While We’re Waiting…Gibson ready, Browns rookies rising, More Antonetti rebuild discussion, Delhomme Sharp
August 29, 2010Walk-off Wahoos Win Third in a Row
August 29, 2010The Browns dropped the Great Lakes Classic to the Detroit Lions 35-27. The GLC is the only battle the Browns could engage in where the opposing team has been worse off over the last decade or so. The good news is that both teams are improving, it seems. Finally. Yet, the Browns came out on the losing end of their “dress rehearsal” pre-season game. If the Browns can’t even beat the Lions in a pre-season game then what in the world does it mean for this season? Let’s just say that the sky isn’t falling. If you want to look at this game from the Browns and turn it into a sign of a really bad season, you could find a way to do it.
After watching last night’s game, if you wanted to sound the alarm, you would probably do so starting with the defense. The Browns gave up 68 yards and a touchdown in three plays on the Lions’ first drive. Rookie running back Jahvid Best did an absolute number on the team’s linebackers and secondary as he scrambled 51 yards before Eric Wright was able to bring him down. Another 10 yard reception by Best and a quick 7 yard touchdown strike to Bryant Johnson and Detroit took the 7-3 lead. For Browns fans who just can’t forget their nightmares, it was looking like a Jamal Lewis record-setting day for Best in the making if it had been a regular season game.
The rest of the game, it felt like the Lions were absolutely beating the Browns defense. The defense finished the game without any sacks and were gashed on what seemed to be many long plays. In the end, even though the Browns defense didn’t play well and there are certainly many learning opportunities to be gained from this year’s GLC, overall, I wouldn’t use this game to necessarily spell doom for the team this season like I am assuming someone will try to do at some point.
The Browns, for all their warts, led after three quarters before the Lions took control of the game in the fourth with backups. While I also want to have full confidence in Seneca Wallace, it is worth noting that Jake Delhomme did not play in the second half. Even still, the Browns led the game 27-21 before the fourth quarter started. Even as I am leery of the defense, they did find a way to score a touchdown as Schaefering forced a fumble that Eric Wright show-boated 44 yards for the “Wrighteous” score.
The Browns had won the time of possession battle. The Browns dominated the ball for around 11 minutes in the first quarter. They won it by a nose in the second quarter holding the ball for around 8 minutes. The Browns held their own in the third quarter TOP with just over 7:30. In baseball, the Browns would have been taking a lot of pitches from Detroit’s starting defense to raise the pitch count. That strategy should seem familiar to you because Romeo Crennel’s defenses never seemed to be able to get off the field.
With Jake Delhomme, the Browns’ offensive line, and the Browns’ latest roster of weapons including Ben Watson and Peyton Hillis, the Browns look to keep drives going and dominate the time of possession. If they can do it successfully, it should pay dividends in the fourth quarters of many games this year.
While we should never be satisfied when the Browns lose even in pre-season games, overall, I am still very optimistic about this year’s team. Again, I won’t be outlandish with my predictions for wins and losses this year either. This year’s Browns are and will be an improvement over what we saw last season.
Other news and notes:
- The initial reports from the Browns are good regarding Nick Sorenson. After a scary hit to the helmet, all initial indications are that he will be alright. As of last night, he had feeling in his extremities and was responsive. Very good news, indeed.
- The Browns’ turnovers were cause for concern for a second straight week. Jerome Harrison’s fumbles led to a Detroit score directly.
- There could have been more turnovers as the Browns had trouble with a few snaps and a few collissions in the backfield with Delhomme and Lawrence Vickers.
- Josh Cribbs had an amazing catch in the first half. He caught it with his fingertips at the ball’s peak and also got his toes in.
- Peyton Hillis was a monster yet again. His numbers weren’t gaudy, but just made everyone pay for tackling him. He and Vickers delivered from one yard out in a jumbo package including a receiving eligible Steinbach. Thunder and Thunder indeed.
- WFNY favorite Carlton Mitchell was brought in for an electrifying end around play. Mitchell showed a lot of burst as he sprinted for 26 yards.
- The Browns spread the ball around again. Cribbs had three catches. MoMass had 2, Evan Moore had 3, Hillis had 4, Robiskie had 3, and Ben Watson had 2. The Browns may lack a home run hitter per se, but they seemingly have a whole host of 2nd and 3rd options.
- Not talking about Colt McCoy for long. He threw a couple of nice balls and then started checking down a whole lot against the Lions’ prevent. Another week and another learning experience for the rookie. Good enough.
- Jake Delhomme was 20-25 with over 100 QB rating if you need him.
- As I stated earlier, the Browns won the time of possession by 9 minutes against the Lions.
- I am not sure why Seneca Wallace came in for two plays in the red zone. If that was part of a strategy that the Browns might attempt in the regular season, then I am not a fan.
- UNLESS, it is part of the flash package featuring Wallace and Cribbs running a special set of plays including options and passes and QB keepers. The Browns haven’t shown this package at all yet. It didn’t appear there was any intention for Seneca Wallace to run any of those plays last night either.
17 Comments
Completely agree about the Wallace injection in the red zone O. Did not go smoothly at all. I think I am as optimistically excited about the O as I am pessimistically down on the D. Its preseason, and you cant buy into much that you see…. but our D was getting torched. And a solid group of those back-ups were the starters in the win streak last year. Im nervous, but I hope things click or they just have been “practicing” different things each week on D so when it counts theyll be ready.
I love watching Joe Thomas own whoever is coming after him week-in and week-out. It’s laughable. I also love watching Vickers and Hillis when they’re out on their head-hunting missions.
The defense looks crappy, but hopefully Shaun Rodgers isn’t made an example of and he makes a difference when he returns. The young guys will improve, too.
On a positive note, the offense looks tight. If they can control the ball like they’ve shown, pounding the ball with the running game, they’ll be in a lot of games.
Joe Haden lone bright spot for D. Two crucial third down stops..a pass break up and a tackle right before the marker.. Guy gets better each game
The defense would be better off if we weren’t playing that soft zone. It is ridiculous. We have the talent on the outside to man up. Grow a set and lock down those corners. I’m really starting to get tired of Jerome Harrison. You put the ball on the ground, I put your ass on the bench. Please get healthy Hardesty.
The goal line play calling was dumb. You’re calling that “pistol” formation to run the ball up the gut, with no lead blocker? That is Daboll-esk… Good times. Get your hogs in there, Put Vickers and Hillis behind Delhomme and just force that ball down the defenses throat.
There was a play in our red zone when we only rushed 3 so that means 8 were in coverage…there were only 4 Lions receivers…so that means you could double EVERY Lions WR…but somehow they still scored.
I don’t remember the play but it made me furious. Our offense can destroy the clock and score, but the defense needs to do something.
I’m with MattyFos, so sick of the soft zones.
Highlight of the game for me was Vickers graceful ballet jump into the endzone. Has me cracking up every time I watch it.
Brief thoughts from last night:
DelHomme looked very good, although I would still like to see him hit a deep ball to back the defense off a little. The pass to Cribbs (awesome catch) was as close as they have come to that. I’m a believer in just running a play each half where the QB takes the ball and throws it as far as he can down the field. If it’s caught, great. If not, the defense still has something to think about.
Running game is not impressive…disappointed in Jerome Harrison. Seems like he goes down on first contact. Davis looked decent in his few touches.
Hillis is a beast, and needs to get the ball more.
Defense was so-so. Seemed like they were giving up a lot of yards, but they only gave up 7 points in the first half. The troubling part is that if the Lions can move the ball like that, what is a good team going to do?
Overall, the score was 24-14 at halftime, so we obviously did some things right. Can’t wait to see the “non-vanilla” offense and what it might be capable of.
Gonna be a long two weeks of waiting…
Colt McCoy is turrbile. Very bad. Looks like “the savior” will just have to come in next year’s draft.
mattyfos FTW. all good points but why the HELL wasnt vickers in there in that red zone set? did daboll miss the film from rams game on the failed 4th down with hillis running by himself? why watch the film if you cant learn and adapt from them?
good news is that when delhomme is in no-huddle the play-calling is taken away from daboll.
i’m concerned that in two areas of need don’t look a lot better.
* right side of the o-line struggled. willing to hang in there with them for a bit.. alex mack struggled early last year. however this pashos is the third? FA signing in a row that was supposed to fix right tackle.. i’m skeptical.
* lbs looked slow. if kamerion wimbley cant pressure a qb the the RDE position why does ryan think roth is going to do better from LDE?
i noticed a good thing with colt. he doesn’t get all ‘happy feet’ when the pocket tightens up. BQ used to seem nervous there. unfortunately i noticed this during the replays of his strip sack. 🙂
To me it appears as if Mangini simply wanted more red zone reps for Wallace. He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities in the red zone with the first team offense so far and wanted to give him a shot… thats the sort of thing you do in preseason. That would never happen come september. Go Browns!
no doubt that the browns would have won the last 2 games if ratliff had been playing instead
there is a bigger issue with mccoy then just being a rookie learning the league. he is a brady quinn clone, checking down on every play, not making intelligent decisions on the field and having a pretty bad NFL arm
since there is some doubt that mccoy and or ratliff can get on the practice squad there is a good chance that heckert starts shopping mccoy this week
something is wrong with this kid. he needs to be coddled like he was in college, and the nfl doesnt work like that
@12 Why would the Browns shop a rookie QB only a few weeks into his NFL career who hasn’t gotten enough meaningful reps by which to judge his current skills set let alone project his future development. The Browns apparently have a solid starting QB in Delhomme. The team can carry four QBs on the roster this year if Coach Mangini wants to keep Ratliff. McCoy has at least two years on the bench before there’s any pressure to play him in the regular season. He also has two veterans in Delhomme and Seneca Wallace from whom to learn (Quinn had Ken Dorsey). And, it’s not like the Browns invested their future in McCoy if he doesn’t pan out for them. Settle down. Yes, he played terrible. Does it really matter if the Browns lost two preseason games? I highly doubt the Browns would even consider trading McCoy right now. Can we please kill all this reactionary talk?
@13harrison – wow and congrats. i believe that’s absolutely the first time i’ve heard a poster call him ‘coach mangini.’ i like it. let’s face it, it was never coach crennell or coach davis… really i think you’d have to go back to coach collier. here’s hoping it catches on.
dont want to speak for tashka, but i think we’re coming from the same place. you give a guy a ‘learning’ slot over contributing football players only if you think he’s got something special to deliver three years down the road. think aaron rogers or steve young. it just seems to me that there’s a problem if colt getting a roster slot based only on pedigree and to avoid the embarrassment of a 3rd round draft bust.
i’m really not trying to be reactionary. as i said above, i thought mccoy looked improved against the lions. but i want him to outplay ratliff for his job. if you want a college hero, why not graham harrell? guy was a stud throwing to crabtree at texas tech. won the sammy baugh trophy in 2007. browns passed on him last year. saskatchewan released him this spring. if we’re in the business of giving slots to college heroes wouldn’t we do better with troy smith? so i’m just saying let’s evaluate mccoy as mccoy.. not as a sacred artifact of texas football (who was passed on by houston and dallas.).
i’m with most everyone on the board who says.. who cares, either one is 3rd string. what i’m hoping is that this organization doesn’t let their fear of looking bad stop them from cutting ‘their’ guys and keeping the best players based on merit only. (unfortunately, their devotion to a 3-4 defense without playmaking LBs makes me question whether they’re up to critical self-evaluation.)
my bigger thing is: is montario hardesty all that? i know grossi thought he’d start based on our trading up to get up and his minicamp. but i’d like to see it in a game. looking forward to this week’s game to see it. we passed on a guy who’s the probable successor to faneca on the jets o-line (ducasse) and a rock solid LB (angerer). so heckert has a lot invested in this. dont make his investment in hardesty yours.
last thing, dont take my cynicism as negative. i’m just wary of viewing mccoy as the future franchise qb (two years of jake and then seneca is the more likely future.). i want to see for myself what’s so great about hardesty. i trusted the browns and the press corps on st. clair and royal and corey williams. i believed that quinn’s holdout was why he didn’t develop. i ate up the great press on gocong and fujita (howd they look last nite?).
at this point, i want to see it on the turf before getting behind any of these guys.
Gocong and Fujita havent really been noticed on the field. So they arent making huge plays but they arent giving them up either. I too really want to see Hardesty, because while I love Hillis and Harrison, with all the hype Hardesty has gotten i just wanna see something.
As for McCoy, I dont think its fair to have a QB for 1 training camp then cut him loose, esp. at a QB position. Ratliff may be playing better, but its not head over heels, and if either one has to play the season is ruined anyways. McCoy needs to show a lot of improvement this year on the bench tho and come next camp he needs to be closer to Wallace.
The Browns starting offense looks legitimate this year, which is encouraging. It may not be legitimately good, but it stands to be a far cry better than last year’s joke.
Also jim: get over the cut mccoy thing. Its not going to happen. He was drafted as a project, and a project he shall be for a year or two. Thats why we also have Delhomme & Wallace.
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