DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What can we expect from DW?

Bone I feel the same way. I don’t think it’s just the money and contract with DW. Most of the QB’s have high salaries and very good contracts. I would think DW would like to win and win a Super Bowl just because that’s what all NFL players would like. On another note if he starts winning and gets to a Super Bowl there will probably less talk about his past and the legal problems. JMO

From a realistic standpoint I don't think anyone knows what to expect unless they've decided to convince themselves otherwise.

DW has shown he had a lot of difficulty coming back from his long absence from the field. There was a lot of ugly before we saw pretty and we saw pretty for a brief period of time before his injury.

It gives cause to think we can see pretty again but with recovering from an injury and yet another long period off the field how long will it be until we see pretty again this time?

Nobody knows the answer to that question.

Why is a fully guaranteed contract more of a hit than say a partial guaranteed?

Herbert $218m guaranteed.

Burrow $219m guaranteed.

I get Joe played in the Super Bowl, but I guess $ 11 or $12 million less than Watson is not holding Cincinnati or the Chargers over a barrow.

Exactly and 2 years is already paid. When it was first announced it came as a shock and was unprecedented but now it really is no big deal. The jury is still out on whether it was worth it or not depending on how DW plays these next 3 years.

It was unprecedented because his signing set the new precedent.

Didn't Kirk Cousin's three-year $84 million fully guaranteed contract set the new precedent? If I am not mistaken, he received a fully guaranteed extension.

So you think an 84 million dollar contract was the precedent for contracts worth 230 million, 218 million and a 219 million dollars? Cousin's contract paled in comparison. We're talking elite QB money not an 84 million dollar deal.

It was elite QB money at the time. It was the biggest QB contract in history. That's his point.

A good debate is if Cousin was worth that guaranteed money. I say yes. No, he didn't win a Super Bowl, but it stabilized the QB position for them. They were a playoff contender.

Pro Football Network lists quarterback as Browns' biggest weakness

Jacob Roach
May 3, 2024 9:09 am ET
link

Rookie minicamp is next weekend as the Cleveland Browns begin preparations for the 2024 season. Pro Football Network recently released an article about each team’s weakest position group after the draft, and they listed quarterback as Cleveland’s.

“Deshaun Watson is capable of recapturing the form he showed with the Texans, and he is still just 28 years old. But Watson looked lost at times last season, and he finished the campaign by missing the final eight games due to an injured throwing shoulder.

The Cleveland Browns will be a Super Bowl contender if Watson plays well. But if he struggles again or suffers another injury, Cleveland will be forced to play Jamies Winston, who’s as talented as he is unreliable.”

It’s hard to argue with any of their points. Watson had flashes of his old self, but that’s it—just a few moments here and there. There is plenty of reason for optimism with how well he was trending before the injury, but until he consistently puts it on the field, that’s all it is: optimism and hope.

If that's Cleveland's biggest weakness, I'm good with it.

It is like saying Russel Wilson is the biggest weakness for Pittsburgh.

The QB injury issue would affect KC, Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Baltimore.

Forget the guarantee's, guys like that don't get cut. They just don't. As soon as they sign it is pretty much a done deal they will play out the contract and earn the full deal.

I don’t think DW was ever that good to begin with. I think Berry liked him before the draft. Then I think they got a little over mesmerized with his one good season, his leadership, and wanting to move off of Baker. The contract wasn’t a big deal because they knew the salary cap was going to explode. But no QB in the history of the NFL has gotten as much mileage out of a 4-12 season as Watson.

They thought they could take a backyard QB and turn him into a pocket passer. After two seasons they gave that up and brought in Dorsey. The Browns only chance for Watson to be successful is turning him into Josh Allen, which his body will not withstand.

The only saving grace I can really see is Watson seems to get better as the game moves on, the Browns defense will keep games close to make that possible, and the team seems to genuinely like and play for him.

It’s going to be a really interesting season. You will have to tailor your offense to a backyard football offense to have any chance to succeed. I believe that’s 100% their intention.

j/c

what do I expect? More inconsistency for whatever reason. He is what he is at this point: someone who hasn't played consistently well for 5 years

My biggest concern is that he really doesn't have the elusiveness or athleticism that he did back then

DW is the wild card for us this season. I think our D will be just as good if not better. Our ST's should be fine. The O should be better as long as we don't have all those injuries and Nick will help more and more as the season progresses. If DW plays well, not even very good, we should be able to play with anyone and are capable of winning any game. JMO

Let's face it, what we can expect is pretty much a coin toss at this juncture. I understand why some insist on being positive. I also understand why some insist on being negative.

I am not disagreeing with your statement, but it is an interesting take.

Many of the analysts and media are making the same assessment. Watson is unknown...he must be better for Cleveland to win.

Yet, Cleveland won 11 games with a myriad of QBs.

So, for Cleveland to be a winner, Watson must play better than Flacco? What exactly does Watson need to do better to make Cleveland better? If he plays at the level he did in Houston, does that give Cleveland three of four additional wins? Thus, we are saying Cleveland wins 14 or 15 games.

It is like the Browns have no issues other than Watson not playing to expectation, and with Watson not playing to his standard, Cleveland is unpredictable. It makes you go...hmmmm!

I get the whole contract debate. I want to know what Watson must do to make Cleveland better.

I guess what you're saying is the Browns can be a turnover machine and keep winning?

The QB position is the most valuable and highly paid position in the NFL for a reason. That reason is the QB play is the most important single player on the roster. they didn't pay DW 230 mil. to play like Flacco did.

The topic question is "What can we expect from DW?" Not "Can the Browns still win if DW under performs?"

This topic has never been about anything other than that.

If he plays like Flacco he will create a lot of turnovers. Sometimes people look at things like return on investment. I don't know how you see it but I'm pretty sure people think playing similar to a guy they pulled off the couch would be less than acceptable.

My expectations for Watson are consistency, staying healthy, and helping the team make the playoffs. I like Watson to improve in scoring fast and play ball control when needed.

I believe the key issue for the Browns last year was consistency.

If the expectation is Watson needs to play better, I wanted to know what Watson needs to do.

My expectation is the same as our FO's. They expect DW to take us to the Super Bowl. It's the only rationale for that contract.

It's evident DWs best days are behind him. But I think the Browns
Can make the playoffs provided they don't depend on DW carrying
The offense. The Browns stockpiled the RB room where
4 RBs can be asked to run the ball on Sunday
Watson will be asked to protect the ball. Keep the chains
Moving. Dorsey will have his work cut out cause
He doesn't have a Josh Allen to make his role easier
Dorsey will actually have to out scheme the other DCs across
The field. But at the same time he can't overload DWs
Head with complex reads and progressions .
Watson just isn't that kind of QB.

Give a young man who lacks character $230 million guaranteed is likely to produce more of the same we've already seen from him... Great one week, not so great the next week and then injury.

I know that the Browns front office and HC don't agree with that thinking and I look forward to being proven wrong, but I have my doubts.

I want to be wrong by the way. I just don't think I am.

I hope DW plays WELL ENOUGH for us not only for the good of the whole team but for the sake of putting this debate behind us. 3 more years of will he or won't he will be too much, way too much!

He needs to play commensurate to what he is being paid. If not the team isn't getting a fair return on that huge investment. That's how a business is ran. If you don't get results that are commensurate with the investment that you made that is a failed investment. Being simply above average and consistent alone is not a good return on the investment.

I am not sure how one can measure whether he meets that expectation.

Watsons first two seasons were marred by a suspension and one by injury. One was expected, one not.

At this point one can't draw any conclusions. Let's see what happens this year. We can't say much about the last 2 seasons and project them forward. We need to see what happens this year before we can start to evaluate if the guy is meeting team expectations.

I want to note it is team expectations, not the expectations of you or I.

If you pay for a Maserati and end up with a Ford Bronco it won't take you long to know the difference.

Better plan for a lot of shop time for either one. Neither is even average as far as reliability.

IIRC the Maserati engine has Chrysler parts!

I drive mine around 185

Do you mean I 85?

I drive my Corolla about 65-70!

Nope. Life's just been good to him so far ......

Good for you. I lost my license, now I don't drive.

Here is a thought to ponder.

Does anyone remember the "Greatest Show on Turf"?

I lived in St. Louis at the time. They hired OC Mike Martz, signed QB Trent Green, drafted Torry Holt, and traded for Marshall Faulk. Trent Green suffered a season-ending injury during the last preseason game. Afterward, they signed Kurt Warner away from an Iowa grocery store! There were three other receivers Isaac Bruce, Ricky Proehl, and Az-Zahir Hakim.

Mike Martz was a disciple of the "Air Coryell" style offense. Mike constructed an offense that was very close to unstoppable. Warner, Bruce, and Holt would run routes based on what the defensive backs did. Running back Marshall Faulk was allowed to do just about anything out of the backfield since defenses were attempting to contain Bruce and Holt. If that was not enough, Martz had pass catcher Proehl (basically used as a TE) and speed receiver Hakim. The plays were designed around deception and decoys. At the snap of the ball, Warner located the open area of the field and threw to the receiver. To keep the defense honest, they hand or pass the ball to Faulk. The Rams also had one of the best offensive lines.

It has been 24 years and no one has ever duplicated this offense. Warner never had the same success he had outside of the years 1999-2001. He had some success in Arizona going to the Super Bowl, but it was nothing like what he had with the Rams.

I don't know if the Browns will run an "Air Coryell" style offense, but there are a lot of similarities. Dorsey is a very cerebral offense-minded coordinator much like Martz. Cooper and Jeudy have similar characteristics as Bruce and Holt minus the speed. Njoku is similar to Proehl. Moore/Thrash can match Hakim as the go-route receiver. Nick Chubb is as effective as Faulk. Watson is as capable of reading defenses as Warner.

Everyone on the Rams had a unique skill set. When combined, they were pretty close to unstoppable. If their defense was stronger, the Rams could have won two or three Super Bowls.

I'm curious if the Browns can do something similar with their offense. Looking back the Rams were so lucky everything fell into place.