Saturday Dawg Chow: Browns news (12/11/21)

Cleveland Browns:

• Browns’ sense of urgency still has room to improve before rematch vs. Ravens, Myles Garrett says (cleveland.com) - When it comes to the Browns’ focus and urgency out of the bye week, there’s still room to improve, according to their star defensive end. When asked if he saw the team practicing with a renewed sense of urgency and attention to detail following its off week and in advance of Sunday’s rematch with the Ravens, Myles Garrett said “not as much as I wanted to.”
• ‘Wait, it’s a COVID thing’: Browns punter Dustin Colquitt goes from casualty to benefactor (Beacon Journal) - On Monday, Dustin Colquitt was lamenting his release by the Atlanta Falcons, a move set in motion when he tested positive for COVID-19. Thirty-six hours after he got home, the script was flipped. On Friday, the Browns signed Colquitt to take over for punter Jamie Gillan, placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday ahead of Sunday’s crucial home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
• Greg Newsome II out for Sunday after sustaining concussion on final play of practice (Browns Zone) - The Browns lost rookie starting cornerback Greg Newsome II for Sunday on the last play of practice Friday. Newsome fell and hit his head as practiced concluded and was diagnosed with a concussion, the team announced later in the afternoon. He was ruled out for the critical game vs. the Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Browns D looking to replicate big plays from 1st matchup vs. Lamar Jackson (clevelandbrowns.com) - The Browns defense couldn’t do much postgame celebrating two weeks ago when they gave Ravens QB Lamar Jackson one of the toughest games of his career. Jackson threw four interceptions and accumulated a 46.5 passer rating, his lowest as an NFL starter. The Browns swarmed Jackson with pressure, limited his big runs and prevented deep passes with stable coverage from the secondary. But they didn’t win.

NFL:

• Could the Atlanta Falcons’ Cordarrelle Patterson be creating a world of positionless football? (ESPN) - It began with a toss to the left, a hole and well-blocked play. As the rusher ran through the Denver Broncos’ defense for 46 yards — most of it untouched — in 2019, it seemed like it might be one good play, one small wrinkle. Yet in a sport obsessed with details and minutiae, it sparked something else — something not seen until two years and a city later: The rejuvenation of an idea of how to use Cordarrelle Patterson, who is having a breakout season with the Atlanta Falcons.
• Six most impactful games left in 2021 NFL season: Sunday’s 49ers-Bengals bout looms large (NFL.com) - So, as we hit the home stretch of the regular season, I decided to do something a little different this week. I ran extra hypothetical simulations on the remaining regular-season games to identify the five contests whose outcomes figure to have the biggest impact on which teams make the 2021 NFL playoffs.
• Demaryius Thomas was dead in the shower when authorities arrived, police report says (The Denver Post) - Demaryius Thomas, former star wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, was dead in the shower by the time police arrived Thursday night at his Georgia home, according to a Roswell police report.