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Thought this might be a topic worth discussing. I've been waiting for someone to come along and instill this type of mentality. I am so tired of the Browns being the league's bitches. I want to see them winning those one on one match ups in a hard fought, physical manner. It's time they stop taking crap from the players on other teams. This team should be physically dominant, imposing their will, making other teams not want to play us, breaking their will throughout the course of the game. I think we may finally have a coach who gets that.
Cleveland Browns Building A Mindset That They Won’t Be Pushed Around
Vic Carucci Senior Editor
Mike Pettine: ‘You don’t want one side of the ball to get bullied by the other.’
Make no mistake. Mike Pettine wants his team to avoid penalties, especially the 15-yard variety that comes from personal fouls. He wants his team to be disciplined and smart.
But the Cleveland Browns’ coach wants something else.
He wants a team that refuses to be pushed around.
That was the positive that Pettine took away from the brawl that erupted during Tuesday’s practice at training camp after running back Ben Tate – apparently annoyed by what he perceived as unnecessary roughness from the defensive side as it clearly was dominating the workout – threw the ball at lineman Ahtyba Rubin after a play.
In a game, that likely would have resulted in a flag against the offense.
In practice, that makes the sort of statement that makes a coach trying to instill a sense of toughness throughout the roster and looking to change the culture of the locker room smile … at least privately.
“You don’t want one side of the ball to get bullied by the other,” said Pettine, whose players have today off and return to the practice field on Thursday. “There has to be some push back, whether it’s offense vs. defense or defense vs. offense. You look at that and it’s the price of doing business.
“You don’t like to see (the fights). You’re afraid somebody could potentially get hurt in it. It breaks up the rhythm of practice, but at times, it’s going to happen.”
And, at times, that’s a price worth paying.
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE NFL …
ONE NOTICEABLE NFL-WIDE trend is teams making a point to rest certain veteran players during camp. The Browns have done that with seven-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Joe Thomas and other players. The San Diego Chargers have done it with tight end Antonio Gates and linebackers Dwight Freeney, Jarret Johnson, and Melvin Ingram. “I think it is a good thing for our longevity and making the game a little bit better with guys not getting hurt as bad,” the 34-year-old Freeney told reporters. “Sometimes the numbers don’t show that. But I think it is better to take your time and not jump in the deep end at the beginning with all the hitting, especially with all the concussion stuff going on.”
MINNESOTA VIKINGS offensive coordinator Norv Turner has been highly impressed with rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. This is part of what Turner told a reporter from the Minneapolis Star Tribune as they watched video of Bridgewater during an offseason practice: “Look at this one. The tight end is running an 18-yard out. Teddy drops. One, two, three, four, five and, bam, the ball’s out. See how quick that was. This is the No. 1 thing with him. He’s got such a quick release, and he makes quick decisions. That ball is out before the tight end makes his cut, and it’s thrown where only he can catch it.”
ATLANTA FALCONS quarterback Matt Ryan has heaped praise on his coach, Mike Smith, and general manager, Thomas Dimitroff, for their efforts in trying to improve the team’s offensive line. One of the key additions has been 6-foot-5, 309-pound right tackle Jake Matthews, whom the Falcons made the No. 6 overall pick in the draft from Texas A&M. “He’s very strong, he’s athletic and he's smart,” Ryan was quoted as saying in USA Today. “And he’s kind of done it the way a rookie should do it; he’s kind of kept his mouth shut and handled his business the right way.”
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/hfMNC7T.jpg) "I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski "Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield #gmstrong
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Yeah we'll see how far all this "tough talk" gets us weeks 12-17. That's about the time when we show how "tough" we really are. 
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Hopefully by that time we're making a hard push toward a playoff run.
"I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski "Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield #gmstrong
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Hopefully by that time we're making a hard push toward a playoff run.
lmao, 
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Another story from Vic Carucci Senior Editor/Browns mouthpiece. But as I said in the other thread when I posted one of his articles, it's still a good topic for discussion regardless of whether or not it's bias in it's objective. This team needs to be tougher than they have been. Like Pettine says in the intros to some of the videos on the main site, "You have to be willing to bloody your nose a little bit." I agree with that statement.
Whether or not the is actually tougher or not, it's still a good discussion topic.
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Agreed, and it begins with intention. I certainly don't mind the chippy nature of the camp practices. I love the aggressive nature of the defense and the challenging nature of the secondary. I also like the fact that the guys on offense take exception to it. It starts here and it starts at the top with Pettine working to instill this type of culture.
"I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski "Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield #gmstrong
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j/c
I think there are at least a few facets to this emphasis on toughness. One is to be physically able to meet the challenge of playing NFL football. To have the necessary physical tools play-by-play to compete. To possess the right amount of physical aggression to match and hopefully exceed the opponents physical aggression. The increased standards of the conditioning test would be one example. Having DBs play press-man coverage with an emphasis on redirecting receivers with aggressive hand technique. Coaching defenders to aggressively strip the football which played a part in yesterday's brawl these are examples of what I mean.
The other part of it would be to have a mindset as an individual and as a team to overcome adverse circumstances. Whether that is fatigue, lapses in execution, or just refusing to given up when playing a better team. The mental toughness to play to the best of your abilities even when the only reason for doing so is to not let your teammates down.
Another aspect would be leadership and examples of the intensity and focus needed to elevate your game to the level of the leagues better teams. Dansby and Whitner were brought here to do that. Right now I don't know where that dimension will come from on the offensive side of the ball.
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For anyone experienced with coaching... Does this article actually say anything significant or would every coach be cultivating this attitude? I don't want to rail against a fluff piece if there is something signficant, but I haven't often felt our team lacked toughness over the years. I think we lacked talent and that lead to some players giving up. As long as we aren't cheapshotting guys toughness can't really be a bad thing (except the T Rich ribs fiasco  )
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Yeah, I agree.
Hope Manziel is the franchise QB.
Hope Pettine is the right coach.
Those are the only two things that matter when it comes to winning.
This notion of 'tough' is just filler at the moment. We will be getting a lot more of these pieces from now until the season starts.
LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
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I agree, this mentality and etc is awesome. I love when I hear people like Hitner say "we don't want any soft people" and so-on. We got some monsters too that have played physical, like Sheard.
With such a young team, all it takes is one person to set the tempo and then it becomes infectious and spreads. We, IMO, got quite a few people that can set that sort of tempo and style.
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lame lame lame i think this is lame and i'm tired of hearing crap like this year after year.
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I think it's been awhile since we've had a coach that not only wanted tough-ness but also to inflict some pain with it. That's the difference.
Dawginit since Jan. 24, 2000 Member #180
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Donte Hitner is definitely bringing some confidence to this defense.. and I think it is really rubbing off and starting to spread... I think we will finally have a tough defense that won't back down from anyone.
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I just want them to be able to close out games.
Hell, be tough. Be finesse. Be whatever. Just win games. Get in the playoffs. Be successful. 10 of the last 11 seasons of double digit losses. That's almost unfathomable.
We all thought Crennel was going to be a defensive genius. We all that Rob Ryan was going to be a defensive genius. We all thought Horton was going to be a defensive genius. We all thought we had the greatest collection of assistants last year that we had ever had. All fired. All gone.
Yet somehow people keep saying 'this feels different'. LOL. Every year people say that.
Just win games. You can't do that without a QB and a HC. All we can do is hope that Manziel and Pettine are those guys. We are due, that's for sure.
LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
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I just want them to be able to close out games.
Amen. I'm tired of giving up big 3rd down conversions and seeing our offense fail to come up with scoring drives with the game in the balance.
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
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I just want them to be able to close out games.
Hell, be tough. Be finesse. Be whatever. Just win games. Get in the playoffs. Be successful. 10 of the last 11 seasons of double digit losses. That's almost unfathomable.
We all thought Crennel was going to be a defensive genius. We all that Rob Ryan was going to be a defensive genius. We all thought Horton was going to be a defensive genius. We all thought we had the greatest collection of assistants last year that we had ever had. All fired. All gone.
Yet somehow people keep saying 'this feels different'. LOL. Every year people say that.
Just win games. You can't do that without a QB and a HC. All we can do is hope that Manziel and Pettine are those guys. We are due, that's for sure.
I agree 100% with every word of this. We all hope that this coaching staff and FO, along with our QB's will lead us to greatness. The problem is, there is very little to base an opinion on concerning if they will be those guys.
Ray Farmer has never been a GM. Pettine has never been an NFL HC. Maziel has never taken a snap in the NFL. Hoyer only led this team to two victories. So the jury is far from out on all of these questions.
That's why I really haven't commented about any of this much. We see all of the same feel good pieces we see with every new regime. Yet none have created a winner for the long term.
I'm not saying this bunch won't be different. But other than Pettine saying the right things and writers puffing up the fan base, there's no real evidence either way to say what this season has in store. Sure we'll hear about how much better the talent is, but that's the exact same thing that was said last year.
Every year we build through the draft, so do the other 31 NFL teams. Every year we have FA signings, so do the other teams in the NFL. We're not in a bubble.
I hope for the best as we all do, but in the grand scheme of things, there are no answers at this point, only questions.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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j/c
I just want to understand, not calling anybody out... for posters who use terms like "fluff piece", "lame" or "just win". Do you object to the writing on this subject? Are critical of the things Pettine has said about toughness? Is this coaching staff misguided in trying to address a problem you don't agree exist? Is it something else?
Aside from talent it seems to me that Pittsburgh and Baltimore have had some intangible quality that the Browns have not. Other successful teams have this elusive quality also. Yes, previous coaching staffs have tried, and failed to develop it. Does that mean it shouldn't be sought or talked about openly?
Maybe, for a moment if we consider these issues in light of another team we could objectively discuss this issue. Consider the Detroit Lions, plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. Not a perfect roster but talented. They have major collapses seems like every year. It isn't only a matter of talent there is a mental approach to the game that seems to escape them. Doesn't that have to be fixed as well as their roster deficiencies for them to win?
Last edited by guard dawg; 07/30/14 07:14 PM.
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lame lame lame i think this is lame and i'm tired of hearing crap like this year after year.
Super lame. When did throwing a ball at someone become a sign of toughness. I thought that was the behavior of petulant children.
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Every year we build through the draft, so do the other 31 NFL teams. Every year we have FA signings, so do the other teams in the NFL. We're not in a bubble.
I'm highlighting this to make a point about something. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who love to claim on a yearly basis that we just don't have the talent compared to other teams. The only real difference between the winners and losers is the QB and HC. That's it. If someone wants to say our QB isn't as talented as the rest of the teams, I can get on board with that. But this notion that we lack at every other position is absurd. There's an interesting exercise anyone can do. Compare the Browns to any other team at every position other than QB. What you'll find is that every team has starters from all different rounds. Every team has starters who were undrafted FAs. It's not reasonable to believe that our mid to late round guys and our undrafted FAs just aren't as good as everyone else's. It's the QB that elevates the team and the players around them. Solve the QB and you'll start winning.
It's why I'm a bit dreading this QB competition. It means we haven't solved the QB issue. It means another season of it hanging over our heads and another offseason of uncertainty at the position. I really hate to say this but long-term it might be best if Hoyer came out and lost the first three games, Manziel comes in after the bye, and he proves that he has the stones to take us where we want to go. Uncertainty at the QB position is the death of any team.
LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
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Sorry, I can't accept the premise of QB/HC as an absolute. If it were the case then Manning and the Broncos would have won the Super Bowl last year. There is something else at work.
Last edited by guard dawg; 07/30/14 07:33 PM.
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This team has been mentally weak every since 2003 when Butch davis called off the dogs against pitt. I have honestly felt that was the game where this team hiked up their skirts and they havent put their big boy pants on since. No killer instinct at all. Sure we have had some physically tough players and teams, but mentally fragile.
Hell, they look for an excuse to lose. How this team didnt manage to win 9 or 10 games last year is mind boggling. If it takes Pettine turning them into a bunchof thugs and Manziel's never quit attitude to get this thing turned around then i dont have a problem with it. Personally I loved when Pettine said he didnt want players that would help the enemy off the ground.
I think Pettine wants a team that not only is gonna beat you down but is gonna rub your face in the dirt while your are down there.
Now throwing the ball was frustration because the defense had been having their way with the offense all day and basically punked them. I saw a couple of those Manziel passes sail because guys were pulling up short and a couple of those underthrown balls from Hoyer were 50/50 balls where the O just got out muscled.
I know what pettine is doing and I have no problem with it. I am sure he told the D to rough up the O and told the DBs to hold a bit. This is when you have that postion coach come up and say there is no holding today or illegal contact, its a one day rule. or they go to the OL and say play high lol
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i agree on the roughing it up,holding and even pass interference both side of the ball to get them to learn to overcome it and deal with it, same as having gordon working with the 1s and 2s even tho he may not play part of the year or all year just to make the dbs work harder to cover a top receiver in practices
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Don't care about your GD "Culture of Toughness",or "Playing like a Brown". I want a team of winners,not bar bouncers.
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Well the game sure as hell aint played by florists and interior decorators lol cant believe people are crying because the coach wants this team to grow a pair. No wonder Michael Sam's jersey was the 6th best selling jersey.
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Well the game sure as hell aint played by florists and interior decorators lol cant believe people are crying because the coach wants this team to grow a pair. No wonder Michael Sam's jersey was the 6th best selling jersey.
You clearly missed my point...I'm interested in having winners.Thats been the main problem with us.We always have losers,wether they are tough,finesse,smart,dumb...they were losers.As for "Play like a Brown"? Excuse me,please don't play like a Brown,we've seen that and it sucks."Play like a Winner" thank you very much.
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The whole 'play like a Brown' thing is probably one of the dumbest things ever coined by any regime. I wish it would just go away.
LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
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lame lame lame i think this is lame and i'm tired of hearing crap like this year after year.
I think the subject keeps coming up because the Browns have lacked team toughness for quite some time.
Could you imagine the Steeler organization writing a story like this saying, "This year we are going to be tough." ?
We've heard a lot of "Play to not lose". We've also heard plenty of "This team needs to learn how to finish or needs to learn how to win."
It's been said "The team takes on the personality of it's HC."
Three of our last four HC's all have talked about finishing and learning how to win. But also three of our last HC's have had "soft" personalities. RAC, Shurmur and Chud were all like this and so were their teams. RAC was laid back. Shurmur was obviously in over his head and timid and Chud was the only one of the four who was not in over his head but he was soft. Mangini had the right approach but went over the top with it and that's as bad as not getting it at all.
If you want to change the "culture of losing", as Phil Savage coined it during he and RAC's tenure then the first thing you need to change is the attitude. With a tough attitude you'll fight to the finish. With a tugh attitude the team won't let up as it did vs the bengals last season when they had them down for the count but failed as they lacked the attitude/instinct to go for the kill.
Pettine talked about toughness coming in. I think he said it because it's something he sees the team lacking. He didn't talk about "learning to finish" or "learning to win." Those are vague goals with no predetermined steps on how to get there. For a coach seeing it as "a process" is only he saying he doesn't get it and needs time to figure it out. If you want to finish and win you have to have the right attitude. Toughness if you will, both physically and mentally and that starts with the attitude.
So much of the winning is about the team who wants it more and that comes from attitude. The highly likeable, favorite Uncle guy like RAC doesn't instill that in players. Neither does the overwhelmed and timid guy like Shurmur. I think Chud loved the team too much to have a tough persona with them coming in.
Pettine looks tough, talks tough and acts tough. Now, one can be all that while knowing nothing about football to no avail. But if one is that and knows him some football the players will mirror his persona to become like him. "A team takes on the personality of their head coach." So long as Pettine can balance the toughness with the fun then I think he can accomplish the attitude change which allows the rest to fall together.
I'm not saying anything will be different with Pettine. But his approach to changing the attitude to toughness is the best and most accurate one I've heard yet from a Browns coach. Our other coaches have said it, but only in their introduction pressers. Pettine has kept it forefront since the beginning. Toughness and competition has been his mantra.
We'll see.
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The whole 'play like a Brown' thing is probably one of the dumbest things ever coined by any regime. I wish it would just go away.
Unless, of course,playing like a Brown is what he says it is ..... which is thing like playing with toughness, passion, ad a refusal to lose.
If he gets this team playing that way, then people will be fine with the slogan.
Every new leadership group has its own slogans and inspirational themes that they use to fire up the team. Farmer and pettine have been remarkably consistent on this one, which I like. They have a vision of what it means, and they reinforce it constantly. I have no problem with that.
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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You know what would get me fired up,is if we could take our new mascot on the road,so he could take a dump on the Steelers 50 yard line!!! Now THAT is something I would love to see!! 
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Mental toughness is a weakness. I like this reach. It is a gimmick of sorts, but if you stand by your guns and preach it regularly and make it matter as Pettine and Farmer are trying to do, it can be a difference maker IMO. If you win, it works, and it reinforces itself. If it is only lip service, the hypocrisy can cut your throat. I would prefer they be wildly successful. But the Field will decide. Just win, baby. Whatever that takes. 
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
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I'm not saying anything will be different with Pettine. But his approach to changing the attitude to toughness is the best and most accurate one I've heard yet from a Browns coach. Our other coaches have said it, but only in their introduction pressers. Pettine has kept it forefront since the beginning. Toughness and competition has been his mantra.
Pretty early to be making that statement.
Look, I like what I have seen from Pettine thus far. And I admit to preferring tough guys like him over the laid back guys, but we haven't even played a preseason game yet.
It seems to me that people form an early opinion on a regime and then stick w/that opinion no matter what the facts are. They then nitpick every little thing and either turn it into a positive or a negative to champion their opinion.
I try and judge them by what they do. For instance, I hated the Mangini hire. I argued fiercely that we did not put enough time into the coaching search. I posted post after post saying that we should have hired Gruden instead of Mangini. The majority of replies were angry and dismissive. I do remember eotab telling me to give Mangini a chance. The more I saw, the more I liked. I changed my mind. The funny thing is that many of the same people who were dissing me for wanting Gruden earlier were begging for him to be hired after The Big Show fired Mangini.
This regime war has been going back and forth. Most people seem to either see all good or no good in every move each regime makes. This regime benefits from being on the right cycle w/the majority of fans.
Me...........I am rooting for them and am keeping an open mind. I have not seen enough for me to either say they are awful or great. It's too early. Of course, since the majority of the board loves these guys, my viewpoints will probably land me in the "hater" category. LOL...............it is what it is, but it does amaze me that more people can't see it for what it is. 
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Give me Joe " Turkey " Jones /// Jerry Sherk /// Walter Johnson !
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Joined: Jul 2014
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This team has been mentally weak every since 2003 when Butch davis called off the dogs against pitt. I have honestly felt that was the game where this team hiked up their skirts and they havent put their big boy pants on since. No killer instinct at all. Sure we have had some physically tough players and teams, but mentally fragile.
Hell, they look for an excuse to lose. How this team didnt manage to win 9 or 10 games last year is mind boggling. If it takes Pettine turning them into a bunchof thugs and Manziel's never quit attitude to get this thing turned around then i dont have a problem with it. Personally I loved when Pettine said he didnt want players that would help the enemy off the ground.
I think Pettine wants a team that not only is gonna beat you down but is gonna rub your face in the dirt while your are down there.
Now throwing the ball was frustration because the defense had been having their way with the offense all day and basically punked them. I saw a couple of those Manziel passes sail because guys were pulling up short and a couple of those underthrown balls from Hoyer were 50/50 balls where the O just got out muscled.
I know what pettine is doing and I have no problem with it. I am sure he told the D to rough up the O and told the DBs to hold a bit. This is when you have that postion coach come up and say there is no holding today or illegal contact, its a one day rule. or they go to the OL and say play high lol
I said it numerous time last season over on the other board: the team was emotionally immature. There were times the team (mostly the defense) dominated, and of course fella part. I don't think it was a reflection of Chud' et als abilities as a coach, but I think it was something they were trying to over come.
But I agree with everything you said. It made me sick to see Colt take such a blatant cheap shot from Harrison and not ONE of our other players did a dang thing. Nothing. Time after time you look at our QB's get cheap shotted and not a single lineman does anything about it.
"Hey, I'm a reasonable guy. But I've just experienced some very unreasonable things."
-Jack Burton
-It looks like the Harvard Boys know what they are doing after all.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,475 Likes: 136
Legend
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Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,475 Likes: 136 |
I think a lot of the confusion here is the interpretation of the word toughness.
I think on Pettine's level and praise of the battle result of throwing a ball is the word "INTENSITY" more so than toughness. So intense that a play ends in FIGHT MODE and this is a violent game where you have to be in that extra mode...that extra intensity.
Also some mentioned it...I think it has to do with the LACK of Finish this talented team had last season. And in most of its existence since 1999. Finish in every level of football is so so important. Intensity + Finish can in coaches minds = Toughness regarding football.
Just saying 
Defense wins championships. Watson play your butt off!
Go Browns!
CHRIST HAS RISEN!
GM Strong! & Stay safe everyone!
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Joined: Sep 2006
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Hall of Famer
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OP
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lame lame lame i think this is lame and i'm tired of hearing crap like this year after year.
I think the subject keeps coming up because the Browns have lacked team toughness for quite some time.
Could you imagine the Steeler organization writing a story like this saying, "This year we are going to be tough." ?
We've heard a lot of "Play to not lose". We've also heard plenty of "This team needs to learn how to finish or needs to learn how to win."
It's been said "The team takes on the personality of it's HC."
Three of our last four HC's all have talked about finishing and learning how to win. But also three of our last HC's have had "soft" personalities. RAC, Shurmur and Chud were all like this and so were their teams. RAC was laid back. Shurmur was obviously in over his head and timid and Chud was the only one of the four who was not in over his head but he was soft. Mangini had the right approach but went over the top with it and that's as bad as not getting it at all.
If you want to change the "culture of losing", as Phil Savage coined it during he and RAC's tenure then the first thing you need to change is the attitude. With a tough attitude you'll fight to the finish. With a tugh attitude the team won't let up as it did vs the bengals last season when they had them down for the count but failed as they lacked the attitude/instinct to go for the kill.
Pettine talked about toughness coming in. I think he said it because it's something he sees the team lacking. He didn't talk about "learning to finish" or "learning to win." Those are vague goals with no predetermined steps on how to get there. For a coach seeing it as "a process" is only he saying he doesn't get it and needs time to figure it out. If you want to finish and win you have to have the right attitude. Toughness if you will, both physically and mentally and that starts with the attitude.
So much of the winning is about the team who wants it more and that comes from attitude. The highly likeable, favorite Uncle guy like RAC doesn't instill that in players. Neither does the overwhelmed and timid guy like Shurmur. I think Chud loved the team too much to have a tough persona with them coming in.
Pettine looks tough, talks tough and acts tough. Now, one can be all that while knowing nothing about football to no avail. But if one is that and knows him some football the players will mirror his persona to become like him. "A team takes on the personality of their head coach." So long as Pettine can balance the toughness with the fun then I think he can accomplish the attitude change which allows the rest to fall together.
I'm not saying anything will be different with Pettine. But his approach to changing the attitude to toughness is the best and most accurate one I've heard yet from a Browns coach. Our other coaches have said it, but only in their introduction pressers. Pettine has kept it forefront since the beginning. Toughness and competition has been his mantra.
We'll see.
Well put.
"I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski "Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield #gmstrong
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Hall of Famer
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But I agree with everything you said. It made me sick to see Colt take such a blatant cheap shot from Harrison and not ONE of our other players did a dang thing. Nothing. Time after time you look at our QB's get cheap shotted and not a single lineman does anything about it.
Remember when Joey Porter used to come over when we'd be warming up and start trouble? I think William Green and Terrelle Smith both fought him.
Either way, we still always seemed to lose........ And coaches were still getting fired.
But I do agree, our O-Line doesn't seem to have much of a mean streak at all. Thomas and Mack are more finesse blockers than anything. Schwartz was supposed to have a mean streak, I haven't seen it. Lavaou seemed to have one, but I didn't think he was particularly good at all. I'm not sure about Greco.
UCONN HUSKIES 2014 Champions of Basketball
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Joined: Sep 2006
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OP
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I didn't realize the topic would be so polarizing. Whatever the case, the team needs to play tougher. They need to play tough a full 60 minutes and that should help lead to wins. For example, I want them to go out and physically dominate starting game one. I don't want to just win, I want to beat the snot out of them and show that it's not going to be "fun" playing the Browns anymore. I am so sick of seeing their smiles and laughter on the sidelines halfway through the third quarter. I want to see worthlessburger bloody, worn out and worried at the end of the game. And that's just to start. I like the fact that Pettine recognizes this as an area of need.
"I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski "Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield #gmstrong
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Joined: Mar 2013
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Legend
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Legend
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 15,048 Likes: 117 |
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I didn't realize the topic would be so polarizing. Whatever the case, the team needs to play tougher. They need to play tough a full 60 minutes and that should help lead to wins. For example, I want them to go out and physically dominate starting game one. I don't want to just win, I want to beat the snot out of them and show that it's not going to be "fun" playing the Browns anymore. I am so sick of seeing their smiles and laughter on the sidelines halfway through the third quarter. I want to see worthlessburger bloody, worn out and worried at the end of the game. And that's just to start. I like the fact that Pettine recognizes this as an area of need.
The only way the Browns will play tougher is to work harder. Coach's can talk all they want but if the team isn't conditioned for it, it won't matter.
A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.
– Jackie Robinson
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Joined: Sep 2006
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Hall of Famer
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For all I care we could play in my lil' pony uniforms of pastel pink and purple with rainbows and hearts as our logo....
If we win we will be tough, if you don't win you are not tough..
This is just mindless jawing.... yawn...
There will be no playoffs. Can’t play with who we have out there and compounding it with garbage playcalling and worse execution. We don’t have good skill players on offense period. Browns 20 - Bears 17.
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