I like to break the seasons into quarters, so here are my rambling comments
Offense...
It all starts with the QB, Weeden had a disaster of a first game, but has played well in the following games. I see him improving the rest of the season, as the coaches adjust to his strengths, and players continue to develop. I think the stats will improve as time goes on.
Richardson, He is the real deal, there is just too much talent to deny, I see better production as the season goes forward.
Oline.. a missed bag, and I don't see the improvement that was advertised. Schwartz has not stunk up the joint, and concerns about Lauvao and Pinkston remain. Thomas appears hurt, and Mack has not been noteworthy.
TE and Fullback, Watson does not appear to have the same continuity as he had with McCoy, Smith has been more productive than anticipated. and it appears as though Cameron will get more playing time, which is needed. Marecic has been a disappointment, and I am being kind.
Receivers. ehhhhh..... MoMass has been the best, but Little has been a major disappointment. Benjamin has good production for a 4th rounder. I did not expect much from Gordon, so I am content to see him develop. This is an area that remains a problem, hopefully the production improves.
Defense.
DL. Parker and Rucker have been positive additions. Winn and Hughes have made solid contributions, but I expected better production from Sheard. I am waiting for the return of Taylor.
LB's DQ has been very solid. Robertson has come out of nowhere and is probably the most pleasant surprise of the team. I like his speed and defense in the pass. I have no idea what the deal is with JMJ, but anticipate his play in the future.
DB's... A mess for sure. Haden is sorely missed. Brown has been dinged, and is showing his age. The Hagg/Young/Gipson fiasco should have been fixed during the off season.
Special Teams, I don't think this is as strong of a defensive unit as we have seen before. No complaints with Cribbs, and Dawson has been amazing, but that is really all there is to talk about.
Coaching, a mixed bag, Shurrmur is playing it conservatively, perhaps too much so. The schedule does not improve, and unless the team improves, it is going to be a long season. Aside from the Buffalo game, the team has been competitive, and there is a need to adjust to the strengths of the team.
JMJ pulled an oblique muscle in the final pre-season game. (where he was, ironically, the only projected starter to play any snaps) IIRC, he returned to practice this past week.
You are what your record is.
This is not a good football team right now.
They have played some close games. But who doesn't in the NFL these days?
QB.Weeden has alot of yards and alot of pass attempts. But his TD to INT ratio is poor. He's missed open WRs in the end zone. Weeden is not converting alot of 3rd downs.He will be the starter this year,but next year who knows as the Browns will be drafting in the Top 3.
RB Richardson has not disappointed. He's the only relevant threat on offense.
Ogybonna has been solid as a 3rd down back.
Wheres Hardesty? Not in the teams plans.
WR. You get what you pay for. You spend 2 2nd picks on "projects" A combined 18 catches,230 yds and 1 TD through 4 games. Brian Hartline had 245 yds in one game.
Benjamin needs to be more involved in the passing game.
a group that has a bunch of complimentry players,but no WRs that play lights out.
TE. A group that is underperforming in the passing game. the numbers support that.
all in all the WR's and TE's don't have 1 player that has exceeded 200 yards receiving yet. thats not acceptable.
O-line. Its keeping Weeden clean for the most part. But the run blocking has been mostly non existent. Richardson is on pace for 850 yards.
There isn't one player on the o-line who has dominated in any phase.
everyone has regressed other than Schwartz. Schwartz has not played bad at all.
D-line.The strength of the team. Hughes and Winn are playing with high motors.
the run defense is more stout this year. Rucker is playing well. Sheard has not been a factor.
LB Jackson is playing at Pro Bowl level. Robertson has been a good find by Heckert. always around the ball. Plays well in space.
CB..this was a weakness before Haden got hurt. They simply cannot matchup with the big WRs that can run. They don't play physical. none of the CB's can really play the ball well. too many time they are not in position.
S. The worst group in the AFC North. Hagg has already been benched. Ward is not playing like a 2nd RD pick. This is a area that is starved for playmakers.
special teams. very average this year in all phases.
I have to say I disagree with people who say Sheard has not been playing well. I think he has been very disruptive. Just because he's not getting the sack doesn't mean he isn't getting his job done. JMHO
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Schwartz has not stunk up the joint, and concerns about Lauvao and Pinkston remain.
The reason I don't give Schwartz anything other than a C- at this point is he's playing what might be the easiest offensive position in the NFL to play (RT). And not only that but he was selected in the top 40 picks.
When you combine those two things (position and pick slot) the fact that no one is sure if he's a long term piece is at least a little concerning. A RT taken that high should be above average for his position from day 1....which I don't think Schwartz has been.
I feel good about DL, RB.
I feel OK about LB, QB.
I feel not so great about OL, WR, DB.
Watching for four weeks my assessment is the Browns are about 7-8 players away from being a contending playoff team. 3 OL, 2 DB's, 2 WR's, 1 LB. The only two position groups on the roster that don't really need addressed are DL and RB. QB is likely a 3rd, pending an implosion from Weeden but we'll have to see how he performs over the last 3/4ths of the season.
I would certainly be on board with trying to find a star at DE (that could take the DL from good to great) but it's not a glaring need at this point.
For me it's pretty simple, were 0-4...tired of excuses, tired of hearing were batteling every week....bottom line we play to Win...being close hasnt gotten us anything but but an attaboy for media people who dont matter anyway, Tired of the flowery feel good talk, were judged on Wins & losses
0-4....will only get you two things in the NFL....A longer off season and a higher draft pick
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For me it's pretty simple, were 0-4...tired of excuses, tired of hearing were batteling every week
Tired of it too, but with that said, this is the first year since our return that I have sat and watched with a true feeling like we have a shot at winning. Even during the DA year I never had that confidence. Even down by 1 or 2 scores, I still don't have a complete loss of hope.
Yes, I want wins, but just being able to watch 60 mins of Browns football with some excitement and optimism is a change, and a welcome one at that. I see it as the first step to a brighter future. I never expected it to turn around in an instant, I'm just happy to see signs of a turn around for once, and one that doesn't just look like a flash in the pan (ie: 2007)
0-4 says a lot. What it says is what anyone of us should have realized, with half the team in their 1st or 2nd year, this is what you get.
Mistakes.. Lots of dumb mistakes and a serious lack of experience.
People wonder why Fujita and Brown and maybe even Watson are still around and the answer is simple, you gotta have somebody who's voice can carry some weight
I think this is the last year for all three of them. Not even sure if Gocong will ever be back.
Someone said we should have addressed the DB situation but the problem is, you can only do what you can do each off season, something is always pushed to the back burner for next year.
I figure that next year, this team will be made up of 75% 1,2 and 3 year players.. Rubin, Cribbs, Dawson, Mack, Thomas, Rucker and Parker will be the only ones left with 4 or more years.. Maybe McCoy as well. We'll see about that.
So I think we're really getting what we should have been expecting. a young team making young team mistakes and trying to set the tone for the future.
Honestly, I think we are actually on the right track.
But 0-4 is still pretty darn disappointing. I'd have thought we'd have gotten one of those. I know there aren't any moral victories, but we really were close in 3 of the 4 games.. We weren't rolled over and killed by anyone really, but a loss is still a loss.
I kinda figured we wouldn't really know what kinda team we have until about the mid point of the season. Not totally upset or depressed, but not jumping for joy either..
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Watching for four weeks my assessment is the Browns are about 7-8 players away from being a contending playoff team. 3 OL, 2 DB's, 2 WR's, 1 LB
I would agree that these positions could all use an upgrade but assuming even just slight improvement in the rookies (even less than anticipated) I would say that we need a starting FS, A veteran presence at Wr (who runs good patterns has good hands - Brandon Stokley type player) and one OG (possibly 2) from being a contending playoff team. With the improvements you are asking for, if we truly upgrade all those positions we are looking at Superbowl contention.
Our opponents this season are 11-5 so far. They would be a combined 7-5 even if they hadn't played us. We've played some really good teams so far. That can only help us down the road.
Agreed. The combination of the caliber of teams we've played so far and our inexperience was not (on paper at leaset) a recipe for success. Yet, I think it is fair to say that we were 2-3 plays away from winning all but, perhaps, the Buffalo game. Before the season, I thought we might win either the Cinci or Buffalo game, but I wasn't particularly suprised we didn't.
What DID surprise me (in a twistedly pleasant way), is how close we played these four opponents. I figured we were good for at least one blowout (Philly or Baltiwhore). Neither happened. Despite the 0-4 record, I think we've seen some good stuff from these kids. There is certainly no quit in them and, at some point, I'm optimistic we're going to surprise a few teams.
Watching Philly play the NYG yesterday, I think we might actually match up quite well this coming week.
Yeah and if we were playing the New York Football Giants on a Monday night, the hair would be standing up on the back of my neck all week.
Regardless, I agree... despite being the defending Super Bowl champs, they look beatable. If we play our best in all three phases, I'd say we've got a shot. That's the biggest question, IMO: can we finally hit on all cylinders for a full 60 minutes? We'll see...
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Our opponents this season are 11-5 so far. They would be a combined 7-5 even if they hadn't played us. We've played some really good teams so far. That can only help us down the road.
You know how I always rail against the whole strength of schedule thing. Well, when you look at the Quarter year mark and the teams you've played are sitting there at 11-5, NOW YOU KNOW your schedule is tough.. What a team was last year has very little to do with what they'll be this year. Injuries, age, etc.. all can combine to change everything.. Make a loser a winner and a winner a loser practically overnight.
So, what your saying makes a ton of sense.
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Well, when you look at the Quarter year mark and the teams you've played are sitting there at 11-5, NOW YOU KNOW your schedule is tough.
No, you don't know that... until you look at who THEY'VE played. You've got to look more than one level deep before you can begin to decipher the picture.
Consider also that some of those losses and wins were in head to head games. Cinci has played the Ravens. The Ravens have played the Eagles. (there might be others, I didn't look)
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Well, when you look at the Quarter year mark and the teams you've played are sitting there at 11-5, NOW YOU KNOW your schedule is tough.
No, you don't know that... until you look at who THEY'VE played. You've got to look more than one level deep before you can begin to decipher the picture.
It's an indicator.. in our case, look at who we played.. The Eagles beat us by 1 point and beat the Ravens by 1 point.
Buffalo got blown out by somebody and has beaten everyone else. Baltimore only lost to the Eagles etc. from my perspective, when I said it tells you something, I was right because I kinda took a quick look at who we played and who they played.
I mean, seriously, do the Pats look like the Pats of old, do the Packers look like the packers of last year?
The point was simple - you cannot judge the quality of our SoS unless you also take into consideration the quality of the SoS of the teams that you are basing the quality of our SoS on.
It's all interdependent, and one sets the base for the other. The specifics of who did what to whom isn't the point, the point was you can't tell how good it is without taking it all into consideration, and you cannot do that by only looking one level deep
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The point was simple - you cannot judge the quality of our SoS unless you also take into consideration the quality of the SoS of the teams that you are basing the quality of our SoS on.
It's all interdependent, and one sets the base for the other. The specifics of who did what to whom isn't the point, the point was you can't tell how good it is without taking it all into consideration, and you cannot do that by only looking one level deep
I get it Purp,, I get it...
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0-4 says a lot. What it says is what anyone of us should have realized, with half the team in their 1st or 2nd year, this is what you get.
Mistakes.. Lots of dumb mistakes and a serious lack of experience.
People wonder why Fujita and Brown and maybe even Watson are still around and the answer is simple, you gotta have somebody who's voice can carry some weight
I think this is the last year for all three of them. Not even sure if Gocong will ever be back.
Someone said we should have addressed the DB situation but the problem is, you can only do what you can do each off season, something is always pushed to the back burner for next year.
I figure that next year, this team will be made up of 75% 1,2 and 3 year players.. Rubin, Cribbs, Dawson, Mack, Thomas, Rucker and Parker will be the only ones left with 4 or more years.. Maybe McCoy as well. We'll see about that.
So I think we're really getting what we should have been expecting. a young team making young team mistakes and trying to set the tone for the future.
Honestly, I think we are actually on the right track.
Don't forget D'Qwell Jackson.....
Oh Yeah,, DQ sure,, he's worthy.
I'll save the Bad and Mostly Ugly for others...ok well I have to get my Marecic shot in because saying he's playing terrible and killing our running game would not be doing the topic justice. He's awful. Disgusting. He's the FB's answer to a wet fish limp handshake. He's the worst starting player at any position in the league. He may be the worst player in professional football. He's useless. And I dislike him. And did I mention he's terrible?
The Good...well one of them is that our QB can drive the football. Last year there were times where I was convinced we were playing uphill. Our offense was hopeless. At least now safeties have to be concerned that they can get beat over the top. Because last year those safeties were 15 yards off the LOS in a sprinters stance coming forward. Now they have to respect intermediate and deep possibilities. So that's nice.
0-4 sucks.
The groundskeeper from "Major League" sums it up pretty well.
I think for the most part i agree with everybody on most things.
I'm not terribly impressed or upset with the o-line play. You cant put all the blocking assignment blame on Mack. It's the QB's job as well to adjust coverage and line shifts. Schwartz has done pretty good in my book. He has gone up against some top lvl competition and has done OK. I hope he improves. The guards, I fully expect us to draft a G mid rounds next year no matter how well pinkston/lavaou finish up.
I'm pleased with our RBs. Looks like we have decent depth and TRich is definitely gona solidify the position for us. Marecic, like others on here i dont see his value. There has to be someone better available.
Receivers- MoMass cant stay healthy, Little cant catch and needs his ego put in check, Benjamin- I'm liking his speed and think he could develop into a consistent weapon. Gordon- raw too early to tell if gamble will work. Cribbs- would like to see him at WR more often.
TE- I dont see watson being here next year. Smith and Cameron have developed enough to play full time. I think Weeds really trust Cameron and i hope he gets more pt. Weeds needs someone who he can rely on and look for in crucial situations.
QB- McCoy has had one heluva year so far... no ints. Weeds - i'm glad to see him make some improvements. He has started to develop a good "hard" count and throws a above average deep ball. He still has horrible footwork and continues to stare down receivers. He also needs to develop touch on his short passes, especially screens. Well, he needs to develop some sorta touch on all his passes. Throwing behind and late way too often.
DB's- I think Skrine definitely improved the last 2 games. He should be an asset as the 3rd/4th corner. Like others, I think Brown should be moved to FS once Haden comes back. That would give solid overtop coverage for patterson and skrine. I would also like to see them draft a bigger CB next year but I would focus more on getting another Safety in the draft.
LB's- have played very well for being so young a group. Fujita did a good job against the ravens, but I dont see him keeping his position the rest of the year. Robertson/Fort- great finds, anxious to see JMJ work with this group.
DLine- What can i say, Rucker and parker have exceeded my expectations. Winn/Hughes have played really well. I would like to see Winn moved to RDE next year. He has size and speed to be a threat on pass situations and defend the run. Sheard hasnt gotten the sacks ppl keep haggling him about, but has gotten penetration, been disruptive, and has played very well imo. Overall our best group.
Shurmur- Idk why everyone is so concerned we passed it 52 times against the ravens. It's the ravens!!!! They overloaded against the run and dared us to beat them with Weeden. If Weeds continues to throw that many every game, then there will something to complain about. But for now please stop whining over 52 attempts. I dont like how he doesnt have our best player in the game the final drive. IDC if Ogbonnaya is our 3rd down back, you need to have your best offensive weapon in the game when you go for the game winning drive!!!!
j/c
at the quarter pole, we had to guess that we were going to be 0-4/1-3, no surprises. the fact that we have been in every game is a good indicator (I think).
looking back to last season, we are running a similar course to Carolina, who opened with a tough slate and a rookie QB and slowly figured things out and started beating the easier opponents late:
http://www.nfl.com/teams/carolinapanthers/schedule?team=CAR&season=2011&seasonType=REGthey were 1-5 and then 2-8 before rattling off 4 wins in their next 5 weeks. the key point was that they were "in" every game (except Tenn).
i think their defense is worse than what we have but they had Cam (I would actually argue their offense as a whole is just as bad but Cam can make up for alot there).
we are a young team still finding our way. if we keep clawing and improving, we will start to win some games.
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Shurmur- Idk why everyone is so concerned we passed it 52 times against the ravens. It's the ravens!!!! They overloaded against the run and dared us to beat them with Weeden. If Weeds continues to throw that many every game, then there will something to complain about. But for now please stop whining over 52 attempts. I dont like how he doesnt have our best player in the game the final drive. IDC if Ogbonnaya is our 3rd down back, you need to have your best offensive weapon in the game when you go for the game winning drive!!!!
I'm not concerned either and Weeds is no stranger to throwing a ton of passes in a game.
This is the WCO.
Until we have a real passing threat teams will continue to load up on the run and force us to try and beat them with the pass ... that's elementary.
You need to be able to pass the ball in this League. Whats been so troubling/frustrating, with our lack of production is that these guys are getting open for the most part, but can't catch a cold. 
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Shurmur- Idk why everyone is so concerned we passed it 52 times against the ravens. It's the ravens!!!! They overloaded against the run and dared us to beat them with Weeden. If Weeds continues to throw that many every game, then there will something to complain about. But for now please stop whining over 52 attempts. I dont like how he doesnt have our best player in the game the final drive. IDC if Ogbonnaya is our 3rd down back, you need to have your best offensive weapon in the game when you go for the game winning drive!!!!
I'm not concerned either and Weeds is no stranger to throwing a ton of passes in a game.
This is the WCO.
Until we have a real passing threat teams will continue to load up on the run and force us to try and beat them with the pass ... that's elementary.
You need to be able to pass the ball in this League. Whats been so troubling/frustrating, with our lack of production is that these guys are getting open for the most part, but can't catch a cold.
To add to that, I'd rather Weeden throw the ball a lot this year. The sole purpose of exellerating his progression. The more he sees, the more he learns. Hopefully. In the end we aren't a playoff team this year anyway. Save T-Rich the pounding this year.
Now saying that, next year, with Weeden in his second year, hopefully well seasoned, the play selection needs to readjust. T-Rich will be a year further out from his knee and won't have carried the load all of 2012. We could/should be a better balanced team. Hopefully leading to a more potent offense.
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Shurmur- Idk why everyone is so concerned we passed it 52 times against the ravens. It's the ravens!!!! They overloaded against the run and dared us to beat them with Weeden. If Weeds continues to throw that many every game, then there will something to complain about. But for now please stop whining over 52 attempts. I dont like how he doesnt have our best player in the game the final drive. IDC if Ogbonnaya is our 3rd down back, you need to have your best offensive weapon in the game when you go for the game winning drive!!!!
I'm not concerned either and Weeds is no stranger to throwing a ton of passes in a game.
This is the WCO.
Until we have a real passing threat teams will continue to load up on the run and force us to try and beat them with the pass ... that's elementary.
You need to be able to pass the ball in this League. Whats been so troubling/frustrating, with our lack of production is that these guys are getting open for the most part, but can't catch a cold.
To add to that, I'd rather Weeden throw the ball a lot this year. The sole purpose of exellerating his progression. The more he sees, the more he learns. Hopefully. In the end we aren't a playoff team this year anyway. Save T-Rich the pounding this year.
Now saying that, next year, with Weeden in his second year, hopefully well seasoned, the play selection needs to readjust. T-Rich will be a year further out from his knee and won't have carried the load all of 2012. We could/should be a better balanced team. Hopefully leading to a more potent offense.
I think that's a great point and I agree ... the passing game is where Weeden needs the work and that equals experience.
I'm not worried so much about our running game at this point, because I know that if we fix the passing game, then that will open up the running game. We have only just scratched the surface with what we have seen Trent Richardson do so far.
I think that you need to be able to do both, passing and running the ball in this League.
I'm just as anxious as the rest of you are to watch Trent go into beast mode, but until which time we can posse enough of a threat in the passing game, that might be more of a fantasy than a reality.
Trent Richardson is Brandon Weeden's best Ally and visa versa.
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Trent Richardson is Brandon Weeden's best Allie and visa versa.
I believe you are looking for the word "ally," unless TR's middle name is Allison. 
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Trent Richardson is Brandon Weeden's best Allie and visa versa.
I believe you are looking for the word "ally," unless TR's middle name is Allison.
Okay so what do you want the star or the cookie 
Cookie? You passing out cookies? I'll take a cookie.
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Cookie? You passing out cookies? I'll take a cookie.
Peanut butter chocolate chip ... I call it the Reeses
I had a chance to go back and watch some more of the games.
Robertson and Winn really have shown up in the games to date, moreso than my first impression.
I really like Rubin, he is a very solid player as well.
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Robertson and Winn really have shown up in the games to date, moreso than my first impression.
Robertson played a great game against the Ravens, I can see him as our #2. I can also see this as being a good reason for moving Brown to safety.
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I can also see this as being a good reason for moving Brown to safety.
???
Does Brown play OLB, currently?
Sheldon Brown, CB, slow of foot, good tackler?
No no no he wants to move Robertson to corner, silly
I totally read that as Patterson.
Too early in the morning for this $#!%
Man, between that and Wheeden we're going to need to set up a filter for your posts before you submit.
lol, I need a new brain, this one's getting old.
I got a lot of thoughts on this...itll prolly come out pretty randomly.
Positives:
- Weeden has been terrific. He started out awfully, but he has improved with each game and has looked pretty good as recently as last week. There are things that he has done that no quarterback in Cleveland has done in years. He's looked a lot like Derek Anderson when Derek was successful. He's got things to work on obviously, but he's improved to the point where he looks like a competent quarterback, and looks like he would be good on most teams.
- TRich. The man is a beast period. He has played well in all but that first game. As soon as he adjusts to our zone blocking scheme, and the NFL speed, and everything, hes going to be so much more than hes been already to this point. Just give the man time.
- Chris Ogbonnaya...our 3rd down back has shown up, and hes the opposite of the man we thought it would be. He's really shown that the decision to keep him on the roster was a good one. He's also raised other questions about choices on who they decided to keep...but I'll get to that in the negatives.
- Cameron (when hes had the chances). He's looked good catching passes the last two weeks, and I really hope he becomes a much bigger part in the offense. He has a lot of talent catching passes.
- Alex Smith...when he's been healthy, he has been a beast. These two being solid will eliminate the need for Ben Watson beyond this year. Its too bad that we didnt keep Gronk on the roster to really solidify this TE spot for years after we move on from Watson.
- Usama since his return. I actually think he's played pretty well in his limited time, and will continue to improve with more time. He's still raw at the FS position, but he has been pretty decent, and will get better under Jauron.
- Schwartz...He's been very good for a rookie. When they called him a plug and play they were right. He struggled against Mario Williams at times and struggled against the wide nine and Jason Babin...he's been good the rest of the time. With more time, he'll get better.
- Benjamin...He's shown he can stretch the field. He's shown he can hold on to the ball, and hes dynamic with it in his hands.
- Cribbs - He's our best playmaker not named Richardson. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands and is our most reliable set of hands. He catches everything, and i get a feel that when he is able to play again, he will see more snaps on offense, and Little will see fewer.
- Skrine...He's very good, and this experience sans Haden will be very beneficial. I want him to be the starter when we replace Sheldon.
- Healthy Sheldon. While hes a little slower than in the past, he has still played well. He's often in the right position although the Baltimore game was a bit of a struggle...IDK why they didnt go Patterson against Smith and Brown on Boldin all the time.
- our LBs...Robertson, DQ, and Fort have been very good. Carder has long term potential and JMJ will be very good upon his return.
- DL...all of it. Everybody has played well. Rucker, Parker, Winn, Hughes, Sheard (as the season progressed, he's played better), Kitchen, and Stephens have all been successful in their snaps. When Taylor returns we'll be even better.
- OL pass protection. Weeden has been kept pretty clean.
- Shurmur (not in the Buffalo game)...he's called a pretty solid set of games of late. He's had good game plans to keep a young team with a relatively limited amount of talent. I think he's progressing along with the team.
Negatives:
- OL Run blocking. They havent open many holes to this point.
- Joe Thomas so far...yea he is fighting injury (we hope) but he has had a down year so far.
- interior OL...Pinkston, Mack, and Lauvao have struggled. Not much of another way to put it. They havent played well.
- Hardesty/BJax. BJax actually looked good at the end of the preseason, but has been inactive alot. Hardesty has been a ghost on the roster. Not sure why he's even active on gameday. Ogbonnaya is better anyway. Id feel better about TRich, Ogbonnaya, and BJax than having Hardesty active.
- Fujita, Hagg, Little, Gordon, Patterson, MoMass, Norwood (couple drops, only active once). They have all underachieved big time.
- The results. 0-4 hurts, but its a different 0-4 this year. It reminds me of the 1-15 Dolphins. they were so close so many times, and just couldnt get it over...then they went 11-5 the following year. It's kinda like the Bills too under Gailey that first year. Started 0-8 and then it started to click and they won 6 of 8, but we seem to be flashing and clicking quicker. If we can put one full game together we'll be dangerous.
- The first quarter...we've scored 32 (26 last year) first quarter points under Shurmer, and have given up 103 (82 last year)...82-26 last year, and 21-6 this year. Something needs to change going forward. If we get off to better starts we'll be a better team. We have not been good at the beginning of games.
- We've also struggled to put games away when we do have the lead, giving up 5 4th quarter leads in Shurmur's tenure. We gave up 4 last year and 1 this year...5 total in 20 games...hold on to those, and he's .500 overall with a bad team. 5 lost 4th quarter leads after being outscored 103-32 in the first quarter...We have done well in the middle of games, but awful the rest of the way. If we can improve early, and in finishing...we'll be a lot better later.
Theres a lot of positive, but plenty of room to improve. Thats what I think.
Going forward...if we can play the Giants tough, maybe sneak out a win. the rest of the schedule softens. Lots of winnable games. We could easily win 8 of our last 11.
If we keep improving...things will go much better soon.
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We could easily win 8 of our last 11.
I want some of that Kool-Aid.
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We could easily win 8 of our last 11.
I want some of that Kool-Aid.
I think it's something a tad more potent then kool-aid.
Exactly what went through my mind ... much more than just Kool-Aid
I can actually still see us winning 6 games this year.
We will be much, much better on defense when we get Haden back. I expect the offense to get better and better as the year goes by.
WOW! Six whole games?!?!?
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WOW! Six whole games?!?!?
that means we go 6-6 from this point forward.
If we pull off six wins, I would be dancing in the aisle. I wasn't sure what the season would be like, but at this point, I see the youth struggling and hurting the chances to pull out close games.
I will be surprised if we win 3 to be honest.
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- Cribbs - He's our best playmaker not named Richardson. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands and is our most reliable set of hands. He catches everything, and i get a feel that when he is able to play again, he will see more snaps on offense, and Little will see fewer.
- Skrine...He's very good, and this experience sans Haden will be very beneficial. I want him to be the starter when we replace Sheldon.
This is interesting to me.
A friend and I were debating the play of Skrine. He is convinced that Skrine is simply too small to be a #2 CB.
I say he is a 2nd year 5th Rd pick who has shown very good cover/re-cover skills. He is always "riiiiiiiiight there" on a pass play...but a split second late. Will he ever get that little extra that gets him to "right there"?
I think he will. He's going to get stronger with time...and I think better with experience.
At a minimum, I think we will have a good backup #2 and a very, very good slot guy with Skrine.
I made a comment about Cribbs being "done" - or nearly "done" - a few weeks ago.
I think we should stop using him on punt returns and consider using him more at WR. I agree with you that he has been reliable as a WR...not something we can say about many WRs on this team.
As a matter of fact, I'd look to replace him as a KR too...if we see the need to play him more at WR.
My goodness...we really need a reliable WR.
I think Skrine's scrappiness and strength are a plus for him. He's stronger than he seems. If you watch the plays that Boldin outsrengthed any of our guys it was Patterson.
If you think that Skrine is too small to be a good starting corner look no further than Brandon Flowers who is also 5'9 and weighs 187...2 more than skrine. There are examples of CBs that play well that are small. They always have scrap, good ability to play the ball, and are strong. I think Skrine has that, he just needs a little more experience, as (like you said) he is always a small tiny fraction of an inch away from making the play.
I like Buster and think he not only can survive but can thrive.
Nothing for nothing..but I don't know if this plays into anything,but didn't Skrine go to UT Chattanoga?
Sometimes if you draft a player from a college that isn't known for playing a powerhouse schedule,it makes you consider the calibur of players he went up against.
Could have Skrine started at LSU....heck no,not with Peterson and Claiborne ahead of him.
was he coached up at UTC?
Its not like he was playing the likes of LSU,Bama and Florida every week.
Skrine too me just looks overmatched all of the time.
He's feisty. He gives it his all.
But he can't read a QB like Charles Tillman or Carlos Rogers can.
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Nothing for nothing..but I don't know if this plays into anything,but didn't Skrine go to UT Chattanoga?
Yes and in his senior season they played at Auburn where they lost in the final minute, 62-24.... they also played App State and they held Brian Quick to just 5 catches for 121 yards... so that can't be it.
or is that just a matter of adjusting to the speed of the game? As he does that...if he has the talent, it will show up
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where they lost in the final minute, 62-24....
I don't "holding" a WR to 23 ypc is saying alot.
Skrine might turn out fine.
But its not like he went up against NFL starting calibur WR each week
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I don't "holding" a WR to 23 ypc is saying alot.
Skrine might turn out fine.
But its not like he went up against NFL starting calibur WR each week
Should have used purple.
I will be surprised if we win 3 to be honest.
that's been my line since before preseason
Look at our schedule though.
Cincy, SD, Baltimore, Pit, KC, and Washington at home
Giants, Colts, Cowboys, Raiders, Broncos, Steelers on the road...
any game at home is winnable. Cincy we were in it last time save for two awful plays (hawkins and pacman), SD will be coming cross country after the bye (They're 3-2 coming off the bye under Turner (wins against Hou in 07, KC in 08, and Denver in 10, losses to Broncos in 09 and Jets in 11)). Baltimore at home the week before our bye. Dallas coming off the bye, Colts, Raiders, KC, and Washington are all bad teams.
Denver and Pit on the road to end the season is the toughest remaining stretch...though if we've put some wins together, things could be easier at that point. If confidence is high, we could really make a run. Denver late in the season, Manning may wear down some, and Pit is usually banged up by that point.
Its conceivable, that SD, Baltimore, and Denver are our only losses left on the schedule.