Of the many disappointments in the Browns’ 2006 season, the continued inadequacy of the pass rush ranks among the most frustrating.
Currently, the Browns have only 24 sacks (tied for 27th out of 32 teams) for 124 yards lost (30th). While this is better than 2005’s 23 sacks for 142 yards (both league worsts), the difference is essentially negligible.
A few more statistics will illustrate how the general absence of a pass rush has hurt the team again this year. Opposing passers rank near the league average in passing yardage and attempts per game. But only eight teams have yielded more passing touchdowns than the Browns, this despite a completion percentage of just 56.3, lower than all but three other teams. This combination of facts steers the culpability away from the battered secondary and toward the front seven. All too often, quarterbacks just have too much time to pick out their open receivers and venture on the deeper routes. Even if they find nothing open, they can still try to squeeze one in, dump off, or simply throw the ball away. Against other teams, they might complete more of their passes because they would be sacked before attempting them.
And that leads to another bad consequence: too few forced fumbles. The leading fumbler on most any team is the quarterback. Two of the most common reasons for a QB fumble stem from successful pressure: a strip sack or a fumble on an improvised scramble. Browns’ opponents have fumbled just 11 times (31st) in 14 games, with Cleveland recovering eight (tied for 23rd). Of those fumbles, only three were by quarterbacks, two on botched plays and one on a Kamerion Wimbley sack of Trent Green.
By comparison, the Browns have lost 15 of their 20 fumbles, including six of seven by Charlie Frye and one of two by Derek Anderson.
I’m stating the obvious here, but strip sacks are game-changing plays. They’re not particularly rare. But for the Browns to only have one of them at this late date speaks plenty about their inability to get off the field. So does this: the Browns have allowed more third-down conversions than any other team.
OK, so that describes the problem but says little about why it exists. The reasons are myriad. The run defense remains pretty much in shambles. The defensive line is thin, especially without Orpheus Roye. The linebacking corps consists largely of rookies (Wimbley, Jackson, Williams) and a pair of veterans (Davis, McGinest) who have underperformed compared to past seasons. The fill-ins at cornerback are too risky to put in man-to-man coverage while we send more heat.
And even when we have blitzed, the offensive line has absorbed them better than Rosie’s paper towels. Only 1.5 of the 24 sacks (6%) have come from the secondary. Clearly there is some coaching work to be done in terms of scheming for the pass rush, making the optimal calls, and empowering the players to beat their blocks.
Stepping back for a bigger-picture view, two things are apparent. First, the conversion to the 3-4 defense, now concluding its second year, has been painfully slow in its development. Secondly, there are still some big personnel holes that need to be filled. Wimbley was a nice pick, but there really aren’t any other standouts in the front seven. Davis is adequate, and Jackson may eventually become an above-average inside linebacker. McGinest is a steadying force who no longer has the speed to be called an impact player. Williams shows some promise.
Chaun Thompson is an enigma whom I hoped the coaches would have put to better use. He’s may be a project that’s overdue. But he’s certainly capable of rushing the passer and chasing him down if needed. He had a team-high nine tackles for loss in ’05 in addition to five sacks. Then he was moved inside, where he was buried behind two rookies on the depth chart. With Jackson shelved and Davis questionable for this week, maybe Thompson will re-emerge as a factor as he completes the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract.
The situation with the line is even more dire. Roye is a personal favorite, but I fear age and injuries will rob him of one of his greatest strengths: his tenacious hustle to finish off plays. Washington is obviously a slipping stopgap. Alvin McKinley, Ethan Kelley and Nick Eason are soon to be free agents, and the club doesn’t seem serious about reupping them. Fraser — sorry, OSU homers — is a serious liability against the run. Maybe Parker and Baba will develop, maybe not.
It’s really hard for me to follow Phil Savage’s strategy with regard to defensive ends. Recall, he exported a literal ton of defensive linemen to Denver. Then, this past off-season, with all the activity it entailed, not a single defensive end was signed or drafted. Will Alvin Smith replace Alvin McKinley? Will Orien Harris supplant fellow Pittsburgh refugee Orpheus Roye? Hardly enough to hang your hat on.
Ironic, isn’t it, that the last two Browns head coaches cut their teeth on the defensive line. Now, just as much as the offensive line, it’s a glaring and perpetual weakness.
