Name: Are the Browns good enough to reach the AFC title game? | First Take
Uploaded: 2020-12-31T20:35:04.000Z
Duration: 7 min 9 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

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I mean, what the news that came out of there this morning kind of changes everything for them because first and foremost, I mean, these guys can't practice now.

Adverbs of degree

So now they're meeting virtually the facilities close.

They can't really iron out the details of what they want to get done against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which I still think they should be able to beat this football team.

But if you're constantly having to deal with stopping and starting and not being able to get together, we've seen how that can wreck havoc on a team's chemistry and their ability to execute from week, week after week.

And we know once you get into the playoffs, then all of a sudden things become ratcheted up to three fold.

And then, you know your execution then becomes what is going to drive your success and or lead to your failure and without being able to practice without being able to walk through certain things without being able to run through certain things.

Assed faras, intricate details of the game plan to beat teams like Buffalo in Kansas City, it's gonna make it tough now.

That being said if they can somehow get back to a regular schedule and they don't lose some vital critical components of their football team.

Like, I think, the Browns are set up to surprise some people because one of the playoffs about what is December and January football about.

It's about controlling the line of scrimmage, controlling the time of possession, playing good defense.

And if you can play with the lead, having people who can put quarterbacks on the ground, Cleveland has all of that stuff.

It's just a matter of whether or not they can consistently put it into play and execute on those things on a consistent basis.

But now there's this so many unknowns did you just don't know?

You just don't know what's gonna happen this weekend, let alone going into the playoffs.

I saw him first hand on the Monday night game against against the Ravens.

I think they have turned the corner, but the things that are happening there now as far as their facility being shut down has definitely thrown a monkey wrench into everything.

And look, if you're trying to bet this game or predict this game.

Good luck predicting anything when you have teams that have this kind of adversity.

We have to assume that they're gonna be okay.

They make the playoffs, assume that they can keep all their talent and assume that they're gonna be at full strength in the playoffs.

Even given all those assumptions, I don't believe that they're gonna make it to the A.

And I'm not sure that you believe they're going to.

I don't believe they can because the word that you said inconsistency like, of course, if they can do all those things every week, then of course, they'll make it to the NFC championship game.

But they haven't done all those things in repetitive weeks in three weeks in a row, three weekends in a row.

They haven't done that all season against good opponents.

And we saw Baker Mayfield able to close out the game Monday night football.

You were there doing a great job calling that game, and that was Baker Mayfield masterpiece, and they still lost to a Ravens team.

That defense was depleted, so I'm not sure that.

I believe that the that the Browns could do that three weekends in a row, even if everyone's healthy in the playoffs in January.

And again, I'm gonna go back to this point.

And when the first round of playoffs, Maybe it's not even luck.

Maybe they're better than the team that you get mashed up again.

But that following week that following week, they're gonna have to see Buffalo a Kansas City.

What are the real expectations for the Browns being that they're going through so much right now?

I still think the expectation Charlie has to be that they win this football game this weekend.

It just has to be because look, number one even, you know, even give, given the fact that they're not gonna be able to be in their facility right now, The fact of the matter is, this they do.

It does look like they're gonna be at full strength.

Offensively, they're gonna have their full complement of wide receivers to go along with their backs and offensive line that is also getting healthy.

So I think, given the fact that Pittsburgh is going to rest Mawr than just Ben Roethlisberger, and you could have some key components of that football team on the defensive side set out, I think the expectation is they win this game this week.

They have to for them, toe lose toe a Mason Rudolph quarterback football team.

And that's not meant as disrespect to Mason Rudolph.

But for this football team, toe lose to the Steelers, Given the fact that they are already in the playoffs and probably looking ahead to their first game and whatever that matchup is going to be would be hugely disappointing for this fan base for this organization, for team overall.

And I think for the perception surrounding Baker Mayfield, although I don't think Baker needs to concern himself with the perception surrounding him.

But I think they understand the importance of this.

I think they have a good grasp of the fact that people just do not hope that they're good.

They expect them to be good at this point in time, given some of the performances that they put on, so they understand that they need to come out and play their very best, no matter what the circumstances are, no matter how much practice they can or cannot have this week in particular, they need to get in.

And I think they're gonna approach this week regardless and reproach this game regardless, with that kind of urgency and I expect him to play well.

I would be very disappointed if they didn't come out and just come out on fire in this football game playing the who.

They are running the football emphasizing play action, passing game and the defense hopefully can play with lead and then they could get after the passer and get after Mason Rudolph and get out of here with Wind if it doesn't play out that way, e think there will be a lot of disappointed people for Cleveland, regardless of what their history have been, regardless of how low expect expectations have been with them in the past.

This if they lose this game, it would be disappointing.

It'll make the end of the season very disappointing.

However, I still think this season would have been a success as crazy as that seems losing to the Jets last week, and some people thought the covert stuff was enough to be an excuse.

I don't think that you can use that as an excuse for this week necessary.

But even if they lose both of these games and they're out, we came into this season's into this season with two questions about that team.

And it seems like the answer is quite clear that they have a head coach and I feel confident that Baker Mayfield is their quarterback of the future.

If they're waiting around so they could get some sort of M v P caliber quarterback, that's a mistake.

Baker Mayfield is above average and shows the potential that if you can build around him, you can make a deep run.

But there's no excuse to lose into a team that seems to be obviously as good a coach and good motivator as Mike Tomlin is.

It's obvious that this team's focus is on the wild card round of the playoffs and not on this game this week that impacts game planning that impacts the mentality of the players.

They're going out there, and that, most importantly, impacts the talent of the players that they're gonna be going up against.

I think Ben Roethlisberger being out is a big deal.

But those names on defense that they take out that pass rush that they're taking off the field, that run stopping ability that they're taking off the field, that is a problem.

They're not gonna be out there showing their most complex billet schemes because they want to save those for next week.

 So the Browns really have no excuse to lose this week. 