DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Cleveland Browns' defense stifling opponents under Ray Horton

Some good video clips and diagrams in this article. Sorry if it's been posted and I missed it...

Article by By Bucky Brooks
NFL Media analyst

The Cleveland Browns seemingly raised the white flag on the 2013 season when they shipped Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts a couple of weeks ago following an 0-2 start. Most observers, myself included, believed the rest of this year could be a lost cause for Cleveland, with the team looking forward to the 2014 NFL Draft, when it would select a top quarterback to build around.


However, the Browns have surprised the football world by reeling off two victories and suddenly becoming contenders in the AFC North. While Brian Hoyer has received much of the credit, winning both of the games he's started since replacing injured quarterback Brandon Weeden, I believe the emergence of a dominant defense is the foundation of Cleveland's sudden success -- and the key to the Browns, who host the Buffalo Bills on NFL Network's "Thursday Night Football," potentially making a serious run in a balanced division.

After taking some time to dig into the All-22 Coaches Film, I offer up four reasons why Cleveland's defense could make this team a surprising playoff contender: ( More....link to Article )

Good article... can't wait for the conversation on this bullet to start.

Quote:

---

3) Joe Haden/Buster Skrine feels like Frank Minnifield/Hanford Dixon.

---

But from what I see, this has nothing to do with Horton, in fact our defense is great in spite of his inability to put people in the right positions and make the right calls... (I don't honestly believe that but I'm trying to get the rumor started... )

Yeah, he made a couple iffy comments. Maybe he means the "closest" we've had since Minnifield/Dixon?

Hayden should send Andy Dalton a thank you card for last Sunday .

This one is a little suspect for me: "I offer up four reasons why Cleveland's defense could make this team a surprising playoff contender".

Horton has done a tremendous job. It's actually incredible how good this defense is DESPITE the fact that it is rather bad on 3rd down and still in stage one in terms of packages used. When you see pretty much ALL players looking improved, be it Sheard, Hughes, Taylor, Robertson, Haden and even DQ, then it has to do with coaching and scheme.

I was very critical of the scheme switch, mainly because I feared that Sheard, DQ and Robertson would be de-valued and be risks in terms of fitting, but the players and coaches have worked it out. It is a success story from top to bottom and past to present: former FO, recent FO, coaches down to the players. The overall play of the defense so far has been a success considering the circumstances and game-to-game development. Pretty much everyone deserves praise and I and others skeptics will happily eat their words. When you look at the AVG age of this D, the future looks very bright on that side of the ball.

Nice article. It'll be interesting to see what this defense can do when fully healthy and the entire defensive playbook is opened to them. I see a very high ceiling for this group.

Wow. We are getting a lot of love.

Makes me happy and nervous at the same time.

I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Battered. Fan. Syndrome.

I hope we have a dominating performance tomorrow night. That will go some ways in alleviating my trepidation.

Quote:

---

It's actually incredible how good this defense is DESPITE the fact that it is rather bad on 3rd down

---

I was rifling through some stats yesterday and something caught my eye as I was sorting and re-sorting things... I found two stats to not really add up so maybe you (or somebody) can help me make sense of it... we are near the bottom in allowing teams to convert 3rd downs at 44% ... but we are top 10 in first downs allowed per game at 18.5... I can't quite get my head around how that happens....

We are forcing a LOT of third downs. Teams are not getting easy first downs on the first two attempts.

Prevent the big play. Make them run a bunch of plays to move down the field. Force mistakes.

Our O is averaging the same 18 first downs per game. I'd like to move ahead, but this is the first time in a long time we are keeping pace with our opponents. One more offensive play, well ahead in total yards. Our opponents have rushed for exactly 12 more yards than us, but it took them THIRTY (that's 30 ! ) more rushes to do it. 304 on 80 for us and 316 on 110 for them. Same number of touchdowns, point differential is two field goals. That's one of the few stats we have been regularly winning in years past, field goals.

Thanks for the incite...

The thing is Dalton is often not accurate on his passes. AJ has consistently caught balls other guys drop. Just like Edwards and Winslow made DA look good with circus catch after circus catch. Haden consistently pestered AJ enough throughout the game that he wasn't making those catches. Or getting into position to make them. Name another CB this year that has been able to do that?
I'll take what Haden did on Sunday every Sunday. Never complaining or finding fault.

Dalton would be exposed for what he is without AJ. A soft throwing chucker. Chuck it up and let a freak receiver do the work.

Haden has this knack for not getting called for pass interference. It's weird.

http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/...ominant-status/

Browns defense playing with purpose and attitude, hoping to earn dominant status



Filed on October 1, 2013 by Scott Petrak
Leave a Comment






















Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden, right, tackles Cincinnati Bengals A.J. Green. With impressive performances the past two weeks, Cleveland's defense is establishing itself as one of the NFL's most dominant units. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden, right, tackles Cincinnati Bengals A.J. Green. With impressive performances the past two weeks, Cleveland’s defense is establishing itself as one of the NFL’s most dominant units. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)



BEREA – Safety T.J. Ward stopped Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in his tracks, then spun the reigning MVP out of bounds.

Cornerback Joe Haden used the same technique on Bengals Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green and planted him in the ground.

Nose tackle Phil Taylor and end Desmond Bryant destroyed blocks to drop Bengals running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the backfield. Taylor’s tackle came on the opening defensive snap of the game, Bryant’s on a fourth-and-1.

The Browns defense isn’t just putting up numbers, it’s making weekly statements.

“Our defense is that good, I think one of the best in the league right now,” receiver Josh Gordon said Tuesday. “Honestly doesn’t matter who we play against, those guys just want to go out there and they want to prove themselves so much as a contending defense, that you just can’t come to Cleveland and put numbers up.”

Coordinator Ray Horton, in his first year, said the start will pale in comparison to the finish as the players grow more comfortable in the transition to his attacking 3-4 scheme.

“We’re not near where we will be,” he said last week. “Our defense, we only have probably 50 percent of it in, so there’s bigger and better things to come.”

Peterson, the NFL’s No. 1 running back, posted season lows of 88 yards, 3.5 a carry and a long of 9. Green, unanimously considered a top-five receiver, caught seven passes in 15 targets with a 7.3 average.

The Browns not only have impressive league rankings — third in total yardage (291.5 per game), fourth vs. the run (79.0), tied for eighth in scoring (17.5), tied for third with 14 sacks — they have the notches in the belt and the confidence that come with grounding stars.

“It means a lot, because guys are going to go, how do we stop Adrian Peterson, how do we stop A.J. Green? Well, the Browns played them really good, so let’s go watch their tape,” nose tackle Phil Taylor said.

The two-game winning streak has the excitement and belief flowing in the Browns locker room as they prepare for Thursday night against the Bills. The defense looked dominant Sunday, holding Cincinnati to six points, no touchdowns and 266 yards.

“It can be really good. We have a lot of talent,” said Haden, who was largely responsible for keeping Green in check. “People are starting to understand their roles and making plays and that’s the biggest thing.

“It’s a standard now. It’s not like when we do good it’s a surprise. We expect to do good. Our defense is good enough to be one of the best.”

The statistics support him.

The Browns’ worst category is passing yardage, where they rank ninth with 212.5 yards allowed a game. They’ve improved dramatically in every area from last year, most noticeably against the run.

“No one is going to be able to run on us this year,” inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson said.

The captain isn’t prone to hyperbole, but he started the proclamation after Week 1. The performances against Baltimore’s Ray Rice (36 yards, 2.8 average) and Peterson only emboldened him – and proved him right. The Browns lead the league in yards per rushing attempt (2.9) and longest run allowed (14).

Jackson is the tackle machine in the middle, totaling 40. But stopping the run starts with Taylor, 335 pounds of muscle, fat, fury and beard.

“With a guy like that, it makes everything else work,” inside linebacker Craig Robertson said. “We all say we start with big Phil. We run through him. The man in the middle.”

Taylor isn’t all brawn and bluster, even though he’s been known to draw a 15-yard penalty for a late or excessive hit, and stuff three chicken wings in his mouth at once.

“Phil is brilliantly smart. He’s off-the-charts smart,” Horton said. “He’s big and he’s growing. He has untapped potential.”

Horton cited Taylor’s knowledge of the responsibilities of the entire defense. He also drew up a play during training camp that Horton inserted into the rotation.

“I take pride in it because it’s a business, it’s the NFL,” Taylor said of his intelligence. “You can’t be out there not knowing what’s going on.”

Taylor is joined on the line by ends Ahtyba Rubin and Bryant. Rubin is the quiet leader who never quits hustling. Bryant is the big-money free agent that plays with an edge, along with Taylor and Ward.

“The other guys on the team feed off it. Being nasty is going to get us to be the No. 1 defense, that’s how it goes,” Taylor said.

“I think we’re making the statement that we are to be respected around this league,” Bryant said. “We come to play every week, I think our tape speaks to that, I think anybody’s going to have to be ready to play us. They’re going to have to bring their A-game if they’re going to beat us.”

The front seven is where all the resources went in the offseason. Bryant and outside linebackers Paul Kruger and Quentin Groves were signed as free agents, and outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo was drafted with the No. 6 pick. The secondary was largely ignored, and thus remains the holdup in declaring the defense dominant – although its tackling against the run has been outstanding.

Haden has played like a Pro Bowler all season — he has a map of the Hawaiian Islands in his locker for motivation – but cornerbacks Buster Skrine and Chris Owens and free safety Tashaun Gipson had early struggles in coverage. Each made key plays against the Bengals, and the result was no trips into the end zone.

“Our secondary is playing better and better and really improved in tightening up some of the things that early on had hurt us,” coach Rob Chudzinski said.

The Bills bring multiple threats. Rookie quarterback EJ Manuel, the No. 16 pick, is 2-2 and can run out of the read-option. He’s helped by the league’s second-ranked run offense (152 yards a game), which is led by two-headed monster C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. Both are dealing with injuries but hope to play.

“He’s a rookie quarterback. They kind of simplify the offense a little bit for him,” Ward said. “They run the ball a lot to set up play-action and easy passes for him. But he’s made some good throws, some NFL-type throws and some accurate deep balls, so he’s very capable of beating you with his arm as well.”

The Browns would love to force Manuel into a few interceptions or fumbles. They forced three turnovers in Minnesota and two against Cincinnati, and creating turnovers is what oftentimes turns a good defense into a winning one.

“We can be a dominant defense,” Taylor said. “We just need to go out there and correct the mistakes and play the way we want to play.”

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @scottpetrak.
- See more at: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/...h.H3emIFRF.dpuf



____________________________________________________________

I LOVE the quotes from Horton and DQ. Amazing stuff, this just got me so excited

I hate to say it...

the boys are playing with some swag and I'm looking forward to tonight's game.

Hopefully, they can "cut the head off the two headed snake"

read the "superstition" thread-

You've got it all wrong about Skrine and Haden, vs Minnifield and Dixon.
You can't just look at 2 corners because 3 years ago an announcer told me that 75% of the snaps in the NFL the previous year had a 5th Db on the field.

It's just as logical as the bull I read every year, where a 4 / 3 defensive end will be totally perplexed and ineffectual if he switches to a 3 / 4 linebacker and there's no business drafting one to fill the opposite role.
And, He's more of a tweener, " He's too small at 205 lbs, to be an every down back in the NFL. ( Darren Sproles is nothing).

And if a guy pats the ball, or throws off his back foot, he'll never complete a pass. And if he catches with his body, he might as well not suit up.