Eagles vs. Browns: Final Report Card, Player Grades for Cleveland

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-10 in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday night. Cleveland falls to 2-1 on the preseason, while the Eagles advance to a 3-0 mark. This game, for the most part, tells the tale of the fierce Eagles pass rush and the youth and inexperience of the Browns offense.

If Cleveland hopes things will be different for its home opener against the Eagles on September 9, the Browns are going to have to improve up front against the pass rush. If not, Weeden and the offense will be subject to the same types of errors caused by that rush.

Take a look at how the Browns graded out, unit-by-unit, in their loss to the Eagles.

Quarterbacks

Brandon Weeden—B

Weeden's performance consisted of nearly two full quarters of work. His opening drive, in which he completed 4-of-4 of his passes, was stalled after a missed blocking assignment blindsided him and caused a fumble.

He didn't fall apart after that, but he missed on nearly all of his passes downfield after his first 28-yard connection with Josh Gordon.

Weeden couldn't find time and was under fire for much of the night. However, at times, he stepped up into the pocket and delivered strikes despite the pressure surrounding him. The offensive line had fits with the wide-nine pressure of the Eagles' first- and second-team defensive fronts.

Colt McCoy—B+

McCoy used his mobility and athleticism to scramble and create opportunities for the Browns in the third quarter. He wasn’t perfect, but he put the ball in catchable places and used his feet to make things happen.

This is what Browns fans know and appreciate about their former starting quarterback.

Also, he did make a nice throw in coverage to Rod Windsor on third down to convert for a first down.

He finished with a nice touch pass off a play-action for a touchdown to tight end Evan Moore in the fourth quarter.

Seneca Wallace—F

Wallace’s first throw was thrown into double coverage, then deflected and intercepted by Cliff Harris. He recovered in his ensuing drive by making a couple nice throws, but could not orchestrate any points or any consistent success with the offense.

He was only given one drive on the night and didn't make any case for himself for the backup QB position.

Running Backs

Montario Hardesty—D

Despite some shift footwork and elusive runs to start, Hardesty was completely bottled up and unable to get anything, finishing with 12 yards on eight carries. He also fumbled in Browns territory—his second fumble in two games—leading to the first score for the Eagles.

Brandon Jackson—B+

Jackson came in for relief in the second quarter and made the most out of his opportunity. He carried for 34 yards on seven tries and also caught a nice seven-yard reception.

Adonis Thomas—B

Thomas showed nice footwork and deceptive speed in the second half. The speedster broke out a nine-yard run and took a short pass for 13 yards.

Owen Marecic—D

Marecic dropped a short gainer and wasn't much of an impact otherwise. The running game struggled, and the fullback didn't do anything out of the ordinary to help the situation.

He'll be asked to be a pass-catcher in the Browns' West Coast offense and must be able to contribute in order to keep his roster spot secure in the near future.

Wide Receivers

Josh Gordon—A+

With exception to one miss, Gordon hauled in three of his four targets. He started with an emphatic 28-yard catch down the sideline against superstar cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. He looked crisp, is improving each week and will be a weapon for the Browns for years to come.

Mohamed Massaquoi—A

Massaquoi came out and had a solid performance, hauling in two nice catches. Doubts have arisen lately about his ability to stay on the field and avoid concussions, but he certainly did what he could to dispel those doubts in limited time Friday night.

Greg Little—D

Little and Weeden were out of sync. On a key third-down play, Little slowed his route across the middle and Weeden fired it, leading him, just out of his reach. Seeing as how the rest of the Browns’ receivers seemed to be on the same page, Little has to take responsibility for this one.

He caught one pass for three yards on four targets. He also had a ball bounce off his hands in the end zone on a jump ball Weeden put up for him. However, there was tough coverage on the play.

Travis Benjamin—C+

Benjamin couldn't haul in a deep fade from Weeden, and another was overthrown. Those were his only two targets—something that should improve with time and practice with Weeden. His ability to stretch the field is apparent, though, and could be a game-changer for the Browns offense this season.

Jordan Norwood—B

Norwood had two catches on two targets, including a nice 19-yard reception on third down. He'll be a nice option for Weeden this season, as he can and will find his way into the soft spots of opposing zone coverages.

Tight Ends

Jordan Cameron—C

Cameron is going to be asked a lot of this season after having 2011 to mature and develop as an NFL player.

He caught one and dropped another on Friday, failing to make much of an impact in the passing game. His blocking, though it didn't stand out negatively, couldn't have been ideal given the struggles along the offensive line.

Alex Smith—B

Smith found an open spot in the defense, and Weeden found him. He took the ball downfield for a nice 20-yard gainer to get the Browns out of a bad situation. Like Cameron, his blocking did not help matters, as the pass protection suffered for the Browns.

Evan Moore—A

Moore was targeted four times and hauled in two of them for 15 yards. One of them was a touchdown in which he tip-toed the sideline of the right side of the end zone.

Offensive Line

Joe Thomas—B

Thomas had a so-so night, getting blown off the ball twice and absolutely destroyed on one of those plays. A couple of runs to his side were also blown up, but I'll get to that next.

Jason Pinkston—F

Pinkston didn't do much of anything right Friday night. Running to the left side was impossible. He got beat, and he got penalized.

Alex Mack—C+

Mack didn't do anything to stand out either way on Friday night. His blocking was efficient, but did not standout, as the line struggled as a unit.

Shawn Lauvao—C-

See Alex Mack. Also, a holding call on Lauvao hampered a Browns drive.

Mitchell Schwartz—F

Schwartz had a couple nice blocks in the opening drive, but was abused from that point. He was completely blown up twice, not able to find an answer for the wide-nine technique of the Eagles’ rushers.

Defensive Line

Jabaal Sheard—B

Sheard didn't make a huge impact, but his pressure on a third-down play forced an errant throw from Nick Foles and an ensuing punt. He recorded no tackles in limited playing time.

Billy Winn—A

After an eight-yard gain for the Eagles on first down, Winn blew up a LeSean McCoy run. He burst into the backfield and brought down McCoy for a four-yard loss. That's the type of gap-shooting DT the Browns hoped they had gotten in the late-round lineman from Boise State.

Ahtyba Rubin—B

Rubin also recorded no tackles, but was limited like Sheard. His pressure, at least in one instance, flushed Foles and caused a bad throw from the QB.

Frostee Rucker—C

Rucker, the Browns' key offseason addition on their DL, started for the first time this preseason but did not make an impact on the game in limited action.

Juqua Parker—A

Parker, a free-agent acquisition from the Eagles, laid a hit on the quarterback and created some pressure off the edge for a Browns defense that recorded no sacks Friday night. His pass-rushing as a rotational player may be a key for the Browns D this year.

Linebackers

D'Qwell Jackson—C

Jackson started his first game of the preseason but was a non-factor for the limited time he saw.

Kaluka Maiava—C

Like Jackson, Maiava didn't grace the highlight reel or even make his presence felt Friday night.

James-Michael Johnson—B-

Johnson was out of position at times, but then in perfect position at others. His pass deflection, accidental or not, disrupted a deep throw that would have landed the Eagles within the Browns' five-yard line.

It's hard to judge his performance because it was so up-and-down, but I think it was a positive one overall, hence the B- grade. Sure, his late-hit penalty cost the Browns a touchdown after David Sims returned an interception for a touchdown. However, after review, it didn't look like a penalty.

L.J. Fort—B

Fort recorded three tackles in his bid to make the team as an undrafted free agent. The outside linebacker position is wide open, as Chris Gocong is out for the season and Scott Fujita is awaiting suspension. 

He also played well on special teams and in rush defense, including a leaping goal-line stop that caused a Philadelphia fumble.

Craig Robertson—B

Robertson, Fort's competitor for a roster spot, also had a solid game and recorded four tackles. If Robertson and Fort both make the team, the Browns would have one of the youngest and most inexperienced linebacker corps in the NFL.

Defensive Backs

Joe Haden—A+

Haden picked off a deep Foles target for DeSean Jackson and deflected another pass. He also stepped up and emphatically blew up a bubble screen pass to Jeremy Maclin inside the Browns' 10-yard-line.

Sheldon Brown—F

Brown was beat three times in man-to-man coverage—once for a 45-yard gainer by UDFA Damaris Johnson and once by rookie Marvin McNutt. A touchdown pass to Johnson that he was also beat on was overturned.

Trevin Wade—B

Wade was involved in the backfield and came up to make a couple nice stops from his cornerback position. His size and skills have projected him to be a steal for the Browns in the seventh round of the draft. He's living up to that billing to this point.

Buster Skrine—B

Skrine was also active in the tackling game and came up to make a nice stop of his own.

David Sims—A-

Sims continues to make plays and show his ball-hawking ability in the secondary. He picked off a Trent Edwards pass and took it to the house, but the play was called back after James-Michael Johnson's late hit on Edwards.

Special Teams

Reggie Hodges—A-

Hodges had a punt blocked inside the Browns' 5-yard-line. The situation was bad, and the blocking coverage fell apart, but Hodges should have been able to get rid of that ball to avoid what could have been an Eagles score on the play. Still, I'm not holding it against him.

Phil Dawson—A+

Phil "Sure-Thing" Dawson delivered a nice 33-yard field goal and knocked in an extra point. He was as good as it got for the Browns in this one.

Johnson Bademosi—A+

Bademosi was involved in every special teams evolution. Whether he was making the tackle or disrupting returns with his downfield speed, he was making an impact. An impact on special teams is where he is going to have to find one if he hopes to make the Browns' 53-man roster next week.

Coaching

Pat Shurmur—A

Despite the idea that the Browns would hold back in this one, Shurmur still dialed up a couple things and wasn't afraid to let Weeden rip.

His decision to switch to a hurry-up caught the Eagles off guard and forced a penalty. Then, his decision to go for it on 4th-and-4 led to the Browns' lone touchdown on the night.

Dick Jauron—C

Jauron sent a very basic package of blitzes and got the results of that decision. There were no sacks and only two quarterback hits on the night for the Browns.

Chris Tabor—C-

Coverage—a problem in 2011—looked sloppy, and tackles were missed early. Things changed as the game went on, but the special teams unit under Tabor has not impressed thus far in 2012. After a down year in 2011, Tabor needs to reign in his squad and correct these fundamental mistakes.