Terrence Mitchell will be back just in time for the Carolina Panthers game! That's excellent news, because they're really going to need him!
The Panthers have an unusual offense, but this DJ Moore guy is starting to tear everybody up, and McCaffery lines up both in the slot and outside sometimes. You still do need two strong outside cornerbacks for that crew.
Prior to his injury, Terrence Mitchell had blossomed into one the best cornerbacks in the NFL. The Browns defense missed him.
Joe Scobert's return is also a big boost, as he's turned out to be above average in coverage.
The fantasy gurus say the Browns can't cover tight ends. Actually, that's no longer the case when Schobert is on the field.
I hope you guys know what I mean here: Joe doesn't man-cover anybody. He just drops back to an area that any tight end has to approach on any cross or slant, and then reacts to what he sees developing.
He can't run with or out-reach/jump these guys, but his ability to diagnose and react (some call it "instincts") is freaky, so he rarely takes a false step, and ends up where he needs to be just as the ball reaches the aspiring receiver.
If Joe were a little faster, he'd make a great free safety.
Anyway, the Panthers have this Greg Olsen dude who is just a huge PIA.
Joe Schobert will not have much fun here, because Olsen and McCaffery kinda tag-team strong safeties and coverage linebackers.
One can run you over, and the other can run circles around you.
With Mitchell and Ward on Funches and Moore, the Panthers will try to screw up Mister Schobert's neighborhood on passes.
Prior to this season, Cam Newton has been pretty inaccurate, but this season he's been more disciplined mechanically, and is actually hitting tight windows with great touch.
As Baker Mayfield says, "you can't stop a perfect pass". Schobert is 6' tall, slower than both these guys, and...well the Panthers will pick on him by air.
That will be the "chalk" talk on NFL Radio, but I think Gregg Williams will put Jamie Collins right in Olsen's face with orders to leverage him outside on passes.
Collins is a physical match for Olsen, and can run with him too. Jabrill Peppers can do Gregg's linebacker/safety stuff and "spy" Cam and McCaffery...
Jeez how did I get off on this tangent? That game is three weeks down the road!
Well, it's really the scariest game remaining on the schedule. That's the scariest, most talented team the Browns will play.
That's right: I'm looking past the Bungles...ok the Texans are scary too, but not as scary as the Panthers...
Ok ok have you checked out the Browns' post-Haley depth chart?
It lists Njoku and Fells as starting tight ends.
This is partly because both the Browns offensive tackles are vulnerable to edge-rushers, and also because Freddie Kitchens really wants to run the ball.
This depth chart matches up with Watt and Clowney. These two PIA's can't line up outside th...
Nevermind I'll get to that on game-week.
Vs the Bengals this sunday, Bengals left tackle Cordy Glenn is questionable, but even if he plays, so far so bad in pass pro. Advantage Garrett.
AJ Green probably shouldn't play, even if he can, because Williams will just glue Ward to him anyway.
The Bengals can definitely run the ball, and Mixon is a stud (also a dangerous receiver). The Bengals inside offensive line is pretty good.
Their tight end and both non-Green wide receivers are big-play threats from anywhere they get the ball (but aren't like Green deep because they're smaller).
Andy Dalton is an excellent quarterback. He is accurate, decisive, and can burn you with his feet. There is no "but" to this. Andy Dalton has nothing to do with why the Bengals keep sputtering in the playoffs.
...but Baker Mayfield is still better than the Red Rifle. NOW.
Really that doesn't matter, of course: I just think that the Browns' defense will play the majority of this game in the Bengals' backfield (without blitzing much)...
Ok they WILL blitze INSIDE more than usual so they can blow up handoffs to that PIA Mixon...but I digress again:
Offensively speaking, the Bengals defense hasn't lived up to even my expectations. The talent is there...
Marvin Lewis might contend for the most overrated Head Coach in the NFL, but he's a really good defensive coordinator, and his taking over his defense is concerning.
Still, he can't put more heat on quarterbacks without blitzing, and Mayfield is one of the best blitze-burners in the NFL already.
Now, this two-tight end Browns base offense also bucks the trend and jams up defensive coordinators.
They really have no choice but to field a base defense against this personnel grouping. If you think that's okay, you're wrong:
As I've repeated a few thousand times, for several years, the nickel defense has become the "base" defense for every team in the NFL.
Over 67% of the time, offenses have been fielding three "wide receivers", plus there are swiss army knife running backs coming out of the woodwork.
GMs have been building their defensive rosters based on this paradigm.
The Browns' two tight end base offense (with Darren Fells as the second tight end) really screws with that.
This is unmistakeably a "run" grouping (*Njoku is improving as an in-line blocker. Fells has inexplicably sucked until the last couple games, but is historically one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL*)
...Anyhoo, Nick Chubb is huge here, because HE makes it WORK.
I told you about Chubb's freaky combine numbers 75 or so posts ago. Nick approximated or exceeded Saquon Barkley in everything except the 40.
A few of the REAL experts (including Bucky Brooks) felt that Chubb was a better NFL prospect than Barkley.
I'm not going there here, since obviously Barkley is just awesome (*I disageed with Bucky at the time*)...
But this is more of Freddie Kitchens maxing out his personnel:
The two tight ends mean smash-mouth. Chubb (more consistently than Barkley) can almost always get positive yardage, BUT (listen carefully):
If he gets to the second level vs a "run-stuffing" defense, it's OVER.
You have seen this. Vs a nickle defense, he'd probably get "caught" by one of those greyhounds, but vs a base defense? Get it?
More on Kitchens' two-tight end offense:
The only way enemy defenses can "get to" Mayfield is inside...vs Bitonio, Tretter, and Zeitler.
I'm very impressed by Freddie Kitchens so far, and am kinda shocked that nobody else is with me on that.
The Browns should OUT-COACH the Bungles this sunday...
...You don't get it yet. Stockholm Syndrome. Memorex Moronizm. There's only so much I can do.
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