Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars: How Cleveland Can Tame the Jags
The 3-6 Cleveland Browns travel to northern Florida to play an old AFC Central nemesis, the 5-4 Jacksonville Jaguars, in a critical matchup for both teams.
Cleveland will attempt to rebound after losing a tough heart-breaker to the New York Jets, 26-20, in overtime this past Sunday. The Browns will attempt to defeat the Jaguars for the third consecutive time.
Led by All-Pro running back Maurice Jones-Drew and dual-threat quarterback David Garrard, the Jaguars will provide a real challenge to the hobbled and banged-up Browns, a team that is without starting linebacker Scott Fujita and cornerback Sheldon Brown.
Led by rookie quarterback Colt McCoy, the Browns will look for their eighth win in their last 13 games, dating back to last year.
Here is how Cleveland can tame the Jacksonville Jaguars.
10. Contain Jaguars Quarterback David Garrard
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The first thing the Browns must do if they hope to defeat the Jaguars is to contain the mobile and very deadly Jacksonville quarterback, David Garrard.
Garrard leads the AFC in QB rating at 104.9. He is second only to Philadelphia Eagle's quarterback Michael Vick's QB rating of 115.1 in the NFL.
Garrard has thrown for 1,440 yards and 15 touchdowns. Garrard is also the second-leading rusher for the Jaguars with 344 yards rushing.
Cleveland must figure out a way to contain Garrard and either make him a passing quarterback or try to take away the Jags' passing game.
9. Stop Maurice Jones-Drew from Having a Big Game.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars boast the sixth-best rushing attack in the NFL.
A big reason for that is the dual-purpose, All-Pro running back, Maurice Jones-Drew.
Jones-Drew currently has 921 yards in rushing and receiving combined, for five touchdowns.
Jones-Drew leads the Jaguars' ground attack, which will try to wear down Cleveland with fellow running back Rashad Jennings.
Jones-Drew's versatility out of the backfield as an outlet receiver will make this matchup for the Browns very challenging.
Cleveland must account for Jones-Drew at all times on the field Sunday.
8. Watch Out for Mercedes Lewis Who Could Exploit Cleveland's Hobbled Secondary
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If there is one glaring weakness in the Browns defense, it is their vulnerability to opposing tight ends,
First, Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots scored a couple of touchdown passes. Then the New York Jets' Dustin Keller made some clutch grabs in the Jets' victory this past Sunday.
Now Cleveland must deal with another top-end tight end in Mercedes Lewis.
The 6'6", 270-pound Mercedes Lewis is Garrard's go-to guy as he leads the Jaguars in receiving touchdowns with seven. He will most likely exploit the holes in the Browns defense, which will be without starting linebacker Scott Fujita and defensive back Sheldon Brown.
If Jacksonville can exploit this, then the Browns are in for a long day in Jacksonville.
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7. Watch Out for Sims-Walker and Thomas
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As mentioned in the above slide, the Browns' secondary is vulnerable.
It could be exposed by the top-rated passer in the AFC, David Garrard. His top two wide receivers, Mike Thomas and Mike Sims-Walker, could pose problems for Cleveland's banged-up secondary.
Mike Sims-Walker leads Jacksonville in touchdown catches with four, while Thomas leads the Jaguars in receiving yards with 536 yards.
If the Browns can shut down Thomas, then Sims-Walker will probably have the opportunity to make a big play. Cleveland will have to tighten up it's defense and hope that Joe Haden and the newly-acquired cornerback, Eric King, can help in pass coverage.
6. The Defense Needs to Get Pressure on David Garrard
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When the Browns look at the game tape from the 26-20 loss to the Jets, they can see that they let numerous opportunities to sack-and-stop Mark Sanchez slip from them.
Jacksonville QB David Garrard is far more mobile and accurate.
The Browns must either decide to try to make Garrard a pocket passer, or risk letting him escape and extend plays with his feet. Either way, Cleveland must generate consistent pressure and cause takeaways in order to win.
One more note: The Browns' defense must get stops, because being on the field for over 90 plays will catch up to Cleveland in the hot, north Florida heat and humidity.
5. The Browns Must Attack the Jaguars' 28th-Ranked Defense Effectively
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The Browns can win this game if they come out with a balanced-and-efficient ball-contol attack.
Jacksonville has the 28th-overall defense in the league; 21st against the run and 29th against the pass.
Look for Brian Daboll to open up the playbook for McCoy and take advantage of Jacksonville's defense, which will be without defensive end Aaron Kampman, who is out with a torn knee ligament.
I expect McCoy to attack Jacksonville's secondary with play-action throws. It is a depleted and porous unit that is also vulnerable to outside runs.
4. Trust McCoy with the Offense More
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy really earned his place in the hearts of Browns fans with a Kardiac Kids-like drive to tie the Jets with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter against the fourth-best defense in the NFL.
McCoy really earned the respect of fellow players and opponents alike with his calmness, intelligence and, most of all, poise under pressure.
McCoy seems to exude confidence and make the smart play. What is also a refreshing sight for Browns fans is that his escapability buys extra time for plays to develop.
Look for Daboll and Mangini to put more of the offense in McCoy's hands. He will possibly run more no-huddle and shotgun plays, in which McCoy seems to really excel.
Look for McCoy to continue his solid play with roll-outs and timely play-action passes to keep the Jaguars off-balance.
3. Look for Peyton Hillis to Wear Down the Jaguars' Defense Late.
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In the Browns' three wins, there has been one constant.
Late in games when the Browns are ahead and trying to run down the clock, they hand the ball to their bruising halfback, Peyton Hillis, who wears down defenses inside and sprints outside for the finish.
Expect Hillis to have strong runs into the interior of a very young Jacksonville team that is without it's leading rusher and tackler in Aaron Kampman. By the fourth quarter, Jacksonville will start to look worn down with their hands on their sides.
That is when Hillis will finish a worn-down and tired Jaguars team off.
Look for Peyton Hillis to have a strong fourth-quarter flurry.
2. Look for the Browns Wide Receivers to Step Up.
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How much do you wanna bet that Browns wide receiver Chansi Stuckey really wants to break out down in Jacksonville?
And considering how bad he felt in not stepping out of bounds in overtime, Stuckey has heard more than enough criticism. He really wants to make it up to Cleveland by taking it out on the Jaguars' horrific pass defense.
With the loss of dynamic playmaker Joshua Cribbs, now is the opportunity for a Browns wide receiver to really step up and help Colt McCoy.
Brian Robiskie, Mohamed Massaquoi, Demetrius Williams or, even the wild card in all this, Carlton Mitchell.
Now is their time to shine.
1. Look for Colt McCoy to Really Grow Up and Lead Cleveland to a Win.
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The fresh-faced quarterback who has brought a level of excitement that has not been seen since the days of Bernie Kosar and Brian Sipe, McCoy seems like such a cool customer.
Even under the pressure of facing rugged defenses such as those in Pittsburgh, New Orleans and New York.
McCoy has played admirably by not making any mistakes. He continues to grow right before our eyes into a real quarterback—something that has not been seen in Cleveland in a long time.
Look for McCoy to have another solid outing and take advantage of the bad Jacksonville pass defense in a Browns victory.
Prediction: Browns 27 Jaguars 24
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This game will come down to whether or not the Browns can contain David Garrard and make him a pocket passer.
But even that proposition comes at the price of Mike Sims-Walker, Mike Thomas or even Maurice Jones-Drew making big plays.
The main concern is who will cover Marcedes Lewis in the Browns re-worked secondary?
If Cleveland can get a handle on Garrard and make Jacksonville a one-dimensional team, then they will have a great shot at getting their fourth win.
For the Browns, they must continue to do what they have done—get the ball to Hillis and have McCoy make smart and accurate timely passes. Also look for wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie to have big games in place of the injured Joshua Cribbs.
This game will be close in the fourth quarter. But look for McCoy to make key third-down conversions and hand the ball to Hillis to seal the game in a Cleveland 27-24 victory.
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