Cleveland Vs. Kansas City. A View From Section 504.
My dad and I made the 4 hour round trip from Columbus yesterday to take in the Browns and Chiefs. It was an interesting afternoon and I noticed several things from section 504, row 4, seat 4 (PSL holder since 1999).
Before I begin with the on the field observations, let me begin with the non-football items.
I thought the stadium was in great shape, the atmosphere was tremendous. Kudos to Mike Holmgren and staff for creating a positive football watching environment.
I thought that the fly-over was classy and people were excited by it.
I thought that the recognition of fallen Cleveland heroes was very tasteful and heart-warming (local widows of Cleveland firemen, policemen, and soldiers who had passed away this year).
I also thought that ring of honor was very classy and well done. It was awesome to see those old videos of Browns dominance. It was unfortunate that our last hall-of-famer played for the Browns 20 years ago. In our 20 (minus 3) years of football since, I don't think anyone is hall of fame worthy, and that's too bad.
Now onto the game.
Talent
1 of 5
We actually do have some talent!
In the past, we've been totally over matched in just about every position on the field. This year, it's noticeable that we actually have some players.
TJ Ward continues to make plays. He was sound in his assignments and has made a questionable secondary from last year, much more formidable (Haden and Brown also help). But I was most impressed by his selfless play on special teams. He was flying down the field, blowing up the wedge, or bypassing it all-together, to make tackles. He's going to be a very good in this league.
The other player that jumped out to me was Ben Watson. Ben was steady, ran quality routes, caught the ball (note to receivers), and made plays after the catch. He knows how to get open in the middle of the field, and this team will need that going forward. My only beef is that he disappeared in the second half? Perhaps that wasn't his fault, it could have been play calling, or Wallace's sudden need to airmail every pass, but he was non-existent after halftime (as was pretty much the whole offense).
This team has some players, which is what makes their lack of production at times the most frustrating to watch as a fan.
One Exception
2 of 5
The previous slide about talent does not apply to our receivers. Mo and Robo are serviceable, but would be 3rd, 4th, or practice squad on most teams.
Many Browns analysts have been stating the obvious deficiency since the draft, when it wasn't addressed (not that I don't like Carlton Mitchell). And then again, when free agency wrapped up, and even a few weeks ago when guys like TJ Houshmandzadeh, Mark Clayton, and Michael Clayton were cut.
These guys are nice players, they really are, and I like them both a lot. But as I watched yesterday, they just couldn't get open. Their routes weren't crisp, their cuts were predictable, and Kansas City's defensive backfield had little trouble blanketing them. This resulted in the Chiefs being able to load the box, and hold Jerome Harrison to 33 yards on 16 carries.
The other thing this caused was high throws from Seneca Wallace. I am not defending his errant passes in any way, but when you saw what he was throwing to, you saw why he was erring on the side of too high/wide, because that would have been the only place that his guys could catch it. The one receiver who did get some separation was Josh Cribbs who scored a touchdown 65 yards later. Wallace isn't great, and maybe not even good, but his receivers are not helping him in any way.
Jerome Joy Ride
3 of 5
Jerome Harrison believed his own hype. He had been hearing about 286 yards all week, and was ready to go for 287. As a result of this, he got 33 yards on 16 carries.
The guy tried to make a 75-yard run every snap he got. He was late to the hole, and did way to much dancing behind the line of scrimmage.
This is a stark contrast from Peyton Hillis, who saw a hole (or made one) and drove his legs for 3-5 yards each carry. You can't live and die with that kind of running attack, because your back will break down, but I saw very little hustle to the hole from Jerome.
Harrison has the tools to succeed in this league, we've seen that. He just needs some more of that veteran moxy, knowing when to just hit the hole, or even when to just get down.
In his defense, the fumble was not a fumble, that was blown dead and no one seemed to remember that.
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Coaching Adjustments (or Lack There Of)
4 of 5
This one is nothing new, and I didn't need to be at the game to witness it, but Brian Daboll got out coached again but the wiley Romeo Crennel (who looked like he'd lost quite a bit of weight actually).
The Browns game plan going into the game was solid, just like last week and most of last year. They have good ideas and exploit the defenses weaknesses.
Then, like every good NFL team, the defense makes adjustments during halftime, and shuts down the original game plan. This is when a good offense, would adjust and find a way to beat the defense. It seems pretty simple in theory, but Daboll either can not, will not, or is not allowed to do this.
It just baffled our collective minds in the stadium, as the offense mustered three total first downs in the second half (one on a penalty).
Something HAS to change, it has to. We can not continue playing this brand of football. The schedule gets way harder, filled with aggressive defenses that will adjust to our game plan and punish us for not adapting it.
It scares me.
Outlook From Here
5 of 5
At this point, it is early, and that is good news. However, we've seen this tape before and is usually doesn't improve.
An optimist's outlook. Maybe we squeak out 4-5 wins, and maybe even stun a division opponent along the way, but anything more than that would be a major miracle.
A pessimist's outlook. 0-16. I think it's definitely doable, especially if Holmgren decides to let Mangini play out the year before firing him. Injuries will creep into the pretty solid defense, because they are on the field way too much, and it will get ugly, quick.
A realist's outlook. 3-13. 0-7 until the bye, and then the removal or Mangini, Daboll, and the other 'brilliant coaches who can't make adjustments'. 3-6 after the bye with either Rob Ryan coaching, or Mike Holmgren himself.
I do think that Holmgren has a plan for the future, and I'm not sure why he thought giving Mangini another year was the right thing to do, but he won't make that mistake again. He'll go after a coach that he wants: Rob Ryan, Jon Gruden, Mike Zimmer, and the list goes on.
Sorry Browns fans, but I think it's time to start saying "there's always next year". Except this time, I believe it to be more of the case than usual.
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