THE SILVER LINING OF LOSS TO OAKLAND
By STEVE KING
Yes, of course, it was sickening watching the Browns lose a two-touchdown second-half lead – and eventually the game – to the Oakland Raiders last Sunday afternoon into evening.
It was pure torture. The Browns were so close – so very close – to winning.
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But it could have been worse. The final score could have been 6-3. That it was 45-42 – in overtime, to boot – at least made it exciting – actually very, very exciting.
The game today is all about scoring points – lots of points. No one wants to see 6-3 games anymore. They want to see 45-42 – and, if they can get it, in overtime to boot. The fact that it is coming mostly via the pass simply makes it just that much better.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson talked about that in his press conference on Thursday, and what he had to say was extremely interesting, fun and thought-provoking. Quotes like this one are why I like Jackson so much. He gets it. He really gets it. He understands his responsibility to the media, and fans, to have a little bit – or a lot – of a personality instead of spewing that awful coach-speak.
“Let’s be honest, this is an entertainment business at the end of the day,” Jackson said. “People want to see you score points. The days of 10-9 and 14-12, people do not get excited about that. I hate to say it, our game last week was as entertaining as you get. We just want to be on the other end of it. Score a lot of points, and both teams did.
“The defensive coaches do not feel good about it, but the offensive coaches, you pound your chest a little bit. I just think that is what pro football has become. It is, ‘Who can score? What offense can score? What players can score, score the ball often and make plays while the defenses try to shut it down?’
“That is why there is such a premium on rushers on defense and cornerbacks on defense and good safeties. You have to have them because everyone is throwing the ball at a high level.”
Well-said, Hue Jackson. Well-said.
HOW SI SEES BROWNS VS. BALTIMORE
As you readers know, I love Sports Illustrated and sportsillustrated.com, and I especially love the magazine’s and website’s work on the NFL.
The website does analysis of each week’s games, and as such, here’s what staff writer Andy Benoit thinks about the Browns’ contest against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium:
“It’s unfathomable that Cleveland ever sat Baker Mayfield behind Tyrod Taylor. Something besides football had to be behind that decision. The Browns are a high-functioning offense with Mayfield. Or, at least, a potentially high-functioning offense.
“The rookie QB was right when he said they must become more detail-oriented in their passing game. But the foundation is there. With an upgraded receiving corps, head coach Hue Jackson is running a much more expansive scheme, which Mayfield has the football IQ, field vision and decisiveness to maximize.
“Sure, there will be first-year learning experiences. (The Reggie Nelson late game interception at Oakland last week was a great example. Mayfield threw deep when the coverage demanded he work to the backside, where wideout Rashard Higgins had yet again beaten cornerback Rashaan Melvin on a dig route. If Mayfield sees Higgins, Cleveland probably wins the game.)
“But all the evidence suggests Mayfield will learn quickly from his mistakes. As for this week specifically, there could be a lot to learn from if he isn’t careful. No defense disguises coverages more than Baltimore.”
I would argue with the assessment of how the Browns handled – or, as si.com suggests – they mishandled – their quarterback situation going into the year. It was absolutely the right thing to do to start Taylor, the seasoned veteran who was coming off a good season in Buffalo, and keep Mayfield on the sideline for a while so he could stand on the sideline and learn. I don’t agree with the idea of throwing a rookie quarterback out there from the get-go. It just isn’t the right thing – or the smart thing — to do. That Taylor played so poorly is a mystery, one that no one could have seen coming.
Now, how long would the Browns have stuck with Taylor had he continued to struggle? Great question, but it’s one that will never be answered because, of course, Taylor suffered a concussion against the New York Jets and Mayfield came on and led the Browns to a comeback victory. It is their only victory in four games.
A few thoughts on a few things as the Browns get ready to host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium:
*HOME SWEETER HOME: The Browns have played arguably their best football at home thus far in the young season, coming from way behind to defat the New York Jets 21-17 and coming from way behind to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers, then missing a game-winning field goal in overtime to settle for a 21-21 deadlock.
To have any chance at all to get where they eventually want to go, the Browns have to win consistently at home, and especially in AFC North games. They’ve not done that – either one of those things – in the expansion era.
They have another chance on Sunday to win in the division, and to win their second straight home game. Will they?
*PASS, BAKER, PASS: This is the Browns’ first home game since that nationally-televised victory over the Jets. A loud, raucous crowd seemed to rattle New York rookie quarterback San Darnold. How loud was it? According to one who would know, it was louder than the standard bearer at home for the expansion-era Browns, the “Run, William, Run” game in the 2002 regular-season finale that produced a 24-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons that, in turn, did a lot to help Cleveland get to the AFC playoffs as a wild card. The key of that game – really, of the expansion era overall – was William Green’s 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. As Green was racing down the field, Browns radio play-by-play man Jim Donovan screamed, “Run, William, run!” And as Green did so, you could feel what was then known as Cleveland Browns Stadium actually shaking.
“It was louder that Thursday night,” Donovan wrote in a text message. “The stadium was tense early in the game. The Browns were expected to win. Then the mood of the fans was very agitated by the Browns’ play as they fell behind 14-0. The fans were grumbling when they saw that (starting quarterback) Tyrod Taylor wasn’t getting the job done and they wanted Baker Mayfield in. Once Mayfield came in, it was electric. I have never heard the stadium that way since it opened (in 1999). It was amazing.”
The Browns will need some more of that amazing support from the fans on Sunday if they want to beat the Ravens.
