DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2023 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 13 Steelers 10 Postgame Thoughts

I've said four times this year (vs SF, at IND, at BAL, vs PIT) "I can't believe we won this game" as the final second ticked off

I too wanted things to open up a little more in the second half. But I was far more upset with the drops. Which would have made that second half look a bit better. But as Peen and others have said. That was the game plan...protect DTR, let the Defense hold. We saw some success when we opened it up A LITTLE on the last drive (got a few intermediate throws in...but still mostly short) And yes that calling was different from most of the game ...BUT...you want to know what else was different about that last drive? Dawand Jones took every snap. We all know that TJ Watt feasts on Hudson. Hudson for the most part had a decent game. Part of that was getting the ball out early...But he still struggles with Watt...and lets face it...he isn't the only one who has troubles with Watt. So I am not going to bash him over it. So here is what I want to say...We needed to neutralize Watt and Highsmith. And Dawand Jones was not able to play the whole game. So not only were we protecting DTR...but also protecting Hudson and Christian(whose name we did not hear throughout the game...good thing). But in the last Drive...Dawand Jones played every snap and neutralized Watt. Giving DTR that extra split second to zip the 15 yarder to Moore, which changed the complexion of that last drive.

Hudson has done a very good job with in very difficult circumstances vs the Ravens and the Steelers. But Looking forward to Dawand Jones being healthy. (and I think Christian has been a good pick up...doing extremely well for a guy who was thrown right into the fire...we all know how OLine needs to communicate) When Dawand is healthy look for us to open things up a little more.

Christian has been very good (maybe better than Wills? OL gurus would have to tell us)

Actually at the time he was hurt. Wills had put together a nice string of games. And he was looking more consistent. If you want to go by PFF grades or something like that Christian "might" look better...but it is 2 games vs 8...so the body of work isn't there to make a fair comparison.

yeah, thats fair. We'll see how he looks after week 18

I would add one more caveat, though, which is that Christian has also gone up against the Ravens and Steelers in both of those weeks.

exactly, you can't get much more daunting than that

The D and the kicker again deserves credit for the victory. When your O can only produce 13 points and your team wins, all the credit goes to that D and the guy who bailed you out with 6 points. It's better to win ugly than lose pretty and that's what the Browns did.

Defenses win championships. Our offense is riddled and we’re working with a rookie QB. I’m proud of the offense just for getting in FG range.

Yeah Christian has been a decent sub, Hudson is the worst player on the team...anyone that says he's been good hasn't really been watching. He was constantly dropping his blocks off the snap to a foot away from QB.. It wasn't until Jones got in that DTR could actually get his eyes downfield. We are extremely thin at tackle. Jones is no world-beater but he's a significant upgrade over hudson. He's the schwartz of the oline.. Berry will hang on to him because he drafted him. I think one thing is for sure, we have to move on from the conservative gameplan.. we have to trust that whoever we have is going to execute.. Denver's offense is light years ahead of pittsburgh and we will def. need more than 13 points to win. DTR was pretty atrocious for most of the game yesterday but when we opened it up because we needed to, he responded well. That tells me he can handle a little more aggressive playcalling.. It actually plays into his favor since he has zero touch, so let him sling it down field and try to make a play with his arm. We have to stop using our QB's as running backs and blockers.. sure a scramble makes sense so he can slide and protect, but you call a designed run he's going to get hit.

The cardiac kids have never gone away. They just lost those games.

A quick look at the winners of the last 10 Super bowls indicates that more times than not it's O's with good QB's that win championships.


All that's true and they did win. And yes, this it's the D who was responsible for that win.


And just imagine, they actually managed to do that twice in an entire game.

Do you even root for the Browns? They beat the friggin Steelers. Anytime that happens and if the score was 2-0 A true fan would be happy.

I do root for the Browns. That's does not require one to be blind.

Oh, man- that's fantastic.
Call me an old softy, but that just made my cheeks wet.

That was a great vid. My wife would be bawling if she saw that.

Jc

Check on our receivers and make sure their hands are still intake. Catching nukes with just gloves gotta be tough. Our guy DTR really needs to take some heat off of those throws, cause not every pass has to be a heat check.

+1

Although it's hard to fault a QB for throwing fairly accurate passes with a little extra mustard, there were a few that had entirely too much velocity... one of the screens reminded me of Weeden. No excuses for a performance like Njoku's regardless.

Also, tell me it was just me Dawgs, but the more evident anomaly (by comparison to Watson) was a higher spin rate... and the fact that sometimes perfect spirals are a little harder to catch.

For the most part, dude just stood there and threw darts all day.

Elway was known for that and his receiver's had to suck it up and catch them.

Some of it may be a timing thing also

Receivers get used to how a QB throws and DTR hasn't had a lot of reps with the receivers

He threw like that in collage and the receivers caught his passes due to reps with each other

"Receivers get used to how a QB throws and DTR hasn't had a lot of reps with the receivers"

Harder/faster throws get on you and past your hands faster. Hopefully, they all get a little more adjusted to each other this week and things are better in Denver.

Yep. It's an adjustment. At least we weren't watching him fire late balls into tight windows all day... which became a way of life and a seemingly unbreakable habit by Baker down the stretch.

I've gone back and watched, and focused. I've never seen Watt so nullified by the mere physics presented by the size of Jones. I know we're talking 'early returns', but Jones is proving to be one of the best picks by this regime, especially from a value standpoint.

* And yes, Bone... the "swat" looked like a parent swatting a toddlers hand away from the cookie jar at times.

Baker's gone now....

We can still talk about if we want to, correct?

People can talk about and comment any way we all choose withing the rules of the board. I thought you would know that by now?

Meanwhile, back in Pittsburgh.....

I hope he's got that thing cranked up.

I remember a Hard Knocks Njoku that took offense to teammates suggesting the Jugs. Yesterday was an anomaly as he's been pretty sure handed for two+ seasons now. Glad he's putting in the work. He took responsibility early and often after the game yesterday, starting with a strong embrace with DTR.

Smart, Tough, Accountable was beginning to become a punchline for this team about a year ago, Chief wasn't havin' it.

I like when they show the broadcast booth like that

Me too. I love the way Jim get so excited and hyper. That is how I watch a game. It also seems so genuine. Other announcers that are enthusiastic, seem so phony. The first that comes to mind if Dick Vitale. I think when he first started he was genuine but for the past 20 years it seems rehearsed.

Well, it was actually 3 times. They just got a touchdown on one of those times.

The only thing that bothers me about DTR is that he has difficulty throwing the sideline out. Almost a couple of interceptions yesterday.

That can be fixed.

Well, pit, your post seemed a little snarky. Sorry if I read it wrong.

I agree ... it seems very genuine