Sad New: Joe Flacco I will Never Play With Browns Again If…
Quarterback who leads the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs wins NFL’s award
BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns were 11-6 in the 2023 regular season and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season. In doing so, the Browns had two players and two coaches that have been recognized for being among the best in their roles.
A couple of weeks ago, the five finalists for The Associated Press’ NFL awards were announced. Of the eight categories, the Browns had finalists in four of them. The award is voted upon by 50 members of the media that cover the NFL.
Quarterback Joe Flacco was nominated for Comeback Player of the Year, despite playing in only five regular season games and he was the winner of the award.
“It definitely been surreal,” Flacco said on NFL Network on Thursday Night. “I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to get back on the field. What an awesome place to go to the city of Cleveland. The people there have welcomed my family, as has the organization. It has been a lot of fun.”
The NFL Coach of the Year said it was quite a story what Flacco did.
“Joe Flacco, from the couch into the starting lineup,” Kevin Stefanski said. “It was fun for me to watch and I had a pretty good view of it all. What he was able to do on the field and off the field was really remarkable and I’m so proud of Joe.”
General manager Andrew Berry feels the award for Flacco is well-deserved.
“I’ll start with Joe Cool (Flacco),” Berry said. “We’re so proud that he won the Comeback Player of the Year award this year. From the couch to the playoffs, he was such a stabilizing force for our team this season. We’re so thankful that he decided to join us for the playoff push. I couldn’t be more proud. ”
Flacco was 4-1 in his five starts in the regular season and threw for more than 300 yards in his last five games, including the playoff loss to the Texans.
Flacco was 123-of-204 for 1,616 yards for 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His completion percentage was 60.3 percent. He had a rating of 90.2. In the playoff loss to the Texans, Flacco was 34-of-46 for 307 yards (73.9 pct.) with one touchdown and two interceptions. His rating was 80.6.
The other four finalists for the Comeback Player of the Year award were former Browns No. 1 overall pick and current Buccaneer, Baker Mayfield, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
The other four categories that no Browns were finalists were Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The award was announced on Thursday Night at the NFL Honors program in Las Vegas.
Flacco joined the Browns on Nov. 20 and played in five regular seasons games and one playoff game. He passed for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns in five starts, going 4-1 as the Browns clinched a playoff spot. Including the playoff game against the Texans, Flacco threw for over 300 yards in five of the six games that he played for the Browns in the season.
Fred Greetham Talks Za’Darius Smith, Joe Flacco, and Nick Chubb with Ourlads
Not long ago, the OBR’s Fred Greetham did an extensive interview with Ourlad’s Greg DePalma on various Cleveland Browns topics. Here are some highlights for your quick perusal, or you can watch the whole interview if you want. Check it out, and please hit the like button if you enjoyed the segment!
The Browns hired Jacques Cesaire to be their defensive line coach and still, no announcement on Bloom. It’s possible that Bloom was potentially going to be re-assigned before accepting the opportunity to join former Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan as part of the Titans stuff under new head coach Brian Callahan.
Bloom joined the Browns as their senior defensive assistant in 2020 after serving as linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 and 2019. He had been with the Cowboys in various roles dating back to 2011. He was with the Browns in 2009 and 2010 under then head coach Eric Mangini.
Coincidentally, Bloom’s time attending Tufts University near Boston crossed over with new Browns offensive line coach Andy Dickerson’s. Bloom studied at Tufts from 2001 to 2004 while Dickerson was there from 1999 to 2002.
With Bloom joining the Titans and keeping the number of Jumbos on the Browns coaching staff at one, the Browns could have an opening on their coaching staff. They may want to hire another run game coordinator for the defensive side of the ball, if that was indeed the position that Bloom might have reclaimed if he stayed with the Browns. To this point, this is only the second change that has occurred on the defensive side of the Browns coaching staff this offseason.
The Browns had a strong year on defense and Myles Garrett won the award for Defensive Player of the Year. However, since defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has often described the defensive line as the engine of the defense, the Browns may not have been satisfied with the production from that group, which prompted them to make a change at that position. Expectations will be high for Garrett and the Browns defensive line under Cesaire this coming season as they look to build on the success of the 2023 season.
