Munch Musings All Good in my Old Neighborhood – Browns Edition

All good in my old neighborhood! I did a lot of growing up at 3990 Jo Ann Drive (Lee Harvard) after we moved from 3412 E. 53rd. The growth was in the classroom and solidified some street sense too which was carried over from Slavic Village!

NO doubt there is A LOT of good on this Cleveland Browns team as they get ready to play the Texans in Houston today! Let’s take a look:

* JOE FLACCO, JOE FLACCO AND JOE FLACCO! This team is 110% better with Joe as the QB! The fan base has come together too as it had been split apart like the Red Sea until Joe came around and yes, “Moses poses the Red Sea closes” we are back together again as in biblical times (I like those words, so I used them here)! He has also brought the team closer to each other with manners and respect, plus leadership on and off the field. When he speaks you cannot hear a pin drop. Now he will have to avoid turnovers today but when they do happen, he is unflappable and “gets right back on the horse.” THANK YOU, JOE!

* KEVIN STEFANSKI! Much maligned, another guy unfairly made a whipping boy, who has kept this team together and done the impossible – solidified the OFFENSE with 4 starting Quarterbacks (not including today’s back up Jeff Driskel). He is a very good coach and will continue to carry the weight of the ignorant on his shoulders.

* AMARI COOPER! Watching Amari run his routes, high point the ball and get the YAC (RAC if you desire, YARDS AFTER CATCH or RUN AFTER CATCH) are all beautiful things. The mojo he has with Flacco is unimaginable after just a few games. That usually develops over a period of time. Truly a PROS PRO!

* JOEL BITONIO, WYATT TELLER, and ETHAN POCIC! Gotta shout these men out next as they have solidified the O LINE from the inside out especially with JAGS (just a guy) at the tackle spots. Their job is harder as they are constantly watching and compensating the tackles to either side. Talk about football beauty. Gotta shout Joel out too as he handles idiotic questions from the media with intelligent responses. Also watching JOEL and ETHAN pull to their left is poetry in motion.

* DAVID NJOKU! Now I must say David must owe a lot of people money as he is put on such a high pedestal for his last few games. Has he been great? YES, HE HAS? HAS HIS RAC (YAC) BEEN OUTSTANDING? YES, IT HAS! Somehow before these good game the 7 drops in 2 games have been forgotten and for 6 1/2 years, he has been average at best for a first rounder but let’s be here now and ignore the lack of impact for all those years. I am not sure if the fire pit incident changed him (yes, he had my prayers for strength and healing) or if aliens replaced whoever was in his body with someone else but whatever it was KEEP ON DOING IT DAVID. I d0 wish your infatuation with defecating on someone’s cereal would cease though. Yes, you said the same thing to me 6 years ago when I simply asked you “will you block this week?”

* JERMIAH OWUSU-KOROMAH! To me a player on defense hat nay be the most consistent difference maker, yes you heard that right, as he goes sideline to sideline, rushes the passer, defends the pass and the run. His enthusiasm is special, and he makes things go!

* MYLES GARRETT! Myles is Myles, a special player and so glad he is on this team! I have said it before that for years his sacks were mostly meaningless, but he seems to have finally grasped what we knew without him having to tell us – HE IS VERY GOOD if not GREAT but to be successful the team does come first. ALL PRO? HECK YES! Now make life heck for them throughout the playoffs.

* DALVIN TOMLINSON, JORDAN ELLIOTT, SHELBY HARRIS! I say this with utmost respect but like the O LINE the strength of this defense is from the inside out. Does Myles take some game planning away from others, of course, but when push comes to shove the big boys are making it happen. You gotta love the “guys with guts” collapsing the pocket and stuffing the run then enjoying themselves.

* DENZIL WARD and the DB’s! Yes, the Home Boy has to stay healthy, but he knows only one way to play…the proverbial “balls to the wall!” Covers with the best of the. Truly elite and the DB’s need him. Gotta include injured GRANT DELPIT here too as he is an elite safety and truly praises that another young Buckeye RONNIE HICKMAN has come along to fill some holes. MARTIN EMERSON JR. also is in the discussion for coming up big and for breaking on the ball like a seasoned vet along with GREG NEWSOME II. Keep working hard fellas!

* ANDREW BERRY! Yes, he was a member of the “Ship of Fools” with Sahsi and DePodesta, who destroyed this franchise and for some bizarre reason was given another chance. Has he been brilliant? With the FLACCO acquisition yes but overall, not really. He has simply done things he should do. I will applaud that. Yes, he engineered one of the worst trades in the history of the NFL but with his football-oriented people, was able to identify JOE FLACCO as the man to take the team further. For that I salute you, Andrew.

My scenario for today. There is some scoring today as somehow down early and down the stretch teams figure out the Browns D. Browns must avoid turnovers! That is the death knell especially in postseason and please, the team needs to know this too, CJ and Texans are capable of winning the game. Here’s how it comes down…Patterson misses an extra point sometime during the game but hits the game winning field goal for a 30-28 BROWNS WIN! ONWARD!

As always read more of my thoughts on www.neosportsinsiders.com and #MunchOnSports is powered by Ganley Chevy Of Aurora and the Ken Ganley Automotive Group. Please take care of each other and it’s your world, pay attention. Enjoy every sandwich and for now ADIOS AMIGO, LONG MAY YOU RUN! GO BROWNS.