A few thoughts on a few things:
*Even if quarterback Deshaun Watson’s bruised shoulder is healed enough for him to play, it’s going to be enormously difficult for the Browns to beat the best team in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers, on Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
And if he can’t play, then they have almost no chance.
Did you see the 49ers crush the Dallas Cowboys 42-10 on Sunday night? Did you see the way they embarrassed the Steelers — in Pittsburgh, no less — by the score of 30-7 in the season opener — and it wasn’t even that close?
The 49ers are 5-0 for a reason, just like the Browns, a team stuck somewhere in the middle of the league, are 2-2 for a reason.
This reminds me a little bit — or a lot — of the 41-7 drubbing Joe Montana and the 49ers handed the Browns at Cleveland 39 years ago, on Nov. 11, 1984. Marty Schottenheimer had just taken over his head coach in the middle of the season and the Browns were playing better, but they still were far from a finished product, especially offensively, and no match for a 49ers team headed to Super Bowl championship.
What the Browns have going for them is that the 49ers, coming off that emotional win over Dallas, may have a little bit of a hangover, will be dealing with a slightly shorter work week and will have to travel across the country to play. Meanwhile, the Browns are coming off their bye and thus will be a little healthier and will have fresh legs. Plus, the 28-3 pounding they absorbed at home from the Baltimore Ravens a week and a half ago still has to be stinging quite a bit.
A loss would not be devastating for the Browns because, as mentioned, the 49ers are rolling. But a win would do wonders in jumpstarting the Browns as they try to get to where they want to go.
*Tuesday is the 47th anniversary of Browns defensive end Joe Jones’ memorable spike of Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw in an 18-16 home win on Oct. 10, 1976. If you’ve never seen it, or even heard about it, go online and check it out. It is devastating and frightening.
*Quotable: “Just think, in the last five months, we’ve lost the greatest running back of all-time, and the greatest football player overall, and also the greatest running back of all-time.” — Cleveland Browns Legend Doug Dieken, a University of Illinois product, just like Dick Butkus, on the death last week of his friend and Chicago Bears great and the passing in May of the Browns’
Jim Brown.
