Anthony, does it seem like with all the talent on both sides of the ball there seems to be a lack of detail or killer instinct. On offense when we get a lead we seem to go into a relaxed mode and on defense especially in pass coverage there seems to be a lack of communication which was apparent in games last year. This will need to be addressed early this year or it could be a detriment to winning season, your thoughts? – Chazz B., Chambersburg, PA
I don’t think a lack of “killer instinct” was why last the game was closer than we all would’ve liked — if it weren’t for a few broken coverages by the defense, the Browns would’ve won on a much more comfortable note.
Those plays were a 50-yard pass from Baker Mayfield to Ian Thomas that set up a 1-yard Panthers touchdown and a 75-yard touchdown from Mayfield to Robbie Anderson. They accounted for 125 of the Panthers’ 261 net offensive yards, and it was an otherwise dominant game from the defense that provided plenty of reasons to believe they’ll be one of the best units in the league this year. They expect to clean those communication errors up this week.
“Game two, we’ll definitely be ready to go,” CB Greg Newsome II said. “Like our coach told us, there were really two plays where we gave up maybe 150 yards. If you take away those two explosive plays, which were literally eyes and communication, they would have had less than 10 yards through the air. I think we’ll definitely be ready going into game two.”
As for the offense, the Browns weren’t taking their foot off the gas in the second half. It’s just always going to be a battle for them to score more points when they have a lead in the second half because of how predictable their game plan will be — the defense knows the Browns will run the ball a ton if they have a lead, so they’ll stack the box to prevent big plays.
Chubb and Hunt had 17 carries for 74 yards in the second half, an average of 4.3 yards per carry. That’s well below the 5.6 yards per carry mark they averaged for the whole game. The Panthers loaded up near the line of scrimmage to stop them and force Brissett to throw, and the best they could do was find three field goals (the last of which, of course, was the clutch game-winner).
They know they have to be better not only in the second half, but in all four quarters to avoid those stomach-turning close finishes.
“I would assume that it will be a much cleaner game from our standpoint,” Brissett said. “We addressed a lot of the problems that caused a lot of those communication errors and those things. Looking forward to obviously going into this week of practice and preparation to correct those things so that on Sunday, they’re clean.”
Have the Browns considered a third-quarter song to get the crowd fired up, similar to “Renegade” in Pittsburgh? Having been at Steelers games, it creates a powerful atmosphere. And given the Rock-n-Roll HOF, it seems like a no-brainer. Personally I would love to see a new tradition started and suggest, “I won’t back down,” by Tom Petty and can imagine a full stadium singing the chorus together. Thanks for the consideration. – Chris L., Cincinnati, OH
You’re in luck, Chris. The team announced this week they’ll be doing a weekly fan poll to vote for a song played at the end of the third quarter. Tom Petty unfortunately isn’t on this week’s list, but you can still make your pick between Elton John, Billy Joel, Oasis and Zac Brown Band here. New songs will be rolled out for the vote all year, and the winner each week will be on the ballot the following week, too.
