This weekly column includes a lot of loose ends leading up to Sunday’s game.Pokorny’s 10 Things to Watch in Week 2 - Browns and the NFL1. Josh Gordon is Gone: I guess it’s a good thing I waited so late to write my column this week Youth Baker Mayfield Jersey , because a lot would’ve changed between Saturday morning and Saturday night with the news of the team saying goodbye to WR Josh Gordon. Last week, we’re talking about it being his first Week 1 game since 2012. By Week 2, the team is moving on for good. I guess it’s an expected end to Gordon’s reign with the team, but it’s just a sad feeling overall. I wanted so badly for Cleveland to have a star player, and he is as talented of a receiver anyone could ever ask for.Assuming he hasn’t had a major relapse, instead of the Browns outright waiving him, they should take the highest compensation package offered. It will likely be a conditional draft pick, contingent upon Gordon not getting into trouble with his new team. I speculated the trade scenario right away, and it wasn’t long before teams came calling:2. Where Do We Go from Here? It’s back to preseason mode. One very good thing we have to fall back on is the fact that WR Jarvis Landry is a stud, so it’s not like the team is without a No. 1 receiver. WR Antonio Callaway is the big benefactor here. He has lights out speed and should be elevated to the starting lineup. WR Rashard Higgins will also see a good amount of action after having a fantastic camp and preseason. This should also open the door for more targets for RB Duke Johnson.The obvious quesiton now is whether this means WR Dez Bryant will become a priority for the Browns. The two sides have been linked together for awhile. At this point, the headlines that come with Bryant may be more trouble than it’s worth, when you can use this opportunity to develop your younger players instead.3. The Importance of the Tie: Back to your regularly scheduled program. After last week’s unexpected tie to begin the season, let’s talk about what that means from a coaching and strategic perspective the rest of the season. A tie is not as bad as you may think. When you are calculating winning percentages, it is based on the following:Win = 1.0Loss = 0.0Tie = 0.5If it helps you make sense of it, the Browns have a record of 0.5 wins - 0 losses. Let’s say the Browns have a great season and win 8 games. Let’s say the Bengals also win 8 games, but lose 8 games. Cleveland would get the tiebreaker over Cincinnati, because they would technically have 8.5 wins, which is greater than 8 wins.4. Strategic Perspective of a Tie: From a strategic perspective, the big thing that Hue Jackson must understand for the rest of the season is possibly settling for another tie if that scenario were to arise. 2 ties end up equaling a win. So let’s say the Browns finish the season with a record of 7-7-2. That means in reality, you could treat their record as 8-7, which is better than any team that would’ve finished .500 in the standings. That could matter for a wildcard spot.Let’s think about this. If the Browns are tied with the Saints in overtime this week, and have the ball at the 50 yard line facing a 4th-and-10 with 1:20 left in the game, what would you want them to do? Instinct may scream at Jackson if he punts the ball, because you are basically giving up the chance to win. But playing for a tie instead of a loss has real value for your positioning in the standings, and I hope it is something he and his staff has at least discussed. Even though two ties doesn’t happen in the NFL, with overtime being shortened to 10 minutes last year, I think it’s only a matter of time before it does happen.5. Fond Saints-Browns Memories: The Browns haven’t had much success since returning to the league in 1999...except when it comes to the New Orleans Saints, a team they have a 4-1 record against during that span. Not only that, but the games have had some of the most memorable moments for the club since 1999. Let’s see the highlights:Their first win in the new era, the Tim Couch Hail Mary in 1999:In 2010, Eric Mangini beat the Saints in a string of impressive wins. It included TWO pick sixes by David Bowens, but also this miraculous fake punt by Reggie Hodges:And then came the Browns’ Week 2 win over the Saints in 2014, when Brian Hoyer found Andrew Hawkins wide open, setting up a game-winning field goal as time expired:6. Coach Miscommunications: On one hand, I don’t want to make a big deal out of miscommunications between the coaches. It makes it seem as though as I’m fishing for reasons for Hue Jackson to be fired. But now, more than ever, Jackson should have a firm grasp of how his personnel is going to be utilized on gameday, and be on the same page as all of his coaches. It is perfectly fine if he makes the ultimate decisions, but why was there a mix-up in how the first play of last week’s game would be called, personnel-wise? (Josh Gordon was involved in a formation that included three tight ends, but Jackson did not want him to start). Also, prior to the game, special teams coordinator Amos Jones said that Antonio Callaway would be the punt returner, and that both he and Jabrill Peppers would be in on kickoffs. Instead, Peppers returned almost all of the punts. Heading into Week 2 now, Jones said, “Coach made that decision. Obviously, we are going to stick behind it as coaches. We are going to do what the hell we are told.” Yes, that is true. Do what you are told, and respect the head coaches’ decision. But also, these miscommunications should not be happening so close to gameday in the first place. If they are happening among the coaches, then no wonder the players are perplexed at times too — to where you have alignment mistakes, or special teams blunders (i.e. Joel Bitonio getting overloaded on the blocked kick in overtime). Get it under control, Hue.7. Jake Burns on Browns Film Review: If you haven’t been following Youth Emmanuel Ogbah Jersey , Jake Burns on @BrownsFilmBDN has been doing an insane amount of work breaking down Browns film all preseason and now in Week 1. In the Twitter moment below, he looked at 60 plays from Week 1 alone! I have to admit, it has discouraged me a bit from doing my own film review like I have in the past, because I know how time consuming it is, and before I can get to it, I see that Jake has already covered it all. I think I will try to do a post mid-week that embeds several of his clips for key plays, though, to help highlight his work while offering my own assessment.2018 Week 1: Browns vs. Steelers8. The Little Things Add Up: In his press conference this week, Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was asked about whether the Browns should’ve scored on LB Joe Schobert’s fumble return in overtime. He thinks they should have, and said what happened on the play:9. NFL Week 2 Picks: I went 10-5-1 in Week 1. Here are my Week 2 picks, along with a few notes.I am really pushing it with seven picks for road teams to win! Unfortunately, the Browns aren’t one of them. Some of it has to do with injuries. The Falcons lost two key defensive players, I don’t know what to make of the Titans’ situation, and Aaron Rodgers won’t have his mobility if he plays (but they might not have won anyone against a tough Vikings team).Teams with their stock up last week get rewarded, like the Chiefs over the Steelers and the Jets over the Dolphins. Teams with the stock down, like Buffalo, Oakland, and Detroit, have the opposite effect going for them. My game of the week would be New England vs. Jacksonville, a re-match of the AFC Championship from a year ago. I expect a very physical game, with the Patriots still coming out on top.The pick I feel least confident in is the Giants vs. Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. I don’t know what to make of Dallas, and the Giants are intriguing because of Saquon Barkley but just haven’t sustained winning lately.The Bears earned some brownie points for their effort in Week 1. The loss was a big letdown, but I think they learn this week and finish for a dominant game.10. Predicting the Browns’ Week 2 Inactives: I predict the following players will be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Saints:Projected Inactives: QB Drew Stanton, WR Josh Gordon, TE Seth DeValve, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, LB Christian Kirksey, and CB Tavierre Thomas.I feel pretty good about getting all the inactives correct this week. Stanton should be down again for not needing three quarterbacks. Gordon, DeValve, Ogbah, and Kirksey are already ruled out, leaving just two players to predict. Odenigbo was inactive last week, and I think Thomas will be down with CB E.J. Gaines back now. Tampa is located on Florida’s western shore of the Gulf of Mexico. There are several large cities other than the City of Tampa that make up the region commonly known as “Tampa Bay”: Clearwater, Bradenton, Largo, St. Petersburg, Dunedin, Pinellas Park and Tarpon Springs. This particular portion of Florida cuts out into a huge body of water which extends over 400 square miles and is coined “Tampa Bay.” In fact, the Port of Tampa is currently the largest port in the State of Florida and the 16th-largest in the United States. “Tampa Bay” is not an actual city but simply a label commonly used for the region it represents, as well as the body of water’s actual title.Tampa Bay and surrounding areasThus, with so many cities in such a compressed area, every sports team has simply called themselves Tampa Bay such as the NHL’s Lightning, the Arena League’s Storm or the Rowdies of the defunct North American Soccer League among others.As a part of the merger between the American Football League (AFL) and the NFL in 1970, the league announced it would expand from their current lineup of 26 teams to 32 clubs in the next decade although no timetable was agreed upon for when the other six teams would join. In order to give the Miami Dolphins a natural rival, Tampa had been on the AFL’s expansion shortlist before the two leagues merged. There was also talk of a new pro football entity called the “Trans-America Football League” that was set to award Tampa a franchise, but the league never formally developed. Tampa Attempts to get NFL TeamAfter the merger, a group of Tampa businessmen had conversations with Buffalo Bills’ owner Ralph Wilson about buying that franchise. Wilson was having problems getting a new stadium built since the current War Memorial Stadium, built in 1938, was old and antiquated and devoid of modern conveniences and features. Plus, it only held 47,000 seats. The new merger mandated that all stadiums hold a minimum of 50,000 patrons. The Tampa contingency would definitely relocate the club to Central Florida. Meanwhile, Wilson told the City of Buffalo he would give them one more season before he made his decision regarding remaining in western New York or selling. His tactics succeeded. In 1973 Youth Nick Chubb Jersey , the 71,608-seat Rich Stadium opened in Orchard Park, New York. Meanwhile, Tampa along with the cities of Memphis and Seattle were actively seeking an existing NFL franchise with several groups in talks with the Boston Patriots, who were having their own stadium issues. However, after the 1973 season, the NFL made an announcement that the league would commence the process of adding the first expansion clubs by granting two new franchises into the fold. In the April 24, 1974, edition of the St. Petersburg Times, an article ran about Tampa being granted the first of the two NFL expansion franchises to construction company mogul Tom McCloskey. Shortly thereafter Seattle was named as the other city. In December of the same year, McCloskey cited economic reasons which required him to drop the franchise bid. Overnight things were in limbo as to whether Tampa would still be the next NFL team or if the league might give their slot to another city. In the interim, tax attorney Hugh Culverhouse of Jacksonville, Florida had attempted to purchase the Los Angeles Rams and had a deal struck with Rams’ owner Dan Reeves for $17 million. Later, however, Reeves sold the club for $19 million to Robert Irsay. Culverhouse sued but relented his lawsuit when the league guaranteed him an upcoming expansion club. He was first offered the Seattle team but turned it down because of the East Coast/West Coast situation. When McCloskey backed out, Tampa was a natural fit. Culverhouse would quickly become one of the most influential owners in the league. After he was named to the NFL Executive Committee, he helped solve both the 1982 and 1987 player strikes. He would become known as a player’s owner and consistently would not interfere with the men he hired to run and coach the organization. “Buccaneers” was submitted during a name-the-team contest and from there, an advisory board selected the team name from over 400 nickname possibilities. But the actual meaning of the pirate moniker goes much deeper than that. Bucs Land a Trophy at Head Coach John McKay was hired as the franchise’s first head coach. A highly-successful college coach at the University of Southern California, McKay had numerous NFL coaching offers over the years from the likes of the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, and his hometown Los Angeles Rams. While at USC he had captured four national championships and nine conference titles. He took the Bucs’ job mainly because he could become the architect of the franchise’s beginnings and announced the club would be competitive within five years. John McKayTo say that things did not go as planned in Tampa for Coach McKay would be an understatement. At the time, the process to stock an expansion club was done mainly with a veteran reallocation draft that consisted of other team’s castoffs.The Buccaneers went 0-14-0 their first season and became the 11th NFL club to go winless with zero ties in a season (minimum six games played) and set a league record for most losses in a single season. The offense in Tampa was horrid with the defensive play not much better. Missed tackles seemed to be a team motto along with the inability to score points and consistent turnovers. McKay would provide a bevy of sound bites for reporters during that maiden season. When asked how he felt about the execution of the offense, he stated he was in favor of it. Grilled about the team’s offensive line, he stated, “We didn’t block but we made up for it by not tackling.”After another loss and at the podium during the press conference, he told the media, “You guys don’t know the difference between a football and a bunch of bananas.” At the following week’s press conference after yet another loss, the podium was full of bananas. McKay stepped up to the microphone and stated, “You guys don’t know the difference between a football and a Mercedes-Benz.”Tampa’s first win did not come until Week 13 of the 1977 season after a 0-12-0 start that included six shutouts. In 1979, the franchise went 10-6-0 and won the Central Division. They then defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional playoff game before losing 9-0 to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game. Another division crown came in 1981. The Bucs went 13-28-0 McKay’s last three seasons to which he resigned his position. In 2010, Coach McKay was inducted into the team’s “Ring of Honor.”Actual Pirates Mark the AreaFlorida’s western coast (including Tampa Bay) was invaded almost annually during the late 18th and early 19th centuries by a former Spanish naval officer-turned pirate named Jose’ Gaspar, commonly called Gasparilla. Gaspar and his cronies would raid, pillage and destroy while taking what they wanted. He had served in the Spanish Navy and became a lieutenant. After the Spanish fleet was defeated by the British in one battle, he and other survivors were reprimanded and demoted then placed on another ship for another excursion. Disenchanted, he convinced most of the crew to hold a mutiny against a totalitarian captain, stole the vessel and sailed off to gain his own fortune in piracy. This act made Gaspar a traitor, a robber - and now a pirate. Gaspar and his men actually made their hideout in Port Charlotte, Florida, another large bay just south of Tampa Bay and north of Fort Myers. The raiding of established settlements, towns and especially lucrative merchant ships would occur for the next 38 years which made him and his men very wealthy. Gaspar and his men actually made their hideout in Port Charlotte, Florida, another large bay just south of Tampa Bay and north of Fort Myers. The raiding of established settlements, towns and especially lucrative merchant ships would occur for the next 38 years which made him and his men very wealthy. Everyone who lives in the Tampa Bay area is familiar with the name of Gasparilla. So when the expansion team was announced many of the team name entries were based around this famous swashbuckler such as Outlaws, Pirates, Marine Raiders, Rowdies, Avengers, Bandits and of course Buccaneers. “Rowdies” would become the team name of the NASL club while “Bandits” was later chosen for the United States Football League squad in 1984.Today, the ”Gasparilla Pirate Festival” held in January is celebrated annually and draws almost 500,000 partiers. This event, which began in 1904, is the Bay Area’s version of Mardi Gras with of course a Pirate theme. “The Pirates of the Caribbean” ride opened in 1973 just down the road in Orlando at Disney World. The original uniform colors of the Buccaneers also have meaning behind them. The orange was to symbolize the citrus industry so prevalent in Central Florida and the red for the sun’s warmth and Pirates’ blood. Barry Shuck is a pro football historical writer and a member of the Professional Football Researcher’s Association. NFL Outlet