All Thoughts Browns as Team Is Already Trying To Rally For Week 2
Despite a significant talent advantage, it's difficult to feel confident in the Cleveland Browns as they prepare to host the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football.
Going into the Baltimore Ravens game, expecting a win was unrealistic. The game was so much worse than anticipated, which makes it easy to doubt the team's ability to go out and win Thursday. There were absolutely certain elements that enabled a snowball effect, which put the Browns out of the game quickly, but it wasn't as if the Browns were only a few mistakes away from winning. They were a few mistakes away from competing.
A consistent theme (here, anyway) was that Browns would be severely impacted by the shortened offseason, since they had hired a first time head coach and were installing a new offense and defense. None of this was to suggest that shouldn't have done those things. It simply proved to be an additional set of challenges for this season that unfortunately extends the incubation period for their various schemes.
Meanwhile, the Ravens were among the teams most equipped to lose practices. They had a remarkable amount of continuity. From the front office to coaching staff to the roster, nothing changed that caused them to operate their team differently. Everyone knew exactly who the Ravens were headed into this season and the questions were about their ability to take that next step. It's the same with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints, who all unsurprisingly won in comfortable fashion to start the season.
There was a rough idea of what the Browns were and it's clear who they want to be, but it's anyone's guess just how quickly they'll be able to get there. Now, after a difficult first week, the Browns turn around and have to immediately play again.
Everyone can romance the idea that playing another football game in four days is somehow good because the team can immediately focus on the next opponent to go out and get a win. The reality is there's nothing good about it for those who have to play or coach, save for the revenue generated because of it.
The NFL handles Thursday Night Football poorly. Short of being the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs where there's no lead in and immediately get a week and a half to recuperate. It's awful having to play in four days. It's worse having to do it week two when there are so many players experiencing soft tissue injuries because of the abridged offseason. Playing on Thursday only increases the chances for injury to occur.
Both last week and this week, there's this feeling that the game should be watched like a horror movie, bracing for the jump scares that come in the form of injuries. Then everyone is holding their breath, bracing for the severity.
If the NFL insists on having Thursday Night Football, it should only happen after teams are coming off a bye week, so they have a week and a half off before and a week and a half afterward for players to adequately recover.
Getting back to what the Browns did Sunday, it's hard to know what to expect from the Browns on Thursday, save for a couple items.
The Browns can clearly run the ball. Between Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, they had 23 carries for 132 yards. Each back had an explosive play of at least 20 yards, but each player also fumbled the ball.
The Browns have an effective offensive line. It now has injury questions, but they were up to the task in Baltimore. They should only get better as J.C. Tretter gets more comfortable and healthier. Hopefully Jedrick Wills can return quickly so he can keep developing.
Jarvis Landry is going to be Jarvis Landry. Five catches on six targets for 61 yards isn't gamebreaking, but it's efficient and productive. He may have a game or few where he goes off for 100+ yards, but being an efficient receiver is all he needs to be in order to help this offense.
Myles Garrett is the best player on defense. Against the Bengals, he needs to dominate Bobby Hart, but it would be a surprise if he didn't.
That's it. That's the list right now.
The Browns have talented skill players and a quarterback with the ability to be great, but little if any of that was on display against the Ravens.
Odell Beckham has to play better, because he can't play much worse. Baker Mayfield has to build on the positive and minimize the negative from week one and although I have some nerves and plenty of fans have some worries, I do think it will happen.
The Browns need to incorporate Austin Hooper more. It was one game, but he certainly didn't look like a major part of the offense.
Maybe some of that stuff can be chalked up nerves and the pressure to perform in this unique season. Between that and adjusting to a new offense now in live games, it's not unreasonable. It doesn't make it any less frustrating to watch or give reason to feel confident as to when it will be remedied.
Hopefully Larry Ogunjobi's debut carries over, because he was fantastic, able to be consistently disruptive on the interior. Olivier Vernon must play better and Sheldon Richardson was good, but he showed the ability to dominate in camp and that needs to come out on a more consistent basis. As Vincent Taylor gets more comfortable, he can do more at the nose.
This should be a big difference in week two. The Browns couldn't corral Lamar Jackson, but they were able to generate pressure against a better line than what the Bengals have. This should make the entire defense perform better.
Outside of Denzel Ward, who wasn't great week one, it's difficult to bank on a single thing at linebacker or the secondary. It was that bad in week one. Some of it was expected given the injuries and the newness of the defense, but it was downright awful.
The Browns are clearly more talented than the Bengals. The Bengals are not a bad team by any stretch and have impact players, but the Browns from top to bottom simply are better. That needs to show itself on Thursday, even if the Browns aren't yet a smooth operation.
The Browns shouldn't back down from being aggressive on special teams because of the failed fake punt. As demoralizing as that play was and how bad it looked live, the play was there to be had. If they execute blocks, Jamie Gillan gets the first down.
They need to be right in trusting their players to execute, but it would be disappointing for that that failure to change their fundamental approach to making those types of calls.
