3.7M at the parade. Baker can't get to the stage for speech. Improvises and walks across the tops of fans heads like Mick Dundee in the subway scene. Crowd is euphoric.
I feel we win the AFC North with a 12-5 record. We win a home playoff game and lose in the AFC championship. Mayfield throws for 3900 yds 33 TD and 10 int Chubb has 1300 yds Hunt has 800 yds. We have 3 receivers with at least 7 tds Our D finishes in the top 10 in total defense. MG has 17 sacks and Clowney adds 8 more. We end the year with some one else other than McLaughlin kicking. JMO though.
Last edited by Deepsouthdawg; 09/05/2108:00 PM.
You dont have to win every game just the next one!
12-5, go to Super Bowl. Go 4-2 against the North, Chubb/Hunt go for 2,000 on the ground, Baker throws for 3,800 yards, 32 TD passes, eight picks. Myles gets 18 sacks, we’re top four on D in takeaways, Landry and DPJ top 1,000 receiving yards and Bake lifts the Lombardi.
By Dan Labbe, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The drive from Cleveland to Los Angeles is about 2,344 miles. It takes about 34 hours.
If you’re feeling nostalgic and want to take a slower route, you can still pick up parts of Route 66 starting somewhere in Chicago and go that way.
However you choose to go, it’s a long drive.
The Browns are hoping to make the trip this year and, if they do, their journey will have been longer than any red-eyed, coffee-fueled weekend drive out west: No championships since 1964. No Super Bowl appearances. Plenty of heartbreak.
Now, finally, here the Browns are, with as good a chance as they’ve had since the late 1980s to reach the promised land, and their destination is SoFi Stadium. It’s in Inglewood, Calif., to be exact, but it could be in the North Pole and Browns fans wouldn’t care if it means their team is playing a football game in February.
“We are excited that people are mentioning us the way they are,” Jimmy Haslam said as he and wife Dee held their annual owners media session in July. “But we are also realistic about how much work we have to do and how hard it is to win in the NFL.”
“I promise you, all 32 clubs talk about the Super Bowl,” said Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year. “It is really easy to talk about it; it is hard to do. We are just going to focus on the work.”
This is easily the most talented roster the Browns have had since they returned in 1999. It’s arguably the best roster they’ve ever had. In the salary-capped NFL, it might not never be better than it is now, with core players on cost-controlled contracts, allowing for big spending on luxury positions.
In other words, this isn’t Jed Clampett packing up the truck and driving to Beverly Hills. The Browns are driving a sports car.
How they got this car dates back to 2016, when Jimmy Haslam put Sashi Brown in charge and hired Paul DePodesta. Brown used his short time as general manager to rebuild the team’s credit, tearing it down to the studs. Draft assets were acquired and the Browns went 1-31 over two seasons. Brown was never quite able to pull the trigger on buying the right car.
So John Dorsey came in and bought the most supercharged car he could find, adding top-end talent across the board, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Nick Chubb, cornerback Denzel Ward, receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and running back Kareem Hunt. His fingerprints are all over this roster.
Dorsey, however, couldn’t tab the right driver, so the keys were handed to GM Andrew Berry and Stefanski to tow the car out of a 6-10 ditch and get it back on the road. They did, Stefanski bringing smart coaching, organization and a culture while Berry did the fine-tuning, making some key repairs.
The road to LA isn’t easy. It’s littered with teams with high expectations and the best intentions who failed to get there -- derailed by injury, suffered from poor execution or just weren’t as good as thought. The car looked nice, but under the hood, things were a mess.
The Browns shouldn’t be plagued by the latter two. Stefanski has risen quickly into the ranks of the league’s best young coaches, and his connection with Mayfield is the reason the offense has room to grow beyond what it did a season ago.
Under the hood, this roster is as good as we think.
The offensive line is among the NFL’s best and the offensive weapons are dangerous. Chubb was signed to an extension, Beckham has come back strong from knee surgery and receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones appears to be on the verge of a breakout in his second NFL season.
The defense is much improved, with as many as nine new players who will see the field in the Sept. 12 opener at Kansas City. Among those, Berry brought in veterans John Johnson III at safety and Anthony Walker Jr. at linebacker to organize the back of the defense, and drafted cornerback Greg Newsome II to start opposite Ward and shore up a critical position. He also signed former All-Pro Jadeveon Clowney to join Myles Garrett as a top-tier pass rusher off the edge.
When Stefanski tosses Mayfield the keys, everything in the car has been built to suit him as he navigates this road.
There will certainly be challenges along the route. The Browns have formidable opponents to deal with, whether it’s Kansas City in Week 1 or two matchups with Baltimore. Both those teams are likely to be a factor in the playoffs, as will Buffalo.
There are up-and-comers, like the Chargers, whom the Browns play at the site of the Super Bowl, and Miami. There are stalwarts like Pittsburgh, looking to hang on at least one more year, or New England, which remade its offense and brings back a number of key defenders.
Somewhere along the way, there will be wrong turns -- an injury to a key player, a bad bounce or a flat performance by the team -- something that feels inevitable in what will be a 17-game regular season, the longest in NFL history.
“We have expectations just like everybody else,” said Garrett, a favorite for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. “Everybody goes into the season wanting to win every game they play. Everybody goes into the season wanting to win the championship. That is everybody’s expectation of themselves.
“What you do day by day from training camp to the last day of the regular season is what defines you. We are just going to work every day as if it is our last and let the chips fall where they may.”
“Honestly,” Berry said, “as long as our guys are working out with our staff, really focusing on what they can control and improving every day, I think we will look up and we will be in a really good spot. I think we have the right individuals in this locker room. I know that we have the right individuals on the sideline.
“All we are going to do is put our head down and work, and we will figure it out from there.”
Still, for the first time in more than 30 years, the Browns can point their car toward the Super Bowl and believe it can get them all the way there.
Just like any good road trip, you can’t rush it. You’ll reach the end point when it’s time.
Until then, keep your eyes on the road, don’t stray off the map and take some time to enjoy the ride.
I’m going to go with my usual sober route and undershoot all this hype. The odds are actually not in our favor but I think we still have a solid season and playoffs.
10-7 & lose in the division round.
Baker: 3200yds, 26td 18int, Chubb & Hunt combine for 2500yds. I predict we lose Clowney and Ward for large chunks of the season as well as either Chubb or Hunt and an OL starter.
"Team Chemistry No Match for Team Biology" (Onion Sports Headline)
I assume a few forgot the Browns have yet to try out their new toys on defense! I predict we have a few hiccups in the first four weeks. About week 6, barring any major injuries, I foresee this team starts to look as expected.
I am not buying into the hype Steelers are washed up. Ben's elbow wasn't 100% to take on a full season. I expect he is fully healed now.
I fully expect the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns to split wins. The team that loses to the Bengals will miss the playoffs. Bengals are better than many predict.
With that said, I think the Browns win 12 or 13 and win the AFCN.
Many NFL analysts will say the AFCN is weak but it will represent the AFC side in the Super Bowl!
This year Browns are back in the fight for the AFCN title. We get to see the real AFCN battles. Browns fans can become obnoxious again giving back to all who dished out over the years so don't hold back!!! GO BROWNS!
I assume a few forgot the Browns have yet to try out their new toys on defense! I predict we have a few hiccups in the first four weeks. About week 6, barring any major injuries, I foresee this team starts to look as expected.
I am not buying into the hype Steelers are washed up. Ben's elbow wasn't 100% to take on a full season. I expect he is fully healed now.
I fully expect the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns to split wins. The team that loses to the Bengals will miss the playoffs. Bengals are better than many predict.
With that said, I think the Browns win 12 or 13 and win the AFCN.
Many NFL analysts will say the AFCN is weak but it will represent the AFC side in the Super Bowl!
This year Browns are back in the fight for the AFCN title. We get to see the real AFCN battles. Browns fans can become obnoxious again giving back to all who dished out over the years so don't hold back!!! GO BROWNS!
Any division that sends 3 teams to the playoffs the year before cannot be called weak. Just ask the NFC East who was the victim last year.
You didn't even mention Njoku. He is year older, more mature, more physically developed, he's a BEAST. He's not second string, JMHO, we could cut Hooper and keep other guys and not miss much.
Some predictions show us winning 12, 13, 14 games...scares me. You never know about injuries, covid, other problems...my hope and expectations are playoffs and then see what happens...GO Browns!!!!
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
At Kansas City - LOSS Houston - WIN Chicago - WIN At Minnesota - LOSS At LA Chargers - LOSS Arizona - WIN Denver - WIN Pittsburgh - LOSS At Cincinnati - WIN At New England - LOSS Detroit - WIN At Baltimore - LOSS Baltimore - WIN Las Vegas - WIN At Green Bay - LOSS At Pittsburgh - LOSS Cincinnati - WIN
9-8 Record. Our 50/50 road games are very tough this year (at LAC, at MIN, at NE … not to mention at KC, at GB, at BAL, and at PIT)
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
You didn't even mention Njoku. He is year older, more mature, more physically developed, he's a BEAST. He's not second string, JMHO, we could cut Hooper and keep other guys and not miss much.
Agreed (not so sure about the Hooper thought, though.)
If he can stay healthy, I expect very big numbers from Njoku this season. We'll need the beginnings of that in the first 7 or 8 games, imo.
When teams are forced to specifically game plan for him......well, we have a bunch of answers for that as well.
At Kansas City - LOSS Houston - WIN Chicago - WIN At Minnesota - LOSS At LA Chargers - LOSS Arizona - WIN Denver - WIN Pittsburgh - LOSS At Cincinnati - WIN At New England - LOSS Detroit - WIN At Baltimore - LOSS Baltimore - WIN Las Vegas - WIN At Green Bay - LOSS At Pittsburgh - LOSS Cincinnati - WIN
9-8 Record. Our 50/50 road games are very tough this year (at LAC, at MIN, at NE … not to mention at KC, at GB, at BAL, and at PIT)
We surprise ourselves and really roll some teams. Lose to KC first game, but get revenge later in the playoffs. Learn from opener loss, win when it counts.
Go 12 and 5. Win AFC. Win SB with help and luck. All bets are off if we get injury prone. Berea injuries seem to be season-ending.
Might as well just win the whole dinged thang.
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
If I’m wrong I’ll gladly eat crow. I personally think the Vikings, chargers, Patriots, etc are way tougher games than some others do
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Agree, EVERY NFL game is a crap shot. Might not be fact, but I remember Blanton Collier saying...On any give Sunday..referencing any team can win the game.....I truly believe that. Not many teams are non competitive- I think Texans will stink, but if any team thinks they've won the game before playing....watch out.
I think we'll make playoffs....hopefully. Go Browns!!!
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
Seriously.. everyone has a right to their opinion but I honestly can't see how so called Browns fans can look at this rosters and say 8-9.. I wouldn't bother watching if that was my mindset
The Views Expressed By Me Are Not Necessarily The Views That You Will Agree With, I'm In My Own Little World But They Know Me Here.
At Kansas City - LOSS Houston - WIN Chicago - WIN At Minnesota - LOSS At LA Chargers - LOSS Arizona - WIN Denver - WIN Pittsburgh - LOSS At Cincinnati - WIN At New England - LOSS Detroit - WIN At Baltimore - LOSS Baltimore - WIN Las Vegas - WIN At Green Bay - LOSS At Pittsburgh - LOSS Cincinnati - WIN
9-8 Record. Our 50/50 road games are very tough this year (at LAC, at MIN, at NE … not to mention at KC, at GB, at BAL, and at PIT)
I said 10-7 so I’m a lot closer to you than the 14-3 & 15-2 predictions. I also see tough games in many that other folks see as gimme’s . I think statistically speaking it’s much more likely we trend toward .500 than 1.0. I want to be wrong but if I were a betting man….
"Team Chemistry No Match for Team Biology" (Onion Sports Headline)
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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