Cleveland Browns fans are some of the most informed in all football. But are they getting the most out of their football watching experience? Find out how to be a more informed viewer of football here.
Ever watch a Browns game and feel like you are completely missing the game? Ever wonder how the people in the broadcast booth can see things happening on the field that you do not? Ever watch a game in a bar only to wonder how some people seem to know what is happening before everyone else?
If you have ever wondered these things, you have come to the right place for answers. I am about to spill the secrets of how coaches watch football.
This article will not be about watching All-22 or End zone game tape. If you are interested in that, leave a comment in the comment section. But before All-22 or End zone tape can be effectively watched, the informed Browns fan must take the first step, they must learn to watch broadcast game film more effectively.
The problems people have watching broadcast football (i.e. football on TV) are generated by the fact that broadcast angles were invented in a time when football was a different game.
The technology necessary to broadcast football games was in its infancy. Over time, the technology advanced. However, by the time advancements in game angles occurred, the casual viewer was already used to watching football from a certain point of view. Although broadcast networks have tried different options to give fans a different viewing experience, none of those options have caught on enough to justify a wholesale change in the way football is broadcast.
Thus, fans are stuck with a 1950s television angle to watch a game of football played in the style of 2010s. How does the Browns fan overcome this problem?
The first step to overcoming the problem is to accept the problem. This may seem simple, but once the fan accepts the consequences that comes with accepting the problem, a whole new world of football viewing becomes available.
The problem Browns fans must accept is that the 1950s camera angle does not allow the viewer to see everything that is happening in the game. Why is this the case?
The traditional camera angle was created during a time when football was primarily a running game. Paul Brown’s Cleveland Browns prided themselves on extreme discipline, toughness and running the football. (Brown was an innovator in the passing game as well.)
Thus, cameras were installed to follow the football wherever it went. A typical game in the 1950s would see a style of offense that tried to hide the football from opponents to gain the element of surprise.
Think of the popular offense at the time the Wing-T offense that operates as a series offense. A single set of backfield movements can lead to a play that potentially attacks the defense at three different places. By hiding the ball, defenses had to be disciplined enough stop the play no matter who had the ball or where the defense was attacked.
Broadcast TV was born in this era. The cameras tried their best to follow the action of the football. In this era, it allowed fans to know where the ball was going before the defense. This foreknowledge allowed fans to see how well the offense and defense were executing on that day.
However, even though football is no longer played this way, it continues to be broadcast like it is. Browns fans should accept this reality.
Accepting that the broadcast angle was created in a different era means that the Browns fan can accept they will not see everything that is happening on any particular play. It may sound simple, but the consequences are tremendous.
Pat Kirwan wrote a fascinating book about watching football called Take your eye off the ball. In it, he describes how to watch football better by not watching the football. In short, his advice was to watch football differently than how it is being broadcast.
Although his book has great ideas, I will not be leaning on his work here.
Once the Browns fan accepts they will not see everything in the traditional broadcast angle, there is one reality left. The fan must actively choose what parts of the game they want to see.
The choice is a fundamental one. Does the fan passively accept that he or she must watch the ball? Or will he or she take charge of the viewing experience by deciding what parts of the broadcast to watch?
The assumption is that you are taking charge of your viewing experience, otherwise you would have quit reading long ago.
Instead of watching the ball, the fans should tailor their viewing experience to what they want to see. Browns fans want to watch the Browns. If this is true, make the commitment to watch the Browns on offense and on defense. Each side of the ball requires a different way to watch.
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?
Watching defense is a lot of fun when using the methods described here. The key is to choose which part of the game you want to watch.
Before each play is a game of cat and mouse between the quarterback and the defense. A good quarterback tries to identify the defense and audible into the correct play. A few steps are taken to read the defense. It all depends on the style of the offensive coordinator.
Browns Head Coach Hue Jackson’s offenses are fun to watch because the quarterback play is usually very good. First, the quarterback will call two plays in the huddle. They will call a pass and run play. Second, the quarterback will come to the line and look for numbers advantages for a run play or identify the coverage for a pass play.
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If the defense is outnumbered in the box, the quarterback should audible to a run play to exploit the weakness. The reverse is also true. If the offense is outnumbered in the box, the quarterback should audible to a pass play. Then he will narrow his reads based on the coverage the defense is presenting.
Of course, the defense does not want the offense to know what coverage they are in. A great example of this is the cat and mouse game between Peyton Manning and current Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in Super Bowl XLIV.
In that game, Williams had a different game plan for each quarter keeping Manning confused the entire game.
Knowing all of this, the Browns fan can watch what the quarterback is watching. Where does the defense have an advantage? Are they showing blitz? Are they preparing to defend the pass or run? This should give the fan an advanced knowledge of what the play will most likely be at that snap.
Once the ball is snapped, do not watch the ball! Instead, watch the linebackers. They will tell you if it is a run or pass. They will also tell you how the defense is working to stop the pass or run. Do not watch only one linebacker. Try to watch all of them simultaneously without focusing on any particular one player. (Easier than it sounds.)
Gregg Williams will be employing a modern version of the 4-3 defense. In a 4-3 based scheme, the real action is on the defensive line. I recommend reading Coaching the 4-3 Defense: By the Experts before the season to understand what the scheme is trying to accomplish and how.
On a pass, try to identify the coverage of the defense and how the offense is attacking it. Or you could watch any potential blitzes or defensive line stunts used to pressure the quarterback. Against the run, the fan could watch to see how the defense makes their fun fits. Did they do a good job of bottling up the running back? Where was the hole forming and what did the defense do to stop it?
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This was a basic primer on how to more intelligently watch a broadcast version of an NFL game. College games are different and need to be watched differently. But any Browns fan who takes control of their viewing experience by actively choosing what to watch will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of the game, a more exciting experience and increased respect and adoration by their peers.