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

Cleveland's defense did the job again against Tampa Bay, coming up with key stops and forcing turnovers. The snap count distributions for the Browns' defenders against the Buccaneers are listed below. [Week 9 offensive snap counts for Cleveland can be found here]

Defensive Line
Desmond Bryant	Ahtyba Rubin	Sione Fua	Billy Winn	Ishmaa'ily Kitchen
78% 50/64 plays	47% 30/64 plays	42% 27/64 plays	41% 26/64 plays	39% 25/64 plays

Desmond Bryant: 1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined).
Billy Winn: No stats registered (blocked field goal on ST).
Ahtyba Rubin: 2 assists (2 combined).
Ish'maaily Kitchen: 3 assists (3 combined).
Sione Fua: 1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined).

Thoughts: The Browns wanted to take it easy on Billy Winn with this being his first game back, so Sione Fua actually saw more snaps than him. The defense only allowed Bobby Rainey to have 4 carries for 7 yards in the second half.

Inside Linebacker
Karlos Dansby	Craig Robertson	Chris Kirksey	Tank Carder
100% 64/64 plays	56% 36/64 plays	33% 21/64 plays	2% 1/64 plays

Karlos Dansby: 4 tackles, 1 assists (5 combined).
Craig Robertson: 1 tackle, 3 assists (4 combined).
Chris Kirksey: 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined).
Tank Carder: No stats registered.

Thoughts: For the second game in a row, Craig Robertson played more snaps than Chris Kirksey and did a very sound job. You can see the improvements in Robertson's game from a year ago, and he also tipped a punt on special teams. Tank Carder played one snap and came on a blitz when Cleveland was burned with a RB screen pass.

Outside Linebacker
Paul Kruger	Jabaal Sheard	Barkevious Mingo	Eric Martin
75% 48/64 plays	72% 46/64 plays	58% 38/64 plays	2% 1/64 plays

Jabaal Sheard: 2 assists (2 combined). 1 pass defended.
Paul Kruger: 2 tackles (2 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit.
Barkevious Mingo: 2 tackles, 2 assists (4 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit, 1 pass defended.
Eric Martin: No stats registered.

Thoughts: I'll admit -- I thought we'd be able to destroy Oniel Cousins a lot more than we did. With that said, he was still a liability on enough plays for the Browns' defense to take advantage as Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo notched sacks.

Cornerback
Joe Haden	Buster Skrine	Justin Gilbert	K'Waun Williams
100% 64/64 plays	100% 64/64 plays	25% 16/64 plays	19% 12/64 plays

Joe Haden: 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 3 passes defended.
Buster Skrine: 7 tackles, 2 assists (9 combined).
Justin Gilbert: 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 pass defended.
K'Waun Williams: No stats registered.

Thoughts: Joe Haden had another A+ day at cornerback, breaking up three passes, including one that he tipped into the arms of Donte Whitner for an interception. It was a rough day in coverage for Buster Skrine, but what should I expect in a matchup of a 5-9 cornerback vs. a 6-5 receiver? Kudos to the Buccaneers for taking advantage of that.

Safety
Tashaun Gipson	Donte Whitner	Jim Leonhard	Johnson Bademosi
100% 64/64 plays	100% 64/64 plays	11% 7/64 plays	2% 1/64 plays

Tashaun Gipson: 3 tackles, 2 combined (5 combined). 1 interception, 1 pass defended.
Donte Whitner: 5 tackles, 3 assists (8 combined). 1 interception, 1 pass defended.
Jim Leonhard: No stats registered.
Johnson Bademosi: No stats registered.

Thoughts: Donte Whitner has arrived. He logged his first interception of the season, and he should have had a strip, sack, and recovery in the first half, had Desmond Bryant's hands-to-the-face penalty not negated it. Whitner also made some hits behind the line of scrimmage. Tashaun Gipson made another interception and was so close to taking it to the house before being tripped up. Johnson Bademosi played on the same down that Tank Carder did.