Factory Of Sadness
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4 Cleveland Browns Stuck In The Dawg House Following Baltimore Ravens Loss

By Jamyson Frierson

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 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Brandon Brooks (79) and Cleveland Browns linebacker Demario Davis (56) in action at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Brandon Brooks (79) and Cleveland Browns linebacker Demario Davis (56) in action at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

4. DeMario Davis and Chris Kirksey

Only two words can be used to sum up the performances by Christian Kirksey and Demario Davis, Dennis Pitta.

Pitta was on his way to being a star tight end in the NFL, but numerous injuries set him back from taking that next step. Well, he’s back. Pitta had nine receptions for 109 yards against the Browns defense.

While the whole unit isn’t at fault, Davis and Kirksey are.  Most of Pitta’s receptions were in the middle of the field where both backers cover.

On most of his receptions, he was wide open, and gained easy yardage since there wasn’t a defender within 10 feet of him. For most of the season, Davis and Kirksey have struggled in coverage, but on Sunday, they were atrocious. Crockett Gillmore also joined the “tight end reception brigade” getting three receptions for 22 yards.

Davis and Kirksey were either out position, blitzed when they should of contained, or whiffed on the tackle of Pitta.  Some of it is him outplaying them, but most is just knowing the situation and personnel–and stopping it. Common sense should prevail after the first three receptions.

If Joe Flacco is throwing the ball into the middle of the field, one or both backers should realize that, and make the necessary adjustments. That’s what separates the great player’s from the mediocre ones.

Pitta is a good tight end, but he shouldn’t have gotten nine receptions on the same play throughout the game. It doesn’t matter if Rob Gronkowski was out there doing it.  That’s unacceptable. They had the same issue with Zach Ertz last week against the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s only going to get tougher as they face former Browns tight end Jordan Cameron next week, followed by Gronkowski in Week 5.

If they don’t shape up, and learn how to cover tight ends, Coach Hue Jackson might need to explore Scooby Wright or somebody else at the position.

Letting Karlos Dansby go doesn’t seem like a great move thus far.

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