Finally, the waiting is over and football is back! Well…kind of! You can’t blame Cleveland Browns supporters for getting excited at the prospect of a new season. One reason is to wash away the indignity of last year’s 1-15. Another is the anticipation of new beginnings and tangible evidence of the franchise rebuild. The first test was the visit of the New Orleans Saints for the preseason week one opener. Minus their franchise quarterback Drew Brees and free agent acquisition Adrian Peterson, the Saints were looking to build some impetus for the regular season and break three straight years of 7-9.
Cleveland Browns Preseason Week One Takeaways
In front of an expectant home support, the Browns rallied to win a spirited and competitive game 20-14. Myles Garrett announced his arrival with a solid and confident performance. He gave the Saints offensive line a lot to deal with during his first quarter stint. Additionally, DeShone Kizer also flashed the potential he has to be a future franchise quarterback. The second-rounder capped a solid 185 yards, 18 pass performance, with a 45-yard winning touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter. However, in a type of game that starters are either limited or rested, what else can we take away from Thursday’s preseason week one match-up?
Ups and Downs for the Offensive Line
Let’s move away from the never-ending quarterback saga in Cleveland. The biggest area of improvement for the Browns after 2017 was the offensive line. Veteran and 10-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas was given the night off, allowing the likes of Cameron Erving to justify their spots on the roster. Whilst overall, the Browns line up front were able to control the Saints defence, it was clear that, without Thomas, there is a dramatic drop off in cover. The line led by Tretter, Bitonio and Zeitler looked strong and gave quarterback Brock Osweiler plenty of protection. However, both Erving and Coleman gave away some key penalties and contributed to the stalling Browns offensive unit. Erving struggled to handle the Saints pass-rush and looked dazed and confused playing offensive tackle; on occasion, he completely lost his blocking assignments. In, closing, the writing seems to be on the wall for the 2015 first-round pick Erving.
The Gregg Williams Effect
In 2016, the Browns defence lacked many things. An effective pass rush (30th in the league in sacks), generating turn-overs (again ranked 30th), and simply the desire to aggressively go after the opposition for the ball. The appointment of Gregg Williams was made to address these inefficiencies and install the same desire and energy he demands of each defence he has coached over the last 26 years.
Against the Saints, even minus the aforementioned Brees and Peterson, the Browns defence already looked like a completely different unit from last season. There was evidence of a variety of Williams’s schemes and packages that kept a constant pressure on the Saints offence and held their starters to a couple of field goals.
It was clear throughout the game that the high-energy style that Williams demands of his players was in full-effect. In the second half, there was a stark contrast between both teams’ back-ups and fringe players. The Browns looked hungry for the physicality of the game and were continually around the ball and making key plays. Undrafted Trevon Coley, lineman Nate Orchard, and line-backer Joe Schobert all shined with successful tackles, sacks, and quarterback hurries. Late on, Cleveland forced a turnover on downs after stopping the Saints at the goal line. This fired up the players and fans alike. Hopefully, this was a sign of things to come in 2017.
A Win is a Win in Cleveland
If a preseason week one win doesn’t matter, then someone forgot to tell Hue Jackson and the Cleveland Browns. The head coach was adamant that his team could not go 0-4 before the new season starts.
There was an attitude and vigour amongst the Browns players. While the quality wasn’t quite top-flight, The Browns had a greater drive to win the game. They must build a winning mentality in Cleveland. Being able to rack up victories against whatever opposition is in front of you is a key part of making the current re-build a success.
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