Columbus, Ohio: One Unique NFL Market
November 5, 2011While We’re Waiting… MLB Free Agents, Dick Jauron and his D, and Gilbert Giveaways
November 6, 2011It’s a frustrating time to be a Browns’ fan right now. To the casual observer, not much has changed in 12 years since the Browns were an expansion franchise. A new coach, a green QB, a lack of playmakers and a pitiful offense are what they have in common. However, two of the most important things that this organization and its fans can hold onto as a tangible sign of improvement are the addition of Tom Heckert as GM and his two drafts that have made the Cleveland Browns’ defense into one in the top five in the NFL.
The proof is in the starting lineup. DT Phil Taylor, DE Jabaal Sheard, CB Joe Haden, and S T.J. Ward are all the result of Heckert’s last two drafts. Add in holdover top performers Ahtyba Rubin and D’Qwell Jackson along with free agent signing Chris Gocong, and the Browns have the making of a formidable, mostly young defense that they can control for a long time.
Statistically, the Browns rank fifth in the NFL on defense in terms of yardage (299.1 yards per game). They’re second against the pass (less than 172 yards per game), though they are 26th against the run. Their style is very much bend and not break. They’re rarely out of position, for the most part, they’re sure tacklers, and they’ve had spotty success with getting after the quarterback. Right now, their defensive line is very much built for the pass rush. You would think a player of Taylor’s size would simply be a plug to stop the run, but he’s been active in the opponent’s backfield, gathering 3 sacks on the season and countless pressures. Mitchell and Sheard have combined for 4 sacks, and while they’ve been burned in the run game a little bit, I’m confident that they’ll get better with time. Rubin is a top run stopper, and he’s an incredible story for a sixth round draft choice.
Jackson’s thrived in the return to the 4-3 defense, leading the team in tackles with 50 tackles, nearly twice the second leading tackler on the team (Rubin- 26). Then there’s Haden, the headliner, the star of this defense. His stats aren’t impressive this season (24 tackles, 1 sack, 0 INT). You know why? Because opposing offensives want absolutely nothing to do with him. They gameplan to throw away from Haden, and when they do throw it at him, he makes plays on the ball and wipes out the chance for a big play. That’s something the Browns have not had.
To me, it seems like people forget the past, having one Pro Bowl player on defense (linebacker Jamir Miller) for nearly a decade! What I’m begging for is just a little bit of patience. Frustrated with the West Coast Offense, the lack of a playmaker on offense, with Shumur calling plays, with the cluster you-know-what that is Peyton Hillis this season, and with Colt McCoy’s arm strength and decision making? Yea, me too, BELIEVE me. But don’t lump the whole team into this, saying there isn’t progress anywhere. If Heckert puts as much effort into building the offense in this draft as he did with getting defensive playmakers the past two years, there’s no reason this team cannot have a winning record next season and fight for the playoffs. The NFL is a league where things change fast. We’ve been stuck in the mud for more than 10 years now, but we’re getting traction. You just have to dig a little deeper, see these defensive strides, and start to get a little bit excited.
While the offense needs to upgrade at several positions (read: everyone but Thomas, Mack, and Watson), the defense has a great start. In my view, the two biggest needs for this team on the defensive side of the ball are a second strong corner to support Haden’s efforts and a better coverage safety to compliment the run stopper safety T.J. Ward. If Heckert can use this next draft with extra picks to add another pair of starters to this defense, there’s no reason that this team cannot maintain their high defensive rankings to this point.
11 Comments
I’m so tired of this fallacy. We have the 26th ranked D not only against the run but also in takeaways. Our pass D is only statistically decent because we’ve faced the least amount of pass attempts in the whole League against absolute garbage at QB.
The best, most positive and truthful thing you can say about the D is that it’s not as bad as the offense… which is hardly a compliment.
Thank you for the Post, Exactly what I’ve been saying for days!!! But still Waiting For Next Year…
the defense looks really good but let’s hope it’s more than a look. Playing against good offensive teams like the texans should be a good test for the young defense.
This is a good article that makes some salient and important points. Heckert seems like a good judge of talent, who can slowly stockpile talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I hope that the holes on defense (safety, corner, depth at d-line and linebacker) are addressed in later rounds and free agency in the off-season and that the significant deficiencies on offense are addressed with high draft picks.
But there is a caveat here, which is worth mentioning: the defense is not as good as we think. There are three major reasons for thinking this:
1. The fact that defenses are ranked by yards allowed should be disconcerting to serious football fans. The quality of a defense is much more complicated than that. With this criticism in mind, a quick look at the Browns’ defensive rankings against the run (26th) and pass (2nd) shows that there is some cause for concern because …
2. The AFC North has played some pretty terrible teams so far this year. Let’s be honest, when the defenses of the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, and Browns were all ranked in the top four (!) a couple weeks ago, did any of us really believe that was due to their defensive dominance? It’s far more likely that strength of schedule played a big role in this statistical anomaly. Being ranked second against the pass is pretty impressive, no doubt, but some of the luster is taken away when the opponents are considered. Even more problematic, though, is the run defense because …
3. The Browns are usually playing from behind. Controlling the ball, running the clock, and giving their defense a rest is an m.o. for the Browns’ opponents, who often are protecting a lead. They have an incentive, especially late in the game, to run the ball. Being ranked second against the pass doesn’t mean very much if your opponent isn’t passing. 26th against the run, though, when your opponent is running the ball a lot? That’s a recipe for trouble.
Look, I’m not saying that the defense is terrible or that I’m not encouraged by the development of some players, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. True, compared to the offense, defensively the Browns are the ’86 Bears, but that doesn’t really mean anything if they’re still losing more games than they’re winning and giving up points, yards, and plays, when they can ill-afford them. Is there improvement? Of course, there’s still a long way to go.
Agreed Kirk, I’ve been thinking and saying the same thing. To say the Browns suck is wrong. Rather, one should say “our soon to be released in the off-season corps of wide receivers suck”, or “McCoy’s arm strenght, errant passes, and decision making all suck”, or even “Lavao, Pinkston, and Pashos suck”. Let’s be more specific here.
One can even back up their argument with fact… “Pittsburgh beat Tennessee, who STOMPED the Browns, without three starting offensive tackles, they even started a center who’s been sitting on the couch all season… Lavao, Pinkston, and Pashos must SUCK!”
Another example… “Dude, did you know that Matt Forte is making as much money as Peyton Hillis this year? I can’t believe it, that guy is a stud, he’s been the man in Chicago for three years. All Hillis has done this year is collect a paycheck while being a constant distraction to the team in an effort to get paid more money. Man, Hillis really SUCKS right now!”
Ok, one thing… how do you have 3 “starting offensive tackles”?
I agree with the premise of this piece saying the D is pretty good, and young, and still not finished. We are tied for 9th in the league in rush yards per attempt, and 10th in pass yards per attempt. That is better then just takings bulk numbers. Maybe we arent THAT good… but we are still in the top half of the NFL in terms of team D.
@-bobby- good call… I obviously meant starting O linemen…
I highly suggest the WFNY team quit using NFL yardage stats so heavily. It’s like clinging to BA/HR/RBI in baseball strictly. Football Outsiders has the Browns defense slightly below league average using advanced metrics that look at situational performance and opponents (DVOA).
Love the work at WFNY but it’s time to take advantage of the better tools out there for judging NFL football.
I agree with the sentiment that many of you are conveying: perhaps the Browns aren’t truly one of the most five formidable defenses in the league. There are probably some better metrics than I used. The point is they’re being recognized for their defensive toughness. By next year, hopefully they can solidify the holes that are limiting them right now: mainly, stopping the run: a MUST in the AFC North especially late in the year.
It is a unigue situation since the reboot Cleveland ensconced in a youth movement rebuild. So yeah they suck but at least the suckiness is moving towards average. It is hard to stomach, it is hard to put on the rose colored glasses, but I think it is warranted. There is real progress this team is on the up for the next 3-5 years. 100% due to the youth movement.
I am also in favor of a second big time CB, and would like Heckert to continue shoring up both lines. A WR is a sexy pick, even Robiskie had highlight catches in college that made people drool over his potential. So I am not into drafting a WR high this year. Also I want Holmgren to identify a savior QB. (like Brett Favre or Hasslebeck)
I am happy to raise my glass to the future without having to resort to delusions!
Props to the defense for improving. One concern I have is NOBODY bothers trying to even run up the middle but we are still giving up too much yardage outside on runs. But I am pleased with the defense’s performance.
The NFL is a League where change happens fast… once the groundwork has been laid for that change. One of the great fallacies of BrownsBacking is that other teams who were in perpetual irrelevance turned it around in a year or two and the Browns cannot. The fallacy is that other teams turn around in 24 months or less.
A prime example, and one that I am familiar with, is the rise to prominence of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many are familiar with their tale of 13 consecutive losing seasons. Most think that they exploded out of nowhere after Tony Dungy came to town. The true story is that change started 5 years before their first playoff win. It started when former Coach Sam Wyche began adding names to the roster like Derrik Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch Mike Alstott and Ronde Barber. It continued when Dungy came in and installed the Tampa-2 in a 6-10 season, the team’s 13th in a row below .500 in wins. The following season, they finished 2nd in their division. Then they ditched the creamcicle uniforms for the Pewter Pirate look, made the playoffs for only the 2nd time in Team History, and everybody hailed them as an instant success. They forget about the Culverhouse years, or the trials of going from Trent Dilfer to Shaun King to Eric Zeier as starting QB under Dungy before Brad Johnson finally took them all the way to a Ring for Chuckie.
You look at any “sudden” turnaround of a perenial doormat team and you will see the same pattern of steady improvement that goes unrecognized until a critical mass is reached. Then everybody hails the “Overnight Success”.