Pettine’s Problem: Stubbornness

In our humble opinion, the best attributes a coach can have are flexibility and being able to take a chance on greatness.

You have to be able to recognize what works and what doesn’t work, and you have to be able to project what a young, untested player can give you as opposed to an older player, who isn’t getting any better.

By contrast, that would mean the worst traits coaches can have is stubbornness and a propensity to cling to veteran players.

After watching Cleveland Browns’ coach Mike Pettine in his season and a half with the franchise, the latter would seem to describe him, and that’s not a good sign.

Last week, when questioned by the local media about his defensive scheme, which came under fire after an article on Sports Illustrated’s web site, Pettine defended the unit saying that the plan works.

Except that it doesn’t, at least against the running game.

As defensive coordinator with Buffalo in 2013, the Bills ranked 27th in the NFL in stopping the run. Last year, the Browns ranked last in this category. This year through seven games? Yes, that’s right, again last.

So, to recap, over the last two and a half seasons, the defense run by Pettine and his defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil have been trampled by the opposing team’s running game.

And it’s not like they have faced Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith, and Barry Sanders either.

Dexter McCluster gained 98 yards against the Browns, more than half his total for the season. Oakland’s Latavius Murray rushed for 139 yards, 54 more than in any other game thus far this year.

So, Coach Pettine. The scheme doesn’t work.

What is more disturbing is the coach’s insistence that nothing is wrong, and it doesn’t appear changes will be made.

Yes, the first half against the Rams wasn’t bad. Unfortunately, for the Browns’ defense, the NFL requires teams to play a second 30 minutes of football, and the old problems crept up again.

In terms of playing young guys, it seems Pettine only plays them if there are no other alternatives.

First round pick Danny Shelton is a starter, but what alternative was there at the start of camp? Phil Taylor was hurt. And now that Jamie Meder has shown that he has ability, Shelton’s snaps have decreased.

Cameron Irving can’t get on the field. Joel Bitonio did start from game one in 2014, but again, it’s not like the Browns had a lot of alternatives.

And in terms of Justin Gilbert, how do we really know he can’t play? Because he got torched in a scrimmage this past summer?

Look, we aren’t saying he’s Darrelle Revis, but he never gets on the field defensively. Could you sign an affidavit saying he can’t do the job based on your eyes?

Remember, the Browns used special teams player Johnson Bademosi against San Diego instead of Gilbert.

Why would you play TE Rob Housler in limited time instead of rookie E.J. Bibbs, who played well in the pre-season?

And you also have the curious case of Barkevious Mingo, a superior athlete that the coaching staff seemingly cannot find a way to use.

The people who say we need to see what we have in Johnny Manziel should feel the same way about Gilbert, Mingo, Irving, and several others.

The only thing worse than being a bad team is to be a bad, old team.

Hopefully, Pettine will change, but he may have to be fired to do so. Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that. But that’s what it took for another defensive minded head coach here in the early 90’s. He went on to have a pretty good career.

Time To Hold Pettine “Accountable”

Three results jumped out to us among the early results from the NFL today.

Jacksonville 34 Buffalo 31
St. Louis 24, Cleveland 6Miami 44 Houston 20

This doesn’t have anything to do with former Browns’ QB Brian Hoyer, on the wrong end of the massacre by the Dolphins, but it does have to do with the coaching staffs of the Bills, Browns, and Dolphins.

Much has been made about new Miami coach Dan Campbell trying to make his team tougher, more physical, and his team has won two in a row.

How long will that last? Who knows. But it is interesting to see a coach who has a philosophy in his mind and at least for two weeks makes sure it is carried out.

Since the end of last week’s games, when Buffalo lost to Cincinnati, we have had the mindset that Rex Ryan is the epitome of a fake tough guy. He talks a good game, but really, his teams aren’t a success.

His first two seasons with the Jets, he was 20-12 and got his team to the AFC Championship game.

Since then, his coaching record is 29-42, with no seasons over .500.

The first fruit off the Rex Ryan coaching tree is Pettine, and he is appearing to be more and more like his former boss.

Despite slogans like “play like a Brown”, “control the controlables”, and the talk of accountability, the Cleveland Browns appear to be a team in search of a style of play, and continue to make mistake after mistake without any accountability.

And after a 7-5 start to his head coaching career, the Browns have lost 9 of their last 11 games.

Today’s loss to the Rams was nothing different. Turnovers, penalties, and another weak performance by the head coach’s specialty, the defense, led to the defeat.

Pettine came to town with the talk of making this team a physical one, one that played with toughness. That may be true of individual players, but this is a football squad that cannot run the ball efficiently, and they have been the worst team in the NFL in stopping the run since Pettine arrived here.

Offensively, the offensive line, despite a collection of Pro Bowlers and high draft picks, had a dubious distinction today, as every one of them except for Alex Mack was called for either a false start or a holding call.

And they fumbled four times, twice by Josh McCown, who is having a solid season, but you can’t turn the ball over that many times, particularly on the road, and win football games.

The first two errors put the Browns in a 10-0 hole four and a half minutes into the game that they never recovered from.

Pettine defended the defensive scheme earlier this week after a former Browns’ website writer said players told him it was too complicated, but whether it is or isn’t, it isn’t working. The coach’s stubbornness in making adjustment is a weakness of a first time head coach.

He’s rather lose his way than be flexible and win.

We have said it the last three weeks and will say it again…if you can’t run the ball and stop the run in the NFL, you can’t win football games consistently.

The run defense was solid early, but again, gave up big chunk plays, particularly in the second half, and usually right after the Browns score.

Yes, yes, the offense only scored six points today, and the defense really only allowed 17 today, but you can count on them giving up a big play after a score.

What can be done? Nothing unless the coaching staff decides to stop talking in clichés and starts adjusting playing time based on merit. It seems like veterans get to mess up without consequence and young guys lose playing time.

At 2-5 and with the Cardinals coming in next Sunday, it might be time to start thinking about next spring’s draft.

Oh, and as an aside, although it didn’t cost the Browns today or really any Sunday, the officiating in the NFL continues to be atrocious. Thanks for fixing that, Commissioner Goodell.

Haslam Needs To Give Pettine Okay To Play Young Guys

Even though the Cleveland Browns last three games could have went either way, all three went to overtime, it seems the media seems hell-bent to continue with the dysfunctional scenario.

At the beginning of the season, no one would have figured the games against San Diego on the road, and Denver, with future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning would be winnable contests, but they very much were, and the brown and orange lost on the last play of the game.

Coach Mike Pettine seems to be frustrated by the losses in two of the games, and he is showing that in his dealings with the media.

He is getting testy about the performance of the defense, his supposed field of expertise, as that unit has been the reason the Browns are 2-4 to date instead of having that record reversed.

Our guess is that Pettine and probably GM Ray Farmer are both concerned with job security, based on the past during Jimmy Haslam’s ownership.

The owner has already started at the start of training camp that he has no plans to make changes to either position, but that was when optimism was high, as it always is, so Haslam’s words can be discounted a bit.

Pettine and Farmer privately have to wonder, despite the reassurance, what would happen if the Browns finished up at 2-14 or 3-13, records the pessimistic fans and media alike predicted.

That has to wear on both men.

This is where Haslam has to take the leadership reins. He needs to tell both the coach and GM that they will be back next year to allow them to make some decisions with next season in mind.

Pettine seems to favor veterans, and that isn’t a trait coaches of losing teams should have. However, does that have to do with the insecurity he may feel in his position, which converts into a need to win now?

On the other hand, his best chance to win may be to play the younger guys.

Out of the over 30 that have been brought in over the past two years, really only Karlos Dansby and Tramon Williams have performed to standards.

It is time to see what Justin Gilbert can do. Against San Diego, Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil went with special teams standout Johnson Bademosi at corner instead of Gilbert. Why? Probably because the coach didn’t want to lose the game because of a mistake made by the rookie.

On the other hand, Barkevious Mingo should be on the field more, because he is showing that he is an athletic freak. He broke up a pass a week ago, and soared to pick off Peyton Manning on Sunday.

The coaching staff should be encouraged to find a spot on the field for him. Maybe the reason he is being classified as a “bust” is because he’s not getting an opportunity.

Danny Shelton’s playing time was cut, Nate Orchard gets more time. There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason as to which younger players get time or not.

If the Cleveland Browns want to develop a winning system, it starts with playing younger guys together so they can develop chemistry, a unit so to speak.

To do that, the coaching staff needs to know it is in for the long haul.

That’s up to Mr. Haslam.

Errors By McCown, Pettine, Run Defense Kills Browns

If the Cleveland Browns pulled a victory out of their collective rear ends last week on the road against Baltimore, today was probably the gods of fate evening things out, as Cleveland dropped to 2-4 on the season with an overtime loss to the Denver Broncos 26-23.

Denver out gained Cleveland 442 to 298, so it would appear the Broncos dominated the game, but it was several mistakes by Mike Pettine’s team, including one by Pettine himself, that cost the Browns the contest.

Josh McCown was the reigning AFC offensive player of the week, but he made two colossal errors to aid Denver’s cause.

The first was a pick six by Aquib Talib on the second play of the second quarter. McCown was looking for Travis Benjamin on a short pass to the sideline and apparently never saw the Denver cornerback, who stepped in front of Benjamin and went 63 yards for a score to make it 10-0 Broncos.

The second was with the game tied at 23-23 with a minute to go in regulation with the ball in Denver territory. McCown was trying to throw the ball away, we guess, and instead was picked off by David Bruton on the 31 yard line.

Instead of having a chance to win, Cleveland had to sweat out a final drive by Peyton Manning.

The coach’s mistake was chasing points.

After Karlos Dansby picked off Manning and returned the ball 35 yards for a TD to give the home team a 20-16 lead, Pettine decided to go for two.

We are sure there is some idiotic chart that says to do that, but there was really no point there. If the Browns converted, they would have a 22-16 lead, one that still would have been erased by a Denver touchdown.

And to the people saying they would have went for two after a TD, why would they? It would have been 23-21 with a kick and a field goal would have still tied the game.

And those people are assuming the Broncos would have made it, which the Browns didn’t. That point haunts the Browns in a game that went to overtime.

Last, but not least, the horrific run defense came back to rear its ugly head. Jim O’Neil’s unit gave up 152 yards on the ground again, including 34 on the game winning drive in OT.

Ronnie Hillman wound up with 111 yards on 20 carries, his second effort of that type this season, but in that one (vs. Minnesota) he had a 72-yard run.

The defense also continued its annoying practice of not being able to protect a lead.

After Dansby’s pick gave Cleveland a ~~five~~, four point lead, it took the Broncos just one, that’s right just one play to take the lead back after a 75-yard strike from Manning to Demaryius Thomas.

You cannot be a winning football team if you cannot hold leads.

What is particularly troubling is that this is Pettine’s supposed area of expertise. Here’s hoping Pettine isn’t becoming like his mentor, Rex Ryan, who seems more and more to be good at talking, but not so good at results.

Other thoughts…

Barkevious Mingo had an interception in overtime which gave the Browns a short field they couldn’t capitalize on. Last week, he batted a pass away near the goal line.

The guy may not be worth the sixth overall pick, but he is an athletic freak, and we would like to know why the coaching staff can’t find a way to use him.

Travis Benjamin continues to impress, grabbing 9 passes for 117 yards. Maybe the Browns have a #1 wide out on their roster after all.

The three running back (Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, and Robert Turbin) combined for 99 yards on 30 carries, a solid day on the ground. Hopefully, that’s an area of the team that will continue to improve.

Now it’s on to St. Louis for a date next Sunday with the Rams.

The Cleveland Browns can’t make many mistakes if they want to win football games. They made too many today to get it done.

Proof That Poor Defense Vs. Run Means No Success

Following the Browns’ 33-30 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, we discussed again the team’s lack of success in stopping the ground game.

We have always believed that if you can’t run the ball and cannot stop the run, you will not be a successful NFL team.

Checking out the last three complete NFL seasons, here is what we found.

For 2014, the five best teams in stopping the run (with their record in parenthesis) are as follows–

Detroit (11-5)
Denver (12-4)
Seattle (12-4)
Baltimore (10-6)
New York Jets (4-12)

Four of the five teams won more than ten games, a mark of big time success in pro football. Here are the worst teams in stopping the run last season:

Cleveland (7-9)
Tennessee (2-14)
New York Giants (6-10)
New Orleans (7-9)
Kansas City (9-7)

Outside of the Chiefs, those teams did not have a winning record.

It’s not much different in 2013.

BEST VS. RUN
Arizona (10-6)
Carolina (12-4)
New York Jets (8-8)
San Francisco (12-4)
Cincinnati (11-5)

WORST VS. RUN
Chicago (8-8)
Atlanta (4-12)
New England (12-4)
Jacksonville (4-12)
Buffalo (6-10)

Apparently, unless you have Tom Brady as your quarterback, you aren’t making the playoffs if you can’t stop the opponent from running the ball.

It’s more of the same in 2012. The worst teams in stopping the ground game were New Orleans (7-9), Buffalo (6-10), Jacksonville (2-14), Indianapolis (11-5), and Arizona (5-11).

Again, if you have Andrew Luck behind center, you can overcome not being able to defend the run.

The best teams at stopping the run in ’12 were Tampa Bay (7-9), Pittsburgh (8-8), Denver (13-3), San Francisco (11-4-1), and Washington (10-6).

Maybe Robert Griffin III wasn’t solely responsible for the Redskins success that year.

So, what conclusions can be made?

In the last three seasons, only two of the 15 teams who were the worst defensively against the run had any success and both of them have great quarterbacks that allowed them to overcome it.

On the other hand, 11 of the 15 teams who were able to stop the run won 10 games or more.

That’s a pretty strong indictment that you cannot be weak in stopping the run and still be a successful team in the NFL.

Apparently, the Browns’ coaching staff and front office do not look at those numbers because as you can see, they were worst in the NFL in this category a year ago, and five games into this season, they have not improved.

We found it funny yesterday that when Scott Solomon was put on the injured reserve list yesterday, Cleveland replaced him with a defensive back.

We know Joe Haden will miss the game against Denver on Sunday, so there is a need there (insert your Justin Gilbert comment here), but it is equally clear the Browns need help against the run.

Mike Pettine seems to feel that since the NFL is a passing league these days, it is of utmost importance to defend it. He’s right, but you can’t ignore the running game.

Right now, the Browns would be better off with the old “rubberband” defenses they had in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

At least then, they wouldn’t be getting gashed for big gains consistently. Right now, they are giving up about four plays of 20+ yards on a weekly basis.

The Browns need to address this weakness, and need to do it right now. They may have to make some concessions in pass defense to do it, but the numbers show, not stopping the run means you will likely have a losing record.

Browns Offense Overcomes More Defensive Struggles

In a battle of teams basically playing for relevance to their seasons, the Cleveland Browns prevailed, beating the Baltimore Ravens in overtime, 33-30 to raise their record to 2-3 on the year.

Although the subject of sports talkers regarding the Browns this year (and really, the last umpteen years) has revolved around the lack of a franchise quarterback and a big time wide receiver, the Cleveland offense continues to click, scoring 108 points over the last four games, an average of 27 per contest.

That will win you a lot of games in the NFL, but unfortunately, and not to be a “Debbie Downer” after a victory, the Cleveland defense needs to get better, because it almost cost the team a win once again.

Josh McCown may be a journeyman QB, and he may have piloted some bad football teams during his career, but he guided Cleveland to 505 total yards today, and the aforementioned 33 points.

He completed 36 passes in 51 attempts for 457 yards, two touchdowns, and a two point conversion with gave Mike Pettine’s team a three point lead with a little over three minutes to go.

The running game struggled, but gained tough yardage down the stretch, with Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson getting enough yards to put the offense in very makeable third down situations.

And TE Gary Barnidge continues to be a huge factor, grabbing eight passes for 139 yards and another spectacular catch for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Johnson and Crowell were big factors in the passing game too, with the latter putting Cleveland ahead 30-27 with a 22-yard catch and run with three minutes left.

However, the defense struggled once again, and almost cost the team a victory.

Pettine can stand at the podium and tell everyone that unit is not a problem, but all he is doing is looking like a man who’s head is firmly entrenched in the sand.

The Ravens ran for 181 more yards against a unit that already ranked 2nd last in the NFL. And the Cleveland defense allowed four more plays of more than 20 yards, including a 32-yard gain on a short pass to Justin Forsett with around a minute and a half to go, which set the Ravens up for a possible go ahead touchdown.

Fortunately, the defense stiffened, and Baltimore could only tie the game and force overtime.

Let’s repeat this again, with the caps intentional…YOU CANNOT WIN IN THE NFL WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO RUN THE BALL AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO STOP THE RUN!!!

Until Pettine and his staff put a priority on stopping the opposition’s ground game, the Browns will not be a good football team. Period.

Other thoughts from today…

The officiating is ruining the NFL product. There were 21 penalties accepted today, with the worst one almost costing the Browns in the 4th quarter. The unnecessary roughness call on K’Waun Williams was simply horrible. He made a football play.

Another weakness of the Browns’ defense is they aren’t forcing turnovers. None today, none last week, and one recovered fumble vs. Oakland.

Travis Coons looks like the next Phil Dawson. The rookie made four field goals today including the game winner. He hasn’t missed at all this season (knock on wood).

The safeties led the Browns in tackles today (Jordan Poyer and Donte Whitner). Where are the linebackers in the run game? Nate Orchard and Tank Carder had four stops each. Maybe more playing time for both of them?

Next on the slate is Denver at First Energy Stadium next week. Peyton Manning is one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, but the Broncos would be crazy to not run the ball next Sunday.

Maybe as crazy as Pettine if he doesn’t realize the defense needs some changes.

Pettine Not Winning PR War.

Mike Pettine has always had a good relationship with the fans of the Cleveland Browns. He has a tough, no-nonsense persona that is important for a football coach, particularly in this region.

It helps that the Browns got off to a good start last year in his first year at the helm, and even though the team slumped at the end of the season, Pettine’s team showed a three win improvement from the prior year, and Cleveland managed to avoid losing ten games for the first time since 2007.

This season’s bad start, not only by record (1-3 meaning the Browns have lost 8 of their last 9 contests), but also the way the team has looked, have fans questioning the head coach for the first time in his tenure.

That may not be fair just 20 games into his time as a head coach, but Pettine has a defensive background during his career in the NFL, and that is the unit that is currently faltering as the season has played so far.

In his press conference on Monday, Pettine didn’t help himself in gaining the fans confidence when he told them that no changes were coming on the defensive side of the ball, and the Browns just needed to play better.

While that may be true, and the film study showed that the schemes and play calls when San Diego had the ball were good and it was one player, albeit a different one each play, who was in the wrong position and caused the huge chunks of yardage being picked up by the Chargers, it still was the wrong thing to say.

What the head coach should have said was something like this:

“We are not satisfied by our performance yesterday, and the coaches and I will study the game film carefully and I promise we will fix what went wrong. We will do everything in our power to get this defense up to the level it needs to be to win football games in the National Football League”.

Is that so difficult?

Pettine might be too honest for his own good, and what is particularly confusing here is that he has been pretty good at saying the right thing at the right time since he became the head coach a year and a half ago.

Part of his job is public relations, whether he likes it or not. It’s his job to communicate to the fans through the media, and he should realize that nobody, particularly the coaching staff should be satisfied with what was transpired over the season’s first four games.

And we are sure he knows that. That’s why his comments were confusing.

He’s probably into protection mode with his defensive coordinator, Jim O’Neil, who has been with him since they were assistants together with the Jets.

He doesn’t want to throw his buddy under the bus, but he could say that O’Neil is a quality coordinator and defensive coach, and he is confident in his ability to correct the problems the defense has had.

That’s what was needed, but instead we heard stubbornness, the mortal enemy of unsuccessful head coaches.

If something is broken, it needs to be fixed.

Mike Pettine knows that, we are confident that he does. Why he chose to communicate poorly in this situation is a bit of a mystery.

Browns’ Defense Needs Fixing…And Now Would Be Good

Probably the most disheartening defeat the Cleveland Browns had since their return to the NFL in 1999 was the Dwayne Rudd helmet game, when he was penalized for taking his helmet off on what would have been the last play of the game, and instead the Kansas City Chiefs were able to kick a game-winning field goal.

Mr. Rudd is now off the hook.

Today, Tramon Williams, a nine-year NFL veteran, jumped offside as San Diego kicker Josh Lambo missed a 39-yard field goal, which would have sent the game into overtime.

Instead, Lambo made a 34-yarder and the Browns dropped to 1-3 after a 30-27 loss to the Chargers.

Play like a Brown, indeed.

And while we are sure the sports talk in Cleveland will continue the “who should start at quarterback” debate that rages annually in this town, the real question should be “why does this defense stink?”

The Chargers came into this game with a battered offensive line, and had wide receivers leaving the game, and yet, Mike Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s defense couldn’t slow, let alone stop, the San Diego offense.

Philip Rivers led the Lightning Bolt attack to 438 total yards, and only sacked Rivers twice, while allowing big play after big play, particularly in the second half.

The Cleveland defense allowed five plays of over 20 yards, three of them in the second half, and two of those immediately after the Browns scored, one to take the lead, and the other to close within one point.

Right now, the defense is akin to having a bad bullpen in baseball. You fight to score and take a lead or to get close, and the defense gives up a huge play to give it away.

Pettine came into the game saying San Diego RB Danny Woodhead was a match up nightmare, but apparently he didn’t do anything about that, as Woodhead took a short pass over the middle and ran 61 yards to the CLE 19 after the Browns took a 16-13 lead.

Then, he ran for 19 yards on the last drive to put the Chargers into field goal range, which after Williams’ gaffe, they converted to win the game.

Pettine needs to get this fixed now. And we don’t want to hear excuses (from fans, Pettine won’t make them) that Joe Haden was hurt, and Tashaun Gipson was nicked up too.

The front office and coaching staff has spent many high draft choices and money on free agency on the defense, and to continue to get this kind of result is a disgrace.

It is time to either change personnel and/or scheme, because it isn’t working for Pettine and O’Neil.

It is ironic that one of the sack the Browns had today was from a rookie, DE Xavier Cooper. Maybe more youngsters should be on the field.

Donte Whitner had seven tackles to lead the team, but how many do you remember as being a big play?

The offense gained 432 yards, controlled the ball for 34 minutes, and put 27 points on the board, so you cannot blame them, no matter how many big play guys they are supposed to be lacking.

A couple other thoughts…

People have been asking about using last year’s first round pick, Justin Gilbert, on kick returns, something he excelled at in college. He returned three kickoffs for an average of 36.7 yards per return. Why wasn’t he used there sooner?

Cleveland threw on the first three plays of the game, and 10 of the first 16 plays. Again, running the ball is a mindset, and the Browns seem confused as to how they should play with the ball. Maybe Pettine can communicate this to offensive coordinator John DiFillippo.

The receiving corps is productive without any contribution from Dwayne Bowe. Cut him, and bring in a player who can impact the performance within a game.

Now it’s on to Baltimore with the Ravens coming off a win that salvaged their season, at least for now.

If the coaching staff cannot fix the defense, the Browns season may be beyond that point.

Browns Continue to Search For Identity

If you ask Browns’ coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer to tell you how they envisioned their team winning games this season, we are sure they would tell you victory could be accomplished with a strong defense and an offense that can run the ball effectively.

Three games into the season, they better improve that plan or come up with a new one because both were virtually non-existent in today’s 27-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders, which dropped the Browns to 1-2 on the season.

The Raiders gashed the Cleveland defense all day long, and as you can well imagine, if the Browns’ supposed best defender, CB Joe Haden, is having a bad day, the rest of the defense is struggling too.

Haden was assigned to rookie WR Amari Cooper to start the game, and the first year player out of Alabama had a huge first drive, catching three passes for 54 yards, and Jim O’Neil’s unit was off to a very long day.

And once again, Oakland’s running game, which had struggled for the first two contests, flourished today, as Latavius Murray ran for 139 yards on 26 attempts, and overall the Raiders hammered the Browns for 155 yards and a 5.2 average per carry.

This has now been a problem for two years under the Pettine/O’Neil coaching staff (really, it has been a problem since 1999), and our question is, when will it be fixed? It’s a complete and utter joke right now, and it is time for the staff to come up with an answer.

The Browns’ defense allowed 469 yards of total offense, and created only one turnover.

We said it after the opening day loss to the Jets, and we will repeat it today. If the Browns don’t play very good defense, it will be a long, long season for the team.

Their success is predicated on stopping the opposing offense. It is where they have expended a great deal of money through free agency, and high draft picks.

As for the offense, once again, the inability to run the ball or even to commit to the run was left lacking.

Cleveland ran for just 39 yards against a team allowing 118 yards per games against the rush.

On the first drive for the Browns, they tried two runs and threw four passes. The second drive? The same, two running plays and four pass plays (one a sack). The next possession was a three and out, consisting of two passes and a run.

If you are going to commit to the run, you have to stay with it. Does Pettine and offensive coordinator John DiFillipo think they are going to open every game gaining five yards per carry?

Isaiah Crowell had just 10 carries for 36 yards, one a 17-yard jaunt just short of the end zone. The Browns tried him twice from the one, but he could not get it in.

The turning point of the game came late in the second quarter after the Browns’ Travis Coons kicked a 24-yard field goal with 1:44 left in the first half.

The Raiders quickly went 65 yards in five plays to tack on a TD before halftime and give Oakland a confidence boost, and a 17-3 advantage.

Josh McCown was okay, completing 28 of 49 throws for 341 yards with two touchdowns and a pick.

However, three times by our count, he had Travis Benjamin behind the defense and couldn’t make a connection. We guess the “luck” Johnny Manziel had a week ago in completing those throws wasn’t with the veteran today.

So, the supposed soft part of the Cleveland schedule is over, and it is off to San Diego next week to take on a Chargers team that was embarrassed by Minnesota today. It won’t be any easier.

If Pettine and his staff cannot get this defense and running game to be any better. Any hopes of building an identity this season could be out the window.

That’s very disconcerting for the football fans of northeast Ohio.

Panic Can Be Eased, Browns Now 1-1

It was doom and gloom all week in Cleveland regarding the Browns, after they played a horrible game in the season opener and got hammered by the New York Jets.

The reality is most teams that turn the ball over five times will probably lose, and a 21 point loss might just be the average margin of victory.

Today, they didn’t turn the ball over once (more on that later), and surprise, surprise, the wound up winning their home opener, defeating the Tennessee Titans, 28-14 at First Energy Stadium.

The turnovers were the difference as the Browns’ defense forced three of them, and harassed rookie QB Marcus Mariota all day long, sacking him seven times as Cleveland evened its record to 1-1.

The Browns were aggressive early, as Johnny Manziel found WR Travis Benjamin for a 60-yard touchdown pass on the second offensive play to give Cleveland an early 7-0 advantage.

After a Terrance West fumble (Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine had to be smiling to themselves after that), the offense took advantage of the short field to move 50 yards in seven plays into the end zone as Isaiah Crowell ran it in from 11 yards to make it 14-0.

It seemed that Pettine and offensive coordinator John DiFillippo went a little conservative in the play calling after that, probably to take pressure off of Manziel, making just his third professional start.

They got a bonus at the end of the half when Benjamin struck again, taking a punt 78 yards to another TD. However, “The Rabbit” wasn’t done.

After the Titans climbed back into the game with two touchdowns to make it 21-14 with a little over six minutes to go, on a 3rd and 6 from midfield, Manziel scrambled away from pressure and found Benjamin again for a score on a play that looked like Johnny Football’s days at Texas A & M.

Manziel threw just 15 times, completing eight for 172 yards and the two touchdown tosses.

Now, for the negatives in the victory.

Once again, the Browns had problems against the run, particularly in setting the edge, forcing runners inside. The Titans ran for 166 yards, with Dexter McCluster getting 98 of them on just 10 carries.

The defense did a little better on third down, allowing 7 of 16 conversions, but did not get off the field well in the first half.

To be fair, because Cleveland scored on big plays, Jim O’Neil’s unit was on the field for 35 minutes today, so fatigue could have been a factor.

Manziel fumbled two more times, but was fortunate that his teammates recovered both miscues. He must be more diligent with ball security, particularly when his team has the lead. If either ball had been recovered by Tennessee, we might be talking about a different outcome today.

Who did well? Besides Benjamin, Crowell gained 72 yards on 15 carries and gashed the Titans in the second half.

Duke Johnson showed improvement as well, getting 43 yards on 12 totes of the pigskin.

Armonty Bryant had 2-1/2 sacks and John Hughes had 1-1/2 as well, as there was much more pressure on the QB than last week.

It didn’t show in the stats, but Tramon Williams was solid too, making nice open field tackles to stop Titan ball carriers short of first down yardage.

And Andy Lee is showing he was worth the 7th round draft pick the Browns used to get him, as he is proving to be a great weapon. He averaged 53.2 yards on six punts.

So, the Raiders come to FES next week in another winnable game. Still, the Browns have to play well, and improve on this week’s performance if they want to get over .500.

However, the panic about an awful season should be abated for a week. The Browns showed that when they play like they want to (run the ball, play solid defense), they are capable of winning games.