DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2018 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 24 Ravens 26 Postgame Thoughts

My season predition ... 8-8 ... We are on schedule

Baker has ignited this team, the fans, everybody else who loves the Browns.

In context.. we had an awful season last year. This year was fun, but we have not ARRIVED yet.

We had a dysfunctional coaching staff at the start of the year.. we "corrected" that and showed some significant progress. I'm encouraged. We seem to have made a good decision on QB and so far I give JD credit for a good draft. I want to see 3 years drafts from Dorsey before I anoint him the 2nd coming.

We have some work to do. Today we got torched up the middle by 3rd string RB's. We are not a playoff team. We are beating weaker teams.

What we are is a team that seems to be becoming better. We have a young core of players, I think we are on the right track, the one thing that worries me is the pending coaching change. I hope we don't make Baker and the young guys have to re-learn everything all over again.

We are 19th in total points scored per game and 14th in total off yards per game.

We are 20th in points allowed / game and 29th in total off yards allowed.

We need to fix these things before we can "arrive" I am very hopeful for FA and the April draft.

Great job by the entire team and coaching staff! Awesome job in a very difficult situation by Greg Williams! Couldn't ask for a better job by an interim head coach. He brought them together and kept them pointed in the right direction. Also, awesome job by Freddie Kitchens as OC. Couldn't ask for a better job from him either. If we keep drafting like this and we don't have to rebuild the whole thing again under a new regime the future looks very bright. No matter what happens, we had a great season and the team and staff deserve credit! Go Browns!

If you watch the Baker Mic'd up you will understand why Freddie isn't ready to. E hc. He is Baker's friend. GW allows this to happen. It will be interesting to see what happens if we get another coach that doesn't allow players to be themselves.

hehehehe....

I'm close, My Dawg. BUT:
I'm just one of those guys who has been bitten too deep/too often.

OK, Diam.... here's where I truly am. OK?



CLEMDAWG'S IMMEDIATE POST-GAME/POST SEASON THOUGHTS


I need to see how CLE handles its off season before I'm heading off to the isle.

Because CLE has treated its offseasons like a 20-year run of 'Real Housewives of 76 Groza' every other year, since 1999.
The life expectancy for Browns FO/Coaches is.... (wait for it):

2.3 years.
pathetic.

And we are right on schedule to once again screw ourselves- because of the people who DON'T actually play football.
If ever there was a time that we could be stabbed in the heart once again, it's at a time like this.

Now... we never had JDorsey before, and he's drafted us a fine core of talent... but this team is actually more vulnerable now than they were at any point during the 2018 regular season. If JimmyDee leaves the eval/hiring process to Dorsey, I have some confidence that we'll get good hires at the vacant posts. If he's not in charge- all bets are off.

And we fans have no idea what goes on at that address.

This current group of Dorsey's has overachieved to place CLE on the map. The 2018 chemistry that formed after The Firings is something very special- and should be strongly considered in any offseason structural moves.

Once again, the stuff that CLE does during the offseason has more say than what the team does for 16 weeks in the Fall. We are never stable when and where we most desperately need to be, so we always squander situations/opportunities/personnel/circumstance.

Everyone talks about Baker 'changing Browns culture,' but they are wrong. Baker is changing Team Attitude, and that's great. BUT: Team Culture is formed at levels above the chess pieces... and what's happened at the top during this reg season isn't making me feel very confident. Part of me is worried that this is just the latest (and cruelest) tease of all.

Diam: we fans have been repeatedly screwed by what happens at 76 Groza between Dec. and Mar.

Tell you what, bro:
By late March/early April, I'll have a much better idea about how optimistic I'll be. We'll have names on office doors, and another Dorsey draft to consider.

Like I said: I'll swim there if I'm totally on-board.
I'll have a better idea of my commitment by next Spring's OTA's.



Damn.
Another stressed-filled offseason.
Rats, Pats, Stoolz fans only sweat during games. Brownies sweat 365.

If we don't fix that, we'll always be bottom feeders.
Please, PLEASE get this right, CLE....

- Still fuming over the quick whistle. Let it play out, the return. It would have been reviewed anyway because of the turnover. If it turned out it was a TD, the review catches it and no harm. We got it in the chute from the refs one last time.

- I think the quick TD call was in part because it was Jackson.

- The first play after that was a TD. Terrible drop by Landry.

- Jackson does not scare me as a thrower. And was really happy when his somersault TD was called back. Sure the Jackson fan bois will be in an tizzy over this.

- I was really disappointed at how unprepared the D seemed to be. Of course Balt was going to come put running. Everyone knew that. But we rarely stopped it. Our run D should be embarrassed.

- Still had a shot to win it. Bummed we didn't pull it out, but was nice that we were driving at the end, with a chance to go ahead.

- I have said this multiple times, I do not like this kicker. No way there isn't someone better out there.

- I got really tired of the Steeler fans I know telling me how much they were supporting the Browns. Am I supposed to feel all warm and fuzzy because you are doing me a favor by rooting for my team? Put yourself in the playoffs.

- Perriman continues to impress. If we do not offer this guy a contract I will be bummed.

- Too bad Chubb lost his 1K yards. Had it for a bit.

- Nice that Bake got the rookie TD passes record.

- Looking forward to next year. Playoffs, baby!

- I do trust Dorsey, but am anxious at the coach search.

- Off topic, but as I was taking down the tree during the game, I got bit by a wasp. No idea how the #$%^& was even alive on 12/30 in Ohio. He was sluggish, I just did not see him. First time with a wasp, God does it hurt.

Happy New Year's fellow Dawgs. The future is ours.

Demons rear their ugly head again, missed field goal, and poor end game coaching.

In game adjustment lost by Gregg, that one could hurt him

Ravens D gave up 300 yds passing 3 times this year..

Baker Mayfield
Patrick Mahomes
Baker Mayfield

We gave up 300 yards rushing and lost the turnover battle 3-1... the fact that we were somehow still able to stay in this game to the final play is nothing short of a miracle... and we still should have won.

One last post game thought.. I'm not sold on Lamar Jackson. What he is doing this year is working but his sub 60% completion percentage and the need for him to run 15-20 times a game for 80 yards just seems unsustainable. He's a tremendous athlete but he has a lot of work to do to be a well rounded NFL QB.... not saying he can't do it...

Right now Lamar is in great health, let's see how he he's able to perform after getting those nagging little injuries and his running game is affected.

As far as the Browns, today was obvious that that O just needs a little tweaking but the D needs some serious help for us to be playoff contenders.

another note: Callaway REALLY played well and looked so much better than he did earlier in the year..

That's a great sign.

J/c - great effort to come back and nearly have a chance to win. The team played one of the best in the league hard and eventually adjusted to take away a little of what made them so effective.

Next year my friends, next year - have a wonderful New Year all.

Proud of this team. They were in a very bad...scratch that, horrendous situation with the prior coaching staff with no motivation to play hard other than to get out of here.

The came together and put not only a watchable football product on the field, but one where there could win any game they entered.

I truly feel the North runs through Cleveland next year.

Damn,,, Baltimore is a damn good football team on Offense, but the defense is #1. And to think, we dropped 24 points on them... Not bad Brownies.. Not bad at all.

Three Picks and Three TD's.. Nothing shook Baker up.. Nothing shakes this kid..

I am about as proud of a team as I can be. I'm equally proud of the way that Dorsey ran the organization.


This is more of a start to my season ending thoughts:

It always takes guts to fire a Head coach AND an OC in one week but Dorsey did it. Didn't flinch, Didn't look back and as it turned out, Damned if it didn't work out better.

Add to that a very young team that appears to have it's leader in Mayfield for the long haul.

They have a defensive leader in Garrett for the long haul.

All in all, Some pieces and parts (DL, CB, LB and WR) and we really could be on our way.

It's my judgement that Williams and Kitchens need to stay. Either in their current roles or at least Williams back to DC and Kitchens stays as OC.. He and Baker and the Offensive unit as a whole seem to be on the same exact page at the same time.

Having said that, given Dorsey's record so far with the Browns, I really trust him.

Like to have end the season with a win but still a season of improvement. The Browns have a bright future.

not to mention his 10 fumbles

j/c

First thing I need to say. The Browns were 1-31 the past two years. The team has been the laughing stock of the NFL for 20 years. This is the context in which yesterday's game and the entire season took place. Every poster has a right to post what they want but it seems superficial to ignore who the Browns have been for a generation.

I am so proud of this team. In a way that I haven't felt since I was a kid.

It isn't just Mayfield, you look all over this roster, offense and defense, and there are players who compete, experience adversity and continue to give every ounce of effort they have. Mayfield didn't choke and the team continued to compete until he made a mistake that sealed the win for the Ravens. Rookies make mistakes, hell veteran QBs make mistakes.

Mayfield didn't choke. If you believe that he did then Russel Wilson choked in the 2014 Superbowl loss to New England. Schizzel happens in football, as it does in life. Sometimes you get a break sometimes you don't.

About the all-time rookie TD record. He set that record in 13.75 games. That makes the accomplishment even greater.

Before the game, everyone was talking about the Raven's juggernaut. They were unstoppable. Well, this Browns team scratched and clawed its self to within two points of the Ravens and their #1 defense, in their house.

I would have preferred to win but the Browns got a taste of playoff atmosphere yesterday. They showed that they can compete in these circumstances. This will be invaluable for these players to build on.

You guys are way too emotional about the Mayfield choking thing. He 100% choked in his biggest moment as an NFL player on the bad pass to Landry. I don't think the interception was a choke play. That was a great play by the defense. It's the pass to Landry that he has to make.

He choked against UGA as well in his biggest game as a college athlete.

Is it a cause for concern? He's just a rookie and it's too early to say that. Lot of football ahead of him. But he choked yesterday by failing to make a play when it mattered most and the stakes were the highest. An inaccurate routine pass for a quarterback who is known for his accuracy. That's the very definition of choke. This isn't Blake Bottles missing the pass. That could be explained by the mere fact that he sucks.

Baker needs a signature win. I think they will come.

This isn't an anti-Baker take. This is a take about the play late in the game yesterday.

You know I've been perusing some Jets boards this year to see how they were feeling about Darnold. I learned two things. One, if the couple of boards are any indication, that is one of the least intelligent fanbases out there. Two, they have an emotional attachment to Darnold that clouds their judgment.

That's how this board is reacting to Mayfield choking yesterday. It's disappointing. Just call it like it is and be objective.

Most NFL games come down to the end of the 4th.

What an incredible game.

We made every mistake possible and shot ourselves in the foot continuously, yet still fought our way to be in position to win at the end. Solving their front came just a drive or two too late, but it showcased how to beat them. They're a threat, but as I see it, this is OUR DIVISION every single year going forward. The AFC North goes through Cleveland.

Baker broke a Peyton Manning passing record and did it in three fewer games. Along the way, he had FOURTEEN FEWER INT's and almost exactly as many yards! With three less games and nearly 100 less Pass Attempts!!

Guess what... he was better than Peyton's 2nd year, too!

This offense needs very little to keep on churning. The defense needs some attention, but with the right improvements, I see little reason for us to not be a 12 win team next year, in the Playoffs as Division winners, and legitimate contenders to take it all.


Before the season, I felt we were a 4 to 6 win team. We FAR surpassed that and showed that we had the potential to have been a 10 win team this year.

I could not be more stoked - and more nervous - about this offseason.
We MUST get this coaching decision right. If we do, we're launching a dynasty. If we don't, we're going to squander our best QB, ever.

All year long we have made good adjustments at half time. This is something that has always been a problem. I think we need to keep our coaches!

Maybe you are right, but Damn, the Ravens can run the hell out of the ball... Way better than I thought they'd do..

j/c

I do not know why the officials blew that whistle so quickly on the fumble at the goal line. There was absolutely no reason to blow the whistle that quickly.

The play is either a TD and therefore dead, or it's a fumble and likely 6 points for the defense. Kind of...you know...important in an NFL game with high stakes.

Players weren't in a scrum or scrambling after the ball that could have resulted in injury.

Just like the Raider game, we made a play when a play needed to be made...only to have the referees change the course and outcome of the game.

Yea we took a few hits from the refs that most likely cost us a playoff spot ...

We'll get the obligatory "Official NFL Apology" on Wednesday, saying that they (once again) blew it.

AFAIC, the NFL can stuff their apology in a tight, dark vertical space. Just get the calls right, and quit screwing the Browns!



p.s. NFL owes Peppers 6 points.

If it wasn't for poor officiating we would have finished 9-6-1 and been hosting a playoff game this coming weekend. Ridiculous.

Wanna know what irritates the crap out of me?

One of the morning football shows .... I'm not sure which as I have jumped around a bit .... but they showed the Browns-Rats highlights ...... and they showed the play that Jackson fumbled on at the goal line ...... but they cut it as soon as he stuck the ball out, but before the ball was punched out. The implication was that it was an absolutely awesome play by Jackson ... when instead he fumbled, and the Browns should have scored.

That was a truly dishonest highlight, the way it was presented.

Let's draft some tacklers in the draft next year. Because we got schooled as far as the run game.

Heard anything about the refs yesterday. The fast whistle on the lost score handed the Rats some help. Why not let the play run out? This one upset me with this and so many upset calls.

You keep bringing up the emotionality of posters as the primary defense of your wrong-headed description of Mayfield's play. I'm certain that I said you have a right to your opinion. Calling you on that error doesn't make me emotional. I simply disagree with you. Maybe you should do some self-examination about your own emotional state. Now you're comparing this fan-base to the Jets because we disagree with you. I expect you to dig in with this nonsense because that's what emotional people do when they get challenged.

I'll go further, choking is wilting under pressure. Missing a single pass is not choking. Below is some description of the Browns play over the final 7 minutes of the game:

Needing two scores with just over 7 minutes remaining, Mayfield led a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in just under four minutes. He completed 6-of-7 passes for 73 yards on the drive, including a 1-yard touchdown to Callaway with 3:24 remaining to bring the Browns within two points.

Mayfield came painfully close to securing position for a game-winning field goal. Jarvis Landry and Perriman spurred the final drive onward with two outstanding catches. Perriman’s kept his right foot on the ground long enough to constitute a catch before falling out of bounds. Landry secured his catch by adjusting his hand under the ball as he went to the ground. But on fourth-and-10 at Baltimore’s 39, Mosley intercepted Mayfield’s pass intended for a seemingly open Duke Johnson Jr.. Mosley made a leaping effort to tip the pass before catching it, and the Browns fell just short of a comeback.

You don't lead a 73 yard TD drive if you're a choker. You don't make those late completions to Landry and Perriman if you are a choker.

Was he perfect? No. Did he make mistakes? Yes. That's what happens in competition. He did not wilt under pressure. He continued to compete.

Well, 2 and a half, but still!

At least in the conversation for one of the best rookie seasons ever. Pulled some stats here:





I agree. I hope Dorsey just stays with the status quo. For his own job security, wouldn't it be the safest move? If he keep Williams and Kitchens and it doesn't work out, then I think people would understand him trying to ride the hot hands, and would be be okay with him scrapping it after a year or two and moving in a different direction.

If goes with another coaching staff, and THAT doesn't work out, he'll be known as the guy who ruined a team that was finally looking legitimate.

I think it comes down to what one defines as choking.
IMO choking can't be one play or even one drive. NO POSSIBLE WAY can it be.
Because if that was so every QB in the NFL is choke artist. Look at Brady back a few weeks ago . He couldn't make the plays at the end of the game and lost 2 weeks in a row. So he is a major choke artist??? (Just used him because he is the GOAT)
They ALL fail at times and lose games all the time.
Choking is after playing good for a half of football and then screwing the pootch the 2nd half of the game and costing the game. It's going into a big game and laying a huge egg !
It's much much much more than a throw or two at the end of a game. Much much much more than a single drive at the end of a game.
Seems to me at times the only games people watch is ours. Because if they did they would see all the Great Qbs (by their definition) choke on a regular basis.
It just can't be defined that simple !

I just watched the game again. Yes, our D - especially our run D - was really bad for a large portion of this game.

Our O line was really good, I thought.

That quick whistle/fumble by Jackson right next to the endzone was horrible.

We might need to find a new FG kicker this coming season.

I like all the optimism for the Browns next season, but we still lost yesterday. I didn't think we would win, as the Browns usually struggle against QB's when they run.

Regardless, the future for the Browns looks bright.

Yeah - I was thinking about the exact same thing today while waiting to have lunch with someone .... What's the definition of choking?

My definition or understanding of an athlete choking is when they bottle it, their nerves go, they lose their cajones .... but that isn't what happened with Baker. Did he miss a pass to Landry at the end of the game? He sure did. And if you watch his presser you can see he owns that and hates that. But that is not bottling it or losing his nerve for a game or even a series ... it was one play. During the same game he made some outrageously good/great throws. He made worse throws too - the interception, forcing the ball where it didn't/shouldn't have been thrown ...

Michael Sphinx choked when he got in the ring with Tyson.
Greg Norman choked when he blew a 6 or 7 shot lead on the final day of the Masters.

jmo

Excellent reply to a very ignorant post. Choking is a trend, not a play.

I loved the way the Browns did not quit but fought til the end.
We missed a field goal and had a touchdown taken away on the fumble.
Baker is the real deal. Does anyone else notice how well our receivers have played with Baker?
I was disapointed in our ability to stop the run or run the ball.
I loved the way our oline pass blocked for Baker but our run blocking was non existant.
We still need to add a few pieces but we are close. Very close.