Helping You Decide Between Concern and Optimism in the Cleveland Browns Loss
Not sure how to feel about the Cleveland Browns' 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers? Don’t worry, because you’re not alone.
It is tough to decide exactly what to think about a team that took such drastic swings in momentum in just four quarters.
Should you be apprehensive because the Browns struggled so mightily in the first half? The offense looked exactly the way it did in the preseason and seemed destined to dwell in the basement of the NFL.
How about the defense in the first half, which was gauged by Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh passing attack?
Maybe you should be excited about an offense that looked efficient and punishing in the second half. The Browns came out of halftime and looked like a smash-mouth football team hell-bent on imposing their will on the opponent.
The defense was lights-out as well and created turnovers and opportunities for the offense.
In the end, the Browns lost. You might feel even more lost because of how extremely different the two halves unfolded.
Let’s try and clear things up by listing the reasons for optimism and concern after Week 1.
Reason for Optimism: Brian Hoyer’s Second-Half Efficiency
1 of 7
It seems crazy now, but there were plenty of people—including the CBS broadcast team—who were clamoring for the Browns to replace Brian Hoyer with Johnny Manziel at halftime. It did not seem that crazy at the time, however.
At halftime, Hoyer was 4-of-11 for 57 yards. He looked lost, he looked scared to step up into the pocket and he looked like he had no business as a starting quarterback. Then everything changed.
Hoyer was a completely different quarterback in the second half, and it had a ton to do with the hurry-up offense. It kept the Steelers defense on its heels and made Hoyer more comfortable in the pocket.
In the second half, Hoyer was 15-of-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, he forced less passes into bad situations and took what the defense gave him. That is who Hoyer needs to be if the Browns are to have any success this season.
Most importantly, Hoyer may have grabbed a stranglehold on a leadership role within the team.
Apparently he and other team leaders, including offensive lineman Joe Thomas, linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Donte Whitner, made a powerful statement to the team at halftime. Per 92.3 The Fan's Daryl Ruiter:
""We said are we going to lay down and doe or are we going to find our true identity..I'll take that team any day" Hoyer
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) September 7, 2014"
Reason for Concern: Justin Gilbert
2 of 7
Let me start by saying that most cornerbacks who make the jump to the NFL level struggle in their rookie season.
Buster Skrine was a whipping boy for opposing offenses his first year in the NFL. Even Pro Bowl corner Joe Haden had plenty of bumps in the road his rookie season.
Justin Gilbert couldn’t make any worse of a debut. He was abused and targeted from the very beginning of the game. Ben Roethlisberger knew exactly who he wanted to go after, and it worked to perfection.
Gilbert even gave up the 20-yard pass to Markus Wheaton which set up the game-winning field goal. Sunday will be a day that Gilbert would rather not have on his career highlight film.
The important thing, though, is that Gilbert learns from the beating. Right, Justin?
“I just got to play ball,” Gilbert told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I know they’re going to come after me, so there’s nothing to learn from this game because I already knew what was going to happen.”
There is nothing to learn? Oh boy.
Reason for Optimism: West and Crowell
3 of 7
When Ben Tate was not able to return to the game in the second half, it looked like that would be a major blow to an already reeling offense. The Browns barely moved the ball, and the only person who had any kind of success was Tate.
He finished the first half with six carries for 41 yards.
Have no fear, the youngsters are here. Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell not only picked up the slack for Tate in the second half, but they were dazzling. West had multiple highlight-reel runs and posted a gaudy 6.3 yards per carry on 16 attempts.
Crowell touched the ball just five times but rushed for 32 yards and two touchdowns on those carries. The two combined for 21 carries, 132 yards and two touchdowns.
It looks like the Browns have a mean rushing attack whether Tate is on the field or not, and that is certainly reason to be optimistic.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Reason for Concern: Tate and Cameron’s Injures
4 of 7
Ben Tate did not return in the second half because of a knee injury. Tight end Jordan Cameron apparently also injured his shoulder on his diving 47-yard catch on the Browns' first offensive possession, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:
"#Browns TE Jordan Cameron said he aggravated shoulder on 47-yard catch in 1Q. "I don't know how serious it is," he said. "We'll wait & see."
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) September 7, 2014"
While we still do not know the severity of either injury, both should be cause for concern.
We will start with Tate. He has a history of injuries throughout his career, and that was a big question mark when the Browns signed him this offseason.
While the backups—Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell—looked good on Sunday, Tate is the veteran who knows blitz pickups and blocking schemes the best.
As far as Cameron goes: If the Browns don’t have Cameron on the field, then I’m not sure who will be their go-to receiver in late-game situations.
You saw in the fourth quarter Sunday that there was no pass-catcher who could make a play and win the game for the Browns.
If he is gone for an extended period of time, it will really be a blow to a very thin offensive attack.
Reason for Optimism: Chris Kirksey
5 of 7
I want to find every predraft scouting report on Chris Kirksey and burn them. The rookie linebacker from Iowa can flat-out play.
Sure, there will be some growing pains, but he was better than advertised in coverage and around the line of scrimmage on Sunday.
He nearly had an interception, sacked Roethlisberger and had tight coverage on multiple occasions.
The Browns desperately needed a complementary player to play alongside of Karlos Dansby, and they may have found him.
The further into the game it got, the tougher it was to spot Craig Robertson. He did not spend much time on the field, and that is a good thing for the Browns.
Reason for Concern: Shanahan’s Play-Calling Late
6 of 7
The main reason the Browns were able to claw their way back into the game against the Steelers was not Brian Hoyer. It was the fact they were able to establish a dominant run game, and the Steelers had to respect that.
The second the Steelers were on their heels thinking about the run, Hoyer was able to take his time, survey the defense and deliver good passes downfield. The run set up the pass.
With that in mind, it is very tough to understand why, during the Browns' final two drives of the game when it was tied late in the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan called eight pass plays and just three run plays.
Hoyer is not Tom Brady, and you cannot put the game on his shoulders. More concerning was that on second down, when they had the ball with just over one minute to play in the game and were deep in their own territory, Shanahan called for a pass and essentially saved the Steelers a timeout.
You never want to play for overtime, but the Browns were buried in their own territory. The clock is your ally when you are at your own 14-yard line.
Reason for Optimism: They Responded to Pettine After Halftime
7 of 7
In the movies, when a team is down big, the coach will come into the locker room and deliver a passionate, high-intensity speech which fires up the team and drives the players to succeed in the second half.
Well, there is more than one way to skin the cat.
Head coach Mike Pettine did not come into the locker room and yell and scream. He did not even address the team and what they needed to do. Instead, he sat back and let his locker room leaders deliver his message.
Throughout this entire offseason, Pettine has tried to make the Browns take on his personality. General manager Ray Farmer helped him by signing guys like Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby, who were naturally similar to the fiery defensive coach.
He strategically kept an even keel and allowed his coordinators to be the messengers for his word. He sat back in practice with a snarl on his face and only spoke to players when he felt it was absolutely necessary.
The team performed like they believed in Mike Pettine in the second half on Sunday. The players performed like they were Mike Pettine. That is an early sign of a good NFL head coach.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
