Man, Baker must have really done a number on this coaching staff, they can't win without him even with better talent.

The game went about how I thought it would. No surprises, unfortunately.

I am so glad the coaching staff will go back, look at the film and correct all the problems they have, and come back next week for a big Division game. And the beauty of it is, they get to keep doing that for the rest of the season.

Good times.

We had a chance but got hosed by the refs.

Joey B gonna toss for 550 next week

Most overrated player in the NFL.

But the Browns are the worst team in the NFL so it is possible.

j/c...

This stinks. Njoku was having such a great season.

Also, my gut feeling was that Harbaugh yelled his way to getting the offsides penalty reversed. JMO

Does it really matter. The Browns have like 5 top 100 players in the NFL, but the players have to overcome Stefanski and Woods too. It's a tough ask.

The Watson trade was not a bad trade. Geez.

We need a real head coach.

At this point I'm concerned about watson's career with Stefanski. Stefanski is clearly in over his head.

8. Priefer needs to be replaced. We totally blew it on punt coverage to give them 50 yards.

I still question why Priefer moved the ball spot a yard up on the 61 yd FG

I kind of think that's why the ball got touched

We are bound for a 6-11 season (actually, probably not even that)

Best arm we've had since '99

Most overrated player in the NFL.

But the Browns are the worst team in the NFL so it is possible.

There's always next year.

The Watson trade was not a bad trade. Stefanski is clearly in over his head.

My biggest fear is we have a few really good pieces (thanks Dorsey) and we are going to miss any competitive window by sticking with mediocre coaching. None of these guys are better than pat shumer, Mike pettine, chud. Just a little more talent. We can’t wait for this to turn around. It’s been 3 years. It’s not getting better, in fact it’s getting worse. That’s a sure sign you have the wrong staff. This includes Berry and Depo . I would spend the rest of the year changing the voices and see if it helps. Step one let AVP call plays. If woods continues to falter jettison him at bye and bring in a retreat with a loud voice, like a Williams or zimmer. This team lacks grit and accountability. None more so than the coaching staff

Why do we pass it deep every 3rd and 4th and short?

Chubb 16 Carries another JOKE Stafanski

The Officials if you didn't notice on the long pass to DPJ they roughed Brissett with no flag, if you watch the Ref he isn't even looking at the hit ...

Why do we pass it deep every 3rd and 4th and short?

j/c...

Kareem Hunt had double digit carries in the first four games of the season. He's had four and five carries in the last two games, including a total of one catch on three targets. He has not been a part of the game these past two games. I will not be surprised if he is traded by the trade deadline.

His talent is being wasted.

This is tough, Stefanski really does some things I like with his gameplanning and scheme. But his situational playcalling is just terrible and costs us so many times.

Also I hate to see another coaching change, I really really am sick of changing systems and starting all over again. But this roster has too much talent on it to be losing some of these games. I hope Watson can show us something for next year to pin our hopes on and not fire another coach. But I can feel it's going to happen.

Psyd: I really dont want another coaching change either. I think KS has some good qualities. He needs a strong defensive and/or ST presence though. I’m to the point of also saying: Help game plan and script, but then turn it over to Van Pelt during the game.

Most overrated player in the NFL.

But the Browns are the worst team in the NFL so it is possible.

Why do we pass it deep every 3rd and 4th and short?

Well, it used to be no matter how short we’d complete a pass that still ended up short of the first down. They would need three and they’d get two.

Running for a first down on 3rd and short? What an excellent idea.

Why do we pass it deep every 3rd and 4th and short?

I didn't watch the game yesterday. Let me guess: Head scratching play calling, idiotic mistakes and blown calls by the refs cost us the game.

Or it could simply be that the opposing team their defense up close expecting the short pass or run and it opens the field up deep. But I guess catching the opposing team off guard by running a play they aren't expecting must be a bad thing, right?

Analytics - they are KILLING this team.

Why do we pass it deep every 3rd and 4th and short?

because it has been done to us for years and it always, always, always works.

They need to lose that empty backfield formation. I cringe everytime I see it used.

They need to lose that empty backfield formation. I cringe everytime I see it used.

Film Room: Browns beat Steelers on Thursday night by utilizing empty looks
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Cory Kinnan
September 26, 2022 3:00 pm ET
As we get ready to turn the page on Steelers’ week, we take one last look at just how the Cleveland Browns have been able to find success offensively. On an EPA per play basis, only the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens tout a higher success rate.

One reason for the success of the offense in Cleveland is due to the run game, which currently leads the league. However, the passing attack is just as efficient through three weeks with Jacoby Brissett under center. He is not just a quarterback sneak artist, even though he may be dynamite at them.


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Instead, we turn our attention to when Brissett puts the ball in the air, and specifically the success he and the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski have found when throwing out of empty looks (nobody in the backfield with the quarterback).

Why throwing out of empty is so efficient
Many groan when the Browns come out in empty looks, especially when the likes of running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are split out wide. However, running empty with running backs split out wide is quite efficient and helps a quarterback discern what the opposing defense is sitting in right away.

The Browns used to run empty with former fullback Andy Janovich out wide, and for the same reasons they still throw backs out there with great success. A good place to start as to why this is so efficient is because it allows for Brissett to know if the opposing defense is in man or zone pre-snap with a high frequency.

Sure, opposing defenses could be running man coverage when they leave a cornerback out wide across from a running back, but this would be incredibly inefficient defense as someone inside would have their hands full with a gifted receiver. So most of the time when the Browns split out a running back, it is to see who aligns overtop of them.

If it is a cornerback, then it is more than likely zone coverage. If a linebacker or safety follows the back out, then it is more than likely man coverage. Another advantage to this is if Brissett sees a matchup he likes, as he did in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, with a running back across from a linebacker, he can take that mismatch. Against Carolina, he narrowly missed Hunt down the sideline as he dusted Panthers’ linebacker Shaq Thompson in coverage.

If the quarterback reads zone coverage out wide, then he knows he has the ability to pull the middle of the field horizontal as they try to pattern match and defend concepts, allowing for someone to find space inside. This is how David Njoku and Amari Cooper racked up yards on Thursday night against the Steelers.

Now diving into some tape, we will look at exact examples of the Browns pulling apart the Steelers by utilizing empty looks this past week.


Empty lets Jacoby Brissett speed up his trigger

Even after explaining why empty is such a great set to run, you still might hate the idea of not having Chubb or Hunt in the backfield. Regardless of those thoughts and feelings, the numbers back up Brissett’s success in these looks as he went an efficient 9-of-13 for 101 yards throwing out of empty.

Because Brissett is an intelligent quarterback and knows where to get his eyes pre-snap, empty gives him more than enough keys to frequently dish out the football on time to his initial read. Brissett was frequently on time and accurate with the football. Where he started to slow his roll is when he had to move his eyes off of his initial read.

This is why Njoku and Cooper saw so many targets on hitches over the middle of the field. Force the defense to spread out and punch them where they are exposed.

While he still was able to get his eyes where they needed to be, Brissett has historically struggled to throw with anticipation as he telegraphed a few looks. This was the case on the first quarter throw that was broken up on third down as he peeled his eyes from rookie David Bell and onto Donovan Peoples-Jones. The process was good, but slow. This allowed the sitting corner to break upfield and make a break on the football.

Overall, however, Brissett was able to identify where his eyes should be off the snap and had that look available to him.

Gallery
Look: Top photos from the Browns win over the Steelers
Cleveland Browns Jack Conklin View 34 photos

Browns have been able to isolate mismatches

When the Browns see man coverage out of empty, they and Brissett know where their playmakers are on the field. This was most apparent on the blaze out to Cooper where he was able to pick up an additional chunk of yardage after the catch.

Even though Brissett missed Cooper in the second half on an out route (on a seperate throw), they were able to get him lined up in the slot. This is a mismatch Brissett will get his eyes to every chance he gets. In fact, Cooper toasted a slot corner just last week against the Jets on a big play on a corner route in Week 2.

In the first quarter of this game, the Browns were able to isolate Njoku onto a cornerback on a clearout concept. Not only did Njoku outmuscle the Pittsburgh corner, but as one of the more athletic tight ends in the league, the defensive back was not able to hang stride-for-stride with him as he dragged across the field. This resulted in a nine yard gain and a first down on a third-and-nine.

Empty is quite a good look to get your best playmakers in the best position to make a play. And it is working quite well for the Browns.


The middle of the field is the domain of David Njoku

After getting a massive payday this offseason, the usage of Njoku had been a bit lacking up until Thursday night. Overall, Njoku went for 89 yards and a touchdown on nine catches on the night against the Steelers. To take it one step further, five of those catches and the majority of his yards came when he was targeted out of empty.

A year ago, the Browns had too many playmakers who could only win at the same level of the field. This was the case with Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, and Rashard Higgins all clouding the shallow middle of the field. Getting playmakers who can stretch the field a bit more, the middle of the field has turned into Njoku’s domain.

With Cooper’s ability to win at every level of the field, Peoples-Jones’ prowess along the boundary and down the field, and with Hunts’ ability to thrive in space, the passing attack of the Cleveland Browns has unmuddied the waters underneath. And this is where Njoku ran wild.

As their passing attack continues to grow, look for Njoku to continue to ravage the middle of the field as he did against the Steelers. Even key in to Njoku when the Browns come out in empty sets.


For the TL;DR crowd
The Cleveland Browns will continue to run a great deal of empty, regardless of how talented their running backs are. Besides, it is not like they are neglecting their league-leading rushing attack. Empty sets allow for Brissett and the Browns to get effective looks at defenses pre-snap in order to maximize their passing attack as well.

Right now, they are picking up first downs at an extraordinary rate on third and fourth downs, and they are doing so with a great balance of both run and pass. Much of this has to do with the efficiency that Brissett has been able to play with to start the season.

The Browns and Stefanski have been able to maximize the success of a journeyman backup quarterback mostly because they are putting him in position to succeed by giving him as much information as possible pre-snap. They have eight games left with Brissett under center, so do not expect too much to change in ways of the balance the Browns are playing with offensively.

And this is a good thing.

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/lis...thursday-night-by-utilizing-empty-looks/

The only time I hate the empty backfield is on 3rd and 1. Line up and punch them in the mouth with Chubb. Run the damn ball.

The only time I hate the empty backfield is on 3rd and 1. Line up and punch them in the mouth with Chubb. Run the damn ball.