DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Schedule release tonight at 7PM

I'll say it again .. this schedule is EASY compared to our 2010 schedule.

EASY.

We play the same 3 division foes twice.

In 2010. we started off with our "easy" part of the schedule ..... which were a pair of teams that wound up going 10-6. We then got Baltimore and Cincinnati. We then played Atlanta (13-3) Pittsburgh, and New Orleans. (11-5)

After the bye, we got New England, (14-2) The Jets, (11-5) and Jacksonville. (8-8)

We then moved into our really easy part of the schedule. Carolina was terrible. (2-14) Miami wasn't very good (7-9) and Buffalo was a team on the rise, but still beatable. (4-12)

Then we went back to division games. We finished up with our 3 division foes.

For the year, we played away ...

2 12-4 teams
1 11-5 team
1 10-6 yeam
1 -8 team
1 7-9 team
1 4-12 team

At home we played ...

1 14-2 team
1 13-3 team
2 12-4 teams
1 11-5 team
1 10-6 team
1 4-12 team
1 2-14 team

Next year we get:

Away ...
2 12-4 teams
1 10-6 team
1 8-8 team
2 6-10 teams
1 5-11 team
1 4-12 team

At home we get ...

2 12-4 teams
1 8-8 team
3 7-9 teams
1 6-10 team
1 4-12 teams.

Look at that home schedule. Only 2 teams (our division foes) has records over .500 in 2010. That's ridiculously easy! Away 5 of our 8 games are against teams that were .500 or less in 2010.

If we can't make hay against this schedule .... then I don't know when we will. Sure a team or 2 will probably be better than anticipated, but then again, another team or 2 will probably be worse. Many of the teams we will play have major QB questions, or new coordinators on offense. That will take time for them to acclimate their new systems. Luckily we open with 3 such teams our of our 1st 4.

I just don't see some Murderers Row as far as the scheduled games leading up to the divisional games at the end of the season. I see a pretty advantageous schedule to that point .... then it gets much harder, really quick. We have to play those division games anyway. Hopefully we can go into those games with 8 or 9 wins, then win a couple there too.

You'll note that I used the qualifying word "If" to start my comment.

Also, I don't think that necessarily changing coaches, offensive and defensive schemes, etc. is a bad thing. It's obvious that the previous coaching staff and their schemes weren't working.

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In 2010. we started off with our "easy" part of the schedule ..... which were a pair of teams that wound up going 10-6.

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Look at that home schedule. Only 2 teams (our division foes) has records over .500 in 2010. That's ridiculously easy!

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Your first statement explains why your second statement cannot be relied upon. Those first pair of teams picked ahead of us in the draft and then far exceeded our expectations for the season.

On the other hand it is possible that we far exceed expectations this season.

It seems every season we go through this and some "bad" teams do very well and some "good" teams implode in the new season.

In our case nothing can be based upon last season. So much has changed that we are simply not the same team as we were in 2010. Even if we had exactly the same players the fact that the coaches and schemes are completely different could spell a vast improvement or none at all win/loss wise.

However, going into last year we all knew that we were in for a tough ride. 8-8 was an optimistic estimate ... and that was with the Chefs and Bucs being what they were the year before.

The rest of the year played out close to expectations as fer as the other teams on our schedule went. The Bengals were worse ..... but they made up for the Chefs and Bucs. The Panthers were worse than expected. The Bills were about what was expected. Ditto for the Dolphins. The Jags were also about a .500 team, as they wound up.

Last year was a brutal schedule going in, and it was brutal coming out. This coming year's schedule is a cakewalk by comparison. 5 or 6 teams would have to make HUGE leaps in order for it to match last year.

Right now, i am thinking of the following games



Cincy 9-11

TN. 10-2

Seattle 10-23

Rams 11-13

Jacksonville 11-20 ( This is up in the air at this point, I may switch it for Miami 9-25)

Balt 12-4


And more than likely New Years in Cleveland for the Steelers 1-1

We get so used to having the toughest schedule in the NFL that we don't even object anymore. If Mike Holmgren is the acting representative to the NFL in the owners absence, then I wonder if he is wanting some answers?

I'm saying 2 things, the Browns often have one of the worst possible layouts of a schedule, and the Cowboys never have a bad layout to their schedule.

I tried rearranging the Browns 2011 schedule 9 times and could not come up with a schedule that was as difficult as the way they are arranged right now.

If the Cowboys had a schedule that mirrored the Browns, then the Cowboys final 6 games of the year would be
at washington
Ny giants
at Philadelphia
at Arizona
at the Ny giants
and Philadelphia ... The Cowboys 2nd game of the year would be the New England Patriots FIRST home game

and when the Cowboys played the Dolphins and at the Jets , both of those teams would be coming off of their bye week.


But it is the Cowboys, so we don't see things like that...
We see things like

No 2 game road trips in the last TEN games of the 16 game season (let alone any 3 game road trips in about 30 years)
and
things like None of their 6 division games played back to back

Well the nfl's rule to put division games at the end of the year has brought the final 2 games to be divsion opponents back to back .

I think they schedule for the Cowboys, and then for the other 31 teams,

Every year it is the same thing, it is about time somebody did something

J/C

I believe the division games heavy load at the back of the schedule was done mainly so if the season is shorted, they could make sure all the divisional games are played.

As for the bye week, giving Pitt one late in the season, just before the divisional run looks a little suspect to me. It is as if they want to make sure they are ready for the playoffs and rested. Our bye being early could be helpful considering that everything will be new offensively and defensively, so in a way it could be to our advantage. My hope is that the Steelers get beat up pretty good over those first 11 weeks. Their defensive line and LBs have some age on them, maybe a late bye will mean these guys are beat up by then. I guess it could go either way as far as a bye is concerned. For the Browns I feel an early bye will be useful.

The only part of that late season run that bothers me is making the Browns play Baltimore and Pitt within five days. That will be tough.

I almost don't feel sorry them in regards to the schedule. I don't like it, but I mean they need to do whatever it takes in order to get ready and prepared to go during that stint.

The only thing I will feel sorry about is if the injury bug hits during this time because we will need to field the best in order to win.

Very good points, Stu. And having all of those divisional games at the end won't be so bad. It means that the coaches and players have a good deal of time to gel with each other and know the system quite well before facing those nasty buggers at the end of the season. They might even be prepared for them.

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Every year it is the same thing, it is about time somebody did something

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The schedule doesnt make or break anybody. Yea a cupcake schedule might let you sneak in to the playoffs at the end of the year. But if you need that to get in your still no good and arent going to do anything with it.
Line em up, knock em down. Dont care who it is.

jk/

13 Sun, Dec. 4 vs. Baltimore Ravens CBS 1 p.m.
14 Thu, Dec. 8 at Pittsburgh Steelers NFLN 8:20 p.m.
15 Sun, Dec. 18 at Arizona Cardinals CBS 4:15 p.m.
16 Sat, Dec. 24 at Baltimore Ravens CBS 1 p.m.
17 Sun, Jan. 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers CBS 1 p.m.

Dang thatsTuff, I guess we will see how far we've come and what areas need to be adressed in the off season.

I like how all our "real" division games are at the end of the season.

Those games against Pitt and Balt are almost always the most physical games of the year. The schedule set-up allows our guys to avoid that punishment until the end of the year when games are really important.

It also gives us this great opportunity to gain some serious ground moving into the playoffs if we put ourselves in that situation.

I like our schedule this year. I am not real sure about our team though. New offense and defense leaves me a little uneasy. I feel like it is going to be a learning year.

Maybe so but I'm excited about the change. We have an offensive minded coach and GM. We'll be making strides in that regard. I expect that the Browns will be putting up more points, using the clock better and taking pressure off the defense in doing so and we should win more games as a result.