Oh man. So tough to watch.

This would have been called "The Timeout".

Another streak broken.

Another win.

Still in the hunt.

Ugly win but a win.

That was a rough game, except for the beginning. The last play on defense was great. Peppers rocked it out.

I can fall asleep with a smile on my face. "We won!"

You know something, we finally have a damn good team!

Rough game... found a way to win.... this team is growing some character...

our defense.

our defense held the broncos, who are 7th in rushing, to 32 yards on the ground.

2 picks. 2 sacks, including the WALK OFF SACK BY PEPPERS!!!

Coach almost lost the game. But he didn’t

Baker came back from a BAD 1st half

Peppers Balled Out

Chubb Chubb and More Chubb

Give the D Credit 2 Sacks 2 Picks Held Denver to 270 Yards

Peppers made the two biggest plays in the game. Taking Garrett out on obvious running downs proved to help slow their running game down

I thought the turtle offense was finally going to come back and get us. Alas, another win!

Very close to being same old browns by not kicking the field goal and negating the neutral zone infraction. Defense held. Got the job done.

Denver is a really tough place for a rookie QB to win. We won anyhow.

After the first two defensive stands and our opening scoring drive I was sure we were going to blow them out with ease. Then it seemed like Browns football for the rest of the first half. Then a back and forth battle. Then the crap spot, and "The Timeout" and I was sure we'd find a way to blow it. Nerve wracking to the very end. Great defensive stand to close it out.

I have to preach in the morning and I CAN'T SLEEP

Got that " Ain't won in Denver since forever " monkey off their backs! In fact, we're shoving a lot of different monkeys off our backs! Don't know what it means for the coaching decisions to be made.
William's winning makes it all the more crucial to get this right! Going to be scary...

I don't know when the last time I could feel like this was. The fact that we're finding a way to WIN games rather than lose them says a lot about the team and their character.

As for the timeout, it was the right thing to do because they were going to blow it up, but the timeout was called before the offsides, it’s not like Gregg saw it and still called it.

I’d second guess the 4th down call. I’d still go for it, but call a play action. Denver was selling out to stop the run. Slip the TE out after a fake block, boom.

Doesn’t matter, the D came up BIG. PEPPERS!!!!

Not sure what happens in the next two weeks, but for tonight, it’s grand to have won IN Denver. I remember that game in 1990 we won. Crazy to think that was 28 years ago.

Enjoying this.

Yet the whiners in the gameday thread kept telling us how much our D sucks.

A Win is better than a loss.

That was a rough game. I still have battered fan syndrome. I was waiting for the kick in the teeth, but it never came. We're still alive.

No matter. After this win, you know God is on your side. (I know you're secure in your faith, but I was beginning to think God lived in Denver.)

Why on the replay was njoku not down by contact in bounds with a live clock forcing them to use the timeout?

You do have a good team. Congrats, guys!!

We all have it but its fading ...

Refs need to be investigated. If not I will consider the NFL to be on par with the WWE and even though I will continue watching I will be sad in my heart knowing it's fake.

(I'm overly dramatic I know lol) Ok, time to be positive...

We are in the playoff hunt!!! IN DECEMBER!!!

Peppers had his best game as a pro. I still want him off kick returns, but he played lights out at safety.

Our pass rush was great 50% of the time. I think we sold out to stop the run and...

our run D was stout!

Baker had a rough game to start but when the time came he served up some horse meat pies!

Callaway, Perriman, Njoku and Higgins all had PRIMETIME catches. We have a receving corp!

Other than the one penalty Collins Sr. played a solid game!

Carrie struggled a bit but had the big time INT to get the mo back. I'd give him and Pepp gameballs.

BITONIO BITONIO BITONIO. Saved the best for last. The dude was a MONSTER today.

We have much to fix but I'm just gonna enjoy for now!

GO CHARGERS! GO PATRIOTS! GO REDSKINS!

I'll say this. In 2019, the AFC North is in play and there's now a possible favorite...

Yes, you're right, and I don't blame him. Just like I don't blame Byner for The Fumble. It just happened.

Games like this we ALWAYS lose in year past, maybe we are finally trending upward

Now reality is setting in...no Browns football tomorrow! boo!

He was...Denver was charged with their final TO.

Break open that beer cooler Balpeen, the Browns officially have avoided the 10 loss mark for the 2018 season



Now lets go root for everybody else who's got to win on Sunday to help the Browns out.

I saw a face mask on the long Chubb run with about 4 minutes to go that the refs missed.

The refs should have moved the Njoku spot up . Maybe not a 2st down but 4the and inches is very different than 4th and 1.5 yards.

We overcame those ref missed calls and won anyway.

I think we saw the Denver coach seal his fate at the end of the season. Kicking the FG instead of going for it on 4th and one played a huge role in losing them the game.

Heart-pounder.

Glad Williams went for it on fourth down, even though it didn't work. Loved how GW brought the heat on the last drive.

Baker made some bad throws, but straightened out in the second half, got the win for us.

That taunting penalty on Calloway was chintzy. Chubb wasn't getting a lot but he made that 40 yard run late, which really helped us out.

We are still alive in the playoff hunt, heading into game15.

And oh yes, I loved the fact we went into Denver and knocked them out - virtually - and beat Elway.

Denver still had a timeout left...at least on the TV screen was still showing it

Ugly game but we are still alive

I liked Baker calling out Drew Stanton as a mentor and a person he relies on to help him bounce back. For those that missed the post-game chat he mentioned Drew takes a bunch of notes and goes through them with Baker at halftime. That's really good stuff!

Go Browns!

Exactly!

Not Baker's best day but he is definitely changing the culture. We're starting to find ways to win these types of games instead of finding ways to lose them.

SUPER STOKED RIGHT NOW!!!!

Damn. Tough hard fought road game.

Defense stepped up.

Exhausted. Gut wrencher.

Damn I like to win.

Oh Hey Denver...we just beat you in your house. One more thing crossed off the list.

We have all the talent in the world.

Now we just need a bit more experience.

And then there is NO STOPPING US!!

"Faith springs eternal." Use it. Dress it up some. Unfortunately, I am reader and I need to read from Zephaniah tomorrow. Wow!

I am getting too old for these games. Great win!

We won!!!!

Facemask not called early in the game, BS taunting call on Callaway, delay of game not called, and after review didn't spot the ball where it was actually supposed to be. NFL officiating is horrendous.

Baker was struggling in the first half, I think the thin air had his ball sailing on him. Heard someone this week on the radio mention that it could happen.

Chubb just seems to get that run when you need it, been a long time since we had a guy like that.

Another bad streak wiped out. 6 wins on the season. We beat Denver in Denver.

Thee future is looking very bright

It was a team win. We have a team and a qb

good win

Sitting here in Colorado Springs, watching the game with the Pikes Peak Browns backers surrounded by Bronco fans, pulling it out in the final minute of the game...priceless. Last time the Browns were here, my boys and I had to do the walk of shame at Mile high stadium. Awwwwww, gonna sleep good tonight.

Funny thing is if we had a decent kicker we may have already won the division and locked up a playoff spot. But, then Hue Jackson would still be here. I'll take what I can get.

"I love my brothers and I love the city of Cleveland... one game at a time, all or nothing." - Juice Landry

Love that guy.

And the Browns jumped to 96% no playoffs, up from 99% no playoffs

on playoffstatus and they usually don't move things much.

One things sure, I think the Browns have the better Quarterback this game and the next two games they will play too.

If ya get nothing else out of this year, know this

We got a pretty good quarterback.

And How Long are they going to keep this team together err!

My life expectancy was cut a bit shorter.

He stunk tonight ... he didnt do diddly ...

WAY OVERPAID ...

First win in Denver since 1990? Huge win! I was nervous the entire 4th quarter. So happy they’ve found the internal fortitude to win these close games! I hope this team comes out on fire and smokes Cinci at home next week.

Now to root for the Pats and Bucs tomorrow.

Postgame thoughts... 1 through 5

1. Announcers used the word 'gritty' more than once. I agree. This young team is learning how to win games they used to routinely lose.

2. Gregg Williams needs to take a long look in the mirror. Elves had the Donks right where they wanted on that 4th down play: hard count/QB sneak called. Dude lost his nerve, and called that timeout.

If you're not gonna kick a field goal, you have to play the game 100%. That timeout sent a bad signal to hid offense.

3. Defense won this game for us. I've been worried about Patrick Lindey all week, because if he can catch a rhythm, Denver gets to open their entire playbook. Bad news for CLE. Great game plan and execution took the Donks' running game out of the picture.

4. Role-players stepped up. Perriman, Calloway, Peppers, Njoku all produced at pivotal times. Team effort/team win.

5. For 2 weeks in a row, I've watched Dawgs win the kind of games they used to routinely lose. This young team is matriculating through 'NFL University' quite smartly. If they continue on this path, there is precious little to keep them from hanging around in the postseason for years to come.

It really was fun to see Brownies win a gutsy road game in a hostile environment.

My game ball goes to Peppers.

I liked going for it on 4th and 1 at the end, but I hated the call. The toss-sweep left to Chubb would have scored a TD. So would a play action / QB boot / TE drag to the right have scored a TD. JMO.

The referees are ruining NFL football.

The NFL ref in the booth (Perrera?) might be interesting if the day ever comes when he disagrees with the ref's call on the field. I won't hold my breath waiting for it, though.

Looking forward to Cinci, Balt, and Pitt all sucking the tail-pipe tomorrow.

Can "Defense" win Rookie Of The Week? lol

Peppers woke up feeling dangerous.

Watched the game at my buddy's house tonight and enjoyed it very much. Never thought I would see us beat Denver again especially at their place. It feels great. Tough game but we overcame adversity; our Browns are maturing. We get a few more pieces and keep this team together we will really have something special.

Edge of your seat slow moving ugly win. I'll take it though

What an exhausting game to watch, but a win is a win! Some of my thoughts:

- I agree with the poster who was saying you can't really blame Williams for that time-out. They probably had a slam up the middle called and Denver had about three guys lined up over center. He probably could of waited for a hard-count to finish, but it wasn't a terrible timeout to take. They just happened to jump after he called it, and it turned into one of those "what if" plays.

- And honestly it shouldn't even of been an issue to begin with. That spot on the previous play, even after review, was criminal. At the very least it should of been 4th and 2-inches, and not fourth and a long yard. At least we're finally to the point where we can actually win when the Refs hose us, and not have to drive ourselves crazy thinking "what if" again.

- Outside of that bad spot, there were still a half a dozen other terrible calls too. Even a terrible spot for the Broncos, that they actually got correct when they reviewed it. Not to mention, I'm starting to despise these games where you see a flag thrown every 3 plays.

- This was probably Peppers best game as a Brown. His pick in the end-zone took a crucial and would-be three points off the board. It was a textbook, center-field-type interception that you like to see your deep safety make. He was making big plays all night. Hope he got a game-ball. We needed him to step up big with Ward out.

- Mayfield struggled, but I'm wondering how much the thin air had to do with it. Almost all of his misses were longer passes that sailed on him. When they moved to the shorter routes, he did a lot better and was able to score that crucial game-winning touchdown. 12-for-12 in Redzone scoring?? That's just incredible.

- Our run defense really stepped up tonight too. Although, it seemed like the game plan was to commit to stopping the run and make Keenum beat us with his arm. He seemed to be carving us up at times, but the defense did a good enough job to limit him. Then, came up huge at the end there.

- Go Pats!

Just a thought, from the other teams perspective,
2 weeks ago, they were 6-6, they had games

against the 2-10 49ers, a loss
the hapless Browns,
at their rival the raiders who were 2-10
and finish at Home vs the chargers,

2 weeks ago they were sitting in the catbird seat as far as a playoff berth,

But tonight, the Browns put a pressure sealed lockdown on their 8th loss of the season, all but ending any hopes they had of the playoffs this year,
certainly the Browns don't have to worry bout the Broncos again this year.

So, Knocking another team out of the playoffs, feels pretty good.

LOL ... The new Kardiac Kids ...

And they even dress like them

Enjoy this moment friends.

Baker Baker The Streak Breaker!!

In the postgame, Baker said they had a QB sneak called on the timeout play. As you said, the Donks were slamming hard middle, I doubt we get the first if the play is run. It was a good timeout in the moment. No way Gregg knows the future offsides. Just bad luck.

Peppers had an amazing game. He probably should have been credited with two sacks.

Go Pats & Bucs.

The most important games to help the Browns remaining this week are
Dallas over the Colts in indy,
and the NY Giants over the Titans in New York,

because if both Tennessee and the Colts win, then the only way the Browns could get the wild card is if they tie when they play each other week 17.

They could each win one, but neither of them can win twice, and we can't root for them both to lose when they play each other week 17.

So, the Patriots will take care of business, and Cincinnatis' busted up even more of a train wreck than the steelers at this point,

So I've bout given up hope the Bengals will beat the steelers week 17.

So, Go Dallas Cowboys
Go NY Giants
Go Patriots
Go Tampa Bay
Go Minnesota... Oakland

and Go Browns!
But the Cowboys and Giants are most eminent on that list because the Colts 7-6, and the Titans 7-6 each need to lose 2 of 3 and they play each other the final week.

I am pretty proud of Peppers. He has taken a lot of flak for being such a high draft pick, but you can see what the team saw in him when they drafted him in the first round.

He is still learning to play his position.

And I think that this Coaching staff deserves some credit as well after basically throwing him to the wolves last season out of necessity.

A really easy way to look at it ......

We can either be the AFCN division champs, or the 6th seed wildcard. There is only 1 potential WC spot, because either the Chargers or Chiefs will have the top WC spot.

We want Pitts to lose out, and Baltimore to lose one game before we play them, and then we win out.

That gives us the division crown at 8-7-1.

Otherwise .... we need for none of the Wild Card contenders to go 9-7. That means that none of the Colts, Titans, Ravens, and Dolphins can win 2 games. We would need to win the WC spot with an 8-7-1 record.

Hey, it's week 15 ...... we won a tough road game ...... and we're still alive for the playoffs. I'm kinda diggin' this!

I think those mouthguards are obnoxious.

He rocked it tonight though

I was listening to Sirius XM on my way home from my gig tonight and I just wanted to mention that while the last time Cleveland beat Denver was 1990, the last time they won IN Denver was 1972. Can’t wait to watch the recording tomorrow.

Go Dawgz

the run defense was incredible

Peppers played his best game

the offense did just enough

I was screaming to kick it and make em get a TD

Stayin alive ...

J/C

Just watched the game here. Man oh man, my heart is still racing but palpably the culture has changed. I agree with the posters on the timeout. It was the correct thing to do, they were coming gangbusters down the center’s channel.

Mayfield had a rough game by his stratospheric standards - I think he struggled with the altitude as all his misses were long? Still, he pilots us to a win. Guy is a natural born leader.

The D played well. We held a very good rushing attack and forced interceptions out of Keenum who had not thrown any in a decent while. Peppers was very good. Pleased for Carrie to get an INT after last week.

We are still a young team but it’s a team no longer mired in being the same old Browns. We won where usually we’d have lost. We gutted out a win. We kept ourselves alive. We’re taking care of our business. Let the chips fall where they may.

I'm in Germany and didn't know if i should get up and watch the game or not... I ended up watching from Denver's first long drive in the 1st Q. About 2:35 ish.

When GW called the time out it was gut wrenching ... And I didn't agree with going for it on 4th down. A 4 point lead so much better than being able to lose to a FG ... So glad the defense held and came out big. A win is a win is a win and so much better than a L!

Such a tough place for a rookie QB to win. Went back to bed at 5:40 and had a very big smile on my face.

it actually did seem like the air may have thrown off Baker, even slightly. He's typically so accurate and so many passes were high

I'm glad we went for it on 4th down. It should have been 4th and inches. If we kick the field goal, sure we're up 4 (assuming a make), but then we have to kick off. Sometimes our kick return team is a bit of a gamble.

This way if you make it the game is over. If you don't (like we didn't), then they get the ball around the 10 with no time outs and a long way to go even with their kicker.

I also wondered why the spot of the ball wasn't at least MOVED UP ... I mean, it was a FULL yard (when in reality it was inches)

J/c

I was verbally expressing my discontent to my television when they decided not to kick it. We had been soft on pass coverage all night as they moved it pretty well on us. Giving them almost 2 minutes to drive just far enough for a field goal, in the thin air, where the ball will go 10% farther, just seemed like a really stupid idea.

Forgive me Elf, I didn’t have faith.

Just Preach on good things that can happen if you support those around you as they struggle.
Or show the game again.... ;-)

Tulsa, I was cursing as well. I thought it was very dumb NOT to kick. Make them go 75 yards with zero timeouts needing a TD

One other thought: their secondary injuries definitely hurt them and was a main culprit to our game winning drive

Even if we lost, because we didn’t kick a field goal, I still agree with going for it on 4th down. MIT studies have shown, you go for it. Funny thing about football, be aggressive.

There are no atheists in foxholes.

Away, Short Week, Thin Air, Bad Officials, Rookies and Young Pups....
And they Got It Done!
That's how you gain confidence.
THAT'S how you learn to Win.
Kudos on a Team Win!

Somebody that knows how to do this stuff, needs to make a video clip of Peppers final sack while we hear the Denver crowd chanting, “play of the week”!

Then spam the broncos message boards with it.

What a game!

100% agree going for it. It was a yard and if we get it we win. When you're that close, go for it. An alternative is making a field goal, giving up a TD and asking why we didn't go for it when all we needed was a yard to win?


Love it! Go Browns!

Two things:
A) Take their big leg out of the game if we make our FG. They must play for TD.

B) Give them all the "extra" field to cover beyond point of their FG to beat you.

I was crazy about the win! Not so much the officials, the tackling, penalties, and coaching.

Love winning.

Dumb move. You take the 3 and get outta town.

Major show of confidence by Williams.

DAWGS. This is reminding me of Kosar's 1st year. 8-8, playoff heartbreaker in Miami.

And we all know what followed starting the following year.

Winning in the NFL takes 2 things both of which the Browns did to perfection last night.

#1 winning requires that you grind. They stayed focused and continued to grind

#2 You need to make one more impact play then the team you face. Peppers iced the game. Next week it will be someone else.

We are truly on our way could NOT be prouder of the progress this team has shown this year, regardless of whether they make the playoffs or NOT.

Ahhhh man ... that shoulda been my song ... good call dawg ... where were u last night ... *L* ...

Sounds cliche but it was definitely a character building game. Maybe it all went down as it was supposed to...

A WIN, IS A WIN...

Ugly, full of mistakes by the Browns...but a gut check that the team answered.

Going for it on 4th down I agree with. That wins the game if you make it. Take the decision out of the opposition’s hands. GW was playing to win. It comes off more often than not.

Yes. If you don't get a first down, the defense has to make a stop either way.

Congrats to the Browns on another win. People are actually talking about the Browns and playoffs.

Just a few things:
Thank you Peppers for saving the game.

Didn't like the coaching decisions near the end of the game. Trying to draw Denver offsides and calling timeout too early. A deep handoff instead of a QB sneak on 4th and 1.

Baker had a so so game but did just enough to win.

The Browns still won so I'm happy.

Here's how I feel about 4th and 1...

First, as a coach I kick the FG more often than not there. Simple math means they need a TD.

Second, regardless of whether you are actually going or not, this much is predetermined... Team quick to the line, try to draw them offsides, QB calls TO if we do not and we talk it over after seeing their defense. No, ifs ands or buts. WE HAVE 3 TO'S, there is no reason not to take that approach.

I agree. 1 yard to win the game right then and no suspense later. Denver just made a great defensive play. But, I liked the call to go for it. Play to win and not play to not lose.

Good win, as they all are. It's nice for the Browns to be relevant again and playing winning, meaningful football.

I could go either way on the Williams 4th down call. Nice play by the defense there.

Thank you Vance Joseph for the completely inexplicable decision to kick a FG on 4th and 1 from the 6, when down 4 points late in the game. I don't know how you can get paid to coach football and actually think that's a good idea. We'll take it though.

day, I get what you are saying and both views make some sense. But going for the fg is not “playing not to lose”. It is playing to win. Denver only needed 35 or so yards to have a shot at the winning fg after we failed. We already lost a game to a 59 yd fg in Tampa, in mile high stadium we could have lost to a 65 yd fg. I wanted them to have to march 75 yds and score a td to beat us. They had only gotten in the end zone once all night so I liked our odds.

I guess he didn't have confidence his offense could score a touchdown so 2 field goals would suffice for the win. You lose.

diam I was here! good choice with the song, i agree

It was gutsy to go for it on 4th down and shows GW was playing to win but kicking the FG made more sense to me. We would have been up by 4 and they would have had to drive the whole field and score a TD. Either way it worked out. As for Baker he had a so-so game but his only real bad pass was the int. Some of his downfield passes were off but we know he is pretty accurate with them because he's done it before. Some of those passes he had guys more open underneath but he went for a bigger play. I think he missed some of them due to where he was playing and being hyped up for a big game on national TV. He's still learning.

A few things that stuck out to me.

The defense played big. They stopped what the Broncos do best; run the ball. Keenum is a smart player. All game he played underneath us. Taking the checkdowns chipping away at us. The defense was playing well. We were stopping the run and covering. Keenum kept them going with short accurate passes. Very frustrating because we played very disciplined defense. But we kept after them and kept grinding.

It was important for the defense to have a game like this.

Big props to Jabrill he played a great game.

Baker was unusually inaccurate. Seemed to be trying to rip the ball to much. After the quick start on a beautiful throw to Perriman. He struggled for a bit. But when he had to make a play he did just that.

In the end. It was a tough hard nosed road game that the Browns gutted out.

Great win for this team.

We win the last two. We have a winning record. Which would be a huge accomplishment given all that happened this year.
Playoffs? That's up to the football gods. But a winning record would start us on a path that could put us on the yellow brick road.

*L* ... i meant where were u with the song goofy ...

WOOF WOOF ...

I’m gonna work it in this week ... thanks for the idea dawg ...

If they moved it up would we have kept our time out?

Looks like Joe Schobert beat you to it.

Baker threw more than one very bad pass in one game. Not sure I have seen that before. He came back. Fun game we got our qb.

Too bad you got into it late, you missed the best part of the game... besides the win itself, that is.

I think baker was not used to the altitude..

Peppers probably played his best game. Props to him for improving ... he looks to be part of our future

Bottom line is we won a game that we could not have won in the past. This Browns team has become aggressive and plays to win. You may not agree with going for it on 4th and 1 but we are not passive like past Browns teams. This team has confidence.

General thoughts on the game.


1. The Browns showed True Grit in a hostil environment. Both offense and defense.
2. Even when the passing game is suffering and their defense stacked the box, we moved the ball effiecently.
3. The refs called a good game and I agreed with all the questionable calls and ball placements.
4. No major injuries I’m aware of.
5. Besides a couple penalties our d played top notch. Holding Denver flat the entire game minus a drive or two.
6. Nobody is talking about the 2019 draft in these forums yet. But that’s not permission to talk about the playoffs.
7. Despite a few drops, We have a fine set of TE’s, RB’s and WR’s sharing the airborne duties nicely with a rookie QB spreading it around and feeding them all perfect spirals.
8. I’ve become numb to these hard games and don’t get exited expecting the let down. It’s tough to win in the NFL. They’re all hard games and I’m in heart saving mode these days.
9. Our kicking game is kicking in now. All phases of the game are coming together.
10. Playoffs?

I would of preferred the field goal, but I have no problem with them going for it on 4th down either. Like others have said, you get a yard, and it's game over. It's telling your offense you have the confidence in them to get a yard and ice the game. For our young team, I kind of like it.

What eventually needs to happen though is more faith, trust and leeway for Baker to do the right thing. This will probably come with time and experience, but on that 4th down play, we need to trust that Baker will audible into a better play, run a hard-count to get them off-sides, or call timeout himself if he knows it's not going to work. Again, I don't fault Williams for calling that time out. It was a huge play, and you have a rookie out there with a play called that is about to be blown up.

Him and Njoku both have improved substantially these last few weeks. They're really starting to look like the first round picks we hoped they would be.

Peppers has had a fantastic season. It's too bad GW played him 30 yards from the LOS last year.

I'm willing to bet its ALL about accountability. GW isn't anyone's buddy. He's about execution. Execute or step aside. Fresh thinking...

But Peppers and Njoku aren't #RealPlayers. Just look at Pitdawg's sig!

I think Randall's emergence has drastically improved Peppers ... we can use him to his strengths

It all helps. Better cover corners, better pass rush. Now Peppers doesn't have to plays so deep to protect us from getting burned by big plays. It's no mystery why GW played so deep, we sucked and that was his attempt at a stop gap.

I think Peppers playing closer to the LOS has helped more.

Staying Alive!

isn't the reason for one the reason for the other?

Lots of things ...

- 2nd year jump ... especially with him making a position switch from college
- having more talent allowed GW to decide he didnt need to play in the lake .. i thought that was IGNORANT last year for many reasons ..
- 2nd year in the system for everyone ...

Kids got a future ...

When he came out .. i knew diddly about him .. only time i really watched for him was his last game against u guys .. and in that game until he got in a fight with a fan when it was over i didn’t even know he played .. *L* ...

The one thing i’d Heard is what a great blitzer he was ... well he sure showed it for the first time last night ... not sure why it took so long this year .... last year it was caue he was coming from 30 yards away ... *LOL* ...

IIRC it was a booth review inside the final 2 minutes, not a Browns challenge.

Man what a finish. Huge road win, keeps the season alive. Hopefully we see the teams we need to lose, go down today.. It'd be fun to keep this thing going.

I have no problem with Greg Williams going for it on 4th. The play call was a little meh, but I like the aggressiveness.

Baker Mayfield did not have his best game, but he fought through it. Both touchdown throws were beautiful throws. This guy is good in every area of the field. Deep in his own territory, in the red zone, and everywhere between.

I thought Nick Chubb ran well.

Von Miller is still a beast.

Antonio Callaway needs to keep himself in check. Dumb penalty. Unnecessary.

Jabril Peppers with the play of the game. If you had an awards show for the Browns he wins most improved player, and there isn't close second. Leaps and bounds with him this year. He's been so good, and it's kinda gotten lost in the mix of Baker Mayfield, and coach changes, etc.. He could be a pro bowl safety down the line.

If the Browns somehow find themselves in the playoffs after all of this, it may be the most remarkable story in the history of the league, and one of the most in the history of sport. It would be on the level of the '69 Mets, and could be even more impressive considering what they were the last 2 seasons, and how they started off, and the fact that their coach was so bad, and such a cancer that they had to fire him a month into the year.

Also, I really can't stand people shutting down other fans for dreaming about the playoffs. Like if you're telling people to "pump the brakes" blah blah blah, you're a knob. It's sports. It doesn't matter. If the Browns lose, or just don't have things work out, what damage has been done by having fun with it? It just seems like people out there love to rain on a parade, and the internet and social media make it really easy to do so.

I say dream big. Have fun with it. It literally doesn't matter. Your life won't change. You're not mortgaging your future, by buying in. It's ok. I promise.

- Huge win in Mile High where the Browns never win

- Perriman has been shockingly outstanding

- Peppers had a huge game and has had a great season

- I like GW going for it on 4th down trying to seal the game. That's a winning mentality.

- Chubb had a nice game and made a huge run when it mattered

- Browns are playing meaningful games in December

I cannot wait to go up to the stadium and watch the Browns beat the Bengals next Sunday!

One thing that I also like: we have a RB that can salt away a game. THat's huge

It's nice to be on this end of the spectrum for a change, instead of always being the ones seeing their players go to other teams and having success.

I'm not a huge fan of free agency, because dropping big bucks can really set your team back. I am a bigger fan of having good people in the front office who can identify players and situations like the one we have with Perriman. The Patriots are the kings of doing this, and I hope that is a trend we can echo.

Also, that call on the spot where they marked us short but replay showed we had it was total garbage. Unbelievable, especially after what happened earlier in the year in Oakland when we got jobbed. Unbelievable. The officiating in this league is not good enough.

Sutton spun the ball in our DBs faces several times after first downs, I would say this was one of the biggest chicken sh@# calls in the game.

The other was calling Perrimen for an Unsportsmanlike Conduct when Taylor had just punched him in the face. Perrimen did nothing, regardless of what he said, to warrant that penalty. Taylor was ejected, yet there were offsetting fouls? Garbage.

All in all, I am happy to be watching a team that is growing in front of our eyes. Mayfield is solid. Chubb is solid. Our receivers who couldn't catch a cold in the first six or eight games are making incredible plays. I'm not worried about playoffs, I just enjoy the Browns look like an legitimate NFL team now.

in terms of Callaway, I'm glad GW got angry and yelled at him. Hue woulda looked the other way

j/c:



All Five....#NoRealPlayers. And Ogunjobi is playing with a torn bicep.

Weird how they were able to "piece together the play" to say Hyde was short of the mark, but weren't able/interested in correcting the spot for Njoku. The officiating from one game to the next has gotten remarkably more horrible (and I'm not just referring to Browns' games).

anybody see what happens when collins actually feels like playing?

i mean he was all over the field last night making plays. he actually played like he got a big contract

The spot had to come from a ref shielded from the ball from behind the two tangled players. No way he could make that call. Maybe he could be put in charge of obvious offsides. Screwed on that again when it mattered.

Interesting over/under quick: How many plays overall in the 2nd half at Denver did nor get flagged with a penalty? IDNK, but you would might think they were getting paid piece work rates per flag thrown.

Peppers played simply incredible last night. I know people didn't like him last year, but I think playing in that much space was a good learning experience. He covered about 40 yards to make that INT last night. Showing more ball skills, being a beast in the box, making tackles...

He's turning into one hell of a player.

I didn't get to the game until the 4th quarter. The 1st play I saw was the go ahead TD pass. After that, I saw the Broncos get 2 seconds after the play clock hit zero to get a play off without a penalty. I saw Chubb bust through the line for a long run and get brought down by his face mask. That didn't get called either.

The Browns played with grit and determination. I loved that GW went for it on 4th and 1. Though it should have been 4th and inches. Agree with those who would have preferred a different play call.

Vance Joseph sealed his fate when he kicked that FG on 4th and 1 from the 6. Broncos ooking for a new HC and a new Qb after the season.

There were two uncalled facemark penalties, the other was on Juice. There was the bad spot, and the botched delay of game. But hey, we overcame them all. As BS as it was.

Yep, and he is leading the league with YAC.

Apparently facemasking has become legal in the NFL. Has impressive a run the Derrick Henry had last week, it should have been called back. He clearly grabbed a Db's facemask and used it to through him to the ground. Impressive feat of strength but highly illegal.

there were two uncalled facemasks that i can recall

Post-game thought:

I'm sick of seeing this huddle:





...as often as I see either team huddling.

it seems like it's getting worse with ref huddles too ... every other minute in the 4th

I don't get it. The foul is called, you tell the head guy the infraction and you assess the penalty. What are they discussing? It's either a foul or not. I think they should have to have the mike on when doing this.

....

At least that was funny ....

What's really funny is that most of these guys have jobs. "Professionals." Yeah, right.

And they pulling in anywhere from 130k - 170k at there part time jobs that according to the CLUELESS they suck at ... not a bad gig ...

Good for them ...

For people that have never stuck their neck out to officiate, umpire, ref, it's easy to gripe.

I've been a Ref many times. My gripe is not with the refs at all. Drives me crazy when people make this point.

My gripe is with the NFL. We have CAMERAS. They are extremely high quality. You can see everything. You could actually get even better than they are choosing to show.

We have a centralized authority in New York now. There is no reason why penalties can't be challenged and why rules are so purposely obtuse. It is game rigging, 100%. I'm not saying they are pulling for any specific teams but they are not calling it as fair as they know they can and that's just wrong IMO.

I know you like to defend officials, and I get why. But with all your knowledge, explain to me why the ball wasn't spotted correctly after the review, not that it was a first down, but the spot was way short clearly by every review. Also how is Callaway flagged for making the first down signal while not even jawing the guy, meanwhile their guy is jumping in their faces and spinning the ball everytime?

Yes thank you. My brother and I kept track and the Broncos had +130 yards worth of penalties called/no-called. That's crazy. That's not "one play". I wanna believe it's just an accident but this is a billion dollar industry, they don't employ idiots.

Look ... i only defend them when you guys are just talking about sumptin u know nothing about .. it sounds harsh but its not meant to be ... its true .. this isn’t that easy ... i actually started to do this to give u guys some insight into whats going on cause i have experience at it .. was insulted and lambasted from the get go ...

No problem answering questions ... i’m done with the classless crew ...

The spot ....

On the field ....

The line judge had a lot going on ... he had to determine where the ball was when his forearm hit ... it was being extended and everything happenend right near the sideline ...

HIS EYES first focus is when he goes down vs when he goes out of bounds ... then he has to figure out where to spot the ball ... that was harder in this case as he was extending the ball as he went down ... and this happenend before the sideline ... that’s KEY ... from that officials angle its much easier to spot when u can use the hash marks/boundary as your “guide” ... not sure if you’ll understand what i mean ...

He APPEARED to have enough of an angle so he wasn’t straightlined ..

That is a TOUGH SPOT ... i wont defend he missed it but I sure as all hell will defend how hard that was ON HIM ....

And BTW ... when i started trying to educate u guys ... i was bombarded with insults and lambasted ... i’m No snowflake like some ... u bite me .. i bite back .. i dont meltdown like a 2 year old ...

UNLESS you’ve done it .. U HAVE NO CLUE ...

Now ... the officials review .... i believe it was Jester that pointed out the difference in the review from the Faiders game ... COULDNT HAVE AGREED MORE WITH HIM ...

After the season i’ll Find out if there’d different replay officials assigned to each game ... not sure how that works .. that part we got HOSED on again ...

Why ... INCONSISTENCY between OFFICIALS ... thats all i can think of ... cause our dude pieced it together ... this dude OBVIOUSLY DIDNT ... we didnt get the 1st down but it was a 1/2 yard short at least ..

Ask anyone u know thats officiated ... arch has called pitches ... ask him what one of the biggest gripes about officials are ... in my experience two things are constants ...

- why aren’t u guys approachable ... i get asked that cause i’m Approachable ...

- INCONSISTENCY between officials and between crews ...

I wont defend the replay dude ... i’ll Find out when the seasons over how it works ... more than likely just inconsistency between the replay officials ....

Ferrara or whatever his name is told u guys why Calloway was penalized and Sutton was not .. and he was right ... IF U HAD ASKED ME I WOULD HAVE SAID THE SAME THING ... ooops ...

Sutton was NEVER jawing with or looking the defender in the eye ..... Sutton was trying to get away from the bodies ... he tripped over our defenders feet in his rush to spin it one time ... he was just being an idiot ....

Callaway and dude jawed .. they got in each other’s face and then Calloway while STARING at him gave the 1st down signal ...

After the game when we talked I’d have told my partner in the Locker room it was WEAK and he should not have thrown it ... i’m Guessing if u asked him after he had a chance to think about it .. he’d of agreed ...

Calloway opened the door by not looking downfield or away from dude he was in the “altercation” with ...

The part i didnt understand about that one .. if its a testy game i would have thrown that just to get control game .. that wasn’t a testy game by any stretch ...

I won’t defend the call .. but i certainly understand that call and have NO PROBLEMS with it ...

You’ve officiated and u think they cheat ... thats interesting ...

Well, I mean, I've only done it at the high school, flag football and intramural college level, so we didn't have fancy cameras and replay and such.

You see it you, you called it.

I'm saying the REFS ARE NOT CHEATING. Migh've not made that clear. I'm saying the NFL has practices in operation that are not fair.

I don't blame the people on the field, they are running around, getting booed, yelled at, etc. just trying their best in an imperfect system.

I understand that .. u think they cheat at a higher level ... i get it .. i find it interesting ... i dont mean that in a bad way .... thats an entirely different can of worms i’m Not sure how i feel about ...

I think you are not understanding what I'm saying.

I'll try one more time then walk away.

NFL REFS DO NOT CHEAT (not as some kind of conspiracy anyways, can't vouch for each one)

NFL ORGANIZATION PURPOSELY MAKES THE RULES CONFUSING AND DOESN'T ALLOW PENALTY CHALLENGES TO CREATE MORE EXCITING MOMENTS AND SOME OTHER REASON WE ARE NOT PUBLICLY PRIVY TO.

Ok ...got it ....

Sometimes its hard to communicate on here ...

Have a good evening dawg ...

Just to be clear- my only reason for posting about the stripes is because of how much of my football-watching time is spent with these dudes on my TV screen. It's annoying as anything.

A few games back, Brownies were involved in a game where there was almost no laundry on the field. It was a fun game to watch. Fast-paced, both teams playing in rhythm... good-looking football.

I'm a fan of games that look like that.
.02.

Not a fan of either it dawg ... way to much of it going on ... theres reasons for it ... there is entirely to many flags this year also ... not sure why that is ....

-like Myka said in not so many words that over the last 5 years they’ve made rules for safety that are extremely subjective and the more gray area surronding a call the harder it is to make ...

That’s caused alot of officials to retire early ... at all positions but especially at the Referee spot ...

So right now you have 2 or 3 Referees that have been rushed into their spots ... they should still be side judges/backjudges or linesman but were put in a sot there not ready for .. being an R isn’t easy ....

It also means u have way to many inexperienced officials at all the other positions ...

They put in two more safety rules this year that made it even harder ... combine that with all the “green” officials and u have a recipe for diseaster ... thats what this year has been ...

I only started doing this to shed some light on sumptin most dont know or understand ... it hasn’t turned out so well SO FAR ... *L* ...

For those that want some insight, I’ll be more than happy to provide some ... have questions, i’ll answer them ...

Not engaging with the folks that just wanna ridicule and act they have a clue ... i learned a lot in the cess pool ... sometimes i have trouble remembering the lessons ...

Eh, I agree with you.

I don't do football, just softball. And for me, at this point, just J.V. high school on down to the lowest levels - like, 8U.

I don't gripe at ref's like I used to. I could go into so many instances: instances where the fans don't have a clue what the rules are. Instances where I did in fact mess up, and the angst that comes with that. Instances where coaches get in my face just for show. Instances where fans cuss you out, even follow you to your vehicle. (I won't do ASA games in Toledo, for that exact reason)

Yes, for football fans sitting at home, watching endless replays, it's easy to say "Damn, ref, you missed that call." And sometimes they do. Last night, the delay of game that wasn't called, the facemask that wasn't called.

It happens. Unless someone puts on their big boy pants and ref's games they don't understand.

Again, softball. I knew all the rules when I was nothing but a fan, OUTSIDED the fence, and my opinion didn't matter. Since I've become an umpire, INSIDE the fence, and truly KNOW the rules? And the call is dependent on me? It can be tough.

There's a reason that baseball and softball officials are getting hard to find: Not enough people are willing to subject themselves to the abuse of the fans/coaches.

Football can't be much different, although at the nfl level, they get paid very well. And with better pay, we expect more, right?

People don't want to be officials anymore. As we were told last year during the yearly meetings: It won't be long until OHSAA goes to only having 1 licensed official per game because their aren't enough umpires to use 2 per game.

Heck, it's December 16th, and I've already gotten about 25 emails about doing softball, starting in March. (and so has every other umpire in the area).

And these aren't coming from the OHSAA site. These are coming directly from AD's at area high schools. Hell, I'm even getting e-mails from the Cleveland and Columbus areas (as are other umps).

March to May, if I desired, I could easily do 6 games a week. Get to June, and summer ball? 10 games a week, and for some weekend tournaments? Heck, 6 games a day on Sat. and sunday, plus 2 or 3 on friday nights.

And you get bitched at each game. Often times by parents that don't even know the rules.

Like Diam, I am approachable. As I tell the coaches before the game though: If you want to come out and question me on a rules call? Please do so, in a respectful manner. I'll listen. We'll get it right. But, if you come out yelling and screaming over a judgment call? Ball or strike? Safe or out? Watch it.

Eh, I blathered on, my bad.

Yes, in the nfl, we expect the best. Out of the officials. Yet when a player runs the wrong route on a pass (which too many people cant see), or when a back misses the hole, or when a defender does the right thing but the O makes a better move............etc?

Let's just say, I'd like to see the fans that gripe the most take the classes and put their tails inside the fence.

I remember that game. Weird that it was supposed to be the game that Mike Phipps finally broke through and was then going to be a star for years. I think Chuck Heaton wrote ab article for Football Digest title "The Maturing of Mike Phipps". That obviously never materialized.

Hard to understand how a sideline official misses a facemask play like that. I mean they are right there looking at inbound/out of bounds plays?

On top of that what is holding? I mean I see it called. I see it not called all the time. Really what is holding?

Some of the officiating calls I see weekly are horrible.

There has to be a better way. I know camera replays can not be used but damn the calls change games.

U wanna ask me a question bone ... i’ll give u some insight on the above ...

Just ask ...

U didn’t blather on arch ... for anyone that’s ever done it ... we get it ...

Lots going on there on so many levels folks don’t understand ...

One of the things these guys don’t seem to understand is one of the reasons U and I are a lot less harsh on them is cause we’ve missed calls and know how they feel ... when i first started i was incredibly lucky because of who i knew and who trained me ... one of them told me 1000 times ...

The game your doing today regardless of the level is important to the players, the coaches and the fans ... they worked hard and devoted thre time to this ... the least u can do is give them your best effort every time out ...

U know exactly what that means .... these guys never give it any thought and wonder why anyone would need to be told that .... i always gave him the middle finger as he was a good friend and he knew I only did things one way ... i don’t half butt nuttin and he knows that ...

Wow ... one ump on varsity softball or just JV games? ...

And its not easy dealing with the players, coaches and fans ... sometimes its a task dealing with your partner ... if you’ve worked with enough u know exaclty what i mean ...

Thanks for sharing arch ...

I’ll chat about this anytime with U ....

We're asking.

Explanation please.

Haven't read other posts yet. My thoughts:

- The time out. Yikes. Fourth and a foot. I see the hard count strategy, and it worked. But if that was your plan, then you do not call the timeout until the last second.

- Going for it, instead of the FG to go up by 4. Stupid move. Denver has a really good FG kicker, and we were in Denver. Go up by 4, and they need a TD. Stay up by 1, they need a FG. Which means getting to the 40 instead of the end zone. Huge difference.

- Their RB was a non-factor. Nice work. Late in the game it was 12 rushes for 15 yards. Peeled off a decent run after that, but overall was kept in check.

- A few very untimely penalties. A hold that negated a long run. Perriman's retaliation that offset a big penalty by their D (though I get it). Denver's TD drive extended by 2 big penalties.

- Nice sack to end the game.

- Huge win. Really nice to get a W when Bake was not on his game. And he wasn't. Accuracy an issue this week. Terrible pick. But he did OK otherwise. And, a huge win.

I hate that I missed it. Didn't even know there was such a thing as a Saturday game =(

I agree. But what I liked was we he had another game within a game where he settled down and made a few nice throws in the 2nd half. I think he only had 2 incompletions in the 2nd half. It's nice to have a QB that's not going to fall apart and wet the bed for an entire game.

Did anyone else feel like we are seeing shades of the Kardiac Kids? I mean geez.. I was sleepy.. Wanted to lay my head down and just go to sleep but coudln't do it.

Then, after Peppers sacked the QB, I thought, great,, Now I can sleep...

Not a chance...I was wide eyed....

Did you know the game was replayed at around 5 am on NFLn..... I did!

Yep. They do it every year after college football wraps up the regular season.

I don't see how the O or Baker get any credit for the W here. Now don't get me wrong. I love Baker and certainly think he was the right pick and our QB of the future. But young QB's have bad days. Heck, even Tom Brady had a bad day yesterday. Drew Bees has bad days. But our O put up just 17 points.

Any way you slice it that was a win for the D. But that's what good teams do. Young teams often times fold when their field general doesn't produce points. They lean on him for their inspiration. What we saw yesterday was the D step up and make their own inspiration. Good teams don't leave it in the hands of the refs. They don't fold when they're making penalties. They fight on.

That's what we saw Saturday night.

Defense played great and I have to agree love Baker and our O but this one was won by our Defense ...

I have a question, why is Robinson or our Oline constantly called for "holding calls" which are ehhhhhhhh ok technically holds but normally not called - but then myles is raped every game over and over by a LT and never a hold?

i wonder the same thing. Time and time again a replay shows whichever O-lineman Garrett got past with his arm around Garrett's neck from behind. No flag.

And then they replay one where we get flagged for holding, and I am thinking "you decide to call that one?"

Its a crying shame.

Part of me says its because they know if they started calling holding against Myles he would have broke the sack record 5 games ago. lol

I still think it is a case of our reputation ... "Nahhh .. The Browns aren't any good .. they must be doing something wrong.. better call something against them.."

The more we continue to win, in spite of the refs, the more likely we will get the calls later..

I agree Garrett got mugged on more than one occasion this week and it happens every week I sit in amazement at how these refs won't call the holding on him ...

That has something to do with it ... but its not what u think ... i’ll Get to the rest of the questions later ... actually ... i’m Gonna start a thread in whatever forum it belongs in ...

Will do that later and will start with these questions ... starting with this one ... witch as i see now isn’t actually a question ... *LOL* ...

Have we discussed our offense turtling again yet?

Garrett did not have a good game and imo, became frustrated by the double teams, chip blocks and the holding that was not called.

IMO, Garrett might have benefited more by turning his game up a notch or two, forcing the officials call the obvious. As it was, Garrett's play looked to be exactly what it was..double teams and chip blocks were enough to stop Garrett. I think he was credited with 1 tackle.

Other teams will attempt the same tactics against Garrett so the coaching staff will need to adjust by moving Garrett around or overloading his side to make it harder to double team him.

That was Garrett's worst game, imo.

I think it was a pretty good team effort. Keep in mind Denver doesn't score a lot and they don't give up a lot of points.

Denver has scored 20 pts or less in 6 games this year. They also held pittsburgh to only 17 points.

Not saying it was the offense or defense that won the game. I think it was an awesome complete team win.

Donovan calls a great game. I remember back in the day listening to him on the radio.

Jimmy's the best IMO

Happy Birthday, Dawg.

I met Jimmy when he was still a baby faced green horn @ WKYC. I was doing some work there on the studio set.

He is starting to show his age now, but man did he look younger than he was back then.

"Chubba-wubba-HUB!!!"




I love that he's such a homer.

I like Donovan, but I thought Gib Shanley and Nev Chandler were the best Browns' radio voices. As long as we're talking NFL radio voices, a local radio show plays the highlights of various games around the league on Mondays, and I hate-hate-hate the way so many broadcasters put that phony growl in their voices when they call a touchdown. Its like one minute you're listening to an excited announcer and then he morphs into fake-angry Al Gore giving a stump speech.

thanks buddy