SB Nation - Nick Sorensen

Browns Dominate Lions 20-0 in First Quarter, Go on to Win 27-10

ChrisPokorny — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:20:06 -0000

More photos » by David Richard - AP

2 months ago: Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs (16) heads for the end zone on a punt return for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

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DETROIT LIONS (1-1)	GAME #2	CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-1)
	VS.
10		27

For once, I felt bad for the opposition. They don't know who their quarterback will be, they are turning the ball over, they can't stop the run very well, and they really don't have a great running back. They are last year's 0-16 Detroit Lions.

What I saw from the first overall pick in the draft, Matthew Stafford, was a complete mess. He was confused by our coverages numerous times, making it easy to bait him into dangerous throws. When our defense did leave a few players wide open, Stafford horribly overthrew them. You expect a rookie to take some time to adjust to the league, but no where near as bad as Stafford was.

That was good news for the Browns' defense though, because it gave our players the opportunity to build some confidence and quickly get the ball back into the hands of our offense. In the end, the result was almost a complete 180 from last week's debacle against the Green Bay Packers.

PRESEASON GAME 2 - LIONS VS. BROWNS (GENERAL THOUGHTS)

Preseason Game Ball - It's Time to Pay Up: Besides making progress as a wide receiver, Joshua Cribbs is just too good in the return game. If Eric Mangini wanted Cribbs to prove to him that he was worthy of a raise, then Cribbs is doing a heck of a job showing off his abilities. On the first play of the game, Cribbs returned the kickoff for a touchdown, disproving my theory that returners would have a tougher time this season without a wedge.

The play was brought back due to a phantom holding call on Abram Elam, but I'll live with that in the preseason since it gave our offense an early look on the field. In his next opportunity, coming on a punt return, Cribbs shifted through the defense and was off for an 84-yard touchdown.
The Truth on Derek Anderson: Did we learn anything new on Derek Anderson? Not really. He definitely played better than he did the previous week, and part of that had to do with making quicker decisions. Anderson was assisted by the playcalling of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who tailored the playbook to Anderson's strengths. This was Anderson, for the most part, at his best -- but we already knew he could make these plays.
The Struggles of Derek Anderson: If you're a new reader, don't get me wrong -- I like Anderson and wouldn't be ticked off if he was the opening day starter. But you can't call his performance perfect when he missed a wide open Braylon Edwards down the sideline. A better throw would've resulted in a long touchdown, and would've prevented the need for a long third down play (which Anderson did convert on).

Then during the two-minute drill, Anderson could only find RB James Davis on some dumpoffs. His lack of touch on short throws proved to be a weakness when his extra-high pass to Davis was tipped and intercepted by the Lions, allowing them to kick a field goal just before half-time. Anderson also had a play earlier in which he had no touch, firing a quick slant to Edwards either into the ground, or low and behind him for an incompletion.
Quinn - Fine From What We Saw: At least Brady Quinn didn't tank during his limited action at quarterback. I did not agree with Quinn being inserted on a 3rd-and-1 play to start the second quarter. Anderson started that drive, and at the very least, Anderson should have stayed in until the chains were moved. He started with a nice 24-yard completion to Brian Robiskie, but then the play-calling became much more conservative with an emphasis on the run and throwing short passes on third down.

John St. Clair didn't help Quinn's cause with a few penalties to set the drive back. Quinn was OK, but in no way can you look at this game and saw that Quinn lost his shot at the starting role. At best, you can say that Anderson did enough not to have Quinn be named the starter immediately following the game.
Lewis on the Ground: Looking at the stat sheet, Jamal Lewis had another low-carry average, having 3.3 yards per carry on seven attempts. I don't see this as him struggling though; that is Jamal Lewis. Remember that throughout his career, minus the times he just obliterated the Browns as a member of the Ravens, he made his mark by pounding away and staying strong during the second half of the game.
Davis' Stock Back Up: It's been about two weeks now since the James Davis show has had some highlights, but his 81-yard touchdown run changed that. It was a simple give-up call on 3rd-and-12 just before the end of the fourth-quarter -- a quick pump fake by Brett Ratliff, followed by the delayed draw handoff to Davis.

Davis shot through the line and the safeties overcommitted to the inside, allowing Davis to make a nice juke move to the outside where he then had the help of blocking from two Browns receivers. Davis then kicked it into another gear, outracing everyone to the end zone. Davis claims that it was the longest run he's had in his football career.

Rookie RB James Davis runs for an 81-yard touchdown.

Taking Advantage: DB Eric Wright took advantage of Stafford's inexperience and of the Lions' lack of healthy receivers when he intercepted the Lions' first pass of the game. His return went for about 5 yards on the stat sheet, but ended up taking him a whole football field to get that. I hate the pesky celebration penalty after the fact, but I guess a rule is a rule.
Ivy, Poteat, Francies: It was a great day to be a Browns cornerback, that's for sure. Between the three players listed in the subtitle, Corey Ivy had the most notable plays. He lit up one of the Lions' receivers on a third-and-short pass, and was also in on the tackle that caused a fumble at the start of the third quarter (Mike Adams had the recovery).

Hank Poteat had several nice plays, notably an interception near the sideline that didn't count after his hip fell just a bit out of bounds. Coye Francies, the rookie, had some tight coverage again. He left for a play or two with a hip injury, and returned on a play where he wasn't in press coverage and gave up a first down.
Quiet Night for Tight Ends: I'm not going to complain here, because I'd rather see our backs and receivers in the preseason over our tight ends. It was nice to see Steve Heiden back for his first game, catching a 20-yard pass from Derek Anderson. To see him in on a double tight end set with the first-string unit provides hope that he won't be a roster casualty.
Vickers With the Assist: I saw more of our fullbacks tonight, particularly Lawrence Vickers early on. He hit several of his blocks very well, paving some lanes open for Lewis, including on his touchdown run in the first quarter. We haven't heard much about Vickers this camp, but I believe he's still an intregal part of our running attack.

QB Derek Anderson celebrates in belief that he has won the quarterback competition (in reality, this was him celebrating Davis' TD run)

Backup QB's: I'm still not very impressed with Brett Ratliff, although our second-string offensive line is not very good in protection. Richard Bartel had his opportunity, but blew his chance when he just barely overthrew an open Lance Leggett deep down the field. I didn't get to see enough of Bartel this camp to have an opinion of him, but he'll probably be cut after the third preseason game when rosters are trimmed to 75.
Furrey & Edwards: You can just tell that our third-down offense is going to be built around Mike Furrey after these first two preseason games. Even when we're in third-and-long situations, we're throwing the ball to him on short routes to see if he can break them open. he's not that type of player, but I'd imagine that for the preseason, those are really practice situations to focus on getting him the ball on "3rd-and-7", even if it's really a "3rd-and-15". Braylon Edwards had a catch -- nothing special, but at least the talk of the drop from Green Bay can die down for another week.
Ticket Sales? The Browns are doing their 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks, 4 tickets for $99 deal again for this weekend's game against the Titans. I bet the Browns sell a few more of those packages than they did for the Lions game. A good outing at home can do that.
Bernie Ripping on Brown: Announcer Bernie Kosar really ripped on Lions sixth-round RB Aaron Brown. Once a year, there is always a player on the opposing team in the preseason that gets on Kosar's nerves. I look forward to who that player is, and boy did Kosar rip into Brown. It started after Brown took a handoff on 3rd-and-6 out of bounds for a gain of four, rather than staying in bounds to fight for the extra yardage.

A few plays later on a pass play, Brown scurried out of bounds to avoid contact. (roughly transcribed) "This Brown just doesn't appear to like contact. That is not going to show up well for him in the film room or for when any teams in the league are looking for a free agent running back." Then on the Browns' series, Kosar notes that veteran Ryan Tucker is still in the game. "13 years Ryan has been in this league, and he's one of the toughest guys I know...definitely Aaron Brown on the other side of the spectrum from TCU...he's not even close to that type of toughness the way he runs out of bounds." I might be snoozing in the second half of preseason games if it weren't for Bernie.
Special Teams & Kaluka Maiava: I'll give him this own category this week because I'm running out of fresh sub-titles. Maiava had two early special teams tackles and made some positive plays defensively. Also having a good play on special teams was veteran LB Blake Costanzo. I know Gerard Lawson is backing up Cribbs as a returner, but I can't see him making the team again.
This Week's Marcus Benard: ...is DB Bret Lockett. Lockett saw some action with the first-string defense and made several individual one-on-one tackles. That ability intrigues me, even to the point where I now might change my mind and want to keep him over backup S Nick Sorensen (who did have a nice block on Cribbs' punt return TD). I had no idea where LB Marcus Benard was this week, as I didn't hear his name mentioned once. I have to imagine he didn't even play.
Down on Foster: I'm not at all impressed by the play of George Foster. He's even rivaling Isaac Sowells when it comes to down performances. Foster was responsible for Ratliff's fumble in the third quarter, a play that led to Lions QB Drew Stanton throwing a touchdown on his first play.
Cleaning Up the Penalties: On special teams, the Browns had one too many penalties, negating a few nice punts by Dave Zastudil and Cribbs' first touchdown return. As good as the game was as a whole, we'll have a few players running laps for their mistakes.
Brownies: LB Kamerion Wimbley played well early, as did MLB Eric Barton, who made a nice play on the ball dropping back into coverage and drilled Stafford on a free blitz...RB Chris Jennings came close to blocking a punt on two consecutive possessions.
Final Word: Thanks for being a footnote, Shaun Smith.

Eric Mangini has a decision to make. Starting quarterbacks are usually named by the third preseason game, but based on our first two games, you can't really say one player outplayed the other. It should really come down to how the quarterbacks have done overall in training camp, and most importantly, who Mangini has more faith in to lead the type of offense he wants the Browns to run. If he wants mistake-free football, Quinn should be the guy. If he wants the high risk/high reward route, maybe it's Anderson.

NOTE: To all fantasy football DBN players, remember that the draft is at 9 PM EST tonight!

Here is the roll call of who participated in the game thread, with rufio and myself having the most to say...

Roll Call: kjc, doggrad87, dergru, Roger Dorn, BradyQuinnisBeast, rufio, gahnki, skipkirk, rockybrown, ChrisPokorny, irish1083, nickjs21, woodsmeister, danzig, dohior, JustBob, aufrank, BrownDawg1409, Bernie19Kosar, Juannieboy
Total Users: 20
Total Posts: 294
Total Threads: 1

Name	# of Posts
rufio	59
ChrisPokorny	59
Roger Dorn	35
JustBob	23
woodsmeister	19
gahnki	17
BradyQuinnisBeast	17
BrownDawg1409	13
rockybrown	10
skipkirk	10
Juannieboy	8
irish1083	6
aufrank	5
nickjs21	4
dergru	3
kjc	2
doggrad87	1
Bernie19Kosar	1
dohior	1
danzig	1

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 17 - It Only Gets Worse

ChrisPokorny — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:10:28 -0000

After a pretty bad loss to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, the Cleveland Browns were back on the practice field for the first time since last Thursday. Unfortunately, rather than turning things around from Saturday's debacle, things only seemed to get worse. It sounds like we'll be in store for a heck of a Great Lakes Classic this coming Saturday!

I've decided to stick with naming the "Day" number as the same number as the date. This works out since the Browns first training camp session took place on August 1 this year.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 17 (8/17/09)

Uncharacteristic Day for Furrey: After being Mr. Reliable in terms of his hands, it wasn't the best day for veteran receiver Mike Furrey. Furrey had a couple of drops, with the biggest one coming when Derek Anderson fired a pass to him. The ball bounced off of Furrey's hands and into the arms of LB Eric Barton for an interception.
The Quarterback Chronicles: If a little kid was asked to draw a picture of how well the Browns quarterbacks did in practice Monday, I guarantee you he/she wouldn't draw a sunshine despite the fact that temperatures were roasting in the mid-90 degree range. Just like Anderson had a pass picked (see above) in drills, Brady Quinn threw a pick to LB Marcus Benard, who returned the pass 45 yards for a touchdown.
Two-Minute Drill (Anderson): After a false start penalty by LT Joe Thomas, Anderson completed passes to Furrey and Steve Heiden before scrambling for a would-be sack, killing the drive quickly. He moved the ball 12 yards in just four plays.
Two-Minute Drill (Quinn): Quinn didn't fare much better, moving the ball just 25 yards in nine plays. Of note on his drive -- LB Kaluka Maiava came free on a blitz causing an incompletion, and DB Nick Sorensen almost intercepted a pass intended for Lance Leggett. To end the drive, on 4th-and-12, Quinn could only manage to toss the ball out of bounds.
Penalties Add Up: Those penalties created by the players in Saturday's exhibition games didn't go without punishment. Every player who committed a penalty had to run a lap. I wonder if that included C Alex Mack, whose holding call was questionable. Mack was running with the first-team offense during practice. Rapid Reports stated that third-string center Dustin Fry put a Shotgun snap into the ground and ran a lap for it. Yikes.
Bubble Watch: WR Lance Leggett dropped a pass thrown by Quinn. DB Bret Lockett has received prais from Eric Mangini and has looked pretty decent.
Not Practicing: Sitting out/on the bikes at the start of practice were RB Jerome Harrison, LB David Bowens, OL Ryan Tucker, WR David Patten, TE Martin Rucker and NT Shaun Rogers. Patten did end up rejoining the team later on though.
Buzz on Davis Continues to Lessen: After rookie RB James Davis made a lot of noise at the start of camp, things have quieted down a lot for him ever since the Brown/White scrimmage a few weeks ago. He hasn't broken as many plays in practice, and had to run a lap Monday for fumbling a running back exchange.
On the Other Hand: The buzz surrounding Coye Francies continues to get hotter. He was playing tight coverage again during practice, forcing a few incompletions.
Cribbs Could be No. 2: From Mangini's press conference, it sounds like there's a serious chance that Joshua Cribbs might be our No. 2 receiver to start the season. I know we took Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi this offseason, but I am rooting for Cribbs to finally get that opportunity.

The Browns will have two sessions on Tuesday -- one in the morning and one in the evening.

Tuesday's Links/Camp Sources

Monday, Aug. 17: No starter named (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Browns' Mangini: It's too early to name a QB (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)
Camp Notes: 8/17/09 (Orange and Brown Report, King)
Practice gets sloppy (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 11 - Off the Shoe

ChrisPokorny — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:34:25 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

3 months ago: Cleveland Browns running back Noah Herron, right, runs past the defense at the Cleveland Browns NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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The Browns are getting ready for Saturday's first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. The number of training camp practices for the public are going to start dwindling, but a few will still be there as the regular season approaches. Today, there were more updates on the injury front as well as the latest word on how the quarterbacks are doing.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 11 (8/12/09)

Braylon Edwards - Undisclosed Injury is Back: After several outstanding practices for the Browns No. 1 receiver, Edwards rode the stationary bike after initially coming out for practice. The Plain Dealer is reporting that he tweaked his ankle in one-on-one drills early in the practice and then had it taped up by a trainer. It doesn't appear to be serious at this point.
Toothache for Davis: The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of rookie RB James Davis was solved when Mangini revealed he had a toothache and has had some dental work done.

LB David Veikune was all over the quarterbacks Wednesday with three sacks.

Breaking Out for Veikune: Rookie LB David Veikune had a great practice, getting pressure all afternoon long. Dawg Scooper reports that he was playing middle linebacker with the second unit and ended up recording three sacks.
Tight Ends Utilized: The Browns might not have an elite group of tight ends, but they are doing their best to utilize them in practice. TE Robert Royal caught two touchdowns in goal line 11-on-11 drills -- one from Anderson, and the other from Quinn. TE Steve Heiden caught a touchdown pass earlier from Quinn, and TE Martin Rucker came up with a diving catch on an Anderson pass. While rolling to his left, Anderson also hit TE Aaron Walker for a nice completion.
Shoe Job: For the second practice in a row, the playing time of QB Brett Ratliff increased. There was an unusual play that occurred during one of his series though -- in an attempt to throw the ball down to the dirt to stop the clock, the pass accidentally hit the foot of RB Noah Herron instead. The ball then bounced up into the air and was snagged by S Nick Sorensen, who took it the distance for a touchdown. On the day, Sorensen picked two of Ratliff's passes.
Making His Claim: CB Roderick Hood has been getting progressively better on the Browns defense, coming up with another interception in camp today, this time on QB Derek Anderson. The play wasn't necessarily Anderson's fault, as it was first tipped by WR Jordan Norwood.

DB Roderick Hood returns an interception here. Also pictured is WR Joshua Cribbs. Both players have been picking it up in camp.

Still Behind: Rookie C Alex Mack is still behind veteran Hank Fraley it appears. With Rex Hadnot down still, Fraley's roster spot seems to pretty much be guaranteed at this point.
Trickery: WR Joshua Cribbs ran a reverse for a ten-yard gain with Anderson as a blocker. This note was kind of interesting from the OBR's Twitter feed: "Browns ask media not to give up specifics on specialty or trick type plays - but the packages on stunt drill is intriguing."
Bubble Watch: This is a note just in general from the OBR regarding LB Beau Bell: "he hits a ton moving forward but lateral quickness is below average." With Davis still out, RB Noah Herron continues to make a strong case for being on the final roster. I'm really starting to believe that Herron will make the team as the backup fullback/fourth running back. He's not a bad player and he has some veteran experience. With RB Jerome Harrison also not practicing, RB Jamal Lewis and Herron got all the running back reps. CB Hank Poteat was burned by WR Brian Robiskie for a touchdown.
Stepping Up: It's getting repetitive, but that's a good thing in this case: once again, WR Joshua Cribbs had a good practice as a receiver. It doesn't sound like he's seen any work in the secondary this camp, but from what it sounds like, we won't need him there.

The Browns will have an afternoon practice again on Thursday.

Wednesday's Links/Camp Sources

Wednesday 8/12 Practice (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Lane's camp notes, Twitter style! (Orange and Brown Report, Adkins)
QBs debunk cheating story (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Wednesday evening camp notes (Orange and Brown Report, Taylor)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 10 (Evening) - Where's James Davis?

ChrisPokorny — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:20:25 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Cleveland Browns tight end Aaron Walker isn't helping his roster odds by dropping passes.

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After this morning's sloppy practice full of penalties, the Browns took the field for their evening session of camp. Did things fare any better?

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 10 [EVENING] (8/11/09)

James Davis Missing in Action: If this is the lead story, it's a sign that there really isn't a lot to mention tonight. RB James Davis did not practice, but he wasn't with the rest of the injured players on stationary bikes either. He was just sort of...missing in action. No word was given on the reason Davis did not practice.
Pick City: It wasn't a great evening session for QB Brady Quinn, who was picked off twice -- once by CB Coye Francies (his name is coming up left and right now, eh?), and once by CB Eric Wright. On Wright's pick, Quinn was trying to throw a quick slant pattern to WR Braylon Edwards but the defensive back did a good job jumping the route, although it was reportedly also a god-awful pass from Quinn. The interception made up for a pass that Wright had in his breadbasket from Derek Anderson earlier, but he dropped. Francies' pick came after S Nick Sorensen had tipped Quinn's pass.
Under Pressure Again: Whether it's a result of him holding onto the ball too long or just not catching lucky breaks, QB Derek Anderson was facing pressure from the defense most of the night. One of the players involved in the pressure was LB Kamerion Wimbley, capping off a good day overall for him.
Out on the Bikes: After practicing this morning, FB Charles Ali was back on the stationary bike for the evening practice. Also on the bikes were receivers Lance Leggett and David Patten.
Cribbs Continues to Thrive: When he keeps catching the ball while flashing the ability to break almost every catch for a touchdown, you have to be getting more and more exciting about Joshua Cribbs as a receiver. He caught a pass from Anderson in heavy traffic during the evening session. WR Mike Furrey also had a nice grab, as he also shows why he's definitely in line to be the No. 2 or No. 3 receiver this year.
Bubble Watch: Rapid Reports says that TE Aaron Walker is not helping his roster odds by dropping several passes in the evening practice.
Morning Note: Former Browns TE Aaron Shea attended the morning practice. He was there to escort former University of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was visiting camp today. It was noted that Shea is now helping the Browns sell loges.

The Browns have an afternoon practice on Wednesday. The weather look to be pleasant, at around 82 degrees and partly cloudy.

Tuesday Evening's Links/Camp Sources

Night practice: to the well too often (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
Tuesday PM: Davis missing (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Recap: Day 6 - Man Down at Guard

ChrisPokorny — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:24:27 -0000

QB Brady Quinn tried to lead the Browns offense, but he and QB Derek Anderson struggled in drills again.

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The biggest story of Thursday's training camp involves OG Rex Hadnot. As reported earlier, the OBR indicated that Hadnot had blown out his knee. More details have come in to the OBR, now saying that it could be a serious left knee injury. The details of the play it happened on are in the report below.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 6 (8/6/09)

How It Happened: It started out as a normal play, with Hadnot blocking DL Louis Leonard. As he was engaged with Leonard, rookie LB David Veikune rolled on the top of Hadnot's leg. Hadnot remained on the ground for awhile in pain as the team gathered around him, before being carted off. It doesn't look very good right now for Hadnot, who started 15 games for the Browns last year. We didn't project him as a starter this year, but no doubt this could improve the roster odds of C Hank Fraley, and might create an opening for someone like Dustin Fry.
Sunday Scrimmage: Head coach Eric Mangini revealed how the scrimmage will take place at the stadium this Sunday (free admission to all fans). There will be two teams -- the Brown Team and the White Team. They will play four quarters, each lasting ten minutes. Special teams coach Brad Seely will manage one team, while quarterbacks coach Carl Smith will manage the other. Mangini will be focusing on evaluating how things unfold. There will not be full-blown tackling, but the players will be in pads and allowed to make contact. It sounds much cooler than what has taken place the past several years.

RB James Davis dashes by another defender.

It Can't Be Luck, Can It? Once again, rookie RB James Davis made an impact and possibly the play of the day, running for a 55-yard touchdown after cutting against the grain.
The Quarterbacks Hit Bottom: Thanks again to Daniel Wolf of Dawg Scooper, who attended today's practice and provided the statistics for how the quarterbacks did in their drills today. Unfortunately, the results were pretty poor for both men. Here's a sample: in the first 11-on-11 drill, each quarterback was one-of-four with an interception. In an 11-on-11 one-minute drill, Quinn had poor clock management and barely moved the ball, while Anderson threw three incompletions before being sacked. If these two turned in this type of performance this Sunday, the hopes for our offense this year probably wouldn't be too high.
Robiskie Still Down the Chart: The trend seems to be continuing, as WR Braylon Edwards, WR Mike Furrey, and WR Mohamed Massaquoi seemed to be working with the first team. WR Brian Robiskie received doesn't seem like he's demoted or anything, but he's not getting the same level of work as when camp first started. It's hard to say if this is indicative of their performances, or if Mangini is just rotating the reps.

Hey look, it's TE Martin Rucker. Training camp has not provided many clues as to who the starting TE will be.

Punt Fakes in Full Effect: Thanks again to Mr. Wolf for providing some information on punt fakes. S Nick Sorensen caught the punt coverage by surprise when he took the snap and ran for about 10-15 yards. Later in the practice, P Dave Zastudil executed a fake as well. Speaking of Zastudil, CBS Sportline reported that he has been booming the ball well throughout training camp.
Wildcat Formation: The Browns worked on the "Wildcat" formation with Joshua Cribbs, but it sounds like it was much of the same stuff as last year -- Cribbs running or handing the ball off rather than passing.
Focusing on Run Drills: ClevelandBrowns.com reports that the practice involved focusing largely on running drills.
Did Not Practice: FB Charles Ali, CB Don Carey, and WR David Patten did not practice.
New Player Signed: The Browns signed a new defensive back -- Brandon Anderson, undrafted free agent from the University of Akron.
The Vike: Rookie LB David Veikune looked good, beating OT George Foster a few times. That's either good for Veikune or bad for Foster.

Thursday's Link Collection / Camp Sources

Thursday 8/6 Practice Report (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Hadnot Blows Out Knee (Orange and Brown Report, King)
New year, new goals for Williams (Official Team Site, Jackson)
Day 6 Training Camp Notes (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)

Browns Training Camp Report: Day 3 (Evening) - Hubbard's Rebound

ChrisPokorny — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:34:46 -0000

After a rough start to camp, WR Paul Hubbard got things going during the evening session of Day 3. Photo via photos.theobr.com

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If you missed the morning report on Day 3 of Cleveland Browns training camp, then click here. In the evening session of Day 3, things turned around for one player in particular -- wide receiver Paul Hubbard. After looking like camp fodder over the first several practices, something set him on fire for the PM practice.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 3 [EVENING] (8/3/09)

The Paul Hubbard Show: In total, Hubbard recorded five catches and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a deep ball from QB Richard Bartel, a play in which Hubbard dodged the double coverage of S Nick Sorensen and CB Gerard Lawson. You might be thinking, "hey, does one good practice really garner that much attention for a player?" Well, in almost all of the media outlet reports for the evening, Hubbard was praised like you wouldn't believe.

Maria Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal went so far as to say that Hubbard might be looking to contend for the No. 2 receiver role. I wouldn't go that far, but if Hubbard can string together a few more practices like this, it raises the question of whether Mangini would choose a more consistent player like Lance Leggett, or a potential big-playmaker in Hubbard for a surprise roster spot. I'd still prefer the likes of Leggett.
Steptoe Your Way Down: To contrast Hubbard's great practice was WR Syndric Steptoe, who reportedly dropped four passes in the evening session, with three of them occurring within close proximity of each other. According to the OBR Twitter feed, one of those drops was a perfect 35-yard corner pass from QB Brady Quinn.
Extra Note on Hubbard: One thing to consider about Hubbard's excellent practice -- for the evening session, the team was not in pads. Just something to ponder about.
Safety Updates At Last! This morning I begged for some updates on our starting safeties, and coincidentally, the positive reports came in for S Abram Elam. Elam had two interceptions; one on a failed trick play, and the other when he jumped in front of a Quinn pass intended for TE Aaron Walker.
Rough Evening for Quinn: Besides getting picked off by Elam, Quinn was also intercepted by LB Eric Barton. The early portion of the practice saw the quarterbacks working on fade routes to the corner of the end zone.
Wait...What? This one stood out from Steve Doerschuk's report regarding OG Eric Steinbach. I'll quote it entirely to best serve its purpose:

Something Joe Thomas said today caught me off guard. Big Joe said it would be strange playing without Eric Steinbach after they spent two seasons side by side, but he added, "Whoever ends up at left guard I’m sure will do very well." I had begun to think Steinbach was locking down the position. Maybe he is, but …
Injury Updates: I'm pleased to report that CB Eric Wright returned to practice after leaving this morning's session. LB David Bowens was on the stationary bike for the night though. All other injured players reportedly retained their same status.
Take a Seat: Doerschuk also reports that LB Leon Williams lit up RB James Davis big time during a live blocking drill.
Not as Unpleasant as We Thought: The news regarding DL Shaun Smith seemed a little more upbeat today. He has lost some weight and is down to a reported 315 pounds and was having fun with his teammates earlier. On the OBR's Twitter feed, it was stated that he was giving C Hank Fraley a difficult time in blocking drills.

Tomorrow's practice is closed to the public. However, the media should be able to attend, so there should still be manageable report to put together here. Be sure to check out Abram Elam's blog post (check the links below) for his thoughts on which players are standing out in training camp thus far.

Sunday's Evening Link Collection / Camp Sources

A New Paul Hubbard Appears (Canton Repository, Doerschuk)
Monday PM Aug. 3: Hubbard's Day (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Abram Elam's Training Camp Blog (AbeElam.com, Elam)

Browns Training Camp Report: Day 1 (Morning)

ChrisPokorny — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:40:14 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

The big news on Day 1? Contact, and lots of it. Here, Blake Costanzo (44) and Titus Brown (59) run drills during the Cleveland Browns NFL football training camp, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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The Cavs came up short. The Indians are out of contention. Ladies and gentlemen, it is officially time once again to shift all of your attention to the Cleveland Browns, as training camp started today. There were two sessions scheduled for Day 1 -- this one covers the morning session. The notes in this report, along with most future reports, are a recap from various sources which will be linked to at the conclusion of the report.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 1 [MORNING] (8/1/09)

Not Taking Things Lightly: Eric Mangini isn't wasting any time with his training camps. Everyone is reporting that they were surprised to see a lot of contact during drills today. Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer reported that there was more contact in Mangini's first practice than you'd see in a week's worth of Crennel's practices. If the Browns are to have more aggression and stamina during games, this is the only acceptable approach in my book.

DL Robaire Smith was at practice and ready for battle.

More Proof of Contact: One person stood out during practice, but for different reasons. Steve Heiden was the only player wearing a red shirt, and that is because the coaches wanted his contact to be limited since he is coming off of surgery.
No Holdouts...Yet: As expected, Joshua Cribbs and Phil Dawson both showed up in camp. Cribbs previously stated he would attend practices, and with Parker Douglass being waived yesterday, it seemed like a sign that Dawson would take the field.
The Injury Front: The only players on the sidelines were Braylon Edwards and Coye Francies. I still wonder what's up with Francies. Edwards was reportedly on the stationary bike and not limping. I was very pleased to hear that Robaire Smith was near a full-go right off the bat; that is great news for our defensive line. Ryan Tucker was also in practice and has chosen not to retire this season.
Quarterback Battle: Although Brady Quinn was the first quarterback to play, he and Derek Anderson received equal playing time. Mangini is calling this an "open competition". While it's only the first practice, the OBR had an interesting statement from their perspective on the practice:

If you’re scoring at home, the first practice went to Anderson. He looked sharp in the workout and hit rookie receiver Brian Robiskie on a crossing route for a touchdown and also Syndric Steptoe. However, he was intercepted by Mike Adams.
Both quarterbacks reportedly did not go away from their strengths -- Anderson threw the ball deep, while Quinn stayed with the short routes.

QB Brady Quinn throws a pass on Day 1.

Bubble Watch: This is a new feature I'll try to incorporate in this year's previews, including tidbits on players that are "on the bubble" for a roster spot. First up is LB Beau Bell, who had a nice hit during the scrimmages, according to the OBR. The OBR also had perhaps a surprising note on S Nick Sorensen, stating that unlike other safeties from the practice, he was one of the few who wasn't getting burned.
Starting Offensive Line: The starting offensive line consisted of Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, Hank Fraley, Floyd Womack, and John St. Clair. That should change gradually, with Alex Mack eventually taking over center and Ryan Tucker also being worked in.
Robiskie Signed and Producing: Right after being signed, Brian Robiskie got to work and had a very good first practice.
Play of the Day: The play of the day might have belonged to WR Lance Leggett, a player that I showed some favoritism towards in my training camp previews. Despite the fact that Eric Wright interfered on the play, Leggett made a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
Always Good to Hear: Direct from the OBR:

OLB Alex Hall made an impression early in training camp practice on Saturday. The second-year player gained the appreciation of players and coaches alike due to his ability to stay with RBs coming out of the backfield in team drills.
Take this opportunity and run with it, Hall.
Clear Skies: For those outside of Cleveland, if you weren't under a tree in the shade today, the sun was beating down nonstop this morning.
Shaun Smith = Lazy: According to fans, it's not a good start to camp for DL Shaun Smith, who was told by the staff earlier in the offseason to "shape up or shut up". Smith reportedly looked out of shape, out of position, off balance, and didn't appear to have much intensity. Instead, he'll save the intensity for a greater cause, like punching another teammate in the face.
New Drill for Dawson: This year, the goal posts are narrower on one of the practice fields. Dawson liked the challenge: "Make the slightest little mistake, and you're going to miss."

After practice, Mangini stated that the team had no interest in Michael Vick and that there were no updates on the status of Donte Stallworth.

Saturday's Link Collection / Camp Sources

Training Camp Quick Hits (Orange and Brown Report, Adkins)
Quarterback Battle: Game On (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)
Browns have one practice in the books (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)
Camp off and running (ClevelandBrowns.com, Jackson)

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2009: Safety Preview (Will Abram Elam Shine?)

ChrisPokorny — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:17:45 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

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We're in the final week of our position previews for training camp, as we now get set to "Cover the Field". This week, we'll start with the safety position, and then close things out with the cornerbacks. Next week, we'll recap any other loose ends before training camp finally begins on August 1st.

With the departure of Sean Jones this season, the secondary has a new look to it in safety Abram Elam. Will he catch on as a starter in our 3-4 defense?

1. BRODNEY POOL - STARTING SAFETY

Brodney Pool (#21)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 205
College: Oklahoma
Experience: 5 years
Note: Concussion issues

If you asked me two years ago which safety would last with the Browns longer between Brodney Pool and Sean Jones, I would've picked Jones. Now, it's up to Pool to take charge of the "veteran" role. The last successful veteran leader we had at safety was Brian Russell, but I don't know if Pool can quite live up to that role. Pool has some nice ball skills, but I think he's peaked as a player as an above average safety at best.

One of Pool's best strengths could ultimately be his undoing. Pool can deliver punishing hits on opposing receivers, but with Pool's history of concussions, one wrong hit could be the end of his career, hurting our depth at safety tremendously. On the plus side, Pool has only missed one game over the past three seasons.

Pool has the athleticism and physical tools of an ideal safety, but will he be savvy enough to play in Rob Ryan's system? I'm not so sure I trust him in man coverage yet, and would rather see what Abram Elam has to offer in that role instead. Mangini has given Pool his vote of confidence:

"The key will be to have balanced safeties, so either one can play back, either one can play up and Brodney has shown the ability to do both those things."

Job Security: A+
Player Quality: B-
Final Roster Odds: 100%

2. ABRAM ELAM - STARTING SAFETY

Abram Elam (#26)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 207
College: Kent State
Experience: 4 years
Note: Mangini's project

Abram Elam is one of the player's I'm most excited about on this year's defense. He was an up-and-coming player with Mangini under the Jets, and for Mangini not to show any apparent interest in re-signing Sean Jones or bringing in a veteran safety, he must have sincerely believed Elam was ready to be a starter in the NFL.

Elam was known for being solid against the run and providing a good pass rush when asked to. Fans in New York questioned his ability to stay with receivers down the field, but Elam stated otherwise in an exclusive interview with Dawgs By Nature:

"I don't think it's a problem. If I couldn't cover, I wouldn't be in the NFL. But I continue to work on my game, I know there's a lot of stuff I need to improve on and I work to get better every day in practice."

For the full piece we ran on Elam, click here.

Elam also runs a blog on AbeElam.com, where he has been posting notes throughout the offseason. Recently, he discussed his thoughts on where he would be playing, as well as what is necessary for each position:

"I don’t know if I’m going to play free safety or strong safety this season. Probably both. The goal is for us to be interchangeable in the secondary, for all of the safeties on the field to be able to play up in the box as well as deep in the back.

I’m focusing my training on becoming more versatile. As a strong safety you have to play more in the box, cover the tight end and stop the run. The free safety is the last line of defense, the ballhawk in the back.

Personally I don’t care where I play, I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team. Whether I’m starting or coming off the bench, I’m training to be the starter.

Playing strong safety means you have to have a physical, aggressive mentality to get up and stick your nose in. You can’t shy away from contact. The toughest thing is to dodge the offensive linemen. They see a smaller guy and try to push them around. The key is to beat them with agility and speed.

The free safety anchors the deep part of the field. Some of the QBs are hard to get reads on and you have to study them more extensively and watch their mechanics. Quarterbacks make either full-field or half-field reads. The experienced ones can read the whole field, while some of the younger ones are not as confident or patient and can only read half the field."

Job Security: A
Player Quality: C+ (potential for more)
Final Roster Odds: 100%

3. MIKE ADAMS - VETERAN BACKUP SAFETY

Mike Adams (#20)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 195
College: Delaware
Experience: 6 years
Note: Good fill-in player

I was pleased that the Browns kept Mike Adams on as the backup safety. Last year, he should have seen more time as the nickel back too, but with more depth at the cornerback position this year, Adams should be able to stick to just the safety position.

Adams is acceptable for a spot start or two, but not for an extended stretch. In the future, it might be wise for the Browns to invest a draft pick in a safety, especially if Pool isn't brought back next year.

Player Quality: C
Final Roster Odds: 100%

4. NICK SORENSEN - VETERAN BACKUP SAFETY

Nick Sorensen (#21)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 210
College: Virginia Tech
Experience: 9 years
Note: Special teamer

While he hasn't been with the Browns that long, I wonder how many fans would be surprised to hear that Nick Sorensen is entering his ninth season in the NFL. Sorensen was mostly a special teams contributor two years ago for the Browns, but saw his role expand a little more last year due to injuries in the secondary. There were several instances in which I was pleasantly surprised by his ability to shoot through the line on a blitz, although he was only credited for half a sack on the season.

Without much competition at backup safety this year, coupled with the fact that he is a good special teams player, Sorensen's job should be safe again.

Player Quality: D+
Final Roster Odds: 75%

5. HAMZA ABDULLAH - BACKUP SAFETY

Hamza Abdullah (#42)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 216
College: Washington St.
Experience: 5 years
Note: Former Bronco

Hamza Abdullah is another intriguing player. He was a seventh-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos back in 2005. Two years ago, Abdullah started the final eight games of the season for the Broncos, and was expected to compete for a starting role for them last season.

After suffering a groin injury, he lost his shot at the starting job. He originally made the team's 53-man roster, but played sparingly the first couple of weeks before being released. The Browns signed him fairly early into the season, but, in typical Crennel fashion, Abdullah never saw the field for the Browns.

Here's what our Denver Broncos affiliate, Mile High Report, once had to say about Abdullah:

"When healthy, Abdullah is a hard hitter, when he doesn’t flat out miss the ball carrier. He takes bad angles to the ball and doesn’t get deep enough in pass coverage."

Player Quality: TBD
Final Roster Odds: 40%

6. BRET LOCKETT - BACKUP SAFETY

Bret Lockett (#39)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 210
College: UCLA
Experience: Rookie
Note: UDFA

Safety Bret Lockett comes from UCLA, where he had an impressive Pro Day.

Lockett ran a pair of impressive 40s, clocking in at 4.49 and 4.45 seconds, which would have been the second-best time among safeties at the combine.

He broad-jumped 10-feet, 2inches and bench pressed 225 pounds 19 times despite not training for it because he was recovering from December surgery to repair a broken forearm.

"I've never run below a 4.5,so when I heard 4.49 … that shot me up after that," Lockett said.

"I imagine a lot of people liked me. I didn't train for the bench, and I did 19, and then running below a 4.5, I heard a lot of people saying, `Wow."'

Scouting reports indicate that Lockett was an average safety in college who received an opportunity to start in his final season, finishing third on the team with 61 tackles.

Final Roster Odds: <5%
Practice Squad Odds: 30%

Safety Position Quality (Overall): C

I have high hopes that Elam will have a solid season this year, but without the starting experience, it's difficult to rank the safety position very high. Our depth is decent, but we don't have anyone who could fill in as a starter unless Abdullah has a really impressive camp.

Poll

Which safety do you think has more potential?

Brodney Pool

192 votes

Abram Elam

313 votes

505 votes | Poll has closed

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2009: Special Teams Preview

ChrisPokorny — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:16:13 -0000

We're finished with the Hard Hits of this week's coverage with the linebackers, so now it's time to close things out with the Klutch Kicks of the special teams unit. Because there isn't really a true "depth chart" when it comes to special teams, today's preview will be broken down into seperate sections, as opposed to ranking Phil Dawson, Dave Zastudil, and Ryan Pontbriand one, two, and three.

Kicker

1. PHIL DAWSON - STARTING KICKER

Phil Dawson (#4)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 200
College: Texas
Experience: 11 years
Note: Career-high 30 FG

If it were all about performance heading into training camp this season, then Phil Dawson's job would be safe. That's not all it's about though, as Dawson has been asking for a new contract throughout the offseason, and could possibly hold out in part of training camp if he doesn't get one.

Dawson is the final member of the Browns' return team in 1999, and I'd rather not see him go yet; it'd be nice to see him retire as a Brown many years down the road, as kickers have a long lifespan in the league. He's coming off of a pretty strong season, connecting on 30-of-36 field goals, setting career highs in both attempts and makes. He also had a career-long 56 yarder, and was 3-of-6 on kicks of 50 or more yards (meaning he was 27-of-30 on kicks 49 yards or less).

Many Browns fans think they would miss Dawson, but that a replacement would be easy enough to find. Tell that to half the teams in the league who have been through ten kickers in just a few years. I'd rather maintain what has been working on special teams.

Job Security: A
Player Quality: B+
Final Roster Odds (w/o contract considered): 100%

2. PARKER DOUGLASS - ROOKIE BACKUP KICKER

Parker Douglass (#8)
Height: 5-8
Weight: 170
College: South Dakota St.
Experience: Rookie
Note: Saw action in minicamp

I bet half of our community here is bigger than the 5-8, 170-pound Douglas, but that doesn't really matter for a kicker, does it? Douglas should be doing nothing more than providing an extra leg in camp. Any praise that comes from Mangini should not be interpreted that Dawson could lose the job in jeopardy.

In mini-camp, he did showed ability to hit a few 50+ yard kicks. If Dawson is a stickler and holds out, I see the Browns going after a free agent veteran kicker. If for whatever reason they can't sign one, then Douglas might just get a shot.

Here's a video on Douglass on YouTube.

Final Roster Odds: 5%
Practice Squad Odds: 1%

Punter

DAVE ZASTUDIL - STARTING PUNTER

Dave Zastudil (#8)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 220
College: Ohio
Experience: 8 years
Note: Born in Bay Village

Sometimes I get a little bit frustrated during games at Zastudil's punts, but overall he does not present a weakness. His punt average is in the top third of the league, and he's right in the middle of the pack at hitting kicks inside the 20 yard line. If our offense could move the ball more effectively, those numbers might go up with him not having to face the pressure of being backed up in the opponent's end zone.

Currently, Zastudil is not facing any competition in camp.

Job Security: A+
Player Quality: B
Final Roster Odds: 100%

Long Snapper

RYAN PONTBRIAND - STARTING LONG SNAPPER

Ryan Pontbriand (#64)
Height: 6-2
Weight: 255
College: Rice
Experience: 7 years
Note: 2x Pro Bowler

Think to yourself -- how many years has Ryan Pontbriand been with the Cleveland Browns? It's six, meaning he'll be entering his seventh season this year. Pontbriand has been the AFC's selection to the Pro Bowl at the long snapper position the past two years, rewarding him for being the best in the conference at what he does.

He also contributes a little bit on special teams kick coverage as a tackler, if necessary.

Job Security: A+
Player Quality: A+
Final Roster Odds: 101%

Note: For these next few sections, rather than mini-profiles, it will be general notes on the position.

Kick Returner / Punt Returner

One player has the honor of fulfilling both of these roles, and that is Joshua Cribbs. After an injury at the start of last season, Cribbs didn't seem like himself for the first several weeks. As the season went on, he seemed to regain the confidence and "X-factor" that made him a threat on any given kick. Still, in 2008, he averaged about 5 yards less on kickoffs returns and 5 yards less on punt returns than he did in 2007. I attribute some of that to losing a few key special team blockers to free agency and to injuries.

Among the other candidates who could return kicks/punts are Syndric Steptoe and rookie Brian Robiskie, as well as defensive back Gerard Lawson.

Gunner

Again, we point to Joshua Cribbs, who might just be a better gunner than he is a kick returner. The only negative is that Cribbs' aggressiveness and motivation to go all out, both as a gunner and on returns, could lead to a nasty collision that takes him out for a few games. As for our second gunner, I think the Browns will probably be looking at a variety of candidates in training camp.

Other Coverage

The Browns brought over LB Blake Costanzo from the Buffalo Bills, who led their team in special teams tackles last season. Costanzo might pick up the slack for the Browns losing LB Kris Griffin in the offseason. I'd imagine that young linebackers Beau Bell and Kalkua Maiava will also be in the mix on special teams. Backup safety Nick Sorensen is also a reliable special teams veteran, having once captained the Jacksonville Jaguars special teams unit.

This season, a rule change lowered the number of people who could be on the wedge to just two players. With veteran special teamer Lennie Friedman no longer with the Browns, which offensive lineman will be asked to fulfill that role?

Special Teams Position Quality (Overall): A-

With an above average kicker, an average punter, and an elite long snapper and kick returner/gunner, the special teams unit deserves a healthy "A-".

The reason the grade wasn't any higher? I saw a dropoff in the Browns' ability to block for Cribbs last season, so we'll have to see how new special teams coordinator Brad Seely handles things.

Poll

Will Phil Dawson be kicking for the Browns this season?

Yes

488 votes

No

42 votes

530 votes | Poll has closed

Cleveland Browns Defense: What Went Wrong? Part 1

rufio — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:19:47 -0000

To put it simply: a lot.

I will attempt to show for the 2008 season what our defensive goals were, how we sought to accomplish them (with respect to individual players and the defense as a whole), and why exactly our defense failed to become an elite unit.

Because it was the most positive memory of the season that I have, I went back and looked at the tape of our Monday night game against the New York Giants. I will use this footage as sort of a case study that will (hopefully) explain what went wrong this season in general.

Clearly, everything that was bad about the Browns' defense in 2008 can not be covered in one write-up, so this will be a multi-part review, hopefully reaching larger conclusions in future installments. This entry will look at the Browns in man-to-man coverage.

Against the Pass

Man Coverage

When it went right: During the Giants' opening drive, our defense was in classic "bend" mode, giving up chunks of positive yards on 5 of 6 plays to open the game. We let the Giants get 40 total yards on those first 6 plays which amounts to a whopping 6.67 yards/play, the Giants easily averaging a first down for every two plays they ran. The drive ended well for us, however, with Brodney Pool intercepting Eli Manning to close the drive.

So what did we do for the two plays (including the turnover) in the opening drive where we didn't give up positive yards? Somewhat surprisingly, we played man-to-man coverage.

On last play of that opening drive, the Giants had lined up with 4 WR and RB Brandon Jacobs to Eli Manning's left in the shotgun package. We countered by going to our Dime package (4 CB), moving pass rushing OLBs Kamerion Wimbley and Willie McGinest to DE and having 4 down linemen. Shortly before the snap, S Nick Sorensen moved up to the line of scrimmage, showing blitz. Here, Sorensen is just crossing the yellow 1st down line on the top half of the screen.

With Sorensen up at the line and S Brodney Pool deep, we basically tipped our hand that we were playing either Cover 1 with Pool in deep coverage (man) or Cover 3 (which would almost definitely be zone).

Off the snap, you can see Sorensen blitz to Kamerion Wimbley's right. Sure enough, we are in Cover-1 (man).

Kamerion Wimbley was lined up next to Shaun Rogers to form the right side of the defensive line. Wimbley and Rogers ran what is called a "stunt" or sometimes a "game" where they basically cross paths en route to the QB. Rogers' job is to shoot the B gap between LG and LT and occupy the LG. If Sorensen occupies the LT, McGinest occupies the RT, and Corey Williams can demand a double team from the C and RG, there should be no one left to block Wimbley, who is to loop back inside Rogers into the A gap between C and LG.

In other words, ideally, the play would like this:

I believe there is a design flaw in this blitz even though it ultimately ended up being successful. As you can see, one blocker was all the Giants needed to take care of Corey Williams. Shaun Rogers probably would have demanded at least a partial double team and let Wimbley get to the QB easier. Corey Williams (based on what I had heard about him) was pretty good at shooting gaps in Green Bay, and could have performed the stunt with Wimbley. Rogers is the only player on our team who demands a double team.

Here, you can see McGinest (#55) beating his man. Sorensen is engulfed (as one might expect a backup S to be by a starting LT), Williams can't get any movement on the RG, and Wimbley and Rogers are both beginning to beat their men.

McGinest didn't get the sack, but he did force QB Eli Manning to step up into the pocket. Along with Rogers, McGinest helped make Manning a sitting duck for Kamerion Wimbley who is seen here just before he gets a hit on Manning.

As illustrated by the Worldwide Leader above, Eli was staring Plaxico Burress down the entire play. Because of the pressure applied by Wimbley, Rogers, and McGinest, he had nowhere else to go and either had to take the sack or throw to Plax. Note in this image how far Brodney Pool seems to be from the play.

Brandon McDonald has very good coverage on Burress (the right of the two receivers), and Pool gets a good jump on the ball. Eli may have had a shot if he is able to step in to this throw, drive the ball, and sink it down in to the back-left corner of the endzone. In other words, there is probably a place that Eli could have put the ball where Burress could make the catch but neither McDonald nor Pool had a shot at it, BUT the teamwork of the pass rush and the secondary made this in to a big play for our defense.

(Pool makes the interception).

When it went wrong: Probably remembering our earlier success, we went back to almost the same exact defensive play later in the 2nd quarter. In the same Dime package, this time we lined Corey Williams up at the 1 technique with his nose over the C's right shoulder. We also brought MLB D'Qwell Jackson up, showing blitz between Williams and LDE Willie McGinest.

If you are reading this blog, you have probably seen a QB step and maybe flex his hands as though he were receiving the shotgun snap (possibly even accompanied by a head fake by the center) only to not get the ball. Offenses do this to try to sniff out "late" movements by the defense that are to be made shortly before the snap. In the photo above, you can see the C with his head down, looking for the signal from Manning, while Eli does his little step. Below, you get Sorensen's reaction.

If timed correctly, blitzes and late shifts can give offenses all types of trouble. A QB thinks he has made the correct read and knows who will get open, but the defense changes looks and what he thought was there is now gone. Show one thing, then take it away. (Side note: I don't know much of anything about Baseball...can anyone explain why Baseball defenses don't do this type of thing? Seems like it could at least distract a hitter every now and then...)

Eli sees the blitz coming, makes the adjustment, and Sorensen knows he has been sniffed out so he just lines up at the line of scrimmage.

Corey Williams is presumably lined up closer to the C to make it easier for him to draw the C's protection his way and to allow Kamerion Wimbley an free pass to the QB. I would guess that D'Qwell's presence up on the line was intended to draw the RG's protection, making it all the more necessary for the C to block Williams.

We wanted the play to look like this:

With the HB either having to cross in front of the QB to try to get a piece of Wimbley, or running a pass route to try to catch the ball, and not staying in to pass block at all.

Here is what actually happened:

I like the fact that Romeo and Mel Tucker made an in-game adjustment by moving the DL around and even sending more people at the QB (6!) to try to create pressure. They did get a favorable matchup with D'Qwell Jackson being blocked one-on-one vs a RB (although if Brandon Jacobs had been in the game, he has the advantage 1-1 vs just about any LB).

(Jackson using his favorable matchup and beating the RB, while the rest of the blitz is nullified by the Giants)

The first thing that accounts for the failure of this play is still the coaching staff's fault, though.

In my humble opinion, if you send 6 (six!) rushers at the QB, you should be able to design your rush such that an unblocked rusher gets to the QB. I showed how the Eagles and the Ravens were able to get untouched rushers to the QB. The reason they were able to get untouched rushers to the QB was because they utilized the concept of "overload".

Basically, "overloading" an offense means bringing more rushers than they can block. You can actually overload an offense by sending more than the offense can block (so 7 in this case), you can give the perception of overload by making the offense think you are bringing more than they can block, you can overload locally by bringing more than an offense can block in a given area of the line (usually one half of the line).

Instead of overloading, we just trusted our players to beat their blockers one on one, and we didn't even create mismatches (such as trying to get the RB to block a 300+lb. lineman instead of ~240 lb. Jackson). A few of our defenders eventually beat their men. Jackson forced Eli up in the pocket, and Rogers spun off of his man and got a big hit on Manning.

BUT because of another mistake by our coaching staff, the Giants got positive yards.

(Rogers about to crush Eli)

Above, you see 33+ year old, 12 year veteran Terry Cousin guarding the Giants' fastest, best, (insert gun joke here)-est WR Plaxico Burress. Cousin is listed at 5'9", 185lbs, while Burress is listed at 6'5", 232. This is a mismatch.

That's a 30 yard gain. Not a back breaker, but not the type of play you want to give up if you are to become an elite defense. Part of the reason the Giants were able to do this is that Cousin is not a good player, but a lot of the blame rests with the coaches for asking him to try to guard Burress.

Refusing to move another DB over to cover Plax (and probably give it away that we were playing man coverage) for one play isn't that big of a deal. Romeo and Mel didn't learn from their mistake, however. As you can see below, the Giants exploited this same mismatch for a TD later in the game.

Cousin lines up over Burress and doesn't get a great bump at the line...

Man coverage, with Burress starting to get separation out of his break. Two defenders are waiting for a run out of the shotgun, five rushers don't have time to get to Manning...

Cousin not closing well on a ball thrown high to the 6'5" Burress...

Touchdown.

Outside of Shaun Rogers, our front 7 didn't have a lot of pass-rushing talent. Our defensive backs weren't Pro Bowlers. But, when the whole defense worked together in a way that surprised the offense and got pressure on the QB, they could still get the job done in man coverage in 2008.