Sometimes, the most valuable players in sports fly under the radar, overshadowed by big names and flashy performances. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, born April 24, 1995, is one such hidden gem. His journey from impressive college statistics to a promising career in the NFL demonstrates his immense potential and the impact he is set to take on the Cleveland Browns. From College Standout to the NFL Okoronkwo racked up 71 tackles, 12 for loss, and nine sacks in 2016 during his junior season. Even more impressively, he was selected as an All-American and earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year durin ..read more

The 2020 NFL season was the most successful Browns’ season in almost three decades.  Coming off a 6-10 season in 2019, new head coach Kevin Stefanski led a very successful turnaround, earning him Coach of the Year honors. Not only was it the most wins in a single season for the Browns since 1994, it was one of the best single-season improvements for a new head coach since the NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002.  Stefanski’s first season was only the eighth time since 2002 that a new head coach won a playoff game after improving a team five or more wins.  How did Stefanski lead th ..read more

This blog started way back in 2002, one wild ride of a season, which featured the last Browns playoff team. Until now. Second-year coach Butch Davis‘ pro peak started with Dwayne Rudd serving up a Kansas City win in the form of an ill-advised celebratory helmet toss just before the end of what should’ve been the game’s last play. Still, that 40-39 heartbreaker seemed to confirm that Cleveland, in its fourth year of the reincarnation, was emerging into a potent bunch. After all, it was backup Kelly Holcomb who lit up the Chiefs for 326 yards and three TDs in just his second career start. That ..read more

In the NFL, any team can beat any other team on a given Sunday. However, when one club has playoff aspirations and another is mired in the muck of the NFL basement with the second-worst record in the league, we would presume the former would have little trouble with the latter. However, that’s not how it went down in Week 12 as the Cleveland Browns barely escaped the clutches of the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 27-25 victory. The win was clinched by Cleveland’s defense thwarting a two-point conversion attempt by the Jaguars after they drew to within two points, courtesy of a James Robinson four ..read more

The 2019 NFL season was supposed to the Cleveland Browns’ best since their return in 1999. Instead, it finished as perhaps the most disappointing. The season that began with Super Bowl aspirations (as misguided as they may have been at the time) ended with an effortless loss to the worst team in the NFL. Explosive offense not nearly enough Cleveland’s offense had some good moments against the Cincinnati Bengals. Baker Mayfield hit Jarvis Landry and Damion Ratley for two deep touchdowns, and Odell Beckham Jr. made an acrobatic grab in the back of the end zone for his fourth TD of the year. But ..read more

New Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, on the job less than a month, has already assembled a very nice coaching staff. He is surrounded by experienced minds on both sides of the ball, which should aid his transition from offensive coordinator to HC. However, as good as the staff looks on paper, it means nearly nil until the team performs better on the field, as we saw last season. When Freddie Kitchens was hired, growing pains were expected. He had gone from running backs coach to OC to HC in mere months. His meteoric rise led some to worry whether he was ready to handle the responsi ..read more

The 2019 Cleveland Browns mismanaged the end of the first half and ultimately cost themselves the game. Sound familiar? The exact same thing happened in Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks. Turns out head coach Freddie Kitchens didn’t learn his lesson. With five minutes remaining in the second quarter and a 6-0 lead, the Browns had the ball deep in their own territory. They moved the ball to their own 28, and then on third-and-1, instead of running with Nick Chubb, Kitchens called a trick toss to Kareem Hunt, who also had the option to throw the ball. The result: a near-fumble and an eight-yar ..read more

After a lackluster victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns had the chance to beat up on a lesser opponent in the Arizona Cardinals. Instead, the opposite happened. The Browns were shelled 38-24, with both sides of the ball getting dominated by Arizona. Player grades referenced are supplied by Pro Football Focus. Offense inexplicably sputters Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt played well, but the rest of Cleveland’s play-makers did not. Odell Beckham Jr. caught eight of his 13 targets for 66 yards, but managed to create just nine yards after the catch and also had a drop. Jarvis Land ..read more

Last Sunday, the Cleveland Browns secured their sixth win of the season by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-19. At 6-7, the team is still mathematically in the playoff hunt, although their odds are not good. A win is a win, but Cleveland’s performance was disappointing, even at this stage in the season. Overall, the team did not play nearly as well as they’re capable of, but there were some bright spots. Baker Mayfield was not one of them. He finished 11 of 24 for 192 yards and two interceptions. A third pick was wiped off the board after a review found defensive pass interference. Mayfiel ..read more

For the second time this season, the Cleveland Browns lost to a third-string quarterback making his first NFL start. And just like the loss in Denver, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Cleveland isn’t mathematically eliminated from the postseason just yet, but their margin for error is now less than zero. The team’s performance against the Steelers was not only disappointing, but borderline pathetic. The buildup to the game was intense. Just two weeks prior, the Browns dominated Pittsburgh 21-7 on Thursday Night Football, only to have a brawl at the end of the game cause superstar pass ru ..read more