Coach's Corner: Worst call from Browns coaches in Week 4

The Cleveland Browns struggles continued in its Week 4 loss on Sunday to the Las Vegas Raiders, dropping the team to 1-3. Cleveland joined the Cincinnati Bengals in the basement of the AFC North. Much like the first three weeks of the season, the Browns looked like a shell of their former selves. No phase of the game was extraordinary, and all three units could use a massive improvement. 

It's fair to also admit that the officiating was pretty poor. I have re-watched the touchdown pass to Amari Cooper that was negated by a Nick Harris hold roughly six times, and I'm still unable to see a hold that's clear and/or obvious.

This week, we will discuss the worst call by a Browns coach. There were many, and mostly there was poor coaching in general. Jim Schwartz's defense continues to get stomped on when they play aggressively against any type of screen or reverse. Tackling was a major issue, and of course, the Browns continued to ignore their offensive line problem when developing the game plan. I think it's fair to say had Maxx Crosby played Sunday, it would have been a blood bath.

I would settle in Browns fans, and get used to the idea that Deshaun Watson is the starting quarterback, and Kevin Stefaski will not adjust his offense, nor will he give up the playcalling; the offense is lost, and we're in for a long season.

Penalties are killing the Browns momentum

Cleveland continues to let penalties negate massive plays. Last week, Ronnie Hickman intercepted New York Giants QB Daniel Jones in what would have been a huge turning point in the game. Instead, a roughing the passer penalty was called on Browns nickelback Greg Newsome III. The Giants then drove the ball over eighty yards, score a touchdown, and put the game even further out of reach.

This week, Browns center Nick Harris was responsible for the blow. With the Browns down 16-20 at the midway point through the fourth quarter, Watson found a wide-open Amari Cooper for what would have been an 82-yard go-ahead touchdown. Instead, the Browns got the ball back with first and 19 to go. The play was a terrible call by the official, and had absolutely no effect on the play whatsoever.

However, Harris did tug on the Jersey of Christian Wilkins very lightly, and some could argue he was just releasing the block. With the way the Browns defense was playing in the fourth quarter, that TD may have been enough to take home the victory.

Are the illegal shift and formation penalties the result of poor play design combined with clock management?

For those who don't know, an illegal shift occurs when more than one player is moving along the line of scrimmage and fails to come to a stop before the snap. An illegal formation occurs when the offense does not line up correctly on the line of scrimmage - seven players on the line and four at least one yard off, with two players on the outside as "eligible receivers".

Of the 36 total penalties against the Browns, six have been illegal shifts and another five have been illegal formations. The bottom line - the Browns' offense is not getting set before the snap, and when you go back and review the tape, you can see that many times the play clock is within the final seconds when Watson is clapping for the ball to be snapped.

If you couple all of that with the lack of separation the receivers have been getting, you could come to a conclusion that the Browns scheme consists of far too many slow developing plays, both before and after the snap. It's quite simply a recipe for disaster when you mix the inability to get receivers open with an offensive line that is incapable of providing more than 1.5 seconds of pass protection.

Worst coaching decision of Week 4

The hiring of Andy Dickerson to replace the great Bill Callahan may go down as the worst coaching decision of 2024; the offensive line has been historically bad for a unit typically considered elite. We can blame the injuries, because there are many. We can blame the quarterback, because his play has been mediocre. Or we can accept the fact that nobody is scared of the Browns line if Nick Chubb isn't running behind it, or should I say, through it.

Kevin Stefanski, the man responsible for the hiring of Dickerson, the offensive play design, and the playcalling; had the worst coaching decision of Week 4. With under one minute remaining, the Browns had a very real shot at winning the game. With a fourth and 3 on the 10 yard line. Stefanski called a timeout, which was a smart move and afforded him the opportunity to put together the best offensive play he could muster up.

The problem is two fold; first, his best play was a corner route in the end zone to his backup tight end. The play was designed for Cooper to be split left, with Ellijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy to the right, but Watson's first read, and the only read he had time to even consider, was to TE Jordan Akins on that route. Secondly, how do you know emphasize, with the utmost importance, the need to just throw the ball up no matter what. A sack is literally the only way the Browns have no shot.

Even if Watson were to throw it in the general direction of Jeudy, Cooper, Moore, or Akins, at least you're giving you team a shot. With your offensive line playing as poor as they have been, Stefanski should have dialed something up that forced the ball in the direction of Amari Cooper.

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