Ohio State releases Senior Night trailer for Michigan State game (Video)
November 20, 2015Spear the Spartans: Ohio State – Michigan State Preview
November 20, 2015The Cleveland Browns’ season is lost, but we’re still talking about it because they’re the Browns. This is an email conversation between Michael Bode and me regarding the Browns. We have already covered some of the “hot topics” that are currently chasing the team through the media, but we wanted to see if there was anything to be optimistic about as well.
Other Conversations:
Related: Should the Browns fire Mike Pettine?
Related: Should the Browns fire Ray Farmer?
Related: Should the Browns start Johnny Manziel?
Related: Can the Browns be fixed over the bye week?
Michael: Allright, we have been focusing on the negative thus far. And, yeah, there was plenty of meat on that bone. But, as Browns fans, we are adept to finding some positive vestiges to cling onto even in the abyss otherwise we would truly go insane, right?
I mean, I love that Joe Posnanski is a fan again writing about the Browns and his articles are actually better after a Browns loss. His articles feed off raw emotion and for whatever reason the frustration, anger, and disappointment of a loss just resonates so well. Our own Will Gibson I’ve coined as the mini-Pos after his Embrace the Absurdity, It is what it is, and Don’t give up articles. Those have been great and don’t happen with a perennial winner.
What are some of the things you have clung onto and do some of them involve actual Browns players, coaches, play?
Craig: What I’ve been clinging to is this sense that the team and all its personnel – from top to bottom — are temporary. It’s more of a philosophical take on sports than anything else, and maybe it’s the ultimate defense mechanism, but that’s how I feel about it. The Browns are a nice park in the city that I visit with my family. It’s a movie that doesn’t necessarily have a Disney ending. It’s a way for me to see my sister, brother and dad that isn’t a holiday meal. I don’t think that was really what you were going for though.
I’m really not depressed in whole about the Browns. I think this was just a really bad season for a variety of reasons including schedule, health and some mistakes, of course. Call me crazy, but I still like the Browns’ secondary. I think the defensive line still has ability and I’m not as down on Danny Shelton as I think some fans are. Shelton is playing and gaining experience and he’s still a rookie. He doesn’t feel like that guy where you’re waiting for the leap and it might never arrive like Mingo. Even Cam Erving doesn’t have me totally depressed like other fans seem to be with him.
This roster has lots of deficiencies, especially at middle linebacker with an aging Karlos Dansby and some solid backup caliber players in Craig Robertson and Chris Kirksey, but they desperately need a playmaker in that spot. People focus on the QB for obvious reasons, but the Browns have really struggled almost as much since 1999 at that middle linebacker spot. They’ve had “nice” players and guys that were easy to root for, but there hasn’t been a dominant guy there. That’s a “ceiling” type of position on your defense and the Browns defense obviously has a ceiling on it right now that’s too low.
All that said, I’m excited for lots of these guys to stick around. I want the Browns to keep Gary Barnidge, Mitch Schwartz, Travis Benjamin and a lot of their other pieces. I’m hoping they can find some greater efficiencies building the roster by trading someone like Paul Kruger, perhaps, but he’s not really a problem either, per se. I don’t know if I’ve really answered the question at all at this point.
Michael: I’m with you on the secondary. I believe Joe Haden playing hurt earlier in the year explains his poor play, and with Gipson and Whitner out for extended periods of time, there is still legitimate reason to believe it is a position of strength for 2016. K’Waun Williams has really impressed me this year too adding to the overall depth.
And, I feel guilty a bit for Danny Shelton. I heaped too much praise on the guy even pre-draft for a position I realized is a tough one for any rookie to play. He had his best game of the season on Sunday, and he has not been a liability throughout the year. I believe by the end of things, Browns fans will be quite happy with Danny.
I just feel bad for Cam. The Browns did him no favors by forcing him to learn all five OL positions and throwing him out at LT in the preseason. He is still likely the Mack-insurance piece, but it was a rather rough awakening game against Pitt for him. He is better than that game though and I hope we keep finding snaps for him.
Benjamin and Barnidge have certainly been bright spots and Schwartz has legitimately played well at times too (he is at least a guy you don’t shake your head and bemoan constantly, which means he’s playing OL decently enough). It is soooo Browns that all three of those guys are UFA’s along with Tashaun Gipson. Our string of signing players to second contracts might continue to be ridiculously horrendous.
And, I feel you on those LBers. I would love to have the athletic, dominating LB corps a 3-4 defense truly needs. Jaylon Smith (ILB, ND) is my current fascination into fixing the group. He would be so, so, so, very good for our team. Or, if we do end up with one of the very top picks in the draft, there is that Bosa kid from the local school who might look just fine at an OLB spot.
Ah, now I’ve done it. My annual rite of silver lining on the Browns being creating ways to fix it through the NFL Draft. Laquon Treadwell (WR, Ole Miss) or Jared Goff (QB, Cal) or or…well, you get the idea. I have lists upon lists. Joe (our WFNY draft expert) and I will have to start comparing notes soon.
Any specific guys you have your eye on through the end of the college season?
Craig: I can’t think draft too much yet. It’s one of those things that I’ve learned that I can’t start too early on. I can look at guys and start to make myself more aware but that’s the extent of it.
I guess the conclusion for me right now is to not have another offseason like the Browns had last year. The Sheard and Skrine losses aren’t high profile, end-of-the-world types of losses in most fans’ minds, but they’re a big deal. The Browns need to keep more guys than they lose and then also find legit weapons in the draft.
I think they’ll still need a quarterback other than Johnny Manziel and it would be so Brownsish for him to play just well enough to make them second guess it. Regardless, I think this team has a baseline of talent that is better than some of the worst teams that we’ve seen the Browns have. How’s that for a silver lining?
Those are our thoughts. If you have any reasons for optimism this season, throw them in the comments.
21 Comments
So, you expect Farmer to resign Benjamin?
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LMAO !! … i’d bet all 3 stay.
many don’t wanna hear it , but it is going to take a couple more drafts … until we can stop filling gaps with aging veterans who’ve seen their better days … and we have a few in dansby , whitner , bowe , hartline , starks , t.williams etc. … then we have some guys that simply have to go in kruger & mingo.
we should soon be seeing farmer’s picks replacing the guys above … i. campbell , orchard , cooper , erving , k. williams , gaines , ekpre-olomu etc.
which then leaves noticeable holes at LB , WR and even a good stud RB. i wouldn’t object to drafting goff , but i want to see our 1st rounders start & contribute right away … like bosa , j.smith , treadwell or whoever.
Our string of signing players to second contracts might continue to be ridiculously horrendous.
I mean, I hope so. But, I’m not counting on it.
So, you expect Farmer to draft Treadwell?
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LMAO again !! … you never know , maybe he’ll change his thinking.
I can try this….oh-kay… positive stuff…right, right….
1. The Oline has shown it runs the zone blocking scheme well; return to that next year and voila.
2. The Wideout group is littered with proficient 2nd/3rd/4th options; draft a legit #1 and voila.
3. Duke Johnson appears to be a gamer with an attitude to boot; I’ve enjoyed his approach thoroughly.
4. There is cap space abounds…use it correctly.
All of these things SHOULD help whoever the hell is quarterback next year.
“How do we fix it? We continue to do exactly what we have done…..”
Positives:
I haven’t stepped in any of the Swagger droppings on the field.
The in person game day off-the-field experience got some MUCH needed upgrades.
I have not seen any pictures of Ray with little umbrella drinks.
Ray’s sweat-beaded brow during his presser tells me he knows that what’s he been doing doesn’t work which gives me hope he changes his M.O.
I like what Defilippo has done with the offense. No running game? Terrible pass protection? No legit wide-receivers? Josh McCown/Johnny Manziel? No problem we’ll drop 350+ on our opponents through the air. Never seen a man do so much with so little.
That last one is truly the only one that gives me optimism.
Farmer attacking the Death Star
“No running game? Terrible pass protection?”
That might be because of Flip.
Could be, seems unlikely since we had no running game last year either. Both are problems with our line to me.
3-13 which will lead to the first pick. That’s all I got.
3?
They have to win at least one more! I mean Baltimore, San Fran, KC..
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Never underestimate the power of winning a meaningless late season game to mess up our draft position and put us one spot lower than the “guaranteed” stars.
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1. Flip has done a lot with a little. I see good potential with him. If you have his cell number, please text him about zone blocking schema. Also, hiring an actual O line coach next year is a positive. Don’t forget that whole thing happened this season.
2. We have rookies that I don’t think we can or should judge yet. Give them some time, I think a few will be better next year.
3. Haslem seems willing to spend on guys he wants to keep next season. Haslem seems embarrassed, and should be embarrassed; this is when we will see him at his “best,” maybe even as he learns a thing or two.
4. Our quarterbacks are good enough to allow us to draft elsewhere with high picks.
” I mean most of these guys around here in the league most of them are UFAs and there is only one football I mean how many times does Benjamin even touch the ball”
I think this team has done a lot of good things.
McCown was a definite upgrade over Hoyer, kind of the anti-hoyer pick up. Big guy, big arm, not always smart with the ball.
Manziel has given legitimate hope this year, with the obvious concerns about size and durability. No one can deny he has made huge leaps in a relatively short game base. It will be interesting to see where his ceiling is.
Williams was an upgrade over Skrine and a good signing IMO. Campbell looks like a great pick, and we got the 7th rounder that shoulda been a first rounder whose name I will never spell without google.
I think with Kruger they got exactly what they bought at the time, a 3rd down rush specialist. What they haven’t got was the added bonus of an every down LB.
Armonty was a great pick, they just need to play him consistently, not all over the freakin field. Shelton, we’ll see….
O-Line is great. Erving will be just fine. If there was ever a time to get him playing experience it is now.
At RB folks forget it was not long ago that a coming out of retirement Willis McGhee was our starter. Crow and Johnson are just fine by me. Maybe they should play Mingo at fullback?
I agree this team is too arrogant in second contract signings, but the only bad signing they have lost so far is Ward and Sheard. I would love to see both of them still here.
Other than a complete mess of a coaching staff, the only really big disappointments to me are:
– Carr looks like a much better pick than Manziel.
– The inability to acquire a WR in the deepest market in decades.
– Gotta play Gilbert. Can’t disavow the staffs responsibility to get this guy game ready. See above.
– Linebacker is a mess and it seems to me this is on purpose given their focus on the secondary and D Line.
This team isn’t that far away. Defensive scheme needs to change. Secondary needs at least two of the three probowlers back. A healthy Haden playing well would have made a huge difference this year.