Indians Trade for Leonys Martin
July 31, 2018LeBron’s “Promise” should pave the way for more to do the same, but will it? While We’re Waiting
August 1, 2018NFL training camp storylines are just that. You can’t take a lot of stock in what is said during training camp. Hue Jackson and Jimmy Haslam and all the coordinators and players are saying everything with the very best intentions, but we should all know better. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say. For too many years “the road to hell” might as well have been Lou Groza Boulevard in Berea. An NFL season is a collection of moments of chaos. From minute-to-minute, things change drastically and the future of a player, team, coach, franchise, and fan-base can be altered forever. It’s with this lens that I look at all the storylines in Berea. What is the intention today and how short-lived could it be?
Storyline: Josh Gordon will contribute this year – 20% chance
I’ve been on record saying that the Josh Gordon story feels only half-told right now. On the A to Z podcast this week, Zac Jackson called any speculation that Gordon is trying to avoid Hard Knocks cameras irresponsible speculation. I don’t want to get into trying to guess what’s happening out there in Josh Gordon’s world, so I’ll just bet on the overall percentages that we should use based on past experience. The Browns just can’t count on Josh Gordon and he continues to prove it at every step.
Yada yada yada, we’re hoping for the best for Josh Gordon the person, yada yada yada. I don’t mean to trivialize the point, but I feel like a broken record at this point putting that disclaimer before anything Josh Gordon related. Just presume that I’m not hoping for him to relapse into a substance-fueled nightmare that ends him personally as well as professionally. Cool? Cool.
The point is that in a number of ways over a number of years, Josh Gordon has squandered an immense amount of physical talent and promise by not being available to play football on Sundays. He’s got more strikes on his record than Corey Kluber at this point. That being the case and while I never give up all hope, 20% is the best I can do. It’s probably the best anyone should ever be able to do for Josh Gordon ever again. Let’s just say there’s a reason that the Browns and John Dorsey continue to be linked to receivers in free agency and trade.
Storyline: Tyrod Taylor is our starter for this season – 60% chance
The Cleveland Browns believe this one right now. They think that Tyrod Taylor, despite his somewhat known ceiling, can be the very best version of his entire career with the Browns’ offensive line, newly re-stocked running back stable, and Jarvis Landry at receiver. Add in the self-confidence of an offensive coach like Todd Haley who probably thinks he made Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and LeVeon Bell what they are today, and it’s a perfect storm of optimism and potential delusion.
All these factors cause the Browns to believe what they’re saying when they say Taylor will be their starter this year but look at the flip side. If Taylor scuffles for multiple games in a row, these same reasons will become a headwind of reasons that he should be benched if the Browns aren’t scoring or moving the ball well enough. They won’t blame Landry, Duke Johnson, and Carlos Hyde. They’ll blame the guy who was supposed to provide experience and professionalism and is blocking the number one overall pick, Baker Mayfield.
Tyrod Taylor took the Bills to the playoffs. The Browns haven’t had a lot of proven commodities, but I believe some of the hype on Jarvis Landry and most importantly Todd Haley. There’s tons of risk in any NFL season, but I feel pretty good that the Browns might get this storyline to stick. That’s why I gave it a 60% chance of success.
Storyline: Hue Jackson’s job is safe – 40% chance
Over the weekend, the Haslams addressed the media in Berea in a kind of “State of the Union” type availability. They talked extensively about Hue Jackson and affirmed their support of the beleaguered head coach, saying this year we would see the “real” Hue Jackson. While they didn’t mean that to be negative in any way shape or form, I couldn’t help but see it as a double-edged statement that they think he can be successful, but he also better be successful. Even more so than Tyrod Taylor, Hue Jackson better achieve, because he’s out of excuses with the resources the team has put around him for this season.
So I believe the Haslams when they affirm their support. They believe Hue Jackson can turn this team around now that they’ve got John Dorsey picking the players, Todd Haley guiding the offense and Tyrod Taylor under center. That confidence only goes so far as results on the field this year, however. Hue’s job truly is safe, until it isn’t.
Todd Haley and John Dorsey are to Hue Jackson what Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry are to Tyrod Taylor. In Todd Haley, the Browns have a qualified interim coach on staff whose skills overlap Hue’s like Mayfield could supplant Taylor. In Dorsey, Hue has an expert football guy putting the groceries away in the kitchen, and now Hue better makes a delicious meal the same way Taylor better put up big numbers passing for himself and Landry. I supported the Browns bringing back Hue Jackson and I actually like his chances, but I feel he’s boxed in. If he’s not able to do wonders this year, there are just too many factors leading me to think the Haslams will talk themselves into a change. That’s why I went with 40%.
There are more storylines that we could discuss, but that’s it for now. We’ll see how training camp develops both in real life and under the auspices of HBO’s Hard Knocks storytellers over the next few weeks.