DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2020 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 22 Eagles 17 Post Game

We all saw the leap and how amazing Hunt looked. Did anyone notice Teller blocked three guys at the goal line to give Hunt a space to get in? WOW for both of them an amazing play I will remember for a long time.

At 7-3, #Browns Kevin Stefanski has the best start to a season by a first-year Browns head coach since Bud Carson (7-3) in 1989.

It's also the first time a first-year Browns head coach has begun 5-1 at home since the inaugural season in 1946 with Paul Brown (5-1).

Another win against another 'bad' team in more horrendous weather. There is a pattern developing and winning is a beautiful pattern!

Not sure there's much left to be said:

- Great game by the D and well schemed by Joe Woods.
- Best game in a Browns Uni by Vernon.... hope that is a trend. He looked the part of a stud veteran DE yesterday.
- Ward is so good and he does it with lots of little things.
- Let's not forget Gillan's punt that set up the safety... just like he did once before this season already.
- Man I was worried when I saw Ronnie Harrison go down... but Joseph came in and did better than expected.
- Baker missed two TD throws that another time/game would be the difference between a W or a L. He's "got to" make those plays. Other than those misses he had some really big plays and some other inconsistent plays.
- Obviously mad props to Chubb and Hunt. What a luxury to have two phenoms back there carrying the rock. Hunt has really played aggressively the last few games and it's great to watch. Chubb is always a joy to watch whether stiff arming DE's or using his blockers so patiently or seeing his burst leave defenders gasping!

7-3 Feels good - I'm with Stefanski. Ugly wins are simply wins. We've spent two decades losing games that coulda/shoulda been an "ugly win" ... this feels much better.

j/c

I apparently/sometimes see a completely different Baker than do others.

The last game Baker played in that was NOT in hurricane winds or a non-stop downpour, Baker threw 22 straight completions to end the game.

Missing easy throws in a downpour? Needing to "find" touch in hurricane winds? It's been warm and dry for me these past three games...for the team and its QB? Not so much.

Yes...he flat out missed the TE in the endzone...it happens...I saw some all-world QBs miss throws yesterday.

My favorite comment was something along the lines of 'running out of time to evaluate Baker or for Baker to prove his worth'...or something to that affect.

Ten games into his 3rd season with his fourth HC and a 7-3 record. C'mon man!

Baker is gritty, he doesn't need great stats, he is just a WINNER Plain and simple

J/c

One of the big things for me yesterday was having Claiborne and Vernon play so effectively. They played hard and disrupted Wentz way more than I anticipated

HUGE props to the D. D won the game. Ward basically played a perfect game for a DB. That PI call was WEAK, but then he followed up with the INT.

Wilson has struggled, but I did love his "pick on someone your own size" hit on the TE. Man oh man have we missed that 'tude on this team.

Dline was pooped on leading up to the game when Garrett was ruled out. Stepped up and answered the call. Good on them. Vernon became the guy on delivered. I soured on him at the beginning of this year... but big props to him for his big game when needed.

Great D effort all around. Ward doing Ward things, Vernon playing up to his potential and the whole Dline getting in on the action. Takitaki getting the ball into the endzone (made possible by the QB getting absolutely rocked). Great to see.

I was surprised the Oline struggled as much as it did. Nobody struggled more visibly than Bitonio... 2 very obvious head-scratchers (and very uncharacteristic). I thought Wills played ok... they all just kinda didn't dominate like they usually do. Njoku still sucks as a blocker, if anyone was wondering.

I thought the refs really let them play yesterday. While the PI's were all kinda weak, there were quite a few other plays that went uncalled. I thought for sure we were going to get hit with a couple more hits to the QB, as we were coming in late a bit.

Baker...
Look, I haven't already forgotten about 1-31 and all that. It's going to take more than 1/2 a season of success to turn me into the guy that is unhappy after a win... but an objective assessment of yesterday's game wouldn't be complete w/o a healthy dose of Baker criticism. Dude can't miss gimme throws like that. He's not being asked to do a lot. It's obvious the run game is what makes the O click. If Baker wants to remain he absolutely HAS to hit those gimme plays. When he doesn't/can't, the run game starts to suffer... he has to make the D pay when they sell out vs the run.
I ended up rewatching the game (insert my usual Gamepass plug here), and came away feeling a little better about Baker overall. Sky isn't falling, and I'm still in his corner. He made quite a few tough throws under tough circumstances. He was also under a little more duress than usual... Oline wasn't its usual dominant self. Philly D overall played well.
So overall, decent game by Baker... but for the love of Pete, don't overthrow you TE by 2 human lengths when he's that open in the EZ.

Baker also easily outplayed Carson Wentz, for what that's worth. What happened to that guy? Yikes. I mean, he didn't get much help, but he looked absolutely dreadful at times.

Yeah I agree. Being .500 is a miracle considering where we were before he arrived.

I also like knowing that he outplayed Wentz yesterday and Watson the week before in poor elements

One thing I just wanted to throw out there:

Wentz is a lot like Baker of last year. He is playing just good enough to get you beat. He is throwing a lot of INT. He threw 2 TD yesterday, but also 2 INT, one for a pick 6. That was exactly what Baker seemed to do last year.

Baker really needed rebuilt, and I think we got the right head coach to do the job. He now seems to understand what throws he can, and importantly, cannot make. I think that he needs to get some of his moxie back, and get back to having a little more impact on the game, but even yesterday, in weather and often under a heavy rush, he averaged over 9 yards/pass attempt.

I am really encouraged.

I didn't want to bang on about that too much - but both these other QB's are players that some of the Baker Haters/Doubters really seemed to covet as QB's that are out and out streets ahead of Baker.... yet playing the Browns poor D that we've all pretty much bemoaned about before yesterday's game - they both laid eggs.

I keep saying it - the book isn't written on Baker one way or another. But that won't stop the detractors from trying to exaggerate every flaw while minimizing his accomplishments.

This is the second week in a row where I said "Why the hell do we keep trying to run the ball nonstop when it's not working!?"

"Oh..."

I see more 4/3 on D after the break .. I wish SKI would roll out Baker even more. The boy is deadly moving.. Said I would do an Irish Gig if we went 8-8 this season. Better get my dancing shoes out !

Why did Philly get away from the run...?

this was so dumb. Sanders was gashing us. Not sure if we were bringing a safety down or adjusting somehow, but they really abandoned it

It appears that Pederson's offensive-genius-pixie-dust went with Frank Reich to Indy.

Yeah, they just seem off for some reason. Yesterday it seemed like they had no chance to move the ball through the air, yet abandoned the run

Defense took the run away in the 2nd half. Sanders did nothing at all with rushes in 2nd half.

-1 Yard Run
(15:00) (Shotgun) M.Sanders left tackle to PHI 24 for -1 yards (B.Goodson, O.Vernon).
1 Yard Run
(8:55) (Shotgun) M.Sanders right guard to PHI 26 for 1 yard (B.Goodson, Run for No Gain
(4:37) M.Sanders right guard to PHI 2 for no gain (P.Gustin; S.Richardson).
1st & 10 at PHI 2
2 Yard Run
(3:59) (Shotgun) M.Sanders right guard to PHI 4 for 2 yards (O.Vernon).
2nd & 10 at PHI 2)1 Yard Run
(12:21) (Shotgun) M.Sanders right tackle to CLE 25 for 1 yard (P.Gustin).
1st & 10 at CLE 26.

5 carries for 3 yards.

Couple more things.

-No INTs on Baker. This is very good.
-Pretty sure the guy that Chubb laid that devastating stiff-arm on was a lineman. Wow.
-Our dline earned a sack when rushing 3... w/o Garrett.

Chubb was having a below-average game until the 4th quarter. Philly was dumb to abandon the run.

That's not terrible for a 3rd Rnd linebacker playing in his second system in as many years. Everything he learned as a Rookie was a throwaway, basically. Plenty of room and time for him to grow into the role.

a Great win by the D, but again, they were aided by Mother Nature. It reminded me of the one snow game against Buffalo that ended with a 9-6 score.... the weather and the turf became a great equalizer as it slowed bursts and cuts by the offense while almost killing the passing. That makes it easier for a defense to react to, makes it harder for offenses to get the edge, etc...

I want to see this level of effort and motoring even if we're in a dome.

We're getting better, though. In small increments, I think this defense is getting better and it might not look so terrible by the end of December.

I was afraid that O-lineman was going to catch Takitaki from behind. He looked like he was running in quicksand. Still, it was a big play, and at least he caught the ball, unlike some others on our D this season.

-Oline seemed to struggle against that Eagles Dline (Wills has had his share of struggles, Bitinio and Teller looked human at plays, there was that one odd play where Baker audibled and it was nearly a botched hand-off and idk what Conklin was doing on that play.

-Njoku was whiffing on some blocks out there, he however had a nice block on one of Chubb's runs...took a defender and knocked him into another.

-Karl Joseph was out there hustling and laying wood when Harrison was out with his injury.

-Landry came across field on Chubb's big run, and carried his block to the sideline lol love that guy

-Hodge and Higgins played well, kudos to them for those big time catches...DPJ finally had a fine run back.

-Nick Chubb is a monster, he reminds me some of Corey Dillon and Shaun Alexander.

-Vernon was big, has some strong hands...Had a feeling he would have a big game, with being able to line up with normalcy. Clayborne showed why he's a steady vet.

-Denzel Ward has been playing superb all year. I remember a couple weeks ago people saying he blows, but hey even Champ Bailey gave up passes and even TD's at times.

-Money Mitchell must have 5 dropped interceptions this year, he seemed to play well however.


-Mack Wilson seemed more active, Taki Taki showed up and read that outlet pass perfectly. I'm not sure if Goodson is that slow, or that #93 makes him look even slower.

-Baker...I won't harp on him, but I can't wait for the day for Bake to make those easy throws that he should be thriving on. He made several nice big throws, and def. his best game in over 3 weeks. Not sure why he seems to play so antsy at times.

-Sendejo...I honestly can't remember a more hated player on our team (and trust me I was always pointing out Jamie Collins lackadaisical effort) And to be fair, I don't question his (Sendejos) effort. IMO he belongs in perhaps dime packages or special teams (I remember hearing a lot of his leadership role and his special teams work prior to coming here) Seems like he is picked on often, then again the few plays I saw Redwine in-his area seemed picked on as well. Obviously the coaches have him starting for a reason, and imo it has to be what he is bringing presnap and in the locker room...Because I see no way he deserves to be playing so much...I would rather see us in (2) SS sets...though not sure of the range either Joseph or Harrison can play at, then again...I don't see much in Sendejo's range as well.

Good point about DPJ. He definitely seems to be gaining confidence in the return game. I also like how they gave some of those responsibilities to that RB.

That’s my point about Sendejo as well ... he seems to really try hard, he’s just putrid haha. He does more harm than good most of the time.

In terms of our safeties, I thought Joseph was decent too. I’m wondering if we could see him and Harrison together more

I just saw injury updates on Denzel's calf (going for an MRI) and Harrison (I think it was his knee?)

That secondary will be in a hurting if neither can play, however looks like Harrison is day to day...which bodes well. And I'm praying Denzels results are fine. I am in no rush to see Tavierre Thomas and MJ Stewart again lol...And I'm sure Greedy isn't coming back anytime soon.

And yeah Sendejo seems feisty, but for such an old veteran he makes rookie mistakes weekly. I am for anything in reducing his snaps, who knows he may excel in a more limited role. I mean we really only have Redwine at FS (and when I watched Redwine at the U, he always seemed to be too erratic for my liking...I had him as a round 6-7 type of prospect...seems like the coaching staff limit him to only packages) And while I know Harrison played some FS at Bama, I'm not sure of the looks he received in Jacksonville. I know Joseph is more of your typical box SS, However I remember coaches praising Joseph in Oakland in his improved coverage range...then again, I'm not sure in what our scheme holds true per responsibility (I know Woods would flip Joseph and Sendejo at times, and with the emergence of Harrison...he did slid Joseph to OLB near the red zone) Hoping they are able to figure something better out in the upcoming weeks.

I think that was big ass TE Richard Rodgers lol he kind of has the Algae Crumpler frame...thank god he was gassed.

Was it D'Ernest Johnson or Hillard? I forget who we sent out there (I remember Hilliard used to get more looks in the return game, but never amounted to anything much)

It was Johnson. Thank you for remembering the names.

See, I thought just the reverse. His biggest weakness is that he is often out of position and seems to have poor instincts. I have thought he was a pretty decent tackler WHEN HE WAS IN POSITIION to make the tackle.. which is usually 20 yards downfield after allowing a completion.

I will say that I had my doubts about him early on.. receivers running all alone all over the place, poor discipline.. and we were giving up 30 ppg.. seems to have corrected a lot of those things and plays are just more contested, generally playing smarter.

Hope it was just the limited off-season in a new defensive scheme that was the problem early on but I'm quickly becoming a believer in him.

j/c:

- One of Ward's best games as a Brown. Extend him.

- Higgins' efficiency as a WR is amazing. Extend him. (also had a play where a PA call should have been called for him)

- Hodge also has been a more than a reliable WR. Extend him, modestly.

- Teller is a great RG. Extend him.

- Chubb is amazing. I wish he would be more involved in the passing game, however. Not sure, based on position, if the FO will extend him. Wish he could become the complete package like Cook, CMC, Kamara in that regard. Not sure how much that will play a role moving forward in 2022.

(Ok, no more extension talk) Oh, wait....extend Ogunjobi too.

- Glad to see Vernon earn his game check and respond against a bad 0-line.

- Baker still leaves questions marks but these last three games, in terms of weather, has been very tough to gauge his play. Mid-70s is the game temp against JAX for Sunday....hopefully this will be an environment to see him perform in the passing game. I would like to see more play-action from Stefanski as well.

- Speaking of Stefanski, what a great HC so far. To think someone flexed muscles to take Kitchens over him is baffling to say the least. Must have thought he was #NotARealCoach.

- Takitaki might have had his best game as a Brown, and not because of the pick-6.

- I felt bad for Cleveland Heights' own, Jason Kelce, and his injury but the dude was all about going back into the game. Anyone remember seeing another Eagles' player have to button up his chin strap because he couldn't move his arm that high? Wow. Oh, and he is also a UC grad.

- Wentz looked bad.....almost like he wasn't a top-20 QB.

I am not saying that he has good instincts or awareness. I am trying to figure out what he does have. I ruled out about everything else. But you're right, he is rarely in the right place.

Imagine how much of a flex Paul Depo feels today ... Stefanski beat Wentz LOL

#Browns  @pffgrades v PHI:

Offense
✅Higgins: 78.9
✅Hodge: 77.7
✅Mayfield: 71.5
✅Teller: 71.0
✅Chubb: 69.3
🟥Jed Wills: 56.3
🟥Njoku/Hooper: 48/39

Defense
✅Takitaki: 90.4
✅Elliot: 90.2
✅Vernon: 86.9
✅Ward: 80.2
✅Calyborn: 75
✅Goodson: 73.3
🟥Smith: 41.1
🟥Redwine: 28.2