Desperate opponents, Njoku practicing and Amari Cooper is wrong

Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!

I think it's safe to say that things aren't going great for the Cleveland Browns right now. The team got off to a 1-2 start and hasn't looked good in the losses. The only win came against a team that seemed to be one of the worst in the league so far, and even that was a nail-biter.

The team looked inept on offense, the quarterback for whom so much was sacrificed seemed overwhelmed, and frustration began to mount.

So let's concentrate on the core issue, namely the media. These bastards.

At least that was the tone in some of the more toxic corners of social media yesterday when Amari Cooper took a moment to hit the media in response to a relatively innocuous question from Mary Kay Cabot about the four-and-one game, in which apparently Deshaun Watson appeared (if you believe screenshots tell the story), Jordan Akins missed an open hit.

Here's what Cooper had to say, according to Awful Announcement:

“At the end of the day it’s football. Some pieces you will do, others you won't. I assume that’s what they’re aiming for,” Cooper said. “It’s like anyone else who has a job. Some of you aren't asking the best questions. But hey, you won't hear me criticize. But it's just the nature of the business. Obviously we are under more scrutiny than you are. I think maybe you should all ask questions on camera so they can see your faces.”

Look, I see enough local media faces crowding in front of cameras to hype their work in Berea. It's a total crowd scene. Plus, I see enough random fans perching on YouTube screens as it is. Please no more. There's enough boring, repetitive crap out there that crowds out the good stuff, just too much to absorb.

Some parts of the “media” Are worthless, but they tend to recycle Berea's information, rephrase it, and then turn it into clickbait titles to steal attention from the people who put in the work. Focus on those dirtballs. The people asking the questions are doing their best to extract information from their readers from an organization that guards their ridiculous, less critical details, like the Department of Defense, which clings to nuclear codes. They sit around waiting for the team to come down to give them leads for information and are available to the organization 24/7.

The media in Cleveland is tame. The media in Cleveland is far from aggressive and terrible for the hometown team. They're generally looking for a story, but they also have a fair amount of control over what they print and what they don't. For comparison, look at any major city and you'll appreciate the restraint you enjoy here in Cleveland. Even our sports radio is a little less over-the-top than elsewhere.

And believe it or not, most of the media in Cleveland wants this team to be successful. Some of us (raises hand) desperately want them to.

Don’t fall down the media rabbit hole. If there's a problem in Cleveland sports, it's not the media, most of which is struggling to survive in an economy unfriendly to news organizations and can be easily ignored when it gets on your nerves. Maybe look elsewhere.

Have a good time! GO BROWN!

3. BROWNS RAIDAHS PREVIEW

3 Burning Questions the Cleveland Browns Must Answer vs. the Las Vegas Raiders – (beaconjournal.com)

Browns-Raiders Preview – (cbssports.com)

Davante Adams added to Raiders injury report after limited practice – NBC Sports – (nbcsports.com)

Maxx Crosby, Raiders defense poses challenge to Browns offense – (clevelandbrowns.com)

These are two very similar teams with quarterback questions and a dominant defensive player struggling with injuries. Both are desperate to prevent the score from being 1-3 and desperately need a win. It will be a dogfight and whoever makes the fewest mistakes will win. I don't expect the highest quality of football, but I do expect intensity.

2. MYLES WILL NOT STOP

Brownie Bites: Myles Garrett confident in his ability to overcome injury: 'I'm not worried about doing further damage' – (audacy.com)

Myles Garrett says he'll wait until bye-bye week to rest and be at his best despite injury – (brownszone.com)

Myles Garrett's Dominance Shows Despite Battling Injury – (clevelandbrowns.com)

“The injured animal is the worst”: Myles Garrett doesn’t let pain stop him from playing – (beaconjournal.com)

“An injured animal is the wildest” is a great statement. Let's hope Myles can do justice to his injured feet on Sunday. The Browns will need him, but more than that, they will need him to get help from other spots on the line that seemed to be missing last Sunday. The interior of the Browns defensive line, which was supposed to provide pressure from the middle, was conspicuously missing. Myles is superhuman, but can't do everything himself.

1. Offensive problems

Amari Cooper believes in the Browns' offense, but they need to 'stop making the same mistakes' – (beaconjournal.com)

Zak Zinter feels prepared for larger role on Browns offensive line – (clevelandbrowns.com)

Browns offensive linemen say they 'just have to keep pushing through' injury issues – (beaconjournal.com)

Browns TE David Njoku returns to practice after ankle injury – (news5cleveland.com)

Obviously, very little is working in the Browns' offense, although Amari Cooper found some of his groove back last Sunday. The Browns need to find something, and that's in the form of David Njoku, who has been practicing healing from his ankle injury and would be a welcome sight on the field Sunday afternoon against the Raiders.

THE BEST OF THE REST

NFL data: Browns are best at creating quick pressure, worst at allowing quick pressure – (dawgsbynature.com)

Browns legend Phil Dawson has advice for former NFL players coaching high school football – (beaconjournal.com)

The Browns have no way out of the Deshaun Watson mess they made – (theringer.com)

Positive news from the world of sport and beyond…

Old coal-fired power plant found key to solving America's biggest clean energy challenge (Good News Network)

The biggest obstacle to clean energy appears not to be technology and American ingenuity. It's something even more American: bureaucracy. Getting clean energy online is much easier than connecting it to the grid, and at least there are some innovations to overcome this, namely connecting renewable energy sources to old-fashioned coal-fired power plants and then running the new energy sources from the connection used by old plants, to get it online. You see, the future won't even wait for bureaucracy. If we can do that, we can beat anything.

ALL EYES ON CLEVELAND

The OBR YouTube channel is growing by leaps and bounds! CLICK HERE to sign up for free today and become part of the Browns' fastest growing YouTube channel!

OBR VIP news and rumors 09/26: Selected routes, loss of changing rooms and new traditions – (Barry, VIP)

What is the Cleveland Browns' 2025 player signing budget – (Jack)

Browns need defense to advance; David Njoku, Myles Garrett, Jerome Ford Back to Training; Don’t tackle – (Fred)

Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 9/26: It's time to find out. Now. – (Barry)

Cleveland Browns Fantasy Start'em Sit'em vs. Las Vegas Raiders – (Jacob)

3 Matchups The Cleveland Browns Must Exploit Against the Raiders – (Casey)

ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)

Did Dorsey hit a production slump in Buffalo?

THE WATER COOLER

OT: Cowboys at Giants

OT: The last A's game in Oakland

Jerome Ford – What is the obsession?

OT: Hurricane Helene

LiveWire thread for September 26th – Twitter, articles, videos

When he's not defending members of the media who can't stand him, Barry McBride is the editor and founder of the OBR and spouts this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write to him at [email protected] if you feel compelled to.

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