DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2016 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 13 Falcons 24 Postgame Thoughts

Well, the game is all but over ... and thank God for it

My initial thoughts:

- Great night for rg3, which is the most important thing. he looked more comfortable and in charge. Great decisions to run/slide. Great touch on the deep passes (as we knew) ... nice game

- Nassib is like our defensive MVP thus far ... wow

- Ogbah not as good as last week ... gave up the edge a time or two for big gains

- Pryor continues to impress and develop

- Kessler looked like hot garbage

- Our run defense was honestly the biggest atrocity I've seen in my entire life ... just wow

- Mingo doesn't get in until 3rd stringers? Yeah, that's telling.

- Desir looks to be a casualty right now

We're going to have to score 50 points a game to win with this defennse

Offense will be ok.

Defense is going to be historically bad. Pass Rush, run defense, coverage...all horrible.

We have a pass rush this year!

We are very deep at RB and will need to make a tough decision.

The starting o-line played much better.

RG3 looked great. I couldn't find a thing wrong.

Pryor is the real deal and will be a starter.

Our DE's are getting killed. This could be a painful year for them.

We tackle like we are afraid to tackle. Lots of guys in the right place with total whiffs.

Lots of improvement from last week, but a long way to go.

The creme puff defense is what really stands out.
It over shadows a good showing by RG3 and the passing game.
Teams are going to run the ball at will on the Browns
And control clock anyhow ......
RG3 looked poised and decisive.
Hue did a good job of mixing run and pass.
Pryor continues to shine but he's a one route pony.
But this offense actually looks like a offense.
What the heck Farmer was trying to build is beyond me

Nassib is beating his man more often than not. He's coming along.
But Shelton isn't disappointing me..he's been non existant.
Lbers can't fight off blocks to save their life.

--RGIII looked very good. Showed nice touch. He has always thrown a good deep ball and did again today. Ran well. Slid. Got rid of it fairly quick.

--Pryor's ability to separate is impressive.

--I like the look of Higgins. Good route runner.

--I like what I saw of Payton.

--I like Alexander at LBer. He's better than the guys we drafted.

--Mingo played well. It would be dumb to cut him.

--Gilber was pathetic.

--Kindrid closes hard and I was excited about him, but then he got exposed in coverage on a few plays.

--Why is Gaines on this team?

--What's the starting SS's name again? He is nowhere to be found.

--Desir? Yikes.

--The d-line got gashed.

--Nassib does have a great motor. Will be good in the nickel.

--Ogbah struggled big time.

--What does Orchard give this team?

--Telfer can run a little bit.

--Watson is strong.

--The poor tackling is a huge concern. We give up so many extra yards.

--Holes were large against our D, and ATL doesn't have a good OL.

--Erving's long snaps are an issue.

--Our back-up linemen are putrid.

--I really like Hue's demeanor on the sidelines. He's very in control and isn't afraid to show his disgust. LOL

--Glad we have Al Saunders. Bright guy.

--Who is the WR we took first? From Auburn? Did he play?

--Kessler's hands look tiny.

--#39 closes well on the ball.

--Our roster is really lacking talent. That is a sure-fire way to get coaches fired. Soon, people will be calling for Horton to get fired. LOL.......even though the defensive talent is pitiful.

I think Kessler had some of the bigger hands at the combine.

http://www.mockdraftable.com/player/6542/

He was tied with Paxton Lynch for the biggest hands in the draft.


My post game thoughts:

We are playing a lot of rookies and second year players. That does not bode well for us.

I think we will be on the waiver wires quite a bit for defense and OL.

I think we have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, the problem right now is that it is mostly raw talent and it shows. We have a good base for a solid team 3 years from now, you guys need to remember we are building.

I have no expectations at all this year and I actually enjoyed watching the whole game.

Omg I agree with ocd about something!

Don't think we'll be too active on the O-Line front actually. Some of our backups are pretty bad, but we'll probably only keep 8. Thomas, Bitonio, Erving, Greco, Pasztor, Coleman, Drango, and Bailey. Might find someone to put on the Practice Squad.

On defense we could be more active, but I'm not sure. We've got lots of young guys that need reps. Don't think there will be a lot of non-end of the line players who would be upgrades available. I think Whitner is still available, but I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed.

As far as the game, the offense showed some good stuff. Hopefully Griffin can stay healthy because the offense might have to carry the team, especially early in the season.

I thought Erving looked good at times in the run game, but he's definitely got to fix the high snap issues.

What impressed me most about the Pryor TD was the clean pocket and time RG3 had there.

The defense looked atrocious. I tried to get behind the Shelton pick, but the more I see of him, the more I remember why I wanted Bud Dupree that draft. (Not that he's set the world on fire either)

Nassib flashed some more, but he still has work to do.

I'm hoping the defense is really missing Haden and Hughes. We seemed to need help at both of their spots, badly.

We might have to have our defenders start sleeping in straightjackets, so their arms get used to that wrapping position. They seem to have forgotten how to do that.

Kindred seemed to be flying around there pretty good. Needs to clean up the technique and assignments, but I like the effort and attitude.

I need to watch the game again more closely, I had other stuff going on tonight.

Almost forgot. We seemed to get out healthy except for the possible concussion to Moore. Let's pray that continues because our depth still needs work.

Lot of good observation's here but it's still only preseason.
Things can always get worse.

The WR the Browns took first was Corey Coleman. He did not play, again.

The WR they took in the 4th round out of Auburn is Ricardo Louis. He was sidelined as well, but has drawn praise from the coaching staff as a Special Teamer.

Offense - there may be something nice brewing in Cleveland

Defense - We have good pieces sprinkled in this 90 man roster. Gotta get the right guys to gel. I really like our new rookies (Nassib and Ogbah), as I think they can do well attacking the quarterback. But they are also smaller and will have troubles with containing the line against the run.

Nassib will probably get more time on passing downs. Gotta get the right mix of guys to stop the run though. Not sure who that will be outside of Meder.

Robert Griffin III showing Cleveland Browns he's passing preseason test with arm and legs -- Terry Pluto



Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III looked very good in his start against Atlanta. (Joshua Gunter / cleveland.com)

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By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on August 18, 2016 at 10:24 PM, updated August 18, 2016 at 10:54 PM





CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Now we know why Hue Jackson is intrigued with Robert Griffin III.


The Browns' Griffin experiment is still in the early stages, but the quarterback showed enough in Thursday's 24-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium that fans should be excited to see more.


Griffin's job is not on the line in the preseason. Jackson wisely treated him like the starter from the moment he was signed, and then gave him the job officially early in veterans training camp.


That's how you do it. You pick a quarterback and make sure that you treat him as your main guy ... until he's not. Build as much continuity as possible. And if you're a Browns fan -- or coach -- you want to have a reason to believe Griffin can do a credible job as quarterback.


Two touchdown passes later...


Doesn't that sound good? Especially when one of those throws was a beautiful 50-yard strike to Terrelle Pryor. Another was a superb 29-yard lob down the right sideline to Gary Barnidge. The tight end made an excellent catch, but the pass also was in the right spot. It was a nice spiral thrown where only Barnidge could catch it.


After two preseason games and three quarters, this much is evident: Griffin has a strong arm. His first pass of the preseason was a 49-yarder to Pryor in the loss to Green Bay.


Think about that for a moment. Pryor has caught a 50-yard pass and a 49-yarder from Griffin. Jackson's other experiment -- Pryor the receiver -- shows real promise.


It was Jackson's idea to turn the former Ohio State quarterback into a wide receiver. That was early in 2015 when Pryor was in camp with Cincinnati, where Jackson was the offensive coordinator. Pryor didn't make the Bengals, but Jackson was anxious to have another training camp with him.


Pryor looks like the real thing as a big-play threat.


There obviously is an asterisk next to everything Griffin does because the defenses are very bland, not much in the way of blitzing. But you have to be in total denial to simply dismiss what Jackson can do with an elite athlete such as Griffin.


Twice, Griffin dropped back to pass and then saw the defense break down. He bolted once for 22 yards and sprinted another time for 14 yards. Both times, he slid before he was tackled, something the Browns have been demanding. They want to keep him healthy.


There are some weaknesses in his game. He tends to focus on his first receiver. He still needs to deliver the ball a little faster on some short pass plays. But there are many reasons to be encouraged.


Griffin was 6-of-8 for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, it's the preseason -- but it's also real football where the quarterback is being tackled and tested.


So far, Griffin is passing this test very well -- with his arm and legs.

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index...owing_cle.html

RG3 looked like his 2012 version, but smarter. Pryor and Higgins have really impressed me. Duke Johnson has too with his toughness.

key word there candy was "smarter" ... that's important for RG3

Okay, I change my mind we suck.

Our defense is bad. Like, historically and epically bad. Someone (Vers?) has been using the word "putrid" for some weeks now, predicting how the defense will be. I think that may even be optimistic. Biblically bad.

my thoughts too

A few takaways....

- Outside of his horrible snap, I thought Erving was much improved.

- Run defense is horrible. Hopefully Hughes can come back and help that but the DE were getting owned. For the time being, I'm starting every weekly running back playing Cleveland on DraftKings.

- Gilbert looked horrible. I think his and Mingo's roster spot is in jeopardy.

- The fact that our FS options are Jordan Poyer or Rahim Moore at this point frightens me. I understand why they're trying Desir at FS. I didn't watch that far into the game but I guess he didn't play well?

- I though Orchard looked ok. Nassib looked great.

- It's been a few years but opposing defenses might have to game plan against a few possible offensive threats...(1) Pryor's speed, (2) RG3's legs, and (3) Barnidge's ability. Couple in a consistent running game and, dare I say Gordon's return, and we might be able to score some points.

- I like Kirksey more than Davis inside. Alexander didn't look too shabby.

- I see opposing teams converting third downs at record pace is still something Ray Horton is proud of, apparently.

- At least in the first half, special team looked, well, special. Tabor is a stud.

- Overall, despite glaring issues, I think the team did move forward last night and there were plenty of starters not in the game. Still, it's a long way to go.

Only watched the first half, streaming it on NFL.com - have the game being taped today to watch on the TV.

RG3 - hope he can play that smart all season and slide before contact. Dude still has a ton of arm talent and athleticism. I read how he has lost a step since his rookie season and after the injuries .... but damn he is still flat out fast.

Crowell looked good to me. A little better at finding a crease and showing a little more patience than previous.

Duke - more disappointing on the running front with the exception of showing his toughness when he kept moving forward after being hit 4 times and not going down.... But I really think Duke is special and will blossom in Hue's offense. It's pre-season and most of what we are running is vanilla (not withstanding the play with 3 lineman standing in front of the QB!).

OL without Thomas was WAY better than I expected. Irving obviously has to get his snaps right - but when I watched Irving specifically he seemed to hold his own. Blocking, disengaging and picking up another defender downfield on the one play, keeping his man out of the back field on others. . . . With play like last night and with RG3 using his head and sliding, I'd feel more confident that RG3 might see out the whole season.

Pryor is obviously working out and developing into a legit WR that can work his craft - guy is talented (I went to one game last season, and you could see during warm up that the guy is an athletic freak) I was glad we kept him through all the issues last year .... remember how many thought he should be cut in favor of the then camp darling? Can't even remember the other dudes name. . . . . Unlike most I have faith in Gordon returning to something like his 2012 form. Coleman, Pryor and a rejuvenated Gordon would possibly be one of the most elite WR's trio's in the NFL. -- Look it's preseason, I am allowed to be optimistic and dream a little, right?

TE group also look athletic. Barnidge is just such a solid all round football player. Looks like this might be an interesting area of the offense to watch. Last year's guy who I was rooting for - Bibbs - not featuring in the top 2-3 of the TE's says something. . . the one area I think we might be struggling in 2 and 3 TE sets is a true run blocking TE ??

On the DL - I was impressed with Shelton. I think he showed significant more stoutness this week. The rest of the positions and the rotation look like a work in progress.

I've always thought Kirksey was a baller - I think he still shows a nose for the ball but needs more help. I don't know mush about Davis and didn't see anything great or awful last night from him.

Taylor and Nassib were the guys that stood out most. If I didn't know Nassib was a 3rd round pick, watching him play his first two games in the NFL I would have expected him to have been a high 2nd or low 1st round pick. Hope he continues on the same trajectory he is on.

Apart from the atrocious tacking that others have mentioned - the #1 thing that I kept thinking early in the game and throughout the game ..... we really miss Gipson. He wasn't always given the credit he deserved, but he was always around the ball and in the right place to make a difference.

I only watched the first half, but Gilbert needs no more chances. He's hopeless.

Great focus on the catch by Gary, and nice throws by RGIII.

RGIII still has some speed on them designed run plays.

Was nice seeing Crow run the ball. Duke had that power run which also was nice.

Run defense is going to be what kills us. As it is year after year. I don't see Hughes stopping it.

Nassib and Ogbah continued to impress me. These young kids, I'm really starting to like alot.

Erving looked improved to me actually. He whiffed that shotgun snap, but yeah.

I'll have more after I go home and watch the second half. Which by the sounds and looks of it, was just a defensive fiasco.

Oh, and seeing RGIII sliding was extremely awesome. Maybe he's learning, he threw the ball away too.

Well, we may actually have a franchise QB.. The kid has a touch.. Excellent.

Pryor: He got over on a pretty damn good DB last night. I'm impressed..

Erving: Improved but still, that long snap scares the heck out of me.

Oline: Played better than last week overall. Missed Joe but they weren't horrible.

Crowell: tough runner.., Enjoy watching him..

Duke: one tough guy. Hard to bring down.

Higgins and Payton: Ok,, I see it. I think they can both be very good

Barnage: Last year wasn't a fluke. He really is that good.

All in all, I felt the first half Offense was pretty decent for this time of year. I can see where it could be exciting to watch.

Defense: Oh man, where do I begin?

Nassib: This kid could be the real deal. He'll be fun to watch.

Ogbah: wasn't his best night, he played better last week

Mingo: I'm not one to throw a player under the bus but damn. Putting him in with the 3rd stringers tells me he is not likely to be around for long.

Gilbert: Not sure what he brings to the table.

Shelton: Man I just don't know. We were supposed to see more improvement, I'm not seeing it yet.

Tank Carder: He plays hard.. I like this guy

Overall, we have issues at the back end of this D and the line isn't gonna scare anyone either.

I like our Offense. I think I'm going to like it a whole lot.

No Kidding...We're getting steam rolled again. Not sure how Hue is going to fix that one. Maybe trade Gordon for a run stopper or two?

I would agree with this. A lot of people are tearing Shelton down right now, but I didn't think he was THAT bad. Did he look like a mid-1st round pick? No. But I don't think he looked terrible. He's certainly at least a starter.

Meder has a great motor but isn't that strong unfortunately. I think our D-Line is gonna be Hughes, Shelton, and Meder because Rhodes (while athletic) is the weakest of the bunch at the line. He'll run down a RB, but I don't see him pushing around O-Linemen, taking up the space, and helping us get these RBs down at the LOS.

We really are missing Desmond Bryant, and it shows. No doubt about it.




I thought Nassib looked great, but he's gotta get better vs the run. As a pure pass rusher though, he is making it happen. His best fit is probably a 4-3 DE, but I think he can certainly do some stuff for us.


And Taylor seems to certainly be making the most of his opportunity too, and with the K'Waun Williams' issues, that's a relief.


The other guy I like is this Kindred dude. He's everywhere. He's the one that played the season with a broken collarbone. While a little exposed in coverage, I think he showed a lot of athleticism and heart, and no fear at making plays on the ball. I think he'll be a starter at some point.

The guy I was really hoping to see more of was Ibraheim Campbell. I liked him a lot at Northwestern, but hardly noticed him in this game. That's not good for a Strong Safety. Kindred might take his spot alongside Poyer.





And this I absolutely agree with. O-Line looked good. Especially Irving and Drango. Drango took over for Joe Thomas just fine. He might be a potential replacement to him. And Austin Paztor didn't look bad at RT either.

The bad snap by Irving has to stop, but I think they can get that figured out. How many shotgun snaps did he do at Florida State? One of the QBs needs to take him aside and work with him every day after practice or something until he gets it without having to think. I don't think it matters who though, but it's something he has to open up to and work on. Because the shotgun is a big part of the playbook, especially for a guy like RG3, and this is something we can't be worrying about. But I think that can be resolved by Week 1.

And Higgins looks the part. He'll be in the NFL a long time.

Oh, and no way can Tank Carder not make the team. The guy looks to be a leader and someone can step in if need be no problem. I dunno who will lose their spot, but Carder should definitely make the team. Even if it means sending Scooby to the Practice Squad (and probably losing him)



The other thing is that I have faith that Horton will get some major improvement out of the defense by Week 1. We've seen plenty of bad Browns defenses in the pre-season, and I've got more faith in Horton than I ever did in O'Neil. I don't think we're gonna see this defense play great, but we'll be a lot better than what we saw this week.

And the tackling was awful! But I'm sure they'll get that straightened out.

Doubt Gilbert will make the team solely because of that. He's athletic, and his coverage isn't that bad, but he's soft. No other way to put it.

I can only imagine what our defense is going to look like against Leveon Bell, the Dallas OL, etc

Lots of good comments here. To sum it up: Offense looked good, defense looked bad. But hey, this is the Browns and at least if our offense keeps doing well I'm thinking we have something positive & exciting to look forwarded to this season.

...Our offense just has to get on the field. You know?

Well, this is one of Hughes' strengths...stopping the run. Will he solve the problem all on his own? No. But he might be able to improve it to a certain degree.

We have to look to our ILBs on this issue as well.

I didn't watch either preseason game but, I listened to both in their entirety via radio. That gives a different perspective as you can't watch the play. I keep wondering if given what we have to work with would it make more sense for Horton to switch to a 4-3?

Thoughts?

But hey, we were smart to not sign Damon Harrison to a ten million dollar a year deal. Woo we're winning the cap battle!

I don't know if our personnel fits, but I've always thought a 43 is way easier to defend the run.

coaches will always say that the defense is a mixture of both and that we show multiple looks

IMO the Brown's are built for a 4-3. Hue may ask Horton to come up with more of a 3-4...4-3 hybrid than the hybrid 3-4 he's already running. But still we lack the raw talent to stop the run in a 3-4 or a 4-3

Davis has showed up in run support. I'm more concerned with our OLB setting the edge than our inside backers. Paul Kruger sometimes looks like he's playing with his eyes closed and sometimes he just way over pursues, giving rbs easy decisions for easy yards. Orchard didn't set the edge too well either.

It just looks poor from the front seven as a group. Really poor. Kyle likely dialed in his basic runs too. Same with gb.

how many straight years are we going to "not set the edge" ... it borders on comical

I would agree. Generally, the front seven has some improving to do. I thought Orchard set the edge better than Kruger did, but to be fair, I wasn't focusing on it that much. I do remember that one run where Kruger let Freeman run inside of him....but Kruger did have a blocker on him.

If those were our defensive starters in the first half, we're in a world of hurt.