Cleveland Browns Came Out As A Different Team But No W
By Ric McElroy
The Cleveland Browns did not play like their typical self to start today’s game, but that did not last. As the Voice of the Fan describes, mistakes should have been fixed by now.
It was nice to see Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown back at the controls! The team seemed happy too as they started with a touchdown on a short pass to wide receiver Andrew Hawkins and followed that with a field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor and tight end Gary Barnidge also got in on the action. Today, we definitely saw Pryor progressing at the receiver position.
Out of the first 25 snaps, the Browns throw 20 times. The gameplan went away from the running game and running back Isaiah Crowell; That aspect had been their bread and butter.
Cleveland’s defense forgot how to tackle again and the relapse lead to a New York Jets score, decreasing the lead to 10-7. The defense forgot the fundamentals on wrapping up. One more note.. a miracle of miracles as there was a Joe Haden sighting on the field! The Browns cornerback had missed the previous two game with a groin injury.
The Browns offense shows continued to make an impact with McCown via Pryor, Barnidge, and Crowell. Cleveland’s lead in the drizzle, as it’s raining, eventually led to a 17-7 lead. Shortly after, kicker Cody Parkey made Cleveland’s lead increase at the half 20-7.
So far the Browns looked like a different team with McCown in charge. He’s thrown for 228 yards in the half. Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick meanwhile was 3 of 14 for 30 yards.
Looking like a new and different team once the second half started unfortunately. The old Browns were back with missed coverages in the back field and atrocious tackling. Such mistakes led to a Jets touchdown on their first possession.
When the Browns got the ball they moved it but some bad play calling forced them to punt. Yet, another missed coverage got the Jets into the Cleveland red zone. The Browns defensive backs could not stay with the Jets receivers and were trailing them on every play.
More from Factory of Sadness
- Bet $1 on ANYTHING to Unlock $200 Guaranteed with Crazy Bet365 Ohio Promo!
- 3 reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers have a good shot to win the East next year
- It might be too soon to say it but it looks like the Cleveland Guardians are back
- Are the Cleveland Browns a Top 10 roster heading into the 2023 season?
- Eastern Conference Solidarity: Back the Heat with $5 Bet, Win $200 Bonus INSTANTLY with DraftKings Promo
Jets running back Matt Forte scored on a 4 yard run and the Browns were behind for the first time 21-20. The effort and aggressiveness was missing once again on the entire roster in the second half.
It would be one thing if it happened once or twice, but it is seen every game! I don’t know what’s going on at halftime but coach Hue Jackson better adjust that fast.
New York marched the field again as Cleveland’s corners were playing 10 yards off of receivers. If Cleveland can’t stop the run and the pass, then they can’t stop the losing!
The Browns coaching staff must convey that players need to play the entire game! If the staff doesn’t know this they should. It’s the same problems and mistakes over and over by the same players! That’s coaching. It is the Browns coaches’ responsibility to cure it and they should have done so by now.
On defense, the hole in the middle of the Browns defensive line is huge. On offense, as good as McCown was in the first half, he was just as bad in the second.
As shown, there is a tremendous lack of playmakers on both sides of the ball, and it’s not just the youth! After kicking a field goal, the Jets had 24 unanswered points in this half! Dropped balls,missed communications, and all around bad play summed up Cleveland’s afternoon.
There are no more excuses. The regency is non-existent on this team. It’s as though Cleveland has given up; Like they have accepted loss eight before the clock runs out. Cleveland did score very late with 12 seconds left, but it was too little too late as the Jets won 31-28 Jets