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SI: Brace yourself for a world where the Browns are contenders

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I don't think the people calling for Pettine's head after the halftime of both games were literally saying he should be fired in the middle of a game. It was more of a "If this continues the rest of the season, he should be fired." But yeah...you're not going to get such asterisked qualifications in a game thread.
 
shoes22 said:
It's interesting...thanks to the Browns improved play, the AFC North looks to be the toughest division in football.
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The AFC, in general, is going to be a really tough playoff prospect,

There are 6 teams, after 6 weeks, that are (4-2) or better.

At (3-2), Cleveland is 7th in the AFC right now. They're also just ahead of Houston, Pittsburgh and Buffalo at (3-3).

That's 10 teams at .500 or better through 40% of the year.

I think this is probably the year where the WC's could both be (10-6). That's why Cleveland absolutely needs all 3 of these.

A (6-2) start affords them a (4-4) finish when their schedule gets much tougher. 4 of the last 6 are on the road, which is going to be a tough stretch run.
 
When was the last time the Browns had a 5 game winning streak? I can't recall if they had a run like that in 2007 or not.
 
shoes22 said:
I don't think the people calling for Pettine's head after the halftime of both games were literally saying he should be fired in the middle of a game. It was more of a "If this continues the rest of the season, he should be fired." But yeah...you're not going to get such asterisked qualifications in a game thread.
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I'm pretty sure they wanted him gone at half time and that you're severely underrating the ability of Browns fans to overreact to everything. :chuckle:
 
This offense looks stellar under Shanahan. He's exhausting the defense as each play goes on, opening the running and passing game respectively. Something I've never seen the Browns do in my lifetime.

We're finally an all-around great football team with nothing but high hopes going into these next 3 weeks.

It should be an onslaught against Jac, OAK, and TB. I expect us to be 6-2 and on top the division for the first time in....God knows how long. Just happy that the time is now, when the city of Cleveland is experiencing a renaissance that includes growth and progress never seen before.
 
Just hoping against hope that the Browns win the next three games because they are games that they are SUPPOSED to win.
 
Marcus said:
Just hoping against hope that the Browns win the next three games because they are games that they are SUPPOSED to win.
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I think this team and coaching staff have done a great job on knowing the importance of every game. I think that can be attributed to the vets we brought in like Dansby and Whitner. Can't remember where I saw it but some reporter said something to the effect of Browns are going into the games expecting to play hard and win. I think that's the first time they've had this mindset since they've returned.

If they go in and put up similar performances to yesterday in these next three games, this team is the real deal. Personally, I feel like Pettine will get them to maximize their efforts after yesterday's victory. Just keep preaching play 60 minutes like you're capable of and look what happens.

It's an exciting time to be a fan of this team. Let's hope the trend continues.
 
FiveThous said:
I think this team and coaching staff have done a great job on knowing the importance of every game. I think that can be attributed to the vets we brought in like Dansby and Whitner. Can't remember where I saw it but some reporter said something to the effect of Browns are going into the games expecting to play hard and win. I think that's the first time they've had this mindset since they've returned.

If they go in and put up similar performances to yesterday in these next three games, this team is the real deal. Personally, I feel like Pettine will get them to maximize their efforts after yesterday's victory. Just keep preaching play 60 minutes like you're capable of and look what happens.

It's an exciting time to be a fan of this team. Let's hope the trend continues.
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No doubt. Probably just part of the never-ending pessimism that comes from being a Browns fan, expecting them to come in feeling cocky against three opponents that are a combined 1-16. Oakland nearly beat a very good Chargers team yesterday. Tampa Bay beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh and nearly beat the Saints. Even though Jacksonville has been awful, they've had two very close losses the last couple of weeks against the Titans and the Steelers.

That being said, it seems like Pettine has been keeping this team level-headed all season long, and they have responded well to adversity, too. They've got a weak schedule coming up over the next two months; Cincinnati is their only opponent that currently has a winning record. Seeing as the end of their schedule looks to be pretty tough (their last four games are home versus Indy, home versus Cincinnati, away versus Carolina, and away versus Baltimore) they need to strike while the iron is hot. This team should absolutely be 6-2 headed into their matchup on Thursday night three weeks from now. The only truly questionable game coming into this stretch was yesterday's, and they responded about as well as you can hope.

Cautiously optimistic, but this team has felt legitimately different since Week 1.
 
Marcus said:
Seeing as the end of their schedule looks to be pretty tough (their last four games are home versus Indy, home versus Cincinnati, away versus Carolina, and away versus Baltimore) they need to strike while the iron is hot.
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I can honestly say that I would never have guessed before the season started that the December game I'm going to against the Panthers might actually be relevant. :chuckle:
 
These 3 games will tell you a lot about this team.

They need to win all 3, and honestly as a fan I expect nothing less. I will be disappointed if they don't. That said, I'd be surprised if they don't drop one of them. These 3 teams are bad but hungry for a win, they will put up a fight. Like someone said Oakland just nearly knocked off San Diego, a team that is probably twice as good as the Browns.

This won't be easy, but they can definitely do it. Should be fun.
 
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