Browns are under construction, just like their Week 8 uniforms
October 28, 2016Poor Toronto: Cavs vs Raptors Behind the Box Score
October 28, 2016For the first time since the city’s founding in 1796, all three major Cleveland professional sports teams will play on the same weekend. The Indians are in Chicago for the World Series Friday through Sunday, the Cavaliers tangle with the Toronto Raptors in Canada on Friday followed by a home contest with the Orlando Magic, and the Cleveland Browns (0-7) return home to play the equally hapless New York Jets (2-5). While the one with the oval ball may not be the most intriguing it will happen whether we want it to or not. Here’s a look into the matchup.
Are the Browns favored?
Actually…no. But, if Vegas is to be believed we may have a good one on our hands. The Jets are currently 2.5 point favorites per CBS Sports and that means Cleveland may have an honest to goodness chance to win a football game. At home. On purpose!
Familiar Faces:
Before these Jets took to the skies, they were assembled in the Buckeye state.
Darron Lee (LB) – Ohio State: The Jets selected Lee 20th overall in this year’s NFL Draft. Lee was a tackling machine in Columbus racking up 147 tackles and 12 sacks as a Buckeye. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, defensive MVP of the Sugar Bowl, and second-team All-American votes. The New Albany native was on Ohio State’s national champion 2014 squad.
Nick Mangold (C) – Ohio State: A sturdy and reliable center, Mangold joined the Jets in 2006 and has rarely missed a snap while earning seven Pro Bowl nods. Mangold started for three years at Ohio State and did not allow a sack his entire senior year.
Jalin Marshall (WR) – Ohio State: Another Ohio State rookie, Marshall has played sparingly for New York, pulling down six receptions for 75 yards over five games. In two seasons wearing scarlet and gray, Marshall recorded 74 receptions, 976 yards, and eleven touchdowns.
Brian Winters (G) – Kent State: A Hudson native, Winters is in his fourth season with the Jets. He played both left and right tackle for the Golden Flashes and as a senior received first-team All-MAC honors. As an offensive guard, there are not too many stats on him except to say he played six games with New York so far in 2016.
All-Time Series:
The Browns lead the all-time series 12-10. These two clubs most recently collided Week 1 last year. You may know that as the Josh McCown Helicopter Game, or the inglorious beginning to another forgettable campaign. You’d have to flip back to that magical 2007 season for the last Browns victory over the Jets. Jamal Lewis scored two touchdowns, Braylon Edwards caught a touchdown, Phil Dawson kicked a field goal, and the Browns won 24-18. Hard to believe those players were part of the most recent Browns club to finish about .500 (a short nine years ago). Cleveland has not defeated New York at home since 2006.
The New York Jets are in the midst of a difficult year. The Jets opened the season with a hard fought loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati. They outslugged Buffalo 37-31 in Week 2, but followed that with four straight losses by at least ten points. New York rebounded with a win against Baltimore last week, but are four games out of first in the hyper competitive AFC East and 2.5 games out of a wild card berth. Their road is long, and unless they embark on a legendary winning streak Sunday the season may be lost.
The New York Jets’ statistics reflect those of a 2-5 team. New York ranks 30th in team offense (119 points scored, 17 ppg) and 23rd in team defense (180 points allowed, 25.7 ppg). With Geno Smith on the injured reserve list with a torn ACL, Ryan Fitzpatrick serves as the Jets quarterback. In six starts he is 136-of-237 for 1,561 yards, six touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He has been sacked 12 times. The Jets’ best halfback is 31-year-old Matt Forte who has 460 yards and four touchdowns to his name. The primary downfield threats are Quincy Enunwa and Brandon Marshall who each have pulled down two touchdowns.
Has anyone seen Gary Barnidge recently? Who is his emergency contact? The 31-year-old tight end who was all over the stat sheet in 2015 has been remarkably quiet this season. In seven games Barnidge has accounted for 30 receptions, 361 yards, and zero touchdowns. Those numbers are all down from his record setting (and contract signing) 2015 season. His stats are obviously severely depressed from last season, but the bigger mystery may be why he is being thrown at so infrequently. He has been targeted 40 times this year (a 91 target pace) which would be way down from last year’s 125 targets. Barnidge has the talent, but so far is not seeing many passes sent his way. Part of the problem might be the sample platter of quarterbacks has made it difficult to build rapport on the practice field.
That brings us to our weekly check on #16in16. As you know, I’ve been advocating for weeks that Head Coach Hue Jackson should employ sixteen different quarterbacks during the 2016 season’s sixteen games. Through seven weeks, we have slightly fallen off pace. Rookie Kevin Hogan made his professional debut last week, our sixth QB of the year, and he even ran for 104 yards. Due to Cody Kessler’s uncertain concussion situation the Browns signed former Division III player Joe Callahan. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of him, no one outside his immediate family has. Fingers crossed that on Sunday he will become the Browns’ lucky number seven quarterback.
The Browns are not making the playoffs this year. I don’t care what the math says, it’s not going to happen. At this point the most enduring storyline is whether or not the Browns will even win a game. This week may be their last good opportunity. Their final eight opponents are currently 3-4 or better which means they should have plenty to play for when rolling up on Cleveland. When the dust settles there is little separating 1-15 from 0-16 besides pride which the front office does not give a good god damn about. This week isn’t necessarily the last winnable game on the schedule, but if the Browns want to avoid infamy they should bring some extra intensity on Sunday.