While We’re Waiting… Pryor Over Harris, Missing Carlos, and Browns Reversion
September 13, 2010Indians Weekend Recap: Two Great Starts and Two Losses
September 13, 2010Tell me if this sounds familiar. Anyone who watched the Browns’ season-opening game in Tampa knows just how different the team was between the first and second half. Technically, maybe the demarcation point wasn’t actually halftime. Jake Delhomme’s interception toward the end of the first half is a candidate. Or, maybe Peyton Hillis’ drive-ending fumble to start the third quarter was the point that changed the game. Either way, after one of those points, the Browns looked different. They played soft and scared. Tampa raised its intensity level as the Browns crawled into a corner daring the Buccaneers to beat them. Like anything else, you can’t blame coaches 100% for anything. Execution is obviously at least 50% or more of the equation. Still, it is impossible to ignore a lackluster game-plan in the second half.
First, let’s talk about field position. In the first half the Browns did well with good field position as you would expect. The 41-yard touchdown pass to Massoquai was a drive that started on Cleveland’s own 39 yard line after a Tampa punt. The other touchdown was scored on a drive that started at the Browns’ 37 yard line after another Tampa punt. The Browns had great field position on two other non-scoring drives. These two were the drive where Delhomme threw his first interception, and on Tampa Bay’s ensuing squib kick after scoring their lucky touchdown. That squib kick resulted in a missed field goal by Phil Dawson to end the first half.
In the third quarter the Browns couldn’t do anything with good field position. They started from their own 18 when they went on the long drive resulting in the Hillis lost fumble. They squandered the next two drives starting at their own 39 and 29 yard lines. Those two drives the Browns went three and out both times. They attempted to mix up the runs and passes, but they just weren’t able to execute. Tampa’s defense was getting pressure on the QB and the Browns weren’t able to adjust. The short passes and screens from the first quarter were MIA. Screens are usually the number one weapon a team has against increased pressure on the QB, but the Browns didn’t pull them out of their bag of tricks.
The fourth quarter needs an analysis all by itself. In the fourth quarter the Browns’ average starting point was inside their own 10 yard line. Their average yards gained on all those drives was just over their own 18 yard line. In five fourth quarter possessions the Browns averaged eight yards in offense per possession. This includes the end of the game where the Bucs were playing everyone about as deep as they could giving up the middle of the field. That is abysmal.
The Browns had 87 rushing yards at halftime and finished the game with only 104. In the first half the Browns had 11 first downs and in the second half, they had a measly 4. On the first drive of the second half, the Browns threw for 65 yards on two Evan Moore receptions before Hillis fumbled. Other than that, the Browns only had 56 passing yards in the second half.
The drive that really sealed the Browns’ fate was the 11th drive of the game. The Browns were still winning 14-10 and a Tampa Bay punt was downed at the Cleveland seven yard line. The Browns turned into complete and utter chickens. They ran with Jerome Harrison on three straight plays. Harrison ran right for 1 yard, left for -4 and left again for six yards. I know it is pure second-guessing on my part because it would be a moot point if Harrison broke free for a 20 yard scamper. Still, the Browns didn’t even seem to disguise their intentions.
I don’t know what Brian Daboll and Eric Mangini were thinking other than just not wanting to turn the ball over and put the defense back on the field. They put the defense back on the field and up to that point it hadn’t been such a bad idea. This time Tampa drove the short field from the Cleveland 47 to the 33 before picking on Joe Haden for a scoring strike. Haden was also called for illegal contact on the play, so even if the receiver had dropped the ball, I believe it would have been placed at the 1 yard line. Regardless, Haden had a decent game, and overall the Browns’ defense played well enough to win.
But that 11th drive of the game for the Browns was seemingly the turning point. The play-calling seemed scared and it represented a momentum shift. From there, Tampa took the lead. Jake Delhomme was playing from behind and threw his second interception of the game trying to make something happen.
I know the Browns won their games a year ago by pounding the ball. The Browns are supposed to be more dangerous this year. They have guys like Ben Watson, Evan Moore, Peyton Hillis, and Josh Cribbs at their disposal. With the game on the line, the Browns lined up in the jumbo formation, played scared for three straight runs to Jerome Harrison and lo and behold, their four point lead wasn’t enough.
I haven’t started panicking yet. I expected the Browns to win this game, but wins and losses aren’t everything for a rebuilding team. The Browns have more weapons than they did a year ago. Brian Daboll and Eric Mangini have a wealth of knowledge at their disposal in Mike Holmgren. The lack of adjustments from half to half was a problem a year ago, but it isn’t too late for Daboll and Mangini to fix that part of the game and hopefully put the Browns in a position to win a couple games that maybe they shouldn’t on paper. They will have to do better than they did in Tampa.
34 Comments
I . . . I don’t feel so good. . . . Everything’s getting blurry. . . . And dark. . . . OH MY GOD, THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE KOOL-AID!!!!
“The lack of adjustments from half to half was a problem a year ago, but it isn’t too late for Daboll and Mangini to fix that part of the game and hopefully put the Browns in a position to win a couple games that maybe they shouldn’t on paper.”
… but that’s assuming the defense plays every week like it did this past sunday… which it won’t.
I am definitely panicking. We just played the easiest opponent we will have all year.
@JPS3 – And assuming that there is an offense as inept as Tampa’s somewhere out there…other than ours, of course.
They definitely played scared in the 2nd half. It was really unreal how different the two halves of this game were minus the Delhomme INT late in the 2nd quarter. Even after that and being up 14-10 in the beginning of the 3rd they looked like they would bounce back just fine.
Live and learn I hope.
You’re giving Daboll way too much credit. Jerome Harrison, presumably our number one back, didn’t get his first carry until mid-way through the second quarter. The running game in general, the Browns key to success (see last year), was effective when used (5+ ypc). For some reason, we completely eschewed the run for the pass as Delhellnome chucked it 37 times, while Harrison got nine carries. We weren’t even playing from behind like the Bungles which would have necessitated passing.
Nine carries against the number 31 ranked run defense last year. Abysmal.
Isn’t it possible they didn’t want to run it too much because both our RBs can’t hold on to the ball? Hillis fumbled two times in one game and Harrison was terrible when it came to ball control during the preseason. They didn’t want to turn the ball over so they avoided running, I guess.
agree with 5
In true ex-Browns fashion…
While the browns were piddling in the bed during the second half, Derek Anderson was finishing off a 300-yard passing game in the Cardinals win. It was against the Rams, sure. But the Browns were playing the Bucs.
Welcome to another fun year of Browns football. Wake me up when they win one. You know what hurts too? It hurts that every NFL promotional TV spot includes approx. ZERO Browns players. It’s like the team only exists as cannon fodder for the rest of the league.
I don’t see the point in ever hitting the panic button on this team until they turn the corner. This team isn’t expected to make the playoffs so of course your going to have let down losses. Same story just a different year.
I will say the Browns LOOKED much better. The defense obviously played well against a JV caliber TB squad. The offense looked good until they loosened the grip on Delhomme’s leash. I’ve said it from the start that I didn’t buy into the Delhomme has changed BS. He is exactly who he was last year just another year older. We NEED to run the ball more consistently and effectively.
I agree Harrison needs to get more carries but can we stop with this “HE NEEDZ TEH BAWL 35 TYMEZ A GAME!!1!111ONE”. No, he should get at most 15-20 carries, let Hillis pound on the defense for a few plays and get the finesse guy in to bust a 25 yard run. They need to build off this and really pound KC this week, especially with the ring of honor and it being the home opener.
Also, Daboll should get strong consideration for any janitorial positions available in Berea.
Not only did Harrison hardly get any carries, but when he did, they were called runs up the middle. He’s small and elusive, send him outside, like when he ran for 39 yds. Hillis should go up the middle and Harrison outside.
Don’t want to give up on Jake yet, but if he’s going to force throws and make bad decisions, let’s just throw Seneca and Cribbs in there and do that. We’ll still lose, but it will be a lot more entertaining.
Not a Daboll fan but there is some truth to Coach Marty’s famous quote that play calling is overrated.
Delhomme looked very shaky after the big INT. Actually, he looked panicky when he threw it – and why, with the momentum and the ball? Biggest problem exposed yesterday is that the Gary Danielson-type guy they brought in to stabilize currently has only the grizzled veteran talk but not the walk. He’s supposed to manage the game, find and hit some of his wide open guys, show the team how to step on Tampa’s neck. Instead he looks like he’s still fighting his own demons. Lousy role modeling for Colt.
How many plays was Rogers in for? I didn’t even notice him out there.
The coaches didn’t throw that ugly pick, and the coaches didn’t fumble on the 15. If those two things don’t happen, we’re all toasting the coaches today instead of burning them. We’re just not good enough to overcome mistakes like that. The players have to own this loss.
“While the browns were piddling in the bed during the second half, Derek Anderson was finishing off a 300-yard passing game in the Cardinals win. It was against the Rams, sure. But the Browns were playing the Bucs.”
He also has Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston catching the ball.
I’m on board with everyone who says the Browns got away from what was working. Instead of running the ball even more with the lead, they started airing it out as if they were trying to come from behind. By that point, momentum was absent and when they *had* to come back, it was too late.
My brother said the same thing about the play-calling, except he called it “cowardly”. I think that’s the perfect term to describe the play-calling. When you play not to lose, you usually end up losing.
hillis touched the ball twice after the fumble at 11:00 in the 3rd qtr. so for the final 26 mins of the game your starting RB is nullified not by the other defense but by his own coaches.
presumably this was done to ‘teach a lesson’ to hillis after the FIRST LOST FUMBLE OF HIS CAREER. good for you daboll/mangini, you sure showed peyton.
but the lesson i learned is that we’re not dealing with much sophisticated thinking from the OC or HC.
I agree you cant put the entire loss on the coaching staff but the fact that we can point to the offensive play calling as a point of emphasis is a bad thing. PERIOD.
#10 and #11 both very good points. Delhomme should basically be a baby sitter who comes out on third and long and maybe takes a few shots down the field. Harrison obviously is not a between the tackles runner so I have no idea why you call those plays while he’s in.
The most frustrating thing I saw in reference to Harrison was not only watching Daboll call up the gut runs while he was in but the lack of screens and getting him the ball in space. THEN with Delhomme hobbled and inside your own ten you call a stretch play (the loss of 4 play referenced above) with your finesse runner? He was lucky that didn’t result in a sack or fumble as Delhomme could barely even get over for the hand off. Dumb Dumb Dumb.
^^correction. hillis also lost a fumble last year. he has 2 fumbles lost (3 total) in 112 touches. sorry. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/523458/peyton-hillis
the point remains though: the halftime adjustment was to stop using your most effective RB. the halftime adjustment was to cut the knees out from under ourselves. presumably done in the service of some arbitrary fumble rule of mangini’s. bad-bad-bad coaching.
@13: I agree the players need to own the loss, but the coaches need to put those players in a position to succeed and I don’t think Daboll did. Jake Dellhomme, while the consumate professional, is clearly not the player he once was. He shouldn’t be asked to win a game with his arm, and we shouldn’t be asking him to throw the ball 37 times unless we are in a serious hole. Yesterday’s game was tailormade to run the ball. We had a lead, on the road, against a bad run defense.
I feel like I may be the only person who came away from this game feeling good. We had our issues, fumbles and poor decision making by the QB chief among them. That is true, but did anyone see us play last year? The Browns were nearly unwatchable (heck, the game vs Buffalo was an affront to the game itself).
I found myself enjoying the first 2 1/2 quarters of this game, and that is a huge improvement over last year.
Be patient with the front office, please. I am sick and tired of cleveland fans demanding that (and receiving) the team be completely blown up year after year. I will be very happy with a .500 team or even a little less. It will give us something to build on. Browns 2012, baby!
The first half we looked like a competent football team. The defense was solid and the offense moved the ball fairly well. In the second half it all went to hell. We were fine, then Hillis fumbled and Brian Dabol apparently was having flashbacks of last year.
Every single running play appeared to be within the tackles. Every pass play was short and dumpy. If I was Mike Holmgren I’d be firing him on the way back to Cleveland. Sherman Lewis is available and could come right in. If you want to stay in house our QB coach was the Jags O-Cord a few years back. The bottom line is Brian Daboll may be a great position coach but he doesn’t have the stones or creativity to be the O-Cord. We didn’t try to stretch the field at all. Everything was bunched and the Buccs knew it.
I also have to question keeping Delhomme in the guy when he was obviously banged up. It’s not a QB controversy Eric if you player is hurt so you put in your backup. Wallace at the very least could have stretched the field scrambling or something.
Chris does have a point. We scored a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown, two things we couldn’t do for big stretches last year. Also I thought Joe Haden played extremely well, he just had one bad play. Also, when can we get Bernard starting? One sack and one sack nulled because of a penalty. There are bright spots, hell I even saw Stuckey on the field AND catching passes. This team IS better than last year’s.
@Chris
Hopefully they play the Super Bowl on 12/20 in 2012, otherwise…..
I guess Jake Delhomme forgot about #20 Ronde Barber I mean it’s not like he played the guy much over his career right? At least Jake remembered how to throw INTs but hey, it’s just one game.
I cant believe how many people are down on Harrison after the preseason. The last 4-5 games he ran everywhere. I did not get to watch the game, so I do not know how the OL play was, how Harrison was, if he could have gotten more, if he was doing his best JLew impressions or whatever. But Harrison definitely is a better RB then Hillis. I do like Hillis to sub every once in a while, but Harrison should be getting 25 carries a game. Hillis should be our 3rd down and goal line rb.
As for Jake, playcalling w/e… Maybe playcalling is over rated and we should not scrutinize it. But as a whole having a veteran QB, who is prone to INTs, should NOT throw 37 times. Especially when your running game won 4 straight games for you. That is unexcuseable.
@bobby – I don’t think you can give Harrison the ball 25 times a game for two main reasons.
1. He’s a small guy. Sure he did great things over 4 games against so so defenses mostly. Over the course of a season he’d be getting pounded twice by Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and also other notable D’s like the jets, saints, and I guess you can lump in cincy. The guy just isn’t built for it.
2. He’s not capable of power running. During a game you have to pound out short yards and Harrison has showed he struggles mightily between the tackles.
I def think the guy needs more than 9 rushing attempts and also needs the proper situational play calling. But he’s not a solo back, we need to have a timeshare between Hillis and Harrison. Maybe one guy gets 20 and the other 15 either way that’s a workable split and keeps Harrison fresh down the stretch.
Watching in a Carolina bar, the reaction of Panthers fans to the Delhomme falling away INT nonsense says it all:
“Jake, Jake, Jake,” shaking their heads.
Thoughts:
-We looked like a football team for a half, which is a hell of a lot better than the first 12 games of last season
-Hillis and Harrison are an effective combo. Pound away and then get a gashing long run from Jerome – it worked, so of course we didn’t do that anymore.
-We still need talent in the LB corps. We have approximately 45 LBs, but none of them are all that great. We need a real leader on D – maybe it’s in the secondary, maybe the LB, but we need one.
-Haden looked pretty good for a rookie in his first game. Brown got the unluckiest play of the day.
-Special teams sadly didn’t look as good on coverage without Cribbs as the gunner.
-Why is Robert Royal still on the team? The only time I noticed him was a pass going straight through his hands.
I don’t understand all the 20/20 hindsight here.
The four consecutive three-and-outs that came between Hillis’ fumble and the Bucs’ game-winning score consisted of twelve plays: six conventional runs, four short passes, a failed Delhomme scramble on a pass play and an end-around. It’s hard to argue with the balance there. With the exception of one long touchdown pass to Massaquoi, every bit of the Browns offense to that point was runs and short-passes.
The bigger problem is that five of the seven running plays were stuffed, two of the four passes fell incomplete, and Delhomme’s scramble failed. Were there open receivers that Delhomme missed? Could he have made better reads? Coach Mangini said the pass-catchers could have been better at getting open. Either way. Should the Browns have been able to make more on the ground here? Why not? Was the playcalling crippled by fear of additional turnovers? Or was a conservative approach justified but just beaten by Tampa’s excellent special teams play?
If you’re not going to address those questions, the second guessing of Daboll and the play-calling is useless.
Overall, I think the momentum shift from the turnovers, especially Delhomme’s first pick, was too much for this unit to overcome, especially given its game day inexperience playing with one another (especially as re: the QB).
I think its going to get worse. That second half was as bad as worst football I’ve seen the Browns play. If that carries over, it could be a 2 win season.
I agree that some of it was well-balanced Frowns. That is, until the eleventh drive. I think it is fair to notice the Browns not competing well in the second halves of games as something that plagued this team a year ago and point toward Mangini and Daboll.
I also think it is fair to say that the 11th drive, which I addressed in the post was horrible. Jumbo lineup, told them exactly what they were going to do, and got beat. Could have run the ball three times with three different looks. Spread the D with receivers and then run it. That that seemed like bad form by a scared coordinator.
Craig, I am not a huge fan of jumbo sets for the most part, but the end of the year showed us that the browns can have a power running game out of it.
@stin- How do you know Harrison cant handle it? Has he been able to be the starter for a season? Id like to see him finally get a chance at the start of a season.
@bobby – I guess I’m not unequivocally saying he couldn’t but my rationale is:
a) at such a slight build vs. punishing defenses he’s very likely to be hurt.
b) the running game would be much more effective down the stretch as a timeshare with Hillis, since it would keep Harrison’s legs fresh.
c) Hillis can handle running between the tackles where Harrison clearly is ineffective. We need someone who can push the pile and wear down defenses.
I just think the running game would be more effective with a split running the ball 30-40 times a game. Who knows if Daboll actually managed to scribble out enough plays to fill out a quota like that though, he might have to sharpen the crayons and go back to work for next week.
GO SIT IN THE BOOTH!
This guy has no feel of what is happening on the field, because he doesn’t have the right perspective.
So you’re talking about one drive? I dunno, man.