Cleveland Browns: How to watch football like a pro
By Joel W. Cade
It is not enough to simply pick what to watch, the informed fan must pick the right things to watch. When watching offense, the key to getting the best viewing experience from the broadcast angle is to watch what the player who has the ball should be looking at.
Every play begins with the quarterback taking the snap. Don’t watch the quarterback! Instead, watch what the offensive line is doing.
If the offensive line is firing out forward, the play is most likely a running play. At this point, begin scanning the line to see where a hole is opening (or at least should be opening) for the running back. Your peripheral vision will automatically pick up the backfield movement. But by following the offensive line, your eyes will be where running back’s eyes should be. Thus, you can determine if there was a hole, if the back missed the hole or if Isaiah Crowell simply fell over.
It will also allow you to see holding calls and other penalties on the line of scrimmage before they are (or are not) called. Watching running plays this way will give you advanced knowledge of what is happening in contrast to passively watching the quarterback give the ball to the running back.
What happens when instead of firing out, the offensive line drops back into pass protection? Here is where watching football gets messy. First, don’t watch the quarterback. Second, watch what the quarterback should be watching. The quarterback should be watching the defense.
The broadcast angle creates a serious problem here. The angle will follow the drop of the quarterback limiting the view of the defense. This complication can be overcome by later watching an All-22 copy of the game. But in this case, simply focus on the linebackers while watching the flats in your periphery (this is easier than it sounds).
Do not watch the receivers. A good quarterback will not stare down receivers. A good quarterback will be watching the actions of the defense to see what coverage the defense is playing then get the ball to the receiver who is running the route that exploits the coverage. In an ideal world, the quarterback has already audibled to a play that exploits the coverage but we are talking about the Browns here.
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When watching the defense, try to identify what the coverage is. This will be difficult given the angle, but the linebackers and corners should give it away. If linebackers drop, the coverage is a form of zone. If they mirror a running back or tight end, it is a good bet it is a form of man coverage.
If the linebacker blitzes, the fun is about to begin. Rule of thumb is for the quarterback to throw the ball in the spot a blitzer is coming from. But the viewer could decide to watch the how the offensive line handles the blitz instead of focusing on areas only partially on-screen.
Watching the passing game from a traditional broadcast is difficult. But looking at the right things can make it a more enjoyable experience.
A Browns fan who chooses to watch the Browns will be faced with another question. What should the fan watch when the Browns are on defense?