Browns Need to Find a Way to Correct 3rd Down Issues Against Ravens

For whatever the reason may be, the Browns have been off-and-on in two week chunks. We’re due for a couple of wins now. I’m optimistic for this game because Baltimore is coming off of a big game, and that might leave them a little down for this game. Hopefully we can pull it off.

I agree with the analysis. TO me it comes down to Daboll and him giving new looks and formations for the opposing defense to have to deal with. The defenses are loading the box against Hillis. Maybe too is that the Browns do NOT have any threat at wide receiver. A Legiitimate threat at Tight End, yes, Hillis yes, Cribbs, yes. With a weak right side of the offensive line and No real threat at receiver, it could be part of Daboll’s problem.

I have a very bad feeling about this game.

I say pass every play on our first drive. See how Baltimore handles that. We definitely have to work Hillis in because he’s our best weapon, but we have to loosen up the defense first. I’m sick of seeing him run into 8 or 9 men in the box. Colt needs 30 or more attempts, because Baltimore will be prepared to stop Hillis.

The 3rd down problem falls on Daboll, IMHO.

OT- but I just traded for Shipley on Madden. Texas reunion!

I thought we might have a chance earlier this week but then I heard Fujita’s not coming back this year. Browns D couldn’t drop a runner with grappling hooks these past 2 games playing the dregs of their respective divisions.

I know people blame Ryan and Dumbell for the play calling, but where’s Mangini? Have you recently seen him interacting with ANYONE on the sidelines when the camera’s on him? He just stands there with that Preparation H stare on his face, not talking into a head set, not talking to Ryan, not talking to anyone. Some have questioned our ability to ‘adjust’ during a game and I’m wondering how that happens (or IF that happens).

All I know is we’re on everyone else’s highlight tape these past few weeks. Bouncing off people is not tackling. Hillis up the gut on short yardage is not innovation.

Santa, I need a RT, a RG, a burner at WR, a sack artist at DE and a fast fast OLB. You know where to deliver this, right?

Outside of Carolina, there has been no more unimaginative playcalling anywhere in the NFL this year. Beyond that our QB’s don’t collectively do the one thing that makes other teams great (see: Pittsburgh, Indy and NE). They call it…….are you ready….the pumpfake! And yes, i’m old, but remember how much the play action pass out to the flat bailed out Bernie? Heck, that even works when it’s cold out and it’s usually good for a minimum of 4 yds, most often 6-8. I digress though, we had receivers named Slaughter and Langhorne and a couple backs, I think it was Mack n Byner, You know what, nevermind. I’m having a stroke thinking about our OC and our talent.

You guys might think i’m a jerk for replying to myself so much but I have one more thing to say…..sincere Happy Holidays.

What’s StClair like as a run blocker? From the stats it looks as if he can do something- obviously he’s a sack in a pack if you try to throw and don’t assign help.

And so far i’m the only one with a play for the post. Why don’t you tell us what to do on third down. You know, if you were Pokorny, Rufio, B19k, Bross, Golan or, in a crazy world where I could really decipher what you’re saying, Moon, I would care enough to not post again….but what are you really trying to say?

I’d put every lineman we’ve got out there. Our regular offensive linemen with Rubin and Rogers at TE and Mosley, Coleman and Schaefering out wide, and then Carlton Mitchell under center. When the ball is snapped, everyone (Thomas, Steinbach, Mack, Womack, St Clair, Rubin, Rogers, Mosley, Coleman and Schaefering) all converge at Ray Lewis. Hit him and hit him again. And then pile on. Mitchell just has to run around in the backfield long enough for the ‘play’ to ‘develop’. As soon as Lewis is buried in 3000 pounds of ball grabbin’, ball squeezin’ Browns, Mitchell takes a knee and we punt on fourth down.

We should move Mitchell to center too…..what do u think? Let Mack run around instead.

Chris, surely you could have found a less flattering picture of Ray for this one. You may have missed an opportunity here.

With the scum’s victory tonight Mangini’s future all rests on Sunday, either win and force another meaningful game, or coach your last game as a head coach in a game with far less to offer.

This is one of our staple plays:

The other routes can be different, but the shallow cross and the square in behind it are the same. We look to force zone defenders to choose one of these two routes and throw it to the other. On 3rd and long, defenses have chosen to drop off and defend the in, forcing us to throw the shallow cross, and we don’t have the athletes to turn that short gain in to a first down (for reference, the Z receiver in that play used to be Jerry Rice…try defending him on that route).

The route concept can also be run from different sides of the formation and is sometimes called “Hi/lo”:

In my opinion, even with the talent we have, we should be squeezing more out of this. First of all, I would be extremely surprised if Daboll didn’t coach the WRs to “climb the ladder” and run the shallow cross a little deeper on 3rd down. But as a coach once you’ve seen this concept or a similar one fail so many times on 3rd and medium, why not maybe go away from it or throw the offspeed pitch to it’s fastball?

Still, there are a million things you can do within this route concept/with these route stems that we don’t do.

Part of the reason people like to run a “vertical” offense is it’s harder to pattern match. With this, if every time one guy runs in another goes vertical and the back goes in to the flat we are running the drive concept, defenses will jump it. They can blitz the hell out of the side the shallow cross comes from and drop someone where the cross is going.

But it doesn’t have to be that way; we can run snag, mesh, or even a “jerk” route from these same route stems. I guarantee these plays are in the playbook, but it’s another consistent problem I see with Daboll: we don’t constrain defenses enough. Same thing with the fake end around to Cribbs; we run the fake over and over and over and we give it to the WR 2-3 times a year.

Concede victory now, they might be merciful.