If you are old enough to remember what the Cleveland Browns franchise was in the 1960’s and early 70’s, watching a game like the 16-0 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens isn’t disgusting, it’s sad. A team, who the greatest running back ever to play the sport, Jim Brown, now struggles to get first downs.
The team which had one of the greatest wide receivers in pro football history in Paul Warfield, now can’t complete a pass over ten yards. They couldn’t get past their opponents’ 40-yard line on Monday.
A franchise, which counts among its alumni guys like Otto Graham and Bernie Kosar, has reduced its passing attack to arguably the worst the league has seen in the last 20 years.
When you think back to a time when the Browns were the flagship team of the NFL at that time, it makes you long for the days when you expected the brown and orange to win every Sunday. Now, you just hope they don’t embarrass themselves.
And you get disappointed when they do.
Last night, the defense played hard and played well, holding the Ravens to just 274 yards of offense, and limiting them to just ten points, and those were the result of turnovers. They had one huge breakdown; CB Brandon McDonald whiffed on a tackle turning an 8-yard gain into a 30-yard gain.
You feel for guys like Shaun Rogers, Robaire Smith, and rookie Kaluka Maiava who played hard, leaving everything on the field. However, the best the defense can hope for is a scoreless tie, because they offense is so inept.
The Browns gained 160 yards of total offense, an amateurish performance. They have scored five offensive touchdowns in the last 15 games, an abysmal rate. Somehow, Brian Daboll continues to have the authority to call plays, which is mind-boggling.
The offensive line provided no time for Brady Quinn to throw the ball, and when the quarterback did throw, several passes were badly off target. When Quinn hit the target, the receivers dropped the ball. The mistakes keep mounting.
The play calling on first down is vanilla, most likely a run. After ripping off a 13-yard on his first carry, Jamal Lewis gained just 23 yards on his other nine carries. What’s wrong with throwing a five or six yard pass on first down? We certainly know the team has these plays in their playbook, because they seem to use them on 3rd and long.
What is the offense trying to do? Are they trying to run the ball? The play calling is disjointed at best. Both Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden pointed out that there is no rhythm to the offense, and it has been that way the entire season. There is one solution that is so obvious, and that is to have someone else call the plays.
If you throw on first down, you might have a chance to get the throw off and go downfield a little bit. Every pass seems to be a screen pass. When was the last time you saw a Browns’ receiver run a crossing route? That seems to be a staple throughout the league.
Right now, no one remembers how good the Cleveland Browns used to be. Football fans watch a game like last night’s and see an offense that is an embarrassment. Does the team need more talent? Of course, it does. However, there seems to be no plan to make the best use of the players they do have.
That’s what coaching is all about. You can draw your own conclusion.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 