Evaluating the Cleveland Browns at the quarter mark
By Thomas Moore
Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Josh McCown against the Oakland Raiders in a NFL game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Thumbs … Sideways?
The offensive line was supposed to be the strength of the offense, especially with the return of center Alex Mack from injury.
But so far it seems as if the line has struggled more often than not, giving up 14 sacks (tied for third most in the NFL, although Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel have something to do with that), and being near the bottom of the league in penalties.
But then you see that Pro Football Focus ranks the line as the third best in the NFL (after being ranked sixth last year) and we’re not sure what to think. Here’s what PFF has to say:
"Stud: There will come a time when Joe Thomas (+13.0) doesn’t play well. That time is not yet here. Dud: Coming back from injury, Alex Mack (-3.1) is the only Browns’ lineman with a negative grade. Summary: The O-line remains the strength of Cleveland’s offense, although it’s somewhat disappointing that Joel Bitonio hasn’t followed up his amazing rookie year with a strong start to his sophomore campaign."
Maybe the line is better than it seems and all it will take is for Mack to fully recover from his injury for the position group to get even better. We’ll see.
Next: The Run Defense