Category Archives: Browns

Contract extension for Joe Schobert?

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The Cleveland Browns and John Dorsey have spoken with the agent for Pro Bowl linebacker Joe Schobert in regards to a possible contract extension.

This is some good news that the Cleveland Browns desperately needed. John Dorsey has spoken with the agent for Joe Schobert about a contract extension.

Joe Schobert is on track for a career year. With 92 tackles through 10 games, he is on pace to surpass his career-high 142 tackles by five. Schobert also has two sacks this season, his previous high in that department? Three in 2017 and 2018.

Schobert’s impact goes beyond just tackles and sacks. Schobert has two interceptions, five pass defenses, two forced fumbles and one recovery. These are the type of plays that change games. These are the type of plays that front offices value and gets players paid.

Schobert had his best performance of the season against the Steelers on Thursday.

Joe Schobert was able to impact the game from the start and made some key plays along the way. Pro Football Focus named him to their Team of the Week. In fact, he was their highest graded defender in Week 11.

The important part about these talks? Joe Schobert wants to remain a Cleveland Brown.

It certainly appears that both sides want a contract extension to happen. John Dorsey clearly values Joe Schobert and the former Wisconsin Badger likes being in Cleveland. The hard part is really over. There does not need to be a hard sell on Dorsey’s part and Schobert does not have to plead his case to stay. It will just be left up to Dorsey to communicate with Schobert’s agent and get a deal done. Locking up a key player on the defense will go a long way towards solidifying the roster, building the culture (something Cleveland clearly lacks) and being able to identify other needs.

A David Njoku return could help the Browns offense

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Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku has been out since Week 2 of this season due to an injury and a return appears to be imminent.

It goes without saying that the Cleveland Browns offense has missed David Njoku. While he is not going to fill the stat sheet, his presence makes things easier for those around him. A return could elevate the Browns offense and bring more consistency to the unit as a whole.

David Njoku broke his wrist back in Week 2 against the Jets. Since then a collection of tight ends have filled in to the best of their ability. While Demetrius Harris, Pharaoh Brown, Ricky Seals-Jones and Stephen Carlson have done well, they are nowhere near the talent of David Njoku. These four have combined for 22 catches, 282 yards and five touchdowns. Before his injury, Njoku had four receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown.

It is not a secret that the Browns offense performs better with less than three wide receivers on the field.

Warren Sharp also tweeted back at the end of October the overuse of 11 personnel.

In Cleveland’s loss to Denver they strayed away from what has worked and it without a doubt cost them the game.

The offense is clearly better when working from 12 and 21 personnel. There is more than enough data to go off of when it comes to making offensive adjustments. The Browns will definitely deploy the combination of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, it will all come down to how they add Njoku into the equation.

It will be wise for the Browns to use David Njoku in addition to the other tight ends on the roster to get the most out of their offense. While Njoku is not the best blocker, the threat of him in the passing game will be taken a bit more seriously than the tight ends that have been deployed since his injury.

Browns-Steelers on Dec. 1st flexed to 1 PM

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The NFL has flexed the second matchup between the Cleveland Browns and PIttsburgh Steelers to 1:00 P.M. on Sunday December 1st.

What the NFL is trying to do is abundantly clear. After the fiasco that happened on Thursday, flexing the Browns-Steelers matchup on December 1st to 1:00 P.M. had to be done.

The NFL does a lot dumb things. This is not one of them. For once the league had a moment of clarity and realized a 4:25 P.M. kickoff was not in the best interest of anyone. Having this game occur while there are seven other games taking place is the best way to reduce the coverage. It would have been one of three games beginning at 4:00 or later had it remained at 4:25 P.M.

After what happened on Thursday between Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph, another incident seems likely to occur considering there is only one game before they face each other again. Emotions will still be running high. That much is clear.

This game is going to be chippy. It is not out of the realm of possibilities that another incident occurs. The officiating crew will without a doubt be instructed to call the game tight and do their best to avoid another incident. Especially since the game is in Pittsburgh and it was their quarterback who was hit on the head with a helmet. The crowd is going to be rowdy and the Steelers will feed off of it.

The Cleveland Browns will have to do their best to keep themselves out of trouble. The team is undisciplined and prone to committing penalties. Making sure the penalties they do commit are not stupid penalties will be key. Unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties cannot happen. If they do, things can unravel and the team can fall apart in rivalry game they desperately need to win. Especially if they are still holding out hope for a playoff run.

Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns

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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL due to his actions in Thursday’s game.

The NFL has determined an indefinite suspension is an appropriate punishment for Myles Garrett and his role in what happened Thursday. This suspension has led to the ire of some and to an online petition that seems more like a publicity stunt than something that will have a real impact. In order to understand why Garrett received this punishment, it is important to go over the series of events that happened on Thursday.

Both Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph are to blame

This is not about the initial hit Myles Garrett put on Mason Rudolph. Some view it as late, others view it as just good football. The fact is, it doesn’t matter. What matters first is the reaction of Rudolph and the how his actions escalated the situation.

Here are the facts.

If Rudolph doesn’t grab Garrett’s helmet, nothing happens.

If Rudolph doesn’t kick Garrett after he removes his helmet, things do not continue to escalate.

Finally, if Rudolph doesn’t charge at Garrett, the helmet does not hit him in the head.

Now, this sounds like all the blame on is on Rudolph. It isn’t, Garrett has fault in this situation. Garrett did not have to remove Rudolph’s helmet. Garrett did not have to swing the helmet at Rudolph.

The reality is that Mason Rudolph could have been seriously hurt. Rudolph walked away relatively unscathed and is lucky to do so. Things could have been much worse considering how everything unfolded.

The suspension and the appeal

Myles Garrett has been handed an indefinite suspension. It is important to clarify the usage of the word indefinite here. It does not mean “forever” as so many people instantly thought. The usage of the word indefinite is more for the undetermined part of the definition. The NFL is not entirely sure how they will handle his suspension and just how long he should be suspended. Using the word indefinite buys the league time to come together and agree upon a finite number of games he will miss.

Not surprisingly, Myles Garrett has appealed his suspension. This is pretty much the norm for any player who is suspended.

This is just standard operating procedure. The real surprise would have been if there was not an appeal. Even with the appeal, it may not be much help in regards to the length of suspension.

Suspension length and how the NFLPA may not be much help

As Ian Rapoport mentioned, the CBA does not allow indefinite suspensions for on-field acts. That clause most likely written without considering someone swinging a helmet and using it as a weapon. The on-field acts this most likely in reference to are unnecessary roughness penalties, targeting and fights of lesser magnitude.

When a player appeals a suspension, the NFLPA will help in seeking a lesser number of games. (The NFLPA is required to represent all players). This is usually in the case when it comes to violations of the drug policy and the aforementioned on-field acts. Acts that, outside of fights, can be argued are part of the game of football. Myles Garrett swinging a helmet at another player is there furthest thing from it. This action endangered the safety of Mason Rudolph.

Any help the NFLPA provides in this matter will be most likely related towards seeking a finite number of games. The reason? In addition to representing Myles Garrett, they also represent Mason Rudolph. It will be hard to imagine the fighting hard for Garrett when it makes the well being of Rudolph appear completely inconsequential. With the increased focus on player safety, any sort of effort put into trying to lessen the suspension of Garrett will look like a giant middle finger to Rudolph. The NFLPA should know better than to do that.

How the Browns need to operate with Myles Garrett suspended

To be blunt? As if he does not exist. The team needs to realize that his suspension could last beyond this season. Cleveland needs to adjust their roster building plans accordingly. If the suspension goes into next year that means they will be without their best defensive player and they need to plan for that. Waiting to see what happens is not a strategy and is actually just an excuse for not taking any action.

If and when Myles Garrett returns, that is the time the Cleveland Browns can count on him to be a part of their team. When he does return it will be crucial for the team to have a proper culture and support system in place. Currently the team does not have either and what has occurred all season long with penalties, ejections, etc., are just what people see on game day.

Now when it comes to the on-field part of his potential return it will be crucial for his teammates and coaching staff to keep him in check. Opposing teams will without a doubt try to get under his skin and get a reaction from him. A reaction which could result in an ejection or another suspension. Like it or not, Myles Garrett has now been tagged with the identity of a dirty player in the eyes of the public. Shedding that tag is not easy and may not ever happen. Once a player is labeled as dirty, they are dirty for life.

One final thing

There is one final thing to mention when it comes to the suspension of Myles Garrett and whether or not it is fair. There are some that believe that it is too harsh. That a three to four game suspension is sufficient.

If the roles were reversed, if Baker Mayfield got hit in the head with his own helmet by a Steelers player, would Browns fans feel the same? Anyone saying “yes” is a liar. Fans would be in an absolute outcry that the player should be banned from the league and that the Steelers are always dirty. Before attempting to lessen the impact of his action, the ripple effect of what Garrett did, take that scenario into consideration. There is a pretty good chance that if it was Baker who got hit many would be singing a different tune. So set aside fandom for one second. Realize the gravity of the situation at hand.

If a player on another team acted in the same manner as Myles Garrett would it warrant an indefinite suspension? Those who take off their fan hat and realize that they do not actually bleed team colors will agree that a lengthy, and for now indefinite suspension is more than fair.

Browns continue to lack culture

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The repetitive cycle continues in Cleveland. The faces in the building may change, but the issues remain the same. From the most talented teams to the ones devoid of talent, the lack of culture, discipline, accountability and leadership will keep the Browns at a level below those who compete for championships. 

Want proof? Cleveland leads the league in penalties, penalty yards and ejections. This includes Thursday’s disgusting display. It is not about who started the situation or what was done to escalate things, it is about the lack of self control on display by Myles Garrett. This is not the first time this has been an issue this season. Garrett would not be acting in this manner in previous seasons under previous coaching staffs. This points to a clear problem with those leading the team. Those who are supposed to command a room. It is not that Myles Garrett cannot be led, it is that isn’t leadership present to hold anyone accountable. That right there is the problem. 

Several former coaches for the Browns have spoke out about issues they have faced this season. Most of what they said can be chalked up to sour grapes about no longer being employed. Although, what Todd Haley had to say certainly aligns with what the clear issue is. Freddie Kitchens has no control of the locker room. Even the player who nobody would have picked in a million years to do something so terrible is suspended indefinitely under Kitchens’ watch. Myles Garrett essentially transformed from Harvey Dent to Two-Face and that is a huge problem. 

Cleveland went “Full Dorse” and have themselves to blame 

A lot of the blame falls on John Dorsey as well. Dorsey is in charge of acquiring the players and selecting the man in charge to lead them (in this case the word lead is used loosely here). Dorsey has acquired numerous players with issues of the field, put them in a room together and apparently did not have the foresight to see this coming. It’s essentially putting a lit match in a room full of powder kegs and not expecting an explosion. 

What the Cleveland Browns have is a collection of individuals who extremely talented at playing football. They are not a football team by any means. Collecting talent is great, but if no one is able to keep the team under control it is all a waste of time. This has been the cycle of the Cleveland Browns since their return in 1999.  20 years in and they still can’t get out of their own way. 

The clear lack of culture, discipline, accountability and leadership will keep them from being taken seriously until corrective actions internally are taken. If the general manager and coaching staff were not able to get their team under control 10 games into the season, what have they done that gives the impression they will when the season is over? 

John Dorsey is not going to change the way he builds teams

John Dorsey will continue to acquire troubled, but talented players at a discount.  Antonio Callaway had numerous off the field issues and Dorsey took a chance on him in the fourth round. The Browns realized Callaway Thursday afternoon. Callaway failed to show up on time and was facing another suspension due to a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

The Browns also have Kareem Hunt on their roster. The Chiefs released Hunt during last season. This was after a video of Hunt hitting a woman in downtown Cleveland surfaced. The original incident did nothing, but proof always spurs action. (Even when Dorsey leaves an organization, his team building style remains intact). Hunt was able to be acquired by Dorsey because there were plenty of teams who would not want him on their roster.

Dorsey does not care about outside perception of the team. Dorsey only cares about if a player is talented and if he can get them on the cheap. The risk/reward scale used by Dorsey allows for even the highest risk to be acquired if the reward is also on the higher side of the spectrum. Even if Dorsey takes what appears to be a low-risk, adding that risk to a collection of other low-risks makes the entire group high-risk.

Could a coaching change fix things for the Browns?

Absolutely a coaching change can fix things. Ideally, an experienced coach with a history of keeping players with questionable backgrounds in line would be the perfect hire. The problem is those guys are not just hanging out on the street waiting for a job. They are coaches of other franchises. There needs to be a combination of removing problem players from the team and finding a coach who is a much better leader than Freddie Kitchens. If the new coach can establish a culture, instill discipline, keep the players accountable and most importantly, lead the team, they will be on their way towards turning things around. If not, the cycle of suck will continue. The team will continue to be a collection of individuals and the team will fail to reach expectations year after year.

How many more chances for Antonio Callaway?

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It seems like the Cleveland Browns are willing to give wide receiver Antonio Callaway plenty of opportunites to get himself together. How many is too many?

When will it be enough with Antonio Callaway? There’s a certain scale when it comes to acquiring players with off the field issues and performance on the field.  This scale has been used frequently by John Dorsey when building teams. Callaway is just one player on the Cleveland Browns who has been brought in with this method. That’s just the deal with the devil a team signs when having John Dorsey build your team. Sure, he brings in talented players. These players often have some sort of issue that makes them persona non grata to other franchises. 

Callaway continues to have issues and is not producing on the field. Eventually there will be a time when Cleveland seems destined to move in a different direction and that time appears to be only drawing closer. 

Antonio Callaway was a surprise inactive Sunday after showing up late before the game. The team decided that a one game punishment would be suitable for his tardiness. This is just the latest incident in a long list of off the field issues for Callaway. 

For some bizarre reason Cleveland continues to give Antonio Callaway chances. If Callaway was one of the best players in the league at his position it would be understandable. Callaway isn’t even third-best on his own team. Callaway seems to frequently not run the correct routes or be an integral part of the game plan. 

If Antonio Callaway wants to remain in Cleveland, the talent will have to outweigh the risk. So far that has not been the case and it would be understandable if Cleveland decides to move on from Callaway sooner rather than later. 

When evaluating whether they keep Callaway or not, the Cleveland Browns need to ask themselves one thing.

If Antonio Callaway can’t manage to get to the game on time, does he really care?

If the answer is anything but yes he’s got to go.

Browns offensive adjustments will be tested

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The Cleveland Browns utilized both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt plenty on Sunday. The adjustments they can make on a short week will be tested.

Freddie Kitchens deployed both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt on Sunday and it paid dividends. The duo of Chubb and Hunt were very productive when on the field together. The Browns new running back duo combined for 195 yards from scrimmage in the 19-16 victory.

The key thing to focus on is the personal usage.

Cleveland has struggled offensively this season and most of the struggles form the usage of 11 personnel. If this change continues for the remainder of the season, the offense should be more productive.

There is a drastic difference between the effectiveness of Nick Chubb with and without Kareem Hunt on the field.

Cleveland has a short week and will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Thursday. It goes without saying that this new strategy will be present on Thursday. The only issue that could come up is that there may be a finite number of plays from these packages. Typically there are issues that arise with new concepts and personnel groupings prior to a short week.

Pittsburgh may be able to prepare for this and make this new personnel grouping less effective. The Steelers are well coached team. Pittsburgh can adjust and bring some new looks on defense in order to stop it. Cleveland will have to take the necessary precautions and put in the proper adjustments offensively if this package does struggle.

Coaching adjustments and decision making have been questionable this season. This is an issue that was discussed on Monday’s podcast.

Rashard Higgins needs to go

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The Cleveland Browns have another problem. This time it is with Rashard Higgins. 

Funny how quickly things can change. This is in stark contrast to an earlier post which stated Rashard Higgins needed to play. Now Higgins needs to go.

According to reports, Rashard Higgins refused to come in during their loss to the Seattle Seahawks. What this does is take some of the focus on the coaching staff away from not playing him and place it squarely on Higgins. Higgins has played sparingly this season and this interaction could be why. 

What the Browns clearly have here is a player who is not a positive presence in the locker room. The moment that Rashard Higgins said no, everything changed. Now the presence of Higgins in the locker room signals to other players that it is okay to refuse to play.  The message that the coaching staff, GM and others are sending to the players is that what Rashard Higgins did is perfectly fine. 

It is not. 

This is just more evidence of a lack of accountability. There is no leadership in the organization and any semblance of culture is non-existent. 

John Dorsey should have cut Rashard Higgins by now. Each second that Higgins remains on the roster is giving the appearance of permission to other players to behave in a manner that is not of a winning team. 

Winning teams do keep players who act in this manner. The moment a player takes this approach they are given their walking papers shortly after. The best organizations know that keeping someone like Higgins on the team will only result in negative outcomes. 

The Browns are not a winning organization. There is no culture. There is no accountability. These areas have been ignored and Higgins remains on the roster because of it. Until the Browns evaluate themselves and realize what needs be fixed, they will be stuck in neutral and incidents like this will continue to happen. 

If Rashard Higgins does not want to play in games, might as well make it a bit easier for him to do so and release him.

Josh Allen may have familiar performance vs Browns

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The Cleveland Browns face the Buffalo Bills Sunday at home and face a quarterback that they could have drafted in Josh Allen.

This is an all too familiar situation. Cleveland will face Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. If history tells us anything, it is that Allen will lead the Bills to victory.

It’s a tale as old as time. The Cleveland Browns take a quarterback in the draft and the one they do not pick comes back and beats them in spectacular fashion. Sometimes it’s the first NFL game of the season (Carson Wentz in 2016). Other times it is later in the year (Lamar Jackson in 2018). Then there is absolute dominance over the course of a career (Ben Roethlisberger). The only thing about the opposing quarterback in this situation is that the Browns did not draft him. Once they have to face Cleveland they seem to get super powers and play at a level that many do not see coming.

Cleveland’s defense struggles against mobile quarterbacks. This will be no different this Sunday when facing Josh Allen.

The fact that Baker Mayfield has been struggling and things are unraveling as each week passes only sets this up even more. Mayfield went from feeling dangerous to playing disastrous and got dunked on by Macaulay Culkin on twitter earlier this week. All of this points to Josh Allen having a hell of game Sunday.

It almost appears to be destiny that Josh Allen has the opportunity to put the proverbial nail in the coffin of and finally bury the corpse of what has been the 2019 Browns season.

Josh McDaniels to the Browns?

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To the surprise of no one, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is a popular suggestion to replace Freddie Kitchens in Cleveland.

There are plenty of options for the Cleveland Browns if they decide to part ways with Freddie Kitchens. One suggestion is Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley. The connection there is clear, but making the leap from college to the NFL is never easy. If Cleveland decides to choose their next coach from those among the NFL ranks, Josh McDaniels will certainly be a candidate they consider. An option they think should more than twice about.

This is not a criticism of Josh McDaniels the offensive coordinator in New England. McDaniels has obviously done a great job in New England and is the rare Bill Belichick assistant to leave and actually return. The issue is going down the same path that Cleveland has already done twice before. Cleveland has been burned by the Belichick assistant route previously, just like many other teams. Why would they want to rehash something that they have experienced fail in spectacular fashion?

Albert Breer appeared on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland yesterday and made the suggestion of Josh McDaniels.

That’s great that McDaniels may want to coach Baker Mayfield. The success McDaniels experienced with Tom Brady is fantastic. What needs to be considered is just because an offensive coordinator has success with an all-time great quarterback does not mean they are some offensive genius. Adam Gase was great with Peyton Manning in Denver and has parlayed that into one surprising season in Chicago with Jay Cutler and used that as a springboard to two head coaching gigs which have been abject disasters.

Then there is the fact that Josh McDaniels bailed on the Indianapolis Colts. At that moment, McDaniels should be taken off of any prospective coaching list. McDaniels left the Colts out to dry and luckily they were actually able to find a replacement in Frank Reich. Reich may have surpassed what Indy thought they were getting with McDaniels.

Cleveland will have a plethora of options available to them if they part ways with Freddie Kitchens after one season. Cleveland should be careful when it comes to Josh McDaniels.