Quentin Groves was across from Kruger vs the Colts, if he's still there Sept 8th I think Martin will do just fine.
I've said it once and I'll say it again... how did pessimism become the new realism? I believe we are going to have a good team. I believe we are going to beat the Browns and Colts before that home opener against the Falcons, and I'm glad we have them at home. I'm far more worried about that game than the first two. Oh, and somehow I think the majority of people on here are gonna find a way to be fearful and negative even if we go into the BYE at 5-0...
Oh yeah, and there's this sentiment from the fanbase about their coner position. Posted 26 August 2013 - 06:22 PM "Owens is mediocre and hurt. McFadden has been hurt and hasn't seen the field much. Skrine is Skrine .... Acceptable nickel slot guy.?""
The fanbase isn't so optimistic anymore, apparently they played a pathetic game this last week, and their willing to make a trade for a guard..
And on cue the Weeden fans and "we're gonna lose to the Browns" types have disappeared from the thread. Not a surprise.
We'll see, a lot just depends on how fast of a start we get off to, I've seen us lose to mediocrity before then win games later in the yr vs mediocrity.
We started last year 4-3 and could easily have been 6-1 before Tannehill got hurt. Not saying we go go 6-1 this year but I don't think the schedule is as difficult as many think.
It's hard to believe this team was 4-3 at one point last season. I couldn't even remember that. Here's hoping they start strong and finish strong this year.
Armando Salguero @ArmandoSalguero 6m The Cleveland Browns are 1-12 in regular-season openers since 1999. And 12 of those games were home games.
We got no love from the CBSsportsline pickers. Unanimously picked the Browns both straight up and ATS.
Lets just say this: This team better not lose to the Browns. This is one game that MUST be put into the win column. I think everyone can agree on that. I know everyone feels strongly that it will be, so adjust your eliminator picks accordingly. I think I'll stick with Denver in week 1. Lets be "realists" for a moment. This is a game Miami SHOULD win.
And the Dolphins are 1-6 in their Week 1 games recently. Both teams are slow starters. One of them has to win. I think it'll be Miami. I feel strong enough that if it's not Miami, I may actually change my outlook for the season.
That's the funny thing about a new season...and the reason they play the games... On paper, depending on the site, it's generally a toss-up. Many people have the Browns improving, and the Dolphins staying the same record-wise, and this game isn't as crucial to the entire season many are playing it up to be. I believe Miami wins a close one here, but if it goes the other way, it doesn't mean the season's over. How about when the Bills shutout the Patriots to start the season a few years back? The Patsies went to the SB that year, and what did the Bills do? Right... It would certainly cause the road to the playoffs to be more difficult, strictly by the numbers, but losing in and of itself wouldn't be any indication either way...if they lose and look poorly, particularly in many of the areas we see as strengths, that's another story... This can be said of 32 teams EVERY year...it's why, as a fan, you get to at least pull for the best. I expect our offensive play-calling to be more opened up, as per Sherman. That's the main thing I'm looking for.
The Browns literally don't have a kicker on their roster right now. I love the fact that no matter how many people are fired in that franchise, the new ones are equally inept.
Personally I'm not going to criticize them for not having a kicker at the moment. They're having tryouts today. If ever there was a plug-and-play position in the NFL, that's it.
5 loses by less than 7pts last season, 2 missed game winnings FGs....my head knows we were 7-9 last year, but my heart says should have been 9-7.
I don't know. That can be twisted so many ways. Yeah the Dolphins lost four games by 3 points, 3 points, 3 points and 5 points in 2012. But they also won three games by 3 points, 3 points and 4 points. Missed kicks could happen any time. What about the made kicks that helped us win the close games? To me any game you win or lose by less than 7 points is a one-play game. Logically speaking, one play could have changed the final outcome of any game decided by less than 7 points (assuming XPs as automatic). The Dolphins had 7 such games in 2012 and went 3-4 during those games. Well, why should that be so surprising for a 7-9 team? They also went 4-5 in games that by definition would have taken more than just a play or just a drive to change the outcome.
I said my head knows..... but for me....its about end of the game chance to win.....(yes lots of plays dictate final outcome)....but end of game, chance to win....make FG its a W....thats the differnce. Not every single game thats close, but those 2. Execute and its a W. So for me, the games we lost that were close, fine....the games we won that were close, fine....but the 2 we let slip through our hands (foot) in a simply do or die execution moment. My heart says 9-7 based on just those two season defining moments.
My head reached a similar conclusion. My reasoning is that there are certain plays that you expect to be made. Those missed FGs are plays that teams make 80% - 90% of the time. I take that to mean that if that season were replayed 100 times with everything else being equal, they'd end up 9-7 more often than not. Obviously, you can do that with all plays, but I see FGs, particularly those under 50 yards, as among the most automatic in the game.
This is a fallacy of an argument because you are talking ONLY re-playing those plays...the plays whose outcomes you didn't really like. You're not talking about re-playing all the other plays in the game, which if re-played could easily have affected the outcome at least as much as those missed kicks. You're cherry-picking plays with outcomes that didn't suit your taste and deciding you'd like to send those particular cards back to the deck and get some new cards. Football doesn't work like 7-card draw.
Wonder if Carpenter lands a job with the Browns? EDIT: Nope he signed with the Bills. So we should beat the Bills by 3.
I see it differently...its not replaying ONLY those plays....its simply realizing should have beens, because a successful FG, which is expected, would have produced the W (regardless of all other plays.) ~ in OT and no chance for opponent to respond. Make the kick, walk off the field a winner. Watching a do or die FG attempt is perfect scenario to simply say, make it, its a W. We missed, and turned two W's into non-Wins. simple as that..and that doesnt change any other aspect of the game. Just make the kick, its expected! In the simplest of terms it turned a 7-9 factual season, from one that should have been 9-7 with no other need to change all other close games. 2 missed FG's in black/white cut/dry situation.
You can take ANYTHING out to that Nth degree and reach the same conclusion. If you can't say, that 2 missed but easily makeable kicks last year cost us the two games they happened in, then you can't say anything with any level of certainty. You cannot say with certainty that Jon Martin was bad in the preseason, because you can't account for all the machinations that went into his performance, in and out of his control. Hell, no game can be broken down if we are to adhere to this extreme guideline. As a group, we can decide what the line is. The line can very commonly be found at field goals made and missed. This is neither a surprise nor a shocking notion.
It's not like saying, dang, that dropped TD right before halftime screwed us! Carpenter's Jets & Cards missed OT FGs were the ultimate cut/dry scenario for an L that should have been a converted W moment.
Yeah, actually it IS just replaying the plays you didn't like at the end of the game. No other way to say it. You're cherry picking.
I just flately disagree when the play in question is a walk off the field FG = win! Its not cherry picking! Its the ultimate moment in time that clearly defines a no doubt Win.
The Rams game we didn't deserve to win, they controlled the game for the most part and lost primarily b/c they missed 4 FGs and Janoris Jenkins had a brain fart vs Marlon Moore. I consider that a loss. But NY and AZ were games we controlled from the start, the Jets and Cards spent most of the day trying to get back into the game. Carp had 2 chances to beat NY and he had a chance to put us up 16-0 on Arizona mid way through the 3rd quarter. Those are the only games on the schedule I'd say "should have" gone the other way. 8-8 season IMO.
I remember there being an outrageous fumble in that STL game that they didn't give us. Am I wrong in this?
I can't remember, but it was outrageous. Edit: Why do I think it was Chris Givens? Forced by Sean Smith? I forget. Edit 2: Definitely Chris Givens, ruled incomplete but he fumbled it. Also, Sam Bradford got saved by the tuck rule.
Must look at the game in those field goal miss games to see whether we hung physically with the other team or did we get lucky to get into that position.