Week 9 - 2014 - Tampa Bay

 

At the halfway point of the 2014 football season, the Cleveland Browns are 5-3.  That is their best record at this point since 2007, and they are about 2 plays away from being 7-1, which is amazing.  Their first year head coach has handled himself well, the starting quarterback has a 2.5 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio, and they've weathered losing 3 Pro Bowl players for portions of the season.  The worst case scenario is that they are 5-5 and in the playoff hunt when they get Josh Gordon back from suspension.  Be happy my friends.

The Browns beat Tampa Bay at home on another beautiful fall afternoon, 22-17.  The schedule stiffens up soon, and so will the wind, so the Browns need to find their footing on offense, suffering again from the inability to grind the ball on the ground against the Bucs.  However they pillow fought their way through 3 games against the bottom feeders of the NFL in the Jaguars, Raiders, and Buccaneers, going 2-1 and seemingly playing down to their competition in each.  Now the real challenges come, starting with the Bengals on Thursday in a huge game. 

Tampa Bay is not very good, but neither is Oakland and neither is Jacksonville.  Winning is winning and the Browns won.  The offense didn't have it's best day.  The defense was pretty good all things considered.  And the special teams was really good.

This offense is built on the running game.  It's hard to look pretty when you're offense is based on running the ball but you can't effectively run the ball.  It is easy to point to the loss of Alex Mack as the reason the Browns can't run, but it is more than that.  Yes, Mack's injury hurts, especially since replacement Nick McDonald had a ROUGH game.  Gerald McCoy was dominant, and is an awesome player.  But there are other problems, starting with the fact that Ben Tate isn't very good.  He has no explosiveness.  In the past three games, he has 41 carries for 65 yards.  That is AWFUL.  Isaiah Crowell has 8 carries over those three games, including NONE against Tampa Bay.  There has been no explanation given for Crowell's lack of action, but it makes little sense.  It's possible that the fumbles against the Steelers have something to do with it but I'm not sure.  Terrance West had a solid game.  The best the running game looked this season was with West in the lead with Crowell coming off the bench.  The worst it has looked has been in the past 3 games, with Tate as the lead back.  The other problem is that teams are stacking the box against the run and making Brian Hoyer beat them.  Hoyer is best operating off play action, and in order to run play action you have to run the ball.  To Shanahan's credit despite the ineffectiveness of the running game he has not gone away from it, but the best way to defense the Browns is to load up the box on first and second down and make Hoyer beat you on 3rd and long.  And teams are trying to do just that.

To Hoyer's credit, in spite of some spells of inaccuracy, he has been able to do that in the past two games.  Geez the guy doesn't look pretty doing it all the time but he's 6-1 at home as a starter.  He was missing a Pro Bowl tight end in Jordan Cameron and an All Pro wideout in Josh Gordon.  And I admittedly get frustrated watching at times but again it's a results business and Hoyer has gotten it done.  Taylor Gabriel is developing into a really nice player.  Hawkins is tough, and Miles Austin has been a pretty good free agent signing.  Hoyer is the first Browns quarterback to have over 200 yards passing in the first eight games since Brian Sipe. 

The defense has not faced a murder's row of offenses in the past 3 weeks, but they have been much improved since the start of the season.  Joe Haden has looked the part of shutdown cornerback the past few games.  Des Bryant had a really nice game against Tampa, and Paul Kruger has been outstanding really the whole season.  Whitner and Gipson seem to be the perfect safeties for Pettine's defense.  It seems like it takes a series or two for the defense to settle in, but they are starting to force turnovers and turnovers win football games.  They are still missing an interior pass rusher, and maybe when Phil Taylor gets healthy he can help.  I really thought the Browns defensive line would dominate this game, especially with that bum Oniel Cousins starting for the Buccaneers, but they turned it on when they needed to.  Tampa only managed 17 rushing yards in the second half, and when the defense needed to make a stop with the game on the line they did.  One thing you can say for Coach Pettine is that these are games that previous versions of the Browns would have lost.  Pettine has them not making the critical mistake, and that is important especially against lesser teams.

Even the special teams got in on the party, with an amazing blocked field goal by Billy Winn and a critical punt block by Craig Robertson.  Both those plays were huge, it really is amazing the impact good special teams has on a game.  That's why I'm so critical of Tabor.  Bad special teams play loses games, and good special teams play wins them.  Tabor had his guys going on Sunday, and the Browns won. 

So halfway through the season the Browns are right in the middle of it.  They are 5-3.  Mind you that they've won 5 or less games in the previous five seasons.  They'll be getting their stud wide receiver back.  The coach is clearly still learning on the job but has done a pretty good job all and all.  And say what you will about Hoyer, but he wins games.  So enjoy this victory Monday, Cleveland.  Be happy.  There have been way too many lost games and lost seasons not to be.


Random gifs

GRONK LEGEND

Backup Buckeye quarterback huge hit dot gif

This funny lady tho

Bonus pic everyone at IU should run out and get that Fuchs jersey

Knee Jerk - Day 3

Overall impression of the Browns draft - I love it.  I don't care what anybody thinks the Browns are hella better than they were on Wednesday and got better at key spots.  The picks from yesterday.






Travis Benjamin - WR, Miami - I'm on record as being in love with Jarius Wright, but Travis Benjamin is in the same mold.  He's small, (5'10 175) and fast (4.35 forty).  Nicknamed the "Belle Glade Blur" and they're fast down there.  He's a different type of player than the Browns currently have, and offers special teams ability to take some of the load off of Cribbs.  He's a dynamic player that can take a short pass the distance, and exactly what I've been clamoring for.  He was a good pick.  I'd have taken Wright but I am not the general manager of a football team.  And it's apparent that at the 87th or 120th pick, they didn't think there was a receiver there that is better than Massaquoi, Cribbs or Norwood.  Or they'd have taken another one.  Last thought on this, Brandon Weeden should make the current receivers better.  That's what QB's do.

James-Michael Johnson - LB, Nevada - He can't be any worst than the last linebacker we took from a state school in Nevada (Beau Bell).  This guy has position versatility, he can play inside or outside, and will play special teams.  We knew the Browns were going to address the linebacker position, they have no depth.  This guy could develop into a starter.  I was going to do a little write up in my linebackers take about him but thought he was a Mike and skipped over him.  Solid pick.











Ryan Miller - OL, Colorado - He was one of the top recruits in the country when he was in high school.  He's a giant (6'7 300) who stated a ton of games at both tackle and guard.  He may be a guard, but again, position versatility is paramount for players like this to stick in the NFL, and he can play tackle as well.  Building young depth up the middle on the offensive and defensive lines was obviously a focus of this draft.  Again I liked the pick.  Cody Risien anyone??











Emmanuel Acho - LB, Texas - Solid if not spectacular weakside linebacker prospect.  Was a tackling machine last year for Texas playing in the wide-open Big 12.  It will be interesting to see if he's a better player when he plays against pro-style offenses.  I liked him better than Keenan Robinson, who was a 4th round pick.  He flies to the ball, and again should provide depth at linebacker and be a key special teams player.  His brother is a good player for Arizona, and was a 4th rounder last season.  I'll get a better  scouting report from my Uncle Chris.








Billy Winn - DT, Boise State - This is an example of the inanity in attempting to analyze the draft.  Everywhere you read this guy was a second-third-fourth round prospect.  The Browns got him at the tail end of the sixth.  So, if they'd have taken him in the third, and John Hughes with this pick, no one would have complained in the least.  Be that as it may, the defensive tackle position should be fortified with the addition of Hughes and Winn.  He's got good size and may be able to play end as well.  He was a powerlifter and wrestler in high school and was a highly productive player in a good program (36.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks in his career).  Good teams are strong up the middle and the Browns got stronger.

Trevin Wade - CB, Arizona - Another guy who was projected to go a lot higher than he did.  I would not have been mad if they took him in the 4th or 5th.  I really like the guy.  He's a good man cover corner who should be able to develop into at least a number 3.  Not a burner but has good functional speed and quickness.  Three year starter.  Really like the value pick here.

Brad Smelley - FB/TE, Alabama - Try hard, hybrid type who lacks the size (6'2 238) to be a tight end but should compete at fullback.  He has good hands (7 catches in the National Championship game) and is a willing blocker.  Everybody complained about Marecic last year (who I think will be much better this year) and they brought in some competition.  Blocked for Trent Richardson in college.








They've also signed some undrafted free-agents at this point, you can view the list here (rumors only until they're announced).  Like Josh Cooper, Andrew Sweat and my guy Tashuan Gipson.  Also looks like we signed Toby Gerharts brother Garth, JB "false start" Shugarts, and another William Green, since the first one worked out so well.


All and all I really like this draft.  I know I'm in the minority but I think in terms of building this team and getting stronger up front they were solid.  They drafted an absolute MONSTER and running back, a quarterback with the physical tools that the position requires and a starting right tackle.  They got two solid linebackers for depth, one of whom should develop into a starter.  They got great value in the 7th on a good corner, and they solidified their defensive line.  I'm not usually a rosy person on the day after the draft but I honestly feel that this team has a direction and a GM that gets it.  Solid work Heckert, PLAYOFFS IN 2013!!!!!!  BOOK IT!