BEREA, Ohio -- The numbers that illustrate how poorly the Cleveland Browns have played defensively are readily available.
A league-worst ranking and 406 yards per game are earned, not given.
The why is tougher to determine. With the Browns, several factors have contributed to the first-four-game collapse:
Joe Haden has not been himself. Haden was not on the field in San Diego. In losses to the Jets and Raiders, Brandon Marshall and Amari Cooper had big games. This can’t be underestimated. The Browns entrust Haden with the opposing team’s best receiver. Playing man coverage is vital to the defensive system, which then attacks the quarterback knowing receivers are covered. If he can’t go, or if he's not himself (and a "struggling" Haden might still be better than many), the ripple effects are significant. He has to play at a Pro Bowl level. Haden understands that. So do the coaches. Jim O’Neil addressed losing Haden two hours before the game in San Diego, but his words carry symbolic meaning about how much the Browns depend on Haden and what it means when he is not at his Pro Bowl level. “When you lose a great player that you built your game plan around, you have to make some adjustments.” Haden started slowly last season and rebounded. He has time to do the same this season.
The safeties are struggling. Tashaun Gipson earned a Pro Bowl spot with hard work and dedication, but in the offseason he missed OTAs over a contract issue, then showed for minicamp with a hamstring strain. In training camp, Gipson had a hamstring, then early in the season he had a groin strain and now he has an ankle injury. Did missing OTAs lead to a conditioning issue? Gipson would say no. Regardless, he has not been what he was the previous two years. Donte Whitner had his best game against the run as a Brown in San Diego, O’Neil said. But he has never been a cover safety, and Philip Rivers took advantage with a perfectly thrown TD pass that Ladarius Green caught above Whitner. Whitner is not ready for the rocking chair, but he’s also not as consistent as he was one year ago. That’s three-quarters of the secondary that is not at the level it was a year ago.
Big plays. The main point of contention from coach Mike Pettine and O’Neil. ESPN Stats & Information reports the Browns have given up 10 plays of 30 yards or more, an NFL high. Pettine said there are three causes: scheme, technique and personnel. If it’s scheme, you adjust it; technique, you coach it; and personnel, you substitute it. In the Browns' case, all three have been at work, Pettine said.
There are issues at outside linebacker. Scott Solomon was supposed to be the stout run-support guy, but he has been injured since he sprained his ankle early in the season opener. Barkevious Mingo was on the field for all of 18 plays in San Diego. Rookie Nate Orchard has not been judged ready for full-time play. This leaves Paul Kruger moving to strongside linebacker in base defense, which limits his pass rush. Solomon may be a magic elixir; the coaches talked about him that way in the spring. We’ll see.
The run defense is consistently poor. Danny Shelton's play has been solid but uninspiring -- to the point that O’Neil said he challenged Shelton to “pop off the tape.” Shelton has 11 tackles in four games. The line as a whole has not done its job. Karlos Dansby leads the team in tackles from the middle linebacker spot, but the next four are members of the secondary. Tackles are being made downfield, not at the line of scrimmage. Stopping the run was a point of emphasis in the offseason; it has been a dismal failure thus far.
Lack of discipline. Big plays often are the result of not playing disciplined, of losing coverage or missing a tackle. As a team, the Browns have 34 penalties, tied for seventh in the league. Nine have been called on the defense, which is not a huge number, expect six were called in the San Diego game. John Hughes jumped offside on third-and-3, giving the Chargers a first down. That was one of four defensive penalties that gave the Chargers a first down.
Poor tackling. That was the outcry after the loss to Oakland in Game 3. The defense missed 14 tackles. It improved in San Diego, but the discipline didn’t. It doesn’t help when one issue is solved if another appears.
Predictability/defensive calls. Some players referred to this after San Diego. Rivers is a smart quarterback, but it’s absurd to assume every defensive call has been perfect and the players simply are "not executing.” O’Neil is right in saying “it’s an execution league,” but 406 yards per game scream there are many issues. O’Neil has said he needs to be better. Pettine stands by the entire staff. Neither pinpointed exactly where the calls can be better.
The combination of miscues adds up to a lot of ugly.
And that’s what the Browns have with a defense ranked 32nd in the league. A whole lot of ugly.
