Fifth Down: Detroit Lions @ Cleveland Browns

Five Bad

1. No Pass Rush

Pretty much

The Browns only came up with one sack on the day, courtesy of Craig Robertson on a blitz. They struggled to get much pressure on Stafford throughout the day, as the Lions managed to beat the Browns with clever gameplanning to slow up the rush. Much like the Dolphins in Week 1, the Lions used a series of quick passes and dumpoffs to Reggie Bush to stop the Browns’ fearsome front 7 from bringing the heat. There were still a few guys missing, notably Jabaal Sheard, but the team is looking as healthy as it has been this year for Sunday. Ray Horton has also noted the need to improve.

2. Reggie Bush

After a relatively tame end to his career as a Saint, Reggie Bush is back on track in Detroit following a good year in Miami. His ability as a runner and a receiver caused a huge problem for the Browns on Sunday. The Browns’ impressive run D still mostly contained Bush, but gave up another big play of 39 yards on the ground. This led to a TD for Bush on a screen pass that got the Lions quickly back in the game after halftime. Craig Robertson struggled all day to contain Bush, and he finished with 125 all-purpose yards and a TD, terrorizing the Browns in the second half.

3. Fauria

Three receptions, three touchdowns. Joseph Fauria was an absolute matchup nightmare for the Browns and it seemed like they didn’t know how to stop him. At 6’ 8” he’s a massive target, and they tried various ways to stop him without any success. Johnson Bademosi, Craig Robertson and TJ Ward all took shots at covering the huge TE and all failed to stop him. The first (and maybe the second) time the Lions pulled off this move in the redzone could be forgivable but by the third time, the Browns players had to know that he was the likely target and they still couldn’t make a play. One of the most frustrating aspects on the day.

4. Second half meltdown

Once again the Browns went into the break looking good, and once again were on the back foot early in the second half. Unlike against the Bills, the Browns failed to right the ship and hold on, giving up 24 unanswered points after having led by 10 at the half. The D managed to come up with a few plays, but had trouble getting the Lions off the field on third down, and the O completely stopped functioning. This unfortunately coincided with the Lions getting into their groove and they ran away with the game in the second half. The second half flatness has been duly noted and HC Rob Chudzinski inserted a halftime into practices this week in an attempt to remedy the problem.

5. Worst pick ever

The Browns finally managed to get some offense going with 6:04 left in the 4^th quarter. Down 7, they were driving down the field to tie the game and potentially send it into overtime. Passes to Gordon and then Benjamin earned the Browns their first consecutive first downs since halftime, and another pass to Gordon set them up with 1^st and 10 at the Detroit 44. With the offense looking its most coherent since half time, Weeden dropped back to pass. He looked off Gordon coming open on the dig, pump faked to Ogbonnaya, drifted back in the pocket as pressure came, and then…

Five Good

1. First half

The Browns played half a good game against the Lions. The offense was humming along and the defense held the Lions to only 7 points. OC Norv Turner did a very good job putting Weeden in a position to be successful. He moved the pocket and rolled out Weeden, splitting the field in half and making it easy on the struggling QB. The Oline did a good job of keeping the pressure off Weeden and limited Ndamukong Suh and the ferocious Lions front 4 for the most part. The D was exceptional in the second quarter and allowed only one first down to the Lions. They just need to play a complete game.

2. Josh Gordon

Gordon continued his progression as the Browns’ #1 WR. Whilst teams have managed to limit Jordan Cameron following his red hot start to the season, Gordon has consistently produced from week to week. He had 7 receptions on 9 targets for 126 yards and an average of 18 yards per reception. His size and speed have made him a legitimate downfield target, and all of his TDs have come on receptions of 20 yards or longer. He’s currently on target for 75 receptions for 1287 yards, which would make him the Browns first 1000 yard receiver since Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow in 2007. The next step in his development is to improve as a redzone target.

3. Run stopping Ward

Although the Browns struggled to stop Reggie Bush, they did a decent job containing him on the ground. They are yet to allow a 100 yard rusher, and although they gave up the big play to Bush, they held him to 2.4 yards per carry without that 39 yard run. A big part of this has been Ward’s ability as a box safety. Expected to play a big part in the pass rush, his impact in the box has come more in the run D. He has excelled in coming up to the line and plugging lanes, and finished Sunday with 11 total tackles and one for a loss.

4. Gipson

Along with #2 CB, FS was one of the positions of concern coming into the season. Like Buster Skrine, Tashaun Gipson is starting to look like he could fill the position. A former special teamer, Gipson had shown an ability to come up and tackle in the open field. As a starter, he has shown an ability to cover the deep middle of the field. Horton’s high pressure system can put a lot of weight on the secondary and so far Gipson has stood up to it. He has displayed great range covering the deep middle of the field and recorded his second INT of the year, picking off a tipped pass by Buster Skrine. It’s likely he could have a couple more on the season if they hadn’t been broken up by eager teammate Joe Haden.

5. Creative Playcalling

Norv Turner and Rob Chudzinski have been cracking open the playbook in recent weeks to good effect. On Sunday the biggest play came from a Benjamin end-around, getting the ball in the hands of one of the most explosive players on the roster. They ran some clever plays in the endzone, giving Weeden easy throws to open receivers for TDs. It was refreshing to have a playcaller that knows how to work players open outside of slant routes or quick outs. They also got creative, running the inverted veer with Swiss army knife player MarQueis Gray. For a further look at their creativity, check out Chris Pokorny’s breakdown on Dawgs By Nature.

Making a Break For It

He’s just much bigger than everybody else

Five players primed to break out for the Cleveland Browns

5. TJ Ward

After a disappointing sophomore season in which he only managed to play in 8 games after injuring his foot, the 3^rd year safety will be looking to bounce back with a strong performance this year. Known for his hard hitting, he tallied 123 combined tackles in his rookie season (basically playing as a deep linebacker, such was the state of the run D) as well as 2 interceptions. He will be looking to improve in coverage this year in order to cement himself as one of the best young safeties in the NFL. Injury free and with a full offseason behind him (free of arrest, unlike many) he is primed to perform and should be a key piece in Dick Jauron’s defense.

4. Buster Skrine

The pocket rocket cornerback, “Buster Move” flashed at times last year when he got on the field and will be looking to benefit from Joe Haden’s potential suspension. He is likely to share slot duties with Dmitri Patterson early on as Patterson recovers from injury and may at some point get the opportunity to show his ability on the outside. Patterson has struggled in the past when asked to play outside, so although as the senior player he make get the first opportunity, it’s not unlikely that Skrine ends up covering for Haden in any absence. Skrine will be aiming to show off his battling qualities and look to put pressure on aging incumbent Sheldon Brown.  He won’t get it easy though, as a nice battle for the #3 CB spot seems to be developing between him, Patterson and surprise package Trevin Wade.

3. Eric Hagg

Picked in the 7^th round last year, the former Cornhusker was Nebraska’s Defensive MVP over Prince Amukamara his senior year and is a player the Browns have handed the challenge of starting at Free Safety. After losing fan favourite Mike Adams to Denver in the offseason, one of the most competitive camp battles was fought between Hagg and former New Orleans Safety, Usama Young with Hagg eventually winning out. He came with high praise from his former DC at Nebraska, Carl Pelini, who said he was “in his mind” Defensive MVP in his final two years (over the likes of Amukamara and Suh). Like his teammate at starting Safety, Hagg is looking to make up for time lost to injury and the Browns are looking to him to shore up a position that has been a weakness in recent years.

2. Greg Little

I find myself talking a lot about Little’s situation last year. After being suspended from UNC his senior year, he came into his rookie year having not played football in a year and with a shortened offseason and proved to be the best wideout on the team. After putting up 700 yards and 2 touchdowns in his rookie year, the Browns are expecting his numbers to improve this year. They are hoping his trouble with drops will clear up with more football under his belt as he aims to be Cleveland’s first 1000 yard receiver since 2007. Leaner and faster this year, Little should solidify himself as the Browns’ main receiver (though they hope Josh Gordon will be #1 in the future) and with his ability to break tackles and run after the catch should thrive in his second year in the Browns’ West Coast Offense.

1. Jordan Cameron

Jordan Cameron is what coaches refer to as a ‘physical specimen’. He measured in at 6’ 5”, 254lbs at his Combine and ran a high 4.5 40 (that’s very marginally slower than Little, who he has a good 2 inches and 20+ lbs on). Like Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham, he comes from a basketball background and did not play much football in college. Taken as a project in the 4^th round of the 2011 draft based on his physical skills, he did not play much his rookie season. This year however he has been the star of camp, making the “biggest jump” of any player and impressed in preseason, catching 3 passes for 63 yards and looking a lot like he can be the matchup nightmare like new-breed TEs Jimmy Graham and Aaron Hernandez. With Ben Watson having repeated injury problems and the wrong side of 30, it’s likely that Cameron will be taking over #1 TE duties in the near future. He looks set to be the #1 breakout star of the 2012 Cleveland Browns.