Newsletter: Jerry Jeudy's Pro Bowl Surprise and Browns Insights Through Mike Vrabel's Eyes

Some banter on Jerry Jeudy's surprising season given the circumstances and what we learned from Mike Vrabel's Athletic article.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

Good afternoon and happy Friday, I guess? It’s a bit of a cruel twist how the New Year makes us lose all sense of which day of the week it is unlike any other time of year. You could convince me any of the seven were correct right now. The Browns apparently play tomorrow. Or so I am told. This is all a blur.

The Browns getting 18 points in the betting market is going to be something to see as even their winless 2017 campaign failed to yield a line this big. Now, given the nature of chasing the first overall pick, the Ravens need to clinch the division, and starting a quarterback with next to zero experience in the organization, you don’t have to squint hard to see why the line lands this wide. But nonetheless it is jarring and one that were the Browns to pull the upset would be the largest such upset in the NFL since 1966. Brace yourself.

I find myself being a big fan of the Patriots and Titans this week and wish them all kinds of luck in their pursuit of a win.

Anyway, onto something cool in the midst of a rough season. Jerry Jeudy’s ascension to the discussion of No. 1 receivers remains such a pleasant surprise. His season might have lacked for touchdowns with just four, but his production was undeniable despite an awful quarterback situation. There is a path to him pushing past Braylon Edwards’ 2007 season for yardage tomorrow and it would put him behind only Josh Gordon for a single season. The season’s production landed him as a starter on the AFC Pro Bowl Games team.

You can make excuses for why Jeudy was able to get what he did this season — I have heard “garbage time stats” plenty — but when you consider the offense focused on Amari Cooper through the first six weeks, the tight end when David Njoku was healthy, and Cedric Tillman plenty in the middle of season, Jeudy was never fabricated targets to chase stats. He has earned his keep.

There are cases to be made for rookie Brian Thomas Jr. in Jacksonville and Ladd McConkey in Jacksonville but there’s also a clear case to be made for Jeudy who earned league-wide respect dealing with the turmoil of the Browns offense to come up with career-best numbers. You should be very excited to watch him in the Browns immediate future.

Also, congrats to Myles and Denzel for doing what they do and winning yet another award. Those guys both better be first-team All-Pro in the coming week.

(Photo - Getty)

The Browns high-profile coaching consultant was the focus of an in-depth Athletic article with plenty of Browns insights behind the scenes. As Mike Vrabel embarks on his path to finding his next head coaching job, he spent time breaking down several pieces of his past while going into details about his year with the Browns. There were also quotes from Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry, and some players he impacted.

It was a deeply researched and well-written article by Zack Rosenblatt with some key quotes like these that gave a peek behind the curtain.