Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Recap
The Browns lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-14 in a sloppy game at Heinz Field. The game was mired with turnovers, including 5 combined in the 3rd quarter.
Browns Offense Grades:
QB- F: Derek Anderson continues to show everyone why he was average at best at Oregon State and Baltimore cut him after being a 6th round pick. Anderson has everything you want in a QB except poise, pocket presence, accuracy and mobility; in other words he has a cannon arm and that is it. Anderson is the equivalent of the guy at the driving range who hits the ball a mile; it’s not straight, he can’t putt, and he has no short game. Solomon Wilcots was very liberal in giving drops to the Browns receivers in both last week’s Buffalo game and this game. Anderson would throw the ball behind a receiver on a slant route; the intended target would reach back two yards and touch it with their finger tips and get credited with a drop. DA is simply what he is; an inaccurate QB who gets flustered even when there is no pressure as evident by his 3 turnovers in the game. A simple RB curl over the middle is difficult for Anderson to complete and he rarely hits his target in stride. For those DA supporters who point to the 2007 season, review the tape. It was a fluke year when the stars aligned and DA was still below a 60% completion rate. Coming into the Steelers game DA’s completion % was 46. He did no better going 9 of 27 against the Steelers. How does DA keep his job? He shouldn’t. Quinn played against two of the best defenses in the league in Minnesota and Denver and a half at Baltimore yet he was yanked. The Browns couldn’t have handled this situation any worse. Brady Quinn should be the starting QB with an open play book. For the rest of the season DA will simply be known as The Statue.
RB- D: Jamal Lewis continued to do his best impression of Dancing with the Stars by tap dancing to what little room was there. Lewis had a drop and was ineffective when lanes were opening. Jerome Harrison wasn’t give the touches he deserves.
WR/TE- C+: Mohamed Massaquoi should have had topped his career day with the game plan employed by the Steelers. Sure he had a couple of drops on short passes but DA was high and wide and didn’t get the ball to the rookie WR when he had single coverage. Ike Taylor was an easy target but DA didn’t have the poise to get the rookie the ball. Brian Robiskie had one catch while Chancey Stuckey had a drop. The Browns were without reliable target Steve Heiden and Robert Royal was hurt during the action.
O-Line- C+: The offensive line did have protection problems on occasion against the Steeler blitz but so does every other team in the league. In key situations the Browns gave DA a pocket but he didn’t step up instead ran into sacks. The line is getting better but John St. Clair needs to hit the pine.
O-Coordinator- C: Brian Daboll finally showed some creativity; well what is creative for him at least. The Browns employed their own version of the Wildcat, something Browns fans have been longing for the entire season, using Josh Cribbs at the QB position. However, in the formation they lined Derek Anderson up as WR. If Anderson was lined up at the WR position without a defender within 50 yards, The Statue would only turn it into a 5 yard gain. Why not employ a 4 WR set with Cribbs? The Browns finally had a scoring drive which was the result of aggressive play calling. The next possession, the Browns run in the gut of the Steeler defense on 1st and 2nd downs; Incredible! Daboll still doesn’t have a feel for the game nor does he know how to attack the defense’s weaknesses.
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Defensive Grades:
D-Line- C: The line played well clogging up running lanes. In the 3-4 scheme, the d-line is responsible for clogging up the middle to allow the LB’s to make plays. Shaun Rogers and the line did just that but rarely if ever provided a consistent pass rush.
LB- F: The Linebackers were out of position throughout the game. They provided no pass rush and missed Kamerion Wimbley who was out with the flu and D’Qwell Jackson was hurt during the game. Inexplicably, a simple play where the running back slipped out into the flat was uncovered consistently which resulted in big plays. Rookie Kaluka Maiava filled in for Jackson and was victimized by underneath routes and often blew coverages. The unit as a whole was unable to contain TE Heath Miller.
DBs-F: The secondary was horrible at best. Eric Wright was abused on slant and in routes throughout the entire game. Brandon McDonald might be a good corner in a flag football league but in the NFL where contact is required he struggles mightily. On a reverse by Steeler WR Mike Wallace, McDonald had a free shot down the sidelines and instead chose to grab his uniform which resulted in more yards tacked onto an already sizable run. Browns’ fans have memories of the Mighty Mini and Top Dawg combination of Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon, now; they have the Toast and Skirt combination of Wright and McDonald. The safety combination of Brodney Pool and Abram Elam didn’t fare much better as the Steelers hit wide open deep routes and seem routes to the tight end.
D-Coordinator- D: Rob Ryan’s defense gave up 500 yards to the Steelers and chose to rush 3 in critical situations. There were several occasions where the secondary and linebacking unit blew coverages. The Browns did a decent job against the rush but were horrible against the pass. The Browns did have what appeared to be a critical stop near the end of the 1st half on a 4th and short situation. However, after the measurement, the referees awarded the Steelers the ball even though everyone in the world viewed the measurement as short. This resulted in a Steelers field goal and a thread of profanities from the mouth of Ryan.
Up Next: Head Coach Eric Mangini needs to live up to his mantra of accountability; the first step is putting Derek Anderson where he truly belongs, on the pine. Brady Quinn needs to be fairly evaluated and given time to grow. The 2nd step is to contact the NFL office to understand what constitutes a 1st down. The next step will be to review the right side of the o-line. With 11 picks in the 2010 draft Mangini has his eyes set on next season but Browns fans everywhere are looking for improvement this year. Lets begin with Quinn…
By
Scott Dryden
Scott Dryden is a member of the DFN Sports team and also writers for Ohio Sports Time, an