I’m pretty sure that Browns’ coach Romeo Crennel didn’t have an 0-3 record in his plans for the pre-season games. However, that’s what the record shows after Saturday’s 26-6 loss to the Detroit Lions. It was an uninspired performance to be sure, but once again it is more important to look at individual performances that the score of the game. Watching the offense, it’s pretty clear it was a vanilla attack, devoid of pre-snap motion. That being said, Brady Quinn still didn’t perform like he’s capable of taking Derek Anderson’s starting job any time soon.
Defensively, the weakness in the secondary showed up once again. Keep in mind; both starting safeties (Brodney Pool and Sean Jones) missed the game with injuries. However, Jon Kitna decided to attack the Browns through the air, and was quite successful doing it. When Detroit tried to run, they weren’t successful as Shaun Rogers led a defensive front, which achieved good penetration against the rush. It could be a case where Cleveland leads the league in defense against the rush because it is much easier to throw against this unit.
Another problem the defense had was making tackles. There were plenty of opportunities to stop the Lions behind the line of scrimmage, only to see guys in silver helmets escape for either a small gain, or in the case of Kevin Jones, go some 30 yards for a touchdown. It’s great to penetrate the offensive line, but you have to follow up by making the tackle. That’s fundamental football. The secondary problems could be the result of being vanilla on defense too, but poor tackling is not a result of a lack of a game plan.
Offensively, the right side of the line has to be a concern. The left side is fine with Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, but it appears the team needs Ryan Tucker back soon. Kevin Shaffer and Rex Hadnot could not stop the Detroit defensive front from getting into the Cleveland backfield. Also, the receivers behind the starters pretty much showed nothing. Did Travis Wilson even play? Everyone knew depth would be a problem, but it is for many NFL teams.
Quinn threw the ball downfield on his first pass, but the rest of the afternoon was spent throwing short passes and avoiding Lions who visited him in his own backfield. He may be a great quarterback someday, but that day is not imminent. All the fans that want the former Notre Dame product to start should take a hard look at the tape of this game.
Still, it’s not time to panic. The Browns had several key players out on Saturday, including their quarterback, their best wide receiver, their best running back, and both starting safeties. Thankfully, these are not long-term injuries. However, it would be prudent to play some of these guys Thursday night against the Bears, if they are able to play. It would be very tough for these guys to be ready for Dallas if they haven’t played in nearly three weeks.
Remember, some teams play these games to win, some teams run basic stuff that they would never run in the regular season. It appears the Browns are one of those teams. However, they need to get some of the nicked up players back in the lineup. When the Cleveland Browns take the field against the Cowboys on September 7th, they will have an 0-0 record.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 