NOT.
Yes, the offense looked pretty bad. I doubt this surprised the coaches more than it did me.
I read one article talking about how bad the offense was, and expressing alarm over it.
It's amazing how some people completely and utterly ignore the fact that the defense is as important as the offense, and was half of that scrimmage.
The defense is always ahead of the offense at this stage, and here the gap is understandably wider. Most of the defensive starters, and even the backups, are veterans. Last season's defensive system is very similar to this one, so the change isn't that great.
You've got Kirksey and Gilbert as the only high profile rookies--certainly that undrafted rookie McDaniel made himself known in a big way--but the rest of them know what they're doing, and are doing many of the same things this season as they did last season.
Conversely, the offensive system is quite a bit different than Norv Turner's. If Josh Gordon doesn't play and Charles Johnson doesn't emerge quickly, Shanahan will have to run a more conventional West Coast. The zone-blocking is new. Several of the competing guards are young and/or new.
Almost all of the recievers are new, and all but two of the tight ends. Of course the offense was going to look bad.
I saved the best for last: This defense is stacked with great talent from top to bottom. It will smother and screw up every offense it faces.
Not like it did to this one in this scrimmage (since this offense isn't yet ready for prime-time)--but still, talent-wise, it compares favorably to any defense in the NFL.
Why are so many writers so unwilling to acknowlege this? It doesn't matter how often in the past the guys in the orange helmets have underachieved and fallen below expectations. It's irrelevant do you get this?
The owner is in his second season, the coaches, systems, and front office are new, the team is overall very young and on the upswing. It doesn't matter what happened last season--these are not the same people, period.
When I read these comments predicting that the Browns will fail "like they always do", I hear an irrational person talking. The only rational way to see this team is with an open mind.
And yes, this defense will be elite.
The offense is indeed far from perfect, but will certainly get better with practice and repetition. The best news is that it will be practicing against this defense, and if it can make things hard for this crew, it will be ready for any defense in the NFL.
This McDaniels guy might be a huge sleeper. I see that he's only 6' tall, and that's all I need to see to understand why he wasn't drafted. He might yet come back down to earth, but Mingo doesn't seem to think so.
As stacked as the defensive line is, this would result in a pretty good player being released.
And it could be Rubin. Or Hughes.
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