Icecube

Well, when I heard "new offense" I assumed it was a more open passing attack....to me, they look like they are even MORE physical than last year. They are hammering teams with big backs, they are letting Jackson run, even in the preseason. I saw no signs of a more sophisticated passing game. Maybe they are hiding it for now. Jackson does not have it in him to be a pocket passer, it's not gonna happen. Teams are going to stack the box and dare them to beat 'em deep. I'm not sure he can. But I still think they can win north of 9 games.

Yes, I messed that up. Had TN on the brain.

They don't "scare me" like a Zeke, Barkley, Bell or McCaffrey. But they are about pounding, not flash, although Henry has shown he can take it to the house. Dude is BIG and fast. Already this preseason they have shown they will hammer you with Ingram. And yes, they did lose a lot on D, but they have a way of replenishing just when you think they are dry. Suggs was on his last legs, Mosely is good, but not great. Still have players in the secondary. Have beef up front.

I agree on TN; I think Vrable will prove a good coach and they have talent. They had some impressive wins last year and they should be better. My main knock on them is at QB. Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota doesn't impress me. Big deal, he can run. Lamar can run circles around him. The thing with the Ravens is they are so physical. Now with Ingram in the fold, they are gonna hammer teams more than ever. I thought Henry was underrated before last season, and he proved he was. It's very hard to win a ring without a decent passing attack, but you can win a ton of games (and a div.) with a D and a running game, just not a championship in most cases. I think the team that wins the north is gonna earn it. It could be a brutal battle - 3 legit contenders IMO. This is the most anticipated season we've had in the AFCN/central we've had in years...like too many to even count. When was the last time the season opened with the Browns being a legit factor? 88?

They are not sexy, but with that D, Jackson running all over, should everyone sleep on them? I'm not.

Wes Hills

I have often wondered why Orchard wasn't kept by Cleveland OR why he wasn't immediately scooped up by another team. He seemed to get to the QB.

I'm sure he'll do fine.

Not only weed, but definitely weed was included in his hot mess. https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2018/09/18/josh-gordon-drugs-suspension-timeline It's surprising with how badly the Gordon experiment went that the Browns are still adding players with similar backgrounds.

No, the big difference is once clipped, you get tested randomly, making it much harder for chronic users to slip by. Rico is now on that program, where as before he just had to make sure he tested clean once a year, when he knew the test was coming. Just look at Gordon.

That's a bigger discussion, but moot in this instance. Right now weed is illegal in the NFL, and until that is changed, it does matter if you keep adding players who can't stop toking as it gets them suspended. Talent means NOTHING if you aren't playing. Do I really need to mention Josh Gordon here?

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/browns-rico-gathers-signs-with-cleveland/ Are they trying to add more and more tokers? Is this part of the overall plan?

Yea that's it <rolls eyes>

I never liked him on "First Take" either (nor his co-host Dana). He comes across like his doesn't think his poop stinks. He seems really impressed with himself. And he's also smug about OSU, even though he never attended school there. I'm not sure what it is, but he just bothers me. ESPN made the right choice in dumping him. I did like when he did a segment on trying to pitch in the minor leagues and got destroyed.

I'll take a drama queen if it equates to 3 Super Bowl appearances, and two SB wins, any day.

He's a step back in talent from Duke, over all. But he could be serviceable.

You still need to rush the ball. Very few teams win rings if they can't run the ball....very few. Even the west coast offense teams still run. Pats ran a lot down the stretch to winning their ring last year. A lot. As a matter of fact, you can set your watch to when Andy Reid teams lose in the playoffs; it happens every time he gets too pass happy. Rams lost the Super Bowl in 2000 because they quit running the ball.

I guess AB keeps his kids in the dark; they honestly wondered where Roethlisberger was. You mean they didn't know they moved 3,000 miles away to a new city and team but the kids didn't realize it? It seemed odd.

It's like Josh Gordon all over again. My God, how is that even possible?

That would be a major coup, but I can't see Skins going for it, as far as Calloway goes. But Williams would be an incredible upgrade to OL.

Of course it's not technically over right now, just saying this means he will be tested randomly from now on (until the NFL stops testing for it) and his past is checkered with his inability to stop the hippie lettuce. Such a shame. And a waste.

When it's totally legal, no way does the NFL keep testing for it. But we ain't there yet.

"Weed" may not be "shit" except that it gets you suspended from playing in the NFL. How stupid do you have to be? Throwing away millions just to toke. That takes a real idiot. After you retire with 10's of millions in the bank, get baked all you want.

They knew he was a character risk when they drafted him: He had 1-2 round skills taken in the 4th (and they moved up to get him) due to his prior history with hippie lettuce. It was a gamble. I'm not liking how it feels at this point. $1,000 body, 10 cent head.