Cleveland Browns: Power run arrives with a bang

Communication on Pass Protections

Last week the Philadelphia Eagles ran a lot of defensive line stunts to confuse the Browns offensive line. That trend continued this week against the Ravens as Brandon Williams and Tim Jernigan wreaked havoc on the Browns line in the pass rush. This is not to mention Austin Pasztor’s continued struggles on the outside.

The communication problem is focused between John Greco and Cameron Erving as it seems these two are out of sync. After watching the coach’s film on NFL Game Pass, one of two things must be occurring. First, Greco and Erving are not on the same page as to what protection is being used on a play-by-play basis. Or, second, Greco is trying to do too much in order to help out Pasztor in pass protection.

Either way, the result was Williams with a lot of one-on-one’s against Erving, Joel Bitonio and Greco. Williams is a guy the Browns have to double team, so it is not surprising he got a lot of big hits on McCown. Williams’ biggest hit came after beating Greco badly in a one-on-one scenario, resulting in a shoulder injury for McCown.

The good news is the Browns seemed to have resolved those issues by the fourth quarter. The bad news is Pasztor continues to be a liability, requiring help from running backs and interior lineman – or sometimes both – on the same play.

The Browns game planned for the wrong guy

The Browns messed up by game planning for the wrong guy. It is clear from the tape the Browns were very concerned with Tim Jernigan as he was double teamed on almost every play, leaving Williams with one-on-one blocks consistently. This strategy backfired on them allowing Williams to make several key hits and tackles.

But the Browns are not the first team to struggle against the Ravens front seven. They certainly will not the be the last.