BL Predicts: Week Nine vs St Louis

Last week i predicted with my heart, not my head and approximately 5 minutes into the first quarter, when the Browns found themselves down 14-0 I realized the err of my ways. Pity.

This week the Browns face the 1-7 Rams and I really am worried that our Browns are going to lay another major egg. Sam Bradford will be back at the controls this week, TJ Ward is out with an injury and the Browns are coming off a very embarrasing loss in Houston last week.

Football is a game in which emotions count heavily and the winner of today's game will likely be the team that comes out more motivated.

The bottom line today is that both teams stink, but reality is that the 3-5 Browns have much more to play for than the 1-7 Rams. The fact is that if the Browns win, they are only 1 game south of .500 and a decent season will be still within their grasp. I like Pat Shurmur a lot and hope that last weeks beating at the hands of Houston, opened Shurmur's mind to the idea that a full implementation of the West Coast offense should be a long term project and maybe, just maybe, Shurmur should be a bit more realistic and consider putting a few simple and basic plays in his playbook that parlay the talents he has on his roster, such as Josh Cribbs. Furthermore, Shurmur, Holmgren et al, need to realize that our offensive line has so many holes that executing the West Coast is nearly impossible. Only one example, according to ProFootballFocus.com, rookie Jason PInkston has received a negative grade for his play EVERY WEEK of this season and only two guards in the entire NFL grade out worse than Pinkston.

The West Coast offense and it's complex twists and turns takes time to perfect, and that was never more apparent than last week when Colt McCoy's pass to Greg Little at the end of the first half was intercepted by Houston and nearly returned for a touchdown. On that play, Little read the defense one way, and took the option to head deep. In the meantime, Colt read the defense another way and the result - intercept and field goal Houston.....

So against all my instincts, I am going to guess that the team that has more to play for, our Browns, actually shows up motivated and that Shurmur will have a simple gameplan ready that uses the talent he has and considers the limitations of his current talent. But it will not be easy. The home field advantage is normally a big factor in favor of the home team but look for Cleveland fans today to be anything but loving to the home team. Don't be surprised if Bradford rings up a few big plays early and the Browns find themselves once again playing catch up, something they are terribly inept at.

BL Predicts

Browns 17
Rams 14

The Brown Log are 4-4 this year on the prognastication front.