From the North Coast to the West Coast
October 17, 2014Which Cavs are most likely to crash through the Spanish Announcer’s Table?
October 17, 2014It’s hard to act like you’ve been there before when the the Pittsburgh Steelers have won 18 of the last 19 matchups. But, with this win over the Steelers, the Cleveland Browns are once again over .500. And with the Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the upcoming three opponents, the immediate future is bright. Here are my thoughts on the Cleveland Browns’ win against the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday.
1. Kyle Shanahan: Great Offensive Coordinator or Greatest Offensive Coordinator?
Sure, that may be hyperbole. But, in the last five quarters, one against the Titans and four this past week against Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Browns have scored 45 points. The team has not scored less than 21 points in a game and sits at 3-2. Yet, before the season, not a person outside of the Browns brass could understand how they would put up points. And, even after watching five games of consistent offensive production, I am still in awe of what Kyle Shanahan is doing.
The zone blocking scheme has surpassed everyone’s wildest expectations. Brian Hoyer is proving Mike Lombardi’s decision to sign him correct. Taylor Gabriel and Travis Benjamin are legitimate deep threats. Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell, and Terrance West combine to average 4.73 yards per carry. And, prior to Alex Mack’s injury, the offensive line was the best unit in the NFL.
Just take this play as an example of his ability to find a weakness and target it.
To the Steelers, this looks like a simple play action pass, a fake the Browns run multiple times per game. Travis Benjamin, deep threat extraordinaire, races across the field forcing two Steelers to cover him. Unbeknownst to them, Jordan Cameron slips through the defense as he feigned blocking and found a wide open area in the zone. Kyle Shanahan loves to mess with a defense by making them over-pursue to one side, then throwing a pass or cutting back a run to the other side. That motion has helped the offense get by with a lack of overall talent.
2. Jordan Cameron Gets Back In The Action
After seeing Cameron dominate in training camp, then make some big plays in the pre-season, I have not been especially excited with his production thus far in the regular season. Against the Steelers, though, he managed to reach the 100-yard threshold, which he had not crossed since the fifteenth week in 2013. Of course, 40 of those yards came on the play in which he found himself alone, behind the defense, shown above.
But, I was most impressed by his deep catch running down the seam for a touchdown.
As you can see, Cameron blew past Pittsburgh’s corner Coretz Allen and took advantage of Troy Polamalu who was playing near the line to help stop the run. Cameron is a unique and talented player who needs more touches. He likely needs someone who will take more chances throwing the ball than Hoyer if he wants to increase targets, though. He is at his best when the ball is in the air and he is able to out-jump a smaller defensive back for the ball. In this offense, plays like that are few and far between.
3. Convoluted Brian Hoyer Thoughts
Last week, I mentioned that I was not 100% sure that Hoyer would make it through the season as the starting quarterback. Of course, that comment brought some defenders of the St. Ignatius graduate to the comments section to disagree with me. One week later, Brian Hoyer quarterbacks a team to a 21 point victory over the Steelers and…. I still won’t sign on with Hoyer as the solution.
There are so many things that I think Hoyer does well, but I have complaints as well. Here’s a few things that I think he does very well.
- He stands in against the pass rush as well as any quarterback in the NFL. He isn’t afraid to take a hit and plays with a supreme confidence in the pocket.
- He’s a smart quarterback who can read the defense well. Over the course of the game, he can make mental adjustments and find areas to exploit.
- He doesn’t make stupid mistakes or tries to force the ball. Good accuracy on short to medium routes.
The issue to me is not that I do not think he is a competent NFL quarterback, but rather that he is not what everyone thinks he is. The numbers, to me, are deceiving. While watching, I cannot help but wonder how he would fare in any offense other than Kyle Shanahan’s. The misdirection of the defense gives the quarterback a huge advantage because throwing windows become wider when linebackers and safeties must account for the run.
No one benefits more from a superior offensive line than Hoyer. He can stand back and wait until someone gets open longer than anyone else in the league. Since he does not have good arm strength, this is a massive advantage because with a weak offensive line, he would be prone to forcing the ball more often.
Another reason I have not fully bought in yet is because I think he has been lucky to not turn the ball over. Some of his throws that fall incomplete, or even some that are caught by Browns players, could have been intercepted. Over time, this may happen more often.
Simply put, I think Brian Hoyer is a competent quarterback who can play well enough to win games with a perfect system around him. However, I don’t think he is a special or unique talent, nor do I think this offense requires that. I know that many people disagree with me, based on the Brian Hoyer jersey shooting to the top five most bought in the NFL, but I’m alright with that. In due time, I’ll either be right or wrong. And I sure hope that I’m wrong.
4. Down Goes Mack: How is the Offense Affected?
Everyone loves Alex Mack. The guy is one of the toughest, most consistent players on the Browns offensive line which is why he signed a record-breaking free agency contract to become the highest-paid center in the NFL, this offseason. Mack was continuing his domination throughout the first quarter of the season as a member of the best offensive line in the league. With his injury, how will the line fare for the rest of the season?
We don’t know for sure. In the pre-season, Paul McQuistian, Mack’s replacement, did not block well, whatsoever. In fact, he was a complete and total abomination. Before you get too worried, he was playing the offensive tackle position in the pre-season, but will play right guard for the remainder of the year. The only film of McQuistian playing guard is the two and a half quarters after replacing Mack.
Shockingly, he had a competent game against the pass despite his slow feet. But, the most impressive part was how well he fit in run blocking. It looked as if he had been playing alongside Greco and Bitonio for years. If he continues this play on the ground, the running game may continue its success.
However, I worry about his ability to set and pass block. He does not look quick and will likely have major issues against agile interior linemen. His saving grace, once again, is Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Since it revolves around the run game and play action pass, straight drop back passes are at a minimum. Keep an eye out for pressure against McQuistian on these plays, but hopefully Shanahan’s offense will continue to revolve around misdirection which will help negate McQuistian’s biggest weakness.
Other Notes
- Mitchell Schwartz has played five above-average games. For the love of Joe Thomas, please stop attacking him whenever he happens to make a mistake. When he allowed a sack on the first drive in the first game of the season, everyone freaked out. And, when he has allowed any pressure during the past few games, I see people hating on him all over Twitter. It’s simply not reasonable criticism.
- Isaiah Crowell is a poor man’s Demarco Murray. He runs with power and ferocity and, apparently, can’t hang on to the ball. He needs to hold on to the football considering the offense that Kyle Shanahan runs is predicated on not turning the ball over and sustaining drives.
Have any disagreement? Let me know in the comments section below!
13 Comments
Good job overall. I have to agree that Hoyer doesn’t look like a “great” quarterback, but to say he is purely a product of the system still sells him way short. His brains, leadership, and pocket presence put him past the likes of Weeden even before you look at passing, or even stats for that matter. If what you say is true, we need to trade him and Manziel for WRs and sign a career backups off practice squads every year, since the system will bring them through to success.
What system did he go 2-0 in last year? Hoyer has only been awesome as a Cleveland Brown. Not good, awesome. On a team that looks like dog balls when he wasn’t playing. Get bent.
Enjoyed the insights… just one nit. Isn’t every offense predicated on not turning the ball over, not just Shanahan’s?
“…considering the offense that Kyle Shanahan runs is predicated on not turning the ball over…”
Is this necessary to state? Is any offense predicated on turning the ball over?
if we’re defining competent as:
* huddle command,
* sound pre-snap reads,
* capable audibles,
* quick movement through progressions with full understanding of receiver routes and defensive looks,
* quick delivery of accurate throws,
* avoidance of streching targets out for punishment over the middle, and
* one turnover (a 3rd/long INT, effectively a punt) in five games
then yes hoyer is competent.
one of maybe ten ‘competent’ qbs in the league.
i dont know what you think everyone else thinks he is but i have not read one piece anywhere that calls him peyton manning or terry bradshaw in terms of long ball or arm strength. the tom brady comparison made by joe thomas is apt at least in reference to release time and accuracy. joe thomas is not prone to hyperbole and in a pretty good position to judge,, much better than the bloggers who made fun of the statement.
re ‘competent’ here’s the hof qb list broken down by what i perceive youre defining as great vs competent:
great: aikman, bradshaw, elway, fouts, jkelly, marino, namath, staubach, unitas, young.
competent: blanda, dawson, graham, griese, jurgensen, montana, moon, starr, tarkenton.
in other words, i think you should re-think your eval process. you dont have to have an elway arm to be a top qb.
Sometimes with Weeden it looked liked the plan. LOL
Just remember all you guys thinking Hoyer is the second coming of Tom Brady, there was a time when Derek Anderson looked good too. Everything I’ve ever heard or read said to not judge a quarterback until after opposing coaches have 8 full games of tape on them. Don’t get me wrong I love the hometown kid and the story and it would be sweet sweet music if he lead this team to a superbowl win, but I’m going to support the guy who gives us the best chance to win. Right now is that Hoyer? Yes. But he is hardly a future hall of famer. Take off the rose colored glasses and just enjoy the ride while it lasts. If you want to support the guy, I’m right there with you, but trying to make an argument against this article is simply ludicrous.
Any offense not quarterbacked by Brett Favre at least.
Touche’.
“Just remember all you guys thinking Hoyer is the second coming of Tom Brady, there was a time when Derek Anderson looked good too.”
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Eval on Hoyer seems pretty simple at this point. His issues are mechanical (back-foot throws the main issue). He either fixes those mechanical issues or DC’s figure out how to take advantage of them.
Until he’s an issue though, I’m just going to enjoy it. Whether it is the system or just his ability to read and release, the offense just looks better when we have a guy like him running it (last year and this year).
So are you gonna apologize now or what..? Maybe hold the “get bent” for things you’re more well versed on