They're a well-coached, disciplined football team, which is a start. I totally agree, they need an infusion of talent, especially at the skill positions on offense. But they're clearly on the up and up.
Then again, I thought this a few years ago after their 10-6 season, and they simply imploded. So time will tell.
I think you're overlooking their defense. They're young, and have two very talented and young CBs. They're only going to get better. I also think they need a DE to complement Shaun Rogers too.
As for their offense... they have talent, but need to complement what they have to make it better. They need a better down field threat in the receiving department. And I'd also like to see them get another quality RB to complement Hillis. I have always loved that two-back threat aka Mack/Byner. Keeps guys fresh.
Two good clubs obviously. I don't think the Ravens are as good as some project them to be. Their offense is very inconsistent, relying heavily on an aging defense. And the Steelers could very easily be 5-4 this year if not for that "gimme" at the end of the Miami game.
I simply want to see the Browns improving on that plane. Their problem these last several years has been the "brain trust" behind this team and it's building. It's been very haphazard, without a consistent plan, goal. Especially when it came to the draft. For instance.... they'd waste a #1 pick on a QB, or a receiver, but ignore the O-line. They'd move to a 3-4 defense but not draft/acquire the guys that best complement it. Huge inconsistencies, almost like a crap shoot.
Myself, and a majority of Brown fans, think (hope) that Holmgren is in the process of changing that. But it's not going to happen over night.
But you're right, it is about talent. But the talent is out there. You just need the right guy to see, acquire, and put it together.
If they can do it in Pitt or Baltimore, then it can be accomplished in Cleveland.
Last edited by GAC; 11-21-2010 at 05:57 AM.
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
Keep an eye on Rubin on the Browns' DLine GAC...he is becoming a force.
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
After the IU basketball game on Sunday, I headed to one of my favorite college watering holes to watch the end of the 1st NFL games before heading home.
I was pleasantly surprised to see "yes there were seats available" and "yes the Bengals and Raiders' games were both on in that room."(My friend is a Raider's fan.) What I had forgotten was that the bar(Yogi's) is the local Browns Backer club hangout, and though the Bengals game became unwatchable and the Steelers were pummelling the Raiders, we were in the midst of a huge celebration because the Browns were driving to kick the "winning" field goal.
"Too much time," I said as the Browns kicked off, but when the Jaguars foolishly took the ball out of the endzone, and attempted a return only to get tackled at the 15, the room was in full throat.
When David Garrard threw deep on first down, I looked at my friend, and said, "Stupid. There's plenty of time left, no need to panic." He agreed amidst the dog bones clanking on tables and fans woofing at the TV.
Then a 10 yard completion and he got out of bounds. Then the screen pass to Jones-Drew, he makes one guy miss, "Hey he's going to get them in field goal range," he makes another guy miss, oh my gosh he's going to score, then the tackle at the one. And two plays later, it was all I could do to keep myself from finding the sad trombone sound to play for the room as it seemed like everyone had been kicked in the nuts again.
Ahh Shaudenfreude. Alive and well.
That's the 2010 Browns Hoosier..... they can't finish games. Their defense plays pretty solid overall, but gives up the big plays at the most inopportune times.
I wanna say that losing all these very close games (6 to be exact) shows we are on the crisp of being a good team... or else we're simply cursed.
Mangini relied waaaaay to much on Hillis in this game, and the Jaguars were ready for it as they loaded up the box. Yet we kept ramming Peyton right up the middle. Very predictable, and very frustrating. I couldn't understand why they weren't swinging him out more - our any of our receivers - with the screen or short passes? Taking what they would give us.
My wife walked from the living room to the bedroom, where I was watching the game, and shut the door LOL It's a wonder the TV is still in one piece.
Cribbs is out, and we lost our #1 receiver (Watson) early in the game, though he did come back at some point in the 2nd half. But he still wasn't 100%. And then there was the ankle injury to McCoy. The kid has guts, I'll give him that.
But this game further showed me that we need that down field threat. We need to improve ourselves in the receiving corp in order to aid our running game and move some of those LBs back and off the line.
We've got the Panthers at home this weekend, a game we should win. Then we go on the road for 3 in Miami, Buffalo, and then Cincy. Miami is really banged up and a shell of itself. The Bengal's secondary is completely decimated. Now Buffalo, regardless of their record, I'm wary of. But still, there are 3 out of 4 games, IMO, we should win.
And we need some momentum, a moral boost so to speak, because we then come home to finish out the season as our last two games are with the Ravens and Steelers.
Can the Browns finish 7-9, which is showing improvement? Yeah, I think they can. But I'm thinking 6-10 is more probable. I think Mangini is going to have to have a really strong finish to save his job for next season IMO.
Last edited by GAC; 11-24-2010 at 04:59 AM.
"In my day you had musicians who experimented with drugs. Now it's druggies experimenting with music" - Alfred G Clark (circa 1972)
Shocker of the day.
Mort says Mangini is out.
Simmons said it best last week
Why you should pick the Steelers: Because the Browns have looked like crap the past three weeks. We're inching closer and closer to the Dirk Diggler-like return of a sobbing Eric Mangini as the Patriots' secondary coach (with Belichick as Jack Horner).
'When I'm not longer rapping, I want to open up an ice cream parlor and call myself Scoop Dogg.'
-Snoop on his retirement
Your Mom is happy.
I take back everything nice I said about the Browns earlier in this thread. I think they have more talent than they have had in a while, but they're still a long way away.
They'd probably be a playoff team in the NFC West though.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |