Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns - Positional Breakdown
by Chris Pokorny on Oct 1, 2011 5:20 PM EDT
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The Cleveland Browns have an early bye week this season, and it would be a fantastic start to the Pat Shurmur era if his team could head into the break with a 3-1 record. They will have to try to do so by facing their toughest challenge yet in the Tennessee Titans. These are the Titans that dismantled the Baltimore Ravens back in Week 2 and currently rank first in the league defensively. Do the Browns have enough match-up advantages to pull out a victory?
Here is my positional breakdown and prediction. (Note: for now, I will field test no longer having a "notes" section in this post. Notes will either be within each position preview, or it will be within "The Sunday Five" on Sunday morning.)
Position-by-Position Breakdown
| Pos | Adv | Reason |
| QB |  |
Overall, Matt Hasselbeck and Colt McCoy have played key roles in the success of Seattle and Cleveland, respectively. Hasselbeck's production has been superior to this point, and that is somewhat surprising since he was a career West Coast quarterback who was making the switch to a more vertical passing game. His accuracy has been very good at nearly 70%, and he has had some clutch drives to close out games. McCoy had a clutch drive to end last week's game against the Dolphins, but there are definitely some accuracy concerns for the second-year quarterback right now. Accuracy is the key to his game and this offense, but too many passes have been wobbly, off-target, or batted down by defensive linemen. |
| RB |  |
This was a tough category to rank, and you could make arguments for Cleveland having the advantage, Tennessee having the advantage, or for it being a push. Whenever a case can be made for both sides, I rank things as "even." The Titans have Chris Johnson on their roster, who is the type of dynamic player as a rusher and a receiver who instantly gives them credibility at the running back position. He has struggled this year, having under 100 yards rushing and averaging around 2.0 YPC through three games. He has attributed part of his slow start to him holding out of part of camp, and some of it to a lack of chemistry with his offensive line. The Browns have not run the ball as good as they did at times last year, but have done much better than the Titans have. They get Peyton Hillis back this week from his illness, and the coaching staff has more confidence in using backup Montario Hardesty. |
| WR | |
The Titans would have had a definite advantage here if Kenny Britt had not suffered a season-ending injury a week ago. That means that former Steelers receiver Nate Washington is the team's new top receiver. He has a good skill set, but I question his ability to be as effective as the No. 1 receiver vs. being the No. 2 receiver. After Washington (and Chris Johnson), the Titans have a lot of players they spread the ball to, similar to the Browns. We know what the deal is with the Browns receivers, but I can't say I'm particularly disappointed so far this season. Every reception Mohamed Massaquoi has had has gone for a first down. Joshua Cribbs has shown the ability to make the big play with the ball in his hands. Greg Little brings a physical presence. Brian Robiskie is just...there, I think. I hope tight end Evan Moore gets a few more reps this week with more stability at the right tackle position. |
| OL |  |
This is it! This is finally the week where we get to see Tony Pashos in action at right tackle. By the way I've been talking about him the past several weeks, you'd think the team was getting a Pro Bowler back. He's no where near that level, but I remain confident that he is far superior to what Artis Hicks and Oniel Cousins had to offer. It could ultimately lead to a chain reaction with better play by Shawn Lauvao at right guard too. The Titans' offensive line has been a big question mark in previewing this match-up. Are they good? Are they terrible? What is the deal? Reports indicate they have been tremendous in pass protection, which has played a big part in Hasselbeck's success to date. When it come to run blocking, they have been terrible though, to the point where Chris Johnson even said that he and the offensive line have not been on the same page. |
| DL | |
The Titans have been impressive up front despite not having some star-studded players. Fans will remember former Browns defensive lineman Shaun Smith, who will make it a mission to get under center Alex Mack's skin during the game. Tennessee does a good job rotating all of their defensive linemen into the game regularly, and so far they have been playing very fundamental football. Week-by-week, we're seeing the Browns' defensive line come into their own. Jabaal Sheard is turning into a consistent threat as a pass rusher, and Jayme Mitchell hasn't been bad on the other side either. Ahtyba Rubin seems to be back in a groove and is all over the field, and Phil Taylor's bull rush ability continues to stand out. All four of these guys seem to be playing a lot of snaps though, something that contrasts Tennessee's philosophy. It'd be nice to see a Marcus Benard get some work in. |
| LB | |
I like the Titans' group of linebackers, and it really is a group that saw a major overhaul in the offseason. They brought over veteran linebacker Barrett Rudd from the Buccaneers to anchor the middle of their defense. They drafted outside linebacker Akeem Ayers in the second round, and he's been fine to this point. Veteran Will Witherspoon is the only returning starter, and he was in large part responsible for the team's win over the Broncos last week. I don't see the Browns as being particularly "weaker" at the linebacker position, but I felt compelled to give Tennessee some more advantages defensively than Cleveland because they are ranked tops in the league defensively. The truth is that the their defense does a lot of good work in terms of creativity in schemes that makes it tough to say a particular "unit" it better or worse, comparatively, than Cleveland. |
| DB | |
The Browns rank third in the league in pass defense. Joe Haden has done his part in shutting down opposing receivers, and Dimitri Patterson has broken up a few passes in the nickel back role. Sheldon Brown was beaten a few times by Brian Hartline a week ago, but I wouldn't go as far as some critics to call him a terrible starter. The safeties are still a bit suspect in coverage due to not facing very stout quarterbacks to date. Tennessee has a lot of confidence in their top three cornerbacks and are not afraid to allow them to play man-to-man coverage. The question is, does that man-to-man coverage really have an effect on Cleveland's receivers when they really don't do anything special in the first place? Their safeties, Michael Griffin and Chris Hope, form a good tandem that can make it a little tough on our right ends to take advantage of the middle. The Titans' secondary also does a good job at limiting the damage in the red zone. |
| ST | |
Rob Bironas is one of the league's top kickers, even if he (along with Phil Dawson) haven't had a lot of opportunities to kick this season. The winds are expected to be near 20 MPH on Sunday though, and I imagine that plays to the advantage of Dawson in terms of experience. The Titans' Marc Mariani made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner last year, but he doesn't have a single return this year due to the new kickoff rule. With all due respect to Mariani, he couldn't hold a candle to Joshua Cribbs on kick returns. |
I'm worried that the weather conditions will hurt Colt McCoy's effectiveness again, especially against the Titans' pass defense. It would make me so happy to see McCoy come out with crisp passes, because we shouldn't have to be worrying about "October weather." If the Titans had Britt for this game, I would have picked them to squeak out a victory. Without him, I think the Titans find themselves a bit lost offensively. The Titans have been tough to run against, but I think the addition of Pashos to the starting lineup will make a world of a difference for Peyton Hillis.
FINAL PREDICTION: Cleveland Browns 20, Tennessee Titans 17
CHRIS' OVERALL NFL PREDICTIONS RECORD: 36-12
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Starting to think, too, this will be a bad weather/low scoring game. If that’s the case, I bet we see a ton of run plays from both teams.
Any chance we see Carlton Mitchell this weekend? He’s healthy again, practiced all week and isn’t named Brian Robiskie.
Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.
Is that the Arby’s in Akron or Kent?
I guess there's only one thing left to do.....win the whole ******* thing. - Major League
by 24rubikscube on Oct 2, 2011 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions
I had a good feeling going into Indianapolis and the Miami game. I have this same yuck feeling that I had with the Bengals game. Britt not being there eases that a little bit and Chris Johnson being ineffective has eased that as well. Something tells me that Hasselbeck can pick apart our inexperience. He is by far the best QB we have faced thus far. We need to get up in his face and disrupt him or he will beat us and that will just open up Chris Johnson to get on track.
I’ve had a bad feeling going into every game. I want us to play good football for a complete game before I can say I’m confident about beating anyone. But my blind homerism tells me we’re going to the Super Bowl baby!
Even Doug Dieken admits Joe Thomas is the real #73
by Doc's Kid on Oct 1, 2011 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It just won’t feel as special with that one loss though, unfortunately.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
I’m worried about our D-line getting over zealous and getting burned on some draws and screens to Johnson….
If the Phins can hold the ball for 38 minutes then Johnson and the Titans can do the same if not worse…. Especially if the Offense cant get going and put up some drives to give the D a breather……
This game and the Raiders game after the bye give me a bad feeling………….
I think the TOP last week says more about our offense than our defense. It says things about our defense, make no mistake, I just don’t think the number gets nearly that skewed with a competent offense.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
Well, hopefully a new $16 million contract combined with an AFC player of the month award will light a fire under our linebackers’ asses and they blow up those passes to the flat.
The Dolphins won the time of possession (I think mainly) because Colt played so poorly… not because their backs did anything amazing.
Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.
well 95 yds on 21 carries is not to shabby, why did the Phins stop giving Thomas the ball?
Averaging 4 yds a carry with about 10 or more carries would of been devastating….
Must be a Daboll thing to abandon the Run when it is working…
Honestly, we did the same thing. Hardesty seemed to get whatever he wanted when he had the ball. I remember yelling “Run the ball!” several times that game.
Probably pressure on Henne to perform and show his worth. And Daboll.
Thomas is gonna be good.
Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.
Kind of Ironic that this being our 13 th season back we finally have 1 if not 2 backs that can run the ball, and we switch to a pass first wco….
No doubt.. At least we’re working with two pass catching backs. I wonder if Mitchell can ever become that down field guy. Would be a sweet compliment to keep things balanced.
Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.
Hopefully someone becomes a deep threat, even if it is just for show, it would make the D back off a little…
But will Shurmer call more down field strikes? I wonder if the lack of deep passes is by design or if they are trying to protect Colt.
I mean, they do have a knack for calling nice end zone passes from outside the 25 or 30. But that’s still not quite a bomb.
Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.
Yeah I kind of thought they would of mixed in some designed roll outs to buy time for a deep route to develop and also only give McCoy half the field to read…
I would think it’s intentional. Regardless of what McCoy may or may not be able to do, our O-line has generally not been the kind of thing you can hang out behind while waiting for a WR to get deep.
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."
— Winston S. Churchill
they do have a knack for calling nice end zone passes from outside the 25 or 30
Someone tell me if I’m making this up, but didn’t Shurmur say this was something he liked to do? Take a shot from about the 30 to try to get a quick score? I remember hearing that and being skeptical, but I can’t really argue with the results so far.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
He does it so he won’t have to face the challenges of being stuck in redzone with squished coverage.
Pittsburgh is just jealous. We got Cudi and they have Wiz.
by SpecialBrownie on Oct 2, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
one pass catching back. Little Owen has not impressed me yet.
"You are the worst villains in football, your evil plan never ceases."-Mooncamping
by discoinferno083 on Oct 1, 2011 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t think Mitchell will ever become a contributor for the Browns.
by Bernie19Kosar on Oct 2, 2011 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions
the west coast offense doesn’t always mean we are going to pass it 60% of the time. He ran the ball a fair amount in St. Louis, despite not having a competent backup (you don’t want to give your starter 400 carries). This team runs the ball more than the SF 49ers back in the day did, but you adjust to the personnel you have.
I teach good life choices. That’s why I almost didn’t graduate High School.
Intensive Purposes? I could care less...
your whole argument is a fallacy!
I can’t see giving us the edge on DL. They have a good and deep DL. I’d give them the edge or at least rank it as even.
2010 Official DBN League Fantasy Football Champion
by TheDriveStillHurts on Oct 1, 2011 8:09 PM EDT reply actions
I’d take a Taylor or Rubin over a Shaun Smith any day. He has like 3 sacks his whole career. Not counting Alex Mack’s.
Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.
by LocalMan on Oct 1, 2011 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
I like think Alex Mack may be blocking through the whistle tomorrow.
by Bernie19Kosar on Oct 1, 2011 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions
He still has yet to repay Smith from grabbing his junk.
Pittsburgh is just jealous. We got Cudi and they have Wiz.
by SpecialBrownie on Oct 1, 2011 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions
They have a really solid D line no question, but the Browns D-Line is just dominating right now. Their ends are getting tremendous pressure and their DTs are pushing the pocket and stuffing the run like crazy.
To be honest, their D-Line is good but it may be the weakest unit on that D, thats how good their LBs and DBs have been.
I teach good life choices. That’s why I almost didn’t graduate High School.
Intensive Purposes? I could care less...
your whole argument is a fallacy!
Jabaal Sheard is turning into a consistent threat as a pass rusher, and Jayme Mitchell has been bad on the other side either.
I thought he was doing good.
"buuuuuuuh!"--- Mooncamping
woops, *hasn’t
Dawgs By Nature - Covering the Cleveland Browns on SB Nation.
by Chris Pokorny on Oct 1, 2011 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions
very ballsy and assetive headline.
winning back in the vocabulary?
after tomorrow, i hope so.
"You are the worst villains in football, your evil plan never ceases."-Mooncamping
Can’t believe you would snub Joe Thomas in the OL breakdown.
Would you like anything to drink with your pancakes, sir?
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice there is. -- Yogi Berra
Joe Thomas’ dominance goes without saying.
Dawgs By Nature - Covering the Cleveland Browns on SB Nation.
by Chris Pokorny on Oct 1, 2011 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I can only hope to Joe Thomas that Colt has a better game tomorrow.
by emily522 on Oct 2, 2011 12:03 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I wonder if he faked the knee issue this week… to trick humans. Like Clark Kent letting dudes beat him up. Pro shit.
Hank Poteat owes me 60 bucks.
by LocalMan on Oct 2, 2011 12:05 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I’m not sure I agree that I agree the Titans DBs have the advantage. Brown has been off at times this year, but the rest of the DB core has played great. I expect to shut Hasselback down today with Britt being out.
Come on Marecic, get in front of the damn ball! Don't give me this "olé" bullsht!
I’m not sure I agree that I agree
This is a problem.
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice there is. -- Yogi Berra
by JustPlainBrowns on Oct 2, 2011 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions
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