A look at the Cleveland Browns' snap counts in their 23-13 win over the Oakland Raiders:
OFFENSE (56 snaps)
Quarterback: Brian Hoyer 56
Running back: Ben Tate 31, Terrance West 22, Isaiah Crowell 3
Fullback: Kiero Small 25
Receiver: Andrew Hawkins 42, Miles Austin 39, Taylor Gabriel 38, Travis Benjamin 15
Tight end: Gary Barnidge 24, Jim Dray 23, Jordan Cameron 17
Offensive tackle: Joe Thomas 56, Mitchell Schwartz 56
Guard: John Greco 56, Joel Bitonio 56
Center: Nick McDonald 56
Wild card: Donte Whitner 1
Thoughts: Whitner's one play? The kneel down at game's end to preserve the victory. Whitner was the guy deep protecting in case of a turnover. Interesting choice, given others in the secondary are faster. Unlikely it will ever be an issue, though. ... The 56 snaps were the fewest in a game this season for the Browns, and 11 fewer than the average for the season of 67. That's why folks were complaining at the way the Browns won. The offense sustained very few drives, with the last nine drives six plays or fewer. ... The previous low was 59 snaps in the 31-10 win over Pittsburgh, meaning the Browns won the two games when they had the fewest plays. ... Two produced touchdowns, thanks to turnovers. ... Oakland also dominated time of possession. ... Hoyer has played 99.1 percent of the offensive snaps this season. ... Just sayin'. ... Crowell's three snaps are a definite eye opener. But again this coaching staff proves that how a player practices matters. And it shows that holding on to the ball also matters. Crowell put the ball on the ground three times against Pittsburgh and got one carry and three plays against Oakland. ... Hard to state how vital Hawkins has been to the Browns. He again led the receivers in snaps, just as he's done all season. He's been on the field for 70 percent of the snaps. ... Cameron clearly was heavily involved in the game plan before he was injured. He was targeted five times in his 17 plays. ... McDonald made quite a jump from the non football injury list to play 56 snaps. His adjustment in terms of speed of the game and line calls couldn't have been easy. The team didn't run well, but McDonald showed enough that he'll be the center going forward.
DEFENSE (82 snaps):
Cornerback: Joe Haden 82, Buster Skrine 80, Justin Gilbert 42, K'Waun Williams 7
Safety: Donte Whitner 82, Tashaun Gipson 82, Jim Leonhard 33
Outside linebacker: Paul Kruger 63, Jabaal Sheard 53, Barkevious Mingo 51, Eric Martin 10
Inside linebacker: Karlos Dansby 82, Chris Kirksey 24, Craig Robertson 33
Defensive line: Desmond Bryant 62, John Hughes 39, Sione Fua 18, Ahtyba Rubin 25, Ishmaa'ily Kitchen 22
Thoughts: Bryant's snap count is huge for a defensive lineman, and speaks to the lack of depth at end. Hughes had the second-highest total and now he's done for eight weeks with a knee sprain. Rubin and Kitchen are nose tackles, which means that the Browns will have to use Sheard as a down end (or add someone) if Phil Taylor and Billy Winn again can't play. ... Leonhard got his first double-digit snap game as he was used at times in the nickel as the Raiders threw 54 passes. ... Eighty-two snaps by the defense is a season high, but it's a bit misleading. Seventeen came on the Raiders last drive, which started with Oakland down 23-6 and ended with seven seconds left. ... Dansby has missed one snap all season, Haden two, Gipson three and Whitner three. Whitner does have that one offensive snap on his ledger.
