DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns sign 1st round pick OL Cameron Erving

Is it just me or shouldn't their blocking assignments have been based on what the defenders did? I remember being told to expect that the hat that was lined up across from me might not be the guy I ended up blocking, so keep your head on a swivel.

It sure looks like Thomas should have passed that down lineman off to Irving and should have taken the linebacker himself. I'm no privy to what the play called for but it certainly would have made that a better play. Having Irving crossing Thomas' face (and the guy he was blocking's back) resulted in his getting caught up in the garbage and in this case falling down...

Zone blocking.

Is that agreeing with me or not? I don't know the answer. It would seem to me that a zone scheme would be to block the area and not the specific man which is what I'm describing. Isn't that what we're running?

I thought the same thing. It's hard to tell without knowing the play, but JT definitely wasn't supposed to engage his guy 3 yds deep in the backfield like it was drawn up. He could have still been assigned to the same guy but should have been pushing him left as soon as he cleared the line if that was his man.

What's the opposite of a pancake?

https://twitter.com/BenFennell_NFL/status/663536486348910593

Lol. Ouch!

Well...uh....at least he kept the defender in front of him

yep. saw that live. I couldnt believe it.

Manning got Whitner earlier this year...

Video Link

Omg wow... submarined...

That DL should have been penalized: 15 yards for bitch-slapping

Browns rookie OL Cameron Erving set for 1st career start vs. Steelers


LINK
Joel Bitonio’s ankle injury summons 1st round pick to action

His playing time hasn’t been what he envisioned throughout his rookie season, but Cameron Erving hasn’t changed his mentality.
Since the day he arrived in Cleveland, Erving has been reluctant to pigeonhole his strengths to one position. He called himself an offensive lineman who was ready and willing to adapt to whichever position the Browns coaches think he’ll best help the team.
On Sunday in Pittsburgh, it will be left guard, a spot vacated by the injured Joel Bitonio. It just so happens to be the position at which Erving has seen the least amount of work during previous weeks of practice, but the first-round pick from Florida State didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.
“I’m a football player, and I like to play football so I’m going to put everything I have into what I’m playing that week or what the team needs me to do,” Erving said. “All of those questions, honestly, are irrelevant to me. I’m just going to go out and I’m going to play football, regardless of what position I’m at.”
Bitonio, a cornerstone of the Browns offensive line for the present and future, injured his ankle during last week’s first half. He headed to the locker room for halftime early but returned to the game for the second half. Erving played the final nine snaps in his place.
Browns coach Mike Pettine did not provide a specific timetable for Bitonio, who will “potentially be down for a while.”
Though his playing time has been minimal, Erving has received constant praise from the offensive line’s starters. They’ve liked what they’ve seen behind the scenes.
“I think he is ready,” left tackle Joe Thomas said. “I am excited to see what he can do out there in a full game. He got a little bit of a taste last week. This week if he is the guy I am sure he will be getting the majority of the reps in practice. That is a big part of getting ready for Sunday is getting those reps in practice. I am excited to see how he does. I think he will do a good job.
“He has shown that he can be a good player already from what we have seen in training camp and at practice. Now it is time to do it on a big stage against our biggest rival.”

Erving began his college career on the defensive line, switched to offense, where he flourished as a left tackle and, because of a number of injuries and his versatility, finished at center. When he arrived in Cleveland in May, he promptly received a heavy dose of snaps at right guard, left tackle and center. His focus was honed on right guard during training camp, but veteran John Grecoultimately retained his job, relegating Erving to a sixth man of sorts.
The frustration would have been understandable, but Erving knew his chance for extensive playing time would eventually present itself.
“I’ve kept my faith and I’ve stayed rooted and know that my time was going to come,” Erving said. “I didn’t get picked in the first round for nothing. My chance is going to come so I’m just being patient, and this is the first opportunity of many.”
The Browns got burned without a reliable sixth offensive lineman last season after center Alex Mack went down with a season-ending injury before the midpoint of the schedule. Erving said he’ll lean on Thomas and Bitonio to ensure the Browns won’t have the kind of dropoff in performance that’s typical with an offensive line losing a cog as key as Bitonio.
“It’s just about preparing yourself each week to the best of your ability, knowing that you might play, knowing that you might not play,” Erving said. “It’s a lot of uncertainty there, but I’ve done a good job, I feel like, and a lot of guys have commended to me on the job I’ve done of just being prepared when the time comes.”

This is why I'm glad we have Erving, and why I haven't cared at all that he hasn't seen much of the field. I'm pretty certain that unless he uber-studded as a rookie, he was our depth & insurance this season against this very scenario that unwound last season.

That and the fact that Mack will most likely be gone next season anyways. I wouldn't have been upset if we took 3 Olinemen in our first 3 picks of the 2015 draft

I hope Mack chooses to stay, but yes, this is another good reason to have Erving here now. If he has to take over for Mack next year, at least he will have a year under his belt.

Having backup offensive linemen is a good thing. We could have taken numerous other linemen later in the draft (ask clevesteve).

We used a first round pick on a player that we hoped wouldn't play. We did this when we had other gaping holes on the roster that could have been filled. That is not a good use of a first round pick.

Until you consider the "Mack may leave" part.... now you have a high-round talent with a season under his belt ready to step in and fill those shoes.

It's called Reloading.

I totally get where you are coming from. I will say though that as a center, you weren't going to find anyone better this year or next year. If Mack is really leaving, it makes sense. If Mack stays then we have the NFL's best 6th man. I can't think of the last time the line has stayed healthy for an entire season.

don't you have to load... before you can reload?

Mack = Loaded;
Erving = Reloading;

The OL is probably the only position group in this team where we've actually ever "loaded", but yeah, I get ya, heheh

I direct your first statement to clevesteve, he will have a better idea on that (I'm guessing he will disagree with you).

If Mack stays it will be even worse, because we drafted a replacement for a guy who never left.

Well, here's the thing...

I thought he would be a really, really good center based on his games against Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Oregon. I don't remember watching the game against Florida.

I did not thing he was "better enough" than Max Garcia, Andy Gallik, and Dillon Day to draft him in the first round rather than get one of those three guys in the 4th round.

Based on how he's played so far, it's hard to imagine that he will become the top-level center I thought he could be based on how dominant he was in that small sample size. It's very disappointing. On the other hand, I sure would like to hear that he is at least getting some practice reps at center if that is the long-term plan for him.

It was pretty remarkable the way he way able to go from LT to center without blinking an eye in college, and I can see the appeal from that standpoint as far as having a sixth OL, but it obviously has not translated to the pro game. FSU even runs a relatively "pro style" offense, so the adjustment shouldn't be too much compared to some of the other schemes college players come from.

Obviously, he's a rookie, so it's still wait-and-see... I was not happy about the pick when we made it more for the position / reason than the player selected... but early returns are pretty poor.

I would agree that 6th man hasn't translated to the NFL yet. I thought he was merely pretty good as an LT and not a 1st rounder at that position. At center though, I thought he was at about the same level as the Pouncey brothers.

He converted from a d-lineman to LT before he converted to center and now to multiple positions where he has to zone block and learn all the calls for each position so I am willing to wait a bit to see how he grows into a 6th man job.

I really haven't seen him at center here, so I don't have an opinion of him being there full time yet. I don't think making the calls will be a problem at all though. He seems to know his assignments, he just seems to need to adjust better to the caliber of athletes he is facing. Mostly technique stuff in my humble opinion.

I don't think he is playing bad, I just don't think he is playing at high level yet.