Make no bones about it, this WAS a successful season for the Browns. The regular season record of 11-6 was magical as our orange helmets are lucky, they were not 8-9. Toss in the playoffs and indeed they exceeded expectations with those who are rational fans. Something else does not get mentioned enough – the fractured fan base became whole again when Joe Flacco was brought on board and the team got better than before his arrival. They also were fun to watch and root for when they took the field.
Let’s get right down to it and keep it real about the Browns 45-14 beatdown at the hands of the Houston Texans and their ROOKIE QB CJ Stroud. The great journalist (and human being I may add) Terry Pluto summed it up with the headline “Defense puts Flacco in an unwinnable situation as Browns collapse.” THANK YOU, TERRY! I read and heard so much about the debacle in Houston and too much of it ignored the “sacred cow” defense. Perhaps I am listening and reading the wrong things. In fact, a story just above Terry’s in the Sunday PD avoided mentioning the defensive foibles. Interesting too that the players who talk the loudest about how great they are, and the D is contributed the most to the carnage administered by the boys from Texas. I will also shout out Hayden Grove from Cleveland.com who, in a gentlemanly manner, praised the talent of Myles Garrett BUT noted that indeed as the season goes on for whatever reason he does not come through as he should.
All game Texan wide receivers were wide open, and another dropped pass by an opponent TE (Think BEARS and their TE behind the D dropping a TD pass) helped delay the inevitable. Separation to say the least! Houston WR’s were 5 yards past the Brownies DB! Also, no pass rush from the front 7 and I wonder why those guys took the night off.
How could a rookie QB slice and dice the world’s greatest defense? Talk is cheap and so are too many stats. Confusion was the order of the day for Schwartz’s D plus no matter what they tried, zone, man, it was decimated by the young fella who honed his skills playing for THEE Ohio State Football team.
On to the O. Now Flacco did throw two picks, the 35-yard pick six was an awful pass and on the 82-yard TD off an interception our QB was blasted. That will still be put it on him though. I can hear that dying duck as it plummeted to earth!! No running game also was exposed as you knew it would be on this level.
On to next year and indeed sadly apathy and disdain will overtake me again as I look at my beloved team as any other NFL squad. Andrew Berry has some work cut out for him as the team needs 2 tackles on offense, a Mike LB and perhaps even another CB.
Browns Fan, please take note of the following:
* Either Kevin Stefanski is coach of the year as you told me or he’s a bum who should be fired, and not may take on the latter. Which one is it?
* Repeat after me: the Refs did NOT cost the Browns the game. Whiners and losers will play that card.
* For those posting photos of ref’s miscues when penalties are not called, I have another idea! Post pics of missed tackles, blown coverages and sad blocks.
When all is said and done THANK AGAIN BROWNS for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat many times this year (it is usually the opposite) and yes for a successful season. THANK YOU, KEVIN STEFANSKI, for making it happen without the premier running back in the NFL (Nick Chubb) and a revolving door at QB, no doubt the most important position in any sport!).
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! HAVE A DREAM!
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