Cleveland Browns: What to watch for in the “Replacement Bowl”
By Joel W. Cade
On the offensive side of the ball, it will be interesting to see what kind of offense takes the field. Hue Jackson came to Cleveland having ran a West Coast short passing attack complimented by the power run game. However, in the preseason, the Browns have primarily relied on the long ball to score. Sustained time-consuming drives, a staple of the West Coast system, have been few and far between.
The Browns will be playing their starters in this game. Watch to see what type of offense the Browns choose to work on. The outside screen game still needs a lot of work. The plays out of the All-11 formation need work as well. Watch to see if there is a more deliberate attempts to establish the running game early to set up the play action and deep passing game.
One of the major issues in the fourth preseason game is organization. This game will be played by people who have not been taking a majority of the reps in camp. There will be a certain level of dysfunctionality on field. But they should not be as bad as Shane Falco’s crew.
There are plenty of questions to be answered in this preseason game.
Who will stick as the backup offensive linemen? Dan France got first team reps last week but showed that he has a lot of room to improve. Spencer Drango and Shon Coleman looked good. Watch to see if they get more reps this game.
Wide receivers will be interesting to watch. Ricardo Louis and Jordan Payton are on the bubble. Can they contribute in special teams as well as on offense to make the roster?
Next: Defense