After a game like Sunday's Browns game, I usually spend two to three days trying to forget it. Then once the emotion is gone I try to look back and identify the good and bad. However, I'm finding it particularly difficult to get over that week one performance this time. I know I am experiencing what most Browns fans are feeling: another new coaching staff, another promise of hope, another crushing defeat to start the season. But it doesn't just involve this year's season opener. The Browns are 1-12 in season openers the last 13 years. Most of the season openers since 1999 have been at home. The cumulative weight of all those defeats increases every year in week one when the team loses, yet again.
Perhaps expectations were too high after a preseason filled with success passing the ball. Maybe expectations for the Bengals were too low after a pretty dismal preseason showing on their part. But it really felt like the Browns had more talent and should have won that game. Throughout the whole game, I just kept waiting for them to get on track and look like the team we saw in preseason. Even after spotting the Bengals 13 first quarter points, Colt McCoy led the Browns back to a 13-14 halftime lead and the chance to start over in the second half.
I think this loss was so frustrating because the Browns beat themselves for the most part. We were used to that under Butch Davis and Romeo Crennel, but under Mangini we had become accustomed to having the fewest penalties in the league and fewer turnovers, even if we lacked any speed or talent otherwise. To be clear, I think the team is vastly improved in speed, youth, and talent from the Mangini era (if you can call two years an era), but none of that matters when you beat yourself with penalties and poor field position.
So, now that I've worked that out....on to the good, bad, and the ugly from the game.
The Good:
Joe Haden, no doubt. He was the best player on the field for either team Sunday. Don't let that rage-inducing A.J. Green quick-snap touchdown pass cloud Haden's performance. It wasn't on him, he just happened to get closest to Green before the snap, but he didn't blow it by himself. The coaches and the whole defense blew that with undisciplined play. Haden broke up as many passes as I've ever seen in a game. Teams will stop throwing his way soon, which will help the entire defense.
Josh Cribbs: His long kickoff return spurred great field position, momentum and led to the first offensive touchdown. He might have won the game on his punt return in the second half, if not for the overzealous block of Greg Little. Cribbs was gone on that one. The drawback here is that Cribbs didn't see the field enough as a receiver. He displayed veteran savvy in the preseason, creating separation with his body. I'd like to see more of him in the passing game this week.
The Bad:
Offensive Line: Having two new starters on the line really showed in pass protection. The Bengal's front 7 is no joke, but the right side was scrambling all day. And Shawn Lauvao looked like a rookie out there with two early penalties that completely stalled the offense. How does a guard false start? He's right next to the ball? I'll touch on this more below, but why on earth wouldn't the coaching staff run the ball more? Last minute starters are going to struggle with pass protections, which are more complicated and require more recognition - but run blocking is second nature. They should have let the lineman find their groove by running Hillis early and often, just like the Bengals did with Benson.
Defense: Everyone in the world knew the Bengals would run Cedric Benson early and often. The Browns knew it was coming, but they still couldn't stop it. They even put a safety in the box, but the Bengals still were getting 4 to 5 yards a run. And once Dalton went out at halftime, the defense should have keyed even more on the run, forcing Gradkowski to beat them with his arm. Instead, the Bengals iced the game with Benson. Other than Haden, the rest of the defense looked pretty weak.
Penalties:
The Browns had more penalties in the first quarter than a team should have for a whole game. At least, a team that wants to win. Reducing mental mistakes and penalties was Mangini's mantra, but Shurmer's Browns look sloppy, undisciplined, and immature. Execution was terrible on both sides of the ball and that falls on the coaching staff. Players make penalties and turnovers a priority if their coaches make them a priority - as in, "You're getting benched because you keep making mental errors." Maybe Shurmer needs to bring back Mangini's referees at practice and re-institute running laps for mental mistakes. The rest of the Mangini methods can stay in the trash can, though.
The Ugly:
The Coaching: Let's start with the game plan. Perhaps the coaches out-witted themselves here, but the offense came out throwing early and often. Knowing they had a patchwork offensive line and were backed up in their own territory the first 2 possessions, they failed to establish Peyton Hillis at all in the first half. Meanwhile, the Bengals quickly established Cedric Benson, even though the Browns and everybody else knew that's what they'd do.
Maybe the offense was trying to be unpredictable, but it didn't work at all. For new starters - run blocking is much easier than pass blocking. All preseason the coaches gave lip service to running the ball with Hilis, but on game day, it was no where in sight. Montario Hardesty also looked good running the ball, but he inexplicably disappeared after the first half.
Defensively, the coaching staff also failed to employ a successful run-stopping scheme. It was no secret that the Bengals would lean heavily on Cedric Benson with a rookie QB in his first start and a starting guard out with a rookie filling in. In short, the Bengals did what the Browns should have done. And it looks like teams will do what the Bengals did when running against the Browns, avoid Rubin and Taylor in the middle and run right at our undersized DE's. It took the coaching staff too long to adjust their scheme to stop the run. And once Dalton was out at QB, the defense failed to capitalize on the now-one-dimensional Bengal offense.
And the coaching staff also shares blame for the overall sloppy play and abundant penalties. Holmgren, Heckert, and Shurmer pride themselves on being good teachers and being able to develop young players. Hopefully Shurmer realizes that some of these young players need some discipline as well.
The Punter: Since his dismal performance, we've learned that Richmond McGee suffered a slipped disc in pregame warm ups but still tried to punt with numbness in his legs. Great idea. I'm pretty sure Phil Dawson could've punted better than McGee that day. Now Shanks McGee is on IR, and the Browns are on their 3rd punter of the year in week 2. I think the Madden Curse is avoiding Peyton Hillis and going after Browns punters. Can't blame a curse or anyone else for avoiding Hillis, though.
Other Thoughts:
- I miss FB Lawrence Vickers. Maybe Owen Marecic is full of potential, but right now all I see is a rookie that isn't making an impact at all.
- I've been a Robiskie apologist since he was drafted. I'm running out of patience. He never seems to get open. When McCoy threw his way he always seemed to be draped with defenders, indicating he's not getting separation. I've been shouting that this team needs a west coast veteran receiver to teach all these young guys how to play in this system. Ben Watson is the only reliable target for McCoy - and every young QB needs a security blanket at wide receiver. I think its long past time for the Browns to bring in a veteran.
- I think the coaches better rediscover Hilis against the colts because Mathis and Freeney are going to have a field day with our offensive line.
- And, finally, please absorb this picture of Colt's owner Jim Irsay:
If this doesn't make you want to root for the Browns this week, nothing will. If you challenged me to take the douchiest picture possible, I could never come close to this Jim Irsay image. Is there a douchier way to take a photo of yourself with a Super Bowl ring and trophy? No - the answer is no, there is not. You can almost see the face of the camera-man in the reflection off the trophy, trying to stifle his laughter. The Browns may never win one of these, but at least we wouldn't have to see a picture of Randy Lerner doing this.
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