Like I said if things don’t get better this year we’re gonna re-unite again and do bigger and better things.
So this video is making the rounds today. People freaking out everywhere. I can’t blame them. It really sounds like he’s saying “Like I said if things don’t get better this year we’re gonna re-unite again and do bigger and better things.”
I’m not buying it*. If that’s what he DID say maybe it’s an attempt to motivate his teammates/the coaching staff? That he meant for people to hear that? There’s no way he’d say that with about 20 cameras and microphones trying to listen in on his and Dwyane’s conversation. Perhaps it’s edited? I don’t know but I don’t like the sound of it one bit.
What a rollercoaster of a year for the Browns. Ups and downs. Ups and downs. It felt like us fans were on a year long joy ride atop the Millennium Force. The Browns went from laughingstock (not being able to find a coach; firing Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi); to the most popular team in the league; to starting a very respectable 6-3 and being in first place; to ending the season on a 5 game losing streak with questions surrounding the entire organization.
Let’s have a quick look at the year that was:
High points
May 8th: Johnny Manziel gets drafted
Seems like a decade ago. Man, that was fun. Whatever. #NoRegrets
September 14th: Beating the Saints in our home opener on a last second field goal
I’ve been to a ton of Browns games and that was the happiest I’ve ever seen the stadium as it was emptying out.
Even though the Ravens beat us in week 3, this fucking guy stole the show and became an instant Cleveland legend
October 12: Beating the piss out of the Steelers 31-10 at home
November 6th: Beating the Bengals on national TV and subsequently standing alone in first place in the AFC North
Low Points
February 11th: Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi leave the Browns.
In hindsight this wasn’t really a low point but at the time the sky was falling.
May 9th: Josh Gordon gets suspended for the entire season
(suspension would later be reduced to 10 games)
September 7th: The first Steelers game; Mainly just the first half and this
October 19th: Browns get embarrassed by Jacksonville
A week after beating Pittsburgh by 3 touchdowns, the Browns stink up the joint in Jacksonville and hand the Jaguars their first win of the season
November 30th-Present
It started with the loss to the Bills. Then Indy. Then Cincy. Then Carolina. Then Baltimore. The whole month of December was a roundhouse kick right to the nuts.
Biggest Surprise
Tashaun Gipson
Finished second in the league in interceptions with only ELEVEN games played. Helped anchor one of the better secondaries in the NFL.
Joel Bitonio
Everyone was touting the lineman as the best player the Browns drafted. He was. It’s a sham he missed out on the Pro Bowl.
Paul Kruger
Followed up a disappointing 2013 season with 11 sacks in 2014. Was a disruptive pass rushing force every game.
The 6-3 start
No one and I mean no once expected the Browns to have any sort of success this season. They especially didn’t think the Browns would be in the hunt for a playoff berth in December… Oh wait. Someone did. And that someone is yours truly.
From our review in September:
Biggest Disappointments
The 3 J’s; Josh, Johnny, and Justin
2 first round picks that barely contributed and a Pro Bowl wide receiver that was suspended 10 games and barely contributed. The three ended 2014 on a very sour note.
Billy Cundiff
Shank city. Population: Billy
December
Wake me up when December ends. The Browns season (along with their playoff aspirations) were flushed down the toilet this month.
2015 Outlook
Until we find a QB this team will never reach that next step. I don’t know if the QB of the future is on this team (I hope), in the draft, or a free agent. It’ll be interesting to see how Ray Farmer addresses this situation.
There’s never a dull moment with the Browns and 2014 proved that. I expect 2015 to not be any different. Should be fun.
You don’t survive being a Cleveland sports fan if you can’t embrace moral victories. That’s just a fact. And that’s what 2014 was for the Cleveland Indians. True, we went from 92 wins and the playoffs to 85 and no playoffs. Sure, our 2013 All-Star second baseman slashed a mammoth .240/.310/.330. Yeah OK maybe the biggest things we got from Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn were a couple knee surgeries and a bum hamstring. It’s possible we did some things defensively that I’ve never seen on a baseball field before.
But Corey Kluber emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Hell our pitching staff as a whole did. Michael Brantley had a legitimate MVP-caliber season. Yan Gomes proved he can produce over 162 games. Jose Ramirez. Cody Allen. Carlos Carrasco. Kyle Crockett. Zach Walters. Scott Atchison. Bryan Shaw. TJ House. All did positive things.
People love to say the season was a complete failure because we didn’t make the playoffs. Those people can
High Points
April 2nd, 8th, 13th, 19th, 24th, 29th, May 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, 30th, June 4th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, July 6th, 11th, 19th, 24th, 30th, August 4th, 9th, 15th, 21st, 27th, September 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, 26th: All of Corey Kluber’s starts. A few that stood out:
July 30 – complete game, three-hit shutout against King Felix and the Mariners
August 15 – one run, five hits, 10 k in 7.2 innings against Baltimore
September 16 – first Indians pitcher to 15 wins since Cliff Lee (yes, seriously)
September 26 – 8 innings, 11 k, no runs against Tampa Bay
June 9th: Lonnie Chisenhall goes boom three times, drives in 9
I’d be fucking dancing too if I just went 5-5 with three bombs and 9 RBI.
August 13: Zach Walters walk-off bomb after coming over from Washington
This was cool just because he was the new guy making an immediate impact. We learned pretty quickly the kid can hit BOMBS. Like this one in the 10th inning on August 27. Also my favorite Hammy call of the year.
Low Points
May 4th: Axford blown save after Kluber goes 8 innings, 3 hits, 1 run and 13 Ks. This was like a week after he blew another save, against the same (divisional opponent) team, after Kluber threw 7 and a third. Nothing like cutting the guy you signed to be your closer in August.
Sometime in April: Kipnis hurts his oblique, subsequently sucks the rest of the year. Needed a better followup to his All-Star campaign in 2013. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him in the outfield next year, but regardless he’s part of the team’s young core of guys and will be counted on to produce.
September 1st: Tigers come to Cleveland on national television, ace (David Price) against ace (Klubot), pull the Indians pants down and do things to them that will put a man in prison. Final score 12-1, Detroit notched 19 hits and Kluber gave up 3 bombs. Set us back in the wild card race as well.
Biggest Surprises
Yan Gomes – I don’t even want to call him a surprise because he had a good year in 2013, but there were question marks as to if he could produce as a full-time catcher. Yup. He can. Other than some defensive hiccups early in the year, he had one of the better seasons of any catcher in baseball.
Carlos Carrasco – I was so pissed when he won the 5th spot in the rotation out of spring training simply because he was out of options. Lol.
Jose Ramirez – I don’t know if it was because Asdrubal was so goddamn bad for so goddamn long, but watching this little nugget play shortstop was like watching Omar. Jk. But he really was good.
Biggest Disappointments
Jason Kipnis – I also hate to call him a disappointment because I know how oblique injuries can linger in a sport that requires so much turning of your body, but Kip was just flat out bad. I’m betting on a bounce back year.
First half Carlos Santana – I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a slump like that out of Carlos before. He could have put together a pretty impressive season if he would have existed in the first three months.
The fans – My feet are stapled to this soapbox. This was a borderline playoff team coming off a playoff appearance the previous season, and we still can’t put butts in the seats. But…..it’s the Dolans’ fault.
2015 Outlook
I’m not usually an optimist. I’m really not. But this was a 92 win team two years ago. Almost made the playoffs last year while getting nothing from Kip and Swish, a rough start from Carlos, not a full year of Cody Allen as closer and inexplicably horrible defense. Our pitching staff is one of the best in the league. Our bullpen is solid. Adding Brandon Moss gives the lineup a little more pop. At this point, less is more in terms of what the front office will do the rest of the winter. This team is ready to compete.
Bottlegate 