Oakland Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns: What Are Experts Saying About Cleveland?
The Cleveland Browns (3-3) crashed hard in the devastating 24-6 loss to the then winless Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday after coming into that game riding high from a decisive victory over hated Pittsburgh.
Those two matchups were polar opposites, and the Browns have a chance this weekend to set things right in front of the hometown fans when the Oakland Raiders (0-6) come rolling in. Yes, another team looking for its first W of 2014.
Sometimes, a club just has a terrible outing, and the tape can be "burned" as a one-off.
However, Cleveland's coaching staff needs to take away a number of lessons from that defeat. The Raiders will surely try to emulate Jacksonville's run-stopping plan that forced quarterback Brian Hoyer into obvious 3rd-and-long passing situations.
How can the Browns adjust to keep their ground attack relevant and succeed if they are forced into difficult down-and-distance scenarios? Let's not forget about the defensive side of the ball, where Cleveland is currently ranked dead last in defending the rush.
Oakland may be the NFL's only franchise still without a win, but as the Browns know, those teams can still be dangerous.
Let's see what a variety of experts and analysts are saying about the Browns leading into Sunday.
Chris Wesseling, NFL.com: Hoyer vs. Manziel
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What a difference a week makes. Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer went from hero to goat in a heartbeat as the Browns were embarrassed by the then winless Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday.
Contract extension and rocketing jersey sales were the conversations around the NFL after Hoyer led his club to a dominant victory over rival Pittsburgh in Week 6. That all changed as the second half progressed in Jacksonville. Whispers of Johnny Manziel started creeping in.
Too soon? An overreaction by fans and media over one bad outing? Yes and yes. However, when the team's head coach gives hints of possible change, then there could be some substance to the panic.
Chris Wesseling of NFL.com explains more:
"The Browns 'briefly' discussed turning to rookie Johnny Manziel, coach Mike Pettine revealed Monday.
The coaches opted against a Manziel audition because Hoyer is still "firmly" the starter and they wanted him to end the game on a positive note.
Hoyer's 39 percent completion rate at Jacksonville was the lowest by any quarterback this season. Over the past two weeks, he's completing just 41.3 percent of his passes.
'I know this (game) severely dropped (Hoyer's completion percentage),' Pettine said, via The Plain Dealer. 'If it becomes a couple more games (and it's) still a trend, that's something to look at. ... That's not something to me is a concern today.'
Hoyer can be excused for struggling in his first game minus starting center Alex Mack. He can be back-patted for dropping big plays on the Steelers and leading last-minute comebacks against the Saints and Titans.
But it's telling that Pettine has already acknowledged the fluid nature of his quarterback room. Hoyer isn't the face of the franchise.
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It's no secret that the national media are clamoring for Johnny to get a start and replace the squeaky clean image of Hoyer under center. It's a sexier story if "Johnny Football" begins to roll, but it would be a ludicrous decision to bench No. 6 over last week's dud.
Based on Pettine's comments, all signs point to Hoyer starting at home against the 0-6 Oakland Raiders. If the northeast Ohio native can bounce back and get the Browns their fourth win of the season, then the Manziel replacement talk will dissipate. For the short term, anyway.
However, if Hoyer lays an egg at FirstEnergy Stadium, then the Dawg Pound will surely let him hear about it. The pressure would rise dramatically for the coaching staff to sub in Manziel the following Sunday and try to keep playoff hopes alive.
Hoyer is facing teammate injuries and obstacles that every QB must overcome at one time or another. 2014 is his chance to prove that he's a legitimate NFL starter, and this Raiders matchup is a big step in deciding that.
Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com: Browns Must Improve on 3rd Downs
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The last couple of years, Browns fans have been accustomed to thinking about defensive struggles when the conversation of third-down difficulties arose.
Cleveland's defense is far from perfect, but it was the offense's complete stink bomb of a performance in the loss to Jacksonville that is the recent cause for concern.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com does a nice job of breaking down the numbers as the orange helmets get ready to host Oakland on Sunday:
"Luckily for the Browns, this week’s opponent, the Oakland Raiders, allow 145.3 rushing yards per game, which is 29th in the league. Cleveland is determined to run the ball. But if the Raiders can somehow keep the Browns in third-and-long situations at least half the time, they can thwart the Browns’ play-action and tee off on the depleted right side of the offensive line.
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The Browns finished 4-of-17 on third down in this past Sunday's 24-6 loss to Jacksonville. They converted less than 25 percent of those attempts because of where they started; they faced 10 plays of third-and-7 or longer. Jacksonville held the Browns to 2.3 yards per carry, which made third down easy to manage for the Jaguars.
The season-ending injury to Pro Bowl center Alex Mack is of course devastating, but the shuffling of linemen was far from the only problem in converting third downs this past weekend.
This is a "next man up" league, and the Browns looked good on the fly during the Pittsburgh game, where Mack got hurt. John Greco moved to center, and Paul McQuistan subbed in at right guard.
That success obviously did not carry over, and that's where at least some blame must be thrown at offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The lack of creativity on play calls or the ability to adjust is unacceptable and helped lead to 3rd-and-long situations.
Some stability may return to the offensive line when the Raiders come to town if undrafted center Nick McDonald is healthy and up to speed.
Signed by the Green Bay Packers in 2010, McDonald would allow Greco to move back to right guard. This means that the successful run lane-creating efforts of Greco and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz can be re-established.
That then only leaves a question mark at the snapper spot. If McDonald turns out to be serviceable, then the Browns' rushing attack should return, which then helps to eliminate obvious long passing situations on third down.
Tom Reed, Cleveland.com: Justin Gilbert Flashes Glimpse of Potential
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After trading down with Buffalo to No. 9, Browns general manager Ray Farmer moved up one position to eight and drafted cornerback Justin Gilbert in May's NFL draft.
Expectations of Joe Haden and Gilbert being an immediate shutdown corner tandem quickly went away when the rookie got burned in exhibition and then regular-season games. Gilbert was even benched in favor of undrafted free agent K'Waun Williams.
Tom Reed of Cleveland.com breaks down the situation further:
"Gilbert had his best performance versus the Jaguars with (K'Waun) Williams sidelined because of a concussion. It's one game and it came in an embarrassing 24-6 loss to a previously winless opponent. But the cornerback was good enough to receive unsolicited praise from coach Mike Pettine during his Monday news conference.
'Kind of hidden in the loss yesterday, I thought Justin Gilbert played very well,' the coach said. 'He's practiced well, and it showed up on Sunday. We were very pleased to see that.'
There's probably never been a harder time to enter the league as a cornerback because of the restraining-fouls crackdown.
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Sometimes, achieving success, no matter the opponent, is essential for overall confidence building. For Gilbert it's about getting his technique down, not panicking when the ball is in the air and trusting his abilities in general.
The good news for Cleveland's 2014 top first-round pick is that he'll go up against the Oakland Raiders and their 32nd overall team offense this Sunday. Gilbert will take on a rookie quarterback for the second straight week, and this time it is Derek Carr.
Carr has done pretty well thus far considering the lack of weapons around him. He's put together a 60.5 completion percentage to go along with eight touchdowns compared to five interceptions. The Fresno State alum is a smart signal-caller who is good at going through his progressions.
That means Gilbert better still bring his A-game to continue steering his development in a positive direction.
If Williams is cleared to play from his concussion and the coaches feel that he got enough practice time in, it will be interesting to see how the snaps are divided between the two rookies.
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Marty Gitlin, CBS Sports: DT Ahtyba Rubin Has Shot at Playing Sunday
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Heading into this season, the Browns defensive line had the desirable combination of depth and talent.
That's a good thing because injuries to Phil Taylor, Billy Winn, Desmond Bryant, Armonty Bryant and Ahtyba Rubin at various times during the first six games have disrupted what should be a pass-disrupting, run-clogging front.
Marty Gitlin of CBS Sports reported some possible good news:
"Mike Pettine spoke optimistically Thursday about the possible return to action of Browns defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin on Sunday against visiting Oakland.
Pettine declared that Rubin, who has been sidelined the last two games with an ankle injury, practiced well on Wednesday.
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Getting the burly 6'2", 325-pound Rubin back for Sunday versus Oakland would be a definite plus, but how effective will he be and how much playing time is he going to get? Remember No. 71 practiced in a limited capacity last week and was held out of the Jacksonville contest.
Even before missing the last two matchups, Rubin and the D-line as a whole was far from their productive selves from a year or two ago.
The Browns have been horrid against the run all season, currently sitting 32nd in the NFL and allowing an average of 155.5 yards on the ground per game.
Rubin has zero sacks, no stuffs and 13 total tackles in 2014. Maybe it's learning yet another new defensive system, but the big man needs to be more of a force on both passing and rushing plays.
Oakland is last in the league in average rushing yards at 69 and its overall offense is ranked 32nd. That sounds like a recipe of success for Cleveland's defense. However, the winless Jaguars were far from world beaters, and we all saw the 185 rushing yards they posted against the Browns this past Sunday.
Mary Kay Cabot, the Plain Dealer: Mike Pettine Not Set on Three Running Backs
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Having depth at any position is a good problem to have in the NFL. The Browns own three quality running backs in veteran free-agent signing Ben Tate, 2014 third-round pick Terrance West and undrafted rookie Isaiah Crowell.
Splitting up the touches to give each RB a chance to make plays is the challenge for Cleveland's coaching staff. Having limited or inconsistent reps disrupts a runner's groove, which can make him less effective. That certainly looked to be the case for the Browns' anemic offense in Jacksonville last Sunday.
Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer elaborates:
"In Jacksonville, Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West all got carries, and none of them got in the flow of the game. 'We'll make a decision at the end of the week,' said Pettine. 'I don't want to lock it in and say we're set on three.'
Pettine re-iterated that the Jaguars thwarted the Browns' formula of running the ball and thriving on the play-action pass. He said 'we need to get back to the formula.' He added that he doesn't think teams can copy Jacksonville's formula perfectly in one week 'unless they're already built that way defensively.'
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A concerning comment from coach Pettine was that he thinks teams likely cannot copy the Jaguars' strategy of shutting down Cleveland's ground attack in a single week. Well, what about the Browns' opponents after Oakland in Tampa Bay and Cincinnati?
Hopefully, the staff is looking to improve or tweak the offensive strategy so that things don't immediately fall apart if the rushing game doesn't click.
The ball distribution against an Oakland club ranked 29th in run defense will be interesting to track. Each rusher has had success at different times this season, and everyone has reached the end zone.
Including the awful lack of production last weekend, here are how Cleveland's three main running backs stack up so far through six games:
| Name | GP | Rushing Attempts | Yards-Per-Carry | Total Rushing Yards | Touchdowns |
| Ben Tate | 4 | 69 | 4.0 | 279 | 2 |
| Terrance West | 5 | 59 | 4.1 | 243 | 2 |
| Isaiah Crowell | 6 | 51 | 5.0 | 255 | 4 |
Tate brings extra value as the superior pass-catcher and blitz blocker, so it makes sense that he would receive the heaviest workload.
When dividing up the other carries, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan needs to focus on one other RB so that they can get in a rhythm.
This is a difficult decision because in the early going this season Crowell has demonstrated the better one-cut, downhill delivery and has been more effective on fewer carries than West.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer traded up to get West in the draft. One would think that he would get an extended opportunity because of the investment compared to Crowell, who was signed as an undrafted free agent.
If I was calling the plays this week versus Oakland, it would be Tate as the feature back and Crowell getting all other touches. If The Crow thrives, then West would need to get comfortable riding pine.
Prediction: Brian Hoyer rebounds, and the Browns defeat Oakland 20-10.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com
Andy McNamara is an international sports broadcaster and journalist. Leave your predictions and thoughts on the game below in the comment section.
Follow Andy on Twitter @AndyMc81
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