- Seibert was the ultimate bright spot tonight ... that’s a big step for him (and us)

- Our first team DL was straight dominating ... we destroyed their OL

- In all, our first team D was stout ... a good showing

- Vernon played great, as did Schobert and Richardson.

- Our OL ... not so much. We just seem to get NO push in the run game (when we TRY to run at least)

- Baker was as bad as he could be, which might be a good thing in the long run IMO ... get him refocused and hungry

- Hunt is so more efficient on the edges and as a WR ... he’ll be a good mix for Chubb

- Too many dropped passes from our playmakers ... Srong didn’t do himself any favors tonight, and Higgins didn’t have his usual night

- Braxton miller showed up, but very late in the contest

- I really, really don’t want to see Stanton take any more snaps for us

- The obvious statement: We really need our top playmakers out there with Baker. Teams just blitz him like crazy when they don’t feel there are any consequences

- This was the first time that our poor game management cost us (using our TO’s too early) ... not that it really matters now, but it’s Good for us to see it

we don't look ready for the season on offense. It looks disorganized.

Defense is going to be scary,

Seibert is in the drives's seat. I think they'll let the other guy handle the PK duties next week, see how they both practice, then make the decision.

Baker was off on a few throws. A couple were dropped but they weren't easy catches.

Our DL so far looks like a juggernaut. This was my favourite thing about the game.

D'ernest deserves a spot on the 53.

D-line looks ready for prime time.

QB1 looked off but wasn't getting any help from the receivers.

Either our 2nd string WRs are slow as hell or their CBs are amazing in coverage.

Pharaoh Brown is tall. That's all I can really say about him.

Willies drops balls, very disappointing.

I want to keep the Hammer but I know we won't.

Seibert may have gotten a job.

Their 2's & 3's moved the ball practically at will. Our second-half pressure barely worked at all theirs worked every time. Adjustments?

Glad we're not dependent on our twos and threes this season.

Lawrence flashed.

Vernon showed up today.

Smith was seen on several plays.

Braxton showed up.

Freddie looked like he could barely keep his eyes open.

You can't blame Higgins and Strong, IMO. Baker wasn't sharp.

Hopefully he gets that out of his system, but he needs to work with Brees in the offseason...pick his brain about being a shorter QB. All his high throws are due to being short, IMO. He's overcompensating on his delivery to get it over the lineman.

He's also way too slow going through his reads. He's a tick behind. He's getting to read two when he should be on three. This is all untrained eye stuff. But I've seen QBs who get through their reads quickly. They are basically on read two before they've even set their feet. Baker is such a rhythm thrower that if his first read isn't there, he's already too late because he wants to plant and throw to that first read so badly.

Looks like Seibert has won the job. I hope Joseph catches on with another team.

I think Freddie possibly hurt the team by not playing the starters in game 2.

I think OBJ has possibly hurt the team by being OBJ.

Man, will the season just get here already. We won't know how much any of this matters until we get to game 1.

--Baker was inaccurate. He was high w/a lot of throws when he was in the pocket. His lack of height has something to do w/that. On the good side, he did a great job of avoiding would be tacklers.

--The OL once again did a very good job of pass blocking. They also were not very good in run blocking. This is becoming a theme.

--Our front seven [starters] dominated TB's OL. Richardson, Vernon, Myles, Chris Smith, Joe, Kirksey all dominated.

--Joe Schobert is a very good player. Great in pass defense. Smart as can be.

--I really liked what Richardson did tonight.

--I hope we were just working on the passing game, but we ignored the running game.

--This Lawrence guy at DT has flashed this preseason. He has a quick first step.

--D'Ernest Johnson should make the roster. I like the dude.

--Strong, Willies, Higgins looked okay..........but they are not OBJ or Landry. I will say that Baker did not do them any favors w/his inaccurate passes.

--Stanton's arm is weak.

--Why didn't Gilbert play? The only reason I can think of is they want to stash him on the Practice Squad. I doubt that that would work. He has shown too much.

--Kush gave up one big pressure to Suh, but otherwise, looked very good in pass pro.

--Braxton made a couple of catches.

--Robert Jackson continues to make big plays on Special teams and has nice size at corner. He probably will not make the team, but this dude has some value in my opinion.

--Looks like T. Mitch beat out Greedy for the starting corner.

--Chris Smith is very underrated by folks on this board.

--We should not use Avery in coverage. No hips.

--Seth DeValve is a bum. Another dumb pick by Sashi.

--Mack Wilson is a good athlete, but he needs to get stronger. He is a liability in traffic.

--This Lamm dude played some LT and he has some potential.

--I'm not sure if Freddie is ready.

I forgot to add these two:

--Seibert won the job in my opinion.

--I wish we would dump this Scottish Hammer experiment. Holding for the kicker is important. So is placing the ball. Let the guy go and keep Colquit.

I never post during games because I don't feel you can adequately watch a game while posting. But, I just clicked on the last page of the Game Day thread and saw a bunch of negative posts about the OL. I also saw Grateful's two posts about two negative plays by our OL on the OL thread in the PFF.

Uhmmmm...........I'm sorry, but that is off-base. Our OL is providing Baker w/way more time than other qbs receive. Way more. Winston was the guy who was under immediate pressure.

I see the way it is going to be......

The guy is a good athlete. For this, i reckon he must be coordinated, and should have the ability to become a good holder. He just has to get comfortable at it.


Colquitt is a great punter. I want to keep him around because he's ridiculously dependable. But the Scottish Hammer will catch on somewhere. He'll be a player in this league IMO.


He just needs to keep on working on receiving snaps and putting the ball down. Over and over and over

WR Strong has got to go
Deveroe Lawrence has to Stay

DeValve, hasn't had a series in 3 pre season games,

Harris looked bad.

Perriman should have stayed on the Browns.

Playcalling can't abandon the run,

Mayfields pass selection seemed generic, only one go route or the delay underneath.

Zettel and Eukalue have to Stay.

I like Meander, Coley is a starter

Austin Corbett, if all we had was that series, ohh, just, just find somebody eles, maybe call it the Oneil Cousins award,

Where have you gone Austin Paztor?

Imagine if the Browns had come out, and they ran the ball up and down the field and only threw when they had to?

The defense is set up to stop the pass, I don't know how they will fare vs the run.

I don't like players that don't make plays, or make negative plays and they make teams because of some intangible over guys who actually are out there contributing,

Strong and Ratley have got to Go, is how I feel,

Which means they'll def. get a spot, because there can't be a year when I don't feel like going ape stuff over who makes and doesn't make the team.

They took Myles Garret out almost on play number 4,

All those embarrassment of riches plays by Vernon, were largely without Myles in the game, (If I saw that right)

Braxton Miller is going to be the #3 WR on this team,...
Hey it's "my" thoughts postgame, based on what???

He's got a style, an intangible, he's got a maneuverability as a turn around catch in the belly make a break on a 3rd rate cover corner,
That makes him a very good compliment to Landry and Obj.

Braxton Miller is not as good as Higgans, and Willies is better down field deep on a go route,

I would keep Sheehy Guiseppi, and Ishmail Hyman is my bubble player,
Strong and Ratley give me nothing over replacement players.

I don't think Corbett is good enough to be a backup center, if I only base it on that series he had tonight.

The Browns might have real troubles at TE.

They battled
It's a process
It's the toughest league to get a win in,

Telfer, Charles, and Fells have got to be saying, "What the!" You kept these guys over us?"

If Ricardo Louis, is a , is not enough to make the 2019 off season team, but I think is twice the player Strong or Ratley are, then they got to go.

the other guys, the Guiseppi, and Hyman, and Willies, they are a whole different animal, high energy guys who make teams on effort and a punchers chance,

Dude............

Well, I guess we'll have to show up and play to earn the hype.

The D looked exciting, but the OLine and Baker didn't look so hot, at all.

I'm ok with keeping the rookie kicker & punter.

Everything on D after the starting DLine went out looked rather ho-hum.

Agree. There were times things broke down quickly, but this one is all on Baker. He looked like he traded in his Quad-Core for a Pentium 3. Terrible in pretty much every aspect. Can't expect these guys to hold blocks for 6 seconds while he stumbles through his reads.

I agree w/the rest of your post, but I don't get the OL part. I am not talking about the backups...........I'm talking about the starting OL. They did a very good job in pass pro. Yes, they gave up a couple of pressures, but what OL doesn't?

I really am not getting all the hate for the starting OL.

Freddie talks a lot and he talks tough, but I wonder if it wise that we are not getting Baker, OBJ, Landry, and Njoku enough reps????

Not hate, just the way I felt watching them. It felt like they were giving up pressures as often as the Bucs' OLine; we just got home a lot more than they did.

Add in that I think I can spit farther than the amount of rushing yardage they opened for us and I don't feel it was really their best outing.

I agree w/you about the run blocking. They were bad. I disagree w/you about the pass blocking. Baker was slow to make reads. On the other hand, our starting D brought immediate pressure.

JC: I didn't get a chance to watch tonight's game because i've been "working". But, no matter how it went, I don't think the third pre-season game is an endightment as to what our offense will be.

First, Baker. I don't care how Baker played tonight. I've got all the faith in the world in the guy. I saw what he did last season. He showed me that he was accurate, no matter what height he was. He went through his progressions better than any of the other rookie QBs last year, and better than any rookie QB i've seen in awhile. That's my guy, and that's who i want to follow. If i'm the Browns GM, you couldn't offer me anything that would take Baker away from me. Be-it Pat Mahommes, Carson Wentz, whoever. He's the one for me. And pre-season game is not going to change that feeling for me. No question about it.

Besides losing Kevin Zeitler, our offense has only progressed since last season. At the end of last year, Baker was a good QB. He's only going to be better this season. He made quick reads (for a rookie) last year, he'll make quick reads this year (as he'll have more experience).

We got Odell on the team, and sacraficed Zeitler. Higgins continues to improve. Callaway will be back after Week 4, and he should be better as well (as he came to us relatively cold last year). Njoku is going into his third season.


I've got plenty of faith in this offense. They don't need to play in the 4th preseason game. They're going to be just fine. This is a better offense than last year's. It's also a better team than last year's.


My feelings haven't changed. I don't know what our record will be, but i think we're going to win the division. And a pre-season game isn't going to change that for me (unless there's some sort of drastic injury, god forbid)

Baker was indeed slow, and generally off all Half, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on the pass blocking.

In general, the entire O looked like it chugged a bunch of cough syrup and got all dazed and confused before going out there. Nothing clicked; nothing was smooth; nobody had it together.

Come on, man. You did not watch the game because you are busy and then make a long post that contradicts the posts of people who actually watched the game.

Bad form, bro.

Did anyone see OBJ and Landry on the sidelines and their non-reactions to Baker after he came off the field? Did anyone see the bag of snacks in Landry's hands on the sidelines?

I really am not sure if Freddie is ready?

Vers, I'm sorry but I like the Scottish guy. He has great air time on his punts and with good distance. The returner either called fair catch right off the bat, or di nothing with the return. He also has been trying some field goals. Maybe a two way player with kicking?

Baker was off but a lot of those would have been caught with OBJ and Landry in the game. I saw a few throws that were a bit off the mark, but also throws that those guys would have had separation on and/or would have made the catch. He knew where to go with the ball, most of the time.

I did see him get flustered, and make some desperation throws. I also saw the line break down and force him to stay or get out quick. He stayed a lot and that is where is lack of height showed up. When the pocket collapsed, he had to heave it the best that he could.

I still think we are very vanilla and basic with the offense. I cannot wait until the 8th when we see the full weaponry out there.

Freddie showed some rookie stuff today, but not too worried just yet. I don't have specific examples, but why did we completely abandon the run? Like Vers said, I hope we were testing out the passing game.

I love our front four. Holy crap they are stout. Schobert looked great as well, and man did we get some pressure. Winston is pretty mobile and even when he got away, he wasn't going anywhere. Great pursuit.

Secondary made some great plays as well. We are lucky to have Mitchell and it was nice to see Ward out there.

I have only watched the first half thus far, so these are my thoughts thus far...

I'm ready for real football to start.

Maybe, I just have been on the phone with my 8 months pregnant wife and following the game via Twitter while sitting on the bridge of a ship at anchor in Galveston.

And reading Twitter and the Board's Gameday Chat, i feel like some people have taken a little too much from this game.


I watched the first two games. I saw the team last season. I'm still as confident as ever, and i think that there's only so much we can learn from a pre-season game. That's all.

I'm torn on OBJ because he's been injured the last two years and seems to be one of those "glass jaw" type players. Everyone else should be out there. Here's food for thought... You're keeping all these players out to preserve them, yet putting your franchise QB in an exponentially more dangerous position because of it. Add to that, accomplishing absolutely nothing in getting ready for the season.

I'm not going all "chicken little" on one preseason game, but there is definitely cause for concern.

That's fine, Petey. But, this is a Postgame Thoughts thread and not a prediction thread. I saw what I saw.

Hmmmmm...............I am not predicting gloom and doom. I just like to provide a balance to the conversation. Looking at things from multiple angles is a good thing.

So...........I can't say I am really concerned, but I can understand if someone else is. I also have to say that it's probably foolish to think that everything is honky-dory.

Hell, I don't know what to think about this team at this point. I'm going to bed. LOL

Seriously asking because I was not totally tuned in for the second half. What did I miss? Couldn't have been a bad hold and the two punts I saw were both 55+ in the air...

I'm not going to set my hair on fire over one pre-season game, but Baker underwhelmed tonight. Then again, he didn't exactly light it up last pre-season either, but then turned it on when it mattered. Remember, he's out there without his top RB, TE and both WRs, so I feel things will amp up a bit when we're playing for real. His WRs didn't do him any favors either, and it just felt like he was throwing a step too far for everyone. If he looks like this in the regular season, I'll start to worry.

The defense was spectacular. One of the first plays they ran, Myles Garret instantly blew past the Left Tackle, which caused Winston to step up quickly in the pocket ... right into the arms of Vernon who and blown inside of his guy. I laughed like an evil scientist. And then it was more of the same for the rest of the game. Winston was playing scared by the second quarter and you could see him rushing throws. Even the DBs are doing their jobs, because there were several times when Winston actually had time to throw, and he still couldn't find anyone.

Our 2nd and 3rd team D's though looked weaker and weaker as the game went on.

The Special Teams were also fantastic and nearly won us the game. I feel like Seibert finally stepped up and put himself firmly in the drivers seat tonight. Gillan didn't put a foot wrong either. That competition is going to be tough to call. I like the veteran presence and holder reliability of Colquitt, but Gillan was flipping the field in our favor just about every time out. The dude has a leg, and can tackle to boot. Special teams in general had a great game tonight.

I'll take solace in the fact that the weakest links tonight seemed to be our offense that was sitting all our playmakers ... and our third-team defense.

I just rewatched all of Baker’s .Baker got all his passes off in less than 3 seconds except 3. The sack in the red zone, the play where he scrambled and was hit late by Suh, and the 3rd and long during the drive where there was a penalty on the punt, as well as the first running play. The takes that he held the ball too long are incorrect imo. The reason he went 10-26 was he was inaccurate as I have ever seen. His receivers didn’t do him any favors when he was able to throw a catchable ball.

The oline played better than I first thought. Kush and Robinson each had a whiff. There were a few plays where Baker had time but had to deal with pressure in his face. One play was the 3rd down throw where his arm got hit and the ball just floated. Tampa did bring a lot of pressure and the only sack given up was a coverage sack. The backs deserve credit as well for their blitz pickup. One thing I should add is I didn’t rewatch the 2nd half where the starting line played three series.

DeValve started the game at fullback. Had a drop on his only pass.

Sheehy had a nice 17 yard punt return, carrying two defenders for the last 5 yards. I hope he gets a shot somewhere.

I thought Blough looked good. I’m thinking him and Gilbert will each get a half next week.

Stanton is going to be the number two. I hope he never has to throw a pass.

It's an exhibition game. Nothing to worry about, no solace is necessary.

I think the game is a wake up call. Great on paper does not = Great on the field. No one is going to roll for them. Wake up .. drink your coffee .. and go do your jobs.. It's time to stop reading your press clippings and get real.

I overestimated our O-line...or at least underestimated their importance this season. We are not good. And I think Vers is right and we may miss Zeitler more than anticipated. The trade off for Vernon and OBJ might be worth it, but what we have at RG stinks.

I'd expect a move if we are serious about this season.

nrtu

My thoughts start with considering what I believe Freddie was doing in this game. All just my opinion.

He wanted to look at his 3rd, 4th receivers to determine who moves into contention, or not, as well as to help decide who he's keeping - this based on as close to normal game conditions as he can get, i.e., throw passes and try to move the ball. There was no running game involved with that except to give Hunt some work as he will be sitting after next week. DeErnest got work to see if he's moving past Hilliard.

The OL mostly gave Baker enough time - he was just very off and he knew it which every qb goes through. I believe he reacted to a number of poorly placed throws.

After the first D throttled Tampa Bay, he played a lot of Wilson to see if he can be consistent - he regressed a bit in this game. Davis and Lawrence played well and solidified their standing. I didn't notice Takitaki at all, did he even play?

All in all, IMO, Freddie was using this game to make some future decisions and got some valuable output to consider. A bonus, he also got to see more than normal amount of his kicking game as a result of Baker and the other qb's lack of scoring.

I think some of the comments didn't consider what I interpret as his 'game plan'. Not that anyone's reaction or observation was wrong at all but the overview should be this was a planned shake out of receivers and some others who are either on the bubble or are pushing to move up to second team.

Those who were commented on, either the good or the bad, are what Freddie said was going to be studied on the tape. He even intimated that a lot of the O performance interrelated among the groups, not just one thing made the O performance poor.

Looks like Seibert moved up and if he plays next week that'll confirm, or, if Joseph doesn't match his performance.

Anyway, from what I've seen/heard from Freddie he'll have these guys ready when they meet Tennessee at home.

I agree. He dropped them inside the 20. One of the announcers credited Colquitt when it was the hammer doing the punting.

Jus watching a few highlights of Baker’s mis-throws ... he was high on nearly every one. High and outside when throwing outside of the numbers and high when throwing in between the numbers.

I also thought there were 2 times when he was expecting the WR to “stick/sit” in the zone and the WR didn’t ... obviously we don’t know who’s to blame in those spots

If you have 2 field goal kickers, you have none.

Cut one and move along.

Yeah, it seems like Seibert is the dude here

Seems like for years we couldn't keep the oppositions RBs from getting outside while our RBs could never get outside. This D line and Hunt may end that issue.

We'll be fine. O just needs reps. Freddie hopefully knows something we dont.

Starting D Line looked stout and ready. Seriously they are the only ones that mattered. They others hopefully won't see much time anyway.
Unless opposing teams can get a grip on them I see 50 or so Sacks this year. Plus a ton of O holding calls.
Linebackers for the most part controlled their lanes and their follow through support moves showed they know their assignments and did them.

O Line looked OK and did give Baker some room for the most part.
He was pushing a bit too hard many times. But when doesn't he.
W/ the #1's out, the guys he practices w/ the most, it looked predictably sloppy. Timing was off, reads rushed, passes forced, missed routes, etc.... Baker did though catch that Bucks penalty flag and took his free shot. Good awareness. VERY Vanilla play calling as why show anything in preseason anyway.
Can't see Stanton as #2 or #3.... QB advisor maybe....

I saw mainly a tryout game after all the ones left.

It looked to me like the receivers were slow and missing their marks on many of the miscues. There were some drops too that should've been caught. Also, the CBs were draped all over our WRs. It's hard to believe the Bucs' CBs are that awesome in man to man coverage. Maybe they are or maybe the WRs weren't creating space. I'm not saying Baker didn't overthrow, but I think he may be used to the separation and precise route running Landry and OBJ give him. Or maybe he had an off day. Either way, I'm not worried. I think the First half went the way we would want it too in live fire. Sure, we would've liked more TDs, but we came out on top and shut them out. Not much more you can ask for as an end result.

I'm not bad-mouthing the guy. He punted fine. However, Colquit is an excellent punter in his own right. What it comes down to me is that Colquit has done it in real games. And more importantly, is that he is a good holder. People have been wringing their hands about the kickers all off-season and it's been fairly well documented about the difference in kicking when those guys are holding.

I would prefer to keep proven reliability on the unknown and unproven.

I have seen people saying this was just an exhibition game and that is true. But, the third preseason game is the one that is a good indicator of where your team is at. What's scary to me is that Tampa Bay has one of the worst defenses in the league and we didn't look good on O at all last night.

I have also noticed that over time, there have been a lot of statements about how Baker makes the receivers look good, the OL look good, the RBs look better, etc. And when the O struggles, it's all those guys who are making Baker look bad. LOL

j/c:



https://www.yahoo.com/sports/freddie-kitchens-frustrated-browns-offense-095152812.html

Defense, Scary good

Special Teams: Pretty darn good

Offense: not so good.

Our D line is dominant.. no question, just as advertised.. Can't be more pleased.. But that's not all. I really love this D all the way around. Great job. Wards play was great for the short time he was in.

Special teams did a good job. Seibert is probably going to win the job. I'm both happy and sad about that. Joseph is a fine young man who came in cold and did a pretty decent job last year.. I kinda thought he reminded me a little of Phil Dawson in his first year.. Phil wasn't very automatic back then. But you know how that turned out.

Not sure what's gonna happen with Gillian.. we'll see I guess.

Offense just didn't perform. No Chubb, No Njoku, no Beckham and no Landry all probably played a part in it. But the other guys should have caught some of what Baker was throwing.. Baker was off target more last night then I've ever seen him be.

Part of that might have been the Oline. LT and RG are still a problem. We are a long way from having that resolved.

I'm glad we got to see the first teamers (some of them anyway) play. The weak spots are evident.


Anyway, work to be done still.. they have roughly two weeks to sort it all out..

Damn, what a Dline.... Yikes

Said the right things. Told the truth as the fans saw it on the field. What else is he going to say? No problems with his statement.

The true truth - as it goes for every team in the league, I suppose - what we saw last night (PS #3 or not) is nothing like what we're going to see vs the Titans. This applies not only to missing players and 2nd teamers, but to play calling, scheming, everything. As someone else mentioned, it is likely we were working on plays that needed tweaking in practice.

Baker didn't look particularly sharp, but - besides the DL and K - who did? I have a feeling that the first offensive series versus the Titans will be a surprise not only to
the Titans but us as fans. Quick, mixed with productive runs and 7 points. Just a feeling.

Offensively, we are not going to run plays in PS that reflect what Landry, OBJ, Njoku and Chubb are drawn up to do in the opener. I'm also confident we'll get the Oline wrinkles figured out in time. It should be very exciting. My worry number on a 10 scale is about 2. I suspect Freddie's is as well.

Of course, I may be wrong about absolutely everything I suspect and just wrote.

Who knows?

I think the better punter should be the punter.

My thoughts exactly so I just quoted ya.
Seen it to many times with very good teams look just a little off. That's what we was.

No need to worry folks just come one come all to the isle where the water is nice and the sun is always shining !!
Rooms are remodled for 2020 and the service is impeccable!

I only watched the first half... and was at dinner with my bride so didn't pay real cloche attention but this is what I saw...

Defense looked good... d-line was dominant most of the half... few missed tackles in the secondary but overall vey happy with defense...

Kickers looked good...

Special teams in general looked good

Offense left a lot to be desired... running game was pathetic... don't know if we were sticking with basic calls for running because they all seemed up the middle of little to no gain

Baker felt off... held the ball a bit on some plays... line looked average.... it felt like some of the throws were there but he needed help from his receivers which he didn't get...

I'd rather get this type of game out now from offense and hopefully once the starters we together a lot improves...

My post game thoughts exactly.

My thought is that preseason game no. 3 is the perfect game to look rusty and off. You always need a little kick in the teeth to come back down to Earth, and getting that when it doesn't really count is the best time.

Plus, who knows if we would have made some halftime adjustments that would have helped our offense get into a groove.

We're going to have games where our offense just isn't clicking or the opponent has our number. It happens to every team.

But good God our defense was something. Even when our offense isn't having the best day, I have a feeling our defense will keep us in the game and maybe even win a few games for us just on their own.

First things first. The defense in particular the DL overwhelmed the Bucs.

The consistent push on the pocket was impressive.

Vernon, Richardson, Lawerence all stood out. Schobert and Kirksey both made plays. Garrett only played the first series. But damn if the first string plays like that we are going to do very well.

The offense did not play well. Baker was not his usual accurate self. Receivers were covered pretty well but they didn't make plays that they could have. The OL was spotty. Robinson got beat often. Pass protection was ok. Run blocking not so much.

I hope they keep D. Johnson. He played tough on every assignment. He ran back kicks. He blocked. He ran tough out of the backfield.

If this was a regular season game it would have been a win.

In the end I think it leaves a good coaching moment. Shows what still needs to be worked on.

The big three Chubb, Odell, and Jarvis sat. That is a good thing.

The best things: No injuries and maybe Siebert found himself.

If you are looking for a star of the game? I would say Schobert. He showed veteran leadership. He got guys where they needed to be. He plugged gaps. He played well in coverage. He tackled well. Really played well.

Have to give props to Wilks. He had the defense primed and ready.

Really?
I saw 2 bad plays by the LT.
One he was beat by the speed of a blitzer,he got called for holding.The other he was over aggressive and missed a delayed blitzer who tatooed Baker.
Tampa did an outstanding job of mixing up their blitzes.I would say every one of the olinemen missed an assignment or two.
But,LT and RG are problem children de jour,so we'll just talk about them.

J/C

I think a lot of focus on the Oline, Baker and WR/TE play, but let's not ignore the play calling. Where was the run game? Non existent. We literally came out and said we are an air team and their DBs played well against us. I think this game falls just as much on Monken and Kitchens as it does the offense as a unit.

Thankfully it was a preseason exhibition and we can now look and review and hopefully not put our team in that situation again.

J/c

Watching Kitchesn PC just now .. you can tell he was upset with the entire offense, from Baker to the OL. I like the consistency with high expectations and performance ... he doesn’t fluff around certain players or positions or whatever

j/c

While I don't feel the OL did a stellar job, they were average and didn't stink up the joint. I guess I could complain about the run blocking, but when you only have five running plays, it's a little hard to gauge an entire unit on such a small sample size. Boy, I sure hope that isn't a glimpse of the general play calling headed into the season.

Baker certainly didn't wake up feeling dangerous yesterday. He's a great QB with a bright future, but he will face some adversity. He will face D looks he hasn't seen. Teams have film on him now and there will be a learning curve. The only QB I haven't seen that happen to thus far has been Mohames.

So let's neither elevate Baker to God status nor bum at this juncture. It was one pre season game and not a big picture look at the kid. But go into the season knowing there will be some bumps and bruises along the way or you will set yourself up for disappointment.

I love watching the passion of the Scottish Hammer. If he was the one doing the holding for Seibert last night, I'm sold on the kid. If they had to put someone else into do the holding duties, then I'm fairly skeptical. If anyone knows about this I would be interested.

I don't know how much more that I could add over what so many have already said about our front seven on D. I will add that the secondary created a couple of coverage sacks. Greedy is on the outside looking in as one of our top two DB's, but he's not that far behind. He'll still get a lot of playing time as our #3 or #4 CB. When you have a kid with that much talent as the #3 or #4 CB, that's a great problem to have.

Hopefully this will be a wake up call. We have talent and they will win some games. Better than last year I think for sure. But as we all saw, they won't hit on all cylinders every time they take the field.

Now I know I may take some heat for my opinion here, and that's okay. I know we didn't have our top two WR's. But this is pretty much the same O roster that came straight out and dominated in the two minute drill scoring a TD in pre season game one. They didn't look the same at all.

I’m glad that you mentioned Greedy, PIT ... because I was going to ask about him:

From what I’ve seen, he’s not shown a great deal. What has he looked like to the experts on here? I thought he’d be good enough, based on things I’d read, to play opposite Ward ... but honestly, Mitchell has looked way better

Pit - as far as holding duties yesterday... Colquitt was the holder for all four FGs

I know the two have split duties during TC and the preseason. I did catch a stat from last week's game... Each kicker missed a FG: Joseph missed from 53 with Colquitt holding / Seibert missed from 52 with Gillan holding.

I know I've read a few things (probably on here) about holding maybe being a problem with Gillan, but I don't really recall if it was anything more than people wondering if it was a problem.

The kid is 3rd in net average this preseason and guys have trouble with his kicks. He is still in the conversation. Plus the open field tackle he made was pretty sweet. Havent seen his hang time on punts but man he is getting some height.

Anyway St and D is looking pretty damn good and the O will be there. Get your popcorn ready the show is about to begin.

We have a solid 45 man nfl roster not many spots remaining.

One last thing Someone reminded Schobert he can tackle. Kid was beating out there.

Thanks. After posting I saw that in Pure Football but I appreciate the information.

Ugh.

Just listened to Bakers presser. I wish he would have taken all of the blame for the offense, but he kept saying things like everyone has to do their jobs. Come on bro, be that leader we hear you are.

Not a fan of what I heard at all.

Yeah, I like when coaches/QBs just take the blame and then everyone moves on ... I mean, we all know that there are mistakes made my everyone ... but that way there’s no lingering of blame, more questions, etc

I’m not worried for two reasons.

1) Freddie Kitchens has already said he’s not doing preseason anyone else’s way so honestly no one knows exactly what he was after last night.

2) This performance alone will put the fires where they need to be.

I am just happy there aren’t any serious injuries to speak of which is the true goal of preseason.

One more post game thought.

Baker is strong as an ox. It's hard to bring that man down.

Before Freddie Kitchens wants to place blame on the offense, let's have someone in the media ask about offensive play calling?

I don't know who calls the offensive plays, but there isn't anybody in this thread new to football, and there isn't a one that wasn't around for several years, where we don't go back and question after week number one losses, a couple of things they did in the pre-season.

Now,

Somebody made the decision to run the 2 minute offense, not a regular, run first, establish the run, style, for the first series vs. the Redskins and tell the other team it's coming,
So, that decision, didn't provide, an establishment of cohesiveness for the offense, the "regular" offense anyway.

The decision was also made to not have Baker in for any of the preseason game vs the Colts, and Chubb didn't get a lot, if any "rhythm" to get into the readiness for the regular season.

But let's just go with last night, the offense, and the playcalling.

The first quarter was pass heavy, and any runs were by Hunt, who is suspended the first 8 games,

Is this wise, given that he won't be around, that "nobody" else, not even Hilliard, or DeErnest, were given a chance to Start, and establish a rhythm?
And Again last night they Sat Nick Chubb.

Does not having a running game effect the efficiency of the passing offense??? Ask Dak Prescott, ask him in 2018.

So, the Browns have basically avoided the running game on offense on the opening drive, of all 3 preseason games so far,

And that's what my question to the Head Coach is,

If you want to talk about the performance of the offense, talk about the situation they are put in, if you abandon the run to open the game?

(This is something, everone on this thread can probably reasonably remember being an issue, since before Eric Mangini was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, or at least his first year,

So why wouldn't they come out and establish the run first.

I understand the importance of passing, But everyone knows, in the AFC North, establishing the run, and playing defense are the meat and potatoes, and you pass when you have to, it's effectiveness being what makes a difference.

I thought I read that he has gained like 10-15 pounds since last season too

He is very stout. Strong legs. I read that he spent a lot of time lifting weights this off-season rather than working w/a QB coach.

Yep. Baker worked out this off-season with a program designed for him by Dale Jones, the Browns strength and conditioning coach. One day, in between some bicep curls, he looked at the camera and said "tell Vers I don't need no stinkin' quarterback coach".

He actually called the guy a "broom sweeper" if I recall correctly. LOL

None of us, or the team should be happy with the offensive performance last night, but I know this ... Freddie was not going to show his cards in this game. There was no game plan, and there can be some good things to glean out of the sets of circumstances we were dealt, mostly by our own misfortune.

We ended up with a perfect set of circumstances for our PK for one ... and imo that was the biggest question mark going into last nights game.

I feel better about that question mark today.

We beat ourselves more so than anything that TB did to us imo.

Did TB game plan more than us?

My bad, Fate. Here is Baker's actual quote.



Probably the media's fault. LOL

What does that even mean? He doesnt want to be sponge bob?

I hope that was a rhetorical question.

Preseason games are never game planned ... thus we should not put too much stock in them, outside of techniques and consistency of player performance, given their assignments.

Game plan aside, there is still much of the above to be improved upon that we can critique from this preseason game.

It was, bro.

My point was that I think it's okay for us to comment on what took place in the game instead of simply dismissing it. I didn't see any comments about game planning and such when we looked good in the first two games.

Just sayin.............

You raise a great point Vers, I understand his goal is to get the team to the season in one piece so its kind of hard to have issues with what he is doing.

I think the idea that a guy who isn't going to play has to be dressed is a bit silly, but hey at the end of the day whats the difference.

I think because of all the missed time by some of our key players will suffer some to start the year something I actually expected anyway. As these guys gain time playing together the cork will come out of the bottle then this team should really roll.

I have thought also for the past I don't know how many seasons that the defense would carry this team, that has yet to happen, but maybe this is the year?

The most concerning part to me is he still hasn't settled some key positions, namely RG, the Oline needs time playing together I wished he had settled it and he still hasn't to my knowledge although it looks like Kush.

Freddie looks to be covering the bases just me being critical which is what we do.

Underrated post of this thread.

This has been a problem for years, in particular on defense. This front 7, if they can stay healthy... omg.

Another important element this year will be keeping Lamar inside too and not letting him get to the outside as a runner as well. Huge.

I am getting to the point of being worried about two things:

1. How good is Freddie actually going to be? Either he's keeping everything about the Browns out of the eye of other teams in preseason - players AND play calling/scheme ... or we are significantly further away from being ready for week 1 than I ever imagined.

2. Baker and his synergy with OBJ, Landry and Njoku. We know Higgins and he have an understanding ... I wanted the same understanding with OBJ and Landry and *assumed* it would be there.... I'm genuinely concerned we are going to see a slow start.

BUT - then I think back to last season, how Baker had no 1st team prep - and then came in and played the QB position so well and threw the ball so accurately so many times. . . . I don't think that was a fluke and I have to think this unbalanced back yard play calling offense we've seen is nothing at all like what we will see once the season kicks off..... So I talk myself out of being outright worried, but there is definitely some doubt and concern.

It's been a couple of days and I want to be clear that I am not predicting doom and gloom. We could very well start the season on fire. It would not surprise me. I just find it a bit concerning that our starters are not getting many reps together. I could be wrong, but hasn't OBJ sat out most practices?

Here's what I would do if I played the Browns every single passing play. Play man and bring pressure up the middle. Sit on routes and break on the ball.

Baker, due to his height, is most likely going to want to throw to the outside. I would be expecting that.

If he beats me that way, hats off. But I would do it all game until he does. If he doesn't, you've just provided a game plan for the other 30 teams.

I'm not sure if not working with a QB coach was an issue or a non issue. But I hope Baker is mentally prepared for year 2.

The former, I think.

That is pretty much what the Chargers did. Of course, that was when the bullhead Haley was still running the offense.

...

So true ...

I though Joseph kicked himself out of a job and said so a week or two ago ...

The kid looked good yesterday ... we’ll see if he sticks or we trade or pick some one up after waivers ....

He's not going to make the team because of last nights performance ... he did help himself but he’s got to have been doing it and continue to do it for him to stick ... the numbers i’ve Seen lately tell me he’s improving and getting fairly consistent ... thats all u can ask of him at this stage ... he’s not a finished produce yet .. not even close ..

Were built to win RIGHT NOW ... i expect all the moves to reflect that ... like with the hammer ... no matter how good he is it wouldn’t shock me if we stuck with old reliable in this case ...

We expect Baker to make the pinpoint throws and he was slightly off on Friday. He has had a few bad first halves and came out strong in the 2nd. He will have more of those but it wont be all that noticeable if the run game is churning.

In scrimmage we ran the ball all over the colts front 7. We didnt work on it much at all. I think we have run the same run on 80% of our runs this preseason. We aren't doing that come Titans week 1.

We play the Bucs 4 quarters with Landry, OBJ, Chubb, Njoku, Myles and Vernon, we probably win this game 30 to 6. That's not blind optimism, it's truly how I see it playing out. They were without Mike Williams but these weren't just coverage sacks.

Frankly, I am glad Freddie has something to beat the O over the head with for these next 2 weeks.

Btw nick chubb may be the most feared back in the league come playoff time.

I just have to add something in regards to your comment on Seibert. Actually I do feel he made his case for the starter in the Tampa Bay game. And here's why....

You have practice players, then you have players who perform when the spotlight hits.

I've seen guys who certainly don't perform well in practice. Yet when the heat is on and you apply the pressure, they shine.

I've also seen players who look like gold during practices. Yet when you put them in a game environment, they fold like a wilted lily.

Sure, it was only a preseason game. But when the team was on the field and the fans were in the stands, he came through.

Coming from the same place I think. I am getting a little nervous of 'the Browns being the Browns' - and injury or a regression or something we were counting on to be great (Baker) and finding out that it's barely average ... but overall I am still high on the Browns being much improved.

What I have become more aware of - putting aside the questions over team chemistry and player performance .... we have a rookie HC who has taken a G.I.A.N.T elevation in responsibility/position. No one knows how he will do despite liking his manner/attitude/football acumen .... We also have no clue as to what and how the offense will be run - scheme or the play calling. Those are big wild card issues to not know.

The flip side - of all the hype and kudos the Browns have gotten during the off season, I don't think anyone is really ready or expecting to see the type of pressure and success I think our DL and front 7 will demonstrate. I think/am confident they are coming in under the radar and are going to [punch a few teams in the mouth and shock them.

My concern is last year as well. The tape is out there on BM. He is showing some tendencies and he won't be the gunslinging surprise this year that he was his rookie year. I thought he had a bad half for us being throw happy against the Buccs. Our run game with the ones was puerile. They handled all of it well and made it look consistently easy. Weather in our division is going to demand running ability for a couple wins. I just hope we aren't going to try to "integrate" the whole thing during our early games. We did not look like we brought our heads to the last game.

Those are some crazy clips of Vernon

Watched a little of the Steelers vs Titans last night.. watched Bud Dupree abuse the Titans stand-in LT... even Collinsworth said that Myles Garrett was going to have a field day against that guy in week 1.. Garrett and Vernon might be fighting over who gets to line up on the right side of our defense.

Lol i heard that too ... they have to be salivating. Even if they leave a TE to chip, the other one will feast with the 1 on 1

Didn't Greedy get injured? Anyone know his status?

I thought he was back in the game later on after he made that one tackle. I don't think it was anything significant, whatever it was.

He did come back in the game.