CLEVELAND, Ohio – Answering Browns questions as we head into the offseason.
Hey, Terry: It was a mistake to not play most of the starters against the Bengals.
They should have played at least a quarter and a half. I think that’s why they looked so “disheveled” and out of “sync” (in the playoff loss to Houston). – Ron Emch.
Hey, Ron: In general, I like your point. But this past season with all the injuries, no way I was willing to risk it.
I don’t believe that’s the reason they lost to Houston.
Imagine if Joe Flacco had sprained an ankle or Myles Garrett had re-injured his shoulder. You can argue those guys didn’t play that well, anyway.
But an injury to a key player in an injury-marred season would have been devastating in a meaningless game before the playoffs.
Hey, Michael: Schwartz is staying. He has a long-term contract with the Browns as defensive coordinator.
He loves the town. He’s close to GM Andrew Berry dating back to Philadelphia in 2019.
He works very well with head coach Kevin Stefanski.
No team asked permission to talk to him as a head coach.
Hey, Terry: The team seemed to be fired up and with camaraderie not seen for a long time with Joe Flacco in the locker room.
Deshaun Watson doesn’t seem to have that effect. How do the Browns get that back? – Marilyn Blake Jacobik
Hey, Marilyn: The Browns were 4-1 in games where Watson took most of the snaps.
They had a huge 33-31 victory over Baltimore in his last start before being injured.
In the end, it comes down to Watson staying healthy, playing well and the team winning. That fires up the players.
That said, I love Flacco. I know they want to bring him back to play behind Watson.
It’s imperative they sign Flacco, Jacoby Brissett or another veteran QB as depth. Watson is coming off significant shoulder surgery. They say all is well, but QBs get hurt … a lot.
