Week #15 - Raiders @ Browns - 5 pm (Monday) on NFL Network

[macbdog]

I have more confidence in Mullens than Our current backup.

Oddly enough, I had the feeling all year that the team was grooming Mullens to be the backup. He just might deserve a shot at the top job.

 

[CBBI]

If I could combine Mullens eyes and pocket presence, with Baker’s actual arm, I would in a heartbeat.

Sometimes I laugh that guys who really have tremendous traits and hamstrung by absolute noodles.

Bingo.

I thought Mullens flashed some very interesting things last night, particularly from an ability and willingness to handle a pass rush without dropping his eyes standpoint. He maneuvered the pocket. Stepped up when he needed to. Stood tall when he needed to. The pass rush was not a bother to him.

With Mullens generally unbothered by the rush, it allowed him to make his progressions, which he did more quickly than we've seen from a Browns QB in a while.

But unfortunately it's all superseded by the fact there's a baseline level of arm strength you need to have to really have a lot of success in the NFL and there's no indication Mullens really has it.

A guy like Mullens in an ideal world seems like he needs to be indoors for his home games and have receivers and tight ends and running backs all capable of really thriving in space and churning out YAC. Kind of like a late career Drew Brees or that one Case Keenum season in 2017.

 

[Jscc]

To those blaming McLaughlin, and rightfully so, dude sucks and wouldn’t be sad to see him get cut… I can’t blame him for the loss. If he makes that kick before half it’s 13-10 instead of 13-7 when the Browns are 4th and 5 inside the 10. Instead of going for it like they did and scoring, they would have just kicked the FG to tie the game. I blame the loss squarely on AVP for being a gigantic pussy and not finding a single creative play on that sheet to scheme up a 4 yard gain and ice the game.

It’s a really hard pill to swallow when you see coaches like Andy Reid get creative on a 3rd down with the game on the line like he did to us last year in the playoffs, and then our coaching staff just runs 3 straight times up the middle playing not to lose.

That's a good point. I don't know if Stefanski calls a different play on that 3rd and 3, either. This is sad.

 

[scredhawk]

Bingo.

I thought Mullens flashed some very interesting things last night, particularly from an ability and willingness to handle a pass rush without dropping his eyes standpoint. He maneuvered the pocket. Stepped up when he needed to. Stood tall when he needed to. The pass rush was not a bother to him.

With Mullens generally unbothered by the rush, it allowed him to make his progressions, which he did more quickly than we've seen from a Browns QB in a while.

But unfortunately it's all superseded by the fact there's a baseline level of arm strength you need to have to really have a lot of success in the NFL and there's no indication Mullens really has it.

A guy like Mullens in an ideal world seems like he needs to be indoors for his home games and have receivers and tight ends and running backs all capable of really thriving in space and churning out YAC. Kind of like a late career Drew Brees or that one Case Keenum season in 2017.

Pretty much like he did in SF in a Shanahan offense. He’s perfect for that offense. He’d be fine as a backup here too.

 

[TheLand1287]

That's a good point. I don't know if Stefanski calls a different play on that 3rd and 3, either. This is sad.

Sadly, probably not. Over the last two seasons this staff has used Chubb/Hunt/DEJ to close out games at the end when up by one score or less. I do recall them going with a Baker roll out to pickup the first down in Week 17 last year to finish off the Steelers and lock up the wild card spot. That was a little creative. Otherwise, see some case studies below from this year. I'm not going to dig deep into last year's games, but recall against the Jags, Texans, and Cowboys it was all run plays to close out those games. The difference was in the execution. So, I don't know, based off past results maybe it was the right call to run on 3rd and 3 but they just didn't execute. Just felt like with a 3rd string QB and the whole world expecting a Chubb run that it made a lot of sense to get a little creative and bootleg. Best case, Mullens hits a wide open guy in the flat or scrambles to pickup the easy 1st to end the game. Worst case, the Raiders telegraph it and Mullens eats a sack which keeps the clock moving.

Lions game (won 13-10)
9 play drive over the last 2:30 of the game
- 7 rushes by Chubb or DEJ, two of them coming on 3rd and 3 and 3rd and 2
- 2 kneel downs

Broncos game (won 17-14)
10 play drive over the last 5 minutes of the game
- 7 rushes for DEJ, one of them coming on a 3rd and 7 (DEJ picked up 8)
- 2 short completions by Keenum to Hooper and Landry
- 1 kneel down

Vikings game (won 14-7)
Vikings turnover on downs with all 3 TO's left with 1:20 left in the game, Browns go three and out and punt
- 2 rushes to Chubb for 5 total yards
- 1 awful Baker pass on 3rd and 5 to OBJ... would've worked had the pass been accurate
Vikings get the ball back and drive down the field but don't score

Chargers game (lost 47-22)
Browns are up 42-41 with 3 minutes left
- Hunt run for 1 yard, incomplete pass, and then a gutless 3rd and 9 run to Hunt that picks up 3 yards
Browns punt, Chargers score quickly, Browns get the ball back and turnover on downs to lose the game

 

[CBBI]

Here's what bothered me the most about last night.

Van Pelt didn't call that game like Mullens had a bad arm. He called it like Mullens was a straight up bad player incapable of doing much of anything. They called that game like they felt Mullens would no questions asked fuck it up if they let him.

And if that's the case and as a coaching staff you have so little faith in one of the QBs in your QB room that you're going to basically call a game where you never give him the opportunity to do anything, then why is he even on the roster?

 

[Ohdang]

And Sterwart actually forced a fumble. That's bonus for what I expected out of him.

I thought the DPI they called on him was actually OPI and they blew the call, also.

 

[Deezus]

I thought the DPI they called on him was actually OPI and they blew the call, also.

Yep. That was an absolutely trash call.

 

[macbdog]

Here's what bothered me the most about last night.

Van Pelt didn't call that game like Mullens had a bad arm. He called it like Mullens was a straight up bad player incapable of doing much of anything. They called that game like they felt Mullens would no questions asked fuck it up if they let him.

And if that's the case and as a coaching staff you have so little faith in one of the QBs in your QB room that you're going to basically call a game where you never give him the opportunity to do anything, then why is he even on the roster?

I took it that they were protecting their no. 1 QB, can't afford to have a guy step out of a taxi and make the throws Numero uno doesn't. The one caveat I will give Van Pelt- Mullens has thrown his share of interceptions in his short career, so maybe they didn't want to press him too far until he made mistakes. Then again, his interception risk is pretty similar imo to Lil Gunslinger. Either way, they seemed to bring him along almost too slow for a dude with NFL reps on his resume.

 

[The Oi]

It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled.
It’s been a long time since I hit that stroll
Oh let me get it back let me get it back
let me get it back To the quarterback carousel

 

[Huber.]

It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled.
It’s been a long time since I hit that stroll
Oh let me get it back let me get it back
let me get it back To the quarterback carousel

They showed a short clip of the half time weiner dog races. Can anyone that attended the game confirm?

 

[bob2the2nd]

Lost my fantasy football game... By .4 points. Chubb gets the first down yesterday I tie/win