I liked what I saw, not talking about the win talking about how we played.

Defense gave up a lot on the Runs but outside of the 39 yarder kept the big runs to single digits. Pass defense looked good.

I did not like two Penalties of taunting early on.
Ward's cost us the 3 points.
Landry was a HUH come on you are the leader. Although in fairness to him. Giants were doing a lot of talking to him in that exchange thought that was bogus that both were not flagged.

Though Garrett timed that rush perfect but maybe his helmet was over the line at the snap.

Did Duke play, I didn't see him at all.

Ummm ok I hope this is a ploy as we ran up the middle like FOREVER! Chubb got tired of one yard runs and did rookie mistake of trying to bounce outside. NFL is too fast for that.

Teams look to be still stacking the run and saying TT beat us? they are in for a rude awakening. Is Landry good or what, imagine him with Mayfield. Higgins is getting confidence also.

Calloway I did not like but he started to grow on me and then...BAM so that is what a slant is suppose to look like as in an accurate throw. Over the years even with Brian Hoyer WRs would have to stop or reach back or something. This baby was laid out perfectly and poof gone. I'd like to see Gordon lick his chops as well. But I'll take Landry, Higgins, Calloway, Duke and NJOKU...who will be a TD machine this year.

Great throw by Mayfield as he made time in the pocket sliding and throwing a pass where only Njoku could catch....TD

TT also had a nice long one to Njoku as well as he was one on one with a LB...What a miss match the kid is! Good throw TT.

Mayfield has that 6th sense on when to take off, looking up all the time to throw but when hes sees the first poof that slow short guy gets the job done. More than once it ain't no coincidence. He eats, breathes and drinks Football! We got our Franchise QB guys.

Was a little disappointed in Chubb but he has to get use to the NFL holes and recognize them. Also our OL was not good at all but I "HOPE" we are saving the creative runs for the real games.

I liked the kid Hilliard he actually is small but looked to be the best RB out there.

Mayfield gets rid of that ball quickly and has an excellent arm.

Our defense I thought looked good especially the passing game.

I liked the kid Vogel...he hit a couple of 60 yarders and he had the ball HIGH so that coverage was down there.

I thought our ST was good nice to have a real ST coach this year. Hope he has balls enough to make the move to Vogel if he continues

Garret on punt coverage...I know many will poo, poo this but the SB teams actually do this!

Did I say Landry was Awesome...I think he will have well over 100 catches again. Higgins looks very similar hope he is copying Landry cause it shows.

Didn't see Janis out there, WR. Board and Scott will not be on the team.

Our DEs played well. Was a little disappointed in Meder as he looked to be there for a couple of stops and was too involved with his blocker rather than the RB.

Liked our speed as a team. Ward came up fast and made some nice tackles. Safeties didn't really notice them much but even though we blitzed a lot I think we kept it as mellow as Williams can get...lol

Well I think a good showing can care less if we win or lose these games as long as we show good game with our ONES n TWOS if the guys who won't be playing football come September, lose it...who cares.

Hopefully those who got penalties will do something on Tuesday to pay for them. Its got to stop oh and Drango looked horrible at RG. Didn't see Robinson out there. Or didn't notice anyone at LT which I think is a GOOD THING. Coleman at RT, been there done that. The kid should be playing RG...can't wait for Zietler to be back!

Our Interior OL a strength was simply NOT...as Zietler and Bitonio were not there. Corbett will get better and Drango looked ugghh bad if you ask me. Love the kid but bad is bad.

Did Devalve play, can't remember him out there.

We did slide TE to the LT to help with over load...lets just say NJOKU won't be doing that for long...better he just let the guy in and slide out for a quick pass in the blitzers ope area.

Well not a bad day. I thought we looked better than at Hard Knocks good to hit other team not our own guys.

Was watching NY feed NBC not NFL Network. Giants announcers just didn't do us justice. Banks tried but he is not smooth.

I think Cajuste played WR for us today not TE as he is listed on the roster. Also he switched from 49 to 83.

Schobert flashed early on then didn't see him much. Love the new guy Kendricks I think he has Impact in him maybe one of the few sacks of the day. Orchard knocked down a couple of passes but he was on the LOS and had a poor rush. We penetrated a lot but Webb who sucked btw did get the ball off and didn't hold on...the Giants rookie looked impressive I thought...much better than Webb, but they are lost if they lose ELI.

jmho

Just a couple quick ones.

It's AMAZING how you can move the football when you're WRs actually CATCH. I'm talking Njoku, Higgins and Callaway. All 3 had excellent grabs.

Gordon? GET BACK HERE, SOON Bro!

Mayfield? I'm impressed. Excellent movement in the pocket. Poise. Stepping up. Didn't release too early. Man he looked comfortable.

Excellent toss to Callaway rolling out. Great catch.

Back shoulder to Higgins another great catch and a better throw.

Slant TD to Callaway. Laser. Perfect throw. If Mayfield intentionally threw that LOW, WOW. Perfect. Any higher woulda been knocked down. Impressive.

Dude completed some GREAT passes into TIGHT WINDOWS. Impressive for Game One.

Accurate QB? What's THAT. Lol.

Loved Njoku, great game

Loved Landry..

TT looked efficient

Mayfield???? Honestly why did we pick him first.... He didn't even looked like a better version of TT, very disappointing arm. Dink Donk Qb's running around, it's not my version of a good show. Liked to see him taking risks,but still #1????

I saw much better QB play, at least from a professional stand point ... both were poised, knew where to go with the ball, accurate, etc.

Chubb looked SLOW ... like really bad IMO (yes, the OL was awful too)

Higgins looks like a keeper to me; good for him to keep improving.

I've mentioned him a few times; I love McKinnon ... and Rod? Smith had some nice tackles

Ward's penalty was dumb as heck. First play of your career and you're gonna taunt? Not a good look.

When we started out giving up a 39 yard run Barkley and then the penalty on Ward to keep the drive alive, I thought I was watching the Browns of the last several years. But they seemed to get it together.

I also understand why Landry was upset on that catch. I am not sure what the Db was trying to do but they where clearly out of bounds and not sure why the ref did not flag that. It was definitely unnecessary.

Chubb was a bit disappointing. And I hoped to see some fireworks from Garrett but I understand it was the first preseason game.

Was pleased with Mayfield, Landry, Callaway (later in the game), Higgins, Njoku and with out a doubt Tyrod Taylor.

Orchard made an impact but does he not always seem to make an impact in preseason and then, during the regular season, kinda disappears?

All I saw was BM running around... how is it knowing where to go with the ball... he was improvising most of the time.

Regarding his accuracy, his ball to the outside on the right was just plain ugly, he was giving the chance for anyone to make a play, not just the WR....

Liked his poise, and that he was willing to take chances, but first pick level is so much more than what he showed, IMHO.

IMO he "ran around" a few times due to our sieve of an OL at the time. His pass to Callaway for the TD was very accurate and good ... he double clutched waiting for the window and it was pinpoint.

His throw to Njoku was very nice as well IMO.

The sideline pass to Callaway was a scramble (not by his choice) and right on the money.

He maneuvered in the pocket very well. Didn't seem to hold the ball too long ... went through his progressions (didn't just take one look then run).

Is he a Pro Bowler? Heck no. But to me, there were some very good signs (and this is coming from a skeptic of him myself)

Saw no arm talent, honestly, the Kid has poise but IMHO you have to be crazy to take him #1.

Most of the stuff he was doing, he will not be able to do it once real NFL starts.

Saw a very low ceiling and a high floor... but was that what we were looking for?

Liked what I saw in:

Landry
TT
Njoku X2 ( He might be poised for a breakout year, he is such a mismatch)
Mayfield
Higgins
Callaway
Pass Protection (for the most part)

Didn't like:

Run blocking
Chubbs' performance
Taunting calls (esp. by Landry-- if you want to lead, don't do crap like that)
Special Teams
Not seeing Joe Thomas on the field/sidelines

My thoughts...

Mayfield looked great. And I am not talking about his stats. I am talking about decision making, quickness of getting rid of the ball, his decision making on when to tuck and run while still looking downfield until the last minute, and going through his progressions. He looked like he was not overwhelmed, and was a in mid season form. (still want TT to play though )

I told my cousin at the end of last year, Njoku was going to be a all pro Te this year if we get a half way decent QB. I am encouraged by my statement after last night. I think he is going to keep defenders up late on Saturday nights worrying.

Callaway, man can we just keep this kid out of trouble??? The potential is there. A little rusty at first (he has played in over a year, let alone his first NFL game), but then BAM a light switch hit and he was just insane. Very impressed with him, now lets keep him on the field. I would have a "security" guard with him at all times for the remainder of the season.

Oline was a little disappointing to me. They did ok in pass pro, but I thought IMO they got manhandled in the run game - similar to last year.

Chubb - I was little disappointed in, but was it all on him or the oline for not getting any holes.

defense was vanilla, and its hard to eval during preseason. The 39 yarder of the bat was like - OH MAN, here we go! But they rallied and held up pretty well.

Myles, I a am a huge fan, but is it me or IS ALWAYS OFFSIDES?

No arm talent? Are you watching the same game? The TD to Njoku and Callaway were both BULLETS!

I say this with all due respect, I think you need to re-watch the game because you evaluation is completely off IMO

I was ok with it.

1. its preseason.
2. it was a really sick hit
3. we need a little "swagger" on this team. Jarvis' speech on Hard Knocks pointed that out. I was glad to see it. Now if it happens again during a real game, I will not be as ok with. But given the circumstances, and the way the team is being perceived outside of Cleveland, it was much needed.

Bro what game did you watch?

My nfl network said I was gonna get it ... had a business meeting last night til 10 ... got home .. the frickin jags game was recorded ... sons a beatches ... i gotta wait til saturday night to watch it .... I CAN’T WAIT!!!! I cant believe i just said that about a pre-season game ... there not my cup of tea ... *L* ...

It sounds like ...

- no one missed DeShaun ....
- taunting penalties aren’t good
- no one missed Kizer ....
- it sounds like we found out why they had no probs cutting CC ...
- Higgins made great strides from last year (wonder how much what sounds like competent QB play played into that)
- just curious ... did u or anyone else miss Kizer .... ....

I cant wait to watch it dawg ... 9/9 baby ... LETS GOOOOOOoooooooooo ....

I didn't miss Kizer before we got Mayfield lol

The offense just looked different, Mayfield had like a 12 play TD drive. I mean when was the last time we had a 12 play drive - where our D got some rest????

Things I liked;

Tyrod was solid. Sure, he took the 4 yd run on 3rd and 8 to start, but lived to fight another drive. Those are the sort of plays our QBs have thrown meltdown INTs in the past.

Higgins looks like he has figured it out. I don't want to say it is all Juice's influence...he seemed to be coming on a bit towards the end of last season. But Juice's professionalism seems to have boosted Higgins play...I mean that sh__ is contagious.

I saw more good tackling by our D, especially 1st and 2nd teams, than I've seen in years. Hope that keeps up, because making a team march methodically downfield without mistakes vs giving up 3-4 big plays on poor tackles is probably a 7 ppg difference, at least.


Things I was not happy with:

Obviously, Chubb and the running game were awful. Traditionally Giants' strength has been their Dline, but is it that good anymore? I doubt it. Hyde was only out there a bit, but so far, looks like a downgrade at RB from Crowell. Yuck.

Perhaps we don't have the great DEs we thought. They set the edge fairly well, from what I could tell, but made no impact plays (other than Garrett's offside, and he didn't even get the sack).

The more I watch Gregg Williams D, the more I wish there was a young coach who put a new twist on it. I don't mind the aggressiveness, all out blitzes and such, but it looks SO predictable. Player talent is going to have to overcome that predicatability in order to be a top tier D.

Lots of parts to be optimitic about. And of course, when there is adequate QB play, it rubs off on the other talent we added/already had.

Watch Njoku. He played very well. He'll be a mismatch everywhere.....exept blocking.

Dude you want to come in from left field? Wow

I saw a 1st round pick from last year who isn’t a starter in Jabrill Peppers…..HELLO Sashi Brown!

Some including myself were wondering who was going to get benched….the 1st round pick or the guy who actually played well last season in Kindred. The correct call was made IMO

Larry Ogunjobi looks like Geno Atkins at times, love the kids potential.

Austin Corbett a little in over his head right now.

The play calling….I mean seriously! Back shoulder throws, play action bang 8, WR screens…..this looks like an NFL offense….it is almost unrecognizable from the past two seasons.

The taunting I am going to chalk up as adrenaline for the first game…..but undisciplined play has been a hallmark of Hue Jackson coached teams.

I genuinely believe that Myles Garret was not offsides and the jump was just so good that the officials thought he had to have been offsides.

Last year I bemoaned Hue Jackson, his play calling, 1st and goal and we don’t even get Njoku on the field…..credit where it’s due they used him to great affect last night.

Turnovers…..it’s refreshing to see the QB’s protect the ball, last year was a nightmare.

It’s just a preseason game but even with that said, Baker threw into some very tight windows with pinpoint accuracy. His accuracy was not over hyped it’s legit.



Tim Couch, honestly, pretty good announcer, definitely the best of the bunch.

The announcer need to calm down with speaking Russell Wilsons name. The Giants aren’t a great team and it’s preseason. R-E-L-A-X

BM accuracy.... I honestly think we must be seeing 2 different QB's, yes he was accurate, the balls hangs for so long that it's hard not to miss it. He has to be accurate outside the numbers, that's where it really makes a difference, and from what I saw, I even doubt that he can make those throws.

50% completion isn't being that accurate in my book, specially for a west coast dink donk QB.

He was the 1st pick, we must have higher standards... I saw a QB with really low ceiling, high floor, but nothing special...His arm is really nothing special, quite the contrary.

Also, on Mayfield...

Overall I was encouraged, but people seem a bit too giddy. Not because it's early, and only 1 half, which is true. But because of two things:

1. He had several low throws. They were very well-placed, so i wouldnt call them negatives, but something worth keeping an eye on. Anyone calling the TD to Njoku a laser is watching something different from me...that ball was practically floating. I half expected a pick until i saw it was put in a perfect spot. Maybe the accuracy will be enough to make up for the velocity, but I certainly didn't see a lot of zip.

2. Both scoring drives, we needed to convert 4th downs. You really think Hue is going for both of those in a real game? And if we hadn't, then all we'd be saying is that Baker had some good awareness, and good accuracy, and led us to maybe 3 points. Again, not pessimism, just a reason to slow the roll on Baker hype.

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1027893704340774915

... thanks for the *L* ... that was funny ...

I was wondering if he ran out of #PuffPuffPass ....

Arm look fine to me, the throw to Calloway was perfect, literally inches away from the CB’s fingertips. The incompletion to Calloway down the sideline was a really nice throw where only his guy had a chance.

You’re focusing on his arm strength when no one ever said that was his calling card. He was accurate, he moved within the pocket very well, he has good timing and an understanding of where the rushers are coming. I’m not sure what you were expecting, 40 yard deep shots on every play?


I’m not defending his arm strength as great but it looked fine to me.

EO..agree with most of what posted above.

I saw a great improvement in the talent on the defensive side of the ball with the weakest area looking to be the interior defensive line.

...at LB the Browns are loaded with talent
...at db there was great improvement also

On offense, I saw...

...great improvement at the QB position, both the starter and #2. Finally, it looks as though the Browns have QBs who might be capable of leading an offense into the playoffs.
...at WR/TE, again great improvement/potential
...at RB..???
...at OLine, I fear retirement of Joe Thomas is going to hurt, A LOT!
....the reason I have a ? mark beside the RB position, our RBs had terrible OL blocking so there was no way to judge their performance or talent level.
.....the OL PASS BLOCKING was no better than "average" and their RUSH BLOCKING was an F.

I seriously question how the Browns draft team could be this bad at judging OLine talent. They did draft Austin Corbett, who has the physical tools to play OG/C but does not appear to be a good fit at OT.

Coaches started Corbett at LG and moved Bitonio from LG to LT. To put it another way, when the Browns drafted Corbett (at #33) they added another interior lineman instead of an OT.

It's not just that one move at LT, the RT position remains a ? mark also. Dorsey has some work to do!

Mac,


No truer words have been spoken!!.. The oline did not run block NONE. It was actually pathetic. And it was consistently bad from the 1st string to the backups. Haley, that RB coach and the Oline coach should be up right now, looking at that crap shaking their heads!!

Hmmmmm ... who’d a thunk .... what a shocker the OL didn’t play well ....

Two weeks ago our OL was:

Coleman/Bitino/Trettier/Zietler/Hubbard ...

Last night our OL was:

Bitino/Rookie/Trettier/Not Zietler/Hubbard ...

Go figure ... u replace a pro bowl LG with a raw ass rookie and then your starting RG can’t play .... and then they get there asses kicked by one of the best front fours in football ...

Who’d a thunk ... ...

We will more than likely struggle on the OL as it has way more question marks than answers ... but judging off last nights performance is a joke at best ... lets be fair about it and wait until Zietler’s back and the rook has had a full meal as opposed to just a cup of coffee .... then u can crap on them for sucking ... just be patient ... *L* ...

And the tackle spot is not Dorseys fault .... other than Soldjer (whose going to regret not signing with us ... if Dorsey didnt go after him he’s a MORON .. maybe Joe T waiting played into that ... not blaming Joe just pointing out a fact) ...

Other than Soldjer there was literally nothing in the draft or FA .. HORRIBLE TACKLE CLASS ...

If he would drafted one it would have been a GIGANTIC REACH IMO ....

Just cause we need at least one tackle doesn’t mean there’s any worth aquiring ...

For those "questioning" Bakers arm,

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/...rowing-session/

The ONLY Qb that had a stronger arm than Baker coming out this year was Josh Allen. FYI, Arm strength is not everything. Look at Kizer.

please, no more!

Allen is Kizer 2.0.. if anyone watched the game last night..dude is RAW.. ran backwards like 40 yards trying to avoid sack and then did a weeden flipper throw...threw it deep for sure...10 yards from where his receivers were..

funny after watching TT and Baker, Dez declares he's coming to visit browns next week

Allen IMO is the worst qb out of the 1st rounders. He is kizer, bollier, and Jamarcus. Great arm, no other talent upstairs.

Diam,
You are right about the line needs time to jell. But the offense cannot work if we cannot run. JT aside, Bitonio was the only true stable peice of the line. Our tackle experiment was done because none of the tackles brought in have panned out. Yes, we addressed the G position but there was nothing I saw from AMY of the line combos that could blow people off the line.

Just like we don't want to see drops and fumbles from skill positions, I don't want to see olinemen not blocking or getting blown up. But due to the fluid situation that you pointed out, I will wait patiently.

Can’t disagree with a word u said dawg ... not a single one ...

Fl pointed it out in another thread ... only Trettier started at the same spot he did last year ... and Zietler was out ...

I’m not sure this line will ever be average ..... but it needs a chance to play together and the rook has a long ways to go ....

Its not a good situation .... it’ll improve with time and when Zietler gets back ... question is how much better and if we have even one injury on the OLwere in TROUBLE ....

Sounds like were on the same page Dawg ...

Not what I saw yesterday... yes some rookie mistakes but some great plays,and good accuracy.


I was not a believer,but I'm actually quite impressed with the kid...

well based on the fact of how you "eval" baker, that most certainly means he is a scrub.

If you came away impressed with Josh Allen and are talking down Baker's accuracy I just don't have anything to debate. You can just admit it and say "I like guys with big arms". That's fine, everyone has preferences.

Allen was anything but accurate. He threaded the needle for a TD, but this guy is going to throw a ton of INT's. If Baker ran back 15 yards and threw the ball behind his head you would be KILLING him.


Here is a link to all of the Josh Allen throws:

https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2018/8/...lls-vs-panthers

He just wants to find bad stuff. Desperately.

Even if there isn't any, he still has to find it.

Not Dorsey's fault?

Sorry, but the GM sets the draft priorities and the Browns had two first round picks.

The best LT prospect would have likely been available to the Browns with the 2nd first round pick.

It came down to a matter of "priorities" and Dorsey thought DB was a higher draft priority than LT.

We roll with the choices we made and if an opportunity presents itself to fill our OL weakness, we need to do our best to fix it.

I hope I never see the OLine combination that played with the 1st team last night.

I was also surprised that the team was allowed to play with the all orange helmets. I thought that the NFL would have a problem with the alteration of the uniform, even in a preseason game.

YTOWN...

I'm sure they [censored] off traditionalists, but I kinda liked them. Could this be more than the goofy earn the stripes gimmick? I've heard there are some plans in the works to update the uniform. Could this be a ruse to test fan reaction?

Big fan of the no stripes, if nothing else just for something different on occasion.

When you watch the game Saturday night you are going to really going to squirm over the OL play and throw in a few choice words for Chubb's play ( even if he is a rook )..

I actually like the all orange look. Maybe trim the lower edges of the helmet in brown and white ... and leave the center stripes off entirely.

That would certainly throw a whole lotta fans into a real tizzy. lol

Negative, Chief.

This was a JUNK OT DRAFT. Thankfully Dorsey saw it that way.

He also went after Solder.

You're DEAD WRONG.

Wasn't that Robinson guy we grabbed a 1st-rounder? So instead of overdrafting a LT in this draft, which is what mac said we should do, we just skipped to the end and picked up someone else's bust.

Your solution was to take McGlinchey at 4 .... or to trade down for him .... .... he’ll never be a good LT ... he may struggle at RT ... lateral movement issues ...

NO WAY AT 4 ....Niners reached at 9 .... bad pick ...

If thats your solution .... then like i said ... not Dorsey’s fault ....

It can’t all be sunshine and roses .... at least not yet ....

It's preseason so I take everything with a grain of salt.

Tyrod looked effective in no huddle.

Our first and second unit offensive line isn't generating run lanes.

The dumb taunting flags needs to be stopped, immediately.

Njoku is a huge body lol.

Baker's pocket presence and decision making exceeded my expectations. I was actually quite impressed. Loved how he felt the pressure, moved around all while keeping eyes down field.

Both punters looked good.

Callaway, I'm not sure to get excited about him or if he'll be in jail the next day, so I'll leave it at that.

Joel at LT looked good what plays I zeroed in on him with.

*EDIT*

Higgins may be on the path of the leap forward we all want from our young WRs.

I would expect that the team got approval by the league well beforehand.

You're gonna love what you see concerning Mayfield.

It was streaming on Clevelandbrowns.com .. think all 4 preseason games will be...

the Giants have serious problems if Manning gets hurt
there backups are awful.
I thought the tackling was better in the open field then past years

their backup QB was just putrid. He may be cut IMO

Like I said Diam, the draft was a matter of priorities and Dorsey decided that LT was not as high of a priority as QB and db..END OF STORY!

As we play thru this season everyone will be looking for the area of weakness that must be addressed next season, via draft or free agency. If the Browns running game sucks and our the offense needs to go 3 deep to finish the season at QB, the draft priority will already be obvious.

he could have started on our squad last year.

YO ; There was a lot to like about our new adventure .. The play of both Taylor and Baker put an unfamiliar smile on my face ; The play of our Wide - out's ( even without Gordon ) was really cool .. Drooled over Nijoku in the Red Zone .. And I think the " D " will show up against most opponents this year ..

maybe week 17 per usual

Chubb got most of the work, but none of our RBs' had holes to run threw. It's going to take some time for the OL and the RB's to gel. If the other backs where successful, then I might be concerned.

BPA,BPA,BPA everyone shouts.
Then there is the BPA-tempered by need crowd.
And last but not least the Draft solely on need crew,which is exactly what you are advocating.

End of story ... what are we 5 ... wtf mac ... thats lame even for U ...

We needed a LT, qb and db’s .... u make it sound like this is picking out fruit at the grocery story and everything is always ripe and in season .... well guess what mac ... sometimes watermelons (LT’s) aren’t in season ... buying them isn’t in season ... well guess what ... neither left nor right tackles were in season this year ...

I would take a ripe in season cantaloupe (QB) and a rip in season grape (CB) over the shrunken, crusty old worn out looking watermelon that was ripe a week ago that is loaded with seeds watermelon (LT named McGlinchey) ...

U buy that rotten ass fruit and your gonna need another damm watermelon the very next draft ...

U see mac .... now we only need the watermelon and hopefully we won’t need to buy another one at the very next draft ...

Hope that helped mac ...

I thought that Higgins was a steal in the 6th round. We drafted 4 WRs' and the other 3 are no longer on the team (I forgot that Louis is on the IR).

Wish i could have been there to see it old timer ...



Welcome to the side of the river where the water is warm ... how about a little Mr. Johnny Nash for your listening pleasure ...

A bit of a surprise was;

36 Derron Smith, came in with the 2nd team @ FS.

DE Chad Thomas and LB Genard Avery did not play. ?

LOL ... Johnny Nash

FL...

I know it isn’t fashionable to credit Sashi for anything, but wasn’t this his basic strategy? Collect more than average number of picks, and the chances you get one right is greater than average. The fact the Higgins and maybe Louis look like they belong in the league, while other guys not so much pretty much bears that out.

The Draft is always a crap shoot, but I wasn't a fan of us using 4 selections on a WRs' in a pretty poor class of receivers.

Louis I don't think would have made the cuts this season. (he is not a natural WR imo.) I guess it is fortunate for him that he is on the IR and is guaranteed a paycheck this season.


For QB and WR to not be a high priority in the next Draft will feel a little out of the ordinary to this old dawg.

For some reason I always gave Higgins the best shot to make it long-term. Louis wasn't a good enough catcher. Payton wasn't a good enough athlete

Just a side note, the D looked gassed early.

Garrett was sucking wind pretty early on .. and dogged it badly on the backside once

I saw the second half. We looked faster, but, yeah, a little tired. Any coaches remarked on it?

I wonder if we practiced tough enough.

I saw:

--Ward has great closing speed. He also can hit. I didn't think the taunting thing was much. This guy is going to be good.

--I thought Kendricks looked really fast. He flashed on the screen.

--Our DT's were really, really bad. I think that's going to be a problem area this year.

--Landry looked the part.

--TT made some nice throws. He is just so short.

--Njoku flashed his athleticism. Hope he can catch it consistently.

--Higgins continued to look good.

--Baker looked very good. He was pretty accurate for the most part. A couple were behind, but they were catchable and the throw to Callaway for the TD was perfect. He moved well in the pocket and found throwing lanes. I'd like to see him work on his footwork while delivering the ball. As a result, he floated a couple. Overall, I was impressed.

--Chubb looked exactly like the guy I explained in my pre-draft analysis. He just doesn't have a the quickness or burst to be explosive.

--Callaway has potential. Hope he can stay clean.

--I thought the OL was good in pass pro and poor in run blocking.

--I liked the McKinnon kid at cb. He had the one PI, that I thought was bogus, but he had good closing speed and was pretty physical. Going to have to keep an eye on him.

--I thought Burgess had another good game. Not sure why so many people don't like him. He plays the run and pass.

--Bello flashed at times. He's fast. But, he struggles to get off blocks. Not very strong. Have to use him only in rush or coverage situations.

Btw-----------The Giants' backup qbs looked bad. Really bad. They might want to trade for Teddy.

Btw 2----------I can't believe how objective the NY announcers were. They were talking/praising us like crazy.

especially Banks ... he was loving us

Did Peppers play 30 yards off the LOS?

That 1st run by Barkley was all on Kirksey.

After that the 1st team D shut him down. 3 carries 4 yards.

Did you see how TIGHT to the LOS our Corners played frequently. Williams has some shiny new toys.

I also noticed us playing some 4-4 ... putting CBs on an island, even when they went 3 wide we'd have single high safety

Concur.

Additionally, Baker had poise which is a most important attribute - he didn't panic much. He kept his eyes downfield, usually looked for multiple receivers, and sensed pressure and shifted in the pocket accordingly.

Regarding his footwork, there were some inconsistencies but nothing too awful. Some of the bad examples came earlier in the game - he might have been amped up. But when Baker had the time and space, he usually did the traditional plant, step, and throw. The footwork when he threw on the run looked awful, but that is life when throwing on the run.

What I thought interesting was Baker's foot motion when he had time and a clean pocket. He bounced on both feet and shifted them a little bit, sort of like a boxer. At first I thought he suffered happy feet and was panicking a little. But the more I watched, the more I saw that this was his habit. When it came time to throw, he would plant and step (or micro-step) very quickly and rip it downfield. If he had to run, he could shift directions quickly and scoot. The light feet also allowed him smooth, quick movement in the pocket.

If you are used to heavy footed quarterbacks who solidly plant their feet and go statuesque in the pocket, Baker's footwork looks odd - a boxer's foot movement in the closest analogy I can think of. And throwing a punch and throwing a football require similar biomechanics - both require a stable platform. But Baker has the same advantage as a boxer - he can not only throw, but he can move quickly if need be.

Finally, Baker seems to be a smart runner. He only ran when he had to as a last option. He quickly saw open space and went for it. He made a point of avoiding contact. He either ran out of bounds or executed a proper slide into second base. Much as I loved Josh McCown for his leadership, toughness, grit, and great work ethic; he was one of the worst running quarterbacks I have ever seen. It's very brave - charging forward into and going helmet to helmet with that incoming, angry, 240 pound linebacker - but it is a terribly stupid thing for a quarterback to do. Happily, Baker seems much smarter than that.

i thought Mayfields feet were always in good position or order to transfer weight torque the hips
follow through..very little wasted motion
hes gonna be difficult for rusher to tomahawk the ball out of his hands
hes got shorter arms and hes strong

Calloway of he can get it together could be Antonio Brown 2.0
yep i said it..

I think one post of your opinion on BM is well enough you trying to convince every poster who actually saw a good performance by our rookie, a better performance than any others first game. I fail to see your point. The kid actually played well!

Anyone calling the TD to Njoku a laser is watching something different from me...that ball was practically floating.

Its one of the best throws to a drag that I've seen from a Brown's QB. That is about as good as it gets, don't know what football game you guys are watching. I guess when you dislike a player your opinion gets tainted...and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. If you really believe what you described then well won't say anything more than that...

Oh maybe you should stop watching that throw in SLOW MOTION it won't look like its floating...

The location and velocity reminded me of the famous Montana to Clark pass. It was a real duck too

I don't know why anybody even answers this guys posts. He just writes stupid stuff to get replies. The dude has no clue.

Sorry Dude I agree with EO. BM did great. I know its only the 1st preseason game but I'm really pumped. If they give him time to learn and he continues to improve we might finally have a francise QB.
I wanted Darnold big time but Baker has grown on me.

Steubenvillian was agreeing w/tab, too.

I think he was talking about rasta.

I agree. It was a great throw, touch and etc.

I think the Giants made a huge mistake drafting Barkley. Nothing against Barkley but Eli is 37 and hasn't looked good. They had a golden opportunity to draft thier next franchise QB and they took a running back....a running back..

My bad, I shouldn't jump into the middle of the thread. We all love Baker except Rasta.

He's a good guy and truly loves the Browns...which makes him a valid poster. Yeah he got it wrong with our Man Mayfield...lol its ok, his motives are pure.

Discuss why he's incorrect in what he saw but don't take it to a personal level. Just my request to posters not only with ratsaplan but some others who are negative. Negative has been around for a long time, this year is the first that we in reality do not carry the negatives.

I believe the offensive line is the most important position/unit on the team. 
...if they can't run block, your team becomes one dimensional and in time the offense won't be running or passing well enough to win. 

Dorsey not only failed to fill the Browns needs at LT, he thought he could draft an OG at #33 and plug him in a the LT position. I wasn't able to find a draft report that showed Corbett playing LT in the NFL. He was projected to play OG or Center, yet Dorsey drafted him at #33.

So, just the last week, the coaching staff decides that Corbett is not a LT and moves him inside to LG and takes our starting LG Betonio and moves him to LT.

Diam, now you explain to me what the Browns are doing to build a winning offensive line? We did this to ourselves with several years of bad decisions concerning the OLine.

My fear, we finally have QB play and WRs capable of taking this team somewhere and we might not have an offensive line capable of protecting our QBs.

@mac, what LT in this draft do you think would have helped? This was a very weak class for tackles. I think we all know it's a weakness but you can't draft a position that isn't there imo

Given my generally pessimistic Browns attitude, I have to agree here with mac's offensive line worries. And other worries besides. For example, what if Jarvis Landry gets injured?

That said, let's go a little easier on Dorsey. Sashi really gutted and destroyed the Browns in his two years, and he was preceded by the imbecile, Ray Farmer. Rebuilding the Browns is a multi-year project. I'm sure Dorsey is aware of the valid O-Line concerns most of us share. He will mostly likely get to it as soon as he can. There are a lot of holes that desperately need plugging and it can't all be done in one year.

I'll finish on a happy note. While the O-Line may suck a bit this year, at least Tyrod and Baker are mobile quarterbacks who can sidestep and evade the rush and still make good things happen. It's not like we have Brandon Weeden back there.

The upside to that is, I think Barkley is going to be really good and I also think the Gmen will be drafting in the top 5 again.

I would take Ely in a second. His team hasnt been good Especialyy his line. Teddy as a back up makes a lot of sense for them.

EOTAB...

I didn't say it was a bad throw. Take your time to go back and read, if you need. I simply said that was not a laser, as another poster claimed. The rest of your comments are just trying to draw me into some stupid board pissing contest, which is why i so rarely post. Too much of that to sift through, as it is.

The only thing I saw that I didn't like about Baker's performance was a few of his throws guys seemed to have to reach down to get. But they were well-placed as far as keeping the receiver in stride. So I simply thought it was something worth watching moving forward.

mac...this draft didn't really have a legit LT prospect...actually the best one was there at 33...when has the best LT prospect last till #33 or later???

Why waste a good pick.

I hope we stay with strengths of a draft class.

You don't just go draft people to say that you care and doing your job. Sometimes not taking a player is the due diligence

Now what did you see.

Actually Joel did a decent job for his first game and first week at the NFL LT Position. Don't you think? Or is this nothing about the LT position you just want to create some noise as its been a quite summer...lol

dna...I never called it a laser? It wasn't a floater. It had just enough juice on it. It was actually a catchable pass. Maybe if it was a Laser Njoku would have dropped it.

I think it was a "GREAT" Pass, who said laser is what is needed. I definitely was not a floater.

EO...

You weren't the poster that called it that. I haven't rewatched, but in real time it sure felt like a floater in search of an INT, until it found Njoku's hands. Maybe i had some bias there...as in confirmation bias expecting typical result of Browns QBs throwing into traffic in the end zone.

I saw it earlier today; it was not a laser, but I didn't see it as a floater, either... it moved pretty quickly, and more importantly, it was EXACTLY where it needed to be.

In time we will find out. It was either a floater or it was a perfectly placed ball with just the right amount of loft. It's one or the other and whichever it is, we will likely see more of them good or bad.

We will find out in time, no doubt.

I know, watching it live, I thought it was a bit of a floater. Watching it again and again, I can't help but wonder if Baker was giving it a bit of loft to get over #33. He knew he was throwing to a tall tight end, after all.

It couldn't have been a laser.. Mayfield was standing on the 16, there was a Giants DB standing right in his line on about the 2.. if he tries to throw that on a line about 8 feet off the ground, it gets batted down or picked off.. the throw was perfect, people can call it whatever else they want.

i think the problem is that people aren't use to seeing a QB show some touch on the ball.

we've either had noodle armed guys like Kessler and McCoy, or guys who have to launch everything that breaks the sound barrier in Weeden or DA.

That could very well be true, swish.

I thought it was a perfect pass, and the announcers explained it perfectly, as well.

Last year, that pass is probably not complete, because the DB/LB would have decapitated Njoku. This year, with the rule changes, they have to be careful to not hit the receiver high, and that made the catch easier, and the throw a great decision.

Baker threw it -- NOJOE caught it -- TD -- Perfect !

Yeah, that.

And this, too.

Passing the ball as a laser...does not a good QB make. It has to be with enough velocity to make it over the underneath coverage and not have the D having ample time to make a play on it. Also in consideration has to be a thing called a CATCH ABLE BALL. Njoku has had his issues with drops from time to time. So many things with that pass was perfect. And it was not pure luck he has that natural touch.

It was perfect to get over the underneath coverage it also was thrown away from the defender so that it was on the back side of Njoku. It was high where Njoku has his best catches.

Finally we got a QB who doesn't just throw a ball to an area. Its thrown to as in "Where do you want it?" and he gets it there also it was placed where even without the rule change he would have the least collision.

When he has to throw a laser he can the beauty of Mayfield is within a split second with his mental part of the game he instinctively makes the correct throw at the correct time.

Another beautiful thing was his double clutch letting Calloway get just a nano second more on his slant and he through it exactly where it needed to be. Low so not to get tipped, but high enough for Calloway to make an easier grab without breaking stride. I know some posters who did not see him play as much as I did will think possibly oh great throw but a little lucky...nah its that natural sixth sense he has that is his game and what we have to look forward to for oh 15 years or so

Only difference between that throw and a lot of Kizer’s is that Baker got lucky on his ....

I’m guessing Baker’s gonna lucky a lot more often than Kizer did ...

It was a good throw. It was risky, but it worked.

Agreed ... it was definelty risky ...

A little tougher of a window that you’d like to see him throw too ... but it was nice to see him make an extremely tight windowed throw ... a question U and I both have about him ... its still a question ... but that was a GREAT SIGN IMO ...

Not sure who called the TD to Njoku a laser, but it was perfectly placed with nice touch. Not even close to a laser.

His Lil hitch gave Callaway that extra second to clear the CB. That one was perfectly placed also and was much more laser.

Impressive on both tosses.

I know...we have not seen what its about as in a QB actually making a proper tight Window Throw...that is what this kid is all about. And he does it very often inside the 20 and on 3rd downs! He doesn't get INT'd often.

the ball he threw to the receiver near the goal Line and the sideline ... when he rolled right ... reciever tried to keep his feet in bounds while diving to make the catch out of bounds ... baker was flushed out to the right ...

If memory serves me correct ... that was a laser with plenty of zip ... arm strength is NO WHERES NEAR AN ISSUE with this kid ...

Agree ... some tight window throws take way more “finesse” than arm strength ...

I’m extremely impressed so far ... LONG WAYS to go but he has shown he has a shot ...

Hes been all u can ask for at the stage hes in ... i think hes done crawling ... its time to start learning how to steady himself to stand and eventually walk ...

Lets hope he passes that test also ...

Good point. For McCoy or Kessler that would have been considered a laser..

I haven't seen it mentioned but the sack that Mayfield took before the half that knocked us out of FG range.. curious if anybody else saw what I saw... It was designed to be a screen left, Mayfield first looked right and as he swung back around with the guy bearing down on him, it appeared to me that the RB was about 4 yards deeper than he expected (and he was obstructed by the RT) so he never threw it.. he just ate it and took the sack.. was I seeing that right?

We all drool over arm talent but know that accuracy and decision making are more important

Example.... Brees, Montana, Etc.

Yep, accuracy, intelligence, leadership, ability to maneuver the pocket, decision making ... all of these things seem to be Baker's strengths

You are right DC...he was looking off to the right to set up the screen but the OL did not hold the block long enough and the RB seemed lost and was not open he did what he had to and that was to eat it.

jmho

Your arm just has to be strong enough.. and Mayfields is plenty strong enough.

I always compared it to long drive champions.. there is a reason the best long drivers make a couple hundred grand a year in long drive competitions and not tens of millions like the best tour pros.. there is more to the sport than just power...

njoku i am going to call him ozzie junior
calloway excellent first pro game
ward made a rookie mistake wish his dad was alive he would have been lit up.
ol I am giving a incomplete due to changes,
baker mayfield made some playsis he still a rookie yes
db I would describe as good with a minus for the taunting

Some preseason fines from the first week for a duo of #Browns: CB Denzel Ward was fined $10,026 for taunting and WR Jarvis Landry was fined $13,369 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1030559638058672128

OL is definitely important.....but with an OL featuring A perennial pro bowler in JT, a stud center in Alex Mack, and pretty solid role players across the board except for maybe RT.....and what did that get us?

We had some great, and I mean top 5-10 in the league, great O-lineman....but all that time, we still couldn't put any real numbers in the W column....maybe 2007....but even then, we couldn't get into the postseason....

So idk, this old idea that a great line is going to lead us to the SB, I just don't buy it.....Without a great QB, and solid players in the skill positions, a great line isn't going to take you anywhere....

why are fines different for the same call? are fines based on salaries?

I can't believe you get fined for taunting. The NFL is becoming so girly.