Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns: Position grades from loss to Eagles

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:16 p.m. ET

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Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) shakes hands with Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) after the game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

There were not a lot of positives to take away from the Cleveland Browns’ 29-10 season opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

For the 12th consecutive season, the Cleveland Browns are 0-1. Thanks to a poor all-around performance and a momentum shift of epic proportions, the Browns fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 29-10 Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles dominated the Browns in basically every stage of the game, from yardage to turnovers to time of possession to field position. While they didn’t appear far superior based on talent, the Eagles made the right plays at the right times to win with ease on Sunday.

The following is a complete breakdown involving each major position group for the Browns. As a forewarning, not many compliments await as the team finds themselves well short of competing with a below average football team. As a result, the grades each position group receive are as follows.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 29-10 at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback: D

Robert Griffin III is quite possibly the franchise quarterback Cleveland has been searching for for the past 17 years. He has all of the physical abilities and the weapons around him to succeed in the Browns’ offensive scheme. Unfortunately, Griffin’s Cleveland debut went horribly.

No one is going to place the blame solely on the shoulders of Griffin, as multiple factors contributed to the drubbing. But when doing an independent analysis on the play of the quarterback, it is impossible to come to a conclusion which favors the 26-year-old. Sure, he never really had a chance to have a spectacular outing, but Griffin missed a lot of opportunities himself.

Griffin completed less than half of his pass attempts, finishing 12 for 26, recording a total of 190 yards. Many of these yards came on chunk plays including completions of 58 and 44-yards downfield. But Griffin’s 14 incompletions included a variety of drops, overthrows, and bad throws which should have never been made.

The former Baylor Bear also recorded 37 yards on the ground in five separate rushing attempts, but missed several additional opportunities to run the ball when a lot of space was in front of him. The one interception he threw was not a great throw, but also not solely his fault as it proved to be the result of a tipped ball.

Griffin undoubtedly had a poor performance, but the offense should not lose faith in their quarterback. Cleveland’s signal caller revealed some of what he brings to the table, throwing effective deep balls on Sunday. But consistency remains an issue, and the Browns had terrible field position throughout which made it merely impossible for Griffin to orchestrate drives. Overall, it was an extremely rough day for Cleveland’s quarterback, who barely avoids a failing grade for his performance.

Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III (10), tackle Joe Thomas (73) and teammates huddles up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line: D

Cleveland’s offense had a rough preseason on offense mostly due to the sub-par play of their offensive line. As the regular season opened Sunday, little changed to reverse this trend.

For once, penalties were not an overwhelming epidemic. The Browns, who have struggled in the past with pre-snap penalties on the offensive line, avoided the silly five-yard losses for the most part on Sunday afternoon. But the battle in the trenches did not favor Cleveland, as none of the linemen blocked effectively.

Joe Thomas and Austin Pasztor had reasonably solid performances as outside runs were the most successful plays on the ground that Cleveland dialed up. But Joel Bitonio and John Greco struggled mightily in run blocking, and the offensive line had a very difficult time slowing down Philadelphia’s pass rush anchored by Fletcher Cox and the exotic looks presented by defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Obviously, the most memorable play from Sunday’s game involved center Cameron Erving. Erving, who airmailed a shotgun snap well over the head of Griffin and through the back of the end zone for a safety, single-handedly altered the course of the game. This came after the Browns sustained a scoring drive the possession before and had just gotten a stop. The score was 13-10, and the Browns were well within the game with all of the momentum.

While it seems silly to pin the entire game on one play, and it seems unfair to criticize Erving so heavily based on one play, it was a play which had a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Fair or not, the offensive line is blamed for this shortcoming.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) reacts after his touchdown run Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs: C+

Even though the Eagles defense was able to get to the running backs in the backfield on five separate instances Sunday, the running backs themselves played the most solid of any major position group on Sunday.

Cleveland used just two running backs in the season opener, as well as a fullback. Isaiah Crowell scored the only Browns touchdown on the afternoon, part of his 62 rushing yards which he achieved on just 12 carries. Despite the offensive line struggling to run block as much as it did, especially on power runs up the middle, Crowell made the most of what he was given and manufactured yards by keeping his legs moving.

As for Duke Johnson, the speed back out of the University of Miami revealed the value he brings to the offense on Sunday. Used often in third-down situations, Johnson rushed for 22 yards on three carries, and recorded 28 receiving yards on three receptions. Some of Johnson’s plays were much-needed chunk plays, as the speedy back made his share of shifty moves to bring necessary aid to a reeling Cleveland offense.

The running backs can still get better though. They never really had a chance on Sunday, which is why they get a pass. But it remains to be seen if Crowell and Johnson can continue to block effectively and run the ball hard without mental lapses, fumbles or inefficient running.

Sep 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Gary Barnidge (82) runs the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Tight ends: F

While the tight ends may go under the radar in analysis of any NFL football game, it is important to recognize that they did not do their job for the Browns Sunday against the Eagles. The offensive scheme head coach Hue Jackson has implemented uses multiple tight ends on a large portion of plays, fitting well with a Cleveland roster containing Gary Barnidge and several other young tight ends. Cleveland used a lot of “12 personnel,” meaning, one running back and two tight ends. This beefs up the offensive line and ideally allows the running game to get going.

Yet the running game could not get going at any point during the game. This was not due to the running backs themselves, but the offensive line and tight ends who did not do their job blocking for the running backs. Also, the pass protection was horrendous despite Griffin only being sacked three times, and the tight ends shared responsibility in this facet of the game.

Not to mention, the tight ends never got anything going offensively despite being continually used to run routes. Barnidge did not record any receptions, nor did any other tight end. Barnidge also dropped two accurate passes, costing the Browns. Seth DeValve was also used at tight end periodically, and was quiet. Overall, the tight ends struggled, and did not make any impact on the game as they are supposed to in Hue Jackson’s offense.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) makes a catch over Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll (22) in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers: D

Although the Browns were able to come up with some vertical pass plays down the field on Sunday afternoon, the receivers were not nearly efficient enough. Rookie Corey Coleman and Terrelle Pryor were the only receivers who recorded receptions for the Browns in Sunday’s contest, as Pryor caught three passes for 68 yards, and Coleman caught two passes for 69 yards.

Each showed fans why the Browns may be an exciting offense to watch this season, dazzling with long receptions. What they didn’t do, however, was show any consistency or discipline. As expected, there was confusion, and there were drops. Most notably, Coleman had a costly drop on an accurate throw from Griffin early in the game, as he looked up field before securing the reception.

Other than Coleman and Pryor, only Andrew Hawkins was targeted, and had no receptions. No other receivers hardly even ended up in the game for Cleveland, showing a severe lack of depth. Though some catches electrified fans, including Pryor’s 44-yard grab and Coleman’s athletic 58-yard catch on the opening play of the second half, there simply wasn’t enough production from the wide receiver position.

Though the group itself is not to take the full blame for this, they only had five total receptions. Five receptions from a team’s wide receivers for an entire game is never going to get it done.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) stands drops back to pass against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line: D

The Browns run defense was absolutely dismal on Sunday. Philadelphia running backs Ryan Matthews, Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner combined for 131 yards on 31 carries. The defensive line is mostly to blame for this, as they were not able to get any push on Philadelphia’s offensive line all afternoon.

Carl Nassib was far and away the bright spot, as the rookie showed that his surprising preseason was no fluke. The draft pick out of Penn State contributed with three tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. But beyond Nassib, the line was atrocious. Danny Shelton earned three tackles, but was pretty much stationary at the nose tackle position. Collectively, the line could not bring down the running backs or slow down the running game at all, and they failed to impact any Carson Wentz throws, making the game easy for the rookie quarterback.

Late in the game, the defensive line was noticeably exhausted, as they had been on the field for most of Sunday’s game. It wasn’t exactly their fault for their clear struggles late in the game, but the problem remained. Stopping the run never became a reality for this group, and while Nassib had an impressive game, the unit did not come close to doing their job.

Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Carl Nassib (94), running back Raheem Mostert (25) and linebacker Demario Davis (56) celebrate Nassib

Linebackers: F

The linebackers are almost equally as responsible for the inability of Cleveland’s defense to defend against Philadelphia’s rushing attack. Additionally, they hold a significant portion of the blame for failing to muster up pressure on Wentz and the Philadelphia offensive line.

Demario Davis led the way with six tackles, and Christian Kirksey followed close behind with four. Mostly though, the four linebackers were ineffective. They were often forced to make plays on running backs 5-10 yards downfield, immediately putting the Eagles in shorter yardage situations which opened up their playbook. The failure to manufacture a pass rush beyond the defensive line also proved costly to the Browns, as the Eagles were given more than enough time to successfully run their offense.

The linebackers struggled in coverage, especially with big targets early on in the game. Tight ends Brent Celek and Zach Ertz set the tone offensively, keeping the Browns guessing. Emmanuel Ogbah made one impressive play, but was not in the game nearly enough to have a significant impact. Overall, the linebackers were unable to provide Cleveland’s defense with anything whatsoever, failing to do their job altogether.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor (17) makes a touchdown catch past Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden (23) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Secondary: C

It’s tough for secondaries in today’s NFL to have solid performances by most fans’ standards. The amount of penalty calls on cornerbacks and safeties attempting to defend passes is increasing in a more receiver friendly league. There are varying degrees of success, but for a secondary to hold its own against any NFL team is an accomplishment that should be recognized.

Cleveland’s secondary made its share of mistakes on Sunday afternoon, but they also were far from the root of the problem which continually resurfaced as the game progressed. The Browns really never had a chance on defense since they couldn’t stop the run and couldn’t sustain a substantial amount of pressure on the quarterback. The problem began up front as the front seven allowed the Eagles to do pretty much whatever they wanted offensively.

This isn’t to excuse the lapses Cleveland did have in their secondary, such as when Tramon Williams was flagged and was later beat for a touchdown pass, but overall, the unit played average.

Joe Haden was mostly solid in coverage on Jordan Matthews, and made some tackles on running backs who escaped the front seven. Jamar Taylor and Jordan Poyer also turned in decent performances, all going under the radar. Ibraheim Cambell and Derrick Kindred each recorded six tackles, tying for a team high on the afternoon, further indicating the decent performance of the secondary.

Of course, the unit will be judged based on the results, and the results do not reflect well on the secondary. Wentz completed 22 of 37 pass attempts and threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns were not able to force any turnovers either. There is a lot of room for improvement for the secondary, but from the team’s perspective as a whole, the secondary is among the least of the Browns’ concerns based on Sunday’s performance.

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Browns special teams players line up for the opening kickoff against the Oakland Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams: F

Along with all of the other shortcomings the Browns had Sunday, their special teams play was among the worst. Besides several good tackles from Ricardo Louis and Isaiah Crowell, a field goal from Patrick Murray, and an average performance by punter Britton Colquitt, the special teams unit was horrendous.

The return game on both punts and kicks never got it going, especially with Tramon Williams returning. Defending the return was also an adventure, as the Eagles were able to gain favorable starting field position on almost every drive. Several short fields resulted from poor punts and poor punt return coverage, but the 4th-and-5 attempt from Duke Johnson to convert at Cleveland’s own 35 topped all of the struggles Cleveland’s special teams had. This play gave Philadelphia yet another short field, one of four occasions in which the Eagles started an offensive possession in Cleveland territory.

The bottom line when it comes to special teams play is field position. While the Eagles’ special teams deserves a considerable amount of credit, the Browns just did not get it done in this area. The average starting field position speaks for itself, and it arguably the most alarming stat of Sunday’s game. The special teams dictates the outcome of the game in many ways, and Cleveland’s needs to improve drastically in the coming weeks to give the team’s offense and defense any shot.

Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Coaching: F

The Browns have a long way to go, there’s no doubt about it. There are so many elements of Sunday’s game for coach Hue Jackson and his staff to go over. This includes the 403 to 288 total yards, and the 39:20 to 20:40 time of possession, both of which the Browns were on the short end of. While several different position groups can be the main cause of alarming individual statistics, it all rests on the head coach in the end.

“I saw signs of things being better,,” Jackson told the media following the loss. Whatever “things” he was referring to were never elaborated on, and from when they were better from also remains a question. What is certain however, is that the Browns made no strides in their rebuilding process on Sunday, and the coaches did not put the players in a position in which they could be expected to win.

Examples are plenteous of coaching blunders during Sunday’s contest, including the bizarre “fake” punt on a 4th-and-5 in Cleveland territory early on. Play calling was questionable at best, as there was no flow to the game offensively. Drives were not sustained as a result of poor play calling, and all of the “trick” plays implemented were ineffective.

In the end, the responsibility lies on the head coach. Jackson may be the coach Cleveland has been searching for now for decades, but something has to change for the to come to fruition. There is plenty of time for the Browns to turn their fortunes around, but it starts with coaching, and the Browns coaching absolutely needs to be better.