3 takeaways from the Cleveland Browns Orange and Brown Scrimmage
By Joel W. Cade
The quarterback play is improving.
The most improvement can be seen in the play of Griffin, who is looking comfortable in the offense. Taking command of the offense, Griffin made several excellent throws downfield that were accurate and displayed a lot of arm strength.
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However, there is still room for improvement. Griffin looks unsure of what to do when his reads are covered. When he is pressured by a pass rush, his first instinct is to still get out of the pocket to scramble. He is improving in this area as evidenced by his ability to find receivers downfield and deliver the ball, rather than simply looking to run. At one point, when scrambling he decided to decided to throw the ball away instead of running downfield. Hopefully the ability to throw the ball away will help Griffin prevent injury during the season.
Griffin’s play is dynamic. He delivers a great long ball and is a threat to run when pressured or when his options are covered. However, he tends to run instead of hitting his check-down options. On occasion he will lock onto a receiver and stare them down. He will need to learn how to throw the ball away more in order to stay healthy. He is showing improvement in this area, but it still needs work.
Cody Kessler is improving as well, although it is still clear that Kessler is a rookie.
Kessler’s strength is his short passing ability. He is very accurate, often hitting receivers in stride, and has a decent arm that can put zip on the short pass. He looks comfortable with the offense, but still has the rookie cloud of unknowing over him.
When Kessler is free to stand in the pocket unhurried, he can pick a defense apart. He prefers to hit the short passing game and allow his receivers and backs to make plays. Unlike Griffin, Kessler has no problem hitting his check-down receivers when pressured. However, he sometimes goes to them instead of allowing a downfield option to open up.
Like most rookies, Kessler is a little hesitant and indecisive. He holds on to the ball too long creating unnecessary hits and taking unnecessary sacks. Such is the life of a rookie in the NFL.
Next: Linebackers Leading the Defense