Cleveland Browns: Talking to myself about getting a kick out of the defense -- Terry Pluto - cleveland.com

TAMPA, Florida – Talking to myself about field goals and sacks as the Browns defense looks nasty good:

QUESTION: Did you see that?

ANSWER: What?

Q; That Olivier Vernon guy just running over Tampa Bay Buccaneer lineman Demar Dotson and then drilling QB Jameis Winston?

A: You mean the guy brought in by general manager John Dorsey? The Pro Bowl defensive end from the New York Giants?

Q: Right, the fast guy...

A: Actually, there were a lot of fast guys on defense for the orange helmets, and Myles Garrett only played the first series of the game. On one play, the Pro Bowl defensive end...

Q: Which one?

A: Garrett. I forgot, the Browns now have two Pro Bowl defensive ends. Anyway, Garrett was double-teamed, but Vernon roared through the Tampa offensive line...

Q: Didn’t you say that already?

A: I opened this discussion with Vernon’s SECOND sack. I’m now talking about his FIRST sack.

Q: He had two?

A: Yes, and also a quarterback hit that didn’t result in a sack. He spent more time in the Tampa backfield than Bucs running back Ronald Jones.

Q: The Browns had how many sacks in the first half?

A: Five.

Q: FIVE?

A: On one play, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson picked up Winston and threw him into Browns teammate Chris Smith for a sack. Two more sacks came on blitzes from Christian Kirksey and Denzel Ward.

Q: A pretty good day for Steve Wilks?

A: The new defensive coordinator didn’t blitz a lot. But his guys were roaring all over the field. Tampa didn’t play top receiver Mike Evans. But Winston is the starter. A lot of other starters were on the field. The Bucs offense did nothing ... zero ... in the first half.

Q: You mean zero points?

A: That’s true. But I also mean the Bucs having to punt six times. On four occasions, they went 3-and-out. They had only 19 yards in 10 rushes. They had zero first downs on the ground. Oh my goodness, the defense had a coming out party.

Q: What about the Browns offense?

A: Austin Seibert was 4-for-4 on field goals ... from 54, 36, 34 and 30 yards.

Q: I wasn’t talking about the kicking game...

A: You would if the rookie missed some kicks.

Q: Get real, the offense...

A: First, the disclaimer. No Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham.

Q: What about Baker Mayfield?

A: I counted at least three drops from receivers. Two by Derrick Willies, one by Rashard Higgins.

Q: Are you making excuses for Mayfield being 10-of-26 passing for only 72 yards?

A: I thought his timing was off. He was a little late or inaccurate with too many throws. He also had some passes sail high. This was warm weather, not especially windy. He lacked his usual decisive feel for the passing game.

Q: What was the deal with Kareem Hunt?

A: I expected more. The Browns opened with their projected starting offensive line. There didn’t seem to be a lot of holes for the running back. But he didn’t look especially quick or sharp, only 11 yards in five carries.

Q: Are you worried about the offense?

A: No. But I do wonder if the offense will look a little ragged early in the season. Teams don’t want to play their starters long in the preseason because of fear of injuries. We won’t know what the offense looks like until the regular season. Beckham and Landry are not expected to take a snap in the preseason. Chubb barely played.

Q: What’s the bottom line?

A: The starting offensive line didn’t protect Mayfield very well, nor did it appear strong in run blocking. For the Browns, the defense and Seibert’s kicking were the best parts, the offense (especially the line) needs a lot more work.

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https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2019/08/cleveland-browns-talking-to-myself-about-getting-a-kick-out-of-the-defense-terry-pluto.html

2019-08-24 15:38:00Z
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