DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Hype and No Hype

I think the last few posts that address the questionable amount of reps while installing new schemes w/new coaches is important. I did not even consider that.

I thought your earlier assessment of the team and their prospects for winning was accurate.

I had to post this somewhere. Ogunjobi didn't have the season he wanted last year. One thing about him, he is not complacent.

This looks incredibly difficult.

It would be helpful if Larry could take a big step forward in 2020.

That's cool. And it is difficult. My physical therapist had me standing on something similar and catching balls I threw off of a net while rehabbing my knee. It was pretty hard. Slapping away those bags has to be much, much harder.

Glad to see him working out.

When you go to the Instagram post the comments tell you that those glasses he's wearing are a training tool, not for the Florida sunshine. Apparently they are strobe classes that randomly create blind spots in his vision. It's an attempt to simulate the congested view on the interior of the line of scrimmage.

Wow, if you’re serious that’s pretty cool.

Swim? I thought that you had re-floated the Boat...

I'm serious.

Also, the full Instagram post is considerably longer and he never loses his balance.

Amazing.

this would be big. He was on a good track and kind of tailed off

It's a contract year, so I think he'll do all he can for a big improvement...jmo

J/C. We have heard "change the culture" statement now for quite some time.

First thing, we NEED to win week 1, that will change some culture as we have NOT done that in à Long time.

We have talent al over the roster, the only areas that appear to give me caution is placekicker and LB. The kicker thing scares me the most and I hope we bring in a Vet to challenge in camp. I believe that TakiTaki will improve in year 2 and so won't Mack , but it feels like the room that has the most to prove.

I agree. I’ve said for SO many years that losing week 1 is a killer. Yeah, we all can hear “it’s just one week” ... but we have a LOSING franchise and mentality. After months and months of optimism each offseason, losing week 1 makes everyone feel like “here we go again”

Thats Clems choice of transport ... we have multiple vessels including planes & helo’s ... the thief felt bad after last year so he took care os us ... ...

Not gonna read all the posts in this thread so it might have been said already but I think not having hype is a very healthy place for us to be right now. I was not sold at all last year at this time and all the hype going into the season I felt was a very bad omen. It spoke to the absolute worst mindset you can have for a young team that had proven nothing. This is not hindsight, I was rather negative about our prospects in the season prediction threads.

Having a new coach (who again has not been a head coach before), new schemes, a fair number of new players expected in starting roles and still a pretty young team overall coupled with what looks to be a very limited offseason program tells me the early season is probably going to look ugly and uncoordinated. I think we’ll be better overall eventually because I think our coach is a smart grownup who sounds like he has an actual plan and system and knows how to fashion a team around its natural strengths rather than try to endlessly fit round pegs in square holes. I think we’ll start to look better by the end of the season, but I think it’s right to temper early expectations.

Meanwhile the Ravens are returning mostly the same good team with the same coaching, the Steelers get Ben back, and though the Bengals are in long term rebuild mode they also could be a decent middle of the road team by season’s end. We’re getting no breaks. I think 8-8 give or take 2 games either way (with 6-10 much more likely than 10-6) is a very real probability. The only think working for us is non division games look somewhat favorable compared to years past. But I think we’ll be the equivalent of a gangly clumsy undisciplined teenager, our own worst enemy, for the first half. And I’ll say the same thing I said last year... I hope we can see the positives by seasons end and use it to vault into 2021. But this year, just like last year, there’s too much young greenery to expect lots of quality fruit.

I might totally agree save the gigantic reality of new coaches, new system with extremely limited offseason preparation. We’re looking at rookies starting at LT (learning a new position) and FS and a guy who barely played at all last year at LB. New to us starters/ major rotation at RT, DB’s DL and TE. In a normal year it would be a big ask to to expect a Sean McDermott’s Rams in Cleveland scenario. There’s just so much to do and get right at the very beginning of a new staff and the uptake by the players and as much as it seems our new coaches may be up to it, who really knows? He’s never been a head coach before. Making mistakes is inevitable. You’re basically expecting them to stick a very tricky landing on the first try with minimal prep. We’ll see.

New coaches, new systems, new coordinators, a rook at the T position, LB is a position of need.. and there's a new rook there.

Ouchie.

Would you prefer the old coaches? the old systems? the old coordinators? the previous starting T?

Too early to say.

Edit: Although I don't think there is any possible debate that Conklin will be a major upgrade. Losing Shobert hurts on the other hand.

Things should be better, but again, too early to say.

What I'm trying to say is to temper your expectations. I'd like to give these coordinators, coaches and their system a year or two before I have playoff expectations.

Of course, I want to win. I'd like to win the opening weekend as has been mentioned. I want to finish above .500.

There are other signs of progress that I would also find encouraging.

Significant reduction of unforced penalties. Illegal motions, holding, lining up offsides, etc.

A run-first offense that is productive and efficient. Meaning, commitment to the run. Being able to get production from the run even when defenses expect us to run the ball.

Establishing a home-field advantage.

Baker reducing the interceptions. Baker making the decision to take the underneath completions to sustain drives.

Red zone efficiency.

Explosive plays on kick and punt returns. Continued improvement with kick coverage.

Increase in our run defense and our pass defense rankings.

Less missed tackles.

A healthy turn-over ratio, in our favor.

That should contribute to our win total.

I agree. Especially since we are new in this Chinese virus era. New coaching staffs are usually given 2 extra weeks of hands on coaching. We aren't given that this year.

Not saying your not saying this Bone but this team has more talent than everyone in our division where we failed was the coaching was horrible. No nice way to say this.

Haslam and the Browns hired a coach who was clearly not qualified and given the losing nature of the Browns for decades now it would have been a much better choice to go with a coach with experience.

That goes for this season as well. I can't understand the thought process that see's the Browns to once again hire a unproven HC. That doesn't mean that a coach who is a rookie can't succeed. IMO that job becomes 3 times as hard when your trying to bring a team out of decades of losing.

We should have hired a HC that has the experience to turn things who in the past may not have had the luxury of talent.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news...bt1iglkevpbxzi8

Every team in the NFL has turnover each year. For most teams, that turnover rate is approximately 33%. The Browns are not unique and using it as an excuse is B.S. The predictions for 2019 (attached) show that you have teams that go thru coaching changes, personal changes and injuries that either become over achievers or under achievers. The Browns, with their mix of veterans and youth were expected to over achieve in 2019 - they failed.

Buffalo last year was expected to go 5-11 with their 2nd year QB Allen. The team stepped up with new personal to shock the world going 10-6 and making the playoffs. In 2018, rookie coach Matt Nagy took 2nd year QB Trubisky with a new system and players and led the Bears to the playoffs. In fact, only a missed FG kept the Bears from being in the NFC Championship game. In 2019, the Bears were predicted to run the division at 11-5 and falter to a 8-8 season. A new QB starter, FA RB, new WR's, and a defense not up to par with previous teams led analysts to predict the Ravens going 8-8 in 2019. The Ravens over achieved by going 14-2 being the darling of the AFC. The LA Chargers were set for their run after a playoff spot in 2018 and expected to rule the West at 11-5 only to falter to a miserable 5-11 record in 2019. The 49ers were only expected to go 8-8 in 2019 with a bunch of new faces and question marks a plenty. Chasing the Rams who were predicted to be 11-5 after their Super Bowl run in 2018, the 49ers put it all together going 13-3 representing the NFC in the Super Bowl while the Rams struggled to an 9-7 record.

https://www.si.com/nfl/browns/browns-mav...nother-answered

Last season, predicted to go 11-5, the Browns had 3 major question marks going into the season according to this article.

1) Safety and who was going to play and/or the rotation. The Browns have the same issue in 2020.
2) OT and specifically LT. The Browns went into 2019 on a upswing considering their performance the end of 2018 of having allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL the second half of that season. This in itself seems to have faltered. In 2020, the Browns have upgraded RT with the addition of Conklin. The Browns have drafted Wills for the LT position yet questions still remain. Wills is an unknown at this point. Is he the next Joe Thomas, another Greg Robinson in sheep clothing, or something in between? The Browns offense is built to win now and Wills will be under huge pressure to beat expectations early.
3) Kicker and is Siebert is the answer. The question still remains in 2020.

The Browns have upgraded their TE, RT, FB and supposedly LT. The Browns brought in better players for the DL rotation. With these upgrades, how can anyone not expect the Browns to go 11-5 or better in 2020? In 2019, with a new coach and high expectations of 11-5, the Browns sorely under achieved as a team and an organization. In 2020, some expectations are being lowered, why? With a supposed upgrade at head coach in Stefanski, a supposed upgrade at coordinators, an upgraded roster addressing critical positions, and a high draft ranking - why wouldn't the expectation for the Browns be equal too or greater than 2019 when they also had a 1st year coach?

The bottom line is the Browns will again either be over achievers or under achievers. They are on equal footing with ever other team in the NFL at this point. There really should be no excuses - the Browns have an upgraded roster with an supposedly upgraded coaching staff. In reality, expectations should actually be higher than what was expected in 2019. For 20 plus years the Browns have failed to over achieve - any expectation less than 2019 is enabling the Browns under achievements.

I disagree w/your assertion. The Browns change coaching staffs and FO personnel on a regular basis. That means new philosophies, new schemes, new talent evaluators, new players to fit the schemes and philosophies, etc.

It's not even close to BS. It's a reality that has hindered this franchise since their rebirth.

We do something very similar to this in our Jujitsu classes. It builds leg strength, lots of it. It also reinforces balance. I'm kind of surprised to see it transfer to football but then again I shouldn't be. We have been using Judo to help HS linemen develop balance and leverage and it pays dividends.

I don't know many people who could do this drill for more than a second or two. He's making it look easy. I'd love to see how he transitions to the other leg.

Yes, I had the same thoughts about his other leg. Just like hand or eye dominance, I realize that extends to other extremities.

We'll have to agree to disagree. Not every new coach loses and not every one wins. Continuing to use that excuse is just B.S. The Browns have one of the if not the best roster in football. Are there question marks, heck yes. The Ravens have question marks and they went 14-2 last year.

Nagy for the Bears bought in a new defense and offense to the Bears and they went to the playoffs. At this point, considering the talent assembled, comparing this team to what has happened in the past has nothing to do with whether they achieve this year or not. Wills, Conklin, and Hooper have no idea about past issues with the Browns and basically could give a $hit. That's a fan perspective. Garrett, OBJ, Chubb and Ward don't even know Sashi, Holmgren, Chudzinski, or Shurmur or the mistakes they did or didn't make.

Approx 33% are only going to know Ski and Berry. The Browns are not in a rebuild and these guys have had the opportunity to put their mark on the team personal. Going forward, it now depends how they do their job in turning this team into a winner. Freddy is gone, Hue is gone and this is Ski's team and making excuses for past management has nothing to do with this group.

The talent is there - it's up to Ski to get the most out of that talent and what happened in the past has nothing to do with his ability or expectations to get that done.

You seem to be ignoring one huge variable here. All new HC's get an extra two weeks with which to work with their teams. With the variable of the virus, how much time will Stefanski and our coordinators have to install these new systems? Reps and familiarity with new team mates and new systems are critical to success.

Without that the Browns will be at a distinct disadvantage as will every other team with a new HC. So to even be on equal footing with previous first time NFL HC's, the NFL calendar will have to remain as is. If there are delays in that calendar with each delay it's another setback for the Browns.

With the talent on this team .... Pfffft ....

I’m expecting the Iggles from Wentz’’s rookie year, the Lambs in McVie’s first year or what the jags did making it to the championship game ...

WE HAVE MORE TALENT THAN ANY OF THOSE TEAMS ....

Temper expectations ... ...

I respect your opinion and have zero problems w/us disagreeing. However, I wish you wouldn't call my opinion BS.

I firmly believe that the constant changing of front offices, coaching staffs, rosters, drafting philosophies, value on certain types of players, new regimes getting rid of players on the roster and replacing them w/their guys/roster overhauls, lack of continuity, etc have factored into the Brown's pathetic record over the years. I don't think that is "BS." Not asking you to agree, but I don't talk out of my butt.

The problem is, nothing compares to men practicing on the field. Nothing replaces reps with your team mates. Nothing breeds continuity and familiarity like being on the field. You can't duplicate that and it's the only way to gain timing with your team mates.

Sure you can be in shape. But the fact is that isn't the same thing as being in "football shape". What I think a lot of fans don't realize is just how close these things are to being upon us.

April 6

Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2019 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.

May 1-4

Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

May 8-11

Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday.

May 11

Rookie Football Development Programs begin.

https://operations.nfl.com/football-ops/league-governance/2020-important-nfl-dates/

Cleveland Browns

First day: April 1
Voluntary minicamp: April 23-25
Rookie minicamp: May 3-5
OTA offseason workouts: May 14-16, May 21-23, May 28-31
Mandatory minicamp: June 4-6

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001...or-all-32-teams

We are already starting to get behind.