Justin Masterson drawing interest in free agency
December 9, 2014Cleveland Browns vs. Indianapolis Colts: Behind the Box Score
December 9, 2014Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year is an annual must-read. Sadly, that the national recognition rarely has anything to do with the teams or individuals whom we cover. In turn, WFNY will soon announce its choice for 2014’s Cleveland Sportsman of the Year. Here’s one of the nominations for that honor by an WFNY writer.
Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the story of the Cleveland Browns has had a few recurring themes: Sustained losing, rash front office decisions, a rotating door at starting quarterback, and general dysfunction within the organization are a few, but the one that might be the most disappointing to diehard Browns fans is the team’s ability to draft highly touted prospects with top draft picks, only to continually find ways to squander that talent and derail the careers of once promising players.
All it takes is a quick scan of the Browns draft history since 1999. Tim Couch (first round, 1999). Courtney Brown (first round, 2000). Gerard Warren (first round, 2001). Quincy Morgan (second round, 2001). William Green (first round, 2002). Andre’ Davis (second round, 2002). Kellen Winslow (first round, 2004). Braylon Edwards (first round, 2005). Charlie Frye (third round, 2005). Brady Quinn (first round, 2007). Eric Wright (second round, 2007). The 2009 second round troika of Brian Robiskie, Mohamed Massaquoi, and David Veikune. Montario Hardesty (second round, 2010).1 Greg Little (second round, 2011). Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden (first round, 2012). Justin Gilbert (first round, 2014).2
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Do these high round busts happen to other teams? Of course, but not at the same rate that they seem to be occurring in Cleveland. Further, many other teams, especially the most consistently successful franchises like the Patriots and Packers, manage to offset any misses at the top of the draft by unearthing talented contributors in the late rounds or from undrafted rookies. In the last 15 seasons, the list of Browns ‘finds’ is conspicuously short. But this season, Tashaun Gipson has established himself as a name that belongs at the top of that list.
Gipson, a native of Dallas, was never the most highly sought after player. After an outstanding career at Kimball High, Gipson had a few notable scholarship offers from established programs like Baylor and Louisville. But, instead of staying in Texas to play Big 12 football or heading to the Bluegrass State to compete in the Big East, Gipson headed to the mountains to join his older brother Marcell at the University of Wyoming. Tashaun immediately won the starting job at cornerback opposite his older brother. From 2008 to 2010, the Gipson duo feasted on the quarterbacks of the Mountain West Conference.
In 2011, his senior season, Tashaun was without his brother for the first time in his college career, but still managed to impress as a top defender for the Cowboys. In spite of converting from cornerback to safety (a position he had never played in college before) for the final eight games of the season, Gipson posted 95 tackles (72 solo), half a sack, four forced fumble, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions in his finest statistical season in Laramie. In his four years in brown and gold, Gipson started every game.
In spite of his stellar college career, Gipson still found himself unwanted. In spite of a fourth-round draft grade from the NFL, he was not invited to the 2012 NFL Combine and went undrafted, but the Browns signed him immediately after the draft. Gipson faced an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, one that was made even tougher when he struggled with missed tackles early in the 2012 preseason.
In stepped, T.J. Ward, who took Gipson under his wing and taught him how to be a safety in the NFL. By the end of training camp, Gipson had improved so much that Pat Shurmur and his staff rewarded him with a spot on the opening day roster – not a bad accomplishment for an undrafted guy from a mid-major program playing a new position.
But Gipson wasn’t done there. When starter Usama Young went down with an injury, Gipson found himself as the proverbial next man up. He started three games in the 2012 season and proved that his hard work and Ward’s mentorship had paid off – Gipson missed just two tackles in 377 snaps that season. He added an interception and four “stops” (tackles on plays that Pro Football Focus qualifies as offensive failures) as he grew into his new position. After starting three of the team’s last six games, he entered the 2013 season with a strong chance to start under Rob Chudzinski’s new coaching staff.
Gipson again impressed in 2013 training camp, and defensive coordinator Ray Horton rewarded him by giving him the starting free safety job ahead of fellow 2012 undrafted free agent and converted cornerback Johnson Bademosi. That starting spot meant Gipson would be lining up alongside Ward, the Browns star strong safety who had established himself as one of the league’s best and had helped Gipson to make the roster in the first place. Together, the two made an effective tandem. Ward’s hard-hitting style paired well with Gipson’s coverage acumen from his days as a cornerback. While Gipson’s tackling efficiency declined with increased playing time (he missed 17 tackles in 2013 and was ranked just 50th of 71 qualified safeties by Pro Football Focus for tackling efficiency – the number of attempted tackles per each missed tackle), his coverage was outstanding. He allowed just 0.45 yards per snap in coverage, good for 24th amongst qualified safeties, and gave up receptions just once every 31.4 coverage snaps he played. Add in his five interceptions (including one he returned for a touchdown), and it was clear that he had the tools to be a productive NFL starter.
This season he’s continued to prove that, and the rest of the league has begun to take notice. Plenty of people know about Gipson’s league-leading six interceptions (one better than Miami CB Brent Grimes and two more than anyone else), but the advanced stats also show noticeable improvement. Gipson’s yards per coverage snap have dropped even further to 0.33, 14th amongst 56 qualified safeties, and he is only allowing a catch once for every 35.2 snaps in coverage – good for the ninth spot. His tackling efficiency has also improved to 8.2 attempts per missed tackle, largely due to the fact that he has only missed six tackles through the 11 games he played. He has also forced a fumble and broken up eight passes this season.3
Beyond his contributions on the field, Gipson’s emergence as a top safety in the league (he was certainly a leading Pro Bowl candidate before his injury) has also had a more intangible effect on the fanbase. For an organization that has made a habit of ruining highly touted prospects, to see an undrafted player who came in with no expectations succeed has been a refreshing twist. Gipson has been the face of a mini revolution in Berea this year, as a number of undrafted rookies have made big contributions and restored fans’ faith in the Browns player development. Gipson, Isaiah Crowell, Craig Robertson, and K’Waun Williams – all signed as undrafted rookies by the Browns – have all made key plays during the Browns’ 7-5 start.
Of course, Gipson’s regular season ended in Week 12 when he collided with Joe Haden defending a pass against the Falcons. An MRI revealed that he had suffered a Grade 3 MCL injury, but his ACL was unharmed. That second part means that the Browns are holding out hope that Gipson could return if the Browns manage to make the playoffs. Jim Leonhard is a serviceable veteran safety and he didn’t do anything disastrous against the Bills (he also had a nice interception in the end zone to snuff out a Buffalo drive), but watching the Browns defense yesterday it was clear that they missed Gipson’s speed, athleticism, and instincts. Gipson’s skills have meshed well with Donte Whitner’s heavy-hitting style and held the pass defense together during Joe Haden’s slow start, Justin Gilbert’s rookie struggles, and Buster Skrine’s propensity for getting burned at least twice a game.
The fact that such an unheralded player has become such an integral part of the most successful Browns season in seven years, as well as my newfound trust in the organization to find and develop unknown players as so many other NFL teams seem to do every year, is why Tashaun Gipson is my Cleveland Sportsman of the Year.
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- Colt McCoy was also a third round Browns pick this year, but I’m only mentioning him in the footnotes out of fear for the Colt lovers who still walk among us. Also he’s been better than Robert Griffin III this year for Washington. [↩]
- I kid, I kid. The jury has barely started deliberations on Gilbert, but having an eighth overall pick not dressed against the Bills with a mysterious illness just two weeks after playing no snaps against the Texans is not reassuring. [↩]
- Stats for the 2014 season are through Week 12, when Gipson suffered a torn MCL against Atlanta. [↩]
10 Comments
Okay, so you are all just picking someone different.
Enjoying the series, but it’s interesting to note how half the submissions are getting knocked out out as we go, at least to some degree. That’s a bit disheartening. It almost means it’ll be Kluber by default.
Is each writer taking on a different person? Or are multiples allowed for the same person? While it’s definitely interesting to see various choices, I’d prefer to see each person’s true favorite nominee and why.
We did this last year. This isn’t new.
“Half the submissions are getting knocked out…”
What do you mean here? We each nominate an athlete/coach. We’ll vote at the end and unveil the winner. Just like we did last year.
I meant gipson getting hurt, Hoyer benched, etc.
Is it a worthy nominee if nobody really believes in it? That’s what I was questioning.
The article makes some great points.
Oh, I get what you’re saying. And we all picked who we nominated; these weren’t commissioned. Mitch felt Gip was worthy of the recognition.
Got it, OK, cool.
Pardon me for failing to notice that this is the second year in which (presumably) several of you have been disingenuous in your pick for “Cleveland Sportsman of the Year,” picking someone who others didn’t pick for the sake of variety. Don’t get me wrong; it’s nice to see so many subjects of Cleveland sports pride. The whole premise of “Cleveland Sportsman of the Year” is just a bit misleading. Call it “Sportsmen,” plural, and the ambiguity is clarified. Not that precision in headlines is much a priority here.
This is my point. I’d prefer to see each person just argue in favor of who they really think should win.