Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns’ season isn’t going as planned. Come to think about it, when is a 2-7-0 record in any team’s strategy to be factual?
The offense is horrible, the defense is a roller coaster, and special teams just aren’t very special anymore. What in the do-hickey happened?
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Despite the poor record, Cleveland actually has a chance to win the division. The Pittsburgh Steelers sit on top at 5-4-0, so that means just three games out. Of course, that doesn’t mean they can accomplish this, and hardly anyone associated with the Browns fanbase is discussing the parameters of what it would take to capture the division flag. But the math is still valid.
Stranger things have happened.
The season is just half over. Eight games remain. There are quite a few opponents that the Browns could conceivably beat: Las Vegas Raiders (2-7-0), Tennessee Titans (1-8-0), and Cincinnati Bengals (3-6-0). Other teams on the schedule don’t have the best of records, such as the Baltimore Ravens (4-5-0). Plus, both the Steelers and San Francisco 49ers (6-4-0) are struggling.
To some, the season is over. With others, the attitude is to try to win as many games as possible that remain, and let’s see.
Of course, being a two-win club means there are a lot of problems. And maybe some can be fixed during the duration of these final games, whereas other issues will need to be addressed during the off-season. One thing for certain: next year’s roster will look a lot different. So will the coaching staff, no doubt.
Going forward with the remainder of the schedule right now, one huge issue this season that is glaring is the left tackle position. Every game.
Cam Robinson is the starting left tackle for the Browns. His playing style? Stink, stank, stunk (Christmas season is just around the corner!).
He came into the league as a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Alabama in 2017. He then moved on to the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans for a single season each. Browns GM Andrew Berry then made a trade for the veteran. At Bama, he was an exceptional tackle, but he has certainly struggled since coming to Cleveland from the Texans in late September.
Robinson has no business playing tackle. On either side. Maybe he can be utilized as a guard with some tutelage and keep his services, but at tackle, he is a liability. He is not bad at run blocking, but his Pro Football Focus (PFF) grading at pass blocking is a horrible 43.2. That is basically where the issue lies, when Robinson has to drop back in pass protection.
Any defensive end with a great first step is already partially around Robinson. They are halfway into his body right off, and then keep bending against Robinson’s body until they are free. Or an inside spin move works every single time. Fake the outside leverage, then quickly spin,...
