The Browns had a big win last week, and man was it needed.  We always seem to play the Ravens tough, and what do you know, we ended a 5 game losing streak.  We played very good defense against a very accomplished offensive team.  We looked energized, organized, free and happy as well.  Match that with the Ravens dropping a huge completion and then an even bigger game clinching interception later and those were the breaks we needed.

I'm not going to get on the bandwagon of, "we have this figured out."  But I will offer this fact, because the sample size is growing. In the last 14 games that Browns have played including the playoff game and subtracting the season finale with the Bengals last year where NO ONE played the Browns are 6-8.  But in games played with a capable, veteran backup QB, they are 5-2. What about the rest of the games? 1-6.  It's a hard, cold reality that is getting hard to to ignore.  Flacco, and now Winston have made the Browns team look quite good, and have made the Browns front office look quite bad.

I don't feel that who was calling the plays made any real difference last week.  I think there were many factors that helped.  The overall offensive approach was more of what we do well, like Flacco last year.  The offensive line was far healthier, and the intangibles were with us.  Plus, not many teams lose 6 in a row in the NFL so we were due.  And a new set of eyes was looking over the line of scrimmage with ball in hand.  A few more impressive performances and the dye will be cast and the choice will be clear to about everyone on the planet of what needs to happen.  The problem is and will be, the very few that matter  -  in this matter  -  will think otherwise.

This is where we are with a contract and trade that is so brutal that it has the organization handcuffed, dug in, and blinded. Stefanski after the game yesterday sounded like the coach from last year and that was great to see. The stadium rumbled, the TV crews were excited and the echoes of Jim Donovan were evident.  I do have to wonder how the front office felt about this yesterday.  See, with a change in play calling "decided"  there was a built in buffer of, "well it's a transition, and we'll see who this goes" narrative in play from them.  Well that's out the window now.

And now we have had TWO veterans get a big job done, so gone is the old and tired, "well, it's rust and more reps are needed"  nonsense.  Flacco came off the couch at 39 and Winston had not started a game in over two years.  Can we just please stop all this mindless word salad collaborative drivel?  The truth is these guys stepped in the got the job done like the pros they are, and did what they are being paid to do - and in an NFL sense - very modestly at that.

Hey, I have no idea where we go from here as the rejuvenated Chargers come to town today.  I hope the trend continues and the Browns grab another win.  Could be too that Sunday was a fluke and things return to where they were, only time will tell.

But no matter how today goes, it would seem the old "Rust And Reps" argument is over can we all agree?

GO BROWNS!