Alright I've got to 'fess up. I didn't do my blog-ly duty last week with the Final Word because...well...I just couldn't bring myself to write a post when I was questioning my Browns fan-dom.
But lo and behold, this video showed up and reminded me why I love the Browns so much.
We all feel this way! We know it's ridiculous, we know it's irrational, we know they just freaking torture us each and every time out, but they're in our blood. And even though Cleveland Browns Stadium is a "factory of sadness" I will always watch the team each and every Sunday.
So now that we've got that out of the way, I've got to say that I'm just not particularly optimistic about our chances. First off, Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty are both still out for this game so you know what that means—no running game. They haven't replaced Jason Pinkston and Shawn Lauvao at the guard positions, so I have no confidence in the offensive line. And to make matters worse Mohamed Massaquoi is most likely out because of his lingering concussion symptoms.
We all know the offense has been unwatchable the last few games, and all those injuries aren't helping matters. There were rumblings of Josh Cribbs maybe doing some more out of the backfield this week, but those rumors were squashed. Maybe because the coaches didn't want Cribbsie giving away the game plan, or maybe because Shurmur really isn't going to use him as a running back.
But I'd say why not? Seriously, the guy ran the Wildcat for the past couple of seasons and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. With the lack of offense, and the heart that Cribbs plays with, why wouldn't you want him involved in every play possible?
Think about it—if you're the opposing defensive coordinator, who else scares you even a little bit on the Browns offense? The "who dat" running backs? Nope. The wide receivers? Sorry Greg Little, but you're still a rookie. And God love Colt McCoy, but with the offensive line trying to kill him by not blocking, nobody is afraid of him either.
So look for Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo to pressure the heck out of McCoy. Spagnuolo's previous job was defensive coordinator of the New York Giants—arguably home of the NFL's best pass rush since 2006. I'm thinking we're going to see a whole lot of McCoy running for his life yet again, and that doesn't bode well for our chances to win.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns will be without strong safety TJ Ward for 4-6 weeks with his foot injury. Yeah, that spells "bad news bears" for a team that's 30th defending the run and is playing against a running back in Steven Jackson that's gained 159 and 130 yards on the ground in his last two games. If I'm Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, I'm handing the ball off to Steven Jackson all game long to wear down the Browns D. I think Steven Jackson could definitely get over 200 yards on the ground with that strategy. Can I get an "Uh-oh!" people?
This game could be similar to the Seattle game and come down to field goals. But honestly, I'm thinking the Rams will come in and just run Steven Jackson all over the field, while Sam Bradford just has to make a few key throws to seal the victory over the Browns. And while I'm not happy about it, I'm just not feeling like the Browns are going to be able to muster up any offense with the inept coaching of Pat Shurmur.
We can't get an offensive coordinator in here soon enough.
The Prediction: STL 17 - CLE 9
No touchdowns for the Browns, and who knows where we'd be without Phil Dawson.
I'll see you at the half,
~MAS
No comments:
Post a Comment