Browns Film Room: Mike Pettine’s failure was not quarterback, but defense

The Browns finished off their disastrous 2015 campaign with a 28-12 loss to AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The loss all but sealed the fate of Head Coach Mike Pettine, who after the game was let go by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. Pettine finished his two seasons as Browns head coach with a 10-22 record. Even with the struggle finding a true number one quarterback, Pettine’s biggest downfall was his alleged bread and butter: the defense.

Over the past two seasons, the Browns defense seemingly got worse as time went on. In 2014, the Browns ranked 23rd in total yards allowed, last in rushing yards allowed, and ninth in fewest points allowed. This past season, the unit ranked 27th in total yards allowed, 30th in rushing yards allowed, and 29th in points allowed. Each ranking either dropped or stayed about the same. Pettine’s so-called expertise was causing him the most harm, but what caused the Browns defense to play so poorly?

In this week’s film room, we take a look at the biggest reasons the Browns defense struggled so mightily this season by looking at the season finale loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Browns Film Room: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17

Bad Tackling

The Browns defense as a unit was very poor at the simple task of tackling. The defense allowed a lot of extra yardage on plays because of the many tackles the team missed this season. Here is an example of the bad tackling from the Browns.

In this example, the Steelers produced a big play that should have gone for a lot less yardage. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws a short six-yard pass to receiver Antonio Brown, who ran a quick hook route against Browns cornerback Pierre Desir. Desir is in an off coverage against Brown, giving the wideout a lot of space. The pass was simple for the Steelers to complete, but Desir’s bad tackling technique turns the play into a 27-yard gain for the Steelers. Desir takes a horrible angle on Brown, causing him to be completely out of position to make the tackle. He tries to recover and make the stop a little farther downfield, but he misses the tackle and allows Brown to gain even more yards. It was just bad technique by the Browns cornerback.

Lack of a Consistent Pass Rush

The Browns defense was unable to sustain any sort of consistent pass rush all season. The unit ranked 28th in sacks, with just 29 total sacks on the year. The lack of a pass rush gave opposing offenses plenty of time to find receiving targets in the passing game. Here is an example of the lack of a pass rush by the Browns defense.

This 19-yard completion from Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown was successful because of the Browns’ inability to pressure the quarterback. The Browns rushed four players on the play and got no pressure on Roethlisberger. This allowed Roethlisberger to fake a run via play-action and also to focus on the left side of the field for his first passing option before finding Brown on the right. It was way too much time to give the great Steelers quarterback. As the Browns showed, no pass rush can be a huge detriment to a team’s defense.

Bad Run Defense

The Browns defense ranked 30th in rushing yards allowed per game this season, giving up 128.4 yards per game on the ground. The defense was gashed by almost every opposing team’s running game. The main reasons for the bad run defense have been the abovementioned poor tackling, lack of discipline, not winning one-on-one battles, and a lack of penetration by defensive players. Here is an example of the Browns struggling to stop the run.

On this play, the Steelers are in a single back set with a tight end on either side of the line. Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams gets a solid six-yard gain on this play. The first problem on the play is lack of stoutness at the point of attack. Almost every Browns lineman is getting controlled by the Steelers offensive line, paving a clean hole for Williams. The other problem on the play is the missed tackle by safety Jordan Poyer, which allows Williams to gain extra yardage. The run defense suffered from many different problems during the year that led to its poor performance.

Bad Personnel Choices

The biggest head scratcher with the Browns defense is their personnel choices. The Browns made a lot of questionable selections in deciding whom to play in different situations. The coaches seemed in some situations to put in players who were less talented than those who were on the bench. They also put players in positions that didn’t fit their skill set the best. An example of this is the decision to play special teamer Johnson Bademosi way too much. He should be exclusively played on special teams. He just lacks the talent to be a corner in the league. But somehow, the Browns coaches put him in ahead of corner Pierre Desir earlier in the season and before corner Justin Gilbert in the final game. Below is an example of Bademosi giving up a touchdown versus the Steelers on Sunday.

Mental Mistakes

The Browns defense suffered a lot of mental mistakes during the season. The defense often had miscommunication between players, allowing opportunities for the opposing offense. It also was hurt by big penalties seemingly in situations that seemed to hurt them the most. These penalties extended drives and gave opposing teams extra opportunities. The defense just lacked discipline that should have been taught by the coaches. Below is an example of a mental mistake.

On this third-and-7 play, linebacker Paul Kruger goes offside, giving the Steelers another and easier chance to gain a first down. The penalty gave the Steelers a much more manageable third-and-2 play that they converted. It was a mental mistake that really hurt the Browns defense.

Injuries

The only problem that Head Coach Mike Pettine could not fix with coaching is the vast number of injuries the defense suffered during the season. The secondary, in particular, lost a lot of players to injury, including starting cornerback Joe Haden. These injuries forced the Browns to play lesser talented players in bigger situations against vastly more talented opponents. The injuries caused more mismatches for the Browns defense to try and overcome.

On this play, the Browns got a bad matchup between safety Tashaun Gipson and receiver Antonio Brown. Because of the multitude of injuries in the secondary, the Browns were forced to play Gipson as a corner, and on this play he was matched up against the best receiver in the game. It was just not a fair fight between a safety and a star receiver one-on-one.

Highlight of the Game

The highlight of the game was the ending, which marked the end of the terrible season. The Browns were bad this year, with few highlights to be seen. The end of the game brought the offseason, where hopefully changes can be made to fix the team and put it on the right path. Another rough season has finally come to a end.

Lowlight of the Game

The lowlight of the game was the fact the Browns lost their 13th game of the season. The Browns had another losing season and, in fact, their worst record since 2000. The loss gave way to yet another offseason of change. 3-13 is just another tough season to swallow for a fan base that has seen its team lose consistently over the last couple decades.

Thank you everyone for the readership over the 16 weeks of the Browns film room!