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NFL Week 1 (9/7/14): Browns @ Steelers [1:00 PM EST, CBS]

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I think at this point that the difference between the Browns winning 4 games and the Browns winning 8 games is the ability to execute when the game is on the line. Like, when you're tied late in the fourth quarter and you've run off 24 unanswered points and have a first down on the opponents' 35-yard line, you have to be able to finish that drive and score points. Then you have to protect that lead and get a stop.

That's the difference. It isn't talent. This team is talented enough to be competitive. And by "competitive" I don't mean "4-12 with a bunch of close losses."
 
My favorite is seeing "we should have played for overtime there!!" from all the same people who would be saying "we just played not to lose" after we lost in overtime.

Clearly, the Browns shouldn't have played field position there. There's a reason that Mike Tomlin went for it on 4th down in their own territory... The Browns should have been playing like that, with nothing to lose, from the first kick.

That call by Pettine is very rookie-head coach-like... He went by the book rather than feeling the situation's uniqueness.. Still, though, I think that is pretty much the worst thing Pettine did all day. If we can get past the thought of losing and try to see what they can build upon, Pettine handled himself pretty well in that situation in his first game. The team did respond to his adjustments and the reason they came back isn't because the Steelers decided to play prevent, they didn't.

Crowell looked really good and West looked good as well. Gilbert is disappointing at this point, but I'm hoping that he gets this figured out as the season goes on. He should be able to with the Browns not asking him to save the world right away...

The defense was pretty shitty... For the "strong" part of the team, they looked like shit. The line was good at times, but the secondary still can't cover without holding.. Christian Kirksey is going to be starting this season at some point... He's a very good draft pick.

Antonio Brown still owns the Browns. No silver lining.

The offensive line played well. Not tremendous or anything, but good.

Browns front 7 need to stop allowing dumps 5 yards down the field... Killer.

I'm not even thinking about a "moral victory". 0-1 is what it is. There are things to see within the game that don't show up in the final score or on ESPN, though.
 
What I'm saying is we've seen this team play well against good teams before. We kicked New England's ass for 58 minutes on their home field last year. Really, it shouldn't surprise anyone when when the Browns do certain things well. There is talent on this team.

But you have to be able to execute in situations where the game is on the line, and the Browns have not shown that they're capable of doing so.

If I'm negative it's because I think the Browns are capable of winning more than they have. This isn't 1999 where they're rolling out a team full of guys that don't belong in the NFL. Like I said, there is talent on this team.
It does depend on what you attribute the Browns success to.

In NE, it was Josh Gordon going ham on everybody. We still had a crap QB and a crap RB, so we were left at the whim of when Gordon could dominate a game by himself.

Yesterday, it looked like we were running an offense with some innovation, played to our strengths (Hoyer running a no huddle, the Oline, play action) and is sustainable. So I think they are different situations.
 
Another huge problem I saw with the defense is... Why can't they make a tackle? Barkevious Mingo, specifically, can't make an arm tackle. He even has a tough time when he can square up with a guy...
 
Another huge problem I saw with the defense is... Why can't they make a tackle? Barkevious Mingo, specifically, can't make an arm tackle. He even has a tough time when he can square up with a guy...

That was real disappointing to me as well. The tackling was about as bad as I can remember. It was embarrassing some of the runs Bell had. I certainly expected a better effort there.

Haden and Gilbert each had bad games. Haden was a surprise to me but Gilbert followed a disappointing pre season with this clunker in week 1. I'm no where near writing off Gilbert as CB is is one of those positions that it takes a while for the light bulb to come on.
 
Haden was a surprise to me but Gilbert followed a disappointing pre season with this clunker in week 1. I'm no where near writing off Gilbert as CB is is one of those positions that it takes a while for the light bulb to come on.

It looks, to me, like the coaches jumped the gun with Gilbert. They've been teaching him how to take advantage of not being the #1 corner, being aggressive on the ball.. It seems like they glossed over the basics to get him good at getting turnovers.
 
If you can't see grey area, then what's the point of watching? All I ask.

And yes, if you're only in here when something bad happens, I'm going to call you on it.

People watch because they're hoping to see competence on the football field. They want to spend a few hours on a Sunday escaping their own lives, good or bad, and watching a team that represents their interest to an extent win games.

Browns fans have been asked to see the gray area for 15 years now.

Win or don't. Fuck or walk.


The Browns have been losing non-stop and neither fucking nor walking since they returned. Please pardon the lesser fans if they want to take their frustrations out on the team that's repeatedly disappointed them for nearly two decades.

Yesterday the Browns played an absolutely putrid half of football, then played a mostly good second half and choked at the end of the game, partially due to an absolutely horrible play call and also due to a return of the crappy defense that burned them in the first half.

I suggest you let people be irritated with this and allow them to comment about it in a thread on the internet.
 
I know the Browns "normal" offense has to get better, but I'm not sure why Hoyer came out and said the No Huddle/Up Tempo offense can't be relied on. It works. If your team can handle it intellectually, and is able to play on the fly, there's no reason not to do it consistently. It's a clear advantage over the defense, who will struggle to make substitutions. Brian Hoyer is obviously not Peyton Manning, but if he has enough of a grasp on the playbook to relay plays to the team in a no huddle situation, they should do it as much as possible.
 

Clearly Antonio Brown has respect for Lanning by calling him "the punter"
 
Maybe, he said "the punter" because he didn't actually catch his name.. He probably just lied. Maybe he just had a few laughs with "the punter" from the Steelers? :chuckle: Antonio Brown.. Such a d-bag here.



Clearly Antonio Brown has respect for Lanning by calling him "the punter"
 

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