CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
If you're spending your early morning hours on the Orange and Brown Report (or our partners at Channel 19, which also runs this Massive Morning Missive), then chances are that you're a hard-core Browns fan. That means you don't need me to run down the particulars of the team's soul-crushing 17-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. So, I'm going to bypass any recap. Let's get to it.
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
Yesterday, I was in full-on therapist mode in the Daily Newswire, advising Browns to relish the return of football regardless of the results, knowing that potential failure awaited the team and not wanting my compadres here to get too disappointed by the results if things didn't go well for their beloved Browns.
I didn't listen to my own advice.
By 4:30PM, I had abandoned my office, heading outside with my dog to get away for a few minutes after that game. I had to clear my head. I was hugely disappointed, not just in the game, but in the fact that Browns fans once again had to take another body blow as fluke bobbled interceptions and bad placekicking led to disappointment.
But the overall result was so much better than the teams' opener in 2024 that I'm left with a sense of encouragement.
My thoughts after recovering, bordering on stabilized:
The NFL's cabal of owners has structured the game so that almost every team has a chance every year. At least, theoretically. The reverse draft order and salary cap stop larger markets from dominating as they do in baseball, and no team has a built-in advantage. What that means is that the league is remarkably balanced and dependent on good front office decisions. The scales are balanced so that even blind luck can play a role in who wins and loses. Yesterday, the oblong ball bounced in the Bengals' favor.
If I know my statistics, and I think I do, luck always balances out over time. It may just, in the case of the Cleveland Browns, need approximately another century to do so.
Because winning and losing are so closely tied to player selection and slight differences in strategy, it's only natural that GM Andrew Berry will come under criticism for his decision to deploy rookie PK Andre Szmyt in a position where he could fail. Szmyt outplayed Dustin Hopkins this pre-season, had a successful college background, and promised at least barebones kicking prowess and the ability to make, say, an extra point. Young placekickers are trotted out all the time. He had an awful game, which was thrown into sharp relief because of the closeness of the contest. If anything, criticize special teams coach Bubba Ventrone, who was the one working with the kickers all year, and had to be critical in determining that Szmyt would be an acceptable option.
As I had forecast in a rare circumstance of not completely botching my prediction, turnovers played a key role in determining the outcome of the game. I thought that this was where the Browns' disruptive defense would have a key opportunity to drive the outcome in the team's favor. Burrow avoided a safety that would have flipped the outcome by diving forward out of the end zone during a critical third-down play, and Cincinnati held onto the football throughout. We should give them some of the credit while at the same time shaking our heads at how such a chaos-generating defense could go another game without a turnover.
Pete Smith, Lane Adkins, and I will be going on the air tonight at 7:15 to "beta test" a new show on YouTube and Twitch, and one of the things I'm going to ask the guys is what the Browns did after that first Cincinnati drive to stop the Bengals' rushing attack. Lost in the disappointment were some defensive adjustments on the part of Jim Schwartz that crippled the Bengals' running attack after that first drive. I don't know what they were, but I want to learn.
Looking at Jerry Jeudy's stats in the box score, where he caught five passes for 66 yards, doesn't paint his full impact on the game. While occupying the Bengals' best defenders and still leading the team in receiving yards, he drew two defensive pass interference penalties on that first drive for the Browns that ate up 9:50 of the clock and led to a touchdown. The focus on Jeudy allowed success for eight different receivers over the course of the game.
Dylan Sampson is everything we hoped he would be. Maybe more. When Judkins can play and gets up to speed, the Browns' pair at running back could cause a lot of headaches for opposing defenses. While Sampson averaged under three yards per carry, he shows explosiveness. His real contribution came in the passing game, where he was able to get the perimeter consistently, catching eight passes for 64 yards.
Dylan Sampson
Dylan Sampson (Photo: Getty)
Should it be "hasta la vista" time for Jerome Ford, or am I being hasty? The running back was totally ineffective, rushing six times for just eight yards, and tripping up on his one pass reception, losing another three. The temptation is to go with the three youngsters (Sampson, Judkins, Sanders) when the Ohio State product and second-round pick Judkins can return, and jettisoning the all-or-nothing back the Browns drafted several years ago.
Carson Schwesinger is all that. He didn't make a lot of splashy plays, but was a key force in several critical situations and predictably led the team in tackles and assists with eight.
In the battle between Ja'Marr Chase and Denzel Ward, I think we can anoint a victor. Chase was held to two catches for 26 yards on five targets, helping to stifle Joe Burrow to just 113 yards passing. Greg Newsome played an excellent game as well, sometimes frustrating Chase despite being targeted when the two lined up across from each other.
The idea that the Browns limited Burrow to 113 yards passing and lost is just mind-boggling. The Bengals stole one. It's up to the Browns to steal another game back.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
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Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR STUFF
ARTICLES
Takeaways from Loss to Bengals: Defense Plays Outstanding, Joe Flacco Needs Help from WRs, Rookies Shine More - Fred
Painful Loss Belies Undermines Cleveland Browns Formula for Success - Pete
Cleveland Browns Snap Counts vs Cincinnati Bengals & Quick Takeaways - Jack
Recapping the Numbers from the Cleveland Browns' 17-16 Loss to the Cincinnati Bengals - Jacob
Cleveland Browns Inactive List Includes Shedeur Sanders as the Third Quarterback, WR Isaiah Bond Active - Fred
Cleveland Browns Film Room Harold Fannin Jr. vs Western Michigan - Sam
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 9/7: Just Enjoy the Ride - Barry
VIDEOS
TIME TO OVEREACT--BROWNS LOSE THE OPENER TO BENGALS - (youtube.com)
Two-Minute Check-In: The Bengals Season Opener - (youtube.com)
Off the Leash: Browns fall to Bengals 17-16 in Week 1 - (cleveland19.com)
FORUM POSTS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
TEs: Is Fannin the new TE1?
Re Graham,is on the ground a lot Pete
Mason Graham
Conklin
AB - Kicker
How many games
Honest Graham ?
Veteran FA kickers
Any news on the Judkins meeting?
How does the league office work?
Bubba Ventrone
Post game?
INSIDER DISCUSSION (VIP)
When this all clicks...
BROWNS-BENGALS: Live VIP Discussion Thread
BROWNS-BENGALS: Live VIP Discussion Thread
THE WATERCOOLER
This is not a serious organization
LiveWire Thread for 97 - GAMEDAY vs Bengals
Draft Pick watch Week 1: Jacksonville vs Carolina game thread
2026 QB Class Discussion Thread (Week 2 Rankings begin page 6)
Have one for Jimmy D Today
The Last Ring Revelation: Week 1 Study Guide
Another Team Waiting for the NFL to Decide
Tailgate 19
Official Browns-Bengals Game Thread
Cleveland Browns Inactive List Includes Shedeur Sanders as the Third Quarterback; WR Isaiah Bond Active
Jack Conklin get him a bodybag
Flacco is a stud
Smydt
Too Soon? Available Kickers
Good kickers win games, bad ones lose games.
An incredibly Szmytty loss
NFL currently available Kickers
Mason Graham
Thought on the Game. 9725.
Let's play for a draft pick….
To all the geniuses on this board Arod 4 tds
Why in TF would you use a rookieyoung kicker ???
I will be interested in seeing if the O line looks better
for all you newsome haters out there, he played damn good today
Bright spots in the game
Aaron Rodgers
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Immune System Can Be Reprogrammed to Heal Body Faster–Jump-Starting it via Electrical Stimulation - (goodnewsnetwork.org)
Looking back on my college career in electrical engineering, I should have focused more on biomedical engineering. I took a few courses in the subject and really took to it. My then-girlfriend was in bio-med, and I honestly took the classes to spend time with her. However, I was always fascinated by what could be achieved by interfacing the human body with technology. Today's article talks about stimulating the immune system to greater effectiveness by applying electricity—another advancement for medical science, which is a continuing theme here.
WRAPPING UP
When not putting a knife in an electrical socket in a misplaced attempt to live forever, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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