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FanSided

Browns-o-centric happenings around the NFL

By Elliot Kennel

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 14: Tyrod Taylor #5 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 14: Tyrod Taylor #5 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 14: Defensive end Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns struggles with offensive tackle Orlando Brown #78 of the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 14, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

The offensive line in Baltimore having problems

Speaking of offensive linemen, your humble correspondent has been telling you all summer that Alejandro Villanueva was not going to be a fantastic replacement for Orlando Brown, Jr., in Baltimore. You are invited to check out the Twitter traffic and agree that I am 1000% right.  One sample from a fan using the handle Schlasser states the situation thusly:  “One thing I noticed all game: Alejandro Villanueva got taken to lunch multiple times by Maxx Crosby. Crosby’s a good player, but AV made him look like he was TJ Watt tonight. He’s declined, and hard. Good career, and hell of a story, but he’s cooked. Orlando Brown Jr., he aint.”

Other comments simply cannot be printed due to decency laws. It’s bad.

Your humble correspondent has been effusive in his praise over the years for the Wizard, Ozzie Newsome for drafting offensive linemen, tight ends, and running backs and pretty much ignoring wide receivers.

Eric DeCosta, on the other hand, drafts like a fan. He loves speedy wide receivers. He signed Sammy Watkins (former first-round pick in 2014) as a free agent, drafted Marquise Brown (2019, 1st round), Devin Duvernay (2020 3rd round), James Proche (2020, 6th round), Rashod Bateman (2021, 1st round) and Tylan Wallace 2021, 4th round. He should have been investing in stud offensive linemen for the greatest two-way-threat in NFL history in NFL history in Lamar Jackson, but no — and not investing resources on the offensive line that brought them to glory in 2019.

Ronnie Stanley is All-Pro Caliber left tackle. However, he suffered a broken ankle last season and he apparently is still not right this season. He and Villanueva were both equally bad in game one. The Ravens thought they had Pro Bowl tackles.

They both graded as mere marginal starters in Week 1. Yikes. Let’s not gloat over Baltimore injuries, but Baltimore brought a lot of this on themselves by overinvesting in wide receivers.

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