Our season has happened in threes so far. Three-game win streak to start, followed by a three-game losing streak without Tua, and now another three-game win streak to have us 6-3.
But this week, whilst there was a sense of high-quality offense, quite cerebral and clinical at times, defensively we struggled, again. Twice in two weeks, lower-ranked teams have put points up on us. First Jared Goff and now Justin Fields. The first game was littered in penalties that were a huge cost to us, this week only a missed call on what looked like a clear hold stopped that happening again, to what could have been a greater detriment.
This should bring us caution. We will go into the Browns game favorites in a lot of peoples minds, as we should be. But with Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and we shouldn’t underestimate Jacoby Brissett and the chip on his shoulder to prove a point to us all. We should beat them. If we are playoff contenders, we should beat them. But we must clean up a lot of things defensively, no doubt.
That said, lets flip this around, QB1 showed up for us again. With his elite supporting class, bolstered by Jeff Wilson, Tua drove a near-flawless first half, a second consecutive game of 300+ yards and 3 TDs. Yes, we have some issues, and we shouldn’t ignore those issues, but after years of mediocrity, we absolutely should enjoy having elite QB play, and elite weaponry.
So this brings us to an intriguing matchup. Back home to Miami, where statistically our defense have seemed like a different outfit when you compare the numbers. Back home to Miami looking at 7-3 or 6-4. This could be a big one going into the BYE.
So I hooked up with HUGE, UK-based Cleveland Browns fan, Paul Brown (@PaulBrown_UK) to get his perspective on what could be a huge match-up in our season…
Hello mate, its great to have you on, and especially grateful that you were able to turn this around so quickly coming off your bye week. It’s great to get you on, a huge following for your team from over here in the UK, its inspirational. Thanks for coming on to speak with me. For those fans out there who don’t know much about you, give us a little introduction?
Yeah no worries man, happy to talk some football and always happy to talk about the Browns. So I’m Paul Brown, Cleveland Browns fan, based in London. Been wearing the Browns’ gear for about 20 years now. Initially, I didn’t really know a lot about what I was wearing, but being Paul Brown, the Cleveland Browns made the most sense. About 8 years ago, I joined a fantasy league and immersed myself into everything NFL and Cleveland Browns and got addicted to both real fast. Now I’m a huge fan of Browns, have a big following online, put out my own content, and try and get over to Cleveland 5-10 times every year.
Wow man, that’s quite the addiction. I consider myself a pretty avid UK Dolphin, but I ain’t ever been in the position to get over to Miami for a game. That’s a real bucket list for me, so kinda jealous that you get to live that 5-10 times a year.
Forgive me though, I’m going to jump right in. And I’m going for the obvious straight away and then we can put it to bed. The DeShaun Watson cloud is starting to loom as his suspension ticks down. What is the general Cleveland fan’s perspective on this situation and what he can do for your franchise?
Wow, really have gone straight in huh? So, regarding DeShaun Watson, forgetting the politics, that’s been well documented. DeShaun Watson the player, I think it’s a fair assessment to call him top 8 in the league, but I like the way the team is playing right now.
Genuinely, if Jacoby wins his next three games, the three prior to Watson’s suspension expiring, I don’t think Watson should come straight back in to start. When I saw him in pre-season he looked a bit rusty, so if Jacoby keeps us playing and gets some wins in the coming weeks, I don’t necessarily think we should see Watson this season.
Honestly Paul, that is NOT what I expected you to say. I mean the logic stacks up. But with all the fuss surrounding him not being suspended a year, to make him sit it all out anyway, seems bizarre. If that was the case, then just take the year suspension, don’t fight it, and get better PR over the whole situation. As an outsider, I’d be surprised if we don’t see him. If only to blow off that rust this season, in preparation for next.
But I said I’d leave it there, so consider it left and let’s talk about the guys who will suit up against us on Sunday. You guys currently have a negative record, is that a fair reflection of the performances or are you tired of being made to be patient?
Well, we made the playoffs two years ago, we have the potential to do that every year and in my eyes, we have the potential to get to a Superbowl. I personally quite like the roller-coaster of supporting the Browns. I quite like not just supporting the likes of Brady, Aaron Rodgers etc, which is a bit ironic me saying that at the moment.
But you know what I mean, I quite like the ups and the downs and the roller-coaster, over the easy coasting. I really do think we have Superbowl potential now too, I think we have the players, and we’ve got the infrastructure, we now just need a bit of luck.
Yeah, I get that, after growing up a soccer fan and following teams outside the Premier League I understand appreciating the fun of the ride as opposed to the almost guaranteed success. Miami has pretty much been the same throughout my time following. It’s been a shock to the system acquiring players like Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, I’m not used to cheering for that level of superstar across any kind of sport haha. Even more so now Tua is throwing up statistics and performances like he has done recently.
And from Tua to another QB who we have in common. Ex-Dolphin and current Brown Jacoby Brissett is your starter at least for the next few games. Now we saw poor play and poor decisions within a poor system which has left us with a less than positive memory of his time in Miami. What are you guys seeing from him this year? Do you have a better view of this guy than we do?
I have seen Jacoby play three times this year, in the flesh, yes he’s missed some clear, wide throws, he’s missed players totally open. However, his interceptions have all come in the last couple of minutes when it was real gamble to go for it and win the game. At the moment I think he’s rated a top-10 quarterback in the NFL, ratings-wise. I’m pleasantly surprised with him, he looks better than Baker Mayfield, he looks consistent, he knows his strengths, so yeah I’m impressed.
Oh really? Now obviously I see the scores and a few bits on RedZone etc, but I am surprised that people think he’s better than Baker Mayfield. I get that Baker didn’t work out in Cleveland the way you’d hoped, but as a former number-one overall pick, I’d still have expected him to be better than the Jacoby we saw last year. I mean, I have nothing against him, so I’m glad he’s working out for you and that both teams and he have found a better way of moving forward.
Our way forward has us sat 6-3, 6-0 in games where Tua has played an entire game. We feel optimistic that with him at the help and with Hill and Waddle making dangerous plays on a regular basis, that we can make a push this year. What do you guys think? Is our optimism justified or are we merely riding a wave that could come crashing down?
I think it’s really clear that the Dolphins have got some great weapons and a great quarterback. Maybe similar to the Cleveland Browns in the sense of, you know, why hasn’t it worked for the Dolphins for this long? But I think as a similar team to the Browns, widely speaking, they could easily put a run together and be a successful team.
Yeah, we absolutely haven’t seen efforts work out for us, but at the moment, especially offensively, it feels like we are clicking at a high level and starting to make moves. Our bigger tests are yet to come, but with Tua, Tyreek, and Waddle working at this level, we remain confident.
Are those the guys you are most worried about, or is there more to this match-up? Who do you think poses the greatest threat to the Browns in this coming match-up?
My biggest concern when playing the Dolphins has to be the offense. Quarterback, on his day, can be as good as anyone else I believe. The weapons there are simply great, so yeah, for me I’m concerned that the Browns could land in Miami and get 28 road points, but walk away with the Dolphins having scored 35 points. Or even if we get 35 points, that you guys can go even beyond that, you know? The last two weeks seem to have happened that way, that regardless of what the opposition do, the Dolphins offense finds ways of outscoring teams. The Dolphins have this way to keep finding the endzone and keep scoring points. So as far as pinpointing it to one player, I think it’s a whole offense deal.
As a Dolphins fan that sounds so good to me. It’s so good to hear people talking about our offense like that and talking about Tua in those ways after the way he has been bashed in his opening seasons. I hope you are proven right.
What about yourselves? We have talked about the situation at QB, and we all know about the likes of Myles Garrett and Nick Chubb who could pose a threat to any team in the league. But who do you have lining up that we don’t know about? Is there anyone flying under the radar who deserves more credit than they are getting and who could cause us problems this Sunday?
Yeah, you’ve got Nick Chubb, obviously, there’s Kareem Hunt, and there’s Njoku a former first-round pick who got extended last season. We’ve then got Amari Cooper who has flashed some brilliance at times, but the names you have probably heard less about are the likes of Donovan Peoples-Jones, a 6th-round pick out of Michigan, he’s been very consistent as a second wide receiver after being one of the top-rated high school prospects. I have no idea why he dropped to the 6th round but all Browns fans are glad he was there. On the defense, linebacker Sione Takitaki had a great game last time out, he’s stepped into that mike linebacker role and done really well, so I’d keep an eye out for him for sure.
I really like that answer you know. Firstly, I’m more aware of Peoples-Jones having be burned by him once or twice in fantasy. But the reason I like it is because you have named a guy in Takitaki that I have little to no knowledge of, and someone to keep an eye out for during the game on Sunday. With those move-the-chain throws from Tua landing regular, he could be in for an important game.
We have struggled defensively in the last two weeks. Struggled for sacks, and turnovers, to stop the run and keeping the score down. But the statistics between our home defense and our away defense are astounding, and we’re hoping a return to Miami will bring a return to good defensive form. How do you think you will match up against our high-scoring offense and our inconsistent defense?
You saw what happened with the Browns versus the Bengals, and you see how aggressive the Dolphins are, often going for it on 4 and 1s, they beat the Bears, you can really see how on their day, just like the Browns they could have a deep playoff run and maybe even a Superbowl. But it depends which team of the two turn up firing on all cylinders, as I think that is what it will come down to. Both teams have the talent, maybe we have more on the defense, whereas you guys maybe have more on the offense and that in itself will be an interesting battle. But it’s the NFL, and anything can happen on any given day.
Well, I am hoping that this weekend may be the week that we see if all finally fall into place. That we see Tua and his offense firing on all cylinders while the defense tighten up and make the changes required to solidify that side of the ball.
However, if we are going to beat you, what areas of your play and scheme do you think we should be targeting? Where do you feel weakest, like you make the most mistakes or whatever? Where should we be attacking to make to take advantage and bring us a win?
For the Dolphins to beat the Browns, blown coverages have been one of our biggest problems this season. I think a lot of long balls could cause us some problems and with the speed and aggression of the Dolphins’ offense, you have the ability to really punish that fault if we don’t get it right on the day. I think that would be classed as our weakness, and we will have to be on our game in that respect this Sunday.
That is music to my ears. If you struggle in coverage and we have Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki running their various routes at speed and with those elite hands, then there could be fantastic play opportunities and opportunities for throw after the catch too. This could play right into our hands offensively. A big score in Miami is overdue and you give me hope that this could be the day.
If that’s going to happen, then another big day for Tua Tagovailoa could be on the cards. He is playing really well since his injury and it is great to hearing the narratives around him changing. Do the folks in Cleveland have a specific opinion of him? Do you think he can continue his form this weekend, or do you think we have seen him peak?
I think everyone knows how talented Tua is and the Browns fans are fully aware of what he can do, and how he can threaten us on his day. Obviously very disappointing to see back-to-back concussions in consecutive weeks. I think he has the talent, he now has the weapons, this season and next season, no more excuses and let’s see what Tua can do. He certainly seems to be hitting his stride to good effect this season so far.
Yeah, he is coming into his own and the league is starting to see the strengths that he possesses. Hopefully, that continues on Sunday.
Finally, though, lets get back to the game and get some match predictions. How do you see this playing out?
My prediction is a close game. I see the teams as very similar in quality just on opposite sides of the ball. We maybe don’t have Tyreek Hill or Jaylon Waddle putting up those kind of numbers, but in Chubb and Cooper, we have weapons that shouldn’t be underestimated and who can put points up just like the Lions and Bears did. But I also recognize that you guys DO have those players, and like I said, the Dolphins just know how to score touchdowns and how to get in the endzone so even with our talented defense, we will be in for a rough game.
I’m predicting a Browns win, in Jacoby’s return to Miami, but a close one going right to the final seconds, Browns 35 – Miami 34.
Wow, much tighter than I expect. If it plays out that way, it likely means that you win with a last-second field goal or something similar. Hopefully for us that this doesn’t work out this way.
For me, our defense at home has been a different beast to the defense we have seen at away games. I have to hope that Coach Mike is making his feelings known in those coaches meetings. We saw him against the Lions, tell Boyer to “get it ******* fixed” where the penalties were concerned and I feel like those conversations must be happening away from the cameras. With our home-field impact that seems to effect the defense so well, I think Miami will put some teams on notice.
I do worry that the pass rush prospects from Cleveland could cause our Offensive Line some issues, but overall I believe we get another Dolphins win and I am hoping for the most complete performance of this little winning streak.
I’m going to take 32 – 23 in favor of the Dolphins.
Thank you once again for being part of this, it’s been great to hear your thoughts and talk ball with a passionate UK-based fan, I love it when I can connect like this with people over here, so thank you for that, and best of luck for the season, starting next Monday, of course.
This week really does feel like we will need to see a step up from the defense. This has been a painful thing to watch despite the two wins. But it is incredible just how different our defense is when comparing home and away performances.
When you look at the results at home, we have played 4 games. In those 4 games, we have conceded a total of 58 points, created 7 turnovers, made 11 quarterback sacks, and scored 1 defensive touchdown.
Compare that to away games, after 5 total games we have conceded 162 total points, not created a single turnover, and only had 6 quarterback sacks. Whilst we have also had 1 defensive touchdown scored the comparison and difference is clear.
At home, we are a very different animal defensively than we are when playing outside of Miami.
That is an issue that needs to be fixed, this will not be sustainable for success over a whole season, but for THIS week, back in Miami, I feel this gives us a fantastic opportunity to bring all our phases of play into the same standard and we can take our record up to 7-3.
Fins Up!
