Cleveland Browns: Grading the first quarter of the 2018 season

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Akiem Hicks #96 of the Chicago Bears Zane Gonzalez #5 of the Cleveland Browns (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

Not so special teams

Anyone watching the Browns understands one fundamental truth. The special teams stink.

There are plenty of reasons for why the special teams stink. But ultimately the buck stops at special teams coordinator Amos Jones. No, this is not a call to fire Amos Jones. Although that probably will happen at the end of the season. Instead, this is a recognition that Amos Jones is in his first year with the team.

Jones was the special teams coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2017. They finished 31st in 2016 and 30th in 2017 in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings. Is it any wonder the Browns special teams are following suit? Someone in the front office should be asking serious questions about hiring Jones.

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The Browns cannot cover punts. This season the Browns have given up significant yardage on punt returns. They consistently fail to stay in their lanes. They converge on the returner too early. The unit needs more discipline. They give up big plays at the most inopportune times. This allows the other team to gain momentum. Special teams can swing a game’s momentum. The Browns have been giving away momentum all season.

The placekicking situation could have won the Browns two games. Instead, the Browns were left with a tie and loss. Gone is Zane Gonzalez and in is Joseph. Although he improved against the Oakland Raiders, his first game was shaky after kicking knuckleballs. He even kicked the ball out of bounds on a kickoff.

Yes, he kicked the ball out of bounds. But at least he got the kick off. The Browns had kicks blocked in their first three games.

Then there is the return game. What?! The Browns have a return game?

The return game is awful. The Browns cannot decide who is returning punts. Jabril Peppers has yet to figure out when to catch a punt and when to let it fly over his head. These struggles have led the Browns to use both Antonio Callaway and Jarvis Landry has punt returners. When the ball is caught and returned, the return is usually accompanied by a holding penalty.

The kick return game is just as bad. The returners are taking the ball out of the end zone. Rule of thumb is to take the ball out if it is caught less than five yards into the end zone. The Browns are doing this. The problem is this rule of thumb made sense under the old kick off rules.

The NFL introduced new kick off rules this season. But the returners seem to be operating under the guidelines of the old rules. New rules mean new rules of thumb. The Browns need to kneel the ball in the end zone every time it is kicked into it. Every team should kick the ball short of the goal line and make the Browns return the ball. They are simply bad at it. They also lack the discipline to avoid penalties.

Gone are the good old days of former head coach Mike Pettine’s special teams. Say what you will about him, but he at least understood his punt returners were garbage. So, he simply sent out the punt catcher.

The Browns need to return to the Pettine era. They need to send out the punt and kickoff catcher. Just make the signal and fair catch the ball. The result will be better field position than any return will gain.

Grade: F-

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