Picking Up the Pieces After Pittsburgh

As the Cleveland Browns awaken today, it’s going to take a moment for everyone to realize that what happened last night on a football field in Pittsburgh actually took place and wasn't just a bad dream.

It was the kind of event that can have you questioning things that you thought were true. It is in moments like these that you have to do an inventory check to confirm that you are in fact tethered to reality.

Yes, the injury suffered by the most beloved and productive player on your football team did happen and the reality that he may never take another snap is a real possibility. Yes, the quarterback you gave all that money to wasn’t good enough to get the job done last night and looks like a shell of his former self after 8 games back from his suspension.

Yes, there are reasons you can doubt the head coach as the offensive play caller. The man whose calling card has been propping up less gifted quarterbacks to career years has not been able to get the Ferrari up to full-speed.

If we’re going to do a reality check that means we also must acknowledge the good. If you’re looking for the good you’d start with the overall talent on the roster. The roster is so talented that there are very real expectations. Despite losing a star running back, those do not go away when you are paying your starting quarterback $230M.

Speaking of expectations, the defense has been the group to show that they are ready to live up to them. Through two games so far it is clear that they are up to the task. Jim Schwartz has his unit believing in each other and more importantly believing in themselves.

Minus the 71 yard touchdown to Pickens, you couldn’t ask for anything more. They played every bit as hard and physical as Tomlin’s unit, which is a stark contrast to Browns teams of the recent past. As hard as things were for Watson, they were just as difficult for Kenny Pickett.

So what do they do from here? That is the question, they must answer. While yes, there has been a mess made on offense, it doesn’t mean you burn down the house to clean the kitchen.

Andrew Berry will certainly bring in another running back to help fill the void but you’re never going to replace Nick Chubb, no matter how talented they are. The loss will certainly be felt but paying Watson what they did, was telling you everything about how they truly felt about the running back position overall.

For Stefanski, he has to put Watson in a better position to succeed in games. That starts with fixing whatever is going on with Jed Wills at left tackle. There are too many plays where it seems he’s just not that into playing football. We also have to solve the problem of not getting the ball to Elijah Moore and David Njoku enough.

Finally as I’ve recently written about Watson, he appears to still be playing like an indecisive rookie that the game hasn’t slowed down for yet. His clock is just a tick behind on most throws and he is trying to make too many hero-ball plays. Turnovers just can't happen on a regular basis if you are to win in the NFL. I saw a guy last night who was competing hard and tried to will a team to a win in awful circumstances.

The bottom line is that there are adjustments that need to be made but anyone calling for wholesale changes after two games may want to look at offensive play across the board in the NFL after two weeks. This isn't a problem unique to just Cleveland, the Chiefs managed just 17 points and look no further than Cincinnati and Joe Burrow's early struggles. I would encourage everyone to take a deep breath and remember there is plenty of football left to be played.