Cleveland Browns: Steelers Game, Season-Ending Press Conference

Breaking down the Cleveland Browns’ thrill Week 17 overtime loss and the team’s ensuing season-ending press conference.

The final weekend of the Cleveland Browns season was certainly one of the most exciting, not only because of a game that went to overtime with any number of twists and turns as well as the final press conference of the season.

Cleveland wrapped up their season with the final game in Pittsburgh. Then came the season ending press conference with executive vice president Sashi Brown, chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta and head coach Hue Jackson. There is plenty to dig into here, so let’s get to it.

The Browns lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were sitting a significant number of starters as they rested to heal for their playoff game since their spot was secured win or lose. Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Stephon Tuitt, James Harrison and Mike Pouncey were examples with Cam Heyward out due to a season-ending injury.

Many are focusing on the fact that the Browns lost to a JV Steelers team and they most certainly did. Hue Jackson didn’t run a gameplan specifically trying to beat the Steelers, having a number of people who have not played all year in starting roles to get tape on them. It also took a pick-six fumbled into the end zone for a touchback, a missed field goal and a lost fumble inside the 10-yard line to do it, but the Browns lost.

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And much like missing the field goal against the Miami Dolphins that would’ve won the game and losing any number of fourth quarter leads, it helped secure the first pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.

As much as being 3-13 or 4-12 might look better from a standings point of view, this puts them in better position to change the team’s future, provided they make this draft count. The team would still be in need of substantial improvement, except they’d have worse draft assets to utilize and may not be able to coach in the Senior Bowl.

The most common argument against this is that losing will sap the players will to compete, nay, their will to live. In the press conference, it was noted by the media that the players seem extremely positive and excited for getting ready for next season.

Those players’ performances on the field gives the same impression. Even though they lost, the Browns left everything they had on the field, which unfortunately included the ball a few times. There wasn’t any indication that this team was just playing out the string to get to the offseason or thinking about where they were going on vacation when the game was over.

Part of this is due to the fact that the Browns have 29 rookies in the organization between the active roster, the players from the practice squad signed to futures contracts and players on injured reserve. They haven’t proven anything and want to ensure they have a future in the NFL. In fact, during the press conference, DePodesta discussed this (per Cleveland.com):

"I think more than 25 percent of our snaps were taken by rookies, which was not only the most in the league but the most in the league at any time in the last four years and by a pretty wide margin."

The Browns also had veteran players that refused to stop giving it everything they had. Joe Haden played through multiple groin injuries (that will require surgery) and a neck injury on Sunday. Joe Thomas has been dragging his knee around half the season. They could have shut it down, but never quit, playing to the final whistle. And when respected players are doing that, it sets a tone for everyone else.

Dec 24, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas (73) during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

The discussion of “changing the culture” is long and arduous process, but these are points that are worth noting as that process goes along. It’s noteworthy to see and hear how happy players are going into the offseason considering the standings, Joe Thomas chief among them, but certainly not alone.

The other part of the Steelers game that was important was the amount of value they got from evaluating young players. Anthony Fabiano, an undrafted free agent out of Harvard that the Browns added, showed capable of playing as a backup center. He also has a ton of upside going forward.

Austin Pasztor got to play a game at right guard where he looks like a more natural player. Pasztor deserves a medal for how well he played right tackle this year, allowing the team to really take their time and prepare Shon Coleman the right way. Next season, Pasztor could be in the mix to start at right guard, especially with John Greco’s injury situation, but also gives them a player who can backup left guard, right guard and right tackle. He’s now played all three for the Browns.

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As for Coleman, he got a chance to show what Browns fans have been waiting for, playing right tackle for a little less than a half. Huge with good feet and obvious strength, Coleman was impressive in his debut. Coleman came out of a simplified blocking scheme that asked their lineman to do very little, was switching from left tackle to right tackle and was recovering from an MCL tear when he was drafted.

Rather than rush him and potentially have him pick up bad habits, Pasztor allowed the Browns to take their time with Coleman and get him comfortable and confident, which is critical for a young player. Now, if he has a good offseason, there is no reason to believe Coleman won’t be competing for the starting right tackle job and is a good bet to take it.

While evaluating Fabiano, Cam Erving played some right tackle which was up and down. He has a bad habit of overextending, which is what got him beat on the sack by Bud Dupree. It’s clear how athletic and strong he is, but he has to get better at technique and knowing his landmarks. Unfortunately, it also ended with Erving spraining his MCL.

The speculation from many is that this means the end of Cam Erving at center. It seems more likely that the Browns wanted to evaluate Fabiano against a live opponent. Moving Erving to tackle gave them a chance to see him in case of injuries. Only time will tell if it’s true that the Browns are done with Erving at center.

As Fabiano noted in his press availability this week, the offensive line had no idea that Erving was going to play tackle or that he would play center against the Steelers. It wasn’t something long in the works. It was something they did for the last week of the season along with a number of other moves.

George Atkinson took his first carries of the entire season and Seth DeValve and Ricardo Louis received a lot of reps. That’s just what the game was for this staff—getting a final look at a lot of young players as they head to the offseason. It should prove invaluable. And even with all of that going on, the Browns had every chance to take out the undermanned Steelers.

This leads to the press conference that happened on Monday.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com probably asked the best question in getting Sashi Brown to give a quick analysis of the players they picked from the previous year. It was the first time the public really got to hear him weigh in on his first draft class.

Beyond that, the press conference largely boiled down to an argument between members of the media and the Browns front office over the quarterback position. And it wasn’t even so much about getting a quarterback as it was about trying to get the organization to eviscerate the quarterbacks on the roster, particularly Robert Griffin III. The staff wouldn’t bite.

Jan 1, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson talks with quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

What they did say was they were exploring every possible avenue to address the quarterback position and that it was critical to find the right one. They also said they’d address the position every year because of the value of it, citing some teams that have done that in the past.

It’s obnoxious because everyone knows the answer to the Browns quarterback position isn’t on the roster. There’s no reason to insist the team kill the guys on their roster to do it. It ultimately wasted half the press conference trying to get the front office to admit they ordered the “code red.”

This same antagonism came up when discussing the standings. No one is happy about 1-15 and what that means for the organization. Rather than try to squirm about it, the questions probably should have been aimed at figuring out what it will take to get better, what was learned from the past year and what will make this year more successful.

Here are some other questions that could have been asked and might have provided valuable insights but weren’t.

What should be read into about Cam Erving playing right tackle? What does it mean about his future at center and the team going forward?
Where is Nate Orchard in his recovery from his injury and what is his future with the team?
Emmanuel Ogbah has played both SAM and the 5-tech. How much of him playing at the 5 was out of necessity and would it be fair to expect that with more defensive line talent, he will go back to being a full time linebacker in base packages?
The draft is months away, but given the fact the team has control of 29 rookies going into next year that the team’s focus this year is more about quality than quantity?

These are just a few examples.

It’s popular to criticize the local media that cover the Browns in Cleveland, but the goal here isn’t just to point and laugh, especially since so many do it themselves with what they put out as coverage and analysis.

The point here is that there are only so many opportunities to ask questions, especially of Brown and DePodesta, that when they are completely wasted, it’s a disservice to anyone who might actually want to learn something from the point of view of the team. And for it to turn into a public display of past grudges is just embarrassing for all involved.

Not only should consumers demand better, but so should media that want to ask more insightful questions and provide better coverage because they do exist.

For now, the focus turns to the Senior Bowl and free agency. The Cleveland Browns will have the ability to get a week-long, hands on test run with some of the most talented senior prospects in the country. That is a substantial advantage as coaches can push them and see how they react and how they progress them during the week.

The team also has decisions to make and contracts to work out with their own free agents, including Jamie Collins, Terrelle Pryor and Isaiah Crowell with Crowell being restricted. How the Browns deal with these contracts will be an important step to seeing who this team truly wants to be.

Every offseason is important for the Cleveland Browns but with the amount of rookies they have and picks they have in the upcoming draft, this one is likely make or break for this front office. A roster with more rookies than veterans already will add another group of rookies, so the coaching staff will have their work cut out for them to find reps and develop these players when they do get to camp. This offseason may be a lot of things, but boring won’t be one of them. It will be one of the most fascinating since the team came back in 1999.

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