DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2020 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 34 WFT 20 Post Game

And Corbett is starting for the Rams.

Sometimes it takes a player 2-3 years to find their footing.

On this board people have talked about developing players, yet we don't seem to have the patience to allow that to happen.

Sometimes players aren't just going to step in and take over.

In Cleveland if players don't step in and perform right away, you're run out of town.

Hodge has really found a niche as a blocking WR, which is something we obviously are stressing

j/c:

Teller wasn't cut by the Bills. Dorsey traded a 5th and 6th round pick for Teller and a 7th round pick.

I didn't intend the term castoff to mean he was cut.

To the Bills he was expendable. That's all I meant.

j/c...

JC...

I missed a lot of the 2nd half yesterday...Does anyone know of any injuries from yesterday? I know Denzel left, and I remember seeing D'rnest Johnson returning a punt (not sure if Jojo was injured, or just they changed his duty, as they had a limited number of WRs active)

I see a team that is finally GROWING.
I see an offense that is forming an identity.
I see a coaching staff that appears prepared and does not panic.

Baker, I think the points brought about the improvement he needs to make are valid. But I also think the judgments and conclusions from those points are a bit harsh. Yes he knows and understands the playbook. But has has had no off-season and only 3 games experience in it. To expect him to have mastered it is a bit unreasonable. I think he is doing well with pre-reads...But after the first or second reads are taken away...it is a little shakier....and lets be honest...he still is in "thinking mode" in these situations and that is going to slow some things down. He is seeing these situations for the first time

OLine - overall a good job against a formidable front Teller is quietly having a breakout season. Considering most had him as the weakest part of the OLine before the season started, he has been a pleasant surprise.
The interior of Bitonio, Teller, and Tretter has been money. Conklin had a solid game. I do think Washington threw a ton at Wills this game. and overall, he handled it pretty well. Monteaz Sweat had a btter game than I would have wanted. But Wills had to make decisions in situations that were less than ideal. Overall...I see growth and expect him to lock down the LT spot for many years.

RB's...Is there anything that needs to be said??? aside from DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!!!

Receiving - We know Stefanski wants to run the ball. And we will be leaning heavily on Chubb and Hunt this season. But I also think he is establishing the foundation of the offense right now. The offense leans on the run and play action so the passing game is meant to be more opportunistic than the driving force. That doesn't mean it can't or won't be dynamic and extremely productive. But at this stage...establishing that run foundation is more important than ever and it will really pay off later in the season. Just like setting up plays for later in the game. Stefanski is setting up game plans for later int he season. So expect us to try and take shots rather than chip away at people the way Washington did to us. In this context...I think the WRs are doing well. I see the timing improving. I see an embracing of blocking downfield. I see better understanding of the offense.

Defense - as a whole...we don't have a defense that can hang with Pittsburgh right now. I bring up Pittsburgh because you have to win games in your division. I saw so many plays were it looked like we had it bottled up and then it turns into a large gain. The good news is that it is a work in progress and they have been shorthanded.

DLine - Right now, I want to see more of Garrett, Ogunjobi, Richardson, and Clayborn. Garrett, good game...obviously...Saw Ogunjobi's number more often this game. I lover Richardson's hustle...always seeing him downfield if it gets that far. Clayborn has been disruptive. Gustin was ok...but after that it was ho hum...which is neither bad nor good.

LB's much better game in coverage...sometimes put in bad spots...like having to cover McLaurin. Run game....well lets just say that the stats didn't relay what I saw...I saw a lot of gains that could have should have been held under 3 yards that went for 5,10, 15... But being behind 11 mostof the game put the ball in Haskins hands. BJ Goodsen had a good game...after being lambasted and attacked for his coverage the first 2 games. it was said he put a lot of work in this week and it showed. Continue the improvement. I am really liking that we picked him up. I still think his biggest contribution has been his attitude...Confident yet humble, and an outstanding willingness to work hard. It rubs off on others...

DB's - Was very happy to see Cover Johnson, and MJ Stewart back on the field. Mitchell had his hands full with McLaurin, but mostly because of the pick plays Washington schemed. Overall the DB's had a lackluster to ok game, IMO. The numbers don't look too bad...only 220 yds given up...but it wasn't how I felt watching. I am not impressed with Sendejo at all. I can't help but think that losing Delpit really hurt. I would like to see these guys fully healthy. and we did see a little bitf that as we had a rotation. Tavier Thomas has taken a lot of heat on this board...But I thought he had a good game.

The Browns are a work in progress...and honestly...I take that as a good thing. I can't help but think that every regime before this would TALK about a plan, a progress, or growth...but their ACTIONS were of trying to just flip the switch to greatness and winning...This time I can actually see a plan in place and a progression. I am really not worried about the Offense...Their progression is moving along nicely. I am wary of the Defense...but once they are healthy again...maybe we stop giving up 88 points in 3 games...

Happy for the win...loving the attitude of this team...loving the Stefanski pick more and more every day...And I was happy with it to start (even if not my top pick). And most of all, I am ecstatic to be looking forward to Sundays again!!!

Natson was injured probably severely. Denzel was more of a precaution according to Stefanski

j/c...

Kinda what we saw and expected. Week 1 even smelled vanilla. Week 2 was a bit of an anomaly simply due to how bad Cinci is... it made our vanilla look way better than it should have. When everything is working, that happens.

We have a few bumps in the road coming these next three weeks. Cowboys will be tough, the Colts might just devour us, then it's Pittsburgh.


Hopefully, the offense keeps growing and the defense can get a little healthy.

As I stated early on in this thread , win , loose or draw the offense is going to be fun to watch this season. Having the right talent for the scheme your trying to play on Defense will continue to be a problem .. Looked at the first three games as pre-season ( not bad ) The Cowboys game as opening Day. Will be a true test for the " D " ..

I'll post more grades as I find them, but for right now:

j/c

Reading this thread I found to be a bit like living in an alternative universe. I'm not sure what game a lot of people were watching or what they're thinking.

Some have posted this but not nearly enough IMO.

We had no preseason. Mayfield is now playing under his fourth HC. So why would anyone expect him to be used to try and light things up? Why would anyone be expecting our HC to be relying on his arm to lead the team?

Give the kid enough time to learn and become comfortable in the new O before you toast his confidence as we saw last year. It seems to me he is doing exactly what's being asked of him and doing it well. People act like this didn't happen.....

16 of 23 with 2td's and no int's.

Do I still see him looking uncomfortable in the pocket sometimes? Yes I do. Do I still see him looking a little confused back there sometimes? Yes I do. That's what happens in a new system with no preseason.

From the way I see it, Stefanski is handling the situation perfectly. Working Mayfield into the system gradually. Asking him to do what he knows Baker can do. That helps build his confidence and as he feels more comfortable you expand his role.

We have the OL where we can run the ball. We have the horses to run the ball. We will run the ball. Baker did his job and did it well. He did what he was asked to do in an efficient and effective manner.

Considering the circumstances we're in with Covid and a new HC, I'm glad to see a HC who understands the situation and calling the games accordingly.

There will be games that we will be behind late. Baker will be forced into throwing more. No matter what anyone says, sometimes circumstances dictate that's what will be called for. I'm not sure he's quite ready to handle that at this point in time but we are all going to see.

That may come as soon as next week.

Wilson played??

That bodes well for next week. Hopefully Greedy and others are full-go this coming week and can start getting some work in. The defense is going to need all the help it can get.

Yeah, it says 6 snaps. I don't remember seeing him, though.

The Cowboys are 1 and 2. They have a very good offense, but their defense is straight trash. Their secondary is awful. I wonder what the "over" will be on this game. Both teams have a ton of weapons on O and very bad defenses.

I also think the Excuse Train is rolling down the tracks.

There are many QB's in similar or worst situations that are showing much better results.

Like someone stated Baker is mehh... 2 games with intentional grounding rookie penalties shows he is very hard to coach.

Baker is just mehh, time to move on, he will not be resigned for sure.

I also feel like there are some unfair expectations being laid at Bakers feet. Last I checked it wasn’t his fault that he was taken at the #1 draft spot. Everyone was expecting that to be Sam Darnold. Imagine that conversation now after seeing him perform. Honestly even the draft “experts” concede that draft grades are a crapshoot because there is literally no way to determine how a player reacts once he reaches this level of play. Just the fact that we saw him exceed his expectations the second half of his rookie season tells me he is capable. It’s also not his fault he is on his fourth HC or coordinator in 3 years. Who else can say that with the Covid shortened offseason? It must be rough to live inside such a critical head that you are so down on a kid that just won 2 out of the last 3 games. Did he carry the team? No. Did he do the job he was asked to do? Yes. Why isn’t that enough?

I just would like to point out that Baker didn’t throw any interceptions but he should have. OBJ broke up the INT on a horrible pass deep. That’ll show up in his adjusted interceptions at the end of the season.

j/c...

In the 3rd Q, in a span of four possessions, Washington took the lead. We had two "3 and outs", they scored two TDs.

Playing from behind, late in the 3rd, we then scored 17 unanswered... here's every pass from Mayfield:

COMP / 15yds / 1st Down (3rd & 12)

COMP / 13yds / 1st Down

COMP / 3yds / TOUCHDOWN

COMP / 15yds / 1st Down

COMP / 9yds / 1st Down


I don't think Baker had a great game, I don't think he's a finished product. I don't think he's processing at the speed he needs to. I DO think it's a little weird that people seem to want him to (or don't believe he can) carry a team... when he doesn't need to.

Flawless play down the stretch. Threw darts. Led his team down the field.

Baker turned a corner in the 4th quarter and, seemingly, no one cared to see it.

Oh noes! That means it will be on his Permanent Record. Forever and ever! We are doomed.

PS ... we won the game.

My addition to this conversation is that for me, it appears this team is more composed than last year and that's a welcome relief. Last year was an unmitigated coaching disaster and Stefanski seems to be breathing in an air of professionalism and maturity on the sidelines. We didn't look like we were grasping for straws for anything that could work.

If anything, this game gave me reason to believe that perhaps this season is the first where we have some competence on the sidelines and W's on the card.


And that catch by Hunt.....wow!

Browns’ offensive snap counts, stats, and notes: Week 3

Cleveland didn’t have many long-sustaining drives, but they capitalized on all of Washington’s mistakes.

By Chris Pokorny@

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2020/9/28/21459457/browns-offensive-snap-counts-stats-and-notes-week-3



Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on offense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 3 game against the Washington Football Team.

Quarterback
Pos Player Plays % Stats
QB Baker Mayfield 63 100% 16-of-23 (69.6%) for 154 yards, 2 TD. 1 rush, 1 yard.
This is the formula. Not every week, but for games like the past two weeks — where Cleveland has a clear advantage on the ground, or where you’re facing a team with a great pass rush — this is the type of final stat line we need to see from Baker Mayfield.
This was the first time since Week 10 of the 2019 season that Mayfield did not throw an interception. Also, Mayfield completed 69.5% of his passes for the second week in a row. While it was common for Mayfield to have a high completion percentage as a rookie in 2018, only twice in 2019 did he have a better completion percentage than he’s has the past two weeks. Kevin Stefanski knows how to use him, and that’s going to get Mayfield more comfortable for when he can sling the ball around a bit more — like next Sunday against the worst-ranked Cowboys pass defense.
The two big no-nos for Mayfield were in the third quarter. First, for the second game in a row, he had a play in which he scrambled to his right, and just held onto the ball so long that instead of throwing the ball out of bounds, he took an intentional ground penalty because he couldn’t get the ball past the line of scrimmage. He also took a sack on another drive in the third quarter. Both drives helped give Washington good field position, and they scored touchdowns on each of them. If Cleveland would’ve went three-and-out, it would’ve been much better. Mayfield knew it after the game too, and it’s a good thing that he thinks about those things, as I’m sure the coaching staff will work on too:
I could have played way better. I could have gotten the ball out and saved a couple of those sacks. The protection was great. I could have re-IDed the play where the intentional grounding happened and the first play coming out where I got sacked. Some things that I can be a lot better on.

Running Back
Pos Player Plays % Stats
RB Nick Chubb 34 54% 19 carries, 108 yards (5.7 YPC). 2 TD. 1 catch, 2 yards (1 target).
RB Kareem Hunt 29 46% 16 carries, 46 yards (2.9 YPC). 2 catches, 18 yards (3 targets). 1 TD.
FB Andy Janovich 17 27% 1 catch, 13 yards (1 target).
Nick Chubb is a national treasure. The way he runs is awe-inspiring, and he had two more touchdown runs against Washington. There were a lot of highlights for him on the day, but I’ll include this one because of the breakdown:


Chubb played 54% of the snaps while Hunt played the other 46%. I thought it would be difficult for a head coach to manage the utilization of both backs and get the best out of both players, but the usage that Stefanski has deployed has been perfect. The craziest thing of all is that Cleveland has not even started to use the screen game for their backs — I don’t know how much Stefanski likes utilizing that, but you have to imagine he’ll dial it up at some point.
Andy Janovich played 17 snaps (27%) this week.
Wide Receiver
Pos Player Plays % Stats
WR Odell Beckham 51 81% 4 catches, 59 yards (6 targets).
WR Jarvis Landry 45 71% 4 catches, 36 yards (4 targets).
WR KhaDarel Hodge 35 56% 0 catches (1 target).
WR JoJo Natson 4 6% 1 carry, 3 yards (3.0 YPC).
The receivers didn’t have big games, but there was one really big positive: Baker Mayfield hit Odell Beckham on 4 passes, and each of them simply involved good throws, and Beckham catching them securely, most of the time for key first downs. His catch at the end of the third quarter for a first down helped get Cleveland out of their funk.
Rashard Higgins was a healthy scratch, as Cleveland only had four receivers active. During the game, JoJo Natson suffered a torn ACL, which meant the Browns were down to just three active wide receivers. KhaDharel Hodge is still seeing a lot of snaps, but if he’s just needed to block, he’s happy to keep doing that:


Tight End
Pos Player Plays % Stats
TE Austin Hooper 54 86% 3 catches, 25 yards (4 targets).
TE Harrison Bryant 40 63% 1 catch, 3 yards (2 targets). 1 TD.
TE Stephen Carlson 6 10% No stats registered.
One thing is clear: Austin Hooper is not going to be a huge part of the Browns’ offense in the passing game. Through 3 games, he has just 7 catches for 62 yards. At some point, we may have a discussion on whether the type of contract he was given was worth it, for the sake of having someone reliable when he is called upon. I’m sure he’ll have his bigger games this season, though.
Harrison Bryant caught his first touchdown pass in the NFL. It was nice to see that, after Mayfield was picked off targeting him a week ago. Bryant has been getting a lot of work in as a run blocker, and doing it more effectively than fans could have anticipated.
Offensive Line
Pos Player Plays % Stats
OL Jedrick Wills Jr. 63 100%
OL Joel Bitonio 63 100%
OL JC Tretter 63 100%
OL Wyatt Teller 63 100%
OL Jack Conklin 63 100%
Mayfield was sacked twice and took five quarterback hits against Washington.
Joel Bitonio was the highest-graded player on offense, according to Pro Football Focus, with a grade of 80.1. Wyatt Teller continues to impress at right guard — I am blown away with how the guy has transformed himself into an above average guard.
Per PFF, Jedrick Wills wasn’t a negative, which is a plus for a rookie. He did have two early false starts, which you don’t like to see, especially in your home stadium of just 6,000 fans:
Wills played well enough again to not stand out as a big negative following his move to the left side. For a rookie offensive linemen, that’s often all you need to see. He did get beat several times in pass protection, but it was a solid overall performance for the Alabama product against a talented Washington defensive line.

Browns’ defensive snap counts, stats, and notes: Week 3

The Browns’ defense forced five turnovers against Washington.

By Chris Pokorny

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2020/9/28/21459445/browns-defensive-snap-counts-stats-and-notes-week-3



Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on defense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 3 game against the Washington Football Team.

Defensive Line
Player Plays % Stats
Porter Gustin 54 83% 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined).
Myles Garrett 50 77% 4 tackles (4 combined). 2 sacks, 2 QH, 1 FF, 1 FR.
Sheldon Richardson 43 66% 3 tackles, 1 assist (4 combined). 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QH, 1 pass defended.
Larry Ogunjobi 41 63% 2 tackles, 2 assists (4 combined). 1 TFL.
Jordan Elliott 23 35% 1 assist (1 combined).
Joe Jackson 19 29% 1 assist (1 combined).
Adrian Clayborn 16 25% No stats registered.
Vincent Taylor 15 23% 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 TFL.
Porter Gustin played the most snaps among Browns defensive linemen (83%) with Olivier Vernon out and Adrian Clayborn limited (25%).
Myles Garrett had another high impact game. He was the Browns’ top-graded defender by PFF with a grade of 90.1. Garrett’s pressure directly led to three turnovers alone:



Cleveland’s defensive tackles continue to play well. Sheldon Richardson logged a sack, and Larry Ogunjobi had a big stuff in the run game for a loss of five yards.
Linebacker
Player Plays % Stats
B.J. Goodson 60 92% 3 tackles (3 combined). 1 INT, 1 pass defended, 1 FR.
Sione Takitaki 41 63% 2 tackles, 4 assists (6 combined).
Malcolm Smith 26 40% 1 INT, 1 pass defended.
Mack Wilson 6 9% No stats registered.
This brought be back to the days of Cleveland’s linebackers coming out of no where to log interceptions against Peyton Manning — I’m talking about the likes of Ben Taylor and Kevin Bentley. On Sunday, it was B.J. Goodson and Malcolm Smith.
In his season debut, Mack Wilson played 6 snaps. Stefanski wanted he and CB Kevin Johnson to knock off some rest before the coaches ramp up their playing time:



Cornerback
Player Plays % Stats
Terrance Mitchell 65 100% 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 pass defended, 1 FF.
Kevin Johnson 38 58% 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 1 FF.
Tavierre Thomas 30 46% 2 tackles (2 combined). 1 TFL, 1 FR.
Denzel Ward 29 45% 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 pass defended.
M.J. Stewart 22 34% 3 tackles (3 combined).
A.J. Green 1 2% No stats registered.
The Browns got one half of play out of Denzel Ward. He did not play the second half because his groin injury acting up, but he didn’t worsen it. The coaching staff will have to weigh his recovery vs. the amount of snaps he gets in the next couple of weeks. That could depend on how close someone like Greedy Williams is to returning to action.
Kevin Johnson appeared to be playing outside cornerback in relief of Ward, while Tavierre Thomas kept the nickel job this week. The biggest play this week for Thomas was recovering Karl Joseph’s fumble after an interception. Eventually, the objective is for Johnson to be the nickelback, though.
M.J. Stewart also played 22 snaps.
Safety
Player Plays % Stats
Andrew Sendejo 65 100% 4 tackles, 1 assist (5 combined).
Karl Joseph 65 100% 4 tackles, 2 assists (6 combined). 1 INT, 1 pass defended.
Ronnie Harrison 7 11% 1 tackle (1 combined).
Karl Joseph had a big interception, although he could have turned right into a goat had Washington recovered his fumble. That interception set off a string of turnovers for Washington.
Andrew Sendejo has made some big hits, but they’re often after a big gain has already happened, and the good coverage grades he had in Minnesota last year are just not materializing. It is still surprising that Sendejo is seeing all the work over Ronnie Harrison and that Sheldrick Redwine is not playing any snaps on defense.

Process over results.

Do you think Baker will resign for good backup QB money? Will he take a pay cut to resign for the Browns? He is not playing to the top pick level, expectations are not his fault... but what if we adjust salary to future expectations?

No one? It seems to me that more people are saying good things about him than bad. It seems to me that people have a problem if any of his mistakes are pointed out. I know I pointed out that he struggled if his first option wasn't open. All the excuses and hyperbole won't change that opinion.

Nobody talks about the 2 idiotic intentional groundings... Baker is not bad enough to lose the job, but we will not get anywhere with him. We all know it, I don't see Baker keeping the job next year.

The running from clean pockets is a problem. The accuracy (lack of) when under pressure is a big problem. The speed of progressions might be a problem - as in it needs to improve but there are a lot of reasons that Baker isn't at 100% of his ceiling regards this aspect of his game .... All worthy issues to discuss. Last week I re-watched the game and despite what some are saying he was making 2nd and 3rd reads on at least a few plays ... I don't know about the WFT game. But he needs to improve and I think he has shown signs that he is.

However - the question marks which are all hang overs from last year (and some from the year before, and some probably stemming from the 4th HC in his 3rd year) should not totally overshadow or obliterate the very accurate passing we saw for the rest of the game. Baker is not a finished product and he has made some great throws this year. He started the game with great looking throws and decisions yesterday, and he finished with great looking throws, I'll take that for what is essentially a 3rd Preseason game. Looking forward to more progress.

Just face it. When Baker plays he is the least athletic player on the field and his football IQ is not above average.

He is just a meh QB... backup material, IMHO. We will not pay him top dollar nor franchise tag him. He's worst than Andy Dalton or Joe Flacco...

All QBs get called for intentional grounding. All qbs make bad throws. All qbs throw interceptions. I can live w/those things, unless the picks start piling up.

My issue is how he seems to struggle reading coverages if his first target isn't open.

2 games in a row... how hard is to listen and take the sack. It shows that he is a very slow learner and like I pointed out his awareness of the field and the game is very low.

But above all, we all can see what is his ceiling now... I would rather give another chance to Jameis if we are going to limit throws to 25 a game.

I wouldn't be to worried if he had shown he is player, but being the least athletic player on the field he must have superior football IQ, which he does not.