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Why are the Browns the sexy pick?


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11 minutes ago, The Red King said:

Following free agency, I hopped over to nfl.com and saw an article on whether or not the Patriots were still the favorites.  Poking through the comments though, I saw no mention of the improvements the Bills and Jets have made, most noting the AFC East will be a cakewalk for the Pats.  Okay, I get it, improvements on paper are one thing, but you gotta show improvement on the field.  At the same time, one analyst mentions the Chiefs and Browns as competition.  And the official website poll asks which team is the best in the AFC.  The options are the Pats, the Chiefs, and the...Browns? ?  Not the Chargers, not the Steelers, not the Ravens...the Browns.

 

Yes, the Browns have improved since last year, but they went 7-8-1, a losing record.  How do they get included in "best of the AFC" discussions without having to prove anything?  Last year was no different, despite going 0-16, some people were picking them to make and even go deep in the playoffs!  I guess I'm just wondering why teams like the Bills and Jets have to prove themselves and the Browns, who have been categorically/historically worse then them get a free pass and become the sexy favorite?

Bills, Jets, and Dolphins compete to win the offseason every year. They try to sign the big names, but those guys almost never live up to expectations... They're left with bad contracts and worse teams. While teams have been signing players to crazy money, do you know what Belichick has been doing? He's been on vacation in Barbados with his woman! He's been lounging on the beach and frolicking in the surf! The AFCE bottom dwellers have made a big move here and there, but the Brown Stains loaded up in a division with the Steelers who are in turmoil, Ravens have a run first QB who can't throw the ball into the ocean from a boat,  and the Bengals. The Bengals... The Browns have weaker teams in front of them than the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins.

 

 

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22 minutes ago, The Red King said:

 

"Good" isn't the same as "best in the AFC".  I mean, in that poll they were put on par with NE and KC, and above every other AFC team based solely on how they look on paper.

You know how this works... Bills just being the Bills... Browns just being the Browns...

 

NE didn't have the most talented roster this year, but they had the best coaches, smartest players, and bought into the "team first" mentality. 

 

Does anyone think AB, Le'veon, OBJ, etc even give two poops about winning?  Not a chance in Hell! 

 

It's the fans that care about winning. Most players care about getting paid. If I can play for the Pats and make $4M and win 3 SBs or play for someone else and make $50M, what am I going to do?

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25 minutes ago, dlonce said:

The Browns are trying to get good really quickly. That normally doesn’t work, it could backfire. 

Id be curious what their cap will be in a couple years. 

I really do not like the OBJ trade for them, this is an attempt to appease the fan base for suffering and to become relevant 

nationally. It’s working but the pitfalls can be devestating.

We shall see. 

Not sure they will be that good already.

I agree. The national media already loves the story of the 2019 Cleveland Browns before it even begins. Cleveland is loaded with big names and strong personalities. This team is either going to be an overwhelming success, or will crash and burn quite hard imo. I can already imagine how some of those personalities would react to a losing streak. Does this team have the character to overcome the tough times good football rise above? I’m not convinced of that, especially under the leadership of a first time head coach. 

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I said in another thread it’s gonna be rough on them. 

Media is going to eat some of those kids alive. 

It has the potential to get really ugly really fast. Of course they can find success, but they have more pressure on them than any other team in the league. 

Which may not be good for so many young players and a new coach. 

OBJ will have every target analyzed. Which puts mayfield under a 24/7 microscope. 

Then the hunt drama when he’s reinstated. 

The coach is going to take a beating if they don’t win a lot of games with this “loaded” roster and fans will be calling for his head first year if they don’t make the playoffs after all these moves. 

It’s a lot to deal with for a very young team. 

I don’t disagree with the moves they’ve made their team looks good. It’s the outside world I would be very scared of if I’m a Cleveland fan 

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34 minutes ago, The Red King said:

Again, this isn't about whether or not Cleveland could be good.  It's about the media already putting them on par with NE and KC with nothing being proven.  Yes, they have a roster that could go to the big game, no doubt.  Don't think I'm quite ready to say with certainty already that they're as good as NE and KC.  Not without seeing a bit of the product on the field.

 

They were essentially average and added a ton. 

 

Sorry even bills fans fans are struggling to support your rant.

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52 minutes ago, The Red King said:

Following free agency, I hopped over to nfl.com and saw an article on whether or not the Patriots were still the favorites.  Poking through the comments though, I saw no mention of the improvements the Bills and Jets have made, most noting the AFC East will be a cakewalk for the Pats.  Okay, I get it, improvements on paper are one thing, but you gotta show improvement on the field.  At the same time, one analyst mentions the Chiefs and Browns as competition.  And the official website poll asks which team is the best in the AFC.  The options are the Pats, the Chiefs, and the...Browns? ?  Not the Chargers, not the Steelers, not the Ravens...the Browns.

 

Yes, the Browns have improved since last year, but they went 7-8-1, a losing record.  How do they get included in "best of the AFC" discussions without having to prove anything?  Last year was no different, despite going 0-16, some people were picking them to make and even go deep in the playoffs!  I guess I'm just wondering why teams like the Bills and Jets have to prove themselves and the Browns, who have been categorically/historically worse then them get a free pass and become the sexy favorite?

The Browns are now Miami where they will be "Good" every preseason and shown wrong every season.

Also the Browns are in a horrible division now so they should have no problem winning the division at 8-8...

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It's hard to tell.   No one can say that adding Beckham and Hunt to a borderline playoff team would not be exciting.    It's polar opposite of the bills, who didn't sign the household name stars but found a large amount of players that are upgrades over who was there last year.    Both strategies make sense and both have their risks.   Cleveland has the better chance at immediate upside but Buffalo has the better chance at having a deep overall team in the long term.   Both Bills and Browns fans have valid reasons to be excited. 

 

I will be curious to see how this conversation goes in two years. 

Edited by dgrochester55
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I'll tell you why.

 

First off, for a reason I am not sure of, Cleveland is a much better-known city across the USA than Buffalo. I've lived all over the country and I can tell you that while maybe half of the people know where or what Buffalo is ("Is that like near NYC?"), everybody recognizes Cleveland as a city in Ohio. This manifests in several ways, for example, Cleveland being recognized as the most "suffering sports city" pre-Cavs championship despite Buffalo being at the very least equal to whatever heartbreak they have had. That always annoyed me. 

 

Next is Lebron James. He REALLY put Cleveland on the map. By staying with the Cavs for so many years, taking them deep in the playoffs every year, thousands of interviews and press conference, etc. The sports media has been camping out in Cleveland for 15 years going back to his high school days in Akron. Cleveland is always on their mind, as well as the country's since that is Lebron's team. Even when he was in Miami, the drama with Cleveland was always on everybody's mind. 

 

People underestimate the popularity that Hard Knocks brought to the Browns. Everybody always whines about how they would hate Hard Knocks covering the Bills, but it would bring thousands of new fans and much more media attention (positive and negative) that would help national TV viewership (more prime-time games), more merchandise, and more (or costlier) ticket sales. All my friends were talking about Hard Knocks last summer. Everybody seems to have an opinion about Hue Jackson. It seems only two years ago I was the only guy who knew who he was, having lived in Oakland while he was the coach. Now he's a household name for casual fans. 

 

Baker Mayfield was a college football star at Oklahoma and media darling. Every year or two there is a QB like this in College Football that grabs everyone's attention (Manziel, Tebow, etc.). Naturally, casual fans assume the skills in college will translate to the pros. Whatever you think about his playing ability, he has a strong alpha-leader personality, has charisma, and is not shy to open his mouth. This type of stuff brings eyeballs, is magnified at the QB position, and is multiplied by Hard Knocks and college notoriety. 

 

To top it off, Cleveland is taking a page out of Kansas City's playbook by surrounding a young, talented QB with elite talent. OBJ is an extraordinary WR talent and Jarvis Landry (and many Bills fans will disagree due to this history with us) is, in my opinion, a borderline HOF player by the time he retires. 

 

That's why Cleveland is hot stuff right now. Buffalo, on the other hand, gives off "eh" vibes to the rest of the country. Acting like you know about advanced stats is very popular right now, and Josh Allen is the antithesis of this. Lots of journalistic and blogger reputations on the line with Josh Allen. If he does well, they rather it be kept quiet and then picked apart later. Shady is old and looks really bad with the lady stuff and cop fights, true or not. And what else is going on? McDermott is vanilla. Our defense is solid but no superstars. This offseason Beane raised our floor (and did a fantastic job) but did not raise our ceiling anywhere near the level Cleveland has. This all stinks, I know. But hopefully, that answers your question. 

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It's all star power, dude.

Mayfield, by himself, is a huge draw. Now add in two dynamic talents and personalities in Beckham and Landry, and then add in the fact that THOSE TWO guys are reuniting for the first time since playing together in college.

Star power and storylines.

I mean, I love my Bills, but the John Brown/Robert Foster duo aren't exactly must-see TV at this point, and Allen is not viewed nationally with NEARLY the same interest and optimism as Baker Mayfield.

To me, it's easy to see why the Browns are the sexy pick.

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1 hour ago, The Red King said:

 

"Good" isn't the same as "best in the AFC".  I mean, in that poll they were put on par with NE and KC, and above every other AFC team based solely on how they look on paper.

“On paper” they are THE most talented team in the AFC

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1 hour ago, The Red King said:

Following free agency, I hopped over to nfl.com and saw an article on whether or not the Patriots were still the favorites.  Poking through the comments though, I saw no mention of the improvements the Bills and Jets have made, most noting the AFC East will be a cakewalk for the Pats.  Okay, I get it, improvements on paper are one thing, but you gotta show improvement on the field.  At the same time, one analyst mentions the Chiefs and Browns as competition.  And the official website poll asks which team is the best in the AFC.  The options are the Pats, the Chiefs, and the...Browns? ?  Not the Chargers, not the Steelers, not the Ravens...the Browns.

 

Yes, the Browns have improved since last year, but they went 7-8-1, a losing record.  How do they get included in "best of the AFC" discussions without having to prove anything?  Last year was no different, despite going 0-16, some people were picking them to make and even go deep in the playoffs!  I guess I'm just wondering why teams like the Bills and Jets have to prove themselves and the Browns, who have been categorically/historically worse then them get a free pass and become the sexy favorite?

 

On paper they're definitely one of the best, especially with what's going on in Pittsburgh and Baltimore. 

 

IMO they're the favorites to win their division this year. With the additions of Kareem Hunt, OBJ, paired with Njoku, Mayfield, Chubb, and Landry, this could be a very potent offense. On defense they picked up Olivier Vernon to go along with Myles, this team is trending in the right direction. 

 

They were a very solid defensive football team last year and with the addition of Vernon, that makes them that much more dangerous. Dorsey has this team going in the right direction.

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I say, let's wait until the season plays out, especially Bills vs Browns game. Then after it's all said and done maybe the media will be talking different then we can reopen this topic. Only time will tell. Let's just enjoy the moment of the great offseason we are having so far!!

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Because the Bills and Jets didn't bring in near the type of talent they did.  

 

We brought in good pieces for sure and at all the right positions.  We know that because we know our team intimately - the national media doesn't study what we need.  They have recognized that we've done well but the Browns brought in stars.  Do I think that automatically means they'll put it all together, no, but it's good enough for the national media to beat to death. 

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1 hour ago, The Red King said:

 

Not saying they won't be good, but you're telling me they're one of the top three teams in the AFC right now?

 

 

How many times in a row have you asked this question?

 

People are telling you that based on talent and impact players, yeah, they think so. Me too. They're a young team and a lot of their guys are still improving a lot.

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1 hour ago, dlonce said:

The Browns are trying to get good really quickly. That normally doesn’t work, it could backfire. 

Id be curious what their cap will be in a couple years. 

I really do not like the OBJ trade for them, this is an attempt to appease the fan base for suffering and to become relevant 

nationally. It’s working but the pitfalls can be devestating.

We shall see. 

Not sure they will be that good already.

Could it really backfire? How? 

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As of right now:

 

Cleveland has more offensive talent on the roster than KC or NE.  They also have more defensive talent up front than either team too.  

 

The only real "on paper" hole with Cleveland is the secondary where they only have Ward.  They also need some LB help too.  But they still have the draft and rest of FA to try and address those needs. 

 

They are absolutely worthy of being talked about not only as the favorite to win their division, but also a SB contender.  However talk is just talk...none of it matters come week 1 on Sunday.  Their coaching staff has to get these guys to buy into a system, play together, and as a team still.

 

But today is March 14th, so all you can do is talk right now, and there is a LOT to talk about regarding their talent level as a team right now.  If Baker keeps progressing, they easily should be a top 5 offense in the AFC, and probably the NFL.  I mean last year they won 5 of their last 7 and people forget all the heart break losses earlier in the year with their dud HC who got fired.  They were a lot better than their record showed by years end, and that was BEFORE they added OBJ, Hunt, and Oliver. 

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