Kudos to new owner, Jimmy Haslam III! We finally have an owner who truly loves football, and the first owner—out of the three owners the Browns have had—to ever sit in the Dog Pound during a game!
By GREG PRUITT
Guest Call & Post Sports Reporter
This is Greg Pruitt reporting on the third preseason game. After looking so promising in the first two preseason games, the browns came out strong against the Eagles, but after completing three passes to three different receivers—28 years to Josh Gordon, 19 yards to Alex Smith, 12 yards to Mohamed Massaquoi—the Browns drove to the two yard line, when the mental wheels came off. All the things you can’t afford to do, they did (fumbles, holding and missed blocking assignments). Bad news: we are not 3 and 0. Good news: if what happens is going to happen, preseason is where you want to find out what you need to do to get better. So don’t jump off the wagon just yet. This is a very difficult schedule and like coach Shurmur said, the Browns are going to be a much better team and can beat anybody but must play well, because if they don’t, anybody can beat them.
We are still trying to get players well and back on the field so we can play our best players at every position.
Let’s review.
Quarterbacks: Bandon Weeden shows signs of real promise, but has to continue to be more consistent with his strengths—strong arm accuracy and pocket presence—but has to stop holding on to the ball too long. Securing the ball at all times is important, because some times you are just not going to get the time. I felt like the correct audible was not called at times (maybe intentionally). The Eagles put 8 and 9 people in the box most of the night and dared the brows to do something about it. Perhaps because we play the Eagles again in 13 days, the Browns didn’t want to show those adjustments (sounds crazy, but those defensive fronts are on film, now, and can be worked on in practice).
Like I said last week, Colt McCoy is not going away quietly. He has a pocket presence, seems to buy time for himself, and is doing a better job of securing the ball and not turning it over. Put together a 78-yard drive with a touchdown throw to Moore. He wants to stay so he is really playing hard for the backup role.
Running Backs: Montario Hardesty is struggling a little, it seems to me, and he did not play well the last two games, having a turnover in each one. That opens the door for Brandon Jackson as back up, who, in my opinion, is playing better both running and catching the football. It’s possible, with Ogbonnaya’s high ankle sprain, that if Trent Richardson’s left knee is not ready for the opener, Jackson could possibly start in the first game.
Wide Receivers: Josh Gordon had an impressive game—3 catches for 50 yards—one, a great 28-yarder along the sideline, showed great hands. He’s my favorite rookie receiver (being a Houston native has a lot to do with it—Home Boy Did Good). Norwood caught two passes for 23 yards, and Mohamed Massaquoi returned to action. We know his potential.
Tight Ends: Eric Moore had a touchdown catch and ran some pretty good routes.
Offensive Line: Left Guard Jason Pinkston had several mental breakdowns that killed the first quarter drive at the two-yard line. A false start, and then a holding call. It looked like a busted blocking assignment by the line. Like I said earlier, maybe the Browns just chose to block it straight up, and it resulted in Weeden getting the ball stripped, turning the ball over and getting no points out of the drive.
Defensive Backs: Overall, the defensive backs played well—linebackers and defensive line. The offense put the defense in some tough situations early, and a short field for the Eagles to score—14 points to be exact—which kind of set the tone for the rest of the game for the Eagles.
No, we are not 3 and 0, but what do we take from this game (other than this is not how you win games)? On the first drive, we looked like we can beat anybody. We drove the ball to the two-yard line and then had mental breakdowns of the worst kind—holding, jumping before the ball is snapped and not protecting the football. The bad news is, all those things will cost you a game, which it did. The good news is, they are correctable.
Expect some cuts and, unfortunately, some guys mad it easy for coaches to make those decisions.
Kudos to new owner, Jimmy Haslam III! We finally have an owner who truly loves football, and the first owner—out of the three owners the Browns have had—to ever sit in the Dog Pound during a game!
Go Browns!
