Buckeyes jump up one spot to No. 5 in second Playoff rankings
November 9, 2016The Confusing Lives of 2016 Cleveland Browns Fans
November 9, 2016“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.”
I think of this line from Shakespeare’s Henry V when I think of the Cleveland Browns. There’s a little beam of light shining through and it’s mostly enveloped by the darkness. We hope that they will continue to charge towards that tiny pinhole of light to eventually break through into the win column. I still believe that this team has too much talent- young and raw though it may be- to wind up without a win this season.
The Browns got their butts handed to them, 35-10, by the Dallas Cowboys and their impeccable offensive line and running back. Notice that I didn’t mention their rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, who by all accounts has done a good job this season, but he hasn’t really been challenged by opposing defenses thanks to that wall known as the Cowboys’ offensive line.
Previous Progress Reports: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8
PRESSURE
I don’t need to run the stats to see that this is going to be an incredibly low grade. The defensive line couldn’t do a thing against Dallas’ offensive line. The rookies, Ogbah and Nassib, were completely stone-walled. Exciting new addition Jamie Collins was the most effective pass rusher, registering the only quarterback hit of the night and a tackle for loss. Cleveland mustered no sacks in this game and only three tackles for loss. A week after registering 10 passes defensed, the Browns were only able to get their hands on one pass blocked by Tramon Williams.
Ray Horton, if there was ever a time to drop your nice guy routine and light into your young team, it’s now.
Sacks: 0
QB Hits: 1
Tackles for loss: 3
Passes Defensed: 1
Week 9 PRESSURE Grade: 1 (out of 5)
GETTING OFF THE FIELD
Given that the Browns couldn’t touch Dak Prescott, I’m also going to let you come to an early conclusion as to how the Browns fared in this category. They were all kinds of terrible.
For the second week in a row, the Browns did not manage to turn the ball over1. You simply cannot win football games if you never force turnovers.
Not only was the defensive line ineffective against the Cowboys, but the secondary performed poorly as well. Miscommunication was rampant leading to big plays for wide open receivers and eventually touchdowns for those receivers.
The offense for the Browns was rarely on the field as the Cowboy’s offense rolled like a tank division over the Browns’ paltry defense.
Third and Fourth Down Conversion Percentage: 71 percent
Potential Takeaways: 1
Opponent Time of Possession: 39:39 (out of 60:00)
Week 9 GETTING OFF THE FIELD Grade: 1
PLAYMAKERS
There’s nothing much to see here. Cody Kessler had a lovely 44 yard seam pass to Isaiah Crowell with an unbalanced formation. Cody Kessler executed the two minute drill to perfection, ending in a touchdown pass to Terrelle Pryor.
Besides that, the offense looked like they had been ejected from the game along with Cameron Erving.
Plays of 20-plus Yards: 1
Red Zone Conversion %: 50
Yards/Run Play: 3.5
Yards/Pass Plays: 5.7
Week 9 PLAYMAKERS Grade: 1
PROTECTION
The problem child was at it again. Cameron Erving was punched by Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman David Irving, and he retaliated by throwing his helmet at Irving. Both Erving and Irving were thrown out of the game by the head referee. John Greco slid over to center, Spencer Drango entered the game at left tackle and the Browns offensive line continued to disappoint regardless of who was in what position.
Opponent Sacks: 4
Opponent QB Hits: 7
Opponent Tackles for Loss: 7
Week 9 PROTECTION Grade: 1
That’s four of a kind! The Browns win this awful hand of poker with the four lowest possible grades.
This game was infuriating to watch as the Browns’ defense looked like fleas trying to break through the Great Wall of China. The offense was an embarrassing 1 of 9 in third down conversions.
Perhaps it’s a good thing that the team turns right back around to play the Ravens on Thursday. This is a game that they’ll want to forget as soon as humanly possible. The Browns had their best defensive performance of the season against the Baltimore Ravens and they will need to repeat that to have a chance at a win.
Someone please check Hue to make sure he’s still breathing.
- Ezekiel Elliott did have a fumble, but the Browns were unable to recover it. [↩]
17 Comments
I think we’ve officially run out of ways to say the Browns suck.
https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6UBgTW5niwy25kkw/giphy.gif
can this be the new Hue Head image?
Watched the lightning version of this game via DVR, which can provide much clarity, much like watching a pitcher’s abbreviated pitch sequence. This game was clearly talent differential meets inexperience and the diminished effort of a team that knows it’s heading for another butt-kicking.
The NFL is brutal, and arm tackles reveal a team’s psyche. My questions half way through: does this particular staff know how to coach this type of roster? Can you leave a roster so devoid of talent and experience that there is no springboard from which to improve? It’s almost like the ’16 Browns are DePodesta’s thought experiment. I would like him to fly into Cleveland for a game and sit in Jimmy’s loge. Maybe we could see from his expression whether he’s still ok with this.
hi PAT … you pretty much nailed-it. not much to add , except that i think Kessler is playing his ass off under the circumstances & i commend Hue for going right back to him.
I like the old classics:
https://youtu.be/4L02qm-CxlM
He’s done well. I thought he held the ball a little too long against Dallas, but once again his passing was accurate and he didn’t turn the ball over, both of which are great signs.
It’s tough to keep the material fresh!
If only Hue could get these damn wiener kids to listen.
Well, at least they’re consistent.
Long day for Hue.
Unfortunately, I think his receivers pass route running is contributing to his some of his delays.
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I think that is highly probable. I still got a little frustrated with him in a couple scenarios where he had just managed to slide by a defender who had beat the offensive lineman and for some reason trusted that the defender wouldn’t be coming back around to get him. Once you see a defender has broke loose in the backfield, you should be starting your internal clock that tells you to either find a receiver or get rid of the ball.
Oh, well, yeah absolutely. I’d also probably chalk a bit of that up to rookie comprehending the quantum leap in game/player speed from college. These fall into that category of self sacks that he’s created a little too frequently.
Wasn’t able to watch…was Coleman a non-factor due to rust? Or strong defense? Or lack of playmaking ability?
But I want him to be a veteran NOW.
http://www.mbird.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Pout-Pout.jpg
A little bit of the first two. Playmaking ability seems quite strong but a little hard to discern from the small sample size. Better answer by the end of the season and even more so by the end of next season.