Each week the Sports Mixer takes a look back at the previous Browns game, this time a look at the Browns 30-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, and discusses what was learned. This intro is never the same, is it?
Jamaal Charles came to play, unfortunately, the rest of the Chiefs took Sunday off. He ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run on the first place from scrimmage, ultimately compiling 165 yards on 18 carries. That 9.1 average is gaudy, and averaging 5 ypc on his other 17 runs is still high, but considering what happened on that first play, the defense did a nice job clamping down on Charles and hitting him hard every time.
Trent Richardson appears to be hurt, but continues to soldier on and has picked up 9 touchdowns for his pain. Montario Hardesty has done a nice job filling in for Richardson from series to series, picking up 52 yards on 10 carries in this game. He could've had a touchdown, but he fumbled at the goal line, which prompted Pat Shurmer to reinsert Richardson to pick up the touchdown. Hardesty was upset, but he had only himself to blame. His fumbling problems in the preseason landed him third on the depth chart early on. That said, he doesn't waste any time in the backfield. He gets the ball, finds the hole, and runs through it quickly.
Josh Gordon continues to impress, not just with his hands, but with how much better his routes have gotten and how much better he sheds defensive backs at the line of scrimmage. Simply put, he's developing into a top-tier wide receiver at an alarming rate and it's not out of the question that he could reach 1,000 yards receiving. The other thing is he had a drop early in a drive that essentially helped stall it out on a slant. It was a good pass, he just dropped it. He made amends by making the grab on the exact same type of route later on to pick up a quick first down. Is he immune from drops? No, but he makes up for it and doesn't seem to become infected with the dropsies that his counterpart has struggled with.
Speaking of Greg Little, he's really come on strong of late. Since the bye week, he's had maybe on drop, made several tough grabs, and has been superb blocking downfield for other receivers and running backs when he's not getting the ball. Toss in a toss play where he lined up as the running back, and it seems like the Browns and Little are finally figuring out how to put it all together. He's been a different player with the emergence of Gordon, and that's a very good thing.
The defensive line has been impressive, this despite getting gashed at times by Charles. Fact is, Charles has gashed a lot of teams but the Browns made the proper adjustment and limited the damage after the first possession. Then they went after Brady Quinn after the Browns took command of the game in the second half, leading to five sacks.
The secondary looks so much better with Joe Haden out there, but it helps having better play from the defensive line and linebackers. It's allowed Sheldon Brown, Buster Skrine, and Dmitri Patterson to play in more comfortable roles. Quinn isn't a very good quarterback, but they didn't allow him to gain much confidence with his passes.
Travis Benjamin may have played his way into lead returner with his 93 yard return on what was supposed to be a punt block play. In the open field, you can see how challenging it is to bring him down. He blew past the first wave of defenders, then essentially ran past everyone, including his escort of blockers that was initially ahead of him. The punter saw Josh Cribbs coming and said no thanks. From there, Benjamin ran the Browns into the lead and possibly showed Cribbs the door after this season.
The offensive line doesn't do a great job of run blocking, but the improvement in the pass game is clear. Sure, Brandon Weeden gets a number of passes knocked down, but some of that is just because the defense isn't getting to Weeden and is jumping up to block passes. Steve Tasker mentioned on the TV broadcast that Weeden could benefit from a pump fake, a move he tried later in the game. It would have been successful if the defender hadn't managed to grab a hold of Weeden's jersey on the way by, preventing Weeden from putting enough on the pass to score an easy touchdown. Overall though, the line has played well.
Weeden has taken his lumps this season, but he's passed for over 3,000 in his rookie season, won five games, hasn't sustained any major injuries, and has managed to lead sustained drives at critical points the last couple of weeks. You'd like to see the batted passes drop and a little better accuracy, but overall, he's done well enough to earn the starting nod next season in this corner.
Pat Shurmer has taken lumps for his decisions, but he's drastically improved over the last few weeks. Some will question his challenge on the Cribbs run, but this observer couldn't tell if the knee was down and Cribbs deserved at least a chance at that score. The timeout wasn't wasted in the long run as the Browns time management was the best it's been all season long. At one point, this corner had realized that it was late in the game and not once had the Browns used a timeout due to the playclock running down. The imagination on offense was a welcome sight as well as the Browns used the wildcat twice, a double-reverse with Benjamin, and Little out of the backfield for nice gains.
It isn't entirely out of the question for the Browns to run the table and finish 8-8, although it's highly unlikely given the level of competition they have coming up. That said, they're in the playoff hunt still and that's something we haven't been able to say in a few years now. The Redskins game may be the most winnable game on the schedule though, seeing as trips to Denver and Pittsburgh follow this final home game. We'll see how far this team has grown over the next three weeks, or if they falter, how far they still have to go.
Finally, the NFL is such an unpredictable league in that few probably saw the Falcons losing to the Panthers, the Steelers getting rolled by the previously lethargic Chargers, the Texans failing to show up against the Patriots, or the Bears getting run over by the Vikings. It was a tough week for picks but that's what makes football great; any team can win any day.
Showing posts with label montario hardesty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label montario hardesty. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Sports Mixer - After further review
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Sports Mixer - After further review
A look back at last weekend's Browns game with some additional commentary thrown in for good measure.
Yes, I'm doing things differently this week.
Well, that was an atrocious week of picks. I started off well enough, but the afternoon slate of games absolutely bombed me and I needed Peyton Manning's miraculous comeback to finish .500 for the week. But hey, the Browns won! So that makes looking back at this game much easier.
Without further ado, here are the things I took from the game after briefly watching it on DVR.
Brandon Weeden continues to mature in front of us. No, you can't take away his abysmal first start, but you can see the progress being made from week to week. This game is his best simply because of the victory and the fact that he came alive in the second half. Take away the 71 yard bomb to Josh Gordon (more on him in a minute), and the first half was a dud. The second half was different. He was decisive, he was on-time with his throws, he was accurate, and as his 23 yard pass to Jordan Cameron showed, who fell on the route initially, he was patient and didn't give up on plays. Two touchdowns and one interception while being efficient is a good way to win games.
The defense was lifted by the return of Joe Haden despite AJ Green running wild at times. Haden had seven tackles, three knock aways, and an interception, but more importantly, his energy lifted a sagging unit that was missing several starters again. Green got his, but no one else did much against the Browns defense with the exception of one other long touchdown pass.
Montario Hardesty finally showed what he can do when healthy and running hard. In relief of Trent Richardson, Hardesty was quick to the hole and showed a burst I didn't know he had. He also chipped in his first career rushing touchdown. What was even better was seeing all four running backs coming together on the sidelines when Hardesty came off the field.
D'Qwell Jackson recovered nicely from his concussion, helping a defense that was frankly gashed after he left the previous game against the Giants. Is he a huge difference maker in the run game? I can't say for certain, but his return certainly shored up things for a defense missing Scott Fujita, Ahtyba Rubin, Phil Taylor, and Dmitri Patterson.
The Browns finally found some balance with their offensive attack in this game, which made all the difference in the world. There's no better example than on the touchdown pass to Ben Watson, who was left all alone in the endzone when the entire Bengals defense bit hard on playfake by Weeden to Hardesty. Weeden was able to float the pass over the defenders for an easy score that made it 27-17 at the time.
The defense stepped up when needed most, especially in the fourth quarter when the Bengals were attempting to come back. First, following the Watson score, Sheldon Brown picked off Andy Dalton and took it back 19 yards for a score to make it 34-17. Then, after Green hauled in a long touchdown pass, they strip-sacked Dalton when the Bengals were in field goal range. Finally, after Reggie Hodges pinned them down at the five yard line, Ursama Young picked off a desperation pass in the end zone, allowing Weeden and the offense to use the nearly-forgotten victory formation, sealing the victory.
Don't forget Josh Cribbs' importance in this game. He was a beast on special teams, returning a punt for 60 yards and consistently giving the Browns good starting position on kickoffs and punts. It wasn't long ago that people were questioning whether he should be no longer returning kicks and since then, he's responded with several big returns. He's overdue for a touchdown still though.
Josh Gordon is developing into a big-play receiver in a hurry. He doesn't have a ton of receptions, but the ones he's made the last two weeks have been big ones. First there was the 61 yarder against the Giants. This week he decided to haul a 71 yarder through a stiff wind with one hand. That play demonstrated two things: one was Weeden's arm strength to throw the ball through the wind that far; the second was Gordon's ability to catch a difficult throw on the run. He's young, he's still raw, but he's shown a lot of upside.
The coaching staff needed this as much as the players did. Pat Shurmer has been under a lot of heat this year and for once, the coaching wasn't being questioned. Third and one wasn't an issue this week as they converted a number of them. In fact, Weeden was exceptionally good on third down in this game.
The key will be to continue this next week against the Indianapolis Colts, who were demolished by the New York Jets. Richardson left with an injury, but is expected to be healthy, and if Hardesty is running well still, the Browns could pick up a lot of yardage on the ground against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. The Colts have been better just because of the play of fellow rookie Andrew Luck though and will not be an easy team to beat.
Never bet against Peyton Manning on Monday Night Football. Last night, he and the Broncos spotted the Chargers a 24-0 lead at halftime, then came storming back as Phillip Rivers turned the ball over multiple times in the second half. Manning meanwhile was brilliant, leading the charge back with several pretty passes as the Broncos won 35-24. Thank you Peyton for saving my horrible week of picks.
Yes, I'm doing things differently this week.
Well, that was an atrocious week of picks. I started off well enough, but the afternoon slate of games absolutely bombed me and I needed Peyton Manning's miraculous comeback to finish .500 for the week. But hey, the Browns won! So that makes looking back at this game much easier.
Without further ado, here are the things I took from the game after briefly watching it on DVR.
Brandon Weeden continues to mature in front of us. No, you can't take away his abysmal first start, but you can see the progress being made from week to week. This game is his best simply because of the victory and the fact that he came alive in the second half. Take away the 71 yard bomb to Josh Gordon (more on him in a minute), and the first half was a dud. The second half was different. He was decisive, he was on-time with his throws, he was accurate, and as his 23 yard pass to Jordan Cameron showed, who fell on the route initially, he was patient and didn't give up on plays. Two touchdowns and one interception while being efficient is a good way to win games.
The defense was lifted by the return of Joe Haden despite AJ Green running wild at times. Haden had seven tackles, three knock aways, and an interception, but more importantly, his energy lifted a sagging unit that was missing several starters again. Green got his, but no one else did much against the Browns defense with the exception of one other long touchdown pass.
Montario Hardesty finally showed what he can do when healthy and running hard. In relief of Trent Richardson, Hardesty was quick to the hole and showed a burst I didn't know he had. He also chipped in his first career rushing touchdown. What was even better was seeing all four running backs coming together on the sidelines when Hardesty came off the field.
D'Qwell Jackson recovered nicely from his concussion, helping a defense that was frankly gashed after he left the previous game against the Giants. Is he a huge difference maker in the run game? I can't say for certain, but his return certainly shored up things for a defense missing Scott Fujita, Ahtyba Rubin, Phil Taylor, and Dmitri Patterson.
The Browns finally found some balance with their offensive attack in this game, which made all the difference in the world. There's no better example than on the touchdown pass to Ben Watson, who was left all alone in the endzone when the entire Bengals defense bit hard on playfake by Weeden to Hardesty. Weeden was able to float the pass over the defenders for an easy score that made it 27-17 at the time.
The defense stepped up when needed most, especially in the fourth quarter when the Bengals were attempting to come back. First, following the Watson score, Sheldon Brown picked off Andy Dalton and took it back 19 yards for a score to make it 34-17. Then, after Green hauled in a long touchdown pass, they strip-sacked Dalton when the Bengals were in field goal range. Finally, after Reggie Hodges pinned them down at the five yard line, Ursama Young picked off a desperation pass in the end zone, allowing Weeden and the offense to use the nearly-forgotten victory formation, sealing the victory.
Don't forget Josh Cribbs' importance in this game. He was a beast on special teams, returning a punt for 60 yards and consistently giving the Browns good starting position on kickoffs and punts. It wasn't long ago that people were questioning whether he should be no longer returning kicks and since then, he's responded with several big returns. He's overdue for a touchdown still though.
Josh Gordon is developing into a big-play receiver in a hurry. He doesn't have a ton of receptions, but the ones he's made the last two weeks have been big ones. First there was the 61 yarder against the Giants. This week he decided to haul a 71 yarder through a stiff wind with one hand. That play demonstrated two things: one was Weeden's arm strength to throw the ball through the wind that far; the second was Gordon's ability to catch a difficult throw on the run. He's young, he's still raw, but he's shown a lot of upside.
The coaching staff needed this as much as the players did. Pat Shurmer has been under a lot of heat this year and for once, the coaching wasn't being questioned. Third and one wasn't an issue this week as they converted a number of them. In fact, Weeden was exceptionally good on third down in this game.
The key will be to continue this next week against the Indianapolis Colts, who were demolished by the New York Jets. Richardson left with an injury, but is expected to be healthy, and if Hardesty is running well still, the Browns could pick up a lot of yardage on the ground against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. The Colts have been better just because of the play of fellow rookie Andrew Luck though and will not be an easy team to beat.
Never bet against Peyton Manning on Monday Night Football. Last night, he and the Broncos spotted the Chargers a 24-0 lead at halftime, then came storming back as Phillip Rivers turned the ball over multiple times in the second half. Manning meanwhile was brilliant, leading the charge back with several pretty passes as the Broncos won 35-24. Thank you Peyton for saving my horrible week of picks.
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