Haslam Sports Group: Consistency!

The Haslam Sports Group if nothing else, are consistent!

As of November 9

Milwaukee Bucks  2 - 7

Cleveland Browns 2 - 7

Paul DePodesta: Thought Partner!

Andrew Berry this week during his break week press availability referred to Paul DePodesta as his "thought partner".

Good work if you can get it.  Get paid 7 figures to work remote and do nothing more than encourage all your colleagues to question conventional NFL wisdom.

Result:  Be wrong far more than right, rinse, repeat!

The following analysis is tricky, because one of DePodesta's Guardrails he established before the brilliant 1-31 run he led, is "alignment" and "secrecy" which in addition to maintaining harmony, cushion him from accountability because nobody outside of Berea knows who decided what.   

But I will take a stab at this anyways:

DePo STRATEGY:   Go after Deshaun Watson at any price because 27 year old franchise QB's rarely come available.  

Result:  What Mr. DePodesta's recommendation on Deshaun Watson failed to weigh is that maybe, just maybe the Houston Texans are not idiots.   The reason they were willing to give up on a franchise QB is that they had 4 years to get to know Mr. Watson and knew his flaws.  Maybe that last 4-12 Watson put up, had a lot more to do with him than NFL folks realize.   Hats off to Houston for not letting the world know just how bad it was.

DePo STRATEGY:  Age is important, no wait age is not important.

Result:  The Browns have gone from the youngest roster in the NFL to one of the oldest.  Losing is a constant.

DePo STRATEGY:  Build your roster and use Free Agents less and less, no wait, use Free Agents more and more.

Result:   The above strategy was abandoned after another DePodesta strategy failed.  That would be use cheap defensive tackles because NFL defenses only need to defend against the pass.   Once teams ran all over the Browns in 2022, Jim Schwartz came in, turned the defense around but to get Schwartz to sign on they had to promise to abandon DePo's loony idea that small, young and cheap DT's are good enough.   Hence a new found love of free agents was embraced.

DePo STRATEGY:  Have a coordinator pipeline.

Result:  Fire Mike Priefer to punish and incentivize Kevin Stefanski into learning how to be a CEO Coach.   Hire Bubba Ventrone who I presume was on some list of future head coaches that the Browns analytics department keeps.   So far so good.   Ventrone's special teams have given up 4 touchdowns in less than 2 seasons while Priefer's special teams gave up 1 TD in 4 seasons.   Wonderful!  Meanwhile Ventrone has started to spread venom in his organization by not being in alignment.  How, by questioning the toughness of the Browns roster.   

Oops Paul, Bubba seems to need an alignment check in addition to needing help figuring out how to do his job.

Brown BLog Predicts: Game 9 vs Chargers - Play the Best Players

Kevin Stefanski has been searching for every edge possible over his last 4 years of coaching.   For instance, he will go to extraordinary pains not to reveal game details to the local press for fear of giving his opponent an edge.  He's doing it this week by not saying who the Left Tackle will be.  I am sure Jim Harbaugh knows perfectly well that Dawand Jones is playing Left Tackle.   Why?  Because he is better than Jed Wills!  

Coach, most NFL teams play the best player at every position.   You gain no edge trying to be coy.  It is a waste of time.

Along those same lines, let's hope that Coach Stefanski learned yet another lesson last week.   

PLAY THE BEST PLAYERS!!!!

Jameis Winston is a better QB than Deshaun Watson.  If Stefanski knows his football and I am sure he does, he knew this fact months ago.   It was obvious last Sunday that the 2-6 Browns would not be 2-6 if the best QB had played this season.

The Browns have more talent than the Chargers and they are at home.  That adds up to the Browns being 3-6 by Sunday evening. 

Brown BLog Predicts

Browns       30

Chargers     24

The Brown BLog are 5-3 season to date predicting Browns games. 

Brown BLog Predicts: Game 8 vs Ravens - Back to Basics

A few weeks ago Kevin Stefanski spoke of the need for his squad to get "back to basics" and it was at that point I knew the Browns season was likely finished.  

The Browns real problems started when Paul DePodesta and Jimmy Haslam decided to force Kevin Stefanski to uproot his entire offensive support structure with the goal of maximizing the teams ability to create "explosive plays."   I blame Stefanski too, because in the end, he went along with the lunacy.   After 4 years of working with Paul DePodesta I suspect Kevin Stefanski knows perfectly well that DePo is full of shit.   For Stefanski to agree to fire AVP and turnover most of his offensive staff shows that he was afraid to say what he really believes for fear of being seen as not in alignment.   

The problem is simple:  Paul DePodesta apparently got Jimmy Haslam and Andrew Berry to believe that explosive plays are driven primarily by scheme.  It's as stupid a strategy as a baseball fan can come up with.  

What was the result?

Stefanski loses his entire offensive support structure starting with the firing of his trusted assistant and during the off season, Stefanski was overwhelmed by how to implement a new scheme that will satisfy Jimmy and DePo.

Bill Walsh once stated that if you have to get back to basics, it's because you have not built the basics into your daily routine.   My guess is that Stefanski focused his team 100% on learning the new scheme, gave them far too much to digest and ignored the basics.

The outcome is 1-6 and it's going to get worse from here.

The Ravens are a team so focused on the basics, so stable that they are able to layer in sophistication with the due care required, over seasons of consistent effort.  This season Lamar Jackson has near complete control of the offense, he's adjusting his protection packages moments before each snap and changing plays whenever he needs to.  Could Lamar have handled that in his first few years with the Ravens?   No!   Ask Deshaun Watson how easy it is to develop a sophisticated understanding of a scheme.  The Browns force fed Watson and his entire offense too much, Watson paid, probably with his career for that mistake.  He took so many hits in a scheme he and his teammates were not ready to run that eventually he finally took one too many hits.   

 Lamar Jackson is in his 3rd year in Todd Monken's scheme and he has 7 years running the Ravens offense and That's why they are scoring over 30 points a game this season.

Browns fans, it is PICK YOUR POISON this week.   

Stop Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson will either run or kill you in the air.

Stop Lamar Jackson in the air and Derrick Henry will kill you on the ground.

I do believe that Jameis Winston will be able to get the ball accurately 20+ yards downfield and the Browns will move the ball for the first time this season, I even see the Browns surpassing that magical 20 point barrier for the first time this season, the definition of an average NFL offense.   A turnover or two might even help the Browns compete on Sunday, but the Ravens are going to win this game. 

The Brown BLog Predicts

Ravens   27

Browns  24

The Brown BLog are 5-2 season to date predicting Browns games. 

Cheering Deshaun Watson’s Injury

Yesterday during the matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals, Deshaun Watson suffered a severe injury. Watson has been struggling under heavy scrutiny for both his on-field performance and his controversial past. However, the reaction from some in the crowd was shocking: instead of expressing concern for an injured player, some fans openly cheered and taunted Watson as medical personnel attended to him.

As I witnessed this, I was embarrassed for those fans. Their behavior lacked basic decency, empathy, and sportsmanship—values that should be central to any athletic event. But on deeper reflection, I couldn’t help but see this as a symptom of a broader sickness in our culture: a degradation in civil discourse where cruelty is no longer shamed, but celebrated.

One can’t ignore that these incidents don’t happen in a vacuum. They are often reflections of the leadership that surrounds them. American society is no stranger to divisiveness, but in recent years, it has felt like the bar for acceptable public behavior has been lowered dramatically. The most glaring example of this is Donald Trump, whose brash, confrontational style has dominated headlines for years. Whether calling political opponents names or undermining anyone who disagrees with him, Trump has normalized a rhetoric that is aggressive, unfiltered, and frequently offensive. His influence on public discourse has been undeniable, and his words have rippled through society, emboldening some to follow suit.

Now, consider that Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the Cleveland Browns, is believed to be a Trump supporter. Given this connection, is it really surprising that some fans within the Browns’ community would reflect this same kind of behavior? When the tone set at the top normalizes attacks on those who don’t align with a particular worldview, it isn’t shocking to see that trickle down to other facets of life, including something as seemingly apolitical as football.

Leadership is a powerful thing. It doesn’t just shape policies or decisions; it shapes attitudes, behavior, and societal norms. If those in power consistently engage in dehumanizing, divisive rhetoric, it gives tacit permission for others to do the same, whether on the political stage, in the workplace, or in the bleachers of a stadium. The booing of an injured athlete, especially one as polarizing as Watson, is a reflection of a much larger problem: a culture where bad behavior is increasingly tolerated, if not encouraged.

Ultimately, the incident at the Browns game was about more than just sports. It was a microcosm of what happens when poor leadership leads to the erosion of civility. While Deshaun Watson is not a popular figure, and his actions off the field have left many divided, moments like this should remind us of a higher standard of conduct we should strive for—not just in football, but in life.

1-6

The Browns need to focus on going 5-0 next week. 

Brown BLog Predicts: Game 7 Football is an emotional Game!

Football is an emotional game and this Sunday, the Browns are going to get a big emotional boost by the return of Nick Chubb.   His return could not happen at a better time because the team is falling apart at 1-5.   Chubb symbolizes everything that is great about the Browns and the Cleveland area.   He is a no nonsense worker much like this blue collar city.

However great Nick Chubb is, he is coming back from a devastating injury.   His presence alone will give the team an emotional boost but he will also be on a pitch count.   The Browns won't say what exactly that pitch count is but most pundits believe he will be limited to 10 carries and maybe a couple of pass catches.

Is it enough?

I have been following the Bengals all year on the Bengals Booth Podcast.   The team might be 2-4 but they are not a bad team.   The barely lost to both the Chiefs and Ravens.   They have a top 5 QB and loads of talent on offense including Ja' Marr Chase, arguably the best pass catcher in the game.   People are knocking their defense but I don't buy that either.   Their defense is capable.

The other shortcoming the Bengals have vs the Browns is that the Cleveland Browns are a team built to stop the Bengals.   The Browns are small and fast at linebacker and Cleveland has a deep reserve of excellent defensive backs.   Many teams understand this and force the Browns to stop their run game.  The Bengals however have always refused to exploit Cleveland's vulnerability to the run game or even scheme to beat the Browns attacking defense.   Hence Cleveland has dominated the rivalry with the Burrow era Bengals going 1-5 when Burrow is in the driver seat.

So I believe the Browns are going to win tomorrow right?

I just can't do it.   Why?   Because Deshaun Watson and his diminished skillset is the leader of the Browns.   His shoulder and whatever emotional baggage comes from the rollercoaster of accusations these last 3 years have changed him.   He's now a top 100 QB, not a top 5 and in the NFL a bad performance from the QB usually translates to losses like it has this season for the Browns.  Furthermore Paul DePodesta have never been one to try to win ugly and since Paul DePodesta's voice weighs heavily in this org, neither does Kevin Stefanski win ugly.

The Browns won't run 60% of the time and pass conservatively.   Nor will Nick Chubb get 20 carries.  I think the Bengals will not test the Browns by running more, they never do but they have been passing more conservatively which nowadays done right, is almost as good as a run.

The Brown BLog Predict

Bengals         27

Browns         17

The Brown BLog are 4-2 predicting Browns games this season

The Brook Park Volunteers!

The Cleveland Browns, an iconic NFL franchise, may be facing a name change when the team finally relocates to it's new dome stadium 10 miles away to nearby Brook Park, Ohio. This scenario stems from a law tied to the departure of former Browns owner Art Modell. When Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1996, Ohio lawmakers passed legislation (often referred to as the "Art Modell law") that effectively ensures the Browns name stays in Cleveland, no matter where the team may go.  This legal framework means that even a short move to a neighboring municipality could strip the team of its the Browns name. If the Browns were to relocate to Brook Park, the team could be forced to adopt a new identity.  Frankly, I hope our legislators pursue this issue to the fullest extent.   The Browns should be a Cleveland brand and only Cleveland.

So what should the new name of our Northern Ohio NFL team be?

If the team moves to Brook Park, the combination of Ohio's legal stipulations and the Haslams' connections to Tennessee makes the idea of the Brook Park Volunteers a logical outcome. 

Go Vols! 

1-5

 Browns need to go 4-0 next week

Back to Basics!

Kevin Stefanski recently stated that the Browns need to get back to basics.   

Bill Walsh, the legendary coach of the San Francisco 49ers, was known for his strategic brilliance and insightful commentary on coaching and football culture. When asked about NFL coaches who claim they need to "get back to basics," Walsh famously said that this often signals a coach’s admission of having failed in their coaching responsibilities. He believed that a well-prepared team should already be fundamentally sound, and that such statements were essentially an excuse for poor planning, lack of foresight, or inability to properly teach and implement a game plan.

In Walsh’s view, saying a team needs to return to basics reflects a lack of preparation or failure in the process, as the fundamentals should have been ingrained throughout the training process. He championed a more sophisticated, methodical approach to coaching, emphasizing preparation and precision over broad, generalized fixes like "getting back to basics."

Brown BLog Predicts: Game 6 vs Eagles - It is all about improvement

John Harbaugh once aptly referred to the NFL season as a "race to improve" and it's clear that Sunday against the Eagles the Cleveland Browns are going to improve in every way.

Will that translate to a victory against the Eagles?  Of course not but if the Browns cannot improve in the following areas tomorrow, then we Browns fans are looking at 4 or fewer wins this year.

What shall be improved?

- Jim Schwartz stated that against the Commanders the Browns defense gave up 7 big plays for a total 280 yards.  In the other 58 plays, the Browns D only gave up an average of 2.5 yards per play.   So great news, I see the Browns improving on D and only giving up a maximum of 6 big plays to the Eagles.

- Deshaun Watson has yet to throw for 200 yards this season.  He is ranked near the bottom in pretty much every statistical category.  I predict he will throw for 200+ yards against the Eagles.

- The Browns have yet to reach 300 yards of total offense in a game this season.  I believe they will improve and exceed 300 yards. 

The depressing fact is that ALL of the above improvements are achievable at the same time they are significantly below the bar of what it takes to win in the NFL. 

Of course, the Eagles are rested and healthy and coming off a bye week following a big loss to Tampa and their MVP candidate QB Baker Mayfield.   The Eagles will be motivated at home to win.

Brown BLog Predicts

Eagles        31

Browns      17

The Brown BLog are 3-2 Predicting Browns games this season.   Better than every paid Browns pundit out there, because as a private blog we can call it as we see it.

Browns Innovation: The CFL Package!

The Browns boast the NFL's largest investment in Analytics and Sunday they unveiled their latest well researched innovation:  The CFL Package!   Twice on defense and once on offense the Browns looked to use their new CFL Package based on sophisticated research showing that CFL teams, who utilize 12 players, are able to cover larger parts of the field.   

Of course, the one obstacle is that in the NFL it is against the rules to have 12 men on the field however our sources indicate that the Browns believe that if they attempt the 12 man formation at times in the game when the refs are tired the Browns may well be able to avert detection.  The Browns Analytics department states that the odds of achieving a chunk play on offense or shutting down an opponent on defense increase by 9.09% with one extra athlete on the field!!

So fear not, Browns loyalists, the Browns might be 1-4 this season but they are deeply engaged in identifying areas of innovation that can still save the season for this team.

Brown BLog Predicts: Game 5 - Facing a Rookie QB

Jayden Daniels is a sensation early on in the 2024 Season which makes the Commanders a favorite to beat the floundering Browns tomorrow.   

I have never been a fan of rookie QB's and in fact I think Daniels is going to get a serious dose of reality Sunday against the Browns D which will be extra motivated to shut him down.   Fact is that thus far this season Daniels has faced mostly zone defenses.   The Browns are going to be the first time he faces a team that can cover man to man and will do so much of the game.   The Browns small but fast linebackers are ideally suited to handle Daniels ability to run.

Does that mean I think the Browns are going to win tomorrow?   It will be a tight game because I do not see the Commanders running up a lot of points however Dan Quinn is a good coach and I see him crafting a game plan that will be quite conservative.  He knows the Browns are going to try to frustrate his rookie QB so he's going to change tendencies, running a lot.

The Browns should be able to move the ball against Washington but this Browns team is already starting to tear at the seams due to injury and the diminished skillsets of key players, not the least of which is Deshaun Watson.

Look for a tight battle but yet another close heart wrenching defeat for the Browns.

Brown BLog Predicts

Washington         20

Cleveland            17

The Brown BLog are 2-2 season to date picking Browns games.