2019 NFL off-season thread

Of course it's amusing. Getting hooked is what Clevelanders do. And yes, Beckham seems like a clown, but what evidence is there that he's undisciplined? And I'm not saying he's not. The only thing I really know about him is circus (!) catches on the highlights. And now it looks like he will be benefiting from an upgrade at quarterback, though it would be the most Clevelandish thing ever if Mayfield winds up a one-year wonder.

 

The expectations are out of control, though. As Oop has pointed out, the Browns have won nothing to this point. But I think the expectations are coming from the outside -- national pundits, etc. -- and not from the team or its fans, the latter of whom know better.

 

The boat incident was one. Forgetting the game to get into a personal battle with Norman was another. There was at least one other time he got wrapped up in his own crap and lost focus on the game.

I think Mayfield will be fine, but I'm not sure he is much of an upgrade over Manning in terms of throwing the ball. Part of what makes Mayfield dangerous, and something he does far better than Manning, is his ability to improvise.

 

It seems like the new arrivals are doing the talking, specifically Beckham and Greedy Williams. I don't know that the returning Browns have said anything particularly brash.

 

It would be unusual if the new arrivals to the Browns didn't say they thought they'd make the team better. OBJ's already a star and a, for better or worse, personality. Of course he thinks the Browns are gonna be a contender with him. What's he gonna say, "I'm here to help the team get to 9-7?"

 

Beckham has more than once made himself a non-factor -- or even a detriment to his team -- in games with dumb penalties and letting himself be distracted from the task at hand.

 

He didn't just say they would be contenders. He said they would be a dynasty like the Patriots.

 

Think big! What's wrong with excessive optimism by a player? He's not an analyst, fan, or most of all, coach for whom tempering expectations is related to job security.

 

I wasn't saying it was terrible. I'm just making fun of it.

 

Any idiot can dream big. And this idiot has proven he's a me-first front-runner who bails when shit goes sideways. And it will at some point, probably earlier than he expects. We should have a pool on which player among OBJ, Bell and Antonio Brown is gonna blow his lid first. My money is on AB, but none of them would surprise me.

 

This is fair. Outsiders are entitled to laugh.

 

I doubt Bell will blow up, but he is more likely to flat-out fail than the other two. Running backs don't last long. Taking a full year off isn't going to help. His new offense is weaker than the one he played with in Pittsburgh in every way. I also wonder about his motivation. Does he really care about anything but the paycheck, which is guaranteed now?

People forget that at Michigan State, Bell was decent player, but more of a plodder. He spent his rookie year transforming his body to become more athletic. The Jets are paying for the Steelers version of Bell, but I think it is very likely they see the Michigan State version at best. That is a decent player, but not a special one.

I actually think Brown is going to be fine in Oakland. He may pout if/when Carr screws up here and there, but I believe most of his idiocy was intentionally over the top to force his way out of Pittsburgh because he knew there was no way the Steelers would give him the new contract with more guaranteed money that he wanted.