Ball Played: Bro at the Bat, but the Indians get beat
May 6, 2015Cavalier Film Room: Defending the Rose and Pau Pick and Roll
May 6, 2015Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has received a lot of praise from his teammates recently since returning from rehab. Last week, Browns All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas said that Manziel is “night and day” from the person he was during his rookie season. On Tuesday, the trend continued, this time from veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby.
In an interview with Jim Rome, Dansby said of Manziel, “He’s focused. He’s in here working, grinding every day. And we’re right along with him, like I said ‘we have his back,’ we never did turn our back on him…He just had to go through that learning curve, and he understands now what it takes, and I think he’s putting forth the effort. He’s grown up right before our eyes.”
Dansby has never been one to mince words. Last season, he criticized teammate Justin Gilbert for his immaturity and decision making. While giving praise to how much Manziel has matured, Dansby also said that he and his teammates fully supported Manziel’s decision to enter rehab.
“Now we know it was something bigger than he can handle,” Dansby said. “It was bigger than him, and he figured that out. He made a decision to help him be a better man. And that’s all at the end of the day that’s all we want, we want him to be the best person he can possibly be, because him being the best he can possibly be is going to be the best player that the Browns can possibly have on the field.”
As a veteran, Dansby realizes that in order to succeed on the field, players like Manziel must first get their off-the-field issues figured out before giving their full attention to the game he loves. The second-year QB continues to do all of the right things, most recently having moved out of his downtown apartment and into a west side suburb where the distractions are presumably fewer and further between. All the praise for Manziel in recent weeks may also explain why the Browns did not make a trade for another quarterback or draft one.
74 Comments
making me feel better.
you guys are all so high on this draft. I really hope i’m wrong here.
I gave it a B+ overall and merely said it was smart and solid.
I don’t think we got steals and destroyed the draft. I think your concerns are valid. I just think it would have taken reaching at 19 to take a WR. And, I don’t think any of the QBs were worth taking in our slots either. So, instead of panicking, they just stayed steady. I’ll take it.
This movie deserves more credit than it gets.
IT’S ALL A PLOY SINGING HIS PRAISES HOPING FOR A MIRACLE TRADE BEFORE THE SEASON.
Spurs the Browns to a decent record, out of the premium draft spots, then tears his shoulder apart 4th quarter week 17
wow that’s wild. Schwatz;s forte was supposed to be run-blocking. yikes.
No love for Hawkins? That’s tough.
I’m pretty sure touchdown receptions have been proven to be a poor indicator of a WR quality. There’s been several quantitative reports on that. Were you calling for Mercedes Lewis as a free agent acquisition?
Calling him “replacement level” is just an angry diatribe. He might not be a Pro Bowler but he’s a reasonable NFL player.
was going purely off those rankings for that statement. Hawkins ranked below Hartline and Bowe.
Ah, the Drew Brees special
Well, that depends on what you choose as the start of the modern NFL. Trent Dilfer won a Ring in 2001 and Brad Johnson won it in 2003. During the championship season, the Ravens leading wide receiver was Qadry Ismael, who racked up less than 700 yards on the year. Jamaal Lewis, however, rushed for over 1,380. The Ravens unquestionably won by Defense. During the season they played 5 games where they didn’t score an offensive TD.
The same is true for the Bucs. Keyshawn Johnson caught for about 1,000 yards on the year, but Michael Pittman and Mike Allstott combined to rush for over 1,250. The Bucs offense was ranked 25th in the NFL. The Bucs D, however, was ranked #1 overall and in 6 categories.
This seems to be the model that Farmer and Pettine are trying to follow. Build a team that can grind out yards on the ground. Use that to set up play action passes that move the chains and set up sustained drives that keep opponents’ big arms and stud wideouts on the sidelines. Build an attacking Front Seven on the other side and back them up with Shutdown Corners. Harass the opposing QB and force them to gamble against your secondary. It isn’t as glamorous a blueprint as watching Peyton put up ridiculous numbers week after week after week, but it can be brutally effective. It just hasn’t been tried recently.
maybe TDs aren’t the best predictor of quality, but they do matter. as do total receptions.
Hartline tied for 105th place in the NFL in receptions last year. In a league where guys are catching 130 balls in a season, he caught 39. that stinks. it’s less than a bunch of running backs. Ahmad Bradshaw caught 1 less in only 10 games.
Hartline caught only 39 of the 63 passes intended for him (61.9%).
Hartline averaged 2.4 receptions per game.
He is basically Taylor Gabriel, without the upside.
it’s the NFL. all those guys make that play. It’s a prerequisite.
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catches per target is IMO the best indicator (not a perfect one) you can use sans video to see how effective a WR is.. several advanced stats places use those in some player breakdowns (also a decent indicator of fantasy success).
First, 61.9% is actually a good ratio. It is better than what Demaryius Thomas had last year with Peyton Manning throwing to him (for one example).
the upside is the 2 years before last year. if Hartline has regressed and last year is the best he can do, then I agree that he will likely be surpassed by our young WRs.
however, if he can replicate the seasons that he had in 2012 and 2013, then we will be happy to have him.
I don’t know which Hartline we are going to get.
If Duke turns out to be the pass-catching back he should be, he’ll affect the coverages, and I think we’ll have a better chance of seeing the Hartline of 2012 and 2013.
All valid points. I think it’s a bit of folly when people talk about “this is how it is in the NFL,” because it discounts division and geographical differences. In the AFC North, primarily because of the weather, strong defense and running game are crucial elements in division games as well as winter home games.
The weather affects the greats (Brady, Manning, etc.) less, but for everyone else…
In general, the NFL is a pass-happy league, yes. But it’s effectiveness varies.
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True, but I think the game has changed pretty radically even in those 12 years.
I’m not saying it’s impossible to win with a non-stellar QB. It’s just very difficult. (And it’s worth pointing out that, while not a Hall of Famer, Johnson was actually a pretty good QB. Dilfer, not so much. Guess all we need is an all-time defense.)
Wide Receiver
Prospective Starter: Brian Hartline
If Jeremy Maclin has a respectable campaign with Alex Smith, and Dwayne Bowe continues his slow descent in Cleveland, it should provide some answers about what exactly was going on with Kansas City’s receiver group. I have a feeling, though, that Bowe still has some left in the tank. But in terms of help, he’ll have his work cut out for him.
I’m an early member of the Andrew Hawkins fan club — and I’m looking forward to him catching 126 passes in New England two years from now — but the combination of Brian Hartline and Travis Benjamin slated to play on the outside across from Bowe doesn’t quite do it for me. That pairing, no Jordan Cameron, no Kyle Shanahan, and Josh McCown under center have me a little worried about this offense. But hey, maybe they’ll run it 50 times a game behind that line. Or maybe Cam Erving can play wide receiver. You never know.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-downside-of-best-available-nfl-teams-that-still-have-glaring-post-draft-needs/
Hawkins NE pot-shot aside from him, I don’t think anyone is excited about our WR situation. Just that there is some potential there given the WRs and their histories. Not much we can do about it.
We do all realize that Erving will start, right? Because Erving will start. This year. Fully agree on Mingo, though.
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