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

The Browns' defense failed to take over a game for the third week in a row, but this time it was Chad Henne of all people doing the damage against them. The snap count distributions for the Browns' defenders against the Jaguars are listed below. [Week 13 offensive snap counts for Cleveland can be found here]

Defensive Line
Desmond Bryant	Ahtyba Rubin	Phil Taylor	John Hughes	Armonty Bryant	Billy Winn
64% 47/74 plays	57% 42/74 plays	49% 36/74 plays	28% 21/74 plays	28% 21/74 plays	22% 16/74 plays

Phil Taylor: 2 tackles (2 combined).
Ahtyba Rubin: 1 tackle, 3 assists (4 combined). 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit.
Desmond Bryant: 1 tackles, 2 assists (3 combined). 2 quarterback hits.
John Hughes: 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 1 tackle for loss.
Armonty Bryant: 1 tackle (1 combined).
Billy Winn: 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 tackle for loss.

Thoughts: Although the Jaguars had some success running the ball early, the defensive line was tough to get through late in the game, as the Jaguars averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and were stopped five times for a loss. As far as the playing time distribution goes, Armonty Bryant saw more action than Billy Winn in his return game.

Inside Linebacker
D'Qwell Jackson	Darius Eubanks
100% 74/74 plays	62% 46/74 plays

D'Qwell Jackson: 6 tackles (6 combined). 1 pass defended.
Darius Eubanks: 4 tackles, 2 assists (6 combined).

Thoughts: The Browns didn't go with their base 3-4 defense the whole game, which is why Darius Eubanks' snap count doesn't match 100%. D'Qwell Jackson had a tipped pass again, as the Jaguars were backed up in their own territory. I haven't had time yet to assess Eubanks' play enough, but Craig Robertson might be available for next week's game.

Outside Linebacker
Jabaal Sheard	Paul Kruger	Barkevious Mingo	Paul Hazel
81% 60/74 plays	62% 46/74 plays	55% 41/74 plays	1% 1/74 plays

Paul Kruger: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined).
Barkevious Mingo: 3 tackles, 2 assists (5 combined). 1 quarterback hit, 1 pass defended.
Jabaal Sheard: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit.
Paul Hazel: No stats registered.

Thoughts: The Jaguars didn't get the ball out as quick as some other teams have against Cleveland, so with that in mind, it was disappointing to see our outside linebackers fail to dominate one of the worst offensive lines in football for the second straight week. It's looking more and more like none of our three guys -- Sheard, Kruger, or Mingo -- can be the type of elite pass-rusher we were hoping for.

Cornerback
Joe Haden	Buster Skrine	Chris Owens	Leon McFadden
100% 74/74 plays	100% 74/74 plays	54% 40/74 plays	42% 31/74 plays

Joe Haden: 3 tackles (3 combined). 1 interception, 1 pass defended.
Buster Skrine: 4 tackles (4 combined). 2 passes defended.
Chris Owens: 2 tackles, 2 assists (4 combined).
Leon McFadden: No stats registered.

Thoughts: It's tough to see Joe Haden get beat for the game-winning touchdown. My guess is that on 3rd-and-7, he wanted to be extra aggressive and go for the interception to prevent overtime. Instead, the double move got him. I have a bone to pick with Ray Horton, though: how can our coverage allow the Jaguars to complete the same bubble screen play with success 4+ times and not be ready for it? If you blow just one of those plays up, you can kill their drive. Leon McFadden saw more playing time when Chris Owens got hurt; Cleveland operated in the nickel for most of the game.

Safety
T.J. Ward	Tashaun Gipson
99% 73/74 plays	96% 71/74 plays

T.J. Ward: 6 tackles, 1 assist (7 combined). 1 pass defended.
Tashaun Gipson: 4 tackles, 1 assist (5 combined).

Thoughts: Why did Ray Horton call Tashaun Gipson our defensive MVP again? That one still boggles my mind. If anybody should have gotten the MVP declaration, it should have been T.J. Ward, who again showed off his improved run defense skills and also defended a pass.