Kelly the Dog

This is a hail mary or onside kick to try to win the game. It isn't a great chance to succeed but you try, knowing it isn't great because it gives you a chance. An onside kick, surprisingly (I just looked it up) works about 20% of the team when the team is expecting it. This isn't going to hurt the team one bit if it flames out, and it's a grand slam win in talent and reclamation project if it does. So far, it's worked out 33% of the seasons with the Browns. None lately, although in his first game with no training camp he scored a TD on a great catch to tie the game with two minutes to go, and should have had one or even two other TDs. So there is that.

We have to look at this guy differently. To get 50 yards from a normal QB, you may get completions of 3,5, 8,10, and 24. Just a random sampling. For Josh, you are going to get maybe 3, 7, 10, and 30. It will be a lot less in completion percentage but the same number of yards. Some will argue you need those smaller ones to get first downs and keep the chains moving. But 8 yard completions on 3rd and 10 or more lead to punts, and this particular Bills team, with crappy blocking and a lot of penalties, means a lot of long down and distance plays. He made a lot of bad throws and decisions but he made a lot of very good ones, too. In his first game, and without a lot of time spent with the ones, against a very good veteran team, immediately down by 1-2-3-4 touchdowns.

People complaining that it was too hot outside made me laugh.

WHAT?! Name one team with worse. Name one team whose #2 is Zay Jones. Name one team whose #3 is a ST guy. Name one team whose #4 is Udfa who didn’t start in college with suspect hands. Name one team without a #5

If you want to not like him there is plenty here to reinforce it. If you want to like him there is just as much to think he can or will be very good. There were five really great throws. There were five really bad ones. There were not guys wide open very much at all. He got very little help. Fosters two plays were very good. That mini pass showed great awareness and speed. Then excellent diving catch. The two INTs were very bad. He’s going to learn not to throw first I assume. I love how he stands in there though. He wasn’t nervous I don’t think. He just needs game action so it slows down for him, some blocking and some WR. Daboll had some decent play design.

Thanks. That’s a really dumb rule on a play like that. If they don’t have possession. A player could be ob when a fumble happens in front of him and just reach out and touch it without recovering (if on the team that last had possession).

Why not? If they treated last year like this year they wouldn't have kept Tyrod, they would have won 4-5 games and they would have picked no lower than 7 without ever trading Glenn.

On the first one did the officials rule on the field that the Chargers recovered the fumble before the challenge? They second one wa clear they got robbed. Clear fumble. No ob. Clear recovery.

I did too. Really bad calls. Especially the second one.

Yep. I said this elsewhere but I think maybe we just have to look at him differently than we would anyone else. Take the bad with the good and don't get pissed at him for taking too many sacks IF, and it's a big if, he is making first downs and keeping drives going and scoring points. He didn't do that today. He held it too long too many times. He missed too many throws. But a 20 harder is nothing to him. 3rd and 16 is the same as third and 9. It's okay if he stands in there too long sometimes because he stands in there too long sometimes and then delivers strikes. We all want to accept all the good plays he makes when he waits and waits and then criticize him for the ones that don't work. As if in his first game he is supposed to make the right decision on the rush, with the worst line and worst WR in the league, 90% of the time.

The point is, again, you do one or the other, not both. They could have built off the 9-7 playoff team, got Josh, went for the playoffs again this year and then had a bunch of money next year. That is one way to do it and a good one. But they didn't. They blew it up, signed FA on the cheap, didn't restock with guys who could play, and now we are worse. That is also a decent way to do it. IF you are going to do that, get it out of the way early not the second year. We are a year behind in the process than we should be because they tried to do both, and did it in the wrong order.

Keep him away from the offense, in game decisions, challenges and timeouts!

We let several of our own players sign with other teams in FA before the season. We traded several players including a couple of our very best ones. Why did they need the evaluation process for all of those guys. Firing Whaley was not at all a last minute decision. As soon as McD was hired Whaley was out. McD demanded the power and he was given it. Exactly.

I already said this but if the tank was last year we don't need to move up and use all of those resources to get our franchise QB. We drafted 22 and had to give away picks and players to get in a position to get Josh. If we starte the process last year we would have already been in that position, got Josh and had Glenn and another good draft pick.

He avoided more than he caused. That was a seven or eight sack game for most QBs.

I think you're missing the point. We should be better this year if the process was in normal order. Last year should have been the bad year and next year should be year two of the rebuild. Now next year is going to be year one of the rebuild. The "process" is tear down year one, build year two, and go for it year three. We tried to go on the fly year one, tore down year two, and now year three is what year two should have been.

Are we worse or better than we were last season. Do we have more holes than last season? But if you did the total rebuild last year we don't pick 22 and have to use all that draft capital to get our franchise guy. We draft at 7 or so and stand pat or move up to 3. That's a rebuild. We tried to have it both ways and we were better last year but behind now.

You do one or the other. This way it puts us behind in the ultimate goal. You either tear it down right away and immediately start to rebuild. Or you rebuild on the fly. We rebuilt on the fly in year one and then tore it down in year two. That makes no sense.

Well, what we think doesn't matter. If I knew they were going to tank this year I would have called for it last year too to cut them off at the pass. The point is it it makes sense the tank year one if you want to tank. It doesn't make sense to tank year two, especially if you overachieved year one.

I guess I think all or nothing, or else be consistent. I didn't want to trade Sammy but I at least understood the reasoning. But I didn't understand wanting to get rid of Dareus in the middle of the season for a sixth round pick when you could have had him for the season and then got a sixth round pick. They kept Tyrod to play QB. He's good enough to get you to 9-7 but you're not going to be 4-12 and get a top draft pick. They kind of went both ways. I understand tearing it all down, I understand trying to win now and still make some changes that will eventually become a different team. They seemed to be doing a little of both last year, and then this year they didn't address all kinds of issues. You don't tear it down and still have one of the oldest rosters. It makes no sense.

I loved it too. But it is a fluke. I'm not giving up on either McD or Beane. I gave them the benefit of the doubt at first. I liked some stuff they did. The team overachieved and I was happy about it. But they didn't build on it. They tore it down and also didn't fill it with decent players. We look like a five-six win team this year. If this was the plan, this should have been last year.

My point is if you wanted a total rebuild we dont finish 9-7 and draft 22 and have to spend most of our draft capital to get to 7 to draft Josh. We start at 7 and maybe get to three or at least draft another stud.

If you tear it all down in year one you don't finish 9-7 and get a 21 draft pick and have to use most of your draft capital built up just to get to 7. You're at 7. Which is where may likely end this year.

I tried to articulate this in other threads but I don't get tearing it down in year two. We didn't go into last year saying we have the worst QB group, the worst OL group, the worst WR group, no proven LB, in the whole league. We are behind where we were last year. Sure, tear it down and start over, but do it year one not year two. Next year will be the second year of our total rebuild when it should be the third. I agree about Allen though and he is the biggest element. If he is good we will likely be good soon. If he is not we will not. I just think we wasted a year.

Why wasn't the full throttle rebuild last year? We are year two into this three, four or five year trial for McBeane and we are behind last year. This year two is year one. I can get behind a total rebuild. It likely was necessary. But do it year one not year two.