A look back at this past Sunday's Browns game, a 17-13 loss to the Colts.
The Browns had a golden opportunity to win a second straight game, end a lengthy road-losing streak, and give new owner Jimmy Haslam a reason to consider keeping Pat Shurmer. Instead, they lost a very winnable game. The following are my observations in the wake of the loss.
A week after establishing a balanced attack on offense, the Browns went away from the run again. Brandon Weeden put the ball up 41 times while the Browns only rushed 17 times. Remember last week when you beat the Bengals? Remember how balanced the offense was with Montario Hardesty picking up the injured Trent Richardson? Yeah, they forgot and instead put it on the rookie quarterback, who played well, but shouldn't have had to carry the load again.
Josh Gordon, drop aside, is establishing himself as a legitimate deep threat every time he touches the ball. Yes, he should've caught the long pass on 3rd and 1 from Weeden, but I can't fault him for dropping a pass that hit his hands right as the sun field hit his eyes. He may not use it as an excuse, but it was pretty obvious he lost that ball at the last second. Aside from that, he made another spectacular catch and a very-well thrown ball by Weeden on his back shoulder, then backed his way into the end zone. The two have developed immediate chemistry and could be exciting for years to come.
Josh Cooper, Weeden's college teammate, has also come up big in his two games. Weeden has started looking for him regularly on third down and for good reason; he catches most everything thrown his way. With Travis Benjamin coming back, the Browns actually might have a good, young set of receivers to grow with Weeden.
The offensive line hasn't made a lot of noise lately, and that's a good thing. Weeden gets hit from time to time, but he now has more confidence in his pass-blocking unit. He's only been sacked twice in the last couple of weeks, a stark contrast to the first couple of games. It helps that Weeden has become more decisive with the ball, getting rid of it quickly in many cases. They still have room to improve with run-blocking, but it's getting there.
The defense needs some help and they need it soon. Phil Taylor returning to practice is a welcome sign, but Ahtyba Rubin was largely ineffective last week as he battled a calf injury and asking two rookies to fill that void is asking a lot. The defensive line has shown promise at times, but has been gashed at others. The Colts weren't a good running team and were able to rack up big yards, especially when they needed it most. They may have to address this in the offseason.
Jabaal Sheard isn't recording the sacks, but it isn't for lack of effort. The guy is simply getting double-teamed since no one else is generating any pressure, and in the case of last weekend, being held constantly without any flags flying. The Browns may want to send some footage into the league office since there were numerous times it was obvious Sheard was being held. I'm not worried about him, but the Browns need to find ways to get pressure from other areas. Opposing quarterbacks have had entirely too much time to scan the field.
For the first time this year, I was completely disappointed with the coaching, and that's saying something. I've generally been able to understand a lot of what's going on, but the more I watch them use play-action passes without establishing a running game, the more I wonder if they understand how play-action works. The 4th and 1 situation was a chance for the Browns to gain momentum, instead Pat Shurmer punted, much to the dismay of Jimmy Haslam, who clearly thought they should go for it. Now, Haslam isn't a coach, but they didn't have much to lose if they didn't convert there. The bigger disappointment is their inability to stick with the run, even though the Colts were the worst rushing defense in the league. That's simply inexcusable.
Special teams didn't do the team any favors this week, as Ray Ventrone was hit with a couple of questionable holding calls. They didn't hurt the team much either, but we all keep waiting for Josh Cribbs to break one and he hasn't so far.
How serious is the injury to Richardson, and why was he in at all if it were that bad? I would rather them give the ball to Hardesty 25 times than try and force a bad situation to become worse. Richardson's value is infinitely more important in the years to come, not when the team is already down and out. Get him healthy, until then, give it to Hardesty and see what he can do.
The Browns have two more games before their bye week, and to me, it's imperative they win them if Shurmer wants to keep his job next year. San Diego is a winnable game, especially with the way the Chargers keep imploding, but Phillip Rivers is dangerous and it's possible he could light up a weak Browns defense. The following week is a rematch against the Ravens, a team decimated by injuries and who will be coming off a bye after getting manhandled by the Houston Texans. These are two winnable games, much like all the rest this season, but the Browns need to show up on both sides of the ball.
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