Andrew Gribble discusses what tight end Darren Fells brings to the Browns (aside from 6'7", 270 rocked up lbs).
This will, of course, sound familiar to you if you read this Blog regularly, but I still include the links because each writer is a little different (except the ones that copy/paste my posts and then change a few words here and there).
But I digress: When discussing the left tackle derby, I keep forgetting to mention the tight ends!
Teams without an elite passblocking left tackle (ie the vast majority, here on Earth) have their tight ends chip-block to help the big guy out.
All that means is that they set up to deprive the edge rusher of his outside lane, and then give him a shove (to the inside) before they go out for a pass.
Wide-nine edge guys kind of short-circuit this, as they line up extra-wide. The left tackle is stuck where he is, but the tight end can still line up in the edge rushers' face, or shaded inside or outside of him.
That is, he can still make himself an impediment, and leverage him into a long, slow loop if he goes outside, or directly towards the tackle if he goes inside.
There are all sorts of ways a tight end can help a left tackle in pass protection, which is what they did last season to help an overmatched Drango.
But it can get tough when your tight ends are more oversized wide receivers than they are in-line blockers, as is the case with both DeValve and Njoku.
A note on these guys:
DeValve is just a pile of muscles, but remains around 6'2", and most edge guys have a significant reach advantage on him.
That's (one reason) why he's been working at fullback and H-back in camp: It prevents a passrusher from getting his hands under Seth's pads at the snap, and forces them to come near or through him in space.
Njoku has the "length" to play in-line, and I'm hearing that he's kept improving at that ever since he came here. But he probably won't ever be a great in-line blocker, and Haley will try to avoid wasting him that way as much as he can.
This is where Fells comes in. Fells is possibly THE best blocking tight end in the NFL, okay? So quit yawning! REAL football fans appreciate the "infantry".
Fells has great size and length for this job (in fact he actually overmatches many edge-rushers in both reach and size). Fells can take most edge-rushers on all by himself. He can BE the left tackle when neccessary!
Njoku/DeValve can't do this. Few tight ends can. Fells is a rare bird, and his mere presence in the huddle will have defensive coordinators going "heavy"---nevermind that's gamesmanship and I didn't warn you to bring your snorkels or hip-waders.
Anyway, Fells can not only chip-block, but can literally turn a five-man offensive line into a six-man offensive line, and a left tackle into a defacto guard.
The upshot here is that I think Haley/Dorsey were afraid that Big Joe would pull the pin, and targeted Fells as insurance, in case the new left tackle was developmental, or simply below average.
Now, I don't know who will win the left tackle derby, but I know he won't be Joe Thomas.
As I've tried hard to explain repeatedly, Todd Haley will help out the new left tackle with a lot of movement, zone runs, smashmouth runs, etc.;
Basicly, the quarterback will often move away from the right edge-rusher and force him to go through the left tackle (or go on a big adventure outside, ya know?)
But Fells is another tool in that chest; especially for third and fifteens, or for late in games where you need lots of points fast, and you can't get cute, and have to go deep.
In these situations, defenses blitze like crazy, and attack every gap.
I hear you: Well if Njoku is also there, that's a two tight end offense, and who does that in that situation?
Doesn't matter. Gordon, Landry, Njoku, and Johnson need to be on the field here, period. These are the guys Todd and Tyrod can count on, and that's a scary quartet.
Fells allows those four weapons on the field, while providing a "max-protect" look (and make no mistake: The defense's best edge-rusher is all his---the tackle inside him is now a guard).
No defensive coordinator in this situation (except maybe Romeo Crennel) would run anything "cheaper" than a nickel, regardless of that "two tight end" look.
But if you think about this, where does this leave them?
Remember, Duke can line up anywhere.
Well, if you're a defense up by 10 points with 2:50 left in a game, how do you do this?
You can't bring your free safety up with Josh Gordon on the field, and furthermore have to rotate him that way out of self-preservation.
That's two. You got nine left. Next up are Njoku and Landry.
You can't double-cover either. You have to play off-man on Njoku with a defensive back of some sort (eight left). You can try to jam Landry, because he can't blow your doors off, but you need a good cornerback for that, and you probably need off-man for him too anyway. Seven left.
You can "send" seven, but not really: You can't risk all those one-on-ones and leave all that green grass available for Njoku or Landry.
Opps! Dammit Duke is lined up wide! Empty backfield! Off-man on him too. So much for blitzing to lock him in the backfield.
You don't have enough guys to blitze! I mean, you can send one guy, but...
Sorry I got off in the weeds there, but Fells' ability to take on edge-rushers makes a big difference here.
If I were a beat writer, I'd watch for Garrett or Ogbah vs Fells in practice. I'd expect them to fake and then bull-rush him.
Of course, the Beat writers who will be there won't notice, so we'll never know.
But Fells is more than a blocker. He played pro basketball for awhile, and returned to football late. He's only now refining his receiving skills.
I'm telling you right now, Todd Haley will use him as a red-zone receiver, and that when he can chip and go, he's a Tyrod security blanket.
But of course, then there's the run-blocking, which is why in typical score/time situations, most defenses will field base defenses when Fells and Njoku are both in the huddle...
I will save that lecture for a later post.
Randy Gurzi says that Madden Football ranks Baker Mayfield ahead of all the other rookie quarterbacks, and got it right.
Obviously. As Randy says, if Mayfield were two inches taller, nobody would question his being drafted first overall. Mayfield was obviously the best quarterback in this draft.
Period.
"Joel Bitonio open to playing left tackle". I didn't bother reading this article, but assume that somebody turned "I'll do whatever they want me to do" into "breaking news".
I'm trying not to rehash what Wylie and I said about this, but look: Corbett's resume is about identical to Bitonio's was when he was drafted, and he's got an edge in athleticism.
Let the left tackle keep playing left tackle, and the elite left guard keep playing left guard.
Don't throw a hand grenade into the Bitonio-Tretter-Zeitler foxhole just when that unit is about to leap forward due to it's continuity.
Amateurs...jeez.
Christian Kirksey feels optimistic about the 2018, and explains why. Chris is a smart guy.
I hope he's also a team guy, because he's probably going to lose his starting job to Mychal Kendricks.
As I've told you, if you think Joe Schobert is the player on the bubble, you don't get it.
I like Kirksey the "tackling machine", but PFF doesn't. They love Kendricks, and it's not even close. (They grade Schobert significantly higher than Kirksey as well).
This is interesting: As a Browns fan watching games, I saw Kirksey making all these tackles, and felt like he was a stud.
But PFF isn't a "fan" (just the facts).
Christian Kirksey (PFF be damned) is an above average starting linebacker, and I hope nobody offers a fourth round or higher draft pick for him, since he'd be a terrific backup in 2018.
Business is business. Deal with it.
And you people need to consider this:
Sashi Brown found Joe Schobert in the basement, Briean Boddy-Calhoun on the street, nabbed Jamie Collins cheap, drafted Njoku, Ogbah, Ogunjobi, Brantley, and DeValve, signed Zeitler and Tretter, retained Meder, and left John Dorsey with a bunch of extra draft picks, the most notable of which turned out to be Denzel Ward.
I despise kangaroo courts, smear campaigns, and injustice in general, so redundancy or no, I have to go to bat for Sashi Brown one more time:
1: Sashi relied on Paul DePodesta and his scouts. He himself knew his limitations, and never pretended to be smarter than anybody else.
2: Hue Jackson had his right to pick his quarterback in his contract. Hue made the final call on all these decisions.
Personally, I'm now leaning towards "smart move" in re the Saint Carson Wentz trade-down. I would have grabbed Watson with both hands, and not drafted Kizer above the third round, but listen carefully:
HUE PALMER made these calls!
Jeez even without that contract stipulation, do you think Paul DePodesta would have bypassed DeShaun Watson low in the first round, and then drafted Kizer?
I mean sure, lay all the rest of the draft picks at Sashi Brown's feet (he'd like that), but you're burning him at the stake for the quarterbacks, and this is obcene:
Hue Fisher blames Sashi Brown?
Many of you fell for that, but as I've written, Haslam didn't. He retained Hue Palmer for political reasons, and fired Sashi because Dorsey was available.
Redundancy alert:
Contract or no, Hue Palmer has zero power or leverage, and whether or not he was a Baker Mayfield fan, John Dorsey (and probably DePodesta) made that pick.
For all I know, Hue didn't want Tyrod Taylor either.
Nah I can't hate Hue (who can?) He might even be a better "overlord" than he was a "busybody" in 2018 (Bill Belichick followed this pattern).
Doesn't matter. Todd Haley runs the offense, Gregg Williams the defense, and they had massive input in the draft and free agency.
Hue Jackson might own the record for failure in the NFL, and certainly is the first Head Coach ever to keep his job after 1-31.
You get this, right? No more "Hair-Trigger Haslam" crap (by the way I coined that). See how extraordinarily patient he is?
It's so funny to watch you guys fall for it! And Mary Kay and company! Everybody talking about the "Hue Jackson offense" and "Hue might decide to--" I mean...
And this "Hue will get fired if--" stuff. Hue will get fired any time Haslam feels like it. He's already proven to the lynch-mob how patient he is by retaining perhaps the losingest coach in history, so now you can't lynch him if he fires him!
Jimmy's bro is the Governor of Tennessee. He knows what he's doing.
I get depressed watching this crap. Hue blames Sashi for 1-31. Now if "he" wins 6 or so games, he'll take credit for it, or if "he" "disappoints" he's the scapegoat, and YOU PEOPLE are being played...
Ok sorry you Browns fans aren't all sheep. You know stuff like Njoku is gonna be a moster, Gordon already is, and the 2018 Browns are scary etc. ...
Well last call okbye
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