Overreactions vs. Reality After the Cleveland Browns' Week 1 Defeat

The Cleveland Browns fell flat on their face in the Florida heat on Sunday after an offseason full of speculations and unknowns.

Fans finally got to see what the team has been working on in Berea for the past couple of months and it was not good. There was not one positional area where the Browns performed well on both offense and defense.

However, one week does not define an entire season and with the loss, it is good to stay grounded and separate the overreactions from reality.

Deshaun Watson Should Be Benched, Reality.

Watson played even more poorly than expected and looked disoriented against Jacksonville. He held on to the ball too long and just threw check down passes, ran in circles on a fourth down, and continuously took penalties.

Todd Monken wanted Watson to lead the offense as he is a veteran and can line the offense up, make audibles and change pass protections. Watson showed that he could not do that by taking a delay of game in the red zone and another one after a stoppage in time.

Although it is the Browns, he should not be with the team next season, and if he cannot do the thing that was asked of him, then he should be benched, so the other quarterbacks can begin to grow.

Quinshon Judkins Lost A Step, Overreaction.

Jacksonville did not sell out to stop the run as many believed they would, and Judkins still only managed 2.8 yards per carry. There was not a lot of room to run behind a new offensive line and the play calling did not allow him to find some space. He only got 12 carries due to the score and was constantly in a disadvantageous position. It is too early to write off the running game and Judkins should become the back that he was last season.

The Regression Of The Pass Defense, Reality.

The Browns’ top two cornerbacks are terrific man coverage defenders, but they got torched in zone coverage most of the afternoon. Denzel Ward excelled at being physical with the offense’s top receiver and then sticking on him for a few seconds until Myles Garrett could make a disruption.

Well gone is Garrett and the Browns pass rush failed to make any consistent pressure. Without getting pressure, playing man coverage would result in the cornerbacks having to stay on their receiver for longer, leading to more of a chance of big plays and yards after catch. So, look for them to continue to play more zone coverage. They showed their lack of comfortability in zone coverage with multiple communication breakdowns. The Browns need to find a pass rush, so the secondary can play to their strengths.

Jared Verse Was All Hype, Overreaction.

Verse was expected to come in and bully offensive linemen. While replacing Garrett’s production last season is impossible, Verse could have applied more pressure to speed up the offense. He only had four tackles, one for a loss, with zero quarterback hits. Verse led the Los Angeles Rams in pressure last season.

While it is too early to express concern about Verse, the Rams were leading in a lot of games last season, presenting more opportunities for pressure. The Browns will not find themselves in such positions too often this season. Verse’s performance throughout the season will be something to monitor.

Monken Will Be One And Done, Overreaction (ish).

The team was all around bad on Sunday. It was not all of Monken’s doing, but there were too many penalties and sloppy plays to absolve him of the mess. He is continuing to start Watson and may lose the locker room if the players believe he does not give them the best chance to win.

The Browns will probably be picking a quarterback high in next year’s draft and they have to be sure that Monken is the right coach to develop him. Every coach has a bad game, and Sunday was all we had to evaluate.

It is only one week, and the beauty about sports is that there is always another chance for redemption. How quickly Jacksonville will be forgotten should they turn a switch in Tampa Bay and defeat the Buccaneers before the home opener.

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