View from the Dawg Pound Game 6: Browns at Jacksonville 19 October 2014

O.K. the Browns played a bad game. Get over it. Yes, it was painful to watch. And, yes, they played poorly all around, but that is going to happen sometimes, a lot of times, in the NFL.

Everyone has heard the cliché before, don’t let the wins get you too high and don’t let the losses get you too low. Every Browns fan should get that tattooed on their foreheads. Last week fans wanted the Browns to franchise Brian Hoyer and sign him to a mega deal, this week they want to cut him and play Johnny Football.

The Browns spent  a little too much time listening to everyone tell them how wonderful they are, and they encountered a Jaguar team that isn’t as bad as their record and was hungry for their first win.

My 82 year old mother called me up and screamed into the phone, “How can those guys play that bad?” It happens, Mom. It is hard to get everything right every week, especially in a league were there is talent on every team and on every sideline.

Everyone needs to learn from the Jaguars game then put it behind him or her. Remember the important thing, for the sixth game in a row the Browns were not out-talented.

It was assumed by too many people that the three game stretch against the Jaguars, Raiders, and Bucs were going to be an easy 3-0 for the Browns. But it already isn’t, with two of the games to come. Records in the NFL can be deceiving, especially before the half way point of the season. Right now the Cowboys are the darlings of the media with a 6-1 record, but it’s a safe bet they won’t be a one-loss team in December. And after seeing them up close this past weekend you can assume the Jaguars will be more than a one win team soon.

The Browns are going to do what they have to do. Work on the things they didn’t do well last week, while keeping their routine and keeping thing positive. However, quietly and behind doors, there will be discipline. Players will be moved up and down the depth chart, someone will be waived and someone will be signed to the practice squad, maybe someone will be fined for stupid or irresponsible play. Some of this will become public knowledge and hosts and listeners will dissect it for hours on sports radio. There will be some ugly moments in film sessions, and some more when position coaches meet with their players. That is expected, and it will happen far away from media and fans. By midweek it will all be behind the team, and it will be all working in anticipation of the Raiders game.

Short term decisions for the Browns: Decide on who is on the post Alex Mack offensive line and get them as much work together in practice this week. Get Hoyer and his receivers back on the same page. Find someone who can think out there as a punt returner.

Long Term Decisions: It is quite obvious when training camp opens next summer both Hoyer and Johnny Manziel won’t both be with the Browns. Will it be Hoyer and possibly a long-term heir apparent? Or will it by Manziel and a respected veteran behind him? Sooner or later sometime this year they have to play Manziel to see what he has or doesn’t have. The team has to find a way to showcase both quarterbacks in case a suitor or two surfaces.

Other long-term decisions: Who is and isn’t in the long term plans, including but not limited to the following: Do they keep all three current running backs? Which of the undersized receivers make the cut next year? Who stays and who goes on defense, especially at linebacker and defensive back?

The fan base has taken the Jaguar loss very hard. Yes, the Browns played poorly, but remember this once again, for the sixth game in a row the Browns were not out-talented. There is too much talent on this team to see the type of collapse we have seen too often since 1999.

(Greg Cielec can be reached at cielec@hotmail.com)

View from the Dawg Pound Steelers at Cleveland 10.12.2014

 Since they have returned, there have been so many Browns Sundays that ended the same way for me. Walking amongst throngs of quiet fans, heads turned down, across the West Third Street Bridge, having to endure pockets of celebrating fans in Steelers or Ravens or Bengals uniforms.

            Not this past Sunday. Beneath a brilliant blue cloudless sky, in a First Energy Stadium filled with electricity, the Cleveland Browns played like what was once the Cleveland Browns as they dismantled a hapless Steelers team 31-10.

            It was the story of two teams passing in the night, each going in a different direction. The youthful Browns looked quicker, stronger, and more talented than the aging Steelers. Did Troy Palumolo make a play yesterday? Where was James Harrison? How many more seasons does Big Ben have left?

            I know it is just one game, but going back to the second half of the season opener in Pittsburgh, it has been six quarters in a row the Browns have dominated the Steelers. The Steelers had no answer to the Browns running game, play action passes, and relentless defense. Not to keep picking on them, but the Steelers have had the reputation of being great with the draft, constantly reloading their team. I don’t see it. They do have some bright young stars at running back, and Antonio Brown is a player, but over all, especially on the offensive line and the defense, there are plenty of holes on this team. Its time for them to rebuild, not reload.

            But that’s their problem, not ours. Our Browns right now are playing very well. Yes, every so often the ugly head of a team that has had four coaches in five years surfaces. And there still a lot of inexperience on both sides of the ball, but this could be the beginning of a very good run for the team and the fans. This is a talented young team that finally has found the right coaching staff and general manager. Making the playoffs this year is a realistic goal, and who knows where they could go with one more strong draft and a key free agent signing or two.

            My notebook from the game is filled with superlatives: “great play,” “nice drive,” “terrific play action,” “depth!” “Hoyer’s block,” “good coverage.”

            Everyone is talking about the second quarter when the Browns exploded for 21 unanswered points, but two events in third quarter are also noteworthy. Early in the quarter on one of many terrific play action pass plays, Brian Hoyer hit Travis Benjamin with what could be considered Hoyer’s best downfield pass of the year. Benjamin did not have to stop or stutter to catch the ball; it was right on the money. Hoyer needs to show he can go long. The other event started at the Pittsburgh six-yard line, and ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down in the Browns end zone after a thirteen-play drive. The Steelers had their chance to score and get back in the game and the Browns wouldn’t let them.

            The 3-2 Browns find themselves in uncharted territory, a three game stretch against teams they should beat. How will they handle it? Will they give one of them away?

There are also games left against teams similar to the Browns, teams like Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, and the Bills who are trying to make the same statement as the Browns. Then there are the games with proven playoff teams who are considered amongst the elite in the league, including the Colts, Ravens, and two against the Bengals. Being 3-2 is nice, but the road to the playoffs is still filled with challenges.

But let us worry about the future when it gets here and enjoy the moment at hand. No matter what happens the rest of the season, the Browns are no longer the doormat of the AFC North. And, at least for now, the hold that the team two hours east on the Turnpike has held over the Browns, is now history. From my seats in the second row of the Dawg Pound, it was the first time I remember in a long time what it felt like in the old stadium in the late 80’s during the Kosar era.

We had a great time both before and after the game checking at the Horseshoe Casino, which I predict when the weather finally turns, will be one of the most popular game day spots in town.  To go along with all that is already there, they have opened TAG Lounge and Bar, a sports bar on the second floor. With beer and drink specials, and all the games being shown on large flat screens, TAGS is a great place to hang out before and after Browns games. Both before and after the Steelers game the casino was filled with Browns fans having a good time.

           

           

View from the Dawg Pound Game #5 Browns at Tennessee

After he had muffed a punt and was not put back on the field for the next one, I thought Travis Benjamin’s days with the Browns were finished. He has not been the return man he once was before injuring his knee last year, and it seemed like he was getting lost in the mix at receiver. On a team with no deep passing game, he became a quiet decoy for the Browns short and medium routes.

            How wrong I was. Benjamin would come back and make two great second half-touchdown catches, both on broken routes, to lead the Browns to a stunning 29-28 come from behind victory over the Tennessee Titans.

In a game very similar to the season opener against the Steelers, it was a tale of two halves. But instead of coming up short, the Browns took a 28-10 half time deficit and turned it into a landmark victory.

            There was plenty of credit to go around for the victory. Credit the coaches with some great half time adjustments that lead to a second half defensive shutout and 16 fourth quarter points for the Browns. They made more productive half time adjustments in this one game than several previous coaching staffs made in a season. Brian Hoyer once again managed the game soundly, and hit some great passes when it counted. Ben Tate came back from injury to rush for 122 yards on 23 carries. There were sacks, clutch catches, and big plays when needed, including a blocked punt that led to a safety. It was a great team win.

            The Browns took advantage of a gift from the Titans late in the fourth quarter. Leading 28-22 with the ball on their own 42, the Titans elected to go for it on fourth and a yard instead of punting it. A punt would have left the Browns with a long field with just three minutes left and a touchdown needed to win the game. The Browns defense stuffed the Titans, and the Browns got the ball back with a short field and scored the winning touchdown with 1:09 remaining. I don’t often criticize coaches, thirty years of coaching will do that to you, but that was not a smart move by Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt. He was playing with his back up quarterback, the Browns were bleeding momentum, and the Browns offense has no long passing game. Punt the ball! Thank God he didn’t.

            Brian Hoyer was very good on short to medium passes. He hit passes in the 19 to 30 yard range to a variety of receivers, including Mike Austin, Jordan Cameron, Taylor Gabriel, and Andrew Hawkins. And don’t forget about those two touchdowns to Travis Benjamin. Like the first three games, he did not hit any long, downfield passes, but at least the Browns attempted a few of them to try and stretch the defense. One lead to a late fourth quarter interception that looked like the end for the Browns, but the Titans gave the ball back on their fourth down miscue.

            Pretty soon the ugly head of the Browns last five seasons and all of its coaching and front office changes will disappear for good, and the team will play four solid quarters of football. I can’t think of a better time to do it then this week at home against the Steelers. I know the fans in the stands will be ready to go at kickoff, lets hope the guys on the field will be too.

            I watched the game with the Central Maryland Browns Backers at La Mexicana, a restaurant in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A great bunch of mostly dislocated Ohioans, they have kept the Browns spirit alive since before the dark times of the late 90’s. Think how bad those three years without the Browns were in Cleveland; imagine spending that time in the heart of Ravens country. Then when the Browns came back they had to live through two Ravens Super Bowls plus endless trouncings of our beloved Browns. And just like those of us here in northern Ohio who have to put up with front running fans who hopped on the nearby Steelers bandwagon, those in Central Maryland also have to put up with Redskins fans. But they have carried on, and they packed the party room at La Mexican with old and new friends and parents and grandparents and babies in strollers.  

            This week we the Browns are home and we will be back in our Dawg Pound seats in section 120, row B. Hopefully it will be another beautiful day. A good day to put all of those Steelers fans who show up, in their Troy Palumolo uniforms and waving their gold towels, back on the Turnpike heading east for good.

Annual Football Road Trip of old frat brothers October 3-5 Ohio State at Maryland

Thanks to Gordon Witkin and Scott Frothingham for a great weekend.

View from the Dawg Pound Browns vs. Ravens 21 September 2014

If you told me at the beginning of the season the Browns would be 1-2 at their bye week, I would have thought that was not that bad of a thing. But after seeing the first three games, and how close they came to being 3-0, I feel disappointed because for the third week in a row they were not out talented.  Just like the Steelers game, the Browns lost to the Ravens 23-21 on their own efforts.

There was plenty of blame to go around. First, they self destructed in the fourth quarter on offense, defense, and special teams. The quarter started with a terrific interception by Tashaun Gibson, only to lead to a missed 50-yard field goal. I had a great view of the kick, and the wind took it almost at a 90-degree angle as it approached the goal post.  On their next drive, the Browns had their biggest offensive play of the day, a 70 yard pass to Taylor Gabriel. However, on his longest pass of the day, Hoyer could not lead the receiver. Taylor Gabriel made the best of the situation, but if the throw would have been leading him he would have run into the end zone after the catch for a touchdown.  This lead to a blocked field goal. There is no excuse for that happening. That’s two botched kicks in two weeks. Last week it was a botched extra point, this week a blocked field goal. Inexcusable. On the following Baltimore drive that lead to a field goal, the Browns defense had to burn two time outs and also had two penalties for having twelve guys on the field. Again, inexcusable.

On short to medium passes, especially play action and under screens, there are very few better than Brian Hoyer. However, it is the thing he can’t do, throw deep, that haunts the Browns. His passing percentage and rating are both inflated by the fact that the team doesn’t even try to throw long. This is partly because they lack a deep threat until Josh Gordon returns, but is also because of Hoyer’s limitations. I really like the kid and am rooting for him, but his imitations are obvious. They will become more obvious when Gordon does return, because he will be open downfield and the Browns won’t be able to get him the ball.

The media bragged about Hoyer’s 3-0 record as a starter coming into the season. That wasn’t really true, on the night he got hurt it was Brandon Weedon who won the Buffalo game for the Browns after Hoyer’s early exit. This year his record as a starter stands at 1-2. But some weaker opponents soon appear on the schedule, it looks like Gordon will make an appearance soon, and the running game is clicking. Brian Hoyer can still lead this team to some good things this season, but in the big picture if you want to reach the Promised Land, sooner or later you need a quarterback with an NFL arm. To be honest with you, I am not sure either of the Browns two quarterbacks has it.

Unnecessary penalties, using time outs when they shouldn’t be used, missed and botched field goals, lack of a downfield passing attack. Those are not the characteristics of a championship team. On the other hand, how the Ravens managed the game at the end of the fourth quarter was textbook. Their use of time outs, how they managed the clock, and their play calling on their last drive down the field is how quality NFL teams play at crunch time.

I wrote when the Browns lost to Pittsburgh in week one that they will sometimes play like a team that has had four coaching changes in five years. That happened again in the fourth quarter against Baltimore. That is going to keep on happening for three or four more games. But it will soon be an excuse the Browns cannot use to explain their poor play at times.

Before the game we did a little pub-crawling in the Warehouse District. But instead of heading to West 6^th Street where the establishments are usually packed before and after Browns games, we took another path. Sometimes people forget about the places on West 9^th. Some nice outdoor patios, good mix of bars and restaurants, and a lot less people make it a great place to hang out before and after games. The bad weather waited to make its appearance until well after the game ended, so it was another beautiful day to hang out outside before and after the game.

We made it to bye week with a 1-2 record but also with many reasons to be optimistic. After the bye the Browns travel to Nashville to play the Titans. If you are going to the game enjoy yourselves, Nashville is a very fun town. I’ll be watching the game with my friends in the Central Maryland Browns Backers after attending the Maryland/Ohio State game the day before. This is a great group of people who have been together for years; most of them dislocated Northern Ohio natives. I can’t wait; it’s going to be a great time.

 Photos by Dave Hostetler

View from the Dawg Pound Browns vs. Saints 15 Sept. 2014

      

   Let’s first say the Browns victory over the Saints was a great win. The type of game the Browns of the last decade would have lost. Tom Brady driving for the winning touchdown. A goofy call by the refs at the wrong time. Jerome Bettis breaking free on thirddown for a big gain. Those are the things that usually happen to the Browns during crunch time. But not this time.

            Let’s first talk about why the Browns won. The most over riding thing is the depth of the team. This team won missing some big guns on offense, no Josh Gordon, no Ben Tate, no Cameron Jordon. Yet rookies like Isaiah Crowell and Terrence West, along with veterans like Mike Austin, really stepped up. As I said last week, it is amazing how talented this team is with all the changes in the front office the last five years. The next reason they won was for the second game in a row they were able to run the ball. Credit the above named running backs as well as the offensive line.  When you run the ball it opens all phases of the offense. The third reason they won was the defense. For most of the game they dominated, highlighted by Tayshaun Gipson’s 62-yard interception for a touchdown. And, finally, let’s give credit when credit is due, Brian Hoyer did some nice things, especially during the final drive.

            Not to take away from the celebration of a big one, but the Browns almost lost a game they could have won very easily.  They couldn’t put the Saints away in the first half, allowing a touchdown right before intermission that put the Saints back in the game. An uncharacteristic missed extra point haunted the team, allowing the Saints to take a one-point lead in the second half. And, most importantly for the second game in a row, the Browns had no downfield passing attack. Part of that is not having a home run weapon like Josh Gordon in the line up, part of that is not having a quarterback with a big arm. This is going to start haunting this team very soon. I love Brian Hoyer and the things he can do, and he showed a lot of those skills yesterday, but you can’t win championships in the NFL without attacking the whole field and the Browns just can’t do that with their current quarterbacks.

            Speaking of quarterbacks, it was a good thing to play Johnny Manziel just enough to worry defensive coordinators. You can bet this week during practice the Ravens will spend time on defending against the things Manziel does well, scrambling out of the pocket and passing on the run, as well as running some sort of spread option. This will take time away from working against the things the Browns offense does well when Brian Hoyer is in there, like the no huddle offense, the short play action passing game, and, of course, the running game.

            The most promising thing about the game to me, for the second week in a row, is the Browns were not out talented. Even with the guys the Browns were missing on offense, the Saints, who are everyone’s pick to make the playoffs, did not have more talent on the field. Jimmy Graham was the best player in the game, but after that the talent was at least equal, maybe even leaning to the Browns.

Let’s get another home win against the Ravens, get to the bye week, and get everyone healthy. Who knows where the season could take us then?

            The media, especially the television and radio stations, love to go to the Muny Lot before games to showcase all the tailgating going on. I am often surprised how little attention all the tailgaters attract on the West Side of the stadium, especially down in the Flats. In the Muny Lot you are out in the open, exposed to the elements, and not close to any bars and restaurants. In the Flats on the west side you have bridges and trees for cover if the weather goes bad, close to some great places like the Flat Iron and the joints up In the Warehouse District if the weather really gets unbearable, and you have your choice of walking to the game or take the Lakefront rapid line, which drops you off either at the west end of the stadium or by the Rock Hall.

            The first home game of the year we always spend with the Becka Brothers and friends in one of the lots between the Flat Iron Café and the Settlers Landing train station. Our tailgate featured barbeque steak and chicken, corn on the cob, and home mad jambalaya. It was a tasty bill of fare with a lot of great people and old and new friends. The weather was terrific, and it was a great way to start out what turned out to be a fantastic day.

Food was the theme at the tailgates that surrounded ours, as fans cooked treats like alligator, lobster tails, deep fried turkeys, and every type of sausage and bratwurst imaginable. And lets just say there were a variety of complimentary cocktails too.

Let us hope there are more Sundays to come like we had for the first home game.

            One final note…Like many sports fans, I catch bits and pieces of the many shows that are on ESPN, whether it is SportsCenter or Mike and Mike in the Morning. All I heard last week is everyone on the network criticizing the NFL in how it has handled the Ray Rice situation and other incidences involving domestic violence. No one at ESPN has the right to say anything about something as serious as domestic violence as long as they employ Ray Lewis. If there is something worse than domestic violence it could be street violence, especially when it leads to murder. We all know the story, in 20XX during Super Bowl week in Atlanta Lewis was involved in the murder of two young men from Akron. He was arrested and plea-bargained, with the help of NFL lawyers, to a charge of obstructing the investigation. He later settled out of court with the family of the victims to avoid a civil suite. When you plea bargain that means you were guilty of something, and you don’t settle out of court for millions of dollars to avoid a civil suite when you are innocent.  Ray Lewis should never have been allowed back in the NFL, and he should not be working for ESPN. And until that changes, ESPN has no credibility to comment on the Ray Rice situation, or any other domestic violence incidences that involves athletes or former athletes.

View from the Dawg Pound Browns at Pittsburgh 9.7.2104

We plan to continue this year what we did last year on this blog. For home games we will spend the pregame time going to different establishments and tailgates near the stadium. For away games we will go to popular local watering holes, or visit with a Browns Backers club at their choice of establishment. If we are on the road doing a college game on Saturday, we will try to find the nearest local Browns Backers club and spend Sunday with them. It’s been a blast in the past and we hope it continues for this year!

For the game at Pittsburgh this past Sunday we wanted to go to a place that was going to be fun to be at and had a lot of energy. With the Tribe still in the playoff race and having a home game at the same time as the Browns Steelers game, we decided on Panini’s at East 9^th and Huron. It was a great choice. We were able to watch both games at the same time on big screens, plus there was a lot of energy in the place with people coming and going from the baseball game and really becoming energized as the Browns came back in the second half.

What can I say about the game that hasn’t been said? I loss is still a loss, especially to the Steelers. But I think there are some positives we can take away from this game.

            The Browns have a reasonably talented roster with a lot of young solid players. It is amazing with all the changes in the front office and coaches that they have been able to accumulate the talent they have. And in the second half last Saturday they showed  what they got.

            However, at least for the time being, the Browns at times are going to look like a team that has had three coaches in three years, four in the last five. And remember, with all the rookies on the team are in their second systems in two years, so everyone on the team has a lot of lingo and ideas and philosophies floating around in their heads. But I really like this current coaching staff, Ray Farmer and his staff for the most part have done a good job, and hopefully a period of stability has finally come to the sidelines and the front office.

            And looking like a team with three coaches in three years is exactly how they played in the first half. Tentative, hesitant, unsure what to do. But what ever was said and done at halftime worked, and the team played a lot better in the second half.

            Rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert had a rough afternoon, but he is playing the toughest position in sports and you have to learn on the job. The next time the Browns face the Steelers he will be facing their receivers for the second time and things should go better. Evan Hanford struggled as a young corner. Once the whole defense got n a good rhythm in the second half I really liked what was going on. Players like Paul Krueger and Barkevious Mingo were moved around and doing different things and it was showing results. The defense could be very, very good.

            The offense, like the defense, needed some time to get its rhythm. You had to like the running game, especially the work of the two rookie backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. We still don’t know the extent of Ben Tate’s injury, hope it isn’t serious, he played well too. The offensive line got dominated in the first half and dominated in the second. Lets hope they can start putting four quarters together.

            The passing game showed promise. After Jordan Cameron’s shoulder acted up again, the other tight ends Gary Banidge and Jim Dray made some nice plays. You got to like the little guys out wide, especially Taylor Gabriel and Andrew Hawkins.

             If Josh Gordon really comes back he will help everyone on offense. The Browns without him do not have a deep threat. Plus there is the big ugly secret that fans and the media do not talk about but every defensive coach in the NFL knows.  Neither Browns quarterback can consistently go deep out of the pocket, and I am talking NFL deep. Deep like John Elway and Tom Brady and Carson Palmer and Jim Plunkett deep. Brian Sipe did not have the strongest arm, but when he had to go downtown he could. Almost all of the long touchdown passes in both Hoyer’s and Manziel’s careers, both college and pro, have been short to medium range passes with a lot of running after the catch.  For a team to win a championship in the NFL they must be able to run the ball and attack all of the field with a passing game.  I don’t see that happening with either Browns quarterback.

            But I don’t want to end this as a downer. The Browns are greatly improved and should keep getting better. And don’t blame the Browns for their quarterback situation. How many quality downfield true NFL quarterbacks are there? Manning, Brady, Brees, Big Ben, and Carson Palmer are all on the north side of thirty. The kids in Cincinnati and Atlanta are still too inconsistent. Kyle Kapenick and Cam Newton are still works in progress. There is just not that many good quarterbacks around the league.

The excitement of the Indians win and the Browns loss, both games that went down to wire, had really worn on me. Even though the game had ended and hour earlier, everyone went to see the Indians play went to a near by restaurant or bar to watch the end of the Browns game. The streets were still crowded with post game traffic as I walked back up Prospect where my car was parked. Even though they had lost, the Browns comeback as well as the Indians win put a buzz through the people on the street.

We are always looking for new places to go to watch the games on television when the Browns are on the road. Drop us an email if you have a suggestion at cielec@hotmail.com.