I do them anyway because I like having them in the archives,so here goes....
The quarterback play wasn't anything to get excited about,but considering that the distinct lack of weapons that each passer had to deal with,the play could have been far worse.
Between the three quarterbacks that started games (Josh McCown,Johnny Manziel and Austin Davis),they combined for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions,which isn't a number that leads many leagues,but wouldn't have been a number that makes one wince either.
McCown had problems staying healthy and had some high-profile miscues,but he set a Browns record for passing yards in a game and wasn't a minus on the overall.
McCown was always around (even when injured) and did exactly what he was brought in for-keep the position warm,try to tutor Johnny Manziel and act with class.
I would have little problem with McCown returning to try to mentor whatever rookie that they draft this year.
Johnny Manziel showed glimmers of progress,especially when allowed to freelance as he did at Texas A&M,but still struggled in the pocket and with his off the field issues,just isn't worth the hassles that his behavior brings with him.
Austin Davis pretty much is about what you would expect from a third string quarterback,but the decision to sign him to a long term contract stills makes me wonder when you have the ability to sign someone for that slot for around the minimum without losing production.
The running game wasn't the best either,but did have its occasional bright spots.
Isaiah Crowell finished with over 700 yards as the main back. On a good team,Crowell isn't the back to be the bellcow,but he can be solid as a secondary back.
Duke Johnson wasn't anything special as a ballcarrier (379 yards on 104 carries),but showed electric moves as a pass catcher with 61 receptions and looks to be a long term contributor in a third down/pass receiving role.
Only one other player carried the ball more than twice-the since released Robert Turbin (60 yards on 18 carries),who showed a disturbing tendency to fumble on his way out the door.
The wide receivers were led by Travis Benjamin,who fell just short of 1,000 yards on 68 catches.
Benjamin started faster than he finished,but some of that can be attributed to being a little under the radar in early play and being the big play target when Josh McCown played,who preferred going downfield more than Johnny Manziel.
I still think Benjamin is better suited to being a second or even third receiver,but on the 2015 Browns,he was clearly the best they had.
The remainder of the corps struggled with injuries and missed time,which led to a parade of no-name receivers throughout the season.
Brian Hartline made some tremendous catches,but missed three games and often was ignored by the various passers.
Taylor Gabriel missed three games,but caught just 28 passes and appeared to regress over the season.
Andrew Hawkins was out for half the season with concussion issues and was deeply missed at the slot position.
Hawkins hopefully will be able to return to full health for 2016 as Hue Jackson has experience with Hawkins with the Bengals and should use him often.
Marlon Moore is more of a special teamer type and the less I mention the waste of dollars on Dwayne Bowe (nine million for five catches) the better.
Terrelle Pryor likely made the training camp roster with his one spectacular catch (only one of the season) against Pittsburgh and knowing Hue Jackson helps him there.
Actually,it wouldn't surprise me to see Jackson either return Pryor as a backup QB or at least use him often in trick play formation/play calls.
The tight end position brought far more than fans could have ever expected from Gary Barnidge.
Barnidge came to Cleveland with a reputation as a strong blocker with limited pass catching skills.
Barnidge proved all of those wrong with a phenomenal season that surprisingly surpassed that of the departed Jordan Cameron.
Barnidge finished with 79 catches (many of them in the jaw-dropping category) and for over one thousand yards-Barnidge deserved the contract extension that he signed before the end of the season.
One feels silly asking for more from Gary Barnidge,but it could happen.
When you look at the numbers that Tyler Eifert accumulated in Cincinnati under a Hue Jackson offense,one could see even more from Barnidge-if the Browns have the ability to give him some help on the outside.
The other three tight ends combined for eight catches and under one hundred yards.
Jim Dray was essentially a blocker,Rob Housler suffered a season-ending injury early in the year and E.J. Bibbs didn't see the field much after showing unique physical skills in the pre-season.
I'd like to see more of Bibbs in 2016.
The offensive line was better than you would think from a three win team.
The tackles were good enough as left tackle Joe Thomas continued on his way to the Hall of Fame and Mitchell Schwartz put together his best season as a Brown-just in time for the Browns to lose him via free agency.
The guards were a little above average,albeit not tremendous.
Joel Bitonio missed the final month with an ankle injury and took a small step back after a tremendous 2014 as a rookie.
John Greco was his typical steady self at right guard-solid,but unspectacular.
Alex Mack returned from his broken ankle and suffered a drop in play.
Not that Mack was poor,but he clearly was not what he had been before the injury.
Mack is going to likely explore free agency and for a 30 year old player that might be in decline,Mack might be too expensive for my tastes to return.
First round pick Cameron Erving was touted as the best center in the draft,but versatile enough to play tackle or guard.
What the Browns received was a disappointment on a level rarely seen even by Cleveland standards.
Erving had lowlights of being bowled over and thrown into backfields to the point of having issues even blocking for field goal attempts.
Erving looked to be not strong enough for guard or quick enough for tackle among other issues.
Center is still reported to be his best position,so I'm open to him being the replacement for Alex Mack,should Mack leave,but he needs to hit the weight room in a major way during the downtime.
Travis Coons was 28 of 32 on field goals,but was kept away from long field goals because a low trajectory lended itself to the possibility of blocks.
Coons performance was more acceptable,but I would love to see a bigger leg challenge Coons for 2016.
Grades
Quarterback C-
Nothing great to see,but quarterback play is really hard to grade with a team that saddles the passer with so few weapons.
Running Back D
The numbers simply don't indicate anything to get more excited about than that other than Duke Johnson's numbers as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
Wide Receiver D
You get what you pay for and Ray Farmer's lack of interest in upgrading the passing game gave him what he deserved-a lost job.
Travis Benjamin almost lifted the grade to a C-.
Almost.
Tight End A
Gary Barnidge was tremendous and was the only offensive skill player to stand out every week...
Offensive Line B
Better in pass protection than as true earth movers in the running game and with the issues of Cameron Erving whenever he filled in considered,the O-Line might not have been worth the dollars spent on them,but still was more than adequate on the whole.
Kicker C-
Travis Coons was accurate enough,but the failings outside of 40 yards deeply hurt a team that often struggled to move the ball into scoring range...
I'll look at the defense sometime soon.....
No comments:
Post a Comment