The first preseason game was not kind to the Cleveland Browns or Deshaun Watson, as nothing seemed to be going well for the starters
The Cleveland Browns’ starters struggled against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday night. The problem was not Jaguar’s defense. The problem was a violation’s ability to be in sync. The defense played with a mix of second stringers against the Jaguars’ starters.
But that’s life in the preseason, which is why nobody really cares about these games. The second line of defense struggled to gel against the Jaguars starters. The offensive line was a mishmash of starters and backups. Starting center Nick Harris when he was out with a knee injury, the cohesion of the offensive line seemed to fall apart.
Attack out of sync
The Browns no doubt wanted to shake off DeShaun Watson’s rust tonight. The first play of the game was the predictable, old faithful first play of any game, a naked bootleg pass. Watson’s first pass was sent over the head of wide receiver Anthony Schwartz. His second pass was back to Schwartz who dropped him.
Then a series of false starts, hold calls, and failed snaps between Watson and backup center Ethan Pocic sabotaged the next two drives. Watson completed his first pass as Brown to finish tight to David Njoku, who was recently called a real chef.
All in all, Watson didn’t have a chance to shake off the rust. The circumstances around him short-circuited his debut. But he looked like everything he was advertised for was making quick reads, making decisive throws and extending plays with his feet. Browns fans should be excited about having Watson. He will be a dynamic player if he gets to actually play this season (hopefully).
Speaking of Anthony Schwartz, he certainly hasn’t helped himself shed the label of fast dude who can’t catch. Not sure if it’s the lights, jitters or the yips but he’s having a hard time catching the ball on match day. At one point, Watson was visibly frustrated with him for dropping a well-thrown ball.
Browns reserves were better?
Joshua Dobbs looked good on Friday night as he used his feet to make plays and read the defense well. He proved he could be a good backup for the Browns. But don’t get too excited as he was up against the second and third Jaguars teamers.
The offense works better with a mobile quarterback. Witnessing this is Dobbs who was able to dodge defenders and make smart and decisive decisions in tonight’s game. You may wonder why the Browns would even consider trading for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopollo, who has the speed and strength of Jim Brown’s statue.
Defensive communication problems
Defensively, the team looked good given the mix and match of regulars and backups. Communications were out early, allowing the Jaguars to drive onto the field. The second series was a bit better as the Jaguars receivers were locked for most of the night. But a bad pass rush from the second line of defense against the Jaguars regulars put the secondary in a bad position.
The highlight of the night for the defense was made by a rookie. Martin Emerson has played well in the camp. That game translated into the field. Initially, he was defeated for a long game on the first game of the game. But toward the end of the first half, he tore the ball out of a receiver’s hands and returned it for a touchdown.
It was a typical first game of the preseason. The Browns seemed out of sync, sloppy and needed to tighten up discipline.
On the other side of the field, the Jaguars played their second preseason game after losing a mediocre performance against the Las Vegas Raiders. They were clearly ahead of the Browns who had played that first sloppy game.
Comments:
Jerome Ford seemed indecisive during his first few runs. The wide zone games made him doubt. But it seems to bloom if there is an obvious hole. Unfortunately, he lost a fumble late in the match. Seeing hole, hole hitting, Ford looked dynamic. But this was against 2nd and 3rd team players.
Cade! Cade! Cade!
Kicker Cade York looked as advertised in the game as he made all his kicks. He started one kick from the endzone on one kick-off. The others he deliberately kicked short to get some special team action for players trying to make the roster.
The punter’s “battle” went as expected. Cory Bojorquez kicked the ball deep on his kicks. But he still exaggerates his reporting. His punts allowed the Jaguars to set up returns. This can lead to disaster in the regular season.
On the other hand, Joseph Charlton’s punts resulted in fair catches, which is exactly what you want. If this is really a struggle, Charlton leads. But you never know what the front office is thinking.
Overall, a good game for the Browns, but the early lack of sync and rhythm needs to be addressed next game.
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