Browns trade Myles Garrett to Rams, acquire Jared Verse

     The Cleveland Browns finally ended their saga with the greatest defender in the team's history as the Browns traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, who cemented their position as Super Bowl favorites with the addition of Garrett.

The thirty-year-old Garrett finished last season with twenty-three sacks to set the record for sacks in a season, and finished with one hundred and twenty-five for his career after the Browns selected him first overall from Texas A&M in the 2017 draft.

While the return for the best pass rusher in the league may not seem to be enough, the Browns didn't come away with nothing as they acquired defensive end Jared Verse and three draft choices from the Rams.

Cleveland added Los Angeles's first rounder in 2027, their second rounder in 2028, and their third rounder in 2029.

Verse was the first round pick of the Rams in 2024 and won the league's defensive rookie of the year award after entering the league from Florida State.

Verse finished last season with seven and a half sacks, forced three fumbles, and thirty-five solo tackles, eleven of those for losses.

Verse isn't Myles Garrett, but he's very good and should be the leading pass rusher on the Browns this season.

I wish the Browns could have received different choices in the three draft years.

The first rounder will almost certainly be in the final few spots of the round in 2027, and the Browns may have gained more value if the first rounder were in 2029, when the Rams may be in decline, but the 2027 option could be vital if the Browns need draft capital to move up in a quarterback-heavy draft.

The Browns could not have made a better trade, considering Garrett's age, with essentially two number-ones (I'm counting Jared Verse, who is young enough to be considered one) added to the coffers.

Jared Verse is the key to the trade.

I don't expect him to come close to Myles Garrett's production, but he has to be at least very good and lead the team's pass rush.

Should Verse meet those expectations, and I believe that he will, this trade could be as good as expected under the circumstances.

Garrett breaks record in Browns winning finale

     Myles Garrett got the sack that he needed to set his record, the Cleveland Browns' defense scored the team's only two touchdowns, the Cincinnati Bengals missed two extra points, and Andre Szymt kicked two 49-yard extra points.

All of that occurred before Szymt kicked a 49-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give the Cleveland Browns a 20-18 win in Cincinnati, the final game of the Kevin Stefanski era, if not the Andrew Berry era, in Cleveland.

Devin Bush grabbed a tipped Joe Burrow pass and ran ninety-seven yards for one touchdown, and Sam Webb ran fifty-three yards after recovering a Noah Fant fumble for the other Browns touchdown.

The Browns finish with a record of 5-12 and will return for the 2026 season with a new head coach.

Brownie Bits

1) It took until the fourth quarter, but Myles Garrett did get the one sack that he needed to set a new NFL record for sacks in a season.

The Bengals did an excellent job keeping Garrett off Joe Burrow until the record-setting sack, when Garrett was able to get off the line with an incredible jump, and Burrow had no way to avoid Garrett.

2) I was interested to hear that Michael Strahan commented that his was the real record because he did it in sixteen, not seventeen games.

Strahan is right that his task was accomplished in fewer games, but the NFL used to play twelve and then fourteen before Strahan's day of sixteen games, and I don't remember him complaining about that.

The record is the record for most in a season until the NFL decides to have a record for 12, 14, or 16 game seasons.

3) Shedeur Sanders's day wasn't very impressive as the rookie lostt a fumble and was fortunate to finish without an interception as the Bengals dropped two that should have been caught.

Sanders finished with a paltry 111 yards and was sacked six times.

4) Sanders did come through on the final drive, as he led the Browns into position for Andre Szymt's game winning boot, twice converting third downs with ten plus yard completions.

Sanders has been a mixed bag in his start, he did win three of his starts (Raiders, Steelers, and Bengals) but didn't really stand out in any of them.

5) Shedeur Sanders played well enough to be in the mix for the starting job in training camp but not well enough to hand him the top job.

I saw some things I liked and some I didn't, so consider me unsold but not on a permanent basis.

6) You have to be happy for Andre Szymt who came full circle after missing a field goal against these same Bengals that would have won the season opener, only to beat the Bengals with a field goal in the final game of the season.

Szymt finished the season twenty-four of twenty-seven on field goal attempts and proved me wrong when I wanted him released after the opener.

7) Cincinnati kicker Evan McPherson is usually one of the better booters in the league.

McPherson had missed only one extra point all season but in this one, McPherson missed two extra points in a game that Cleveland won by two.

8) The Bengals scored the first touchdown (Evan McPherson missed the XP) and appeared to be ready to go up by two touchdowns when Shelby Harris stuck up his hand to deflect a Joe Burrow pass into the hands of Devin Bush, who ran ninety-seven yards for the score.

Harris has always brought a knack for deflections as a defender and in blocking kicks and if the veteran doesn't return, that ability will be missed.

9) The Browns made life tough on Andre Szymt as he had to kick forty-nine yard extra points twice as both Devin Bush and Sam Webb were flagged for excessive celebrations as both dived into the end zone untouched on their scores.

I can excuse Bush's penalty a little but after seeing that call, Webb's penalty was really mindless.

10) The Browns will pick 6th in the first round and the win over the Bengals didn't hurt their position thanks to Washington's win over Philadelphia.

Had Washington lost that game, the Browns would have selected seventh.

11) Final note: The Browns won their final two games.

Had they lost both games, they would have selected first as they would have won the tiebreaker with the other three win teams.

Sanders debuts! Browns still lose 23-16

     Myles Garrett's four sacks weren't enough to overcome two rookie quarterbacks and an inept passing game as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns 23-16 in Cleveland.

Dillon Gabriel played the first half before he was unable to play in the second due to a head injury.

Shedeurr Sanders made his NFL debut in the second half, completing four of sixteen passes for forty-seven yards and an interception.

Cleveland falls to 2-8 with the loss and will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Vegas next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1)  The Browns hung around in this game, mainly due to turnovers by Baltimore, one on an interception by Carson Schwesinger that ended a drive, a muffed punt which led to a Browns field goal, and a pick-six by Devin Bush.

Give the defense full credit for coming up big, but Baltimore's own errors contributed to the tightness of the game.

2)  Myles Garrett dumped Lamar Jackson four times to increase his league-leading sack total to fifteen on the season.

Garrett looks to have a shot at the league record (22.5) held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.

3) The biggest issue that helped cost the game was the first half offense, which could have cost the game when the Browns had possession off turnovers two times and could come up with only two field goals.

Had the Browns scored touchdowns on both occasions rather than field goals, they could have won.

4) That was why I was screaming on Devin Bush's interception for Bush to get in the end zone (he did) because no matter how close Bush could get to the end zone, you can't count on this offense to get the football in for six points.

5) Dillon Gabriel's head injury puts him in jeopardy of missing this week's game against the Raiders.

Kevin Stefanski has stated that if Gabriel is ready, he will retain the position and start against Las Vegas.

Gabriel completed seven of ten passes for sixty-eight yards in the first half before being unable to continue.

6) And now, it's Shedeur Sanders and his long-awaited NFL debut.

First off, I was also looking forward to seeing Sanders, not because I thought he'd instantly turn the team around, but because he would at least bring the excitement that has been missing under Dillon Gabriel.

He did manage to bring some excitement.

7) However, he didn't bring many results, completing only four of sixteen passes for forty-seven yards and throwing an interception.

Sanders still brought more excitement, but he struggles against the rush, dropping back too far and turning his back to the rush.

Sanders had problems with this at Colorado, and if he doesn't solve it, it will hinder his chances in the NFL.

8) For all the terrible numbers of Sanders, he made a few throws that make you want to see more.

His completion to Harold Fannin early in the final drive was an absolute dart, and his throw to Gage Larvadain was almost a game-tying score if not for a terrific strip by Baltimore's Chidobe Awuzie.

Sanders can throw the football; it's the rest that he needs to work on.

9) Carson Schwesinger continues to make a case for defensive rookie of the year.

Schwesinger finished with eight solo tackles, a deflected pass, and an interception, but his most impressive play didn't count on the stat sheet.

On Mark Andrews's touchdown run for the winning score, Andrews ran around end, and once he was a yard or two clear of the line, only one Brown took off after him and almost made the tackle deep in Cleveland territory.

It was Carson Schwesinger, and this guy is a winner.

10) The Browns will have an interesting week with the possibility of Shedeu Sanders starting on the road against the equally awful (both teams are 2-8) Las Vegas Raiders.

With both teams and the Jets at 2-8 and future Cleveland opponent Tennessee at 1-9, the AFC seems very likely to own plenty of the first few picks in the 2026 draft.

Pats pound Browns, Garrett has five sacks

     Myles Garrett sacked New England's Drake Maye five times for a franchise record, but the Patriots scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to lead New England to a 32-13 win in Foxboro.

Dillon Gabriel threw two touchdowns with two interceptions and a total of 156 passing yards.

The Browns slip to 2-6 with the defeat and will have a week off before traveling to New York to meet the 1-7 Jets.

Brownie Bits

1) Myles Garrett was dominant in this game, sacking Drake Maye five times.

New England had no answer for Garrett, who also forced a fumble, and was the only thing that made the Browns worth watching in this game.

2) I've heard (and read) several notes about how bad some feel about Myles Garrett wasting his career in Cleveland.

Don't.

Garrett had his chance in the off-season when he demanded a trade, and he made the decision to take a new contract, which made him the league's highest-paid defender at the time.

I don't blame Garrett. I might have made the same decision in his situation, but he's been here and he knows how this organization is run.

He's well compensated and was well-informed before making his decision.

3) The defense (other than Garrett) was erratic in the defeat.

Three times, New England moved the ball down the field in the first half, and the defense stiffened to hold the Patriots to field goals, which gave New England a 9-7 lead at the half.

4) The same couldn't be said in the third quarter, with the Patriots scoring touchdowns on all three possessions to put the game away.

I mean, there was plenty of time available, but when you have the Browns offense, there was no chance for a comeback.

5) Quinshon Judkins was once again keyed on by the defense (Get used to that Quinshon)  and finished with only nineteen yards on nine carries before leaving the game with an injury.

6) The leading rusher?

Malachi Corley, who took a jet sweep pitch thirty-one yards.

When a wide receiver with one carry is your team's leading rusher? Oh Boy.

7) The Browns completed two passes to wide receivers.

Yes, Two, both to Jamari Thrash.

8) Dillon Gabriel did throw one pass longer than six yards, a long pass intended for Isaiah Bond, but it was instead grabbed by New England's Jaylinn Hawkins.

I can live with interceptions like that; they are basically the same as a punt as far as field position goes, but the ball was badly thrown.

9) That was the only pass more than a few yards beyond the line because, well, you know, but defenses are having no problems dealing with a passing game that uses the bubble screen like a long bomb.

10) The Browns tried a flea-flicker,

But New England read that so fast that Gabriel didn't have time to even look for a receiver as he threw the ball down like a kid playing the old game "Time Bomb".

11) Kevin Stefanski stated after the game that things were going to change (I have no idea how in the hell that's supposed to happen), but he was sticking with Dillon Gabriel for the game against the Jets in two weeks.

I don't have a clue what there is to change at this stage of the season that could help other than Shedeur Sanders or Bailey Zappe coming in at quarterback (and I don't think that helps anyway), but it only brings attention to the fact that nothing can be done when Stefanski keeps talking about changes.

12) It wouldn't be a post without a Jerry Jeudy complaint.

Jeudy finished without a catch, which is very helpful for a player making millions to be your number one receiver, but he was only thrown to twice.

In the fourth quarter, the Browns went for it in the red zone with Dillon Gabriel throwing incomplete to Jeudy.

Watching the live action, it appeared that the Patriot defender made a nice play. However, upon reviewing the replay, the ball goes through Jeudy's arms, and it looks like Jeudy made an effort that I'd say was lackluster, if I'm being generous.

13) The Browns received more bad news when rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger left the game with a high-level ankle sprain.

Schwesinger grabbed his first career interception earlier in the game and has played very well in his rookie season.

Schwesinger could miss four to six weeks, and with the team lacking depth at linebacker, his loss will be felt.

Browns sign Myles Garrett to extension

     On the eve of the new league season, the Cleveland Browns won one battle as they walked down Myles Garrett from his trade demand and re-signed their star defensive end to a four-year contract extension.

While the Browns can say they won the battle by retaining Garrett, Garrett was also a winner as he received a contract larger than any in football history for a player who is not a quarterback.

The extension will pay Garrett forty million per year for each of the next four seasons with one hundred twenty-three million fully guaranteed.

The twenty-nine-year-old Garrett collected fourteen sacks last season, making him the first player to post four consecutive seasons of fourteen sacks or more/

Garrett also became the youngest player to reach one hundred sacks in a career.

The Browns aren't expected to make any splashy signings in the free agency period, which starts on Monday, due to limited space, keeping Myles Garrett in town and hopefully happy will be the Browns biggest move.

The extension could have some impact on the Browns second overall selection as Cleveland had been rumored to be considering Penn State defensive end/edge rusher Abdul Carter along with a potential quarterback.

While I do like Miami's Cam Ward at quarterback and could live with him as the pick, I'd rather see the Browns tab Carter and allow Garrett and Carter to get after quarterbacks with a pass rush that would put some fear into opposing offensive lines.

Most think that re-signing Garrett is the signal that Andrew Berry is taking a quarterback or trying to build some interest for teams to trade up, but I still wouldn't rule out Carter.

Andrew Berry's drafting has been less than dazzling and it's hard to find a pattern in what he looks for in the draft other than he leans on SEC and Big Ten players more than the other schools and Carter coming from Penn State, I could see Berry making the decision on the defensive end.

Cleveland took care of one problem in making Myles Garrett happy, now the work begins to surround him with talent that could improve an aging team before the next bad run causes Garrett's attitude to sour. 

Myles Garrett requests trade

     Andrew Berry stated that the Cleveland Browns had no interest in trading star defensive end Myles Garrett and added the quote that Garrett would be "going from Cleveland to Canton", inferring that Garrett would be a career-long member of the Browns.

Less than a week later, the Browns received Garrett's thoughts on the matter, as he not only requested a trade from the team but added that his goal "was never to go from Cleveland to Canton but to compete for and win a Super Bowl"

The Browns hold some of the cards here as Garrett is signed through 2027 but by going public with his request, Garrett took away some of the Browns leverage in shopping his services.

Garrett also slapped the Browns and Andrew Berry in particular in the face by using the same phrase Berry used only days before in describing why Garrett was staying in Cleveland.

Andrew Berry is lucky to have a job after creating this mess and somehow is receiving a chance to fix it (or make it worse) now has been emasculated in public as Garrett mocked Berry with his own words.

The Browns would take a massive salary cap hit in dead money should they trade Garrett and the best thing for cap reasons would be for the Browns to sign Garrett to a renegotiated contract extension.

Wave the money at Garrett and see if that makes his problems better.

If not you try to bring in as much as possible for him in trade, preferably picks in the 2026 draft, and hope for the best.

I've seen many in the Cleveland media state that Andrew Berry should be fired immediately for being the man who traded for DeShaun Watson and the man who traded Myles Garrett or that his seat is now even hotter than it already was.

I beg to differ.

I believe that trading Myles Garrett may help Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski as they will have the built-in excuse of "How could we be expected to succeed without our best player?" and they should have the right and another draft to show progress.

Jimmy Haslam is very fond of Andrew Berry and while Berry should have been removed already, don't be surprised if we are here in January 2026 with Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski preparing for one more " all in" season.

Browns bully Titans 27-3

     The Cleveland Browns had to wonder how they would respond in a short week after a heartbreaking loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The response was more than sufficient as the Browns pummelled the Tennessee Titans 27-3 by Lake Erie to improve to 2-1 on the season.

DeShaun Watson finished with 289 yards passing with two touchdowns with Amari Cooper catching seven passes for one hundred sixteen yards and one of the Watson touchdown passes.

Cleveland finished with five sacks with three and a half of those sacks from Myles Garrett alone.

Cleveland will host 2-1 Baltimore next Sunday before their off-week.

Brownie Bits

1)  The game could have been even more lopsided after one of the worst calls that you will see made against the Browns in the first half.

DeShaun Watson hit Amari Cooper down the sideline for what would be a twenty-five-yard gain and Cooper avoided the tackle try of Kristian Fulton and raced to the end zone uncontested.

But the whistle had blown as Cooper was ruled out of bounds after the catch.

Replays showed Cooper not only didn't step out of bounds, he wasn't even close to stepping out of bounds.

2) While the terrible call didn't cost the Browns the game in a 27-3 win, Cleveland would not score a touchdown on the drive, settling for a Dustin Hopkins field goal but it did cost DeShaun Watson a third touchdown pass and a three hundred yard passing day.

Watson showed a few signs out of the pocket from his days in Houston and he avoided the mistakes that cost the Browns so badly in Pittsburgh.

3) Much of that was due to an improved performance from the offensive line, who did allow three sacks of Watson but was much better than in their defeat in Pittsburgh.

Dawand Jones virtually eliminated the Titans' best pass rusher, Harold Landry, from the game, not allowing Landry a sack and only one solo tackle.

They may not have been perfect but their effort allowed DeShaun Watson to relax and perhaps for the first time as a Brown, allow the game to come to him rather than act out of impatience.

4) Kareem Hunt did play after being signed earlier in the week, carrying five times for thirteen yards, and while Hunt's numbers were far from outstanding, simply having the faith of Kevin Stefanski to see the field after only a few days of practice is a good thing and shows that Hunt is entering the season in good shape despite missing training camp.

5) It didn't hurt the Browns but the reviews on the first game for a Nick Chubbless running back group were very mixed.

Jerome Ford did catch a touchdown pass and ran for another score but his rushing numbers were a tiny nineteen yards on ten carries, the most for any Brown.

Pierre Strong's twenty-seven yards on six carries led the Cleveland ground game.

6) And then there was the Cleveland defense, which notched its third dominant game in as many outings.

Cleveland held the Titans to 94 yards of total offense, sacked Ryan Tannehill five times, and Derrick Henry to only twenty rushing yards on eleven carries.

Dominance in the numbers and on the field.

7) The key play of the game was late in the first half, with the Browns leading 13-3 but Tennessee was in the Cleveland red zone without a timeout.

Ryan Tannehill has a shot at the end zone and knows he has to go to the end zone because anything in-bounds will end the half with Tennessee getting zero points for the drive.

Myles Garrett runs over his man, Tannehill doesn't have the slightest chance of getting rid of the ball and Mike Vrabel starts walking to the locker room, not even trying to get his field goal team on the field.

The game was only 13-3 but you could sense Tennessee had the life taken from them.

8) Tennessee's second-half possession is as follows; punt, punt, punt, punt, end of game.

Tennessee didn't gain more than nineteen yards on any possession in the second half and didn't run more than six plays on any of those possessions.

9) Myles Garrett must have heard the talk after the Steeler loss comparing him to T.J. Watt and not favorably so.

While Watt is a more consistent player, Garrett's peak games might be better than those of Watt but those don't appear every week.

Garrett had one of those games this week and he just wrecked every Titan in his wake.

At his best, Myles Garrett can be the best pass rusher in the league, he just needs to play that way more often.

10)  Now the Browns will host Baltimore, who were upset in overtime at home by the Colts, who were playing Gardner Minshew at quarterback.

That's a really ugly loss and Baltimore will come to town ready for redemption.
Cleveland needs the win going into their bye week as they will be hosting San Francisco, who looks as strong as any team in the league through the three weeks following the off week.

Cleveland is the only team in the league with four home games in their first five games and at minimum need to be 3-2, so in order to have no pressure against San Francisco, a win against the Ravens is a must.

Baltimore hasn't dazzled in their wins over Houston and Cincinnati and today's loss to Indianapolis is a bad one but they will be ready as they always are for the Browns.

It should be a good one.

Browns hold off Ravens 24-22

    The Cleveland Browns opened up a 24-6 lead on a Baltimore Ravens team that played most of the game without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson and a 24-9 lead entering the fourth quarter before holding on for dear life in a 24-22 win over Baltimore in Cleveland.

Baker Mayfield threw two touchdowns with an interception and 190 yards passing, one each to Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper but the star play was Myles Garrett's sack, strip, and resulting fifteen-yard fumble recovery and a touchdown in the third quarter for what would prove to be the winning score.

Cleveland improved to 7-6 and will play Saturday games in the next two weeks, hosting Las Vegas before traveling to Green Bay on Christmas Day.

Brownie Bits

1) Myles Garrett's play on Baltimore backup quarterback Tyler Huntley was the type of play that you expect impact players to make and one that only special players make.

Garrett's play was even more difficult than you would think because he had to reach over to hit Huntley's arm and he didn't give Huntley a full pop to cause the fumble.

2) Garretts's sack was his fifteenth of the season and with the sack broke the team record held by Reggie Camp that was set in 1984.

The surprise for me was that it took that long for Garrett to set the record but I think he would have broken it in either 2019 or 20 had goofy things not occurred with 2019 ended with the suspension for whacking Mason Rudolph and 2020 saw him slowed in the second half after contracting Covid-19.

3) I remember Reggie Camp as a Brown defensive end but I have to be honest if you gave me twenty guesses on the single-season Browns sack record holder, I am not sure that I would have said Reggie Camp.

This says two things- One is that Reggie Camp was a better pass rusher than I remembered with thirty-five sacks in his five seasons in Cleveland and the second is that the Browns really haven't had an elite pass rusher over the last thirty to forty seasons.

4)  And another glimpse at what Grant Delpit could be bringing to the secondary as soon as next season as Delpit finished the game with eleven solo tackles and a hit on the QB on a blitz.

This season is essentially Delput's rookie year, so he hasn't been perfect but I think next season Grant Delpit is going to be a Pro Bowl contender.

5) As much as I was wincing at the Raven's late comeback, one thing that I liked was the Browns' refusal to allow the Ravens underneath completions to end with the receiver getting out of bounds to stop the clock.

Poor individual tackling has been a scourage for Cleveland for years and it was refreshing to see the Browns wrapping up and watching the clock run in return for allowing those short passes to show improvement in that area.

6) Could the Lamar Jackson injury have made the difference in this game?

Maybe, but I'm not so sure.

The Browns have handled Jackson better in their first encounter despite losing and while Jackson was four of four in the quarter that he played, the total yardage was only seventeen,

I don't want to say that the Jackson problem is solved but I do think that Cleveland adding Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Grant Delpit to the lineup and patrolling the middle of the field has forced Jackson to perhaps think twice before haunting down the field with big and fast defenders capable on corralling him.

7) Baker Mayfield was okay.

Not great but not awful.

Mayfield's interception to Anthony Averett was a bad throw but while his inaccuracy still remained, it was improved (22 of 32) and the interception was the only ball that you could circle on your card and say "What was he thinking"?

8) The Browns did allow 287 yards, 117 to the noted Browns killer in tight end Mark Andrews but most of that yardage came in desperate comeback time for the Ravens.

I'm not too concerned about the passing yardage but I am concerned about this team's continued ability to ever cover Mark Andrews.

9) I know the analytics numbers etc and I just don't give a damn- If you are in the fourth quarter and you are down by nine-Kick the extra point and make it one possession tie.

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh went for two and failed, so down by nine points with under nine minutes to play the Ravens are guaranteed to need two possessions rather than one.

Sorry, I believe in numbers as much as the next guy but the biggest numbers were these- Two possessions rather than one.

10) I blame Baker Mayfield a lot for the mediocrity of the Browns offense but I'm starting to be swayed a bit by the argument towards the play calling of Kevin Stefanski.

Stefanski's play-calling was said to be a strength when he was hired by the Browns and for his first season, it appeared to be so.

However, in season two I'm starting to wonder.

While I fully support using the running game, it appears that Stefanski has a tendency to slow things down too quickly and too early, and the things that are working to build a lead are often forgotten in the second half.

11) The Browns finished the second half with only ninety-five total yards and their only score was the defensive touchdown scored by Myles Garrett.

The Browns were so bad as these are their second-half drives: Punt, Chase McLaughlin missed field goal, punt, punt, kneel down.

12) My favorite play was Denzel Ward sticking Rashod Bateman on the final fourth down and taking him down to the turf well short of the first down.

I know I commented on the tackling earlier but hey how many times have we seen broken tackles in the same situation?

13) Finally, the Browns are alive at 7-6, and with the reeling Raiders next at home, the Browns are in a position to likely control their own destiny although that is not one hundred percent guaranteed.

I think it will take at least three wins to get into the playoffs and they need to make the three wins in the three conference games (Raiders and Bengals at home and Steelers on the road) to win some tiebreakers.

Browns blow by Bears 26-6

   The Cleveland Browns held the Chicago Bears to 118 yards of total offense and pulled away with a dominant fourth quarter to defeat the Bears 26-6 in Cleveland.

Myles Garrett finished with a team-record four and a half sacks to lead a pass rush that sacked Chicago's rookie quarterback Justin Fields nine times.

Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown and for 246 yards with both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt finishing with over eighty rushing yards for the game.

The now 2-1 Browns will travel to Minnesota next week for the Kevin Stefanski Bowl against the Vikings.

Brownie Bits

1) The big story was the suddenly awakened pass rush that dumped Justin Fields nine times and just missed against the somewhat elusive Fields several others.

Myles Garrett's four and a half sacks set a new team record and his opposite end Jadeveon Clowney added two more sacks.

Considering the Browns issues with the rush in the first two games, this is a huge positive going forward.

2) The Chicago offensive line is terrible and as bad as they were in protecting Justin Fields, they weren't any better in their attempts to run the football as David Montgomery ran for 34 carries on ten carries, numbers that seem worse when you consider sixteen of those yards came on one carry.

3) The Browns offensive line wasn't spectacular in protecting Baker Mayfield, who was sacked five times in the win.

Khalil Mack reached Mayfield twice in the game and Mack missed most of the first half with a sprained foot and the Browns might have given the Bears a few more sacks had a healthy Mack played the entire game.

4) I know the offensive line is beaten up a bit right now and they still opened up huge holes in the running game but the five sacks are concerning and something to wonder about when the opposition improves.

5) Baker Mayfield did receive plenty of pressure from the Bear defense and he did manage to avoid an interception but in this game, I saw many of his passes go high.

Mayfield completed 19 of 31 for the game so he was still effective but this has always been a concern of mine with Mayfield's accuracy and I'll keeping an eye on this as the season moves on.

6) Odell Beckham's return to the field was not spectacular but solid with five catches for seventy-seven yards on nine targets.

Mayfield and Beckham's chemistry has been discussed often since Beckham's arrival in Cleveland but i didn't see many signs of that on Sunday.

7) Kevin Stefanski decided to go for it on fourth down on the first two possessions of the game and failed both times.

One was on a busted play and a bad snap foiled the other but I like the aggressiveness if not the execution.

8) Chase McLaughlin's win over Cody Parkey for the Browns placekicking job has begun to pay dividends.

The Browns thought that in picking McLaughlin they were selecting the kicker with longer range and with that range would add scoring chances that Parkey would not be able to take advantage of.

McLaughlin's four field goals included two of over fifty yards with one coming from 57 yards.

9) Kareem Hunt is clearly the backup to Nick Chubb but on almost any other team Hunt would be their ground game superstar.

Hunt averaged eight yards a carry on his ten totes and Hunt runs with a nastiness that reminds one of runners from a different era.

10) This game was the coming-out party for Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah as JOK began to see more snaps and finished with four solo tackles, half a sack, and another tackle for loss.

I have a feeling that the production has only just started for the versatile rookie from Notre Dame.

11) The Browns are 2-1.

They should be Chicago and Houston aren't very good teams and with both of those games at home, those wins should have been reliably figured in the win column before the season.

Now the season really begins with road games at Minnesota and the Los Angeles Chargers that cannot be counted on for relatively easy wins, it'll be interesting to see how the Browns react after the loss in Kansas City.

Myles Garrett positive for Covid-19

    The Cleveland Browns took a hit to their playoff hopes when Myles Garrett tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss this Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles and also is highly likely to miss the following game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville.

The 24-year-old Garrett is in the midst of the best season of his career after being chosen by Cleveland with the first selection in the 2017 draft and is currently second in the league in sacks with nine and a half behind only the ten sacks collected by Yannick Ngakoue, who has split his season between Minnesota and Baltimore.

Garrett has upped his game not only in the pass-rushing aspect but has improved his play against the run as well as shown by his stuffing of Houston's DeShaun Watson last Sunday on a fourth-down play inside the Browns five-yard line.

Garrett's absence was glaring in the team's loss to the Raiders when he missed some of the game due to injury and with Oliver Vernon disappointing at the opposite defensive end position, the Browns have to be concerned about their ability to rush the passer without Garrett in the lineup.

Despite the disparity in the teams' records (Cleveland is 6-3 with Philadelphia at 3-5-1, good enough for first place in the putrid NFC East), the Browns are only a tepid favorite over the visiting Eagles and I'm not sure that the Eagles might not be even money now for Sunday's game.

The Browns have beaten only one team with a winning record (Indianapolis) and the Eagles are capable of winning this game.

Cleveland needs to bag as many of these games against the weaker opponents as they can and even though four of the final seven games are against teams with losing records, only this one against the Eagles will be at home by Lake Erie with visits to Jacksonville and back to back trips to Giants Stadium to face the Giants and Jets on the road.

The loss of Myles Garrett will be a big one to the Browns and should the Eagles win in Cleveland and the playoffs are missed by a game, the loss of Garrett to the lineup might be looked back on as a significant reason in the Browns staying home for yet another postseason...

Browns ground Texans 10-7

   Through rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

That was once the motto of the United States Postal Service, but it should be the motto of the ground game of the Cleveland Browns, who used one hundred games from Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to cut through the wind and defeat the Houston Texans 10-7 in Cleveland.

Chubb finished with 126 yards and the only Browns touchdown and Hunt added 104 to lead an otherwise anemic Cleveland offense in the win in the middle of three Browns' home games.

Cleveland improved to 6-3 with the victory and will host the Eagles in Cleveland next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1)  The talk around the Browns fan base was the long run at the end of the game by Nick Chubb in which he could have easily scored, but instead stepped out of bounds to essentially give Houston no chance of a comeback.

A touchdown likely would have left Houston with only a crazy prayer of winning, but the step out did allow the Browns to kneel twice to end the game.

2) Chubb's decision allowed those kneeldowns rather than live plays and one never knows when a key injury can occur.

Smart, especially on a team that isn't known for its depth.

3) The Browns haven't played a game that saw two of their backs finish with over 100 yards in a game since 1966 when Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green accomplished the feat.

4) Nick Chubb finished with more yards, the only touchdown, and the backbreaking run at the end of the game, but Kareem Hunt was just as effective.

Chubb may be the better back overall, but Hunt's numbers would be very similar if used in the same manner.

5) Ok, for the second home game in a row the wind was beyond awful and made the passing game very risky at best.

Still, DeShaun Watson managed to complete twenty of thirty and he's used to playing in a dome.

Baker Mayfield completed twelve of twenty, which is nothing special, but he did manage to avoid the big mistake and the Browns did win so I cannot complain too much, but...

6) One of the reasons that I didn't want Baker Mayfield in the 2018 draft was a concern about having the type of arm strength that you need to power the ball through the cold weather that comes with playing in the AFC North, let alone in Cleveland in a stadium that faces one of the Great Lakes.

I've seen nothing in these two games held in punishing winds to change any of those thoughts.

7) Then there was Myles Garrett, who isn't known for his run defense, stoning Watson on a 4th down run play inside the Browns five late in the second quarter.

That play alone might have won the game in a three point game, but Garrett also finished with two other tackles for losses and a half sack as the dominant player on the field.

8) The wind kept the Texans from trying two field goals during the game and blew another aside, but the Browns were able to keep things in line with the wind on their end.

Cody Parkey knocked in one field goal on the strong wind end (the Dawg Pound) and that was enough to win.

9) Romeo Crennel, having coached in Cleveland, should have known about the wind in Cleveland Stadium.

So why on Earth did Crennel choose to have the wind in his kicker's face in the fourth quarter?

10) The game could have been a shutout, but in the fourth quarter DeShaun Watson appeared to be sacked, hung into the pocket and tossed the ball up for a key completion.

The drive continued and ended with the only Houston touchdown.

11) The now 6-3 Browns have two more must win games against weak sisters Philadelphia and Jacksonville.

Win those two games and the playoffs are in sight, but lose one of those and look out.

Win the games that you should and hope for the best... 

Beckham leads Browns, Dallas falls 49-38!

Odell Beckham scored three touchdowns and carried the Cleveland Browns to a surprising 49-38 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas.

Beckham scored the trio of trips to the end zone via a reception from Baker Mayfield, a reception from Jarvis Landry, and the game-ending end around rushing touchdown that clinched the win to avoid what would have been a franchise-crushing collapse as Dallas roared back in the fourth quarter to get as close as three points late in the game.

Beckham finished with 81 yards receiving and 75 yards rushing on two carries to lead the Browns offense and D'Ernest Johnson led Cleveland in rushing with 95 on a day that saw the Browns rush for over 300 yards while Baker Mayfield threw for two touchdowns to go with 165 yards through the air in the win.

The Browns move to 3-1 with the win and remain tied for second with Baltimore, a half-game behind 3-0 Pittsburgh, who received an unexpected bye with the Covid-19 wave hitting their scheduled opponent, the Tennessee Titans.

The Browns will go home for next Sunday's game against the visiting 3-1 Indianapolis Colts, who like the Browns have won three in a row after dropping their opener.

Brownie Bits

1) What can you state about Odell Beckham?

This is the electrifying player that the Browns thought they had acquired from the Giants and Kevin Stefanski did a good job involving him in creative ways.

For all of the good things that Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt do and as exciting as they can be, neither can be the game-breaker that Odell Beckham is, and that says a lot considering the talents of those two players.

2) The two gimmick plays that Kevin Stefanski called on the game's first drive and the game's final drive involved Odell Beckham on both plays.

And both plays brought different reactions from me as I watched!

On the touchdown reception, it was a joyful reaction as I screamed "He's (Jarvis Landry) gonna throw!" as I could see that Odell Beckham was open.

On the end-around at the end of the game, I loudly yelled "Oh...." as Aldon Smith beat his man to appear to be in a position to slam Beckham to the turf for a large loss.

Instead, it was Beckham hitting warp speed to avoid Smith and blow by everyone else for the clinching score.

Playcalling always comes down to success and failure by your players.

If Beckham is tackled by Smith, Kevin Stefanski is being grilled for being too cute.

Instead, we all are hailing him- Football is a funny game.

3) How about that running game?

I'll get to Nick Chubb in a minute and maybe Dallas couldn't stop a backfield consisting of myself, Fred Landucci, Battlin' Bob, and Ryan ( Although as Ryan can attest, I can run a pretty mean option offense), but even considering all of that, the Browns ran for 307 yards!

Yes, that number and the 7.7. yards per carry is inflated by the late game run by Odell Beckham, but even erasing that run, the Browns would have still finished with 257 yards.

The Browns were using Chubb before his injury, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson, and even the practice squad promoted Dontrell Hilliard and all were effective, so the line was moving some beef.

Johnson rushed for almost one hundred yards and Hunt scored twice, so even without Chubb running the ball wasn't an issue in this one.

4) The loss of Nick Chubb to a knee injury that I haven't gotten word of its seriousness with Chubb undergoing an MRI tomorrow will be a huge one.

Now any team that can turn to a Kareem Hunt is more than fortunate, but the possible loss of Nick Chubb will hurt any team.

Fingers crossed that the Browns will see Nick Chubb return later in the season.

5) Baker Mayfield did throw for two touchdowns and it's hard to argue with 49 points.

Still, Mayfield's 19 of 30 performance featured far too many high throws and yet another overthrow of an open Odell Beckham that cost the Browns a sure touchdown.

The good thing about the current Browns building around the running game means less Mayfield throws and an improved chance of winning.

What I am intrigued by is the offseason decision by Andrew Berry and company on Mayfield's fifth season option status.

Can the Kevin Stefanski offense get by with average quarterbacks until they have an opportunity to grab a great one?

Is Baker Mayfield good enough for the Browns to take a huge salary hit eventually that the Browns think in a conference that will go through Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes for his career (Mayfield is older than Mahomes by six months), that Mayfield can eventually get them through?

Fascinating...

6) Mayfield did show signs of catching on to the offense as he completed nine passes to tight ends Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant, one of those a touchdown pass to Hooper.

The tight ends in this offense are your safety valves, finding them and hitting them accurately is very important and Mayfield is improving in that area.

7) The defense.

I know some of the Dallas comeback is on the soft coverages that every team uses when they have a sizable lead, but this defense, particularly the back seven, just cannot allow chunks of yardage as they did even with such a lead as they had against Dallas.

How much of that is on a back seven that has only Denzel Ward and maybe Mack Wilson that would start on a decent team or what Joe Woods was calling for them, I'm not sure, but it was crazy how easy Dallas had been moving up and down the field against them in the fourth quarter.

8) I know the secondary is battered with Greedy Williams continuing to miss time and the season-ending injury to Grant Delpit was a huge blow, but games aren't over until the final gun.

Terrence Mitchell and Kevin Johnson are fine to be your 4th cornerback, but right now they are your two and three and Andrew Sendejo is just awful.

Sendejo did force a fumble from Ezekiel Elliott, but it seemed that was more from Elliott falling on top of Sendejo than anything that he really did to make the play.

Twice, Dallas struck for touchdowns that you didn't see Sendejo on coverage until the replay, and both times he's the sad trailing culprit.

I'm not sure if this is that Sendejo is too slow or isn't in the right coverage, but not only shouldn't Sendejo be on the field, you could make a real argument that Sendejo is so bad that he shouldn't even be on the team.

He's that awful.

9) However, no complaints about the defensive line.

Myles Garrett is a force off the end, he forced another strip-sack and fumble on Dak Prescott and he is dominating more each week.

Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi each played well inside, although Ogunjobi left the game and will be undergoing an MRI, and Olivier Vernon returned from injury and recovered the fumble caused by Garrett.

The line is going to have to continue to play at such a high level because of the bunch behind them. 

Well, let's say there is cause for concern.

10) Two weird plays in the fourth quarter.

Donovan Peoples-Jones was returning kicks and punts in place of the injured JoJo Natson and he did fine for the most part, but in the fourth quarter the Cowboys kicked a bouncing ball to the end zone and Peoples-Jones allowed the ball to bound by him and didn't chase it down.

For a fleeting second, it looked like the ball wouldn't hit the end zone and would be a live ball with Dallas racing down to recover.

Fortunately, the ball did make it across the line for a touchback.

11) The other was after the Odell Beckham touchdown run late in the game.

Cody Parkey attempts the extra point and it's blocked by the Cowboys.

The ball bounces around and Dallas tries to pick it up.

As soon as a Cowboy touches the ball (other than the initial block), the football is live and after some hops and miscues, Stephen Carlson falls on the ball in the end zone.

As I'm saying that's two points ( as I remember the combination of the Clyde Simmons game and the Leon Lett game for the rule even before the two-point conversion began), the referees confer among themselves and then rule it is two points for Cleveland.

Shouldn't have taken that long.

12) The Browns now have a good victory.

I wondered about the legitimacy of the team after home wins over Cincinnati and Washington because even though those games were winnable, they are wins that you use as a foundation of a program.

Dallas may be 1-3, but they score points like crazy and they are never out of a game.

Combine that with beating them at Dallas and this is an excellent win.

13) The Browns finish the first quarter of the season at 3-1 and I would have been happy at 2-2.

Now the 3-1 Colts in Cleveland and this is the type of game that playoff teams win.

The Colts have played well on defense, but haven't rallied around new quarterback Phillip Rivers as much as they had hoped.

Win over Indianapolis, move to 4-1, and the grudge rematch against Pittsburgh could be the biggest game for the Cleveland Browns since at least their one playoff appearance in 2003 and possibly their playoff loss in 1994- both in Pittsburgh.

Lose to the Colts, a damper goes around this win, and it's likely the Browns are 3-3.

Don't look past the Colts and next Monday at this time, there could be as much excitement around the Browns as there have been in years.

 

Browns sign Myles Garrett to Extension

The Cleveland Browns may not know when training camp will start, but they took a large step towards contention when the Browns signed Myles Garrett to a five-year extension that made Garrett the league's highest-paid defensive player.

Garrett's deal with the Browns will be worth $125 million with fifty of that total guaranteed on signing day with the possibility of more with certain levels of production.
Garrett finished last season with ten sacks in ten games before missing the season's final six games after the helmet bashing incident against Pittsburgh backup quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Garrett's previous season in Cleveland also ended with double-digit sack numbers with thirteen sacks with his rookie year ending with seven sacks in eleven games.
Garrett is the first Browns first-round draft pick to be re-signed after the expiration of the rookie contract since Joe Haden, who was the first-rounder by the Browns in 2010.

There isn't very much to complain about with this agreement.
The Browns avoided an ugly negotiation in a year to keep the one impact player on the defense happy and bought in along with showing their fans that they are willing to keep draft picks around when their performance warrants it.
The signing also will show players in the future that the Browns are willing to open the checkbook for them with Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward possibly (with performance) in line to sign their second contract next season.

Garrett's extension also gives the Browns a foundation to build around on the defensive line as the team has three linemen (Larry Ogunjobi, Andrew Billings, and Olivier Vernon) that are eligible for free agency following the 2020 season with decisions to make on those players.
The defensive line was a strength at times in 2010 for the Browns, but the team rarely had their four main players playing together at the same time as a unit due to various reasons.
With questions at linebacker and talented, but young players in the secondary, the Browns are going to rely on their pass rush to buy time for those players to develop and try to finally turn their program around.

All told, you have to love keeping a talent like Myles Garrett in town as young and dominant pass rushers that draw double-teams aren't easy to find.
You also have to like Garrett not wanting to run out of Cleveland as soon as he could or re-signing reluctantly because the Browns have matching rights such as the case with Alex Mack in 2014.
Garrett wants to be a Brown and that goes a long way with the fans, but also inside the locker room as well.

The Browns will have several players that could be considered as part of their foundation with decisions on extension coming up in the next two off-seasons.
Signing Myles Garrett gets that process rolling with a positive first step,

This took a little longer than normal and is a little lighter than I had hoped.
I wish I had a little more time to write of late.
You would think that the pandemic would give me more chances, instead, it has been less...

NFL Hammer Falls; Garrett finished for the season

The NFL didn't waste time announcing their decisions on punishment for the late game brawl in Cleveland Thursday night.
Three players were given suspensions that will cause players to miss time, and both the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers were given $250,000 fines as an organization for the incident.

The Browns will lose Myles Garrett for the remainder of the regular season and possibly a few in the 2020 season as his suspension will not officially end until Garrett meets with the commissioner during the off-season.
Garrett will be suspended without pay and will pay an undisclosed fine.
Larry Ogunjobi will be suspended without pay for next Sunday's game against Miami for pushing down Mason Rudolph from behind and will also pay an undisclosed fine.
Both players are expected to appeal their suspensions, but I'm not sure much will change.
I think that Ogunjobi may have a chance to have his penalty reduced to a fine, but I don't think Garrett will receive a reduction, although the league may quietly tell Garrett off the record that if he says the right things about the incident and keeps his record in order that he might not miss a game in 2020, although I'd doubt that they would announce that publically now.

The loss of both players will be a hit to the defensive line that has been without starting defensive end Olivier Vernon of late and should Vernon be unable to return for the Dolphins game, the Browns would be without three of their four starters on the defensive line.
I would bet that the main beneficiary in playing time in the position vacated by Garrett will be Chad Thomas, who has been a rotational player and will likely move into a starting role, while Chris Smith should see more snaps as I would guess that Smith would move into the rotational slot of Thomas.
Devaroe Lawrence will replace Ogunjobi at defensive tackle, should his suspension hold up.

Pittsburgh's Maurkice Pouncey was suspended for three games and also fined an undisclosed amount for the Steelers for his role in the fight where the Pittsburgh center threw multiple punches and kicked Myles Garrett, while Garrett was down on the turf.
The loss of Pouncey, who is Pittsburgh's best offensive lineman, from the Steelers offensive line for games against the Bengals, Browns, and Cardinals will hurt Pittsburgh's late-season run at a playoff berth.

I didn't have a lot of issues with the suspensions.
I thought Myles Garrett's six games is fair, although should it stretch into the 2020 season, I'd consider it a little excessive.
I believe that Maurkice Pouncey's three games out of the lineup are reasonable because I think that Pouncey's penalty should be half of what Garrett received.
Larry Ogunjobi's one game term might have been fair, but a fine would be better-suited, since apparently Mason Rudolph, who started the incident and then inflamed it, has received no punishment.
I write apparently because Rudolph has said he expects to be fined, but yet in the suspension announcement, Rudolph was not mentioned, although it was noted that others could still be punished  and I expect with many in the media along with fans stating their problems with Rudolph receiving nothing for his actions that Rudolph will get a fine.
If Rudolph would have gotten a game, I wouldn't have quibbled with one game for Ogunjobi, but if a fine is acceptable for Rudolph, I would say the fine would be acceptable for Ogunjobi for his pushing of Rudolph to the ground.

I'd also say that Pouncey missing the game against the Browns in Pittsburgh might be a good thing because I'm willing to bet that it is going to be a crazy game that could be extremely dirty and anything that diffuses that is a good idea.
I'm not sure when the appeal process will be held, but Ogunjobi and the Browns might decide to drop the appeal if they sense that they will not win it as the Browns will need him more for a road game against Pittsburgh than for a home game against the Dolphins, should they need to make that decision.

All and all, I only have one complaint- the lack of a penalty to Mason Rudolph and I'm willing to bet that Rudolph will be given one, although it will likely be a financial one rather than one that sees a missed game.

Back later with the Buckeyes visit to Rutgers.

Late Game Melee' tarnishes Browns win

On a night when the Cleveland Browns were finally about to make a statement on the national scene that things had changed in one of the worst organizations in sports, all hell broke loose on a meaningless screen pass with eight seconds remaining and the story immediately changed from the Cleveland Browns defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7 in Cleveland to the scary incident between Cleveland's Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh's Mason Rudolph and Maurkice Pouncey.

In the game, Baker Mayfield threw for two scores and ran for another to account for the Browns scores with Nick Chubb running for 92 yards to lead the ground attack.
Joe Schobert played a tremendous game from his linebacker position with seven tackles, two for losses, a sack, two interceptions, and four pass deflections, which short of scoring a touchdown is about as good as a linebacker can perform.
The Browns improved to 4-6 with the victory and will finish their three-game homestand with the Miami Dolphins coming to town a week from Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1) This was an uneven game that was filled with hits that might have crossed the line and would see Damarious Randall ejected for a helmet to helmet hit in the third quarter.
I didn't think any of the units involved in the game played that well other than the Browns defense and it was filled with the type of chippiness that division games often become.

2) Baker Mayfield's throws were better in this game, although not to what you expect.
His second touchdown pass to tight end Stephen Carlson that clinched the game in the fourth quarter was very good as he squeezed the ball into the one spot that Carlson could catch it without the danger of an interception,
Still, for a quarterback whose strength is supposed to be accuracy, Mayfield often struggles even in victory (17 of 32 in this game).

3) I mentioned Joe Schobert's game above and it's worth mentioning again.
Schobert's final few games of this season could determine whether he stays in Cleveland or moves on as he will be a free agent after the season.
Putting up the type of numbers that Schobert did on this night on national television will certainly give potential suitors plenty to be excited about and I'm happy for him as well.
I have often been critical of Browns linebackers through the years for being tackle accumulators and not always playmakers, but Schobert was a playmaker vs Pittsburgh.

4) Morgan Burnett was also having a magnificent game with several tackles and an interception before leaving the game with an Achilles injury.
Achilles injuries are rarely minor and I'd think that Burnett will miss a few games at the minimum and maybe even the remainder of the year.
The timing comes with the Browns very light at safety right now and just as the veteran was starting to round into form.

5) The Browns continue to phase in Kareem Hunt into the offense and it seems like for now the Browns have the right balance with Hunt.
Hunt carried the ball six times and caught six passes (from eight targets), which seems about right for now- about half of the touches of Nick Chubb (27 carries).

6) The Browns bullied the Steelers to the point of doing to them what they had done since the early 90s to the Browns.
Punished them physically, made them eat the ball with the running game and beat the Steelers offense up to the point that their only scoring drive was basically created from pass interference penalties (58 yards were handed to the Steelers on those Browns errors.)
In the end, Pittsburgh's only hope to score was for Mason Rudolph to throw the ball and pray someone interfered with his receivers.

7) As I said earlier, this was a less than clean game, Pittsburgh's James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster were both driven from the game with injuries and the Browns lost Morgan Burnett to injury and Damarious Randall for a helmet to helmet shot
I have a feeling that the rematch in Pittsburgh is going to be a very ugly game, not that this one was a thing of beauty.

8) The Browns intercepted Mason Rudolph four times and didn't turn the football over themselves.
It sounds basic because it is, but forcing turnovers and not making them yourselves goes a long way towards winning football games.
Usually, it is the Cleveland Browns that are losing that battle.

9) Pittsburgh's Heinz Field has always been a tough stadium to kick in, particularly on the end facing the river (whichever one that happens to be there), but the Dawg Pound end of the Browns stadium is quickly becoming its own little briar patch for kickers.
Chris Boswell missed his only field goal attempt at that end for the Steelers and Austin Seibert missed his first two attempts of the season and the only two that he tried in this game, at the same end of the stadium.

10) Look for the Browns to sign a safety to the main roster and one to the practice squad this week.
The Browns have no idea on the availability of Morgan Burnett, Eric Murray is still out, the Browns released Jermaine Whitehead after his social media outburst after the Denver loss and after the ejection of Damarious Randall, the Browns were down to Juston Burris and rookie Sheldrick Redwine for most of the second half.
Burris grabbed one of the four interceptions and he's developed well since they signed him from the Raiders (after the Browns dropped him and hoped he'd pass through waivers), but the depth is now light and it'll need to be addressed.
The Browns have Tighe Sankoh, a safety from Greenwich, currently on the practice squad.

11) And now what you have been waiting for- the Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph incident.
I'm going to start with a question and comments and then I'll move to what I would do to punish those involved.

Question- Why are the Steelers even throwing the ball, to begin with?
There are eight seconds to go, down 14 and deep in your own territory- just call a dive play and the game is completed.
The Steelers didn't have to run the ball, but a run would have saved their quarterback a hit and all that then entailed.

A) Watch the tape, Mason Rudolph grabs the front of Myles Garrett's helmet with one hand and the back of his helmet with the other hand as Garrett is on top of Rudolph.
Rudolph begins the confrontation right there, Garrett being bigger and stronger, dislodges Rudolph's helmet instead, but with the Browns defense headed up the field after Rudolph's screen pass to Trey Edmunds was completed, Steeler linemen Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro move in to protect their passer.
Some have said that Rudolph's playbook/wristband was lodged into Garrett's helmet.
No way-watch the video at 1;23 and Rudolph's wristband is clearly visible while his fingers are inside the facemask.
No problems as they break things up, Garrett is holding the helmet of Rudolph and Garrett is with DeCastro and it appears that things are calming down- if there is a chance to avoid what happened, it is right here.
Linemen generally police each other and it appears that it is dying down,

B) Mason Rudolph charges Garrett and reaches for Garrett.
I'm not positive, but he may have made contact with Garrett's shoulder slightly and then Garrett whacks Rudolph with the helmet.
This is now the second time that Rudolph has engaged and been the aggressor and yet after he was hit, he didn't fall down or wobble, he turns to the referee with his arms open as the aggrieved party.

C) Maurkice Pouncey attacks Garrett and lands seven punches and a kick to Garrett while David DeCastro holds Garrett down.
While the helmet shot is dangerous, let's not underestimate the danger of a 260-pound man kicking someone while wearing metal spikes.

D) While this is going, Larry Ogunjobi sees what is going on and pushes Rudolph down from behind.
That's essentially the end of the issue other than some pushing and jawing back and forth.

12) In the end, no matter the behavior of Mason Rudolph and what he did to possibly incite an issue.
Myles Garrett is in the wrong.
Can't use the helmet that way.
Can't- No excuses, Garrett in the wrong.
Garrett should get at least four games, I wouldn't argue against six, which finishes the season.

Maurkice Pouncey- half of what Garrett gets.
I understand the "Protect his QB" crowd, but the NBA has a severe stance on fighting, the NFL should follow their lead, and for landing seven punches and a kick onto a player that is being restrained, a severe penalty should be levied.
Pouncey's behavior should have him suspended for half of the Garrett suspension.

Mason Rudolph- One game suspension and a large fine.
Rudolph started the incident by ripping at Garrett's helmet and then added to it by charging at Garrett.
The real argument can be made that this ugly incident doesn't happen without Rudolph running at Garrett.

Larry Ogunjobi and David DeCastro-large fine
DeCastro would have been the peacemaker until his takedown of Garrett, so Pouncey could beat on him.
Ogunjobi pushed Rudolph from behind and that was a bit of a cheap shot against an unprepared foe.
Both players deserve fines, but I wouldn't gripe if both were sat down for one game.

The Cleveland Browns won a football game against a hated rival and pushed them around as they haven't in decades.
The Browns also achieved one goal that had never been accomplished before- for the first time, the Browns have now defeated Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the same season.
This should have been the story and instead, it is about Myles Garrett's loss of control.
No matter the actions of Mason Rudolph, the blame has to move to Myles Garrett.
Long ago, I remember a principal telling me this- "no matter what someone says to you, there is nothing that justifies violence".
That's the case here. Myles Garrett is in the wrong, no matter how much he was incited to act, Garrett was wrong.

On a night that the Cleveland Browns could have established themselves as no longer the pushovers of the AFC North that could have been remembered for years as the start of a changing of the guard,
the Browns will instead be remembered for a helmet attack and one of the ugliest incidents in the history of the game.

Garrett Grounds Jets-Browns win first 23-3

Myles Garrett sacked New York Jets quarterbacks three times and Odell Beckham grabbed a Baker Mayfield pass and ran 89 yards for a score as the Cleveland Browns improved to 1-1 with a 23-3 win in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Baker Mayfield threw for over 300 yards, Nick Chubb ran for 62 yards including a 19-yard touchdown and Odell Beckham finished the night with six catches for 161 yards to pace the Browns offense.
Cleveland will host the St.Louis Rams on Sunday night on national television.

Brownie Bits

1) Myles Garrett just destroyed the New Jets quarterbacks with three sacks and two other hits to clearly be the most dominant player on the field.
Garrett's physical ability may be unmatched by any defensive lineman in football and few are in his class as a pass rusher.
Any offense that has the Browns on their schedule had better scheme to figure out how to at least try to keep their quarterback away from Myles Garrett.

2) However, Garrett knocked Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian from the game with one of two roughing the passer penalties and two other offsides calls (one was declined), so it's not like Garrett doesn't have some things to work on.
The question isn't that Garrett needs to work avoiding late hits- he does.
The question is with the constantly evolving standard on what roughing is and isn't, how can any player know what is and isn't and how does it affect their play?
Garrett doesn't seem to be a dirty player, he isn't a Suh-type player, but eventually, he's going to slow a step to avoid a penalty possibility and that will come at a cost of effectiveness.
Look at the difference in the career slope of Clay Matthews Jr, who became a different player after these rule changes, moving from a player that could have potentially received Hall of Fame consideration to one that is now a completely different level of player.

3) Odell Beckham showed just what he can bring to an offense.
Beckham's one-handed catch in the first quarter was the type of catch that just amazes me and his ability to take a ten-yard pass and go 89 yards with the acceleration shown usually by track stars in shorter distance races.
Odell Beckham will always bring difficulties (off the field issues and constantly worries about his health), but what talent and what he brings to an offense when he is on the field.

4) I know the NFL has their rules on uniforms, helmets, visors etc, but removing a player from the field on a third and goal play because his visor was the wrong color is ridiculous.
In those situations, the proper move should be to tell the player that it needs to be changed during the next change of possession and the player would not be allowed to play after that until the equipment was changed.
Forcing Odell Beckham to leave at that point in the possession was ridiculous and needs to be addressed with the league's policy.

5) It was nice to see Austin Seibert connect on all three of his field goal attempts with two of them over forty yards.
The rookie missed an extra point in the loss to Tennessee and the Browns kicking situation has had its share of questions over the last few seasons.
Seibert took a small step forward with his performance in New York.

6) Baker Mayfield was OK in the win.
Mayfield is still learning and dealing with the adjustments that defenses make for a young quarterback and did make some nice throws.
However, he's beginning to show a disturbing tendency to hang some of his throws high and leaving his receivers very vulnerable.
David Njoku took a hit that resulted in a concussion that finished his evening on a high Mayfield throw and both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham took unneeded shots as they leaped to catch Mayfield passes that were less than accurate.
I'm not saying that it is a problem yet, but it is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

7) Some of the inaccurate tosses weren't Mayfield's fault as he was often forced out of the pocket and was sacked three times by the Jets front, which won't make you recall any great pass rushes of the past.
The offensive line is a major concern other than Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter and I wonder if the Browns would be willing to send a 1 to Washington for Trent Williams, who would instantly upgrade the line, but would mean the Browns would have sent two first-rounders in a row away.
If I could get Washington down to a 2 and maybe another pick, I would think John Dorsey would almost have to do it.

8) Morgan Burnett left the game early with an injury and no word on its seriousness.
With Demetrius Randall missing this game and uncertain for the Rams game, the loss of Burnett would leave the Browns very vulnerable against the Rams passing game down the middle.

9) The Browns could have had some of their offensive struggles against Gregg Williams' defense because he knows most of the Cleveland personnel so well.
The Browns certainly had their successes, but Williams managed to keep an overmatched team in a game that with average quarterbacking could have been won.
Give Williams his share of credit for keeping it this close.

10) The enigmatic David Njoku hasn't been proven to be able to be counted on, but if his concussion causes him to miss time, the Browns will lose an element of their offense that the backups cannot provide- the pass-catching threat.
None of the current three backups are more than blocking tight end and the only player that could have filled the role as a receiving tight end was released in the final cutdown in Seth DeValve.
I'm not sure how this can be plugged if Njoku misses serious time.

11)  A win is a win and even though it was the hapless Jets using their third-string. quarterback for most of the game, they do all count the same.
Was this a great performance? No, and the Browns will have to improve with the tougher stretch coming next over the next month (Rams, Ravens, 49ers, and Seahawks).
However, they did what they needed to do against a bad team- a small step forward.

It's a tie? Browns tie Pittsburgh in opener.

The Cleveland Browns forced six turnovers and rallied in the fourth quarter to erase a fourteen point deficit against the Pittsburgh Steelers and twice had a chance to pull a shocking upset victory,
However, this team is still the Cleveland Browns and both attempts went awry as the Browns had to settle for a 21-21 season-opening tie against the Steelers in a rainstorm in Cleveland.

The Browns were led on offense by Jarvis Landry's seven catches for over 100 yards with Tyrod Taylor rushing for 77 yards with a touchdown passing and rushing.
The defense was led by Myles Garrett's two sacks, two forced fumbles and three tackles for loss as Garrett harassed Ben Rothlisberger all afternoon.

The now 0-0-1 Browns will travel to 0-1 New Orleans next week to meet the Saints in the Superdome.

Brownie Bits

1) I have to be honest  ( like that is usually an issue), I'm disappointed.
This was a winnable game and the Browns blew multiple opportunities to win it.
Some of that is on Hue Jackson and some of that is on Tyrod Taylor.
The most notable of these came late in regulation when Taylor, who frustrated me much of the day with a refusal to throw downfield, forced a throw downfield that was intercepted.
Nothing in these conditions could be considered a guarantee, but it foiled a chance to win in regulation.

2) Give Taylor credit though for his 24-yard touchdown run that saw him not avoid contact and do what it took to score as he wound his way through Steelers to the end zone.
It's OK to have questions about Tyrod Taylor's throwing and even OK to wonder about his decision-making (which was not supposed to be an issue), but don't question his effort or toughness.

3) What was most frustrating about Tyrod Taylor wasn't the constant checkdowns for short gains, which is a trademark of Browns quarterbacks through the year ( #BrownsCheckDown), it was the poor decision making late in regulation and overtime that killed me.
Tyrod Taylor was brought to town because he was safe and reliable and keep the Browns in games while Baker Mayfield learned.
With a 15 of 40 passing day, safe and reliable aren't the terms that I would use for his performance.
Now, let's keep in mind, the first game in the system, bad weather and offensive line play that was less than good, Taylor has some excuses.
Next week in New Orleans, most of those will not exist.

4) One final Taylor note, I have a few people on my Twitter feed that are Bills fans and I was struck by many of them saying during their blowout loss to Baltimore that "at least we still don't have Tyrod Taylor". This even though Taylor led Buffalo to their first playoff appearance last season since 1999.

5) The offensive line didn't give Taylor a lot of time as he was sacked seven times and committed four false starts, but the red flag to me was that second-round pick Austin Corbett was inactive after playing a lot during the pre-season.
Has Hue Jackson soured on Corbet already? Could that affect this shotgun marriage with John Dorsey as Corbett was the first pick of the second round?

6) Had to like the performance of the defense for the most part, although I was far from thrilled with the Browns allowing over 100 yards to James Conner on the ground.
Other than a 67-yard touchdown pass from Ben Rothlisberger to Juju Smith-Schuster, the Browns managed to keep the Steelers from stunning them with the big platy as has happened so often in the past.
Perhaps some of that was the field conditions, but the Browns took away some things that Pittsburgh has used successfully and it'll be interesting to see if things change in the rematch in Pittsburgh later in the season.

7) Two interceptions for rookie cornerback Denzel Ward in his debut and that alone was impressive,
but what I was even more impressed with was his coverage on Antonio Brown throughout the game.
Yes, Brown did beat Ward for one touchdown and finished with nine catches for 93 yards, but Brown didn't have the usual massive game against the Browns.
To me, that might be the better sign that Denzel Ward just might be a really good one.

8) And then Myles Garrett arrived.
Garrett wasn't perfect as his roughness call in the first half allowed a Steeler drive to continue that would result in a touchdown after the Browns had held on third down and it was Garrett's block in the back on Joe Schobert fumble recovery/interception return in overtime that added distance to the Zane Gonzalez field goal attempt that T.J. Watt blocked.
However, he showed why he can be such a dynamic force as he stripped James Connor of the football with Jabrill Peppers scooping the fumble and being knocked out at the Pittsburgh one.
Garrett would later knock the ball from Ben Rothlisberger that the Browns recovered and stuffed Connor on a key third down.
Garrett played every down (As did Denzel Ward and Joe Schobert), showing that he can play the run and be a three-down lineman, although it would be nice if the Browns could rest him here and there!
Two sacks, two forced fumbles and he drew two holding penalties as well. Look out AFC Central opponents, Myles Garrett is ready to give Pittsburgh and Baltimore quarterbacks a taste of what they have been doing to the Browns for years.

9) And who made the punishing hit on Rothlisberger that caused the popup to Joe Schobert in
overtime?
Genard Avery, who of all the players that the Browns selected in their draft, was my favorite (as far as value) swooped in and nailed Rothlisberger.
What I liked best about Avery at Memphis (Remember I watch a lot of AAC) is that he makes plays that mean something.
What I mean by that is the Browns linebackers for years have been players that accumulate high tackle numbers, but they do that by tackling downfield after too much yardage had been gained.
Avery looks to have the potential to be more of a disruptive presence than Christian Kirksey, Joe Schobert, and Jamie Collins.
Every defense needs a stay at home, solid tackling type-three of them can be a bit of overkill.

10) I was all prepared to write something nice about Jabrill Peppers after his near score, but then he calls for a fair catch in overtime with no Steeler within 10 (maybe even 15) yards of him.
That costs field position and when you have a journeyman quarterback and the pouring rain- field position becomes even more important than usual.
Peppers offered later that he wanted to make sure he caught the ball and I can see that, but he was drafted and bragged about as this "electric " playmaker that was great with the ball in his hands.
One doesn't make plays calling for a fair catch.

11) Emmanuel Ogbah injured his ankle and left the game,
Ogbah would return, but today Hue Jackson said Ogbah was going to miss some time.
Ogbah has struggled to stay healthy and yet Ogbah was given as one reason that the Browns didn't draft Bradley Chubb (Denzel Ward is looking good so far) or pursue Khalil Mack.
Ogbah missed six games last season and will miss more this season and the Browns have attempted to add plenty of depth on the defensive line so it could be worse, but still, there is some concern.

12) Step forward or step back?
Befitting a tie, I think it's a parallel step.
I saw some good things and some bad, but if really pressed- I'll select a small step forward.
I still wonder about a lot of issues (especially Hue Jackson) still, but you had to like the comeback and the toughness shown against a team that usually kicks sand in their face.
Next week will tell a lot against a New Orleans team that gave up 48 points, but scored 40- Answers to come..

Next time, I'll be working on the past boxing weekend and the boxing challenge.