Well that was a downer, wasn't it Browns fans?
The Cleveland Browns, riding high following a 31-10 dismantling of the Pittsburgh Steelers, went on the road to face the previously winless Jacksonville Jaguars. Confidence was high and many fans had already penciled this game in as a win.
I, having seen 15 years of bad football (2002 and 2007 aside), was worried about this game though. This had the makings of a disaster if the Browns didn't come prepared, and were they ever unprepared.
60 minutes of football passed and the Browns had fallen 24-6, marking the first time this year they had failed to surpass the 20 point mark and marking Brian Hoyer's first truly bad game (more on this in a minute). They didn't block well, they didn't tackle well, and they were sloppy overall. It was a bad display of football, one that hopefully humbles the team and gets them to prepare better for their next two underwhelming opponents.
Offensively, we're used to seeing slow starts from the offense and this week was no different. Luckily the defense started off relatively strong and the Browns carried a 6-0 lead all the way up until around the 2:00 mark of the first half. Mike Pettine probably was a little too cute passing up a field goal to go for it on fourth down, but he made the call. It failed, the Jaguars took over, and Blake Bortles (who's going to be a fine quarterback in this league by the way), marched the Jaguars right down the field for a touchdown that was aided by a blown coverage on one play and shoddy tackling on the touchdown.
The troubling thing about this game was how ineffective the previously strong offensive line was. It showed just how valuable Alex Mack was to this line and how big of a blow it was to lose him. The Jaguars, already touting a stout defensive front, were typically in the backfield all day with just 4 down linemen, making the running game largely non-existent and allowing Hoyer virtually no time to throw.
Now, I've noticed a lot of critics suddenly coming out of the woodwork regarding Hoyer since the end of the game. One blog in particular has been aggressive in pointing out his sub-60% completion rate makes him a bad quarterback. Yes, you'd like to see a completion rate of 60-70%, but there's more to it than just that. If you're going to use the argument the stats tell the story, then you shouldn't be selective on which stats you use.
Hoyer hasn't been as accurate as we'd like, but until yesterday, he'd shown an ability to make a big play when it was needed and avoid the silly mistakes. He also had been the benefactor of good protection, which allowed him to make the reads he needed to make. In yesterday's game, he didn't have that benefit. The Jaguars repeatedly crashed the right side of the Browns' line, forcing early pressure.
Yes, it was bad. But to call for his job after one bad game (and yes, it's been one bad game, not six as some of you are claiming), is ludicrous and misguided. Knee-jerk reactions are part of the problem this organization has had over the last 15 years. If Hoyer was throwing interceptions and unable to put any points on the board over a few games, it would be different. However, until yesterday, they had put up at least 20 points in every game this season.
When was the last time you could say that?
Now, I know many of you have a love affair with Johnny Manziel, but I still don't think his skill set translates over to the pro game. I thought that before the draft, saw it during preseason, and still feel the same. He very well could come in and prove me wrong and I'd certainly eat my share of crow, but I just have this feeling that he's not going to be as successful as others feel.
Hoyer is the least of my concerns with this team.
My first concern is that porous run defense. They were gashed for 111 yards and a touchdown by Denard Robinson. Bortles was able to get off a few good runs as well. And while they did get decent pressure at times, it wasn't nearly consistent enough. The injuries up front aren't helping, but the guys down weren't exactly getting the job done either. This needs to be addressed.
The secondary has been better of late, but they still have a tendency to give up a big play and miss tackles. Tashaun Gipson has justified being given one of the starting safety spots and Donte Whitner hasn't been bad, but hasn't been great either. Buster Skrine has been the best cover corner, which isn't saying a whole lot given how they've played this season.
My big concern going forward though is the offensive line. What was a definite strength going into yesterday's game was reduced to shambles by halftime if we're being honest. The Browns couldn't run the ball, they couldn't give Hoyer time to throw, and just seemed out of sync overall. Maybe another week of practice with John Greco taking snaps will help, but I have doubts given how many times he was pushed back by the Jaguars front four. Paul McQuistan (sp?) didn't fare much better, and Mitchell Schwartz had his issues at times as well.
Some of this was just facing a really good front four at a bad time. I wonder how different this game would've been if Mack was in there, but part of me feels the Jaguars would've caused problems regardless. The one thing they were good at was stopping the run, so it's possible that even with Mack, the Browns still would've struggled.
Finally, I have to raise a few eyebrows at the coaching staff. Kyle Shanahan by large has done a marvelous job calling plays this year, but yesterday it felt like he just couldn't find anything that could get the team going and it felt like the Jaguars' defense was almost always a step ahead of the Browns with every move they made.
Pettine also made some questionable decisions, marking this the first time in his short tenure that I was wondering just what the plan was for this game. It's kind of nice that it took until week 7 to feel that way, but it's still an unnerving feeling that I hope they eliminate next week.
All in all, I want to see how this team responds. Their next two games are at home against the Oakland Raiders (another winless team) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who at this point only have 1 win. It's almost imperative for this team to win both these games and do so impressively. If Hoyer wants to keep this job, he needs to improve his accuracy and continue to limit mistakes. The offensive line needs to do a better job, and the defense needs to stop the run. If they get to Cincinnati at 5-3, that game has a totally different feel to it than if they're 4-4, or worse, 3-5.
If it's that bad, it may already be Johnny Football time in Cleveland.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
The Sports Mixer - New Cavs and Browns Win
As is often the case with me, it's been a while since I've written in here.
Sure, I've had a lot of thoughts about the Indians, Cavs, and Browns, but time has often been the biggest issue. Most of my free time has been spent playing with kids and doing work on my YouTube Channel, so it's taken a backseat, but I felt after watching a riveting display of football yesterday it was time to resume.
I'll try to get something on the Indians in the future, but there isn't much to say other than I feel like this year was a missed opportunity by the Tribe to really make a good push. The issues were many, and yet they still hung around until the last week of the season. Not great, but not horrible either.
Cavalier Caveats
I'll start with the Cavs since their most recent preseason game was a highly anticipated match-up against the Miami Heat from Brazil. It was LeBron James facing his new former team for the first time and it followed some interesting remarks from Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh that the media tried way too hard to make a story line.
This of course has been a dominant issue with the national media, who still can't seem to grasp that James is a Cavalier again. Remember, last time I wrote he hadn't decided his future and I was okay with the team either way.
I won't get too deep in how I think this team has been constructed, but it's been put together smartly by David Griffin and David Blatt seems like a good choice thus far to coach these players. Kevin Love committing beyond this season will be huge, but the Cavs did a nice job and I'm really interested to see how Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, and Kevin Love play with James.
Early preseason results have been promising offensively, as was expected. Obviously, this team is a liability defensively, especially with Love, but it may not matter when they can't be stopped at all on the other end.
The game from Rio was pretty fascinating as the starters pretty much had their way with the Heat, building up a 15 point halftime lead without James doing a lot of scoring. What he did though was provide 8 assists and allowed Love, Waiters, and Anderson Varejao to do the scoring. Tristan Thompson also had a nice game, showing that the Cavs are not going to struggle with offense and rebounding.
The game went to overtime, primarily because the reserves to the reserves let up and the Heat reserves tied the game, but the Cavs pulled it off in overtime 122-119.
The main thing I continue to take away from this team is the ball is going to move. No one stood and dribbled until AJ Price came in and started dribbling around the court. Everyone was involved offensively and the Cavs went to Varejao early and often to establish a post-up game. Varejao didn't disappoint his home crowd, dropping in hook shot after hook shot to the delight of the crowd.
Defensively, there are holes, but unless Love and Irving suddenly stop being turnstiles, there isn't much you can do there. The Heat were able to penetrate with ease in the first quarter, but that seemed to be corrected in the second quarter, when the Cavs took control.
What is clear about this team is that it isn't going to be James and/or Irving dribbling for 15 seconds before using a pick to try and make something happen. The ball is going to swing from side to side, inside back out, and fast breaks are going to be especially fun. I'm most interested to see how Waiters fits into all of this. He's been very good the first two preseason games and is showing interest on the defensive end of the floor, which is going to be huge.
I still don't know who's going to start, but it's going to be a fun year.
Brownie Bits
That was fun yesterday, wasn't it?
It didn't seem like it was going to start off well as the Pittsburgh Steelers marched right down the field, primarily running the ball, but the drive stalled and they settled for a field goal. Then the Browns went three and out again and once again the Steelers were marching down the field. Then luck turned to the Browns and the Steelers botched a field goal attempt.
A few plays later, the Browns were in the end zone and leading 7-3 thanks to a big play from Jordan Cameron from Brian Hoyer and a nice run from Isiah Crowell. The Browns held the Steelers on the next possession and once again the Browns struck with a big play, this time a 51-yard touchdown pass from Hoyer to Cameron on 3rd and 1. It was a perfect throw following a nice play-fake from Hoyer that completely fooled the Steelers defensive backs.
Little did we know at the time the route was on and the Browns went on to win 31-10, scoring at will in the second and third quarters before the Steelers finally got a late touchdown with under 4 minutes remaining in the game. At that point, the outcome was not in doubt and the fans were celebrating in the stands, shooing away the yellow towels that usually inundate the stadium in the third and fourth quarters.
The first thing I'm going to take from that game is the Browns continued commitment to the run, but also ability to be aggressive when the opportunity knocks. Ben Tate didn't have a great game rushing, but he and Crowell kept the Steelers thinking about the run enough for Hoyer to hit his receivers down the field. Hoyer only completed 8 passes, but 7 went beyond 10 yards and kept the crowd ignited. Crowell busted a couple of larger runs, but came down with a case of the yips with some fumbling issues.
The defense, while not entirely stout, did what it had to do to keep the Steelers flustered on offense and avoided the big play, something that had bit them a few times. Buster Skrine in particular had a nice game, bouncing back from last week's disaster.
Special teams have completely cleaned up their act. There haven't been any big returns, but the tackling has been sure and the field goal issues have largely disappeared. They don't kick a lot of them though since Hoyer likes to score touchdowns as opposed to field goals.
The big downside is the injury bug hitting this team hard. Alex Mack was lost for the season most likely with a broken leg when he was caught under a pile of players. Armony Bryant is also done for the year with a torn ACL, further hampering a defensive line that was already missing several players.
They were still gashed pretty badly in the run game, but the defense held together at the right moments and were aided by the Steelers surprising decision to all but abandon the run game once the deficit grew. This is in contrast to the Browns, who have shown that they will run whether down by 3 or 23.
All in all, it's hard to complain and hard to find reasons for first round pick Johnny Manziel to even sniff the field at this stage. Hoyer has shown this is his team and he's not going to just give it up.
The next three games will be far bigger tests to me though. All three should be very winnable, albeit not entirely easy. First up is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were a blocked kick away from their first win. You also have games against a suddenly competitive Oakland Raiders team along with a seemingly demoralized Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. How they approach those games will show us how far they've truly come.
Yes, it's possible that the Browns will be 6-2 once they hit a big showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, but they first need to focus on next week's game and carry this performance over.
Oh, and they might want to get healthy too.
Sure, I've had a lot of thoughts about the Indians, Cavs, and Browns, but time has often been the biggest issue. Most of my free time has been spent playing with kids and doing work on my YouTube Channel, so it's taken a backseat, but I felt after watching a riveting display of football yesterday it was time to resume.
I'll try to get something on the Indians in the future, but there isn't much to say other than I feel like this year was a missed opportunity by the Tribe to really make a good push. The issues were many, and yet they still hung around until the last week of the season. Not great, but not horrible either.
Cavalier Caveats
I'll start with the Cavs since their most recent preseason game was a highly anticipated match-up against the Miami Heat from Brazil. It was LeBron James facing his new former team for the first time and it followed some interesting remarks from Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh that the media tried way too hard to make a story line.
This of course has been a dominant issue with the national media, who still can't seem to grasp that James is a Cavalier again. Remember, last time I wrote he hadn't decided his future and I was okay with the team either way.
I won't get too deep in how I think this team has been constructed, but it's been put together smartly by David Griffin and David Blatt seems like a good choice thus far to coach these players. Kevin Love committing beyond this season will be huge, but the Cavs did a nice job and I'm really interested to see how Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, and Kevin Love play with James.
Early preseason results have been promising offensively, as was expected. Obviously, this team is a liability defensively, especially with Love, but it may not matter when they can't be stopped at all on the other end.
The game from Rio was pretty fascinating as the starters pretty much had their way with the Heat, building up a 15 point halftime lead without James doing a lot of scoring. What he did though was provide 8 assists and allowed Love, Waiters, and Anderson Varejao to do the scoring. Tristan Thompson also had a nice game, showing that the Cavs are not going to struggle with offense and rebounding.
The game went to overtime, primarily because the reserves to the reserves let up and the Heat reserves tied the game, but the Cavs pulled it off in overtime 122-119.
The main thing I continue to take away from this team is the ball is going to move. No one stood and dribbled until AJ Price came in and started dribbling around the court. Everyone was involved offensively and the Cavs went to Varejao early and often to establish a post-up game. Varejao didn't disappoint his home crowd, dropping in hook shot after hook shot to the delight of the crowd.
Defensively, there are holes, but unless Love and Irving suddenly stop being turnstiles, there isn't much you can do there. The Heat were able to penetrate with ease in the first quarter, but that seemed to be corrected in the second quarter, when the Cavs took control.
What is clear about this team is that it isn't going to be James and/or Irving dribbling for 15 seconds before using a pick to try and make something happen. The ball is going to swing from side to side, inside back out, and fast breaks are going to be especially fun. I'm most interested to see how Waiters fits into all of this. He's been very good the first two preseason games and is showing interest on the defensive end of the floor, which is going to be huge.
I still don't know who's going to start, but it's going to be a fun year.
Brownie Bits
That was fun yesterday, wasn't it?
It didn't seem like it was going to start off well as the Pittsburgh Steelers marched right down the field, primarily running the ball, but the drive stalled and they settled for a field goal. Then the Browns went three and out again and once again the Steelers were marching down the field. Then luck turned to the Browns and the Steelers botched a field goal attempt.
A few plays later, the Browns were in the end zone and leading 7-3 thanks to a big play from Jordan Cameron from Brian Hoyer and a nice run from Isiah Crowell. The Browns held the Steelers on the next possession and once again the Browns struck with a big play, this time a 51-yard touchdown pass from Hoyer to Cameron on 3rd and 1. It was a perfect throw following a nice play-fake from Hoyer that completely fooled the Steelers defensive backs.
Little did we know at the time the route was on and the Browns went on to win 31-10, scoring at will in the second and third quarters before the Steelers finally got a late touchdown with under 4 minutes remaining in the game. At that point, the outcome was not in doubt and the fans were celebrating in the stands, shooing away the yellow towels that usually inundate the stadium in the third and fourth quarters.
The first thing I'm going to take from that game is the Browns continued commitment to the run, but also ability to be aggressive when the opportunity knocks. Ben Tate didn't have a great game rushing, but he and Crowell kept the Steelers thinking about the run enough for Hoyer to hit his receivers down the field. Hoyer only completed 8 passes, but 7 went beyond 10 yards and kept the crowd ignited. Crowell busted a couple of larger runs, but came down with a case of the yips with some fumbling issues.
The defense, while not entirely stout, did what it had to do to keep the Steelers flustered on offense and avoided the big play, something that had bit them a few times. Buster Skrine in particular had a nice game, bouncing back from last week's disaster.
Special teams have completely cleaned up their act. There haven't been any big returns, but the tackling has been sure and the field goal issues have largely disappeared. They don't kick a lot of them though since Hoyer likes to score touchdowns as opposed to field goals.
The big downside is the injury bug hitting this team hard. Alex Mack was lost for the season most likely with a broken leg when he was caught under a pile of players. Armony Bryant is also done for the year with a torn ACL, further hampering a defensive line that was already missing several players.
They were still gashed pretty badly in the run game, but the defense held together at the right moments and were aided by the Steelers surprising decision to all but abandon the run game once the deficit grew. This is in contrast to the Browns, who have shown that they will run whether down by 3 or 23.
All in all, it's hard to complain and hard to find reasons for first round pick Johnny Manziel to even sniff the field at this stage. Hoyer has shown this is his team and he's not going to just give it up.
The next three games will be far bigger tests to me though. All three should be very winnable, albeit not entirely easy. First up is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were a blocked kick away from their first win. You also have games against a suddenly competitive Oakland Raiders team along with a seemingly demoralized Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. How they approach those games will show us how far they've truly come.
Yes, it's possible that the Browns will be 6-2 once they hit a big showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, but they first need to focus on next week's game and carry this performance over.
Oh, and they might want to get healthy too.
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