More P.J. Walker magic? A Browns win in Seattle? A tip from a ballet teacher – Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – How can the Browns win this game?

I kept thinking that as I prepared to go to Seattle for Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks.

No Nick Chubb. No Jerome Ford. No Deshaun Watson.

That should add up to no offense for the Browns. And that should lead to a loss vs. Seattle, which is 4-2.

Of course, I thought the Browns with P.J. Walker starting would lose to San Francisco. They won, 19-17.

I thought they’d beat the Colts because of their defense. Instead, the Browns allowed 38 points and won anyway: Final score, 39-38.

Don’t ask me how Cleveland won either of those games. But they did.

Then I received this email from Pamela Pribisco:

“I’m not a football aficionado, but what I observed during Sunday’s game against the Colts is worth noting. When Walker came on the field the game changed. What was out of focus suddenly sharpened.

“It wasn’t because he is a better player than anyone else – exactly the opposite, he’s not. But the players see him as one of them … Equal … That puts heart in the game. No amount of money can buy that. But that’s what unites a team and makes them winners.”

Pamela knows a little about team building. She has been on the ballet staff at Case Western Reserve University for the last six years, and danced for three decades with various companies in New York City.

My guess is Pamela knows more about football than I do ballet. But I do know both endeavors require people to work together.

CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN?

Seattle coach Pete Carroll was on the same wavelength as Pamela when it came to the Browns and Walker.

“He wins,” Carroll said at a press conference this week. “(He) won the 49ers game and hung in the game against Indy – all the way to the very end to come up with enough plays to get the win. They scored 39 points in the game too.”

Part of Carroll’s job is to make sure his team takes Walker and the Browns seriously.

Walker’s stats are … shall we say … modest.

In his two games, he’s thrown three interceptions and zero TD passes. He has completed only 50% of his passes, alarmingly low in the modern NFL. He also has lost a fumble.

In two games … four turnovers … no TD passes.

Oh, he also has two victories … and two game-winning drives.

“Those are two big wins for him,” said Carroll. “He’s coming in with confidence, I’m sure. He’s an active, mobile guy that can make things happen. Similar in style to Deshaun (Watson).”

Not sure about the Watson comparison, but Browns guard Joel Bitonio has been impressed with Walker’s spirit.

“He’s very in command of the huddle,” Bitonio said at his press conference. “He’s confident. There’s never a question about if he believes that we’re going to win … He’s found a way the last couple of weeks … He’s had some plays and some wins in his career.”

You can sense Bitonio and the Browns are trying to talk themselves into believing Walker can succeed, at least in the short term. They do like him personally.

Walker’s record as a starter is 5-3. That doesn’t include the victory over the Colts. That was credited to Watson, because he started – even though Watson left the game late in the first quarter.

A REAL TEST

The Seahawks are 4-2. Their victories are over Detroit, Arizona, Carolina and the Giants. Only the Lions are a quality team. They’ve lost to the Rams (30-13) and the Bengals (17-13).

But they are 4-2, just like the Browns.

Their QB is Geno Smith, a reclamation project. He’s 33 years old. Early in his career, he was 12-18 as a starter with the Jets. He bounced to the Giants and Chargers before landing in Seattle.

He backed up Russell Wilson for a while. When Wilson left for Denver, Smith took over as the starter in 2022. His record is 13-10 with the Seahawks with some impressive stats: 37 TDs vs. 15 interceptions. He’s completed 69% of his passes.

Smith has been a pleasant surprise, performing far better than Wilson has since going to the Broncos.

Can the Browns win this game?

Sure … maybe … I think … I don’t know.

The Seahawks have a healthy fear of Cleveland’s defense and coordinator Jim Schwartz.

“They’re really aggressive,” said Carroll. “We’ve been around Jim Schwartz for a long time. (Cleveland is) very aggressive up front on the attack. The focus is the front four, but their backers (defensive backs) are really aggressive as well. There’s a whole philosophy that we recognize because we’ve seen Jim for years.”

Schwartz has been upset all week about the Browns allowing the Colts 38 points, their poor tackling and problems in the red zone.

If the Browns win this game, they need a big effort from the defense and more field goals from Dustin Hopkins.

And yes, a little P.J. Walker magic.

MY PREDICTION: Seattle 20, Browns 13. Browns missing too many key players on offense. My record is 3-3.

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