The Cleveland Browns sit atop one of our NFL Playoffs wish list. With so many teams in the playoff hunt, its time to take sides. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
DAN:
With only four games left in the regular season, its crunch time for NFL Playoff hopefuls. There are a TON of teams still in the hunt, including the Cleveland Browns who are at the very top of my NFL Playoffs wish list.
The Browns currently sit behind every other AFC team with a 7-5 record, holding tie breakers against zero of the six teams ahead of them. But the Browns are only one game back of current wildcard leader San Diego, and a game and a half back of division leader Cincinnati. They control their own destiny.
I’m all for hearing why the Browns will not make the playoffs, but those arguments are falling on deaf ears over here. Three of their four final games are against potential playoff teams, so the post season has come a month early. Why am I wishing for Cleveland to win out in the AFC? The answer is simple, Johnny Manziel.
Yes, Brian Hoyer ‘won’ the starting job for another week. Yes, he has led the Brown’s to an excellent record. But I’m sorry Brian, you are not exciting to watch. You do a great job, at times, of managing the game. But Manziel is everything you are not and everything I want to watch succeed down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Hoyer may have the start against the Colts, but look for Manziel to take over against the poor run defense of the Bengals. Follow that up with the afterthought that is the Carolina Panthers, and Johnny can make some real magic.
As a New York Jets fan, I can’t help but root for the Browns. If ever a team deserved a playoff berth, its Cleveland. How often are the Browns good? How long has it been since they topped their division foes? I can relate. And the Cleveland Browns and Johnny Manziel are atop my NFL Playoffs wish list.
More from Cleveland Browns
- Cleveland Browns have built a formidable defensive line
- Ranking the 5 best NFL uniform changes for the 2023 season
- 2023 NFL Season: Evaluation 3 darkhorse MVP candidates
- Stop sleeping on Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns
- NFL: Predicting the top 5 running attacks for the 2023 season
TODD:
We do not see eye to eye on the level of excitement emanating from the Cleveland area in regards to its football team. Perhaps this is because I’m not a Jets fan, and my favorite team has won a couple Super Bowls recently. Perhaps it’s because I am a soulless, black-hearted creature. I don’t gleam any joy out of rooting for underdogs.
If I’m picking a perfect playoff, and my Giants cannot take part, I want the very best talent and most deserving teams playing. You can stuff your Cinderella stories in a sack.
There is nothing remotely interesting or intriguing about the Cleveland Browns other than their benched, backup quarterback and Josh Gordon. That’s it. They don’t really excel at anything. None of their wins seems overly impressive. Their notable draft picks have been useless with Manziel being relegated to the clipboard, and Gordon is still getting into game shape. These items don’t scream ‘prime time, must-watch’ to me.
If John Football gets the start in week 15, I will tune in for sure. As you pointed out, the final few weeks are winnable. But tuning in to watch a player succeed or fail in dramatic fashion in mid-December hardly compares to watching him come January. I don’t want to see another floundering offense. Hell, if I could right now, I would make sure Andy Dalton, Alex Smith, Drew Stanton and Kyle Orton are all sitting at home for the playoffs as well.
The Cleveland story is fun in the same way that watching Jimmy Kimmel Live is fun. Sure, he has his moments, but I’m well aware of the fact that there is someone else doing this a bit better on the other channel.