Giants Slam Browns 21-15

     The Cleveland Browns may have been heavily favored against the New York Giants but the Giants showed up to play from the start (almost) and by the time the Browns got started, it was too late and Cleveland was saddled with a stunning 21-15 defeat.

DeShaun Watson threw two touchdowns without an interception, although he lost two fumbles. 

Amari Cooper caught both touchdowns, finishing with seven catches for eighty-six yards to lead the Browns.

The Giants sacked Watson eight times and hit him seventeen times on the day.

Cleveland drops to 1-2 and will start a three-game road swing next Sunday in Las Vegas against the Raiders.

Brownie Bits

1) I wrote almost from the start because the Browns forced a fumble on the opening kickoff and on the first play DeShaun Watson hit a leaping Amari Cooper in the end zone for a twenty-four-yard touchdown eleven seconds into the game.

2) After the Cooper score, the offense was a disaster for the remainder of the first half with three punts, a Watson fumble, and a run play to end the half.

3) The offensive line was terrible in allowing DeShaun Watson to be sacked eight times but there were circumstances, Dawand Jones was forced to play through a knee injury and he wasn't quick enough to handle Brian Burns, Jedrick Wills wasn't very good in his return and he left the game to injury as did backup James Hudson, who is rarely even average at his best.

4) This left the Browns playing this line at the game's end an injured Jones at one tackle, Joel Bitonio moving from guard to left tackle, center Ethan Pocic shifting to guard, and backups Nick Harris (center) and rookie Zac Zinter (guard) as Wyatt Teller was injured as well.

It's not hard to see that is a makeshift line and injuries happen during every game but why didn't the Browns make Germain Ifedi active for the game considering Wills and Jones were slowed and Jack Conklin still not ready to play?

Ifedi isn't going to remind anyone of Orlando Pace, he is an actual tackle and could have allowed Bitonio to stay at guard.

5) The line will have to be addressed but with the injuries to the tackles (Jones, Conklin, and MRIs to be done on Wills- knee and Hudson- shoulder) and Wyatt Teller (MRI on knee scheduled) who knows how many of the linemen will be available for the Raiders.

There isn't a Bill Callahan to work miracles with backups and practice squad members this season, so the Btowns are in trouble.

6) It's not totally on the O-Line for the sacks.

DeShaun Watson holds onto the ball too long, and doesn't get the ball out fast enough to help his linemen, especially a patchwork line!

Some of the sacks were Watson refusing to get the ball out and avoid the rush.

7) The Browns offense is this ugly deformed mashup and it isn't working.

Watson holds the ball too long, waiting for his receivers to get downfield, which never happens because they are all too damn slow, and this leads to sacks.

They can't get the ball downfield and Watson doesn't want to settle for moving the chain, which leads to this inertia in the offense.

8) The Giants are one of the worst teams against the run (2023 and 24) yet the Browns didn't even try to establish any semblance of a running game.

Cleveland handed the ball to running backs only twelve times in the game for forty-three yards.

The Browns aren't even trying to balance the offense and with the problems at quarterback and pass protection, I'd think the coaching staff would be looking into trying something to balance the offense with more running of the ball.

9) On the final play for the Browns offense, I can't blame DeShaun Watson for the incomplete pass.

Watson put the pass exactly where it needed to be and Cedric Tillman dropped the ball.

Plenty of blame to give DeShaun Watson but not on the last throw, as that was as good of a throw that Watson made all game.

10) The vaunted Browns defense kept the team in the game by not allowing a point in the second half (the Giants did miss one field goal in the second half) but the defense didn't play very well in the first half.

While one touchdown drive was only thirty yards and could be excused, the Giants drove the ball eighty-one and ninety-three yards for their other scores.

Your defense may be excellent but it needs to be even better when your offense has scored fifty points in three games.

11) Watching the Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who scored two of the three New York touchdowns made me think of when the Browns had a receiver who was that talented and exciting.

Josh Gordon fell into their lap in the supplemental draft and gave them one spectacular season but was unable to sustain his ability to stay on the field.

Sidebar-Josh Gordon is still only thirty-three years old! 

The Browns have drafted a wide receiver in the first round only twice since returning to the league in 1999, Braylon Edwards third overall in 2005, and Corey Coleman fifteenth overall in 2016.

Edwards had one great season (2007) and three decent ones before he was traded to the Jets, while Coleman was gone after two undistinguished years.

The drafting of Coleman was after the Browns regime at the time believed in trading down to accumulate picks and my biggest problem with that tactic is that you miss out on game changers, the type of player that makes teams game plan for them when you trade out of the early picks.

12) The Browns have lost their first two home games, to teams that hold their only win over the Browns.

Three road games in a row, Las Vegas, Washington, and Philadelphia.

Two of the three are winnable and I'd take that right now but even winning one of those games would place the Browns at 2-4 and that's before the schedule starts to toughen!

Next week's game may not be a must-win but it's more important than the average game after the disaster of losing at home to a bad Giants team.

Browns pound Giants 20-6

   The Cleveland Browns didn't need to look outstanding, they just needed to win.

Cleveland did just in a workmanlike fashion in a 20-6 victory over the New York Giants at Giants Stadium that put them in position to possibly clinch a playoff berth next Sunday in the very same Giants Stadium against the Jets.

Baker Mayfield completed 27 of 32 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns with seven different Browns catching two or more passes.

The now 10-4 Browns will face the no longer winless Jets next Sunday and depending on how other games in the playoff picture go, could clinch a playoff spot with a victory.

Brownie Bits

1) Baker Mayfield continued his run of good play and what I've seen has been more than picking up his completion rate.

Mayfield has also decreased the high throws that his receivers have to reach for, allowing them to catch the ball in stride and increase the yards after catch.

2) The Giants didn't allow the Browns to rush for a lot of yards (106) because they were intent on forcing Baker Mayfield to beat them.

A rushing team threw the ball 32 times and ran it only 30 because the Giants just weren't giving them anything on the ground.

3) Myles Garrett finished with half a sack, but was reported to have had a coughing incident after the game in the locker room.

Garrett has said that he has yet to fully recover from his Covid-19 illness and he certainly hasn't been the same since he returned and understandably so.

4) The Giants did move the ball well against the Browns in the first half, but after three possessions inside the Cleveland ten, the Giants would have only three points to show for it.

5) The Giants first possessions ended with a fake field goal that saw Ron Dixon try to hit an offensive lineman for a pass.

Not sure that I would have called that...

6) The Browns have continued to use Jarvis Landry more and more and the veteran has came through.

In the win, Landry grabbed seven of the eight balls that were thrown to him.

Landry isn't going to beat you deep, but his hands are with the best in the game.

7) The offensive line again racks up another solid game despite missing Wyatt Teller entering the game and then replacement Chris Hubbard during the game.

I also liked the game of Nick Harris, who replaced Hubbard and kept things rolling along with a solid game.

Harris's main position is center, but had some guard experience at Washington and the Browns seem to value versatility along both lines.

8) The two Browns touchdown drives were each 95 yard marches,

Two of those in one game?

Not a common occurance.

9) The Browns questionable secondary was improved and not only because Colt McCoy was starting for Big Blue.

Denzel Ward returned to the lineup and that brings the Browns their best defensive back to the field.

Andrew Sendejo was inactive and Karl Joseph looked like he was playing for a new contract with ten tackles and two passes knocked down.

10) Sheldon Richardson left the game with a neck injury and did not return.

Richardson has played so well in his two seasons in Cleveland and losing him would leave a huge gap at defensive tackle.

Jordan Elliott would replace him and the dropoff to the rookie seems vast.

11) I was very late in writing this, but because of the delay, I was able to see that the Bengals have upset the Steelers and left the road for a possible division title opem.

However, there is also a scenario that an 11-5 Browns team (assuming they split the final two games) could stay home and not make the playoffs at all.

One at a time..

Cleaning out the Inbox

   Time to clean out the inbox before it gets too full and this time it will be a mixed bag between sports and non-sports to fill the outgoing tray.

We start with Chefbot.

Chefbot, who besides reminding me of the claymation characters of the 60s and 70s, is a new feature from the Kroger grocery chain on Twitter.

Chefbot is a product of a program to help with food waste by giving you recipes for three food items that you tweet a picture showing those items.

My attempt with Chefbot didn't go well

as Chefbot "saw" my picture of a potato, cheese, and sausage and "saw" it as "chicken, bread, and nut".

Oh, well.

The Atlantic's Megan Garber writes of almost everyone's favorite character from the television show "The Office" Dwight Schrute with a comprehensive breakdown of the character and how he relates to just about anything in the country today.

I cannot really do it justice except to say, if you are a fan of the show, this is a must-read.

The Athletic glances back at the Sam Wyche-Jerry Glanville feud of the 1980s when the head coaches of the Bengals and Oilers despised each other in the manner that you don't see anymore in football.

Wyche was a backup quarterback with the Lions with Glanville as the special teams coach and blamed Glanville for having a key role in his release.

Fast forward to 1989 and Wyche's Bengals relentlessly ran the score up on Glanville's Oilers with the Bengals using an onside kick leading 45-0, throwing the ball all through the fourth quarter, running a fake reverse, and finally with seconds remaining- calling a timeout so kicker Jim Breech could kick a field goal for a 61-7 final score.

The article writes about the other AFC Central (At the time) coaches in Cleveland's Marty Schottenheimer and Pittsburgh's Chuck Noll with their various divisional spats.

It's a terrific read if you enjoy looking back at a fun time in football.

I found an older article from Long Island's "Newsday" in 2018, which looks at the two seasons that the New York Giants spent playing away from the New York/New Jersey area at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut in 1973 and 1974. 

The "football" Giants had always shared Yankee Stadium, but when Yankee Stadium was closed for two years for its first renovation and the first Giants Stadium was starting to be in the works of being built, the Giants needed a place to play.

Shea Stadium wasn't offered as an option until 1975, which the Giants grabbed for their final season before Giants Stadium was competed, so it was off to the Yale Bowl with all the problems that come with a sixty year old facility ( and this was for 1973 standards) complete bathrooms outside the stadium, tremendous traffic jams, two locker rooms for each team because they weren't large enough to fit the entire team and more.

We wrap with a link from the Bobblist, a blog that covers bobbleheads and the people that collect them.

Recently, the blog noted the collection of my friend Brad Adams.

The article talks to Brad about his personal collection, how he started collecting, what he continues to collect, and the measures that he can go to add to his collection.

I really laughed when I read Brad's comparison to hunting from a conversation with his dad because I've compared it to hunting myself in a different context!

Browns reel in Odell Beckham

John Dorsey sure knows how to fire up his base and the seemingly endless field of Democratic Presidential candidates could learn a few things from the engineer of the rebuild of the Cleveland Browns.

Dorsey allowed the first day of free agency (commitments, not official signings, those cannot start until today) to quietly go slide by and Browns fans wondered about Dorsey's plans when linebacker C.J, Mosley, a player desired by most Browns fans, signed with the New York Jets, not the Browns.

Dorsey apparently planned on a more spectacular day two as it would be the Cleveland Browns that would be the talk of the football world at the end of this night.
Earlier in the day, the Browns had made their first transaction in signing defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in a move that had Browns fans and football scribes giving the team plenty of credit for improving a defensive line's pass rush and sending a front four of the caliber that the Browns have not seen in years.
Dorsey then followed up with a one-year contract with Breshad Perriman, the former Baltimore first-round wideout that revived his career in Cleveland.
Perriman was expected to perhaps exceed that number in salary and the Browns seemed to have retained their base receiving corps at a fair price for the 2019 season.

The Browns looked now to be adding to the back seven with needs to be addressed in the secondary and at linebacker in free agency and the draft with many of the available upgrades taken out of the free agency pool, but John Dorsey not only wasn't finished, he was able to rock more than the football universe, but the sports universe as well.

Trades involving Odell Beckham had been rumored for months and not only with the Browns.
It was tough to see why the Giants signed Beckham to a five-year/ninety million dollar contract, paid him a sizable upfront bonus and they would shop him as available, but available he seemed to be, but the Browns had to wonder about the price that they would pay.
After all, one of the other top wideouts in the game was going to be traded in Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown, and using Brown to gauge the market for Beckham, who is younger, made sense.
However, after the Steelers seemed to trade Brown for nowhere near his value (3rd and 5th round pick in April's draft), the Giants appeared to have made the decision to swap Beckham now for the best that they could reel in.
That return was better than Pittsburgh's, but far from what was expected as the Browns traded their first-round pick (17th overall), the third-round pick that the Browns obtained from New England for Danny Shelton (the last pick in the third round before compensation picks) and safety Jabrill Peppers to add Odell Beckham to their roster to solidify the Browns as a contender in 2019.
Beckham caught 77 passes for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns last season over 12 games, for a Giants team that was often criticized for Eli Manning's lack of arm strength to throw the ball downfield and a propensity to check down and dump the ball off to rookie running back Saquon Barkley, who finished the season with 91 catches to show often Manning did just that.

Considering the skills of Beckham, the Browns got away with theft should Beckham perform as expected.
The Browns haven't picked as low as 17 with their own pick in the first round in years and the third is one acquired from New England, so they still have a 3rd rounder.
As for Jabrill Peppers, his play did improve last year at safety, but he never seemed to show the playmaking skills that he was supposed to have (other than a terrific game against Denver last season) and he was very disappointing in the return game.
Some were calling Peppers a bust last night in the euphoria after the trade and even though I've never been a fan of his, calling him a bust is unfair.
Peppers may develop further as a Giant, but including him in the trade didn't exactly make me wince as safety was a position of need with him, showing that losing him wouldn't be a huge hit to the roster.

Odell Beckham's not perfect.
Beckham missed four games last season and twelve in 2017, had issues with the Giants, although he was very popular in the locker room, so he wasn't a clubhouse cancer there, but wasn't afraid to criticize the offense, play-calling, and the eroding skills of quarterback Eli Manning.
That's the downside, other than Beckham's agent already making a little noise about contract modifications similar to those of Antonio Brown, but the Browns have enough space to accommodate those fairly easily.

Now for what the Browns are bringing to Lake Erie.
Odell Beckham is easily in the upper tier of receivers in the game with all the names you would think of as such, has deep speed, excellent hands, and generally hasn't been criticized for a lack of effort.
Beckham's in his prime (turns 27 during the season) and should have his Cleveland transition eased with his good friend and college teammate Jarvis Landry and Adam Henry was his position coach with both LSU and the Giants on the roster/coaching staff.
Spare the trading of a number one, when you consider where that first-rounder resides, this isn't trading that pick for Antonio Brown (31, Beckham's contract will almost be over before he reaches that age), you are getting an elite player in his prime for a middle of the first-round draft pick.
I value draft picks even more than most, but you can't value them that high considering that this trade involves a young superstar and just one first-rounder is involved.
My opinion might have changed if the cost was as rumored earlier in the day (2019 and 2020 first-rounder and backup defensive Emmanuel Ogbah for Beckham and the Giants 2020 second-rounder), but I'm more than fine with this cost.

The Browns still need some help.
They released tight end Darren Fells (a 2018 FA signee) over the weekend and some help for the enigmatic David Njoku couldn't hurt.
The linebackers need help with at least one and maybe even two, depending on where they want to play Olivier Vernon (Likely prefer DE, but can play linebacker) and the status of Emmanuel Ogbah (could they get a 2020 pick at the draft?) and safety was a position that could have used help before trading Jabrill Peppers and now is a spot that John Dorsey must address (Pro Bowler Earl Thomas is rumored to be currently considering the Browns after trading for Beckham).

On paper, this is a team that seems to be at least the division co-favorite and all things considered maybe the favorite in the AFC North.
I'm not sure that they are better than New England or Kansas City yet, but they are going to put lots of points on the scoreboard and they are going to pound some opposing passers.
With a rookie head coach and a second-year quarterback that occasionally shows (on-field) maturity problems, there may be a grace period needed before everyone is on the same page, but finally, the Browns are contenders again.

Browns trade with Giants-Olivier Vernon coming to Cleveland

There are only five days before the free agency gold rush starts for the National Football League, but the Cleveland Browns and John Dorsey decided to make a move before the rolling out of the wagons began by trading with the New York Giants, but not for the player that so many are unrealistically lusting for.

The Browns sent starting guard Kevin Zeitler and a fifth-round draft pick to the Gothamites and added defensive end/linebacker Olivier Vernon and a fourth rounder in return.
Kevin Zeitler was signed to a large contract during the 2017 free agency period from the Cincinnati Bengals and played well in his two years in Cleveland but with 2018 second rounder Austin Corbett needing a place in the lineup, Zeitler began to look expendable and with the chance to add a solid rusher off the edge, Dorsey's decision to move now looks even better when you look closer.

Olivier Vernon turns 29 during the 2019 season and made the Pro Bowl last season (not quite the achievement that it used to be, so don't allow yourself to be too excited) after a seven-sack season for the Giants.
Those seven sacks came in eleven games after a high ankle sprain caused Vernon to miss the first five games of the season and high ankle sprains are the type of injury that can be difficult to return to full health from in-season, so Vernon's numbers, which weren't bad at all, look even better through that scope..
Vernon was signed from Miami after the 2015 season and in his three seasons in New York, sacked the quarterback twenty-two times, but for the eighty-five million (over five years) contract, Giants fans were mildly disappointed with his play considering his cost.
While I can understand that somewhat, most free agents do wind up being somewhat overpaid, it's the cost of doing business and bringing players to your town.
After all, Kevin Zeitler was very solid for the Browns in his two seasons, but you could make a decent argument that he was overpaid (48 million for five years) for a right guard, so rarely does a signee perform the feat of playing well enough that the paycheck is fair value.

Olivier Vernon is a versatile player that will likely line up as a defensive end opposite Myles Garrett for the Browns, but is more than capable of playing as a stand up outside linebacker for a 3-4 team (which the Giants put into place for the 2018 season) or in specific alignments in the 4-3 and can even drop back a bit in pass coverage without being a liability as so many end rushers are when asked to do that task.
The arrival of Vernon allows Emmanuel Ogbah to move into a backup after he's been a little disappointing as a rusher in the two seasons after the drafting of Myles Garrett or perhaps even see some time inside at defensive tackle, where the Browns are a little light (C'mon Ed Oliver!) other than Larry Ogunjobi.

Don't sleep on the flipping of the Browns fifth rounder for the Giants fourth either as the Browns move up twenty-three picks with that portion of the trade.
The Browns now possess these picks in next month's draft: 1st. 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (Patriots for Danny Shelton), 4th, 4th (Giants for Kevin Zeitler), 5th (Jaguars for Carlos Hyde),5th (Patriots for Josh Gordon), 6th and 7th (Jaguars for Cody Kessler).

I like the trade for both teams as they addressed need areas, but I like it for the Browns a little better with the slightly better player (although more expensive) and the higher draft pick, but the Giants did well here too adding a strong starting lineman for three years and move an expensive player that wasn't going to play in the defense that he signed to play in.
Good work by both teams.

I've generally been very positive on John Dorsey's moves, however, I do wonder about the decision to tender Rashard Higgins only a fifth-round compensation contract.
Higgins played well in the second half and seemed to have a connection with Baker Mayfield, so I expected the Browns to at least offer a second-round tender and with plenty of cap space, I didn't think that would be a big deal to Dorsey.
The fifth round tender comes as a surprise to me, but the Browns can match any offer, so they have a chance of retaining Higgins.
Higgins caught 39 passes (4 touchdowns) for 572 yards in 2018 and should the Browns choose not to match a contract offered to Higgins, they would receive that teams fifth-round draft pick.
Unless the contract offer would be ridiculously high, the Browns are expected to match any offer.
The Browns also tendered contracts to defensive tackle Trevon Coley and special teamer/defensive back Jermaine Whitehead.

Back later with the boxing challenge for the weekend in the fight game/

Forgotten Superstars:Craig Morton

Photo Credit: Peter Miller AP Photo

The Forgotten Superstars universe is back with another segment, and as I've noted before, this series, despite its name, isn't always about superstars.

I belong to a Facebook group that strictly discusses the NFL of the "Golden Era of 64-94," and someone made a well, ridiculous statement comparing Joe Namath to Craig Morton, so after the thread, I started thinking about Morton's story, and I thought he'd be a good fit for the series.

Craig Morton's stats might be similar to Joe Namath's, but there really wasn't a comparison; Namath was a talented passer whose talent was eroded away by knee injuries that were destructive at that time but would be easily fixed today.
Morton, on the other hand, was a good, not great quarterback that might be better remembered if not for a few bad breaks in fortune.

A natural dropback passer, Morton was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1965 draft (5th overall) and looked to be blocked for a long time by starter Don Meredith, who was just 27 when Dallas drafted Morton.
An interesting note considering the discussion that brought Morton to mind: Who was the other quarterback drafted in the first round that year, seven picks behind Morton?- Joe Namath by the Cardinals, who couldn't sign Namath, who preferred the AFL Jets.
St.Louis Joe doesn't have the same ring as Broadway Joe, does he?

Morton would occasionally play in his four seasons behind Meredith, when Meredith was injured (Which was still more than you think a young QB would play in those times), but still looked to be blocked over the long term before Meredith surprisingly retired at the young age of 31.
If you really like the "What if" game, try these two questions without answers.
Imagine if Meredith had played until he was 39 (the age when Morton retired), Meredith's final year would have been 1977 so it could have been Meredith bringing Dallas to four Super Bowls (winning two and losing two in that time) and six NFC Championship games ( the four Super Bowl teams plus losses in 1972 and 1973), how much would that have affected the career of Roger Staubach, who either would have been a career backup or Staubach likely would have been traded elsewhere as Morton eventually was?

The other question: Would Monday Night Football have been as successful without Don Meredith sparring with Howard Cosell in the early '70s when MNF began?
Interesting to consider.

Back to Morton, who took over the starting job and, despite constant shoulder problems, would lead Dallas to two division titles in his first two seasons as a starter and brought the Cowboys to a Super Bowl against the Colts.

More unfortunate bounces, as some of the craziest plays that you'll see in arguably the worst-played Super Bowl ever saw Morton's Cowboys, who were likely the better team, lose on the final play of the game to the Baltimore Colts 16-13.
No matter the quality of the game, with some breaks (watch the NFL Films highlights of that game; every bounce went the way of the Colts), it would have forever been Super Bowl-winning quarterback Craig Morton, just as we remember guys like Mark Rypien, Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, etc.


The following year, 1971, saw the Cowboys as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, yet with head coach Tom Landry paralyzed by indecision on whether to use Morton or Roger Staubach as the starter, and Landry getting to the point of using the two on alternate plays, the Cowboys stumbled to a 4-3 record halfway through the season.
Finally, the team asked Landry to make a decision between the two, without offering a preference other than a selection.
The selection of Staubach began the Cowboys' NFC reign of terror as the Cowboys would make the playoffs every year except one for the remainder of Staubach's playing days and would win the Super Bowl at season's end.

Morton did have another chance as he started all of the 1972 season after Staubach suffered a separated shoulder in the preseason, leading the Cowboys to a 10-4 record and the wild card (In 1972, there was just one wild card team) after finishing second to 11-3 Washington in the NFC East.
Again, Morton would come up short in the playoffs as Dallas trailed San Francisco 28-16 with minutes remaining.
Landry inserted Staubach into the game, watched him produce two touchdowns in 90 seconds, and pull off a miracle 30-28 victory.

Morton would not start another game in Dallas as he sat behind Staubach for the 1973 and half of the 1974 season before a shocking mid-season trade with division rival New York.
Can you imagine making a trade of a quarterback that has taken you to a Super Bowl in mid-season to a division rival, no matter how crummy that rival is? ( The Giants were 1-5 when making the trade and finished 2-12) ?
Morton had signed a "futures contract" with the WFL's Houston Texans in an attempt to find a team to start on, and the Cowboys decided to get something for him before the WFL contract kicked in.

Morton signed his contract with Houston, but wouldn't have played there as the Texans moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, halfway through the WFL's only full season.
Dallas received the Giants' first- and second-round picks for Morton and turned the first-rounder into Hall of Famer Randy White.
The Giants received two and a half years of mediocre football as they went 8-25 under Morton, who threw 29 touchdowns against 49 interceptions.
Morton's immobility meant he needed to be protected by a good offensive line, and the Giants didn't even approach average in protection, as Morton was sacked 99 times as a Giant.


The Giants were ready to move on from the 34-year-old Morton and swung a trade with Denver for their vagabond veteran Steve Ramsey in a trade immortalized in the book "Orange Madness" by the then-unknown Woody Paige with the quote "Our shit for their shit".
Morton brought the Broncos to their first playoff berth, division title, and AFC championship all in his first year despite numbers on the surface not looking special (1929 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions), but his season was exactly what the Broncos needed, with the best defense in the conference; Morton just needed to avoid mistakes.
Morton led the Broncos into the Super Bowl and ran into his old friends in Dallas, who mauled him with several sacks and allowed Morton to complete just eight passes in the game (Four of the eight were thrown to Cowboys) before driving him from the game in the third quarter.
Denver's only touchdown in the 27-10 loss was scored with Norris Weese taking the snaps.

After the 1977 season, despite the Denver success, the Broncos tried to replace Morton constantly.
In 1978, Morton held off Norris Weese for the starting job and guided the Broncos to a repeat division title and in 1979, the Broncos went to the playoffs as a wildcard at 10-6 with Morton as the main starter, but Weese started six games and with Morton throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in 79 (19 picks to 16 scores), the Broncos again attempted to replace Morton.
Denver traded their number one pick to the New York Jets for Matt Robinson and expected Robinson to be their anchor at quarterback.
Instead, Robinson was so bad (2 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in seven starts) that by the end of the 8-8 season that saw Red Miller lose his job, it was Morton with more starts, with nine.

With Robinson gone for 1981, Morton notched arguably his best statistical season under new head coach and former teammate Dan Reeves as the Broncos just missed the playoffs at 10-6.
Morton threw 21 touchdowns and notched his only season of over three thousand yards passing for the surprising Broncos, who weren't knocked from the playoff picture until the final week of the season when they lost to the Chicago Bears.

However, in that game, with the Broncos knowing a win would give them the AFC West title and a loss would leave them on the outside (Denver would tie with San Diego at 10-6, but lose a tiebreaker), Morton threw for under 100 yards and three interceptions before Steve DeBerg entered the game in a 35-24 defeat.
That was the last stand for Morton, who would start just three games for the 2-7 Broncos in the 1982 strike year, and the 39-year-old would retire at the end of the season.

Morton was out of football for less than a year, as in the middle of the 1983 USFL season, Morton was hired to replace his old coach, Red Miller, as the head coach of the Denver Gold.
Morton would finish at 12-12 over his season-plus with the Gold and would be replaced by Mouse Davis for the final season of the league.
That was the last football job for Morton, who is now retired and living in Northern California.

A superstar?
No, but the Forgotten Superstars series isn't always about being a superstar; sometimes it's just bringing back a memory or two.
We welcome Craig Morton to our Forgotten Superstar universe, and coming soon, I'll have another addition as well...

Giants KO Browns 27-13

The Cleveland Browns defense played better than expected,but the offense could not produce points inside the red zone and the Browns fell to 0-12 with a 27-13 loss to the New York Giants in Cleveland.
Josh McCown threw for over 300 yards and the Browns only touchdown on a pass to Corey Coleman,while Terrelle Pryor finished with six catches for 131 yards as the main offensive star.
The Browns have a bye week this Sunday and return on 12/11 at home vs the Bengals...

Brownie Bits

1) Offensive line. Offensive line.Offensive line.
After Pittsburgh (and its 13 sacks entering the game) rolled over the Browns for eight dumps of the passer,the Giants ranked 29th in the league added seven more sacks.
The Browns just cannot protect the passer and the off season decisions took an average group and made it awful.

2) You know what I might do-Call the Rams and ask what the cost for Greg Robinson might be?
The former top five pick has been benched for them,wonder if they'd be interested after the season.
I also have no idea why we have seen nothing (more below) from former first rounder and waiver claimee Jonathan Cooper either-like he could be any worse?

3) Game was still in question until former Buckeye Jonathan Hankins stripped Josh McCown of the ball and Jason Pierre-Paul cruised into the end zone for the crushing blow.
I know the Browns need so much,but boy,they have to do something on the line,don't they?

4) Terrelle Pryor went over one hundred yards with a 54 yard catch on the day against the foul mouthed tweeter Janoris Jenkins,but as far as in the game,you can see Pryor's frustration building on the sideline with the Browns.
I was asked last night did I think Pryor was going to stay a Brown (free agent after the season),I think he wants to and I think he feels like he owes something to Hue Jackson

5) Josh McCown threw for 300 plus and didn't throw an interception,which looks nice on the box score.
The reality is different as he often was inaccurate and either threw the ball too soon or too late-taking a sack or a hit.
That's not all his fault,considering his protection,but I thought before that Josh McCown gave the Browns the best chance to win a game.
Not sure I agree with that now as McCown is looking every bit of his 37,but who would be a better choice??

6) Isaiah Crowell has struggled of late and again,the line play is a good reason for that,but his fumble inside the Browns 30 handed the Giants the football and the ensuing drive resulted in a Giants touchdown.
Ball possession has nothing to do with line play.Tuck it in.

7) The pass defense didn't play that badly.
Yes.Eli Manning threw for 3 scores,but the Browns held him to under 200 yards passing and Joe Haden did a better job than expected against Odell Beckham.
The secondary has been horrid at times this year,but I thought they had some good points in this game.

8) I was glad to see Rashard Higgins and Seth DeValve catch a few passes in playing time.
I'd like to see more playing time for both of these young receivers-especially Higgins,who should have been playing more when Corey Coleman was out with injury..

9) The offensive line got worse with John Greco's foot injury that ended the veteran guards season.
The Browns have now lost both of their starting guards,so maybe now Jonathan Cooper will see some playing time...

10) 0-12,Can this team get a win?
The Bengals are in flux and that's in Cleveland,so maybe.
I doubt Buffalo or Pittsburgh are likely road losses and I still think San Diego at home is the one.
Until then,lets hope for a San Francisco win.
Believe or not,the 49ers won their opener and haven't won since.
I'd hate to see 1-15 not be worth the top pick in the draft....