Dawgs By Nature -- Ask Questions to a Browns Blogger

This is a tough is going to sound really odd to some people. The fact is that it was a tale of two stories against the Vikings.

Offensive Line: The stats say we gave up five sacks, but let’s take a closer look at a few of them. One of them came when Quinn ate the ball before halftime instead of doing a Hail Mary pass. One of them came when Quinn had an empty hand when he threw the ball, resulting in a fumble. Two of them came right near the end of the game, after we were forced to pass.

When we were “in the game”, I was stunned by our offensive line play. Joe Thomas shut Jaren Allen down. Jamal Lewis’ YPC average was 2-3 yards higher than I expected it to be. Overall, an impressive effort. Not elite though, since our right side of the line remains probably below average.

Defensive Line: In the first half, I think we held Peterson to just 29 yards. At the end of the game, he had about 180 yards. Our defensive line looked elite in the first half, and then in the second half as the Vikings had all the momentum, Peterson had a few good carries that shot his total up. Impressive first half, lackluster second half. Hopefully this week will give more of a definitive answer.

Left side of the O-line: Great

Right side: subpar

No just a little tired of it and annoyed. He’ll rebound.

We already run the ball a lot. We just get into situations where we HAVE to pass.

Royal is no Great – Good TE. You’re thinking of Winslow.

No. Cribbs is amazing and has a large amount of stamina. He asked for these duties. He might even play safety.

Extremely. Wimbly was a one trick dog last year. It’s encouraging to see some movement.

I’d say our left side of the O – line and our NT. You have to give up two to three lineman A PLAY to hold Rodgers back.

You’re welcome.

-Many Browns fans are sick of Edwards hands. If he gets over that issue, many other fans still understand that he is a huge asset to our team.

-When Mangini first came on board, word was we beefed up our o-line to run the ball more. Then, in the preseason, we looked like a Shotgun, pass first team. Go figure.

-Royal really isn’t a huge threat as a receiver. But, apparently our gameplan will involve getting him the ball, as evidenced by Week 1 and the preseason.

-Cribbs won’t be worn out. If he returns a huge kick, we have other receivers to spell him until he catches his breath. We also have a good backup returner in Gerard Lawson if needed.

-Definitely glad about Wimbley. Crennel’s stubbornness with that really stands out as one of his worst decisions.

-I need to do some more homework on the Broncos first before I can answer that better. Right now, I’m guessing on the ground.

A lot of fans really are sick of Braylon dropping balls. And now every time he drops one, he hears it. I tend to look at it like this: TO drops a lot of passes (look at their catches, yards, TDs, and drops the first 3 years side by side), and despite that has been one of the best WR in the NFL. Braylon can’t drop more balls than he did last year, he can only do better.

Robert Royal is neither good nor great. We will probably throw him the ball if he is open. That shouldn’t be the focal point of our game plan.

I have been looking for someone to actually coach Wimbley since his 2nd season. He uses more moves than just that shoulder dip now, too. Thank goodness.

Our biggest strength vs. the Broncos…tough. I think we will be able to run the ball effectively; we did last week against Allen and the Williams wall, and you guys don’t really have a dominant NT. Doom is smallish, and going against Joe Thomas, so we might look to run to our Left a lot. I would love to see Quinn do some Shannahan/Cutler style things on offense with play action to the left and bootlegs to the right with TEs or slot WRs running crossing routes to the right. Quinn is athletic and can tuck the ball to pick up a 1st down if we ask him to. Braylon vs. Champ might be interesting if they leave him on an island. I wouldn’t mind running some 3 and 4 WR sets to test your rookie and DB depth while trusting Thomas and Steinbach to pass protect, but we will need help from backs/TEs on the right side.

Defensively, I am interested in how our line stacks up against yours. I think we will be able to confuse Orton (we used a lot of movement, shifts, and odd packages such as having Wimbley at DT and Rogers at DE, and even Rogers at MLB last week) but I want to see if we can get pressure off the edge. I am sure you all are higher on Clady and Harris than I am, but regardless of who is across from him, I’d like to see Wimbley step up and get pressure every week.

He means we beat the Bengals.. lol

It basically has to come down to running the ball down their throats and manhandling their O – line. If we can’t do that we’re toast.

We lost to them 10-6 last year with a horrible defensive gameplan and really bad clock management.

It will take Cribbs and Braylon stepping up to make some plays, and maybe a surprise boost from Jerome Harrison or James Davis, but we can do it.

…why wasn’t he kept? And how do you feel about the Bodden for Rogers deal today?

Do we have a good defense? We have a better defense than last year, despite what I call skewed stats from Adrian Peterson. Our strengths this year are better tackling and solid coverage on wide receivers. The weakness appears to be wearing down in the second half if our offense doesn’t support us. If our offense stays on the field at least half the game, our defense can be average at least.

Our local media ran Bellichek out of Cleveland. They bash every thing we do (regardless if it’s good or bad.) The QB situation was a gold mine for them. The top journalist for the Plain Dealer sourced T.O. for BQ starting. Local media = suck.

And you hate rebuilding? At least you had a competent coach for decades. We’ve rebuilt every two years since 99.

Our media, for the most part, seemed to ridicule Mangini too much, mainly for not naming a quarterback. They are too concerned about having a controversial story to print rather than talking about the brighter spots of the team.

How dare you insult our 1965 defense like that. ;-)

Did you ever witness a DA 2007 game? Case closed.

Brady Quinn had very few NFL starts, 3 I believe. He was above average against Denver, average against Buffalo, and then horrible against…I think it was Houston? Considering these aren’t the powerhouses of the NFL, why would Mangini name him the QB? Mangini entered a situation where he had a young QB in Quinn, and a QB who made the Pro Bowl two years earlier.

I think he handled the competition fairly and in the right way. A starter should’ve been decided a tad sooner though.

A lot of guys seem to think we can have a solid, if unspectacular year. Consensus is around 6 to 8.5 wins. I’m more of the 6 win mindset.

I see 8-8 being reasonable.

Put me in the 7-9 column.

Six wins seems to be the average. Considering the bias that teams’ fans usually have, that’s pretty darn low. Last year, I think the average was closer to nine or ten wins.

I think we’re at the point now where we’re sick of underachieving. It’s better to shoot low and meet that standard, or overachieve and call it a big success.

…how do you feel about the two subsequent trades after the original Sanchez deal? After trading away Winslow, Brandon Pettigrew seemed an obvious choice (though I like Robert Royal).. but he was selected the pick before Cleveland was finally done dealing.. or was Alex Mack the target all along? And how has he progressed?

Really wanted Curry, 2nd best option was to trade down. Can’t believe we were able to do it, love Mack. Elam looks like he was a steal, and Coleman is starting for us. People often don’t calculate those players in that deal.

Loved that portion.

Thought Robiskie was a small reach, liked the Massaquoi pick better, and considering our WR depth last year (F*&^%ng horrible), I liked getting 2 WR. I wanted a linebacker sooner, but Veikune was a guy I had liked for a while. He was a small reach, too, but one of the best talents left at a position of need at that point.

Glad. He was slow, unresponsive some plays and we added talent much better than him. He seemed good for us just because he picked up our sloppy second hits. He is more overrated then you think. Just watch, you will soon be dissapointed.

…has to be a morale killer. Change of scenery did Davis good. He’s awesome.

Barton is better than Davis. I dont see how you think he struggled

I have not seen the Cincy/Denver game, but I trust your judgment that Davis had a good game. All I can say in response to that is “I’m stunned”.

For YEARS, if Davis did make a tackle, it was always 5-7 yards down the field. He never had the quickness or the power to make a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Against the Vikings, I saw Barton get into the backfield to take down Peterson/Taylor at least once or twice, already an upgrade over Davis.

All I can say is cherish Davis’ production while it lasts. Either Denver’s coaches have done wonders coaching him, or you guys just saw him have a career game.

With that said, I’d still like to point out that Davis made some nice contributions to the community; he was a stand-up guy.

There’s a rumor and with Mangini anything could happen. But for now I think Mangini wants to stick with what he has. And DA was drafted to be a Backup and he knows that. If you draft BQ you will always know that someday you’ll be benched. And Ratliff looked terrible in the pre – season.

I’ve heard Carolina lacks the cap space to take on DA. DA is likely on the block, but I’m not sure Mangini is sold on Quinn. Mangini is also huge on depth. He’s not comfortable with the idea of his team being one play away from team Bartel.

I think balance is our biggest offensive weapon. Quinn can throw and run. The receivers, backs, and OL are solid but not great (on the whole). Edwards is still our most talented skill player, but I don’t expect much out of him with Bailey shadowing him this week.

I still see it as Braylon Edwards, but right now the chemistry isn’t there. Three plays from the Vikings game…

1. The touchdown that didn’t count — Braylon makes an amazing catch, picking the ball off the ground at the end zone. Had the ball been thrown better, it’s an easy TD that Edwards burns the CB on.

2. Edwards cut in on a post and was open, but Quinn threw it straight down the sideline for an easy pick. Again, with the right read, Edwards is there for a big play.

3. Edwards dives all out on a bullet pass through 2-3 defenders 20-30 yards down the field and just barely misses hauling it in.

The potential for big plays are right there. With refinement, these type of plays kill a defense and win games.

Really, I am scared about our passing game this week, and it isn’t because of a lack of ability on Quinn’s part, or us being overmatched vs. your defense.

Brian Daboll had a terrible gameplan last week, did not use our players’ strengths, and the entire design of the offense just looked te-herrible. Just awful. And I know a thing or two about bad schemes after some of our previous coaches.

I don’t live in Cleveland so I’m not sure on that.

But losing Winslow hurt. He might be a poison but the man had hands like you wouldn’t believe. He was really our second receiver. Royal cannot even attempt to fill that void.

It’s a mixed decision on Winslow. I’d be crazy to say I didn’t miss his ability as a receiver. However, he was never an efficient blocker and week by week, it seemed like a media story would be created if he didn’t get the ball. I miss his talent, but not the stress.

Fan fav. is definately Thomas. He’s a blue collar, bring your lunch pail to work player. And he is freaking amazing.

And watch out for Alex Hall. He’s going to come out BIG.

Cribbs is still a relative unknown, especially as a receiver. He could have a huge day in any given week. Jerome Harrison is a fan favorite, but has only ever served as a paper tiger. We are still hoping he can bring shades of Leon Washington to the table. James Davis looked terrible in week one, but he had an excellent camp and was clamored for (even by the local media). Robiskie is a guy that, being an OSU grad, would be very popular if he can get PT and make some plays.

Joshua Cribbs is a fan favorite. We stand on the edges of our seat every time he attempts a kick or punt return. Fans of opposing teams like to think “eh, we’ll stop him”, but time after time he prevails. He already has a punt return TD in Week 1.

Relative unknown? I guess the closest player to that would be S Abram Elam. He never started and came over from the Jets as our starting safety now. He plays close to the line of scrimmage often and looks good at getting into the backfield; he could have an impact getting pressure this Sunday.

I agree with SpecialBrownie who mentioned Alex Hall too, but I don’t know if we’re actually going to utilize him as often as I’d like.

Cribbs is a fan fav, Thomas, Steinbach, Rogers are guys who don’t get a lot of credit because they don’t play flashy positions.

Jerome Harrison is a young kid who never got chances under Romeo but had quite high YPC numbers when he got touches. He’s been hurt this year, though. James Davis looked amazing in the preseason, but terrible last week.

Eric Wright probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he plays for us.

Bailey on Edwards is going to take away our best skill player. It will force Quinn to have to think fast and rush through progressions, and that can lead to bad decisions. The group of backs you have could wear down the Browns LBs, especially with some early success.

On the other hand, Rogers and the pass rush could really wreak some havoc on Orton if we can force some long third downs. Also, I’d be very concerned about special teams coverage if I were a Bronco fan.

Thomas will overwhelm Dummervill; in multiple ways

Pretty much any breathing human being could rush the passer on the right side of our line (or at least that’s how Minnesota made it look).

I hope Edwards is looking forward to going up against Champ Bailey. I am looking forward to a battle, there.

I think both teams will be able to run the ball fairly well, but struggle passing it. I think we will be able to get some pass rushers to Orton and I think we will confuse him with multiple defensive looks, shifts, etc. I think our WRs will have a hard time getting open against your DBs, and I think our TEs and backs don’t really strike fear in the hearts of anyone in the passing game.

It was a neutral feeling. Not overwhelmed but not disapointed. I was pulling for the U of I coach myself and it’s been so long his name escapes me.

I hated it. Still don’t like it.

It’s not because of the secrecy or the drill sergeant atmosphere, it’s because I don’t like his resume. His defense in NE sucked, and the defense in NY actually got worse after he took over.

I’m very much a “prove it to me” type of fan when it comes to Mangini.

I’ve grown to just deal with it. At the time, we definitely wanted other guys, including maybe your guys’ head coach.

I didn’t think it was the best move at the time. I was alright with it. I really liked getting Rob Ryan as our DC. Mangini was able to bring NYJ to 2 winning seasons in 3 years, which would be a ridiculous improvement in Cleveland.

There were probably better guys out there, but I am liking the way the product on the field is looking so far. I like his rhetoric now that I have gotten used to it a little.

Excuse my language and yes. But I think he was tied with Pioli who we never got so it would have never happened.

Still Wright and Pool and McDonald. Elam is new and Francies is an up and coming rookie.

And that play was none of McDonalds fault. Pool forgot that his position was safety help over Royal and as McDonald was signaling him over the play started and McDonald got behind the pass. There was nothing he could do and he’s been blamed for it ever since. Understand?

Our corners are still the same, Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. In Cleveland, we think Wright has Pro Bowl potential and we think McDonald can be a ball hawk. If one is going to get beat, it’d probably be McDonald.

We’re hoping that with Orton this Sunday, our corners won’t be owned like they were when you had Cutler in that third/fourth quarter.

Overall, I like to think that our secondary is not too bad; our ranking last year was in the middle of the pack, and actually kind of got lower because of the 2-3 game stretch where our guys choked, including the Denver game.

Abram Elam is a new safety. He’s a good tackler, but his scouting report from the Jets questions his ability to stay on receivers deep.

People claim he’s lost juice. Harrison is a favorite because he’s explosive. And Davis seems like he could be a starter and has a lot of promise to back him up. People are biased against JL because of it and want him out.

We’re still not sure if the “on the bubble” talk had merit, considering he ended up being named a team captain. He looked good in Week 1, much better than he did the entire preseason. The jury is still out though.

I think we have a good chance of shutting it down. Whos running this week Buck and…

The run D gave up a few plays that AP spun into purple gold. That’ll happen against an elite back. I think those plays really got the defense on its heels, and we lost control from there. I don’t believe we’ll have as bad a time this week.

Not to sound offensive, but after getting done with Peterson this week, my mindset right now is “I think we can shut the Broncos’ running game down”.

I think this is an area that will be attacked, especially since it plays to Quinn’s strength. We have a few good possession receivers that can really cause some headaches there.

My worry is that we should have gone 3WR and done that a lot last week, too. But, our gameplan focused on having 2TE who couldn’t get open before the right side of our line let a rusher through.

We should be looking to attack the middle of the field with a WR. Will we? I am not counting on Daboll.

I’ve already answered this but no big.

OLB Alex Hall.

If we stay consistent with what we did to the Vikes in the First Half, we think we can pull out a win. We like to joke that since Andre Davis is your starting LB it’ll be easy. But it’s just Browns bias and a joke.

50/50

Our predictions might be a bit skewed. After facing a team with high expectations (Vikings) and predicting a loss to them, we’ve shifted to facing a team with lower expectations (Broncos) and predicting a win against them.

Depends on which team shows up. The 1st half Browns from last week would win easily. The 2nd half Browns would get crushed.

I’d go Browns by 7 or less if I had to bet, but it could easily go either way for us.

We like to use a lot of running plays to get us settled but if we start falling back the run game is completely thrown out the window. We use a lot of shotgun (though I don’t approve of our over use) and we try to incorperate all other formations at least once in a game it seems. And our flash package is something to consider… Cribbs is an animal.

A lot of 2TE, motion with the TEs, run with 7 in the box, pass with 8.

WRs look to be running a lot of vertical routes.

The only language the coaches have used has suggested that our tenancies will vary from week to week based on matchups. I hope so, because the scheme was awful last week—particularly the passing game. Our running game looked solid from both under center and some from the gun.

Cribbs will run the wildcat, but we haven’t seen him pass it yet.

We have Rob Ryan as our DC (Son of the man who created the 46.)

Romeo liked us as a “bend but don’t break” D. Ryan is a “punch you in your face and hope you bleed” D. We generated four sacks against a competent Vikes line. Ryan likes to mix things up and disguise whenever possible. He’ll trick you too. Orton might be a little bruised up after the game.

Personally, you guys should take a chance on Simms…

Blitzing a lot more (but Romeo/Mel Tucker rarely blitzed).

Rogers and Wimbley move around a lot.

Last week, we had a lot of 8 in the box.

We’ve been promised an aggressive, attacking defense, which we got some of in the Vikings game.

Closer to Baltimore’s system than LeBeau’s.

Please take him! Ugh! Do you actually believe him? He’s either foreign or stupid or a pranker. None of which I’m fond of.

He is an interesting fellow to say the least. He was a Broncos fan last year I heard

His posts are outstanding comedy. The nonsensical grammer gets me every time. Every sentance is both a trainwreck and so hilariously crafted. I love his work for the pure foolishness. You have a gem there

pretty obvious I hit z to unlock new comments and instead accidently posted zz, my bad

Lerner loves himself some Bellichek fresh meat.

While this is probably nothing more than a footnote, Mangini is actually the brother-in-law of Cleveland Indians GM Mark Shapiro.

I don’t know about any previous relationship, but time will tell as far as the result. So far based on the early returns, I’m not feeling prone to blast Mangini’s selection - unlike the local (and national) media, who want blood in the water and have opened fire with the delayed quarterback announcement.

Our media hates him.

I am willing to give him some time. I don’t think it was the worst move we could have made.

to = the. Failenglish.

Personally, it’s an issue that at this point I could care less about. Maybe that’ll change down the road, we’ll see.

I say very low. Mangini really wants Cribbs to be our permanent #2