About the Browns' West Coast offense...
View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerWith Peyton Hillis the lone Browns offensive player who has earned the attention of opposing defenses, fans' dismay over the struggles of last week may be a bit misplaced, says Terry Pluto.
1. I've been getting emails calling what the Browns run "The Worst Coast offense" or that it's the same old stuff. Many fans have already seen enough. Others, such as Mark Murphy and Doug Leedy, sent thoughtful emails, but they are just frustrated by the lack of production.
2. Let's start with the scoreboard, where the offense did put up 17 points in the 27-17 loss to the Bengals. Hard to believe, but that's more than they scored in
seven games in 2010 ... and
nine games in 2009 ... and
10 games in 2008. That's three seasons with two head coaches (Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini) and five quarterbacks (Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace and Colt McCoy).
3. In the last three years, the offense has ranked 29th, 32nd and 31st out of 32 teams. That screams for a new approach. They have played one game with the West Coast offense, one game with a new head coach who is also calling the plays.
4. The offense drove me crazy with all the penalties and the sluggish and ragged approach in the fourth quarter. But let's not act as if this is the worst offense we've seen. The Browns failed to score more than 17 points in their final five games last season, and that includes a 19-17 loss to the Bengals.
5. The team opened the season with one established offensive weapon -- Peyton Hillis. His 1,117 yards rushing last season was his first good year. Ben Watson (68 catches), Hillis (61) and Chansi Stuckey (40) were the three leading receivers last season. In 2009, Mohamed Massaquoi led the team with 34 catches.
6. So let's not pretend that Pat Shurmur inherited the Browns of the 1980s. His quarterback entered the year with eight pro starts. Hillis had one good year. Watson is an above-average tight end. As for everyone else, they are still trying to establish themselves.
7. Former Browns coach Chris Palmer once told me, "If you want to evaluate your talent on offense, pretend you are the opposing defensive coordinator. Then ask yourself what players worry you." On the Browns, it's Hillis. No receiver is worthy of double coverage. McCoy is still trying to figure out the pro game.
8. The bottom line is it's way to early to make any significant judgments, other than the stupid penalties are just that -- stupid -- and need to be cleaned up. We also have a chance to see if the Browns can make any adjustments after the first week, which will begin to reveal more about the new coaching staff -- and if they can develop some of the young talent.
About the defense...
View full sizeLisa DeJong, The Plain DealerPhil Taylor's NFL debut merits some smiles around the Browns.
1. If Phil Taylor plays every game close to how he performed in the opener, the No. 1 pick will make his team very happy. Taylor had five solo tackles, two for losses. He also was credited with a quarterback hit, and he combined with Jayme Mitchell to make the left side of the line a place the Bengals avoided.
2. This from profootballfocus.com: "When a defensive tackle makes five defensive stops, you know he's had a good game. Taylor was a handful all day and earned ... our highest grade for a DT this week."
3. Yes, the Browns gave up that 39-yard Cedric Benson touchdown run with 1:59 remaining. Coach Pat Shurmur said they were selling out on defense to make a big play. He didn't go into depth, but odds are they were overloading to the right side, where Benson had been crunching the Browns.
4. Based on the first game, the right side of the defense -- Mitchell, Taylor and linebacker Scott Fujita -- appears strong. D'Qwell Jackson had an outstanding game at middle linebacker. He played all 69 snaps, he had two sacks, 11 tackles and seemed near the ball on every play. That indicates that not only was Taylor effective, but so was fellow defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin. Those big men kept the blockers off Jackson.
5. The problem was rookie left end Jabaal Sheard and linebacker Chris Gocong. They could not stop Benson running those sweeps. Sheard missed only seven snaps, and probably was on the field too much. Perhaps Marcus Benard can help, although he's mostly known as a pass-rushing defensive end. This is not about writing off Sheard, but keeping him fresh and also doing something with right side of the line.
6. There were 69 defensive snaps. Mitchell played 63, a real load considering he played only 74 the previous two years combined. Other snap counts on the line: Sheard (62), Rubin (57), Taylor (50), Scott Paxson (14), Benard (11) and Brian Schaefering (10).
7. In passing situations, the Browns took Gocong (43 snaps) off the field, and replaced him with Dimitri Patterson, a defensive back. They usually went with four linemen, Jackson and Fujita at linebacker and five defensive backs. Michael Adams (39 snaps) and Usama Young (29) split the free safety spot.
8. I will be speaking Saturday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. at the Columbia Station Library. It's free, and I'll be glad to sign books.
About Joe Haden...
View full sizePhil Masturzo, Akron Beacon-JournalSure, Joe Haden is expressive and enthusiastic, but frustrated fans looking for someone to blame for a Game 1 loss are mistaken if they direct their anger at him, says Terry Pluto.
1. I've been getting some emails about Joe Haden. He "celebrates too much." He "should catch some of those passes for interceptions, rather than knock them down." I understand fans were frustrated, but Haden is not the problem. If most of the Browns played even close to Haden's caliber, the 27-17 loss to Cincinnati would have been an easy victory.
2. Haden was credited with five passes defended. That's a tremendous stat. Consider that Brent Grimes led the NFL with 28 last season. Haden ranked No. 5 with 24. According to profootballfocus.com, there were 11 passes thrown in Haden's area, and only three completions. One was the 41-yarder to A.J. Green when the Browns were asleep in the huddle.
3. Does Haden get very excited? Yes. But he doesn't spend a lot of time taunting the other team. Rather, he wants to fire up his guys and the fans. Know what the Browns have in Joe Haden? Their next annual Pro Bowl selection like Joe Thomas -- along with a guy who played at Florida, loves Cleveland and has embraced the community and its teams.
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2011/09/terry_plutos_talkin_about_the_40.html
