Johnny Manziel throws first career touchdown pass
September 13, 2015The Browns have reduced me to random thoughts: While We’re Waiting…
September 14, 2015In case you didn’t know before the Cleveland Browns opened their season against the Jets, NFL predictions are worthless. You can try as hard as you want to think about what is going to happen and you can even be an intellectual, statistical modeling genius about matchups, coaching, and style and it won’t make you capable of figuring it out. The game is too unpredictable. Nobody could have guessed that Johnny Manziel would play the majority of the game for the Browns at quarterback, and throw his first touchdown pass on his first drive of the game, but that’s what happened. That and so much more, or was it less. The Browns were a disaster for most of the game turning the ball over and getting pushed around in New Jersey. They played a decent first half, but they looked like they didn’t come out to play the second half, ultimately falling 31-10. It was disheartening. It was embarrassing. It was the eleventh straight season-opening loss for the Browns. The names change, but the theme seems to override it all.
Josh McCown couldn’t have had a more “Only in Cleveland” start to his Cleveland Browns career. I really try hard not to perpetuate that miserable mojo of Cleveland sports fandom, but this was just about as fitting to the story as it could possibly be. Josh McCown ran a pretty successful drive for the Browns strining together first downs and getting a good chance in the red zone. Of course he finished that off with a 13-yard run from 14 yards out that ended in his exit from the game. He scrambled and dove for the end zone into a trio of Jets who tried to take his head off of his body. A fumble, a concussion, a Jets touchback and a lost opportunity for the Browns ensued. So. Very. Browns.
Welcome to the Browns Josh McCown. You fit right in.
— WaitingForNextYear (@WFNYCLE) September 13, 2015
That’s the problem that the Browns are left to answer at the end of this opening day of the 2015-16 Cleveland Browns season. The Browns are designed to have this offense playing for them this season. From Josh McCown to name-any-tight-end, running backs Duke Johnson, and Isaiah Crowell, and anyone else you feel like naming, this was the Browns’ design and grand offensive plan. Granted the Jets are a good defense. Maybe the Jets are even very good. Regardless, the Browns offensive line blocked well, and yet the lack of talent at the skill positions was glaring. Travis Benjamin beat the Jets over the top, but overall when the Jets needed a big play, they turned to Brandon Marshall. When the Browns needed a big play, they turned to Brian Hartline. That’s not a knock on Hartline who made a circus catch and was valuable to the Browns. It’s just to note that he’s not a No.1 option.
The running situation wasn’t much better. When I started writing this eulogy, the Browns’ two leading rushers were quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown. Between Duke Johnson, Isaiah Crowell, and Shaun Draughn, the Browns had 20 carries for 48 yards on the ground. That’s not going to work for anyone when you build your offense around being able to run the ball and asking your quarterbacks to only make eight-to-ten plays per game as the Browns have continually stated.
Johnny Manziel started off well in relief duty, but the Browns offense quickly devolved after that first drive. Manziel threw an interception and his lack of awareness led to two fumbles. It doesn’t matter what your defense is or isn’t if the offense is continually giving the ball away. The Browns had four fumbles lost and an interception. That’s about as bad as you can start an NFL season from a turnover perspective.
It’s just one game and the Browns will probably tell everyone this week that they think they can play better. Browns fans better hope so too. It’s really hard to look at a team like the Jets who were 4-12 a year ago, dominate your Cleveland Browns in the opener with acquisitions like Darrelle Revis and Brandon Marshall while Dwayne Bowe couldn’t find his way on the field. It was especially difficult in a season that saw names like Jimmy Graham and LeSean McCoy get traded while the Browns signed Rob Housler and played the Hokey Pokey with Terrelle Pryor. None of this is to say the Browns could have gotten all of those players. It’s just to say that the Browns didn’t get any of them and the players they did get helped them to an embarrassing first week to the 2015 NFL season.
Again, you try not to play into the narrative of “Only in Cleveland” because it’s only as real as we all make it out to be. Regardless of what any of us want, there’s no denying just how much the Browns’ first week — including a pretty tumultuous lead-up — looked like it was a distinct part of an inevitable and miserably scripted sports tragedy.
129 Comments
Lots of people keep talking about the back shoulder thing, but he threw back shoulder all day in college to Mike Evans. I think there wasn’t enough made of Robiskie getting out-hustled by the Jets defender on that one INT. That was on the WR if you ask me, back shoulder or not.
beat me to it.
We’ll have to agree to disagree there. I don’t think you can expect the wide receiver to fight for that ball and win it… the ball has to be put where the defender isn’t. The best QBs do that for their wide receivers.
You can’t do both “over” and “out.” “Over” means that you’re waiting for a response. “Out” means the conversation is over.
But, yes, that was so Brownsy.
hi HARV … good post. you have a point about the playmakers , or lack thereof , but i watched a 17 play 90 yard drive that ate up 10:00 of the clock yesterday … yes, we all know the end result. my point is , it comes down to execution … everyone of offensive players are capable of making plays & they executed on that long drive. there is no reason they can’t be doing this on the majority of their offensive drives , even with their current players.
d.johnson , crowell , benjamin & gabriel will all be decent playmakers … they need to get d.johnson in-space (screen passes) & get him matched-up against LB’s in the passing game. they shouldn’t be running him up the middle.
Shades of Metcalf….
i agree … duke is a stud with plenty of speed. he missed some time in the pre-season … he is the one offensive playmaker we’ve drafted that i have high hopes for.
you absolutely can and should tell your #1 QB to not get hurt. Huge difference between tough and stupid and tough and still playing.
so you should tell him to slide at the 2-yard line on 3rd and goal? Nobody plays the game that way. Watch Tony Romo.
Shelton was drafted higher than Mangold and he is younger.
Cheek aside, I understand your point but I’m not buying it. 36 rushing attempts, 154 yards, 4.8 YPC.
Shelton was advertised as a one-dimensional player, but that one dimension was supposed to be a brick freaking wall. All I saw were the Big Bad Jets huff and puff and blow him and the rest of the D-Line down. I was unimpressed on draft day, and I remain so.
hi TERRY … yes, manziel tried to do too much yesterday & made some mistakes , but i still saw “change or improvement”. is it pretty obvious he is much more focused , prepared & less cocky than he was last year … and i saw some plays yesterday , when things broke down , his first instinct wasn’t to run , but to go through his progressions & he made some some nice throws on-the-run. he also was their leading rusher yesterday even with a 30-yard run called back on a penalty … he just needs to learn to cut down on the mistakes & not force the issue & to learn that punting is not a bad thing.
why? he made ONE tackle all day.
IMO , in a 3-4 defense , the D-line should be eating-up the blockers & the LINEBACKERS should be making the plays … this is on the LB’s … where were the LB’s ??
I agree. The Jets were ripping off some nice yardage after contact. The LBs really struggled to bring Ivory and Powell down.
sure. Browns are up 3-0, starting QB is still playing and we are in good shape.
“Regardless, the Browns offensive line blocked well…”
What game were YOU watching? Once I read that, It was kinda hard to make my way to the end of the article. The line play on both sides was atrocious. And you are certain to lose most of your games when that is the case.
Yep. They made holes, which where filled by Jets LBs.
because a nose tackle’s job is to blow up the LOS and occupy blockers so that linebackers can make tackles.
he’s the only browns first round pick in the last seven (gilbert-manziel-mingo-trich-weeden-taylor) that is an NFL starter. early take is dont think shelton is a problem.
left side of line was definitely getting caved in. i wanted to give them a little pass because jets d-line is pretty great but considering richarsdon was suspended, this is a troubling development. even joe thomas is open for criticism,, it was his guy that stripped manziel from behind.
I understand that’s his “job” in that defense. But players are paid to make plays – not to take up space. Some previews of Shelton from the press:
–Shelton is a dominating run defender and fills a void in the Browns’ defense.
–…thus, (Farmer) could opt to add a big-bodied run stuffer like Shelton to a defense that’s rounding into form under Mike Pettine.
–After going receiver with their first pick, they take a run-stuffer here. They need to get better in a division that likes to run it.
Again, I get that he needs to clog the middle. But he still needs to make some tackles. Damon Harrison made 4 tackles and had an assist even thought the Browns only ran the ball 20 times (non-QB runs). The Jets had 34 such runs so Shelton had 14 more opportunities yet made 3 less plays.
I saw none of the Shelton that was advertised so far (and i saw none at all this preseason).
“Controls, sees it and sheds to make tackles. Surprising ability to swat cut blocks and chase stretch plays laterally. Played a high percentage of Washington’s defensive snaps. Has the strength and athleticism to dominate in the running game.”
It’s game 1, sure. But it’s the preseason and practice, too. This guy is not good enough right now to play in this league. He was stronger than 19-year old boys but he can’t manhandle NFL offensive linemen in the same way.
enhhh.. here’s more of my counter. he played more snaps than any other d-lineman (unique for a NT); starks was a liability on run; when shelton did get penetration ivory cut outside the edge not contained by dbryant; and he was matched up on nick mangold. i get where youre at, but im ok with him after that game.
Also of note… the Browns really couldn’t double Snacks Harrison because the Jets also have Mo Wilkerson and Leonard Williams on either side of him. The Browns added Shelton to address the run, but as you noted Starks and Desmond Bryant are (supposed to be) better pass-rushers than run defenders and the Jets ate them and the linebackers alive.
I watched the game yesterday with my buddy who is a big Jets fan and the head writer of SNY’s TheJetsBlog. He couldn’t believe the Browns weren’t doing more to get Duke Johnson the ball in space. Said that’s the Jets’ biggest weakness and the Browns were clearly ignoring that. I concurred.
hopefully Flip figures it out … when was the last time we ran a screen play ?
I actually saw Aaron Rodgers do this on the screen right next to the Browns’ game. He was scrambling with the ball going towards the sideline and could have jumped to try to get over the pylon, but just calmly ran out of bounds at the 2 yard line instead and saved his body from taking a bit hit.
Even more than that, when was the last time we ran a screen to a running back that didn’t get blown up? For years it seemed our team was completely inept at executing that play.
The kind of stat used for accuracy and to prevent folks like you from sugar coating one more miserable performance by manziel. Simply not in to PC to cover disaster
I haven’t sugar coated a thing.