Dawgs By Nature
After coming off an upset win over the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, the Cleveland Browns look to do it again this Sunday as they will travel to Michigan to take on the Detroit Lions. An argument can be made that the Lions and the Browns have been through the darkest of times in their franchises’ histories, but recently, Detroit has emerged from the darkness. Cleveland? It’s a work in progress.
After losing both coordinators this offseason (OC Ben Johnson took the Chicago Bears head coaching job and DC Aaron Glenn took the New York Jets coaching job), the Lions wasted no time replacing them. John Morton came over from the Denver Broncos to be their offensive coordinator (and might have stuck his foot in his mouth this week) and promoted linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard to be the defensive coordinator.
Team-wise, the team looks different than they did the past two years. Quarterback Jared Goff is still a top 15 quarterback in the league, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery might be the best running back duo in the league, wide receivers Amon-Ra St.Brown and Jameson Williams complement each other well and tight end Sam LaPorta can’t be overlooked. The offensive line went through some shuffling on the interior but right tackle Penei Sewell could be on of the best tackles in the league.
Defensively, the unit is a solid group. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is looking to build off his strong first half of what he did last season before he was gone for the season. The secondary has a solid safety duo in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.
Here are three players that could be big problems for the visitors in this upcoming Browns-Lions matchup.
If you follow pop culture in any form, you would know about Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna. Not only is that duo in a video game, but also used to describe Gibbs and Montgomery.
Let’s start with Gibbs. Gibbs (deemed as Sonic) has the burst and speed to get to the second level with the ball in his hands.
Detroit’s running game is very diverse. Gibbs does his damage along the perimeter and is effective in the passing game. For Cleveland, containing the perimeter is going to be key, as they can’t allow Gibbs to break off huge runs.
Switching from Sonic to Knuckles, running back David Montgomery is Knuckles. Physical, imposing and not afraid to search for contact. Montgomery has that home run hitting ability and it’s been showcased multiple times. Inside runs are what he’s good at; if you give him enough space, he will make you pay. Cleveland’s defensive line (mainly the interior) has been stout, but it will be tested once again. Staying disciplined in terms of run fits and gap integrity will be key for the Browns to stop this potent Lions rushing attack.
If defensive end Aidan Hutchinson hadn’t gotten hurt last season,...
