Preseason Week 1 Reaction Piece: Cleveland Browns

Chill. The 2016 Cleveland Browns are not the same Browns from last year. There’s always a fan or two that looks for anything negative to say because, well, that’s what fans of this team are accustom to. However, give this team a bit more faith than you’ve given past years. Hue Jackson has done a tremendous job thus far in changing the culture for this organization, you can see it on the field. Previous Browns teams have lost the lead and their confidence, Jackson won’t allow that. If there’s anything to look forward to it’s watching this team mold itself for the better. Let’s start with the main guys.

The Main Guys

RGIII and company looked like the offense that’s been missing since 2007. Griffin was able to hit Pryor for a long gain on the very first offensive snap.

The pass set the Browns up deep in Packers territory and showed just what might be available for the coming season. An interception would taint the performance but nonetheless a 4-8, 67 yards passing and one interception performance isn’t a “fail” for a quarterback who hasn’t seen live action in over a year. Griffin looked composed in the pocket and even took a few shots, he’s going to be just fine this year. Let’s put a hold on the quarterback 2017 talks.

The offensive line did a better job than what many expected. With the loss of Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz, the line was expected to be a mess this season. However, RGIII had enough time to throw on multiple occasions and Duke Johnson had a nice 11 yard run. It’s a work in progress but the line may end up being a strong point this year.

The defense is where the questions come in. The run game looks better on the defensive line, but it’s clear that having linebackers that weigh at or under 240 pounds may cause problems in the run defense. Often times it was defensive lineman coming off their blocks and making tackles downfield as opposed to the backers. Pursuit angles also need to be worked on. There were instances where the line bounced the runner outside, yet the linebackers often over pursued or missed in general. Speaking of missing, the Packers quarterbacks are missing a few more sacks on their stat sheet. The Browns did a great job of getting into the backfield but failed at execution. There were a handful of plays where the Browns were in the backfield but failed to take down the ball carrier.

The Other Guys

There’s no need to get into the two safeties that cost the team four points. It’s preseason, Cody Kessler is a rookie, it happens. He did have a nice pass to Rashard Higgins that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Hopefully that’s what fans can expect out of Kessler in the future and not the two safeties.

It’s clear that while the starters looked solid, the depth options need more work. The second and third offensive lines were atrocious. Save for a nice Raheem Mostert run and the touchdown, otherwise it was a poor performance. Given Greco and Erving’s health, the Browns are going to need reliable options at both positions this season.

Nassib earns rookie of the game honors. He had a few nice stops, including a saving tackle on what could’ve been a large gain off a screen pass. He totaled three tackles and registered a sack. Emmanuel Ogbah was also on display as he notched a sack himself during the game. Hue seems to be feeding the rookie class confidence as it showed on the field. Ogbah, Nassib, Kindred and Schobert should see time this season as they made the most of their opportunities on the defense.

Overall

In most cases a loss would signal that maybe things haven’t changed, however, this team definitely has a foundation unlike past years. Jackson has his work cut out for him but has this team headed in the right direction. The game against the Falcons on the 18th should see the starters with more time and the defense correcting many of their mistakes from this week. The Browns may not be a playoff team just yet, but they’re progressing.