Browns finally win on the road- Beat Bengals 35-20

Baker Mayfield tossed four touchdowns, three of those in the first half as the Cleveland Browns used a dominant first half to snap their road losing streak in Cincinnati with a 35-20 victory over the Bengals.

Nick Chubb caught one of Mayfield's touchdown passes with a great catch and rushed for the other Cleveland touchdown as part of an 84 yard rushing afternoon to lead the rest of the Browns offense.

The Browns improve to 4-6-1 with the win, snap their 25 game road losing streak and put together their first back to back wins since 2015,.
The Browns will visit Houston next week in what should be a sterner test of the team than the last two against weaker defenses.

Brownie Bits

1) Baker Mayfield was once again accurate and impressive in a win and I'm starting to think that I may have been wrong on him, the only caveat is the last three games that he has played so well against have been among the leagues worst defenses (Chiefs, Falcons, and Bengals).
Mayfield will get a stern test next week in Houston against the Texans.

2) However my initial doubts turn out, today might be the day that I look back at the day Baker Mayfield became "my" quarterback of the Browns.
Hue Jackson came over after the game to give Mayfield a hug etc as happens so often in the game today.
Mayfield gave a halfhearted handshake to Jackson and shrugged off the hug,
Mayfield said later that he took it personally that Jackson moved to a division rival so quickly.
In an era where fans take things to heart more than players usually do, Baker Mayfield is one of us and he just might have won me over.

3) Another player that has played well and acted like one of us was safety Damarious Randall, who intercepted an Andy Dalton throw and ran out of bounds and handed the ball to Hue Jackson.
Not only funny but a way of getting a point across.

4) Nick Chubb was solid but not spectacular on the ground as the Browns gave him the ball 28 times on the day as the Browns attempted to run clock in the second half and finished with 84 yards, but his reaching behind the defender, pinning the ball and tumbling into the end zone was the highlight of the day for the pass catchers.

5) David Njoku also stepped up with a touchdown reception, one that showcased his physical attributes and desire as well.
Njoku was hit with a pass and seemed to be caught as he dove for the goal line, but Njoku continued to push and with a teammate or two's help crossed the line for the score.
Njoku has all the characteristics to be a star in this league, all he has to do is consistently catch the football.

6) The Browns once again spread the football around as eight different Browns caught Baker Mayfield's nineteen completions.
David Njoku caught the most (5) and the most passes were thrown to him as well (5), which means Njoku caught them all in another good sign for him!

7) I did think the Browns didn't do themselves any favors in taking their foot off the gas and playing the clock for much of the second half.
I rarely understand changing what you did to build a lead to protect it, but they held on for the win, although it likely gave the Bengals a little bit hope for the rematch in Cleveland.

8) Another game for the offensive line that allowed no sacks on Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield did wiggle out of one, but on the overall, the pass protection has much improved with Greg Robinson at tackle for the injured Desmond Harrison.
The protection has been helped by the playcalling and route running to get the football out faster and Mayfield with a rolling pocket, but still, they are keeping the passer clean and you have to like that,

9) For the first time, I'm starting to think Gregg Williams may have a chance to keep this job.
I still think it's going to take at least three, if not four wins in the Browns last five games to do, but I can see a scenario where Williams can make the decision very difficult on John Dorsey.
I think the Browns "playoff chatter" is still premature, a five-game win-out of the remaining games only puts them at 9-6-1 and I'm not sure that gets it done, but winning four out of five to finish with a winning 8-7-1 record just might give Williams that "Punchers Chance" of retaining the head coaching position.

10) The Browns turned a corner no matter who the coach is for 2019.
The win gives them a 2-1-1 record inside the division for now (the Browns finish the season against these Bengals in Cleveland before going to Baltimore to finish) and establishes that they aren't to be bullied anymore AND.

11) They put Hue Jackson in the rear mirror for good.
Yes, that game in Cleveland will be a focus for the fans that want to say "goodbye", but the big game was this one.
Hue Jackson was a hire that I agreed with at the time.
The Raiders were terrible for years and only Jackson's one season at 8-8 stood out, so I thought that it could have been the organization and not Jackson.
Jackson wasn't the only problem  (Sashi Brown) with the Browns, but it is clear that his behavior was toxic and his continued presence was holding the team back.
After this win, the Browns can finally move away from Hue Jackson.

I have a ton to write about- the boxing weekend, passings and even more!!!

Browns drop the axe on Hue Jackson and Todd Haley

I thought I would be finally writing about the firing of Tyronn Lue by the winless Cavaliers until the word came through that the Browns had finally realized the truth that most observers had known for quite a while- Hue Jackson needed to go.

The Browns gave Jackson his walking papers as the team had reached the point of not being able to tolerate the problems between Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley among the losing after a promising start.

Todd Haley would not have his hand raised in victory on this morning as a few hours after the news of Jackson's release, word squeaked out of Berea that Haley had been let go and relieved of his duties as well.
Many thought that if Jackson was canned it would be Haley, with his previous head coaching experience with the Kansas City Chiefs, who would be tabbed for the interim head coaching spot.
Instead, Haley was on his way out and the Cleveland Browns would be the talk of the league for the latest bout of craziness.

The Browns couldn't even avoid controversy with the interim choice as at first for a short period of time, the word (Unofficially) came through social media that it would be veteran Al Saunders who was chosen as the interim coach.
Saunders had been a head coach before with the Chargers, decades ago, is well-liked and at his age (in his 60s) would be unlikely to be a consideration for the permanent position so it would be an unexciting, but safe choice to make.

Instead, it would be defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, of the manic behavior, potty mouth, and the baggage of the New Orleans Saints "Bounty" program, who would be the interim head coach.
Williams does have head coaching experience from a stint with the Bills, but between the bounty-based past and what I would think would be a reluctance to allow Williams so many chances to sit before the media each week and answer questions before a live studio audience, I was surprised that Williams was the chosen option.
I am fine with Williams, who although wasn't a success in Buffalo, wasn't a huge failure either, so Williams should at least make these last eight games somewhat entertaining and interesting, even if victories may be in short supply.

Hue Jackson should have been released at the end of last season and given Jackson's talent to ingratiate with the Haslams while throwing everyone short of Swagger the dog under the bus for his own miscues, you have to admire his ability for self-survival, if not his ability to accept responsibility.

When looking at the Jackson reign, I cannot look at almost anything and say Jackson did something good or accountable.
This is a guy who insisted that there was no way that the team would go 0-16 and if so, he'd jump in Lake Erie at the end of the season.
Instead of an icy dip in January, Jackson pulled every string that he could to push things to training camp for a nice warm splash, if he couldn't avoid it at all.
These things seem small but were taken all together so many times that Jackson attempted to shuffle responsibility away from himself to anyone else that it could possibly stick to, usually through his NFL Network pal Mike Silver, who used his platform to spread the blame on everyone else like peanut butter and away from Jackson like insect repellent.
Poor game management, questionable in-game personnel decisions, and general lack of discipline with his players on and off the field have made the Jackson era one that could only have been worse in one way- Jackson could have gotten his way at last year's trade deadline and traded a second and third-rounder for A.J. McCarron, who turned out to be so good that the team that signed him in free agency (Buffalo) moved him along (to Oakland) before the season began.
Had Jackson gotten his way, the Browns may not have drafted Baker Mayfield ( whether I agreed with the pick or not, the Browns needed a QB), and the second-rounder that would have been sent to the Bengals was used by the Browns to select Nick Chubb.

I would have kept Todd Haley around as the offensive coordinator for now.
Haley seemed to have clicked with Baker Mayfield and between Gregg Williams and Haley, they might have added some old-school discipline that the younger Browns seem to be in desperate need of.
Yes, his play-calling hasn't dazzled anyone through a half-season, but he was forced to use Tyrod Taylor early (John Dorsey is just as responsible for that as Jackson) and then a rookie QB with fewer weapons than he was promised when he took the job.
I would have kept Haley for the season and would have told him now that he has eight games to go with a deep re-evaluation at the season's end.


As for the Browns, this day should have occurred long ago, and the decision of the Haslams (and I'm hearing more and more about Dee Haslam having more say than was previously thought) to arrange this shotgun marriage with Jackson with separately John Dorsey off the field and Haley on it, was doomed for disaster from the second the decision was made.
Those forced combinations rarely work and the Browns should know that from experience having seen Mike Holmgren and Eric Mangini struggle together, Tom Heckert slug it out with Joe Banner, and Mike Lombardi and Mike Pettine argue with Ray Farmer.

Nothing that the Haslams pull surprises me and even though it seems like Haley has more media and fan support for keeping his job than Jackson, firing both of them fits Haslam's preference for a lack of contentiousness in the front office.
After all, Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi battled for control and the Haslams didn't pick one or the other-they fired both.
Same for Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer, they didn't choose, they fired both.
The Haslams did fire Sashi Brown a year before Jackson, but I would argue that might have been the situation that would have been best to fire both at the same time.
The problem is that although the Browns have constantly been filled with dysfunction through various coaches and front-office types, the one ingredient that is always present is the Haslams themselves, who claim to hate the lack of cooperation and verbal aggression in-house, yet continue to have an organization that is set up to have two leaders (and in the Banner/Lombardi/Rob Chudzinski case three) to enable the same problem over and over again with often forcing two people together that don't believe in the same process, system, etc.
That is all on them.


The Browns have an excellent personnel man in John Dorsey, they need to give him the power to hire the right man for Cleveland.
The important questions are these  - Can the Haslams trust John Dorsey to hire the right man? Can the Haslams actually allow Dorsey to do so and not hamstring him with their choice, which might not be Dorsey's?
Can that man get along with Dorsey? Can the Haslams refine their setup from a failing management pyramid and change it to one person (Dorsey) at the top?
And most importantly- Can the Haslams get out of their own way and do what owners should do-
Own and let their employees do their job...

I hope to write the Tyronn Lue post later tonight as promised unless the Browns are active at today's trade deadline.
I also have the TRS boxing ratings coming soon and I've been working on two features for slow news days that I hope you'll enjoy.

Pummeled in Pittsburgh- Browns lose again 33-18

The Cleveland Browns couldn't take advantage of a good first quarter and left the period with only a 6-0 lead on two field goals by Greg Joseph.
It would be the peak of the afternoon as the Browns would be thoroughly outplayed thereafter in a deceivingly close 33-18 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes (one in garbage time with seconds remaining), but finished with just 180 yards through the air.
The now 2-5-1 Browns will return home as a heavy underdog against the powerful Kansas City Chiefs.

Brownie Bits

1) I didn't figure the Browns would win this game to start with, but when the Browns kicked two field goals in the first quarter and Greg Joseph missed a third to start the second quarter, I figured that the day was not going Cleveland's way.
One staple of the "new" Browns have always been settling for field goals rather than touchdowns.

2) I still wonder about Greg Joseph as the long-term kicking answer with another missed extra point and another missed field goal.
You simply cannot allow kickers to miss so many kicks on a team that has little margin of error.
I would be bringing kickers in this week.

3) Baker Mayfield's play continues to slide and although it's not his fault completely, one of my concerns on him originally are becoming apparent- he's having more problems than expected against the pass rush.
I'll get to the larger problem next, but keep that in mind as you watch Mayfield next week against Kansas City, he's slippery but not speedy in avoiding the rush.

4) Mayfield is receiving almost no time at all to get the ball away, let alone downfield.
Chris Hubbard was awful at one tackle and Desmond Harrison continued his recent problems at the left tackle.
Mayfield was sacked on one play by T.J. Watt when Watt blew by Harrison without being touched, leaped into the air, had time to come down and then ran two steps to crush Mayfield.
Brutal.

5) The "offensive" line play gets worse when you consider that the Browns dumped millions of dollars into Chris Hubbard and spent the first pick of the second round on Austin Corbett, who hasn't been able to break into a less than a stalwart bunch.
Baker Mayfield has been sacked 20 times alone, not counting the times Tyrod Taylor was sacked-unacceptable.
Just thinking about the level of play that they are receiving for the dollars spent is a difficult exercise.

6) The Browns woes in stopping the run continue as James Conner cruised through the Browns for 146 yards and two scores.
Conner's not a bad back, but he looked dominant in the second half against the Browns and I would say that his second half was the key difference as the Steelers kicked sand in the Browns face.

7) Denzel Ward's Good News vs Antonio Brown- held him to just six catches and 74 yards with 43 of those yards on one play.
Bad News: On that 43 yard gain- that went for a touchdown that saw Ward beaten very badly after biting on a hard Ben Rothlisberger pump fake.
And Browns caught another touchdown pass as well.

8) And about those two Browns touchdowns.
Both came with asterisks as Baker Mayfield's third-quarter score to Antonio Callaway (on a very nice throw by the way) came as part of a 24 yard drive when Pittsburgh never touched a free kick (after the Browns allowing a safety on Desmond Harrison's holding Bud Dupree in the end zone) and allowed the Browns to recover for one.
The other was in complete garbage time with the Steelers in total prevent as Baker Mayfield hit Seth DeValle with a 24-yard pass for a score with just six seconds remaining.

9) On that safety, which was the first score of the half, Desmond Harrison clearly held Bud Dupree and even though you hate to do that, I'm not sure Harrison had a choice.
If Harrison doesn't hold, Dupree would have blasted by him, almost unobstructed for a free shot on an otherwise absorbed Baker Mayfield.
You never like to hand away penalties, let alone points, but I do see the need to avoid hits like that on what you hope is your franchise quarterback.

10) I'm not usually going to give Hue Jackson a ton of praise and I won't today, but credit to him for one thing.
After the Mayfield to DeValle pass and the resulting two-point try that failed, the Browns were down 15 with six seconds to go and Jackson made a smart and thoughtful decision.
Instead of a ridiculous onside attempt in a game that was decided, Jackson didn't pull a "Steve Robinson" and just had Greg Joseph pop the ball in the air deep where the Steelers could call for a fair catch and one kneel-down to end the game.
Down that many points and with just six seconds to go, Jackson decided not to take the injury risk (and the onside kick is rarely thought of, but it can be a play that can often cause injuries) for a game was decided.
Kudos to him for saving his players and not attempting to prove a point.

11) That said, the drama and contention around this team are clearly being caused by Hue Jackson.
Jackson's post-game comments in Tampa brought nothing but attention and stress to the team over the future of Todd Haley.
Haley's offense hasn't exactly reminded anyone of the Rams, but neither did the team over the last two seasons with Jackson calling the plays.
Jackson should be thrilled even getting to coach another season, but he continues to hamper any type of progress in a rebuilding effort that has seldom been seen in league history.

12) Hue Jackson has to have a special relationship with the Haslam's to survive because I'm struggling to find a reason why.
If you want Jackson to have the full season, I'm OK with that, but shouldn't Todd Haley have the same benefits?
Why (among the team and media, not the fans who call for Jackson to be the one axed) is all the scoops and news about Haley leaving in mid-season and not nearly as much about Jackson?
This team has had several cancers eating away over the past three seasons-the only common thread holding it intact is Hue Jackson and whether it is today or after the final game in Baltimore- that cancer needs to be removed.

Back later with a few thoughts on the Cavaliers firing of their head coach (Who would have thought the Cavaliers would be looking for a new coach before the Browns?) Tyronn Lue

Mayfield rallies Browns-Losing Streak Snapped!

Baker Mayfield made his anticipated debut for a concussed Tyrod Taylor late in the first half and made his first game a winning one as Mayfield rallied a flagging Cleveland offense and snapped a losing streak that seemed to trace back to the Truman administration with a 21-17 win at home over the New York Jets.
Mayfield didn't throw a touchdown pass in his 201-yard passing night, but he did catch a pass from Jarvis Landry for a two-point conversion.
Carlos Hyde slammed through the Jets defense for 98 yards and two touchdowns on the ground for Cleveland in the victory with Jarvis Landry grabbing eight passes for 103 yards.
The Browns take a 1-1-1 record to Oakland next Sunday to visit the Raiders in what is likely to be their last visit ever to the Oakland Coliseum.

Brownie Bits

1) Baker Mayfield's debut.
Mayfield entered the game with the Browns trailing 14-0 and having failed to threaten at all under Tyrod Taylor, things looked less than sunny.
Mayfield instantly brought energy to the field and you could feel that.
I'm a person that doesn't buy a lot of that type of thing, but in this case, it was visible in how the Browns reacted to his entry into the game.
Mayfield moved the Browns downfield and even though the drive resulted in just a field goal, you could again feel that the Browns were not out of this game.

2) After Tyrod Taylor underthrew two passes that could have been big plays and was anemic in completing just four of fourteen passes, Baker Mayfield's passes were sharp, didn't hang in there and were generally accurate.
Take a fumble on his drive, that the Browns fortunately recovered and I don't have a glaring mistake that the Oklahoma rookie made, unless you count his receiver dropping a few passes as his mistakes,
which of course would not be the case.

3) I've been noted as a skeptic on Baker Mayfield and I still am to a degree.
We'll see what happens when the league gets a book on him and for every young quarterback that becomes a star, there is another with immediate success that isn't able to make the required adjustments to defenses that have an idea of what you like to do.
However, what will be will be and let's talk about what I liked last night.
The ball came out quickly, which what you hope to see and what the Browns offense was not getting from Tyrod Taylor.
Every half second that you are able to save by getting rid of the football is a half second that your linemen do not have to hold onto their blocks- you make your offensive line move up a level when you can get rid of the football.

4) The other thing that I liked about Mayfield was the throws.
I still don't think that he has an especially strong arm, but his throws are straight, don't hang in the air (therefore making your receiver jump for them and vulnerable to hits) and get there fast enough that receivers don't have to wait for them.
From what I saw, he'll be fine in the short to intermediate passing game, he didn't make any long throws, so perhaps we'll see some of that in Oakland.

5) Remember that even though I was extremely critical of the Browns for taking Baker Mayfield, that it was more for taking him first rather than in the first round.
I had Mayfield as my third quarterback in the draft (behind Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen) and considered him a first rounder, just not at first in the draft, so while I did (and do) have questions, it was more about draft value than ability,

6) A final note on Baker for today- I keep seeing these comparisons to Brett Favre and as a Favre fan, I'd be fine with getting anything close to that, but watching the game, Mayfield brought to mind another favorite of mine and something that person said in an NFL Network program.
It's Doug Flutie.
Both were not big quarterbacks (although Baker is a few inches taller than Flutie), both are helped by a moving pocket to help them see their passing lanes and both seem to have that "it" factor that no one can describe in tangible terms , but players know if their quarterback possesses it or not.
However, Flutie on "A Football Life" boiled down the pro game as being no different than pickup games in the backyard- "rollout, see a guy is open, you throw it to him, you take your read and throw it to the open guy".(the clip is at the 6:00 mark)
It is simple in how it sounds, but there really is something to that and that is just what Baker Mayfield might have as well.

7) Carlos Hyde ran strong, breaking tackles and moving the pile in his two-score night.
Hyde had been criticized by some entering the game with a low yards per carry average, but as I noted last week, Hyde is the type of back that wears defenses down and what was keeping his average down was his lack of carries.
Hyde ran the ball 23 times and responded with a big night.

8) Former Brown Isaiah Crowell scored both Jet touchdowns but otherwise was quiet in finishing with only 34 yards on 16 runs.
However, Crowell was very classless in "wiping his rear" (yes, really) with the ball before firing it into the stands.
I know Crowell wasn't happy with his use last season with Hue Jackson and I understand his frustration, but it wasn't the fans that didn't give him the ball to run with and yet it was the fans that Crowell decided to slap in the face.
Ridiculous.

9) The defense forced three more turnovers (2 interceptions and a forced fumble) and the best play was the strip of Robby Anderson by Denzel Ward after a completion.
The Gregg Williams defense is becoming quite adept at ripping the ball loose and the Browns turned that in three points off the foot of Greg Joseph.

10) Greg Joseph drilled both of his field goals (long of 45)and even if they didn't look pretty, they went through the uprights, which is the objective.
We'll see how long Joseph sticks around, but a nice start for Joseph in the victory.

11) Myles Garrett had two sacks of Sam Darnold, but once again it was Larry Ogunjobi starring as well from defensive tackle.
Ogunjobi certainly would win a most improved Brown award and at this rate, might be playing at a Pro Bowl level.

12) The color rush uniforms were a hit in my opinion.
I thought the jerseys were the best that the team has worn since the sad change in togs under the Alec "I'd be surprised if our fans didn't love these uniforms" Scheiner front office, but I still think too much brown was used with the Brown pants.
I'd love to see these jerseys return with either white or especially orange pants.

13) In closing, I'm glad the streak is over and the beer coolers are unlocked and we can all celebrate a win.
Now it's time to start acting like a franchise should- one that doesn't go crazy over a win over a bad team at home.
I tweeted last night that Tyrod Taylor's concussion might have won this game because I doubted Hue Jackson would have made the change otherwise.

I really don't need to hear a bunch of kudos for Hue Jackson though.
If Taylor doesn't get concussed, he is likely to stay in (IMO) and under those conditions, it's an L. Let's not give credit for a move forced by injury..

— R.S (@ThoughtsofRS) September 21, 2018

Let's see if Hue Jackson ( and Baker Mayfield for that matter) can build off this win and with ten days to prepare for a road date against another team of a similar level in the Oakland Raiders, that should be an interesting test to see just how good this Browns team is.

Celebrate this one and hopefully get used to the feeling.

Todd Haley in as Browns Offensive Coordinator

The Cleveland Browns must have been serious about wanting to upgrade the offensive playcalling as the Browns didn't delay in hiring the recently fired Todd Haley from the Pittsburgh Steelers as their new offensive coordinator.

Haley's creative play calling has always been one of the problems (well, along with the talented offensive players that the Steelers possess) in stopping the high powered Pittsburgh offense since Haley took over after being the head coach in Kansas City (where he took the Chiefs to the playoffs once in four years) and production for the Steelers was not the issue in Haley leaving the Steel City.

The problem has always been a less than smooth relationship with Ben Rothlisberger and in a time when the Steelers are in some turmoil in the locker room and trying to keep Rothlisberger to continue to play and not retire, it was Haley, who was the dispensible product compared to the star quarterback and the head coach Mike Tomlin.

In any event, Haley brings the most proven offensive mind to Cleveland since the return of the team in 1999 (Bruce Arians and Kyle Shanahan's best OC work would come after leaving Cleveland and Norv Turner's track record might have might been mildly better than Haley's, but his best days were well past) and should give whatever quarterback takes the snaps next season and the skill players the Browns will have for that player to use a coordinator of quality to work with.

Haley will have to develop a quarterback and that's something that he didn't have to do in years in Arizona (offensive coordinator), Kansas City (head coach) and Pittsburgh (offensive coordinator), so that will be interesting to follow, but I love the hiring of Todd Haley and I think a motivated Haley should bring plenty to Cleveland.

The bigger question for me is not with Todd Haley, it is with Jimmy Haslam and the Browns.

Jimmy Haslam was quoted in Pittsburgh as saying that Hue Jackson hadn't lost his "Magic at calling plays", so that brings this to mind- If Jackson was such a play calling wizard and that Haslam believed in his skills so highly, why did the Browns hire Haley to call plays?

And if the Browns needed Haley after two years of Hue Jackson's play calling that led to 1-31, why is Jackson still here?

There is so much that I like thus far about the Browns front office hires, but I still question Jimmy Haslam keeping Hue Jackson.

Back later for the weekend boxing challenge...

Victory slips through Browns hands in Pittsburgh.0-16 arrives

Photo Credit:Joshua Gunter Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Cleveland Browns looked to have a chance to avoid the scar of 0-16 as the Browns reached the Pittsburgh Steelers 27 yard line for a 4th and two with under two minutes to play.
DeShone Kizer made a great play avoiding the Steeler rush and had an opening that he may have been able to run for the first down through, but quarterbacks aren't paid to run, they are paid to throw and Kizer did just that to Corey Coleman, who was wide open and the ball was thrown right to him.
Or should I say-right through him as in right through his hands ending the hopes of the Browns and sending Cleveland to 0-16 with a 28-24 loss to the Steelers.
DeShone Kizer threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, one of those to Josh Gordon, who finished with over 100 receiving yards on the day.
No word on who the Browns will open with in September,but they are on the clock for the draft in April...

Brownie Bits

1) Corey Coleman was reported to be distraught in the locker room as he sat by his locker in uniform for 40 minutes with his head in his hands and it was "good" I guess to see that he cared that much.
Still, you have to catch that ball and if you want the most damning indictment of Sashi Brown and his stat-driven drafting style, look at what Michael Thomas ( one of those Buckeyes that the Browns are so averse to drafting) has done in two years in New Orleans compared to Coleman after being drafted a round after him...

2) DeShone Kizer played pretty well, I thought with the exception of the one bad pass in the fourth quarter that was his only interception of the day.
It's funny for the rookie from Notre Dame that his first game against the Steelers and his last game against the Steelers were among his better games in the debut season.
It was the games in between that were much of the problem.

3) The Browns also hopefully saw another highlight of some future stardom as Myles Garrett shed a block, stripped Landry Jones of the football and allowed Caleb Brantley to pluck the ball from mid-air.
Garrett finished the season with seven sacks and never seemed to be truly playing at full tilt.
Next year, Myles Garrett is going to show this league exactly what he is really all about.

4) Jabrill Peppers made his first interception as a pro in the first half.
I've been less than impressed with Peppers this season, although as a safety, that may be more due to Gregg Williams playing him out of position than his talents (at least I hope anyway or he is going to be a real bust), but Peppers has been a real disappointment returning punts.
For a player drafted with "Electric ball skills", Peppers spent more time calling for fair catches than trying to break big plays.

5) Looks like the Steelers have another good one in Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster, who returned a kickoff for a score and caught nine passes for 143 yards and another touchdown.
Why don't the Browns find these guys and the Steelers find the Smith-Schuster's (round two) and the Antonio Brown (Late Rounder) types?
Because the Steelers look for tough guys that can make the tough catches and play with a chip on their shoulder and the Browns like these diva types.
Until the Browns start getting some guys into town that don't mind getting dirty and playing dirty when they have to, things won't change.
John Dorsey has to see this.

6) It was nice to see Rashard Higgins grab his first two pro touchdown passes in the game, one of them a 56 yard score.
Higgins has always been the receiver out of the 2016 draft class that I have thought could be of value even if it's just as a third receiver over time given a chance.
I've always liked Higgins (and not just because he's the only Brown that follows me on Twitter) and I think as the Browns add talent at receiver, Higgins could be more productive in a role as third or fourth receiver.

7)  I'll be writing later in the week with a season in review and I have a podcast in the works with Scott Dryden on the season, but the big story is the unbelievable return of Hue Jackson.
Going 1-31 in two years and 0-16 this season and coming back in just beyond stupid and will set this team back.
John Dorsey deserves the chance to hire his coach and this is how I see this playing out-anything short of a 3-3 first six games, will see Hue Jackson either fired or resigned and the 2018 season wasted.
Jimmy Haslam continues to set this franchise back time and time again.

8) I admit two years that I thought Hue Jackson was a good hire and I will also say that if I had to choose which to keep between Sashi Brown and Hue Jackson, I would have chosen Hue Jackson.
All of that on the table- any normal franchise would remove Hue Jackson and I believe that it still could happen despite Jimmy Haslam's press conference after the game in Pittsburgh to the contrary.
I don't think it's likely that Jackson would go, but the Browns are even more of a laughing stock than normal anyway and keeping Jackson is a HUGE smack in the face to a fan base that needs to be massaged more than slapped.
There is a slim chance that with enough uproar Haslam's mind could be changed.

9) As far as this stupid parade goes, I'd like to see the whole thing canceled.
It started as an idea to give money to the Cleveland food bank, let's just give them the money and not draw any more attention to this disaster than there has to be.
It makes Browns fans look bad and makes light of a bad situation.

10) The Browns will have four of the first 35 picks in the draft as they hold the Texans first and second picks.
The injury to DeShaun Watson sent the Houston season down the drain and for once the Browns caught a break.
The Browns will have the first and fourth picks in round one and the first (33rd ) and third (35th) picks in the second round.
Cleveland also has the Eagles second-round pick, but that slot will not be determined until the Eagles lose in their playoff season...

Browns blow lead,lose to Packers in OT

The Cleveland Browns entered the fourth quarter leading by fourteen points over the Green Bay Packers and seemed to be on their way to win number one of the 2017 season.
Seemed to be were the operative words as the wheels came flying with Green Bay tying the game with seconds remaining and taking advantage of Cleveland mistakes in overtime for 27-21 Green Bay victory.
DeShone Kizer threw for three touchdowns along with two interceptions and Isaiah Crowell ran for 121 yards on the ground to lead the Browns.
The now 0-13 Browns will finish their home season Sunday against Baltimore before two road games to complete the season.

Brownie Bits

1) This loss might be on Hue Jackson.
Late in the game, why on earth are the Browns with a rookie quarterback with accuracy issues throwing the football when Isaiah Crowell is running so well?
At worst, you take time off the clock and at best,you win the game!
Green Bay scored with just 26 seconds to go.
That time shouldn't have been left on the clock.

2) The play that essentially ended the game can have blame spread around.
DeShone Kizer tried to make a play to what he said was to a wide open Rashard Higgins downfield (watching the replay,he had a man on him), Hue Jackson for putting a heavy formation to put Josh Gordon in one on one coverage and putting the pressure on him, Gordon for not getting open (He might have been held) and on Shon Coleman for being unable to block Clay Matthews.
All deserve some blame.

3) Josh Gordon started the game hot with three catches for over sixty yards and a score,but was shut down thereafter.
He was likely interfered with near the goal line late in the game, but the Packers made adjustments and took him out of the game.

4) Corey Coleman did show up with a few catches and a score and still might work out as a number two receiver whenever Josh Gordon plays well,but...

5) What was with the sunglasses thing after the Gordon and Coleman touchdowns?
I know this is strange coming from a person that lives in sunglasses, but I don't play in the NFL and I don't on a then 0-12 team either.
I get that you are happy to score, but let's not get too arrogant about it...

6) More special teams issues as the punt return team allowed a 65 yard return to Austin Davis to give the Packers great field position on the drive that Green Bay needed to tie the game and send the game to overtime.
Have to be better than that.

7) DeShone Kizer did show some good points in this game and I do think he has a future in this league.
Is it as a starter? That I'm not sure of, but I will say this, the Browns didn't do him any favors at all throwing him in to this situation and hoping for the best.
If the Browns draft a quarterback high and I think they will, I hope John Dorsey will bring in a stopgap veteran to allow that player to avoid the problems that Kizer had to deal with.

8) If Isaiah Crowell was auditioning for John Dorsey and a new contract, it was a good one as his first over 100 yard game of the year saw him put his shoulder down,run hard and cut back strong.
Really liked his game vs the Pack.

9) I really liked Brett Hundley, the Green Bay emergency backup for Aaron Rodgers.
I'm not saying Hundley is a guy you can build around, but I wouldn't mind having him around as a bridge QB or even a player to continue to groom since he is still young.

10) As of today, the Browns would have two of the first five picks in the draft.
Their pick would be first and the Texans pick would be the fifth.
I'd love to see the Texans lose out!

Road to 0-16?
Baltimore 7-6
at Chicago 4-9
at Pittsburgh 11-2

Browns fire Sashi Brown, Keep Hue Jackson

Photo Credit: John Kuntz, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Cleveland Browns made my Thursday, but raised a few questions on a day where they could have made at least a little public relations, if not personnel advancement.

Sashi Brown was fired from his role as head of football operations, but Hue Jackson will return as head coach for the 2018 season.

Hue Jackson's hiring was applauded by me, but he has been a disappointment in Cleveland.
Odd play calls, strange personnel decisions, and awful clock management have marked Jackson's two years.
I can understand giving Jackson another year since his roster has been so weak, but his performance has been so bad, I could see firing him as well.
Jackson will likely have a short leash in 2018.

The firing of Sashi Brown was one that I strongly agree with.
Brown was never qualified to run a football personnel department, and the various maneuvering that has resulted in just one win in two years can mostly be laid at his feet.
Brown's rigid decision to stick to a plan even when given opportunities to keep players outside his box (notably Mitchell Schwartz and Terrelle Pryor) in free agency, signings of players such as Kenny Britt to large guaranteed contracts and his questionable use of numbers to evaluate college talent sent the Browns careening deeper down a hole that was deep to start with.

I was not in favor of Sashi Brown being hired from day one, and not because I was against his plan.
Teams in all sports have executed plans that saw teams tear franchises down to the floorboards and attempt to build them back up, and Brown shouldn't be ridiculed for that.

What he should have been was for the lack of talent that he selected to make his plan work.
Other Browns regimes have mastered the trade-down method as they attempted to emulate the building plans of the New England Patriots among so many, but Brown took it to an extreme, passing on elite-level talent in order to select quantities of mid-level talent.

Many Browns slaughter Brown for the trades that saw the team bypass Carson Wentz in 2016 and DeShaun Watson in 2017, and rightfully so, but there are other mistakes that show the limitations of Brown's evaluation of talent.

The Browns had tons of cap space and yes, Joe Haden and Demario Davis were overpaid for their production, but both would have helped this team and to give them away (Haden released, Davis traded for Calvin Pryor, who eventually was released) for nothing when the team could have afforded them was nonsensical.

I generally don't destroy teams for passing one guy for another in the draft, mainly because positional need does come into play and if you need a cornerback, it's hard to criticize years later for not taking a tackle, but the exception to that rule is when you miss on a player that turns out to be a star at a position that you chose another player over that player.

An example of this was when Brown's front office selected in the first round, wide receiver Baylor's Corey Coleman, who has struggled with drops and staying healthy, over Ohio State's Michael Thomas, who has become a star in his two years in New Orleans after the Saints selected him with a second-round selection.
That isn't excusable because that comes down to talent evaluation, and that is where the vaunted 'analytics' came up short.

It wasn't the battle plan; it was the generals executing that battle plan.
Brown's defenders claim that his drafts were so strong because so many players are on the team, but keep in mind that they are a one-win team in two years.

Only Emanuel Ogbah and Joe Schobert have shown anything more than average production from the 2016 draft and the 2017 draft has been better with Myles Garrett and the rare trade up for David Njoku, but even then the overdrafting of the tweener Jabrill Peppers has been a miss thus far and missing on Desmond King in favor of Howard Wilson (Injured in camp, to be fair) loomed large in the 2017 draft.

In the end, Sashi Brown seemed to be a nice guy who was simply miscast in a job that he was unsuited for and never should have been hired for to begin with.
I'm not sure who I blame more- Brown for wanting the job or Jimmy Haslam for thinking Brown was the right man for the job.

Back later with the boxing challenge and some words on the man who will be replacing Sashi Brown in charge of football operations for the Browns.

Lions lap Browns 38-24

The Cleveland Browns managed to hang tough for three quarters with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field Sunday, but unfortunately, football games are four quarters in length and the Lions dominated the final quarter to take a 38-24 decision.
DeShone Kizer threw for 232 yards and a touchdown with Isaiah Crowell adding ninety yards with a score on the ground.
The now 0-9 Browns return home next week to host the surprising 6-3 Jacksonville Jaguars.

Brownie Bits
1) The most talked about play came late in the first half with the Browns down 17-10 and with a second and goal with the Detroit two with fifteen seconds to go in the half.
Cleveland had no timeouts, so a running play that didn't make the end zone would make another play unlikely.
DeShone Kizer's quarterback draw fell short of the end zone and the clock ran out.

2) This then makes one wonder this was a called play by Hue Jackson or was it an audible called by DeShone Kizer?
Jackson took the blame after the game, but Kizer wouldn't address it.
Jackson whipped off his headset after the play and gave the appearance that it was indeed his quarterback that called the audible.
This was the second time this season that Kizer had called an audible deep in the red zone that went awry.

3) Other than that misstep, this was the best game that Kizer has played since the opener against Pittsburgh.
Kizer made some nice throws and only a Hail Mary interception kept Kizer from not turning the ball over in the game, which has been an issue of late.

4) The crunching hit that knocked Kizer from the game late in the third quarter was the turning point in the game.
Cody Kessler was overmatched in his three possessions including an overthrow of a wide open Bryce Treggs that would have been a sure score.
Kessler needs to be a third-stringer to be of value, not the main backup.

5) And give Kizer credit for returning to the game after being looked over by the medical staff.
Showing toughness and the ability to lead goes a long way with the teammates and for Kizer's future-even if it isn't with the Browns.

6) So many key plays, but the fumble by Seth DeValve that was scooped and scored by Nevin Lawson in the second quarter was also a key and although the hit was perfect to somewhat excuse the fumble, what I didn't like was the lack of Browns even remotely giving an effort to track Lawson.

7) One play that I loved was Myles Garrett's effort as he nearly sacked Matthew Stafford, slid to the turf, got up and made Stafford run into Emmanuel Ogbah for one of Ogbah's two sacks on the day.
I've made the comparison before that Ogbah will profit from Garrett and could be the Clyde Simmons (now the Browns DL coach) that was very productive for the Eagles opposite Reggie White.

8) Jamie Collins made a nice play on a first-quarter interception but was injured when he was tackled.
Collins would not return, although it is unknown if the injury will be a long-term issue.

9) The receivers continue to be a mixed bag.
Sammie Coates had a big gain early and nothing else, Kenny Britt had a score and another catch taken away from him by a penalty and Rashard Higgins held onto one catch, despite taking a huge hit,but Ricardo Louis continued to show his bad hands and David Njoku dropped two passes.
It'll be interesting to see how Corey Coleman fits in next week and if Josh Gordon can make it to the starting lineup against the Chargers.

10) The defense has been the better unit all season except for the secondary.
The three consecutive touchdown drives for the Lions in the second half decided the game and yet another long score that left Derrick Kindred and Jabrill Peppers trailing helplessly in the dust.
I know that the Browns basically have two safeties that are more in the box safeties than cover players, but seeing this same scene every game that Kindred and Peppers play together is getting really old.

11) It was nice to see the Browns finally use the promised running game that was to help make the transition easier for DeShone Kizer and it helped the Browns stay in a road game against a better team.
The Browns ran for over 200 yards as a team, Isaiah Crowell finishing with more than 90 of those.
I'd like to see more of this as the season moves on.

12) Now to 0-9 and our weekly thoughts on what can be won.
Jacksonville is a surprising 6-3 and a game that looked winnable might not be such now with the Jaguars developing a rugged defense.
The Bengals whipped the Browns in Cleveland, not sure if anything changes in Southern Ohio, although you can hope for one of those awful Andy Dalton days to change things.
The Chargers seem to be slowly turning things around and being the Browns only West Coast trip might work against them.
Before the season, Green Bay would have a certain selection for a loss, but without Aaron Rodgers and using a quarterback of the same experience as the Browns (Brett Hundley), the Packers are having trouble scoring points and this game being in Cleveland might be a chance at a win.
Baltimore is nothing special and this is in Cleveland too, so don't rule that out, but the Ravens beat the Browns handily earlier.
The Bears in Chicago might be possible as they are doing what you need to do with a rookie QB in Mitch Trubisky-Run the ball, play it safe and keep it close to hope for the best.
Pittsburgh would be a huge favorite if they played their starters, but they might have clinched the division by then and like last season play backups.
I think the Browns will get one or even two wins if everything falls perfectly, but they won't come until December as I see them being 0-12 before playing four games that they could win depending on circumstances.

13) San Francisco's win over the Giants would give the Browns the top pick if the draft was today.
The 49ers and Giants each have one win, so one win by the Browns could throw a wrench into that.
Houston continues to fade with the loss of DeShaun Watson and that pick could be a top ten pick by draft time.
As of this writing, the Texans pick would be the tenth overall...

Another day from the worst organization in sports

I started to write this about the failures of the Cleveland Browns to land Jimmy Garoppolo after the San Francisco 49ers acquired the Patriot backup for a second-round draft pick, only to have the Browns attempt to make a move for a lesser quarterback at a higher price and only a paperwork snafu kept a ridiculous and panicky deal from happening with a division rival.

With minutes remaining before the NFL's trade deadline, the Browns thought they had come to an agreement to trade inside the division with the Cincinnati Bengals for their backup quarterback A.J. McCarron.
McCarron, he of the few average late-season, starts in 2015, has been coveted by Hue Jackson, who coached McCarron in Cincinnati since he left, and being that the Browns QBs range from inexperienced to pop-gun armed to one-dimensional scrambler, the Browns (or at least Jackson) were interested in McCarron.

The reporting wildly varies on whom to blame for this, but the result was that a ridiculous overpay for McCarron in a 2018 2nd and 3rd round pick was avoided by the paperwork not being filed by either the Browns or the Bengals.
This organization is dysfunctional beyond belief- seemingly uninterested in Garoppolo, Hue Jackson pounding the table to overpay McCarron, botching the trade, and clearly pitting the coaching staff vs the front office- Precisely what yours truly foresaw on DAY ONE that Hue Jackson was hired!!
If the rumors (and there are plenty of different ones) are correct, Jimmy Haslem stepped in with an order to make the McCarron deal happen.
Haslem, who has a wonderful track record with quarterbacks having told his team to draft Johnny Manziel over Derek Carr, Teddy Bridgewater, and the aforementioned Garoppolo, may have decided to back Hue Jackson over Sashi Brown in this talent battle.
Considering that Jackson is a dazzling 1-23 as Browns head man, he clearly has done a fine selling job on Haslem about the incompetence of Brown, which is true, but Jackson hasn't helped himself with a set of other erratic game/personnel decisions that often border on bizarre, yet as of now, it's Jackson that appears to be winning a battle that both sides should lose.

Put aside the ridiculous aspect of an NFL front office that has been in place for two seasons botching an issue like this- that's administrative stupidity without an excuse.
Let's focus on this- Who among this bunch that values draft choices so much that they pass up premium talent on a consistent basis thought that a 2 and 3 for A.J. McCarron, who brings a below-average arm, Brent Musberger's favorite wife, and his knowledge of Hue Jackson (for whatever that's worth, if he's gone in eight games) was worthwhile?
At best, McCarron is a stopgap for the next QB and at worst, he's grilling brats with Laura Rutledge and Paul Finebaum live from Starkville Mississippi on the SEC network in three years and yet he was valued at a 2nd and 3rd rounder level?
Add to that the reported non-pursuit of Garoppolo at a cheaper price and you would have to think that the front office evaluates talent badly, Hue Jackson must too if he thinks A.J. McCarron is a potential position changer and that someone (Brown and/or Haslem) hit a panic button to get Hue Jackson's guy.
Just mind churningly bad on about every level that you can think of.

I'm not sure any of these guys deserve to survive, but I think things are turning up in Cleveland.
The screwing up of a trade this bad is a good thing besides the overpay, you know the Browns would play McCarron (they have to after that price), avoid drafting a quarterback and continue this awful train to nowhere.
The humiliation of the ridiculousness of yesterday just might be the ticket to turning this thing around.
After all, missing on Grillin' AJ, getting the silly front office removed, and maybe the coach that thought A.J. McCarron was a quarterback worth building around to go just might be the ticket to fix the most pathetic organization in pro sports...

Podcast-Hue Jackson,Midnight Express and Boxing

Podcast with thoughts on Hue Jackson,today's heavyweight title fights and looking back at Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express.

Browns hire Hue Jackson as head coach

The Cleveland Browns got their man in Cincinnati offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to be the next head coach in Cleveland.

The fifty-year-old Jackson ran one of the league's better offenses in Cincinnati, but the intriguing part to me is how he got the best of what one could say is pretty pedestrian talent.
Andy Dalton performed better on Jackson's watch than he ever did under Jay Gruden, Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard are above average backs, but neither are great and with the exception of A.J.Green, the Bengals receiving corps were nothing to excite as talent goes either.
Jackson used Tyler Eifert excellently at tight end ,which brought to mind why Eifert was a first rounder at one time with an excellent season and the Bengals did not have anywhere near the issues as far as the crazy headcases go with Jackson's offense as they did on the defense.
Combine those with the inside knowledge of the AFC North that Jackson's possesses and those reasons alone make Hue Jackson a strong hire.

However, the main reason that I had Jackson tabbed as my top choice had nothing to do with his time in Cincinnati-it was his one year as a head coach in Oakland.
Now, some may think-why the excitement about a guy that lasted just one year in Oakland and hadn't been a head man since?
Well, that year (2011) saw Jackson go 8-8, which ordinarily wouldn't excite you until you realize dealing with Al Davis, the constant crazy personnel moves that always occur in Oakland and the less than strong roster, makes you think that was a pretty decent job for a first-year coach.
The 2011 Raiders used three different starting QB's and still wound up at .500 with an 11th in the league passing offense, which even more impressive with a starting wide receiver pairing of Darius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore.
So I'm pretty comfortable with Jackson as an offensive mind and as a coach with the ability to get the best out of the talent that is far from elite.

The biggest worry that I have about Hue Jackson is how he left Oakland after one pretty good season, all things considered, is this-Jackson got into a political battle with general manager Reggie McKenzie for the football control and Jackson lost the battle.
If Jackson and/or the eventual general manager decide to flex their muscle for more control against the analytics dept or especially Sashi Brown for roster control-could Jackson be in the middle of another power struggle?
Maybe, but let's not put the cart before the horse-building the roster and winning games with the roster that the team as in place will take time, so that battle (If it ever should occur) is down the road a bit.

For now, the Browns certainly got the man that I thought fit their needs best in Hue Jackson.
The hard part begins now.....