Buffalo Bills vs. Browns: Questions for Dawg Pound Daily
By Ryan Brennan
With the Buffalo Bills hosting the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, BuffaLowDown connected with Steven Kubitza with Dawg Pound Daily with some Q&A.
The drama is at an all-time high with the Buffalo Bills right now, but with the Cleveland Browns coming to town on Sunday, what better team to play than one that feels your pain.
The Cleveland Browns enter their Week 15 road game vs. the Bills without a win in 13 games, while Buffalo sits at 6-7. Both teams have been a disappointment this year, but still hold high hopes for the future.
These next three games for the Bills are all must-win games that will determine this team’s future — more specifically next season. With Rex Ryan and Tyrod Taylor on the hot seat, a 9-7 record could save their careers for the time being.
In wake of the game, I got together with Steven Kubitza, the Editor at Dawg Pound Daily, with some Q&A about the game. He also had questions for me, which you can view here.
Let’s see what Steven had to say about Sunday’s game:
Q: The Buffalo Bills have a number of important players on this week’s injury report, not to mention the ones on the IR. How healthy are the Cleveland Browns?
"Kubitza: The active roster is relatively healthy, with the biggest injuries involving players on IR. John Greco and Joel Bitonio, two starting offensive linemen, have been out for several weeks, and Bills fans will notice how weak the Browns are up front early in the game. The quarterback position had seen injuries all season, but the group is healthy once again. That could change based on the lack of protection, but Cody Kessler is ready to go if RG3 goes down, continuing the turnover that is the Browns’ QB position."
Q: We are 13 games into the season and about to play the 14th. The Bills have a clear-cut Team MVP this year in LeSean McCoy. Who’s the Browns’ MVP through 13 games this season?
"Kubitza: It’s tough to find an MVP on an 0-13 team, but the honor would go to Terrelle Pryor. He leads the team in every major receiving category and remains a threat in both the running and passing game. But he has not been a major factor in every game. He only had three yards last Sunday against the Bengals, leading Adam Jones to call him trash in a pointless rant. He has also not had a single rushing yard since Week 6. Part of the problem is the constant change at QB, along with the play calling. So while Pryor is the MVP, it is by default based on how bad the rest of the team has been."
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Q: What does Robert Griffin III have to do to live up to his promise of playing better vs. the Bills?
"Kubitza: RG3 needs to do a lot. First, he needs to avoid deep passes into double or triple coverage. It sounds obvious, but he has shown a lack of discipline when it comes to big plays, throwing the ball up for grabs on early downs, turning the ball over when a check-down pass would have been just fine. He also needs to improve his accuracy on short passes. He threw several passes right at the feet of his receivers last week on what should have been easy completions. The Browns need the entire team to play well to even have a shot at a win, but it starts with the quarterback, and Griffin needs to play smarter against the Bills."
Q: 0-13 is a rough record to have, especially with a new head coach. Where did the Browns go wrong this season?
"Kubitza: The front office let fans know it was a rebuilding year, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating as a fan. The goal is to compete in two or three years, but being so bad this year starts to alienate some fans who do not care about promises, and just want the team to be good now. And it is hard to argue with such a view, as the front office is telling fans that things will turn around, but that doesn’t mean they will. Browns fans have seen some bad teams, and this season is a new low. A rebuild is a legitimate concept, but cutting all the talent and banking on young players isn’t a guaranteed plan for success."
Next: Q&A With Factory of Sadness: What are they saying?
Q: Predictions for the game?
"Kubitza: The Bills are going to win. It’s that simple. The Browns are going to finish this season 0-16, no matter how optimistic some fans may be during the final three games. The team is not built to win this year, and it has shown since Week 1. RG3 is going to throw a few interceptions, and the Bills are going to wear down the Browns’ defense en route to a 27-13 victory."
The game kicks off at 1:00 pm on Sunday at New Era Field. Let’s get a W!
Go Bills!
What are your predictions for the game? Leave your comments below!