Newsletter: Back in Action, Monday Mock Draft, and Super Bowl Scheme Thoughts

Some thoughts on the Super Bowl, a Monday Mock Draft, and saying goodbye to my father.

(Photo - Getty)

Hey everyone, thanks for holding down the fort while I was gone. I enjoyed reading the discourse and keeping up with the wild pace of news around what turned out to be a busy week of Browns news and debates. Most of which centered around Myles Garrett and his media-based approach to getting his way out of Cleveland.

I discussed this in more detail on the podcast set to release tomorrow with Andrew, but I just didn’t think we would land here. I didn’t think we would see the day where Myles was saying phrases like “I will do whatever it takes to make sure I am traded.” All of which…sucks for lack of a better term. The path he is going is meant to tarnish a relationship that went well for some many seasons. The Browns produced the best defensive player in the league, and a player who was supposed to lead the team for years to come and right into the Hall of Fame.

But the reality is that Garrett feels set on this choice. Having him reverse course is unlikely given all that he is saying publicly. Make no mistake here as well, the Browns lose on this trade no matter how it happens. They lose the elite player, and valuable cap space their fragile cap structure demands. If they even move the deal to post- June 1st to facilitate a less drastic cap hit they lose the chance to add more pieces right now. Nothing good comes of it.

Perhaps the return is so steep that it lightens the sting but it feels like a one-way course to the result of the Browns losing the NFL’s best defensive player and damaging their cap in a serious way for the immediate future. Happy Monday.

It is rare to see a team make Kansas City look so….ordinary. Downright bad, even. The way the Eagles bottled up every facet of what made the Chiefs offense find comfort was something to witness in real time. The game itself was uneventful but the Eagles’ approach to defending Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid was “must see” television. They didn’t blitz a single dropback and dominated with four rushing the quarterback for most of the evening.

They also took away Mahomes’ security blanket in big games: Travis Kelce. He was bracketed and hi-low’d all evening and if he was throwing his way, it was into crowded space.

The Chiefs ran the football just once in their first four drives and you could sense the discomfort Mahomes had in the process each drop. His offensive line was playing retreat football without any run threat and being bullied into his lap. The eyes were dropping staring down the pressure instead of the coverage downfield and it led to one of the worst first half performances you will see in any NFL game.

Mahomes can still win the long-term ”greatest ever” belt. His career is far from over — it’s just getting started really — and he is more accomplished than Tom Brady was through seven seasons. But make no mistake, this is his LeBron vs Dallas in 2011. It doesn’t ruin the entire portfolio but the haters will always bring it up first when discovery happens for both sides presenting their case. He better win a slew of championships over the next decade.

Let’s do our usual Monday Mock Draft where we focus on reshaping an offense that needs it desperately.