Browns Makes Feelings Clear on Joe Flacco After Bengals Breakout
Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was not watching as his former quarterback, Joe Flacco, lit up the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
Flacco turned back the clock and carved up the Steelers for 327 yards and three touchdowns. It included a clutch game-winning drive that gave the Bengals a 33-31 victory.
Flacco was the Browns’ opening day starter but was traded to the Bengals a week after being benched in favor of Dillon Gabriel. Stefanski didn’t catch the AFC North clash between Flacco’s Bengals and the Steelers, who beat the Browns 23-9 last week.
“I did not, no. I’m definitely asleep on Thursday nights,” Stefanski said. “You’re always rooting for all of your friends around the league, and that really happens on a lot of teams. But, really mostly focused on our team and what we got in front of us.”
One member of the Browns who did tune in was star defensive end Myles Garrett.
“I think Joe looked like Joe. I mean, I’m happy that he went out there and got a win,” Garrett said. “He played how we know he can, and so he made plays when they needed him to. Got the ball out quick, put on the money down the field, looked great.”
Browns Myles Garrett Questions Offense Amid Skid
Garrett didn’t question Flacco’s success in Cincinnati, citing that it comes down to the personnel.
“I mean, all offenses are a little bit different, whether it’s the players that they have or the schemes that they run,” Garrett said. “So, you know, you got to make it work for with the guys that you have and figure it out from there.”
What Garrett questioned was the Browns’ recent game plan against the Steelers. Gabriel threw the ball 52 times and the Quinshon Judkins-led run game never got a chance to get going with the Browns chasing.
“I would have liked to see us stick to the run a little bit, especially with a dynamic playmaker like Quinshon, hell, even Dylan (Sampson),” Garrett said. “Both of them getting the ball, both of them have different styles, but effective runners in their own right. So, would like to see it, but they saw differently.”
Browns Offense Looking to Get on Track
The Browns’ offensive struggles have been well documented. Cleveland is averaging an NFL-worst 13.7 points per game and has been unable to produce explosive plays, particularly in the passing game.
Getting the offense on track Sunday might be tough with some inclement weather inbound. Rain and strong winds are expected, which could hamper Cleveland’s ability to pass the ball.
“I mean, you gotta spin it in the wind. Dillon does that pretty well,” Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. “Throws a pretty tight ball. Obviously, you got to play on time, you know, some balls that maybe get away with late, but if you’re playing on time, playing on rhythm, hopefully you’re pretty efficient still.”
Cleveland is a slight favorite for the first time this season as they host the 1-5 Miami Dolphins.
Now that the Giants are hearing offers for Jameis Winston, some wonder if the Lions should get involved
There is one more week of training camp for the Detroit Lions, and we're just a few weeks removed from a really bad Hall of Fame game. Both Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker struggled in that game, and ever since, some Lions fans and some outsiders think the Lions should be looking for a new backup quarterback.
One of the more premium backups in the NFL appears to now be available. That's Jameis Winston. He happens to have spent a little time with Dan Campbell in New Orleans. So some fans are making that connection and wondering if the Lions should call the Giants and make an offer.
Here's the thing: if you had asked me this question a couple of days after that Hall of Fame game, I would have said yes. I would said Brad Holmes should run to the phone to make this deal. But now we're a few weeks past that, and Kyle Allen has undoubtedly earned this job, and it's not because he's been a little better than his competition; it's because he's been a lot better.
The bigges thing about him above anything else is that he's been safe. He's not making a lot of mistakes. In some cases, he's not making them at all. Winston has his moments where he can do some big things, but he also throws interceptions like they're going out of style. He hasn't had a year in the league where he didn't have almost as many interceptions as he had touchdowns. The Lions want trust, and they want safe. Winston is not safe. So yeah, to answer the question, no.
