The Cleveland Browns are on the road today as they take on the New England Patriots. After that, everyone gets a nice break as the Browns go on their bye week before resuming the second half of the season
against the New York Jets.
Today marks the fourth game for starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, which means it is also time to start seeing a bit more production from the rookie. It is also an opportunity for those fans who remained obsessed that the Browns had Mike Vrabel “in the building” to see their hero in action on New England’s sideline.
Let’s start the day with the latest news and notes about the Cleveland Browns and the NFL in today’s edition of the Sunday Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature:
- Jimmy Haslam: 3 games are not enough to evaluate Dillon Gabriel (Thomas Moore) – Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam weighs in on the current state of the quarterback position with some surprisingly sound logic.
- Browns Shedeur Sanders update leads to Bailey Zappe elevation, will feed conspiracy theories even more (Jared Mueller) – Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders hasn’t seen a snap of regular-season action, but is the focus of attention, especially now that Bailey Zappe is elevated for the game against New England.
- Browns Jimmy Haslam seemingly takes Kevin Stefanski off the hot seat (Jared Mueller) – Rumors may continue to fly about Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry’s hot seats, but Jimmy Haslam isn’t buying it.
- Mike Vrabel’s connection to the Browns adds a layer to the Week 8 matchup with the Patriots (Abby Mueller) – Week 8 for the Cleveland Browns has them facing Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots, with his in-depth knowledge of Cleveland’s roster and schemes.
- Browns work out 6 offensive players, including a Hall of Famer’s son (Jared Mueller) – The Browns roster might see some new blood on offense with Brenden Rice, Seth Henigan in for workouts.
- Browns Dillon Gabriel: Offense setup around his ceiling, schedule hasn’t helped (Curtiss Brown) – The Browns offense is limited by QB Dillon Gabriel, but the details of his first three games matter as well.
Cleveland Browns:
- Quinshon Judkins, Browns look to run against stout New England defense (Beacon Journal) – The Cleveland Browns have to be able to run the ball to win. That was true of their last game against the Miami Dolphins, and it’ll be true in their next one at the New England Patriots.
- Why do I still care about the Browns when it hurts so much? (Terry Pluto) – “You gotta write another Browns book!” I’ve heard that several times in the last few years. Once again, Browns fans are frustrated, angry, and downright dumbfounded by their favorite team.
- Haslams-Cleveland deal gets first airing (NEOtrans blog) – Cleveland’s Design-Review Committee of the City Planning Commission was the first committee tasked by City Council to hear details on the proposed settlement between the city and the owners of the Cleveland Browns football team. But it was clear from some members that the deal left them wanting — for more details, more money and more time.
- Mike Vrabel’s imprint shows on both sides of the Browns vs. Patriots matchup (cleveland.com) – Sunday’s game between the Browns and Patriots will feature two teams who have, to some degree, Mike Vrabel’s stamp on them.
- Man on the move: Myles Garrett relishes switching D-line positions to wreak havoc on QBs, offenses (Browns Zone) – Myles Garrett admitted he prefers being on the move, going mobile. Don’t worry, that’s not a new trade demand. While listed as an end, and perhaps the most feared one in the NFL, Garrett said he doesn’t mind playing any position across the defensive front. Inside.
NFL:
- Falcons highly likely to start Kirk Cousins vs. Dolphins (ESPN) – Kirk Cousins is “highly likely” to be the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday morning.
- Joe Flacco is eating his way through Cincinnati. The restaurants he’s been to so far (cincinnati.com) – Want a chance to run into the Bengals’ new quarterback? Several spots in Cincinnati have become places for Joe Flacco sightings. Flacco, the potential savior of this Bengals season, has been making his way around Cincinnati restaurants. He’s also been spotted at cafes and even a grocery store.
- Lamar Jackson ruled out for Bears game (Chicago Sun-Times) – The Chicago Bears prepared all week to face Lamar Jackson on Sunday. Now they won’t after the Baltimore Ravens quarterback was ruled out by the team Saturday afternoon, leaving Tyler Huntley to start against the Bears.
