Five Bad
1. Groundless game
Quite a way to start your Browns career
Many noted the effect that Norv Turner has had on RBs in his NFL career but we are yet to see it in Cleveland. The Browns’ new supposed #1 RB Willis McGahee went for 9 yards on 8 carries, though it will likely take him a little while to shake off the rust. Ogbonnaya had one large run and Bobby Rainey showed more than he had at KR, but the Browns’ inability to get the ground game going is a legitimate concern at this stage. Better Ds than the Vikings’ will take advantage of the current one-dimensional nature of the Browns’ O. In addition, lack of a run game will mean less time of possession and more time on the field for the D, which is beginning to get a little stretched by injuries.
2. Benjamin’s punt returns
It was feast or famine for Travis Benjamin with his punt returns on Sunday. The 2nd year WR lit up the preseason with his returns and is always a threat to take one for 6, but had a bit of a rough time of it against the Vikings. He showed his ability on one return of 28 yards, but also lost several yards trying to reverse field on a return in the first quarter. The worst play came when he muffed a punt in the second quarter which was recovered by Vikings, and he was very lucky not to be adjudged to have fumbled the ball after catching it at the second attempt, which would have cost the Browns a TD. The return game has been somewhat troublesome so far in ’13 and better execution is needed.
3. Hoyer picks
Hoyer had a very good game against the Vikings, but he will be the first to tell you that 3 picks is far too many. One was the product of getting hit as he threw, but the other two were ugly. He failed to recognise the Vikings playing Cover-2 and Harrison Smith as he threw to Gordon on a curl, and was picked off by Chad Greenway as he forced the ball to Jordan Cameron over the middle. He seemed to make decisions pre-snap on where the ball was going and failed to adjust, causing turnovers in these circumstances. The Vikings did score a TD off of one pick, but contrived to turn the ball back over to the Browns on the two other occasions Hoyer threw an interception. Better teams won’t be so wasteful.
4. Offensive second half
Interception, punt, turnover on downs, interception, punt, punt, punt. The Browns did not make pretty viewing for the majority of the second half. They managed 7 drives for a total of 112 yards in 26:39 of play. During that time the Vikings managed to score 10 points to regain the lead despite a less than stellar offensive performance themselves. The offense managed to get it together in the final 3 minutes of the half to put together a 55 yard drive for the go-ahead TD, but for most of the half it was looking like it would be the third consecutive game in which the Browns led at halftime only to lose.
5. Ponder rushes
One of the more surprising stats from Ponder’s rookie year was his redzone efficiency, ranking #1 in the league, in part due to his athletic ability. He hasn’t quite kept that level of play in the redzone up, but remains a threat on the ground, and he showed off that ability against the Browns. He accelerated into the endzone twice on Sunday, after being left unaccounted for by the Browns D. Having it happen once was frustrating, but having it happen twice was negligent.
Five Good
1. Gordon’s Alive
Josh Gordon returned from suspension and quickly reminded everybody of what they were missing. He went off for 10 receptions for 146 yards and a TD, plus a further 22 yards rushing on an end around. It was the kind of dominant WR performance that has been absent from the Browns since Braylon Edwards’ career year in 2007. Gordon looked uncoverable against the Vikings and flashed rare elusiveness for a WR of his size. His performance was so good that he grabbed the headlines over Jordan Cameron, who only caught 3 TDs on the day. It is becoming clear that he has the ability to be one of the very best receivers in the NFL, he just has to prove that he has the mentality.
2. Sacks o’ sacks
Pass rush has been a perennial problem for the Browns, but it is beginning to seem like it’s one that has been solved. Eight different players on the Browns have recorded at least one sack, and they managed 6 in total against the Vikings. Barkevious Mingo got his second sack in as many games, with Phil Taylor, Billy Winn, Desmond Bryant, Jabaal Sheard and John Hughes joining him in the boxscore. They also added 8 quarterback hits. The pass rush has been so effective rushing 4 and 5 players that we are yet to see TJ Ward used much as a blitzer, a player that had been expected to feature heavily in the pass rush.
3. Hoyermania
Hoyer did throw 3 interceptions, but he also threw for 321 yards and 3 TDs, achieving just about as much as anybody could have hoped for from the St. Ignatius grad. He had a stellar first half in Minnesota, going 14-23 for 174 yards and 2 TDs, to Josh Gordon and another to Jordan Cameron on a beautiful throw. His big moment came later, when with 3:21 left in the game he drove the team 55 yards down the field and won the game with another TD pass to Jordan Cameron in the back corner of the endzone. He ran the offense efficiently, got the ball out quickly and came up in the clutch, despite being asked to do more than he could have imagined in his first start for the Browns.
4. Lanningmania
“[They] said I threw it like a girl”. Spencer Lanning’s TD throw wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done. Named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, he became the first player since 1968 to punt, kick a PAT and throw a TD pass. He was much more than trick plays on Sunday though, punting for a 46.8 average, including a nice 56 yarder. In his first season as a starter in the NFL, Lanning has largely improved the quality of the Browns’ punting.
5. Victory Monday!
The first win of the season is always a sweet one, and this one was all the sweeter due to the context. The Browns had endured accusations of tanking all week after they traded former 3rd overall pick Trent Richardson for a first round pick. The team came out and played like it had something to prove, playing with focus on offense and a swagger on defense and won a game that they were not expected to win. The Browns FO got themselves a big FU win and the fans got a well-deserved Victory Monday.
The Factory of Sadness 