Cleveland Browns Struggling to Replace Center Alex Mack
Sometimes you can’t truly appreciate what you have until it’s gone. That saying doesn’t just apply to love; it also applies to football. The Browns felt the absence of Pro Bowl center Alex Mack on Sunday more than anyone could have imagined.
When Mack was diagnosed with a broken fibula and placed on season ending injured reserve people were concerned but not panicked. I was told in the offseason by sources within the Browns that the team was comfortable with John Greco playing center if they could not get Mack to return. Plus, Greco had been playing very well at guard all year.
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How much harm could it do to slide him over to center and plug in Paul McQuistan at guard? After all, McQuistan started 30 games through 2012 and 2013 for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. It can’t be that bad, right?
Wrong. The offensive line was a sieve on Sunday allowing three sacks and countless pressures on quarterback Brian Hoyer. The Jaguars had nine tackles for loss and forced Hoyer into an interception and knocked a fumble loose from his hands on a drop back.
Hoyer was bad, but he didn’t have much time to be good.
Let’s take a closer look at three plays which illustrate just how poorly the line played against Jacksonville in the loss.
Play 1
This is the Browns' very first drive of the game and they are facing a 3rd-and-9 at their own 36-yard line. Hoyer is in the shotgun in an obvious passing situation. Running back Ben Tate will stay in pass protection for just a moment and then release into the flat.
The Jaguars defensive line is set up wide meaning the entire line should be blocking out with center Greco maintaining the space in the middle.
Greco makes the wrong choice and doubles the defender to his left. Rookie guard Joel Bitonio has been left one-on-one for most of the season and rarely needs the help. This leaves McQuistan one-on-one with his defender.
The defender starts rushing towards McQuistan’s outside shoulder and then uses a swim move to the inside. McQuistan doesn’t stand a chance and now there is an open lane directly to Hoyer.
Because the rush gets to Hoyer so quickly the play does not have time to develop. Remember, the Browns needed nine yards for the first down. He has to rush a throw off his back foot into tight coverage on Travis Benjamin. It falls incomplete.
If Hoyer has another second to survey the defense he would have seen tight end Jordan Cameron breaking open towards the near sideline. Instead he had to make a poor throw and the Browns were forced to punt.
Play 2
This is also in the first quarter of the game. This is the Browns second drive and the Jaguars are really setting the tone for how the game will play out in the trenches. This is second down and the Browns are trying to rely on their power running game.
This is a play the Browns run multiple times each week. It is a power run where the receiver in motion (Taylor Gabriel) will block the back side of the run, all the offensive lineman block down and fullback Ray Agnew leads the way through the hole.
This is the Browns' bread and butter play.
As soon as the ball is snapped Greco is grabbed and tossed to the side by Roy Miller. Remember, this is the first full game Greco has played center in his entire life. It is one thing to snap the ball in practice but it is another thing completely to have to block a defensive lineman as soon as you do it.
Miller is not just in the backfield but now will meet Tate at the exact point where he takes the handoff.
There is no explanation needed for this picture. It simply shows why the Browns managed just 69 rushing yards on 30 attempts. Tate was met with a bear hug as soon as he received the handoff.
Play 3
We now go to the second quarter with the Browns leading 3-0 and threatening to put a touchdown on the board. They had sustained a long drive and looked to be gaining control of the momentum.
It is 1st-and-goal at the Jacksonville 4-yard line and this is where the Browns make their money. Even after coming up empty on Sunday they are ranked eighth in the NFL in red-zone touchdown efficiency, according to TeamRankings.com.
This is another power slam into the A gap on the right side. McQuistan and Mitchell Schwartz will block out, Greco and Bitonio will block out the other way and Agnew will bulldoze through the gap to give Tate a clear path to the end zone.
Sen’Derrick Marks blows McQuistan so far off the line that Agnew is forced to go outside. Even though the play has already been tainted, Tate will still have a running lane if McQuistan can just hold his block. He will just not have a lead blocker to usher him into the end zone but he may still have a shot to get back to the line of scrimmage.
As you can see, McQuistan did not hold his block and Marks makes the tackle before Tate can get anywhere near the hole. Even if he had broken that tackle there was a defender waiting for him because Agnew was forced to the outside and could not pick up the first defender through the hole.
In the NFL, offense is like a ballet. It is 11 pieces moving in a synchronized pattern that allows the ball to move downfield. When one piece is disrupted it throws off all the timing. When one piece is annihilated on almost every play, then you get an offensive performance like you saw on Sunday.
The Browns are better than that. At least they will be better than that again if they can figure out how to fix the issues that have risen from the wake of Mack’s season-ending leg injury.
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