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You didn't think you could get rid of me THAT easily, did you?  Yeah, life gets in the way of football, so I've been clearly MIA this entire year....just like the Browns offen....er.....we'll get to that.  This is the first Sunday in nine months where I got to park it in front of a TV and do nothing without interruption. As such, I got to read through the boards. Just as always, there's some really good stuff, and some really....well....other than. 
I've been fortunate enough to record both of the first two games and review'em. Unfortunately, my DVR acted up and wiped out the Bengals game before I could hit it a 3rd time, but I did take a few notes. I've gone through the Colts game a 3rd time and there's nothing left to look over.
It's tough forming an opinion after one game, but two gives a sample from which to start drawing conclusions. Match that with a baseline from last year's games and you can further color in the gray area's.
I don't care to rehash every play of both games. This isn't about that. This is just some mental gymnastics to clear up some misconceptions, right a few wrongs, assign some blame, shed some light, and tell a few truths as I see'em.
Where to begin.....How about the loss in week 1, and how we lost.
First, it was a cripple-fight. Both teams looked young, unprepared, and somewhat scared. They lost that game on a singular play where the entire coaching staff and the players blew it. The Bengals' eye-in-the-sky saw that we were not paying attention to their huddle, so if they quick-snapped us, they'd burn us. They did, we weren't ready, and we paid the price. Both receivers were wide open. That's the sign of a young, undisciplined team. Everyone....EVERYONE....gets the blame. It starts with the coaches, but we have some veteran players on this defense. They all share the blame. It's silly blaming one guy, such as Haden. 
Sorry, but I had to get that one out of the way. Now on to the overall summary.....
As it stands right now, we have two above-average offensive linemen in Thomas and Mack, one decent but inexperienced guard in Lauvao, and a bunch of stiffs at the other guard and tackle positions. That's a recipe for bad O-line play, and that's exactly what we're cooking up right now.
That's on Heckert.
To rely on Pashos was a huge gamble, a gamble that has failed. I don't know why we didn't spend the money to get better backups and/or an upgrade over Pashos. My gut tells me it has something to do with the millions of dollars we're paying that idiot Savage to scout for the Eagles, and that dolt Mangini to sit in ESPN's studios on Sundays. However, I have no solid proof of that. I just know that this team isn't going very far with our current crop of linemen. Thomas IS the best left tackle in the NFL, but his competition are guys like Jake Long and Marcus McNeil, and none of the above are in the same class as Pace or Munoz in their prime. I see Thomas taking some flack for being beaten by Freeney. Lemme tell you something about Freeney.....He's the fastest and most dominant edge-rusher on turf since Lawrence Taylor. When he decides he's going to rush straight up the field, there isn't a left tackle in the history of the league that can stay with him. That happened on the big sack on McCoy. That's a perfect segue....
That sack is perfectly indicative of what's wrong with McCoy right now. When you roll the pocket to a side, if the weakside defensive end decides to rush upfield, he's going to have a straight-line to the QB. McCoy showed his inexperience by holding the ball way too long on that sack and fumble against the Colts.
Right now, he is still playing like a rookie who came from a short-tossing system that was totally tailored to fit his skills. The speed of the NFL game is beyond him at the moment. He makes good plays when he's improvising on the run, but his timing and recognition from the pocket are way off right now. He's slow on his reads, he's late getting rid of the ball on routes, he's holding onto the ball too long waiting for receivers to get open when the ball needs to be gone before they break, and because of that lack of a mental clock he's fumbled a couple of times. In his mind, he still thinks of himself as the playmaker who must win the game. If he doesn't get beyond that, he's going to go the way of Charlie Frye. I still question his ability to throw tight spirals day in and day out, meaning I still question whether or not he's got the arm to play when it's cold. Sure, he has "enough arm" to make it, but only if he can spin it like Pennington used to do. Then there's the size issue, which has reared it's head already this year against the Bengals. There aren't too many 6'1 215 pound QB's in the NFL that are bonafide starters. His numbers look okay, but he's a below-average starter.
In short, don't believe the hype that all the media has been pouring over you for the last two offseasons.
Now, having gone there, I need to say I don't believe there's no hope for him the way it was for guys like Couch and Frye. Granted, he has only so much ceiling to his game, but he does have the smarts and leadership to be an effective game-manager. He's going to have to prove me wrong because as the league shifts further and further towards a QB-driven league, it means it's going to take a more talented and gifted QB to win the big game. Soft-tossing, heady guys like Alex Smith aren't going to succeed the way that guys like Aaron Rodgers will. (Yeah, for those of you who remember that debate years ago, well, I told ya so  )
I do think McCoy has the chance to become a legit starter, but he's not there yet, and I think he has no better than a 50/50 chance. My own personal feeling is that the odds are less than that.
Of course a QB who isn't Peyton Manning has to have help from his skill people. So how do the guys McCoy is throwing to stack up?
I think Mass can be a 1000-yard receiver. Yes I do.  The problem is that he isn't targeted very often, and he can only be as good as the O-line and the QB perform. At this point, neither of those are even average, so Mass can only produce and develop so far.
Greg Little.....I think it was two or three years ago, Deep will have to help me remember, but I'd watched a Tarheels game and sent him a PM asking if he'd seen this Freshman or Sophomore named Greg Little. I told him then that I thought he'd end up being a 1st round pick........as a TE. I thought he had amazing ability, and would end up adding about 20 pounds. What I've seen so far tells me he's going to be something very similar to a guy that was here a few years ago. I'm gonna call him:
Kellen Winslow Jr. 2.0.
He has an attitude, has a big body, but is far more receiver than blocker. He's on the field a ton for a rookie, and was targeted against the Colts.
We all know what Moore is: He's a receiver who is called a TE, and who sometimes lines up next to the tackle. However, that's not his game. He's a wideout.
I'm going to talk about what's happening to Robiskie, but I think it's best if I explain something that I'm seeing, which will lead to talking about the rest of the guys on the field who line up as "wide receivers."
I'd intended on seeing how many times Robo was targeted in the Bengals game, but lost the game before I could get that far. In the Colts game, Colt looked at him a grand total of.......one time. Now I've read quite a few things about him here. He can't get off the line, he's slow, etc etc. So I looked for these things against the Colts. He never once got jammed at the line. In fact, it was the opposite. He showed quite a shake to get free when he was in the slot, the one place where the nickle would face-up on him. Had Colt looked his way on a possible slant, Robo would have been wide open. He had separation. On the first series, Robo was in man coverage on the left. Colt never looked that way and threw a bad ball to Mass on the right. On that play, Robo could have run a slant, an out, or a hitch and been open. In short, I don't know why he isn't targeted. I do know that he showed no problem getting off the line when he was in the game, and I saw nothing that said he couldn't get open. He simply wasn't targeted. This means either the coaches see something in practice that we aren't aware of, or they are so enamored with the skillset of Little, Watson, and Moore that they aren't interested in Robo. It'll take someone like Grossi to spill the beans.
Now, here is what I HAVE seen which people will have to start getting over. In our offensive sets the first two weeks, we have forsaken traditional roles. Instead of having "starters" at wideout or TE, we've got packages where we line our TE's up as wideouts. This is a staple of the MWCO, or NCO as some have named it. It's all designed to create mismatches. On any given play the last two weeks, we'd have Alex Smith, Moore, Watson, and Cribbs lined up as wideouts. Robo may have started the first series of the game, but he isn't a "starter" in traditional terms. He's not getting targeted because he isn't in the game a lot. The point is that we are using packages of personnel to try and create mismatches. The traditional roles of "starters" has gone the way of the Dodo bird.
I'd intended on talking about how badly we've become a right-handed offense, but Ytown covered that quite well in the gameday forums. We're striving for balance when running, as we're going to all sides, but when it comes to passing, Colt is so right-hand dominant that we're going that way far too often. All this is covered in the other threads, though I will maintain it's a combination of him being so severely right-hand dominant and our offensive line being so very poor on that side that it benefits everyone if he can face that side of the line.
Speaking of Cribbs......Vets here know I've been critical of him as a receiver. I still am, and he still isn't. However, I'm absolutely elated that this regime has FINALLY figured out how to best use his abilities. Asking Cribbs to be a traditional receiver does nothing for this team. His route-running is inferior to the point where he's a detriment. BUT, when using him for quick screens, on reverses, as a wildcat (something we've apparently ditched) and as simply a blocker on run plays, he's an asset. I think we've found a good balance for him. to the staff for figuring out what the last two regimes couldn't.
The one place where we have named a pure starter is with Hillis. Enjoy him now, because he'll be out of the league in five years. That running style will make him a goner by the age of 30. We know he's a battering ram, that he's a good blocker, that he's an excellent receiver for a guy his size.....and that he's arguably the most notorious fumbler in the league. In the last 327 carries he has 10 fumbles. That's atrocious, but very typical of a back of his style. We just have to live with those fumbles. Hardesty looks like a failed 2nd round waste. I hope he can turn it around, but his injury history makes him look like Lee Suggs 2.0. The staff will have to figure out if Hardesty can be the guy to take pressure off of Hillis.
Segueing to the staff......People are down on Shurmur. They say his play-calling lacks imagination. They don't see any NCO. If people would take the time to THINK about our personnel, and examine the packages we're using, they'd begin to understand that Shurmur is PROTECTING McCoy. He knows he has a line that can't block, and has a QB that is overmatched right now. The packages are very indicative of the mindset of an NCO, as trying to get mismatches and quick-hitters are very much at the core of the philosophy. Until we get real blocking, and until McCoy begins to figure it out in the pocket, we won't resemble any NCO on TV during live action. It's gonna be Hillis up the middle, and McCoy playing UT football.
On defense.....has anyone benefited more from a switch to the 4-3 than Jackson? He's never going to be an all-pro, but he was always just too small to fit into the 3-4. He still MUST have our tackles eat blockers so he can use his speed to make tackles. Speaking of the D-line, Taylor and Rubin are going to be quality guys for us, but neither are rushers, as they are limited in that area. It's gonna be power or nothing for them. Our DE's are inferior right now. Sheard looks like a rookie who spent his entire college career using his speed to win matchups. He can't do that in the NFL. He has done a poor job of holding his angles, but that's to be expected of an undersized DE. When asked to be a rusher, he's shown promise, but he'll have to improve in holding his integrity if he's going to be a legit starter. It's simply too early to tell how good, or bad, he'll be. Jayme Mitchell is our other starter, and a guy I know absolutely nothing about. However, based on his play, he looks just like Sheard, in that he's a liability against the run, and can do decent damage as a rusher on obvious passing downs. These two barely did anything against two guys named Linkenbach and Castanzo, two guys who have started a combined 6 games in the league.
Haden has surprised me. He's a stud. He had a GREAT game against the Bengals, an all-pro game. He caught flack for the TD when the Bengals quick-snapped us, but that's wrong. DEAD wrong. He's played great, and is far better than many gave him credit for, including me. Ward is good when playing deep, and is good when stopping the run at the line, but he's very poor when asked to cover a receiver in close on a blitz. Still, he'll get better. I'm on the fence about Sheldon Brown. Not much to say here other than our DB's will only be as good as our rush, which means, overall, they won't be that great.
Like in years past, our defense can only take us as far as our ability to get to the QB and stop the run takes us. To that end, don't expect us to be anything more than a good red-zone defense. We just don't have much talent, so be careful when assigning blame to Jauron. We have very little pure pass-rush ability on this team. In fact, we won't look any different than in year's past. We'll run twists and stunts trying to open rush lanes for the blitzing 'backers, safeties, and corners, and sometimes we'll get in there, but we'll be giving up huge plays when we play teams that have their crap together.
It'll be easy to lay blame on the coaches, but Shurmur can only do so much with Colt at this stage of his development, which is further behind than the media want you to believe. I came back to this point because it's obviously going to be the question going forward. He won't get measurably better until the Oline does, so until that happens, we won't look like a timing and rhythm-based offense. We'll be a "backyard" offense.
Yeah, that's enough for now. It's good to be back, though my time will be limited (lucky you  )
***Gordon, I really didn't think you could be this stOOpid, but you exceeded my expectations. Wussy.
Manziel, see Josh Gordon. Dumbass.***
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Good to see you around.
As usual, good take.
I'll just comment on Colt.
I'm not very optimistic he is going to turn the corner. Or, maybe I should say I think he is about as good as he's going to get.
We know about the arm strength, but I won't say much more as that topic ticks a few people off....let's just say you are dead on.
What concerns me is Colt is touted for his accuracy, but he sure turns a lot of receivers around.
With a QB like that you better get YAC because he isn't going to get big chunks going down field as say a Stafford will. Just isn't going to happen. He has to hit guys in stride so they have a chance to keep on wheeling in full stride rather then stop them to catch the ball then try to get started again.
I am not totally down on the guy as he is still young, but the young, inexperienced banner is close to being taken down. Another 4-5 games and that won't apply.
He is also working with a line that isn't all that good at this point. Maybe the young guys will get better as the season moves along, but at this point that is more a feeling from the heart then it is by seeing glimmers of hope in their play.
We also have to consider it is a new system that everybody is trying to grasp. Camp Colt's are fine and dandy, but a far stretch from actually being coached in how to play the system. I would expect to see continued improvement as the weeks pass.
I guess on a coaching note, I like your take on packages..and agree. My comment is they better get Moore in on more packages.
Yesterday he catches the TD, then from what I saw (or didn't see) the guy never saw another play in the game.
What's up with that???
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong ![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)
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Funny, when you say what I've beens saying since McCoy took over it's a "good read"...how do you do that? I agree with most of it, I just think Pinkston isn't the stiff you're making him...I haven't seen him play worse than Lauvao but will re-watch the game to get a better assessment of LOS play in general So, overall we are close I just think it's not all on the OL as you're suggesting...I watched lots of other games these 2 weeks....Jake Long ie is struggling even worse than Thomas...I think lack of preparation is hurting OL more than pass rushers and because of that they look worse right now...OLs need gelling anyway, so I disagree that it's a problem that we have exclusively. Colt creates a lot of his own pressure by running outside the pocket and gets itchy way too early...what he feels as pressure often is just a normal closing pocket, then, by running around like a College QB he makes it look like our OL was totally crap, although very often all it took were 2 steps into the pocket to buy that extra second...I think that's the problem: that extra second isn't enough for him to make a good decision OR he simply can't see the field when stepping INTO a pocket I just know that it shouldn't take 4-5sec to then just pitch the ball 5yds....some call it "improvising", I call it him being clueless what to do with the ball I love NFL short cuts, I will get back with a more detailed look on things later
#gmstrong
"Players come along at different points in time" - Ray Farmer
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Nice to see you back Toad.. Damn it, don't stay away so long next time.. Did they let you out for good behavior or something like that Just pulling your leg a little my friend. Don't agree on your thoughts on the O line. Pinkston is starting to look like he could be good so couple that with a couple of probowler (mack and thomas who you say are merely above average) and Lauvao who seems to be growing and getting better. Right now, the weak spot is RT.. on that we do agree. You, like so many on here are, for whatever reason, seem to be thinking that it must be easy to switch systems on D and O. Because I get the feeling that everyone is expecting Pro Bowl caliber play right out of the box. See me in a month or two. If we don't see improvement, then I'll probably agree with you. These guys showed improvement from week one and if that improvement continues next week, then snap judgements be damned.. we may have something here. I completely disregard last season for reasons that should be clear.. but I'll repeat them just in case.. New Coaches, New systems, major youth movement and not a typical amount of time to install and practice (as in years past). That should be enough change to offer these young men time to grow into thier roles and either show they can or can't do the job., I don't know why, but I get the feeling that everyone just expects them to just come out of the box and score a million points and never allow a sack or never fumble or catch everything or never allow another team to score.. JMO, but I think this is gonna take a little time. We'll see. Again, nice to have you back... love reading your stuff even if I don't always agree with ya..
#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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Welcome back, O-toad! Missed reading your stuff. Don't be a stranger, and I agree with a bunch of your post. 
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
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Toad is IN the building!!! Nice bonus on a post-win Monday morning . . .
I agree on just about all of that.
I think Pinkston might pan out though . . .
And you mean the TEAM is finally using Cribbs on offense effectively. The REGIME, as you put it, only has 2 games under its belt . . . Knit pick alert . . .
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Toad...welcome back...
Write a book, why don't you...NO, the Browns are not a Super Bowl contender yet...I view my Browns as a team 1 season and two games into the Holmgren rebuilding process.
I'm not ready to pass judgement on any of our players yet..it is way too soon for that. McCoy is doing what is asked of him and running for his life on occasion and still throwing accurate passes. His ability to extend plays is paying dividends, making positives out of negatives.
Watching the game yesterday, I was looking for improvement and I saw it. I thought the WR play was better, Hillis looked good, McCoy had a good game and the OFFENSIVE LINE IMPROVED. That tells me the coaching staff is capable of focusing on areas of need and coaching to improve the performances of the those players.
I watched the weak links on the Oline yesterday and replayed my tape of the game, watching the Oline play. Pinkston, Lauvao, Hicks and Cousins, all improved their play.
Pinkston does need to improve his mechanics and get his butt lower..he is too straight up, chicken fighting with the defensive linemen. That kind of form is going to get him hurt as he is putting extra ordinary pressure on his lower back and his knees. I watched him get rolled up on one time while standing straight up in the middle of a pack and fortunately, he was flexible enough to go with the hit behind his lower legs and roll backward avoiding injury.
Both Cousins and Hicks also have the same problem, standing too upright but both improved their play over last weeks performances.
Lauvao seems to be made to play OG as he maintains a low center of gravity, getting the max leverage...he had a very solid game.
We do need to take into consideration the quality of the defense we were playing against...the Colts DE Mathis did not start and I did not see him in the game..maybe our RTs got a break, playing against the back up.
Joe T...the coaching staff needs to show Joe the play where Freeney beat him, "before" every game. That seemed to light a fire under Joe T and we didn't hear anything from Freeney the rest of the game. McCoy did hang onto the ball too long, trying to make something out of the play.
I thought the defensive play improved as our young DLine guys made some plays, putting pressure on the Colts QB. I will say, I worry a bit about the defenses ability to perform against a top offense. They give up too much on the ground and if they don't get pressure on the QB, I have doubts about the DBs and LBs ability to cover.
IMO, this defense is a bone to be chewed if they come up against a good offensive team. They need to improve on a weekly basis, just as the offense needs to do.
Shurmur is still coaching like the rookie HC/OC he is. I thought the move to send Hardesty into the game at a critical point in the game was a mistake. If you want to get Hardesty some experience, put him in for a series after the Browns take over after a punt...not in the red zone after the Browns intercept a pass and are trying to extend a 2 point lead to a 9 point lead in the 4th qtr.
Shurmur's play calling is likely limited due to the offenses ability to learn the offense and execute all the formations and options of such an intricate offensive system. So far, it looks as though we are seeing the pure vanilla form of Shurmur's WCO.
We do have to consider the opponent..this Colts team is not the same without Manning, so try to keep your expectations for the Browns in perspective.
Again, it's about showing improvement from everyone...the offense, defense, special teams and the coaching staff. Yesterday, the Browns did I show improvement...
Home of the Free, Because of the Brave...
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Good to see you back. A lot has changed here since your last appearance. Good take as usual. I love it when people actually study the game before offering up opinions. I've got to skuttle off to work right now but will be back later to refute everything you said.
#gmstrong
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Quote:
I view my Browns as a team 1 season and two games into the Holmgren rebuilding process.
I view my Browns as 2 games into the rebuilding process. Last year was highly dysfunctional for a Holmgren team.
#gmstrong
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Quote:
Quote:
I view my Browns as a team 1 season and two games into the Holmgren rebuilding process.
I view my Browns as 2 games into the rebuilding process. Last year was highly dysfunctional for a Holmgren team.
Still part of Holmgren's tenure here.
You can't just say "Oh, it wasn't Holmgren like, so it doesn't count."
He's had 1 year and 2 games to turn this around.
I think we're getting better, and I think we'll get there, but you can't just call a do-over for his first year.
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Finally could re-watch the game, some notes:
- man, I know I already pimped Rubin but he was awesome...in the 4th he was the NT in the nickel rush package not Taylor and even on 4-3 front he lined up as the 3tech, ready to rush...this surprised me...and he looked lik Rogers on his good days doing it...he isn't anywhere near as athletic but his understanding of leverage, positioining and hand use is outstanding...he created a lot of push and pressure in that 4th Qtr and even on the garbage time TD drive by the Colts he was the only defender who still cared and played at 100$, unbelievable...Jauron is right when he said Rubin's biggest positive is his professionalism...guy is AllPro caliber imho, I've never seen a big DT with such a work ethic, there's absolutely no lazy to his game, love it
- interior OL: I watched every snap and focused on their plays and the result was strange: if someone told me we had a 5th round rookie, a ProBowler and a 3rd round 2nd year player...I really could not telll who is who just by their play in this game. I would argue that none of them was PB caliber and that none of them really looked like a late round rook in his 2nd game....everyone of them had 1-2 really bad plays:
Pinkston's worse play was on the Massa throw to the 1 as he was easily beat inside which created pressure on Colt, who could escape to his right and made the rather hazardous throw to Massa (and no, just as a side note: he didn'T put it where only Massa could get it...I really think the DBs by that time just didn't expect a throw that "far" from LOS, as they never looked back despite having double coverage on Massa (that may be the reason too, surprised he did throw into double coverage)...Marecic gets all the praise for the short Hillis TD run but Mr. Pinkston takes out 2 guys on that play to pave the way
Mack looked rather bad on some running plays up the middle in the Red Zone moments of the game in the 2nd H, which was very surprising as he normally is a very, very good and secure run blocker...but overall I didn't see him get beat badly or lose ground too often, so he was ok
Lauvao overall looked sligthly worse than the other 2 esp. because of his pass blocking...saw him reaching after his man waaay too often while Pinkston had his man under control more often...maybe he had to deal with the better pass rusher of the 2 Colts DTs, I don't know...but slightly worse and less good plays as I saw Mack and Pinkston more often downfield 2nd level blocking than him
Really closed in on LOS play and didn't watch for much more but overall it seems as Colt took off too early quite often when there was no need to do it...that's all I have for now
- back to DL play...Paxson and Mitchell gave effort but often it was not enough but didn't see any blatant mistakes from the 2
#gmstrong
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DJ I thought the speed of the Colts defense really gave our line trouble early on as it often seemed they were the ones initiating the contact when the ball was snapped. They just really fired off the line quickly. The chemistry isn't there yet with the OL but it is way better than what it was against the Bengals. Week 6 we should get a better idea of what this OL can look like.
I tell ya what add a real quality right tackle to this group and this line has the potential to be one of the best in the league.
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Also, the lined seemed to solidify when Cousins took over for Hicks.
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Welcome back.
For the most part I agree with everything you've written.
However, I do believe you are premature on your assessment of McCoy.
All I have seen in his starts for the most part is him running for his life because of the OL play. Granted he has physical limitations but given all the circumstances and factors involved in him being a starter I think he has done an admirable job.
He is a third round pick who was supposed to be given time to develop. Instead he was thrown into the frying pan under extreme conditions.
He is learning on the fly. What I like about what I have seen so far is:
He is not freaking out and turning the ball over. It takes time to learn the NFL game and develop the timing and touch with receivers that is required. Especially with a OL that has a first year starter at RG, a rookie 5th rounder at LG, and two guys picked off the waiver wire two weeks ago sharing time at RT. Not exactly a wall of fame.
I will be patient and see how this season goes week to week and how the offense grows together.
The defense is thread bare and young. Zero depth and little experience at a number of positions.
The Browns will slug it out with average teams (which does not necessarily mean wins) and get drilled by playoff caliber teams.
Hopefully next years draft will address the needs and this years rookies will progress and help this team.
For the most part I believe the team is on the right track. McCoy is the obvious key to the future. I am pulling for the kid. I like his mental make up.
If he tanks the search goes on. I am kind of torn because Luck is the best prospect I've seen since Manning. I would like for McCoy to succeed. However, if we do get a shot at getting Luck we have to do so.
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Good to see you back TOAD! Although, as usual, your way off in your assessment! Not really. I think the line is struggling, although I think Pinkston might pan out. At a minimum he is going to be quality depth. The RT is the weak link IMHO. As for Colt, I'm drinking the Kool-Aide... I think he will be our best QB since Bernie by the end of this season. Yep, I said the end of this season. I say this not because of his skills, ability or size (he has enough of all) but because of his attitude. He has shown growth (progress) which I think is his ability to adapt an overcome. I think he is smart and LIVES the game. I also think the WR's are sub par. Mass is a 3rd, maybe a 2nd WR. Everyone else (except Cribbs) is yet to be determined. The TE's are solid. On Hillis I agree. On Hardesty, I think we'll see more from him later in the season. I'll reserve my judgement until then. On D you nailed it. Great to see you back.
Your feelings and opinions do not add up to facts.
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Nice post. well written.
I have been down on Robiskie so i appreciate the observations that he has been open and Colt has not looked his way.
I also like little. I am not as negative on Cribbs as a receiver yet i agree the quick screens to him should be used a LOT more often.
I have screamed about pashos from day one as the front office was delusional for signing and sticking with Mr. Hot Tub as he is always nicked for every team he has played for.
I am very surprised with the play of DQ yet the play of Fujita has been mostly invisible. I am surprised at the play of the DT as well.
nice post thanks for the observations.
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Quote:
I think he will be our best QB since Bernie
Thats not really saying much.
Am I the only one that pronounces hyperbole "Hyper-bowl" instead of "hy-per-bo-le"?
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Quote:
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I think he will be our best QB since Bernie
Thats not really saying much.
lol, it's actually really pathetic how little it says.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Quote:
Also, the lined seemed to solidify when Cousins took over for Hicks.
thanks for the observation.
IIRC
Hicks got more reps a RT in week one. Maybe Warhop will change the play ratio if Cousins is doing a better job.
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Quote:
Quote:
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I think he will be our best QB since Bernie
Thats not really saying much.
lol, it's actually really pathetic how little it says.
Scary, ain't it.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Maybe it's just me but Jackson is garbage. He can't cover in the passing game, he can't shed blocks and he is just Andre Davis 2.0.
We have the slowest and worst LBs in the NFL.
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I'm too lazy to read the whole post but just wanted to say welcome back Toad! I've been laying low as well.
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Welcome back! Scary what you wrote about McCoy, but given what we've seen your thought process is well thought out and understandable.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
- John Muir
#GMSTRONG
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....People are down on Shurmur. They say his play-calling lacks imagination. They don't see any NCO. If people would take the time to THINK about our personnel, and examine the packages we're using, they'd begin to understand that Shurmur is PROTECTING McCoy. He knows he has a line that can't block, and has a QB that is overmatched right now. The packages are very indicative of the mindset of an NCO, as trying to get mismatches and quick-hitters are very much at the core of the philosophy. Until we get real blocking, and until McCoy begins to figure it out in the pocket, we won't resemble any NCO on TV during live action. It's gonna be Hillis up the middle, and McCoy playing UT football.
And so there you have it. In contrast to being unimaginative and boring Shurmur is bringing these guys along slowly. I've always heard that the WCO is a complicated system that takes a couple if not several years to master. We're witnessing the tip of the iceburg at this point.
If this offense is a 10 chapter book they're on chapter 2 right now and will be there until Shurmur is shown they can move on. It's not just the QB. It's all the skill players on offense. The WR's and TE's especially. Routes have to be run with precision and timing. Adjustments that are made have to be made in real-time and those decisions have to be the same between the QB and all receivers. This all takes time.
Had they played a typical preseason they may be a little further along at this point but the real truth is it's gong to take games to gel in this system. Not six games and not ten games. We'll see improvement at those junctures but we're looking at the middle of next year for it to all start making perfect sense to everyone. Then they can really start making a mark in it.
I've seen Colt in a bit of a panic in both games so far. It's not so much the pressure that's getting to him. He's a pretty tough guy in that regard. Rather it's that he's not yet sure what he's doing and the pressure is giving him one more thing to think about and frankly he can't afford to have one more thing to think about because his first priority, knowing what to do with the ball, is already a bit out of his grasp without the added pressure.
To complicate matters he's throwing to receivers who don't yet know what to do either.
And none of this is a slam on any of them. This is not the type of thing that a shortened preseason and a couple of games is going to have running like a well oiled machine. So most of the mistakes and bad decisions can be laid solidly at the feet of the learning curve of this offense.
On top of all that is an OL, who is playing reasonably well considering, who have only played 2 games together. They're at the point where the left hand don't know what the right hand is doing.
As mentioned, we have two bona fide starters on the OL, Joe and Mack, and Joe is concerned about what is going on to his right, likewise, Mack is concerned about what is going on to his left and to his right and Lauvao is unsure of his right side and then there's that dude who is lost completely. It don't add up to "one of the best offensive lines in the NFL". The whole line is not only concerned about his own job but also of the guy's job beside him in case he should need some help. It's one fast-paced ball of confusion at break neck speed. Not much time to relax in there. If Steiny and Pasho's were playing that would relieve a lot of concerns all along the line. But it ain't the case.
The good thing is that all the positions besides the RT is set and as they work together they'll get better. There's a lot of promise on this line. But like any promise it has to actually happen or it's of no value. So long as they all stay healthy they will gel together and the mental concerns along the line will be diminished and they'll play well. Hopefully that will have happened by the time we near our last 5 games because their playing well will do a lot to help everything else. Not that all of Colts problems begin with the OL, but once the OL is playing really good together Colt's job will get a lot easier.
So once the OL is up to snuff and the receivers are doing their jobs can Colt do his job to a high enough level? I wish I knew. That's the two number 1 draft picks question.
#gmstrong
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Quote:
I view my Browns as 2 games into the rebuilding process. Last year was highly dysfunctional for a Holmgren team.
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Still part of Holmgren's tenure here.
You can't just say "Oh, it wasn't Holmgren like, so it doesn't count."
He's had 1 year and 2 games to turn this around.
I think we're getting better, and I think we'll get there, but you can't just call a do-over for his first year.
True, false, true, true and false.
The false being that I can indeed say it doesn't count and I can also just call a do-over for his first year.
I can do that because he allowed his better judgment to handcuff himself in the name of being fair to a head coach who finished like gang busters and although he knew he couldn't work well with that guy he still is genuine enough to give the guy the following year to prove himself although he knew it wasn't going to happen. It's like he said, his first year was pretty dang bad but he finished very strong and would have felt he'd been done unfairly had he been relieved of his job after that. So he bit his tongue and did "the right thing" from a human being, not a business, standpoint.
Now everything's in place. I start the clock now.
The rest of you guys can do whatever you like. But I don't see last season as being indicative of what Holmgren would have done to begin the improvement of this team. No one can blame him for being fair. But I'll bet throughout the whole season he was pulling his thinning hair out for having done so.
Now everything's in place. I start the clock now.
#gmstrong
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Quote:
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I think he will be our best QB since Bernie
Thats not really saying much.
No way I'm saying he'll be better than Bernie. Bernie is a God around here.
All that aside I think he'll become a keeper and be around along time.
NOTE: I'm not anointing him as the second coming, just think he'll be a solid QB for us.
Your feelings and opinions do not add up to facts.
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This ought to be fun. McCoy vs Browns Qb's since Bernie.
If I can remember
Tomzcak, ...
\^ Testaverde
\^ Couch
\^ Holcombe,
Dytmer
\^ Trent Dilfer
\^ Jeff Garcia
Frye
Quinn
\^ D Anderson
J Delhomme
S Wallace
and Colt McCoy!
So I guess I'd rank him 7th best amoung Qb's since Bernie behind everyone with a \^ in front of their name, if his time at Qb was over today and they went with someone else. But that doesn't say anything one way or the other,
He's set to be the QB vs Miami and he's playing for the division lead! It's not often they can say that!
Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
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Plus ......... Eric Zeier Doug Peterson Spurgeon Wynn Luke McCown Ken Dorsey Bruce Gradkowski Yeehaw. 
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Are we talking strictly stats?
Because I'd take Colt over Couch, Holcombe, Dilfer, Garcia(except in the WCO) and DA...
Am I the only one that pronounces hyperbole "Hyper-bowl" instead of "hy-per-bo-le"?
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In retrospect, I'd take him over any of them, because we don't yet know what the final result will be with regards to McCoy's career.
Kinda weird that Jacksonville hyped McCown, who was, at best, a backup when he was here ..... and has thrown 0 TDs and 4 INT so far. man they are lucky that they can run the ball ... because that's all they have going for them so far.
As an aside, I am kinda stunned that Garrard hasn't found a home yet.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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I'd take Colt as well.
Though I was somewhat cool in my response earlier, I also noted there are factors that still have to be resolved or are yet to play out. Factors that can still allow for hope he becomes a better then average player at the position.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Quote:
Quote:
I view my Browns as a team 1 season and two games into the Holmgren rebuilding process.
I view my Browns as 2 games into the rebuilding process. Last year was highly dysfunctional for a Holmgren team.
dub...that would mean you are only focused on one aspect of the rebuilding process Holmgren started the day he was hired by Lerner. Jan 11, 2010, Holmgren hired Heckert as GM.
Holmgren made many changes that affect this franchise, restructuring the front office and upgrading to more experienced individuals who Holmgren knew could help him remake the franchise.
The draft that brought the Browns Haden, TJ Ward, McCoy and Lauvao had a positive impact on Mangini's team but it was not Mangini's draft...it was Heckert's draft, influenced by Holmgren.
I can't name each every hire Holmgren made, but the rebuilding of the franchise started in Jan 2010....not Jan 2011, when Mangini and some of his coaching staff were let go.
Home of the Free, Because of the Brave...
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I'd say it would even include Mangini...there are several key players on this team he brought in.
Rebuilding isn't a start and stop process unless you pretty much cut everybody.
We just need to continue to bring in solid players. Under who's watch really isn't important, but I agree, this is way past 2 games....for old times like us, we are 47 years in to the rebuild.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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Well, you're back....nice to see that the parole system does work..... 
"People who drink light 'beer' don't like the taste of beer; they just like to pee a lot."
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Glad to see you back, Toad. I loved you in Inception.
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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Quote:
I'd say it would even include Mangini...there are several key players on this team he brought in.
Rebuilding isn't a start and stop process unless you pretty much cut everybody.
We just need to continue to bring in solid players. Under who's watch really isn't important, but I agree, this is way past 2 games....for old times like us, we are 47 years in to the rebuild.
It isn't really a start and stop process, but when your goals/views keep shifting you may as well have stopped and started.
Again, we aren't really rebuilding though, because we've never even built the first time... since 1999. We never stick with any single plan of attack for building this thing long enough for it to take hold. We're an ADHD organization surrounded by shiny objects.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Quote:
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I'd say it would even include Mangini...there are several key players on this team he brought in.
Rebuilding isn't a start and stop process unless you pretty much cut everybody.
We just need to continue to bring in solid players. Under who's watch really isn't important, but I agree, this is way past 2 games....for old times like us, we are 47 years in to the rebuild.
It isn't really a start and stop process, but when your goals/views keep shifting you may as well have stopped and started.
Again, we aren't really rebuilding though, because we've never even built the first time... since 1999. We never stick with any single plan of attack for building this thing long enough for it to take hold. We're an ADHD organization surrounded by shiny objects.
Perhaps this year is the year that changes.. 
#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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dub...that would mean you are only focused on one aspect of the rebuilding process
Precisely. I'm only focusing on the coaching staff and the team on the field. I'm not discounting the personnel and organizational changes, Heckert or his first draft. But for what matters the most to me, and that is the team we field and how they're coached and by what philosophy... that all started this year on the first day of training camp.
Remember mac, I'm not writhing an article on the recent history of the Browns. All I'm doing is saying that it all starts here and now.
#gmstrong
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So what? Toad is gone for another year now?
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Quote:
So what? Toad is gone for another year now?
Yes, he is a drive-by poster.
yebat' Putin
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