This past season was rough for those of us who ride or die with this team. I know I certainly took it hard. I would even go so far as to say that 2022, as well as 2021 before it, were as bad if not worse than the infamous 1-31 run from 2016-2017. Yes, the Browns were god awful during that stretch with Hue Jackson at the helm. But we all knew they would be exceptionally bad before those seasons began. Nobody expected them to do anything other than stumble through, take their lumps and losses as a very young team, and stockpile draft picks in the hopes of turning things around in the future.
We're officially in "the future" now several years later, with the talent to at least challenge Cincinnati for the division title, if not do much bigger things. Yet we have a combined 15-19 record over the last two seasons. That won't get it done for a team that supposedly has serious aspirations of winning the AFC and reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. The expectation that the Browns would be a fantastic team hurts worse than knowing they'd be an awful team.
So many things went wrong this season. But I would say that the biggest things that went wrong this season were penalties, Kevin Stefanski going against the team's biggest strengths, and the poor defense in general.
Penalties are an absolute killer
The Browns weren't the #1 penalized team in the NFL in 2022. That was Arizona. But Cleveland still ranked as the 11th most-penalized team in the NFL, averaging six penalties a game for 50 yards according to the Football Database. Six penalties per game for 50 yards may not sound like much. But when those penalties come at the worst times, it can really wreck a team's chances to get their offense in gear, get off the field on defense, or get into any sort of good rhythm in general. Football is a game of momentum. And the team that is able to feed off that momentum usually rides it to victory most weeks. Similarly, if good momentum is stopped by a key mistake like a penalty, that can swing the game completely against a team.
When the Browns are at their absolute best, their offensive gameplan is based on a run-first, physical, tough mentality. When they're playing mistake free football, a solid first down run or second down run will often put them in manageable short yardage situations later in the drive. But all it takes is a holding penalty or false start to push them back from 3rd and 3, to 3rd and 8. Short yardage situations allow the Browns to be aggressive and creative on offense. They're able to really take the fight directly to an opposing defense. But when they're pushed back five yards or more thanks to a penalty, it completely changes their gameplan, puts them back on their heels, and allows an opposing defense to turn the tables and come after them. We saw a lack of discipline way too many times this season. 102 times to be exact. Kevin Stefanski and his staff need to fix this problem before they do anything else if they want to have any serious success in 2023. It does not matter if this team has talent coming out their ears, or if they have the most explosive schemes. If they can't stay disciplined on either side of the ball, they won't win. Playing disciplined football is the bedrock for success in this game. Gotta learn to walk before you can run.
Going against the grain isn't always necessary or good
Nick Chubb had the best statistical season of his career in 2022. He ran for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was absolutely fantastic for this team, as he always has been since he came into the league as a second round pick out of Georgia in 2018. But he finished third in total rushing yards, and second in rushing touchdowns. Normally fans would be happy if their star running back had those kinds of numbers. But when one looks at the kind of football team the Browns are, and also crunches the numbers, they'll see that he wasn't used anywhere near as much as he should've been. Nick Chubb carried the ball 302 times. 302 divided by 17 comes out to just under 18 carries per game (17.7). The Browns also passed on average nearly 32 times per game. Unless Cleveland is really struggling to run the football on a particular day thanks to great rushing defense by the opposing team, he needs to get at least 20-25 carries per game, and in situations where the game calls for him to run it. Particularly if the Browns are threatening to score a touchdown inside the 10-yard line.
The NFL has become a passing league with finesse plays. But sometimes there's absolutely nothing better than going old school, pounding it into the teeth of the defense, and scoring a touchdown on the ground the old fashioned way!
Along with running the ball more often, I also hope Kevin Stefanski relinquishes play calling for 2023. We don't know how effective Alex Van Pelt could be as an offensive coordinator here because he simply hasn't gotten a chance to do the job that he was hired to do. If Kevin Stefanski gives up play calling, he can focus on building these 53 guys into a tough, smart, and accountable team. But it's clear he cannot do both. He cannot call the plays and manage the Browns effectively. When he tries to do both, both key facets of this part of the game (team discipline, effective offense) suffer greatly.
Out with the old, in with the new
After a dismal season on defense, Joe Woods was fired as the Browns defensive coordinator. I'm sure he's a nice guy. But he could not coach an effective, Championship-level defense. The Browns routinely got gashed by opposing running games. The pass defense was pretty solid. They ranked #5 in the league in opponent passing yards per game at 196.2, but when it came to run defense or clutch stops late in games, this team just couldn't shut anybody down when it mattered the most. They were #23 in the league in terms of points allowed at 377, which comes out to 22.1 points per game. That's just not getting it done.
New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz certainly has his work cut out for him. But he rebuilt both the Bills and Eagles defenses when he was in Buffalo and Philadelphia during previous coaching stops, and he helped both teams vault up the NFL's defensive rankings while he was there. Most importantly, he has that coveted Super Bowl ring from when the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII in February 2018.
In order for this team to be a true Super Bowl contender, I believe this is where we'll have to see the greatest improvement. The Browns will likely have to have a Top 10 defense in every statistical category at the very least, before they can start seriously chasing that elusive Lombardi Trophy.
Next moves and expectations for 2023
It's hard telling what Browns General Manager Andrew Berry and the rest of the front office will focus on first during the offseason. But I would focus on getting a run stuffing defensive lineman with their first pick in the Draft if it's possible to find one in the second round at #44 overall, and perhaps bring in a veteran free agent defensive lineman, or linebacker as well.
Once next season rolls around, I would say that anything less than a Playoff berth at the very least is an abject failure. If Cleveland fails to make the Playoffs, it would not surprise me if both Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry were fired.
Even with their issues, the Browns are still far, far too talented to not be competing in the Playoffs in January. Dethroning Cincinnati and capturing the first division title since 1989 would be nice too. The Browns certainly have the talent to challenge the Bengals in the AFC North. But there's plenty of work left to do this offseason in order for that to become a reality.
Until Free Agency starts in March, I'm still decompressing from the Browns. But I still love this team, and I am always hopeful that one day they'll get it right!
Sources: nfl.com, foxsports.com, clevelandbrowns.com, The Football Database (footballdb.com)
Picture Credit: beaconjournal.com
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