Greg Cosell Didn't Get the Talent Memo Either

Greg Cosell didn't get the "can't succeed" memo on RG3.  Thanks to wise sages like Bud Shaw, I know that Greg is just being overly optimistic.  But for what it's worth, here is Greg's article.

This is a snapshot of what Greg percieves of Hue Jackson's plan to maximize Rg3's strengths, and minimize/work on his weaknesses (he's clearly overly optimistic about Hue Jackson, as well):

This passing offense is not complex.  It's heavily timed, and the quarterback makes his reads systematically.  Greg didn't say this, but the first read can actually sometimes be made as (a good) shotgun snap is on it's way to him.  Peripheral vision, plus the last presnap read, is enough for that.

If you paid attention, you know that Grif threw the two bombs to Pryor almost immediately, and long before Pryor was anywhere near where the ball went.

Greg left this out, too: You don't dare do this with a Travis Benjamin, or even a Steve Smith.  You can do it with a Pryor or a Gordon because their size, strength, and catch radius insure that they will get to their spot on time, and because few defenders can run with them.  

All RG3 needed to see was where the deep safety was before the snap.  If he isn't deep enough, or near enough to that sideline, he's not going to get there in time, period.

Notable here: Sneaky opposing safeties will set traps for him.  They'll set up in a bad spot, but sprint to that exact target zone the instant the ball is snapped.  Rg3 might not see this, as the linemen engage and stand up, and he has to imitate Kenny Lofton fielding the snap from Erving.

The quarterback will know where he is throwing presnap, as he mentally checks down based on coverage and pressure looks.  This means he doesn't have to do it on the fly.  The bombs to Pryor may, in fact, have been presnap checkdowns (or not I have no idea).

As Greg points out, we can expect this offense to gradually expand, as RG3 becomes more comfortable in the pocket.  For now, it's cut down to make the most of what RG3 brought with him.

Hue Jackson gets all excited, running out on the field to slap RG3's back, on seemingly mundane completions.  That's because he takes the beautiful deep passes for granted, but is wanting to see him take that second or third post-snap read, quickly/on time, instead of holding the ball, running, or trying to force the pass into coverage.  This is what was wrong with this guy, and Hue wants to see growth in this area first and foremost.

As Greg notes, this has started to show up.  RG3 is already better than he ever was before.  With the Redskins in that West Coast, he did sometimes hit the second read, but way too often held the ball and tried to improvise.  He is now consistently getting rid of it on time.

I didn't bother reading Yoda Shaw's obligitory annual cautionary article, but don't doubt that he sagely pointed out that this is just preseason, wait til the defenses game plan, disguise coverages, bait traps, throw exotic blitzes, etc.

All this is valid, if fluffy and mundane.  But RG3 has monopolized the first team snaps.  That's different.  Hue Jackson is different.  The rest of the coaches and around twenty of the players are different, so no, Bud.  We haven't been here before.

RG3 will no doubt fall into some traps and get screwed up sometimes (in the pocket, I mean).  But Hue and Josh are here for him, he has aleady been through hell and climbed back out of it, and he is very intelligent.  He won't just fall apart.  He will learn and continue to grow.

And Bud?  RG3 himself hasn't been here before.

I'm posting this now, ahead of the "dress rehearsal" third preseason game, because i expect the Browns first team offense to rock and roll.

As Joe Haden tells us, you just can't cover all these guys.  RG3 will tell you the same thing.

The Josh Gordon trade talk is funny to listen to.  Yes, the Browns themselves might have stirred it up, but nobody will offer them enough.

Analytics: The risk is one roster spot.  The reward is the best wide receiver in football.  I might trade Josh myself for a first round pick, but I doubt anybody will offer that.

Going just a little deeper, if he stays out of trouble, he will dilute Pryor and Coleman's statistics, and make them more affordable to re-sign.

They should get to work extending Pryor right tf now.

The elevation of former second round pick Jamar Taylor to starting cornerback over Gramps Williams isn't a big shock, but nobody else seems to get one of the key reasons for it:

Williams and Taylor may have been roughly tied, but Tramon is 33 years old.  This is extremely old for a cornerback.  Williams may still be effective, but cornerbacks spend all game every game sprinting, cutting, stopping and restarting.  

Older cornerbacks don't recover from minor nicks as quickly, and don't have the endurance they once had.

The Browns want to keep Williams, but also to preserve him.

Putting him over the slot is kind of a token.  Williams is not well-suited to cover a small slot guy.  He does match up with the bigger slot guys that teams are using more and more.

Basically, the coaches want to cut Tramon's reps to keep him fresh, so that he can step in when needed, and be used situationally.

As for Taylor, what happened last year is over.  He was a second round pick for a reason.  The Gilbert thing might be going down in flames, but the Taylor story may have a happier ending.