Cleveland Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons: What Are Experts Saying About Cleveland?
The Cleveland Browns (6-4) held onto first place in the AFC North for exactly 10 days.
Since the Thursday night victory over Cincinnati, the imaginations of fans exploded to thoughts of playoffs and maybe even a division title.
This past Sunday afternoon delivered a harsh reality check at the hands of J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans. An uninspired 23-7 defeat in front of the home crowd now has the Browns looking up at the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
In Week 12, the Browns hit the road to battle a surging Atlanta Falcons (4-6) club that suddenly finds itself atop the NFC South. The Falcons are winners of their last two and have an even 2-2 record in Atlanta.
Cleveland is so up-and-down this season that it's difficult to predict what to expect performance-wise. We do know that starting linebackers Karlos Dansby and Jabaal Sheard will not play and are set to miss an undisclosed amount time due to injuries suffered in the loss to the Texans.
Another certainty is that the NFL's 2013 leader in receiving yards—Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon—is available to play for the Browns now that his latest suspension is over. How much of an impact can Flash make after missing so much of the season?
Let's dive into the hot topics for Cleveland leading into Sunday with some analysis from experts and analysts.
Tony Grossi, ESPNCleveland.com: Josh Gordon Is Back
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Flash returns Sunday afternoon to save the Cleveland Browns' hot-and-cold offense from the talons of their opponents, the Atlanta Falcons.
That might be a tad overdramatic, but it is still a big deal that Josh Gordon is coming back from his 10-game league suspension for substance abuse violations. At 6-4, the Browns get an influx of Pro Bowl talent to try and keep them on a path to their first playoff berth since 2002.
Coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer have both cautioned about expecting too much out of Gordon right away since he's missed so much time.
Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland thinks holding back No. 12 would be a huge mistake:
"If they don’t utilize this phenomenal, elite talent instantly, they all ought to have a check-up from the neck up.
Gordon hadn’t played organized football in almost two years when he arrived in training camp in July (2012). He was not in football shape, yet he played in every game and wound up as one of the top three rookie receivers that season.
Last year, Gordon served a two-game suspension to start the season. When he jumped into the starting lineup in Game 3, it coincided with Hoyer’s first start in relief of injured Brandon Weeden.
Hoyer proceeded to target Gordon 19 times, connecting 10 times for 146 yards and one touchdown - plus Gordon ran for 22 yards on an end-around...Gordon went on to lead the league with 1,646 receiving yards in 14 games.
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Credit needs to be given to quarterback Brian Hoyer and his unheralded cast of receivers who have performed well above expectations through 10 contests. However, outside of Miles Austin (6'2"), there isn't a receiver on the roster above 5'10" who has caught a pass.
Unleashing Gordon (6'3", 225 pounds) gives Cleveland a huge advantage when it comes to jump-ball passing scenarios against the NFL's worst pass defense (Atlanta is ranked 32nd). It's the same bonus that Atlanta's Matt Ryan has when he tosses up bombs for the 6'3" Julio Jones to haul in.
Gordon's mere presence on the field assists the entire offense. Opposing defenses cannot stack the box to stuff Cleveland's rushing attack for fear that Flash could burn them over the top.
It should create space not only for running backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell but also for slot receiver Andrew Hawkins over the middle.
The body count continues to pile up on the defense, which likely means the Browns will need to score more points than they have been to stay competitive down the stretch. It's rare when the addition of one man can potentially help improve a team on so many levels.
An elite talent like "Flash" Gordon has the potential to do just that.
Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com: Ben Tate Needed to Go
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Ben Tate signed with Cleveland this offseason for an opportunity to become the feature running back he always felt he could be.
It was clear he was never going to get that chance in Houston behind Arian Foster. However, his participation in the Browns backfield changed on a weekly basis. On Tuesday morning, general manager Ray Farmer announced Tate's release.
The disgruntled RB was voicing his concerns over playing time publicly, which turned out not to be a wise decision for someone who only broke the 100-yard rushing mark once over eight games in 2014.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com explains why Tate had to go:
"Locked into the franchise's first playoff push since 2007, the Browns can't afford a malcontent, especially one who isn't producing. The first-year regime of Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer are vise-grip protective of the locker room, the culture, the "Play like a Brown" mantra.
You think he wants a running back hinting publicly at unhappiness with the Browns' running back rotation while Cleveland sat at 6-3 atop the AFC North?
Complain. Cut. Next.
If Tate was an elite player, he'd still be on the roster. If he didn't pose the threat of locker-room issues, he'd still be on the roster, too.
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He had no advantage in either area, making the Browns' decision easy.
The Browns couldn't afford to have Tate's negative attitude rub off on impressionable rookie running backs Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell and Glenn Winston.
Yes, Cleveland still has three runners to work with, as Winston could get some touches in the near future. How will the trio respond to the exit of No. 44?
It will be interesting to see who gets the start Sunday in Atlanta and how the carries are divided up. Whatever the outcome, I wouldn't expect the rest of the backfield to complain to the media anytime soon.
Mary Kay Cabot, the Plain Dealer: Dansby/Sheard Injuries Not as Bad as Feared
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Cleveland's defense has suffered injuries at all three levels over the past several weeks. The defensive line, linebacking corps and secondary have all had their share of bad luck.
Some good news found the Browns this week after initially discouraging reports regarding the health of key LB contributors Karlos Dansby and Jabaal Sheard.
Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer reported Wednesday:
"Browns outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard's foot injury is not as serious as originally thought and he could get back on the field within the next few weeks, coach Mike Pettine said Wednesday.
In addition, linebacker Karlos Dansby is working hard to get back on the field as early as Sunday's game in Atlanta.
Pettine said Sheard's foot injury was rare, but will not require surgery.
Pettine was originally told Dansby could be out "upwards of a month'' with his sprained knee.
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Dansby is the defense's quarterback and has been embraced as a leader since joining the club as a free agent this offseason. He's a physical freak who keeps his body in top condition, so coming back sooner than expected would not come as a surprise.
In the meantime, Craig Robertson and rookie Christian Kirksey will see their inside linebacker duties increased. Robertson will have the microphone in his helmet to communicate with the coaches in Dansby's absence.
Although Sheard has struggled in the Browns' new defensive scheme (only 2.0 sacks through 10 games), he's still a force that opposing offensive lines need to account for.
His injury comes at a time when Phil Taylor and John Hughes are out for the season, Ahtyba Rubin is once again ailing, Barkevious Mingo's shoulder remains in a harness and the aforementioned Dansby is likely to miss at least one matchup.
That's a lot of high-caliber defenders to be missing when a talented QB like Atlanta's Matt Ryan, and his sixth-ranked passing attack, is the scheduled adversary on Sunday.
The Browns have no choice but to stick with the same mantra and attitude they've been preaching all year when it comes to injuries—next man up.
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Fred Greetham, Fox Sports Ohio: Browns' Secondary Is in Tough vs. Falcons
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The Browns face the sixth-ranked passing attack in the NFL on Sunday when Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons welcome them to town.
Ryan benefits from having two wide receivers who can turn into game-changers at any moment. Fred Greetham of Fox Sports Ohio outlines the potential challenges for Cleveland's secondary:
"The Browns have a Pro Bowl cornerback in Joe Haden, who usually draws the assignment of the best receiver.
The problem is whomever the Browns don't have Haden on will be a handful for Buster Skrine (5-9), K'Waun Williams (5-9) or whoever they deem to put on the other receivers. Both Jones (6-3) and White (6-0) are tall and physical receivers. Rookie Justin Gilbert (6-0) was limited to special teams play last week dealing with a heel injury, according to Mike Pettine.
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The extra sting to facing Julio Jones for the Browns is that they had a chance to draft him in 2011. Instead, Cleveland traded down with Atlanta, which selected the exceptionally talented receiver. The orange helmets grabbed defensive lineman Phil Taylor at No. 21 instead.
In the other picks from the deal, the Browns selected WR Greg Little and fullback Owen Marecic.
Their extra first-rounder in 2012 they got from the Falcons? Quarterback Brandon Weeden. Taylor is the only one left on the team. Oh, what could have been.
Regardless, Jones is now an issue for Joe Haden, who will likely be assigned to him. Cleveland's Pro Bowl cornerback typically thrives against the league's bigger top receivers such as A.J. Green and struggles when it comes to the smaller outside speedsters like Antonio Brown.
That leaves the crafty 33-year-old veteran Roddy White for Buster Skrine or K'Waun Williams to cover. White is not as explosive as he used to be but makes up for it with precise route running and physicality. Avoiding fakeouts and overaggressive penalties will be the challenge for Skrine and Williams.
It's tough to say what role Justin Gilbert is going to play.
There have been games where Coach Pettine has challenged the rookie with tougher assignments and others where he barely saw the field. How his heel injury has progressed and the quality of this practice week should determine how much we see of No. 21.
Safety Tashaun Gipson's usual stellar performance was absent last week in the loss to Houston. However, that may be explained away in part due to his recovery from a concussion the previous Thursday.
The NFL's interception leader is going to be relied upon to make Ryan think twice about going deep over the top to one of his weapons.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Brian Hoyer Is Not Good Enough
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Win and he's the answer at quarterback. Lose and he's an average journeyman. Such is life for Brian Hoyer at the helm of Cleveland's offense.
The Browns rolled division rival Cincinnati 10 days earlier to hold first place this late in the season for the first time in 20 years. Hoyer was the toast of the town after that game, but it was short-lived.
He followed the Bengals victory with a terrible performance that saw him set a franchise record of 30 incompletions in a loss to the Houston Texans.
On Monday morning Pete Prisco of CBS Sports wrote, "Brian Hoyer isn't good enough to carry an offense. I know there are a lot of people out there who think Hoyer should get a big-money deal, or the franchise tag, but that's absurd. He's a journeyman at best, and they have Johnny Manziel waiting to play."
The jury on No. 6 is still out.
On the one hand, we must commend him for leading the Browns to a 14th-ranked pass offense despite playing without three Pro Bowl stars for all or part of the year. Hoyer also orchestrated three fourth-quarter comeback victories and has 11 touchdowns compared to five interceptions.
The flip side shows an inaccurate passer whose 55.7 completion percentage sits him 31st among NFL quarterbacks. His two worst efforts in 2014 occurred in wins against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati that put the Browns in the conversation of being legitimate playoff contenders.
It's nice to thrive as an underdog, but handling success and building on it are important too.
Hoyer slides back to a more comfortable "us against the world" mode when the Browns take on the Falcons in Atlanta. The home team is a confident group, having won its last two and now holding the top spot in the awful NFC South with a 4-6 record.
Atlanta is rolling, but Hoyer gets to utilize his ace receiver Josh Gordon for the first time this season.
How the Browns, and Hoyer, answer the bell Sunday will go a long way in telling us whether this club is a contender or a pretender.
Final Score Prediction: In a hard-fought battle, the Browns fall just short on the road, 30-27.
Andy McNamara is an international sports broadcaster and writer.
Follow Andy on Twitter @AndyMc81
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