Kevin Love is a Cleveland Cavalier
August 23, 2014And so the Kevin Love era begins: While We’re Waiting…
August 25, 2014The Cleveland Browns’ first string offense finally scored a touchdown. It came in the third preseason game with less than a minute left in the first half, after the St. Louis Rams scored the first 20 points in the game.
Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Hawkins which was set-up by a long kick-off return by Marlon Moore. Hoyer was 10-16 for 84 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The pick led to a touchdown for the Rams.
While the offense has struggled all preseason, the defense had been pretty solid until Saturday night. With Joe Haden nursing a bit of a foot injury, and Buster Skrine not playing after having surgery on his thumb, the secondary struggled big time. Leon McFadden started opposite rookie Justin Gilbert. Neither will add this to the highlight reel.
Gilbert failed to tackle Chris Givens on a simple crossing route, which led to a 75-yard touchdown catch for the Rams. McFadden was victimized several times, especially on third down where the Browns were not able to get off the field. The Rams converted on third and twelve, twenty-five, eleven and nineteen yards.
Rams quarterback Sam Bradford was injured on the first drive of the game, which means that the bulk of St. Louis’ 227 first-half passing yards (!) came from back-up quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Austin Davis.
Linebacker Chris Kirksey was a bright spot for the Browns on defense, and Antonio Bryant continued his strong preseason play. Barkevious Mingo was all over the field, but was always a step away or out of position to make the play.
30 Comments
Mariota? Winston? Hundley?
Who’s it going to be?
They be willing to give us Sammy just to get their pick back
Sold!
Gimmie SAMMY.
The bright spot is in previous years it took me until October to figure out that I needed to find something else to do on Sunday afternoons. It’s rather obvious before Labor Day this year. WOW! What a cluster you-know-what!! After watching the first half of Buffalo’s game today, we may have the first 2 picks next draft!! When does basketball start?
Start scouting for the next head coach too while your at it.
What a mess. Short of a running game that occasionally shows up, the offense is a mess. The defensive secondary…oy.
I know it’s preseason, and there were some second stringers out there, but the defense was getting torched for big plays by Shaun Hill and some dude from Southern Miss during the part of the game where both teams were clearly still trying.
I’ll try to reserve final judgement until the actual season gets started. But seriously…what am I supposed to be excited about right now when it comes to the Browns? As of right now, the two most exciting players will be serving a suspension and riding the pine as a second stringer.
This team is bad. That offense was confused, untalented and once again, surprise(!), unable to catch a freaking ball that hit them in the freaking hands.
The defense? Well, the defense can’t tackle. So that’s going to be a problem. Oh, and they can’t get off the field on third down, which is the truest sign of an undisciplined unit.
Mike Pettine?
Well, Mike Pettine is an unproven nobody with no credibility until proven otherwise. Until he shows any kind of competence in an ability to bring a team together or to translate a “tough” persona into actual NFL W’s he will remain an unproven, incredible hack, no matter how many puff pieces are offered to him by the likes of Scott Raab or Mary Kay Cabot.
I’m sorry but this team has looked horrible and although it is only the preseason there is zero reason to think that this four-win team from a year ago has gained any kind of knowledge or has accumulated any kind of sufficient talent that would necessarily translate into a unit capable of competing in the NFL.
They are losers.
And until they compete in the NFL, which equals a playoff birth because lets not forget that everyone regards the Ravens and Steelers as being “down” as a result of an 8-8 record a year ago (as if this city and the institutions that represent it would not hesitate to proclaim an 8-8 record as an unmitigated success), they will remain losers.
And we should treat them and talk about them as under-performing, unreliable unequivocal losers.
(Sorry for the rant but I am a fair man and they deserve it).
It’s a shame this defense looks miserable. Ideally they would hold the opponent to less than 20 points and generate turnovers to set up the offense that would run the ball for 150+ yards and score 24, with special teams and defensive scoring plays sprinkled in along the way. All the while, mediocre QB play would suffice. Alas, this is nowhere near reality.
In the meantime…
http://youtu.be/VGO9jNHH5Lw
Is Kyle Shanahan actually being paid cash money for this well oiled offensive juggernaut he’s producing? The confusion apparent on multiple plays is an indictment of his ability to teach/communicate as well as the shear amount of information he appears to be forcing feeding this team.
http://media.giphy.com/media/ousKN2z31wLZe/giphy.gif
Bad and boring, bad and boring, bad and boring. 3 games in the pre-season and I’m already sick of this team.
Going to avoid the obvious and well-founded concerns stated by others, except to say that every coach and the GM are new to their jobs, except Shanahan. And the installation of his offense is not going smoothly. Maybe it’s because they’ve been rotating 2 QBs, neither of whom know the system, maybe because Shanahan’s rep as a guy who doesn’t bond with players turns out to be justified. Maybe because nobody yet knows what they’re doing except the RBs. Quick takes:
– If Shanahan doesn’t make Hoyer chuck the ball downfield at least a few times a game Pittsburgh and Baltimore are going to put our QBs on the IR. Every pass can’t be 15 yards in the air or less. Overthrow it and lose the down, jump ball it on 3rd down for a punt substitute, doesn’t matter. But get the safeties off the line by putting something on film, even if your receivers are tweedledee and dum. Both Hoyer and Manziel look like new drivers who must stare at the road just in front of them.
– Kirksey wins, announce it. Our new GM rang the third round bell, a guy who immediately looks like he knows what he’s doing and has the physical ability to do it. I predict this kid will be named a defensive captain within a few years.
– Let’s hope third down defense is so putrid because Pettine is playing opossum with his preseason blitzing. But this expensive a D-line needs to be collapsing the pocket all by itself sometimes.
– Now we stop liking Pettine for the cut of his gib. Better at least install that identity if the plays are still buffering, Mike. Keep the starters in for a full half on Thursday. They need it, even if you’re scared.
Sorry for the rant. I was drunk,
Everything is going to be ok.
one more, which I can’t believe they didn’t cover in the rookie symposiums and the multiple team rookie programs: when you play like crap the media will ask you questions. That’s part of the payback for your handsome salary: those who pay it get your quotes. You don’t run from the reporters, get dragged back by team officials, and then say you’re just going to “man up” to your bad play.
You’re a NFL cornerback now, Justin, and you’ll be a good one. But this little attention-free bubble you’ve lucked into was an illusion and it’s over. Forget “man up,” time to grow up. And one of his veteran peers – Haden? Whitner? – should have shown some leadership by telling him what was coming, and ordering him to sit his ass down and look people in the eye.
15 years and counting!
They’re not ready for Pittsburgh. Sadly this season could easily start 0-3.
I watch other teams in the preseason and all of them have looked better then Cleveland.
Absolutely. Pittsburgh could be down to their third and fourth string RBs and that won’t even hurt them.
Woah, guys, it’s just the preseason. Please don’t hang yourself until at least after the bye week!
I’ll hang myself when I damn well please! ;-l
http://i.imgur.com/X5bSB.gif
kirksey could be the playmaking LB we havent had since chip banks.
i think the 3rd down defense was putrid largely due to the mingo experiment which saw sheard not playing. sheard absence is a bigger impact than haden’s imo. sign him now.
pettine must play the starters at least two quarters. protecting unready starters in the 4th preseason for the sake of convention is a pat shurmur move. here’s hoping pettine is smarter.
the only spin i can offer for the offense is ‘improvement.’ ie, they were better than the debacle in DC.
the defense on the other hand — really really missed sheard, haden, and (not kidding) skrine.
hah, would love Kirksey to be 2/3 of Chipper. It’s just weird that with so many impact LBs throughout the league in the last 30 years, maybe more than ever because those same guys no longer become boxers, the Browns have somehow managed to avoid all of them.
Kirksey? Did someone mention Kirksey?
http://31.media.tumblr.com/90477675492137a678b9366a41354218/tumblr_mst0clpDac1sgl0ajo1_250.gif
The Browns drafted Mingo because he is fast and he shows that by catching up to the pile to get on camera. I looked up his stats for the game and he didn’t have any.
Oh, we’ll easily be 0-3 to start. The question then will be if they try and get Johnny ready after that stupid early bye or keep rolling with Hoyer.
This really doesn’t matter. Bill Belichick, Peyton Manning, Marshawn Lynch: all are awful with the media (either after a bad game or always) and it doesn’t change a thing about how awesome they are. I’d rather Justin Gilbert focus on his football and not learn this “important” lesson of how to BS in an interview.
Antonio Bryant is part of the long list of former Browns failed WR’s.
ARMONTY Bryant is a surprise late round gem who has been one of the best defensive players this preseason.
Peyton is bad with the media?