A Technical Breakdown of the game

[Frenchie]

 

I'm as happy as any other dog-barker on this board - but what I always appreciate about this board is the breakdown and analysis. Today, the most technical breakdown I read today was "we whipped their ass" (which we did in all aspects of the game). So, at the risk of getting over the uphoria too soon, I would like to hear from the very knowledeable and analytical guru's on this board as to what happened out there today.

 

For example, I noticed we had a lot of success running to the right side. Who deserves Kudos for that? Hillis is a beast but I also noticed very little penetration into the back field by the Pats, so he hit the line at full speed. No hole there, the smash-up is still worth 3 yards or Yes, a hole there and then it's "have fun trying to catch and tackle Hillis". So is this Hillis? The O-Line? Coaching? All three?

 

Colt made a few great throws on the run and he has some great instincts. On his TD run, I was excited to see him head towards the sideline and anticipated he would slide or step out of bounds at the 4. I was stunned by the drive to the end zone. I could not believe my eyes. That was a hell of a play! And Mass and Cribbs layed out for a few great catches!

 

What about the trick play on 4th down (QB Keeper) or the one that went for a TD on the Cribbs hand-off? This is the second straight game that we have seen some surprise plays that have been very effective. Why the change from a vanilla playbook? Is that Mangini?

 

As for the defense, I can't say enough about them - especially our linebackers. No more long runs for the opposing running backs. And lots of incomplete passes by Brady today and with plenty of time to throw. I still think the defence line needs more pass rushers. What were the keys to keeping the Pats offence to so few points? Turnovers? I don't know they just looked like they never got into a rhythm. Brady seemed to be having problems picking up the defence schemes.

 

Your analysis? Your thoughts? And for those of you that think this topic is too soon, I apologize in advance.

 

 

[dawgpound3]

I'm as happy as any other dog-barker on this board - but what I always appreciate about this board is the breakdown and analysis. Today, the most technical breakdown I read today was "we whipped their ass" (which we did in all aspects of the game). So, at the risk of getting over the uphoria too soon, I would like to hear from the very knowledeable and analytical guru's on this board as to what happened out there today.

 

For example, I noticed we had a lot of success running to the right side. Who deserves Kudos for that? Hillis is a beast but I also noticed very little penetration into the back field by the Pats, so he hit the line at full speed. No hole there, the smash-up is still worth 3 yards or Yes, a hole there and then it's "have fun trying to catch and tackle Hillis". So is this Hillis? The O-Line? Coaching? All three?

 

Colt made a few great throws on the run and he has some great instincts. On his TD run, I was excited to see him head towards the sideline and anticipated he would slide or step out of bounds at the 4. I was stunned by the drive to the end zone. I could not believe my eyes. That was a hell of a play! And Mass and Cribbs layed out for a few great catches!

 

What about the trick play on 4th down (QB Keeper) or the one that went for a TD on the Cribbs hand-off? This is the second straight game that we have seen some surprise plays that have been very effective. Why the change from a vanilla playbook? Is that Mangini?

 

As for the defense, I can't say enough about them - especially our linebackers. No more long runs for the opposing running backs. And lots of incomplete passes by Brady today and with plenty of time to throw. I still think the defence line needs more pass rushers. What were the keys to keeping the Pats offence to so few points? Turnovers? I don't know they just looked like they never got into a rhythm. Brady seemed to be having problems picking up the defence schemes.

 

Your analysis? Your thoughts? And for those of you that think this topic is too soon, I apologize in advance.

 

The Browns had a lot of success on the ground mainly due to the offensive line. The Browns rushed for 184 yards against because of the line and of course, this helped having a beastly runningback in Peyton Hillis. As for the right side, Womack is blowing people up at the line of scrimmage and Lavaou is doing a pretty good job at the right guard position. It can be also contributed to coaching as well.

 

Colt reminds of me of a young Drew Brees. He knows where the pressure is coming off, and is very mobile in the pocket, and this helps his accuracy which is already deadly.

 

They changed from a vanilla playbook because simply the standard playbook(vanilla) wasn't working. The browns are short on talent, so they need to be as creative as possible to gain an advantage on the other team. Again, I think it's Daboll, but with the help of Gil Haskell.

 

The defense is playing outstanding, because of the brilliant playcalling of Rob Ryan(has these guys playing up to snuff), and the valuable leadership of a player named Scott Fujita. Fujita is the part of the reason why the defense is playing well. As for the other players on D, they are making plays when they need to make plays. (ex. the stripped ball by Abe Elam)

 

 

[Harry Buffalo]

I think one of the greatest things about our O-Line is that it is good no matter who plays. We go deep and train our line good. Heck we are on our 3rd string RT who was supposed to be our starting guard and our 2nd guard plays. I think the best part is we also have the rookie fighting for a spot and he is expected to earn it, so our line can only really get better.

[Earl34]

I watched the game again to try and find a suitable play for my next "Anatomy of A Play" and I was looking for something where the scheming or decision-making was noteworthy but you know what I saw? A whole lot of ass-whoopin'. No fancy strategy or X's and O's, just who had more heart. Line up and whoop the ass of the guy across from you.

 

I for one thought Colt was diving for it but that's because I know from watching the kid from college. He wants to win. He's not going out on the four when he can try for the pylon.

[tshirtfan]

Someone at shaggybevo uploaded a photo taken at the game today during Colt's TD rush...

 

[tshirtfan]

I watched the game again to try and find a suitable play for my next "Anatomy of A Play" and I was looking for something where the scheming or decision-making was noteworthy but you know what I saw? A whole lot of ass-whoopin'. No fancy strategy or X's and O's, just who had more heart. Line up and whoop the ass of the guy across from you.

 

I for one thought Colt was diving for it but that's because I know from watching the kid from college. He wants to win. He's not going out on the four when he can try for the pylon.

 

I for one would love a breakdown of the audibles and changes at the line of scrimmage that Colt used during the game. What look did he see? Why did he change up the play/formation? Etc.

[ATENEARS]

One of the biggest contributors to todays 'blow-out' of the Patriots is the Patriots themselves being 'flat' and Brady Gaga absolutly sucked. Brady Gaga was off all day, he threw some very horrible passes and missed wide-open receivers.

 

Not to take anything away from the Browns, but the Patriots never showed up.

 

Let's not forget Vickers here guys when praising the running game. Hillis hits the whole hard and his timing is excellent, but after the Oline does there job in opening a hole, Vickers cleans out anyone on the otherside and Hillis exploits every crack. You can't arm tackle this guy!

 

Today Colt had good chemistry with his receivers. You could tell the extra week of work paid off. He was throwing to spots before MoMass was breaking and they combined for a couple of key possesion, including the first play of the game.

 

Biggest evidence of Hillis hitting the hole harder and with better timing than any other back we have here is when the ball gets handed to anyone else (Bell, Harrison, Davis, Jamal Lewis etc ..) No Dancers need apply!

[philbert79]

I'm as happy as any other dog-barker on this board - but what I always appreciate about this board is the breakdown and analysis. Today, the most technical breakdown I read today was "we whipped their ass" (which we did in all aspects of the game). So, at the risk of getting over the uphoria too soon, I would like to hear from the very knowledeable and analytical guru's on this board as to what happened out there today.

 

For example, I noticed we had a lot of success running to the right side. Who deserves Kudos for that? Hillis is a beast but I also noticed very little penetration into the back field by the Pats, so he hit the line at full speed. No hole there, the smash-up is still worth 3 yards or Yes, a hole there and then it's "have fun trying to catch and tackle Hillis". So is this Hillis? The O-Line? Coaching? All three?

 

Colt made a few great throws on the run and he has some great instincts. On his TD run, I was excited to see him head towards the sideline and anticipated he would slide or step out of bounds at the 4. I was stunned by the drive to the end zone. I could not believe my eyes. That was a hell of a play! And Mass and Cribbs layed out for a few great catches!

 

What about the trick play on 4th down (QB Keeper) or the one that went for a TD on the Cribbs hand-off? This is the second straight game that we have seen some surprise plays that have been very effective. Why the change from a vanilla playbook? Is that Mangini?

 

As for the defense, I can't say enough about them - especially our linebackers. No more long runs for the opposing running backs. And lots of incomplete passes by Brady today and with plenty of time to throw. I still think the defence line needs more pass rushers. What were the keys to keeping the Pats offence to so few points? Turnovers? I don't know they just looked like they never got into a rhythm. Brady seemed to be having problems picking up the defence schemes.

 

Your analysis? Your thoughts? And for those of you that think this topic is too soon, I apologize in advance.

To me it was almost that simple. "Beat the snot out of the guy in front of you". That's one way you establish a run game. "Porkchop" Womack had another great game at RT. Vickers is turning out a Pro-Bowl type year. Colt is a legitimate threat to throw. All these things contribute to a run game. Oh and Hillis is a beast.

 

Looking at the McCoy TD run, you have to look at why that happened. He felt pressure and stepped up in the pocket. The Pats were playing a lot of Man coverage, which allowed him to gain as much as he did. Then his athletic ability and competitive nature took over.

 

The 4th down play was not a trick play. Here's how I break it down. That play was made possible by Peyton Hillis. The Pats were expecting run, heck, the entire stadium was thinking "Hand it to 40". They got to the line quickly and Colt was charged with making the read. His read was based on how the Pats lined up on their 22 personnel (2 TE, 2 RB). He saw that covered, so he "Checked" to the spread formation, which put 40 in the slot. Colts read then turned to the right side DE. When he stood up and shifted to cover Hillis, Colt knew where he was going. It was a well designed play, out of a great formation, and well executed by the entire offense.

The Stuckey TD was a trick play. Nice call that that point in the game. Why the change from vanilla? Some would say the Browns don't have the talent to win games with out a little trickery. I don't totally agree with that, but when you've had a season like they've had this year, you need a little something to fire up your team, your stadium and to make the other team think a little. Whenever you force a player to think, most of the time you'll beat him.

 

Your analysis of the defense is right on. They create a ton of confusion at the line of scrimmage. I'm sure you noticed at times, mostly on 3rd down and passing downs, that the Browns would come out in what's called a RADAR formation. Also known as "Nickel 1-5-5". 1 DL, 5 LB, 5 DB. They all walk around before the snap of the ball when the QB and the OL are going through there protection assignments. Because they are "sugaring" the coverage, the offense can't make the appropriate read on the Mike (middle) LB, which is where all of the protection is hinged on. Tom Brady had no idea where the pressure was coming from or who was dropping in coverage. Sometimes they rushed 1, most of the time 3 (that's when Brady had a ton of time), sometimes more. It's a numbers game at that point. You've sent 3 rushers, dropped 8 in coverage, he's got nowhere to go. Again, make a player think, and most of the time, you'll beat him. The defense did a great job taking away the Patriots run game, which allowed them to run the RADAR.

 

Don't apologize. It's never too soon to break down a game. It's fine to look back and relish in a victory for a bit, but I really need to break down why they were successful and ask "Can it be reproduced?". Look for more of the same next week. They're going to try to make the Jets one dimensional and confuse the heck out of Sanchez. I don't think there's any question how the offense is going to approach it. It's Hillis time.

 

 

 

 

[Fitzhume]

I for one would love a breakdown of the audibles and changes at the line of scrimmage that Colt used during the game. What look did he see? Why did he change up the play/formation? Etc.

 

If I were the coach I would have told him to line up for the handoff to Hillis. Read the D. If anything should too many men in the box, audible to pull those extra guys out of there and run the QB sneak. If you don't get the D formation for that call, hit another time-out and we'll punt it. Colt saw those guys stand up and start to stray. As soon as they did that he knew he had them. They couldn't make the play off the center to stop him get that 1 yard. That's my assessment. Maybe I would have called a silent snap, but of course you can't always here the snap count on TV, so he may have done that. Snap -> 1st down.

[calfoxwc]

The Browns now have a lot of right guys in the right places.

 

The biggest on offense, is the offensive line. Colt had solid protection most of the time,

 

and the rest of the offense is making hay with the oliine. It all is working.

 

And the play-calling is priceless.

 

And Brady had an off day, because the Browns put pressure on him several times in crucial situations, and gave him

 

nearly nobody to throw to. The Pats weren't flat. They were flattened.

[1 more season]

The Browns now have a lot of right guys in the right places.

 

The biggest on offense, is the offensive line. Colt had solid protection most of the time,

 

and the rest of the offense is making hay with the oliine. It all is working.

 

And the play-calling is priceless.

 

And Brady had an off day, because the Browns put pressure on him several times in crucial situations, and gave him

 

nearly nobody to throw to. The Pats weren't flat. They were flattened.

 

+1

 

The O-line is the key right now. The protection that they are giving gives Colt the time and comfort to make throws or decide to run. A good line not only gives you time to set up and pass but allows you to run when needed. Its much easier to run when you know everyone is accounted for. Your running to something instead of running away from something. Same goes for the running game as a whole. 12 rushing 1st downs means control of the clock and that is GOOD. 5.2 yards per rush, thats dominating at any level.

 

The secondary is coming along considering some of the games they had. Much improved!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jrb12711]

just to piggy back off some things said, for me personally I saw things out of the browns yesterday and last week that I havent seen in a long time:

 

Most importantly to me, this is the second straight week we've made an elite QB in the NFL look bad. You can say the patriots came out "flat", but I think that's not giving what the players and ryan is doing with this defense enough credit. Brady was sailing passes seemingly half the time, and receivers were dropping passes as well. This has to be most encouraging sign I've seen from a browns defense in a long, long time.

 

Secondly, and very important as well, the offense is gaining an identity. I think Colt is picking up the game fast against good teams, and the offensive unit seems to be rallying behind it. I'm finally seeing players be very hungry out there, and we're finally getting the breaks good teams get to win games (the kickoff turnover as an example). Overall, I'm not going to put all my eggs in the basket yet, but there are some early signs of this team finally turning that corner for the first time.

[hx214]

Being at the game I was able to see more of the field than when I watch it on TV. (Duh right?)

 

But I did see a lot of openings for Brady to throw to wide open recievers. There were alot of holes in the D, but I'm sure that is do to the pressure that was being applied. I actually kept thinking... " I hope we switch it up at the half, or Brady is going to have a field day if he catches on to these holes"

 

As was stated, Brady was really off yesterday, and his recievers looked lost... I saw alot of the OLB blitzing and the TE or RB releasing into open field and having all kinds of running room. If #87 wouldn't have dropped that pass early on in the game he would have ran for a good 50 yards before anyone would have even touched him. Tate dropping that pass that hit him right in the chest was helpful, and the few bad throws were nice.

 

Reguardless of what it was it was nice to see it happening to another team.

 

I think Abe Elam had the play of the game with that strip on the goalline. That sucked all kinds of life out of the Pats keep points off the board at the end of the half.

[longhorn]

Colt made a few great throws on the run and he has some great instincts. On his TD run, I was excited to see him head towards the sideline and anticipated he would slide or step out of bounds at the 4. I was stunned by the drive to the end zone. I could not believe my eyes. That was a hell of a play!

 

Wait till you see him do one of these in the NFL.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvhVXk7IZEc

[Frenchie]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that contributed to this string. This board has a lot of football knowledge and I enjoy reading the analysis over the some of the more rah-rah strings. I also love it when board-members play GM and discuss what they would do if they were in Holmgren's shoes. I'll start a new string on this as soon as this season ends. For now, GO BROWNS! Bring on the Jets.