What surprised me was that, per Randy, the Browns have been using 3 Linebackers a lot, but we can't read much into that.
The Offense is probably at it's most basic now, and not using more than 2 WRs at a time. Joe Woods is also no doubt trying to figure out what he has in his first and second year Linebackers.
2 Tight Ends or 2 Running Backs represent "run" personnel. Even though the second back or TE is a potential receiver, most defenses will run base personnel in response, as their priority is always to stop the run first.
For the Browns, that's 4-3 for the moment.
I assume Mack Wilson is in the middle and Takitaki is WIL.
In this set vs 2 Tight Ends, one or both Linebackers have to cover sometimes. The Browns can send both TEs out for passes, turning this into a 3 or 4-wide set (and sometimes send the RB out too), and a base defense is the perfect one to do this to.
Woods, like every Defensive Coordinator, is between a rock and a hard place here. If he tries fielding his 4-2 Big Nickel vs a run set, the Offense will run at it (successfully more often than not), and he just can't allow his guys to get pushed around and worn down.
Of course, context matters: The score here is 0-0, so the Offense has it's whole toolbox available.
The 2 man Corners must be trusted to neutralize, or at least hang with, the 2 Wide Receivers...and Comrade Mayfield has been torching them deep from the get-go (although the D has picked all the QBs off here and there.)
Different Coordinators with different Linebackers have the Linebackers react in different ways to passes.
"Zone" and "Man" are foundational coverage schemes, and Linebackers usually cover (Running Backs and Tight Ends only) in zone.
This often looks like man, because they have to turn and run with their guys (Tight Ends will run right at them, as they're invariably taller, usually faster, and often bigger, so they can catch a well-thrown pass even if the stubby Linebacker is grafted onto them)...
but the Linebacker expects help from one of the safeties, ok? He is expected to deflect or intercept a poorly thrown pass, or strip or knock the ball loose, or at least to take the Tight End down where he catches it short or intermediate, but not to run all the way down the field with him.
(*Jacob Phillips is 6'3" with superb straight-line speed, so he should become an exception to this rule of thumb in time*).
Woods has run all the coverage schemes there are to run. Here, he has the Safeties to run all of them; notably Cover 2...
...ok this is too deep in the grass here, and some of you already know it, so back to Browns' Linebackers in coverage:
Both Mack Wilson and Seoni Takitaki were above average in coverage in college (Wilson was actually one of the best).
Jacob Phillips shared the field with a Safety disguised as a Linebacker named Patrick Queen, and was rarely asked to cover for his National Championship team.
(Really he probably never will be great in coverage. He has stiff hips and mediocre agility numbers *partly due to his unusual height. He could be a coverage "sleeper", though: He's freakishly explosive and faster than most Tight Ends*)
...Got to reel this in some more anyhoo Seoni Takitaki was raw coming out of college, and many of the scouting "dings" on him as a prospect could be attributed to his lack of experience as an off-the-ball Linebacker.
If you look at him on film, he plays much better than his Combine measurables indicate.
John Dorsey, a former Linebacker, drafted Takitaki in the third round (2 rounds higher than Mack Wilson). Dorsey might not be great at drafting Offensive Linemen, but he's pretty good at everything else, and you need to respect him in re Takitaki until the guy falls on his face.
Andrew Berry and Joe Woods do.
David Njoku looks bad so far. He's made some nice catches, but also some infuriating drops.
I'm not like some of you, and won't bash the guy. He's a winner and a brain from a family of winners and brains. He works his ass off (including on blocking and why does Randy have to keep hammering that?
It's zone blocking now, and the tall, skinny Njoku graded out "adequate" in Mywayorthehighway Haley's scheme! Gimme a break Randy with that and the "number one" and "number two" TE stuff, as if Stefanski will scheme games based on his Ourlads Depth Chart oohhmmmm....ohmmmmm...)
Anyhoo David is in trouble. Some guys just don't have the hands. Remember Braylon Edwards Scizzorhands?
He had that one "breakout" season in which he was semi-reliable, and then went right back to dropping passes at an alarming rate.
I can't pretend to understand it. Gil Brandt says "you can teach a guy to catch better" (but not to be taller or faster blahblah), but Njoku...I got nothin'.
Naturally I'm overreacting 4 days into training camp, and David might be fine. The Scissorhands thing haunts all of us...let's see if Njoku can overcome it.
...However, if you buy what the organization is selling about their "commitment" to David Njoku, I have a bridge in New Jersey that just came on the market cheap!
Randy said that after Njoku's inexplicable drops, they replaced him with rookie TE Harrison Bryant.
Randy feels this was to "send a message" to David Njoku.
Not really. Comrade Stefanski will look David Njoku in the eye and deliver his messages in clear english.
He won't bother even doing that this time, since David Njoku would have benched himself after those drops (Randy gets so dramatic sometimes, and tends to underrate certain players' intelligence).
I'm very concerned about David Njoku's hands (or possibly hand/eye coordination or vision or something else he can't overcome).
DePoBerry won't make any phone calls at all, but trust me: When other GMs call them about Njoku, they'll pick up the phone.
And Chad Porto might be semi-right about his market value. These other GMs know all about his drops 4 days into camp, and will start with a 5th round draft pick and a bag of chile-cheese Fritos.
DePoBerry can only go by what they see, and if David Njoku can't hold onto the ball now, after more than an offseason to prepare, and practicing with Mayfield at Camp Mayfield, and with established real-time chemistry with him...
You guys get it, right? Guys you can't count on cost you critical games. A stud RB who fumbles every 15th or 16th carry. A lethal receiver who drops (or deflects) one out of every 8-9 passes.
It doesn't matter how talented these players are. If you can't trust them, you can't trust them.
DePoBerry are hoping to salvage whatever they can for David Njoku. Even if he pulls out of this and catches everything, they'll just expect more in a trade. He's not a rookie. His history is what it is.
Austin Hooper isn't a freak like Njoku, and (per PFF) has issues vs man coverage, but he catches over 97% of the catchable passes thrown to him.
(PS he is now the THIRD highest-paid TE in the NFL, so "overpaid" my ass haha I was right...is that ok?)
Harrison Bryant isn't in Njoku's zip code athleticly either, but is "money in the bank" reliable like Hooper, and is a converted Offensive Tackle (go ahead, Randy...I dare ya!)
Pharaoh Brown (sp?) is a REAL TE who can catch and block, and Carlson is a converted Wide Receiver (like Seth DeValve except taller and more durable); David Njoku is NOT critical to this roster DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
My tablet ran outta juice and I’m on my IPhone now and can’t tab to Randy’s article (or anything else), so Randy is off the hook.
I think Randy (or somebody else) said that OBJ is back.
John Dorsey hosed himself and the Browns in that assenine headline-seeking “blockbuster” trade for Pegpeg Vernon and OBJ, but it is what it is, and OBJ IS an elite playmaker when healthy.
OBJ played hurt in 2019. He’s tough, and disciplined, and doesn’t deserve most of the bashing he gets. My own bashing of this rediculous trade was about the fact that Comrade Mayfield doesn’t NEED a crutch (let alone a 5’11”, 195 lb., injury-prone one).
I TOLD you people it would screw Mayfield up if he was compelled to lean on OBJ, and G? I was obviously right (uh-oh!)
But I digress: Now that OBJ is temporarily healthy (and apparently undiminished), he is indeed a big-time weapon in this Offense, with this Quarterback.
OBJ is getting separation again! You guys get that getting OPEN matters, right?
Sorry to my readers: When I insult pundits, and say “you” and stuff, I’m not aiming at you. Everybody who reads this Blog consistently is sentient and rational, and furthermore groks football.
I know that YOU guys get that when you’re 5’11”, if you can’t separate, you suck. And also that OBJ in 2019 couldn’t separate due to his physical impairments. And that Comrade Mayfield should NOT have been forcing the ball to him (like the drone he is...following orders from
Anyhoo, cross your fingers and hope that for the first time in his carreer, OBJ can stay healthy for 16 (or so) games.
Of course, I saw that internet round table (or whatever it was) and was irked by OBJ's professed selfishness. He wants MORE targets than he got in 2019?
He’s really not dumb, though. He was “campaigning”, I think. Jarvis Landry is really the big brother in that relationship, and OBJ gets that he’s not going to be “da man” in this talent-laden Stefanski Offense.
OBJ is lobbying for his future, and his agent probably wants him to do it. He’s saying “I’m an X receiver! I dictate coverage! COME GET ME!”
If he’s not traded in 2020, he probably will be in 2021. An impaired OBJ piled up over 1,000 yards in 2019, and (as long as he’s healthy) he should catch at least 75 passes for 1250+ yards in 2020, and he knows it.
Some other team will offer a 1st round pick (etc) for him (he doesn’t care about that), but they’ll also need to give him a RAISE, and make him “da man”.
OBJ is NOT AB, I’m telling you. He acts like a clown, but he’s NOT. Jarvis Landry is his BROTHER, for all intents and purposes, and you know how smart Landry is...well?
You can fill in these blanks!
...maybe not (no offense): None of you have Browns’ OCD like I do, so even if you’re smarter than me, you can’t match me in this one tiny niche (no offense. Can you tolerate me knowing more than you do about this one little thing? If not, WOW! What an EGO! You can’t even let me have this little corner vs your intellectual domination?)
Sorry guys I’m off the rails here, but need to make this point:
If you have to be the smartest guy in the room, you should stick to closets. If you can’t admit you were wrong, you are irrational (and/or insane).
If you are governed by emotion, you are an animal. If you spazz out, you are a spazz. If you hate, you are mentally ill. People like you should never rank above Corporal, or be allowed anywhere near a Base of Operations (
Your spazzdom and irrationality, as well as your emotionality negate your intelligence, and render you useless as an analyst or officer
But I digress:
Anyhoo, IMO both Mack Wilson and Seoni Takitaki will be pretty good in 2020: Keep rolling your eyes and snickering at me for now, but don’t lose your gdam mind when I point out I was right in 2021/22.
I pretend to be an egomaniac, but I'm just kidding.
...okbye.
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