Jerry Sullivan: The Column 11-06-2019

[SackMan518 2,269]

http://www.sportsradio1270.com/the-column-by-jerry-sullivan/

 

Here’s a fun stat for you: During the Bills’ 17-year playoff drought between 2000 and 2016, the Cleveland Browns had a worse overall record. That’s right, the Browns have been the biggest joke in the NFL during this millennium, not the Bills. 

Cleveland hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2002. They haven’t won a playoff game since after the 1994 season, they year Vinny Testaverde beat Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots on New Year’s. That’s one year longer than it’s been since the Bills won one. The Browns won eight games only once since then, when they went 10-6 in 2006. 

They’ve had 30 quarterbacks since coming back to Cleveland in 1999.

This year was going to be different, after they surged to seven wins a year ago in Baker Masyfield’s rookie season. They had a new quarterback, a new head coach in Freddie Kitchens, a new superstar receiver for Baker in Odell Beckham Jr. 

The Browns were a chic pick to win or make the Super Bowl this season. They were the subject of magazine cover stories. They did a lot of talking. Mayfield got a bunch of national commercials. In Vegas, they took more Super Bowl bets on the Browns than any other team in the league. Baker took a shot at disgruntled running back Duke Johnson in camp, saying, “You’re either on this train or not.”

Well, the train has run off the rails. The Browns are 2-6. They’re still the joke of the NFL. Mayfield leads the league in interceptions. He has been surprisingly indecisive and inaccurate. He’s ranked 32nd, ahead of only Sam Darnold. Their defense is 20th in points, 21st in yards per play, 29th in yards per rush allowed. Beckham is 126th in the league in red zone targets this season with three.

Things just keep getting worse. Mayfield threw a snit at a veteran reporter during the week. He shaved twice on Sunday, before and after a loss in Denver. He gave a depressing presser after the game. The way the media reacted, you would have thought he’d shaved points.

Meanwhile, safety Jermaine Whitehead, who had a couple of crucial missed tackles in the game, sent threatening and racist tweets out right after the game and was promptly cut. The scene in the locker room in Denver was described by one writer as “bizarre.”

Kitchens, who was hired as head coach with no experience because of his bond with Mayfield, has been a disaster. The Browns lead the league in penalties. They’re third in turnovers. They lack discipline and detail. Kitchens has been a bad game manager. His challenges have been as bad as Sean McDermott’s. He ran a draw on fourth-and-9.

And yet, the Browns are favored over the Bills on Sunday in Cleveland. The Browns are 2-6, 0-3 at home. The Bills are 6-2, 3-0 on the road. Doesn’t matter. The Browns opened as a 3-point favorite, which says the oddsmakers and the public believe these teams are essentially even. Four games ahead, but the world thinks the Bills are equal to a joke team. 

Despite all evidence to the contrary, there’s a lingering belief that this Browns team still has possibilities, that it could make a run. And despite the 6-2 record, there’s a lot of skepticism about the Bills as a true contender. There’s good reason for that. Their six wins have come against teams with a combined record of 9-41.

Of course, the team’s own management shares that lack of faith. By not adding any talent at the trade deadline, Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott told the fan base and their team that they don’t feel they’re close, that they’re half a dozen players away from being a Super Bowl contender, not one player. Why wouldn’t the general public agree?

Micah Hyde said he was sick of apologizing for 6-2 after the win over Washington last Sunday. He said they were 2-6 at this time a year ago. Yeah, they don’t need to apologize. But money talks and if the Browns are favored, that’s because the supposed smart money says an inflated record is about to collide with an underachiever on Sunday in Cleveland.

You don’t need to apologize for 6-2, Micah. But if you’re being treated like a 2-6 team, the best way to send a message is by beating 2-6. If you want to shut up the doubters, beat a team that’s gone off the rails and is ready to be tipped over completely. 

The Browns are the biggest joke in the league. You don’t want to lose to them and remind the world that for two decades, the Bills have been a close second.

[Buffalochief2 53]

Just win baby!

 

[SackMan518 2,269]

5 hours ago, Buffalochief2 said:

Just win baby!

So far all of the "experts" I've seen are picking the Browns in large numbers. We'll see about that.

[Buffalo13 21,675]

The Browns have more talent and have played a tougher schedule.  We will need to wake the fuck up on offense to have a chance in this game.  

[bcw 24,291]

Good teams win games like this.

I'm not convinced the Bills are a good team yet. They play good football from time to time but for an entire game I wouldn't call them a good team.

I could see this game going either way. The Browns have a lot of talent.

 

 

 

 

[Hayward89 1,975]

If the Bills find any (positive) consistency this week, they win. Hands down.

The Bills may not be a complete team yet, but Cleveland is a very talented 

[Roc_to_SD_BillsFan 1,926]

Seems like every game is a must win for the Bills and its because of the easy schedule and they haven't put any team away yet this year.  Would be nice to get a solid 4 quarters out of both sides of the ball.  Last week the Offense came out and showed they can be good but then they shit the bed in 3Q.  Defense was run all over in first half but then looked good in 2nd half. Would be nice to put a whole 4 quarters together to silence the critics. Would be good for my blood pressure as well.  Just keep winning and I dont care that much. 

[theAteam 100]

On 11/7/2019 at 12:51 PM, SackMan518 said:

So far all of the "experts" I've seen are picking the Browns in large numbers. We'll see about that.

The "experts" had us winning fewer than 6 games this year and we already matched that in Week 10.