🤔 Are The Browns Contenders Or Pretenders?

Should Cleveland fans be optimistic following a dominant performance from OBJ and the Browns? [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: Are Odell Beckham Jr. and the Cleveland Browns the real deal? ... we take a look at how Jimmy Butler has cemented his claim as a title-worthy franchise player ... and Phillip Rivers reminds us why he is the NFL’s ultimate trash talker. Just like it was coming out of a spectacular Sunday virtuoso, the National Football League was also talking about Odell Beckham Jr. around this stage of last year. Back then, the discussions surrounding the enigmatic wide receiver involved the bizarre saga of his decision to wear a Richard Mille watch as pricy as an average home during a game, sparking all kinds of related humor as to whether it was finally the Cleveland Browns’ “time” to shine or they were on the clock, heading towards another campaign of gloom and regret. Spoiler alert: it was the latter. On this occasion, he was at the forefront of the discussion for the right reasons, thanks to a 154-yard, three touchdown display in a 49-38 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. Yet in truth, timepiece analogies notwithstanding, the same questions remain. At 3-1, which is somehow the Browns’ best start in 19 years, it is worth wondering whether this is the opening chapter for a new Cleveland story. Or possibly, once again, is the countdown to implosion already underway? [STORY IMAGE 1] They’re darn good queries because the answers are so uncertain. Partly because Cleveland’s history emphatically states that even the most hopeful of uplifting moments should not be automatically trusted. And because Beckham, throughout his career, has been a purveyor of brilliance but also, frankly, a source of frequent disappointment compared to his ability. “I am who I am, I haven’t stopped being that,” he told reporters. “Last year it was the (hernia) injury, this year I feel good. I just want to be able to help this game. I get choked up about it because it means that much to me. I put my heart and my soul into this. That’s why you see the emotions on my sleeve.” Beckham always talks a good game and divides opinion like few others. He has routinely offered tantalizing glimpses of excellence yet was cast as a troublemaker with the New York Giants and was unable to make the most of his fresh start in Cleveland, at first. Also, this is the Browns, a team so beaten down, so often, that 3-1 feels like a magical treat. Where every glimmer of optimism, especially like we saw on Sunday, needs to be celebrated. In Dallas, after a 41-14 buffer dwindled to a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Beckham ignited a moment of magic to gladden the hearts of the long-sufferers. [STORY IMAGE 2] On a planned reverse, Beckham found himself 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage and looked primed to be flattened by a defender. Instead, he escaped initial contact, then took off down the right sideline, with blockers in front of him. Beckham skipped into open space and kept going, slicing through the floundering Cowboys resistance, and effectively putting the game beyond doubt. It was why Cleveland got him. It was a big play at a big time from one of the biggest names in the sport. Beckham is box office entertainment, he just hasn’t shown it often enough, sparking the doubting voices. “Nearly since the moment the Browns traded for Beckham there have been trade rumors,” [wrote News 5 Cleveland’s Camryn Justice](. “A prominent narrative was his apparent unhappiness in Cleveland. Fans flooded social media with demands that he be traded.” Not so much now. “We knew the (Browns) were a talented football team,” FOX Sports NFL analyst Michael Vick said. (They had) a lot of potential that wasn’t being used correctly. But now we see the offense ran through Odell. “He was due for a day like yesterday. He is the catalyst. Moving forward, this is a sign of good things to come for the Browns.” [STORY IMAGE 3] Perhaps things should have improved for Cleveland before now, with no shortage of proven personnel. Jarvis Landry arrived in 2018, Myles Garrett is one of the NFL’s best defensive players, while Baker Mayfield relishes the challenge of a battle. The Browns are still selective about when they use Beckham, who does not receive a persistent flurry of targets. He was efficiency personified on Sunday, picking up either a touchdown or a first down every time he got the ball. For former Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall, it is not enough. “When you have got one of the best athletes ever and one of the best wide receivers on your team, you need to get him involved,” [Marshall said on FS1’s First Things First](. “If you really take advantage of him, you have the opportunity to have a really good year.” There are caveats. The skeptics would say this was “just” the Cowboys, who have stumbled to 1-3 and are managing to pad quarterback Dak Prescott’s stats while underperforming defensively, week after week. [STORY IMAGE 4] Also, Cleveland is operating in a division where the Baltimore Ravens are one of the best teams in football and the Pittsburgh Steelers remain undefeated. Three games against those opponents are left on the schedule, matchups that may provide a truer test of what this team can truly do. Not everyone is going to believe, but more people are going to start wanting to. FOX Bet gives the Browns a +3500 shot to win the Super Bowl, and FiveThirtyEight believes the Browns have a 63 percent chance to reach the postseason. Beckham has the capability for an instant spark and the football public has waited a long time for him to make the kind of splash that has a tangible, season-shifting impact on his team and sets them up for a postseason charge. Could it be now? The Browns, well, it feels like they have been waiting forever. Maybe this is the time. Tick tock. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns head coach: “I’ve got to do a better job of getting (Odell Beckham Jr.) involved early. I feel like I can do better. He’s somebody that can really affect the game, whether you throw it to him or hand it to him. We just want to be really mindful of that.” Peter King, NBCSports.com: “Should we be getting sucked into the Cleveland Browns again? They’re 3-1 for the first time in 19 years, and it’s hard to know if they can keep up the competence, particularly after giving up 566 yards in Dallas on Sunday. But maybe we should just enjoy it for however long it lasts.” Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report: “The Browns have been racking up points, in part because (Kevin) Stefanski has been putting them in position to do so. Of course, it's helped that the offense features weapons like Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. It's a talented and deep group that can survive the rigors of the NFL season. This is truly a pick-your-poison offense, one few teams will be able to stop when things are clicking as well as they have been in recent weeks.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - When did you first know Aaron Rodgers was going to be great? [ESPN staff writer Rob Demovsky]( tells the story of one night in Atlanta 10 years ago, when Rodgers turned into a star. - Jimmy Butler has found his true home on his fourth NBA team. [Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg]( explains how Butler has cemented his claim as a title-worthy franchise player. - Justin Herbert was two years old in Tom Brady’s rookie season. [Yahoo Sports senior NFL writer Terez Paylor]( details how Brady showed Herbert first-hand his legendary comeback skills on Sunday afternoon. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( As much as we all miss having fans at NFL games, it does give us a chance to hear more on-the-field banter between players. And when it comes to banter, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any quarterback who talks more smack than Phillip Rivers. Check out this video, and make sure your volume is turned up, as you’ll see Rivers call out Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith during a snap count. “Hey 2-8 turned the corner on you,” Rivers says, likely referring to Colts rookie running back Jonathan Taylor, who wears No. 28 for Indianapolis. When you’re a 17-year NFL veteran who ranks No. 6 all-time in passing yards, you have the right to talk some smack, and we love every bit of it. Keep it coming, Phillip! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs (CBS, 7 p.m. ET) Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the New England Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium. Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET) Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons take on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. WWE Monday Night Raw (USA, 8 p.m. ET) Randy Orton gets a shot at redemption against Drew McIntyre on WWE Monday Night Raw. New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays (TBS, 8 p.m. ET) Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees go up against Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of this American League Division Series. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers: Packers -6 This Monday Night Football showdown features a matchup between two teams going in opposite directions. The Packers have looked outstanding so far this season, averaging more than 40 points per game while cruising to a perfect 3-0 record. In fact, the Packers are the first team in NFL history to score 35-or-more points and not commit a single turnover in each of their first three games. On the other side, the Falcons have struggled mightily this season, blowing two-touchdown leads in the final quarter each of the last two weeks. Taking the Packers at -6 seems like an outstanding play that could lead to a nice Monday Night Football win. [WHAT THEY SAID] “Your start does not determine how you’re going to finish.” — Herm Edwards [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2020 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. 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