Cleveland Browns: Is Joe Woods Icarus or The Didact?

Which fictional character is Cleveland Browns DC Joe Woods?

The Cleveland Browns are fresh off a wire-to-wire destruction of the division rival Pittsburgh Steelers, which marked the third game this season where the Browns got out to a massive, seemingly insurmountable lead.

The problem is that even with those huge leads, none of those three games were comfortable to watch as a Cleveland fan. That sinking feeling of “we’re going to blow this, aren’t we?” was still there up until very late in the fourth quarter, and while that might be residual effects of Browns teams from the past, perhaps it’s more than just haunting thoughts. Maybe the coaching staff, specifically defensive coordinator Joe Woods, deserves some blame. Or maybe Woods has been doing the right thing all along.

Woods replaced Steve Wilks in Cleveland, who had a so-so year with an average roster to work with. He did, however, have a brilliant game on Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams, holding their offense to just 20 points despite having a secondary comprised entirely of backups, including Juston Burris, who was signed off the street earlier that week.

There has been no moment like that for Woods, although his gameplan against Derrick Henry was close. There are some issues with his strategy, but he’s been given a raw deal this season, both by design and from the outside, and has done his best despite the circumstances.

Nearly-blown leads are becoming a common occurrence with this team, and they have yet to truly put away an opponent. Is that Woods’ fault?