DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2023 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 14 Bengals 31 Injuries and inactives

This game has zero impact on our post season seeding and it’s abundantly clear to all that we need all the rest we can get. But the PD makes it sound like Flacco is playing as well as potentially cooper and Moore. Maybe it’ll be like a preseason game, a couple series to a couple quarters but then yanked. Also sounds like they’re resting Dustin “the dagger” Hopkins, which is probably smart. Might be a full jv game

Agreed.

Play The Real Team for a series or two to maintain rhythm/retire them early.
Rest, regroup, regenerate.


Dawgs: I need you to hear me on this funfact list:

1. Since 1999, this is the first time the Cleveland Browns have the option of resting their starters for the final reg season game in preparation for the post-season.
2. And they can afford to do it against a division rival.
3. With 30% of their prime salary cap on IR.

Amazing.


There is nothing about this team/season that makes sense in any way, shape, or form.
Elves were supposed to drop like flies/dominoes when 78 & 24 went down. That was back in Weeks 1 & 2.
And now we can afford to rest starters if we choose? After a season like this? Are you freakkn' kidding me?


What a 'cray af' roller coaster ride this Browns season is turning out to be.
I'm having an absolute blast.

Flacco shouldn't even see the field. Ward shouldn't see the field. Garrett, maybe some snaps on obvious passing downs. For has been banged up. Sit him. Rely on Hunt and Strong. Maybe elevate Kelly or whoever is on the PS. Oh...forget Cooper.

Heck, elevate the whole PS.

I'd sit Flacco, Cooper, Njoku, Bitonio, Teller, Pocic, Ward, Emerson, Newsome, JOK, Garrett, Z, Tomlinson, Thornhill, and probably even more than I'm thinking

But I'd still try to win the game lol

Bring on the scrubs. Oh wait we don’t have any.

Throw Driskett or Walker to the wolves.
Put James Hudson at LT (hell rotate him all over the line for all I care)
Give 38 targets to Cedric Tillman and 20-25 touches to Strong.
Start rookies Ika and McGuire start on the DL, Mitchell at CB, Wypler at Center
Let Alex Van Pelt call the plays.

Bengals -6 as of today.

It'll be nice watching the game without any care in the world knowing it's all about the following week.

lol, I was just going to say... watch your mouth, those guys are starting now.

Don't even entertain the notion of any of our starting trench guys seeing the field. They need the rest so bad. Because of that, we shouldn't see any Flacco. Have them do extra practice reps as the 2nd team, if that makes anyone feel better. They do still have the task of cutting down on the turnovers heading into the playoffs.

Try to give as many carries to PS RBs. Someone mentioned John Kelly... that dude has lived for this moment.

Sit Cooper, Moore, Njoku, obviously. Njoku is the healthiest of those 3 and he's been banged up all near (not to mention burned, cut, blown up, etc).

Sit Ward and wrap him in bubble wrap.


The only guys that I might entertain the thought of playing are the guys that are coming back from injury, but I doubt any of them would be healthy enough. Delpit, Ogbo, and Walker might have some rust to knock off but I doubt they're healthy enough to risk playing in a game that doesn't matter.

I believe that only (2) players from the PS can be elevated per game. Those two are a Kicker and a Punter this week...so no WRs or OL or DL etc.

Our only backup OL are (2) Centers, (1) G and (1) T who is already practice-squad caliber.

If Moore is out (likely) then we need to get Tillman ready to be the #2 guy and for he and Flacco to find some rhythm...remember we cannot even elevate a PS favorite at WR this week.

Out of the (53) guys plus (2) PS elevations, we have (55) players and (7) won't dress. We know Cory B and Hopkins are out. Moore has a concussion. Delpit and Oronkwo are not ready yet and/or are quite compromised. That's (5) guys of (7). Walker has been out for awhile...so let's say he makes it (6). Whomever is the (7th) guy really doesn't matter. It could be a rookie backup or a vet like Garret/Thornhill/Ward...but only (1) of them.

I don't want to get in a situation where we start a backup who gets dinged mid-way and a true 'starter' comes in cold off the bench given that we still have to field a team. I hope we go into this game with that 1-0 mentality we've displayed all year...plan for the starters to start and play the whole game...just like normal. If we want to pull the starters after halftime...so be it. Don't mess with the mojo and rhythm.

We haven't taken our foot off the gas all year...and now is not the time to start that. JMO

Adding to ^:

If we want to give guys like Siaka and A Wright more reps I'm good with that. Or play the CB we stole from KC a bunch of snaps. Play Bell more at WR and see what Proce can do from scrimmage..all good. But this notion of completely resting a bunch of starters is a bad idea.

yeah, I'm all about looking at Siaka, Mitchell, Bell, Tillman, etc

I think the Bengals do have something to play for. Not in any playoff scenario or as spoiler. But when you've had what they consider a very disappointing season, you want to win your last game to give your players a sense of momentum moving forward into next season. I watched an interview here in Nashville of coach Vrabel and it seemed as the utmost of importance to him even though I think the Titans chances of beating the Jags are quite slim.

j/c...

Tony Grossi
@TonyGrossi
·
2m
Elijah Moore and Ogbo Okoronkwo will practice today.

So Driskell makes 5

Sit as many starters as possible. Man, I would love to have Driskell get the W this week. Not only would that be revenge against the Bengals, but also would give us 5 QBs with a win. Would also earn us our best record since the return.

That's yuge.

I hope we sit him though...which I'm sure we will.

Yeah, I bet he sits too. But having a healthy pass rush rotation will be important for the playoffs, obviously. This is a step towards that.

What a steal in the draft this kid turned out to be.

Man, wrap that knee up, put on a heavy azz brace and hit the field on it next week, wee need ya, lol

Since Flacco is not playing this week, does that means he makes $0 this week?

No. He still has his salary. The $75k for each win is bonus money.

Ronnie Hickman has been a great rookie value signing as an UDFA.

Hickman and Jones have been complete steals. Add in that Tillman has at least been serviceable makes it a great coup

I don't have any issues with resting as many starters and they can. With the injury luck we've had this year, I'm all for not taking any chances.

PHENOMENAL value. I'd actually hope the team would play Thornhill this weekend over him.

I'll play any position against Cincy. Put me in Coach!

Absolutely... how great is it that we're in a position to rest our starters the last game of the year because we've locked up our position in the playoffs... would have liked to have won the division, but we've had a hell of a season and potentially could do some damage in the playoffs...

Very well. Nose tackle.

Put me down for special teams gunner.

I down under 150 pounds put my down as a yard marker

I am hacking and coughing. Put me down as 6 feet under the turf .........

You trying to test out that new bionic knee?

I'll be the referee. Can't be any worse

Damn. Browns are calling in DawgTalkers off the couch.

Whatever it takes.

Treat this like preseason game #3. I would run some starters for the first series or two and rotate out if I'm worried about rust or any of them need to test themselves at game speed after minor injuries. That's just me, and I know it's frowned upon. Seems like there's an annual sighting of a team or two that got too much rest before the second season and looks like dog poop when they see the field. Definitely don't want to be that team, especially on someone else's turf.

Pretty strange position to be in. I'm confident that our coaches and FO will use it to our advantage.

Glad to see you back, Fate.

I do worry about that rest factor, too. With my PTBS (Post-Traumatic Browns-fan Syndrome), I always feel like the worst will happen to us if given the opportunity. On the other side of that equation, though, is the injuries, which have happened to us at every possible opportunity this year. Pick your poison, I suppose.

Thanks boss. Good to be back after a much needed break. Nice to see all the optimism and a return to a little comradery rather than the trivial fighting and arguing about nothingness. I was as guilty as anyone and needed to step back lol.

Hope you had a great Christmas with the grandson! Is the dude walking yet? Gotta be close... probably tearing bulbs off the Christmas tree. 🤣

hey Fate

Not quite, but he's crawling everywhere and pulling himself up onto his feet. He did make short work of some Chrismas decorations. To him, childproof means "hold my baba".

🤣😇

Good stuff, mate.

I will channel my innermost Michael Dean Perry

Best way to channel him is by starting off with an MDP burger!

Only $1.99?! Oh, I miss the 90s.

I like that it was just a quarter pounder divided into three different patties.

Yeah.. I caught that too.
...and to think, it was 5 years AFTER Clara Peller got famous for asking, "Where's the beef?"


....and did you see how bountiful that prop burger looked in that commercial?


#shameless

j/c...

Vincent? Vincent Price??

Egggggggxactly...