What Did We See Tonight?

[Captain Cheesedick]

We saw a Browns team that showed "something". That is an improvement. They didn't let the Steelers get comfortable. It IS progress

 

We also saw:

 

A coach that plays to win. Tomlin going for it at the 2. He wanted to put the game away, and not worry about the chance for a tie. It failed, but it showed his players what he is all about. That is a coach.

A QB that is tough as nails. That performance by Rothlesburger was old itme, tough it out football.

A team that does not let injuries rule them. A broken down QB, the starting center leaves the game in the first halt, their starting linebacker out of the game. They put in backups and don't miss a beat.

 

Good game for both teams. Growth for the Browns. Steady as usual for the Steelers.

[hoorta]

GROWTH? ROTFLMAO.

 

MOst of the Browns team needs to be let go. The Steelers were flat, not aggressive and clearly are in a rebuild mode.

 

Like hell the Steelers were flat. Crap playcalling both defensively and offensively by the Browns. Game changing plays? McCoy getting ruled down on the 6 inch line, and the Browns can't freaking score a TD. Sure Jaron- you got a crip qb that can hardly walk, so let's drop back into coverage.

 

Hey, you notice those fatasses we drafted stopped the Squealers X 4 inside the 5 yard line line?

 

Haden falls down in coverage = game winning TD.

[cdl15]

GROWTH? ROTFLMAO.

 

MOst of the Browns team needs ot be let go. The Steelers were flat, not aggressive and clearly are in a rebuild mode.

u know nothin about sports period, just like I've been sayin all along THIS WHOLE TIME,if u think the steelers are in rebuild mode.

 

The browns are actually rebuilding for once not sayin they are. not a 10-3 team that has played like a superbowl team all year including last night. Trust me boy that was their A game and the young rebuilding team responded.

 

oh it's great to be me after looking at you!!!!!

[BrownsKidd]

u know nothin about sports period, just like I've been sayin all along THIS WHOLE TIME,if u think the steelers are in rebuild mode.

 

The browns are actually rebuilding for once not sayin they are. not a 10-3 team that has played like a superbowl team all year including last night. Trust me boy that was their A game and the young rebuilding team responded.

 

oh it's great to be me after looking at you!!!!!

 

I'm not sure I can agree with the "growth" comment. The first Drive may have been a glimpse of something. But we have done that before, we have had decent drives, and then for some reason, it is as if we say, "Well, that's all I got", and we revert back to crappy play calling, poor execution, etc., We're not seeing our coaching staff, calling plays and being creative. Just look at our first Drive last night. 3 down and Goal, and we are as predictable as church is on Sunday. 4th down, Shurmur puts his pantyhose and skirt on and goes for 3. Growth for me would have been a little more inventive in the play calling on 3rd and Goal, and then going for it on 4th Down. After that drive we were done. We spent all the gas we had in are playbook and went back to the same crap we have done all year.

 

 

Growth would mean our coaching staff seeing the talent we have and utilizing it. But were not. We have play makers. We have seen Watson make some great catches, Evan moore = Big Target, decent hands, Little = Big Target, Hillis can make plays our of the back field, Cribbs can do just about anything... Yet we seem about a imaginative as a cold rag, our offense has the personality of a rock. Really, nothing to brag about. But I still see glimpses of hope. We have some good talent, but your only as strong as your weakest link. And here we are.

 

Remember last year, we beat the Pats and the Saints.. Because of imagination and creativity.. the rest of the year, we blew games we shoudl have won. We have always seen glimpses of hope and growth, yet we seem to not be watering and focusing on the right roots of our team to establish a firm foundation.

 

Yes we need consistency in our coaching. Maybe an OC will help, and they better bring one in as this has been horrible, even worse than Daboll's play calling from last year.

 

We need to focus our play calling around our talent. We need to firm up the OL. And we need to reavaluate Colt, as I'm not sold on him unfortunately.

[Dste Ace]

Well, first and foremost what we saw was a team that has taken on the personality of the coach. It's like watching a continuous loop of Weekend at Bernies. No fire, no emotion, no sense of urgency.

 

In the first half we blitzed and chased Ben out of the pocket, got him out in the open where we could drop the hammer on him.

In the second half we rushed 4, dropped everyone else back in coverage, and let a one-legged gimp stand serenely and wait for someone to get open. Can anyone, ANYONE, explain the thinking?

 

Colt is not accurate. Maybe he's snakebit, suffering from PTSD from the beating he has taken all season. But even on plays where he has time, where receivers are open (our first drive of the night) the receivers had to make leaping catches, stop and wait for the ball. Instead of YAC, they fall down/get tackled as soon as they make the catch. The ball just seems to float out of his hand-no zip whatsoever.

 

I like Colt--he's tough as hell. But I fear he'll never be anything more than a dreaded "game manager". Just go out and don't screw it up.

 

Bottom line--we lost a game that was ours for the taking. Ball inside the 5 twice--ball at midfield twice at the end of the first half---result? 3 points. I have no answers--Groundhog Day, SOS, nothing changes. A culture of ineptness.

[Kosar_For_President]

It's like watching a continuous loop of Weekend at Bernies.

 

[tampadawgs]

This is what I saw last night

 

Offense

 

Colt Mccoy is not a NFL STARTING QB

All our running backs need to go away

Offense line did a good job pass blocking

Little- YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CATCH THE BALL AGAIN..WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU

TE- Nice to see Moore in there, but he got blowen up on the goalline

 

 

Defense

DQ- had a monster game..WOW all over the field

D-line played ok

Gocong had a great 4 plays on the goal line

Haden- I love this kid, but you have to stay on your feet!!!!

 

Other Linebackers learn how to tackle. The rest of our sec suck. Really miss Ward in a bad way

 

 

Coaches

Offense- WTF why are you not going for it on 4th down, let alone 3rd and a inch for a TD..Idea QB sneak!!!! Besides that little mistake. I think the play calling was pretty good. I have thought the playcaling has been much better the last few weeks. Shurmer just does not have the talent on offense.

 

Defense- WTF why did you not Blitz Big Ben in the second half, the guy cant move back there. BLITZ,BLITZ!!! besides that solid play. Still missing 2 linebackers and a CB.

 

 

Overall- I thought this was the only game we would win the reast of the yr, becasue they would play there ass off on primetime. Well they did not win, because Pittsburgh is just better than us. he lack of talent on Offense caused us to lose this game. They played there ass off.

 

 

Front office- IN next yrs draft with the first 4 picks please select 3 playmakers on offense and the nastiest defensive player out there

 

 

Goolie worse lost since our re-birth- your a moron

[USFBrown]

I saw a QB who has NO ANTICIPATION. Who waits until the receiver is open and then throws it, not to where the receiver will be open.

 

I've been trying to save judgement on the kid, but he's just not that good.

[Represent]

What did i see last night?

 

Another loss.

[Louisville Slugger]

I dont like saying this but I saw an entire coaching staff that needs to be fired. If we arent playing for a better draft position, then our coaches need to go.

 

Jauron is a vet, and he didnt take advantage of a hobbled QB, really? Rush 4 and play a cover 2, really? He keeps our CBs 10 yards back and wonders why we get burned on all those screen passes.

 

Once McCoy was down 6 inches away from the goaline Shurmer went into his shell and reminded me of the scared coach from the waterboy. 6 inches to go, just run a QB dive! Dont pass the ball, and dont motion your FB into the hole before the play. Horrible play calling. Also Keep Hillis in the game, he didnt break a long one but he fought for ever 3 or 4 yard gain he got.

 

Bad play calling is all I seen out of that game.

[TypicalBrowns]

WHHHHYYYYYYY is Hardesty in the entire second half????? That just gives Ghoolie more reason to bash Hillis when the dude only gets in the game for 9 carries. Hillis was running better than Hardesty and moved piles at least. And also, since Hillis cant catch the ball, and is in no way a running back with good hands better than Hardersty's, so lets not throw to Hillis, and get easy yards that way. Lets get Hardesty out on the side of the field for a 3 yard gain where he just goes out of bounds.

[Kosarfan]

First half, I saw some play calling and mixing it up that really excited me for this game. However, the initial drive ... they should have made a statement and gone for it, shown they were there for a win. There is nothing to be gained at this point of the season, playoffs are gone, show some dignity, grit, intention. Seems the coaches have the conservative mindset - ALL THE TIME - some points are better than none. Did you see Tomilin's approach when we made the stand on the goal line on 4th down. He would not be stopped. It was a gutsy call by a committed coach. They did not get it, but it sure seemed the team played hard for te rest of the game, knowing their coach thought they had the power to try. Our staff is entirely too conservative, but I will say, the first quarter and into the 2nd they looked uncharacteristically refreshing. Second half, same old crew came out of the pit. Playing not lose as opposed to chasing a win.

 

As for McCoy, you are entirely dead-on right. This kid IS tough, but he does not have the skills to play in the NFL without a surrounding spectacular cast. If his over / under throws were to guys that had some mobility, let alone hands, he'd look allot better, but that doesn't mean he's a NFL QB. He has no vision and a weak timid approach. The TD pass, had it been to the corner, as Ben would have thrown, would have easily been the game winning play. Instead another limpwristed underthrow for a INT. The INT midfield, same thing. Had he thrown with any arch at all, seeing the play develop behind the defenders, would have been a TD. The receiver (can't remember who it was) would have been long gone after that catch. Instead, Palomaulu did what he does best, saw the play develop and took advantage of a weak throw.

 

Encouraging ? ... not exactly what I had in mind.

 

My main concern now is, if they play the last game of the season with the same spark they had in the first half, Holmgren may ride that out through the off seaosn and we'll be in the same boat in 2012.