Lions vs. Browns: Analyzing the Snap Counts (Defense)

The Browns' defense could not stop the Lions in the second half of Sunday's game, giving up 24 unanswered points. The snap count distributions for the Browns' defenders against the Lions are listed below. [Week 6 offensive snap counts for Cleveland can be found here]

Defensive Line
Ahtyba Rubin	Desmond Bryant	Phil Taylor	John Hughes	Armonty Bryant	Ishmaa'ily Kitchen
76% 56/74 plays	65% 48/74 plays	54% 40/74 plays	30% 22/74 plays	9% 7/74 plays	9% 7/74 plays

Ahtyba Rubin: 1 tackle, 6 assists (7 combined).
Desmond Bryant: 1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined). 1 quarterback hit.
Phil Taylor: 1 quarterback hit.
John Hughes: 1 tackle (1 combined).
Armonty Bryant: No stats registered.
Ishmaa'ily Kitchen: No stats registered.

Thoughts: This was probably the least productive day from the defensive linemen (and most of the other defensive units, to be fair) all season. They bottled up Reggie Bush early on in the running game, so it wasn't a complete waste for them. They couldn't get much pressure on Matthew Stafford, though, as he was delivering the ball out to his receivers quickly. I would've liked to have seen the adjustment of our guys trying to anticipate his three-quarters delivery to tip some passes.

Inside Linebacker
D'Qwell Jackson	Craig Robertson
100% 74/74 plays	100% 74/74 plays

D'Qwell Jackson: 3 tackles, 5 assists (8 combined).
Craig Robertson: 6 tackles, 2 assists (8 combined). 1 sack.

Thoughts: This was a game that our inside linebackers would like to forget. I have praised D'Qwell Jackson and Craig Robertson all season for doing a solid job, but neither one had a good game against the Lions. Robertson was particularly exposed in coverage, whether it be against Reggie Bush, Brandon Pettigrew, or Joseph Fauria. It got so bad that I even thought to myself, "jeez, can we put Tank Carder in there or something?"

Outside Linebacker
Paul Kruger	Barkevious Mingo	Quentin Groves
81% 60/74 plays	81% 60/74 plays	38% 28/74 plays

Barkevious Mingo: 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 1 tackle for loss.
Paul Kruger: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined).
Quentin Groves: No stats registered.

Thoughts: I don't want to sound like I am overreacting to Paul Kruger's recent stretch of quiet games, but should we? In Baltimore, the consensus was that without Terrell Suggs in the lineup, Kruger couldn't have the same impact. Ever since Jabaal Sheard has been hurt, Kruger hasn't had much of an impact. Quentin Groves had a free rush at Matthew Stafford late in the game to force an incompletion and possibly set up a tough field goal for David Akers; instead, the officials flagged him for roughing the passer.

Cornerback
Joe Haden	Buster Skrine	Chris Owens
100% 74/74 plays	99% 73/74 plays	73% 54/74 plays

Joe Haden: 3 tackles 4(3 combined). 1 pass defended.
Buster Skrine: 4 tackles (4 combined). 2 passes defended.
Chris Owens: 3 tackles, 2 assists (5 combined). 1 pass defended.

Thoughts: I have to go back and see who was covering Kris Durham most of the game, but the constant quick hitters to him paid off for the Lions. My initial impression was this: Joe Haden wasn't thrown at very much, Buster Skrine had another great game for whenever he was challenged, and Chris Owens was fortunate not to give up a big play on several occasions.

Safety
T.J. Ward	Tashaun Gipson	Johnson Bademosi
92% 68/74 plays	92% 68/74 plays	1% 1/74 plays

T.J. Ward: 8 tackles, 3 assists (11 combined). 1 tackle for loss, 2 passes defended.
Tashaun Gipson: 4 tackles, 3 assists (7 combined). 1 interception, 1 pass defended.
Johnson Bademosi: No stats registered.

Thoughts: Despite having the most flashy-looking stats of the afternoon, Pro Football Focus says that T.J. Ward might have played his worst game as a pro, missing five tackles against the Lions. Tashaun Gipson picked off Stafford in the end zone after a pass was defended by Buster Skrine. I believe Johnson Bademosi gave up a touchdown to Joseph Fauria on his only snap of the game. Like I said -- it was a rough day for the defense.