Wednesday Night Rant...

Greetings sports fans, hope you are having a great hump day...

I have a couple of portions of beef to get off my chest tonight and they involve the ineptness of a couple of NFL teams that I consider "my" teams. First, let me just say that I write this post under the influence of 90 proof Bourbon so take it with a grain of salt and enjoy the potential typos, irregular knowledge and most of all, emotional distress...

I will start with the least important rant... The Tampa Bay Buccaneers... The team I adopted after moving to the Tampa area in 1998 (has it really been 21 years???) a shit show with a QB that can't seem to stop throwing it to the team with the wrong colors on their uniforms. Hey Jameis, you might want to consider getting contact lenses because either you can't see what you are throwing at or you are as color blind as Vinny Testaverde. It is becoming clear each week that you may not be on this team after the 2019 season if you can't start throwing it to the guys in pewter, red and white. This past week you lost to a Tennessee Titans team that started Ryan freaking Tannehill... a guy so bad the Miami Dolphins (0-7) didn't want him on their roster in favor of Josh Rosen and Fitzmagic... so... yeah.. they are bad, and no glossing over with colorful metaphors is gonna solve the problems that are plaguing this team. the defense can't stop anyone and the offense can't seem to get out of its own way. Bruce Arians is a good coach, he proved that in Arizona, but not even he can fix the Bucs because the talent is just that bad. I am so glad that I am not a more die-hard fan of this team because if I was as invested in the Bucs as I am in the subject of my second rant, I probably would have thrown myself off of the proverbial roof by now. I am not a fan AT ALL of the ownership in Tampa, the Glazer boys have buried this team into the bottom of the NFL, which is probably causing their late great father Malcolm Glazer to roll over in his grave. The old man left you with a former Super Bowl champion, and you have done nothing to make this team better in the years following his death. Do the fans of Tampa Bay a favor, sell the team to someone that actually wants to win, and please put us all out of our misery...

Now, on to the main event... The Cleveland Browns made some major acquisitions in the offseason, not the least of which was Odell Beckham freaking Jr... he of the one-handed legendary catch all those years ago... they went and got them a running game, a solid defense, a franchise QB (supposedly) in the 2018 draft, and "on paper" clearly had some of the best talent in the NFL. the problem with that is teams aren't judged on what they have on paper, they actually have to play the games... Freddie Kitchens was the RUNNING BACKS COACH last season under first Hue Jackson, then Gregg Williams (he of bounty-gate fame) he was promoted to Offensive Coordinator for the last half of the season. In the front office's infinite wisdom, they decided that Williams was not the right fit at head coach and promoted Freddie and got rid of Williams. Kitchens had never been a head coach at ANY level before and just because his offense provided new life for the Browns down the stretch last year, he deserved to be promoted to head coach...

So, here we are... fast forward to the near half-way mark of the 2019 campaign, the Browns are 2-5, they have shown glimpses of brilliance, but the fact of the matter is there are a couple of things that are preventing them from transferring that "on paper" talent to the field.

The first is the penalties... Oh my lord, the penalties... false starts, holding, you name it, they have done it. One of the most penalized teams in the NFL for 2019 and to be honest, I don't know if they can make it through the season without being the most penalized team in the NFL for 2019. It all boils down to discipline on both sides of the ball. If you can't get through a play without holding the attacking lineman or if you can't remember the snap count, I hear the XFL is looking for players to fill rosters after the first of the year, why don't you take your talents there. The lack of discipline on this team is ASTOUNDING... The role of the coaching staff is to COACH, and that means teaching your players not to hold, making sure they know the snap count and seeing that they are a more positive influence on the success of this team, and not just some lackey wearing a uniform. Get on the same page gentlemen, and focus on what is at hand, not just how you may look on the field and believing the press in their praise of the talent that is on this team. Your actions will speak volumes to the future success of the Browns than your stupid brain-dead mistakes will...

The second is turnovers... good god what a mess... Nick Chubb fumbled twice (or was it three times) last week, one of which was due to an OFFENSIVE LINEMAN kicking the ball out of his hands - yes - FRIENDLY FIRE... and the second was after breaking a 40+ run that seemed destined to reach the end zone, a DB that had been originally dumped to the ground on the play, hustled and raced Chubb down and knocked the ball out of his hands as he reached the 10 yard line... The Browns went toe to toe with the world champs on Sunday and were it not for three consecutive offensive turnovers - three plays - three turnovers... they actually would have had a chance to beat the almighty Tom "Goat" Brady and Bill "Goat#2" Bellichick (Bellicheat) in Foxboro... on national TV... with Jim Nance and Tony Romo in attendance, but no... mistakes... penalties... turnovers... it all boils down to the head coach having control and being in charge of discipline of this team. A team can have all the talent in the world on its roster, but unless that can translate to the field of play it doesn't mean squat...

The entire offseason, the press, pundits, prognosticators, and ESPN all said that the Browns were the second coming of the greatest show on turf, what with their great WR's, world-class RB and a defense that was stacked from head to toe with playmakers. For the record... I was NEVER on that bandwagon... go back and listen to the replays of The Sports Nerds beginning after the draft and you will see that I was impressed with what they had built on paper, but I wanted to see it on the field. Well, I haven't seen it yet, and although I will admit the first half of the season has presented the Browns with one of the toughest schedules in the league, it doesn't make a damn bit of difference to me.

They have 9 games left... the schedule appears to be a bit softer than what they started with, with games against the Broncos, two against the Bungles, two against the Steelers, the Dolphins, and the Cardinals in line... they need to show us what they promised... I love my Browns... have been a fan for over 50 years, and I have suffered through "Red Right 88", "The Drive" "The Fumble" and now 20 years of expansion headaches, and frankly I am tired of suffering through season after season of 4-12, 5-11, and yes even 7-8-1 seasons. You guys say you are better than what your record shows... PROVE IT... SHOW US... This fan base deserves more from the front office, the coaching staff and the players... Get your shit together and start putting it on the field...

I'm out...

Scott "The Sports Nerd"



0
0
0.000
0 comments