12 Days of a Cleveland Christmas: Day 1
December 8, 2011Spears: Cavs to Amnesty Baron Davis
December 8, 2011I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. It’s finally “December cold” outside, the Browns are playing the top team in the AFC on a short week, and frankly I just can’t see too many scenarios in which the Browns even keep tonight’s game in Pittspuke close. But, we are not bandwagoners, here. We write, no matter the outlook.
Pittsburgh is 11th in the league in yards per game on offense at 368 yards per, and they’re ninth in passing. What? These are not your father’s Steelers on offense. In fact, they actually haven’t been scoring a ton throughout the season (just over 22 points per game), but they haven’t had to. Why not? Well, they ARE your father’s Steelers on defense. First in the league in yardage allowed. Second in passing yards allowed. Seventh in rushing yards allowed. Fourth in points allowed. In other words, if you’ve been watching the Browns’ offense, it’s going to be a rough, rough night. Without further ado…
The Browns Will Win If…
Editor’s note: Similar to the past weeks, we have started things off with sharing some takes with our audience over at Still WFNY – please feel free to head over to Cleveland.com to partake.Â
Scott: …they scrap all gameplan that trades in consistency. This team will have zero chance to win a contest on the road against a superior opponent if they choose to go toe-to-toe. This team just got it handed to them by the second Bald Bull – you knew the rush is coming, but there was nothing you could do but wince following the third hop. Whether its fake punts, Wildcat, Cyclone, Pony, Flea Flickers or Statue of Liberty, this Browns offense has to do something creative and hope for the best. They can limit Rasard Mendenhall to 60 yards and a score. But if they can’t produce on the other end, it’s two losses in five days.
DP: …they play flawlessly. I mean, FLAWLESSLY. No turnovers. A solid, consistent, offensive gameplan that finds weaknesses and exploits them, and then is executed to perfection. No defensive hiccups. Pittsburgh’s rushing offense isn’t quite as strong as was the Ravens’, but the Browns none the less have to tighten up in that aspect if they want to stay in this game. If Pittsburgh gets a lead of 10 points, it’s basically over. I’d like to see the Browns able to run the ball on offense, but it will take commitment and execution to have success against Pittsburgh. A big key for the Browns tonight will be success on first down. If they can routinely pick up 4 yards on first down, it’s going to open up the playbook and allow them a little more wiggle room; and also, theoretically, it would mean they’re going to pick up some more first downs and string some drives together. If they’re looking at 2nd and 9 a lot, it’s going to be a LONG night.
Rick: …there are turnovers. Plenty of turnovers. Which isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Pittsburgh is a -6 in turnover margin with 18 giveaways this year. So a few turnovers could certainly happen, and would go a long way in helping the Browns win. You would hope that there is a pride factor at work here as well. I froze my rear-end off at the last Browns win over the Steelers, a game in which the Browns just willed a victory from thin air. It could happen. We could also get stomped.
Kirk: ….the Steelers feel like losing. What can I say? The Browns looked like garbage at home against the Ravens, in every aspect. I have the rain-soaked hoodie and parking stub to prove it. Now, they go on the road on a short week to take on the Steelers, who come off dismantling the Bengals. In a division of haves, the Browns are the lone have not, and it’s not even close. The Steelers could overlook the Browns, and they would still likely have time to recover from a lackluster first half or three quarters performance. Roethlisberger has been immune to anything Browns short of Rob Ryan’s now-defunct amoeba defense. Mike Wallace is a legit deep threat, and Joe Haden has given up some big plays in the past few games. None of that will matter, though, because if Sunday was any indication, the Steelers can hand the ball to Mendenhall or anyone with a pulse and they can rack up 200+ rushing yards as a team. On offense, McCoy MUST avoid the headache-spawning, vomit-inducing turnovers. On special teams, can Josh Cribbs, the player who may best understand what is supposed to be a rivalry, dial up some return magic? Short of that, I see an all out dismantling.
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What say, there, fuzzy britches?
157 Comments
@chris and lyon
You’re right. I would have gone for it too. I just want to see it backfire on Tomlin.
1. where is HIllis?
2. when he does play, please don’t run him up the middle every single time
I’m not sure there’s enough time left to kick two field goals
@ chris… you just have to ruin the good feelings don’t you ? Can’t I wait for my morning drive for that.
Oh go figure Harrison…
Harrison is out of control… is every hit he makes leading with his helmet?
And I hear you Kevin, me too.
@Lyon: no doubt. Part of his upside is he has great hands.
@Lyon…I was wondering about Hillis as well. I’d rather him out there than Hardesty. Also, Has Cribbs seen the field in the second half?
Ok we’re in FG range with 5 min left…. what are the odds we kick a FG??? 2:1?
Evan Moore!!
Sorry buddy….I’ve been so on the fence with McCoy all year. Was never ready to declare him
“not the future” until tonight.
He’s had receivers open and is just flat out missing them.
But really pulling for this win right now.
Come on Brownies….make Tomlin pay for going for it and for Cbus Kevin!!!
COLT!
Omar, I think i heard Cribbs was injured….
do our TEs or RBs ever chip block before going into their pattern?
Colt, that was terrible, you don’t throw that ball
Officially sealed his fate in my book right there.
wow.
COLT…damnit
Ugh….the QB search continues. I rest my case.
i hate to say it, but how many people think we score a TD if Seneca Wallace stays in the game?
That pass he threw was nice and he didn’t just dump it to the open guy in the flat, he looked deep first.
…
@Lyon
Sucks. I really really wanted him to be “the one”.
That turnover was terrible. I would like to note that the Browns red zone play calling has been very JV.
Sign of a bad team: finding ways to lose week after week. McCoy is tough bit not good a stud QB is needed.
thank god.
a win tonight costs us literally 6 draft spots.
i am not defending colt but defending the play. no room to step into it. no WR creativity. QB shouldn’t throw that but it wasn’t as if it were 1st and 5 on the 5. it was 3rd and goal on the 15. the play call should have been screen or underneath. that’s 2-play territory there.
All I wanted was for this game to be close…. but this just hurts. You can’t shoot yourself in the foot over n over again.
I’ll be listening to the press conference to hear whats up with Hillis. He better be hurt if he hasnt seen the field lately
well, at least i have antonio brown on my fantasy team…
@124 Mayock broke it down. The WR was open for a moment. Colt hung on to the ball too long. I’ve saying this for weeks. Part of the reason the line looks so bad is that Colt doesn’t get rid of the ball on time.
Did anyone catch my comments about Troy Brown earlier this week? Geez…
agree Chris.
You’re right saggy, def should’ve played to get close then go for it on 4th.
LoL Mike Adams way to tackle – another bum. Roethlesberger on 1 leg is better then any Browns QB.
@saggy, I feel the same way…and it’s the playoffs…big points for me from Brown on that play!
@Saggy
You have no soul sir. đ
haha….”sir”
Bad teams find a way to lose, even when everything is going their way. Go Browns.
Everyone was covered, and he gave his guy in single coverage a chance to make a play.
Colt is no great shakes, but we have the worst WR corp in the NFL. A top-flight WR makes that play.
@Marco: or at least breaks up the INT. I agree.
Marco… but a better play all together would be to throw it away/run for a yard & try again on 4th.
WHO WAS THAT TO????!!
Hillis was in on that play, but not when we needed to move the ball down the field. I LOVE YOU SHURMUR!!!
Mike Mayock disagrees with you.
I still look back at the first drive of the game. The team finally starts off with some rhythm, and the coach is happy with three points. Kicking that field goal was the most deflating way to end that drive. It kind of set the tone for the rest of the game in my opinion.
Okay this is getting overturned but please, did anyone see who that pass was intended to?
I saw six steelers jerseys and zero white on whites.
Omar, I’m 100% with you on that. Look what happens, we lose with 3 points. We’re not going to playoffs & yet we still play like we’re afraid to lose.
I’m not Oribiasi, but Shurmur hasn’t done anything to impress me at all. He is definitely testing my patience
ya Chris that was horrible. I feel like he may have gotten a concussion. That at least would make me feel better about his decision making lately.
Oh speaking of the uniforms I’ve been holding onto this one all year:
The Dude: “hey man, what jerseys are the Browns wearing today?”
Walt Sobchak: “the whites”
/BigLebowski’d
i was gonna write that 3 hours ago. Shurmer is a wuss. what a bad call to kick the FG. no guts. what’s the old saying? This is the NFL – means Not For Long if you continue to make play calls like that.
and we have the worst 2-minute offense ever. i got up to pee and came back and we are still on the 40
it’s like he doesn’t WANT to play for the Browns.
I wanted him to be the guy…
Colt has taken a real beating tonight, I’m surprised he came back after Harrison tried to kill him. He really earned his check this week/
Will the CLE media have any huevos to ask why not go for TD on 1st play? Or ask where Hillis was if he wasn’t hurt?
I doubt it, but really wish we could have some answers b/c this stuff is just too aggravating, especially late on a work night.