Interested: As the key player of Cleveland browns has finally return after 10 years of…………
Yes, it’s a big game, probably as big as it can be in the middle of the 17-game NFL season.
Confession Time: I’m fired up about the game, excited I can cover it in person. I’m also very curious/worried about how the Browns will perform in that atmosphere.
“We have a chance to play in front of our fans in a really big game,” said Baltimore coach John Harbaugh at his Wednesday press conference.
I know, I’m probably wearing out the big game theme, but why not? This is sports. The Browns are 5-3. They are talented, at least talented enough to have Harbaugh turning up the juice to prepare his fans.
“I know they (the fans) are going to be really into it,” said the Baltimore coach. “I know they’re going to be loud. I know they’re going to disrupt the huddle and the communication for the Browns by just being as loud as they can be – not just when the ball gets snapped but between plays. We want to encourage that.”
Perhaps Harbaugh has said things like that before another Cleveland game in Baltimore, but I don’t remember it.
Baltimore is 7-2 and perhaps the best team in the NFL. The Ravens are on a four-game winning streak, averaging 32 points.
Detroit came to Baltimore with a 5-1 record and left a 38-6 loser.
Last Sunday, Seattle came to Baltimore with a 5-2 record. The Seahawks left a 37-3 loser.
Yes, it’s a huge game – I know, I just raised the stakes from big to HUGE – for the Browns. It’s a chance to see if the Browns are legitimate contenders in the AFC North.
This is not a make-or-break game. The Browns can lose and be 5-4 and still in the playoff race.
But the game should tell us a lot about Cleveland. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was the emergency starter when the two teams played in Cleveland early in the season. It was his first NFL start. He was overwhelmed, and the Browns were spanked,
This time, it’s Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
“Deshaun is a playmaker,” said Harbaugh. “He can do it with play action – the boots and the play-action stuff off of their zone run game. Then he can do it as far as extending the play, both as far as running. … He does a really good job on the run to find receivers when he’s moving out of the pocket.”
That is the Deshaun Watson the Browns traded for last year. It’s the Deshaun Watson we’ve seen a few times in the 11 games he’s played with Cleveland.
Perhaps some of you are like me when it comes to Watson – still waiting to see what they have in the guy they call a franchise quarterback.
