I started the original thread cause i saw all of my fellow dawgs afraid to aknowledge the fact we FINALLY had some talent here and this was DIFFERENT ... part of the reason most were afraid to aknowledge it was from years of FALSE HOPE ... false hope i never had ... looking at this roster was wierd for me in that it didnt make me wanna CRINGE ... *L* .... i decided to share that cause i’ve Been known as a pessimist around these parts and i wanted to share why with my fellow dawgs in the hopes some of them wouldn’t be quite as skeptical towards the season ...
Well ... the optimism is off the charts and i had NO CLUE the optimism would be this high nor was i really right as to why ... *L* ... THRILLED TO BE WRONG .... couldn’t be happier about it ...
Bake, Randall, Ward, Chubb, Avery and even Perriman as newcomers that I HAD NO CLUE how good they’d be .. WOW ... didn’t see Obi’s leap coming ... oh ... i forgot Mitchell ... and i’m Really really excited to see Willies and Harrison next year ... I think Harrison has a shot to be pretty darn good with an off season of learning and working on his technique and getting stronger ...
The reasonS for the OPTIMISM are real .... add MG, Vice Grips, the interior of the OL the potential of Callaway the improvement and renewed hope Peppers may be a decent player when its all said and done ..
What a year DAWGS ... WOOOOOHOOOOOOO .... has this been FUN OR What ...
I’ve CHERISHED every moment ... the heartbreak was REAL this year and I LOVED IT ... it SUCKED but it was sure was GREAT TO BE ALIVE AGAIN ...
HOPE had been absent from our football Sundays for pert near 20 years ... with the last 3 somehow GETTING WORSE each year ... when u start with 3 wins that downward spiral seems IMPOSSIBLE ... if we proved anything over the last 20 years it was that NOTHING WAS IMPOSSIBLE ... literally nothing ... *L* ...
Then the JETS game happenend ... i felt REAL ALIVE that night ... BEST NIGHT since the return ... not even close .... my favorite play of the last 20 years ...
BAKE TO VICE GRIPS down the seem to the 2 yard line ... WHAT A THROW .... WHAT A CATCH ...
Since then ... things have just gotten brighter ...
- bye bye dysfunction, hello fresh air ... - bye bye roid winless streak - bye bye to no back to back wins streak - BYE BYE TO MANY THINGS I DONT WANNA THINK ABOUT ANYMORE ... living through them SUCKED ENOUGH ...
BYE BYE to all of it .... HELLO BAKE and WARD and CHUBB and my personal fave ... VICE GRIPS ...
We have a ton of young talent and at key positions .. a potential franchise QB (he’s got a ways to go and a lot left to prove ... its promising but its not a done deal ... ) ... and a ton of cap space ...
All that adds up to the MOST LUCRATIVE HCing job in the last decade ... only one thing can muck it up ... there’s reason to believe he won’t .... real reasons i will divulge over the next week or so ... don’t mean he wont muck it up its just that the ENTIRE PROCESS leading up to every other HCing hire has been ass backwards ... not this time ...
I’d like to thank the crew on the Isle ... you’ve done a great job ... 3 weeks left and i am not expecting it to slow down one little bit ... we still have a few stragglers like Clem still a little gun shy at this point ... i suspect they’ll be out soon if there not all ready ...
Please share why u came out to the Isle ... its sure been a fun year so please share .... as
He did say the dysfunction was gone, replaced by fresh air.
I think that covers it.
Things are looking bright in many areas. The players are starting to feed off the energy. They are making plays they might not have made some weeks/years back because they don't want to let the other guys down.
I went to 6 games this year. We went 3-2-1 in those games. Over the 3 previous season I went to maybe20 games and saw 1 win.
There's a lot of pieces in place .... a lot of reason for optimism. . . but there isn't anything on the field more important or a bigger reason for success than BAKER. Period.
I do not worry because if the browns are in the hunt in the last game this board will be crazy. The last time we were this good was before the internet
- 3 weeks left in the regular season and were not eliminated from the playoffs ... i dont believe we have a realistic shot at them at this point but none the less ... were still in it ...
- were not in nor will we finish in last place ... IMO we have a good shot at 2nd ... there’s NO REASON we can’t win out and the rats have us and one other real tough game ...
- next year theres no reason we cant win the division ... NONE ...
- u guys are right .... BAKE ... its a QB driven league today and it looks like we just may have a keeper ...
14 for 14 in the red zone ... that’s incredeible ... thats EVERYONE from the coaching staff to the players doing their jobs .... many people deserve praise for this ...
1 sack in the last what ... 4 games ... are u kidding me ... now were all of a sudden doing things that have never been done before in a POSITIVE WAY .... once again kudos to many many people ...
Fred for giving our brutal tackles (there a way bigger need than a WR guys ... right now our TE’s have there hands cuffed cause they gotta chip if not just stay in and become a safety valve on pass plays ... ) ... Fred for playcalling ... Bake for having an incredibly innate feel in the pocket ... he feels the pressure and finds his escape routes very quickly and sometimes he even keeps his eyes downfield while he “glides” through the escape route ... so so many places to heap the praise here ..
The LIST IS ENDLESS ... help me out here dawgs ... lets just HAVE SOME FUN and ENJOY WHATS HAPPENING in this thread ...
Guys I am really excited about to see progress with now.,
1. Genard Avery - this guy just looks like an old school football player. He reminds me (build wise) of James Harrison. Not saying he is going to be JH, but just looks the part physically. A few friends in Memphis told me we were going to be very happy with him, has a good work ethic etc. Very excited to see him progress.
2. Harrison - I think the few games we saw him play we saw some flash, but no way should he have been starting this early. I still cant fathom that move. But hey, live and learn. Robinson has filled in nicely, but I cant wait to see Harrison coached up a bit, with some more strength.
3. Perriman - Pleasantly surprised at him. He has caught EVERYTHING when his biggest knock was dropsies. Give him an offseason with Mayfield and the offense, the sky is the limit for this guy to get back on track with his career. I think he knows this is his last shot at a BIG PAYDAY - so we have that going for us. Hes going to do whatever he can to prove he deserves another check and a nice bonus.
4. Willies - Man this injury hurt. You saw in preseason him and bake developing some chemistry, then that big play and WHAM out for the year. Cant wait to see him with another offseason and more time to gel with Bake.
5. The offseason - I cannot wait to see the pieces and talent that John adds to this team via FA and the draft. I said before in a thread awhile ago when guys were saying we should trade some picks to bring in X or Y player around the trade deadline. Picks to this team are SO MUCH more valuable right now to us, simply because John is making them. We know he can find talent in ANY ROUND at ANY POSITION. We know he is not afraid to wheel and deal players for guys he thinks can help us right now, but are young enough that we can still get more out of them.
Lets think about this for a minute as a whole. We can all discuss why or how we went 1-31 and 0-16. WE have at over and over. I don't want to go down that road on your thread. But the fact is we were 0 for freaking 16 last year, and its December 13th, and we are playing a meaningful football game Saturday night. HOW INSANE IS THAT?!
We are literally 2 years AHEAD of where I thought we would be. There is no reason that we should not Challenge for the division NEXT YEAR.
IMO, we get a big/strong/fast #1 WR ... get a versatile LB and NT
Here is what I am excited about.
We might already have them
Avery is developing and should show major increase next year. Vellejo has actually been a surprise to me, he seems to be all over the screen when he is in the game. And lets not forget Chad Thomas is in development. He has ALL THE physical tools I think just needs the development. If he pans out - man watch out! We have Perriman who is looking like after an offseason may just be that #1 guy, but I would like to add another to challenge him either in draft or FA.
I would also add another DB, I like Mitchell, but Carrie scares me out there, hes a liability of a penalty waiting to happen.
One of the most overlooked aspects of Baker being a good player and Baker being Baker is that I get the impression from player interviews and press conferences that practices are ultra competitive. I would argue even at this point Baker is a top half QB in the NFL. For the defense to practice against that everyday really prepares them for game day. Can you imagine a defense practicing against Cody Kessler all week? When the actual game comes around, they must of felt woefully underprepared. The Browns are actually winning games during the week.
In the spirit of the thread, this is a huge reason to be optimistic and is an ingredient that the team hasn't had in a long time. Apparently the O and D get after it in practice pretty aggressively with a ton of trash talk too. And Baker is right in the middle if it all.
I like to think of it as Baker, the Player.
Two things have to happen to continue the upward progression. One, got to get the head coach right. Two, the players cannot rest on their laurels. They will be the hunted instead of the hunter next year. How will they respond?
Can you imagine a defense practicing against Cody Kessler all week? When the actual game comes around, they must of felt woefully underprepared. The Browns are actually winning games during the week.
That's a good point. Competition breeds. Meaning that the more competitive someone is, the more that person pushes someone else to be just if not more competitive. We haven't had that here in a looonnnngggg time.
Guys were just going throw the motions - easy practices, extra days offs, etc. Players were not leading by example.
THAT is the change of culture we have been talking about for years.
That is what Dorsey meant when he said "we gotta get some football players in here." He wasn't just talking about skilled guys, he was talking about guys that want to play and compete with fire.
I'd rather have Baker as my QB than the QBs of these teams....without question:
Baltimore Cincinnati Pittsburgh - due to age
New England - due to age Miami Buffalo NYJ
Jacksonville Houston Indianapolis Tennessee
San Diego Oakland Denver
Detroit Chicago Minnesota
Dallas Philly Washington NYG
Tampa Bay Carolina Atlanta
Seattle San Fran Arizona
That leaves these guys:
Brees - He's great...but he's 39.
Rodgers - He's great...but he's 35.
Goff - I really like Goff. I don't sense that he's the type of leader that BM is and we need a leader like BM.
Mahommes - I really like Mahommes. But I don't think he's the QB that BM will be. To my eye, he seems to excel in chaos when things breakdown and he has so much talent to throw to. I don't see the pocket presence that I see with BM. These two guys are going to fight it out for the AFC title very soon.
I know I'm biased...but I don't see a QB in the league who is the right age that I'd rather have over BM.
Young are developing and vets are coming here and improving. Dorsey has been fantastic but someone is developing these kids. Its no coincidence all the TE's and WRs starting catching the ball when coaching staff changes occurred. The OL didn't just wake up today and go now we start blocking.
I was willing to give Hue and company a shot but I didn't have any optimism towards the team with Hue and Haley. I don't think the players did either.
These guys are buying in and I have not been this excited since 2001. Baker is that competitive energy driven guy on offense and Greg Williams is competitive energy driven guy pushing the defense. Myles is the calm leader on defense and Freddie is on offense.
Football is about chemistry and this mix isn't new chocolate coke its Michelob amber Bach. I don't think we are in that top tier team but we are average to possibly slightly above average nd if Dorsey can do it again with another strong offseason we are gonna win more than 10.
I see the coaches on the sidelines and they don't have that befuddled look. These are football guys and Baker is the QB we have been looking for. He is brash, cocky but he is also deadly accurate and poised and he has some dawg in him. He wants a fight. He fits well with the HC and OC.
I’d like to thank the crew on the Isle ... you’ve done a great job ... 3 weeks left and i am not expecting it to slow down one little bit ... we still have a few stragglers like Clem still a little gun shy at this point ... i suspect they’ll be out soon if there not all ready ...
It's been an honor to serve on your isle, Mayor Diam.
idk what your talking about, there is not a better qb in the league right than mahommes. Sorry I love bake, but gimme me mahommes if it came down to the two and my life was on the line.
Mahommes makes throws that no other qb can make. I have watched him stare at a te and throw to a wr in the redzone without even looking at the wr. I am talking about looking at read 1 then changing and looking at 2, he will literally throw a no look pass to the guy.
Are they that talented, or is Mahommes inflating their talent? You give recievers extra time to get open, they will get open. Sammy Watkins has been considered a bust until he got with mahommes.
I am happy we got a good one, and it seems to be one of the better ones. But Mahommes is on another planet right now compared to the rest of the league.
I am always slow to place the franchise tag on young QBs. Heck look at Wentz......decent as a rookie, monster his second year, and then this year looks horrible. Probably just the injury he is coming back from, but considering this is his second straight year of season ending injuries that isn't a good look either.
Having said that Baker is better than Wentz was as a rookie in almost every traditional and advanced stat there is, and he has no injury history. There really are only a select few QBs I would trade him for right now considering he SHOULD only get better.
With the league being so QB driven nowadays, and having a really good QB most likely moving forward it really is hard not to be on the optimistic side of things.
PS........also cool to watch football games that mean something in December!!!
Rivers is old......no way I'm trading Mayfield for Rivers. I probably would Wilson though....he'd be on the shortlist I mentioned. Baker may very well surpass him, but Russ is a sure thing, and although the projector is good for Baker he still doesn't have history in this league of being consistently great (see my Wentz argument).
I would trade Baker for.......
Mahomes (he's special)
Wilson
Luck.....maybe (great when he is healthy but health is a concern)
Goff......had the rough rookie year but has been incredible since then (minus last week lol)
There are many QBs such as Brady, Brees, Rodgers, etc that are better than he is today, but when you take in the age of those guys and the really amazing rookie year Baker is having I wouldn't trade him for any other QB other than those mentioned.
He has a chance to be incredibly special.
The kicker for the Browns is Baker isn't the only reason for optimism. We have a GREAT young core, and a ton of cap room and picks to continue to build. Luck for instance hasn't consistently had the supporting cast to be as good as he can be (and healthy) over the years. Dorsey has the tools to really set this team up to be a perennial playoff team moving forward.
I will be honest, I would not trade Baker for any QB in the league. We needed that kind of personality to lift the Browns out of the sea of despair. He is young. He may be the most accurate passer in the league. He has mobility and pocket awareness. He has the big arm to throw in bad weather. He makes those around him better but most importantly, the team believes in him. He is looking for a fight every week.
Remember while some QBs were saying they did not want to be drafted by the Browns, he was all in on the Browns. He was selling himself to the coaches, gm and fanbase before the draft. He was the right choice and he could be the face of a dynasty.
Great read! I get all fired up for the next game when you carry on like this! LOLetc.
Part is what we got in here; part is Dorsey's hand in this; another part is what thrown out of here. Some planning and adjustments are here. I used to scoff at it, "They battled." No more. This group has and this group does. Mathematically alive, and every game will matter. I have wanted that, not just to be 'spoilers, not just for AFC participation trophies.
I feel like I care again. Need to book some more cabana time on the Isle. Go, Browns!
I would look at maybe giving Cribbs a shot as ST coordinator.
Interesting thought, but I don't know that he's shown he's capable of being more than an assistant to a poor ST coach. That's to say, we don't know anything about how well he's doing his job currently.
We know that he was a heck of a returner, but that doesn't mean a whole lot as a coach. Can he teach? Can he direct? Can he motivate? Can he scheme?
My perception is that both Haley and Hue were too arrogant in "their" way. As soon as a no name guy comes in and asks the players "Hey, what SHOULD we be doing". Almost instant success. My feeling is that Hue and Haley were trying to FORCE their offenses on players that may have not fir that scheme.
I just pray we bring in a coach who understands how to scheme the players he has, not scheme his scheme players be damned.
My perception is that both Haley and Hue were too arrogant in "their" way. As soon as a no name guy comes in and asks the players "Hey, what SHOULD we be doing". Almost instant success. My feeling is that Hue and Haley were trying to FORCE their offenses on players that may have not fir that scheme.
I just pray we bring in a coach who understands how to scheme the players he has, not scheme his scheme players be damned.
Yes!! Hue even admitted he couldn't coach and that he needs players to fit his scheme...
These guys really enjoy each other and are hungry as heck .... thats HUGE ... u dont need to get along to be great ... but if u truely enjoy each other and have fun .... OH BABY .... now were talking ...
And they seem hungry .... there young they have no clue .. they just wanna win and make plays ...
One of the most overlooked aspects of Baker being a good player and Baker being Baker is that I get the impression from player interviews and press conferences that practices are ultra competitive. I would argue even at this point Baker is a top half QB in the NFL. For the defense to practice against that everyday really prepares them for game day. Can you imagine a defense practicing against Cody Kessler all week? When the actual game comes around, they must of felt woefully underprepared. The Browns are actually winning games during the week.
In the spirit of the thread, this is a huge reason to be optimistic and is an ingredient that the team hasn't had in a long time. Apparently the O and D get after it in practice pretty aggressively with a ton of trash talk too. And Baker is right in the middle if it all.
I like to think of it as Baker, the Player.
Two things have to happen to continue the upward progression. One, got to get the head coach right. Two, the players cannot rest on their laurels. They will be the hunted instead of the hunter next year. How will they respond?
I would remind you that our defense doesn't practice against the ones for the most part, same for the offense. Taxis quad.
Reason for optimism: The Browns are actually winning. 4 wins in 5 games. That's an excellent turnaround from where the team was at midseason.
Dorsey has added a lot of good players.
Say what you want about Gregg Williams, but that guy can coach.
Mayfield has been excellent. He's young, he's on the first year of a rookie deal, which will allow the Browns to surround him with more talent than they'd be able to do if he was one of the QBs pushing $30mil/year. He's a natural leader too, and makes other players better.
I would say most at this level can coach. But it's refreshing to have a coach who actually just coaches for a change. Let the GM do his job. Let the coaches do their job.
I am a long time resident, and employee, of the isle. Once I jumped on the ship for the ride over ... zero second thoughts.
As I was watching the game last night, I thought about the particulars of how different it is this year.
This year, on 3rd and 10, 3rd and 12, I feel as though we have a legitimate shot at picking up the 1st, and not just by penalty. Last year? LOL. Third and four, and I knew one these things were going to happen: - Incomplete pass, thrown two yards before the 1st down marker - WR screen caught 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and not blockers, hoping the WR can get past 6 defenders - false start, so 3rd and 9 - holding, so 3rd and 14 - and, of course, if it was in the red zone - interception
This team is restoring my trust, and faith. And that is not easy.
Last night, that was the kind of game we would lose before this year. The (IMO) stupid choice to not kick the FG and go up by 4. Before this year, that bites us in the brownies. This year, the D sacked up and did the job. Bailed us out of a bad decision, and not let the bad decision dictate the outcome of the game.
For those of you not yet here, come to the isle. Lord and mayor Diam will welcome you all. When you step off the ferry, come to the west shore of the isle. The Tiki bar is here 24-7 (or 31, for the fans of Two and a Half Men).
One of the most overlooked aspects of Baker being a good player and Baker being Baker is that I get the impression from player interviews and press conferences that practices are ultra competitive. I would argue even at this point Baker is a top half QB in the NFL. For the defense to practice against that everyday really prepares them for game day. Can you imagine a defense practicing against Cody Kessler all week? When the actual game comes around, they must of felt woefully underprepared. The Browns are actually winning games during the week.
In the spirit of the thread, this is a huge reason to be optimistic and is an ingredient that the team hasn't had in a long time. Apparently the O and D get after it in practice pretty aggressively with a ton of trash talk too. And Baker is right in the middle if it all.
I like to think of it as Baker, the Player.
Two things have to happen to continue the upward progression. One, got to get the head coach right. Two, the players cannot rest on their laurels. They will be the hunted instead of the hunter next year. How will they respond?
I would remind you that our defense doesn't practice against the ones for the most part, same for the offense. Taxis quad.
Since Williams has taken over there are multiple times in practice where the ones go against each other.
Yeah, I don't remember the Steelers turning down home field in the playoffs last year because 2 of their wins came against us.
You have to play, and beat, the teams you play. Someone once said you have to beat the bad teams, ad split with the good ones.
We've gone from losing to everyone to beating mid to lower tier teams. That's a huge step forward, and I think the next huge step comes next year as we add still more talent to this team.
At the time we played them we the Panthers were considered a good team and in the playoff hunt.
We faced Denver who was 3-3 at home and fighting for their lives whose last Home game defeated the Steelers. I thought that was a good win for us as far as competition goes and I think that was what you were talking about.
So we lost to the Chiefs in the FIRST GAME of this staff.
And a close one with the Texans.
When we played the Bengals they were near or On top of the Division.
I think our competition has been pretty good. We have one more and thats away against the Ravens who are tough to beat at home. We will see.
So I got that umbrella for the rain on our Parade...lol
Diam, this is a characteristic of a Baker led team. Remember even Hue who I don't think was in love with the pick as he led on but he kept on saying how he controlled the locker room with his presence - just by walking in the room.
This is a kid that makes his teammates love him and would go through brick walls for. He is very infectious and I think this staff has backed him in a way to let it happen faster. I want Continuity and finally we got something to be Continuity ABOUT!!!
Baker is going to do special things for us! He missed a throw that could have won the game yes. But he even mentioned it in his presser and was all broke up about it. A sign of a winner, nobody is perfect but he recognizes his mistakes and it's fairly doubtful he screws up again in a game changing situation like that again.
Keep GW and Kitchens, we're about to turn this thing around. I'm ready to start traveling to games again. Attended 3 this year for the first time since 2011. So I'm back baby!
