Browns Have To Improve Passing Game…By Trade?

The NFL trading deadline is on Halloween and there are rumors the Cleveland Browns will be active. However, if they are active, what will they focus on.

With Deshaun Watson’s shoulder issues, they should be on the hunt for a serviceable backup quarterback.

The Browns are built to win this year. They have a tremendous defense and GM Andrew Berry spent a lot of salary cap space on that side of the football, bringing in several defensive linemen to help out new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Simply put, the Browns do not have a functional pass offense. Even with Watson playing the first three games, Cleveland ranks second last in the NFL in passing yards, ahead of only the New York Jets.

They won the last two games with yeoman efforts from the defense, not allowing San Francisco to move the ball after an opening drive and creating turnovers against the Colts which led to at least 17 points.

Logic says that is not likely to continue.

P.J. Walker inspires no confidence even though he was at the helm in the last two games. He’s completed just 50% of his passes, hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass, but he has thrown three interceptions.

And it’s not like Walker is a running threat either. He’s run the ball just six times for four yards.

When Watson returns to the field again is anyone’s guess, and that’s not an insinuation that he doesn’t want to play, which we agree is total nonsense. It just seems like this is an injury where he could return next week against the Cardinals or he could be out another month.

No one seems to want to set a firm timetable, and we get that.

Because of that, Berry has to go out and get another quarterback. There is too much at stake for this season.

This may sound contradictory, but we also don’t want to pay an exorbitant price in a deal either. This is because we don’t want to replace Watson, we simply want to find someone better than Walker.

Here is what we mean about having a professional passing attack. The Browns’ opponent today, the Seattle Seahawks have five receivers with 10 or more catches and averaging over 10 yards per reception.

Cleveland has one, Amari Cooper who has caught 24 balls for 389 yards. Donovan Peoples-Jones is averaging 12.1 yards per catch but has just nine receptions on the season.

The Falcons rank middle of the pack in the league in passing yards and they have four receivers who fit this profile.

Elijah Moore and David Njoku rank first and third in terms of receptions for the Browns and both average just nine yards per catch.

Since Watson has been out, Cleveland QBs have not thrown a TD pass and has six picks. That’s just not acceptable, let alone for a team poised to make a playoff run.

Berry has to find someone who can complete simple 10-15 yard passes on a regular basis, something that shouldn’t be difficult to do.

We know coach Kevin Stefanski said he is happy with the quarterback room right now, but really what is supposed to say?

We don’t want to hear about trading Josh Dobbs, because no one was outraged about it at the time, and although Dobbs hasn’t played poorly, Arizona has only reached 20 points once in the last four games.

The Browns and Berry simply can’t take any chances. They have too much at stake to not have a decent passing attack.

Turnovers, Not Coaching Is The Browns’ Problem Right Now.

The knee-jerk reaction for most Browns fans and media alike after a loss is to blame the play calling. And of course, that leads to talking about hiring a new coach.

Kevin Stefanski is no different. Add the losing to his stoic, unemotional demeanor and that he doesn’t scream on the sidelines and grab players by the facemask, and it’s easy to see why football fans in northeast Ohio haven’t embraced the Browns head coach.

Look, we aren’t saying Stefanski is the second coming of Paul Brown or Blanton Collier for that matter. Those two are #1 and #2 on the franchise’s all-time wins list for coaches. But he has won more games than Butch Davis and Romeo Crennel, both of whom have coached more games.

We wish Stefanski would change some things. We would like to see more use of David Njoku in space, and right now, he seems to have fallen in love with his new toy, that being Elijah Moore.

He has tried to make Moore an all purpose offensive threat, but in the first four games of the season, Moore has caught 17 passes for 148 yards, 8.7 per catch, and rushed 7 times for 3 yards, although he lost 20 yards on one attempt in the Baltimore game.

That has led to Donovan Peoples-Jones, who caught 61 throws for 839 yards a year ago, to be virtually ignored so far this year. He’s been targeted just 14 times, catching six passes for 75 yards.

He’s one of only three Browns to average over 10 yards per catch this year, and one of them, Kareem Hunt, has only caught two passes.

From the criticism on sports talk shows and social media, you would think the Browns were 0-4 and headed toward the first overall pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.

Instead, they are 2-2 despite losing the turnover battle in each game they’ve played this season. And as GM Andrew Berry said in his press conference last week, that’s a difficult way to win games in the NFL.

We said before the season started that despite the endless debate on the team all year in the area, the fortunes of the Cleveland Browns depended on the play of Deshaun Watson, who the organization dealt three first round draft picks and paid a king’s ransom in salary for.

If he plays well, the Browns will win and make the playoffs. If he plays like he did in the six games he appeared in last season, Cleveland will struggle, Stefanski will likely be fired and the organization will be going in a new direction.

Again.

The defense is playing at a high level. And if the offense doesn’t hand the Steelers two touchdowns in week two, Cleveland likely wins that game. And of course, last weekend they were forced to play Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a rookie fifth round draft pick, as Watson was injured.

Aaron Rodgers told Green Bay Packers fans to relax a few years ago. Browns supporters need to heed that advice. They are still 13 games left to play. If the brown and orange stop turning the ball over, they will be just fine.

Impressive Statement After A Tough Loss For Browns

After Nick Chubb’s injury against the Steelers, we said the offense needed Deshaun Watson to step up.

He did just that in Sunday’s 27-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Watson completed 27 of 33 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns in his best performance wearing brown and orange.

Cleveland’s usual vaunted running attack, which averaged over 200 yards per game after two weeks, was held in check by the Titans, gaining just 78 yards. So, the offense needed Watson to throw the football effectively, and he did just that.

Amari Cooper had a big game too, catching seven balls for over 100 yards and a TD, and Donovan Peoples-Jones emerged again after not being a factor against Pittsburgh, catching the game’s first pass and grabbing three throws for 49 yards.

We would still like to see the Browns use TE David Njoku more, because we believe he might be the most explosive player on offense now that Chubb is out. He did have four receptions, but for just 20 yards.

As good of a game as Watson had, this game was still about the defense, which held Tennessee to under 100 yards on the game, 2 of 12 on third down conversions, and Derrick Henry had just 20 yards on 11 carries.

Jim Schwartz’ unit also sacked Ryan Tannehill five times, with Myles Garrett garnering 3.5, to give him undisputed first place on the franchise’s all-time list with 79, passing Bill Glass’ total of 77.5. Glass did it in 94 games, Garrett beat him with seven games to spare.

The only thing that pauses us from saying this defense is elite is the quality of the opponents they’ve played already.

Yes, Cincinnati has a prolific offense, but the conditions in the season opener weren’t conducive to moving the ball at will. And Pittsburgh and Tennessee don’t have great attacks either, or don’t have great quarterbacks.

Still, the defense is playing at a very high level and are constantly attacking, quite a change from past years when they sat in zone coverage most of the time and the pass rush was solely predicated on Garrett getting it done.

Right now, opponents are averaging just 163.67 yards per game. By contrast, the Browns are RUNNING for 160.67 yards per contest.

The defense seems to have calmed the gambling tendencies of coach Kevin Stefanski, who now takes field goals more often. When you aren’t allowing many points, getting three when you have the opportunity is the correct and safe play.

We also don’t want to jinx new kicker Dustin Hopkins, but the veteran has knocked seven of his eight field goal attempts through the uprights, and they look beautiful as they head near the goalposts, not like the knuckleballs the former kicker seemed to boot.

So, through three weeks of the season, the Browns have two wins of more than 20 points. The last time this happened was in 2014 (team went 7-9 under Mike Pettine) when they beat Pittsburgh 31-10 and Cincinnati 24-3.

And they’ve won both of those games despite losing the turnover battle in each.

That’s not as long as we thought, but it’s still 9 years.

Another divisional game awaits next week when the Ravens come to town and right now, the AFC North has three teams tied at 2-1. Lamar Jackson will present another challenge for Schwartz and this defense.

One thing the defense hasn’t done a lot of yet is turn the ball over, with just two takeaways on the season. If that starts to happen, let’s just say, look out.

Is Winning A Priority For Browns?

If the plan of the front office of the Cleveland Browns’ was to play the “long game” with the trade for Deshaun Watson, then they got their wish, because the team was basically eliminated from playoff contention with the 23-10 defeat in Cincinnati at the hands of the defending AFC Champs.

We say that because we have heard it from so many places, including some media people we respect greatly. And if that’s the case, our question is simple, why do so many fans invest so much love into the Cleveland Browns?

They simply don’t give a damn about the fans.

First, from a talent standpoint alone, getting Watson was a good move. He thought going into last season he was one of the top five quarterbacks in the league, and we still believe he will be again once he gets more acclimated to playing.

It’s been a long time since the Browns have had a franchise quarterback, probably the first since Bernie Kosar was on the field.

Even without Watson, the offense kept up their end of the bargain, but the defense didn’t, and despite the last two contests, that unit is the reason Cleveland is sitting at 5-8 today.

The Browns’ vaunted running game has sputtered a bit lately, mostly since center Ethan Pocic was injured. We love when people call Pocic the “third string center”, which he was going into training camp behind Nick Harris and Michael Dunn, but when he went in, he played as well as any center in the league.

His absence and the decline of Jack Conklin because of injuries have limited the effectiveness of the running game, which was the team’s bread and butter, especially with Watson suspended.

We know you can point to stats for everything, but Sunday was the third time this season Cleveland rushed for less than 100 yards. They are 0-3 in those contests.

Kevin Stefanski is taking a lot of heat for the fourth down call on the first drive of the game, but it was poor execution. Donovan Peoples-Jones are open and a better throw results in six points. Frankly, considering what was at stake for the Browns, we thought the play book would be opened up more. The Browns needed this game badly.

Instead, the Bengals used more trick plays. One worked for a touchdown, the other resulted in a sack by Myles Garrett. We are guessing had Cincinnati lost, fans would be calling for Zack Taylor’s job because of the latter. Or does that only work in northeast Ohio?

Cleveland has four games left. There is nothing to be gained by losing. They have no first-round draft pick.

So, they should do everything they can to win the remaining four on the slate. They need to establish an importance on winning not only in the locker room, but throughout 76 Lou Groza Blvd. That’s what the Ravens (the next opponent) has, it’s what the Steelers have.

And we fear until the Browns have that mentality among the front office, this cycle is just going to continue. They will keep finding reasons why it’s okay to lose.

As for the coaching staff, there needs to be changes made going into next season, but we would stay with Stefanski in charge unless he has the stubbornness issue and is resistant to make changes on the staff.

One playoff win in 28 years should be enough to put a huge emphasis on winning. Doesn’t seem like it today, right?

Browns Playing Close Games, Mistakes Show Up Greater In Those.

It was a heartbreaking loss for sure on Monday night. The Browns missing more than half their starters because of the latest COVID-19 breakout, took the lead in the fourth quarter, but then lost at the gun to the Raiders, 16-14.

The loss means the Browns likely have to win their three remaining games on the slate, starting with the tough task of going to Lambeau Field on Christmas Day to play Green Bay, who has already clinched the NFC North, but is playing for a first round bye.

On paper, it says Kevin Stefanski’s crew doesn’t have much of a chance to win the next game, but did anyone have the Lions beating the Cardinals last weekend?

Look, the results have been disappointing this season, because we all thought the Browns 2021 season was going to look much like the ’20 campaign, and the team would go 11-6 or better and cruise into the playoffs for a second straight year.

However, things don’t always work out as planned, right?

We can think of only one game all season long where both sides of the football played well, and that’s the 41-16 triumph at Cincinnati. Cleveland had both the running and passing game going offensively, and the defense held the Bengals to under 100 yards rushing and forced three turnovers.

You can make a case for the win over the Bears as well, when the Browns had their third highest yardage total for the year (behind Kansas City and the LA Chargers’ games) and the defense allowed one yard passing because of all the sacks on Justin Fields.

Most of the league is in the same boat as Cleveland though.

Even within games, the performance of the team fluctuates. For example, Donovan Peoples-Jones made two real good catches in the drive which gave the Browns the lead against the Raiders. But he dropped (or allowed the defender to knock the ball out of his hands) a key pass in the first quarter.

It’s the nature of the NFL that many games are decided on one play or one series. A mistake or failure to execute in those situations costs you a game. We also believe in the Bill Parcells adage of you are what your record says you are.

Let’s say the defense closes out the KC and LA games. Let’s say the offense doesn’t turn it over against Pittsburgh in the 4th quarter. If just one of those things happens, Stefanski’s bunch are in first place in the AFC North at 8-6.

And yes, we can play the same game the other way too.

Cleveland has been smoked twice this season, against Arizona and New England. Conversely, they have only three wins by more than 10 points (Houston, Chicago, and Cincinnati), meaning they’ve been on the edge the entire season.

When you play this many close games, one play where the execution isn’t perfect, or a dropped pass, or a mix up in coverage, comes back to haunt you.

It doesn’t mean the Browns are poorly coached or do not have talent. It does mean they need to eliminate mistakes, and some of those occur because they are human.

We understand people want others to say they have to get “tougher” or “smarter” and mistakes won’t be tolerated. No one plays a perfect game.

Some of this will happen because of experience.

Maybe, the coaches and team will unlock this the rest of the season. Three wins will get them into the post-season. More likely, this is a blip on the radar, and the Cleveland Browns will be better next season.

Browns Need Solutions During Week Off

We have decided there is something involved with NFL telecasts that cause people to lose their collective minds. There is no other explanation for what we hear from people, both personally and on social media after the Cleveland Browns lose a football game.

Rather than blame the coaching staff and the quarterback, knee-jerk reactions for many, we prefer to look at other areas as to why a team that had Super Bowl aspirations coming into the season is instead sitting at 6-6.

This isn’t to say Kevin Stefanski hasn’t made mistakes and/or Baker Mayfield is playing at an All-Pro level. That isn’t true. However, it is far from the only or even main reason this football team is in a funk.

Offensively, the play of the wide receiving corps leaves a lot to be desired, and quite frankly, the Patriots and Ravens have given the rest of the NFL the blueprint to defend the Cleveland running game.

Simply put, it is load the box and dare one of the Browns’ receivers to get open. Outside of the occasional Jarvis Landry play, they can’t do it.

Think about the first drive on Sunday night. Mayfield had a completion to the Baltimore 10, but Donovan Peoples-Jones dropped it. Could the Browns punched it into the end zone from there? Maybe, and if they did, how different is that game.

The Browns are said to have a great offensive line, and certainly the middle of that unit, C J.C. Tretter and guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are excellent players. However, the tackles are not at that same level, and we say that understanding Jack Conklin has missed a lot of the year with injuries.

To be frank, last year’s first round pick, Jedrick Wills, has had a disappointing sophomore season. He missed some time with an ankle injury earlier, but he is not providing the blind side protection Mayfield (or any quarterback needs).

And Blake Hance is a reserve on the other side.

This leaves the Browns vulnerable to outside speed rushers and is one reason Stefanski favors quick throws as part of the attack, to ease the pressure on his tackles.

We aren’t giving up on Wills, but it will be interesting to see if his spot is addressed in the draft.

We also keep coming back to the defense. Yes, yes, we know they forced four turnovers against the Ravens. Want to know what they didn’t do?

Stop the run. Again. Baltimore rushed for 148 yards, and when it counted in the fourth quarter, shoved it down the defenses throat, eating five minutes off the clock.

Isn’t that the same as Mayfield having big stats, but then failing to lead a fourth quarter comeback?

It is the sixth time in the last eight games, the defense has allowed more than 100 yards on the ground, and that’s a killer.

And the 148 yards by Baltimore is the LEAST gained running the ball in the last three weeks.

If you cannot stop the run in the NFL, you have a big problem. If you look at the teams allowing the most rushing yards, it’s a lot of losing teams, the Lions, Texans, Jets, and Giants among them.

The Chargers, Vikings, and Steelers are also in this group. LA has the best record on the group at 6-5.

Yes, it’s a passing league, but you must stop the run.

The remaining schedule isn’t easy, but a win after the bye in the rematch against Baltimore puts the Browns back on the periphery of contention. As the head coach said, it’s a week to week battle right now.

Hopefully, some solutions will be found in the week off.

Thoughts As Browns Start The Stretch Drive

The playoff destiny for the Cleveland Browns is right in their collective hands. The next two games (with the bye in between) are against the division leading Baltimore Ravens, and four of the remaining six games are against teams from the AFC North.

If Kevin Stefanski’s squad starts playing their best football starting Sunday night, they stand a good chance of playing beyond the 17th game of the year.

We think 11-6 will get a spot in the tournament for sure, but 10-7 will give you a decent chance in this year’s AFC, but you will be subject to the tie breakers. So, Cleveland needs to go at least 4-2 the rest of the way.

A split vs. Baltimore keeps them in it, but losing both (and the Browns have certainly struggled recently against the Ravens lately) has them looking toward next season.

Here are some thoughts on the Browns heading into this critical stretch:

**There has been a great deal of discussion about whether or not Baker Mayfield should be playing while he is battling his injuries. We feel it indicates a lack of confidence in Case Keenum. Remember, the coaching staff seemed reluctant to start Keenum in the Denver game.

It is crazy to think while Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt are watching practice and see Mayfield hobbling around and not being able to make plays, that they think screw it, we are just going to play Baker even though Keenum is probably better.

Conversely, we don’t believe for a minute that Mayfield is “forcing” his way out on the field.

Our guess is the Browns will have a different backup QB in 2022.

**There is no question the Browns need to upgrade the wide receiver position in the off-season. This is not an indictment on how the team handled the Odell Beckham Jr. situation either.

Jarvis Landry hasn’t been a 100% since early on, and although Donovan Peoples-Jones has stepped up, he’s been hurt lately. Anthony Schwartz can fly, but seems to have trouble getting off the line against press coverage, which can be addressed by getting stronger.

Beyond DPJ and Schwartz, no wide out is averaging over 12 yards per catch. If they were open, we think Mayfield would find them (and yes, we know Landry was open on the first pick he threw against the Lions).

**The defense against the run has slipped badly since the beginning of the season. In the first four games, the most yards given up by the defense on the ground was 82. In the seven games since, they’ve allowed more than 100 yards rushing in five of them.

We know the Browns can run the ball, and the old rule in the NFL (which still holds true, by the way) of “you can’t win if you can’t run the ball and you can’t stop the run”, only holds to Cleveland on the defensive side of the ball.

They allowed 168 yards on the ground against Detroit even though the Lions were playing an extremely inexperienced quarterback.

Is Jadeveon Clowney’s injury that much of a problem?

The Ravens love to run the football, so if Joe Woods and his staff don’t address this before the game Sunday, it could be a long night for the visiting team.

All of the concerns and worries about the Cleveland Browns can be eased by a victory in Baltimore. Win, and you get a week off to heal up before coming home for three of the last five, including a rematch with the Ravens.

It’s right there for Kevin Stefanski and his team.

Browns Need To Unite, Not Finger Point

For many years, the Cleveland Browns were a train wreck. They were perpetually at the bottom of the standings, and went through quarterback after quarterback and coach after coach trying to reverse this trend.

After the debacle on Sunday, a 45-7 beatdown at the hands of the New England Patriots, it feels a little like those days in Berea, and it is up to GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski to nip it in the bud.

Myles Garrett questioned defensive coordinator Joe Woods immediately after the game about the philosophy and John Johnson III basically agreed with him.

Stefanski said he addressed the situation with Garrett, and clearly the message needs to be sent to the locker room that things like this need to stay in the locker room.

After all, the head coach is very careful in his post game press conferences not to blame anyone. We know Stefanski gets some rolling eyes when he says he has to “coach better”, but we feel he has told his players HE will take the blame when they lose and give them the credit when they win.

That’s called being a leader.

We are sure that is not the message within the locker room and in meetings following a loss. The staff points out what went wrong and makes it incumbent on the players to improve and do what they are supposed to do.

Make no mistake about that.

This doesn’t mean the coaching staff is blameless. If Woods is indeed calling for schemes that have not worked in practice, he is losing, if not lost the trust of the defensive players. Coaches simply cannot call something where the players think to themselves or actually say in the huddle, this isn’t going to work.

Once you start doing this, the coach has to rebuild the trust with his guys. Otherwise, the bond is broken.

What Stefanski and Berry must do is remind the players they are in this together win or lose, and he has their back, which he demonstrates every week. The Browns simply cannot have the sniping and grousing in the media. It serves no good purpose.

The Browns need to do everything better right now, including the coaching staff. They have talent. They need to eliminate the pre-snap penalties, the dropped passes, the blown coverages that seem to plague them weekly.

For example, there is no question Baker Mayfield’s interception was a terrible decision. However, if Donovan Peoples-Jones catches the second down pass (the previous play), a clearly catchable ball, the result is third and short, and that play call is completely different.

It has to start this Sunday though. Much has been made about the remaining schedule for the Browns, but the reality is they will probably only be a decided underdog (seven points or more) in one game, the Christmas Day tilt against Green Bay.

So, could they win five out of the final seven and finish at 10-7, which based on the AFC right now, probably gets them in? Of course they can.

But they have to start playing better, coaching better (especially defensively), and stop making mistakes.

This is why Kevin Stefanski was brought in. He is just like everyone else and needs to unite the troops.