Misery: Okay… It’s Not Just a Quarterback Problem
Cleveland... a city known for crappy football... and our architecture.
Estimated 6 minute read
Misery Week 4: Okay… It’s Not Just a Quarterback Problem
Okay, I’m absolutely not backing off Deshaun for a second. The guy was 24/32 with only 176 yards and threw an absolutely terrible interception last week. If there is one thing that’s for sure, it’s that this offense is stagnant. There is absolutely no “boom” potential from what I can see. Other than an Amari Cooper touchdown that was called back, on an absolutely horrible holding call, there is no reason to believe big plays are in our future. This team, again, did not break 100 yards rushing. It’s been hard to watch. At least, as I switch from game to game on Sundays, other teams who are bad are showing signs of life. This team just doesn’t seem to have that spark.
Who’s fault is it?
As I said, I’m not sure I want to let Deshaun off the hook. I still believe that this team’s lack of faith in him as a leader is one of the major problems with this offense. Last week though, was absolutely a coaching and game management problem. It’s why, this and this week only, I am angry and not sad.
Why the hell are we letting the clock run down with timeouts left with one of the best defenses on paper? Why the hell are we so sure our offense, mind you with barely 200+ yards, is going to march down the field and score? Why are we so hell-bent on ending the game on a touchdown instead of just trying to stop the damn bleeding? We need EVERY single chance we can get at the end zone with this absolute dumpster fire of a team. Why am I screaming at my television begging for a timeout?
Dammit man… I am beyond pissed.
At this point all I see is another game, slightly in our reach, completely lost in the last minutes of the game. I’m damn near sick to my stomach.
Now I’m not calling for Kevin Stefanski’s head or anything, but damn man… I’m frustrated. The confidence in that building is either so low, that their decision making isn’t translating into on-field actions… or their confidence is so high that they can’t imagine not walking off in a blaze of glory out of Las Vegas with a W. Either way, what happened at the end of that game was freakin’ ridiculous.
I’ve been asked about our defense while writing this column as well and I want to be very clear with all of you reading this. The defense is not the problem.
The Raiders were 4/12 on third down conversions and we held them to 20 points. At this point, I’m confident saying that the Cowboys game was an anomaly. The problem is that we’ve faced our easiest opponents. The teams only get harder from here. Will this defense get worn down and sick of holding off opponents for this offense? Time will tell.
Overall, there is no world in which I see this team getting better. I’m starting to think this Misery column may have to end early because there is no Misery to be had here. Just despair.
Last week was tough to watch. If we lose to the Commanders as well, the downward spiral may be about to begin.
Now, let’s say for a few seconds I was calling for his head. Next week, we will take a deep dive into what happens to teams that do make changes at the coaching position. I think it will be an interesting discussion to talk about what to do next and what happens if we make certain decisions. We will dive into the next three potential scenarios.
Sticking to the plan as is and riding this out.
Getting rid of Deshaun and cutting our loses while letting Stefanski continue on his path to rebuild.
Letting Stefanski go and trying to fire up Deshaun with a new offense.
Rebuilding totally and letting both go to start anew again.
Before you keep reading, I think we should acknowledge my ability to acknowledge I may have been wrong last week. I’m willing to take credit in the form of any Cleveland teams’ merchandise that isn’t orange or brown… please and thank you.
Good thing there are other thing to do there...
This week’s Misery team of the week are the Miami Dolphins. Okay… settle down everyone. I know that there are a number of teams that I can drag down into this hell hole with us Browns fans before Miami… but this hill I’m dying on is very personal for me.
I was born in South Florida and I know the Misery that Dolphins fans have experienced. This is a team that, with Cleveland at the top, is filled with teams who have rotated through quarterback play for many years trying to find their answer.
They did… and then that guy got so much head trauma that he is about to be forced to retire. It’s truly a sad story… and I’m not going to discuss the politics of it all here today.
This team looks extremely flat without Tua. That’s all I’ll say. Tyreek Hill has been almost irrelevant without competent quarterback play. The defense is incredibly spotty without an offense that can keep them off the field of any significant time. That, combined with 100 yards on 10 penalties, is honestly just the tip of the iceberg for the problems for them. What is at the bottom of that big chunk of ice for the Dolphins? The fact that the Buffalo Bills look like they’re going to be good for a long time.
No playoffs this year… and probably not for a few years. Where do the weapons you have go from here? Jalen Ramsey is overpaid and getting out worked and Hill and Achane won’t stay around to wait forever. I think this team is about to have a serious slide on their hands. Sad to see, but the story of “what could have been” may be in the cards for Miami.
Misery Team Week 3: Miami Dolphins
Prediction: Best case case 7-10… worst case 5 -12
