Browns ex-coaches throughout NFL: WFNY Staff chat
October 14, 2020Ballin’ Browns, Bron’s big Finals, bon voyage to the NBA bubble – The Nail in the Coffin, Episode 183
October 16, 2020The Cleveland Browns beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, 32-23, to move to 4-1 on the season. The game was a weird one with different trends and flows. The offense flourished in the first half but struggled a tad in the second half. The defense struggled in the first half and then made some big plays in the second half to seal the win. One of the only real consistent things throughout the entire game was edge rusher Myles Garrett. He had one of the best games of his career, dominating the Colts offensive line. He notched four tackles, one tackle for a loss, four quarterback hits, and one sack. He also added six pressures according to Pro Football Focus. But, what made his performance even better was the timing of his performance. He stepped up on numerous occasions in big spots for the defense, helping end drives or create turnovers.
In today’s Browns film room, I will examine some of those big moments when Garrett stepped up and impacted the game at a time the defense needed him to. Roll the tape!
Q1 7:08 1st-and-Goal: Rivers is sacked by Garrett
This is Garrett’s sack versus the Colts. He is lined up on the left end of the line on the outside shoulder of the tight end. He comes off the edge and has to avoid the chip block that the running back tries to give him as the back goes out to the left flat. Once he reaches the left tackle, Garrett swats the arms of the tackle down, causing the tackle to lose balance and lean forward. This is when the defensive end shows off his freakish athleticism. He is able to cut the corner underneath the reach of the tackle and then turn inside toward the line. Garrett contorts to an incredibly low body position while cutting a sharp corner and keeping his feet moving. He keeps his balance throughout this move, allowing him to get inside the pocket and track down the quarterback for the sack at the front of the pocket.
Impact not shown on the stat sheet
In these six other plays, Garrett may not show up on the stat sheet with a sack or tackle, but his impact was very much felt. He helped create two turnovers and in the four other plays, his pressure caused the play to not be successful and not go for a first down conversion.
Q2 10:22 3rd-and-3: Rivers throws incomplete
Garrett is lined up on the right end of the line on the outside shoulder of the right tackle. Garrett performs a bull rush against the right tackle. He is able to drive the tackle right back into the backfield. The bull rush causes the tackle to get his upper body ahead of his lower body, allowing Garrett to get away from the tackle and down to the quarterback. His fellow teammate, Olivier Vernon, gets to the quarterback just ahead of Garrett, but he is right there to bring down the quarterback while he was throwing, creating an incomplete pass on a big third-down play.
Q3 4:09 3rd-and-6: Rivers throws incomplete
This time Garrett is on the right end of the line on the outside shoulder of the right tackle. he runs an up-and-under move that takes the attention of two different linemen. As he takes a step upfield, Garrett draws the attention of the right tackle, but Garrett heads back inside and underneath the defensive tackle inside of him, Sheldon Richardson. This move causes the right tackle to remain fixed on him, but now the right guard moves his attention to Garrett. This allows Richardson to slip through the two linemen and in the backfield to force the quarterback to leave the pocket. However, the defensive end is not done. He shows off his amazing speed for a man his size. He is able to reverse course and then close the distance on Rivers as the quarterback tries to extend the play to find a target downfield. Garrett gets to Rivers and so the quarterback has to throw hurried, causing an inaccurate pass that goes incomplete.
Q4 14:44 1st-and-10: Rivers is called for intentional grounding in the endzone
Garrett is on the left end of the line across from the tight end. He performs a push-pull swim pass rush against the left tackle. He starts with a bull rush where he extends his arms into the chest of the tackle. Then he pulls the tackle towards him. Garrett, then, swims underneath the tackle’s arms, gaining access to the pocket. Luckily for No. 95, the quarterback is for some reason out of the back of the pocket, giving Garrett a straight path to the quarterback hit. With Garrett about to pounce on him, the quarterback throws the ball away and is called for an intentional grounding, resulting in a safety. The fear of him getting to him caused the quarterback to be uncomfortable in the pocket and make poor decisions.
Q4 11:39 2nd-and-6: Rivers throws incomplete
Garrett is lined up on the left end of the line across from the tight end. This play is pure fear by the Colts. He fakes an inside move and then goes to the edge to attack the left tackle. That move beats the tackle, causing two blockers to have to retreat to Garrett to help block him. The running back pulls over to chip the defensive end back inside, while the left guard helps to keep Garrett away from the quarterback. Garrett drew three blockers and still caused the quarterback to throw off balance and with poor footwork. The quarterback rushed the throw leading to an inaccurate pass to an open target who could get the first down. But, the pass was off the target and fell incomplete.
Q4 11:35 3rd-and-6: Rivers is intercepted by Redwine
Garrett is on the left end of the line on the outside shoulder of the left tackle. Garrett does another bull rush that absolutely blows the tackle into the pocket. The tackle goes right into the lap of the quarterback, causing the quarterback to have to pull the ball down and step up into the pocket. The quarterback then sees a target flash open and so he decides to throw it to the player. However, the quarterback had tunnel vision given that he is running forward and rushing his processing. He misses the defender on the other side of the field, who is able to undercut the pass and pick it off. The early pressure causes the quarterback’s whole processing to speed up and get out of whack, leading to a turnover.
Q4 3:32 3rd-and-10: Rivers completes 4-yard pass to Johnson
The Colts have put together a long drive and were in a position to cut the deficit to two with a touchdown. For this last play, Garrett is lined up on the left end of the line on the outside shoulder of the left tackle. Garrett is chipped almost immediately after the snap by the tight end to his outside. This pushes Garett more inside, but he never loses balance. With his momentum going inside, he takes a step inside, leading the tackle to overcompensate to try and cut off the inside lane from Garrett. This allows No. 95 to easily swipe the tackle inside and give him the outside lane to get to the backfield. The quarterback, seeing that Garrett has a straight path to him, has to get rid of the ball earlier than he wants to. This leads to a short completion that is well short of a first down, forcing the Colts to have to go for a field goal instead of a touchdown.
Random Thoughts
- The Browns showed on Sunday that they can play complete complementary football. In the first half, the offense was great and the defense struggled. But, in the second half, the two units flipped the script with the offense struggling and the defense stepping up. It showed a team able to pick each other up when the other is struggling.
- Cleveland also showed the ability to win ugly. In years past, the Browns would have lost the game versus the Colts. The Browns would have bumbled away the opportunity. But, even when the offense struggled and let the Colts back in it, the defense made the necessary plays to hold the lead and the offense just enough to seal the win. It was a big step for the team.
- I thought Baker Mayfield had one of his best halves of football in the first half versus the Colts. He was decisive and accurate, while also driving the ball downfield. He was leading the offense while the run game struggled. His performance fell a bit in the second half. But, I think the first half is definitely something to build off of and learn from going forward.
- I think we have to give some credit to the defense. They have struggled for large stretches of games, letting a lot of yards and easy third-down conversions. But, at the end of the day, in the last four weeks, the Browns have given up 30, 20, 38, and 23 points. They have created big turnovers and held a lot of long drives to field goals. The defense has not been great, but they have stepped up in key areas and times.
- I cannot wait for this week’s game versus the Steelers. A division game versus the first-place team in the division. The Steelers have been the team that consistently ran over this team during the past two decades. Now, the Browns can go out there, win the game, and show the division that they are here to compete with the top teams in the division for the division title.
- As I wrote on Wednesday, the game will likely be decided by the battle of the trenches. The Browns and Steelers have really talented players throughout their offensive and defensive lines. I am most excited and interested in watching Cleveland’s offensive line versus the Steelers rush. The Browns offensive line has been excellent so far this season, while the Steelers pass rush has been dominant, too. It will be fun to see who comes out on top in this matchup.
- I think the Browns have a few key places that they can take advantage of in this game. Cleveland’s defensive line should handle the Steelers offensive line handily. Garrett should have a huge game. On offense, I think the Browns receivers and tight ends have a huge advantage versus the Steelers secondary. Mayfield will have to be big in this game and take advantage of the holes in the Steelers coverage.