Analyzing the Snap Counts in Browns vs. Cowboys (Offense)

It was another tough loss to take for Browns fans, as Cleveland blew a 13-0 lead, and then got a raw deal from the officiating crew in a game they eventually lost in overtime, 23-20, to the Dallas Cowboys. As always, we'll look at the snap count distributions for the game, starting with the offense. Before you look at the snap count distributions, ask yourself the following two questions:

-Did Joshua Cribbs' petitioning for more playing time pay off?
-How often was Chris Ogbonnaya used as the third-down back?

Check out the snap distributions below, and let us know what your reactions are in the comments section.

Offensive Line
Joe Thomas	John Greco	Alex Mack	Shawn Lauvao	Mitchell Schwartz
100% 70/70 plays	100% 70/70 plays	100% 70/70 plays	100% 70/70 plays	100% 70/70 plays
Oniel Cousins
1% 1/70 plays

Thoughts: The entire starting unit played 100 percent of the snaps this week, with Oniel Cousins serving as an extra blocker on one play. The offensive line yielded two sacks and four quarterback hits.

Running Back / Fullback
Trent Richardson	Alex Smith	Montario Hardesty	Chris Ogbonnaya
89% 62/70 plays	34% 24/70 plays	9% 6/70 plays	4% 3/70 plays

Trent Richardson: 28 carries, 95 yards, 3.4 average. 6 catches, 49 yards (8 targets).
Montario Hardesty: 4 carries, 23 yards, 5.8 average.
Alex Smith: 1 catch, 2 yards (1 target).
Chris Ogbonnaya: 1 carry, 1 yard.

Thoughts: The Browns got a nice push from their offensive line in the first half, when Richardson ran 16 times for 62 yards, a 3.9 average. He only averaged 2.75 yards per carry in the second half. It was nice to see Richardson catching some more passes in the flat, especially since Rob Ryan's defense was giving that play to Brandon Weeden in several instances. Montario Hardesty seemed to run hard when he got in -- if I were playing devil's advocate, I'd think about putting him in the game at the one yard line. Chris Ogbonnaya got a carry from the fullback position on 3rd-and-1 and converted.

Wide Receiver
Josh Gordon	Greg Little	Mohamed Massaquoi	Travis Benjamin	Josh Cooper
96% 67/70 plays	90% 63/70 plays	23% 16/70 plays	14% 10/70 plays	11% 8/70 plays
Joshua Cribbs
3% 2/70 plays

Greg Little: 3 catches, 53 yards (4 targets).
Josh Gordon: 5 catches, 53 yards (7 targets).
Josh Cooper: 1 catch, 6 yards (2 targets).
Mohamed Massaquoi: 0 catches (2 targets).
Joshua Cribbs: 0 catches (1 target).
Travis Benjamin: No stats registered.

Thoughts: There is no doubt right now that Josh Gordon and Greg Little have a comfortable lead as the team's top two receivers on the depth chart. Little made a couple of very nice grabs. Gordon had a scary bobble play that he still ended up hauling in. Josh Cooper and Weeden had two opportunities to get a first down, and it was startling to see the "chemistry factor" not make a difference in either case, despite the play being there. Cooper suffered a knee injury during the game and was listed as probable to return. The rest of the receivers were absent; Cribbs looked dejected when the early quick hitter pass to him was sailed over his head.

Tight End
Benjamin Watson	Jordan Cameron
90% 63/70 plays	36% 25/70 plays

Benjamin Watson: 4 catches, 47 yards, 2 touchdowns (8 targets).
Jordan Cameron: 0 catches (2 targets).

Thoughts: Watson had some difficulty holding onto the football, but he still hauled in two touchdowns, including what looked to be the game-winning one. Jordan Cameron was targeted on a 4th-and-1 fade, the first time a fade has been thrown this season I believe. He caught the pass, but the throw was out of bounds.

Quarterback
Brandon Weeden
100% 70/70 plays

Brandon Weeden: 20-of-35 for 210 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 lost fumble.

Thoughts: Statistically, you can look at Brandon Weeden's game and think he did a good job. In reality, he still ended up struggling quite a bit. He was getting unbelievable pass protection in the first half, but misfired on several passes. On a lot of the passes he did complete, the receivers had to make some tough catches. He also lost his first fumble of the season. I always like to look at the potential growth of a quarterback, though, and his go-ahead touchdown to Benjamin Watson was something positive. He didn't have a great chance in overtime, backed up and facing a 3rd-and-10 after the offense couldn't get anything on first or second down.

History of Snap Counts on Offense:

-Week 1: Philadelphia vs. Cleveland
-Week 2: Cleveland vs. Cincinnati
-Week 3: Buffalo vs. Cleveland
-Week 4: Cleveland vs. Baltimore
-Week 5: Cleveland vs. New York Giants
-Week 6: Cincinnati vs. Cleveland
-Week 7: Cleveland vs. Indianapolis
-Week 8: San Diego vs. Cleveland
-Week 9: Baltimore vs. Cleveland