Cleveland Browns: Grades from the bizarre defeat in Pittsburgh

Coaching: F

Above anything else in the season finale, the coaching proved to be the most puzzling aspect in the loss. Questionable in-game decisions is the reason for this, as well as a lack of leadership during the game’s most tense moments.

After a momentum changing turnover near the conclusion of the first half, the Browns fell apart defensively and surrendered a touchdown which cut their lead in half. Later on, even when the Browns were rolling defensively, the strange Boddy-Calhoun fumble changed the dynamic of the game and got the Steelers rolling.

Make no mistake about it, none of these strange occurrences happened by accident. For the Browns, when it rains, it pours. The coaching staff’s inability to refocus their players during these adverse times is not exactly surprising due to the youth of the roster. It is, however, part of their job.

The most glaring detail from the struggles of the coaches on Sunday was their inability to play-call. Coach Jackson and offensive assistant Pep Hamilton made some peculiar calls which stagnated the offense.

Most notably, their decision to throw the ball on first-and-goal from the two-yard line leaves a lot of fans wondering what could have been. It wasn’t quite Pete Carroll during the Super Bowl, but this odd way of play-calling at the goal line shows either a lack of trust in the running game or an unreasonable bias towards Griffin and the passing game. Most of all, it seemed that the Browns out-thought themselves in the game’s most critical situations.

No aspect of this season was easy for Cleveland coaches. There were times when they pulled off impressive feats with the limited talent given to them. But when the season is reflected on as a whole, this staff fell short in both preparation and in-game decisions.

Next: Browns 2-round mock draft

This doesn’t necessarily mean the Browns should make any changes, but it does raise questions and demand improvement moving into the 2017 season.