Browns waive Jermaine Whitehead

In a development that was about as shocking as the Cleveland Browns losing a game, the Browns released safety Jermaine Whitehead, one day after a combination of poor play and a post-game flurry that arguably with the most toxic interaction that has ever taken place of social media by an athlete.

Whitehead missed several tackles in the Browns 24-19 loss to the Denver Broncos and was criticized by fans and media for those plays, especially Cleveland radio host Dustin Fox, who is employed by the Browns.
Whitehead played the game with an injured hand and that had to be a portion of the problem in wrapping up ballcarriers, but Whitehead also led the team in missed tackles before the game in Denver, so while it's fair to consider Whitehead's injury in his performance against the Broncos, it
would be just as unfair to judge his problems only on the injury.

Whitehead's release does leave the Browns lighter at safety with Damarious Randall and Eric Murray recently injured, although Randall is reported to have a chance of returning this Sunday against Buffalo.
The Browns might be likely to at least sign a safety to their practice squad as my guess would be one of the three defensive backs on the current practice squad (J.T.Hassell, Tigie Sankoh and 2019 seventh-round draftee Donnie Lewis) would be promoted to the main roster, unless a veteran would happen to fit John Dorsey's description and could step in right away.

As for Whitehead's future, I'd be surprised if he was signed by anyone and would be very well served to contact the XFL as soon as he passes through waivers.
If Whitehead wants another chance in the NFL, he may have to pay some penance in the XFL or even the CFL to show that he can keep himself out of the spotlight.
For the Browns, they had to release Whitehead.
Yes, it is a double standard because I'm not sure a star gets released under the same terms, although I'm sure they would see some sort of fine or suspension.
Employees in the work environment and this is a work environment, cannot be threatening fellow employees (Dustin Fox may not work directly with a player, but is a fellow employee) and consumers of your company's product, which in this case is professional (term used loosely) football.
Try that in your job and see how much longer you are employed.

Back later or tomorrow with those PBC fights from Saturday and a few thoughts on boxing as a side dish.

Bucked in Denver, Browns lose to Broncos 24-19

Bad tackling, mediocre play-calling, and the quarterback's inability to throw a ball that isn't high above his intended receiver's head all added up to the worse loss in a disappointing season for the Cleveland Browns as they lost to a Denver Broncos team that started a quarterback that had never taken a snap in professional football before in a 24-19 shocker.

Baker Mayfield threw for 273 yards and the Browns only touchdown to Jarvis Landry and Austin Siebert kicked four field goals in the defeat.
The Browns slip to 2-6 on the season and will host 6-2 Buffalo next week.

Brownie Bits

1) The first note deals with off the field as safety Jermaine Whitehead blasted off several tweets towards Cleveland radio host Dustin Fox and several fans that challenged them to fights at the team's practice facility in Berea.
Whitehead did have a bad game, missed several tackles, including one that saw Noah Fant run down the field in the above picture for a 75-yard score.
To be fair to Whitehead, he is playing with a broken hand, which can make wrapping up tackles difficult so I could give him a break for that, but his Twitter behavior is inexcusable.
Considering Whitehead's past ( The Packers cut him for slapping New England's David Andrews in a game last season), it wouldn't stun me to see the Browns cut him on Monday.

2) I said before this game that I had a feeling that if the Browns lost to a third-string quarterback that had never taken an NFL snap before this game that Freddie Kitchens could be fired.
Now we'll see because I just cannot make excuses after this,
No matter the excuse, the Browns are 2-6 and now will have to 8-0 to have a playoff chance and 7-1 to salvage a winning record.
Far more was expected from this team, now will Freddie Kitchens take the fall today or is he given the chance to save his job in the second half?

3) Three times in this game, the Browns had key third (and fourth ) downs to be picked up and on all three occasions, it was not Nick Chubb getting the football.
Twice, it was backup Dontrell Hilliard, the other was a sneak by Baker Mayfield and on all three occasions, the Browns came up short of the first down.
If you want to look at why Freddie Kitchens is in trouble, one of the reasons are these play-calling decisions that put the football in the hands of everyone but the best playmakers.

4) To be fair, I thought Baker Mayfield made the first down in the fourth quarter on a fourth and one from the Denver five.
I don't blame Kitchens for going for it there as the Browns were down five points at the time and a field goal still would have left the Browns needing a second field goal to win, 6but as written above- I do question not giving the ball to Chubb.
I thought Mayfield made it on forward progress and still do, but when you watch the replay, Mayfield is turned to the side as he's brought to the turf and that is what the side judge saw when he spotted the football.
Kitchens then made things worse by listening to Mayfield's advice to challenge the call.
These plays that involve short-yardage spots of the football are rarely overturned because there usually just isn't enough visual evidence with so many bodies around the ball.
Predictably, the Browns lost the challenge and a timeout was wasted.

5) Give the Broncos credit, they kept things very simple for first-time starter Brandon Allen.
Denver kept his reads simple, didn't task him with too many decisions to make, and allowed him to play the exact type of game that you would hope to see from a young quarterback in his first game action- keep your team in the game and don't make huge mistakes by turning the football over.
Allen finished 12 of 20 with two touchdowns and most importantly, zero turnovers.

6) Baker Mayfield didn't throw an interception either and his play didn't cost the Browns the game, but he still is throwing so many balls high and for a passer that was regarded as such an accurate passer coming out of Oklahoma, he is not consistent at all with his accuracy.
The two passes that I remember most?
The first was in the first half to a wide-open Demetrius Harris in the back of the Denver end zone.
Being fair, Harris made the catch, but was very sloppy in trying to keep his feet inbounds and was rightfully ruled out of bounds with the Browns settling for yet another Austin Seibert field goal.
I blame Harris far more than Mayfield there, but if that pass is on the money Harris doesn't have to leap and his feet stay in bounds.
The other pass was a pass that meant little in the game, but the little things add up in these losses.
The Browns are running a set screen pass to Nick Chubb and the Browns have the linemen out in front of Chubb in both Greg Robinson and Joel Bitonio, so this looks like at least a first down gained and the potential for more.
Chubb's all alone, so all Mayfield has to do is get the ball to him.
He doesn't, the pass is nowhere near Chubb and incomplete.

7) Odell Beckham caught five passes for 87 yards and hit two for chunks of yardage (39 and 27) with one of those two scraping the ball off a Bronco defenders helmet and the other showcasing a high-step to earn more yardage than the play looked like it would make.
It's easy to see what Beckham can bring to an offense when he is used to his best, but the Browns still aren't using him in the offense at his optimum.
Beckham rarely is running deep patterns and I wish I knew why that was.
Is it Baker Mayfield's arm? Mayfield's health? Freddie Kitchens playcalling? Or the chemistry between the two isn't where it should be after the lack of training camp work?
No matter the reason, the Browns aren't using Odell Beckham to maximum efficiency and if that's the case, why did they trade for him to begin with?

8) The Browns haven't hit on many things this season other than one Sunday in Baltimore, but it appears that Austin Siebert as the kicker has been one of those that have worked out.
Siebert's four field goals kept the Browns in the game and improved to 14 of 14 on the season.

9) One more Mayfield-Beckham note.
On the final Browns drive, Cleveland has taken the ball to the Denver 28 and it's fourth down and four.
Beckham lines up and he has man coverage in which Beckham is always going to have an advantage.
I know that taking a deep shot with the game in the balance is a gamble, but one in that situation that a confident coach and quarterback take.
Mayfield forces the ball into coverage to Jarvis Landry, the ball falls to the grass and the game is over as the Browns are without their timeouts.

10) Mack Wilson has had his struggles as rookie linebackers often will but in the second half, Wilson played his best stretch as a Brown.
Wilson finished with five solo tackles, two of those for losses, a sack, and a deflected pass.
We might look back at this draft as the Mack Wilson draft in a few seasons in stealing a star in the fifth round.

11) I could live with the Broncos touchdown scored by Courtland Sutton, who leaped over Denzel Ward and used a four-inch height advantage to make the play.
Ward did a good job in coverage and a bigger man caught the ball- it happens.
But the lousy tackling on the score by Noah Fant ( Jermaine Whitehead, Greedy Williams, and Adarius Taylor all missed tackles) and the no one even touching Phillip Lindsay on his 30-yard touchdown run might have been worse.
Defensively, the Browns just lack so many fundamentals that other teams always seem to have.

12) Finally, we waited for the schedule to soften and the Browns lost anyway.
When you consider the entire picture and the competition's issues- you HAVE to win this game and they kicked field goals instead.
Please save the "8-0 run vs this schedule" patter, It's not happening.
This team is poorly coached, poor in the fundamentals of the game, immature, and worries about the things that don't matter rather than what should matter.
They will win some games, but not as many as we all thought- now it's a matter of hopefully seeing some growth and maturity and build for next year.
If you are looking for more than that, save those prayers for something else.

Browns bounce back in Baltimore!

Nick Chubb rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns with one of those an 88-yard score that broke Baltimore's back and Baker Mayfield threw for 342 yards and one touchdown as the Cleveland Browns may have saved their season with a 40-25 clipping of the Baltimore Ravens wings in Baltimore.
Jarvis Landry grabbed eight passes for 167 yards, while tight end replacement Ricky Seals-Jones caught three for 82 yards including the only touchdown passing for Baker Mayfield.
The Browns improve to 2-2 with the win and join the Ravens at the top of the AFC North.
Cleveland will travel to San Francisco next Monday to meet the undefeated 49ers.

Brownie Bits

1) It's not an exaggeration to state that this win could have meant the season and here's why.
Had the Browns lost this game, they would have been a full two games behind Baltimore (3-1 to 1-3)
and with the schedule not getting any weaker over the next three games ( at San Francisco, Seattle at home and after an off week, at New England), it's not a stretch to say that by the time the schedule became a little more palatable, the Browns could have been unofficially out of contention depending on how the Ravens were playing.

2) And who would get the game ball for this victory? It has to be Nick Chubb, who when he ran for
the 88-yard score broke the back of the Ravens, who had just scored a touchdown and slammed in a two-point conversion to trim the Browns lead to six.
It was even more than that for Chubb, who ran over Baltimore all day and generally left them almost helpless against the Browns running attack

3) Baker Mayfield had plenty to say this week to various media and I think Baker is far too thin-skinned about some of this stuff.
After all, Rex Ryan is just one of a thousand guys on ESPN and who cares what Antonio Brown has to say while he does whatever at Eastern Michigan University?
However, these small things seem to motivate Mayfield and whatever helps him perform better is fine with me, even if I don't especially always see the point.

4) As for Baker on the field?
342 yards with one touchdown and interception was pretty strong numbers and I did like that Mayfield began to look similar to last year's Mayfield in getting the ball out quicker and allowing his receivers to do the work rather than holding the ball and waiting for the receiver to find their way, which often makes the offensive line have a much more difficult time in protection.
Mayfield's at his best when he adds a little movement (he's more quick than fast) and shoots the ball out quickly and against Baltimore, he did a much better job at releasing quickly.

5) Odell Beckham may not have had a great game on the stat sheet with only two catches for twenty yards, but as great players usually do- Beckham's presence opened the field for another player to have a huge game and against Baltimore, it was Beckham's buddy Jarvis Landry, who caught eight passes for over 165 yards and a 65 yard gain that would have been a touchdown had Landry been able to regain his stride after breaking a Baltimore tackle.
Landry finished with more yards against Baltimore than the combined previous three games before leaving the game with a concussion and showed that besides Odell Beckham, there will be players that thrive from week to week depending on how the opposition plans to cover Beckham.

6) Ricky Seals-Jones was a waiver claim from the final cut from training camp from the Cardinals and so many of those players turn out to be nothing special, but I have a strange feeling about Seals-Jones.
As in he might be one of those discoveries that break out and become a very helpful player.
Seals-Jones had a 59-yard reception and a short touchdown grab and showed the type of hands that might find him a job even after David Njoku would return.
At 6'5 and 245 pounds and with athletic ability as well, Seals-Jones might be a steal.

7) Freddie Kitchens must have heard the rumblings of media and fans about his predictable play calls against the Rams because he broke out of the chains and tried some different things.
Notably, the call was the reverse that led to Odell Beckham throwing an option pass far down that Damion Ratley should have hauled in despite pass interference that should have been called, but was not.
Those types of calls won't always work, but the threat of them always is positive by making defenses plan before the game and scramble on it.

8) As for Damion Ratley, he made a catch early in the game for ten yards, jumped up and shook his booty as if he had won the conference title.
Ratley would follow up his catch with a fifteen-yard penalty for an illegal block and then having the long toss from Odell Beckham go literally between his hands.
Ratley did have to leap into the air, but it went right between his hands!
Why does it always seem like a guy screws up for much of a game after an unnecessary celebration?
It will be interesting to see who may be out their way out this week with Antonio Callaway returning from his suspension and the possibility of Rashard Higgins returning as well.

9) Jermaine Whitehead has been a player that the Browns have been high on since claiming him off waivers last season from the Packers, but his production hasn't been anything noteworthy until yesterday in his second start in place of Morgan Burnett at safety.
Whitehead stripped Mark Ingram of the football in the third quarter, intercepted Lamar Jackson in the fourth quarter and then on the following drive, Whitehead's blitz hit Lamar Jackson's arm and sent the ball lazily floating to the arms of defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence.
Whitehead was directly involved in three turnovers in the second half.

10) Joe Schobert had a huge game with nine solo tackles, seven assisted tackles and a late-game sack of Lamar Jackson where he established his dominance with authority not by wrapping Jackson up, but by flinging him to the grass like a used rag.
I've sometimes been critical of Schobert and the injured Christian Kirksey for not making enough plays and accumulating tackles downfield, but his effort against Baltimore showed that he is capable of making those plays.

11) I thought the Ravens and the "new" Lamar Jackson were a little overrated after three games against three of the worst ten defenses in the league, but the Browns still did a nice job in keeping Jackson from doing much of what he does best- move around and make huge plays.
Jackson did throw for all three of the Baltimore touchdowns, but he was intercepted twice and forced to fumble once, although Baltimore recovered the fumble and Cleveland kept Jackson from making the big play as other than the 50-yard touchdown to Willie Snead in garbage time, the Ravens longest play was one Jackson scramble for 29 yards.

12) I mentioned Jermaine Whitehead earlier, but the Browns once again were missing starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, but both T.J. Carrie and Terrence Mitchell played very well in their starts and had the Willie Snead play not occurred, the Browns would have held Baltimore under 200 yards passing.

13) Big win, but the schedule as noted above doesn't get easier.
I like the Browns chances more than some in San Francisco on Monday night against the undefeated 49ers.
San Francisco is 3-0 (coming off a bye week), but two of those wins were against winless Cincinnati and Pittsburgh (The other against 2-2 Tampa Bay) and the following week against 3-1 Seattle is also winnable as all three of their wins were over winless Cincinnati, winless Pittsburgh (They play tonight, so one will be winless no more) and winless Arizona (0-3-1).
I'm not saying those teams are bad, but I'd like to see either beat someone with a pulse as the only team between those two with a winning record in 3-1 New Orleans beat the Seahawks in Seattle with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and scored 33 points on the Seahawks.
That would be a so what until you remember the same Bridgewater-led Saints scored just 12 the following week at home last night against Dallas.
Yes, New England in Foxboro is going to be very difficult to conclude October and only the most devout Browns homer would pick the Browns in that one unless Tom Brady gets injured before then, but I think a 2-1 October is a realistic hope.
Give me that and I'll take it.