Disheartening criticism follows Browns players after brutal Week 2 defeat
By Grant Puskar
After losing in miserable fashion on Sunday, the Browns fall to 1-1 with many questions needing answered
When your favorite team loses a game they should win, there are obviously going to be overreactions. When that team blows a 13-point lead with 95 seconds left and the opponent doesn’t even have a single timeout, there are definitely going to be overreactions.
However, some of the overreactions coming from the Cleveland Browns loss to the New York Jets — especially with some of players being called out by fans and media across the sports world — are disheartening.
Example 1: Nick Chubb
Are we really going to sit here and try to blame Nick Chubb for not going down and instead walking into the end-zone to put the team up two scores with under two minutes to go?
Why don’t we turn the criticism to Cade York, the rookie kicker that missed the extra point after they scored the touchdown that would’ve given the Browns a chance at overtime after the meltdown by the defense?
Yes, I understand if he would’ve went down the Browns could’ve just ran the clock out. However, when it comes to Chubb, he’s just doing what he does best and that’s close games out. The defense let Chubb and the rest of the team down yesterday, not the other way around.
Example 2: Jacoby Brissett
I know it may seem weird to say a quarterback played perfect when you look at the scorecard and see a loss, but Jacoby Brissett was perfect on Sunday.
Time and time again when the Browns needed a big play or big throw from Brissett, he delivered. When he had to make a few plays with his legs, something nobody saw coming from him, he did.
He should have never been in that position to have to lead a heroic last second drive to get to field goal range with 22 seconds left and zero timeouts. Take away the interception, he was 22-for-27, with 229 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 43 yards on six attempts, again something you just would not expect.
Brissett doesn’t deserve any criticism or hate from this game. He is fully capable of getting the job done, and you’d think if he can put up 30 points on the New York Jets, they should win just about every time.
Who takes the blame?
If you are trying to point the finger at anyone but Joe Woods and the entire defense, you’re just flat out wrong.
It’s one thing if your defense gets carved apart by a good team and a good quarterback. No hate to the Jets or to Joe Flacco, but come on.
Blown coverages aren’t acceptable. I can’t even count on one hand how many they have had through the first two weeks of the season. The players continuing to not be in the right spot is one thing, but the defensive coordinator has to be able to adjust and get his guys where they need to be.
The last person and personnel to blame for this meltdown is Mike Priefer and the special teams unit of the Browns.
They allowed a fake punt conversion that led to a touchdown, the missed extra point that would’ve allowed the team to have a shot in overtime, and they botched recovering an onside kick that would’ve shut the door on the Jets.
Again, it is completely normal to have overreactions following brutal defeat, but it’s not normal — and is uncalled for — to come for players that the majority of the population know are not at fault for such a loss.
Week 3 on Thursday Night will tell us all we need to know about this football team and about the guys in that locker room. Can they use this as fuel and destroy a below-average Pittsburgh Steelers team, or will they let this loss linger and continue down a path of disappointment?
