★ NFL WEEK 7 ★ News and notes, Denver +3.5 at Cleveland on a THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL special !

[mjp28]

★ NFL WEEK 7 ★  News and notes,  Denver +3.5 at Cleveland on a THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL special !

It's always special when you're the only game on -and- you're (3-3) and it's a must win home game in primetime.  All eyes on the NFL injury report.

Also in the AFCN this week CIN +6.5 at BAL Sunday at 1 pm is the only other game of note.  For the rest: https://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/las-vegas/?s=482

[mjp28]

NFL injury report early Tuesday morning 🌅.

• Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt did not return against Arizona after suffering a calf injury. Kevin Stefanski said after the game that Hunt suffered a calf injury but that it wasn't Achilles related. Stefanski added that Hunt, quarterback Baker Mayfield (shoulder) and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (ankle) will undergo MRIs to determine the severity of their injuries.
• Denver Broncos linebacker Baron Browning was ruled out after suffering a concussion against the Raiders. Linebackers Andre Mintze (hamstring) and Alexander Johnson (chest) were also ruled out.

• Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen exited early with a thigh injury against the Chargers. Running back Latavius Murray exited late with an ankle injury.
• Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jackson Carman did not return against the Lions with an undisclosed illness.

More to come I'm sure.......

 

[jrb12711]

I'll be honest, given the short week I'd rather the team look long-term and make this the game of the backups. Mayfield clearly needs a game off. Hunt and Chubb are likely out (well Hunt for sure). Both tackles may be out as well.

Throw Keenum and the gang out there and hope for the best. The Broncos are very much a fool's gold 3-3 when you look at their record, beating the New York Teams and the Jags for the 3 wins so far. I actually think our defense being relatively healthy and the toon squad as backups makes this a competitive game.

[tiamat63]

49 minutes ago, jrb12711 said:

I'll be honest, given the short week I'd rather the team look long-term and make this the game of the backups. Mayfield clearly needs a game off. Hunt and Chubb are likely out (well Hunt for sure). Both tackles may be out as well.

Throw Keenum and the gang out there and hope for the best. The Broncos are very much a fool's gold 3-3 when you look at their record, beating the New York Teams and the Jags for the 3 wins so far. I actually think our defense being relatively healthy and the toon squad as backups makes this a competitive game.

This in a nutshell.

This is the game DJ validates my early dismissal of those who felt he was a goner when we drafted Felton.    At least, should Stef trust to hand him the ball.     Broncos have a great edge pair, but they aren't above average inside.  You're going to have to throw a lot of body blows at this defense, don't get Chubb and Von get going, and win the war of attrition.   Can't really see it being all that different from the Vikings game.  Especially with the weather going to be cold(er) and possibly rainy.

If the defense is healthy and our coaching staff doesn't try to come out and sling the rock for seemingly no reason, then I like the odds of winning and possibly covering (around -6)

[calfoxwc]

3 hours ago, jrb12711 said:

I'll be honest, given the short week I'd rather the team look long-term and make this the game of the backups. Mayfield clearly needs a game off. Hunt and Chubb are likely out (well Hunt for sure). Both tackles may be out as well.

Throw Keenum and the gang out there and hope for the best. The Broncos are very much a fool's gold 3-3 when you look at their record, beating the New York Teams and the Jags for the 3 wins so far. I actually think our defense being relatively healthy and the toon squad as backups makes this a competitive game.

YEP. I would have already sat Baker to let him heal or have surgery to fix it if necessary. Owusu has a high ankle sprain I read. With Chubb out and Hunt out for three games? Why didn't the Browns start D'Ernest Johnson start seeing some touches the last game????

and I'm getting more and more annoyed at the Browns running on first down so much. Maybe that works with a healthy Chubb and Hunt, but come on. The defenses seem to see it. I think Hudson had a very tough game, ...

just a disaster of a game. Don't have hurt players playing, it doesn't do any good. You lose and they end up not being able to play.

 

 

[nickers]

30 minutes ago, calfoxwc said:

YEP. I would have already sat Baker to let him heal or have surgery to fix it if necessary. Owusu has a high ankle sprain I read. With Chubb out and Hunt out for three games? Why didn't the Browns start D'Ernest Johnson start seeing some touches the last game????

and I'm getting more and more annoyed at the Browns running on first down so much. Maybe that works with a healthy Chubb and Hunt, but come on. The defenses seem to see it. I think Hudson had a very tough game, ...

just a disaster of a game. Don't have hurt players playing, it doesn't do any good. You lose and they end up not being able to play.

 

 

It may just be that ol' Kevvy a JW got figured out!

[hoorta]

3 hours ago, tiamat63 said:

This in a nutshell.

This is the game DJ validates my early dismissal of those who felt he was a goner when we drafted Felton.    At least, should Stef trust to hand him the ball.     Broncos have a great edge pair, but they aren't above average inside.  You're going to have to throw a lot of body blows at this defense, don't get Chubb and Von get going, and win the war of attrition.   Can't really see it being all that different from the Vikings game.  Especially with the weather going to be cold(er) and possibly rainy.

If the defense is healthy and our coaching staff doesn't try to come out and sling the rock for seemingly no reason, then I like the odds of winning and possibly covering (around -6)

D will only be  missing  JOK. Latest is Baker getting a  second opinion on the shoulder, I'm betting he didn't like what the Docs told him after the  MRI. Stef- if you're being honest in the presser Monday,  and the medical report says Mayfield isn't healthy,  no time like the present to sit him Thursday and give him the two full weeks to heal. MHO is we can probably beat Denver with Keenun at QB, as long as 1/2 the starting offense isn't out besides. 

[SdBacker80]

12 minutes ago, Zombo said:

Hell no.

All Hands on Deck.

They get a nice 10 day break for the next game.

Everybody needs to come together to win this football game and right the ship.

Z

Agree we are entering must win territory and our QB and Defense are too inconsistent to rely on any games down the road being easier. If they aren’t doing so now  i think Woods and the Secondary should be going on the second day of an all nighter watching film and figuring out assignments.  The excuse last year they weren’t fast enough or good enough - what is this year?

It becomes a hurt or injured question too.  We have some guys that play hurt and others sit out after 8 plays in a game.  Others play hard and fast and need to get carried off the field before they will leave.  
 

The only glaring personnel issue I see is Hudson playing now. I may have called in a street free agent Sunday night.  He’s a clear liability and it is impacting the play calls.  Other than that our backups are more than capable to account for the guys out with an actual injury. 

[jrb12711]

1 hour ago, Zombo said:

Hell no.

All Hands on Deck.

They get a nice 10 day break for the next game.

Everybody needs to come together to win this football game and right the ship.

Z

If there's a game to do it (take a conservative approach on players) it's this one, though. If the bye week was two weeks away, I'd say grit it out. But the division games start in a hurry next week and this is a game that's winnable with the backups in. This is a shit ass situation and the lesser of two evils in my opinion is getting the guys who can be healthier (Wills, Conklin, Chubb, Mayfield) ready to beat down Pittsburgh. 

[hoorta]

2 hours ago, Zombo said:

Hell no.

All Hands on Deck.

They get a nice 10 day break for the next game.

Everybody needs to come together to win this football game and right the ship.

Z

Yeah- it's now a "must win" game. But not at the cost of aggravating injuries and lose a player for the rest of the year just to win this game.  

Sorry Baker- You're not the coach. The time may come when (for his own good) Stefanski is going to have to take his helmet away and sit him. https://www.nfl.com/news/browns-qb-baker-mayfield-shoulder-says-decision-to-play-vs-broncos-on-tnf-is-his He did practice today (limited). But what he did say- 100% guaranteed he's going to need off season surgery on the shoulder. Every time it pops out, it's just going to get worse. PS checking- if he needs surgery- he's done for the year.  4-6 weeks to reattach to the bone, and then at least another 6 weeks of rehab.  

PS- Chubb ruled OUT again for Thursday. MHO- is if you're so hurt, your play is suffering- time to take a game off.  

[DieHardBrownsFan]

3 hours ago, Zombo said:

Hell no.

All Hands on Deck.

They get a nice 10 day break for the next game.

Everybody needs to come together to win this football game and right the ship.

Z

Damn the torpedo's!  Full speed ahead you pancake eating mother fuckers!

[Orion]

7 hours ago, tiamat63 said:

This is the game DJ validates my early dismissal of those who felt he was a goner when we drafted Felton. 

I felt there was a descent chance that D'E would be gone.  But quite obviously they did not feel that Felton was a RB at all.  Through 6 games he has yet to have a rushing attempt and has 8 receptions.  So, although he's listed as a RB, he hasn't been one....and the only other RB is D'E....and the FB Stanton.  No RB on the practice squad.  Are we standing pat with that?

[ATOM]

so no wills and conklin again ? it appears  would should be running the 12 all game

[SdBacker80]

3 hours ago, Orion said:

I felt there was a descent chance that D'E would be gone.  But quite obviously they did not feel that Felton was a RB at all.  Through 6 games he has yet to have a rushing attempt and has 8 receptions.  So, although he's listed as a RB, he hasn't been one....and the only other RB is D'E....and the FB Stanton.  No RB on the practice squad.  Are we standing pat with that?

Kelly is activated I believe we saw him in preseason quite a bit when we rested starters. Not a speed guy but will run through a tackle 

Felton isn’t on Johnson’s level when it comes to pounding the rock in our scheme. He was a toss right toss left and a pass catching back at UCLA and a very good Kickoff return specialist…looks like the case here too but he’s obviously elevated his game too. 
 

The Broncos are missing all of their LBs it’s time to use the three headed TE monster

[jiggins7919]

Ughhhhhhh. Where's the gif showing the young female Asian porn star about to be assaulted by "Telephone Pole Terrence". Cuz that's about how I'm seeing this game. 

[hx214]

24 minutes ago, SdBacker80 said:

The Broncos are missing all of their LBs it’s time to use the three headed TE monster

Hope Kev just dinks and dunks the shit out of these guys...

[jcam222]

7 hours ago, SdBacker80 said:

Agree we are entering must win territory and our QB and Defense are too inconsistent to rely on any games down the road being easier. If they aren’t doing so now  i think Woods and the Secondary should be going on the second day of an all nighter watching film and figuring out assignments.  The excuse last year they weren’t fast enough or good enough - what is this year?

It becomes a hurt or injured question too.  We have some guys that play hurt and others sit out after 8 plays in a game.  Others play hard and fast and need to get carried off the field before they will leave.  
 

The only glaring personnel issue I see is Hudson playing now. I may have called in a street free agent Sunday night.  He’s a clear liability and it is impacting the play calls.  Other than that our backups are more than capable to account for the guys out with an actual injury. 

IMO must win doesn’t mean we have to play Mayfield. I’m his current condition as well others must win might be better handled by backups against Denver. 

[Kvoethe]

How do we not start case keenum??   Baker is not well.  

 

[mjp28]

4 minutes ago, Kvoethe said:

How do we not start case keenum??   Baker is not well.  

 

I would not be shocked to see just that Thursday night.  Guaranteed he takes snaps with the A team........ whoever that might be.  

[hx214]

18 minutes ago, Kvoethe said:

How do we not start case keenum??   Baker is not well.  

 

If Stefanski doesn't, how bad does Case have to look in practice?? 

Baker is like the black knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail...... "Tis but a scratch!"

[mjp28]

Hey guys it's only WEEK 7 of 17 and the American 🏈 Conference looks wide freakin open !

Do you see what I see,  three division games right up to a WEEK 12 MNF game vs the black 🖤 birds and then a nice bye week.

Are you ready for some football ?      GO BROWNS !

[Orion]

2 hours ago, SdBacker80 said:

Kelly is activated I

Ahh, thanks.  I didn't see him on the depth chart...but he's on the roster.  He wasn't half bad in the preseason.  He was usually playing with a terrible offensive line...so...nothing new to him. 

[jiggins7919]

2 hours ago, Kvoethe said:

How do we not start case keenum??   Baker is not well.  

 

I get it, I really do. Coach REALLY likes Baker Mayfield and so does the team. It's important to remember that Baker is the heart, soul, and leader of this team. His absence would be HUGE to our mental psyche and if he CAN play, he should play. My worry is that we can't PROTECT him, ya know? How many hits is he gonna take? They're going to blitz the CRAP out of us!  I can tell you this, we're going to be practicing screen passes to our RBs ALL week. On the second 4th down failed attempt, we had the PERFECT opportunity for a screen. Everyone knew they were coming. So frustrating. 

Ughhhhhhh, I just don't know. 

[jiggins7919]

1 hour ago, hx214 said:

If Stefanski doesn't, how bad does Case have to look in practice?? 

Baker is like the black knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail...... "Tis but a scratch!"

Here the thing, if Baker can't throw the ball and  perform, he won't play. It's that simple. Coach knows what to look for will know if Baker can execute the offense. Baker said it's ultimately his decision on whether he'll play, but that's not the truth. The final decision will most certainly be on the coach. 

This game will come down to defense and special teams, I promise you. Our offense will be EXTREMELY vanilla and the Denver defense is VERY talented. This will be all about field position, creating turnovers, and probably needing a defensive or special teams score to win. 

What really hurts is we're not going to be able to run the ball again. Not just because Chubb and Hunt are out, but because we have the 4th and 5th string Tackles in the game AND Arizona conveniently demonstrated how to shut down the rushing attack. Most of you guys probably know this, but Arizona played many downs with a 6 man DL front. That's extremely difficult to run against for obvious reasons and it takes away our ability to run on 2nd and long. With Stefanski, our team has been at the top of the league in running efficiency on 2nd and long, but we can't do that against a 6 man front because 3rd and long is a death sentence. 

We need to try and remember we have the coach of the year. This is where he'll make his money. We also have to EXECUTE on offense. For example, coach called a reverse to OBJ and Hunt forgot to pitch it. It would have been a 30 yard gain, minimum and possibly a TD. How did we screw that up? How did Harrison sprint away from Deondre effing Hopkins in the end zone? I don't get it. 

Running will be difficult and we won't have time to throw, so what do you do? There's only so many screen passes and quick outs you can run. We'll have to move the pocket, risk a few bootlegs OCCASIONALLY, get the RBs and TEs involved early, and play SMART. Just one holding penalty can be the difference between winning and losing. THAT'S how thin the margins are when you're without your studs and people are hurt. 

I'll say this...we HAVE to find a way to get ANY fumble. Any ball in the air HAS to be ours. Tackles MUST be made. That Hopkins TD where he had 3 people in front of him was an absolute embarrassment. Oh, and JOK is out. Create the turnovers, get off the field, and when those few opportunities present themselves on offense, we MUST connect. It's now or never, boys. Baker says our backs are against the wall and he likes our chances. Lets freaking do this. 

[hoorta]

6 hours ago, SdBacker80 said:

 

The Broncos are missing all of their LBs it’s time to use the three headed TE monster

Um, not exactly- Von Miller is listed as a LB...  FWIW,,,,,   https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-olb-von-miller-facing-browns-tackles-kill-him-a-couple-sacks

I'm not exactly confident our 3rd and 4th string RBs are up to the task of keeping Miller off of Baker.  

[SdBacker80]

6 hours ago, hoorta said:

Um, not exactly- Von Miller is listed as a LB...  FWIW,,,,,   https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-olb-von-miller-facing-browns-tackles-kill-him-a-couple-sacks

I'm not exactly confident our 3rd and 4th string RBs are up to the task of keeping Miller off of Baker.  

Well they have three LBs out Two starters and another backup.  Von can’t blitz and cover everyone 

[tiamat63]

6 hours ago, hoorta said:

Um, not exactly- Von Miller is listed as a LB...  FWIW,,,,,   https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-olb-von-miller-facing-browns-tackles-kill-him-a-couple-sacks

I'm not exactly confident our 3rd and 4th string RBs are up to the task of keeping Miller off of Baker.  

Off-ball linebackers* 

[jiggins7919]

7 hours ago, hoorta said:

Um, not exactly- Von Miller is listed as a LB...  FWIW,,,,,   https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-olb-von-miller-facing-browns-tackles-kill-him-a-couple-sacks

I'm not exactly confident our 3rd and 4th string RBs are up to the task of keeping Miller off of Baker.  

This is actually a good point. When you play backup RBs, you're getting less talent running the ball, but just as important is the reduced ability to pick up blitzes. Many assumed Hunt played on passing downs because he's a better receiver, and that's true, but the biggest reason for Hunt's presence is his stellar ability to lay the wood on blitzing rushers. He's ferocious. 

We have a QB who can't get hit, backup Tackles, and RBs not used to playing much. It's not ideal. Our defense played a couple really good games this year. We need another one or our season is in jeopardy. 

[tiamat63]

31 minutes ago, Zombo said:

I see Myles held a players only defensive meeting, and Baker didn't think about sitting for a minute.

These are the things leaders do.

This is how good teams become championship teams ... by overcoming adversity together.

You guys that want to play Keenum tommorrow are pussies. All of you.

Z

 If he plays reasonably well, then so be it.  I choose to err on the side of caution in terms of not putting players out there that are dealing with issues which can harm the team. However if Baker has another 3 turnover game that buries any chance of a comeback or win and a potential lost defensive effort, then I'll also be accepting your apology for the insult.

[jrb12711]

1 hour ago, Zombo said:

I see Myles held a players only defensive meeting, and Baker didn't think about sitting for a minute.

These are the things leaders do.

This is how good teams become championship teams ... by overcoming adversity together.

You guys that want to play Keenum tommorrow are pussies. All of you.

Z

Well I guess that makes the Browns organization a bunch of pussies, huh?

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/qb-case-keenum-to-start-vs-broncos

Z, sometimes the health of a human being matters and arguably the hardest thing a coach has to do is sit a dude for his own good. We all respect the shit out of Mayfield for plowing through a very non-insignificant injury. No one with a serious brain is saying Keenum is the answer. But this ain't the Super Bowl or even a pivotal "must win" late in the season. It had to happen and coach made the right decision, cause I know this wasn't Mayfield's call.