BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – With the offense stuck in the mud and injury forcing a quarterback change, the Browns are hoping offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey calling plays might provide a spark, or at least streamline communication.
Here’s a few Brownie Bites from Thursday.
No easy fix – Dorsey takes over play-calling for an offense that ranks 32nd in yards, yards per play, passing yards per play, sacks, and third down efficiency; is tied for 31st in first downs per game; 30th in passing; is 29th in scoring per game; is tied for 28th in rushing and tied for 20th in rushing yards per attempt this season. “There's not a magic coach or a magic pill to play better on offense,” Dorsey said. “It's going to be work, it's going to be attention to detail, it's going to be us at the end of the day locking in and fighting and going out and playing with extreme physicality, playing with speed, playing with confidence.” Dorsey revealed that this week was the first real conversation he had with head coach Kevin Stefanski about making the change. “Kevin's got a great feel and pulse of this team from day one since he stepped in the building I feel like,” Dorsey said. “So I think it's a lot of reflection, a lot of just evaluating where we're at, and I think it was a decision that just is made for right now.” Stefanski said Wednesday Dorsey would handle play-calling for the remainder of the season.
Setting the bar – The Browns lost for the fourth time after allowing 21 or fewer points this past week, but defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz doesn’t believe it’s enough to win. “There's no consolation prizes, there's no participation trophies,” Schwartz said. “No ‘Well, you did a good job.’ You didn't win the game. Schwartz has a no nonsense, no moral victories view of things despite whatever successes may be had on his side of the ball. Last week Schwartz called out his corners and they responded by holding Cincinnati to 164 yards, including two more pass breakups by Denzel Ward. “Our expectations are high with that group and it wasn't calling somebody out or anything else, it was just facts,” Schwartz said. “We have a lot of confidence in our corners. We think they're the best corner group in the NFL time to start playing that way. It wasn't like it was a message or we call people out or anything like that. You got kids and they come back with C's on the report card and you expect more from them. It's not that it's not calling them out or anything else, you're just raising their standard and trying to live up to that standard.”
Rotating line – The return of right guard Wyatt Teller Sunday would give the Browns a sixth consecutive different starting offensive line combination. “I think the best groups I've been with have been groups that play five, maybe six guys max in a season,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “You can work with them in practice, you can work with them in the games. You understand their body language and how they work and how they set. There's so many angles and double teams. Everybody has the same calls type of thing, but different bodies, different people in there. So it's been a little bit of a challenge with everything switching up, but we're starting to get guys back why it's working his way back and Jack's trying to get back out there and battled back. So we're starting to work guys back in and see what goes. And we've been all you're saying, we just want to keep improving and try to be a positive for the offense.”
Watch the film – Receiver Jerry Jeudy’s frustration boiled over last Sunday when he fired his helmet at the bench in the second half. “Football is emotional sport,” Jeudy said. “Things like that happen sometimes. You just got to make sure you know how to control it.” Jeudy was targeted just five times and he caught one pass for 18 yards in the loss to the Bengals. Clearly he felt there were opportunities to get him the ball. “Y'all got to watch all the film, man, y'all got to watch the film,” Jeudy said.
Injury report – DNP: RB Jerome Ford (hamstring), S Ronnie Hickman (ankle), LB Jordan Hicks (elbow, triceps), T Jedrick Wills (knee); LIMITED: C Ethan Pocic (knee), CB Tony Brown (ankle), RT Jack Conklin (knee), RG Wyatt Teller (knee); FULL: DE Myles Garrett (Achilles), WR Jerry Jeudy (knee), QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (right finger), DT Quinton Jefferson (personal)
