Krunch Time With Katelin: What should the Browns expect from Josh McCown?

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE

Robert Griffin III is out for the foreseeable so Josh McCown is taking over at quarterback (good thing we didn't trade him). Now on paper McCown isn't anything to write home about, but he might be able to put up some really good numbers for a few reasons. First off lets recap his stats from last year. McCown threw for 2109 yards 12 TDs to four interceptions. He also had a QBR of 53.92 and a quarterback rating of 93.3. Unfortunately it only resulted in a 1-7 record but he really didn't lose any games.

The main reason McCown will do better is the weapons he has. Guys like Gary Barnidge and Duke Johnson had really good stats with McCown at QB. Barnidge caught 43 passes on 64 targets, 626 yards and six touchdowns. Barnidge also had 29 first downs which means 81% of his catches resulted in either a touchdown or first down. With Duke Johnson, McCown targeted him 43 times resulting in 37 catches, (86% catch percentage) and 363 yards plus one touchdown.

Now Josh doesn't have any experience with Terrelle Pryor, Corey Coleman, or Josh Gordon, but the way McCown can fling it down the field and his willingness to check the ball down to the tight end or halfback could really open up the down field pass. Pryor is a really interesting player with his size and speed so the only comparison I could think of is someone like Alshon Jeffery. In 2013, McCown threw Jeffery's way 59 times resulting in 38 catches and 640 yards plus four touchdowns. Now I understand comparing Pryor to Jeffery is a stretch but both similar in size and speed which is the only reason for the comparison.

The next reason is head coach Hue Jackson who is also the play caller compared to last year former offensive John DeFilippo called plays, which was the first time in his career. Jackson is has a lot of experience calling plays so with McCown under center will be able to call plays similar to the ones he called with the Bengals for Andy Dalton and AJ McCarron. McCown and Andy Dalton have similar skill sets. They have above average arms and they know how to manage a game/offense. I'd expect Hue Jackson to call more conservative plays at least to start out. If the Browns are serious about winning and developing young players they need Josh to stay upright and healthy. Hue Jackson's offense might consist of more swing passes and short routes.

The last reason is Josh McCown. This could be his last chance as a starter. Liked he stated in interviews he is going to make the most of this opportunity. McCown is still a really solid quarterback and athletic. His ceiling isn't high but the basement isn't as low as RGIII. If Josh can continue manage the game like he did last year he there is a chance he can win some games from the Browns in 2016. And as long as he doesn't do anything stupid like last year when he drove into the end zone, there is still a chance he can play the majority of the games and potentially take over the starting job for the remainder of the year.

Josh McCown is going to make the young receivers look better and help them develop faster. No McCown isn't the franchise quarterback we all strive for, but for this team, he might be exactly what they need. They need the savoy veteran in McCown to keep them in games, help gain confidence in these players, and be the team leader we all know he his. The one thing everyone says about McCown is how good he is with his fellow teammates and in a year that could be painful win-loss wise its good to have someone like McCown helping to keep the locker room afloat.

Krunch Time With Katelin: Browns vs. Buccaneers, Preseason Week 3

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE

Well, this might be a long season. The Browns lost their "dress rehearsal" game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-13. The game overall told an interesting story of what we could expect from our beloved Browns. This team is going to struggle defensively and the only way they are going to help out their young secondary is if they get to the quarterback. At times they got to Jameis Winston who still delivered strikes to his guys deep down field and racked up 259 passing yards in one half.

*Note: Tampa had their second and third string guards in and the Browns still had problems. But overall I'm interested how defensive coordinator Ray Horton will create pressure this upcoming season.

Another down in this game was the offensive line play for the Browns. I don't know how many vines I've seen of Cam Erving looking completely lost. And on the five sacks Robert Griffin III took, three of them appeared to be the fault of Erving. I understand Erving is a project, but my goodness. Its just sad how bad the Browns drafted the past six years. Erving was the center/left tackle for the national champion Florida State Seminoles and a former first round pick and the same goes with Danny Shelton who was taken before Erving in the Draft. These two guys contributed almost nothing this preseason. They both look slow, both physically and mentally and are being out played by undrafted free agents.

The last down from the first team was the punt return touchdown they gave up. Now I'm not going to fault Andy Lee for slowing up and not stopping the touchdown, it is the preseason, but my goodness again. The Browns' special teams must have had a major miscommunication because all the of coverage guys were in the middle of the field and left the near side of the field wide open. And shout out to Marlon Moore who got hurt on the play but almost ran down the returner while coming from the opposite side of the field. That showed effort and how much he wants to make this team.


Now there were a few positives from the game despite the outcome:

First off, Josh Gordon is back. He had two catches for 87 yards, including a 43 yard touchdown catch. Both catches were against pro-bowler Brent Grimes. After Gordon's four week suspension the Browns' offense should be really good. Having a freak like Gordon will help rookie Corey Coleman, Terrelle Pryor Sr, and Gary Barnidge. Who no longer is our only target down the middle of the field.

Robert Griffin III was solid again this week. Now he didn't have great stats on paper but he handled the pressure really well. Yes he got sacked five times but overall he didn't look rattled in the pocket while taking the hits. There was one sack where instead of just rushing of four yards and taking a big hit he just slid down and took  the sack. Now in the grand scheme of things it looks bad taking a sack, but for Griffin to understand that those four yards don't really matter overall is a huge step in his way back to becoming a solid NFL quarterback.

And the last positive for the offense I seen was Isaiah Crowell. He again ran the ball will force and decisiveness. This again is a huge step for Crowell and he did a nice job building off of his solid outing last week against the Falcons.

Now I wanted to end this article on a positive note on the defensive side of the ball. Like the first two preseason games, Carl Nassib and Emmanuel Ogbah did their thing. It really looks like the Browns found two guys who can get pressure on the quarterback. And with the trade of Barkevious Mingo to New England, those two rookies will get an enormous amount of playing time this year. Yes they will have their struggles like any rookie but in two/three years they will be studs for this team.

Krunch Time With Katelin: Browns v. Packers Preseason Thoughts

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE


This article is going to be an informal one, while I just list off a bunch of thoughts I had after watching the Browns' first preseason game under new Head Coach Hue Jackson.

My First thought is, oh my god... Barkevious Mingo is terrible. He was on the field for 1/3 of the defensive snaps and he didn't have a single tackle. He also got juked out by an undrafted Free Agent QB while trying for a sack. I'm extremely glad the Browns: A. Didn't pick up his option for next year. B. Drafted three different pass rushers who will likely take his place.

Rough rep for the "bulked up" Mingo against GB's 3rd string QB 👀😫 #Browns pic.twitter.com/8IW2z9O4wm

— August 14, 2016

Another down is Cam Erving. Now I don't know what his pass protection responsibilities are and frankly I don't give a damn. He had a rough time protecting Robert Griffin III. And looking back on the throw to Terrelle Pryor, if Cam helps out right guard John Greco... Griffin might be able to hit Pryor in stride for a Touchdown.

But Speaking about Terrelle Pryor...my goodness he looks like a NFL Wide Receiver. Catching a few balls thrown from RG3. He worked back to the ball extremely well, and on the 50 yard catch he demonstrated he has strong hands to be able to make a diving catch.

#Browns first play from scrimmage?@RG3 ➡️ @TerrellePryor for 49 yardshttps://t.co/9SqRBS5JMh

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 13, 2016

Another Positive are the rookies. Besides Joe Schobert and Cody Kessler, I didn't see any major mistakes. Carl Nassib, Emmanual Ogbuh, Scooby Wright, and Tracy Howard all played really well. Nassib and Ogbuh did a good job rushing the QB and running after guys down field. Wright seems to have a nose for the football. He was in just about every play he was on the field for. And Howard did a good job in coverage.

Austin Davis was a down. Yes I understand he is got hurt and is our third string QB but if the Browns are looking to trade Josh McCown we need a solid backup. I hope Kessler won't have to play this year which is why Davis looking good was an underrated thing to watch out for. He didn't play well which is why its a down.

Another up was Alvin Bailey. He played right guard with the second and third team. He did really well. He was the sweep blocker when Raheem Mostert broke a nice 15+ yard run. Also Bailey is a veteran even at 24 years old. He was a starter on the Seattle when they went to back-to-back Super Bowls. He is battling for the starting right tackle position/backup guard.

My last thought was on RG3 and I'm still not sure how I feel about him. He looked very well in the pocket, and he was ok after taking a few hits. The interception wasn't his fault in my opinion. Gary Barnidge should have ran a post route splitting the the two safeties instead of running the streak. RG3 had the one bad throw to Taylor Gabriel which wasn't a catchable ball anyways but still. RG3 was good in his first game with the Browns but I'd still want to see him play more especially with guys like Josh Gordon, Andrew Hawkins, and Corey Coleman so I can give a honest assessment of Robert Griffin III.

On The Mark 3.25.16: Cleveland Browns Offseason #Browns #RG3

Browns sign Robert Griffin III to a 2 year deal, first round pick now up in the air
By Mark West, @MarkW2112

The Cleveland Browns, with new head coach Hue Jackson leading the way, have signed Robert Griffin III to a 2 year, $15 million contract with incentives that could lead to a total of $22 million.  It's a big splash for a team that said they wouldn't make any during this offseason. Jackson has said that during the private workout, he said he"felt the earth shake" with the way RG3 was able to roll out and hit his practice receivers.  RG3 also has said he sees this as a new opportunity for him to restart his career.  He said he is open to the Browns selecting a quarterback with the 2nd pick of the 2016 NFL draft, stating he would "take him under his wing".  

My opinion: This is a great signing for the Browns.  Obviously, many are of the mindset that RG3 lost his starting job to fourth round pick Kirk Cousins and that he was a locker room cancer.  My opinion is this; he's a low risk, high reward signing that has better leadership upside than Johnny Manziel and gives the Browns options with the #2 pick in the draft.  Hue Jackson is a "quarterback whisperer" and has had huge success with quarterbacks he's worked with, especially the last 2 years with Andy Dalton in Cincinnati.

While the term "locker room cancer" has been thrown around RG3, he never once acted out against his coaches and took his benching in stride. It's possible the experience has humbled him and that he is ready for a new chapter in his life.

The biggest issues facing him are the key losses of Alex Mack at center and Mitchell Schwartz at right tackle.  There is the unknown with Cameron Erving, who was less than average last year and will be looked at as the new center as well as Austin Pasztor, who was solid at which ever line position he played last year but is still a bit of an unknown at right tackle.  Even bigger than that is the wide receiver core the Browns have right now. Currently, their best receiver is Gary Barnidge, the tight end. Josh Gordon is still an unknown (though the Browns are moving forward without him) and there are no other real number 1 type receivers on the roster.  It would appear that things won't be easy for RG3.

Unless Jackson, Sashi Brown and the rest of the Browns front office have a plan that they aren't leading on, this will more than likely be a tough year for Griffin.  He must have been sold on the plan for 2016 if he had enough faith to come to Cleveland, where he has the possibility of being the 25th starting quarterback since 1999.

In the end, it remains that the Browns have a quarterback that they didn't need to trade crucial draft picks for.  It also gives them the chance to perhaps select a quarterback later in the draft and use the 2nd pick for a player like Jalen Ramsey or even trade down with the potential of getting more draft picks.  With this signing, the draft appears to be up in the air.