Daily Dawg Tags: Breaking down the positives from Week 4
Spanning the virtual globe to bring you the latest news about the Cleveland Browns and the NFL – these are your Daily Dawg Tags for Thursday, Oct. 6.
The Cleveland Browns are finally returning home after two straight road games, but a matchup against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is not exactly an ideal situation.
Brady is returning from his four-game suspension and is going to want to make a statement, which shouldn’t be too hard given he plays on one of the top teams in the NFL.
But while it will be a tough test for Cody Kessler and the Browns, certain plays from last Sunday’s loss to the Washington Redskins provide some positives to build upon. From Kessler’s first career touchdown pass to the dominance being displayed on the ground by Isaiah Crowell, the Browns are improving, even if a win has not yet been achieved.
The key to the game will be the play of the defense. While some players may be rusty after four weeks off, Brady has surely been preparing for this game since his suspension began. He will look to exploit an already weak Browns defense, targeting the inexperienced defense.
But this is the Browns, so it would be completely reasonable for an upset victory to take place. Or so Colt McCoy made us believe in 2010.
While we wait for Sunday’s game, let’s take a look at the news surrounding the Browns and the rest of the NFL in today’s edition of the Daily Dawg Tags.
Cleveland Browns news:
Cleveland Browns: Week 4 film room session
"The Cleveland Browns sit with an ugly 0-4 record through the first quarter of the 2016 NFL season. Despite not winning a single game, there have been positive signs on both sides of the ball to be excited about for the rest of the season."
Cleveland Browns: The Legend of Austin Reiter
"The Cleveland Browns found a natural center who can run block, pass block and call protections without a hitch. For the first time this season, all was well for the Browns at center. Then it was gone."
Cleveland Browns: Week 5 NFL power rankings
"The Cleveland Browns keep knocking, but have yet been able to find a way to capture that first win of the 2016 NFL season."
Browns add C Anthony Fabiano, waive DL Gabe Wright (Dawgs by Nature)
"Fabiano was an undrafted free agent this year with the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns signed him at the start of the season to their practice squad. Fabiano showed off his versatility in college, but was being developed as a center by the Browns (and I’m sure our front office appreciated the fact that he was a Harvard grad)."
Hue Jackson confident he can match wits with Bill Belichick (cleveland.com)
"Hue Jackson acknowledged that Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest head coach in the history of the NFL, but he’s not exactly hiding under his desk this week."
NFL news:
Johnny Manziel reinstated by NFL, but can he be good? (FanSided)
"Wednesday night’s news was that one of the NFL’s most controversial figures was able to play football once again. USA Today’s Tom Pelissero informed us that a certain 2014 first-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns by the name of Johnny Manziel was available to take the field."
Patriots: Reviewing Tom Brady career history vs. Browns (Musket Fire)
"To celebrate having Tom Brady back in the fold as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback, let’s take a look at Brady’s career history against the Browns."
Injuries: Cam Newton (concussion) missed practice (NFL.com)
"Cam Newton didn’t practice Wednesday. The Panthers quarterback suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, and was not seen on the field Wednesday during the portion of practice open to the media, according to multiple reporters on the scene."