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Browns Browns Archive NFL Outsider - Week Three Rankings
Written by Chris Hutchison

Chris Hutchison

HoyerApparently the Browns can't even lose right.

Despite knowing that losing is probably the best thing for this franchise long-term, I couldn't help but enjoy the win.  The game was fun to watch, the feeling of victory was satisfying.  And knowing that Cleveland has a better record than the Steelers is just heavenly.

But enjoy it while you can - there probably won't be a ton of these.

I know, I know, here I am taking a huge dump all over the parade.  But their weaknesses aren't going to go away, and they will keep this team from making any kind of serious run - they don't have a run game and they don't have a QB.  We're still looking at 5 or 6 wins, kids.

"Did you see Brian Hoyer play???" you ask.  Yes.  I did.  He's meh.  Sure, he was more effective than Weeden even thought about being the first two weeks, but he had the benefit of having Josh Gordon and playing a poor defensive team.  And he still threw some poor passes and 3 picks.  If the Vikings had any kind of QB, they would've destroyed the Browns after those mistakes.  Fortunately, they had a guy that was even more ineffective than Hoyer.

I still think Weeden is the "better" QB, but that doesn't mean he's "good" and certainly not "better" enough for me to care if the powers that be keep him on the bench.  I'm curious to see a Game 2 from Hoyer to see if he can build on his moments of competence - maybe not miss those reads/defenders that were responsible for 2 of his 3 picks.  But, please, people, please, for the love of all that is holy or good or beautiful or right in the universe, please don't start thinking that ANY answer to the QB question is currently on this roster.

The Answer is playing on Saturdays right now.

Or Fridays, depending on how long you think it takes the Browns to find The Answer.

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Regarding the Richardson trade, watching the Colts play on Sunday it was fairly clear that they just gave up a 1st round pick for a guy who's the third best RB on their roster.  It was night and day watching Ahmad Bradshaw run vs. Dance And Crash Into A Pile.

I think Trent is a decent guy and will probably go on to have a functional career, but it's hard to see an eventuality where the Browns didn't win that trade.

Unless they just blow the pick(s), like they have following every trade they've made since the 20th century.

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Priest walks up to a guy in a bar.  "Hey," he says to the guy.  "Browns are only one game out of first!  They can still be a playoff team!"

Get it?  Still be a playoff team!

That's a joke, son.  You're supposed to laugh. 

Kid's as sharp as a meatloaf.

*****************

The win shot Cleveland up the rankings to a precipitous #23 - about where they ended last season.  Which is probably a pretty fair place for them to rest overall - their Defense is just too solid for them to compete with the Jacksonvilles and Tampas and Pittsburghs for last place.  Even if they set themselves up to fail (or not succeed) this year (they did), they also made moves to shore up the Defense so that when they get their Franchise QB in the 2014 draft they're ready to rock right away (which is why you won't see them trade Joe Thomas or Joe Haden or Josh Gordon as speculated).

So scout QB's other than Teddy Bridgewater - he's going to North Florida.

Really hate to see the Steelers mired down at #30.  Just terrible.  Really really really hate to see it.  I shake my head sadly and shed a tear.

Team Wins Losses Ties WP Avg_PF Avg_PA Diff Rank_PF Rank_PA Rank_Final
Seattle 3 0 0 1.000 28.67 9.00 59 4 1 1
Kansas City 3 0 0 1.000 23.67 11.33 37 12 2 2
Denver 3 0 0 1.000 42.33 23.67 56 1 17 3
New Orleans 3 0 0 1.000 23.33 12.67 32 15 5 4
Miami 3 0 0 1.000 24.67 17.67 21 11 8 5
Dallas 2 1 0 .667 27.67 18.33 28 5 9 6
Chicago 3 0 0 1.000 31.67 24.67 21 3 19 7
New England 3 0 0 1.000 19.67 11.33 25 22 2 8
Indianapolis 2 1 0 .667 22.67 16.00 20 17 6 9
Detroit 2 1 0 .667 27.33 23.00 13 6 16 10
Carolina 1 2 0 .333 22.67 12.00 32 17 4 11
Cincinnati 2 1 0 .667 25.00 21.33 11 10 12 12
Baltimore 2 1 0 .667 23.67 21.33 7 12 12 13
Tennessee 2 1 0 .667 20.00 18.67 4 21 10 14
N.Y. Jets 2 1 0 .667 18.33 16.67 5 26 7 15
Green Bay 1 2 0 .333 32.00 29.33 8 2 28 16
Atlanta 1 2 0 .333 23.67 24.67 -3 12 19 17
San Diego 1 2 0 .333 26.00 27.00 -3 9 23 18
Houston 2 1 0 .667 23.33 27.33 -12 15 24 19
Philadelphia 1 2 0 .333 26.33 28.67 -7 8 26 20
Buffalo 1 2 0 .333 21.67 24.33 -8 20 18 21
Oakland 1 2 0 .333 19.00 22.33 -10 24 15 22
Cleveland 1 2 0 .333 15.67 21.33 -17 28 12 23
Minnesota 0 3 0 .000 27.00 32.00 -15 7 30 24
Arizona 1 2 0 .333 18.67 26.33 -23 25 22 25
St. Louis 1 2 0 .333 19.33 28.67 -28 23 26 26
Tampa Bay 0 3 0 .000 11.33 19.00 -23 31 11 27
San Francisco 1 2 0 .333 14.67 28.00 -40 29 25 28
Washington 0 3 0 .000 22.33 32.67 -31 19 31 29
Pittsburgh 0 3 0 .000 14.00 25.33 -34 30 21 30
N.Y. Giants 0 3 0 .000 18.00 38.33 -61 27 32 31
Jacksonville 0 3 0 .000 9.33 30.67 -64 32 29 32

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