Buccaneers vs. Browns: What Are Experts Saying About Cleveland?
It wasn't pretty, but the Cleveland Browns (4-3) were able to stave off another winless club in the Oakland Raiders last weekend at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns get a third straight "winnable" game, as the 1-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers limp into town. As the Dawg Pound knows, there is rarely an easy victory when it comes to Cleveland.
Brian Hoyer and the Browns' offense was sluggish and ineffective over three quarters against the Raiders.
The 23-13 final score was flattering, as the defense exploited a near-laughable Oakland attack. They gave the offense excellent field position on multiple occasions through 3-and-outs and forcing a trio of turnovers.
Nonetheless, the Browns are above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2007 and have a chance to stay in the AFC North chase with a "W" over the Bucs.
Let's see what a variety of experts and analysts are saying about the Browns leading into Sunday.
Pat McManamon, ESPN.com: Jordan Cameron to Miss Time
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The Cleveland Browns added to their injury woes during the win over Oakland in Week 8 by losing their top offensive weapon in star tight end Jordan Cameron.
ESPN.com's Pat McManamon explains his status:
"Cameron missed practice Wednesday because he is part of the NFL's concussion protocols. He was injured in the win over the Raiders on a penalized hit at the end of a diving catch.
"I don't know where he was today, as far as symptoms," coach Mike Pettine said before practice started, "but you don't even start the clock [on practicing] until [players are] 'symptom-free.' ... That'll be a day-to-day thing based on where he is."
He missed two games at the end of the '12 season, and another at the end of '13 with concussions.
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Cameron's season of health problems continues. The bum shoulder has been replaced by a concussion, and as Coach Pettine said, timelines for symptoms to subside are hard to predict. More concerning is that this is the third head trauma in two years for No. 84.
While losing a Pro Bowl-caliber TE is obviously not ideal, it's not as a big a problem as it would seem on paper. Jim Dray is 6'5" and has been surprisingly effective as an under-the-radar free-agent signing in 2014 with nine receptions on 11 targets, averaging 13.1 yards per completion and a touchdown.
When called upon to catch passes, the 6'6" Gary Barnidge is also a reliable big body who's shown over the past two years with the Browns that he can rattle off large chunks. Both of them are very good blockers as well.
No one will say that Dray or Barnidge have anywhere near the exceptional athleticism of Cameron, but they can move the chains and rarely drop a pass.
In my opinion, Cleveland can definitely get by in the short term without Cameron, especially against a Buccaneers pass defense ranked 30th in the NFL.
The loss of Cameron just might force OC Kyle Shanahan to get a little more creative in his play-calling this weekend.
Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal: Johnny Continues to Wait
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After Cleveland's embarrassing road loss at the hands of Jacksonville two weeks ago, calls for Johnny Football rang out throughout the Browns fanbase and national media. Not everyone wanted Manziel in of course, but Brian Hoyer's dreadful performance at least reopened the conversation.
The Browns returned home and won in unconvincing fashion against a winless Oakland Raiders club. Regardless, coming away with a victory is the important thing no matter how bad it looked.
As we enter Week 9 of the NFL schedule and Cleveland prepares to host the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the question remains whether head coach Mike Pettine should insert Johnny to spark the offense if it gets off to yet another slow start.
Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal sheds some light on what Pettine is currently thinking of Manziel:
"“I think we all do [want to know how Manziel would perform],” Pettine said. “I mean, that’s a question that we need to have answered, but it’s not something that you can force. I mean, Brian’s our starting quarterback. That’s a difficult thing to say, ‘Let’s just go ahead and [play Manziel].’ All the games are meaningful now.
“If it ever gets to the point whether we’re potentially up big, down big, or if there’s a situation that calls for him to go in, we’ll get an opportunity to see him, but there’s a lot of football left to be played. You’re looking for an evaluation at some point, but what I’m saying is I don’t think you can force it.”
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Manziel's former Texas A&M roommate and top receiver in college, Mike Evans—now of the Buccaneers—says he still believes that his best friend can be the man if given the opportunity. Nate Ulrich reported in the same article as above:
"Evans is convinced there will be no turning back once Manziel receives a chance to start.
“He’s a great player,” Evans said. “When he gets his shot, I think he’s never going to come off the field.
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What if the Browns rushing attack is stumped by the Bucs 23rd—ranked run defense or their pass defense, which is ranked 30th in the NFL?
Hoyer came out on top last Sunday, but that was largely due to the stellar defensive efforts that awarded the team great field position and not drives of his own doing. Can Pettine afford not to try and slide Johnny in for a series?
I feel it's worth a shot, but not for a one-and-done play. Give Manziel an opportunity to throw the ball and use his legs to make things happen for at least a series.
Maybe the head coach is trying to avoid the storm of quarterback controversy questions that would arise if Johnny actually did well.
Zac Jackson, Fox Sports Ohio: Banged Up Defensive Line Loses Another
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During the hard-fought victory over Oakland at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland's injury-plagued defensive line took another blow when John Hughes went down.
Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio reports:
"Hughes was carted off the field late in Sunday's win over the Oakland Raiders, and further examination Monday showed an MCL injury.
His designation to return means the Browns could have him back for the season finale and potentially any postseason action; Hughes will be eligible to return to practice in Week 15.
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Once considered the deepest unit on the roster, Cleveland has at one point or another been without Desmond Bryant, Armonty Bryant, Ahtyba Rubin, Billy Winn, Phil Taylor and now Hughes.
D. Bryant has played in all games except for the season opener, and Rubin returned last week.
Winn is expected to finally get back from a nagging quad injury this Sunday, but it is unknown what his workload will be.
Phil Taylor is currently listed on the Browns website as second on the depth chart behind Winn. Taylor is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery from Oct. 8 and is not expected back for another one-to-three weeks.
Ishmaa'ily Kitchen is going to be counted on once again to log plenty of snaps in his next-man-up role. He's been steady, but having Rubin back for his second contest since missing time and the super-athletic Winn are all positive steps in getting this Browns line back in order.
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Mary Kay Cabot, the Plain Dealer: Mike Pettine Wants to Feed the Crow
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Many Browns fans, myself included, were stunned at the lack of touches given to undrafted rookie running back Isaiah Crowell in the win over Oakland this past Sunday.
"The Crow" only had one carry for a single yard and was thrown to once on a pass that netted eight yards. That's it for the team leader in rushing touchdowns.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan divvied out 15 carries to Ben Tate and seven to Terrance West for a grand total of 37 yards on the ground.
The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot explains head coach Mike Pettine's thoughts on Crowell:
"Hoping to see the Crow fly more? So is coach Mike Pettine. But first, the rookie running must unruffled the coach's feathers.
Crowell has been demoted to third-string running back ever since putting the ball on the ground three times against Pittsburgh. He dropped two pitches and fumbled the ball away after a 10-yard gain.
"We base it on the week,'' said Pettine. "We had a plan going in (to the Oakland game). In hindsight, we did want to get him more touches but just the way the game fell, especially at the end, we went with Ben (Tate) to finish the game out.
"More from (Tate's) history of protecting the football, we felt better about it. Isaiah, obviously, had the issues against Pittsburgh. It was just a risk-reward thing. We wanted Ben to finish the game out. It'll still come down to this week of practice, but I think we all would like to see Isaiah get more touches."
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West was benched a couple of weeks back because of attitude issues and Pettine shows that he doesn't play favorites. Hopefully the message has gotten through loud and clear to Crowell that he needs to protect the ball with his life.
Crow's flashes of brilliance have captured the imagination of the Dawg Pound, and there is even a flying crow graphic that appears on the big screens at FirstEnergy Stadium when he makes a play.
It will be interesting to see how Crowell responds if given an opportunity for significant carries this Sunday against a Tampa Bay club that is allowing an average of 123.9 yards per game in 2014.
Of course a large part of the ground attack's success in the Kyle Shanahan zone-blocking scheme comes down to the cohesiveness of the offensive line.
If new center Nick McDonald can jell with the rest of the O-line, then perhaps the Browns running backs can get back to their dominant selves from earlier in the season.
Tony Grossi, ESPN Cleveland: Can the Offensive Line Handle Tampa Bay's Defense?
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers record may read 1-6, but they have more talent then the standings show.
Led by defensive guru and former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith, the Bucs have yet to master their boss' tried and true scheme.
ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi breaks down the Bucs defense and what Cleveland can expect:
"...the “Tampa 2” defensive system, which leaves the pass rush to a four-man front and drops the linebackers and secondary into pass coverage. Like the offense, this side of the ball has talent, but it hasn’t been able to totally adapt to Smith’s defense as a unit.
The defense failed to put away games against the Vikings, Panthers and Saints. The marquee player here is defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who recently signed a contract extension for $51.5 million guaranteed and $95.2 million total. McCoy is a penetrating tackle who reminds Tampa fans of Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.
Two others are weakside linebacker Lavonte David, who was All-Pro last season but has not adapted easily to the Smith defense, and cornerback Alterraun Verner.
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Having to oppose a run-stuffing juggernaut like Gerald McCoy is bad news for a Cleveland running back group that has tallied a combined 62 and 38 yards over the last two games.
Much of the blame for the lack of ground success needs to fall on the offensive line, which has fallen apart when it comes to creating rushing lanes since Alex Mack was lost for the season three weeks ago.
This will be the line's second outing with Nick McDonald at center and John Greco moved back to his more comfortable right guard spot.
For offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's running attack to work, the O-line must be in complete sync and move as one, like a fence, to be effective. It was doing that through the Browns' first five matchups of 2014 with Mack.
Practice makes perfect in Shanahan's offense, and we will see how comfortable everyone is with McDonald snapping the ball when the likes of McCoy and Lavonte David come crashing forward series after series.
Final Score Prediction:
After another sluggish start, the Browns put points on the board late to topple Tampa Bay 24-17.
Leave your score prediction and thoughts on the game in the comments section below.
Andy McNamara is an international sports broadcaster and journalist.
Follow Andy on Twitter @AndyMc81
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