Browns: Four Players Are In The Dawg House Heading Into Week 2

Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Dawg Pound flag after a touchdown during the first quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Dawg Pound flag after a touchdown during the first quarter of preseason NFL football game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Gary Barnidge (82) runs the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Gary Barnidge (82) runs the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /

Gary Barnidge

Even the best have bad games.

Gary Barnidge dropped two passes. The first one was on a hitch route. The ball hit him in the hands and he dropped it. The second drop wasn’t a great throw by Griffin, but it was still a catchable ball and instead fell incomplete.

Those were Barnidge’s two targets. Griffin isn’t known for utilizing his tight ends. If any player will benefit from McCown returning, it would be him.

In the eight games McCown played in last season, Barnidge had the most targets on the team. He scored six touchdowns compared to three after Johnny Manziel took over.

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With Josh Gordon returning soon, and better talent at wideout, McCown’s ability to spread the ball around will allow for more open targets for Barnidge.

This all assumes the offensive line will block. The Eagles pressured Griffin most of the game. This led to inaccurate throws. RG3 appeared to force everything.

The chances of Barnidge having a game with only two targets and two drops are slim. Cleveland’s offense will be more coordinated and McCown will have his safety net. However, there is the doubt of possibly having Kellen Winslow 2.0.

In 2007, Winslow accumulated 82 receptions for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns. The next year he struggled and was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Just when fans thought the Browns found the next Ozzie Newsome, he turned out to be a fluke.

Barnidge will bounce back and play at the high level he is expected too.

Next: Corey Coleman