Tag Archives: Cleveland Browns

5 Smoldering Questions on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Post-Browns Edition

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C5D75550-BBF9-46E1-B804-4BA163A435BD.jpegPhoto via Steelers.com

Although I’m sure you are all busily engaged in planning your play-off watching menus and such, don’t forget that there is still work to be done before we even get to that point. [Cue Mike Ditka…] Part of that is answering these 5 Smoldering Questions:

1. The end-around is a staple of the Todd Haley playbook that many of us anticipate with great dread. Yet in the last few weeks we have seen the Steelers have some success with this, including a touchdown by Darrius Heyward-Bey, although said success  came at the expense of teams who have already cleaned out their lockers. To what do you attribute this success—better placement in the game plan, better execution, or just incompetence on the part of the opposing teams?

2. Last Sunday’s match against the woeful Browns was, as many have stated, their Super Bowl, as no team wishes to share in the infamy of the 2008 Lions. But the chances didn’t look good for the Browns. The average number of points the Browns’ offense have managed to muster during the season is 14.6.

And yet they had their best game of the season against the Steelers last Sunday, and even looked like they were going to pull out the upset, it not for Corey Coleman dropping a beautifully-placed pass. And yet, despite the large number of yards the Steelers gave up, and the 24 points, they also had six sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble recovered by the Steelers. Is that a reasonable tradeoff to you, or would you have preferred a more workman-like and less exciting game?

3. And speaking of the Browns, the owner has stated he is keeping Hue Jackson as head coach despite the fact he has won one game in the past two seasons—a new low for the beleaguered franchise. Do you think the owner is right to do so, and do you think it will pay dividends next season?

4. Which team would you most like to see of the possible teams the Steelers could play in the Divisional Round? Or you can answer which team you would least like to see, according to taste. Please explain in either case.

5. Last but definitely not least—Mike Munchak has been given permission by the Steelers to interview for more than one head coaching job—the first name out there is the Cardinals. Do you think that losing Munchak would be an unmitigated disaster should he be hired away, or do you think he has created a solid foundation that will continue in the coming year(s)? And does anybody have any suggestions for things that might keep him in Pittsburgh? Weekly deliveries of Primanti’s, free Incline rides for life, etc.? Because I’ll contribute…

On Second Thought: Browns @ Steelers

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FE0B3163-EFDD-43D9-BDBE-EE3524C2E306Photo via Steelers.com

By Homer J

I would like to respectfully suggest to Homer that the computer lose his homework more often. This is some of his finest work. Enjoy. You have quite a treat in store…Ed.

Homer watched the Steelers “B” Team (NOT to be confused with the Killer B’s) defeat the Washington Generals, AKA the Cleveland Browns, and took copious game notes. Unfortunately, it was New Year’s Eve, and somehow they were deleted instead of copied. Seriously, the computer ate his homework. Apple, why dost thou mock me??? Read more

A Quick Look at the AFC North, Mid-Term

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Photo via Steelers.com [Doesn’t this just sum up AFC North football?]

Thank heavens there is football this weekend. All the sordid discussion about compensation packages and injuries was getting me down. And that was just Ivan. Heaven only knows when Homer is going to chime in. But as they say, “idle hands are the devil’s playground.”

So instead let’s have a look at how things are going in the glorious AFC North.

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A Brief History of Time—in the AFC North

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photo via Steelers.com

I hope you all realize I’m not claiming to be the Stephen Hawkings of football. Au contraire. Not even about the AFC North. But after four games it’s worth taking a look at where we are and seeing if we can find some trends.

As I’m quite sure everyone reading this is aware, the Steelers are currently in sole possession of the divisional crown—for the nonce. But it’s still a long way to January. So let’s look at the other teams and what potential threats might lurk. Because as we all know, when it’s AFC North Football anything can happen.

I’m going to try not to be too stats-nerdy with this. For one thing, stats only tell you what has happened, in a completely un-nuanced way. The interpretation of them can result in very diverse potential scenarios. So I’ll give some numbers just to keep myself honest, and commit myself to what I think they are telling us. I will update them at various points throughout the rest of the season.

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Tracking the AFC North Draft Picks, Rounds 2 and 3

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How did Momma miss this guy?

I’m going to go live here, because why not? I will be updating as there is anything interesting to add.

The first AFC North pick in the second round was scheduled to be the Bengals, as the Browns had traded up with the Packers to take TE David Njoku at No. 29. But they traded down with the Vikings, and so the AFC North picks will be pretty condensed in Round 2 – Nos. 15, 16 and 20, and then of course the Steelers at 30.

I was curious as to which of the more highly rated players were left on the board at this point. I’m using a grade of 6.0 out of 10 as the cutoff point, since that encompasses the first 34 prospects. Read more

A Quick Look at the AFC North 1st Round Picks

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TJ WattThis really will be a quick look, and furthermore it is live as of 11:00 pm. The picture will go up when I know who the Steelers have picked. With any luck I can use one of the pictures already in the archives from my mock drafts.

More thorough analysis will come when the excitement dies down. (And for that matter it’s pretty hard to “analyze” a draft pick before several years are up.) But we can’t just abnegate our responsibility as a fan base, which is, of course, to decide, based upon the draft picks, who is going to win the Super Bowl. So here goes: Read more

The Weirdness that is the NFL Free Agency, and What it Looks Like in the AFC North

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NFL: Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers

via USA Today

Another year, another frenzy in the meat market known as NFL Free Agency. We can always count on a few stunners, and this year has been no exception. And, so far at least, this year is no exception in the Steelers’ reluctance to wade very far into these very expensive waters.

As Kevin Colbert recently noted, more teams are following the Steelers’ model of drafting and retaining their own players, and this makes the ones who do hit free agency all the more expensive. Read more

Nature or Nurture?

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Mike Tomlin, Bill Belichick

Or—How Much of a Player’s Success is Tied to Which Team Drafts Them?

I’ll tell you up front that I don’t have the answer to this age-old question, any more than anyone can tell you definitively how your child would have turned out had they grown up in a different family.  But we’re into the silly season, and it’s interesting to speculate.

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Backing Into Week 18: Browns @ Steelers

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via Steelers.com

“We fight hard. We don’t fight smart all the time, but we fight hard.”

Browns’ head coach Hue Jackson spoke those words early in his press conference, and the Browns did indeed fight hard—very hard—as the Steelers took a while to wake up, and just barely managed to do so in time. As commentator Rich Eisen said after half-time, “One team looks like it want to be here. One team looks like it wants to be in the locker room, or at home.”

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Opponent Preview: Browns @ [Attenuated] Steelers

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It’s a bit difficult, I must admit, to get excited about Sunday’s game. The Steelers have already said they are going to rest those who “need to get healthy,” and perhaps some who seem to be plenty healthy as it is. (Although it’s easy to imagine that anyone who played in last Sunday’s civil but brutal game isn’t going to be exactly “healthy.”) A win on Sunday does absolutely nothing to improve their seeding or anything else, so there’s no point in risking players who are desperately needed going into the playoffs.

On the other side, the Browns have actually already won a game this season. They have thus avoided the dreaded 0-16 record and the derision which comes with that. There’s really nothing for them to play for. Quite the contrary—any more wins and they may lose out on the No. 1 overall pick. They may play for pride or for their coach or for the future—hard to say. But they won’t be playing to win because there would be any benefit to do so, in practical terms. Read more

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