Browns Preview 10/13/17: Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE


The winless Cleveland Browns travel to Houston to take on the (2-3) Texans this week. The Browns will be starting a new quarterback this week. Kevin Hogan gets the start in place of the struggling DeShone Kizer. The Texans could be without four starters on their defense and JJ Watt is out for the season with a broken leg. The Texans will start rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson, who the Texans traded up in the draft (with the Browns) to acquire.


Browns Offense vs Texans Defense

The Browns will be starting their 28th different quarterback since returning in 1999, and Hue Jackson will be on his fifth different starter since week one of last year. Kevin Hogan will be under center for the Browns this week. In three games this season, Hogan has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions. But more importantly, he has a 68.4% completion percentage vs Kizer's 51%.

This week the Browns must rely on the run this week and it should be headlined by Duke Johnson. Johnson is averaging almost five yards per carry and is the leading receiver for the Browns, with 23 catches. Isaiah Crowell has struggled this year. He seems to have issues when he gets the ball on stretch plays. And even when he has gotten running room it seems like he misses the hole or the run blocking doesn't hold up. It should be interesting to see the snap count for each back at the end of this game. Also the Texans can't forget about Hogan as a runner. Hogan is someone who can run a read-option effectively. Last season Hogan ran for over 100 yards after replacing Cody Kessler against the Bengals.

The receiving situation will be interesting this week. Kenny Britt is expected to be back, along with Sammie Coates. But it does seem like Hogan and rookie tight end David Njoku have a lot of chemistry. Two of Hogan's touchdown passes were to Njoku including one last week in relief of Kizer. Ricardo Lewis was the leading receiver last week with five catches for 71 yards. With Britt on a snap count, Lewis will probably get the majority of the snaps.



Browns Defense vs Texans Offense

Contrary to the 0-5 record, the Browns have a top five defense in the NFL. On the other hand...the Texans have been good in their own right. They don't pass the ball as much, ranked 20th in yards per game, but they hold onto the ball and run the ball with a lot of success, ranked 4th in rushing yards per game.

Rookie Deshaun Watson has thrown 12 touchdowns and only four picks this season. He also has almost 200 rushing yards on the season and two rushing touchdowns. Watson's top target is DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins leads the Texans in catches with 35 and second on the team is Lamar Miller with 12. So the Browns desperately needs to shut down Hopkins this week in order to have success.

Miller is the leading rusher for the Texans with 331 yards and one touchdown. They also use rookie D'Onte Foreman who has 148 yards on the year and is averaging 3.8 yards per carry.

The Browns will have Jamie Collins back after missing the last three weeks with a concussion. The Browns defense will be a full strength for the first time this season. It should be interesting to see how everything plays out for the Browns and Gregg Williams.





Five Guys to Watch


1. Kevin Hogan: Hogan is making his first career start this week. Honestly I don't really know what to expect from Hogan besides him running the ball at times and throwing to Njoku.

2. David Njoku: Speaking of Njoku, he seems like an obvious guy to highlight this week. Hogan is comfortable throwing the ball his way and Njoku has come up big at times for the Browns in his young career.

3. Isaiah Crowell: I think this might be Crowell's last chance before he gets demoted to RB2. The Browns are going to run the ball a ton this week and Crowell is needed for this offense to have any sort of success. If he doesn't, Duke Johnson becomes the starter sooner rather than later.

4. Jamie Collins: Collins is one of the best linebackers in the league. Paired with Kirksey and Schobert the Browns should have more than enough to limit the running game of Houston's.

5. Myles Garrett: Speaking of helping the running game, Garrett playing more snaps this week is going to help too. Also with the Texans offensive line struggles, Garrett will need to capitalize on it in order to limit big plays from DeAndre Hopkins.


Weather Report

Injury Report

Betting Line: Houston -9.5


Prediction: Houston 20 Browns 14

The Browns fall to 0-6 and Hue Jackson record falls to 1-21 as the Browns Head Coach... All in all I think this team plays well but the limitations at quarterback and receiver will show its head this game. Hopefully I'm wrong again and the Browns end up helping themselves out by defeating the Texans.

Leadoff with Lee 2.13.16

By @cleeverizon

How would you feel if the Celtics and Cavaliers were involved in a 3-way trade centered around Kevin Love and Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony?

In this scenario, Love would be dealt to Boston, while Anthony would need to waive his no trade clause in order to head to Cleveland. The Knicks get draft picks, and possibly Timofey Mozgov?

According to the New York Daily News' Frank Isola, there has been a discussion of this possible trade. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday and Knicks president Phil Jackson is exploring ways to upgrade the 23-32 Knicks and get them back in the playoff race. Trading Anthony would signal a complete rebuild centered around 20-year-old Kristaps Porzingis. 

Sounds good for 'Melo and Boston, but how does this make the Cavs better in an already crowed front court? And why would the Knicks or Celtics want to help a team not only in the Eastern Conference but a team in the same division (Atlantic)? Just remember two things Cavs/NBA fans, this is "silly season" for the NBA and NFL right now. And if this wasn't All-Star weekend for the NBA, this wouldn't be a story. What other sport is making headlines this weekend? Silly Season at its best!

- The Houston Rockets are said to be working on trades involving center Dwight Howard. Howard is expected to exercise a opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent this summer. He is seeking a max deal hoping to cash in on next years NBA cap money which will increase. He averages 14.6 points and 12 rebounds per game.

- Matt Forte's career with the Chicago Bears has officially come to an end. The Bears have informed the running back he will not be re-signed. Forte has been with the club since 2008 and is the Bears second all-time leading rusher, behind Walter Payton.

- Browns linebacker Armonty Bryant was indicted Wednesday on two counts of felony drug possession (adderall and oxycodone), stemming from a traffic stop on Interstate 71 Christmas morning with former Browns practice player De'Ante Saunders, who was driving Bryant at the time of the traffic stop. Saunders was indicted for improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, a felony was released from the team in December.

Bryant could be facing a suspension by the NFL under the personal conduct policy and also possibly the performing-enhancing drug policy since he didn't a prescription. Adderall falls under the PED policy, and Joe Haden was suspended for four games in 2012 for testing positive for the stimulant. An NFL spokesman said in an email response, "the matter will be subject to review under the relevant policies".


- Browns running back Duke Johnson has been named AFC North rookie of the year. Johnson may have only recorded 379 yards on the ground, but he had 61 receptions for 534 yards receiving, giving him 913 yards from the line of scrimmage.

- This season, the NCAA Tournament will go back to calling the field of 64 starting on Thursday and Friday the "First Round," while calling the Tuesday and Wednesday games the “First Four”. NCAA spokesman David Worlock said, "The Thursday-Friday games will be known as first and second rounds, so there’s no more, quote-unquote, 'third round.'" 

The Thursday and Friday games (First Round) will be known as the Round of 64, with the Saturday and Sunday games (Second Round) labeled as the Round of 32. The Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four remain unchanged. The NCAA Tournament will begin on March 15 with the first game of the “First Four.”

- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has expressed interest in having Reliant Stadium in Houston host the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said 'No decisions have been made on the future of the Pro Bowl. We anticipate making a decision this spring.' 'We have received interest from cities in the U.S. and from around the world.'

- The NCAA Football Rules Committee has proposed several rule changes that would take effect in the 2016 season which include: Low blocks outside of the tackle box, Hits on players who have given themselves up by sliding feet first after a run, deliberately tripping ball carriers and also giving instant replay officials more responsibility on determining targeting and helmet to helmet hits that may have been missed by the officials on the field. The potential changes will be heard by Playing Rules Over site Panel on March 8th.

- The Ohio State Buckeyes have 14 NFL Combine invites the most of any college this year followed by: Notre Dame: 10, Alabama: 9 UCLA: 9 Auburn: 8 Florida: 8 Georgia: 8 Clemson: 8 Oklahoma: 8. And remember if Noah Spence wasn't dismissed from Ohio State that number would be 15.

- Kevin Kiley of 92.3 The Fan announced his resignation after discussing his comments made about the Buffalo Bills promoting a female to a special teams coaching job. He also stated he placed his resignation back in November and will be done at the end of February. Kiley was not on the Friday morning show and was replaced by J.G Spooner. 

TV Tonight 9.1

By @nevaRWilliams

MLB
Indians @ Blue Jays (STO, 7pm)

NFL
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Houston Texans (HBO, 10pm)

TENNIS
2015 US Open Tennis, First Round (ESPN, 7pm)

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America's Got Talent (NBC, 8pm)
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (FOX, 8pm)

Total Divas (E!, 9pm)
Face Off (SyFy, 9pm)
Extreme Weight Loss (ABC, 9pm)
Zoo (CBS, 9pm)
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT, 9pm)

Hollywood Game Night (NBC, 10pm)
WAGS (E!, 10pm)
The Agent (Esquire, 10pm)
Scream SEASON FINALE (MTV, 10pm)
Tyrant SEASON FINALE (FX, 10pm)
Ink Master (SPIKE, 10pm)
Public Morals (TNT, 10pm)
Taco Trip (Cooking, 10pm)
Chopped (Food Network, 10pm)
Playing House (USA, 10pm)
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central, 10pm)
Real Husbands of Hollywood (BET, 10pm)
Punk'd (BET, 10:30pm)
Drunk History (Comedy Central, 10:30pm)

TV Tonight 8.11

By @nevaRWilliams

MLB
Yankees @ Indians (STO, 7pm)
Tigers @ Royals OR Pirates @ Cardinals (MLB Network, 8pm)

NFL
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Houston Texans (HBO, 10pm)

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
Pearland, TX vs. Boulder, CO (ESPN, 9pm)

SOCCER
UEFA Super Cup: FC Barcelona vs. Sevilla FC (FOX Sports 1, 9pm)

WNBA
Chicago Sky @ New York Liberty (NBA TV, 7pm)

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WWE Tough Enough (USA, 8pm)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family, 8pm)
America's Got Talent (NBC, 8pm)
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (FOX, 8pm)

Total Divas (E!, 9pm)
Face Off (SyFy, 9pm)
Zoo (CBS, 9pm)
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT, 9pm)

The Agent SERIES PREMIERE (Esquire, 10pm)
Scream (MTV, 10pm)
Tyrant (FX, 10pm)
Ink Master (SPIKE, 10pm)
Hollywood Game Night (NBC, 10pm)
Proof (TNT, 10pm)
Chopped, Grill Masters Grand Finale (Food Network, 10pm)
Playing House (USA, 10pm)
Another Period (Comedy Central, 10:30pm)

The New BET Uncut (BET, 11pm)

On The Mark 11.17.14: #Buckeyes & #Browns Recap

Buckeyes Win In Brutal Minnesota, Browns Just Brutal In Loss To Texans
By @MarkW2112

It was a split weekend for fans of the Buckeyes and Browns.  Here's my recap of both.

Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked 8th before the game, defeated 25th ranked Minnesota 31-21 in brutally cold and snowy weather conditions. J.T. Barrett was once again the player of the game, breaking several of Braxton Miller's records along with an incredible 86 yard touchdown run that added to his record setting 189 yards rushing..  While he did give up an interception and wasn't able to pass at will like he did against Michigan State, he was still able to throw for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.  It did appear, however, that Jalin Marshall really wanted to give the game away with 2 fumbles, including one at the goal line as he was about to get a touchdown.

The Golden Gophers put up a very tough fight, with running back David Cobb the leading with 145 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. He was extremely hard for the Buckeyes defense to handle.  But they were able to just enough to hold quarterback Mitch Leidner to 85 passing yards and 2 interceptions.

My Take: J.T. Barrett should be invited to New York for the Heisman award with another MVP performance.  The defense wasn't great but again did enough to win with Joey Bosa having a better game against the Gophers than he did against the Spartans.  They beat a very tough Gophers team in extreme weather conditions and with Virginia Tech beating 21 ranked Duke, it should help their cause. The Buckeyes need to win out the rest of the season for a chance at the last playoff spot.

Next up: Back at the Horseshoe against Indiana at noon next Saturday.

Browns

Sadly, the Browns were not able to find any groove both offensively or defensively yesterday in Cleveland, losing to the Houston Texans 23-7.  It could have been called the J.J. Watt show, as he was everywhere on defense and also caught the first touchdown of Ryan Mallett's career.  He forced a fumble on Brian Hoyer in the red zone and was a general nuisance to the offense and Cleveland fans in general.

Hoyer had a miserable game for the most part, going 20-of-50 for 330 yards, a touchdown and crucial interception.  Isaiah Crowell, starting his first professional game, had some good looks, rushing for 61 yards but also had a crucial turnover in the redzone which then led the Texans to go down the field and score a touchdown, making it 14-7 before halftime.  Dropped passes also didn't help the cause, with Miles Austin dropping an easy pass on fourth down which would have moved the chains.

Mallett was calm, cool and collected all day, going 20-30 for 211 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He performed well above expectations in his first start as a pro. It also helped that rookie running back Alfred Blue ran for 156 yards through a porous Browns defense that wasn't able to make the stops against the run or get pressure on Mallett.

My Take:  The injuries continue to pile up for the Browns.  Karlos Dansby has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL but will have tests today.  Brian Hoyer looked lost once again, as in the Jacksonville game, due to lack of a running of a game.  It also didn't help that he was playing against the most talented defensive linemen, if not player, in the NFL.  J.J. Watt is a freak of nature and his presence was felt, even giving the CBS announcers woody's with his play.  The good news is that Josh Gordon comes back to practice today and hopefully will help become a bigger target for Hoyer.  At this point, it's better to let Hoyer, no matter how mediocre he really is, play out the season while Johnny waits in the wings for his turn to shine.

Up Next: in Atlanta against the Falcons at 1 PM

Leadoff with Lee 9.3.14

By @cleeverizon

-Despite a 2 a two run homerun by Carlos Santana, despite the Tigers being shutout from innings 3-8 and despite the Tribe heading into the top of the 9th with a 2-1 lead, J.D. Martinez hit a 3 run homerun to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-2 win at Progressive Field over the Indians. Carlos Carassco pitched 5.1 innings giving up 10 hits, 1 earned run and recording 10 strikeouts. The Indians pitching staff as a whole had 14 strikeouts for the game. Cody Allen have up the 3 run bomb in the top off the 9th to earn his 2nd blown save within a month and recording his 4th loss of the season. Tonight, Danny Salazar (5-6, 4.23 era) will face Detroit's Justin Verlander (12-11, 4.68 era). The Indians are 3 games behind Seattle for the last wild card spot. FYI: Indians tickets for the last 2 games of the Detroit series are going for as little as $10 on StubHub.

-Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants the NBA all-star game to return to Cleveland. The last time Cleveland hosted the mid season spectacular was in 1997. This is also when the NBA honored the 50 Greatest Players. If Cleveland can host the 2017 game, that will be officially 20 years since Cleveland had the festivities. And wouldn't it be nice to have all eyes on Cleveland with LeBron James having a all-star game in his own backyard? LBJ, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving would all be in their 2nd year of max deals. Downtown Cleveland and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer and is growing with massive improvements and renovations. Casinos, new hotels being built, the soon revival of the East Banks of The Flats, the vast array of dining and culture throughout and the Republican National Convention coming to town. Things are looking good for the 'Land. New York and Toronto have the All Star festivities in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

-Weeks ago, Under Armour offered Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant a 10-year $265-$285 million dollar endorsement deal. Nike told Durant and his represenitives at Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports that they would match the Under Armour offer. Durant should make $41.2 million dollars more than what he is being paid by the Thunder over the next 2 years.

-Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended by the NFL for the first 6 games of the season and also fined $500,000 dollars after pleading guilty to one count of misdemeanor OVI charges. Irsay was pulled over for eratic driving. Toxicology reports showed he had Xanax in his system. But he was also found with pill bottles containing large amounts of oxycodone and hydrocodone. Also having over $30,000 cash on hand. People may say "Well Josh Gordon got suspended a full season and only failed a drug test". I agree, but owners are not subject to the same collective bargaining agreement as players. Now the "average Joe" like me or you, if we would have been caught with as much weight as Irsay did, we would be doing time under the jail. Prime example of "Money will make your problems go away".

-Wes Welker has been suspended for the first 4 games of this NFL season for testing positive for amphetamines. Welker appealed the suspension 2 weeks ago but was denied by the league. Amphetamines is the parent compound of the drug ecstasy or as the kids call it "Molly". I guess Welker was on his "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT" ish.

-Star defensive end J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans have agreed on a 6-year contract extension that could net him a total of $100 million. The deal that kicks in on the final two years of his current contract will keep Watt in a Texans uniform through 2021. He is guaranteed $51.8 million, the highest amount for a defensive player in NFL history. The $16.6 million annual value is also the most for a defensive player ever.

-The Kansas City Chiefs signed quarterback Alex Smith to a 4-year, $68 million dollar contract extension, which includes a $18 million dollar signing bonus. His salary for 2014 is $1 million dollars,but spikes up to $11.9 in 2015,$14.1 in 2016,down to $10.2 in '17 and back up to $14.5 in '18. $2 million in roster bonuses in '17 and '18.

-Michael Sam was cut by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, but is on his way to Dallas for a physical with the Cowboys. The NFL's first openly gay player is expected to be signed to the Cowboys practice squad pending his physical results. In related news, the WWE has invited Sam to the September 8th episode of Raw. I expect Sam to decline this offer especially if the Cowboys sign him to the practice squad.

-The NFL and the NFLPA have begun talks to raise the marijuana test levels for the next CBA. It's very clear both sides see the need for the change considering it is the lowest out of all competitive sports. If this was the NBA, MLB, Olympics or the United States Army, we wouldn't even have this issue.

-Browns, Directv, Raycom. Ok I have been corrected on my previous tweets by saying Directv NFL Sunday ticket subscribers will be able to watch the game this weekend despite the contract dispute between Raycom and DirecTV. After further research, I found out the since it is a AFC game and the visiting team is responsible for the national feed the game WILL NOT be available. Unlike baseball to where you can select the local or visiting feed for announcers on different channels. NFL guidelines state it is the visitors who are responsible. But don't feel bad Cleveland fans. There are other markets that are owned by Raycom and broadcast NFL football games that are going through the same thing. Raycom had this same issue with Dish Network last year around the same time and a resolution was found. Too much advertising money will be lost by Raycom if they don't strike a deal. Companies pay millions of dollars to have their commercials shown during football games. Fellow DirecTV customers just need to remain calm.