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Tag Archives: Alex Mack
THE MONDAY MORNING DUMP
Without any hesitation I can say that the Cleveland Browns were the far better football team yesterday in all aspects – offense, defense, special teams and coaching. I picked the Browns to win the game because after watching the Steelers over the last 2 weeks I was able to see that they are an old team that lacks talent and should replace both of its coordinators. The Browns are a young team that has some proven talent and some potential young talent, with a head coach who actually seems to know what he’s doing and really loves his job. Kudos to Mike Pettine and his staff for making this team respectable this early in the season. Now let’s see how they handle prosperity.
The Browns should be favored in their next three games; at Jacksonville, then home against Oakland and Tampa Bay. I expect them to go no worse than (2-1) in those games and be at least (5-3) if not (6-2) after 8 games. Then the schedule gets tough with games at Cincinnati, Atlanta, Carolina and Baltimore. Plus home games with Houston, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. So you better win the games you’re supposed to win and see if you can play .500 ball the second half of the season. If the Browns can do that, they could be looking at 8, 9 or even 10 wins. If you get to 9 or 10 wins, then you could be talking playoffs.
Having said all that, the Browns were (3-2) after 5 games last year and ended up (4-12). The difference this year I believe is an easier schedule over the next 3 weeks, Brian Hoyer is your QB and not Brandon Weeden or Jason Campbell, and a coach who the players actually believe in. Those 3 things should make a huge difference.
However the Browns are going to have to do it without one of their best and most respected players – Alex Mack. The Pro Bowl center reportedly broke his leg in yesterday’s 31-10 win over the Steelers and is expected to be lost for the rest of the season. John Greco filled in nicely on Sunday against Pittsburgh, but how he performs moving forward will affect the Browns offense in a big way, not to mention Paul McQuistan moving over to take Greco’s spot at left guard. The offensive line has been this team’s MVP’s so far this season. Their depth is going to be tested the rest of the way.
Nobody was harder on the Browns front office for ignoring the wide receiver position in the draft and in free agency than yours truly. Early on it looks like Ray Farmer and the Browns were right and I was wrong. We’ll see if Taylor Gabriel and Travis Benjamin can both continue to make plays and if Miles Austin can stay healthy, but this group with some help from the O-line and Brian Hoyer have performed better than I thought they would. Plus they’ll get All Pro wide out Josh Gordon back for the 11th game of the season at Atlanta, which will have a huge, positive impact on the entire group.
Hats off to Chris Tabor and the special teams. A few weeks ago they were a laughing stock. The last 2 weeks, they have been solid and made big plays to change the momentum of the game. They were a big reason the Browns won in Tennessee and also against Pittsburgh yesterday. Good decisions, fundlemental play and no mental mistakes go a long way in helping your team win. Some of those things might not be sexy, but they help you win.
And last but not least, happy 29th birthday to local “Mr. Hero” Brian Hoyer. I used it as a trivia question yesterday at my Browns appearance at Jo Jo’s Sports Bar in Medina and someone knew right away that October 13th was the Browns starting quarterback’s birthday. A year ago I don’t think anyone would have known or cared, but after you lead the biggest road comeback in the history of the NFL and your kicking the Steelers butts all over the field, people start to notice and pay attention. It’s still a small sample size (8 starts), but it’s getting bigger and the results are the same. Hoyer is now (6-2) as the Browns starter and can be a free agent at the end of the season. Your call Jimmy Haslam and Ray Farmer. Do you believe enough in him to sign him now and maybe save some money, or do you wait until the end of the season and roll the dice? Yes you have Johnny “Jam Boogie” waiting in the wings, but he is nowhere near being ready to be a starting QB in this league. The Hoyer contract situation will be another story line to follow as this season progresses.
MY TOP 10 CLEVELAND ATHLETES
1) LeBron James – Yes he’s back and better than ever. Not only is he Cleveland’s best athlete, he’s one of the best athletes in the world. This isn’t a bad resume – 2 NBA Titles, 4 NBA MVP trophies, 2 NBA Finals MVP trophies, an 8-Time All NBA First Team selection, a 10-time All-Star and a 2-Time All-Star game MVP.
2) Kyrie Irving – “Uncle Drew” just picked up another MVP trophy, this time at the FIBA Basketball World Championship after leading Team USA to the gold medal. Plus he’s a two-time NBA All-Star and was last year’s All-Star game MVP. Oh yeah, he’s also a former NBA Rookie of the Year and a 3-point shootout champion and a rookie game MVP.
3) Joe Thomas – He plays one of the most important positions in football at left tackle, and is a 7-time Pro Bowler and a 4-time NFL All-Pro selection.
4) Kevin Love – He’s never played a game for the Cavs, but he will this season and hopefully for many more after that. The former Timberwolves power forward acquired this off-season in a three team trade is a double/double machine averaging 19.2ppg and 12.2rpg in his six year NBA career. He’s a 3-time All-Star, a 2-time All-NBA second teamer, led the NBA in rebounding in 2011 and was also voted the league’s most improved player that season, and like his new teammate Kyrie Irving, an NBA 3-point shootout champion in 2012. Oh yeah, last year in Minnesota he averaged 26.1ppg and 12.5rpg.
5) Joe Haden – He’s becoming one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and was named to his first Pro Bowl last year, as well as 2nd team All-Pro. How important is he to the Browns? He’s missed 7 games since being drafted in the first round by Cleveland in 2010 and the Browns are (0-7) when he doesn’t play.
6) Michael Brantley – He may be the best “Player To Be Named Later” in any trade in Indians history. He was the “PTBNL” in the Brewers-Indians deal in 2008 for C.C. Sabathia. Since then he’s become the Tribe’s best all-around player and was named an All-Star for the first time this season when he hit .322 with 15 homers and 63 rbi’s in the first half of the 2014 season. He’s on pace for a .320-20hr-100rbi season.
7) Corey Kluber – He came to the Indians as a no-name player in the Jake Westbrook three team trade back in July of 2010. Since then he’s slowly climbed the ladder from a guy who had struggled to make the roster, to one of the best pitchers in the American League this season, and the undisputed ace of the Indians staff. After going 11-5 with a 3.85era last season, Kluber has followed that up with a 16-9 mark so far, with a 2.54 earned run average.
8) Karlos Dansby – The self-proclaimed best linebacker in the NFL has only played two games for the Browns but has made an immediate impact. He picked off Ben Roethlisbrger in the opener in Pittsburgh and then came up with defensive play of the game against the Saints, sacking Drew Brees late in the fourth quarter to force New Orleans to punt the ball which then that allowed Brian Hoyer to lead the Browns down the field for a game winning field goal. His play on the field so far has been outstanding and his leadership in the locker room with a young team may be even more important. With the Cardinals last season, he was an NFL 2nd team All-Pro selection.
9) Yan Gomes – Talk about coming out of nowhere! Well Toronto is somewhere, that’s where Gomes was acquired from in a trade in 2012. After spending time at Triple-A Columbus in 2013 to start the season, Gomes got called up a second time when back-up catcher Lou Marson went down with an injury and hasn’t been back since. In fact he’s become the Indians every day catcher because of his solid defensive skills, his ability to call a game and manage a pitching staff and his offense and power continue to improve with every at bat. Gomes is hitting .286 with 19 homers and 64 runs batted in so far this season.
10) Alex Mack – A 2-time Pro Bowler and an NFL 2nd team All-Pro selection last season, Mack anchors the Browns offensive line and hasn’t missed a game since being selected in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Honorable Mention:
Josh Gordon, Donte Whitner, Dion Waiters, Carlos Santana, Shane Austin
POSITION BREAKDOWN: CLEVELAND BROWNS vs PITTSBURGH STEELERS – OFFENSIVE LINE
I would take the Browns offensive line over the Steelers offensive line 10 times out of 10. Joe Thomas is the best of the bunch on both teams. He and fellow first round pick Alex Mack have lived up to their potential from when they were drafted and then some. Rookie Joel Bitonio will make some mistakes, but sandwiched between two pro bowlers will help cover up some of those mistakes. John Greco is average at right guard, but again playing next to Mack will help him. The weak spot on the Browns is right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, but Kyle Shanahan should be able to help him out thanks to the fact they kept a true fullback in Ray Agnew.
Cleveland’s O-Line should be solid in the new zone blocking scheme and allow Ben Tate to run the ball at a four yards per carry average or better. The Steelers have shown in the preseason to be very vulnerable against the run up the middle. Also expect a short, quick passing game in which Bryan Hoyer gets the ball out of his hands quickly to allow the receivers and backs to gain yards after the catch. This should help keep the sack numbers down against Dick Lebeau’s zone blitzing scheme Hoyer and maybe Johnny Manziel will see on Sunday. The Browns depth isn’t great, in fact it’s average at best, but the starters should be solid. If those starters can help create holes for Tate to run through and keep Hoyer from getting hit and sacked, the Browns offense will be effective against a Steelers defense that is both inexperienced and old at the same time. Plus if the Steelers can’t generate a pass rush, it makes their secondary very beatable, even with the horrible wide receivers the Browns have.
The Steelers offensive line has been one of their biggest weaknesses the last two seasons and a huge reason why they’ve been (8-8) over that span and failed to make the playoffs. They’ve used four first or second round picks on the O-Line over the last five years and so far only one has proved to be worth it, Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey. He’s their best lineman, but he has had trouble staying healthy, missing 19 games in his first four years in the NFL. Pouncey is healthy to start this season, and he will need to stay healthy to anchor an average at best line, that is expected to keep the Steelers most valuable player Ben Roethlisberger upright and healthy. If “Big Ben’s” time on the field is cut short due to injury, the entire Steelers offense will fall apart.
So if I’m Mike Pettine and Jim O’Neil on Sunday in Pittsburgh I’d be dialing up blitzes and sending as much pressure as you can at the likes of tackles Kelvin Beachum (LT) and Marcus Gilbert (RT) and inside against guards David DeCastro and Ramon Foster. Pressure on Roethlisberger is the one way for the Browns to have a chance to win this game in week one. Ben is known to try and make something out of nothing, or to hold on to the ball to long, so that’s where Barkevious Mingo and Paul Kruger and Donte Whitner have to create turnovers and make impactful, game changing plays and there’s a good chance against this line in week one that it could happen.
OFFENSIVE LINE ADVANTAGE – BROWNS
THE MONDAY MORNING DUMP
So who’s guilty for the Browns 32-28 to the Jaguars? There are plenty of suspects:
Quarterback Brandon Weeden – Yes he threw for 370 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he also threw 2 interceptions and fumbled once and those all happened in the final 2:47 of the first half turning a 14-7 Browns lead into a 20-14 deficit at halftime. Oh yeah, let’s not forget he was also playing with a concussion that he didn’t tell anybody about until after the game.
Cornerback Joe Haden – He’s the one guy on this defense that has all-pro capability and the one guy you thought for sure you could count on with the game on the line, so much for that. On one of the most routine plays a cornerback should make, Haden fell for the old banana in the tailpipe trick and bit on in-fake on 3rd and 9 around the Browns 11 yard line and gave up the game winning touchdown to Cecil Shorts who said, “We studied film and we knew Joe likes to jump those routes so we ran the play and he did just that.”
Center Alex Mack – The normally reliable Mack sailed a shot game snap over Brandon Weeden’s head from the Browns 14 yard line that ended up in the end zone and Weeden was forced to kick it out of the end zone for a safety. That also led to a free kick and another possession for the Jags and they turned that into a field goal. So Jacksonville went from being down 21-20 to leading 25-21 in the 4th quarter.
Head Coach Rob Chudzinski – With the game tied at 14 and only 1:19 left before halftime and your quarterback just threw an interception on the previous possession, do you really want to try and be aggressive there? “K-Y-P” – Know Your Personnel! The fact that Weeden had just thrown a pick to allow the Jags to tie the game at 14, swallow your pride and be happy going into the locker room tied 14-14. Make some adjustments and know that you’re getting the ball to start the second half and be aggressive on the first series of the 3rd quarter. Instead Weeden turned it over two more times and Jacksonville added 6 more points to take a 20-14 lead into the break! That’s just BAD COACHING!
There are others for sure who contributed to the embarrassing 32-28 loss to the lowly Jaguars, but those seem to be the main culprits. The Browns have now lost 3 in a row and 6 of their last 7 to fall to (4-8) and are headed to another potential top 5 draft pick with 3 of their remaining 4 games left on the road. So thank god for the Ohio State Buckeyes!