Tag Archives: Sione Takitaki

Browns get needed win over Bengals

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The Cleveland Browns were able to defeat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals 32-13.

It was a house of horrors Monday night, but not for the Browns. Cleveland came away with a decisive Halloween night victory over the Bengals, at one point leading 25-0 over their division rival. In fact the defense was able to keep Cincinnati off the scoreboard until early in the 4th quarter. This was the all around performance that the Browns have been looking for all season and it came at a very crucial time.

The Browns outgained Cincinnati 440-229 and dominated time of possession 36:45 to 23:15. Both teams committed two turnovers with all coming before the half. Neither team was able to capitalize off their forced turnovers as the results were a missed field goal, punt, another fumble, and a second missed field goal. The game was less sloppy in the second half, but it was the Browns who got a head start with their 11-0 halftime lead, being able to build upon it with three second half touchdowns.

A big factor for Cleveland was the play of their defense as they played like a cohesive unit for one of just a few times this season. While the defense started off on the wrong foot, being called for 12 men on the field for the first play of the game, they rebounded quite nicely. The Browns kept Cincinnati’s rushing attack in check, limiting the Bengals to 36 yards on 10 carries. This surprising performance combined with the Browns sacking Joe Burrow five times added up to a great outing for the defensive unit.

Offensive highlights

Nick Chubb led the rushing attack with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. This was the third 20+ carry outing for Chubb this season and just like the other two it was a Browns win.

It was a highly involved night for Kareem Hunt, finishing with 11 rushes for 42 yards and four receptions for 30 yards. After the last two games saw Hunt carry the ball nine times, it was a return to an increased workload for the 27-year old ballcarrier.

Cleveland’s leading receiver was Amari Cooper reeling in five passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. Cooper’s touchdown came late in the 3rd quarter as the Browns took a four-score lead.

Donovan Peoples-Jones also had a productive night with four receptions for 81 yards. The former Michigan wideout has at least 71 yards in four of his last five games and has become a very productive complimentary receiver in the Browns passing attack.

Aside from a gross lost fumble it was an efficient outing from Jacoby Brissett. Brissett was 17-22 for 278 yards and one touchdown while being sacked twice. This was the highest yardage output of the season for Brissett and his 133.7 rating was the best in his eight starts.

Defensive dominance

Making his front yard Halloween decorations come to life was Myles Garrett. Garrett totaled 1.5 sacks and hit Burrow four times in the contest. It was a very impactful night for the former first overall pick.

Leading the Browns in tackles was Sione Takitaki. It was the best game of Takitaki’s career up to this point, totaling 13 tackles (six solo) and sacking Burrow once. The sack forced a fumble which was recovered by Tommy Togiai late in the 2nd quarter. With how poorly the Browns linebacker corps have performed this year hopefully this is a sign of things to come from Takitaki as this Cleveland defense desperately needs it.

Also registering sacks in the contest were Deion Jones, Isaiah Thomas, and Taven Bryan. It was the first sack of Thomas’ career, the first in Cleveland for Jones, and Taven’s half was the second straight game getting to the quarterback.

A.J. Green was able to continue an impressive streak for the Browns defense and an unfortunate one for Burrow. Burrow has now thrown an interception on the opening drive in three consecutive games.

Looking ahead

Cleveland sits at 3-5 as they head into a much needed bye week. The Browns have plenty of injuries and need to get healthy. They also need to tighten a lot of things up on both sides of the ball. There have been plenty of times that an underwhelming Browns team has dominated a good opponent with nothing to show for it at year’s end. The tough stretch ahead post-bye is very intimidating and will dictate the success or failure for the rest of the season. If the Browns can somehow keep things afloat until Deshaun Watson comes back things will get interesting down the stretch.

Browns should be ready to make deals

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The 2022-23 NFL season is essentially over for the Cleveland Browns and they should be prepared to move some players for draft picks.

At 2-5 the Browns season is basically over as it is highly unlikely they navigate one of the toughest schedules over the rest of the season to make the postseason. Because of this they should start shopping multiple players, not just Kareem Hunt and Greedy Williams. Reports do indicate that the Browns have too high expectations for a trade return for Hunt, it is a good starting point negotiation-wise and that process should expand to other players.

Looking at players on expiring contracts is the ideal place to start when it comes to potential trades. Jack Conklin, Jadeveon Clowney, D’Ernest Johnson, Chris Hubbard, and Sione Takitaki could help contending teams. Taven Bryan is also another player on an expiring deal, but considering his lackluster play he may not draw any interest. Deion Jones will also be a free agent when the season is over. Considering he has played in just one game and was just traded to Cleveland they may not be willing to move off of him so quickly. The future of all these players in Cleveland seems murky at best. Getting something over nothing for them would be a wise path to follow.

Players not on expiring deals

If the Browns really want to get frisky they can unload the likes of John Johnson and Grant Delpit. Johnson has not lived up to expectations since signing prior to last season. The high salary figure for Johnson is a big obstacle that may prevent genuine trade interest. Delpit has been flat out awful and pretty much unplayable making it difficult to move him. While trading one or both is a downgrade for now, it may be better the long run to part ways.

The NFL trade deadline is unpredictable and the way the Browns operate currently can be at times. There is a real possibility that none of the names here are moved. The possibility also exists that they could move multiple players to shake things up a bit and churn the roster.

This Is Believeland – Real Browns Fans Podcast Ep. 11

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This Is Believeland – Real Browns Fans Podcast Episode 11: James and Jordan discuss some player updates, the Browns win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Guys or Dudes: Linebacker edition.

Browns Preseason Win, JOK, And Linebackers by This Is Believeland

Sione Takitaki placed on reserve/COVID-19 list

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The Cleveland Browns have placed the second year linebacker on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

There was a report early Wednesday that another player on the Cleveland Browns has tested positive for COVID-19. Later in the day Sione Takitaki was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Sione Takitaki is coming off his best game as a pro. A game which featured an interception of Carson Wentz and Takitaki returning it for a touchdown. Takitaki no longer has the chance to build off his performance from this past Sunday due to ending up on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

This is the second consecutive day which the Browns placed a defensive player on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The team placed defensive end Joe Jackson on the list Tuesday. Cleveland’s defense will also be without Myles Garrett this weekend as he remains on the list.

With Myles Garrett and Sione Takitaki placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and Denzel Ward out for a few weeks with a calf injury, an already thin defense just got thinner. The margin for error on that side of the ball is getting significantly smaller which could prove problematic in the future.

Observations from Browns 22-17 win

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The Cleveland Browns came away with a 22-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles and there are a few things that stood out.

The weather was Cleveland’s best friend

It was another rainy day in Cleveland and that turned out to be the best case scenario for the Browns. The weather played right into their hands as a combination of running the football and well-timed defensive plays propelled the team to victory. The weather ensured that Kevin Stefanski was not able to be too cute with the offense, ensuring they ran the ball early and often. 39 total rushing attempts (minus the final kneel down) from the Browns by the end the game indicates that the weather conditions led to a positive outcome.

Olivier Vernon’s best game as a Brown

This is statement that cannot be contested. Olivier Vernon had his best game as a member of the Cleveland Browns Sunday and that was without Myles Garrett on the other side of the line. Vernon sacked Carson Wentz three times and finished with 5 total tackles, 3.5 for loss. Vernon has been playing up to his potential recently and could build on this performance moving forward.

Sione Takitaki’s best play of his NFL career so far

Speaking of great defensive efforts, Sione Takitaki made a game defining play early in the 1st quarter. Takitaki intercepted a lobbed pass by Carson Wentz and returned it for a touchdown. It is early in his career, but this was easily the best play of it so far.

Nick Chubb’s clutch run

Early in the 4th quarter the Browns led by only two points and they wisely called upon Nick Chubb. Chubb ripped off a 54-yard run which would set up a touchdown run by Kareem Hunt. This clutch run helped give Cleveland the much needed victory.

The overall yards per carry was not necessarily great for Cleveland as they finished at 3.5 for the game (again, minus the final kneel down). Without this run from Chubb it was only at 2.2. Sometimes it is about a well timed run at a crucial point which can decide a game. That is exactly what this run was for the Cleveland Browns.

Browns benefitted from Eagles Battleship Football game plan

There is a phrase that Mike Lombardi uses quite often on his GM Shuffle podcast when discussing the offense of the Philadelphia Eagles, Battleship Football. The offense has no real rhythm and plays are called without any real reason for doing so. The play calls were just like calling out random letter-number combinations hoping to get a hit. Early on Philly seemed to be avoiding this pitfall as they ran the ball on nine of their first 10 plays. The Eagles would go on to run the ball only 16 more times the rest of the game. Battleship Football came back to haunt them yet again and that is partially why the Eagles lost.

Browns bolster defense on Day 2

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The Cleveland Browns got some help for the defense on Day 2 of the NFL Draft by selecting cornerback Greedy Williams and linebacker Sione Takitaki.

John Dorsey getting help for the Cleveland Browns defense was inevitable. Especially considering the type of talent still available in rounds two and three. Adding reinforcements to the secondary and linebacking corps was crucial to improve the team.

Cleveland moved up from pick 49 to pick 46 to select cornerback Greedy Williams out of LSU. Williams was considering one of the best defensive backs available in this draft, but slipped a bit due to some concerns about his tackling ability. On the other hand Williams is considered the best cover corner available and that is what really matters. In the press conference following the pick John Dorsey echoed that same sentiment.

Pairing Greedy Williams with Denzel Ward will form a great tandem in the Browns secondary. The type of tandem that the Browns have been seeking for years now.

The Browns stood pat in the third round and selected linebacker Sione Takitaki out of Brigham Young University with the 80th overall pick. Takitaki will bring physicality and a ton of energy to the Cleveland defense. While some feel that this was an overdraft, it is important to remember that not every draft board looks the same. Some players are higher on certain draft boards than they are others. There have been some comparisons to Bobby Wagner in regards to playing style. If Takitaki is anything remotely close to Wagner this is a great draft pick.

Cleveland should be able to build upon their draft picks on Day 3. John Dorsey should do some more wheeling and dealing as the team has more draft picks than spots on the roster. There are only so many rookies a team can have and some more moves to select higher quality players could be in order on Day 3.