Buckeyes snubbed from AP Top 25 despite upset win over Michigan State
January 9, 2018The Good ol’ network and the Green Bay-Cleveland Swap: While We’re Waiting
January 10, 2018Grading season continues! WFNY’s Joe Gilbert started the grading earlier this week taking a look at the quarterback play, and I will keep it moving with an analysis of the running back position as we build toward a comprehensive look at the overall picture of what was a really difficult Browns’ season.
The running back group had high expectations coming into 2017, as lead back Isaiah Crowell was moving into a contract year, and Duke Johnson was supposed to get some time in the slot and the backfield to mix up and elevate his touch percentage. Some good things happened, some really bad things happened as well. Let’s take a look.
Overall Grade: B-
Isaiah Crowell: C+
206 attempts, 853 yards, two touchdowns and 4.1 yards per attempt
Duke Johnson: A-
82 attempts, 348 yards, four touchdowns and 4.2 yards per attempt
Matthew Dayes: C
18 KORs, 437 yards and 24.3 yards per return
Top Grade: Duke Johnson
Duke Johnson didn’t make his biggest mark in the running game this season, but when he got his hands on the ball through a carry, he made his presence felt. Johnson finished with 82 attempts, 348 yards, four touchdowns on the ground. Mix that in with his 74 catches, 693 yards, three touchdowns through the air. Mix those two aspects and you have the Browns most productive offensive player.
It’s no secret Johnson needs to get the ball more, and seeing an increased running role will only help the team in 2018. His 74 catches were about par for the course with his recent seasons, and I look for the role to continue for him next year as the Browns will look to pair him with a young back in the draft.
Biggest Strength: Balance
The Browns didn’t have many things go right on the offensive side of the football in 2017, but the running backs lived up to their end of the bargain. The mixture between Crowell and Johnson provided the nice amount of power and speed, and the two contributed for nearly 1,200 rushing yards and 850 receiving yards. Throw in the nine touchdowns as well and that makes up a large portion of the production the unit saw as a whole.
The wide receiving unit and quarterback play left much to be desired, and that left the team seeking better overall balance. The best part for this group was the balance between styles and the balance in overall plays was usually right where it needed to be to keep this group fresh. Matthew Dayes might not have contributed much on offense throughout the season, but he held his own in the kick return game, averaging 24.3 yards on his 18 returns for the season.
Biggest Need: Isaiah Crowell Replacement
In a big year for Isaiah Crowell, the Browns lead back stayed on course for what he has averaged over his career with the Browns. After a sluggish start to the year that saw Crowell failing in pass protection and missing open running lanes, he turned it around as he typically does to finish with 206 attempts, 853 yards, and two touchdowns. Overall the year was a disappointment for the free agent to be as his two total touchdowns were a career low. Crowell’s future remains up in the air, but it is clear a change of scenery would benefit both.
The 2018 NFL Draft will provide plenty of options in all different segments of the draft, and as has already been pointed out, this is one of the deepest running back drafts in some time. It has top end talent like Penn State’s Saquon Barkley, and LSU’s Derrius Guice. Has the mid round talent like Georgia’s Sony Michel, San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny, or Stanford’s Bryce Love. It even has back end talent that will find roster spots on Sunday as well. The biggest need for the Browns will be finding the right power back type to pair alongside Duke Johnson.
Overall Thought
The Browns broke 100 yards rushing nine times in 2017 – over half of their games. They were a respectable 18th in yards rushing despite being 28th in total attempts. They also cracked the top five in both yards per attempt and first down percentage. Overall, the key stat here is attempts. The attempts number is important because it typically leads to the most success for an NFL team from an offensive standpoint. The more your team runs the ball, the more it leads to winning. Now, it’s always a mixture, but I am sure Hue Jackson will admit he gave up on this aspect far too often, and the Browns could have finished with an even higher mark.
The focus for 2018 has to be to find balance in the run/pass game. The best teams in the NFL commit to the running aspect of offensive football and use it even as things get tough throughout the game. Far too often the Browns were with seven points or less, and Hue Jackson would completely shift away from the necessary balance to support his young quarterback. The Browns finished in the top ten in total pass attempts, and as the quarterback play suffered, the ball was only being thrown more. The hope here is that the newly hired offensive coordinator, whoever it ends up being, finds that necessary balance to stick to a running game that is good enough to help win football games in 2018.
Bold Prediction
The Browns will have draft two running backs in the 2018 draft. The name won’t be Saquon Barkley as most are expecting, however. They will take Sony Michel with one of their early second round picks, and another name in the later rounds to compete with Johnson and Michel for carries.
***
2017 Browns Season Grade Series: Quarterbacks
7 Comments
Agree that Duke is a nice player who had a fine year; disagree that he needs a lot more touches. He’s an explosive situational back who would be even more effective when the main guy is sapping defensive attention and energy. But please, try to sign this dude to a second contract.
If the new FO can’t replace Crowell with a second or third round pick that would say more about them than Crowell. We just saw his determined contract-year effort. Best not to forget his stretches of zoned out, fall-on-contact games of previous seasons.
Dayes? Looked exactly like a summer camp wonder who survives the last cut. But who knows for sure since they never let him give it a go since Hue wanted to mollify Crow in his contract year. We do know this about Dayes: he ain’t no kick returner. That was painful to watch.
God Crowell couldn’t be more done with us and I can’t blame him one bit. Some team will pick up a relatively young cheap power back and be the better for it. Hue completely mismanaged what should’ve been a smashmouth offense.
Anyone getting to hype on Bryce Love I’d encourage you to read up on the Stanford Power Run. Jesus god there’s a reason their backs always have obscene yards and it aint the backs.
Evidently, Hue doesn’t like Crowell because the Crow doesn’t break tackles, and so he made things worse by trying to run the offense through young Kizer.
Hue tried to coach the team he wished he had rather than the team he had. This is always an unmistakable sign of a bad coach — to wit, a system zombie.
i feel a little bad for Crowell … he’s in a contract year & he averaged just under 13 carries a game … this is mostly on Hue.
and folks around here won’t admit it , but Kizer was also a big reason why they had respectable rushing numbers … his 419 yards were 4th most by a QB.
I’m in the “if he gets no other big offers and the Browns can sign him to a team friendly contract, keep him” camp. Many people forget that Crowell hasn’t missed a game in 4 years and for an undrafted free agent, a 4.2 yard per carry average ain’t half bad. I hate taking a talent strapped team and opening more holes in the roster. If Dorsey can find the next Kareem Hunt this off season, fine cut Crow and take the cap hit. If not, I’d rather have a servicable back for 16 games who can maintain what is one of the few offensive positives we saw this year (yards per rushing attempt).
… and there are so many darned good RB’s in the draft this year , we should be able to get a real good one in the 2nd round.
good post , CBI.