The addition of a veteran punter, changes to the receivers and other little things help the Browns beat the Colts.
View full sizeUsama Young (left) and James Dockery reveled in Young's interception of a Kerry Collins pass in the fourth quarter Sunday afternoon.INDIANAPOLIS -- Pondering some scribbles following the Browns' first win of the season.
1. Brad Maynard provided exactly what was needed from a punter -- someone the team can count upon. His 40.2 average is rather modest, but none of his five punts were returned. He put three inside the 20, and coach Pat Shurmur also praised his work as a holder for Phil Dawson.
2. Maynard is 37, and has punted in the NFL for 14 seasons. He was put on waivers by Chicago (after 10 years) in the summer, then cut by Houston in training camp. "It was great to be back on the field punting and having guys yell at me about how terrible I am," he said. "Last week, I watched the games at home on my couch. I hated it. I still know I can play."
3. With regular punter Reggie Hodges out for the season with a torn Achilles, and the first-game fiasco with Richmond McGee punting poorly because of a bad back, Maynard should stabilize that area for the rest of the season. It's a part of the game rarely noticed until something goes wrong, as it did in the 27-17 loss to Cincinnati.
4. Joshua Cribbs started at receiver in place of Brian Robiskie. It was Mohamed Massaquoi, Greg Little and Cribbs who received most of the snaps. Shurmur talked about the need to "get the playmakers on the field." Those three guys were targeted with 15 passes from Colt McCoy, and they caught 12.
5. Massaquoi made a terrific catch for 28 yards, putting the ball on the Colts' 1 late in the first half, with Peyton Hillis eventually scoring. Greg Little caught four of five balls tossed in his direction, and Cribbs was 3-of-3. No significant drops for the receivers.
6. For those who thought Cribbs' decline in production in 2010 was because his reworked contract tempered his drive, his explosive start to this season validates what Cribbs said a year ago -- he was playing with a significant foot injury. He's averaging 13.8 yards per punt return, 34.2 per kickoff. His longest kickoff return in 2010 was 37 yards, and he's had two for more than 50 yards already. His longest 2010 punt return was 17 yards. He had a 43-yarder Sunday and a 21-yarder last week.
7. If Shurmur could do it over again, he probably wouldn't -- at least not the same way. The subject is Montario Hardesty not getting the ball until early in the fourth quarter. He carried it three times, twice inside the 5. He fumbled (Joe Thomas recovered) and didn't score. He had a net total of one yard. Shurmur said he wanted to use Hardesty earlier but simply didn't do it. He gave the impression that will change next week, because he wants to keep Hillis fresher for the fourth quarter.
8. Copley's Delone Carter carried the ball 11 times for 46 yards (4.2 average). The Colts' rookie is splitting time with Joseph Addai.
9. The defensive line of Jayme Mitchell, Phil Taylor, Ahtyba Rubin and Jabaal Sheard has been impressive, given only Rubin started last season. Taylor has been a force in the middle of the line. He batted down a pass and stopped a couple of runs. The 335-pound rookie from Baylor looks quick on this artificial turf. Rubin was even better with a sack, two quarterback hits and combined with Taylor to clog up the middle. Sheard had a nice game with a sack and forcing a fumble.
10. After three false starts and an offside penalty last week, the Browns' only false start here was rookie Jason Pinkston. Playing in a loud dome, the Browns often used a silent snap count that requires discipline and attention to detail. The improvement was dramatic.
11. Before the game, the Browns feared Colts' tight end Dallas Clark. He caught four passes, but only for an 8.0 average, the longest being 10 yards. Safety T.J. Ward deserves credit for much of the coverage.
12. In the second quarter, the Browns had a fourth-and-inches on the Colts' 46. They ran a sneak to McCoy, who picked up the first down. I hate that play (it came out of an empty backfield) because of the injury risk to a small quarterback. I do like Shurmur being aggressive and going for it.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2011/09/terry_plutos_pregame_scribbles_30.html
Weather Transfer window Reality TV Norway Niclas Alexandersson The Ashes
No comments:
Post a Comment