DawgTalkers.net Forums Thread Like Summary - Browns @ Commanders Recap

This thread is different from the Post Game thread in that it is about things that are specific to this game. It's not about firing the coach, keeping Baker or not, Berry's drafts, etc. It's for those who like to talk about actual football games and it's for those who might not get to see the games. I've been looking at the Coverage Map threads that Milk posts and it seems like a lot of Dawgs are missing our games. Hopefully, this thread helps.

--Watson got off to another really bad start. He was indecisive and holding the ball too long. I wish I had the All 22 to see if no one was getting open or if he wasn't seeing the field well enough. He looked better in the second half. He used his legs to keep plays going and made some nice passes. One thing that has always amazed me about him is just how freaking strong he is. He shrugs tacklers off. Even big defensive linemen. He's always done that and yesterday was no exception.

--The OL did a nice job run blocking. They gave up some quick pressures at times while pass blocking and provided good protection at other times. Let's be real, though. Washington has the best starting DL in the entire league. That has to be factored in when evaluating our OL.

--I thought the game plan was sound. I probably would have run it a bit more, but you can see we are evolving into a more modern offense. I typically agree w/going for it on 4th down, but I did not like the decision to take the 3 pts off the board and go for it on 4th down after the penalty on Washington. I would have been good w/it if we got inside the 2, but I think we were on the 4. I did like going for it on 4th down later in the game and having Jacoby sneak it. He's almost unstoppable on those plays.

--Chubb had his best game in awhile. That was nice to see. I think he only had 11 carries. He looked quicker yesterday. Bitonio and Wills had some nice combo blocks to get him to the second level.

--Our secondary is very talented. Ward showed why he got paid. He's a great corner. He shut down Scary Terry. That says a lot. I have been hard on Delpitt but he had a nice game yesterday. I'm not saying that just because he got two picks, but because he actually made aggressive plays on the ball. We really haven't seen that before. It was nice to see AJ Green and Bell getting significant reps.

--Jones had a nice game. He can really run and it is no coincidence that our pass defense has improved since he started playing. Did you see him running w/Samuel on the one pick down the field? Incredible. Ragland is huge. I did see him plug the wrong gap on one play that turned into a long run. He's physical, though. Fields is around the ball way more than Phillips ever was.

--The DL was better overall. We play w/such wide splits, though. I really don't like that look from Woods. It's like we are inviting them to run up the middle.

--Wentz was awful. He's a guy who once he makes a mistake.....he makes more. Great physical gifts, but he seems mentally/emotionally weak. Washington really has a lot of talented skill guys in McLauren, Dotson, Samuel, Robinson, etc. The D played pretty good overall. It was frustrating that they could not get off the field on 3rd down during that long, time-consuming drive to end the half.

--Speaking of that drive, it was HUGE that we stopped them on their first possession of the 2nd half and scored on our first possession. Changed the game.

--Most important note of all. It's late in the season and the team is going nowhere, yet they still played hard and w/enthusiasm. That is really important. That means that the coaching staff and players are all-in. I've seen too many Browns teams quit in similar circumstances.

Vers, I tend to agree with your point about Watson. In the first half, I felt he looked like a young QB that the game wasn't slowing down for. I thought he had happy feet, held the ball, and was very indecisive. Like you, I'd love to see the whole field on many plays to see if it was him, the receivers not getting open, or both. The announcers were saying how coverage was good, but it's hard to tell without seeing. That being said, he did seem more comfortable in the second half and made plays when he had to. I see the flashes of why the Browns traded for him from a football standpoint. I'd love to see a "complete" game next week from start to finish as a big stepping stone into next season.

Another point I'd like to make is one I know I've read on the board before and agree with. When we are first and goal or at least inside the 5, I do hate shotgun with empty backfield. Mark Schlereth (spelling?) who was the commentator, mentioned that it clearly tells the defense they don't have to worry about the run. I realize that the QB draw is open (and for some reason, we took points off the board and tried that very play), but it just seems to make the offense too one dimensional in that situation - especially with the running game the Browns have. Of course, that's just my opinion as an armchair QB!

Gonna re-post a few thoughts I had immediately after the game in rush’s thread, then piggy-back a few of yours and others in this thread.


“Watson was very good in the 2nd half, we couldn’t get the ball downfield in the 1st but our HT adjustments seemed to work. Chubb over a hundred, and the run D, for the most part, had a great game. We gave up too many sacks in the first half but their front is beast-like.
Nice to see Cade with no misses”

1. The announcer said a couple of times that guys weren’t getting open down the field, which is likely why DW held the bell too long on a few occasions.

2. That stop on D to begin the 2nd half was important, I agree. The 21- play drive they had could have sucked the heart out of a lot of teams, but we showed fight in the 2nd half.

3. We tackled well, as a unit. There didn’t seem to be a lot of YAC for them, not a lot of big plays, really. When your only TD came from a 21-play drive, you didn’t have many big plays, I guess.

4. Love our punter. When we needed him to smash a driver and send one deep, he did that. When we needed him to finesse a little knockdown wedge and pin them inside the 10, he did that, too.

5. Jones is solid, he seems to play fundamentally sound.

6. I wouldn’t have taken that FG off the board either; an old axiom is to never throw points away but I sorta get his reasoning. Not a bad play call there but Chase busted it up with a nice effort.