jiggins7919

I know, I really don't like it. I'd rather have a few more division games early when teams tend to be healthier.

I'm exactly where you are, my friend. Maybe it's because I still remember 2008 VERY well, but I tend to agree with 8-8. The difference with my opinion is I can see 10-6, ESPECIALLY if we split the first 8 games because I think the second half of the schedule lightens up just a bit, but I can also see us winning only 6 games. Now, I’m the first to admit that our team is a much different animal than the 2008 squad, but I’m not sure fans truly remember the amount of hype we had going into the year. Not only did we fail to live up to the hype, we were an unmitigated disaster from the GET-GO. Weird injuries in preseason, cuts that didn’t heal, touchdowns dropped (ahem, Braylon), and every other problem you can think of. We came into that year the darling of the AFC North, and we crapped the sheets IMMEDIATELY. Ok, so referring back to 2008 isn’t very scientific in terms of prognosticating a win-loss schedule. So what else is going on? Three things, and while I’m sure they’ve already been discussed in these 3 pages, I’m going to apologize in advance for not reading every post. Here are my 3 reasons for predicting between 6-10 wins (I know you guys are very excited! LOL) 1. Defense. I do not trust our defense yet, and while I’m excited to get a new DC and new scheme, we have holes at LB, CB, and Safety. Jabril Peppers wasn’t an allstar, but he was starting to play a bit better, and we’re still going to feel his absence. I mean, he almost singlehandedly beat the Broncos for us with his incredible end zone interception and the 4th down sack. We’re still missing that “thumper” style linebacker, and what hurts the most is we HAD HIM in Michael Kendricks, but obviously we had to cut him. 2. Field Goal Kicker. Ok, stop laughing, and hear me out. If we had a stud FG kicker last year, what do you think our record is? I mean, just look at the close games we lost. Pittsburgh and New Orleans were the first two games of the year, and both games basically came down to kicks. What about the last game of the year against the Ravens? We go for it on 4th and 10 instead of kicking the 56 yard FG. Obviously I understand that 56 yards if FAR from a gimme, but if you had a good kicker, you probably go for the kick, right? Heck, we lost to the Bucs in overtime on a 58 yarder. And the weather wasn’t THAT terrible in Baltimore. Greg Joseph has the physical tools to be a good kicker, no doubt. Plenty of leg and all that, but even several of his MADE attempts got between the uprights by the grace of God himself. Remember the “slice kick” he had against the Jets I think? Where it started left and sliced back right? LOL! How about the game-winner against the Ravens? That should NOT have gone in, hahaha. How many extra points and FG’s JUST went through? Until we get a good FG kicker, I can’t predict us to get more than 10 wins, and 10 is the high side for me. 3. Injuries. Now, this is something that applies to every team, and it’s not even fun to talk about, but I don’t even know who our backup QB is going to be. Drew Stanton? I know he’s got a solid starting record, but I don’t think he’s the guy you REALLY want out there if the unthinkable happens. I also don’t put much stock in Denzel Ward’s health. He’s one of my FAVORITE players, and my heart breaks for that kid, but 3 concussions in like 7 weeks is NOT good, especially as a rookie. It’s got to be on his mind nonstop, ya know? How can he NOT be hesitant? I hope I’m wrong, I really do, but for us to maximize our potential, we need our allstars, and he’s so talented…we need him out there in the secondary.

I totally agree. I'm definitely ok with 8 games, and I sincerely hope Kareem can get it turned around. For some reason, I think he will.

8 games it is, and you know what? I'll take it. We have depth at the RB position for the second half of the year, and I can't wait to see how Kitchens uses all of our weapons. I'm desperately trying not to jump out of my ass with excitement, but DANG this is fun. I don't want to jinx it, but maybe...just maybe...we'll win a season opener!! Hehehehehe! Well, with our luck the NFL will put us on prime time against the Patriots for our first game. LOLOLOL

Rosenhaus?! Are you effing kidding me? Lord Jesus that guy is the absolute WORST. He completely screwed over Pryor, and I don't blame the players too much because they're told to place their trust in their agents. Frankly, I think that's insane, but that's how the game works. Also, this could be Perriman's ONLY shot for another contract, so you know he wants to get everything he can. Suppose his play was just a flash in the pan and he's not as capable as demonstrated? Ya know, sometimes I think the players make it more complicated than it has to be. If they want to do something, they can do it and their agent can kiss their ass. I'm frustrated because I can't see any possible way Perriman comes back, and I really liked him on the team.

Have to give a little credit to Lamar Jackson. I always said that if a team got a lead, he would not be able to pass them back into the game. Now, a Chargers' player dropped a potential pick, and Lamar got pretty lucky with that one throw across his body that just barely went over the outstretched hands of James, but he still brought his team back. Still, I maintain that unless he further develops as a passer, more teams will extract the concepts of successful defensive teams, and this offense will get shut down. Just like it did with Kaepernick.

Hahahaha. That's my Pops. Not Korean...that dog is way too bitter anyway! 😉

I made some 15 bean soup with a giant, meaty ham hock from the store and some yellow rice. The perfect meal to warm your bones and fill you up. My Pops and I were having a blast with full tummies and good football to watch. And my dog loves her some Papa.

And that’s really the bottom line. Yes, I’m pretty ticked that we couldn’t make it any closer. The almost 80 yard touchdown being called back, and then fumbling two plays later on another long pass REALLY kicked me in the gut. I think if we score on one of those plays it really makes me feel a little better. Even though the game wasn’t “close”, if we lost like 29-20 it would’ve made me feel slightly better, and it also would’ve been another TD for Baker’s confidence and stats. I know, I know, that sounds ridiculous, but whatever. I hate to beat a dead horse, but that pick before halftime is really burning me up. On one hand, I love the aggressive nature of Baker, and throwing a jump ball to Njoku is usually a good idea, but the throw was simply awful, and it wasn’t even close to him. But like I said before, go back and watch that INT. Chubb (or Duke, don’t remember) is standing in the middle of the field, jumping up and down and SCREAMING for the ball. You don’t even see a Texans’ defender in the entire screen, and lord knows how far he would’ve run with the ball. The worst part about that play is Baker did the exact thing against the Chargers (I think) before halftime, and I would like for him to learn that lesson without making the error a second time. Even a FG before half would’ve been nice because we had a nice TD drive to start the 3rd quarter. Baker will learn, I have no doubt about that. I absolutely LOVE how he seemed to shrug off the atrocious first half, and although it's not fun to watch a game where we get blown out, go back and watch some of the throws Baker made yesterday (especially in second half). I mean, some of those throws were next level stuff. How about that TD to Higgins? That ball he squeezed into Devalve on the sideline? There were so many pinpoint balls DOWN THE FIELD that were stunning. This kid has so much potential, he really does.

Unfortunately, ole Terry is probably right on the money with his prediction. Houston winning 8 in a row AND being at home doesn't sound fun at all, but then again, 8 games in a row is absurd, and perhaps it's their time to trip up. I REALLY don't see it happening, but hey, they aren't invincible. The strange vision I have of us winning involves a defensive touchdown and *gasp* a huge special teams play.

Exactly, and that's where a lot of the fun come from. The final evaluation period provided by these games. And to be honest, we don't have to WIN tomorrow for this to be another successful interview, much as the Chiefs' game was in some ways successful. We were devastated by defensive injuries within 5 minutes of the game starting, yet we hung tough for a little while. I would've loved to play them at full strength. Anyway, if we play well and challenge the hottest team in the league, but don't pull out a win....it can still be victory for our coaches and players. Hey, the Saints won ten in a row and lost to Dallas. Foreshadowing? 😁

That’s just it, how many wins do you think it takes to keep the current staff? For a lot of reasons, I believe it’s a long shot to keep everyone (except for special teams bozo, good grief). Dorsey didn’t get to hire his coach in Kansas City (Reid was hired like two weeks before Dorsey), and he was saddled with Hue Jackson in Cleveland. Dorsey has probably had a list of coaches in his pocket for YEARS, and now that he finally gets the opportunity to interview people for the job and fill it the way HE wants to, I find it hard to believe that Gregg and Kitchens will be back. But should they? Sometimes you don’t fix what isn’t broken, right? I really do believe we’re going to somewhat struggle this weekend, as Houston is downright nasty and on fire. If that happens, IF…I really hope people don’t get too down on Kitchens. He’s started his OC career off to an absurd start, and he can’t be amazing EVERY week (but I hope he is, lol). But after this game, the rest are a total toss-up in my eyes. The games could go either way. Let’s say we lose this week, but split the rest, giving us a record of 6-9-1. If we finish with that record, AND our offense (ahem…quarterback) continues to shine, I don’t see ANY way we let Kitchens and Gregg go. I really don’t. There’s more to it than just wins and losses, too. Think about how young our offense is right now. Do you REALLY want to bring in new defensive and offensive coaches who will inevitably bring THEIR schemes? That means our young team will have to learn yet another scheme, new language, new route concepts, and begin the feeling out process all over again. Offensively, one of the best ways to ruin a QB is to force him to learn new stuff every year. They never get a chance to MASTER something, as they’re always trying to LEARN something. For example, how much better does a guy like Callaway look right now? Take that amazing 3rd and 11 completion we had Sunday. Callaway read the situation perfectly, ran to the sideline, and Mayfield delivered a BULLET for a giant first down, that lead to a TD. That’s the kind of thing that comes with practice and familiarity, and you probably don’t get that by changing schemes and concepts. Callaway is growing, Njoku is growing, Baker, Chubb, and on down the line. Being familiar with schemes and coaches goes even further. Look at our offensive line for example. This was a major source of consternation for much of the year, but as soon as Freddie Kitchens takes over, all the sudden our OL looks all world. That’s because he understands route concepts, how to get the ball out quickly, how/when to run the ball, and he calls plays that his players are good at. Did you even hear Chris Hubbard’s name Sunday? Greg Robinson’s? Right now, Greg Robinson isn’t just winning the starting LT spot for next week, he’s winning the job for the next few YEARS. To be fair, Robinson got away with an obvious hold on the FIRST play of the game that really should’ve negated a nice screen pass to Chubb, and it should’ve been 1st and 20. But…they didn’t call it (for once), and he got lucky. Other than that, our OL looked strong, Baker got the ball out quickly, and we’re utilizing a ton of different receivers. I’m just not sure making a sweeping coaching change is what this team needs, and the future of our entire team is Baker Mayfield, and if he’s playing well with the current setup and CONTINUES to play well, then I don’t think it’s even a question. You bring everyone back. The players seem to like Gregg Williams’ “firm but fair” type of coaching, and Freddie Kitchens could be tethered to Baker Mayfield for a chunk of his career as the OC.

I'm very interested to see how we'll play after our best game in probably 3+ years. We need to prove it wasn't just a flash in the pan and that we can consistently summon a similar level of play.

You know what's funny? During the last several years of Dalton's career, there seems to be a large number of haters out there who don't care for him. Now, during that time, we had some real QB specimens, and we would've sold our right arm for Andy Dalton, or at least I WOULD HAVE. Fast forward to now, and I wouldn't even THINK about switching Baker for the Ginger QB. I still think Baker will have a couple games where he somewhat struggles, but he's only a rookie, and I can't wait to see how he progresses.

I'd be over the moon for 3-3 and retaining our coaching staff. That'd be quite a bit of momentum heading into 2019, AND our QB wouldn't have to learn a new system, which is huge. Our franchise is at a virtually unknown point, in that we can actually start to build AROUND a QB, instead of searching for one. Let THAT sink in. And like I've said before....I actually LIKE Gregg Williams. He comes across as sincere, and that carries a lot of weight with fans, media, and most importantly....players. When I think of "Cleveland Browns Coaches", I have a vision of tough, no-nonsense type people. Gregg fits that. All that being said, even going 3-3 is a difficult proposition. We don't play a team like the Giants or Cardinals. We have 6 very tough games, and I think all 6 are firmly entrenched in the playoff race. Not only that, we have 3 division games remaining, AND 4 of the 6 games are on the road. Our road woes are well documented, but we've got to overcome them if we're going to have any semblance of success in the last part of the season.

Did you guys see the short video clip of the Chiefs' punter actually thanking Mahomes for not getting a first down so he could punt the ball for once? LMAO

This is why we drafted Baker Mayfield. He had the right mental fortitude to weather through the tough "Cleveland Atmosphere". Everyone knew this year wasn't going to be all roses, after all, we didn't win a single game last year, LOL. Baker and company are going to be severely tested right now, and that might be the understatement of the decade. We're down multiple key players, we're on the road, and we're facing a passing offense that puts up scary numbers. Oh, and we're down our second starting CB. Yo. You know what? We don't have to win for this game to be a victory in my eyes. As long as we play well, score points, and make strides...I'm happy with that. We need Baker to play like we know he can, our receivers to catch the ball, and Myles Garrett to show out. All that happens and we still lose...I'll be fine with it. It's about making improvements. We had our chances to win several of our early games, and we didn't execute. Now that we're severely injured, those opportunities are likely to be more rare. I'm interested to see the mettle of our team after that butt-whooping.

I mean...wow. Just wow. The shoes and the pose just drive me crazy.

Ummm....whoa!

That's how I feel as well. I was glad to see him leave college, as he tortured my Seminoles for far too long, but I was NOT happy to see him come to our division. I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure we'll see him this season with his own small package of plays. And when they get near the goal line, I fully expect he'll be in the game.

Lamar is a fascinating prospect, has been for a couple of years. Think about if Lamar entered the draft the year after Kaepernick took the 49's to the Super Bowl. He'd be a top 5 pick, right? Now, NFL trends change, but the one thing that hasn't is scoring points, and Lamar can definitely do that. I don't see too many paths that have him winning rookie of the year, as I don't believe the Ravens would bench Flacco, and even if he's injured, I'm not sure they'd toss Lamar out there anyway. But here's the thing: If I was the coach who drafted him, I'd IMMEDIATELY have a package for him. Can you imagine how much of a nightmare he'd be on 2 point conversions? Short distances? Red zone? Even if the Ravens just show it in preseason, other teams are still going to need to prepare for him that week. Lamar plays such a different style than Flacco, that if you didn't prepare for him, he'd destroy your defense with read-option alone. He's simply faster than any other QB people have seen. To be honest, most teams have largely managed to snuff out the read-options, which is why the Kaepernick style offenses have mostly gone bye-bye, although remnants still remain (many teams still implement variations of it). But I watched Lamar long enough to know that if you aren't ready for HIM, he'll carve you a new one. Can he do it all game long through a 16 game season? That I don't know, but it's certainly going to be fun to watch, and I REALLY didn't want to see him go into our division.

The understatement of the decade. That's a heavenly boo-tay. *shudder*

Tallahassee, FL