Shurmur on Sunday’s Game Against Buffalo: “We’ve Got to Win this Game”
September 17, 2012
While We’re Waiting… Looking for the Next Big Thing
September 18, 2012The Browns’ run defense has been one of the great question marks for the team since before Jamal Lewis was wearing a Ravens uniform running up and down the football field against the Browns. Whether it was because the Browns’ opponents are usually playing with a lead, the defense being on the field too long, or just not being good at stopping the run, the Browns have just struggled with it over the years. The Browns did pretty well in containing BenJarvus Green-Ellis this week against the Bengals as he ran for 75 yards on 21 carries. The task this upcoming Sunday won’t be so easy.
C.J. Spiller didn’t start atop the Buffalo Bills depth chart this season. That was Fred Jackson who went down during a week one embarrassment to the New York Jets. Spiller has filled in admirably averaging 10.1 yards per carry. He had 14 carries for 169 yards against the Jets and 15 carries for 123 yards in beating the Kansas City Chiefs. He has three rushing TDs. He’s also caught five passes for 72 yards.
If the Browns are lucky, the Bills will have a gameplan focusing on the passing game. They’re going to have their work cut out for them against Spiller, it would seem.
[Related: Shurmur on Sunday’s Game Against Buffalo: “We’ve Got to Win this Game”]
8 Comments
Don’t worry everyone. He is on my fantasy team. Over the years I have had a number of fantasy players riding hot streaks in line for a big day against the Browns, and every single time, the Browns do enough to ruin my fantasy score, but not enough to win the game themselves, and I get double railed like a bad hand of Acey-Doucey
*Please understand, I would always rather the Browns win than my fantasy squad.
Spiller is the fast RB we have had the most trouble with the past couple of seasons. Hopefully, the youth movement has brought us enough speed to help with it, but we are going to get a real test this weekend.
I feel like the defense is gonna be pretty torqued off about yesterday’s showing, hopefully that fuels some motivation to lay the wood on spiller and the rest of the bills O. Gonna be a interesting game at the stadium on sunday. Go Browns!
Good thing we’ve got a shutdown cornerback, that’ll allow man coverage and the front seven to really focus on stopping the run. With our lack of linebacker speed I can’t imagine how hard it would be to concentrate on both Johnson and Spiller, that would scuk.
Spiller was my target RB3 in every league and is a huge reason for my early-season success. That said, I’m perfectly okay if he struggles.
keep him away from the Cuyahoga
I don’t understand the fundamentals of the team’s plan. Staff a team with rookies and put pressure on them to win by stopping the league’s best running game in week three? That just seems counterproductive. If you’re going young, you’re going to be getting a lot of mistakes and the coach’s job is to teach them how to learn, not give them two weeks to figure everything out before going against someone performing extremely well….
I took Fred Jax in rd 4, so I ended up taking Spiller in 9 or 10 as a handcuff. Glad I did