Let it All Out: 2021 Browns Rant Thread

[Soar]

Between bad luck, injuries, missed opportunities, and Covid, I think the whole team is just checked out. Hard to blame them. Just a lost year.

NFL can flip quickly. Bengals were 4-11-1 last year. Steelers were 12-4.

Huge issue at QB looming but quick turnarounds are not unheard of in this league at all.

 

[CBBI]

How is that messed up? The game was within 1 or 2 scores from start to finish, it wasn’t a blow out.

There was certainly opportunity to actually try and win the game by utilizing your best offensive player (Chubb) if you were Stefanski. That is the head coach’s primary responsibility, to find a way to win games with the personnel you have, for better or worse. If he was not putting his team in the best position to win the game, then he of course deserves criticism.

I think it's pretty obvious that organizationally the Browns weren't doing everything in their power to win that game.

Criticize that decision if you want, but it seemed pretty clear that the plan was not to pull out all the stops to get a win.

 

[Vee-Rex]

How is that messed up? The game was within 1 or 2 scores from start to finish, it wasn’t a blow out.

There was certainly opportunity to actually try and win the game by utilizing your best offensive player (Chubb) if you were Stefanski. That is the head coach’s primary responsibility, to find a way to win games with the personnel you have, for better or worse. If he was not putting his team in the best position to win the game, then he of course deserves criticism.

How do you think we got 7 wins in a season where the QB play was as bad as it has been?

In a meaningless game where you finally have an opportunity to remove the leash on that you've had on your QB all year and let him go out and make plays, we're expecting the handcuffs to remain? I guess I don't see the big deal for that game. I get he's injured but man... can't even complete a screen or simple route concepts?

 

[DJTJ]

I think it's pretty obvious that organizationally the Browns weren't doing everything in their power to win that game.

Criticize that decision if you want, but it seemed pretty clear that the plan was not to pull out all the stops to get a win.

I thought this last night, but I disagree.

I truly think that the plan was the Arizona game plan. Spread wide, and be successful. We just weren’t, and then Chubb got hurt early.

 

[Bkerr02]

The problem I have with stefanski is the lack of adjustments through out the entire season. You have a very hurt QB and he didn’t try to compensate for that at all and just continued to run the offense like he had a perfectly healthy QB. How many times this year have we all sat here and said why the hell are we not giving Chubb more carries. Instead you have a QB that is hurt and just completely shot any confidence he did have. As a coach you are to put your team in the best position to succeed and stefanski did not do that this year. It was clear since the Vikings game that Baker wasn’t the same QB he was before injury. We can all debate on Baker should have just shut it down and had surgery. Personally I think he should have after that Arizona game. Instead we sent out a clearly hampered QB with a coach that made no adjustments to add extra protection to compensate for having a banged up QB. Baker lost all confidence, didn’t trust himself and bailed out of pockets to avoid being hit, mechanics went to shit and his accuracy was heavily effected bc of it. There is plenty to blame Baker on and is well deserved but stefanski needs blame as well for the way he handled it all.

 

[CBBI]

Between bad luck, injuries, missed opportunities, and Covid, I think the whole team is just checked out. Hard to blame them. Just a lost year.

NFL can flip quickly. Bengals were 4-11-1 last year. Steelers were 12-4.

Huge issue at QB looming but quick turnarounds are not unheard of in this league at all.

This team is way more talented than people are going to realize based on their record.

They are going to win 7 or 8 games with bottom 7 QB play for goodness sake. Do you know how difficult that is?

Look at every other team who has gotten comparatively bad QB play and their records.

Bears with Fields: 2-8
Jets with Wilson: 3-9
Texans with Mills: 2-8
Jaguars with Lawrence: 2-14
Panthers with the Darnold/Newton/Walker pu pu platter: 5-11
Giants with the Jones/Glennon/Fromm pu pu platter: 4-12
Lions with Goff: 2-10-1

These are the guys Baker has played equivalent to this season and the Browns are 7-9 with 1 game to go.

If they get middle of the pack QB play next year, they'll be contending for the division.
If they get anything above middle of the pack QB play next year, they'll win double digits for sure.

They're not nearly as far off as some of you doom and gloomers seem to think.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

The problem I have with stefanski is the lack of adjustments through out the entire season. You have a very hurt QB and he didn’t try to compensate for that at all and just continued to run the offense like he had a perfectly healthy QB. How many times this year have we all sat here and said why the hell are we not giving Chubb more carries. Instead you have a QB that is hurt and just completely shot any confidence he did have. As a coach you are to put your team in the best position to succeed and stefanski did not do that this year. It was clear since the Vikings game that Baker wasn’t the same QB he was before injury. We can all debate on Baker should have just shut it down and had surgery. Personally I think he should have after that Arizona game. Instead we sent out a clearly hampered QB with a coach that made no adjustments to add extra protection to compensate for having a banged up QB. Baker lost all confidence, didn’t trust himself and bailed out of pockets to avoid being hit, mechanics went to shit and his accuracy was heavily effected bc of it. There is plenty to blame Baker on and is well deserved but stefanski needs blame as well for the way he handled it all.

There is a lot of truth in this post. Notice how our first drives are pretty spot on, we usually have some great plays and move the ball into scoring position. When the fourth quarter rolls around, we cannot do jack shit.

As long as Baker wants to play the tough guy, Kevin is going to run him out there. I think there is some spite there. When Baker is 100% I don't think Kevin minds having him as his QB.

Arrogant, tough guy Baker grates Stefanski.

Baker, being such a hard ass fucked our entire season IMO. If he would have admitted he was too hurt to play, the team wouldn't be in the position we are in. He completely flushed his value this season by trying to be a tough guy. I don't know if he was trying to earn a contract but he completely pissed that away.

Last night took a nuclear bomb to his confidence.

Now you get the worst part, which is Baker's arrogance, as a defense mechanism for his ineptitude.

How nice would it be for Baker to just say "I suck right now, I am going to shut it down and come back next year healthy and pick up where we left off last season."

Now you get Baker's crap as he alluded to Kevin not putting him in positions to succeed.

Kevin has sucked horribly this year.

Baker insisted on playing so Kevin threw him out there.

Kevin wanted Baker to get schooled, perhaps to humble him or force him out IMO.

 

[Urban]

There is a lot of truth in this post. Notice how our first drives are pretty spot on, we usually have some great plays and move the ball into scoring position. When the fourth quarter rolls around, we cannot do jack shit.

Not too dissimilar from 2019.

Take it as neither coaches make good adjustments outside of their scripted plays or that the QB can't perform well outside of his scripted plays

2019

• 6 opening drive TD
• 2 opening drive FG
• 2 Baker INTs from the opponent's 28 and 20

2021

• 5 opening drive TD
• 2 opening drive FG
• 2 turnover on downs from opponents 6 and 38
• 1 missed 46 yard FG

 

[Malacogary]

I have to think the edict for Baker to play through the injury came from some place other than Baker or Stefanski. Maybe Berry for 'evaluation' purposes or from the Haslams. But from the point of view of trying to win games (for the coach) or a hefty contract (for the player) what went down was an outcome which no amount of wishful thinking on either part could guarantee.

I think there is some significant personal animus between coach and QB at this point. Baker calling out the 'conservative' gameplan in the second half of the Baltimore game was something that Stefanski saw as a challenge that had to be accepted. The end-point was last night. These two will not be working together next year. Worth noting that it's easier to fire coaching staff than find a franchise QB.

 

[Damage]

This team is way more talented than people are going to realize based on their record.

They are going to win 7 or 8 games with bottom 7 QB play for goodness sake. Do you know how difficult that is?

Look at every other team who has gotten comparatively bad QB play and their records.

Bears with Fields: 2-8
Jets with Wilson: 3-9
Texans with Mills: 2-8
Jaguars with Lawrence: 2-14
Panthers with the Darnold/Newton/Walker pu pu platter: 5-11
Giants with the Jones/Glennon/Fromm pu pu platter: 4-12
Rams with Goff: 2-10-1

These are the guys Baker has played equivalent to this season and the Browns are 7-9 with 1 game to go.

If they get middle of the pack QB play next year, they'll be contending for the division.
If they get anything above middle of the pack QB play next year, they'll win double digits for sure.

They're not nearly as far off as some of you doom and gloomers seem to think.

The most talented team in the division from top to bottom and that is not a hyperbolic statement. They need WRs and a decision at QB.

 

[2 For The Brew]

I have to think the edict for Baker to play through the injury came from some place other than Baker or Stefanski. Maybe Berry for 'evaluation' purposes or from the Haslams. But from the point of view of trying to win games (for the coach) or a hefty contract (for the player) what went down was an outcome which no amount of wishful thinking on either part could guarantee.

I think there is some significant personal animus between coach and QB at this point. Baker calling out the 'conservative' gameplan in the second half of the Baltimore game was something that Stefanski saw as a challenge that had to be accepted. The end-point was last night. These two will not be working together next year. Worth noting that it's easier to fire coaching staff than find a franchise QB.

Agree with most of this, but if Baker Mayfield is a franchise QB than what’s the franchise? Lordburger? Arthur Treacher’s? The Red Barn?

 

[FiveThous]

The most talented team in the division from top to bottom and that is not a hyperbolic statement. They need WRs and a decision at QB.

The Browns have a bottom 3 WR group in the NFL and absolutely the worst WRs in the AFCN. Feel free to say they get open or whatever you want but this WR room is dog shit. Even Higgins he’s been dropping everything this year and he’s been our most efficient WR the last couple of seasons.

I definitely agree that a decision had to be made at QB.

 

[Malacogary]

I'm not calling Baker a franchise QB. I think we have four seasons of evidence that he's a limited player. He has arm talent but he does not have the elite athleticism needed to succeed in today's NFL. He does not appear to have the footballing IQ to compensate either. There's merit to the idea that he was an acceptable bridge QB between the dismal chaos that preceded his arrival and where we appear to be now, which is a franchise with some nice pieces and an apparently capable GM. I still think he was the correct pick in 2018 as neither Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson could have got this franchise as then constituted to where we got last year.

From Baker's point of view I don't know where he goes from here as a player in the league. He has some more potential upside than the veteran journeyman archetype but the book is well and truly out on his considerable limitations. A healthy Mayfield, when not hurried or pressured can make some throws which only the very top guys are capable of. Sadly Baker under duress, either from game situation or physical pressure, is pretty awful. That's not a This Year Stat: it's who he is. Hasn't overcome a deficit of 8 points or more in 27 consecutive games and is 2-16 in trying to mount fourth quarter comebacks. Those numbers cannot make you a viable starter with any kind of team in the league. Will he be happy bouncing around as a backup? I can't see that. A media career beckons sooner rather than later.

 

[2 For The Brew]

I'm not calling Baker a franchise QB. I think we have four seasons of evidence that he's a limited player. He has arm talent but he does not have the elite athleticism needed to succeed in today's NFL. He does not appear to have the footballing IQ to compensate either. There's merit to the idea that he was an acceptable bridge QB between the dismal chaos that preceded his arrival and where we appear to be now, which is a franchise with some nice pieces and an apparently capable GM. I still think he was the correct pick in 2018 as neither Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson could have got this franchise as then constituted to where we got last year.

From Baker's point of view I don't know where he goes from here as a player in the league. He has some more potential upside than the veteran journeyman archetype but the book is well and truly out on his considerable limitations. A healthy Mayfield, when not hurried or pressured can make some throws which only the very top guys are capable of. Sadly Baker under duress, either from game situation or physical pressure, is pretty awful. That's not a This Year Stat: it's who he is. Hasn't overcome a deficit of 8 points or more in 27 consecutive games and is 2-16 in trying to mount fourth quarter comebacks. Those numbers cannot make you a viable starter with any kind of team in the league. Will he be happy bouncing around as a backup? I can't see that. A media career beckons sooner rather than later.

100%.

 

[bigfoot5415]

Is there any cap relief if we cut or trade him at any point this offseason?