Coming (Back) Home: Indians in talks to acquire OF Coco Crisp
August 30, 2016Lock it down, Indians Bullpen: Between Innings
August 31, 2016Mornin’ y’all. WFNY is in some desperate need of some #TeamSunnyside when it comes to the Cleveland Browns. Paul Kruger and his exotic mane were cut (from the team, no hair was harmed!) along with Austin Davis and Travis Coons this week. Hey, no surprise and Jimmy Haslam gets to save more money as the team is bereft of veteran leadership. See, I cannot help but be short-term #TeamStormClouds on the 2016 Cleveland Browns even if I do believe in the overall long-term vision being set forth by the HBT (Harvard Brain Trust). Sometimes you need to see the rainbows from the sunshine through the rain, so I went and procured some rational analysis from one of #TeamSunshine’s prominent members in that of Pat Leonard. May the wind forever be at your back and the sunshine be with the Browns. Here. We. Go.
Bode: What are some of the things you are most positive about on the 2016 Browns?
Leonard: I was probably just as shocked as anyone to see Paul Kruger’s name on the cut list. My position on #TeamSunnyside was threatened, but only for a moment. The first thing everyone will notice is that this saves the Browns several million dollars, so I’m expecting most Browns fans to believe this as the main reason for the cut. And maybe it is, but it’s certainly not the only reason. Thinking back to training camp coverage and preseason games this summer, can you think of one positive thing that Paul Kruger has done? I can’t remember even hearing his name mentioned unless there was a microphone in his face after practice. Now maybe he’s just taking the veteran’s approach to the preseason believing that his old defensive coordinator Ray Horton will assure his position, but if you’re Hue Jackson or the Harvard Brain Trust, how do you keep that fat contract when Kruger has looked like the worst OLB on the team? Kruger showed them he was worth cutting.
With that said, I’m ready to move on to some positive thinking! I think there are quite a few things that we can be excited about as Browns fans. For one, Robert Griffin III has played very well in 3 preseason games, and I don’t think any of us were expecting that when the Browns first signed him. He’s got that beautiful deep ball and 3 wide receivers who have looked amazing in their ability to not only run past defenders, but adjust to where the ball is thrown and make contested catches. The Browns’ offense has some issues, but for the first time in a long time, our team is capable of putting up points in a hurry and I think the offense will be really fun to watch. Also, RG3 is sliding!
It’s not a baseball slide, and he gets a “D+” for form, but it’s a slide!
One of the main criticisms of Griffin in the past was the fact that he would take unnecessary hits in an effort to grab a couple more yards, and this led to injuries. So far in this preseason, he has shown more care of his own body, and keeping him healthy will be tantamount to a successful season. The running backs and the running game look like they could be effective as well. The only question marks on offense are the center and right tackle positions.
Bode: The only question marks on offense are the center and right tackle positions.
That is a bold statement for a team starting a quarterback that spent 2015 as a third string player. Right now I count running back, fullback, right tackle, center, quarterback, and wide receiver among the biggest question marks on the offense. For instance, I do respect Griffin has always had a beautiful deep ball, but wonder how often he’ll be able to display it once teams are putting on a real rush with their best players. Reading defenses under pressure has been Griffin’s greatest weakness. I’m interested to see what progress Hue can make with him there, but am not yet excited about it.
Back to an area of potential sunshine though, let’s discuss our receivers. Between Terrelle Pryor, Josh Gordon, and Corey Coleman, the Browns have a bunch of wide receivers who do their best work on the edges going over-the-top of a defense or getting the ball on a screen and making a move. How do you expect the Browns offense to create opportunities for these guys in the short and intermediary zones of the defense, and which other receivers do you expect to help out the most in the middle of the field?
Leonard: Hey, you wanted a discussion with a premier member of #TeamSunnyside, you got it! Griffin’s ability to read defenses is a real concern, and I thought some of those sacks he took in the last preseason game were on him for holding the ball too long, but the deep ball is going to be there regardless of preseason or regular season or postseason (I kid, I kid).
There will be several times per game where the opposing defense will be forced to play Gordon, Pryor, or Coleman one-on-one on the outside with no immediate safety help. That just happens over the course of a game, and when it does happen Griffin and those receivers will feast. My anticipation is that early in the season teams will not respect the Browns as a team that can throw the ball downfield and they’ll be more inclined to leave that single high safety, bringing their other safety down into the box to stop the run. After several weeks, defensive coordinators will catch on to the fact that Griffin is torching teams with the deep ball and we’ll see more looks with two high safeties, and the rushing numbers will start to look a lot better.
We’ve already seen some surprisingly decent short and intermediate routes from Terrelle Pryor, and I haven’t had a chance to see Corey Coleman in those scenarios yet, so I’m not ready to write those guys off as being unable to contribute. I do think our main receiver in those scenarios will be our tight end, Gary Barnidge. If I’m picking a receiver who I think can contribute right away, it’s Rashard Higgins. He’s an adept route-runner with excellent hands, and we should get to see a fair amount of him in the first four weeks while Josh Gordon serves his suspension. I also anticipate seeing a lot more short passes to Duke Johnson once the season starts. His hands are better than many wide receivers’, so I would be surprised if he was only used in running screen plays as we have seen so far in the preseason. Everyone runs a vanilla offense and vanilla defense in the preseason, but as self-deprecating Browns fans, we should realize that this is also true for our offense and defense. We’ve seen some fun and interesting things from our offense in the preseason, but there is still so much more to see once Hue Jackson starts game-planning to take advantage of other teams’ weaknesses.
Bode: I was hoping I fashioned that question in an obvious enough way to get my favorite low-round draft pick some love. Hollywood is a player and possesses exactly what I think our higher profile receivers lack. Johnson and Barnidge operating heavily in the shorter yardage definitely helps, but I do think one of the other receivers (you mentioned Pryor) making the leap to control the mid-range will be necessary to sustain drives. Coleman has some bold Antonio Brown proclamations about himself, so hopefully he can make good on them. I mean, if we’re going to lose games, then we might as well lose them 35-28.
Oh, yes, the defense. As you noted, there is an awful ton of youth that keeps getting younger by the day as more veterans are waived. Definitely some talent in that group, but the ride is pretty much guaranteed to be a bumpy one, particularly early in the season when the rookies are getting their feet wet. What type of defense do you expect from Ray Horton Jr. on his second go-round with the Browns? And, what players do you think will thrive the most under his tutelage? Is there any hope that the points per game can climb out of the bottom third in the NFL for 2016?
Leonard: The defense is another story. Most of the players are very young, they’re lacking in top-end talent, and they’ve shown terribly in the preseason up to this point. But I do think there are good reasons for optimism. Joe Haden is back to full health and has done well in limited snaps. The Browns picked up Jamar Taylor by simply swapping seventh round draft pick position with the Dolphins, and so far the former second round pick has looked like a starter. Rookies Carl Nassib and Emmanuel Ogbah have been flying around and are looking like they can be productive players right away. Derrick Kindred is looking like a steal given his draft position in the fourth round. It’s a young defense, but it is no longer bereft of talent and I think it should improve quite a bit from the first game to the last in 2016.
I’m wondering if we’ll see more four-man fronts than we did the last time Ray Horton was in town. Carl Nassib has flashed in the preseason, but he’s more of a traditional 4-3 defensive end. He’s going to be a bit undersized playing defensive end in the 3-4, but I do think he’s capable of contributing in any scheme. Emmanuel Ogbah does look like he’ll be able to transition to standing up and playing in space as required of an outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme, but I also think Horton would do well to give Ogbah some snaps where he is putting his hand in the dirt to go 1-on-1 with an offensive tackle, as this was his bread and butter in college. I like both of those guys quite a bit and I think Ray Horton can help turn them into real difference makers on defense. With Ogbah, Orchard, Schobert, and Cam Johnson playing outside linebacker, that is an awful lot of college production that could potentially ease the burden of our underwhelming secondary if they can take the necessary steps forward.
I can’t imagine a scenario where the defense isn’t among the bottom third of the league in points allowed. They’re too young and there are too many guys who need to prove that they are worthy of being NFL starters. This is the main reason I can’t see the Browns being better than 8-8 this season. I expect them to be a top-15 team in scoring, but a bottom-10 team in points allowed.
Bode: Yes, I anticipate our defense being a big-play defense. As in, we make a lot of big plays, but we give up a ton of big plays too. I still remember Ray Horton’s defense giving up big chunks of yardage on the ground and not being able to stop teams on third downs. That trend didn’t stop when he left the Browns, and I don’t see it stopping with such a young defense either. Still, losing games 35-28 is more entertaining than losing them 9-3.
92 Comments
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” hello , everyone … remember me ?? sure ya do. some of my boys , like bitonio , kirksey ,erving , shelton , orchard , d.johnson , x.cooper , i.campbell , gaines & telfer, will be making an impact on this squad this year. then you will all realize i wasn’t that bad.”
love ,
Ray Farmer
thank you , sir …
… oooohhh , i can’t wait.
moneyball : why overpay a veteran for something another guy or good rookie can do just as well ?
von Moltke: “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”
Unfortunately, 17 years have shown us that Pogo was right: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
OK, we’ll wait for a few weeks and you tell me Pasztor does RT as well as Schwartz π
Hmmmm…..
http://www.arcticblubber.com/gallery/d/849-2/image+_7_.jpg
Depends. Can you throw a 15-yard comeback on a frozen rope?
fair enough … i already know pasztor will be the better run blocker. pass protection , i’m not sure … and if pasztor doesn’t get it done , drango , coleman , or whoever, will … depth baby ! scwartz was pretty much the only option at RT last year … this year we got options.
Hey, at least they’ve added “bend” to the repertoire.
mmmmm …. sprinkles.
Pasztor was on the team last year, Schwartz was not even hinted at being challenged by him for his position. Pasztor is currently starting over Drango and Coleman (mid-round rookies). So, depth was better in 2015 unless we want to get to the 3rd string RT.
———————-
Not to say the Browns cannot recover and field an OK line. But, they were better in 2015. Here’s hoping Coleman/Drango can develop and rip those starting jobs away from the guys in front of them.
in all fairness , pasztor was claimed off waivers a couple of days before the season started last year … so , he had no chance of being a starter. i know this … once bitonio & greco went down , and once pasztor got in there , we started running the ball better.
can you even name any of the non-starters on the O-line from last year ?? all i remember is mack’s replacement was horrible … assuming pasztor starts at RT , i know we still have drango , coleman , bailey , france & gerhart … it is only my opinion that the depth was awful last year & it really showed when the starters got hurt … this year’s unit is much much better in depth. we may have a couple of rookies , but they’re better than any of the back-ups we had last year.
I need to work on my Dean Scream!
I just remembered that I meant to put something to rest: This notion that Paul Kruger “and his exotic mane” were both cut is a false narrative. In fact, Paul Kruger trimmed his mane in the off-season.
INDEED, my sources indicate that THIS is actually the reason that he was cut. Coach Huge Action, a proud, but unwilling bald man, jealous of any and all coiffures, was infuriated that Kruger would take such a glorious gift of locks for granted. It was Kruger’s decision to prodigally trim those curls that led him to be cut himself.
#SpeakingTruthToPower
can you even name any of the non-starters on the O-line from last year ?
Austin Pasztor
Cameron Erving
2015 backups who are both starting in 2016
I appreciate the optimism, but it’s a tough pill to swallow that the 2015 had terrible depth but the 2016 group is better when they are using that depth as starters.
Have I mentioned recently how in awe I am of your memes? Instantly finding the perfect pic, hittin’ it with the perfect caption … Yond Holms has that fat and hungry look, burning through me as if I’m slathered in sauce. Or maybe I’m working the counter and forgot his side of slaw.
My last chance to use the Sampson analogy and you have to take that away too.
Sorry, man. Consider it Quality Control. It’s been a while since we were needed, but we are still on the job.
But in keeping with the Sampson analogy, Kruger is now a Saint. So, you and he both have that going for you.
i’m with you , but pasztor & erving WAS the only depth on the line last year … that’s my point.
we’ll review in few weeks into the season.
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Hi TB2, are you the new Lunch? π
*smile* … hi HOP.
Haha, hadn’t seen that yet. Of course, he’ll likely have this conversation a few times now…
Random NFL fan: “Hey, do you play in the NFL?”
Kruger: “Yes, I play for the Saints”
Random NFL fan: “That’s awesome, I love Drew Brees”
Kruger: “Me too, but I play on defense”
Random NFL fan: “Ohhh (slowly and awkwardly walks away)”
Happy to provide y’all with a purpose. My writing is filled with QC need.
It would be criminal not to post this classic scene from “Simpson and Delilah”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVggtgc6LVw
So good. I pray that prayer every night.
Much appreciated. These point-counterpoint discussions with Bode are always a good time. I realize the most pragmatic approach would be to say that we have seen this all before and let’s not get excited until well into the regular season, but where is the fun in that? Besides, it would give me no greater satisfaction than to see all of these talking heads who are predicting the Browns to be terrible for the 9th straight season (while smiling and chuckling at the misery of Browns fans) to have to eat crow. And why not? Outside of the Patriots, we really have no idea which teams in the AFC are actually good.
It’s actually quite a touching episode, as many of those early ones are
I was a glutton for punishment and rewatched the TB game last night. I came away feeling a little better. Drango came in at left tackle for Dan France against TB’s first teamers and man did he look good. Not flashy, just keeps his balance, anchors, and stymies his man. I would like to see more of him. I also made it a point to watch Paul Kruger. He was miserable. Couldn’t get pressure. There was one play where he had a free path to the running back to hit him with a three yard loss and he simply slid down the RB like a fire station pole. Ended up being a 7 or 8 yard gain instead. #TeamSunnyside
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I get it. When it comes to the Browns, after 17 seasons I’m now psychologically incapable of tolerating anything but the truth, cold and ruthless objectivity. Wish I could be whimsical or “why not” or “who knows.” Who cares what national media say, right or wrong? This org deserves everything that’s said and more. I want fall Sundays be fun again, or at least on a clear path to be so in the future.
We’ll see if our latest cap-guy-turned-personnel guy is delusional, or if He Jackson deserves any of the acclaim he’s getting before doing anything. So I will wait for real games. Another ladle from a new pot of incompetence, more physical beatdowns by division rivals, that’s just not funny anymore, not cute, not fun.
rewatched the TB game last night
I am looking forward to Tuesdays already
I read that in a Lou Brown voice. It was magnificent. I’m fired up.
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6 days late, but I got a good laugh from this.
Or Wentz is starting Week 1 because Philly wants him to start against the worst defense in the NFL π
Could be. Or because Roseman saved face by getting a first rounder after paying Bradford that much and then giving the Browns the haul of picks to get Wentz.
When Wentz beats the Browns watch locals do the usual hysterical flip out. But any Browns fan over 30 should remember that a rookie QB in an early season game against an expansion-type roster means the same now as it did in ’99. Nuthin’.
http://old.post-gazette.com/sports_headlines/19991011bengals4.asp
Haha. Yes!