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...That we didnt make the playoffs last year?
When the season ended last year, I was livid that we still didnt make the playoffs and that this year we needed to come in hungry. That we needed to enter this season on a mission, to get to the playoffs cuz we messed it up last year and didnt get in.
I feel like, that with all the hype we've gotten that we're acting like we're already going to make the playoffs. Not that we still have to earn our way in, because we didnt last year. Not that we werent good enough to make the playoffs.
I get the feeling that with the mentality of this team right now, and everything ive read, and our dismal preseason especially v. the Giants...that we're going to be in for a rude awakening in weeks 1 and 2. We come in against two teams that could easily play in February. And we're reeling, and we seem to have a soft mentality towards ourselves. Like that we're going to be very good. Sure we could be, but it doesnt seem like we're out to prove anything. I feel like this team, and the fans feel like we've already been anointed and dont need to prove anything, while we have everything to prove.
Amidst all the hype of this years Cleveland Browns...have we forgotten that we're a team that still has a lot to prove...and DIDNT make the playoffs last year? 10 wins means nothing if youre not playing in January.
"It has to start somewhere
It has to start somehow
What better place than here?
What better time than now?"
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i believe the hype got to us but i also think the preseason brought us back down to earth. after the games against dallas and pitt, we'll know what this teams made of
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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Legend
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You're going to catch some heat for being a "dismal-ist" here, but I for one agree. It's the plain old Missouri thing I have,...."show me; don't tell me."
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I know it does sound dismalist. I just re-read what i wrote and it does seem a bit harsh.
I think we are and will be a very good team. I think we'll contend with every team we face, and beat a good portion of them (especially within the division) but I think that if we come in as confident as we seem to be we'll get wiped. We have to go back to being hungry and ready to dominate and prove that we shouldve made the playoffs, not act like we deserve to be there. I feel like that in the hype of us getting 5 primetime games, and the blessing of ESPN and such, we've lost our edge and that concerns me greatly
"It has to start somewhere
It has to start somehow
What better place than here?
What better time than now?"
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Legend
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King, are you talking about the fans or the players?
I haven't heard any obnoxious claims or rhetoric from the players saying that we are going to the SB or playoffs.. They have all said that that is thier goal,, but I don't think I see any over confidence..
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
Damanshot
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It's been often said that a team takes on the personality of it's Head Coach.
In about 72 hours we'll find out if RAC has this team fired up and hungry or if they're too laid back and overconfident.
I'd really like to win both these games (duh) but more than that I want to see this team playing sharply, efficiently, and with a chip on their shoulder.
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The overall feel.
The players have said thats their goal. But I've really been hoping to hear things like..."We havent forgotten last year" stuff to remind everyone that we still have plenty to earn.
I catch an air of content. That we're pleased with where we are. When we shouldnt be, we havent earned anything yet. Not just from the players, but the staff, the fans, and the press.
Maybe its being left out, but it sounds too fluffy coming from us. We should be eager, angry, fired up, ready to prove. I've heard nothing from anyone that we have to go out and prove that we belong.
I just dont want another 41-7 wake up call in week 1. I feel like we need to be out there fired up and ready to prove we belong with the elite. I havent heard that much of anywhere.
"It has to start somewhere
It has to start somehow
What better place than here?
What better time than now?"
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Quote:
..."We havent forgotten last year"
Geez, I've heard them make comments like that for the last several months.. In fact, if you go to the main page and listen to the Jamal Lewis interiew from today, he makes a reference to it. BE has said it, so has KW.. Willie said something to that effect the other day and you know that RAC has made it clear that he's not forgetting..
So, I'm not getting the feeling of contentment at all.. not even a little.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
Damanshot
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I hope we also haven't forgotten that only a few short years ago we were one of the worst jokes of a team in the entire NFL.
I hope the people who, at that time, thought we were just one coach away from taking a team of misfits led by Tim Couch to the Superbowl, realize and see how much building, reshaping, reorganizing and changing of the culture in Berea was necessary to actually turn the team around.
And, not only turn it around, but become competitive in the AFC North.
Personally, I still don't think we're at the elite level of the Cowboys, the Colts, etc., but we're certainly second-tier.
And it didn't -- and couldn't -- have happened over night.
The entire reshaping of the OL, the entire reshaping of the DL, the continuing search for elite LBs, the young safeties that still aren't pro bowl level, the drafting of corners only to have injuries shake everything up. And, not even to mention what it's taken to develop our receiving core, get young QBs in here who know when to get rid of the ball, and a running back who can take it to the next level.
**Insert clever signature here attributed to some historical figure that sounds interesting but has been taken completely out of context.
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Quote:
King, are you talking about the fans or the players?
I haven't heard any obnoxious claims or rhetoric from the players saying that we are going to the SB or playoffs.. They have all said that that is thier goal,, but I don't think I see any over confidence..
I think you hit the nail on the head here. The only hype i've heard is fans and media. Besides, look at what we did last year - the 10 wins were against teams with losing records and the 6 losses were against teams with winning records (per ESPN a week or two ago). I say 8-8 or 9-7 is about the best to expect with our schedule.
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I get the feeling that with the mentality of this team right now, and everything ive read, and our dismal preseason especially v. the Giants...that we're going to be in for a rude awakening in weeks 1 and 2. We come in against two teams that could easily play in February. And we're reeling, and we seem to have a soft mentality towards ourselves. Like that we're going to be very good. Sure we could be, but it doesnt seem like we're out to prove anything. I feel like this team, and the fans feel like we've already been anointed and dont need to prove anything, while we have everything to prove.
I'm Attack Dawg and I don't get the content of this message  NEW SEASON! I'M pumped! PLAYOFFS!!! Last year's record doesn't have anything to do with this year..
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I hope the people who, at that time, thought we were just one coach away from taking a team of misfits led by Tim Couch to the Superbowl.
Did I miss something?
1. I assssssssume you meant "catch" instead of "coach".
2. Dennis Northcutt dropped the pass from Kelly Holcomb
3. It was the wild card round and we would have needed to win two more games to reach the Superbowl.
Other than that...right on!
As an aside....rewatched the playoff game recently and that drop by Northcutt was not as bad as I remember it. It was a strange angle where he had to twist to catch it. Not a complete screwup like I remembered it.
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Quote:
As an aside....rewatched the playoff game recently
You just have old tapes sitting around or did you find some "Browns DVDs" you want to point me towards? 
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Quote:
As an aside....rewatched the playoff game recently and that drop by Northcutt was not as bad as I remember it. It was a strange angle where he had to twist to catch it. Not a complete screwup like I remembered it.
It's funny what going back and rewatching will do after emotions have died down. I've rewatched most of last year's games within the last few months - even those considered to be DAs worst - and I just didn't think they were as bad we originally thought they were. Just another example of how we remember things differently when high emotions are involved.
LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
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I DVR'd the NFL Network complete rebroadcast a few months ago....and my wife said she was going to delete it...for some show called Gossip Girl.
I told her she had to let me at least watch it once......watched it.......and enjoyed it.
Holcomb was on fire that day and it's a shame:
a) the running game couldn't get anything.
b) our d couldn't hold up in the second half.
but it was a great game....and fun game to rewatch.
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That game was the most worked up I have ever gotten in my life as a Brown's fan. My wife seriously thought that I was going to die.
At the time, I wished I had. Wow, that was hard.
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Glad to see that you haven't been bashed for this post. (there exists a sector that would call you a blasphemer for speaking such thoughts)
It's awfully easy to believe what people (talking heads) have to say about you.
The Giants made it look like someone turned the clock back to 1999...and we didn't do a whole lot in the rest of preseason to spin the clock forward.
We're guaranteed nothing at this point....and the schedule scares me.
I hope we live up to the hype. That would be great.
![[Linked Image from members.cox.net]](http://members.cox.net/flyinc5/smallsigpics/frcburnout.gif) AL 29 76 14 R_K
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I think people here have said their peace in a kind way to the original post. I must say I was one of those individuals who got irritated half way down the initial reading, but logic took over the passion that was in my blood for the first two paragraphs.
I understand concerns, but pointing to the Giants game in order to justify how we will play moving forward holds little water for me. We held them initially, we drove on them first possession and scored a field goal, then Wright had an interference call, and blew coverage and things fell apart a bit, we want those mistakes in preseason. There are also other factors at play. The blocked punt was due to Thomas who was cut and would have never seen playing time with the first string if it was not pre-season, and there were others like that that were being worked in for playing analysis purposes. Wilson was the #1 for the Browns that night after repetition at the slot.
Confidence comes in two forms, overconfident or cocky, and acting as if. I like to think the Browns and the fans are simply acting as if we deserve to be in the league based on last years record, nothing more than that.
Bring on Dallas
![[Linked Image from saltyproductions.com]](http://www.saltyproductions.com/images/browns/demand3.jpg) The Name on the Door is Cleveland!
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Don't mistake board persona with the actual teams persona...everything that I have read - each member of the Browns from the 07 campaign KNOWS They did not make the playoffs and KNOW why they didn't and HATE the fact that they had to watch the Do nothing Titans beat the Preseason Colts team as they were cold out of the playoffs.
Not a one of them has forgotten.
My goodness the season hasn't even started and some of the emotions of some fans are quite depressing.
JMHO - oh btw last I looked we haven't lost a game yet.
Defense wins championships. Watson play your butt off!
Go Browns!
CHRIST HAS RISEN!
GM Strong! & Stay safe everyone!
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EO: Exactly what I was going to write.
I doubt the players have forgotten what happened last year. If they have or were not there the coaching staff is sure to remind them.
RAC is a down to earth, straight shooting guy. The players know that and respect him for that. All the crap about hitting, pads, no pads, pre-season, is fodder for us and the media to speculate about.
Behind closed doors the players and coaches know reality. Every move made, down to microscopic detail is analized and evaluated. The results will tell us all who we are.
Before we are put into the outhouse or penthouse let's at least play some actual games.
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Amidst all the hype,
We have forgotten that we are RAZOR thin on the offensive line. Our LB core is very depleted and the secondary is in a major hurt because our starting safeties are hurt. Folks, that does not bode well going into the first game.
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Quote:
Don't mistake board persona with the actual teams persona...everything that I have read - each member of the Browns from the 07 campaign KNOWS They did not make the playoffs and KNOW why they didn't and HATE the fact that they had to watch the Do nothing Titans beat the Preseason Colts team as they were cold out of the playoffs.
Not a one of them has forgotten.
My goodness the season hasn't even started and some of the emotions of some fans are quite depressing.
JMHO - oh btw last I looked we haven't lost a game yet.
Does actual "team" persona include 0-4 in the preseason, and a rash of unlucky injuries ? That stuff is not made up by "board persona."
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Despite the negativity of the tone of your posts, you are dead on. People say that this year is "somehow a different year". Which is true. But we have a lot of factors that certainly do not promote optimism being based in reality. Our DL must learn to work together and become familiar with each others reactions in a game time situation. So the odds of them looking cohesive out of the gate? IMO- somewhere between Slim and none. Of course being a Browns fan, I'm rooting for Slim BIG TIME! I do however believe as the season progresses, our DL and their ability to penetrate the oppositions OL will increase. I believe EVERYBODY knows that our CB situation is a very scarey scenario at this juncture. The word "toast" is the first thing that comes to mind in that department. The OL. Frankly, from what I've seen thus far, Tucker is HUGE in this equasion! With Hadnot at G, the right side of our OL has looked questionable at best. Can and will Hadnot "catch on" to the rythym and blocking schemes as time goes on? Let's hope so. It could be we've overestimated the quality of our "depth" on the OL. Last year, we beat a total of "one team" that had an above .500 record. With the pressure DA has recieved thus far in the pre-season, he has 53.3% completion rating, 1TD, no int's and one concussion.  Now of course there will be those that take a defensive and attack approach to my post. Oh well. It is not an indictment of DA. NO QB feels as comfortable with a pass rush in their face. But, it will quickly tell us how DA's decision making and "progress" is going. When your comfort level is high, you perform well. But it will be how one reacts in the face of adversity that will tell the tale here IMO So as was brought up in another thread in the Tailgate Lot, Mike Golic is a lot more based in reality than many fans on this board. You can claim I'm preaching gloom and dispair all you want. But often times reality bites! 
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
#gmstrong
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Absolutely right dude! I couldn't believe how many people were predicting greater than 10 wins for us this season.  If preseason was any indication our players seem to have bought into the hype. We are limping into the season with two bonafide contenders...we will know soon enough whether we have the stones to play with the big boys! Hopefully, we won't be this years New Orleans Saints! 
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Quote:
I get the feeling that with the mentality of this team right now, and everything ive read, and our dismal preseason especially v. the Giants...that we're going to be in for a rude awakening in weeks 1 and 2. We come in against two teams that could easily play in February. And we're reeling, and we seem to have a soft mentality towards ourselves. Like that we're going to be very good. Sure we could be, but it doesnt seem like we're out to prove anything. I feel like this team, and the fans feel like we've already been anointed and dont need to prove anything, while we have everything to prove.
I just...thought heavily about this post i made coming into the opener. And...i remember saying the soft attitude of this team could kill us. And...it absolutely has.
I know I've been pretty hard on Crennel, and this is one of the greatest reasons.
Too many times this year already I've heard things like we'll be ok, and we'll be fine and such from our team. Thats a soft soft look, and its killed us.
"It has to start somewhere
It has to start somehow
What better place than here?
What better time than now?"
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Quote:
Quote:
I get the feeling that with the mentality of this team right now, and everything ive read, and our dismal preseason especially v. the Giants...that we're going to be in for a rude awakening in weeks 1 and 2. We come in against two teams that could easily play in February. And we're reeling, and we seem to have a soft mentality towards ourselves. Like that we're going to be very good. Sure we could be, but it doesnt seem like we're out to prove anything. I feel like this team, and the fans feel like we've already been anointed and dont need to prove anything, while we have everything to prove.
I just...thought heavily about this post i made coming into the opener. And...i remember saying the soft attitude of this team could kill us. And...it absolutely has.
I know I've been pretty hard on Crennel, and this is one of the greatest reasons.
Too many times this year already I've heard things like we'll be ok, and we'll be fine and such from our team. Thats a soft soft look, and its killed us.
KS, I have to agree with you. RAC's soft attitude is just as harmful as some of the coaching decisions he's made. (and continues to make) I really feel like the RAC, DA, and even Wimbley experiment should come to an end. We should completely concentrate on making a powerhouse defense and OL. Then worry about the playmakers.
![[Linked Image from i89.photobucket.com]](http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k233/marctheshark1969/thrandelelisafaggot.jpg)
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I guess its less of a soft look, as more of a passive look.
Romeo coached well when his back was up against the wall. When it was win or youre fired. Then he came up with some key coaching moves, made good decisions and took the team where he wanted it.
Now that he has an extension I get the feeling that he isnt actively trying to save our team from the brink. He certainly wasnt actively trying to boost our team from the mediocre to the elite. I cant possibly believe that with the eggs we've laid these first three weeks.
His coaching has been as uninspired as our play. It seems like he's just been there for the paycheck, and it shows through our players.
This post i made, seems now like it was dead on. We came out to start the season, thinking we'd already proved ourselves. Thinking that our primetime game schedule said we were there, and we bought into all that hype and didnt put forth the effort. I place that squarely on one man. The HC. If you look at all the great coaching jobs done. The team has come in with an us against the world feel. That has NEVER happened since Romeo got here. Teams come in hungry that want to win and become elite. We didnt, and its hurt us so bad. Its killed us, and its killing me right now.
"It has to start somewhere
It has to start somehow
What better place than here?
What better time than now?"
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Quote:
When the season ended last year, I was livid that we still didnt make the playoffs and that this year we needed to come in hungry. That we needed to enter this season on a mission, to get to the playoffs cuz we messed it up last year and didnt get in.
This team would have been better off if the offseason predictions had been that last year was a fluke and no way could they repeat 10 wins... instead of a bunch of people picking us to win the division and more....
yebat' Putin
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