Overreaction Monday

[Nero]

The Browns suck, and they shouldn't be considered for the Playoffs. They're a joke, Baker sucks, Freddie sucks, the coaches suck and the kicker and secondary suck.

OK, now that we got all of that aside for all the downers, some points to be positive about. 

First, September has become preseason for many teams and bring many surprises. So a stinker sucks, but it's not definitive. We can turn this around.

Second, main problem today for me was the penalties on D. They had a TD drive on first half only thank to it. Fortunately, that can be solved. Mostly the STUPID roughing the passer penalties and punches/kicks. 

Third, in sports, there are some key moments in the game that one team gets momentum and the other one loses it all. 43-13 is a big upset, but we only needed a one catch 75 yard TD by Henry and an INT by Baker for collapsing. It's not ideal, but with all the penalties against and Baker going gunslinger it's no wonder we ended up losing. 

I think the defense did a nice job and still is one of our strengths. Tennessee has very big receivers and we missed some size in the secondary in my opinion. 

Chubb played really well despite having a suspectful Oline, and OBJ played well too. 

Seibert missed an extra point but I don't think we should execute him for that. I'm only wondering if not forcing touchbacks on kickoffs (maybe he did once) was intentional or not. 

 

Let's take this as a wake up call and on to the Jets next week. 

 

[mjp28]

I agree they have better firepower than they showed today.

BUT they have to cut down on the penalties and not punch, kick or bite any Jets next week.

[LBC mike]

no purple nirples?

[jiggins7919]

14 minutes ago, Nero said:

The Browns suck, and they shouldn't be considered for the Playoffs. They're a joke, Baker sucks, Freddie sucks, the coaches suck and the kicker and secondary suck.

OK, now that we got all of that aside for all the downers, some points to be positive about. 

First, September has become preseason for many teams and bring many surprises. So a stinker sucks, but it's not definitive. We can turn this around.

Second, main problem today for me was the penalties on D. They had a TD drive on first half only thank to it. Fortunately, that can be solved. Mostly the STUPID roughing the passer penalties and punches/kicks. 

Third, in sports, there are some key moments in the game that one team gets momentum and the other one loses it all. 43-13 is a big upset, but we only needed a one catch 75 yard TD by Henry and an INT by Baker for collapsing. It's not ideal, but with all the penalties against and Baker going gunslinger it's no wonder we ended up losing. 

I think the defense did a nice job and still is one of our strengths. Tennessee has very big receivers and we missed some size in the secondary in my opinion. 

Chubb played really well despite having a suspectful Oline, and OBJ played well too. 

Seibert missed an extra point but I don't think we should execute him for that. I'm only wondering if not forcing touchbacks on kickoffs (maybe he did once) was intentional or not. 

 

Let's take this as a wake up call and on to the Jets next week. 

 

It's not just the penalties, it's also the actual blocking that killed us. There were 3 plays we had open for long touchdowns, but Baker wasn't able to let it loose because he didn't have time. Do I expect Baker to hit all 3? No, but when I say OBJ was open downfield, I mean he was OPEN boys. 3 chances to score that didn't happen because of blocking, and that's a problem. Believe it or not, it wasn't our 3rd string LT that screwed us. It was Hubbard. 

[darren15]

Can we call our offensive front the Maginot line ? 

 

 

[Nero]

1 minute ago, darren15 said:

Can we call our offensive front the Maginot line ? 

 

 

The one that in WWII was crushed by the Blitzkrieg?

[Tour2ma]

It ain't "the parts"...

... it's the "sum of the parts."

And right now things ain't adding up.

Doesn't mean they won't... just means they haven't.

[hoorta]

27 minutes ago, jiggins7919 said:

It's not just the penalties, it's also the actual blocking that killed us. There were 3 plays we had open for long touchdowns, but Baker wasn't able to let it loose because he didn't have time. Do I expect Baker to hit all 3? No, but when I say OBJ was open downfield, I mean he was OPEN boys. 3 chances to score that didn't happen because of blocking, and that's a problem. Believe it or not, it wasn't our 3rd string LT that screwed us. It was Hubbard. 

How about OBJ getting called for offensive PI ? Fans in the stands thought it was bogus. Ditto Baker down.

[BaconHound]

As President of the Negativity Brigade I agree the sky is not falling but there are glaring issues that we saw last year and in previous years.  

Baker holds the ball too long and makes poor decisions with his feet.  You can live with bad throws because all QBs make them.  With inconsistent OL play, which I don't think will change given the personnel, Baker's internal clock and decision making have to be on point.

The offensive line is down one very good player from last years group and Robinson is one of the biggest question marks at LT in the league.  Robinson's consistency is a concern and then he kicks someone because he got owned, bad look.

Siebert may turn out to be a solid kicker but his senior season at OU he wasn't great and he has shown nerves in the past, fingers crossed.

My biggest concern is the secondary.  Getting teams behind the chains is a real possibility for the defensive front but that doesn't do much if the secondary gives up big plays and penalties.

The final concern is Kitchens.  With no head coaching experience and his "players' coach" mentality it goes one of two ways, very successful or dumpster fire.

I agree with his presser that the world isn't over but the "it's one game and we're going to fix it" schtick that coach's use is less believable when you just got ran in your house as a 5.5 favorite.  If you think this is simply one loss, you're kidding yourself.

[darren15]

19 minutes ago, Nero said:

The one that in WWII was crushed by the Blitzkrieg?

Yes it was a line of fortifications the Germans just went around when attacking France

[DieHardBrownsFan]

Kitchens should never have be hired as head coach.

[darren15]

He gets better protection from the lawnmower
 

 

[Nero]

11 minutes ago, hoorta said:

How about OBJ getting called for offensive PI ? Fans in the stands thought it was bogus. Ditto Baker down.

Baker was down, and the offensive PI was offensive PI. Nothing to complain about on those two. The blindside call was bullshit in my opinion. A Titan cornerback lowering the shoulder to hit Njoku on the helmet on a catch was a close call (that didnt happen).

I think Harris made reception and then fumbled and we got that one for us. 

I don't complain about the refs.

[Ibleedbrown]

Nice work Nero.

You’re mama’s a man.

[Orion]

I would've tried to run it on some of those 2nd and 1's that we had.

When Robinson got kicked out because for being stupid we were pretty much screwed.  Corbette wasn't even active.  Higgins and Hilliard left the game.  Njoku reverted back to letting balls go right through his hands.  The defense penalized themselves for a TD drive...for the opponent.

OK......so now to take a step back.....

After losing our LT, the OL went to hell.  Guys were coming in, going out, getting shuffled to new spots.  It was OL pandemonium.   Then Baker had to try and carry the sinking ship and tried forcing things.  (I think that he and OBJ were not on the same page on one of the int's - which sounds about right with no preseason together)  There were a lot of OL holding penalties, but there were guys playing different positions in multiple spots and they were just grabbing onto guys.  

Before losing Robinson there was hope.  And we did some things pretty well early on.  Now the coaches will huddle up and try to get our 2 new OLinemen up to speed to see if they can help improve the unit.  

[Orion]

....Did our guys fall head-over-heals for that 75 yard screen pass TD or what??   Everyone ran straight for the QB, not even wondering why they weren't being blocked.

[Nero]

1 minute ago, Orion said:

....Did our guys fall head-over-heals for that 75 yard screen pass TD or what??   Everyone ran straight for the QB, not even wondering why they weren't being blocked.

Well, I would say that the worst part is that the entire secondary was on the opposite side of the field...

[Orion]

Just now, Nero said:

Well, I would say that the worst part is that the entire secondary was on the opposite side of the field...

As I recall, that's where they lined up most of their receivers.

[flyingfooldoug]

Coaches had too much Ice Mocha..... like ice mocha too much weed today. 

[TypicalBrowns50]

The refs hosed the browns today. 

Didnthe titans play better in the 2nd half? Yes. The browns still got owned by the refs today

[Dutch Oven]

8 minutes ago, flyingfooldoug said:

Coaches had too much Ice Mocha..... like ice mocha too much weed today. 

Did you sniff glue before writing this?

"Like ice mocha too much weed today"? 😄 

 

[jiggins7919]

4 hours ago, hoorta said:

How about OBJ getting called for offensive PI ? Fans in the stands thought it was bogus. Ditto Baker down.

That was the soul crusher, it really was. We're getting some rhythm, moving the ball through the air, and we're about to get a shot or two at the end zone...and boom. It was completely deflating and a microcosm of the entire game. The guy was holding OBJ the entire time down the field, but no call there. It's maddening for the players and the fans. Don't get me wrong, we screwed ourselves so many times. The late hits on Mariota were all valid. The penalty on Garrett? Robinson's ejection? Valid. I'm telling you, Robinson is in DEEP SHIT. You're the starting LT and you pull THAT crap? No way. Baker Mayfield really likes Greg, and he let his team down. Trent Williams might be getting traded because this was garbage today. 

It's one game, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't think of a worse start. Those players ought to be ashamed of the way they acted, played, and represented our franchise. Gonna be a LONG week, as we unfortunately play on Monday night. 

[Flugel]

13 hours ago, Nero said:

The Browns suck, and they shouldn't be considered for the Playoffs. They're a joke, Baker sucks, Freddie sucks, the coaches suck and the kicker and secondary suck.

OK, now that we got all of that aside for all the downers, some points to be positive about. 

First, September has become preseason for many teams and bring many surprises. So a stinker sucks, but it's not definitive. We can turn this around.

Second, main problem today for me was the penalties on D. They had a TD drive on first half only thank to it. Fortunately, that can be solved. Mostly the STUPID roughing the passer penalties and punches/kicks. 

Third, in sports, there are some key moments in the game that one team gets momentum and the other one loses it all. 43-13 is a big upset, but we only needed a one catch 75 yard TD by Henry and an INT by Baker for collapsing. It's not ideal, but with all the penalties against and Baker going gunslinger it's no wonder we ended up losing. 

I think the defense did a nice job and still is one of our strengths. Tennessee has very big receivers and we missed some size in the secondary in my opinion. 

Chubb played really well despite having a suspectful Oline, and OBJ played well too. 

Seibert missed an extra point but I don't think we should execute him for that. I'm only wondering if not forcing touchbacks on kickoffs (maybe he did once) was intentional or not. 

 

Let's take this as a wake up call and on to the Jets next week. 

 

On kickoffs, more and more teams are putting air under the football and kicking it shy of the goal line so the opponent doesn't start at the 25.  When we did this, we stopped TN inside their 20 and TN even had some penalties in their return game which further played in our favor.

Also, the Scottish Hammer did a job of flipping field position and causing them to start inside their 20 a few times (once at their own 6 yard line).

All that said, losing 43-13 at home deserves some reaction and concern IMO.  When adversity appeared our team disappeared.  In this sport, teams are defined by what they do when adversity strikes.  As a fan, I've always wanted our problems to be just 1 guy because you can correct that. This team was SOFT yesterday.  They were NOT prepared at all despite hearing they had been preparing for TN the last few weeks.  Really?  They didn't play the Volunteers.  They played the Titans for at least a few minutes...

The offense looked like a lost episode of HeeHaw while the defense was a huge disappointment.  18 penalties isn't going to beat anybody but us. I'd be concerned if they didn't react.

There's a lot to clean up - but there is enough talent here to make it possible.  We'll see how they respond. 

[jiggins7919]

13 minutes ago, Flugel said:

The offense looked like a lost episode of HeeHaw while the defense was a huge disappointment.

Bwahaha. 

Honestly, the offense looked pretty decent for a while if the penalties weren't so prevalent. WTF was that illegal blind side block crap they called on Robinson? I mean, Jesus. We also had two drops BY Njoku, and both hurt. Drive killers. 

What a mess. 

[flyingfooldoug]

8 minutes ago, jiggins7919 said:

Bwahaha. 

Honestly, the offense looked pretty decent for a while if the penalties weren't so prevalent. WTF was that illegal blind side block crap they called on Robinson? I mean, Jesus. We also had two drops BY Njoku, and both hurt. Drive killers. 

What a mess. 

Can’t help but think what if we stuck with GW?  They looked pretty well coached and disciplined the second half last year. Especially for a interim FO. People worried too much about the HC misspeaking about jobs and forgot to look at his actions for the team.

Somebody said discipline and humility can’t be taught. Bullshit!!!! Ask any marine about learning discipline. Go hang out in a children’s hospital with terminally ill kids for a week. You’ll learn humility too.  So now the southern accent rules. I really hope Freddy catches on.  But so typical. Shitcan the proven winner and go with the unknown  

[TexasAg1969]

9 hours ago, jiggins7919 said:

It's one game, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't think of a worse start. Those players ought to be ashamed of the way they acted, played, and represented our franchise. Gonna be a LONG week, as we unfortunately play on Monday night. 

We're gonna need that extra day to fix what's broken and learn how to play through some of the worst adversity this team will ever face. Win Monday and we can look yesterday in the rear view mirror. It CAN be done.

[Bob806]

7 minutes ago, TexasAg1969 said:

We're gonna need that extra day to fix what's broken and learn how to play through some of the worst adversity this team will ever face. Win Monday and we can look yesterday in the rear view mirror. It CAN be done.

It needs to be done. 

Damn what a huge disappointment. Probably the most deflating opener I can remember since the Chargers killed us on a Monday night in 1981.

[jiggins7919]

1 hour ago, flyingfooldoug said:

Can’t help but think what if we stuck with GW?  They looked pretty well coached and disciplined the second half last year. Especially for a interim FO. People worried too much about the HC misspeaking about jobs and forgot to look at his actions for the team.

Somebody said discipline and humility can’t be taught. Bullshit!!!! Ask any marine about learning discipline. Go hang out in a children’s hospital with terminally ill kids for a week. You’ll learn humility too.  So now the southern accent rules. I really hope Freddy catches on.  But so typical. Shitcan the proven winner and go with the unknown  

That's an interesting point and not something I thought about.  I do know that many weren't exactly happy with our defense, specifically our tackling and problems against the run, and those issues as much as anything doomed Gregg IMO.  All I know is I feel physically SICK this morning.  Yes, I know it's a game and all that, but I was really excited for this game, and win or lose I would've been ok, but not like this.  

The real killer was the OL, and much of that can be traced back to Greg Robinson and Hubbard.  We had several plays with receivers running free deep, including one where OBJ was WIDE OPEN, but Baker couldn't step up and throw it.  Those are killers in the NFL because you just don't get those opportunities often, and you HAVE to take advantage of them.  

[Tour2ma]

16 hours ago, hoorta said:

How about OBJ getting called for offensive PI ? Fans in the stands thought it was bogus. Ditto Baker down.

I thought it looked like OPI at full speed, but as the replay count rose not so much. Yes, OBJ extended his arms and that's what Officials look for, but the DB also stumbled prior to the arm extension. What I could not tell was whether OBJ pulled the DB to set him off balance.

16 hours ago, BaconHound said:

The final concern is Kitchens.

My specific concern is that Kitch made a point of emphasizing penalties, and especially not fighting, the 2nd half of camp... and it obviously had no impact.

[flyingfooldoug]

1 hour ago, jiggins7919 said:

That's an interesting point and not something I thought about.  I do know that many weren't exactly happy with our defense, specifically our tackling and problems against the run, and those issues as much as anything doomed Gregg IMO.  All I know is I feel physically SICK this morning.  Yes, I know it's a game and all that, but I was really excited for this game, and win or lose I would've been ok, but not like this.  

The real killer was the OL, and much of that can be traced back to Greg Robinson and Hubbard.  We had several plays with receivers running free deep, including one where OBJ was WIDE OPEN, but Baker couldn't step up and throw it.  Those are killers in the NFL because you just don't get those opportunities often, and you HAVE to take advantage of them.  

My own.simple term and it agrees with what you’re saying. We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot. I keep saying it’ll get better. But will it? Geeeze, does God really hate the Browns?