The Read

The Browns had so many opportunities

Submitted by linchao » Mon 13-Jan-2020, 16:02 Subject Area: General	1 member rating

Cleveland Browns:“Center JC Tretter agrees to 3-year David Njoku Jersey White , $32.5 million contract extension to stay with Browns” (BrownsZone) - “Center JC Tretter agreed to a three-year, $32.5 million contract extension, a league source confirmed to The Chronicle-Telegram on Thursday.”“Hunt considers himself Nick Chubb’s ‘biggest hype man,’ wants to help Browns any way he can” (Browns.com) - “Hunt had plenty of time on his hands during his eight-game suspension — the back nine of a nearly yearlong stretch away from the football field.”“Getting Hot For Kitchens As Browns Fail To Reach Potential” (AP) - “Kitchens sold cars in Alabama before he got into coaching. He may soon have to rely on those sales skills to make a case for keeping his job.”“How can Freddie Kitchens salvage Cleveland Browns’ season?” (Pluto) - “At the midpoint of the NFL season, the Browns are the league’s biggest underachievers. Baker Mayfield probably is the NFL’s most disappointing quarterback, given how well he played in 2018.”“Odell Beckham doubles down on uniform comments, says only ‘15 percent’ of league follow rules” (CBS) - “Beckham was ordered to change his cleats at halftime of Sunday’s game, which they were blue and red with a face that looked like ‘Joker.’”NFL:“Injuries: Redskins activate Derrius Guice (knee) off IR” (NFL.com) - “Derrius Guice will be back in action following the Washington Redskins’ bye week. The team announced Thursday they’ve activated the second-year running back off injured reserve.”“Antonio Brown changes his tune, again” (PFT) - “He lashed out earlier today with a profane tweet that included his latest vow to never play in the NFL again. On Thursday afternoon, he backtracked with a new tweet — and deleted the first one.”“Black cat from MNF still on the loose at MetLife Stadium” (AP) - “In its statement, stadium officials denied a published report that said the 82 Womens Jim Brown Jersey ,000-plus-seat facility houses and feeds 300 cats.” Thursday night football is always good news/bad news for NFL players. It allows a long break until the next game, but is a very short week since last Sunday. The Browns-Steelers game had playoff and divisional race implications, although the percentage was greater for Pittsburgh and abysmal for Cleveland’s hopes. But still, both teams were in the hunt. The Steelers came into this game on a four-game winning streak while the Browns were 1-4 in their last five games with their first home victory. Could they win two in a row in front of the orange faithful?All night long, the Browns controlled their division foe yet could not capitalize on numerous drives but still won 21-7 and upped their record to 4-6-0. Cleveland had four interceptions - the first such event in seven years. The loss for Pittsburgh (5-5-0) also tainted their efforts for a Wild Card or division crown. Before the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was 20-3-1 against the Browns and had won the past eight matches. It was a big win for the Browns and may become the catalyst for the club to turn the corner on the season. The Browns are the first team to score against Pittsburgh on their opening drive all season. However, there were also issues.BrowniesLinebacker Joe Schobert – What a tremendous outing for one of Cleveland’s best defenders. Anytime you saw a hard tackle at an important moment, it was number 53 driving the player to the turf. He ended up with 10 total tackles, four pass defenses, two interceptions and a sack. He is quite adept as a pass defender as evidenced with Pittsburgh’s second to final drive of the game when he was able to swat away a pass meant for tight end Vance McDonald. His two interceptions would ultimately become game changers. No doubt he will become the front runner for the AFC Defensive Player-of-the Week honors. Currently the league’s fourth leading tackler with 92.Steve WilksPhoto by: 2019 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty ImagesDefensive coordinator Steve Wilks – Wilks made certain that the Steelers could not run the ball all night as he overloaded against the rush and called multiple stunts. The edge on both sides of Pittsburgh’s offensive line collapsed often so either Denzel Ward or Damarious Randall could be sent for extra pressure. This worked beautifully as Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph was harassed all night or had to hurry his throws. Defense – This was the main storyline for the game. Rudolph rarely had time to throw as the pass rush was fierce the entire game. Four interceptions was the crown jewel. Four sacks, a mere 58 rushing yards allowed Nick Chubb Browns Jersey , 10 pass defenses, 11 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, eight knockdowns. A good night for Wilks’ and his players. Well done. Quarterback Baker Mayfield – The signalcaller was very adept at scrambling when flushed and was still able to gain yardage on certain plays as evidenced by the acrobatic catch to Kareem Hunt in the first quarter. Even though he only gained 193 passing yards, Mayfield threw for two scores and then ran one in while only being sacked once all night. Excellent pocket escape abilities. Great second and third receiver reads. Very impressive with his scrambling skills. He was flushed out of the pocket eight times and was able to connect three throws for first downs plus throw for a touchdown all while running. Pass Rush – Whether it was the usual presence of Myles Garrett, the Steelers pocket was in constant collapse the entire game. Tackles Larry Ojunjobi and Sheldon Richardson both had good push and essentially eliminated Pittsburgh’s run game. Eli Ankou played well in spurts along with Chad Thomas who netted a sack. Ojunjobi also had a pivotal sack. Linebacker Chris Smith and Randall were also used effectively in the pass rush. Linebacker Mack Wilson – Five total tackles and was just around the ball all night. He is very aggressive and one of the surest tacklers on the roster. He is also very capable in pass protection. Punter Jamie Gillan – Four kicks out of eight inside the 20, an average of 45.8, one booming 59 yarder and steady on holds on the field goal team. Two kicks inside the 20 should have been downed inside the five-yard line except linebacker Sione Takitaki grabbed the ball while it was still rolling while special team ace Tavierre Thomas went out-of-bounds and touched the football first while it was slowing down. Both players should have just let the ball die on its own.Lack of Turnovers – For the second consecutive week, the Browns did not fumble nor throw any interceptions. Is this a trend or a new wrinkle in the offense? Whatever it is, it helps tremendously and does allow the defense ample time to rest. Sterling.Red Zone Offense – Two for two. Can’t get any better than that. Suggestion: keep this aspect in the game plan. FrowniesMultiple Player ejections – The Browns have been a franchise since 1946 and in the history of the club there has never been multiple players tossed. Paul Brown just rolled over in his grave. Damarious Randall decided that after the ball had fallen incomplete and the play was well over that it would be a good idea to hit the receiver late and then coincidentally go helmet to helmet thus knocking the player senseless. Yes, Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph had the helmet of Myles Garrett who should have merely stood up and walked away. The ensuing melee found Larry Ogunjobi shoving Rudolph to the ground with a blindside love tap. Manly stuff. The end result will not only be hefty fines for all 1 Review