Metal music, Christmas gifts, EZ Pass, and Internet friends – Casual Friday with Denny – WFNY Podcast – 2013-12-13
December 13, 2013
Cavalier Film Room: Defense: Clipper Tested, Mike Brown approved
December 13, 2013“I think it’ll be a good challenge for Buster, for (DB) Joe (Haden), for all of our guys. You look at them position by position, and they’re a tough team to match up with in that way.” Head Coach Rob Chudzinski
If Cleveland Browns fans handed out a Most Improved Player award, the winner would likely by Josh Gordon or Jordan Cameron. If that award were to go to a defensive player, the leading candidate would be cornerback Buster Skrine.
Skrine took the starting corner job during camp and never looked back. He has already played 150 more snaps this season than last, and is third in the league in passes defensed.
“I feel like I’ve been playing well all year, these are two good receivers, but every receiver in the NFL is good,” Skrine said when asked if this week would be a good test for him. “I feel like I’m becoming a smarter player, I’ve got my hands on a lot of balls this year. I’m just looking to improve game by game this year.”
If Skrine and the Browns are going to be successful, they will have to deal with a pair of excellent wide receivers.
Alshon Jeffery is one of only eight wide receivers in league history to amass two games in a single season with over 200 yards receiving. In Cleveland, we know one of those eight is also Josh Gordon. Like Gordon, Jeffery accomplished his feat this season.
Opposite the 6-foot-3-inch Jeffery is 6-foot-4-inch Brandon Marshall. They pair has combined for 2,283 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns already. They are only the second set of Bears receivers to top 1,000 yards in the same season.
“It’s gonna be a good challenge. We always look forward to playing really good receivers and they’re going to put the ball in the air,” Joe Haden said. “Alshon Jeffery, I played him in college and he’s always been a really big, tough, challenging receiver. It’s gonna be a good test for the whole secondary.”
A big challenge for the whole secondary. That may be an understatement. Martellus Bennett has nearly 600 yards from the tight end spot, and running back Matt Forte has over 500 yards receiving to go along with his 1,000 yards rushing.
It could be one of those days where every man in the secondary has a tough assignment. Including Buster Skrine. Joe Haden is used to covering top flight receivers for four quarters. He has shut down a number of them this season. But Buster?
Is this game a measuring stick for how well Skrine has improved? It’s tough to grade a player just based on one game, but Jeffery or Marshall will certainly be the best wideout that Skrine covers for an entire game.
3 Comments
Skrine is a pretty good example of what happens when you do something for 3 years. I sometimes feel i’m missing the entire premise of the rookie-year-judge-to-damnation thing. Are college coaches so good that they maximize a 20 year old’s potential? Or are the NFL coaches so bad that they can’t improve them? I tend to think neither are true.
Skrine should be Scott’s pick for “Reign On Spotlight Player of the Week”. How well he covers Jeffrey will impact this game, since Haden should be shadowing Cutler’s favorite target in Marshall.
I’ve been impressed with his play. I think he really should be our MIP. We expected Gordon to do good things here. I don’t think most people outside of Berea expected Skrine to have this kind of a season.