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I don't think Canton will need tape of the Raiders and Browns game, but I rewatched it anyway. Some thoughts, in this thread.
To those who said I was too hard on Baker Mayfield, I get it. The Browns dropped several passes. Jarvis Landry, who might be playing hurt, had anywhere from 2-5 drops, depending on how you grade that stat. He also had one outstanding catch.
The game was played through constant, significant wind - it's hard to tell through short cuts just how impactful the wind was, but some of the kicks were knucklers. Neither team wanted to throw deep. There was intermittent snow flurries, too.
Mayfield missed a few throws on the high side. The Browns were creative with boot action and he's athletic enough to make it work. Cleveland also had plenty of self-inflicted wounds: Bryant's fumble, too many procedural penalties. Baker also took a sack on an obvious free play.
I'd like to see how the Browns look post-OBJ on a milder day, and a day when their defense isn't trampled on all day. Browns had the ball for less than 23 minutes, despite some success on offense. The defense couldn't stop Oakland's very basic game plan.
I thought the Raiders won in spite of David Carr. I know it's clickbait, but anyone who thinks he's an MVP candidate needs to go into concussion protocol. He had an easy pick dropped, and a critical fumble at the Cleveland goal was scooped up by Devonte Booker. Just 4.7 YPA.
I feel like they could use Hunter Renfrow more. He has a connection with Carr, and rapport is especially important when you think of the short, chain-moving routes Renfrow will often run. Renfrow had 35-490 the last seven games last year. Touchdown showed two guys with trust.
I've been pretty good not calling the Raiders "Oakland" but of course I call Derek Carr "David." I always wonder why parents don't give their kids more distinct names. Looking at you, parents of Jeff and Jered Weaver.
I should have figured pre-game it wasn't a Nelson Agholor day. He leads NFL with 19.5 YPC, but what wind does is kill *deeper* passing game. You can still dink/dunk, but shot plays are rare. Agholor targeted only twice: once covered, once it went straight to defender (dropped).
This might not be a satisfying conclusion, but this is a day you mostly throw out. You couldn't work your entire playbook or challenge the full field. Though if either team wants to be taken seriously, must clean up the sloppy penalties.
Some penalties are more or less good - the idea with pass defense is to play as close to legal as you can, or creatively get away with stuff. Procedural penalties a sign of an undisciplined team, and those penalties drive coaches nuts. Too many guys were jumpy before the snap.
To put a period on this thread, it was encouraging to see four (IIRC) fourth-and-one attempts in this game, including a couple where almost the entire league would have punted a few years ago. We're getting there. Teams are getting smarter, or at least becoming less scared.
