Browns Postgame Scribbles: Hey Kevin Stefanski, PLEASE … run the ball more & play smarter – Terry Pluto
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my notebook after the Browns lost 29-12 in Denver.
1. I’m making an effort not to think about Kevin Stefanski’s absurd play-call during the fourth quarter. That was the opposite situation, if you will, where Elijah Moore, the number three quarterback, received the ball from P.J. Walker and flipped it to Pierre Strong Jr., who fumbled. Denver made a comeback and scored a touchdown. Denver’s advantage increased from 17–12 to 24–12 in the game. The game is over. That disaster was the subject of my “OH NO!” column from that game.
2. It wasn’t until I looked at the data following the game that I saw Stefanski had called 29 passes for Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR). With 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the rookie quarterback was knocked out of the contest. He was hit by a projectile. Denver was ahead 17–12 at the end. It wasn’t necessary to toss the ball thus far.
3. I see that you have a quarterback playing in Denver, which is a difficult location to play, on the road for his third career start. Simply put, you must run the ball more. Browns running backs Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt carried the ball 15 times each while DTR was in the game. When the score was 17–12, that translates to 29 passes to 15 runs.
4. Ford gained 65 yards on nine carries. That is fruitful. Hunt covered 20 yards on six runs. Not bad, but also not great. They totaled 85 yards in 15 carries for an average of 5.7 yards against an NFL defense that is lowest in the league against the run. To be fair, DTR also carried the ball five times for a total of twenty-one yards. In a close game, that still amounts to 20 rushing plays as opposed to 29 passing plays with DTR on the field. Still, the planning is shoddy.
5. Drops caused harm to DTR. According to Pro Football Focus, the Browns only had three: David Njoku, Elijah Moore, and Ford each had one. I saw at least one other drop by Njoku, who is really struggling with catching the ball lately. Amari Cooper dropped a pass in the end zone that would have been a 2-point conversion. DTR was 14 of 29 passing for 134 yards, a TD and zero interceptions. As he did in the 13-10 victory over Pittsburgh, DTR looked poised – especially for a rookie thrown into the frenzy of midseason football.
6. I needed to find out when the Browns used Walker, Moore, and Strong in that trick play. It was DTR’s second play back in the game. The result was 17–12. I know, I keep thinking about that, but why play hard to get soft? Stefanski probably didn’t think Walker could move the ball by throwing or sprinting. He then attempted a gadget play.
8. Walker had just entered the game, and a lot could go wrong, is the case made against him and the trick play. which it actually did.
9. The Browns lined up in the “neutral zone” three times. They therefore lined up incorrectly. With Alex Wright twice and Myles Garrett once, it occurred. A pre-snap penalty was also assessed to center Ethan Pocic for moving the ball too soon. James Hudson III and Geron Christian, two offensive tackles, also had false starts.
10. There are SIX pre-snap penalties when you total all of those fines. It’s awkward to say that. In their 13-10 victory over Pittsburgh in their previous game, the Browns only committed one penalty.
11. The defense comes next. Trap plays and other runs through the interior of the line are hurting the Browns. Stefanski acknowledged that the Browns must halt the run. Denver gained two touchdowns and 169 yards in a hurry.
12. There are numerous reasons to be dissatisfied with the Browns’ performance, but the top three are as follows: 1) Not putting enough ball runs. 2) Ineffective run prevention. 3. Penalties for pre-snap. That needs to change, regardless of the quarterback this week against the Rams, or Browns supporters will have to endure yet another disappointing day.
