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Browns expect ‘elite’ label to fit second-year guard Joel Bitonio, who’s eager for preseason test vs. Buffalo Bills

By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer Link

The Browns aren’t afraid to significantly raise their expectations for left guard Joel Bitonio because they’re confident he’ll be able to meet the challenge in his second NFL season.

Coach Mike Pettine has publicly identified Bitonio as the Browns player most likely to break out during the upcoming season.

“I think he showed flashes of it as a rookie, and the way he has prepared himself for this season, I just think he is ready to take that next step,” Pettine said Tuesday after the Browns’ second and final training camp practice with the Buffalo Bills at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y. “... Our breakout players — we are building through our lines, and we think he is ready to take the next step.”

The “next step” for Bitonio would be to “put himself in the conversation to be among the elite” players at his position, Pettine said recently in an online video interview with Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.

So what better way for Bitonio to prepare for the task than to test himself against a top-tier defensive line?

Bitonio and his partners on the offensive line received the opportunity during the recent joint practices, and they’ll get another taste when the Browns face the Bills in the second preseason game for both teams beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday at FirstEnergy Stadium. It will be televised nationally by ESPN.

“This year, we’re playing some real studs on the D-line,” Bitonio said. “[The Bills have] one of the best [defensive lines] in the league, so anytime you get some extra work with them, work some different moves you’re not used to seeing at practice, it’s going to help us out tremendously.”

The matchup should give the Bills an excellent trial run as well because the Browns have what is widely considered one of the best offensive lines in the league when healthy. Pettine said he expects most of his starters to play between 15-25 snaps.

In ProFootballFocus.com’s 2014 O-line rankings, the Browns finished sixth, even though two-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack missed 11 of 16 regular-season games with a fractured left fibula.

PFF ranked Bitonio fifth among 78 guards in the NFL last season. Eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas was ranked third among 84 tackles, Mack 10th among 41 centers, right guard John Greco 11th among 78 guards and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz 33rd among 84 tackles.

The Browns also drafted versatile offensive lineman Cameron Erving 19th overall in this year’s draft. So far, he has primarily worked as a backup right guard and left tackle.

“The whole group is a bunch of Pro Bowlers on both sides,” Bills coach Rex Ryan said of his defensive line squaring off against the Browns’ O-line. “Iron sharpens iron. You go against the best, and that is one of the best offensive lines in the league and certainly against one of the best if not the best defensive line in the league. When you get that kind of quality work against each other, that can only help.”

The Bills’ defensive line finished last season fourth against the run and first in pass rushing, according to FootballOutsiders.com’s 2014 D-line rankings. PFF ranked individual defensive linemen but not each team’s position group last year.

PFF ranked four-time Pro Bowler Mario Williams ninth and Jerry Hughes 14th among 59 defensive ends who played in a 4-3 scheme last season. The website ranked two-time Pro Bowl selection Marcell Dareus fourth and four-time Pro Bowler Kyle Williams in a tie for seventh among 81 defensive tackles.

“[The defensive line is] the strong point of their team,” Browns projected starting quarterback Josh McCown said. “It’s a good test and good matchup for us, for our guys.”

Everyone knows the Browns’ O-line is led by Thomas and Mack, but Bitonio has become a key cog since the franchise drafted him last year in the second round (35th overall) out of the University of Nevada. Pettine recalls Bitonio performing “like he’d been playing in the league for five years” right off the bat during his rookie season.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Bitonio went on to start all 16 regular-season games at left guard and play every offensive snap. He was the only offensive rookie selected to the Professional Football Writers of America’s All-AFC team.

“He is a guy that is very passionate and loves football, very competitive, very coachable,” Pettine said. “I would be shocked if he doesn’t take a big step forward in year two, which is saying a lot for a guy who played as well as [he did as] a rookie. He is all about football.”

Now the Browns are pushing Bitonio, 23, to reach an even higher level.

“For a young guy last year, he did not give up a lot of bad plays or make a lot of mistakes,” offensive line coach Andy Moeller said. “He’s even got to be more consistently good, and he was real good last year as a rookie. And that’s the challenge when you’re pretty good or good at something — it’s harder to get better. What’s the good thing about not being very good — well, there’s great opportunity to get better, right?

“So that’s going to be a challenge for him. But I reminded him right after the season, by no means has he arrived. He’s got to look across the league at the peers at his position, and if he wants to be something special, he’s got to play better than any of those guys.”

Bitonio has heard the message loud and clear.

“I think as a rookie, it was a real solid year for me,” Bitonio said. “I got lucky playing next to Joe, and Alex is back now. I think for me in year two, it’s just the little details.

“It’s just getting better at the details every little step. And Coach Moeller has really been on me this camp about perfecting the technique and perfecting things where last year he was like, ‘Oh, that was a good block.’ ”

Greco is convinced Bitonio has embraced the coaching staff’s demands.

“Joel, a guy that had a phenomenal rookie season, so far this camp,” Greco said, “I think he’s been really impressive doing everything he can to take that next step in his career.”

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.

He can be elite. So far he is on the same trajectory from year one to year two as Joe Thomas and Joe Haden.

And no, Greco did not have a better year than Joel as some may have you believe.

I see absolutely no reason Joel won't get there. Most, including me, felt he had a Pro Bowl rookie reason.

He looked better than Mack or Thomas did their first years, but he was also sandwiched between 2 Pro-Bowlers.

Mack only played in what 5 games. The guy shoulda been a probowler last year imho. He looked damn good.

He is close if not there. I thought he had an incredible season IMO. Healthy = PB this year.

The RT might be too high a rating.

not to be a downer, im just offering up some devils advocacy here but:

remember mitchell scwartz had a killer rookie season. was rated as one of the top RTs in the league that rookie year as well.


heres to hoping that schwartz bounces back from a sophomore slump, rather than bitonio having one. (which i think this will be the case, the positives that is)

Schwartz did look pretty good his first year, but not at this level. He also showed a major flaw in his game against Wide 9 pass rushers in his first year and teams figured out how to take advantage of that. He has gotten better, but still has a problem with speed rushers with space.

Schwartz is one of the most underrated Browns of all time. He has been a solid above average starter in this league. He has had his ups and downs but Tucker was the only RT we have had since the late 80s that has been better that Schwartz. People treat the guy like he has been a bust and have defended the likes of Pashos and Oneil Cousins which is mind blowing. The guy is a good RT and is making steady progress.

As for Bitonio, he was arguably top 2 or 3 LGs in the afc last year. Thats how good his rookie year was.

I thought Schwartz had anything but a "killer rookie season" ... thought he played decent for a rookie - maybe a little above average for their standards. But not that good.

I think when you take a deep look at Schwartz he's an exceptional pass blocker. The problem is - and this is a big problem for a RT - he's (IMO) a below average run blocker.

Would I call him one of the most underrated Browns of all time? No. But he is underrated in my opinion when it comes to pass blocking.

I think it speaks a lot when Schwartz, who is considered to be an up and comer is considered our worse linemen and needs to be replaced. I like the message it brings to the team. Unfortunately, I do not see why this expectation is limited to only the offensive line.

The biggest problem Schwartz has as a tackle on this team is that he isn't Joe Thomas. When we have a left side of Thomas, Bitonio, & Mack.... a merely above average RT looks pretty sad by comparison. It also means that he is the weak link that teams will exploit because they're just not going to have regular success against that left side, so they target the right. He's got a tough job.

As for having trouble with "Wide 9"... what RT doesn't?? Most of your RT's are the bigger, less agile guys, and those are the guys that will have trouble with speedy guys lined up wide. If you drop too quickly, they shoot under, if you don't drop fast enough, they swim deep and around. It is not an easy thing to block.

I honestly can't recall a time when Bitonio looked like a rookie. It's like I forgot about him, which is the best compliment you can get on the OL

I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong, but I had the opposite impression. If you look at some of our stretch runs last year to the right, both Schwartz and Greco did fantastic jobs of run blocking. I actually thought the run blocking to the right early on (when Mack was still healthy) was actually better than to the left.

Now, on the opposite side, I thought Schwartz' biggest struggle was against outside pass rushers who utilized around-the-edge type quickness. I felt like he was often a little slow to get out of his stance and had to reach to really try and get a hand on the guy.

I agree. I also had the opposite viewpoint. Still, is far better than people give him credit for.

yea. wonder how he would be at RG?

Very true prpl and the fact that he's improved against it says a lot.

And why should anyone believe you? What are your qualifications in evaluating offensive line play?

Great....guess I'll just go out and start buying jerseys with "#1 o-line" on the back. Who cares? What good is 10 top linemen going to do them,if the offense doesn't have top skill players to go with it?

I'd go one further. How can you compare good play at one position vs good play at another?

Many were stating Erving replaces Greco.

I remember Ryan Tucker as "False start Ryan Tucker."

Bitonio Elite? ... If it doesn't translate into more wins per year then what's the difference.

Bitonio didn't have a great night last night. Might have been the worst game I've seen from him.

Thank You!

I saw it to. I thought I might be isolating on one or two plays. I thought he got owned. Actually, I thought the whole line got owned. Give credit to Buffalo that DL is pretty dam good!

Joe played well. Mack was pretty good. But yeah, Buffalo's d-line got the best of our OL.

I thought Joe gave Jerry Hughes two shots at McCown. OK, maybe I'm a little to critical! Two isn't much!!

Mack struggled against Marcell Dareus. Pettine mentioned in his presser Mack isn't in game shape yet. I don't think Mack is comfortable with his leg just yet.

Some of the stuff was McCown's fault. He did not set his feet in the pocket and deliver the ball on time. He had happy feet, floating in the pocket. Offensive lineman HATE that.

McCown...yea, I agree. I didn't like what I saw.

I wish Browns were playing Buffalo a second week. Tampa Bay will bring false hopes.

I think most of the players are in "don't get hurt mode"
The way some are dropping like flies, I think their taking it easy. But, and as much as I don't like Butch for quitting on us, I think he had it right when he said "it's something you just can't turn on when you feel like it". In other words: Practice hard, play hard. I worry that when the games begin, were not able to "turn it on". Now there's a few guys that play hard all the time, but we need to turn up the volume and get ready for the season.

Pettine has run a day care as a camp. I think it's showing.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. Pet seems like a strong nosed kinda guy, but I think with all the hammies and calf injuries, he backed off in a hurry. Like I said before, I hope they don't have the "Turn It On When Were Ready" mode. going. It don't work like that.

I think that we're in "We have only 70 out of 90 bodies still standing, and cuts coming soon, so we better not get a lot more guys hurt" mode.

Today is the 22nd. the cut to 75 is on Sept 1. That's 9 days, and we have 20 or so guys dinged. I would bet heavy money that this player into their decisions as to how to play.

You might be on to something

Good. Let them be healthy for the games that matter.

j/c:

Technical and mental errors are not the result of worrying about injuries. They are simply costly mistakes.

I used to rewind and watch the OL many times over to get a view of what happened. On one play a few years ago our QB go sacked by a rusher coming right up the middle. I rewatched the play but could not tell exactly where the rusher came from. No lying, I had to watch that play about 7 times before I saw the rusher pull back from the right side, slide over the middle and then wait his opportunity to rush the QB.

You're right. Just watching the play once in real time is very hard to see what is happening. Especially if you never played, scouted or coached.

I have a DVR again so I'll be getting into the game much more than last season. I used to rewind and rewatch plays while the game was going on. Do that enough and the game is over by the time I'm in the middle of the 2nd quarter. From then on it's watching the rest of the game fast forwarding through the commercials. lol

Mangini took Lavaou, correct? Mangini was terrible....