A Long Night to Begin the Offseason
First Impression: Yuck. Second Impression: It wasn't a bad game, and actually it was a game the browns should have won. What else is new.
The Kelly Holcomb Experiment can officially end now, I think. Holcomb looked confused, downcast, misplaced throughout the second quarter and, with the Rams holding a slim 9-7 lead, he blew the game with two back-breaking interceptions with under 3:00 left in the half. Both resulted in Rams TDs and that was just about the end of the game. Holcomb's line: 1TD, 2 INT, 1 FUM. Bad, bad, bad.
James Jackson, however, ran hard and no one missed William Green. We did, however, miss James Jackson as he went down with an injury, giving way to Jamel White, who promptly ran for 100 yards and a score. In fact, I'd say Jamel looked much better the more carries he got. It's been tough to figure out what his problem has been this seasn as he's the fastest dude on the team but always seemed tentative, sluggish with the ball. Last night he moved with more decisiveness as he got more touches and that seemd to make a big difference. Of course, he's now yet another player who sometimes looks good and often dissappears... How many of those does this team have?
Tim Couch played the second half and almost salvaged a win. He hit Morgan for a nice TD and led another nice TD drive to get it within 6. Now, Couch didn't look great by any means, but he seemed to avoid the killer mistake and make some nice throws. It's easy to rail against his "dink and dunk" tendencies, but it was noticable how Couch was able to hit backs with accurate out and screen passes where Holcomb was struggling mightily. But, as is the story of this year, Couch still made the final mistake getting sacked and fumbling on 4th down on the last posession of the game. I can somewhat excuse the mistake -- "he was trying to make a play" and throwing the ball away wasn't an option -- but it is still emblematic of the season. It is now clear that the big offseason QB decision will not be which quarterback they let go, but which QB they decide to keep.
While the QB debate is of course very significant, last night also was evidence that the team's bigger problem may be with the offensive line. Injuries have shredded what was due to be a decent, perhaps above average, unit. Now we are left with Tucker and a bunch of street free agent types. Worse, the h-backs and running backs missed some crucial blocks. Holcomb's fumble came on a missed h-back block, and another sack was due to a missed Jamel White block. I couldn't tell if the line was picking up the wrong guys or what. But the combined effect was that on multiple occasions the defense had a very easy path to the quarterback. This offseason -- it's time to acquire pieces to the puzzle along the offensive line. It's shameful it hasn't already been done.
I haven't even gotten to the defense, which played admirably. Orpheus Roye had a huge game swatting balls, pressuring the QB and even chasing down Faulk on a screen. Warren had a good game along the line as well. Brant Boyer was a constant presence in place of Ben Taylor. The secondary played very well for the most part and kept the Rams in check. The only TD the defense gave up came on a short field after the last of Holcomb's INTs. The fact that the Browns are now 4-9 despite a defense which has generally played well is just testament to how much the offense has struggled.
Oh yeah, lots of guys hurt last night -- James Jackson, Phil Dawson broke his arm, a few other guys. It's hard to even chronicle though cause the season is spent. :
Since the offseason officially began after last week's loss, here are some early offseason predictions: 1) The team keeps Holcomb because he's cheaper; he hasn't played well enough to justify a large pay increase. Couch gets jettisoned despite the fact he's performed marginally better. I think Couch ends up a winner somewhere else too. Too bad, but it's hard to see the guy doing it in Cleveland with Butch Davis. 2) William Green gets cut. We won't miss him, but we will continue to regret having wasted another draft pick. 3) Browns draft more offensive linemen. They need 1 tackle and 1 guard, or 2 tackles. I would not complain if they spent their top two picks here. In fact, this may be wishful thinking on my part but a guy can dream...
The Kelly Holcomb Experiment can officially end now, I think. Holcomb looked confused, downcast, misplaced throughout the second quarter and, with the Rams holding a slim 9-7 lead, he blew the game with two back-breaking interceptions with under 3:00 left in the half. Both resulted in Rams TDs and that was just about the end of the game. Holcomb's line: 1TD, 2 INT, 1 FUM. Bad, bad, bad.
James Jackson, however, ran hard and no one missed William Green. We did, however, miss James Jackson as he went down with an injury, giving way to Jamel White, who promptly ran for 100 yards and a score. In fact, I'd say Jamel looked much better the more carries he got. It's been tough to figure out what his problem has been this seasn as he's the fastest dude on the team but always seemed tentative, sluggish with the ball. Last night he moved with more decisiveness as he got more touches and that seemd to make a big difference. Of course, he's now yet another player who sometimes looks good and often dissappears... How many of those does this team have?
Tim Couch played the second half and almost salvaged a win. He hit Morgan for a nice TD and led another nice TD drive to get it within 6. Now, Couch didn't look great by any means, but he seemed to avoid the killer mistake and make some nice throws. It's easy to rail against his "dink and dunk" tendencies, but it was noticable how Couch was able to hit backs with accurate out and screen passes where Holcomb was struggling mightily. But, as is the story of this year, Couch still made the final mistake getting sacked and fumbling on 4th down on the last posession of the game. I can somewhat excuse the mistake -- "he was trying to make a play" and throwing the ball away wasn't an option -- but it is still emblematic of the season. It is now clear that the big offseason QB decision will not be which quarterback they let go, but which QB they decide to keep.
While the QB debate is of course very significant, last night also was evidence that the team's bigger problem may be with the offensive line. Injuries have shredded what was due to be a decent, perhaps above average, unit. Now we are left with Tucker and a bunch of street free agent types. Worse, the h-backs and running backs missed some crucial blocks. Holcomb's fumble came on a missed h-back block, and another sack was due to a missed Jamel White block. I couldn't tell if the line was picking up the wrong guys or what. But the combined effect was that on multiple occasions the defense had a very easy path to the quarterback. This offseason -- it's time to acquire pieces to the puzzle along the offensive line. It's shameful it hasn't already been done.
I haven't even gotten to the defense, which played admirably. Orpheus Roye had a huge game swatting balls, pressuring the QB and even chasing down Faulk on a screen. Warren had a good game along the line as well. Brant Boyer was a constant presence in place of Ben Taylor. The secondary played very well for the most part and kept the Rams in check. The only TD the defense gave up came on a short field after the last of Holcomb's INTs. The fact that the Browns are now 4-9 despite a defense which has generally played well is just testament to how much the offense has struggled.
Oh yeah, lots of guys hurt last night -- James Jackson, Phil Dawson broke his arm, a few other guys. It's hard to even chronicle though cause the season is spent. :
Since the offseason officially began after last week's loss, here are some early offseason predictions: 1) The team keeps Holcomb because he's cheaper; he hasn't played well enough to justify a large pay increase. Couch gets jettisoned despite the fact he's performed marginally better. I think Couch ends up a winner somewhere else too. Too bad, but it's hard to see the guy doing it in Cleveland with Butch Davis. 2) William Green gets cut. We won't miss him, but we will continue to regret having wasted another draft pick. 3) Browns draft more offensive linemen. They need 1 tackle and 1 guard, or 2 tackles. I would not complain if they spent their top two picks here. In fact, this may be wishful thinking on my part but a guy can dream...
posted by Michael @ 9:47 AM
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