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Cleveland Browns winners and losers from the 2018 season
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It used to be that a losing season, no playoffs and a coaching change meant the Browns were still going nowhere and everybody was better off just forgetting about the last 16 games.

The Browns have now claimed that sad trifecta eight times since 1999. But this time feels different.

"I think that we have a lot to look forward to," Browns guard Joel Bitonio said on Monday. "You have a week or two to reflect but then you get back into it and you really try and improve yourself so that you can help the team come fall of next year."

If this is the week to reflect, then let's get right to it.

Here are the winners and losers from the Browns' 2018 season:
WINNER: John Dorsey's decision-making

There was a point in John Dorsey's end-of-season press conference on Monday when he was asked how ownership will be involved in hiring the Browns' next head coach.

"Hopefully, we have earned the trust from ownership when we make a recommendation with them that we feel this is the best coach moving forward," Dorsey said. "Hopefully, we have earned that trust, and their respect."

It's hard to imagine that he hasn't earned it. Dorsey's batting average on decisions over the past year is quite good. He endeared himself to fans before the year even began by cutting loose Kenny Britt, and then the hits kept coming.

Acquiring Jarvis Landry, Damarious Randall, Terrance Mitchell, T.J. Carrie through trades and free agency shored up trouble spots. Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb, Antonio Callaway and Genard Avery became core pieces as rookies, and Mayfield might be offensive rookie of the year.

He closed the book on Corey Coleman (who had little impact with the Giants this season) and Josh Gordon (who faces another indefinite ban from the league). And whatever role he played in ridding the coaching staff of "internal discord" should earn him trust as well.

Was it all roses? No. The jury is still out on Austin Corbett as a second-round pick, and Dorsey is still looking for Joe Thomas' successor. But Dorsey, perhaps more than anybody in the organization, won in 2018.
Browns GM John Dorsey watches practice in Berea during the 2018 season. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)


LOSER: Hue Jackson

Jackson dove into Lake Erie as a symbolic cleanse, but 2018 was anything but a new beginning for him. Hard Knocks gave fans a window into how Jackson runs a team behind closed doors, and didn't do anything to win over his critics.

When he was shown the door along with Haley, it seemed to kick off a string of decisions that left Browns fans and players shaking their heads. There was the media tour that provided more questions than answers, and prompted Mayfield to refer to Jackson as fake.

Then he reunited with the Bengals, which was his right, but, again, didn't sit well with many of his former players. Jabrill Peppers seemed to jaw at him prior to the Browns-Bengals game in Week 12. He received an unwanted game ball from Damarious Randall during that game. Then Mayfield closed out the Browns' Week 16 win against the Bengals with the staredown to end all staredowns.

The Bengals were 5-4 when Jackson joined the staff. They were 1-6 the rest of the way.

It might be time for another cleanse.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson and others run into Lake Erie in June as part of a charity event. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)


WINNER: Freddie Kitchens

Kitchens went from an assistant coach who set the stage for drama between Hue Jackson and Todd Haley (it was Kitchens who first questioned players getting time off during an episode of Hard Knocks), to being in the mix for the Browns head coach job.

When Kitchens took over as offensive coordinator and play-caller, Mayfield started playing at an MVP level. Kitchens' exciting offense also unleashed Chubb, who almost finished the season with 1,000 yards rushing.

Whether or not Kitchens and the Browns have a future, you can be sure that Kitchens will call plays again in the NFL.
Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens watches the field during the Browns' Week 17 game against the Ravens. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)


LOSER: The refs assigned to Browns games

It seemed fitting that the final Browns game of the season would include an officiating mistake that potentially cost the Browns a touchdown. Much of the season has been a repeat of "Oops. Our bad. Sorry. That's on us," from the officials.

On Sunday, it was the touchdown signal on a Lamar Jackson dive that never reached the end zone, turned into a fumble, and was picked up by Jabrill Peppers with nothing but 90-plus yards of open field in front of him. But officials blew the play dead after it appeared that Jackson might've scored.

Before that, it was:

Myles Garrett was whistled for roughing the passer on a third-and-goal, and the Steelers scored on the next play. The NFL later admitted that roughing should not have been called.
A strip sack by Garrett and Genard Avery against the Raiders was whistled dead as Larry Ogunjobi scooped up the ball and headed toward the end zone. The NFL later admitted the call should not have been blown dead.
Carlos Hyde seemed to pick up a first down late in the fourth quarter against the Raiders, putting the Browns in position to run out the clock. But the NFL's review center requested a review and reversed the call. The Browns punted, the Raiders scored, the Browns lost in overtime.
Officials missed a false start on a Chargers touchdown pass against the Browns. The official who missed the call was fired 11 days later for poor overall performance.
Officials didn't penalize a helmet-to-helmet hit on Mayfield by a Buccaneers defender. NFL head of officiating Al Riveron admitted later officials should've penalized the Buccaneers.

Browns interim head coach Gregg Williams talks with an official during a timeout in Week 15 against the Broncos. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)


WINNER: Confidence

Let's rewind to 10 months ago, at the NFL Combine, when Mayfield spoke with media about potentially being drafted No. 1 overall by the Browns.

"First thing's first, (the Browns would) get a winner," he said. "If there's anyone who would turn that franchise around, it'd be me."

At this point, it seems evident that if Mayfield hasn't turned the franchise around, he has at least installed a GPS, gassed up the tank and slid into the driver's seat.

Mayfield set the rookie record for passing touchdowns in just 13 starts. He has owned rookie of the week voting and will be the choice of many for offensive rookie of the year.

The journey to this point has included numerous examples of Mayfield's confidence. They include his takedown of Colin Cowherd over accusations that Mayfield isn't a team guy, his doubling down on criticism of Hue Jackson and his ultimatum to teammates that if they didn't want to give their all the final two weeks, they could get out.

Most rookies don't act like that. But, "I'm not a cookie cutter quarterback. Never have been, never will be," Mayfield said. "I speak my mind, that's how I am."
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield celebrates his touchdown throw to wide receiver Breshad Perriman against the Ravens in Week 17. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)


LOSER: Streaks

The Browns put to bed a lot of long-standing examples of futility in 2018. They didn't lose the season opener for the first time since 2004. They won an AFC North game for the first time since 2015.

They swept the Bengals for the first time since 2002, swept an AFC North opponent for the first time since 2007 and avoided the division cellar for the first time since 2011.

They also got their first road win since 2015, and first back-to-back wins since 2014.

And it looks like they have their first franchise quarterback since the 1980s.
Browns running back Nick Chubb dives for the end zone as against the Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)


WINNER: Myles Garrett

Garrett gave himself a B-minus for his performance this season.

His 13.5 sacks were sixth-most in the league and half a sack away from the Browns single-season record. (His two-season total of 20.5 sacks is most in Browns history.) Garrett also had 29 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.

Pro Football Focus ranked him 13th overall among edge defenders and seventh against the pass. Of the 100-plus players ranked. Garrett was one of just two to clear 1,000 snaps this season.

He also earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Not bad for a B player.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett celebrates a victory over the Carolina Panthers. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)


LOSER: Browns special teams

Amos Jones' first season as Browns special teams coordinator didn't produce great results. His kicker was cut two games into the season. The Browns' 21 special teams penalties were seventh most in the league. And they were 28th in yards per kickoff return (20.1).

Kick coverage was worse. The Browns were third in opponents average yards per punt return (10.7) and ninth in average yards per kickoff return (23.9).
Browns special teams coordinator Amos Jones talks with local media prior to the 2018 season. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)


WINNER: Browns wide receivers

The wide receiver room had a lot going on this season.

It began with Landry's passionate speech on Hard Knocks, then saw the loss of Corey Coleman and Josh Gordon, some injuries, big drops, then, toward the end of the year, redemption.

Landry led the group with 81 catches for 976 yards. Antonio Callaway and Rashard Higgins both cleared 500 yards and combined for nine touchdowns. There was a time not too long ago when Browns receivers had trouble finding the end zone. Not this year. Five receivers caught at least two touchdown passes.

Landry and Callaway proved the Browns have a formidable duo heading into next season. Higgins (cut last year) and Breshad Perriman (cut by the Ravens this year) rebounded to provide depth and some huge moments.

This is no longer the group that looked to be in turmoil early in the season.
Browns wide receivers Rashard Higgins and Jarvis Landry celebrate with tight end David Njoku after Njoku scored a touchdown against the Bengals. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com


LOSER: Christian Kirksey

If anybody deserved to be on the field and enjoy the Browns' turnaround over the second half of the season, it was Kirksey.

He has played more games for the Browns than anybody on the current roster. He started every game and led the team in defensive snaps through 1-31 and 0-16. He has been as much of an ambassador for the Browns -- on and off the field -- as anybody.

But a hamstring injury shut him down after seven weeks.

Harsh.
Browns linebacker Christian Kirksey runs after recovering a fumble against the Buccaneers in Week 7. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)


WINNER: Joe Schobert

Schobert didn't get a second straight Pro Bowl nod, but he proved again his value to the Browns defense.

After playing every defensive snap as a rookie, Schobert was in line to repeat that through five weeks. But a hamstring injury against the Chargers sidelined him for three weeks. Those three games, including the game in which he was hurt, were all losses.

Schobert finished sixth in defensive snaps this season, but still came within one tackle of leading the team for the second straight year (he finished with 103, one behind Jamie Collins).

Pro Football Focus ranked Schobert ninth among linebackers, and fourth in pass coverage.
Browns linebacker Joe Schobert reaches over Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for a fumble in Week 1. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)


LOSER: Tyrod Taylor

Cleveland isn't kind to veteran quarterbacks trying to make a comeback or have a prove-it year. Taylor found that out this season. Surely he always knew this was a one-and-done scenario, that the Browns were going to turn to Mayfield at some point.

But having an opportunity with the Browns ended by injury was something we all should've seen coming. Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Jason Campbell, Jake Delhomme ...

Add Taylor to the list.
Browns quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield warm up prior to a 2018 game. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)


WINNER: Interim coaches

Gregg Williams was the fifth interim coach in Browns history, and he finished with the best record of the group.

Williams' 5-3 record to finish the season has him in the conversation for head coach going forward. Of the four previous Browns interim coaches, only Marty Schottenheimer was able to get the full-time gig (he went 4-4 in 1984 in relief of Sam Rutigliano).

Dick Modzelewski (0-1, 1977), Jim Schofner (1-6, 1990) and Terry Robiskie (1-4, 2004) didn't fare as well.
Browns interim head coach Gregg Williams gives instruction during practice in Berea.(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)


LOSER: Condoleezza Rice, Browns head coach candidate

What was that?
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice talks with the media after visiting with Cleveland Browns coaches and players in 2010. (Associated Press)

Amos Jones and the STs are probably the worst Loser IMO

Would be interesting to pull up the preseason ‘Bust and Boom’ thread. See how everyone’s picks for the categories turned out. My guess is there were some who had Coleman in the ‘boom’ catagory and someone like Peppers in the ‘bust’.

The Cleveland Browns and the Browns fans are the clear losers here. Refs made their 200K and cost us the season in the process. It's criminally fraudulent. This year was by far the worst league wide. Refs are either so blatantly biased or utterly incompetent that everything needs to be challengeable and reviewable.

Cleveland Browns
Published on Jan 7, 2019

2018 was a year of many highlights for the Cleveland Browns, check out the Top 10 plays of the year. Which one is your favorite?

You must be kidding...

Hue Jackson and all his legion of supporters are the worst Losers.

The OP forgot about a clear winner: Sashi Brown, although I rather have Dorsey (and its not even close), I think this year proved what most of us already knew.That Hue Jackson is the worst coach in NFL history and a terrible professional.

I think anyone that said Baker was a bum and had a noodle arm would be listed under the "loser category too" don't you agree?

First, I never said BM was a Bum nor that he has a noodle arm.

I said I didn't understand drafting Baker with the number one pick,nor did I see the skills. I also said Baker does not have an elite arm and that he struggles with some throws.


Do not twist other peoples words just to prove a point, which I don't know what it is...

By the way, I now have stated that I have complete confidence on Dorsey, which at some point I called a smart ass.

The big difference is that I do retract and admit when I'm wrong, while the HUE fans never did, and are always trying to find excuses for him.

I think they have to expand what is reviewable and allow challenges on calls and non-calls. For example, if there's a helmet to helmet on the QB that isn't called it should be challenged, reviewed and determined whether the call was missed or not. If it was, a penally should be assessed, if not, loss of challenge.

An errant whistle should not be the end all be all of determining whether the play is dead if it is discovered that the play was still active. For example, if a ball is fumbled and recovered by the other team, and every other aspect shows it to be a clear fumble and recovery, there should be no "but the whistle blew it dead" BS.

There should be a clear line between a touch on the helmet and a blow to the head. That should be reviewable if a coach wants to use a challenge.

If a DE is consistently being held, that should be reviewable if the coach wants to use a challenge.

They have specific criteria for what is and what is not a penalty. Since that is the case penalties and non calls should all be reviewable to see if they meet that criteria, if a coach wishes to use a challenge. I would expand the challenges to three, and don't think it would drastically increase the length of the games because coaches would still need to be prudent on how and when the used the challenges.

The bottom line is, it's more important to get the calls right than it is to make the refs feel good about themselves. They're flat out %$@ing up the game, and inserting themselves into the outcomes of games and seasons. Enough is enough.

What category do u put posters in that reply to his nonsense ... ...

Seriously ... WHY? ...

Forrest Gumps ma was a genius .... *LOL* ...

It's your type of BS that makes the stench so much worse around here. You did nothing but bash Mayfield even when it was evident how good he was. And then you try to do a bait and switch con game and lie about people.

Let me tell you what almost everyone who you claim "supported Hue" had to say. Read my sig. We said pretty much EXACTLY what Dorsey said! Give him a roster with some talent and let's see what he can do.

Dorsey did exactly that. I don't recall people whining and crying when he was fired. He was given the opportunity and failed terribly. At that point it was good riddance to bad rubbish.

So you keep acting like you didn't trash Baker throughout the year even when he proves you wrong and act like everyone was crushed and upset when Hue was fired. People can read this board.

The ages old battle cry of LOSERS ... it was the refs fault ....

Once again the blind leading the blind ...

bone there is 4 or 5 reasons that led to how poor the officating was this year ... i’ve tried to explain before but NO ONE WANTS TO LISTEN cause ya’all having never done it still somehow know way more than me ... i said within minutes of the game ending that the official that missed the LT offsides was HORRIBLE and i knew why ... the next week he gets switched to a crew that was off and was fired the week after that ..

And i can GAURANTEE U almost every one of his fellow officials said ... WOOOHOOOOO we knew this would happen ...... he should have never even been on he field .. he was HORRIBLE ... called that and 4 or 5 other things that have ALL COME TRUE ... theres a reason I know these things ..... but hey ... just jump on the bandwagon with the clueless when it comes to this .. makes perfect sense to me ... ...

U guys just IGNORE IT ... guess your need to whine about the officating outweighs actually learning about whats going on out there ...

Its way easier to point fingers and moan as opposed to listen to someone that actully HAS A CLUE .... i know how good or bad a lot of these officials are ...

Carry on with your convo with your fellow blind posters ... i’ll Just sit and *LMAO* at just how little ya’all know .... at least its amusing ....

Thats what they want too ...

Like i said bone .. more than once i’ve Listed the 4 or 5 reasons as to why the officiating went to crap this year and has been going down for teh last 4 or 5 years ... NO ONE INCLUDING U wanted to listen ...

U want me to explain it again .. PM me .. i’mnot doing it in public cause its gets ignored and i get ridiculed for it .. IF even one poster listened i could care less about the ridicule ... but when NO ONE listens ... not worth it ...

PM if your serious about wanting to know ...

Did the cd come out yet? ...

Its me that BS but its you that are almost wrong all times.

I never bashed BM, juts stated that I didn't think he had the skills to be the number one pick, nor do I think that he has an elite arm (elite, like I explained many times before, is having on of the best 10 arms in the NFL).

I also have questioned the Messianic aura all of the Hue lovers gave to Baker. Yes baker is a very good rookie QB, and he is improving, but that's not why the team and O changed.

We were already averaging 21 points a game with TT and Haley, and to me the major difference is that we finally had a balanced game that helped the QB.

And yes Baker has grown on me, specially after what he did to HUE.

And get a GRIP man, the major difference wasn't the roster but the coach, specially on offense.

Calling 60% of pass plays with a rookie QB is asinine, specially when with almost the same personnel, you had a OC making the browns the 5th best running O in the league.

Instead of attacking others just take some humility pill and admit the BS were right and you were wrong.

WHERE DID I EVER TRASH BAKER? Unless saying he isn't a top 10 QB in the league is trashing.

I admitted I TRASHED DORSEY for the draft and I WAS WRONG 1-2 games into the season when I saw how good Ward was.

BLIND LEADING THE BLIND .... but i’m sure u know more than me about that ...



How long ago u talking? ... 60’s, 70’s ... any clue when they started hiring NFL officials as opposed to local HS officials doing it .. BTW .. when was that and where did u hear it?

Any clue what the hiring process is for an NFL official? ... any clue what they do as far as continuing ed goes? .. any clue how many clinics they go to during the off season? .. any clue what they do to prepare for the season? ...

I’d be stunned if the answer to all of the above was ... NO, I’M JUST TALKING OUT MY ASS ...



It was the WORST YEAR ... u should have stopped there as the rest although being true, STOPPED WELL SHORT on the rule changes aspect of why there were so many BRUTAL CALLS ....

Making them full time would do NOTHING TO HELP THE SITUATION ... but again, i’m Sure u know more than me ...

J\C

Im still conflicted about the refs call [probably costing us the ravens game] that cost us probable TD that would beat the Ravens but it cost the squeelers a playoff spot, Uh...Ill go with winner on that one lol.

I think the Browns came up losers. We have a guy that didn't even have OC experience before mid season as our head coach and we just hit reset on our defense to gain a DC who won't have half the experience or results we had from the last one.

They should have just left GW as the HC and kept freddie as the OC and let Freddie gain some experience at the higher position before trying to elevate him to fast for his own good.

This team just can't seem to stop from shooting itself in the foot. I just can't stay excited anymore watching them do it over and over again.

Dude, no offense, I like you and most of your takes. This whole "I'm the czar of officiating and all of you guys are clueless fools" act is tired as hell.

Officiating this year is some of the worst I've ever seen, don't need to have "done it myself" to know that. I've never been a surgeon either, but if I see a credentialed doctor approaching the patient with a Jason mask and a chainsaw, I know we have a serious problem. The rules and their interpretation need so much work it's ridiculous, the officials on the field seem half-blind at times. They blow call after call like they haven't even been trained for the job. I used to marvel at their work, I would wonder how they were always so perfect at spotting the ball... then I would watch how hard they work to always be in position to do their job efficiently. Those cats are few and far between in today's league.

Quit telling us we're stupid, many of us have watched football with a passion for the game for decades, we know when something is a little more than "askew".

Who gives a crap? They can't get it right, make penalties and non-calls reviewable and challengeable. Your insulting tone and know-it-all demeanor doesn't change the fact that they get it wrong all the time. They're paid 200K/yr to to get it right and they clearly can't do it league wide. At least challenges would level the playing field to offset the ineptitude & bias that is so prevalent. Beyond that, I don't give a rat's ass what you think about it.

Well using the little search feature we have ...








And that's just a 5 minute sampling, I got bored after awhile.

j/c:

This thread is pretty ugly.

Did you expect it to be any different?

Feel free to use the IGNORE BUTTON ... as long as u guys are talking out your butts i will defend the NFL OFFICIALS when what happend is defensible ... will also let u know when it was a CRAPPY CALL OR NO CALL BY A BAD OFFICIAL ...

How many games u officiated? .. how many NFL officials have u worked with and been trained by? ...

Any clue what and NFL official does during the off season ... any clue what they do week to week during the season ...

U guys HAVE NO CLUE ... NONE ... yet u talk like u know ... and u have someone who has been there and done that and could be a valuable asset .... naaaa .. i’d Rather talk out my butt about sumptin I KNOW ZERO ABOUT cause i never blew a whistle ...

Feel free to put me on IGNORE Fate ... i could care less ...



I just said it was the worst ever .... no issue there ...




Agree ... BUT i sure as hell would have the sense to pay attention to those that HAVWE DONE IT BEFORE ... i’d Look at them as a VALUABLE ASSET and be THRILLED to have someone that could EDUCATE ME about it ... thats pretty much my approach to ANYTHING IN LIFE ...

U guys .. Nope .. refs suck and thats all i need to know ... full time refs ... ... just shows how ignorant those that think thats gonna help are ...



Great analogy ... ...

When u go to the docs do u listen to what the receptionist or the PA says ... in this case .. u guys are the receptionist and i’m The PA ... much better example .. *LOL* ..



said that for the last 5 years ... they’ve added so much GRAY AREA to the rules its pathetic .. its ONE OF THE ISSUES ...



Yes they do .. pretty sure the fact that i’ve done it before i have a MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THERE RESPONSIBILITIES and have an understanding of HOW IMPORTANT ANGLES ARE ....

U ever even consider what moving the umpire from the middle of the field behind the DL to 15 yards behind the OL opposite the white hat has changed the ANGLES that are now available ...

ANY THOUGHT WHAT SO EVER ...ya, i didnt think so ... Gee diam, I never thought of that .... ...

Its your IGNORANCE of how things work on the field and instead of asking questions to try and understand u just wanna WHINE AND CRY like 2 year olds ...

Great way to go through life ...



Ya .. its a lack of training ... ...



Few and far between is QUITE THE REACH ... but u ahve a valid point .... 6 or 7 years ago the NFL was by far the best officiated major sport ... now it may be the worst ...

IF U paid attention to me over the course of the year I’ve COVERED THE 4 OR 5 REASONS why that has changed ...

BUT AGAIN ... you’d rather whine about the officials and be-little me than actually ASK QUESTIONS AND POSSIBLE LEARN ... at least then ... you’d be an INFORMED WHINER ... *L* ..



Big difference between being stupid and clueless .... u guys are whining about things u have no clue about .. u see a missed call ... refs suck w/o ever giving any thought to WHY they may have missed the call ...

Again .. put me on ignore ... whenever i see clueless whining about the officials ... i’m Chiming in ..



I agree ... that dont mean u have ANY CLUE WHY the officiating has gone down ... ya’all jut wanna mock them and ridicule them w/o ever even WONDERING WHY ....

Feel free to put me on ignore ... i enjoy reading U as u know your stuff .... u can put me on ignore and i can read u .... works for me ...

U don’t deserve my time with your tude .. you whine about being insulted .. yet u insult me everytime u rag on officials ...

I’d of loved to have been on the sidelines with U ... LOVED IT ... at the semi pro level i could tell u exactly what i thought of u as I threw flag after flag until u acted like a MAN and approached me and whoever was on the field with RESPECT ...

We’d of actually have gotten along fine ... rhe first time u started screaming at me or one of my fellow officials i would have walked over and stood shoulder to shoulder with U looking out at the field and told U something along these lines ..

“Not sure what your used to coach but heres how its gonna work today ... if u have a question about a call let me know and i will come talk to u man to man with respect like i am doing with u right now ... we’ll have no problems if u do that ... yelling will not be tolerated today ... then i’d Turn toward u and say ... do u understand as i was backpedaling and as the last word came out of my mouth my back would be to U running back to my position ... it would be a rhetorical question ...

My guess is ... you’d of respected that and we’d of been fine ...

Semi-pro ball ... *L* ... who officiated those games? ... more than likely the local HS group ... guess what ... where i was from ... NONE OF THE GOOD REFS WOULD OFFICAIATE IT cause the players and coaches were all a-holes for he most part ...

Semi-Pro bowl has a great rep in the officiating community ... ...

That was a long post i read about 3 lines of ... *LOL* ...

PS. I could lie through my teeth as most coaches have no clue ... u know how many apology e-mails i’ve Received throughout the years from coaches ... a lot more than the one i had to send out once ... and i was told not to do that ... i did it anyway cause it was the right thing to do ..

Sory bro ... the way u post about officials on here is well beneath u ...

And making them full time wouldn’t help much if any ... THATS NOT THE PROBLEM but u wouldn’t know that cause your to busy being a know it all ... ...

Ouch .... that stung ... *L* ...

More reviews .... GOOD IDEA ... *LOL* ..

Slow the game down more ... thats what they want ... MORE DELAYS ...

Good idea ... sure it’ll be implemented soon ... ...

Let it go. It is what it is.

The officiating can be seen as bad, and replay (NOT replay in a good way) has made people more upset.

GOOD replay - you know - the legally reviewable plays, have helped. But, in todays society, with virtually every play being shown over and over.....well, it's been a big part of the problem.

You have a point about 'if you haven't done it, be quiet.'

I agree. Take softball for example. I thought I knew all the rules when I was outside the fence. Since I became an ump, and am INSIDE the fence....yeah, I know all the rules even better. But it still doesn't stop an occasional coach, or especially a fan, from screaming and yelling like a fool.

It is what it is. We all want umps/ref's/officials to be perfect. I also want $100 million. I was never much of a yeller, but since I've been doing softball, I don't yell. At softball umps, basketball ref's, football officials (they have it good, as they are further away from the fans.)

I stated a while back that, on Ohio at least, we're being told that we're getting close to doing j.v. and varsity games as a 1 man show. Why? Older guys are retiring, and new people aren't replacing them.

Here it is, Jan. 10th, and I am getting 3-mails daily from schools all over n.w. Ohio about needing umpires. Season starts in March.

At a low level, high school, in Ohio at least, schools cant find umps. Or basketball officials.

The worse those people get treated, the worse the situation will become.

And, I get it, at an NFL level, you would expect better, right? Then go out and do it yourself. (not YOU, per se)

Whatever it takes to get it right. As I said, beyond that, I'm uninterested in anything you have to say about it.

I’ve heard that said to many a partner ... ...

- the plate has corners ...
- batter has knees ...
- needed a wedge to hit that one ...

My all time favorite regardless of sport ...

Its all about u ... its all about u ...

I asked a couple coaches i knew what they meant after they said it and they didnt even know ... *LOL* ...

Man ... do i got some great stories from all sports ...

Would be fun to have a beer with u and talk about your experiences in baseball and i could tell u a few officiating stories ...

I wanna let it go arch .. i can’t ... believe me i wish i could .... i dont like acting like this ...

As u well know arch ... theres all kinds of officials ... some take it more seriously than others ..

I LOVE IT ... spent a lot of time and money learning my craft be it baseball, football or hoops ...

I’m very PASSIONATE about it .... can u tell ... *L* ...

U guys dont have asssgnors ot groups at the hs level ... one person varsity games .. OUCH ... thats tough ... much better in girls HS than boys ... but its still not easy ...

Interesting system u guys have on your area of the state ...

Good luck with it this year arch ....

Nah, we DO have assignors. MYOSHAA.com.

There aren't enough officials, period. That's why schools are e-mailing officials, in the odd shot that someone will take a job. Seriously, as of RIGHT NOW, I could have 25 games lined up. And the assigning hasn't even started.


Edited to add: The 1 person varsity or j.v. games has not happened yet. By the same token to do varsity, you need to be a class 1 ump. The state - Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) makes exceptions hundreds of times per week to have class 2 umpires do varsity games. (class 2 WERE only allowed to do j.v. or lower, previously) Why? They can't find the class 1 umps. (difference between 1 and 2 is, to be classified as a 1, you need to be observed and rated/evaluated by a class 1 ump for 2 games, minimum. Yeah, like class 1 umps are going to spend their time doing that?)

Not enough umps for the games. Period. And all the bitching and griping umps get is causing it. Who wants to get yelled at?

Dang ... thats a real shortage ....

To bad u have to be board certified (ASSuming u do) or u could be a true independent contractor ... *L* ..

So you're spiraling out of control and regardless of how you feel about it, it has you in it's grasp. There's nothing you can do.

You sound like my dog looks when I catch him peeing in the house.

I don't have to have been a ref to see that some seriously crappy calls have cost us games and to raise hell about it. Those guys aren't all innocent victims of complex rules changes. They screwed the pooch at our expense, and yes...some of it looks deliberate.