someone else disagreed...

I am going to show my age here and I will agree that it felt like the "Old Browns". The 1984 Browns. My buddy Sam was fired after week 8 and Marty won 4 games for us after. The next year we went to the playoffs in Bernie's first year, and I don't think I have to remind people what happened in the years following. Yes, I do feel like it is the Old Browns...MY Old Browns... and that is a good thing!

I am probably one of Higgins biggest proponents, but he had a poor game yesterday. However, like Baker said, a bad game can happen, like he had against the Texans in the 1st half of that game. They happen, and you just keep working forward.

I keep thinking that sometimes, our expectations don't match reality. Every player has a bad game, example Mayfield in the first half last week...

So he fumbled, and dropped a ball, Big deal, Look at his overall impact to this team this year and you can't say he's not a good receiver.....

Nobody's saying that. They're disagreeing with your statement that he had a good game, and they are correct.

I found it interesting that Earnest Byner was kinda knocking Baker for Higgins' drop. He's the only one I've heard say that

Jamie Collins is going to give me an aneurysm. I am seriously going to pop a blood vessel yelling at my TV. That guy does not play through the whistle EVER!!


I was telling my Father in law that everything about this team feels different. We have two quality young men, studs, one on offense and one on defense that set the tone for their group. A fumble in our own redzone used to feel like a death sentence against a team with Cam Newton on it.....WE ANSWERED RIGHT BACK.


3rd and 15 for previous versions of this team.....DRIVE KILLER....check down for 6 yards and punt. That is not the case with Baker. My whole perspective changes when it's 3rd and 10 and I'm saying "this is manageable for this team".


Conversely, 3rd and long is trouble because teams know Myles is coming. He affects so many plays even when he doesn't touch the QB.


Two tone setters at the most important positions in their unit. The losing is over boyos and it feels so good it makes me think someone is cutting onions in here.

Show your age ... the 84 browns ... ...

Love u dawg .... errrr ... i mean pup ... ...

Wish i was “puppier” ... *L* ...

I was 1 years old in 1984. I have never seen good Browns football live.

This is the best I've literally ever seen us play. I'm 31

Same. I just turned 32.

No wonder why i know so much more than u ... *LOL* ...

That door was just left way to wide open to not go through ... i couldn’t resist ...

I didn't catch that. It clearly didn't jump out at me.

At least we got the first down. That's all that mattered to me when I was watching it live. The clip reminded me that we overcame that "gimme" TD on Higgins' turnover. Something that would have crushed us in the past.

33, and no its not. We played really well the year we actually made the playoffs. And the year with Braylon and Kellen going bonkers.

But the future is BRIGHTER than then yes, but those years were two special ones.

Uh ... can you point to where I said he is not a good receiver? You said he has a pretty good game, and I disagreed with that. You weren't discussing his impact on the team this year, you were talking about the Carolina game specifically.

Higgins is probably one of the most improved players on this squad from last year. But his game YESTERDAY was putrid to say the least. He was bailed out, as its a team game, and I expect him to ball out next week.

Not a single person said he was trash or a bad player, just had a putrid game.

What is sad is that you all 30 somethings feel those years were special - 2002 and 2007 or something.

Special was 1980, 1986, 1987, and 1989. Shoulda, woulda, coulda...

They were, and should be special for you too.

80,86,87, lets be honest man, each day that goes buy someone less people have any idea of those games. They literally are HISTORY now they were than long ago.

FYI, it was a different team as well

sheesh... we are all getting old. I will be 38 in a few weeks. smh

I firsts joined the board when I turned 23. crazy how time flies.

It's a different team than it was in 2002 and 2007 as well.

*L* yes sir, ... We had the Cardiac Kids not long before the Bernie era too.

Sipe was probably even shorter than Baker, ... But that was the time of the orange
pants too.