Mediocrity: It’s Just OK
October 1, 2014ESPN piece documents Josh Gordon’s drug tests
October 1, 2014The first quarter of the NFL season is behind us so it’s a natural point to stop and take a look at the Cleveland Browns and see Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine’s portfolio of players to see whose stock is rising and whose is falling.
We’ll start with the guys you can send your buddies texts, emails, and gifs saying “I told you so”, for you were the one standing on the ledge of optimism! Later in the week we’ll finish with the guys you can send your buddies texts, emails, and gifs saying “I told you so” for being the doubt-filled buzzkill that you, at the end of the day, truly are.
Stocks Rising
The guards: After being the one the league’s worst rushing teams in 2013, the Browns have been a top ten ground attack this season thanks to the dominating play of guards Joel Bitonio and John Greco. Both Bitonio and Greco have received higher grades from ProFootballFocus through three weeks than their highly paid line mates of Mack and Thomas.
Greco was solid in 2013 but the other spot next to Alex Mack was an ugly one. Shawn Lauvao, Oniel Cousins, and Garrett Gilkey shuffled through the ranks, prompting Ray Farmer to use a second round pick to solidify the line in the form of Joel Bitonio. On draft night Browns’ fans were told of Bitonio’s “mean streak”, nastiness, and high character — all cliches which you’d want in an offensive lineman. However, no one could have expected the rookie out of Nevada to step right in and start the season as one of the league’s ten best at the guard position. Bitonio has improved week over week to start the season, and slotted between Mack and Thomas, Cleveland has one of the best left sides of the line in the league.
Offensive line coach Andy Moeller spoke to Bitonio’s caliber during the bye week:
“It’s not too big for him, not a lot of mistakes, not going the wrong way, not jumping offsides, being able to block one-on-one against Haloti Ngata,” Moeller said. “It’s not a big deal. It is a big deal, but it’s not a big deal to him. He comes in and he really fits in the room well because of his intelligence and his work ethic, and he can really move and run. He’s been great.”
The outside linebackers: Paul Kruger’s play in 2013 can be best described as luke warm. The big fella came over to the Browns fresh off outstanding playoff performances in a supporting role for Baltimore but as the big money numero uno pass rusher on Ray Horton’s defense the results didn’t live up to the hype. Fast forward to 2014 and the hype is being actualized as Kruger has been the Browns’ best defensive player.
Despite being thought of as simply a pass rusher, the former Utah Ute1 has clamped down on his run defense this season. Kruger had a rough go of it against the run vs. Pittsburgh, but has since rebounded well, steadying the edge against New Orleans and having his strongest game vs. the run against Baltimore.
The biggest difference for Kruger in 2014 is he’s showing up as top level pass rusher. Kruger has racked up 3 sacks along with 3 other quarterback hits, one of which led to the Tashaun Gipson pick-six against Drew Brees. Speaking of Drew Brees, this Kruger crunch on Brees set the tone for the Browns’ defense in their 26-24 win vs. New Orleans.
While Sheard hasn’t hit home as often as Kruger on his pass rush, the fourth-year linebacker leads the team with eight quarterback hurries, good for fifth in the league. Unlike in 2013 where Kruger was primarily lined up on the left and Sheard/Mingo on the right, the outside backers have split time evenly on both sides of the line, keeping the offensive front guessing. Both Sheard and Kruger rank in Pro Football Focus’ top ten pass rush rankings2 for 3-4 outside linebackers from each side of the ball.
Andrew Hawkins: When signed in the off season it was assumed Andrew Hawkins would be a nice, Wes Welker-lite slot guy to slide into the receiving corp alongside Josh Gordon and whichever receiver the Browns added in the draft. Then, Josh Gordon got pinned down by the man, the Browns punted on drafting a receiver, Miles Austin and Taylor Gabriel signed, Nate Burleson was cut, and somehow Andrew Hawkins was the Browns’ go-to target.
The idea at the time of Hawkins as a true number one seemed preposterous but the Browns’ coaching staff has been aboard the Hawk bandwagon since he first showed up at OTA’s.
“He’s been one of our most consistent guys through spring,” coach Mike Pettine said last June. “Comes out here, he’s one of the hardest workers. Doesn’t know any speed other than full-speed. He is a guy that is truly trying to get better every day that he takes the field. I think that’s a great example for our younger guys.”
Many thought Brian Hoyer would lean heavily on Jordan Cameron due to the lack of options on the outside, but Cameron has been hurt and ill-targeted, leaving all 5-feet-7-inches of Andrew Hawkins to be the focal point of the Browns’ passing attack.
Small in stature, but immense in route running skills, the shifty Hawkins has been one of the league’s best pass catchers in the early going of the season. Hawkins is on pace to catch 112 balls this season, using his sharp awareness of coverages to earn Brian Hoyer’s trust and be open when Hoyer has to get it out of his hand quick.
Hawkins has been targeted 27 times for 21 catches and zero drops. He ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per pass route ran and has made a living lining up out wide as the team’s X receiver as opposed to spending all his time in the slot. Less than 40% of Hawkins’ yards have come from routes run out of the slot and less than half his targets have come from there as well. With the Browns having a huge hole at wide receiver, Hawkins has come up big.
Holding steady
Brian Hoyer: Well, it’s the bye week. The point of the season which most figured would be the time we say bye bye to Brian and ¡hola! to Johnny. Instead of a Barnum and Bailey’s week filled with how much of the playbook will be open to Johnny vs. Tennessee or what karaoke bars Johnny plans on hitting up on Broadway in Nashville, all we were given during the bye was a few Instagram posts of Johnny at Jerry World and this gem to the right.
All of this is because through three weeks of the season, Brian Hoyer has been a solid NFL quarterback and the Browns have looked like an actual NFL football team.
It’s easy to call Brian Hoyer clutch after his game winning drive against New Orleans, but let’s not forget the 3-and-outs late against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The truth is, over the course of the three games, the St. Ignatius kid has been largely average.
Hoyer has the Browns 19th in the NFL in completion percentage and 15th in yards per attempt. The best thing the Browns’ quarterback has done this season is simply not turn the ball over. Protecting the football along with a strong running game can add up to wins, but with Hoyer already playing mistake free football and the Browns’ being 0-2 in the division the question remains how high can a Brian Hoyer led team fly?
32 Comments
I agree with everything except the outside linebackers. Really it’s just been Kruger. That’s refreshing given last season in which I thought he was a complete waste of money. I haven’t seen Sheard make an impact at all. And Mingo, ugh, not even worth mentioning.
Love Hawk I’m hoping he gets more plays called for him and I’m really interested to see how he and Gordon team up.
I nominate the running backs to join this list. West and Crowell have both looked like patient runners with decent burst. I thought West was capable of playing this well, but I didn’t think he’d do it so soon. Given Tate’s health history, I assume we’ll see plenty of the rookies this year.
Hoyer is 12th in Total QBR. Maybe that’s a fair reflection of his play so far this year — not elite, but above average.
Sheard’s leading the team in QB hurries (by a wide margin) despite playing in roughly half of the defensive snaps and is fifth in tackles. Not sure what you’ve been watching.
I would put the Utah “Ute” nickname on par with the Seminoles. The Utes are a Native American tribe, not just folks from the state of Utah. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_people
My thought is at least Seminoles isn’t the same word as Florida. If Missouri were the Missouri Missouria instead of the Tigers that’d be comparable to Utes in my book. Although, Tigers is a blatant rip off of Bayside High School so there’s room for improvement all across the board.
The cheerleaders clearly! QB hurries, the stat scurge has found it’s way to the NFL. Oh glory days!!!!
2015 UFA buster skrine’s stock is rising. he keeps it up and he’ll get top 30 money this off season. (top 10 dough, probably, if he were over 6’0″.)
i want to keep an eye on tashaun gipson. like, i know his picks have been of the ‘right place right time’ variety but that *is* the g.d. job of a free safety no? would be pleasant bonus if he emerges.
Its basically the same as the University of Illinois being the Illini. The state is named after the Native American tribe that was once in the area (like Utah). Luckily North Dakota State are the Fighting Sioux instead of being the North Dakota State Dakota…
Sheard has failed to hold the edge on running plays almost as often as Mingo, and been partially responsible for critical times the defense was gashed when they needed a stop. Looks to me like he’s one of the guys confused by his assignments under the O’Neil defense.
Yea but Harv he leads the team in QB hurries, c’mon man!
Is his going up though because Haden’s and Gilbert’s is going down?
“The truth is, over the course of the three games, the St. Ignatius kid has been largely average.”
You kidding? Gimme average! And pour it over the whole season. Because I’ve spent the last 15 watching QBs that can kindly be termed distinctly below average. Go 8-8 and Hoyer’s younger teammates won’t assume that losing is what happens every year. And if he’s just a technocrat leading the dysfunctional country through its first steps into normalized society, fine. We’ll build him a statue for doing the dirty work of moving the team, working the clock, not taking ridiculous sacks and not killing spirits with red zone interceptions. If he’s just Gary Danielson well, we need and that right now.
Re Bitonio, maybe not coincidence that the line has beautifully adapted to the zone blocking scheme, or that this year we rarely see the d-lineman’s hand in the camera shot of the QB handing off. For years the Steelers drafted o-linemen in the higher rounds, eschewing the glamour picks and it worked well. Of course, you better choose right (cough- Schwartz), but it sure looks like Farmer did.
i dont think so. i think the tighter penalty enforcement forces CBs to be more skilled practitioners of cover technique (or rewards those who are). thus, the super-athlete CBs who win on length and closing speed need to step their games up.
the only problem with skrine has always been his height; the guy gets more out of less.
I agree with the film study and practice but I disagree on Skrine. I think as long as he’s the third CB playing a slot received he’s okay. But not against outside WRs. It’s part height sure but I think there’s more.
I think hurries are huge. But the defense will sink the team if they can’t stop the run, especially now that every opposing offensive coordinator has plenty of film from the first three games. We’re about to see the quality of this coaching staff by whether in these 2 full weeks they can make the necessary improvements/adjustments.
Guess I’m old school sacks are huge to me but I guess if you can’t get a sack I could settle for a hurry.
Sacks are hugest. Unless they’re of the flush him/chase him/baseball slide a yard behind the LOS. But forcing the QB to throw early or errantly or hitting him hard as he releases also lead to good things, now or later.
that was totally a safety.
Philadelphia Phillies
I think Phillies is kind of lame as well. However, I do like Illini.
Nope…because forward momentum is a thing in the NFL. He was knocked back into the end zone…and so it will be called down at the 1-yard line.
i thought that at first, but brees starts backing up before the hit. when he’s hit, the ball is behind the stripe.
I want to agree with you, but I’m siding with Ben on this one. After watching it too many times, he’s hit before that ball crosses the line IMO.
Love debating a play from a win though.
Just curious why Utes or Seminoles or any name which is simply the actual name by which a particular a group of people are referred is more or less offensive than something like Fighting Irish?
I disagree. I think backing off the line before he was hit should be considered a football move and negate the previous forward progress.
I thought “Utes” were the two defendants in My Cousin Vinny. You learn something every day…
I don’t like hurries. Subjective stat.
“A quarterback hurry is counted when a defender either forces a quarterback out of the pocket or pressures the throw. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the defender actually forced the quarterback to make a bad throw.”
That means that if a defender arrives as the QB is throwing the ball it can count as a “hurry.” But what if the QB was ready to throw? Too subjective for me.
It’s the opposite of a touchdown – if ANY part of the ball is on the field side of the goal line it is NOT a safety. The WHOLE ball has to cross into the end zone for it to be considered a safety. I think it’s pretty clear that did not happen when Breen was hit.
Beat-buh-Beat-buh-buh-buh-Beat GO BAYSIDE
Even though “Sioux” is a European word for “Lakota”?
I did not know that. Thanks for the enlightening piece of info.
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140819160955/sailormoon/images/c/c3/The-more-you-know-o_zps8dd6cbdc.gif