DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2023 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 20 Seahawks 24 Postgame Thoughts

We’re 4-3. We’re 2-1 since the bye with a backup playing QB.

It’s not the end of the world, and we have 10 games left. Road game against a good Seattle team and we lost a competitive game with a backup. It will be ok

Y’all acting like we’re San Fran who just dropped 3 straight.

You have to take every win you can, and today was way winnable.

We are a couple of ignorant play calls away from being 6-1.

this is how I felt too ... we had them RIGHT to the brink of being down on the canvas ... time of possession was like 2 to 1 ... they were JUST about to fold (and that's AFTER we already gave them 3 TO's and spotted them 14 points)

it feels like a game that could really haunt us in January

If we run the ball and get the first down...Game over. if we don't get the first down. Punt the ball and make them have to go the distance of the field with 1:34 left. If Stefanski was any kind of play caller he should know that. I say he needs to hand it over to someone else. PERIOD !!!!!

Yep.

When we fall short of the playoffs, we'll be looking back to this game and the Pittsburgh game wondering what if.

It's too bad that no one in Berea can see how incompetent Berry and Stefanski are. But keep wondering why the Browns aren't in the playoffs. Just stupid. Very tiring for the fans. Glad I stopped wasting money on this garbage.

Same here, I haven't spent a penny on any Browns gear since I bought a Braylon Edwards jersey his rookie year, how sad is that?

How many players in the last 25 years would I actually WANT to buy their jersey? Cribbs, Thomas, Chubb, Garrett ... maybe Dawson or Bitonio

I’ve said this for awhile. The best roster since our return was built by Dorsey and since then it’s gotten worse.
There’s two sides of the fence. Either we aren’t drafting talent or it’s not being developed. It’s probably a lot of both which is why they both need to go. We are staying in middle of road by overspending on free agents. Berry hasn’t drafted a single playmaker and stefanski hasn’t made any of them better

100%

Because of this loss and the Steelers loss we won't make the playoffs now. Again. For the third straight year. With a talented roster and a "stable" organization.

Stefanski not calling a run on the 3rd and 3 is the perfect example of not prioritizing winning. In his mind since he called a play where people were open, it was a good decision and a good play call. No other factors to consider in his mind.

We are stuck in 7-10 to 8-9 purgatory with Stefanski. If he didn't have Myles Garrett we'd have a 5 win ceiling with him. He's never going to make decisions in the best interests of winning.

Inaccurate.

We are a few gifts from the refs from being 2-5

I see a lot of drinkable games coming up

That isn't correct. We called T.O. with 1 second on the play clock. There was maybe 2:03 on the game clock. It would have been a delay of game penalty.

I agree. It was a frustrating loss. We would have been in a much better position to win if we had been able to punt the ball but it isn't all gloom and doom here.

Hunt said he wanted the ball on the 3rd down play. Hunt said he had no idea why he didn't play the 4th Quarter. Hunt was running very well. Keeping his best players on the sidelines during crucial situations has been Stefanski's MO since he started here. Why even sign Hunt?

Stefanski's mind goes into bizzarro world when in the Red Zone and in crucial situations. I am so tired of hearing "This one is on me" year after year while nothing changes.

At least we stopped running the stupid reverse with Moore and now let Goodwin get the pleasure of running for negative 6 yards.

Season over. One more year without a first round pick. So far for Watson, 11 T.D.’s. $21 million per. We have no QB. No running game. An injury riddled O-line. I think we need to line up Garret as QB, too. Maybe then the Cleveland Muddogs can make it to the Bourbon Bowl.

The Season isn't over - still lots to play for and we lost narrowly to a very good team who enjoy a massive home advantage.

I thought overall the play calling was okay - we got pass happy here and there considering how well we were running the ball and how questionable PJ Walker's ability is. I thought PJ Walker had an improved performance for some of the game but he still finished sub 50% completition and the 2 picks. I'm not sure I can understand anyone saying they don't know if Brissett is better .... with better QB play we have a better record today, be it one game or 2 games better and that falls 100% on Berry. I thought the (first?) TD drive we had that went something like screen, screen, delayed screen (?) was excellent play calling design (not just because it worked - see below) but as the game went on the it felt like play calling got away from what we had done well and pass plays took longer to develop - maybe the D just adjusted? Other than the Goodwin run for a loss we ran the ball at about 4 yards per carry without any long runs distorting that average.

Defense had stopped Seattle all 2nd half - but not for the most important drive. I'd like to understand why / how that breakdown happened. For all the 3 Seahawk TD drives I felt that we were being out coached - their offensive play calling was excellent and varied and kept us on the back foot. At the very end of the game, like everyone else in the world, I thought a run was the right call - burn the 2 minute warning - kick the ball assuming we don't make the 3 yards - make Seattle face a longer field. Pshcologically it makes a big difference - as it was we gifted them all the momentum, a short field to tie and I'm sure all their offfense felt like they were playing with house money at that point.

While it's not the end of the season - while we're playing with a back up QB - I still questions Stefanski for the way we finally lost this game. For those that think play calling is good and it's simply a matter of execution - please explain how putting the entire game into the hands of your QB who is completing exactly 50% of his throws at that point is the smart play call? In my eyes - it's classic Stefanski: I'm the smartest guy out here mentality. Sure if we had a 6'-6" QB then Ford was open in the middle of the field, but we don't and Walker didn't seem to make proggressions for the entire game so why anyone thinks he's going to suddenly start IDK. Disappointing end to an otherwise decent game.

Unless you buy the item at the shop the Browns geta cut.. Apparel is a shared income between all teams in the league and cut 32 ways. The individual merchants obviously get to keep the mark-up after their wholesale purchase. So if you buy a NFL licensed Dallas hat at Lids or Walmart, the Browns get their cut.

I don't think the loss of picks, at least these first two years have hurt all that much. We have lost out on 5th year options, but we have still drafted startable players. If a teams drafts 1-2 solid starters a draft, they are ahead of the game.

I will say that this might be the year where it starts to catch up with us. Guys like Newsome are getting close to the 4th year and we won't have the luxury of having that 5th year, but even then it is still a year away and the impact will be spread out over 3 years.

there's a reason why Stefanski called a run vs Indy on 4th down ... because that's our strength

Shoulda followed suit last night. The loss is really sticking with me

It should. It guaranteed no playoffs and likely a last place finish in the division.

Another season with no playoffs. Ugh. Meanwhile, the Ravens will run away with the division and make the playoffs for the like 15th time this century.

I am perplexed by Stefanski's playcall. No one plays to lose better than he does.

But I'm really crushed by the defense's play down the stretch. I thought a five game sample was enough to say it was legit, but in typical Cleveland fashion the walls came crashing down on what appeared to be a good thing.

We suck. Again. Can't get put of our own way. Can't adjust. Can't make decisions that impact winning.

Onto hickey for me.

Post game thoughts:

I think Stefanski did a pretty darn good job with the offense.
When we were down 14-0, I almost turned it off and walked away thinking "we've already lost", but this offense got us back into it.

Second week in a row, this defense is crashing back to earth. They're still really good, but if they don't get the big stop, they're giving up a big gain. We gave up a LOT of big gains.
Tons of execution errors, and they somehow seemed to keep 9 in to block and still have 3 or 4 our running routes it seemed, lol

On their winning drive, there were back-to-back plays with facemask/hands-to-the-face against Myles that were not called. They weren't ticky tack, they were egregious, but no flag. They shouldn't have ever been in position for that last score.

we did have some big positives yesterday .. Njoku, Moore, Strong, OL held up mostly

the 3rd down play call will haunt this season ... just my gut feel

The Steelers lost.

if we are looking at the wild card, we need the Bengals to not look so good either lol ... they are humming right now

This is Dawgtalkers......everyday.

I don't think anyone should be fired either. We played hard yesterday after being down early. This team plays hard for KS. There's no lack of effort just a lack of talent and experience at the QB position with DW out.

Not to mention Chubb going down. Considering everything I’m surprised we are where we are. Keep fighting men. It’s a long season.

j/c...

Hmm.

maybe his contributions aren't showing up in the stat line, but does anyone else think that ZSmith isn't doing what we brought him here to do? You would think that with Myles getting double teamed it free him up, but I just don't see him doing anything significant

That. Was. Awesome.

They were talking about this on the radio this morning and heard it during the game. I think it is just the way she chose to frame her comment. Meaning, the Browns are not going to say anything definitive one way or another re: his injury. They could be thinking to themselves that he is going to play soon and then something pops up that delays it even more. Why commit one way or another when it has already been a rollercoaster?

I suppose we'll see.

if we lose to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the year is lost anyways ... we have no room for error

KS isn't the one who trades players. That would be the FO led by Andrew Berry.