Good day, Browns fans.
The third preseason game is traditionally the dress rehearsal for
the regular season. This game was a mixed bag. There was plenty to be encouraged about, but there were a lot of
things to be concerned about as well. As usual, lets take a closer look at what
happened.
Offense
The offense avoided the big mistake, especially the turnovers we
saw in the previous game. The starting offense had an excellent opening drive that resulted in a touchdown. But
after that, the offense produced just three points until the third string came
up with 10 points on the last two possessions. Once again, there were a lot of
short, horizontal plays. There were a few medium-depth plays scattered
throughout. One of the biggest bright spots was the return of Braylon Edwards,
who surprisingly played 16 plays.
If the offensive line is the heart of the team, a lot of what went
right and what went wrong falls here. The quarterbacks rarely had much time to
throw, and the holes were not always there for the running game. Once again,
with the starting unit, the problems were generally at the tackle position.
Kevin Shaffer yielded a sack and overall had a so-so game. In fairness to Kirk Chambers, someone I blasted last week, he did better this week, even getting
some blocks down the field on running plays. Still, he is not the backup the
Browns want at tackle. Nat Dorsey returned and was up and down. Ross Tucker
continues to look decent at center, though he botched the snap count on one
play. Rob Smith look serviceable at center. Alonzo Ephraim returned and did not
look as good as in the Eagles game. He had a fumbled exchange and a bad snap.
This combined with the suspension probably means he will be departing soon. The
backup line might have had their best showing to date, but of course, that was
against the Buffalo backups. This game did not do a lot to dispel my concerns
about the line.
Charlie Frye was pretty much the same as he has been. He had an
excellent throw on a third down on
the opening drive. He threw a lot of short stuff. But while he was 6 for 6 on
the opening drive, he was only 6 of 10 for 21 yards after that. Frye
was not helped by poor protection, and he was sacked twice. The good news here
is that Frye took care of the ball and avoided mistakes. Ken Dorsey missed an
open Kellen Winslow and generally
didnt do much. One pass was badly thrown and probably should have been
intercepted. In my opinion, Derek Anderson has overtaken Dorsey, and he led the
Browns to 10 points. His touchdown pass was well thrown and he ran a two-minute
drill that included some nice out routes. Still, neither Dorsey nor Anderson is
ready for the #2 job. It remains to be seen if the Browns will pursue a veteran
backup.
Clearly, Reuben Droughns and Jerome Harrison will be the one-two
punch at running back. Droughns looks ready to pick up where he left off last
year. Harrison got playing opportunities with the starters, and not just on
third down. He continues to play well and should be an excellent change of pace for Droughns. Interstingly, the
Browns went to Jason Wright next. He has not had a lot of chances in the
previous games, and looked decent. William Green got three rushes including a
15-yarder, but it may be too little, too late. Lee Suggs did not play on
offense. Terelle Smith had some nice blocks and one carry. Lawrence Vickers saw
limited action as well.
All of the wide receivers had at least one catch. Most of the
focus was on the return of Edwards. In addition to a big third-down catch where
he bulled through two tacklers, Edwards had some nice blocks and took hits well.
It appears to me that Frisman Jackson has pretty much doomed himself with too
many drops. In particular, he missed a pass that was a little high but in his
hands on third down. Instead of a first down, the Browns had to punt. Meanwhile,
Josh Cribbs and Kendrick Mosely continue to catch everything that comes their
way.
Kellen Winslow was used
sparingly as a receiver. Steve Heiden had a touchdown, but he also gave up a
sack. Darnell Dinkens played but the ball did not come his way.
Defense
After two very encouraging performances, the defense had some
problems in this game. With all of the personnel being shuffled in and out, its
difficult to know exactly what it means. Willie McGinest and Chaun Thompson
returned to action, but Daylon McCutcheon and Gary Baxter were still out,
forcing the Browns to start journeyman Ralph Brown again. While there were some
excellent plays along the way, the
pass rush continues to be spotty, there were problems against the run when Ted Washington was not in the game, and certain players in the secondary got
torched.
The line continues to do well when Washington is in, but unlike
the previous game, Nick Eason did not do as good a job of backing up the nose.
Ethan Kelley seemed to get more chances at nose and was not awful, but certainly
no Ted Washington. When Washington is in there, it allows the ends, especially
Orpheus Roye and Alvin McKinley to make plays. I think Simon Fraser has played
his way into a roster spot as well.
There was plenty to be
encouraged about at the linebacker position. This may be one of the toughest
positions to make roster decisions about. McGinest looked rusty, but he is a
veteran and should be ready to go by September 10. Matt Stewart has been a
pleasant surprise with his solid play, though he did miss a sack that turned
into a Buffalo touchdown. Kamerion Wimbley continues to impress in pass rushing
situations and has the speed to play the run effectively. Despite the staffs
reluctance to play rookies, Wimbley should see significant playing time. Wimbley
forced a fumble and disrupted several plays. Chaun Thompson needed to have a
good showing given that DQwell Jackson did some good things in the first two
games. Thompson provided some speed in the middle and had a pretty good game.
Both Jackson and Leon Williams made some good plays. David McMillian had a
penalty, but once again did not repeat his showing from the first game.
Once you get past Leigh Bodden, the cornerback situation is not
good. Ralph Brown did have an interception, but he also got toasted on the first
Bills touchdown. Brown seldom was able to cover his man. Daven Holly got called
for defensive holding, though I thought the call was questionable at best. Pete Hunter is now playing largely at garbage time, and barring continued injuries to
the starters, one wonders if he can stick. At safety, Brodney Pool and Sean Jones continue to duke it out. Jones had a hard hit to break up a pass and Pool
had some good coverage on the tight end. Justin Hamilton continues to bolster
his chance and had an interception in the end zone.
Special Teams
This game was not as good a showing by the special teams. Phil Dawson missed two field goals, both over 50 yards, but one he got a
second chance when the Bills had 12 men on the field. He connected from 46. Jeff
Chandler made the game winner as time expired. Dave Zastudil continues to show a
strong leg, but he needs to work on dropping the kicks inside the 20. The
coverage teams had their problems in this game, though Corey McIntire had a
great tackle on the opening kickoff of the second half. Meanwhile, the kick and
punt return games for the Browns were OK. Cribbs had a decent kickoff return and
Northcutt had one so-so return.
Coaching
There isnt much to say here except that some of the decisions
about who played when were interesting, and probably gave some hints about who
will make the team. In particular, the running back decisions might be due to
continued plans to shop Green and Suggs, or it may be that the team has simply
given up on them. I also found the decision to attempt a 56-yard field goal
interesting. The miss set up Buffalo in great field position with nearly two
minutes remaining in the first half. It led to a field goal.
Given that Buffalo repeatedly derailed themselves with penalties
and miscues, the Browns could easily have lost this game. While good things
happened, the team has plenty to fix
before the Saints come to town in two weeks.
Looking Ahead
The final preseason game against the Bears is on Thursday. This
will be the last chance for the staff to sort out the bottom of the roster.
The season is short, bark hard!