Anyone Excited About Kessler Yet?

[wargograw]

Just wanted to take everyone's temp after another decent performance.

[Mark O]

I think he's shown enough that I really want to see him play the rest of the season. See how he holds up against good defenses. His footwork looked a bit shaky today, but no question the dude is tough. He doesn't have a strong enough arm to throw off balance and off his back foot but I think he's good enough to draft defense in round 1 next year which is really what the team needs.

[sdballis]

I'm sold on him at least being a bridge for a couple years. We need to build this team properly for once, i.e. defense, O-line, skill players, and FINALLY plug in a QB so that he isn't dead (or wishing he was) after those first couple years. I like what I see out of Kessler and think he is a HIGH quality career backup at the very least. Don't see any Manning or Rodgers in him, but worse QBs have won Super Bowls for sure. We have some good, young talent here. We just need to continue drafting well and building this team properly. From what I see, I think Hue and Sashi/Paul have a good idea on how to go about that.

[D Bone]

I'm liking what I see for sure.......... Put him behind Dallas' O-line and he'd be equaling their rookie.

[Richiswhere]

To me hes, looked real good especially after how he looked in his preseason games. He looks good in the pocket doesn't seem to be looking at the rushers has good mobility when thing do break down. Doesn't seem to be staring down his first target. Nice accurate passes with some good touch. On the flip side to me he's playing right field with a left fielder arm.

[Browns1216]

he's steadily improved since preseason. There are still times he holds on to the ball too long, he stared down a few receivers today and i did not like how long some of his passes floated in the air. The holding on to the ball and staring down receivers is something that can be fixed and has been happening less as the season goes on, Kessler seems more comfortable and in command each week. I'm a bit worried about his passes in December weather, his short passes are fine but his long ones today were not pretty, some plays Kessler was lucky that the Titans' secondary isn't great.

 

All things in consideration, he should start the rest of the season even if McCown is healthy. McCown has been in the league for so long, we already know what his ceiling is. Let's tear the roof off Kessler and let him develop. Biggest thing I'd like to see moving forward is faster decision making, second biggest thing to work on IMO is arm strength. I hope the Browns stick with Kessler and focus on defense in the upcoming draft.

[D Bone]

he's steadily improved since preseason. There are still times he holds on to the ball too long, he stared down a few receivers today and i did not like how long some of his passes floated in the air. The holding on to the ball and staring down receivers is something that can be fixed and has been happening less as the season goes on, Kessler seems more comfortable and in command each week. I'm a bit worried about his passes in December weather, his short passes are fine but his long ones today were not pretty, some plays Kessler was lucky that the Titans' secondary isn't great.

 

All things in consideration, he should start the rest of the season even if McCown is healthy. McCown has been in the league for so long, we already know what his ceiling is. Let's tear the roof off Kessler and let him develop. Biggest thing I'd like to see moving forward is faster decision making, second biggest thing to work on IMO is arm strength. I hope the Browns stick with Kessler and focus on defense in the upcoming draft.

 

I get the worry regarding his arm strength and I'll admit that I have a bit of it too, but like I've said before, I remember a tall, lanky, goofy dude with average arm strength at best who was pretty damn successful for the Browns for many years.

[BrownsnMopar]

I like Kessler enough to want to see more! I have not seen enough of any college players....to suggest a draft scenario,Especially the 1st round!!! We need to hit every pick rd 1-7!!! Lets chill and watch some football! Sounds like a good excuse to tell the Mrs.....sports widow....err Mopar! ?

[Unsympathetic]

Before making a final decision on Kessler, I hope we give him a chance to see what an interior OL of Bailey/Greco/Drango [or Cooper, or Paztor] could do.. Erving, so long and thanks for all the fish.

[Tour2ma]

Excited? No...

 

Intrigued? Sort of...

 

Arm is a question as others have pointed out. Even when his mechanics are sound and he gets everything into his throws they are merely adequate. Same story on the run as it is in the pocket. Best example was the weak pass on the 2-pt try that was behind the WR. No coincidence that it occurred while rolling/running left. Certainly he can become more consistent with his mechanics, but there are throws in every game where you have to go left or throw off the back foot or...

 

If any one wants to respond that his arm can get stronger, please provide a couple examples of when that has happened at the pro level.

 

What concerns me more is he is still processing slow (AKA holding the ball too long). While this has improved, today he was faster than he was in the Miami game, he still has a way to go if he is to be effective in the NFL with his arm.

 

So why intrigued if I'm seeing the above questions? Beyond the improved processing he's showing more pocket awareness and he's not dropping his eyes to the rush as he did early.

 

And, speaking of eyes, the fire they showed in the huddle today in a 2nd half tight shot impressed me. Actually took me back to early Sipe command back when Brian was still an understudy to *ugh* Mike Phipps. It's been a long time since I have seen that look to Kess' extent in a Browns QB.

 

So yeah... color me intrigued...

[wargograw]

I'm thinking Andy Dalton is the ceiling. Of course, Andy Dalton has yet to hit his ceiling.

 

With the juice this roster is going to have in the next few years, I think he's good enough to get us places. There's also something to be said for a kid who's been told he's not an NFL guy going out there every week and getting more comfortable each time.

[Tour2ma]

... and I am pretty sure I said it.

 

I don't see Dalton in Kess, but that's probably an arm strength thing. Don't have a "ceiling" comparable in mind just yet.

 

 

But he survived to improve another day... and that ain't bad.

 

At this point, I keep starting him regardless of which of our wounded mentors might be ready this week for Cinci.

[gftChris]

Not excited really. Kinda relieved that maybe the QB position is settled for a few years with a guy who doesn't cost us games? Yeah, I'll go for that.

 

Kessler didn't cost us the game, but nor did he win it for us. Which, who knows, might be enough if we can put out a functional OL that doesn't give up pressure on seemingly every play and can open running lanes, coupled with some proper playmakers (and it looks like Pryor is becoming one, and Coleman does actually excite me as a player for the same reason).

 

He showed enough arm strength today to at least try to keep Ds honest. Not that he's going to be slinging it for 60-yard TDs every week like we'd all love, but enough that teams can't bring their safeties all the way down every play, which will help. Side note - I'm guessing we threw a whole bunch of times trying to set up the run. Didn't work.

 

So, we're stable, until the 2018 draft where a new regime decides it wants to relive Colt McCoy vs Brandon Weeden.

[gumby73]

Before making a final decision on Kessler, I hope we give him a chance to see what an interior OL of Bailey/Greco/Drango [or Cooper, or Paztor] could do.. Erving, so long and thanks for all the fish.

I purposely watched a lot of the game from both sides of the ball around Center position. Shelton definitely still struggles with conditioning trying to be a 3 down DT. on run he was stout but so many times on pass plays Danny looked stuck in the mud after getting off blocks to get to QB..Big Terd IrV. has just got to be a embarrassment on tape room days. After 1st qtr. got no idea why Greco was not slide to Center. Understand Hue may still be in evaluation mode, But good god.big Irv is terrible. Maybe center of a drum choir with his long arms but he loves clapping then turning into a usher to get Kess off his grass seat..#getcamoffOL

[flyingfooldoug]

To me hes, looked real good especially after how he looked in his preseason games. He looks good in the pocket doesn't seem to be looking at the rushers has good mobility when thing do break down. Doesn't seem to be staring down his first target. Nice accurate passes with some good touch. On the flip side to me he's playing right field with a left fielder arm.

I think he deserves the rest of the year too. But I saw him stare down his Rx more than once. He gotta work on that. I do see some Brian Sipe like qualities in the kid and hope those aren't just flashes in the pan. All the penalties worry me most. That's on coaching. Common thread amongst championship teams..... Doing all the little things perfect every time! And that sentence equals fundamentals. I'm hoping a coach catches onto that soon. This one looked dumber than a bag of hammers yesterday.

[BrownsKidd]

If Kessler's are strength doesn't improve he will need to be the second coming of Peyton Manning to work in the NFL. Like other have said, he's tough and gritty. Making plenty of rookie level mistakes. But his arm strength is a big question. He will have to have a passing and offensive game based on a Peyton Manning type of offense of strict routes based on timing. Not a bad thing, but that's what I see right now.

[jiggins7919]

The truly amazing about what Kessler is doing is that he doesn't have a good offensive line, a good defense, and a decent amount of playmakers. I get the feeling that if Corey Coleman played yesterday, we would've probably won. I know it's just one player, but we desperately needed another player that could get first downs and make plays. Cody is very slow, and it was painfully obvious yesterday that his arm is woefully weak. But Cody compensates for this by having tremendous pocket presence. He moves well in the pocket, seldom panics, and doesn't lose that much accuracy when throwing on the run. He made some plays that were truly amazing yesterday, he really did. Is he perfect? Of course not. But does he get better every week? Yeah, he does.

 

I have to admit, I'm completely shocked by what I'm seeing with him. And btw, he got into the damn end zone on that terrific effort towards the end of the game. He should've had three total TD's, and the refs robbed him. Cody needs to improve on his long ball, but let's be honest, our receivers weren't open down the field like the Titans' were. I can think of one pass, deep to Pryor, that Cody underthrew. Pryor had maybe a half step, and it would've taken a perfect throw, but it was there. Barely. I loved the lob to Ricardo that went over two defender's heads and landed perfectly in the lap of our rookie. If that pass is to Coleman, it's probably 6.

 

Cody is due for a bad game, and I don't want the fans to give up on him when that happens. If the second coming of Jesus our Lord's Savior, otherwise known as Carson Wentz, didn't have a good game this week, so we need to be ready for it, and not give up on the kid when he lays an egg.

[TexasAg1969]

I think he's shown enough that I really want to see him play the rest of the season. See how he holds up against good defenses. His footwork looked a bit shaky today, but no question the dude is tough. He doesn't have a strong enough arm to throw off balance and off his back foot but I think he's good enough to draft defense in round 1 next year which is really what the team needs.

 

I see enough good and enough improvement week to week that if it continues, as I think it will, go for that D throughout the draft. Load up early! D talent is far easier to coach up to be chaos creators, which is what we need in a big time way to make the playoffs.

 

PS- and there was one deep out to the right yesterday that surprised me with the zip it had. So has he been sandbagging us with all the "touch" throws?

[jiggins7919]

I think his injury was really bothering him at first because some of his throws were fluttering wildly, and had no mustard. As the game went on, it appeared that his adrenaline kicked in and his arm got stronger.

 

You know what's crazy about Kessler? If he played for the Broncos, I bet he'd have a winning record. He takes care of the ball, is very accurate, and has terrific pocket presence. If Cody had that defense and talent at the skill positions, it's becoming pretty clear that he can succeed in this league. I never would've guess it...I really didn't have much faith in the guy. I mean, who did besides our coaches?

 

I think it's time to allow ourselves to CONSIDER the possibility that Kessler COULD be our QB for this season and beyond. I mean, look at his numbers. He's hanging tough on a bad team, and we have a shitload of draft picks coming up. If Kessler IS the guy, do you have ANY idea what that means for us? Not only would we have stability at the one position that has haunted us for almost 20 years, we could actually focus on constructing the REST OF OUR TEAM. And we'd be doing that with a young roster, a shitload of picks, and a coach that many feel knows his ass from a hole in the ground.

 

Now that we're 0-6, my biggest fear is that we'll actually win a few games at the end of the year and blow our draft position. I WANT MYLES GARRETT. He's the overall consensus top draft choice, and I don't think it's even close. He rushes the passer, stops the run, and has a general disposition towards violence. He does NOT play around, and I want him. Now. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING stood out more in yesterday's game than our lack of a pass rush. It looked like our guys just got swallowed up by the Titan's line, and Mariota was almost NEVER rushed or touched.

 

I am allowing myself to BEGIN to get excited about Kessler. He still has a long way to go, but I like what I see. The Bitonio injury is far more damaging than many first thought, and it was painfully obvious yesterday. Keeping Kessler healthy will be almost impossible. I hope to God he can avoid the injury bug and continue to learn.

 

Oh, btw...the Eagles lost again, and I think they are due for a losing streak. That pick that many thought could be in the 20's, might be a bit better. Eagles looked VERY bad coming off of a bye week, and got dominated by a Redskins team that we really should've beaten. The score might've been 27-20, but the Eagles got a special teams touchdown, AND a defensive touchdown. And guess who the Eagles have next week? The overall number 1 rated team in the NFL...the Minnesota Vikings. Now, we know anything can happen in the NFL, but the Eagles are in a very good place to lose another game...

[cdl15]

I believe Kessler is the future of the CLEVELAND Browns. Sure if a Andrew Luck or Cam Newton is sitting there you obviously take them outta player value alone. But I look at it this way. If Kessler was the first player taken in the draft this year anyone would be doing cartwheels with what you have seen so far. He is deadly Accurate and he has veteran pocket awareness. I believe 2 top offensive lineman and a defense heavy draft is in browns future.

[jrb12711]

I guess I don't understand what you people want in order to see he has honest to goodness potential. Think of where the guy is and how good he looked Sunday.

 

-3rd career start when he was starting as the 3rd string QB essentially a month ago.

-On the road against an above average defense

-Coming off a decent injury

-With an O-line even Ghoolie would admit needs to improve

-With an offense whose top WR threat was barely on a roster this summer.

-With a defense that might be worst (right now) I've ever seen line up for the Browns.

 

With all that, the guy goes out, completes about 64% of his passes, has a clean sheet from the turnovers, throws 2 beautiful TD passes, and has a QBR of 73.5 (14th in the league for week 6, much further ahead of Carson Wentz btw).

 

Honestly, what the fuck else do you want from the guy to not be excited? He's by far the best prospect we've brought in to play the position. He looks poised, makes good, accurate throws, and has objectively gotten better each week. But keep thinking that's not good because "he doesn't look like a franchise guy". Right...

[D Bone]

I believe Kessler is the future of the CLEVELAND Browns. Sure if a Andrew Luck or Cam Newton is sitting there you obviously take them outta player value alone. But I look at it this way. If Kessler was the first player taken in the draft this year anyone would be doing cartwheels with what you have seen so far. He is deadly Accurate and he has veteran pocket awareness. I believe 2 top offensive lineman and a defense heavy draft is in browns future.

 

Yep..... I'ts almost like Hue and the FO might know what they're doing. They may have quietly filled the QB position and now need to build the rest of the team around him.

 

Time will tell.

[gftChris]

I want to see what the kid does with a solid OL that doesn't give up pressures. I also want to watch the sacks & hits again to see if it's all on the OL (entirely possible) or if he's holding the ball too long, or if our receivers aren't getting separation.

[Mark O]

Excited? No...

 

Intrigued? Sort of...

 

Arm is a question as others have pointed out. Even when his mechanics are sound and he gets everything into his throws they are merely adequate. Same story on the run as it is in the pocket. Best example was the weak pass on the 2-pt try that was behind the WR. No coincidence that it occurred while rolling/running left. Certainly he can become more consistent with his mechanics, but there are throws in every game where you have to go left or throw off the back foot or...

 

If any one wants to respond that his arm can get stronger, please provide a couple examples of when that has happened at the pro level.

 

What concerns me more is he is still processing slow (AKA holding the ball too long). While this has improved, today he was faster than he was in the Miami game, he still has a way to go if he is to be effective in the NFL with his arm.

 

So why intrigued if I'm seeing the above questions? Beyond the improved processing he's showing more pocket awareness and he's not dropping his eyes to the rush as he did early.

 

And, speaking of eyes, the fire they showed in the huddle today in a 2nd half tight shot impressed me. Actually took me back to early Sipe command back when Brian was still an understudy to *ugh* Mike Phipps. It's been a long time since I have seen that look to Kess' extent in a Browns QB.

 

So yeah... color me intrigued...

 

 

Drew Brees would be my only possible example of someones arm strength getting better but I could be completely wrong about that. I just know that his first couple years he was way below average, bad enough even with a HOF running back that the Chargers felt the need to spend another high draft pick on a QB. Everyone knows how that all turned out...probably worked out as a win for everyone involved but he was a guy who looked to be on his way out of the league when Rivers holds out and Brees has a great season that ends in injury.

[BrownsKidd]

 

 

Drew Brees would be my only possible example of someones arm strength getting better but I could be completely wrong about that. I just know that his first couple years he was way below average, bad enough even with a HOF running back that the Chargers felt the need to spend another high draft pick on a QB. Everyone knows how that all turned out...probably worked out as a win for everyone involved but he was a guy who looked to be on his way out of the league when Rivers holds out and Brees has a great season that ends in injury.

I would agree that arm strength or the ability to throw the ball harder or farther can be improved. The guy is 6'1", and doesn't have a small frame or arms. It has to be technique.

[gftChris]

There are different muscles involved in throwing something far and fast, particularly a football which has a couple of different motions involved - the forward motion you get when throwing, say, a baseball to home plate (I'm just guessing on the analogy - assuming cricket wouldn't work as well), and then the flicking of the wrist to generate spin to make it 'cut through the wind' or whatever.

 

It's quick twitch stuff, different to the kind of things you get from just standard 'working out' big guys. So, size and frame alone wouldn't necessarily indicate arm strength.

[thenew23]

I'll hold off a few more weeks... A lot of QB's can come into the league and find success for a short time period; however, after a few weeks they become exposed and some never overcome that... like many of the Browns recent QBs.

 

If he can maintain his level of play, or even get better, by season's end... then I'll be excited.

[Flugel]

I want to see what the kid does with a solid OL that doesn't give up pressures. I also want to watch the sacks & hits again to see if it's all on the OL (entirely possible) or if he's holding the ball too long, or if our receivers aren't getting separation.

 

With a rookie QB on a team coming off 3 wins, there's several levels of complexity to every sack or even pass.

 

Why?

 

Kessler's intellect, processing and ability to throw the ball in a reasonable amount of time count on the experience volumes of the following targets:

Pryor - 6 NFL starts old at WR and he gave us 2 TDs yesterday.

Higgins - rookie

Louis - rookie

Payton - rookie

Hawkins - He has the most experience in the WR Corps with 5 years

Barnidge - Has 8 years under his belt

 

Sometimes an inexperienced WR making the wrong adjustment to an alignment, leverage or scheme can make a rookie QB look really bad. There's not always an established trust or same page element until after some unfortunate growing pains made by 1 of the parties. It also takes time and experience for guys to learn how to sit down in a nice space the defense will give him. QB and WR have to be on the same page here too.

 

Now, the next level of complexity is the changes that keep happening up front. Some offensive linemen we've had to go with are more reliable than others. For example, Austin Reiter looked way more reliable Cam Erving. Same can be said for Bitonio in comparison with Bailey. We were actually #1 at running the ball 2 weeks ago so changes are impacting what we were strong at. None of this can be good for time to throw or selling play action that buys additional time to throw. Chemistry, trust and team work up front also takes a hit when there's a weekly influx of unpleasant surprises for a team coming off only 3 wins.

 

And when our special teams return unit continues to misunderstand how to block people or get into appropriate position to do so - we ask a rookie QB on the road to enjoy the hand in bee hive moment of beginning a drive at his own 5 yard line. Go get em kid!

 

And then there are the times when a rookie QB just holds onto the ball too long or has episodes of bad pocket presence. The good news is this doesn't look like a Brandon Weedenesque inability to understand you can get out of the pocket and throw the ball away when necessary. Sometimes it's unreasonable to the type of talent we have assembled up front at this time so we'll see Pasztor get busted for a hold or 2 when it actually kept the QB safe enough to live another down. There was a time when I saw this from a younger Mitch Schwartz too. Probably not as frequently as Pasztor but it happened.

 

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised by Kessler at this point. I think he'll learn from some of the mistakes I see him making. I HOPE he does because the next QB draft class doesn't look like it has a football messiah. I've certainly been wrong before though...

[Canton Dawg]

My take on the youngin'. . .

 

The Good:

Kess was constantly under duress, and getting knocked on his ass. However, he never seemed rattled and kept his poise. I do believe the game is slowing down a bit for him, because he's making his reads much faster.

 

The Bad:

On occasion, he holds the ball too long and seems indecisive while scrambling to either run or throw the ball away.

 

The Ugly:

He's taking a beating, and he won't last a full season if he takes that many shots per game. He has been durable, and reminds me of the old Timex commercial slogan, he takes a fuckin' and keeps on cluckin'!

 

I would like to see him finish out the year...if he makes it.

[D Bone]

Cody's season sorted by QB Passer Rating:

 

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=0&season=2016&seasonType=REG&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-p=1&statisticCategory=PASSING&conference=null&d-447263-s=PASSING_PASSER_RATING