The Plan Should Be for Manziel to Succeed

It’s hard to believe that so many people have decided to give up on Johnny Manziel after a whopping six quarters of playing time. Both fans and the media, local and national, have declared the Manziel era over after just two starts.

For what its worth, we did not advocate taking the former Heisman Trophy winner with the fourth overall pick in the draft, and we were ambivalent about selecting him at #22. If there was a quarterback to be had, we wanted Jimmy Garoppolo, who New England took in the second round.

However, it is ridiculous to dismiss Manziel after such limited playing time.

It is our opinion that the Browns contributed to the slow transition for the rookie signal caller by not teaching him to be a professional quarterback from the moment he became a member of the organization.

By this we mean they kept talking about his “skill set” and the “Johnny package”. Is Manziel a good athlete? Yes. Can he move and run the football if pressured? Yes. But, to use read option plays and designed runs didn’t help his development. And that’s on the Browns.

They should have told him they were going to train him to be an NFL quarterback, meaning dropping back, reading the defense, planting your back foot, and throwing the football.

If that’s what they tried to do, and the pupil wasn’t willing to listen, then there is another problem, and that one may not be able to be fixed.

But we think the offensive coaches looked at Manziel as a toy, something to play with, instead of teaching him how to make plays in the pocket. And when Brian Hoyer’s play started to subside, they had to change signal callers, and the rookie wasn’t ready.

So, how does he get ready?

That starts with Manziel’s meeting with the coaches when the season ends. They have to find out if the rookie is ready to put the time in to be a successful NFL quarterback. If that answer is yes, then they should tell him this is the course of action following some time off. By the way, we would tell him to keep a lower profile during his time off.

Next, we would tell him after his time off, that it is time to move to Cleveland and be around the training facility as much as he can. If we wants to continue working with George Whitfield, his personal coach, that’s fine, but he should be taking the time he needs to learn his craft.

When it is time to work with the coaches again, he should be heavily involved with Kyle Shanahan and Dowell Loggains working on the things he needs to do to be the starter when the season opens next year.

If Manziel is the competitor he is reported to be, this shouldn’t be a problem for him. He should be burning to show these two starts are not indicative of his performance level.

Both parties have to change for this to work. Manziel has to start settling down and also needs to eliminate his urge to leave the pocket at the first sign of trouble.

The Browns need to stop treating their first round pick as a circus act and start educating on what needs to be done to be a winning quarterback in the NFL.

Why not try this before looking for another rookie passer in this year’s draft?

Shanahan’s Offense and Play Calling Letting Down Browns

Last week, none of the Browns showed up to play against Cincinnati. Offense, defense, and special teams were equally putrid.

Today, the defense showed up for the most part, but the offense continued its second half siesta in a 17-13 loss to Carolina dropping their record to 7-8 on the season.

Cleveland could only run 38 offensive plays last week in being shut out, and today, it wasn’t much better, running just 46 plays in losing their fourth straight and fifth in the last six contests.

Guess we won’t have to worry about Kyle Shanahan being rumored for any head coaching jobs this off-season.

Really, we should say the defense kind of showed up, because once again, Cleveland gave up 209 yards on the ground, and on the last true offensive play run by the Panthers, on a 3rd and 5 and Carolina really just trying to not turn the ball over, Jonathan Stewart ran for 30 yards to ice the win.

Third down was a killer on both sides of the ball, the defense allowed the Panthers to convert 9 of 16 plays when they could have gotten off the field, while the offense could convert just 3 of 12 situations of that type.

It’s terrible complementary football, and it has plagued the team over the last four weeks.

Early in the game, Carolina ran the ball with ease controlling the tempo, while the Browns’ offense seemed to be bogged down by mistakes and odd play calling.

Five of Cleveland’s first six plays were passes. The Browns have been a team that has needed to run the football the entire season, and the offensive coordinator is acting like Tom Brady is at the helm.

Finally, after the Panthers scored to take a 10-3 lead late in the first half, rookie QB Johnny Manziel injured his hamstring on what appeared to be a designed run. It may be one of the weirdest play calls we’ve seen in many years.

Shanahan is doing Manziel a disservice by having him play like a college quarterback. He needs to plant his back foot and throw the ball, which he did on a throw to Andrew Hawkins for 28 yards on the Browns’ second possession.

That put Brian Hoyer in the game, and although the veteran went 7 of 13 for 134 yards, he really only made one play of consequence, an 81 yard connection to TE Jordan Cameron to put Cleveland in the lead 13-10.

However, the defense allowed a quick score, as the Panthers went 66 yards in seven plays in less than three minutes to give them a lead they would never relinquish.

Hoyer’s lack of arm strength showed up again as Travis Benjamin had his man beat by at least five yards, and the underthrown ball was picked off by Josh Norman, who subsequently fumbled the ball back to Cleveland.

All we are saying here is that Hoyer might be the best option right now, but he’s not the guy either, and the Browns need to give Manziel a chance to play in a pro style offense to see what he can do.

It seems right now like the Browns don’t even try to do the things they did offensively earlier in the campaign.

For example, where was Terrance West?

Also, finding a center can’t be this difficult. Remember when Alex Mack was a restricted free agent? The Browns signed him, but obviously didn’t pay him enough.

Why not go back to John Greco at center and Paul McQuistan at guard? Ryan Seymour and Nick McDonald are getting dominated by defenders.

So, there is one last game on the road against the Ravens, and the Browns can probably knock the Ravens out of the playoffs with a win.

Mike Pettine has talked all year about “playing like a Brown”. Next week, he should instruct his offensive coordinator to do the same.

No Matter What People Say, The Browns Have Made Progress.

The Cleveland Browns just cannot avoid drama.

They are most definitely an improved football team this season. After years and years, six in total, of four and five win seasons, the Browns will NOT lose 10 games this season for the first time since 2007.

The defense has shown tremendous improvement as the season as gone along, and the offense has some promising rookie running backs as a foundation for the future.

However, even though the brown and orange still have an opportunity for nine victories, there has been criticism of the current front office by a franchise icon, and others speculating that coach Mike Pettine may not be safe if his team loses the last two games, which would be six of the last seven overall.

Want to talk about dysfunction? Firing Pettine after the progress made this season would be the exhibit A for the prosecution.

That can be remedied by owner Jimmy Haslam taking the time to talk to the media and allay everyone’s fears by saying Pettine and GM Ray Farmer will absolutely be back next season and he looks forward to another step forward in 2015.

In a normal world, he wouldn’t have to do that because both are under contract, but after the firing of Rob Chudzinski after one year last season, and the cleaning out of the front office as well, you can understand why supporters of the coach are worried.

Haslam needs to do it and do it before this Sunday’s game at Carolina. It’s the decent and smart thing to do. Most of the fans feel Pettine has done a good job and that he and Farmer have indeed started a culture change in Berea.

The head coach switched quarterbacks last week because the guy who started the first 12 games wasn’t getting it done anymore. If there were any other circumstances, like a meddling owner, those were superseded by Hoyer’s declining play.

So, the rookie first round draft choice played poorly in his first NFL start, and now everyone is looking at needing another signal caller in the ’15 draft. To quote Aaron Rodgers and LeBron James, “relax!”

Look, we weren’t on the Manziel bandwagon as the draft approached last May, especially with the fourth overall pick. However, judging him on one game, especially against a team that reached the playoffs the past three seasons, is ridiculous.

Manziel is a competitor and that performance last Sunday probably eats at him every minute until he can get back on the field this week. If he doesn’t learn from his first start, then he’s not as smart as we think.

He has seen the speed of the game first hand and should be making adjustments. Hopefully, he has learned that it is important to play mostly from the pocket and not follow his instinct to run around if the first read isn’t open.

Those are the things we should see against the Panthers on Sunday.

The best thing about Manziel’s day last week was that we will never have to go through his first NFL start again. Let’s allow him to play a few games before condemning him to the island of misfit passers, which includes several Cleveland quarterbacks who have played here since 1999.

We understand the NFL is a week to week sport and each game gets analyzed way too much. However, this organization has made progress overall in 2014, even if they lose the last two games.

Let’s remember that before we press any panic buttons.

Pettine’s Loyalty Bites Him Today

Normally, when a defense forces four turnovers and scores two touchdowns at home, you can expect a victory.

The Cleveland Browns did just that today, yet still lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 25-24 at First Energy Stadium to drop their record to 7-6, and the light showing the brown and orange’s playoff hopes in flickering at best.

Early in the week, coach Mike Pettine showed his faith in Brian Hoyer by having his remain as the starting quarterback, but once the game begin and Hoyer turned it over in the red zone after a four play drive in which the Browns had excellent field position (they took over at the Indy 46), Pettine backtracked.

The play calling was such that the coaching staff was trying to protect Hoyer from committing more errors.

If you are going to do that, then he should have just played Johnny Manziel.

Cleveland left points on the board all day long. In the first half, they started drives on their own 45, the Colts’ 46, and their own 35 yard lines, and scored no points.

The had just one scoring drive all day long, that late in the second quarter when the key play was a 27 yard toss to Travis Benjamin. That may sound good, but on the previous play, Hoyer missed a wide open Taylor Gabriel overthrowing him by 1on yards. An accurate throw there results in a touchdown.

That gives the Browns a 14-7 lead at halftime, the other score coming when Andrew Luck was sacked and fumbled, which was recovered in the end zone by Craig Robertson, who was all over the field today, for six points.

For the second straight week, the defense forced a turnover on the first drive of the second half, when Joe Haden forced a fumble which Paul Kruger recovered at the Indianapolis 38 yard line.

No points resulted, as the Colts forced a punt.

The defense, magnificent all day, took matters into their own hands again when rookie CB Justin Gilbert picked off Luck and raced 23 yards for a touchdown. That was as good as it got, a 21-7 Cleveland advantage.

Another interception early in the fourth quarter, this one by Jim Leonhard, who had a sack as well, give the Browns the ball on the Colts’ 23 yard line. A touchdown would have given the Browns a 28-19 lead with 12 minutes left.

The offense couldn’t move it again and Cleveland settled for a Billy Cundiff field goal keeping it a one possession game at 24-19.

Hoyer completed just 14 of 31 throws for 140 yards and two interceptions, the last on the penultimate play of the game, extinguishing any chance of the comeback win.

The defense gave Pettine every chance to win the game, the offense simply didn’t take advantage. Hoyer was struggling so much that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Manziel would’ve started the second half, but the coach stuck to his guns.

However, he shot himself in the foot.

More on the defense, which seemed to be on the field the entire second half. Robertson and Leonhard were already mentioned, but Joe Haden and Buster Skrine were great today, and Barkevious Mingo deflected a pass and had a sack.

The way the entire unit played, they deserved to come away with the win.

The offense was simply not up to par with their teammates on the other side of the ball, nor was Cundiff, who missed another mid-range kick, this one from 40 yards.

The guess here is the Browns will have a new field goal kicker next week against the Bengals.

That will go along with their new quarterback, because if Pettine thinks about what’s best for his football team, he will give the nod to Manziel in the last home game.

Yes, the Browns are still in a race for the post-season, but they now need to win every game remaining on the schedule. They showed today they are capable of that, but they need the offense to help.

Hoyer played the first 11 games because he gave the Browns the best chance for success. We don’t think you can say that any more.

Hoyer’s Lack Of Production Means It’s Time for Manziel

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that one of our central theories in evaluating players is the “can’t do any worse” theory.

Simply put, when looking at a veteran player’s performance, you have to determine whether a young player could do any worse than the incumbent, because it isn’t a stretch to believe the young player will get better with age and experience.

That’s where we are with the Cleveland Browns and their quarterback situation.

In the first nine games this season, Brian Hoyer provided stability at the position. No, he wasnt’ Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers, but he moved the team and protected the football, leading the Browns to a 6-3 record, one far better than most figured at the beginning of the season.

He threw 10 touchdown passes and just four interceptions in those nine contests.

In the last four games, something has changed. Hoyer has become turnover prone and his inaccuracy has become a huge problem. He’s thrown just one TD pass and six interceptions in those three games. His completion percentage, never high even when he wasn’t turning the ball over, is a paltry 50.8% over that span, which has resulted in two losses.

We understand that players have bad games, but the good ones rebound with a solid game the following week. When a player like Hoyer, who really doesn’t have a proven track record in the NFL has three straight mediocre games, you have to question whether or not he is the guy to lead the team going forward.

And it’s not only protecting the ball either. Hoyer isn’t taking advantage of the turnovers his defense is creating for him.

Against Atlanta, the Browns’ defense handed him the ball twice in Falcon territory and in both cases, Cleveland could only muster a field goal.

And Sunday versus the Bills, Joe Haden picked off Kyle Orton on the second play of the second half, giving the Browns the ball on the Buffalo 30-yard line. This time, the offense was forced to punt the ball away when Hoyer took a critical sack.

That’s the kind of performance you would expect from an average or below average player at the position. And because of that, the Browns need to find out if Johnny Manziel can be a difference maker.

We have said all along that the quarterback who gives the Browns the best chance to win should be the guy who plays, which is what Mike Pettine has always said. Right now, do you really think Manziel gives Cleveland less of a chance of winning?

With all things being equal, why not play the younger, more athletic player? Manziel has more upside and quite frankly, why not see what you have in a first round draft pick.

Had Hoyer been playing at the same level he was during the first half of the season, it would be ridiculous to make such a change in the middle of a post-season race, and make no mistake, despite not having the advantage in the tie breaking scenarios, the brown and orange are right in the thick of the playoff chase.

However, the offense has bogged down and the Browns need to score points to win.

Still, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Pettine need to tell Manziel that possession of the football is a precious thing, and stress to him that the Cleveland formula for winning is the way they played during the first eight games, and that is mistake free/turnover free football.

If you can get the best of what Hoyer did in the first half of the season with Manziel’s arm and mobility, it may be just what the doctor ordered for the Browns.

The time is here. Manziel should get the start against Indianapolis at home this Sunday.

Browns Loss Sure To Be Overshadowed.

The Cleveland Browns were in trouble at halftime even though they were leading 3-0 over the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Why? Because they pretty much dominated the half and yet had only a three-point lead. Billy Cundiff missed a 37-yard field goal, his third miss inside 40 yards in the last three games.

The Bills had only one sustained drive, and that resulted in Jim Leonhard’s interception in the end zone.

Otherwise, the Browns controlled the game. They had two drives of 15 plays and yet put only three points on the scoreboard.

Once the second half started, once again Cleveland made big plays yet couldn’t do anything.

Bills’ QB Kyle Orton’s second half of the half was intercepted by Joe Haden, giving the brown and orange the ball on the Buffalo 30 yard line.

But the offense could do nothing and a sack of Brian Hoyer resulted in the Browns having to punt, thus getting no points out of the turnover.

And that was really the story of the game. Buffalo got 10 points off of the three Cleveland turnovers, while the Browns didn’t or couldn’t take advantage of the Bills’ two.

Yet, all anyone will be talking about is who will start at quarterback for the Browns next week at home against Indianapolis, because after Hoyer’s second pick, his fifth in the last two games without a touchdown, coach Mike Pettine decided to give first round draft pick Johnny Manziel a shot.

And the rookie took advantage on his first drive, moving the Browns down the field and getting into the end zone himself on a 10-yard run.

He looked poised and in charge, telling players to get in the correct position. He didn’t look like he was unsure at all.

The next time Cleveland got the ball, he looked like a rookie, almost fumbling (the officials ruled his arm going forward) and throwing a 5-yard pass on 4th down and 6, thereby turning the ball over to Buffalo.

Still, we can understand Pettine’s decision.

Hoyer’s chief attribute this season was not making the big mistake and in the last two games he has committed five turnovers, putting undo pressure on the Cleveland defense.

If he’s not going to take care of the football, why not go with the guy with the better arm and more mobility.

That’s not to say that Manziel should be the starter next Sunday. It could be that Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was sending a message to Hoyer that carelessness cannot and will not be tolerated.

Or perhaps the coaching staff feels Manziel is ready to play after watching 11 games from the sidelines, and his time is now.

It’s a delicate decision because only Cincinnati won in the AFC North today, meaning the Browns are still tied for second at 7-5 with the Steelers and Ravens, and don’t forget, the Bengals come here in two weeks.

There is no doubt that whatever Pettine decides it will over analyzed and over discussed.

Hoyer needs to have a strong running game to play well, and the Bills put eight and nine men in the box regularly, determined to stop the run.

Isaiah Crowell had just 29 yards in 17 carries, and even though Terrance West had 32 in seven attempts, his fumble gave the Bills a 14-3 lead when it was returned for a touchdown. Cleveland gained just 2.8 yards in 26 attempts.

On defense, Joe Haden made life miserable for rookie WR Sammy Watkins, who caught just three passes for 11 yards. After a slow start to the season, Haden is showing again why he is an elite cornerback.

Now, the season is into the last quarter, and the Browns, despite today’s loss are right in the thick of the playoff race. So, while fans may want to look toward the future with Manziel, Pettine still wants to win games. He now faces the controversial decision of just who gives him the best chance to do that.

If Hoyer’s Not Hurt Last Year, Is Pettine in CLE This Year?

In a weird way, Browns’ coach Mike Pettine owes his current job to Brian Hoyer, and not because of the quarterback’s performance this year in leading the Browns to a 7-4 record thus far.

Let’s go back to last season, when Cleveland got off to a 2-2 start going into a week five matchup with the Buffalo Bills, who coincidentally are the brown and orange’s opponents this Sunday.

We all know what happened in that game, Hoyer tore his ACL and was out for the season, forcing then head coach Rob Chudzinski to have to use Brandon Weeden, who didn’t play well in a week one loss to Miami or a week two loss to Baltimore.

Later, Chudzinski went to Jason Campbell and back to Weeden because the former got hurt.

The effect we took away from the season was the Browns were a decent, competitive team when they received competent quarterbacking play, which is what they received from Hoyer in wins against Minnesota and Cincinnati.

Notice we didn’t say great QB play, just decent play. That’s how close the Browns were to respectability in 2013.

We decided to test our theory, and used the average passer rating from last year, which was the 87.0 mark posted by Andrew Luck. We arrived at this figure because there were 37 QBs who qualified for the rating and Luck ranked 18th, right in the middle.

Weeden achieved a QBR higher than 87.0 just twice last season. He posted a 95.3 rate (13 for 24, 197 yards and a touchdown) in the game he relieved Hoyer in a 37-24 win over the Bills, and a 94.8 rating in a 32-28 loss to the Jaguars (24 of 40, 370 yards, 3 TDs and 2 interceptions).

Campbell had three games in which his rating was above 87.0. He posted a 105.4 in a 23-17 loss to Kansas City, who was unbeaten at the time (22 of 36, 293 yards and 2 touchdowns), a 116.3 in a 24-18 win over the Ravens (23 for 35, 262 yards and 3 scoring throws), and a 116.8 in the heartbreaking 27-26 loss to New England that probably cost Chudzinski his job.

Campbell had three games with ratings of under 70, while Weeden had four such games. As a point of comparison, Hoyer has had three games all year with a rating under 70, two of those coming in the last two weeks.

Hoyer did have a rating of under 70 in the first of his two starts last season, that being in the win over the Vikings in which he threw three interceptions.

This means last year, Browns’ quarterbacks had eight games, half the schedule, in which they received poor quarterbacking play.

Based on Hoyer’s performance this season, you would have to think Cleveland would have won two more games (23-10 loss to Miami, 14-6 loss to Baltimore, 24-13 loss to the Jets?) if their quarterbacks had done even a decent job in those contests.

If that occurred, the Browns would have finished 6-10 and the improvement from the season before perhaps keeps Chudzinski is in the job, and Pettine planning how to stop the Browns as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator.

On the other hand, two of those losses came before Hoyer took over as the starter, so maybe if Chud would have picked the more competent guy in the first place, the season would have started differently.

Nevertheless, Hoyer’s injury against the team Pettine was coaching sent the Browns into a death spiral, as they won just one more game the balance of the year.

If Brian Hoyer doesn’t get hurt, Mike Pettine may not have his current gig, and he’s right now a contender for AFC Coach of the Year.

It’s funny how things have turned out.

Hoyer Overcomes Mistakes With GW Drive

If Brian Hoyer were so inclined to listen to sports talk shows in Cleveland, he had to be thinking there would be overwhelming support for his back up after his last interception, his third of the game, this one to Dezmen Southworth, set up Atlanta with excellent field position to take a 24-23 lead with under a minute remaining.

However, the Falcons kicked the go ahead field goal with :49 remaining and their defense had been a sieve the entire game.

So, much like his first start as a Brown last season, which coincidentally was WR Josh Gordon’s first game back from suspension in 2013, Hoyer ignored the three picks and put Cleveland kicker Billy Cundiff in position to win the game from 37 yards out.

Cundiff converted and the Browns are now 7-4 on the season, and continue to be in the chase for a playoff spot in the AFC.

While the Manzealots will continue to call for Hoyer’s benching, there is no doubt he will continue to start and play until Mike Pettine’s crew is mathematically eliminated from post-season consideration.

Make no mistake, Hoyer’s two interceptions in the fourth quarter in a game that the Browns needed to win were horrible throws and decisions.

The first one in the end zone, a back leg throw picked by Desmond Trufant, came on first and goal from the Atlanta six yard line. The smart play, the obvious play is to throw the ball into the stands. Hoyer couldn’t or didn’t get it there, and a chance to build on a 23-21 advantage went out the window.

The defense held that time, giving Cleveland the ball on their own 16 with 3:46 left. The way Atlanta’s defense had performed all day, it was certainly an amount of time where the Browns could run the ball and run out the clock.

Instead, following an eight yard run by Isaiah Crowell, and a false start on rookie guard Joe Bitonio, making it 2nd and 8, the Browns’ QB threw a deep throw over the middle to TE Gary Barnidge that was almost picked off, and did throw an interception on a sideline throw on the next play to Southworth.

Too many unnecessary risks taken by Hoyer and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Particularly when the Browns were gaining 5.6 yards per average running play. Crowell ran for 88 yards on 12 attempts and fellow rookie Terrance West gained 62 more on 14 carries.

Why not continue to run it down the throat of the Falcons, they couldn’t stop it all day?

We believe the hardest thing for pro offensive coordinator is to NOT pass the ball.

Atlanta threw the ball 43 times plus three sacks, so they called 46 passing plays compared to 23 runs when the Browns weakness on defense is running the football.

Granted, the Falcons only gained 63 yards on those 23 attempts, but they really made no attempt to established a ground game either, and with their defense, it would be in their best interest to keep the pigskin in their hands.

The big news coming into the game was Gordon’s return and he did not disappoint, grabbing eight throws for 120 yards and reminding everyone what a beast he is. He picks up a ton of yards after the catch because he is tough to bring down.

His presence made things easier for everyone. The ground game picked up and Andrew Hawkins (5 catches, 93 yards) and Miles Austin (6 catches, 64 yards)

The banged up defense responded somehow with three sacks of Matt Ryan, two by Paul Kruger and an interception by Joe Haden. Unfortunately, the Browns could only turn the two Falcon turnovers (a fumble caused by Kruger’s sack) into two Billy Cundiff field goals.

Cundiff responded from his horrible miss last week with four field goals, included the game-winner. Spencer Lanning punted just once, after the first drive of the game.

So, it’s on to Buffalo (or somewhere) to play the Bills and another week of people saying Manziel should be the starting quarterback.

However, if it were Aaron Rodgers who did what Hoyer did today, it would be reported how he overcame a bad game to lead his team to victory. That will be heard with deaf ears in Cleveland.

Turnovers and Not Stopping Run = Recipes for Defeat

After the Cleveland Browns’ convincing victory last Thursday night in Cincinnati, many people started convincing themselves that Mike Pettine’s team was one of the better teams in the AFC.

The reality is that yes, the Browns are a good team, an up and coming squad, but they are like most NFL teams in that if they make a bunch of mistakes, they could lose to anybody as well.

That’s what happened against Jacksonville, and it happened today in a 23-7 loss to the Houston Texans at First Energy Stadium.

If there is a recipe for losing in the NFL, what happened today could be considered as the formula.

First, lose the turnover battle. Cleveland has been very stingy in turning the football over today, but the Browns lost this category today, 2 to 1, and the game probably turned on Isaiah Crowell’s fumble on the Texans’ 19-yard line with 3:11 left in the second quarter in a tie game.

Instead of taking a 10-7 or 14-7 lead late in the half with the Browns getting the ball to start the second half, the defense let Houston go 78 yards in ten plays for a TD and a 14-7 halftime advantage.

That was huge.

Second, you have to be able to stop the running game. Houston didn’t feel the effect of not having Arian Foster today, as his back up, rookie Alfred Blue gained 156 yards in 36 carries, and in total, the Texans ran for 213 yards for the game. It is doubtful many teams win in the NFL allowing 200 yards rushing.

This has been a problem all year, and with DL Phil Taylor done for the season with a knee injury, it isn’t going to get any better. GM Ray Farmer, Pettine, and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil have to fix this and they have to fix this before next Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

And lastly, you have to do well on third down. The Browns converted just 3 out of 15 third downs on the day. They simply couldn’t stay on the field.

These were the most glaring problems.

The Browns’ can’t have Brian Hoyer throwing the football 50 times a game and hope to win, and today’s game bears that out. Hoyer had his accuracy problems again, completing only 20 of those throws for 330 yards.

The special teams were bad too. Billy Cundiff shanked a 38-yard field goal. Christian Yount snapped a ball over Spencer Lanning’s head on a punt, Marlon Moore fumbled a kickoff return, but was ruled down, and there was a holding penalty on another kickoff return by Moore that he took to the house.

Defensively, besides not being able to stop the run, there was little to no pressure on Ryan Mallet, who was making his first NFL start. He wasn’t sacked at all, and there were few plays where he was forced to throw before he wanted to.

The coaching staff isn’t immune today either. One of our pet peeves is coaches trying to show off, and Kyle Shanahan was guilty of that today.

How? In the win against Cincinnati, Terrance West played very well, gaining 94 yards in 26 hard carries. Today, he toted the rock just five times for 12 yards as Crowell was the featured back.

We like Crowell, but we don’t understand the change from West, who has played well for most of the season.

Regardless, the Browns are now 6-4 for the season and still in the thick of the playoff race, although they aren’t the good position they were to start the day.

And they get All Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon back for next week’s game against the Falcons.

Still, the winning formula for this team is to play error free football. They didn’t today and they paid a stiff price.

Browns Performance Workmanlike, Dominant

Anybody else doubt that things are different for the Cleveland Browns under Mike Pettine?

The Browns broke their losing streak against divisional foes on the road with a dominating performance at Paul Brown Stadium, winning 24-3 over the Bengals to move into a first place tie with the Steelers at 6-3.

It’s the most wins for Cleveland since 2007 when they went 10-6.

Pettine likes to use the expression “play like a Brown”, and tonight his entire team did just that. They played tough defense, ran the ball effectively, and avoided mistakes.

First, the running game returned for Kyle Shanahan’s offense as the three-headed monster of Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell, and Ben Tate combined for 170 yards on the ground with each scoring a touchdown. West was the feature back, getting 94 yards on 26 carries. And Crowell reemerged to give the offense a boost in the second quarter.

Brian Hoyer was incredibly efficient, completing 15 of his 23 throws for 198 yards, with Miles Austin being the primary target. Austin caught five throws for 48 yards.

On a windy night, Shanahan obviously wanted to keep the ball on the ground, and his offensive line and backs didn’t let him down.

The offense played efficiently. The defense was dominant.

In fact, it was the kind of defense fans thought they were going to see from the opening game, as they held Cincinnati to just a measly 165 yards in total offense, and QB Andy Dalton was particularly dreadful, completing only 10 of 33 passes for just 86 yards. He compounded that by throwing three interceptions, including one on the Bengals’ first drive, which was picked off by Craig Robertson.

Joe Haden was criticized early in the season when he struggled a little bit, but tonight, he took All Pro wide receiver A.J. Green completely out of the game, as Green caught only three passes for 23 yards.

Another player who gets called out when beaten on big plays, Buster Skrine, picked off two passes. Truth be told, Skrine is a solid NFL cornerback and is excellent in the slot.

Besides the interceptions, Dalton was also sacked twice on successive plays by DE Desmond Bryant in the third quarter.

And the Cincinnati running game wasn’t a factor either, getting just 86 yards on 22 carries, an average of less than four yards per carry. It was by far the Browns best performance against the running game all season.

Cleveland dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 36 minutes, partially because of the success of the running game, but also because Jim O’Neil’s defense held Cincy to just three of 17 on third down conversions.

In short, the Browns has an answer for everything that Cincinnati threw at them.

Punter Kevin Huber was perhaps the busiest Bengal, having to kick the ball away to Cleveland eight times.

The win ensures that Cleveland will be playing meaningful football in November and should be in the mix for an extended period. That, of course, should end any thought of playing Johnny Manziel unless Hoyer is injured.

The Browns have won two divisional games in dominating fashion and the two games they lost were on field goals on the last play of the game. In order to be a playoff team, you have to be competitive within the AFC North.

Right now, the Cleveland Browns have shown the rest of the teams in the division they can no longer be taken lightly. And they showed the nation they are no longer the doormats of the NFL.