DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2024 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 10 Chargers 27 Post game thoughts...

That really sucked.

Time to sell, sell, sell.

I hope the firings start before they even get to the pressers. The defense played acceptable football. The offense s a trainwreck. It’s Vrabel time.

Harbaugh took over that team and they were expected to suck while they rebuilt. But he is a great coach. Stefanski is … not. And I was as guilty as anyone, but to get ur hopes up behind Winston was silly. He should’ve had three picks last week, too. We have to start from scratch.

j/c

The Fat Lady is in the house and belting out a storm. Turn out the lights; this party is officially over. We are now sellers....

Today's result should not be a surprise given JW's history and our history against the Chargers. Now 9-20 lifetime. Pathetic!!!

that was horrendous

Hopefully this shuts up all the “it’s all Watson” crowd. It’s not and never was. This is just a horrible team. It’s time to blow it up. Sell everyone of value, get rid of the FO and coaches and build it again.

Agreed. Well, we'll have 2 weeks to get ready for the Saints. Then we'll come out and play like we didn't prepare at all!!!!

[quote= to get your hopes up behind Winston was silly. [/quote]

I'm not blaming Winston for the most part, rather that falls on Dorsey for a poor game plan. Credit must go to the Chargers pass defense....there was often nobody open. We got a week off; let's make the needed changes now as this season is lost.

I feel bad for Chubb

Trade ZSmith for whatever you can get, he brings nothing to the D but close calls

- The Browns are a directionless franchise.

- I suspect we'll be seeing DTR soon, possibly out of the bye. Zappe by December?

- The secondary miscommunications are catastrophic and inexcusable.

- Juan Thornhill is another terrible FA signing.

- Garrett lots of sacks.

Quite frankly, this team isn't really worth putting in too much effort discussing. Lots of bad from top to bottom with a few bright spots.

Off season firings ad draft talk will dominate the conversation and air waves the remainder of the season.

Go Cavs!

Let the yard sale begin

What else have we got?

Bills are 7-2. Think they miss Dorsey?

Well, we do have an astonishing amount of upside potential. . . .

How about our defense ranked as the #1 dance troupe in the NFL!

Winston giveth Winston takeith

It sounds like Smith will be traded to Detroit

Conklin listed his house for sale.

Moore has been mentioned as a trade candidate.

Wills could be traded.

I'm sure any of these people minus Chubb are available for trade.

2025 Free Agents/Trade candidates

Jedrick Wills Jr. (T) – UFA
Jameis Winston (QB) – UFA
Nick Harris (C) – UFA
Nick Chubb (RB) – UFA
Elijah Moore (WR) – UFA
Nyheim Hines (RB) – UFA
Jordan Akins (TE) – UFA
Michael Dunn (T) – UFA
Tyler Huntley (QB) – UFA
D’Onta Foreman (RB) – UFA
Germain Ifedi (RT) – UFA
Hakeem Adeniji (G) – UFA
James Proche (WR) – UFA
Wyatt Davis (G) – UFA
Giovanni Ricci (FB) – UFA
James Hudson (RT) – UFA
Quinton Jefferson (DT) – UFA
Maurice Hurst (DT) – UFA
Devin Bush (ILB) – UFA
Rodney McLeod (FS) – UFA
Justin Hardee (CB) – UFA
Tony Brown (CB) – UFA
Chris Williams (DT) – RFA
Tony Fields (OLB) – UFA

I'd trade anyone that could get us decent draft capital. noone should be exempt.. they've had enough time to build a winner here, the least they can do is atleast get something for the next regime to build with

Time for another rebuild. Constant theme since 1999

It was mostly Watson, no doubt about. The QB position is the most important, and he was the bottom of the barrel (Winston ain't much better). But others need to be held accountable. For instance, this team, as well as other NFL teams, are absolutely terrible tacklers.

I do agree it is time to blow it up and sell whatever assets we have. And we cannot have the same idiots making the decisions when it is time to draft players.

Frankly, I cannot believe they (front office) still have their jobs. This front office basically dropped an atomic bomb on the team and its fans.

j/c

The Dorsey 'experiment' is over with predictable results (which failed in Buffalo also). Can Dorsey and replace him with an internal promotion. Keep JW as the #1 QB, at least for now, but giving time to DTR and BZ to see what we've got. Our 'window' to the Super Bowl is almost closed and if we can't turn this around by the end of next season, then let the 'fire sale' begin as our window likely has closed.

On a secondary thought, what gives with Ward and/or Thornhill?

Winston should not play. We need to see more of DTR and the new guy, Zappe.

I view the following players as trade candidates (not saying I would trade all of them, but they'd obviously have interest)

Garrett
JOK
Ward
Delpit
Moore
Tillman
Njoku
Newsome
Z Smith
Tomlinson
Hurst
Hall


Anyone else?

Zappe, sure. DTR is a stiff. He was a 5th rounder for a reason. If he could play we would have seen something by this point. We don't play the guy because the FO has enough people fooled that he can be the guy but don't want to hammer the nail in to their own coffin by playing him.

Berry has to cling to something.

I can't believe we are at this point, but I think the FO and staff are teetering. They had garnered a lot of slack, but that slack is up

It will be interesting to see how long Berry and Stefanski remain in lockstep...if they even are at this point.

I agree. It gets tougher to stay committed to each other when the wheels are off

And the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft....the Cleveland Browns pick???..???

Sadly they are one of EIGHT teams in the NFL that have only two wins. They may not even pick in the top ten.

Really? With all the blown coverage that led to walk-into-the-end-zone t.d.’s?

The trend for the last few years has been that Thornhill is involved in HUGE plays due to miscommunication. He's cost us so many plays and points

Delpit is a keeper. Thornhill is expendable. We need Safety and LB help bad on Defense.

Ward was involved in those plays. Are we sure it was Thornhill? I'm not.

Was looking forward to the game - that obviously changed quickly.

We look like an inept team that has less of a clue than some of the worst years since the return.

I agree - sell what you can for anything. Move on from Berry and KS. Hope like hell that by some random unknown influence we get lucky and hire the right people. I do agree Vrabel would be a solid choice, if nothing else I think he would change some of the culture but it's probably going to be 2 years + to be competitive again. Longer if we don't jettison KS and Berry.

🤮

Bone, I can understand how you feel because I feel the same way. This could have been a great season if DW was what we thought he could be. I hope you keep posting as I feel you are one of the better ones on the board. They'll be some trades, possibly some coaching and FO changes and of course the draft. This won't be the first time we started discussing the draft in early November LOL!

yesterday's plays had to be on the Safety. We were in zone IIRC

Agreed not now. But just one year ago we were. Hard to believe how fast we've fallen.

Well said bone. We have some good players, but no QB = no hope.

WE had a glimmer of hope with Flacco, who was basically running on his last fumes

Whichever QB gives us the best chance to lose so we can take our pick of a QB in the draft.....

......so fine, I'll do it.

my concern is that the QBs in this years draft are underwhelming. The worst thing you can do is select a QB who isn't a franchise guy just to pick one

Everything about that game sucked. Everything.

The only good things were the Discord chat and the brisket I made.

Also, question. Was our scheme designed so that nobody was supposed to cover Johnston at all yesterday? It really appeared that way.

Uhh... Winston is a backup (for reasons that were on display today). As bad as it was, the offense was actually better than what we saw with Watson (they could at least move the ball). So the argument that a capable starting QB could turn the offense around isn't off the table.

In that order?

Hellll no

Yeah, last week didn't happen. You can't overcome 3 int's. Some days you have good Winston and some days you have bad Winston. Nobody expected him to be the franchise QB here and he isn't getting paid 230 million to be one.

My memory is a little foggy but didn't we have huge communication problems with our secondary a few years ago when Joe Woods was our D.C.? I was hoping Schwartz would have ended that problem.

we have communication issues in the secondary a few times a game. And many times they cost us big.

Our defense has not been the same since the loss in Houston

And if the Browns DO play like they didn't prepare at all, then Stefanski should be FIRED no later than the following Monday. I don't mind losing out at this point but at least APPEAR to be a professional football team. The Watson debacle is going to bury this team for the next TWO seasons. Buckle up folks. It's going to be a LONG THREE YEARS. And you all thought 1-31 was bad. This is going to be worse. And before ANYONE starts complaining, please consider this: VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET. Do NOT continue to buy season tickets. Haslam needs to be sent a SEVERE message about his CRAPPY organizational structure, his CRAPPY front office decision makers and his CRAPPY on field product. IF YOU DON'T SEND A FINANCIAL MESSAGE, then please stop complaining. IT IS NOW UP TO YOU TO SEND THE MESSAGE FOR 2025 AND BEYOND. This owner and his CRAPPY leadership MUST change or this franchise is going NOWHERE. And Cleveland deserves better. Period.

The problem is that guy responsible for the rebuild is COMPLETE idiot when it comes to building a FOOTBALL organization. Ivy league educations, analytics wizards, baseball strategy officers, collaborative decision making and a host of other NON FOOTBALL related nonsense when it comes to putting together your FOOTBALL team DOES NOT WORK. IT HASN'T WORKED. It should be OBVIOUS to everyone following this team. If Haslam changes NOTHING, then your expectations shouldn't change either. Do I have any hope? No. Until Haslam sells, Browns are going NOWHERE. Period.

Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

If the QB's available in the draft are underwhelming, then we'll probably run with DTR or Bailey Zappe next year. Sort of like pick your poison.

Quinn Ewers is the only an in this draft that I’m interested in. I wonder if we could convince Aaron Rodgers to come here for one last go at it. - Draft a wr in round 1.

Ewers can't even stay healthy in college. Even some draft sites have Ewers ranked as low as 3rd behind Sanders at #1 and Ward at #2.

https://walterfootball.com/qbrankings2025.php

We can't possibly go with DTR or Zappa next year lol ... that would be rat poison

Kirk Cousins maybe, depending on Penix

Notice I said “acceptable”. Yes they gave up 20 in the first half but they held fast all the way up until the end after they were exhausted by all of the three and outs. Most teams should be able to score 20+ a game. Not this team though.

Sadly - there are no good QBs coming out this year.

Ewers, Jador, Milroe, Nussmeier, kid from Miami - all bring nothing to the table - IMHO. Maybe the kid from PSU or if Dillon Gabriel grew another 4 inches.

50 freaking years. Tons of high draft picks. Good players coming here and sucking. Every QB this franchise has had over 30 years have been nothing but turnover machines. How is it possible for a team with a strong roster play like consistent losers. I'm sick of the hype about their "fits" walking into the games. I'm sick of Newsome dancing and jumping around when he makes one play, after giving up multiple. We have good man to man corners, and Schwartz decides to play zone the whole game. Sick of Thornhill blowing coverage. I'm sick of all the injuries, and the constant practice, of guys not practicing. I'm sick of this overhyped defense that manages to choose one half a game to look dreadful and unprepared. I'm sick of signing lightweight LBs who suck, and bringing in aging LBs that suck. I'm sick of every good play being called back because of penalties

I honestly believe the NFL is set up for certain teams to continually shine, and others are like the team the Harlem Globetrotters played. I watch these other games and all teams, even the bad ones execute basic plays, yet we have a team that barely can get a first down with a yard to go. The Browns will never be contenders, even if there is new ownership, new coaches, and a franchise QB behind center. The Browns are the butthole of the NFL. The whipping boy used to make piss poor teams look good.

I am sick of this team

I understand how you feel but Detroit was just like us all those years and they made the right moves and have turned it around. We need people in our FO making good draft picks, good hirings, trades, signings and we should be able to do it too. With us its easier said than done.

We’re horrible… and I can’t see how we could be so bad, one year out from last year. It doesn’t make sense.

I legitimately can't believe how bad this year has been. I'm not one to be overly optimistic about the team, but there's no way I thought we'd be this bad (in basically every regard).

The defensive lapses, the offensive ineptitude, even ST's has been really bad

its such a failure of everything

Unfortunately the browns are hampered by the Watson contract.Until that is gone they are very limited in what can be done.I also believe that no decent GM candidate will take on that burden,so we are stuck with the present mess.

Great leaders take on great challenges. Those who are not great men cower at great challenges. My only question would be just how much interference does Haslam contribute to the problem? That would be the only actual obstacle to a great man taking over as GM of the Browns. All of them know if they could turn Cleveland into an NFL powerhouse they would be legendary. And never underestimate how great men want their legacy to be legendary.

But who here among us feels Haslam can identify a great leader when he sees one?

So the only thing that can save us now is hubris?

Hubris was fired back in 2018. He was a terrible HC.

Which of the three is worst? Talk among yourselves. . . .

Which is the biggest disappointment? Debate.

Which is the easiest to fix? Explain.

Keep one coach in a "teardown." Who would "the big winner" be to build around?

Every new GM wants his on HC. You simply won't get a new GM without a new HC. If Berry goes Stefanksi is gone too along with the entire coaching staff.

Nobody in the FO is getting fired, KS isn’t getting fired, unless Jimmy pulls a “Haslam” again. Which isn’t out of the question.

The main reason behind the 2024 meltdown goes back to the spring of 2022, when we signed Watson.

How many of us, even the Watson “we got our franchise QB!” guys who were happy with the decision then - and I was kind of on-board, too - would give our right arm to have Baker right now?

No, everyone was not.

I do recall that both you and I hated the idea of trading for him, not to mention the cost involved.

There were others but certainly we were two of them. That's right at the time I created my current signature.

There are certainly many animals in a pack. The question becomes who is leading the pack. I do know that in many cases arguing with your boss about major corporate decisions leads to unfortunate consequences.

Al Michaels is a jerk.