Does Odell Beckham change the AFC North

The Browns were the laughing stock for the last several seasons, especially from 2015-2017, where they only won 4 games total, before their 7 wins in 2018. This year, even after their lackluster start thus far – seem poised to be on the hyped train in the AFC North, by many. I never thought I would see the day, after having 7+ Wins in a season only 2 times since 2003, not counting 2018.
The OBJ move made the Browns the talk of the football world this off-season – the Giants weren’t winning with him, even with his 88 YPG. The Browns are hoping they found a winner.
Questions are still there – Beckham has known to be a problem, at times – will he destroy Baker’s team?
Is Odell a team player?
Will the Browns regret this move after a season?
All these things we should be asking – and only time will tell.
But, if we are going to be honest, Eli didn’t utilize Beckham for what he could have done with him. The Giants were wasting OBJ’s skills – Eli Manning is an aging, soft armed QB, who at times, chucked the ball in his direction, with desperation – and I feel Beckham made Eli far more than Eli making Beckham better. Just a few years ago, Derek Carr was thought of as the next big thing for the NFL – now, Baker Mayfield is looked at as the next big thing after his 64% completion rate and 27 TD passing season in 2018 and they got him a great new toy. The Browns gave up a 1st & 3rd for OBJ, for Mayfield to have an top 5 weapon at WR – with this, they are looked at by many as the team in the AFC North.
The Browns needed something big and the Giants needed picks to start the much needed rebuild, so this worked out for both teams. As we know, teams that look great on paper don’t always translate to success on the field. Look at the 2015 Detroit Lions coming off an 11-5 season in 2014 and the thoughts of a team on the rise, or the “Dream Team” 2011 Philadelphia Eagles – both flopped. The other concern I have with the Browns, is they could run into issues with Beckham and his temper tantrums, Odell seems to be happy as long as he gets the ball – that has to be put on the backburner here. There are a lot of skilled players who need the ball. Beckham is your typical diva WR – which can be a bit tough to swallow at times –  but there is no discussion that his on field ability isn’t incredible. 5400+ YDs, 390 receptions, and 44 TDs over the previous 5 seasons certainly confirms that.
Cleveland is looking stacked across the board, between defense and offense. Mayfield, Landry, OBJ, and David Njoku – they have a ton of promise this year. They looked awful vs the Titans – giving up 43 and turning the ball over as Mayfield didn’t look very sharp – but I think a lot of the problems they had – were based on the expectations that have been tossed onto their shoulders. Nick Chubb is a really good RB too – a new face of the North might be built for the next 5 years, the Browns, could be running the AFC for years to come. We all know, regardless of what we want to pretend, QB is the position on the field – it is the engine that drives the train, and is the most important position on the field. 24 year old, Baker Mayfield has changed the attitude of Cleveland and their city. Baker needs to make sure he keeps OBJ on the same page as the team, as a whole, he brought heart and hope in 2018 – he has been unimpressive so far this year with his timing and throwing 3 picks – and he needs to get himself in check if they want to get the train rolling.
Cleveland could still be the favorite – with no Leveon or AB in Pittsburgh, and no pressure behind Lamar Jackson, to keep him motivated to better himself, if he fails. Beckham has a better QB in Baker than what NY had – so it’s honestly a big upgrade for Beckham – with the moves they made this offseason – the Browns may have become the team to beat in the AFC North.
The Browns now have 2 of the best handed WRs in the league along with a talented TE – with a deadly deep threat in OBJ and smooth route running WR Landry, they now have the skills to be most dangerous duo in the NFL. The Browns made some noise with the offseason. Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham are probably some of the most sure handed WRs in the league, as both players have made numerous big time catches during their 5 years in the NFL – Jarvis and Odell were amazing together at LSU back in 2011- 2013, with 280 receptions 4,149 YDs, and 27 TDs combined between them. It will be fun to see how they do teamed up in Cleveland.

Why Baker Mayfield will be the Rookie of the Year

As annoying, immature and disrespectful as Baker Mayfield can be at
times, with his cockiness or crotch grabbing – his play on the field
and skill cannot be looked down on. He led the Cleveland Browns to a 7-8-1 record

this season after the Browns won just 1 game the past 2 years.

Saquon Barkley has the game skill
and the attitude that everyone loves, including myself. But looking at
what they have each brought to the NFL and their teams is an
interesting conversation.

Cleveland has just about the same talent as they had on the team last
year and they fumbled to 0-16. What was the only major change on that
team? One name – Baker. Giants were 4th in the NFC East last year, at
3-13 this year they went to 5-11. Now take a good hard look at the
Browns this year compared to last year. It doesn’t take a genius to
see who improved more. This can mostly be contributed to Baker and his
play on the field.

Browns would not even have sniffed .500 without Mayfield, as they
finished 7-8-1 this year, up +7 games from 2017. If anyone has paid
any attention to the Browns the past few seasons – with records of
0-16, 1-15, and 3-13 since 2015, the Browns have been more of a train
wreck than any other team in the NFL. The impact on a team from a
player has everything to do with the success they bring to the team.
Without Barkley – the Giants are worse – they win 1 or 2 less games,
they still have WR, Odell Beckham who can lead them to a few Ws.
Baker’s value to Cleveland has been phenomenal – and they win because
of what he does, they win because of their faith and trust in him.

Barkley, has done a ton for his team without a good defense – that
ranked 21st vs passing TDs. And the Giants had one of the worst Olines
in the league, a line that had given up 47 sacks on the year, 10th
most in the league, and ranked 29th overall as per FootballOutsiders.
Barkley had carried the Giants on his legs – with 8 games of 80 or
more rushing yards, and an awesome 126 total YDs/game.

Barkley is going to be one of the most dominant RBs in the NFL for
many, many years – as long as he stays healthy. But, as far as impact
this season, Mayfield has impacted the Browns the most. The overall
impact made by Mayfield on his Cleveland Browns team is bigger, he
changed the Browns mentality of his team to a winning mindset. A
mindset that he is to be handed the keys, he will get them a win when
backed into a corner. And if we remove both players from their teams,
the Giants are pretty much the same team – the Cleveland Browns on the
other hand are staring 2-14 down the barrel.

I feel if Baker had started from the beginning and didn’t play for Hue
Jackson he would have even more than his 27 TDs and 3725 YDs. He
probably would have ended with 30 and 4K – and maybe the Browns would
have even made the playoffs this season. During the time he wasn’t
getting the nod and dealing with his rough relationship with Jackson,
Cleveland lost to the Oakland Raiders, 45-42, a team that they very
well should have beaten, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If they win
those games, that would have put them at 9-6-1 and directly in the
thick of things in the postseason.

They’ve both proven themselves on the field this season – I just think
#6 has done more for his team to win the award this season.

2017 NFL Draft Preview

​​VegasTopDogs 2017 NFL DRAFT PREVIEW –
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With another NFL draft upcoming – that which has an excellent amount of skilled RBs in particular, with Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey, just to name s a few. And guys like Jonathan Allen, Kevin King and Myles Garrett coming out on the defensive side of the ball, this draft is going to be great.
The other positions, we have some guys who some are leery of buying fully in on. The position we are looking at, as one of the most questionable slots is the QB position. the very intriguing DeShone Kizer, Texas Tech big armed Patrick Mahomes and dual threat Deshaun Watson are looked at as some of the top QBs heading into the draft. They all have some pros, but all certainly have their obvious cons.
Kizer was only completing 58% of his passes on the season in 2016.
Mahomes had not been a great leader in 2016, losing 7 games, nothing to be too excited about.
Watson threw 17 picks.
Regardless – we are going to watch and we are going to cheer and sometimes complain at the picks. Here, we will take a projective look at the 1st rd Draft projections as to who will draft who.
Let’s get it underway!
1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett – DE – Texas A&M
2. San Francisco 49ers: Jonathan Allen -DT – Alabama
3. Chicago Bears: Marshon Lattimore – CB – Ohio State
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Solomon Thomas – DT – Stanford
5. Tennessee Titans (from Rams): Mike Williams – WR – Clemson
6. NY Jets: Deshaun Watson – QB – Clemson
7. LA Chargers: O.J. Howard – TE – Alabama
8. Carolina Panthers: Derek Barnett – DE – Tennessee
9. Cincinnati Bengals: Takk McKinley – DE – UCLA
10. Buffalo Bills: Malik Hooker – S – Ohio State
11. New Orleans Saints: Forrest Lamp – OG – W Kentucky
12. Cleveland Browns (from Eagles): Mitch Trubisky – QB – North Carolina
13. Arizona Cardinals: John Ross – WR – Washington
14. Philadelphia Eagles (from Vikings): Leonard Fournette – RB – LSU
15. Indianapolis Colts: Dalvin Cook – RB – Florida State
16. Baltimore Ravens: Corey Davis – WR – Western Michigan
17. Washington Redskins: Christian McCaffrey – RB – Stanford
18. Tennessee Titans: Jamal Adams – S – LSU
19. Tamps Bay Buccaneers: Reuben Foster – LB – Alabama
20. Denver Broncos: Garett Bolles – OT – Utah
21. Detroit Lions: Charles Harris – LB – Missouri
22. Miami Dolphins: Cam Robinson – OT – Alabama
23. NY Giants: TJ Watt – OLB – Wisconsin
24. Oakland Raiders: Gareon Conley – CB – Ohio State
25. Houston Texans: DeShone Kizer – QB – Notre Dame
26. Seattle Seahawks: Kevin King – CB – Washington
27. Kansas City Chiefs: Jarrad Davis – LB – Florida
28. Dallas Cowboys: Taco Charlton – DE – Michigan
29. Green Bay Packers: Quincy Wilson – CB – Florida
30. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marlon Humphrey – CB – Alabama
31. Atlanta Falcons: Malik McDowell – DL – Michigan State
32. New Orleans Saints (from Patriots): Patrick Mahomes – QB – Texas Tech
So let’s sit back get ready for our teams with hearts pounding, and await what names we hear called out to us from that podium.
The 2017 football season is gong to arrive eventually with mini-camps starting in just a few months – now it’s just time to be patient, and get through our all-too lengthy offseason, and wait to see who is unleashed on the league as rookie phenoms, and the inevitable expected busts, that we all know are going to be there.

The Cleveland Browns Make Another Bad Decision

Nov 30, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills won 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-180374 ORIG FILE ID:  20141130_ads_al9_265.JPG

Johnny Manziel has been called a lot of things. One thing he hasn’t been called is a mature young man.

But Manziel deserves a chance to start this week against Oakland. That’s not going to happen as Cleveland coach Mike Pettine already has named Josh McCown the starter. McCown has recovered from a concussion he suffered opening week.

The Raiders have lost 12 consecutive road games. That string extends to 15 in a row when they play in the Eastern Time Zone.
Pettine trusts the 36-year-old veteran McCown to take care of the ball better than Manziel. I understand that. Pettine needs all the wins he can get with his job likely on the line. McCown is worth a half to one-point more on the betting line than Manziel.

I find Pettine’s decision short-sighted, though.

The Browns drafted Manziel in the first round last season. Supposedly he’s more mature. Manziel made several big plays to help beat the Titans last week.

Manziel can make plays that McCown, who is near the end of the line, can only dream about. Manziel can escape pressure not curl into a fetal position like McCown does when he sees pass rushers in his face.

It’s not like the Browns are going anywhere this season. They may not be favorites in a game the rest of the season.

Cleveland needs to give Manziel game experience every week. The Browns need to find out if Manziel has what it takes to be a quality starting quarterback. This just gives him one less opportunity.

Written by Stephen Nover of VegasTopDogs.com