Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns: Thumbs up, thumbs down at the midway point

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:21 p.m. ET

foxsports

Oct 23, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) reacts on the sidelines against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns may be 0-8, but not everything is doom and gloom for the team. Here is a look at what has gone right, and wrong, so far this season.

The Cleveland Browns have reached the midway point of the 2016 NFL season carrying the banner as the league’s only winless team.

The last time the Browns started a season so poorly was in 1975 when first-year coach Forrest Gregg took over a team that had breathed the last of its dynasty years. That team lost its first nine games before winning three-of-four in what would ultimately be a 3-11 season,

While this year’s Browns team is 0-8, not all of their losses have been created equally.

The team has only been blown out twice — against the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals – have lost four games by a combined total of just 16 points and have had a pair of come-from-ahead defeats.

“I think it is one that you hate to be in that situation, but it is kind of if you look at the challenges that you can face in this league, it is probably the hardest one and the toughest one,” quarterback Josh McCown said of the current situation. “To me, when you are building something you want to lay a great foundation, but the way that you can lay that foundation to build tough-minded people is to be able to have a group of guys that comes to work every week and works hard and does what they are supposed to do no matter what.

“It is not the best situation right now. None of us would have asked to be in it, but this is what we are and we are going to keep fighting. Everybody in this locker room is going to keep fighting, and that is the head coach’s mentality and we will follow his lead.”

While the situation is far from ideal, the Browns have produced some positives through the first eight weeks. So let’s run through a “thumbs up, thumbs” down on where the team resides as they prepare to host the Dallas Cowboys.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) runs the ball for the Browns

The running game: For years, Browns head coaches have talked about establishing the running game to take pressure off of the quarterback and help the offense when the weather turns rough in the second half of the season.

For the first time, however, the team is following through on the plan under head coach Hue Jackson. The Browns are 10th in the league in rushing yards, averaging 114 per game, and tied for third at 4.9 yards per carry.

It may not be translating into wins, but it is a nice development all the same.

More from Dawg Pound Daily

Terrell Pryor: In his first full-season at wide receiver, Terrell Pryor has been one of the biggest surprises in the league.

While he still has much to learn about the nuances of the position, Pryor has used his athleticism and work ethic to lead the team in receptions (41) and yards (532) while tying for the team-lead in touchdown receptions (3). With wide receiver Corey Coleman expected back from his broken hand this week, defenses should not be able to focus on Pryor, giving him an opportunity to put up some solid numbers in the second half of the season.

Pryor’s desire to work as hard as he can perfectly embodies the attitude that Jackson is trying to instill in the locker room and on the field.

Cody Kessler: The rookie quarterback is likely not the answer to the Browns ongoing quarterback issue, but he has been better than expected and rewarded Jackson’s faith in him on draft weekend.

Injuries to Robert Griffin III and McCown forced Kessler into the lineup earlier than anyone expected and he has responded by completing 67 percent of his passes for 974 yards and four touchdowns. Most importantly, in his five starts he has only thrown one interception.

One drawback to Kessler’s game is his inability to throw the ball more than 15 yards down the field as his 7.12 yards per attempt puts him at 20th in the league. It is interesting to note, however, that Kessler is ranked higher in that category than Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz, Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Baltimore’s Joe Flacco.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) under pressure from Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Danny Shelton (55) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Danny Shelton: In his second year, Shelton is turning into the player the Browns wanted when they selected him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

According to Pro Football Focus, Shelton has 26 run stops on the season, which is the most for any interior defensive lineman in the league, and is second with a run-stop percentage of 13.3 percent. The site also writes that, “Shelton is a disruptive presence who can majorly impact an offense and play in multiple positions across the defensive line. This could be the beginning of something big.”

Cody Parkey: It would be hard to imagine a worst debut than the one that kicker Cody Parkey had for the Browns.

Signed late on a Friday afternoon, Parkey caught up with the Browns in Miami for their game against the Dolphins only to miss three field goals, including the potential game winner in an overtime loss.

Since then, however, Parkey has been a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals and has yet to miss an extra point.

Not bad for a player that some Browns fans wanted to leave behind in Miami after his first game.

The front office: They may not have made a franchise-altering move, but so far the first year with Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta has been a success.

They wisely moved on from first-round busts Johnny Manziel and Justin Gilbert; swung a deal for Collins that won’t hurt the club if he leaves in free agency; minimized the damage from Josh Gordon’s inevitable misstep; had a solid, if maybe not spectacular, first draft; and, outside of Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz, have not felt the sting of moving on from multiple veteran players.

The real test will come next spring as the Browns hold five picks in the first 65 (or so) selections in the 2017 NFL Draft, but so far the early results look promising for the latest front office group.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns center Cameron Erving (74) against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Browns 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Crowell’s inconsistency: As good as the running game has been, the weekly inconsistency of Crowell could be a source of concern the rest of the season.

While he leads the team with 524 rushing yards, Crowell rushed for 253 of those yards in the games against Baltimore and Washington. In his other six games he has combined for just 271 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry, which is more in line with his career average.

If those two games turn out to be the exception rather than the norm, the Browns are going to struggle the rest of the way to consistently run the football.

Cameron Erving: The struggles that Cameron Erving had as a rookie where chalked up by many as resulting from the incompetence of the coaching staff. Well, there is a new staff in place this season and Erving is still having major problems, so where does the blame lie now?

The good news is that Erving tries hard and is always moving. The bad news is that he is not a good center, especially when it comes to pass blocking. The Browns have been better with John Greco and Austin Reiter at center than with Erving, which makes it entirely possible that Erving will be looking at a position switch in the off-season.

It would be ridiculous for the Browns to give up on Erving, but it is also fair to wonder why anyone projected him to be a center in the first place. The Browns don’t have many options right now so Erving will remain at center for the rest of the season, but if they don’t address the problem in the off-season it is going to be another long year in 2017.

Rookie wide receivers: With first-round selection Corey Coleman missing the past eight games with a broken hand and Josh Gordon still suspended, there have been ample opportunities for rookies Ricardo Louis, Jordan Payton and Rashard Higgins to show what they can do.

But no one in the group has taken advantage of the situation to earn additional playing time as they have combined to catch just 21 passes for 228 yards — which Louis having 16 of the receptions and 183 of the yards.

With Coleman expected to return to the lineup on Sunday, it’s going to be a quiet second half for the other rookie receivers.

Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) stiff arms Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden (23) during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Jets won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The secondary: Probably the weakest position group on a defense that is the weakest part of the team, the Browns secondary has been horrific.

Cleveland has given up 19 touchdown passes, second most in the league; is 24th in passing yards allowed; has surrendered 33 completions of more than 20 yards, second most in the league; and opposing quarterbacks have a rating of 103.4 against the Browns, third highest in the NFL.

browns

NFL Mocks 1 dBrowns Prospects to Watch: Jamal Adams, Safety, LSU

More headlines around FanSided:

2w - Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns: Fantasy Football Outlook 5w - Chad Kelly Shows NFL What They Want to See!6w - Top 3 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Players For Week 2 7w - Saints Unveil 2016 Color Rush Unis 7w - Falling or Balling: How the Philadelphia Eagles Faired in Season OpenerMore News at Dawg Pound Daily

Cornerback Joe Haden continues to deal with injuries, safeties Ibraheim Campbell and Derrick Kindred are horrible in pass coverage, age continues to catch up with cornerback Tramon Williams, leaving cornerback Jamar Taylor as the best player in the secondary — which tells you all you need to know.

Ray Horton: The return of defensive coordinator Ray Horton to Cleveland was met with enthusiasm in the off-season. Horton talks a good game with his “little guys who can hit and big guys who can run” and his desire to “hit the quarterback coming off the bus.” Most importantly in the eyes of many, the fact that he was not Jim O’Neil was enough to seal the deal.

Eight games into the season, the Browns are 32nd in total defense, 24th against the pass and 31st against the run. More importantly, they are on pace to allow 476 points this season, which would be a franchise record.

The lesson in this? Just because you might be better than the last guy that held your job doesn’t mean you are good at it.

Robert Griffin III: It was always a pleasant fiction that RG3 would resurrect his career with the Cleveland Browns despite the reality that not a single other team in the league was willing to give him an opportunity to be the starter.

That fiction lasted all of one game as Griffin went down with yet another injury in the opening game. Even if Griffin is healthy enough to be the one player the Browns bring back from injured reserve this season, there is little reason to do that or even play him.

Griffin does one thing very well — throw the deep ball — and little else. His game has not progressed since his rookie year and after so many injuries there is little to be gained by putting him back on the field, let alone entertaining the idea of signing him to a new contract.

The plan was never to have Griffin be more than the latest bridge quarterback, but the Browns certainly expected that he would last more than one game.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson talks with Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Browns 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the season everyone understood that this was going to be a rough year and that wins would be hard to come by.

But no one expected an 0-8 start and the idea that the Browns would post the first 0-16 season since the Detroit Lions in 2008 seemed laughable. Now, however, with injuries and a schedule that gets decidedly more difficult in the second half of the season, the odds of a winless campaign are growing.

With each loss it gets more difficult for fans to stay engaged with the Browns, and for the players to keep working toward the bigger goal. That is where Jackson has been at his best so far this season, as while he has grown frustrated at times his attitude and public message has always been one of keeping eyes on the bigger picture.

“We have to get better everywhere so I am looking at everything that I can take an evaluation of because we have to solve it,” Jackson said this week. “It starts with me, all the way down through our coaches to our players and every unit that is here. We have to find a way, but I don’t want to make it such a huge problem to where it becomes a problem.

“It is a problem and we need to fix it, but at the same time, it is football, too. The ball does not bounce your way, you don’t make the plays you have an opportunity to make, and like I said, when we get good we are going to make these plays. I truly believe that.”

This article originally appeared on