Leave Joe Woods Alone
Despite the torches and pitchforks every single week, Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods continues to run this defense into the top-half of nearly every statistical and analytical column.
Get off of Joe Woods' back.
Woods came out and spoke to the media saying he needs to play his cornerbacks, who are prototypical press-man guys, closer to the line of scrimmage. Admittedly, this is the biggest question mark of this defense.
Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Greedy Williams all possess the length and twitch to crowd the line of scrimmage and make life difficult for opposing receivers. They came out a week ago and took it to Ja'Marr Chase, the leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
It looks like a positive step in the right direction for Woods and this secondary as the rest of the veterans are finding their stride. Outside of that, there are not many qualms about the defensive coordinator in Cleveland. However, he catches so much flak from the fans and media alike.
It is time to stamp out some of the false outrage about a defensive unit that is playing like a top-half unit in 2021.
Against the run, Woods has this unit humming. By all accounts, this defensive squad is a top-five unit in this area. Looking at their DVOA from Football Outsiders, Woods' defense has forced opposing teams back against the wall with the fourth best run defense (-22.6).
This unit has allowed the fifth least rush yards in the entire league. As far as allowing explosive plays, the Browns have given up just three rushes of over 20 yards all season. As far as run defenses go, there are not many better than the unit that Woods commands.
It does get a bit sticky when we move to the passing defense. However, all things considered, they are still a middle-of-the-pack team against this phase of the game as well.
Turning back to Football Outsiders, the Browns are the 19th ranked defense against the aerial attack of opposing offenses. They rank 13th in the league in yards allowed, and 14th in QBR allowed. However, this unit continues to just find ways to get off the field.
They rank in the bottom top-five in completion percentage allowed, as opponents are completing just over 62 percent of their looks against the Browns. This unit has racked up just under a turnover per game, and are tied for second in the league in sacks on the year.
Woods' unit gives up a good amount of explosive plays through the air, sure. However, they also provide the fireworks with explosive plays of their own.
As a whole, this Joe Woods defense ranks 12th overall in defensive DVOA, and ranks as a top-10 defense in points allowed. There is a great deal of commotion over a defensive coordinator that has his team playing above the median and is one of the more dominant teams against the run.
John Johnson III is beginning to find his stride in Cleveland, looking like the player the Browns paid a chunk of money to this offseason. Myles Garrett is on pace to win Defensive Player of the Year, and shatter both franchise and maybe league records in the process. Newsome is a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, and journeyman vets are having the best seasons of their career in this defense.
Like it or not, this is not a poorly coached defense or a poorly performing defense.
Joe Woods is here to stay.
