Greg Little's Drops Pile Up Against Cincinnati

Four dropped passes.

This was the number one concern when we drafted Greg Little in the second round of the draft. He often struggled during training camp, but only one other time was it a moderate concern in an actual regular season game. Leave it to when his production was needed most for this problem to rear its ugly head again. It's unfair to compare him to Braylon Edwards because he doesn't have the same attitude. When a receiver drops the ball like Little did at a consistent rate though, you still have to be concerned. Can you count on this guy as a starting receiver in the future? With the game on the line, can a quarterback have faith in him to catch the ball?

"It was kind of like, man, when basketball players have a bad day shooting free throws," he said. "It's just something that sometimes you just can't throw it in the ocean, sometimes you just can't ever hang onto it. It's definitely just something I can just learn and grow from."

Little drew the ire of the media after he skipped the opportunity to be interviewed by reporters following the game. I know Little couldn't possibly have wanted to discuss his terrible game with the media, but it is something that all NFL players have to deal with. Head coach Pat Shurmur didn't lose faith in Little, but emphasized that he needs to stay focused.

"You cannot drop the football -- it's an no-no," said Shurmur. "He dropped too many balls. Catching the football is very important -- focus and concentration. Forget the last play and move on to the next play. I don't expect that to be a trend. I expect it to be something he'll learn from. I'm excited about him getting out there to practice so we can work on that not happening again."

Once a player starts dropping the ball, it's tough for them to get rid of that stigma from the perspective of fans. There are still four big division games left against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Little has been targeted a team-high 87 times this season, so there is no doubt the Browns will continue throwing his direction. If Little delivers against our hated rivals, he can quickly grab a taste of redemption. If he doesn't, then the Browns may have an additional semi-question mark at the receiver position in 2012.