DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2023 NFL Season Preseason Gameday vs New York Some thoughts

1. Same old GameDay chat. Lots of hand-wringing and white flag waving. No wonder people avoid that during the regular season.

2. York needs to calm down and not try to kick everything out of the stadium.
3. John Kelly, whom I thought should have been given more opportunities last season, looked really good last night.
4. The rookie QB was electric at times, an athlete. Nice throw on the winning TD pass.
5. I thought Felton ran hard - I’m sure he’s feeling some pressure - and even the Hall kid looked good.
6 . Tillman looked very promising, I’m liking Cedric.
7. Even though it was backups against backups, our guys on D looked to have soaked up the Jim Schwartz philosophy: be attacking, play with passion. We got some nice stops for little or no gain from our DL.
8. Dawand Jones is like, scary big.

Thoughts, people?

I thought the tackling looked better than last year
The Browns were one of the worst tackling teams in
The NFL last year.
DTR looked composed and confident albeit against
A vanilla defensive look.
Tillman showed me more on 1 catch than What Bell
Did last year.
But it is preseason. Caution hyping up any player.
I remember a couple years Scooby Wright made a goal
Line tackle and half this board proclaimed him
The next great LB. Or even last year Josh Rosen
Made 3 good throws and some on here had a love fest
For him.

I agree with much of what was said in the previous 2 posts. I didn't like some of our ST play. York has the ability he just has to calm down. Another thing I didn't like was when we scored just before the half our ST gave them a long KR which resulted in 3 points for them as the half ended. Too reminiscent of last season. Our ST has to improve.

I agree, the STs were not good, though Felton had a couple of decent returns.

Another thing that I noticed in the game day chat this morning. As peen said, the game was a sideshow to hall of fame weekend, and the network also wanted to liven up a game that many people wouldn’t care about. I thought the Rodgers interview on the sideline was interesting and enjoyed the interviews with the inductees. Zach Thomas’s story was cool.

a few things I saw:

- Tillman looks the part. Really physical and imposing. I like what I saw.
- Kelley/Felton will be a good battle for that 3rd RB spot. Both showed flashes.
- Run D seemed much more stout. Not sure if it's scheme or whatever.
- Cam and Isaiah had nice moments (as did every rookie draft pick)
- DTR was the MVP. That guy is electric. He jumps off the screen.
- Dawand played every snap. He's massive and has a good shot at impacting the team.
- York is really worrisome. Not sure he can last here.

So couple of observations. On D, I think the philosophy is working well. I saw many instances of guys being in position to make a great play but unable to wrap up. But being in position is a big part of things. Worst case it slows the runner down for others to help. Some guys I think had a really good game that people are not talking about.

DE Sam Kamara was all over the place. Aside from one off sides, he gave them trouble all night.
LB Tony Fields blew up several plays even if he didn't quite get that RB out of bound on the the Jets lone TD play.
CB Cameron Mitchell had a good game.
OT Hudson III I thought did well. He let up a sack but when looking at the play...He flat out stoned the guy on the first hit, and the guy was literally falling to the inside and landed on the OG and DT which kept him upright and allowed him to squeeze through to Mond. kind of a freak lucky sack as Hudson probably would have made things worse following through with the block into his own guys.
C Wypler I thought did very well.

I have to tell myself this was just the first pre-season game, and an extra one at that, so here goes.

To me the most obvious thing that jumped out was the play of DTR. I thought he looked more like a playmaker than Mond, but to be fair he was likely playing against a lesser talented defense. He did actually seem less hesitant and wasn't afraid to throw the ball down the field a bit though. I like what I saw but I also remember Brandon Weeden looking good in preseason one year. So, it was nice but way early.

Regardless of who the players were for the Jets last night, the Browns held them to 188 total yards, and 10 of their points were on short fields due to turnovers.

Because it was the HOF game with constant interviews and less action being described by TV guys, I thought Ika seemed to get good penetration.

Tillman looks like a find.

With his fumble last night, I don't see how Schwartz makes this team. I don't care who drafted him but obviously we saw speed and hoped to find a way to take advantage of it. I assume he'll be released eventually, but also could see a team picking him up, hoping change of scenery allows that speed to be useful.

Kelly reminded me of his lay plast year when he saw the field. He looked solid.

I don't know anything about OL technique or footwork, but Dawand Jones moves pretty decent for his size.

Now let's see what goes in PS game 2.

Ika had some nice moments. I thought every one of the draft picks looked like they belonged on the field. And Fields probably solidified himself a good shot at a spot

Same here. The third string football matchup is just a backdrop to the HOF inductees and festivities. Anyone outside of Jets and Browns fans are just casual observers.

- Cade York has the yips.
- DTR made the offense entertaining.
- John Kelly toting the rock in the preseason has become a time honored tradition.

They absolutely need to solve the kicking problem before game 1. you can't get less of a pressure situation than the HOF game, and it was at the distance he's consistently struggled with and its a distance that being able to hit can win or lose a game.. I think York is done. DTR made the game exciting, he's very smooth on the run, got a nice delivery and throws with some good velocity.. Mond won't be on the team. The question becomes can we hide DTR on the PS...I hope he has a tremendous preseason and we can make him the number 2 and maybe get something for Dobbs. I think DTR is more like Watson than Dobbs is. But I like Dobbs too.. Dawand is a HUGE dude... a dude that big shouldn't be able to move like that.. I can't wait to see what callahan can get out of him. Our ST still look a mess, I'm hoping its because of the coaching/philosophy change but we left some creases and alot of these guys are the same ones that will be on ST so thats worrisome. Schwartz has already started changing the culture on Defense.. they were super aggressive and played man alot, and they gang tackled.. I can't wait to see the change in the starters.. Schwartz was my favorite off-season pickup.. Z. smith was the second and Dalvin was third.. all fill huge roles. I have a feeling the defense is going to ball out this year. I think Tillman will eventually take that #2 spot.. He's got all the tools. Cooper, Tillman, DPJ, and moore is a good group and a versatile group. Stefanski will have no excuses this year.

1. The discord crowd was a pretty good time. I'm fine with that thread collecting what it does.
2. Yeah, it's almost like he's kicking so hard that it distorts the shape of the ball and it gets crazy movement. I wonder if a change in footwear that spreads the force of impact over a larger area might be helpful.
3&5. Kind of disagree here. I think the RBs "looking good" had more to do with the space they had to operate than what they were doing. Not that they were bad, but a decent jv high school player could probably have gotten positive yardage through the hole Hall had on his long run. I thought McCrary had noticeably more juice than Hall despite less success due to the accompanying blocking or lack thereof.
4. I was impressed by DTR, too. The timing and placement on that TD throw was money. Watkins was able to catch it in stride and cruise into the end zone. In the past, our QBs were more likely to throw it late/inaccurately and he'd have had to stop and/or adjust.
6. If the refs let him play physically, it looks like he'll work out. Unfortunately, I have little trust in NFL officiating being consistent.
7. We'll see how it goes. I like being attacking and showing passion, but mixing in the right element/amount of control is important. I noticed a decent number of positive comments towards Fields. I thought he was more mixed bag.
8. He is indeed a very large human. I was pleasantly surprised with his performance.

While occasionally the OL gave up pressure/penetration, I thought they did a good job overall. They were opening up lots of space.

I thought all the draft picks looked the part. Doesn't look like there will be any "instant" regret so far.

I want to see more of Diabate. No particular play stood out, he just seemed to move different (in a good way.) Need to pay more attention to him, though it can be hard to do from the broadcast version.

Bone...I have to agree with Jones' performance...it was pleasant a surprise, imo.

I do have my concerns about his durability though. Jones is putting a load on those knees, ankles and lower back.

When judging OLinemen, I like to see the hips and legs in proportion to the body size and mass to help provide a solid base, to help protect against injury to lower body.

Jones' on field performance will improve as his Body Mass Index improves to a healthier level. He is a diamond in the rough and will take a season or so to reach his full potential.

*original tweet wouldn't load.

Bryce Huff is a pretty good player. Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald were both 1st round picks. While they might not be "starters," they're not typical pre-season roster hopefuls, either. I definitely took Jones holding up against players of their caliber as a good sign.

Agreed Bone and he's got a good teacher in Bill Callahan and teammates on the OL. I get the feeling DW can be as good as he wants to be.

those backup OL numbers look good to me! good job by them

I watched a lot of DTR being a west coaster, and I saw what I saw when he was at UCLA for all those years.

Not surprised at all.

Competitive football player.

I expect for him to make the team as the backup. No way would I risk putting him on the practice squad.

My thoughts are that our back-up OLine looks decent, and our back-up Dline looks weak. I, admit I didn't watch much of the second half, but appeared to me that the Dline got very little push. Elliot looked the same as usual, and Togia looked about the same. They get no push. These guys have competed against top starters in the past, and should show some growth against back-ups, but to my untrained eye, the both are not that good. The Oline was clearing some good running room, and for the most part were decent in pass protection.

DTR is an electric player. His arm looks more than strong enough, and his movement is very good. IMO, if he can learn from Watson for a couple years, he might just be his successor. I always forget about Kelly, seems he has been around for a while and always plays well when seen. While I like Felton's speed and catching ability, dude goes down very easy. Really wanted to see Ford, but I guess he was injured.

They need to sign a couple kickers, York can't handle the job. The kid has no poise. Drafted or not, he needs to be replaced with someone who can be consistent.

I think the Anthony Schwartz project came to an end last night. The dude just can't put it together.

It was fun to watch the team and see what lies at the back of the roster, but I am ready for the real deal to make a case for themselves.

Just rewatched the game. My initial opinion is that Fields flashed. I’m sticking to that.

I had asked some people if Hickman played. Turns out he started. It helps when you look for his number you don’t look at his age instead.

Kamara played very well inside and at DE. He is from a Div II school, Stoney Brook. I’d like to see more of him.

Also noticed 43 flying around (Diabate). I’d like to see more of him.

Hit of the game was Thomas III. Knocked the back out of the game.

good point about Kamara. He was really active

I agree. Am I the only dawg what wants to see him in the backfield for goal line/extra point/ short yardage situationally? With the rock or without it, this road grader would be one tough stop, especially if he gets a clean look at you and a running start. Big enough to block a zip code; something will happen when he blasts up in there, just simple laws of physics. Especially with some quicker, faster guys who can bounce a route outside.

If we manage to score, I might be inclined to go for two regularly with his girth and good feet.

I thought we looked better than "normal" last night. Pleased with our win. I liked DTR! More than Mond. Tillman impressed, and should see some of the field as a good fit. Had hoped to see Ford. I really liked the screens; worked well. I also was impressed by Kamara, I believe. Seemed busy and disruptive.

1. That's why I don't do the chats. Some folks jump off the bridge and act like the world is ending unless we win by 50.
2. York will be just fine.
3. Kelly did look good again and will make a good 3rd RB IMO
4. Agreed
5, Felton won't amount to anything unless he can add a lot of strength. He goes down with the wind from a missed arm tackle.
6, Tillman ... to early to tell.
8. Jones looked good except for all the holding penalties he got away with. (of course both sides got away with more holding than a drive in theater full of teens.)


How in the hell Lorenzo Burns didn't get cut on the flight back is beyond me. End of the game and what does he do? Blows an open field tackle that let the Jets return the kickoff a long way. next play he gets called for pass interference, then he give up a big catch. Dud single handedly almost lost the game for us.

Several of the young guys looked good, but it was only the first pre season game. It was so nice to be watching Browns football again.

The fact that Burns has only been with the team about a week may be a factor. Probably still isn't entirely sure what exactly he's supposed to be doing within our schemes and he may have been asked to use different techniques than he had been accustomed to. We likely weren't trying to see if he was ready to go up to the 53, but whether he might be someone they want to try to develop on the practice squad. How he progresses from this tape will likely be a factor in that decision making. He's not someone that they've had a lot of time with.

Now, I'd have entirely understood giving Mond his pink slip. It seems that he is what he is, and that doesn't appear to be very good.

I know it's pre-season game 1... but I continue to be frustrated with York... he was one of the least accurate kickers in the league last year... missing his field goal badly in pre-season game 1 doesn't help my confidence in him... hoping to see an improvement this year

Yeah, a kick is a kick no matter the game. It's hard for me to badmouth a kicker based on a slump. But once it becomes an obvious pattern I find it quite concerning. While York can be fairly accurate for stretches, the yips seem to be something that keep raising its ugly head over and over. And you never know when it's going to happen. It could cost the Browns everything.

the concerning thing about York, IMO, is that he misses too many of the kicks under 45 yards. That's simply not good enough

One thing I would like to add to your comments. There isn't any point in time when the pressure is less with two teams playing against each other than the HOF game. The HOF game and preseason are the times other than practice, a kicker has less pressure to make kicks. So when you see him have the yips under those conditions I find that very concerning. The pressure only increases greatly from there when the season begins.

J/c

I think looking for York's replacement is a bit premature. Name a kicker that hasn't missed one kick. Did the miss look bad and is it concerning? Yes, but ultimately it was one kick. Without knowing what exactly went wrong, it's hard to know how concerned to be. Was the new synthetic playing surface in the stadium a factor?

Phil Dawson Rookie year he was 8 or 12 on Field goals with a long of 49 yards, and 23 of 24 on extra points.
Cade York rookie year he was 24 of 32 on field goals with a long of 58 yards and 35 of 37 on extra points. He was also better on kickoffs. A few of his misses were also blocked kicks which were not his fault.


Now does anybody have a problem with York if he continues to put up better numbers than Dawson did??? I mean a lot of guys are ripping him already for having a better rookie season that Dawson.

That's crazy, Bone... I was reading Dawgs' post and was going to make a similar analogy.

First though, I'm really not concerned about York and think people are waaay too far over the top in being ready to toss him out the window.


York has more than enough leg, his confidence is not "shot". Yes, he needs to relax and get out of his own head.

As far as he and "free throws"... he kicks with full confidence and right within his wheelhouse at about 50 yards. 40-50 yards reminds me of Shaq shooting free throws... always trying to 'take something off' and 'aim', rather than just letting it fly. Shaq would have been better off stepping back four feet, York would be bettor off if he were blindfolded and had no idea the distance. He will figure it out. Every missed FG in the preseason gets a fist pump from me anyway.

Furthermore, this FO is done with Russian Roulette at K. If this dude folds in the playoffs and costs us a 'berth' game; they will breakout the checkbook and have a proven kicker as the highest paid in NFL history next year.