CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – No undefeated preseason championship t-shirts this year for the Browns.
That’s OK, because head coach Kevin Stefanski appeared to be able to accomplish what he wanted to Sunday afternoon, except the final score that saw the Eagles win 21-20.
“Disappointed not to get a W. Obviously, anytime we are keeping score, we want to get the win,” Stefanski said. “Having said that, those guys competed like crazy. Very, very pleased with the effort out there. Got some excellent reps and excellent exposure to a bunch of young guys who ultimately will help us make some decisions – hard decisions. Good effort out there, and it caps off I thought a really good week.”
Here are our Top Takeaways from the second preseason game against Philadelphia.
1. Stefanski treated this one like the fourth preseason game and audition for the back end of the roster. The starters and most familiar faces had the afternoon off.
2. We think it’s fair to say Joshua Dobbs secured the backup job behind Jacoby Brissett to open the season. Dobbs did his job Sunday afternoon well. He ran the offense efficiently and had few visual mistakes. In all, Dobbs, who showed his ability to hit targets in a variety of windows, led four scoring drives – two touchdown and two field goals. “A lot of guys made a lot of plays,” Dobbs said. “We wish we would have punched it in at the end of the half in the two-minute drill. When you go 94 yards of 96, you want to get those last two. It was fun. It was a productive day. I thought we moved the ball up and down the field well.” Dobbs’ final numbers: 14-20, 141 yards and an 89.8 rating. He ran four times for 47 yards and a TD. “I thought Dobbsie has given us some really good reps going all of the way back to the spring and through training camp,” Stefanski said. “He has done a nice job in there running the huddle. Then he is very, very athletic, and that shows up in games more than it does in practice because you are not allowed to get tackled with the orange jerseys. Always good to see him making plays with his feet.”
3. Like Jacoby Brissett, Dobbs doesn’t seem to get rattled easily. Even on his three-yard touchdown run, Dobbs was able to secure a less than ideal snap and turn it into a positive play, in this case, a touchdown. “That is how we drew it up,” Stefanski said. “It makes life easier on a play caller when you have a kid who can scoop the ball up and go score. Nice job.”
4. Josh Rosen came on midway through the third quarter for the second possession of the half. Rosen was unable to drive the Browns down for points. He finished 7-of-20 for 88 yards.
5. With all due respect to Rosen, it just feels weird seeing a Browns QB wear No. 19 without Kosar on the back of the jersey. It’s one thing if it’s a receiver, and we’ve seen a few of those, but quarterback is a different story.
6. Cade York hit the middle of the right upright on a 55-yard field goal try in the third quarter but don’t fret. York already hit from 50 and if that pole didn’t get in the way, he would’ve had it from about 65. “It felt good off the foot and honestly thought I made it until I looked up,” York said. “Good hit. Just right off the upright.” What is clear is the kid has it. We can’t wait for him to try a 60 yarder, and it felt like he might get that chance Sunday.
7. Anthony Schwartz bounced back from a tough preseason debut that saw him drop a pair of passes against Jacksonville from Deshaun Watson. Sunday, he caught 2 of 3 targets for 20 yards. After Schwartz was unable to haul in a pass on the final drive in the first half, Dobbs went right back to him on the next play to pick up a first down. “I think those were really good reps for Anthony,” Stefanski said. “To be able to build on a really strong week and come out here and get some opportunities and get the ball in his hand a couple of times I thought was good.”
8. Cornerback Herb Miller got shaken up midway through the second quarter and had to go to the medical tent but was back in the game on the next series where he dropped what could’ve been the play of the day. Miller saw a would-be 96-yard pick-six go through his hands. Minshew missed a wide-open Jason Huntley in the end zone. Like coaches say, if corners could catch, they’d be receivers. “If the ball is tipped, we have to have it,” Stefanski said. “We have to make sure we finish plays, and I would like them to play cleaner with their hands – too grabby at times. Now, they are competitive, and they are working like crazy, but there is room for improvement.”
9. Stefanski handled the end of the first half like a regular season game and took the points instead of running another red zone play from inside the 2 with a second left on the clock after Dobbs threw a quick fade that fell incomplete. York had no problem with the 19-yard kick and given the final score doesn’t matter, he might have been served better running an extra play there. “In a normal game, you do things differently,” Stefanski said. “In this instance, we felt like let’s throw a quick fade, let’s get the ball and hug the ceiling with the throw so we know that time will not expire. Take one shot at the endzone, and we do not love to kick those short field goals, but it is an operation long snapper to holder to kicker so we get some opportunities in that game.”
10. Running back John Kelley made a beautiful cut and change of direction coming out of the backfield on his six-yard touchdown run that gave the Browns a 20-14 lead. “[Running backs coach] Stump [Mitchell] always talks about being patient so that was a great chance for me to put that on display right there,” Kelly said. “I saw a big hole right there, right there on the goal line, so I had to punch it in.” Kelly finished with a team-high 66 yards on 14 carries and the score. “I always had the confidence,” Kelly said of his field vision. “I think it just comes with the experience to and just being able to recognize certain fronts and understanding blocking assignments and things like that, so I’ve always had that confidence. But just being able to be out there for some years now, I’ve been able to put it on display a little bit more with the reps that I’m getting.”
11. Browns receiver Javon Wims made a beautiful contested over the shoulder catch for Rosen’s first completion that went for 16 yards.
12. Right after York’s miss, Eagles receiver Devon Allen got behind the Browns secondary and hauled in a 55-yard touchdown from Reid Sinnett to give the Eagles a 21-20 lead with 3:42 to play in the third quarter.
13. Corey Bojorquez hit a 45-yard punt into the endzone in the third quarter. Mike Priefer likes getting punts downed inside the five and that was a missed opportunity for him.
14. Thanks to a much drier afternoon than was originally in the forecast, the fresh field, which had just been put in last week, held up well. “The grass was pretty soft, but it held up pretty well for the day, but it also didn’t rain that much,” York said. “So, wondering how it’ll hold up for the rest of the year but for today it was great.” FirstEnergy Stadium will host St. Ignatius and Mentor Friday night before Saturday’s preseason finale with the Bears.