https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland...-rushing-failures-198378664/#198378664_1OBR Film Room: Analyzing The Browns Recent Rushing Attack Failures
ByJAKE BURNS Nov 24, 10:06 AM
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(Photo: Getty)
The Browns' offense continues to boast some of the better metrics in the league overall, but over the course of the last two weeks, they have been missing a key element of what makes them among the best. They have failed to run the football in the same successful fashion they did over the first eight weeks, and the byproduct of that failure is a one-dimensional approach that has hindered their success rate.
Through the first 8 weeks of the season, the Browns were rushing the ball extremely well. They had the league's second-highest overall rush EPA (0.11) behind only the Ravens and the second-highest design running back run EPA (0.08) behind only the Raiders. Over the last two weeks in games against the Dolphins and Bills, the Browns have amassed the 27th-ranked rush EPA (-0.30) and only put up 123 yards on 36 carries - one of which was a 33-yard run. The run game efficiency is broken and fixing it has to be the primary focus in Berea this week.
The group had 19 rushes of two yards or less over these last few weeks and 8 rushes of negative yards as opposed to just 18 total negative rushes in the season's first eight weeks. The -20 yards is the third most yards lost to designed runs in the NFL these two weeks. One would think opposing defenses are loading the box, but Nick Chubb--the Browns' primary ball carrier--is seeing the same 32 percent of 8-man boxes over the last two weeks as he did in the team's first eight games.
Kevin Stefanski touched on the difficulty of rushing the last few weeks following the loss in Detroit to the Bills. “It was not good. We have been better. We all expect better. It is never one person. We have to run the ball better. When we are not running the ball well in early downs, it obviously affects your game. It affects your ability to stay in manageable down and distances, second down, and those types of things. We have to look at it and have to get it fixed.”
When watching the games from the television broadcast angle it is tough to see who failed and why. It's basically results-based viewing. This discourse here is meant to show you the breakdowns and how they impacted everything around them. As usual, as Stefanski noted above, it is not just one player or one problem. It is different often snap to snap and the lack of sync in the group is obvious to see.
Let's track these snaps as best we can.
ONE FAILURE LEADS TO ANOTHER
When running wide zone, there are often times when offensive linemen are asked to reach block on tough assignments. This means a guard, center, or tackle will have to work like crazy to get inside of a player with a pre-snap alignment cheated in the direction of the rush attempt. The only effective way to do this is to get an initial double team and then work to fight into a position on the exchange that allows the disadvantaged player to get into position. These double teams have names: ACE for center and guard, DEUCE between guard and tackle, and TREY between tackle and tight end.
The Browns have been failing to cut off inside alignments for two weeks. The examples here will show you the single problem that leads to more problems behind it. Watch here as Hjalte Froholdt (No.72) at center misses the shade who stunts back inside. This causes the entire course for Nick Chubb to change and yields a loss in yards.
The Browns try to hit the perimeter here with a pin/pull concept, but they are asking a wide receiver (Peoples-Jones, No.11) to block down on an inside-aligned Von Miller (No.40). This is asking a lot of a receiver blocking down on an EDGE here and it blows up as the upfield pursuit of Miller forces Chubb to retreat and the Browns lose yards on the rush.
An example here of failing to secure inside. This is simple wide zone from the Browns and between Joel Bitonio and Froholdt, they fail to secure the first level defender (No.92) before climbing to the linebacker and the upfield pursuit runs the run. Again, the timing is off.
Yet another example of a failed double team. Without a defender to threaten Jedrick Wills outside, he never alters course to work back inside and help seal the edge. His toiling without work leaves the edge vulnerable and thus no gain. If he simply turns back to help Bitonio with his man (No.92) then you are looking at a nice gain.
This is simple but a clear example of one failure leading to another. Watch as a passive approach from Teller at right guard allows Ed Oliver (No.91) to win upfield and make the tackle for a loss in the backfield. This is a pump/draw scheme meant to encourage upfield rush but Teller turns his body too far laterally to allow Oliver to quickly turn past him and decipher the scheme.
BACKSIDE FAILURES
There have been several examples of the backside costing the Browns from breaking runs. The theory is always the front side of blocking schemes allows them to work while securing the backside of schemes is what allows them to break loose. The Browns have been failing on the backside of runs for a couple of weeks.
The first example here comes from the Dolphins game where the Browns are running left side wide zone. Watch as Teller and Conklin fail to work together to secure Christian Wilkins (No.94) before climbing to the linebacker. Conklin has no chance to get there on his own.
Browns get a great look here with right side wide zone, but Wills, despite being in a great initial position, fails to shield the backside 3-tech from getting down the line and causing disruption to the cut Chubb makes off the read. The tackle causes a fumble on what had a chance to be a 10+ yard gain if the backside was sealed off.
I am not sure if the Browns decide this pin/pull scheme is going to ignore the backside 1-tech (Wilkins, No.94) but he is untouched on the backside, and Conklin is left without a defender to climb. Attempting to cut Wilkins makes the most sense here, but he is untouched and stops Chubb down the line before this run can climb to the next level. Big play missed.
AGGRESSIVE LINEBACKERS
The last focus issue here is the handling of downhill linebackers. Miami's Jerome Baker and Buffalo's Matt Milano caused headaches all day for late-reacting Browns offensive lineman. This is something the Browns must rectify in the coming weeks.
The first example is in the Wildcat goal-line situation last week. Watch here as Teller is late out his stance at right guard and Milano (No.58) changes Chubb's course and causes him to bounce the run into a waiting Bills edge. If Milano was cut off, the path for Chubb is easy to see developing.
Browns go weak side wide zone and have the look they want. However, watch as Milano's aggressive path through the A-gap beats Teller's movement and he meets Chubb in the backfield. Again, if Milano is secured the hole is waiting for a big run.
Strong side wide zone against the Bills here again, and watch the two linebackers win into the gap. Milano spills it to the SAM linebacker (No.53) and Chubb has no answer in his course. Consistently seeing these linebackers beat Browns' interior linemen.
This is also not just limited to linemen. Here Pharoah Brown (No.84) has to down block on the MIKE linebacker, Jerome Baker, against the Dolphins. The counter scheme is set up perfectly with a tight lead following Bitonio's kick-out block but Baker bullies Brown in the hole and condenses the running lane and it goes for no gain outcome.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a concerning trend for the Browns. I feel as though you usually find this group prepared for outcomes in their scheme but the group is lacking a sense of spatial awareness for the types of angles they need in the scheme and what opposing defenders are doing to attack the concept. Outside of aggressive linebacker play, teams are slanting away from the movement at times to mess with the angle from wide zone, but these are nothing new. Teams have thrown these adjustments at them before.
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COMMENTS
Last week the screen game started to help against the hyper-aggressive second level of the Bills, but there will need to be some answers in simple run concept. The Browns are at their best when they control the line of scrimmage and build off their run efficiency. If they lose that efficiency, they become an easy team to defend. Stefanski knows this and the Browns will have their hands full with a very talented front seven of the Buccaneers coming to town this weekend.
"On defense, (Buccaneers Head) Coach (Todd) Bowles has always done it," Stefanski noted this at his media session yesterday. "A great, great defense. Physical, big. Up front, stout. Long at corner. They will blitz you from every angle. They can play coverage. They do it well. It is an impressive group. Again, good players throughout that front."
Getting Deshaun Watson back at quarterback will help these situations where the offense leans heavily on throwing the ball, but the Browns have paid big money in cap and assets to be able to run the ball with success. they simply have to do it to be their best version. How Stefanski, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, and offensive line coach Bill Callahan get them back on track will be something worth closely watching this week against that Bucs front. They will badly need it to keep this one close
This does highlight how poor soame of the run designs have been. DPJ being asked to block Von Miller? Really? Also showcases how much it hurt when Pocic went down.
