J.R. Smith is officially returning to The Land; re-signs with Cavaliers
September 3, 2015Indians to promote Giovanni Soto, Michael Martinez from minors
September 3, 2015Thursday night marks the fourth and final game of the 2015 Cleveland Browns preseason. For most, this game cannot end soon enough, signaling the end of what is arguably the worst stretch of the NFL season. But for a select few, Game 4 could make or break a career—a fringe player getting the attention of coaches, thus earning one of the highly coveted spots on the team’s 53-man roster. As we have in weeks past, the WFNY crew “sat” down and discussed what, exactly, they’ll be watching during the preseason’s final stanza.
Scott: Thursday evening’s Game 4 will be about one player and one player only: Terrelle Pryor. As WFNY’s Joe Gilbert alluded to, several of the positional units for the Browns are set. One of the wildcards, however, exists in just how many wide receivers the team will keep. Yet to play in a preseason game but rife with loads of potential and intrigue, Pryor is expected to take to the field and put his erstwhile injured hamstring to the test. Can he run crisp routes? Can he catch the ball in traffic? Will it be a matter of just getting his giant, athletic frame in space and let him go to work? Will he—gasp!—see any time under (OK, behind) center?
Sure, I’m all about rooting for Ashland’s own Jamie Meder. I’m hoping to see some work from Charles Gaines and Nate Orchard and maybe even a little Justin Gilbert (if healthy). But when the Browns offense is on the field, all eyes will be on No. 87, even when the ball isn’t thrown his way.
Joe: Who doesn’t like the fourth preseason game?! We get to watch Thad Lewis play for most of the game, while Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown play cards on the sideline. Yeah I guess the fourth game does blow.
My only real interest in the game is hopefully watching Terrelle Pryor play his first preseason snaps. We have been waiting for him to take the field in live action every since the Brown and Orange scrimmage. I just want to see how he looks as a receiver and how well he can translate to the position. Other than that, I will be watching for no injuries. Please no injuries!
Will: Show me a running back. I had visions — if misguided, overly optimistic ones — of a multi-talented, multi-back rushing attack operating behind what should again be a superb offensive line. Through three preseason games, however, Terrance West’s 3.5 yards per carry average is best on the team (discounting Duke Johnson’s one carry for four yards). The starting offensive line doesn’t figure to see much time against Chicago, Duke Johnson will miss the game due to a concussion, and, preseason being preseason, the stats and results may not mean a thing. I would still like, however, for one Browns ball carrier — ideally West or Isaiah Crowell — to look like he isn’t running in a bog.
Michael: While the starters might not get much play, the fight for the last few roster spots remains intriguing.
For the starters, I want to see the offensive line (OL) control the point of attack. This preseason, the OL has underwhelmed on the whole. While the Bills and Buccaneers have good defensive fronts, I was expecting a more consistent push this preseason. There were some good indicators in the Tampa game though as the middle of the line had several running plays where Crowell went undeterred in his path until he was on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Seeing more guaranteed positive plays such as those would be nice over the first couple of series.
For the rest of the roster, I want to see Terrelle Pryor do something. Anything. I think he is making the 53-man roster just because he has athletic gifts that are not as easily replaceable as other players on the fringe of the roster, but I have an undying want for players to actually earn their way onto the team. The same can really be said for Duke Johnson and Malcolm Johnson though I am not sure if Duke will even play.
Additionally, I want to see Hayes Pullard, Charles Gaines, Justin Gilbert, Jordan Poyer, or Johnson Bademosi put a stamp on their place with the team. Those are the players who are at high risk of being left on the bad side of the ledger that I have the most hope of helping contribute to the 2015 Cleveland Browns, so I want them to leave no doubt as to their place with the team.
The most intriguing battle might be between Gaines and Gilbert who offer a strange dichotomy. Both are uber-athletic defensive back prospects, but Gilbert is the first-round draft pick who wasted his rookie season. Gaines has reportedly been asking Joe Haden questions non-stop since being drafted for his own betterment on the field (and off). I want to see both players make the squad, but the team could rightfully send a message to future young players about rookie expectations.
Dave: Ahh, the fourth preseason game. If the third preseason game is the dress rehearsal, the fourth is simply the rehearsal of getting dressed. Many starters have uniforms on, and even pads, but most start the game with ball caps and don’t even sniff the field.
With an intriguing young quarterback on your roster, the final preseason game can be exciting and maybe even a preview of the future. When your intriguing young QB has a sore elbow, you mostly get incomplete passes. According to Mike Pettine there are “4 or 5 guys” who will make the team tonight, but the sad reality is, most of the guys playing in this game will be practice squad members, or personal trainers by tomorrow afternoon.
For a viewer, it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. You can go through your last round of puns on players names (your best bet is Hayes Pullard III), you can take a drink every time a receiver with a single digit number catches the ball, or you can most likely see a lot of incomplete passes.
As a Browns fan in 2015, the most intriguing reason to watch tonight would be to see if Terelle Pryor looks like an NFL wide receiver. Many are hopeful he can be, and may from Columbus have zero doubt. Hell, you never know, the Thad Lewis to Terelle Pryor combination might take us to the playoffs this year. But most likely, you’re going to get a lot of incomplete passes.
Of course, not everyone will be watching a largely meaningless NFL contest where the starters are largely spectators.
Andrew: I will not be watching because there is real football on TV tonight. Or, at least, as much as you can call Michigan football “real football”, anyway. But if I were watching, I would only be watching for Terrelle Pryor.
Josh: I second Andrew. If I’m watching any football at all tonight, it’s college football.
[Related: Lou Holtz talks college football with Craig Lyndall (or the other way around)]
34 Comments
ok, you guys do the requisite What We’re Watching, I guess I’ll do the requisite comment. I’m monitoring the results of a drinking game triggered by Solomon Wilcots saying something idiotic in its ignorance: calling some fringe roster guy a “player with a future in this league,” saying Josh McCown is a “perfect fit for this team,” whatever. We’ll see if bottles must be hidden before the end of the first quarter.
Thad Lewis throwing long to Josh Lentz against Friday’s waiver wire guys could be electrifying in an Arena League kinda way. Mildly curious about Pryor but it sure seems like his roster spot is a given. If he doesn’t play we’ll know he’s made the cut. If he does play but has the slightest difficulty getting into his routes or hanging onto the ball in traffic against the Bears’ scrubs then there’s really nothing for anyone but OSU fans to be so geeked up about. If he doesn’t really stand out and still has that roster spot it means that Pryor is the dirt Farmer is desperately kicking over a roster lacking a single offensive play maker, a hail mary that he’ll get much better during in-season practices. I have a better idea, Ray: when you have extra first rounders two years in a row and you need a receiver, draft a good looking receiver in the first few rounds.
It’s important to get the neurons firing properly ahead of the season. without properly flexed neurons, we are all lost.
and, a Wilcots ignorant comment drinking game would likely result in you lasting less time than the starters.
Har Har Michigan sucks lolz
One thing I have learned as a Michigan fan reading all sorts of reviews for this Utah game is that the departure of Nate Orchard from Salt Lake City is a big deal for Utah. One of the primary concerns for Utah is how they are going to replace his pass rush ability. It was kind of refreshing to see someone speak glowingly of a Browns draft pick, yet having their comments have no connection to the Browns (or their media cabal). Its objective information that gives me hope for young Mr. Orchard.
Browns on the laptop.
Michigan on the tube until Dominion comes on, then I’ll be flipping.
I was with you with the “Michigan sucks” stuff, but then you actually started talking about the Michigan game, and I just couldn’t muster up enough care to continue. BUT THEN, you brought it back to the Browns, and GO BUCKEYES!
Don’t do it. Hiding bottles will not be enough. You’ll be drunk before the kickoff, and in a coma before the 2nd quarter.
fwiw, I might be Terelle Pryor’s biggest fan. I think he will make the team and I think he will have an impact this year. Im not predicting a Pro Bowl or anything like that but I think he can definitely help us out. His athleticism isn’t something a coach can instill in a player no matter how hard they try. I really think he can help us, at the very least, by keeping defenses honest and not letting them sit on the short passing game all day. Death by checkdown is one of the worst brands of football.
(Pryor got screwed by the NFL from the jump, and college affiliation aside, it’s borderline criminal how they set the young man up for failure from the word go because he violated NCAA rules that had nothing at all to do with the NFL. I wanted him to succeed in Oakland, even. Now that he’s with the Browns, my hope for his success is that much stronger)
Hmm. Watch Michigan play a real, bona fide football game that counts, or watch a former OSU QB (who got kicked out and sanctioned) attempt to play a new position in an absolutely meaningless, semi-professional exhibition? GO PRYOR!!
[Just kidding. I’ll watch any college game over this mess every day. I’ll record the browns and watch it later in x15 fast forward.]
the 5th gear they added to the U-Verse about a year ago is like watching things in ludicrous speed
Yep. I would LOVE to see him make the team. (And fwiw, I’m just kidding about Michigan. I just love the fake hate of the rivalry and the fact that the football season is finally here for real and we can resume trash talking when it counts. I really hope they win tonight. And are undefeated for The Game.)
“Ray: when you have extra first rounders two years in a row and you need a receiver, draft a good looking receiver in the first few rounds.”
https://media.giphy.com/media/tZiLOffTNGoak/giphy.gif
FFW is the only way I’ve watched the Browns in the last 7 years or so since we’ve had a DVR. It’s a thing of beauty.
would make for one hell of a storyline. And as far as the “fake rivalry hate” goes, I’ve often wondered about it myself, mostly when I was in middle school trying to hide from the junior high guys who wanted to beat me up/give me a swirlie/torment me because I was a Michigan fan. Or last year, at kroger where the lady in the bakery reneged on a free cookie offer for my son because I had him sporting a Denard jersey
It’s fake hate with real abuse. It walks a fine line.
I’m just ready to watch a real coach on the sidelines. No more headsetless, clueless Hoke.
And the all-whites on the road should look cool.
And Arizona plays tonight, too. I love watching RichRod win.
yep you can get through a game in about an hour. I agree wholeheartedly
Also, you maintain your sanity, AND the Browns actually look fast.
I agree, I’m glad to see Rodriguez have success elsewhere
The all whites should look pretty awesome. Im happy they’re doing away with all of that extraneous yellow piping on the jerseys as well.
Hoke was a good person, and a fantastic recruiter, but he is a MAC level Head Coach. The headset thing was one of many idiosyncrasies of his that drove me insane. Also, his loyalty to his staff (while a good trait to have in general) was a major part of his undoing as a coach.
And “Ohio”? Really? That’s what you’re bringing to this rivalry, Brady?
Watching an NFL game in real time is a chore with all of the commercials. I find that I frequently flip during a commercial, space out for a minute, then when I do flip back, they’re going to commercial again. With the DVR, I try to delay the start for about 45 mins, stay off Twitter, and then I can blow right through all the mularkey
yes, at a certain point it goes beyond “this is part of my football philosophy” and just reeks of stubbornness, which is a huge minus, in my eyes (and Im a Farmer supporter, at least I think he’s done much more good than bad)
That’s exactly what I do! (Except I don’t have Twitter, so that part is not even a temptation.)
GamePass in condensed view. 35 minutes of football action at normal speed because they cut out all the fluff.
I also enjoy watching RichRod have success. He was unnecessarily railroaded at Michigan. I loved that they did it to him (because it hurt Michigan), but have no beef with RichRod himself.
The Browns run game was sketchy last preseason too and was fine by halftime of the first game. It’s absured to expect them to get that rythmn in preseason football. I trust the unit based off last year.
I’d be more worried about the DL running the scheme to prevent other teams from running.
Fast indeed. I mute the TV and play Benny Hill music. It’s often apropos.
Replace “flip” with “drink beer” and “do flip back” with “stop drinking beer” and you’ve described every game I’ve watched over the last three years.
Cause going to a sports bar for an NFL sunday looks like a good idea on paper, but in reality it means me missing 80% of the game. Which is fine since I usually only end up seeing two games a season. (Don’t let my idiocy here fool you. I’m a TERRIBLE fan.)
Poor kid. It’s not his fault. He was made to wear that silly jersey. I kid. I kid.
Yeah, there is a line and fat (I’m assuming) bakery lady crossed it.
Gold star for reading those four sentences.
excellent post HARV … but , i’m thinkin’ lenz is going to make the team . lenz even lined-up at safety last night … he’s a decent player & gives good effort. and there have been rumors dwayne bowe may not make the final cut.
There was a single rumor about Bowe. It came from Wilcots. And Pettine says it was unfounded. So here’s your shot glass – brown or white?
brown , please …
I went to the game in Chicago (but I live in Chicago). Here is what I learned watching it:
1. Pre-season games suck. At the end, I was just hoping the Browns would even TRY to score, so my friends, all bears fans, would not let me hear it until Sunday Sept 13th. Pettine did not even want to see a two minute drill with bubble guys on the verge of a roster spot. Therefore, pre-season game play is not as important as what they showed in practice.
2. That Lewis never chucked it down field. It was like a bad version of Colt McCoy and Brady Quinn. Lenz was open all night, easy to see from the second deck. Lewis consistently missed him. Not sure if Lewis just sucks and needs to be cut or if the plan was to just get out of the game with guys to be cut un-injured, or if pre-season football is just supposed to be this bad as no one really cares.
3. I know Cleveland stadium better than Soldier Field, which is hard to get around in. Oh, sorry, whatever they are calling Cleveland Stadium now. But heck, living in Chicago, Wrigley will always be Wrigley, and Comiskey will always be commisky, and not whatever they call it for an advertisement…
4. And in case I was not clear above, CUT THAD LEWIS. The man sucks at playing QB, time for him to retire….
And, I guess I have to comment on Mr. Pryor. The man was “non existant” and did not look good as a runner. And when he motioned Lewis to block for him, he was ignored. Seeing it from a decent row in the second deck, it was awful to see… Unfortunately, I think he gets cut, and maybe (unfortunately) that is a good thing. If he is not going to pan out, give it to someone else… I think Lewis did not throw him the ball when he should have. 1 on 1 coverage is what he got a lot and with his size, I would have thrown his way. maybe that is Lewis’ fault…