Factory Of Sadness
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Cleveland Browns CB Joe Haden Plays His Worst NFL Game

By Jamyson Frierson

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Sep 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Danny Shelton (71) reacts to a play against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

3. Danny Shelton: Where Was The Dominance From Preseason?

It wasn’t a promising debut for the first round pick.

For most of the game–Danny Shelton got manhandled by Former Ohio State Buckeye and current New York Jets center Nick Mangold ( no pun intended). He only had one tackle throughout the whole game, and was not able to penetrate through double-teams or single big-on-big. Now some will say that he was brought in here to stop the run, which he was, but he also has to open up the holes to make it easier for the linebackers and he struggled all game in doing so. Bilal Powell and Chris Ivory had their way up the middle against the defense and as a group they looked unmotivated and unprepared.

Most bad defenses get the “bend, but don’t break” moniker, but this defensive performance was so bad, the Browns broke and then got thrown into the trash. It was tough to watch. The worst thing about the game is that the New York Jets are in a “rebuild” mode currently and are not going to the Super Bowl anytime soon.

Mangold is one of the best centers in the NFL, but with the size, skill and athleticism of Shelton, along with how dominant he was in the preseason, this was a disappointing showing. He does at least realize how much he struggled, and will try to correct his mistakes next week against an even weaker offensive line than the Jets, the Tennessee Titans.

But hey, at least he’s showing toughness on the line when the opposing team is kicking extra points.

Shelton’s a rookie, so I will throw him the proverbial “bone,” but he must play better next week and show that he is worth the number 12 overall pick in last year’s draft.

Next: The Offensive Line Was Downright Offensive

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