DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2023 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 22 Steelers 26 Postgame Thoughts

Ward lowered his shoulder. Minkah left his feet and became a projectile. Big difference.

Hard not to over-react after that nightmare....

We have no response to losing Chubb, physically or emotionally. He was the heartbeat of this team. We currently have no replacement on the roster and Hunt is not coming. The team has moved on from him for whatever reason. Even if they brought him in, who knows what kind of shape he's in? Obviously Kelly will come off the practice squad. I bet that's it. Hopefully Chubb has been smart with his money and he'll be ok but he won't ever be in a backfield ever again.

Stefanski continues to distinguish himself as a terrible game caller. After a game, how many times are you going to admit that you sucked at calling a game? He is terrible and with Schwartz in the building, I see his seat getting very hot very soon.

We are now in a position where we are asking Deshawn Watson to save our season. That's not ever going to work. You don't go through the stuff he's gone through in the last few years and not be changed. I feel like he is who he is now and we need to accept that. We made the worst trade in the history of the NFL and we need to accept that and move on. The clear winner here is of course Watson, who basically just stole a quarter of a billion dollars from the dullard in the club. He is not a smart QB. He is a playground playmaker and doesn't appear to have the mental capacity to operate an NFL offense. It's ok to BE wrong. It's not OK to STAY wrong. His comically ridiculous contract will ensure that this team rolls him out there game after game, but this guy will NEVER be the QB that moved heaven and earth to acquire.

Dark times here, gang.

This one hurts. More than anything the major injury to Chubb by far hurts the most. And not just for the team or his season, but because he has been and was the heart of this offense. He is the kind of person as well as player that you can't help but love. So yeah, this one REALLY hurts! Losing to a mediocre team who is also a division rival is bad, but a team can recover from a loss like that. They can't recover from a loss like Chubb. There is no Nick Chubb out there to sign. I was worried that if watson didn't improve we would be a one dimensional offense having to rely on Chubb. Now if watson doesn't improve the Browns are a zero dimensional offense. The outlook for this season just took a 180.

I'm still not sure what the problem was in the disconnect between watson and Bryant. It seemed obvious to me that watson was expecting Bryant to sit down in the gap of that zone and Bryant continued his route. That appeared to be why on at least two occasions I saw the passes were behind Bryant. It also led to an int.

I'm not going to bag on watson's performance overall. Enough people have seemed to have gotten a firm grasp on the obvious in that department. But those two face mask penalties are 100% is his control and there is no excuse for that. People can say what they will about the OL but when you lose Chubb and are one dimensional I'm not sure what anyone expected. Before Chubb was injured he had 61 yards on 10 attempts. Just over 6 ypc.

The D gave up a total of 12 points. If you can't win that game you probably aren't going to win many. The loss of Chubb will most likely make this a long season. And not in good way.

ANY and ALL thoughts of trotting out this sentence need to be shut down.
If he isn't "up to speed" it is because he doesn't have that speed to get to. He has been here for like 18 months; there is NO EXCUSE.

100%

At what point will he be considered to be "up to speed?" He has lived on the practice field for the last 18 months. If he isn't up to speed by now, he ain't getting there. He is now what he will be. He is fully formed. And I believe his fully formed self is a comically over-rated QB with above average skills and that's it. He's not smart enough to be a great QB. His tenure will go down as the least popular, biggest bust, most soul crushing QB eras since we came back to Cleveland.

Thanks for verbalizing this. I've read all sorts of comments all over the internet suggesting Watson is going to get better and "be himself" again and that somehow he's still adjusting.... But truth is just what you wrote. It's a bitter pill to swallow for any Browns fan since this level of performance is so astranomically short of any anticipated level anyone could have predicted

I just wanted to add, although it may not be popular. I wanted to thank the Steeler fans who showed a lot of class after the injury to Chubb. They chanted his name and gave him a huge round of applause when he was carted off the field. That's something they didn't have to do. I've rarely felt the need to thank Steeler fans for being classy but in this case they were and I for one appreciated it.

An unblocked strip sack will do that. Our D is playing lights out.

I forgot to mention the punt returns, or lack of. What was with not fair-catching the thing, and letting it bounce and roll down inside the 10?

D played good. Watt>>>>Garrett. Bryant needs cut. Delpit played a helluva ballgame.

How do you slow down a pass rush? Help your tackles with a TE or RB. Screen plays, think we had zero. Draw plays, think we ran zero. Quick slants to wr’s, think we ran zero. Jet sweeps, think we ran zero. I blame this all on Stefanski. AVP needs to take over play calling, Stefanski isnt giving it up, it will have to be taken.

Watson needs to play better, 5 balls at least thrown out of bounds not giving the WR’s even a chance to make the catch, even though a few were close.

Goodwin needs to go, the only time he comes on the field, the D knows we are throwing it deep. Cooper played good. Thought Bell played good. DPJ not a factor. Tillman wasnt even targeted.

D Hopkins 2-3 on FG’s. Making that 55-56 yard FG surprised me.

As for a new RB, there are a few choices:

J Taylor - very unlikely
M Carter - could probably get for cheap
R Penny - also could get for cheap
C Akers - cheap as well, but no thanks, malcontent winning a SB, imagine him here
L Fournette - FA, my fave to add
K Hunt - not sure, but I think he burnt bridges here

Or we just stick with Ford, Strong, and H Hall

1. We're saddled with a pervy QB who is nowhere near worth the money the Browns are obligated to pay him.

2. Chubb's injury gutted me.

3. The offense gave up more points than the defense.

1. His receivers aren't getting open.
2. Receivers are running the wrong routes.
3. OL sucks.
4. Bad playcalling.
5. Stubbed his toe.
6. Fans hurt his feelings.

I've heard these things mentioned before for a guy who had been here four years.

Maybe 3 first round picks and a guaranteed 230 million dollar contract is one big difference?

I know it was a nasty injury, but Chubb will most likely be back. Science these days has progressed surgeries so much that it is possible to make full recoveries from that. Crazy, but he has already done it once. A lot will be mental, but again, I wouldn't bet against Chubb there either.

The rest I mostly agree with. Watson used to be a top 5 QB in Houston. Given the circumstances of the last few years, that has changed dramatically. He has the panicked, deer in the headlights look most of the time now, and tries to scramble away from pressure that isn't there half the time. He need to regroup quickly, or it's just another wasted trade/pick/QB.

Another concern I have is that Watt said last night on the scoop and score fumble, that they knew EXACTLY what play we were going to run. Given that we revamped our offense int he offseason and played 1 game, how is that possible? Are we telegraphing our calls that easily?

I disagree that there's a significant difference (just rewatched the Ward hit), but I really have no interest in defending Minkah. I think both plays similarly show a carelessness with tackling that's present (and has been present) throughout the league. I think, other than the Steelers featuring players who love to spear, there's not a lot in Minkah's hit that points to mal-intent.

I’m mad at Ski. He scapegoated Baker, playing him injured, then sold him out. Ski can suck it. He’s a bad play calling HC, period. Play calling needs to be turned over to somebody more competent. But don’t worry friends, at this pace we’ll have a new HC next year.

I’ll just post these here frequently m week to week if that’s okay

Browns -3 vs Titans this Sunday.

If the same O shows up as last night, we should just forfeit.

That sounds a little crazy to me.

That's fine; absolutely none of that invalidates what I wrote in any way.

My day yesterday: Left at 3:30 to drive my daughter's car back to her (it's had some issues - and those were fixed) to pick her up in Perrysburg so we could go up to Monroe Michigan. Chevy dealer had the exact same vehicle she had ordered. (only 1 in a 10 state area, apparently) But, due to the uaw strike, who knows when it would be made.

Got her, drove up. It took 3 hours at the dealership, but Sooga drove to her house in her brand new vehicle. Good news. I went because, well, I have a lot of experience in the car business.

Wife wanted to eat somewhere. Oh geesh, really? The Browns are on at 8:15!!! Long story short, we got home about 10. I had the game recording. Started watching when we got home. As you all saw, FIRST offensive play, pick 6. I blame Watson - but who knows.

Recap: Pick 6, fumble for a touch down, the stupid penalties on Watson, shoving a ref? He should have been ejected for that, truthfully. Terrible throws, just..............230 million doesn't buy what it used to I guess.

And Chubb - as all of you are as well - that one just hurts. I won't say more.

Play of the game: The fumble on the steelers, we pick it up, get hit from behind, fumble it again, bounces off a steeler, then a brown, and goes out of bounds. Benny Hill's theme music was going through my head.

Terrible qb play. D did okay. Without Chubb, we're lucky to see .500 this season.

At least my daughter got a new car.

I may not care on the Sundays when the Browns aren't on t.v. here.

There were so many super-dumb plays.

Bryant tipping a pass up in the air TWICE.
On the play you mentioned, it didn't bounce off our Dlineman on the fumble return... he full on tossed it in the air as he was going down. We got extremely lucky it ended up going out of bounds.
Everyone was fumbling.
I think the Pickens TD was a communication breakdown from our secondary. Their #1 was WIDE open with a clear run to the EZ.

Were the WR getting open? Running routes properly?

No they weren't. Everyone else is wrong but watson. Only he is the beacon of what's right. It's kind of been the theme around here since the browns first signed him.

I agree with you.

I just find it funny. Baker was given every chance to be here. Through immaturity, poor play, poor leadership, and a so so work ethic he played his way off the team. He is on his fourth, yes fourth, team in a calendar year, and we still have people pining for him and blaming Stefanski for why he's not on the team. While he was here, those excuses were made over and over for him. Now 8 games into Watson's tenure and no excuses are allowed for him. It's just funny.

Watson is terrible. No two ways around it.

Give me some DTR!

He was going low against a big back. No other way to tackle him. I don't think it was dirty. That is how a smaller DB is supposed to tackle a big back.

lol.

Whether or not we think we've seen enough of this very unlikeable football player, after all that money, the team is gonna give this every chance to work. Before they admit to and act on the the statement "we're acknowledging that we ran straight into the worst contract in NFL history that confirms that we are, and will forever be, the most laughable organization in the history of organized sports for the rest of eternity," I think they're gonna hold off on DTR.

Let me know when Baker gets a 230 million dollar guaranteed contract and three first round draft choices paid to acquire him. And pretend his supporting cast was as good as this. You're trying to compare apples to oranges and you know it.

Baker will never be anything but average at best. watson was supposed to be MUCH more than that. Right now I would have been happy with average from watson. And that would still be paying one helluva price tag for average.

A car that costs 30k isn't supposed to be the same as a car that costs 100k. At least not in the real world.

This was the Browns chance to shake the same old browns mantra.
I said all week if we can win this game we can start to believe that we will win a lot of games that we have found ways to lose in the past.

Well we definitely Brownsed that game.

Going on year 3 of the same issues. Except there is no scapegoat.

It was discussed often last season that Stefanski must be better. He has been bad.

The offense was offensive last night. At any point could we move the pocket or try play action to get Watson out of an ever collapsing pocket. Crazy because 4 years ago it was a staple of the offense.

I will say it..

Right now Houston is smiling, with draft choices in hand.

Baker is smiling sitting at 2-0.

Baker + Loss draft choices >>>>>> Watson

And this on is for the Browns F.O. that decides to make a big splash.

Baker > Watson

It's two games in to the season. I think there is some overreaction in here, and I include myself, at least last night when watching the game.

I think a big part of the frustration is Chubb getting hurt. Folks, I think we all need to understand that Nick is going to be lucky to walk right again, let alone play football. That knee was already reconstructed when he was at Georgia. Injury and age have finally caught him.

Baker has played a couple of dogs, too.

Lets not crown him the greatest QB in TB history just yet.

I agree w/Peen. Chubb may never play again (or if he does it could be a shell of himself). Just a crappy night all around

Brown’s finding ways to lose.
Continues to happen.

New players new coaches same results.

I don’t feel anything I said was an overreaction. KS has continued to get worse each year. Granted it is early but the offense is his. It should not look like a dumpster fire.

My biggest frustration was the Browns losing to the Steelers on Monday night football

It was a chance to show the football world that the Browns are better

They blew it ! I also tell myself reality is the Browns were not going to win 17 games

There were going to be loses, just this one really sucked in many ways

1-1 is better than 0-2 especially against two divisional teams

The Bengals started off 0-2 last season, look how that ended for them

Time to fix things and move onto winning game 3

2-1 would be nice and keep building off that

I'm not sure what part of this that was included in my post that you missed......


Did you miss that part?

At some point, if I'm Haslam and I'm spending all this money to watch my coach declare after every game that he has to do better, I'm gonna walk into his office and demand that AVP calls the plays. How many times do we have to watch this guy "out-think" himself into a ditch?

That statement wasn't necessarily for you. This is a narrative bearing out all over the place at the moment.