Cleveland Browns: Offense Has Talent, Lacks Cohesion
By Peter Smith
The Cleveland Browns have shown a lot of talent and explosive playmaking on the offensive side of the ball this preseason and training camp. What they haven’t shown is consistency and cohesion to this point, which is holding them back on the scoreboard.
There is a lot to like about what the Browns have shown on offense in the preseason. The highlights and box scores look pretty good.
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Robert Griffin III is 18 of 30 for 322 yards, three touchdowns and an interception with five carries for another 40 yards. He’s been far more decisive as a passer and getting rid of the ball much earlier in the play, which is critical to his success. Hue Jackson’s love of the downfield passing game has been great for Griffin.
Duke Johnson has carried the ball seven times for 39 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards. In ten total touches, he’s averaging 5.8 yards. Perhaps caution on the part of the Browns and knowing what he is, Johnson has been used sparingly.
Isaiah Crowell has 16 carries for 65 yards. The scheme change has been a good one for Crowell who has been pretty good. He’s not only been able to read blocks better but he’s also made opponents miss, creating yards on his own.
Terrelle Pryor has five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. The transformation of Pryor is not done, but the results so far have been remarkable. He’s legitimately a problem for opposing defenses and has the potential to really breakthrough in his transition to the wide receiver position.
Gary Barnidge has six catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Doubts that he couldn’t repeat the success he had last year appear to be overblown. Barnidge has been a reliable option for Griffin in tight spots and possesses big play ability as illustrated by his ridiculous touchdown catch against the Atlanta Falcons.
Josh Gordon caught a pair of passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, this is about all of Gordon the Browns will be able to see until week five. He’s certainly looked like the Gordon that took over the league in 2013. but his off field judgment will continue to hang over this team like a dark cloud.
These are all players the Browns are counting on to produce in this offense and they are all good results. The problem is that while these stats look good on their own, the combined product hasn’t been able to put it together outside of some impressive bursts.
Notably absent is Corey Coleman who debuted against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but the only pass he caught was called back on an offensive pass interference call against Terrelle Pryor for blocking a defender before Coleman caught the ball. The team is excited about Coleman and what he can be, but that hasn’t shown itself on the game field to this point.
One of the areas where the Browns struggle is third down. In three preseason games, the Browns have converted just 27 percent of the time on third down. Of the 33 third downs the Browns have faced, they have converted just nine of them and six of those conversions were in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Obviously that statistic includes backups but the percentage might be even worse if it was just the starters. It’s incredibly difficult to get into an offensive flow when possessions end almost before they even start.
The red zone has been no better to the Browns. They’ve managed to score just one touchdown in five opportunities. The one they scored was Cody Kessler’s touchdown pass to Rashard Higgins in the game against the Green Bay Packers. Of the other four, the Browns have settled for field goals or turned the ball over.
The good news is that the Browns have scored three touchdowns on explosive plays from outside the red zone. All of them Griffin touchdown passes, including a 50 yard pass to Pryor, a 29 yarder to Barnidge and a 43 yard touchdown to Gordon. Obviously, this is something the Browns are happy about and want to continue with in the regular season.
Having that explosive element means the Browns have the capability to put up points quickly and can keep defenses honest, but it doesn’t work on its own. They have to become efficient in the red zone if they have any chance of being competitive this year.
Some of this can be attributed to the new system, new personnel and the adjustment that comes with it, both by players and Hue Jackson figuring out what he has as it relates to playcalling. They need to be more comfortable and execute better, which would obviously improve their percentages on third down as well as in the red zone.
Adding to that is the fact the Browns are counting on major contributions from players with little if any production in the NFL. From rookies to players like Cam Erving and Terrelle Pryor who might as well be rookies, there are a number of players on this offense that are a virtual mystery coming into this season. Young players are going to make mistakes and that has already shown up in the preseason.
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The offensive line is having some trouble adjusting as well, especially with the loss of Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz. The good news is Cam Erving looks like an NFL lineman with a ton of room to grow and improve. He’s no longer the worst offensive lineman of the starting five. The bad news is he is still raw and makes mistakes due to a lack of experience.
Austin Pasztor has become the weakest link up front and it’s not entirely his fault.
Pasztor should be a guard. The fact that he is playing tackle is due to poor planning by the Browns. They need Pasztor to fill in at tackle until Shon Coleman or Spencer Drango are capable of taking over the job. At that point, Pasztor becomes a valuable swing man that can play both guard spots and fill in at right tackle if needed in a pinch.
Pasztor is a pretty good run blocker who excels as a puller. He can really clear running lanes when he blocks and can drive an opponent off the ball. Unfortunately, he struggles in pass protection and the more space he has to cover, the worse he gets. Pasztor is functional in a phone booth in pass protection but as shown by the Buccaneers, is in a world of hurt protecting the edge.
Pasztor had a nightmare game against the Bucs, getting called for multiple holding penalties and surrendering several pressures against a team without a premier edge threat. More accomplished pass rushers, especially rushers who can use speed and power will give Pasztor fits.
A lack of good options has put the Browns in a position where they need Pasztor to play tackle. The Browns could have avoided this problem had they simply used the franchise tag on Mitchell Schwartz. Pasztor could compete for at right guard while Coleman in particular could learn the right tackle job behind Schwartz. Schwartz then leaves next season and Coleman can take over the right tackle job, presuming he’s ready. The Browns get exemplary tackle play for the year while having a plan in place for the future.
Griffin’s career has been altered significantly because of hits he’s taken in his still young career. Many of those hits were his own fault, either by taking hits he could’ve avoided or holding onto the ball too long as a passer. Being in a situation where they have weak links on the offensive line in pass protection puts him at risk when they need him to stay healthy and be a dynamic dual threat for this offense to thrive.
Erving is still experiencing growing pains at center in terms of pass blocking. He’s unfinished as a run blocker but his mobility and strength can make up for some of the intricacies that he hasn’t yet developed. Pass protection is more difficult to learn because it’s so unnatural.
In particular, Erving and Joel Bitonio surrendered a sack when they were unable to effectively deal with a stunt by the Bucs. Both defenders ended up hitting Griffin. That was one of the five sacks Griffin took in just a half of play in that game. Improved communication and reps together should help with this, but Griffin pays the price for their learning on the job.
The run blocking has been promising. There are holes and backs are finding them. The combination of Johnson and Crowell has run 23 times for 104 yards, averaging 4.52 yards per carry. That’s good and the hope is it can become consistent when the games count, but the obvious concern is the fact they haven’t scored a touchdown.
Gary Barnidge’s blocking is a problem. Barnidge is a putrid run blocker and yet Hue Jackson, like John DeFilippo last year, is asking him to make important blocks in their running scheme. There have been multiple situations in the preseason where runs have been blown up or stopped for no gain because Barnidge was unable to secure his block on a play.
Hopefully, Jackson having seen this will stop trying to utilize Barnidge as an inline run blocker unless the play is going away from him. He might be able to block better split out where he can potentially crack opposing defensive linemen who don’t see him coming or take out linebackers that are more his size.
Randall Telfer might be the best hope for the Browns to have an inline blocking tight end this year and he seems to be working his way up the depth chart. At the very least, he’s appeared in each preseason game earlier and earlier, getting in with the starters against the Buccaneers. If Telfer can’t do it, the Browns may be utilizing Drango as a tight end in jumbo packages, which is hardly ideal.
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The Cleveland Browns have a lot on offense that is promising. They have more weapons than many expected coming out of the gate. They’ve also sunk a ton of resources into getting this offense on track, given it’s Hue Jackson’s side of the ball. As the team begins the regular season, the explosive plays will hopefully continue to be a weekly occurence. However, execution and consistency need to become hallmarks of this offense if Jackson is going to be right head coach for this team as they figure out what they have and what they still need.