Cleveland Browns: Good, bad and ugly of preseason opener

Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin (11) celebrates a touchdown during the first quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday night’s debut of the 2015 Cleveland Browns was a cornucopia of Good, Bad and Ugly.

In almost all phases of the game, the Browns were exactly as we expected. For readers of my articles, this may seem to be a rehashing of my previous article. For those who are new to this column, I must ask, Where have you been? I hope that this offers some insight and intelligent thought.

The Good

The overall play of the quarterbacks was good, especially that of Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel. McCown was very effective in his brief appearance, going five-for-five for 33 yards one exceptional touchdown – a forced scrambling effort that led McCown to find Travis Benjamin standing alone in the corner of the end zone. Benjamin made a veteran move, breaking off his route to streak across the back of the end zone to provide an outlet for the harried quarterback.

Manziel got a quality first opportunity to demonstrate Johnny Manziel 2.0, and he did not disappoint. Gone is the “money sign” and the outlandish off-the-field antics. His new football first focus, and the resurgence of the talent that garnered him the Heisman Trophy as a freshman at Texas A&M. was clearly on display.

His touchdown run of 12 yards was again off a scramble. The alley that opened in front of him was big enough that I could have scored, and I am disabled. Manziel was seven-of-11 for 42 yards, and although the yardage is not record breaking, the yards were solid. He moved the ball effectively and checked down well. It was a good return for Manziel.

Brian Hartline was exactly as expected, catching most of the passes targeted his way. His three catches for 30 yards lead Browns receivers.

Cameron Erving was stellar, playing not only Joe Thomas‘ important left tackle position with ease, but other positions along the line just as well, while playing almost every offensive snap. His blocking technique and footwork were both exceptional.

Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs the ball during the first quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Danny Shelton was also as advertised, being a genuine force in the middle of the defensive line, forcing the Redskins to run outside most of the time he played. Shelton can only be described as a beast and he’ll get better as the season goes on. It was especially encouraging to see him in on tackles near the sideline and well down field. The kid can move!

The Browns all-white uniforms were better than expected. Initially I was disappointed to hear they were wearing all white, considering all the options they now have. But, to my surprise, the all whites “popped” pretty well. The numbers were easy to read, and the overall look was fresh.

Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Terrance West (28) runs the ball during the second quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Bad

True to form, the Browns demonstrated a complete inability to run the ball and to defend against the run. The longest run of the night belonged to Manziel, the aforementioned 12-yard touchdown sprint and, embarrassingly, Manziel was also the team’s leading rusher with 14 yards. 14 yards! Isaiah Crowell and the rest of the Browns backs combined for an anemic 31 yards.

The 2.2 yards per carry garnered the Browns a game total of 45 yards, while the ‘Skins rushed for 49 yards in just in the first quarter The Washington backfield ran for 153 yards, but if one extrapolated the first quarter stats of the Browns’ starters vs. Washington’s starters, that’s 200 yards rushing for the game. The Browns cannot win giving up that amount of rushing yards and will remain at the bottom of the league if that persists.

The Ugly

Of note, 19 Browns players either didn’t suit up or were held out in coaching decisions. That’s an incredibly high number this early on in the season, and one of great concern. Is it me or do the Browns always have more injuries than most other teams, forcing them to scramble to fill positions with players who are untested or have come in off the scrap heap of other teams?

As mentioned, the Redskins ran for an impressive 153 yards for the game, with much of it coming at the expense of the Cleveland’s defensive ends and outside linebackers. While Shelton did a stellar job of clogging the middle of the line, Paul Kruger was awful, and none of the backup ends or linebackers did anything to separate themselves from the pack.

If the Browns much heralded “stacked” defense is going to do anything this season, the ends and linebackers must make lots of tackle close to the line of scrimmage.

Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Ryan Grant (14) makes a catch during the first quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Of no help to the defensive line were the defensive backs. Admittedly, Joe Haden and Pierre Desir did not play, leaving Justin Gilbert lost in translation. Gilbert got caught looking into the backfield very early in the game as Pierre Garcon streaked by for what would have been an easy score if Garcon had not dropped the ball while running by himself.

When kids are in seventh grade (or earlier), we teach them the old adage “if he’s even, he’s leavin’,” meaning if a receiver gets to your hips, you must open up and go with him, never letting him get deeper down field than you are. It appears painfully obvious that Gilbert never learned this basic rule.

Gilbert apparently doesn’t trust his instincts and ends up chasing his opponents downfield nearly all the time. If this continues, he might find a spot on the team running back kickoffs, but certainly not in the defensive backfield.

Perhaps ugliest of all was the persistent inability of the Browns to tackle effectively. Especially guilty were the non-starters who continue the years-long tradition of just throwing out an arm at a ball carrier and hoping they fall down. For some reason, the Browns lack an ability to square up a player, wrap them up, and tackle the ball carrier.

More from Dawg Pound Daily

Initially, one would blame coaching for this, but more and more I am convinced that this is an issue of “want to” on the part of the players. It is rare that the actually solidly tackle anyone. It always seems that they just try to grab a jersey or throw an arm at someone’s leg. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were afraid to hit someone.

This problem is never seen on championship teams, they almost always are the meanest tacklers in the league, devastating their opponent’s ability to effectively move the ball.

All in all, I did see some good things, but I believe the Browns have a long way to go to get to the promised land. This week’s practices against Buffalo and subsequent game on Thursday should be very revealing.

While Browns head coach Mike Pettine said the club isn’t going all the way to Rochester to “have a pillow fight” with the Bills, we’ll have to wait and see if that is truly the case.

Next: Browns sign a pair of veteran defenders

Home/Browns News

The Good, the bad and the ugly of the Browns first preseason game

By Mark Riley | Aug 16, 2015

More from Dawg Pound Daily