By: Andy Davies

Last season, the Cleveland Browns earned their first playoff appearance since the 2002 campaign and their first postseason win since New Year’s Day in 1995. 

As a result, they went into the 2021 season with plenty of hype. However, it hasn’t worked out like this. The team’s current record is 5-5 and they are in a division where every team has at least 5 wins. 

So, what has gone wrong for a team that many had down as AFC North division winners? Is there still a chance to win it?

Inconsistent Division

The short answer is yes, they can. The AFC North is fast becoming one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL, but no team has managed to get some sort of consistency. Baltimore Ravens fans will certainly tell you that. 

They had a 5-1 start, which included a 46-35 win over the reigning AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs. The week after beating the Los Angeles Chargers 34-6, a team that many have as a Super Bowl dark horse, they lost 41-17 to division rivals the Cincinnati Bengals. On Thursday night, they lost 22-10 to the Miami Dolphins, who were 2-6 before the game. More worryingly for the Ravens, the Dolphins appeared to show the entire league the blueprint as to how to beat them. 

The Cincinnati Bengals were briefly top of the division just a matter of weeks ago but now sits in 3^rd place. We have seen the excitement of the Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase partnership but have equally seen the defense allow at least 34 points their last two games as they suffered defeats to the Browns and New York Jets.

There was a difficult start made by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the surprise 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week One, they lost their next three games to go 1-3. However, they have not lost a game since and now sit 5-3-1. Head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season, but they still have to face the Chargers, Ravens twice, the current AFC number one seed in the Tennessee Titans as well as Cleveland.

Cleveland themselves have to also play the Packers on Christmas Day and the rest of their AFC North rivals, but also get to play a 0-8-1 Detroit Lions and an inconsistent Las Vegas Raiders. Their schedule is fairly favourable, but they have to cut out their own erratic performances if they are to succeed.

Sorting Out Their Own Inconsistencies

The Browns have really struggled for consistency this season. They won three straight games after their opening day loss to the Chiefs but have failed to win consecutive games since. 

If a team is to win championships, then they have to win games consistently. Whilst is it more important how you play in January than how you play in October or November, but you have to make sure you play in January past the regular season.

What have the great New England Patriots sides done in the past? Gotten a consistent run of good form down the stretch. This is exactly what the Browns need to do as runs like this help build momentum and confidence in the crucial postseason games.

The Baker Conundrum

Quarterback Baker Mayfield is easily one of the more polarising players in his position. There are some that feel he is the guy. There are others that view him as nothing more than a ”˜game manager’. 

So far in 2021, he has 1,990 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. This has him projected to finish the campaign with just under 3,980 yards but crucially just under 18 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. This would have him at around his career best in terms of yardage but his worst season when it comes to touchdown passes.

His career so far has defined patchy. He had amazing seasons in both the 2018 and 2020 campaigns but has been poor in 2019 and 2021. He will be expecting a good season in 2022 judging by how his time as a pro has gone, but there is no guarantee he will earn his new contract. This ends after the conclusion of the 2022 season, which may see him raise his game. He has to be careful that he doesn’t suffer a further dip in form. 

Quarterbacks such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Tua Tagovailoa may be available that would fit into the game manager role and allow the excellent run game to flourish. He will have plenty of suitors due to being the number one overall pick in 2018 and the two excellent seasons he has had but he will want to succeed in Cleveland. This is clear to see. One thing that hasn’t helped is the broken-down relationship with wide receiver OBJ.

The OBJ Dilemma

Say what you want about Odell Beckham Jr, the dynamic around him and Baker’s relationship cannot have helped things in Cleveland. Throughout Beckham’s time in Ohio, the talk of a lack of chemistry between the pair has been a constant talking point.

There is substance to this, with the fact that the Browns made the playoffs last season with Odell injured. 

The loss of running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to injury hasn’t helped, despite the best efforts of D’Ernest Johnson. The one-two punch of both backs reduced the need for Baker to throw to ball to. Instead, these injuries have meant Baker has had to throw to ball to. This can be seen by his stats, with Baker projected to throw for career highs in completed passes and his second highest total in attempted passes. 

OBJ’s dad has posted videos on social media of the amount of times Beckham has been open and not received the ball. There is clear frustration from the Odell camp. Now that he has gone, along with the return of Chubb and Hunt, will help ease the tension at the franchise. Should the struggles ease, with such a good plethora of offensive and defensive talent, this should see head coach Kevin Stefanski guide them to another playoff appearance (or two). Should things further unravel, then Baker will be vastly looking over his shoulder at Free Agency and the 2023 draft quarterback prospects.

The post Looking at the Browns Inconsistent 2021 Season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

The preseason in the NFL is well underway and we are starting to see how younger players are performing in the league. Most starters aren’t playing in order to avoid any major injuries. The Cleveland Browns have played two preseason games and they have won both, looking like a well-oiled machine the entire time. Kevin Stefanski appears to be in total control of the team and the players have bought into the transformed culture in The Land. There is a lot to be excited about if you’re a Browns fan.

The offensive side of the ball is essentially running it back from the 2020 season and because of this, everyone has been anxious to see how the revamped defense would perform. On both sides of the ball, depth is very important and so many players are fighting for roster spots. Let’s take a look at how the offense, defense, and special teams have performed so far.

The Offense

Players such as Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and Odell Beckham Jr have yet to see the field. That doesn’t mean the offense hasn’t been exciting, though. Quarterback Case Keenum has started both games and because he has experience playing under Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota, he has appeared very comfortable. It is nice knowing the Browns could still be competitive if something happened to Baker Mayfield. Third string quarterback Kyle Lauletta has looked impressive as well, making some nice throws in the Jaguars game. He might end up on the practice squad.

One thing we learned in both preseason games is that Cleveland is absolutely stacked at wide receiver and running back. Donovan Peoples-Jones has shined, catching everything thrown his way. KhaDarel Hodge and Damion Davis have looked sure-handed as well. There are going to be some tough decisions to be made with this wide receiver room. In addition to all of them, rookie running back/wide receiver hybrid Demetric Felton has looked fantastic in both games, displaying great hands and elusive speed in open space. It will be interesting to see where he ends up on the roster.

In the running back room, things are a little more set in stone. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt round out the best one-two punch in the NFL, but depth is always needed. D’Earnest Johnson has looked good, specifically in the game against the New York Giants. He had some key runs in 2020 when Nick Chubb went down with injury. It is likely that he will make the roster and the third string running back, and Demetric Felton will be kept as a wide receiver.

Where the offense has shined is the offensive line. Not one starter has played and the backups have overall been exceptional. That has to be such a relief for Kevin Stefanski to have so much depth in such a vital area. They won’t be able to keep all of them, but rookie James Hudson, Blake Hance, Nick Harris, Michael Dunn, and Drew Forbes all have a shot to make this team. It’ll just come down to how many they decide to keep. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who is arguably the best offensive line coach in the NFL, said he truly believes all of their backups could be starters in the league. High praise from him, so expect other teams to quickly scoop up who the Browns do not keep.

The Defense

Much like the offense, most starters haven’t played yet on defense. Adding to that, unfortunately for the Browns injuries have piled up on that side of the ball. Most of these injuries aren’t season ending, but they did lose linebacker Jacob Phillips for the season due to a tendon tear. A big blow for a player most expected to take a nice step in 2021. Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, and Grant Delpit have been dealing with hamstring issues, but they are expected to be ready by week one.

The secondary and linebackers have had some good moments in the preseason, and some moments where they looked like young rookies. First round pick Greg Newsome displayed good coverage skills in the first preseason game and he will most likely win the starting job opposite of Denzel Ward, especially since Greedy Williams has been dealing with numerous injuries. The most impressive safety by far has been Richard LeCounte. He has two interceptions in two games and has shown great closing speed and play recognition. The Browns may have gotten a steal in Lecounte, who could see a lot of playing time this season. Moving to the linebackers, the hype is real for rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He looked like a stud in the game against the Jaguars, recording eight total tackles, one sack, and three tackles for a loss. He played less in the Giants game, which has lead most to believe that he will be the week one starter against Kansas City.

Probably the biggest question mark on Cleveland’s defense is the interior defensive line. Malik Jackson hasn’t played yet, so Andrew Billings, Tommy Togiai, Jordan Elliot, and Malk McDowell have gotten most of the snaps. Billings has appeared decent, but also looked very slow and unimpressive at times. Keep in mind that he didn’t play at all in 2020, so rust could be hard to shake off. Rookie Tommy Togiai has played well, recording a sack and getting several pressures. Perhaps the most impressive is Malik McDowell, who finished as the highest graded player for the Browns against the Giants. Lots of intriguing decisions to be made on the defensive line.

Special Teams

Cleveland’s special teams has been a bit rocky in the last few years. While they saw some success in 2019, 2020 had some ups and downs. Third year punter Jamie Gillian had a down year in 2020, but he was battling a groin injury throughout the season. He should return to his 2019 form this Fall. Cody Parkey was going to return as the kicker this season, but he suffered a season-ending injury this past week. He was battling Chase McLauhlin for the job, but with his injury, Chase will proceed forward as the Browns kicker. He is in his third season, so it could go either way interns of success.

Demetric Felton returned some punts and he had flashes of possibly securing the job. The coverage units on both punts and kickoffs have looked fine overall, except in the Jaguars game where they nearly gave up a return that was called back due to penalty. Who Andrew Berry and company decide to keep will be vital to the special teams unit, so if players want to make this roster they will need to contribute to special teams. There will be some compelling decisions to be made in the coming days.

The post Evaluating the Browns after two preseason games appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Odell Beckham Jr. has been one of the more intriguing players in the league the last few seasons, for many reasons.  His fiery amped up attitude being one, which is extremely entertaining to watch and makes the Browns “must-watch” football whenever he is on the field.  The other reason being his injury in 2020, which left many people speculating on whether or not he would return to himself in 2021.  

In this article, I will be going over why OBJ will return to form this coming season, as well as what we should be expecting from the (entering) 8^th year wideout.

This is Not His First Injury

While this is the most severe injury OBJ has sustained to date, realistically it is not even close to the first as of now.  To date I count fourteen injuries, which fall into the following categories:

• Hip strains/sprains (two)
• Hamstring tear/sprains (three)
• Lumbar spinal bruising/hernia (three)
• Foot/ankle injuries (three)
• Other (four) i.e. thumb, quad, etc.

With all these injuries, he has only missed 28 games, compared to the 82 that he has played so far, only 19 of the missed games coming prior to this season.  He has been able to bounce back from all his injuries and still do absolutely amazing things on the field, this should not change that.  He has also had an exceptionally long time to heal as it happened mid-season, so he has the nine weeks he missed last year plus all offseason to rehab.

Torn ACLs normally take roughly six to nine months to rehabilitate fully to where it is functional again for the most part.  OBJ injured his ACL on November first of last year, meaning his rehab should complete between April and July this year.  Both of these are prior to the preseason, and even prior to some training camps, which is fantastic news for Browns fans.

Mentality & Tenacity

As I mentioned previously, OBJ is an extremely hard-nosed player most of the time and really fights for every yard on the field.  His emotions on the field should carry into his physical therapy presumably, as he would work his hardest to get back onto the field.  As where some players may take it slow and spend extra time rehabbing, OBJ will do whatever he can to get back on the field as soon as possible.

As long as he does not rush the process too much and takes his time with the correct physical therapy, he should be ready to go for the season.  Another thing to note is these players have some of the best physical therapists in the country no doubt, as teams normally have them on site and hire them based on their credentials realistically.  

Playstyle of OBJ

One of the biggest notions here to focus on is how OBJ’s playstyle would be affected by this injury both in the short and long run.  He primarily runs short to intermediate routes and focuses on YAC type receiving to do the work, as well as contested catches where his hands are the biggest component.  He is not necessarily the shiftiest receiver out there or the fastest, so he likely will not put a ton of pressure on the ACL to perform constantly.

The injury was sustained in a freak accident, not during his routes, which is why I believe this is not a huge cause for concern.  As long as he can keep that knee stable whether that be with compression or other small forms of game padding, he likely should not see any drop-off in his receiving numbers, as they are not reliant on game breaking shifts. 

The post Why will the Cleveland Browns WR1 return to form in 2021? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.